DIY Great Advent Ideas

Well it is that time of year to start counting down 'til the big man heads down from the North Pole!  The idea of an advent calendar is huge for little ones and adults! Hey we need to know how much time we have left to buy, bake, party, and whatever else, but then knowing when we turn over # 24 that we have that one day to sit around in our pj's makes it all worthwhile! :)

So how can I make my own advent calendar you ask?  Here are some of my favorite ideas from my art teaching days and now my pinterest obsessed pinning days!

This printable Santa Beard Advent calendar is super cute and way inexpensive!  24 cotton balls and the printable version makes this project easy-peezy for 2+ years.  As well as affordable!You can have one for everyone to do in the house.  Trust me it's the worst when you hear fighting coming from the advent area of who's going to turn over the paper today! My hubby's the worst ;-)




Paper Ring:
Now who can ever forget the endless paper ring trains you'd make in elementary school.  These are awesome for counting down birthdays, school letting out for summer, and of course advent calendar.  What I love about it is that it can be in green's and reds for Christmas and blues and whites for Hannukah! You can work it one of two ways.  Waxing or waning :)  So you can add a ring for everyday or have fun one day after Thanksgiving and assemble your entire garland or tree (to do this tree refer to this picture to assemble) and then take a ring off for every day!
*Side note when assembling the these rings make sure you splurge for the tape, assembling with glue is a mess!

Christmas book advent:
Gather 25 children’s books preferably Christmas books, consider swapping some books with a friend or get some at the thrift store. Wrap all 25 of them in Christmas paper and let the kids pick a new book to unwrap each night.Great way to bond with your kiddos, get into the spirit and read to your kids!

Now for the more adventurous, artsy parents here are a couple that might require hot glue guns, nails and hammers and lots of prep, but totally worth the time!

This up-cycled #cothespin calendar is awesome if you don't want to get too fancy but still are just itching to make something.  Difficulty level is a 3 out of 5 let's say.  You'll need a printer and paper, paint, sturdy card stock(poster board will be too flimsy, cardboard would be fine too) and ribbon!  We love the green aspect of this calendar!

Another up-cycled calendar is this toilet paper roll calendar.  The simplicity and beauty of the toilet paper rolls makes this easy and so nostalgic looking! The candy doesn't have to be a kitkat obviously, but if you have left over Halloween candy you could use this, you could put healthier snack options like raisin packets, ornaments, crayons, etc...the options are endless!



Finally I save the hardest for last... The reason I think it is the hardest is that you have to come up with 24 daily and new activities to do for the Activity Calendar...for the whole family!  It does require some cutting and gluing and printing and who's to say that you couldn't have some repeats.  I think hot chocolate with a peppermint stick can be used at least 2,3, maybe even 4 times ;-)


*couple of tips... go to a craft store and buy scrap book paper and poster board. If you have  double sided tape that will work best!

Have fun coming up with fun winter activities and enjoy the countdown!

Upcoming events at Naturally Loved

We have several great events that allow you to have some me time!  As mentioned in the previous post and words that you should live by at this time of year!

Mommy's Time to Wine Events:  

Come hang out with friends, get great deals at your favorite Natural Baby Store and drink wine... for free!   When you buy one of our awesome "mommy sippy cups"  you get to drink wine for free at any of our events! 

November 20th and December 5th 5-7 p.m. great time to get started on some holiday shopping!

#ShopSmall on Small Business Saturday November 29th: 

Small Business Saturday, created by American Express in 2010, is the cornerstone of the Shop small movement. Go to www.ShopSmall.com/OfferTerms to register your American Express card and you can earn up to a total of $30 in statement credits by shopping at small businesses on the Shop Small Map!  Don't worry.... we are there!and we'll have great deals that day!

Milk and Cookies with Santa:

Okay so not so much "Me Time" as great family time! A tradition we started back in Stapleton for the tree lighting festival that we will carry into our new neighborhood here in Park Hill! The Fairfax block will be getting down on Saturday December 20th with tons of activity for the whole family! We will have milk and cookies with Santa, as well as your picture taken and some awesome sales going on in the store and then if  you choose you can walk down to SHARE Denver and check out their awesome handmade craft fair that will be featuring tons of  local artisans and their crafts.  Then head over to Bike Depot.  The gift of giving will continue! They'll be giving away 200 children's bikes to underprivileged children at the Holly St.Rec Center.  Man it feels good to share all that love on one block!

Shopping small and keeping it local is a grassroots movement that can only have the right impact if you really try.  As a small business owner for 4 years now I see the difference it makes in the families that shop small and the families that they support, aka like mine!  Our livelihood is dependent on standing up against the big named stores and creating a space that is special and different.  I have pledged to only shop small businesses this holiday season, I hope you will follow this amazing movement!

Happiest of Holidays!
Aly Warren
owner at Naturally Loved.  

Enjoying this Holiday Season...

I. Can't.  Believe.  The.  Holidays.  Are.  Here!  This time of year is wonderful, loud, yummy, expensive, fun, and exhausting!  But most of all can be made of  the most memorable family moments your kids will remember.  My sisters and I always recall the long and agonizing rides in my mom's mini van... My father would drive from Florida to Arkansas the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, in the middle of the night, for hours to get there in time to duck hunt with his brothers early morning the Wednesday before.  It was a long 9 hours of playing "I Spy", the Capital/State game, memorizing movies that we watched on our Sam's special small T.V. hooked up to the cigarette lighter in the van, over and over, and over ( seriously we still have So I Married an Axe Murderer memorized) .  This is before the era of iPads and fancy screens attached to seat backs or that magically come down from the ceiling. *Side note... Eva wants a car with these things so bad and I am so anti, first of all a trip to the grocery store,  minutes away from the house will turn into a whine fest of "Why can't I watch t.v in the car!!"  #meanmomalert
So these fancy gadgets have turned family road trips into a bearable cruise, for both mom and dad, as well as the kids!  Mom and dad get to hear every single word of a movie that they don't get to watch, and children get to veg out in front of a screen... even though they are sitting next to some family member.  Literally within 200 sq ft of people they are going to be interacting with for the next couple of days on this said family trip....Do you smell the sarcasm?  I am laying it on pretty thick.  Take advantage of this time to  talk with your children, I promise it is so much more fun!  Your kids might surprise you and actually open up and quite possibly be really funny.
Here are some tips to getting everyone involved!

• Have your children be on snack patrol, let them choose what to put in the basket, as well as the good Au-natural snacks you want them to have too ;) This allows them to have a say, they know their options already and they get to be a part of the trip planning!
• Put some fun travel games in a bag and have someone each hour of the trip pull something out.  Games that are rad for everyone: mad libs, coloring, connect the dots, hangman, and so on. You get the point.
• My all time favorite games are I Spy, License Plate, and 20 questions.  Here is a great car games site that has the games listed and how to play.  Warning they are trying to sell you a car too, so disregard the comments like " I Spy is great with  a vehicle whose excellent visibility facilitates easy spying, like the Subaru Forrester" :)  
• And always have great music to listen to!  Dance parties can absolutely happen, even with a seat belt on!Or even sing offs! 

There is also the option of just driving at midnight and letting the kids sleep it off in the car :)  then you don't have to listen to the "are we there yet's"...

As we get closer to December you need to do one major thing to make sure the holidays turn out fantastic...
Whip out your calendar and schedule some "you" time!
The one thing that really helps me get through the holidays, other than spiked eggnog :),  is taking time for myself.  We all get so wrapped up in doing, shopping, partying, caroling, schooling, elf on the shelfing and everything else that we forget that this time of year can be just as magical as it was when we were kids! 
Take the time to shop with a girlfriend.  Make a day of it!  Catch up with one another, grab lunch and get some shopping done.  Set aside a day to bake cookies with your kids, enjoy the cold weather with a hot tottie and de-stress!  It CAN be enjoyable.  I've found that doing yoga and meditating daily can make everything so much smoother... even the Holidays! I know it sounds kooky especially after I am fully promoting drinking around the holidays, but honestly my mind is clearer and I am able to handle little things that pop up if  I practice daily.  Like a surprise visit from in-laws, or the casserole burning in the oven, or the oven deciding to sh!t the bed the day before Thanksgiving... All true stories and all handled with grace.. ha ha says my hubby in the background.  Hey! I never said I was perfect, but the truth is that taking the time to do these things for yourself can help you come to the realization that the holidays can be fun and contagious!  As in your kids will have a blast, your neighbors will get in on the spirit, and even Santa might bring you a little something special for being on the "Nice" list! ;-)

So good luck with traveling, baking, sharing, loving, and making memories that last!
xo-Aly
mom, wife, business owner still going 4 years strong with realizing how crazy the holidays are when you own a retail shop but still making it worth it for my littles...

Get creative for Halloween now before it's too late...

Well we are trying this again...  I know I know I've said it before but this time I promise I will post, blogg, share, tweet and use all aspects of social media to increase the presence of Naturally Loved on the web... HA!  If you know me you know my life is crazy...ALL THE TIME.  Life with kids and jobs and going going going... We forget to stop and reflect that "now" is happening. So I'm pursuing this writing business again to implement a practice of being grateful for this "now".  So here is what's going on now...
Eva is 5 and Luna is 2 and  they are so much fun together, a handful for sure, but the sweetest of sisters.  They have a lot in common, like games and characters; favorite dolls, Frozen, giggles, and so on. Yet they can be as different as night and day when it comes to understanding the word no.  One complies and the other wants nothing to do with it. 
So here we are, right around the corner from Halloween and that Fall feeling is in the air! I have to say it's one of my favorite times of the year. Now, it does take me a couple of weeks to get used to the idea, the Florida girl in me wants an endless summer; however, once the boots come out, the season is embraced...  Fall has brilliant color, sounds of crunchy leaves, tastes and smells of harvest in the air and have I mentioned Halloween! I love it! My kids and I walked around our neighborhood last night to look at all the spooky houses.  Eva called to each one saying it was spookier than the last.  It blows my mind how much she's changed from one year to the next. Two years ago she was way too afraid to even get close to a house with lights.
I'll never forget my little Eva's first Halloween... we dressed her up as a piece of Nigiri Sushi! Now I know I've been talking about being present and living now, but every once in awhile. It's good to look at the past to see where we've been and look at a piece of why where here. She was the cutest little piece of sushi. Clearly...  :)

I know it is ridiculously cute and I am seriously creative...   Haha, now this was as time before, brace yourself, pinterest and I was obsessed with sushi.  I think it was because everyone told me "don't eat it when you are pregnant!"  So as soon  as she was born I lived off sushi! I had this amazing orange pillow on my bed and realized I could make it look like a piece of salmon... and voila cuteness created!  Now there are so many cute ideas floating around the Internet that I know some of you mama's will take my sushi idea and improve the heck out of it... as you should!  The point of this entry is that take advantage of your babies not complaining that you are dressing them up as a piece of sushi, mermaid, popcorn bucket or whatever!  I am speaking from experience and a mother of two... yes two... Elsa's this Halloween!  oh it gets better.  We are headed to Disney World and I am pretty certain that we are not going to be the only two Elsa's there. All my persuading and bargaining and trying to get them to accept a creative costume idea was gone the moment the Elsa and Anna costumes came into the store.  In my defense I brought them in because people were paying crazy cash for an Elsa dress and I found a good deal on some so here we are.  Two sisters, both Elsa's... Hey I tried to get one to be Elsa and the other to be Anna.. but nope. My say is completely out the door.


Okay so here are some fabulous first year costume ideas for those of you who have babies that can still just lay there and be compliant with the ridiculous costume you put on them.... hey I am just sayin' take pictures put it in the baby book and show your awesome mom-ness at their wedding album montage many many many years from now.  :)

crochet mermaid tails for newborns... makes a seriously cute newborn photo shoot too!  we have homemade ones in the store from a gal who lives in Ireland, but has family in CO...  she is the crochet master....

have some extra pairs of mix match socks?  turn your baby into an octopus! 

this one I can't even tell you how much I love!  first I wish I had thought of this, two this is so simple!!! cut up paper vegetables, a brown blanket in your stroller and a subway wrapper...seriously so easy!!!

want to wear your baby and trick or treat too!  convert your carrier into a popcorn bowl with some felt and glue, pop some popcorn glue it to a cap and head out the door!

the garden gnome is the sweetest costume for pictures! little babies with beards, are you kidding me?









Okay well I hope that you got some good ideas from this blogg post and I also hope that you took a little piece of advice from me, you know I love to give it unsolicited advice... but no matter what's going on with your life take the time to appreciate now.  Don't say you can't wait till your baby is walking because before you know it they will be running. Take advantage of today and enjoy it.

xoxo-

Aly 

mama of Eva & Luna 

wife to Jimmy the cheesemaker/shepherd

and bad ass owner of Naturally Loved

ps i promise I will post again soon.. start checking us out every two weeks or so...no promises though!