Holidays - Views From the Ville

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of UPS for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

The holidays are all about wishes. Some of them are tangible, like a specific gift you’re hoping to receive. And others are more abstract, like peace on Earth and goodwill to men.

Bubbles and Santa at the Mall

The older I get – and especially since having a child – I find that my wishes fall into the latter category more often than not. I wish to see her eyes light up during the holidays, for her to experience happiness, and for the memories we make to be with her always. It’s a wish I share for all my family and friends. Continue reading »

Does your New Year’s Eve party involves kiddos? We thought about trying a Noon Year’s party – where you count down to noon instead of midnight for Bubbles tomorrow instead of staying up for the ball drop tonight, but then we laughed. Bubbles is getting better, but she still doesn’t ever go to bed much before midnight.

15 Kid Friendly Recipes for NYE #NYE #Appetizers #Desserts

Here is a list of 15 kid friendly recipes for appetizers and other tasty treats to make your spread a smash hit. Most of them are bite-sized or have a fun theme – some even work great as party favors. And they all look delicious!

DIY S’Mores Kits – Views From the ‘Ville (pictured above)
Crunchy Chicken-Stuffed Waffle Pops – Snappy Gourmet
Mini Corn Dog Muffins – Kraft Recipes
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks – Chew Out Loud
Mini Chicken Chimichangas – Views from the ‘Ville (pictured above)
Pizza on a Stick – Artisan Bread in 5
Pigs in a Blanket – Save a Lot
“Sparkly” Celebration Popcorn – Laura Kelly’s Inklings
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bites – Play. Party. Pin.
Party Popcorn – Bombshell Bling
Banana Nutella Smoothies – Views From the ‘Ville
Individual Dessert Pizzas – Home Cooking Memories (pictured above)
Gumdrop Cupcake-Tinis – Growing Up Gabel (pictured above)
New Year’s Eve Cakeballs – Formula Mom
Confetti Cake – Spoonful

What are your favorite kid friendly recipes for parties?

Thank you to PBS for providing review copies of these Holiday DVDs. All words and thoughts are my own.

If you’re looking for holiday DVD options from your kids’ favorite characters, you’re in luck! Many of the PBS KIDS shows have put out their own specials packed with winter- and Christmas-themed shows. The DVDs include both older

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow

PBS KIDS Holiday DVD Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow

Dinosaur Train is a favorite in our house and we’ve been enjoying the Dinosaurs in the Snow DVD for the last few weeks. We’ve watched the dinosaurs travel to and see the North Pole for the very first time. While there Tiny, Don, Shiny and Buddy also saw their first snow. Later there was a discussion on whether or not tall trees – like Christmas trees – could really have grown from a tiny little seed. Continue reading »

I received samples to facilitate this post on guest bathroom ideas. No additional compensation was received and all thoughts and words are my own.

House guests are definitely more common during the holidays. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas or the time in between, family and friends will be coming from far and wide to spend time together. It’s always nice to make guests as comfortable as possible, but you definitely don’t want to break the bank.

5 Guest Bathroom Decorating Ideas for The Holidays

One of the easiest places to make an impact is the guest bathroom. It’s a small space so a few small changes can make a big impact. Here are five holiday decorating ideas for a comfortable, inviting guest space. Continue reading »

October is just a couple of days away and, at least around here, people are starting to break out the fall and Halloween decorations. We haven’t started decorating just yet, but I have been looking at pumpkin stencils and thinking about what pumpkin carvings we might do this year. I plan to print out a few and let Bubbles make the final decision (though I have a hunch that Bubble Puppy might be one of her choices).

30 Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Stencils for Halloween

30 Pumpkin Stencils

If you like to carve pumpkins, too, and aren’t sure which designs your Jack-O’-Lanterns will be taking this year, I thought I’d share some of the pumpkin stencils I’ve collected over the years, plus a few that I’ve found recently.

A Bat
Ariel
Boston Red Sox
Bubble Puppy from Bubble Guppies
Cars 2 logo
Cute Spider
Fire-Breathing Dragon
Gil from Bubble Guppies
Goofy Ghost
“Happy Halloween” Phrase
Herman Munster from The Munsters
Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jolly Roger (Skull & Crossbones) from Pirates of the Caribbean
Kermit the Frog
Lightening McQueen from Cars 2
Mater from Cars 2
Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.
Minnie Mouse
Molly from Bubble Guppies
Mr. Grouper from Bubble Guppies
Ralph from Wreck-It Ralph
Rapunzel
Skeleton Hands
Sparky from Frankenweenie
Tigger from Winnie the Pooh
Tinker Bell
“Trick or Treat” Phrase
Vampire Mickey Mouse
Witch
Woody from Toy Story

Views From the Ville

What is Your Holiday Wish for Others? #WishesDelivered

15 Kid Friendly Recipes: Appetizers and Treats for New Year’s Eve

What are your favorite kid friendly recipes for parties?

Holiday DVD Favorites from PBS KIDS

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow

Decorating for the Holidays: 5 Guest Bathroom Ideas

30 Pumpkin Stencils for Great Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns

30 Pumpkin Stencils