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Tooth Fairy Box

February 5, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Have your kids lost some baby teeth, yet? Are they in the process? My boys have yet to get into that phase, but are nearing it. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, has lost a LOT of her teeth. The record: 3 in one day!!! Ya, tough night for the tooth fairy’s wallet! Our puppy has even lost some teeth (the tooth fairy just leaves an extra doggy treat for those).

One problem we often find is actually LOSING the lost tooth…..like under the pillow. Or the gift from the tooth fairy. Or both! Frustrating for a little kid who’s been so excited. I’ve been looking for some system for holding the tooth and reward that’s cute, yet functional and RELIABLE. Oh, and budget-friendly, of course! These Tooth Fairy Boxes turned out so cute, and VERY helpful!

Tooth Fairy Box with Free Printable Poem / Busy Mom's Helper

When I was browsing (more like trampling through, since it was more chaotic than a mad house) the Christmas clearance at Michaels, I ran across these beauties:

Yup, cute little ‘gift card’ boxes. They called out to me, so I had to double check the price. After the clearance discount, they cost a whole $0.37! THIRTY-SEVEN CENTS!!! Heck ya, I’ll take that! So they went into my (overflowing) cart and on home with me. These were seriously PERFECT for my little tooth losing dilemma!

Supplies Needed

Boxes/Canisters

Scrapbook Paper

Double Sided Tape

Cute tooth fairy poem (below)

Directions

For mine, I didn’t cover the bottom of the boxes because 1: they’re plain silver, so no designs needed covering and 2: it makes it a VERY snug fit putting the lid on, and I didn’t want to deal with it. Call it laziness if you so desire; I call it maintaining my stress levels.

So first cut the scrapbook paper to fit over the top of the box and down the sides, to just above the little lip. Try not to go over the edge INTO the box, or it can be a snug (or impossible) fit putting the bottom back on.

I used double-sided tape along the edges to hold the paper down, plus a bit on the top of the box just to secure it. Clip the corners if they stick out, and use tape to make them look smooth.

See the corner on the left? Ya, clip it like the one on the right….

I also put a strip of another color paper along the top, again using double-sided tape to secure it down.

You can print out these cute Tooth Fairy poems, or create your own design/color/poem.

Double-sided tape again…..secure the poem label onto the front, above the strip.

For a little extra color, I added a cut-out of paper on the underside of the lid. I’m going to use cotton balls or some cute padding for the bottom, to hold the precious tooth (and gift, when it’s switcheroo time).

And there you have it…an adorable, super-easy Tooth Fairy Box to hold your little one’s treasure in!

Oh, and it cost a whole…..Dollar, MAYBE, once you consider the box, paper and tape? Ya, can’t really beat that!

My kids are so dang excited, I’m afraid they’ll start PULLING their teeth out so they can use these! Or knock them out, as may be the case with my boys. Argh!

Curious: What does YOUR tooth fairy leave for your kids? How does that compare to what you RECEIVED when it was your tooth-losing time?

Babysitter Information Form

February 10, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

I have a confession: I’m VERY picky as to who I leave my kids with. After a babysitter stole our Ipad (passed it to her boyfriend and had it sold) before we even returned home, I’ve become really cautious. When I DO leave my kids, I make sure it’s someone I trust completely. Along with that, I want to make sure they have ALL the information they’ll need for a successful night, for them AND for the kids! This printable Babysitter Information Form is perfect, just in case there’s something you forget to mention, or they don’t remember ALL the stuff they were given right before you walk out the door.

Here’s the different parts of the form:

Home Information: your home address, phone number, etc. In case they need to give an emergency person that info, or are ordering a pizza.

Emergency Contacts: This is where we put a trusted neighbor that’s close by, and near by relatives that can be contacted just in case.

Notes & Instructions: Here we put things like allergies, if someone needs some medicine at certain times, what meals are planned, etc.

Routines: When they play, read, clean up, eat dinner, brush, bedtime, etc.

House Rules: General rules, and what form of discipline to use (we use ‘take a break’ here).

Non-Emergency Fire & Rescue: As it says, put the number for the non-emergency important rescue people. Like dispatch, etc.

What else do you think should be included?

Teaching Your Kids to Tie Their Shoes

October 26, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

Do you remember how you learned to tie your shoes? Ya, me neither. Maybe the bunny loop hole thing? Or like on Shrek Forever After ‘into the dragon’s keep’? No matter how we learned, it’s kind of an important thing. For most, at least.

Teaching Your Kids to Tie Their Shoes

When Wonder Woman needed to learn to tie her shoes, I seriously had the hardest time teaching her. I didn’t know how to explain what I just….DID. When I thought too hard about it, I couldn’t tie my shoes! Ugh, it was awful. Then these cute little cut-outs happened, and she learned to tie her shoes So. Dang. Fast. LOVED IT! And when she had no-tie shoes for over a year and needed a bit of a refresher course, out they came and she fiddled with them until she caught on again.

Now YOU can get these little cut-outs for your little (or big, whatever) ones to practice with, without causing where, tear and frustration to their actual laces! All you need to do it print out this page onto a sturdy material (or flimsy, just laminate it).

Make sure you size it to ROUGHLY their foot size. Doesn’t have to be perfect, by any means. Not like they’re going to walk around in them. Cut it out, laminate if desired, and use a hole punch over the dots for the lace holes. Get some yarn (or laces, if you have them and want to), and treat it like a shoe! The side flaps fold right up over the foot, so they get the real feel and angle of shoe tying.

Happy Shoe Lace Tying!

DIY Frozen’s Olaf Toilet Paper Holder

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Can you tell that we love Disney’s movie Frozen? Ya, borderline obsession, but still semi-healthy! Anywho, since I’m doing a TON of Frozen projects lately for Wonder Woman, I figured her bathroom needed a little Olaf in the corner. What better way than this darling (and oh-so-easy) Olaf Toilet Paper Holder?!

Supplies

Light Blue Towel (can use white, but white in a bathroom is weird to me)
Felt: Dark blue, white, brown, black and orange
3 #10 cans
Hot glue/gun
3 Black buttons

Make this using the same basic instructions that I shared when making my Santa Toilet Paper Holder, just instead cut the felt into the shapes for Olaf, and use these colors. So easy, budget-friendly and FUN!!!

Be sure to include his cute little ‘stick hair’ up on top of the lid…

…and of course his cute little stick arms and buttons!

Ya, I think he’s just TOO DANG CUTE!!!

I LOVE OLAF!!! Who’s YOUR favorite character from Disney’s FROZEN?

Printable Disney Banner / by BusyMomsHelper.com / Disney Countdown

2016 Unofficial Disneyland Activity & Autograph book by BusyMomsHelper / shared on Carrie Elle Blog

Free Printable Disneyland Height Requirements / by Busy Mom's Helper / Free Printable California Adventure Height Requirements

Chore Rewards Treasure Chest

February 15, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Have you noticed that my kids really love pirates? Well, they do! So much so, that we decided to use it to our advantage. If you’ve seen Jake & The Neverland Pirates, you know of their ‘Team Treasure Chest’. They earn gold doubloons to fill it up. We made our very own!We just got a plain, unfinished chest from Michaels. Then put some red and gold paint for details. Finish it off by putting a clear, wood sealant on it and PRESTO….you’re set to go!

Just like the chest on the show, we made sure to include Cubby’s Map on one side….

Izzy’s bag of Pixie Dust on the other side…

And, of course, Jake’s Sword on the front!

How our system works, is that every day they do ALL of their chores and were decently good (come on, they’re kids, I’m totally fine with decently vs perfection!) they earn ONE gold doubloon. If they were EXTRA good and/or did EXTRA chores, they can earn TWO gold doubloons.

We keep track on a sheet how much each child earns. They can then use their individually earned coins to buy fun extras, such as a candy bar or staying up later.

We put their earned doubloons into the treasure chest, and AS A FAMILY earn towards large, family things, such as a trip to the movies or dinner out.

This is our chart that we use so they know how much to earn for what. Notice the Family Earnings are VERY large amounts, but we have 4 kids, so that’s potentially over 200 per month.

Yes, I understand this is a form of bribery, and I’m totally okay with that because 1) it works for us! And 2) life is full of bribery (example, would you go to work if you didn’t get a paycheck? I don’t think so!) So for now, this is what we’re doing for our family.

What rewards systems do you use for your family, or have you used that did or didn’t work?

FREE Printable 2014 Planner

August 3, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Okay, so I’ve been dying to share this with you, but wanted to wait until my printed and bound planner arrived. FINALLY it came!!! Seriously, LOVING IT!!! Without further ado….my Free Printable 2014 Planner!

Check out our newest planner HERE for 2016-2017, or just 2017!

Free Printable 2014 Planner / by Busy Mom's Helper #Printable #Planner #2014 #Calendar

I wanted it colorful and fun, and it definitely turned out that way!

The cover has a large spot to write your name, blog, title….whatever you want to put in there, even nothing! Same with the Back Cover

I’ve included a 2-page monthly spread for January through December 2014, that you can download and print from the following:

January Page 1 January Page 2

February Page 1 February Page 2

March Page 1 March Page 2

April Page 1 April Page 2

May Page 1 May Page 2

June Page 1 June Page 2

July Page 1 July Page 2

August Page 1 August Page 2

September Page 1 September Page 2

October Page 1 October Page 2

November Page 1 November Page 2

December Page 1 December Page 2

Since I’m always searching for a paper to jot down a quick thought or note, or just to doodle while I brainstorm, I included a Notes & Doodles Page.

I like breaking things down, so for myself I did a 2-page spread task list that listed all of my daily tasks for home and blog, then left some empty spots for customizing day by day! This one I made just for my own binder, but still feel free to download and print it, if you’d like.

Daily Tasks Page 1 Daily Tasks Page 2

Here’s what my daily spread looks like:

Since I do my family’s major grocery shopping once per week, I plan out our meals very specifically. This 2-page Menu Plan has been SO NICE to help with this! I left lines for Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner and Other (extra cooking, post recipes, drinks, etc.)

Menu Plan Page 1 Menu Plan Page 2

Although I do my major shopping once per month, I do minor (milk, bread, etc.) about weekly, plus other shopping things….so this page for a Shopping List is great!

Another budget saving thing I do is buy clearance clothes in larger sizes for my kids for a large discount, then save them to grow in to. One problem with that, is that I forget how much of what I have, and have ended up with twenty tshirts for one child before….definitely not my intention! So this fun Clothing Tracker will help me track who, what sizes, what item, etc.

And, of course, with my planner always nearby, it’s great to have a page or two of Important Contacts!

Since I’m constantly brainstorming ideas for blog posts, I inserted some pages of Blog Post Ideas into my planner.

I love having a single place I can track my monthly Blogging Stats, too!

Blog Stats Page 1 Blog Stats Page 2

Although I’m already noticing things I wish I’d done different, or a few errors here and there (missing a date or two on the monthly calendars, etc.), I’m really going to enjoy this planner this year! Just gives me more thoughts for next year’s version…..and I’ll make sure much of it is focused for all of you! 😉

Now you can grab my Free Printable 2015 Planner, with prints beginning for August 2014 for those that plan ahead!

Santa Toilet Paper Holder

November 27, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

Ya, I totally just put Santa in the corner, holding my toilet paper. Why? Well, because SOMETHING has to hold the toilet paper for those ‘oops, the roll ran out’ moments, and right now it may as well be a cute red Santa Toilet Paper Holder.

Santa Toilet Paper Holder Tutorial / Busy Mom's Helper

The best part of this craft? It’s removable! Yup – you can enjoy it for the holidays, then replace it during the rest of the year. Oh – and simple to do PLUS budget-friendly equals a winning DIY project!

Santa Toilet Paper Holder Supplies Needed

3 #10 cans, empty

1 Red Bath Towel

Black Buttons

Hot Glue

Sewing Machine (or more hot glue)

Scissors

Black fabric/felt/strap

White scrap of felt/fabric

Cotton balls or white fluff

Duct Tape

Santa Toilet Paper Holder Directions

Take the three #10 cans, remove the lid and bottom to two of them. Keep the bottom (but remove the top) on the third. Keep one of the removed lids for the top!

Using duct tape, attach them evenly together on the outside, around the seams. Make sure the can that still has it’s bottom is ON the bottom. Also duct tape along the top, to avoid any rough edges – don’t want anyone getting scratched or cut!

I put a long strip bottom-top in the inside, three spots, just to help secure it more.

Measure the towel around the cans, leaving plenty of space for attaching the two sides together. Cut.

Then sew the edges long-wise together, keeping the seam (this makes the front look like a jacket almost, with the seam being the ‘opening’ part of the jacket). You could also hot glue them together – I chose to sew.

Hem (or glue) the bottom, if you trimmed some off. Don’t want it fraying, especially if you’re going to store it for future holiday seasons, too!

I had one edge (where it was sewn length-wise) that stuck up funny….

So I used a small bit of duct tape to stick it down!

Hot glue some big black buttons along the front, next to the seem. Think of this as Santa’s jacket…the seam being the opening part, so the buttons go right along it’s edge.

Hot glue the black fabric/felt/strap (I used a strap material) around the belly of it. Then glue a buckle-shaped piece of white fabric/felt (I used felt) scrap for the belt buckle.

Take the lid to one of the cans, and cut a piece of the towel around it.

Hot glue the edges under the lid, so it looks nice and smooth along the sides.

I then hot glued cotton balls all along the edge of the ‘hat’ piece.

And hot glued a pile of cotton balls in the middle on top….mostly just for fun.

Fill it with toilet paper – mine fits 4 with room to spare, 5 puts it pushing the lid up a bit.

And HO HO HO – you have a snazzy, festive toilet paper holder to help your bathroom be as festive as the rest of your house!

When your child gets Lice – from Healthline.com

February 19, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

This post is sponsored by Healthline.com

What to do When Your Child Gets Lice

Lice are a common problem for kids from the age of three to twelve years. Lice seem to like girl’s hair more than boys, probably because it is typically longer and has a “pretty” scent. Lice are contagious and an annoyance, but they are not dangerous. They do not cause disease. A child’s scalp will become inflamed and itch from the bites. There can be irritation to the skin and infection from the constant scratching.

Head lice spread easily among both children and adults, making it wise to treat them quickly after they have been discovered.

What to do when your child gets lice / Busy Mom's Helper

Signs of Head Lice

Lice are easy to see even though they are very small. A thorough examination of your child’s head by your doctor or yourself might show:

● Nits (lice eggs) before they hatch, nits look like tiny brown, tan or dark yellow dots. The adult lice lay the eggs or nits on the scalp on the hair shafts. They are kept warm by the temperature of the person until they hatch and become lice. They resemble dandruff but cannot be shaken off or brushed out.

It is less common to see lice crawling on the scalp, unless there is a heavy infestation. It is easier to find eggs in the child’s hair. It takes one to two weeks for lice eggs to hatch after being laid. There is a clear or white shell left after the eggs hatch. They remain attached to the hair shaft. They are easiest to see at this stage. The eggshell moves farther down the scalp as the hair continues to grow.

● Baby lice (nymphs) and adult lice are tan or grayish white in color and the size of a seed. It takes one to two weeks for nymphs to become adult lice. Lice can survive as long as two days off the scalp, even though they feed several times a day on blood.

Scratching and itching come with bites from lice. This is a reaction to lice saliva. The itchiness might not be immediate. It depends on the sensitivity of the child’s skin. Children with lice might not start scratching for weeks. There might be complaints of things tickling their heads before the lice are discovered.

Scratching leads to small sores or red bumps. The irritation can be mild for some or a rash can develop. The skin can become tender, red and have oozing and crusting accompanied by swollen lymph glands (bacterial infection) because of the scratching. The infection may be treated with an antibiotic.

Using a fine-toothed comb, separate your child’s hair into sections to check behind their ears, and neck to allow you to see the nits or lice. Rarely are they found on the eyebrows or eyelashes.

You may find that a bright light or magnifying glass helps. There are not a lot of adult lice and they move fast making them hard to find.

You will want to find out if any other children have been treated for lice recently from the director of the childcare center or school nurse. Contact the daycare or school to inform them if you find that your child has signs of lice or nits.

Tammy Mahan has worked in the healthcare field for several years. She has also spent most of her life raising or working with children. When she is not activity wearing the mom or nurse hat, she enjoys sharing her knowledge with Healthline.com .