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Sharla Kostelyk

My Favourite Things 2020

background is pebbled beach. Lady's face. Text reads "My Favourite Things 2020"

By Sharla Kostelyk

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You know those things that you find and you want to shout from the rooftops how awesome they are? These are my favourite things of 2020, the things I wish I could give to everyone.

While I’m certainly not Oprah and can’t give these to each member of my audience, I did want to gift these to one lucky member.background is pebbled beach. Lady's face. Text reads "My Favourite Things 2020"Today’s giveaway is a collection of my favourite things.

The winner will get one of each of the following items:

AquaNotes

These handy waterproof notepads hang in my shower. As a busy mom of many, it’s hard to find quiet moments for myself. In the shower, I’m able to think clearly and therefore, often come up with ideas or remember things I need to do. 

In the past, I would then promptly forget when I was out of the shower and cries of “mom” would interrupt my thoughts. But now, I am able to use my AquaNotes to jot down ideas, make to do lists, or even to leave a little note for my husband. It’s easy to see why I love these!

The Sun Does Shine

This was my favourite read of the year. It’s a powerful story and powerfully written. The Sun Does Shine, How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row is also timely in that it is an example of the injustice that can occur when race clouds decisions. 

I found the book a bit hard to get into at first because from reading the back of the book, you already know he is going to be wrongly convicted so the parts leading up to that dragged a bit for me, but trust me, stick with it. Anthony Ray Hinton’s time on death row is gripping, heart wrenching, hope filled, and will open your eyes and heart, especially when it comes to the complexities of racism. 

Kleenex Find Your Fearless mini packs

With reminders like “Summon Your Strength”, “Find Your Fearless”, and “Believe in Yourself”, these purse sized kleenex packs have accompanied me this year to difficult specialists appointments with one of our daughters, my favourite uncle’s funeral, and lots of moments in between.

It might be a small thing, but those written reminders on the packages brought smiles through my tears.

hand holding a small pack of tissues that say "Find Your Fearless"

Crock Pot Liners

Oh my goodness! I wish I had discovered these sooner. They make crock pot cleaning a breeze! No more scrubbing or soaking. Just take out the liner and throw it in the garbage.

I don’t use them for every crock pot meal, but for things like perogies or tater tot or hash brown casserole that stick to the side and are no fun at all to clean out, I treat myself and use a crock pot liner. crock pot with plastic liner on counter with blue box of slow cooker liners next to it

Rosco Emmit Cedar Lavender Bubble Salts

My mom told me about these. The first time I tried them, I was in love! They are bath salts but they bubble! I don’t get to have baths that often, but when I do, I want them to be as relaxing as possible and between the scent and the bubbles, this totally creates that.

These are also made on Vancouver Island which is one of my favourite places in the world so that makes me like these even more.jar of bath salts sits on edge of white bathtub

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Eraser

I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I saw a makeup tutorial once that showed how to use this to create some highlights on your face and take years off by hiding the bags under your eyes. This has been a go-to for me for a long time, but with getting older and the stress of 2020, I’ve needed to use it more often.

I think it helps my confidence too. makeup tube on counter with sink in background(I’ll be contacting the winner to see what skin shade you need.)

The World’s Softest Socks

I live in fuzzy socks. I know it may not be what grown ups are supposed to wear, but they make me feel cozy and comfy. And the fuzzy socks made by The World’s Softest Socks are my new favourite.

Bath and Body Works Foaming Hand Soap

This year with all the extra hand washing and hand sanitizers, my hands started to feel dry. These foaming hand soaps helped with that. They don’t dry out my hands and are super foamy. 

They have so many great scents to choose from too!white hand soap bottle on bathroom counter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out all 12 Giveaways. You can enter them all!

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Filed Under: Parenting in the Chaos

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways 2020

excited girl in purple coat stands in front of a decorated Christmas tree. Text "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways"

By Sharla Kostelyk

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I want you to know that I appreciate you. If it weren’t for you, my readers, I wouldn’t get to do what I do. I love being able to write and share things that hopefully make a small bit of difference out in the world. 

You reading and interacting and sharing what I write allows me to keep doing that. Not only does it help support my family (those pesky ads actually help pay our groceries 😉), it also gives me the motivation to keep writing, to keep sharing. excited girl in purple coat stands in front of a decorated Christmas tree. Text "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways"As a sign of my appreciation, I decided to host 12 Days of Christmas giveaways. I know 2020 has been a hard year for many of us. I also know that a few free prizes aren’t going to make up for all that loss. But they might bring a bit of extra cheer. They are a nice distraction too.

I thought a lot about what you might want. While I may not know each of you personally, I hear from many of you.

I know that you likely hold some of these traits:

  • care deeply for a child or children
  • kind
  • overwhelmed
  • hard working
  • parent, grandparent, educator, or therapist
  • fierce advocates
  • put the needs of others first
  • tendency to neglect your own self-care

So it stands to reason that you are TIRED. 

I’m right there with you.

While I can’t afford to hire you a maid or nanny, I’ve tried to choose things for the giveaway that will bring a smile, make your life a tiny bit easier, or allow you to better practise self-care.

I’m so excited! Wait until you see all the amazing prizes!

It’s actually hard for me to keep this secret and not spill the beans about what’s included each of the days…

2020 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

I am so grateful for my readers, especially this year. In the midst of so many challenges and uncertainty, you have been a bright spot for me. I’ve watched you pivot and adapt in order to help the kids you care about. I’m so proud of all of you!

I wish that I had unlimited resources and could do something extravagant to help you. Consider these 12 days of giveaways and freebies a small token of my appreciation for who you are and what you do.excited girl in purple coat stands in front of a decorated Christmas tree. Text "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways"

How it works:

Every day from December 1-12, come back to this page. You will find a new giveaway “unlocked” each of those days.

If you missed entering the previous days, you can still enter those draws by visiting each of those pages and participating in the giveaway. 

You can enter each one of the giveaways, giving you 12 chances to win!

All giveaways will end on December 12, 2020 at 11:59 Pacific time. You must be entered before this time to qualify. 

Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be drawn.

1rst Day of Christmas Giveaway

My Favourite Things

I’ve compiled a list of my favourite things of 2020. The winner of this draw will receive one of each of the items. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Click here for a chance to win MY FAVOURITE THINGS.

2nd Day of Christmas Giveaway

A December to Remember

white circle overlay on dark background. Text reads "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Day 2"Click here for a chance to win A December to Remember.

3rd Day of Christmas Giveaway

Sensory Tools

white circle overlaid on top of another photo. Text reads "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Day 3"Click here for a chance to win 3 Amazing Sensory Tools.

4th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Sensory Bin Starter Kit

circle overlay on a photo of hands playing with pompoms. Text reads "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Day 4"Click here for a chance to win a Sensory Bin Starter Kit.

5th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Family Fun Night

Click here to enter for a chance to win what you need to create a Fun Family Night.

6th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Learning Resourcescircle overlay on a picture of a girl in a pink shirt working on a computerClick for a chance to win 7 incredible learning resources.

7th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Christmas cheer

Enter for a chance to win a bit of extra Christmas cheer.

8th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Special Needs Resourcescircle overlay on a photo of blue string lights. Text reads "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Day 8"Visit and enter for your chance to win some great Special Needs Resources.

9th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Happy at Homecircle overlay on photo of lady. Text reads "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Day 9"Visit and enter for your chance to win items to help increase your happiness.

10th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Sanity Savers for Busy Moms

circle overlay on photo of woman sitting at table

Enter to win these Sanity Savers for Busy Moms.

11th Day of Christmas Giveaway

Echo Dotcircle overlay on photo

Visit this page and enter for your chance to win an Echo Dot.

12th Day of Christmas Giveaway

circle overlay on photo of a gift

Today I’m giving away $100 Amazon gift card or $100 sent through PayPal. If you live in the USA or Canada, you can choose between the gift card and the money. If you live anywhere else in the world, I will send the $ through PayPal.

Simply enter in the Rafflecopter entry form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Saran Wrap Ball Party Game

hands unwrapping ball made of plastic wrap filled with prizes

By Sharla Kostelyk

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This is such a fun party game! The Saran Wrap game is great for all ages. It can be played at holiday gatherings, office parties, birthday parties, or even in the classroom.hands holding ball made of plastic wrap with items wrapped in it. Text "Saran Wrap Party Game"The great thing about this game is that everyone is a winner as each person is able to keep the prizes that they unwrap. There will of course be some people that end up with more treats that others, but that’s all part of the fun!

In case the ball doesn’t make it all the way around the circle, you can keep a few prizes to the side to give to anyone who doesn’t end up with a treat.

Saran Wrap Ball Game:

Supplies needed:

  • 1-5 packages of Saran Wrap or Glad Cling Wrap (you want to use brand name plastic wrap for this to ensure that it sticks to itself)
  • candies and small treats (there’s a list of prize ideas below)
  • optional: a large prize such as cash for the center
  • dice

How to make the Saran Wrap ball:

  1. Begin by placing the best prize on some of the plastic wrap. Wrap it around the prize and continue to wrap around.
  2. Continue wrapping the plastic wrap around to create a ball and every few layers, add a candy or treat and continue wrapping.
  3. Continue wrapping until the ball reaches the desired size. You can make a smaller ball for smaller groups using just one roll of Saran Wrap or make a larger ball for a big group or to make the game last longer using two or three rolls. You want to ensure you make the ball large enough that each person will get at least one turn to play.

Hint: If you want to make it more difficult to unwrap, you can periodically cut the plastic wrap and then start wrapping the other way with the next piece. collage of photos of making a ball of plastic wrap filled with prizes

How to play the game:

  1. Have all the players sit in a circle.
  2. Give the ball to the first person. In our house, the house rule is that the youngest player goes first always. 
  3. That person can begin to unwrap the ball, keeping every treat they unwrap as they go. 
  4. In the meantime, the person to their left rolls the dice and continues to roll until they roll doubles. 
  5. Once they roll doubles, the ball passes to them and the dice passes to the person on their left. 
  6. The game continues until the entire ball in unwrapped with the last person being able to keep the prize at the center of the ball. 

hands unwrapping a ball made of plastic wrap that has small prizes in it

Saran Wrap Ball Game Variations:

  • For Christmas, you can use red and green cling wrap to add more of a holiday feel. Choose holiday treats such as Christmas mini erasers, small candy canes, and stickers.
  • Choose prizes according to the theme of your party.
  • Use this game as a way for party goers to fill up their treat bag at a birthday party.
  • Instead of having the person to the left roll repeatedly until they get doubles, you can have them roll only once and then pass the dice if they don’t get doubles and have everyone roll one time each turn. The person who rolls the doubles gets to “steal” the ball and so on.
  • In this variation, if a 7 is rolled, the direction the ball passes in is reversed.
  • Add some gag gifts to the ball. This adds a funny twist.

$5 bill and a pair of green dice

What prizes can I put in the Saran Wrap ball?

Here are some ideas of what you can include in your Saran Wrap ball:

  • candy (mini sizes as well as full size)
  • small toys such as those you would put in a treat bag
  • cash (bills and/or coins)
  • gift cards or gift certificates
  • makeup or lotion samples
  • stickers
  • costume jewelry
  • movie tickets
  • bouncy balls
  • small fidgets
  • face mask packets
  • mini Kleenex packs
  • scrunchies or hair ties
  • craft supplies
  • action figures
  • toy cars
  • items from Toobs like plastic animals

treats and candy strewn on a tableThis activity doesn’t have to cost much to put together. You can look for sales on small candies the day after Valentine’s Day or Hallowe’en or right after Christmas or you can purchase things at the dollar store. 

Sign up for our email series 5 Secrets to Powerful Family Connection for other great ideas. 

You may also be interested in these party game ideas:

Minute to Win It GamesA collage of images of kids and teens playing games at home. The text reads Minute to Win It Games.

The Flour Game

The Put Away Scavenger Huntboy in red shirt is delighted holding two chocolate bars

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Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Family Games

I Spy Forest Animal Babies Sensory Bottle

clear bottle filled with dry rice and forest animal buttons

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Create an opportunity for kids to explore through play with this I Spy Forest Babies sensory bottle. It’s easy and inexpensive to make and can be used at home or in the classroom.

clear bottle with white rice and mini animals in it. Text reads "Forest Animal Babies sensory bottle"Kids will use their tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory systems. They can also practise counting skills, memory, visual recognition skills, and communication. 

I Spy Forest Animals Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

    • 16.9 oz. bottle (you can use a sensory bottle or Voss type water bottle)
    • white rice
    • funnel
    • forest babies buttons 
    • optional: hot glue

Directions:

  1. Using a funnel, add a small amount of rice to the bottom of the bottle.
  2. Place a forest baby animal button inside the bottle.
  3. Repeat the above steps until all the animals are placed inside the bottle. By layering the rice and animals, they won’t all be in the same place. We included two foxes, a porcupine/hedgehog (hard to tell what it is!), squirrel, owl, and skunk.
  4. Fill the remainder of the bottle with rice, but leave some space for the rice to move around. You can empty out rice if you feel the rice doesn’t move enough to allow the animals to be seen.
  5. Replace the lid on the bottle.
  6. If you want to secure the bottle, you can secure the lid with a hot glue gun.
  7. Give the sensory bottle to a child to explore.

four photos of the process of putting rice and small animal buttons in a sensory bottleKids can move and shake the rice around to find all of the forest babies in the bottle. You can also give them a cheat sheet so they know what they are looking for.clear bottle filled with dry rice and forest animal buttons

Ways to expand this activity:

  • Have kids draw the animals as they find them.
  • Set out books on forest animals.
  • Watch a movie like Bambi about animals in the forest. 

As with all sensory play activities, adult supervision should be used at all times. Even if you have secured the lid with glue, it is still possible to get it open and the bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards. 

Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas to try? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our other sensory bottles:

Astronaut Sensory BottleColour Mixing Sensory Bottle

Alphabet I Spy Sensory BottleA closeup picture of a sensory bottle filled with bright colours of alphabet beads and bright coloured tinsel.

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Filed Under: Crafts and Activities Tagged With: sensory bottles, sensory play

The Put Away Scavenger Hunt

boy in red shirt is delighted holding two chocolate bars

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Moms…you are going to love me after reading this! It’s so easy to do and costs nothing. No planning ahead required. The Put Away Scavenger Hunt is my go-to for turning grumpy days around. collage of photos of things being put back where they go. Text "the Put Away Scavenger Hunt"We have been doing put away scavenger hunts for at least a decade now and they never seem to get old. I usually just do them on an ordinary day with my own kids to change the mood, but I’ve also done them in place of an Easter Egg Hunt or as a birthday party game. It’s always a big hit.

Our family really enjoys scavenger hunts such as our photo scavenger hunt, sensory scavenger hunt, or Opposite Day scavenger hunt.

The Put Away Scavenger Hunt:

Supplies needed:

  • random items you already have around the house
  • a prize. This can be candy, a full Easter basket, party treat bags, or something like staying up an extra hour at bedtime or getting a free pass on chores.

How to play:

  1. To set things up, choose one item you will give your child to start with. In this example, it will be the spatulas. Set this item aside.
  2. In the place where this item should go, place another item that doesn’t belong there. (In this example, a fidget toy was in the drawer where the spatulas should be.) 
  3. Continue to do this with items around the house.
  4. In the place where the last item should go, put the prize.
  5. To play, hand your child (or children) the first item to put away. 
  6. When they discover something in that location that isn’t where it should be, have them put that away and so forth.
  7. In the last location, they will discover their prize.

collage of photos where one item in each picture is in the wrong place

To give you an idea of how this works, I’ve taken pictures of a sample Put Away Scavenger Hunt to walk you through.

  • spatulas handed to child
  • spatulas get put away in the kitchen drawer
  • fidget toy where spatulas should be
  • fidget toy put away in its place
  • keys where fidget toy should be
  • key ring put back on its hook
  • dishcloth where keys should be
  • dishcloth put in its drawer
  • decorative “R” shouldn’t be there
  • in the place where the “R” belongs, an expanding ball sits
  • expanding ball put where it goes
  • toilet paper discovered there

collage of photos of things where they don't belong

  • toilet paper put back in its cupboard
  • shoes discovered there
  • shoes replaced near shoe rack
  • decorative sailboat sits on the floor
  • sailboat replaced on dresser
  • remote control shouldn’t be there
  • remote placed back in the living room and some treats are discovered in its bowl!

boy in red shirt is delighted holding two chocolate barsPut Away Scavenger Hunt Tips:

  • For older kids, place items in a way that has them running all over. I put an item upstairs and the next one downstairs and the next outside and the next on the main floor and then next in the garage. That way, it’s more challenging, lasts longer, and gets in some exercise for them.
  • If you’re hiding large prizes like treat bags for a birthday party or Easter baskets, the dryer is a great place. Just put dryer balls in the second-last place and when the kids go put them away, they will find their prize. The garage is another area we’ve used to end the game if it was a larger prize. 
  • Add some humour. My kids think it’s hilarious if I put a pair of underwear in like a kitchen drawer or something. Be sure it’s clean underwear of course, but this always makes them roar with laughter!
  • Toothbrushes, books, kitchen utensils, photo frames, pencils, candles, and oven mitts all work great for this game. 
  • This scavenger hunt is a fantastic teaching tool as it helps kids learn where things belong and how to put things where they go. Think of this as a skills development activity for chores!
  • Kids can also participate in setting this up for siblings which helps with critical thinking as they plan ahead to which item will go where. 
  • Adult supervision should be used of course and your child’s age and abilities should be considered when you choose what to hide where.

Let me know how your family enjoy this. 

If you’re looking for similar activities, you can download our free printable Outdoor Scavenger Hunt. Just enter your email address below.

You may also be interested in:

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Photo Scavenger Hunt

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Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Family Games

Christmas Movie Bingo

green and white holiday bingo card

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Watching sappy, predictable holiday movies has long been a part of our Christmas traditions. Last year, we discovered that watching is even more fun if paired with Christmas Movie Bingo!red and white grid text reads "Christmas Movie Bingo FREE Printable Bingo Cards"My girls and I like to curl up in our pyjamas or our matching Christmas movie watching shirts in front of the TV. Add in some holiday baking or popcorn and hot chocolate and you have the recipe for a relaxing afternoon.

Those Hallmark Christmas movies can be a wee bit addictive! Often, before we know it, the whole day has slipped by.

The reason it’s so much more fun to watch with your bingo cards in hand is it makes the predictability of the movies even funnier. 

Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo:

Supplies needed: 

  • Christmas Movie Bingo Cards (download yours here)
  • marker, bingo daubers, or holiday stickers to cover the game squares

Directions:

  1. Download and print out the bingo cards. 
  2. As you watch holiday movies, mark all the squares that apply.
  3. The winner is either the first person to fill five in a row OR you can just keep watching movies until you’re able to fill in every square on the cards.

So print off those bingo cards, pop some popcorn, get a mug of hot cocoa, and get ready to binge watch this season’s best!green and white holiday bingo card

Last year, my girls and I filled out all the squares on our cards.

That’s an awful lot of TV watching (!), but we sometimes made ornaments or iced cookies while we watched. One year, we rolled croquettes during the shows and the cheesy romance films were a great distraction for a tedious task. 

If you want to give prizes to the winner, you can choose holiday themed treats like candy canes or holiday baking. And instead of yelling out “Bingo”, you can choose a word more fitting to the theme like “Mistletoe”!

Sign up to receive your free Christmas Movie Bingo and you’ll also receive our email series 5 Secrets to Powerful Family Connection.

If you’re looking for other family holiday fun, you’ll want to check these out:

Christmas Minute to Win It Games

Christmas Printable Activities

Christmas Games for Kids

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Filed Under: Christmas, Family Games

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