Creative Crafts With Cardboard Tubes!

We all know they are everywhere! So, why not make a creative use out of them? Parents are always looking to use regular household products to create inexpensive, fun and entertaining projects for their children. Thanks to our good friends over at Happy Hooligans we have found this list of 22 ways to use these otherwise disposable products! 

22 Things to Make with Cardboard Tubes:

Click on the highlighted descriptions to see a full tutorial for each craft or activity.

Fall Decorations with Cardboard Tubes:

Use a cool paint process to make some fall napkin rings.

Make a turkey table topper for your Thanksgiving table.

Round up some fabric scraps and a few crafty odds and ends for some adorable toilet roll owls.

Crafting for Halloween:

The kids will love making a quirky monster mobile out of cardboard rolls.

A spooky crow or owl is a very fitting decoration for Halloween.

Our toilet roll mummies help little ones develop their winding and wrapping skills.

Winter Toilet Roll Crafts:

These cardboard roll snowmen are just the cutest little things, aren’t they?

The hooligans LOVE playing with our toilet roll Nativity set.

Cardboard Roll Christmas Crafts:

Fleece, batting and a cardboard roll makes an adorable Santa Claus.

Make a set of cute reindeer ornaments for your Christmas tree.

This snowman ornament would be great for the tree or as a gift topper.

Spring Crafts:

Summons up some April showers with a colourful rain stick.

These Easter chicks in paper nests are just too sweet.

Peeps!  Everyone loves Easter peeps, right?

And don’t forget about the Easter bunnies!  Check out our paint chip bunting too!

Bracelets and Cuffs:

Make some simple toilet roll cuff bracelets.

Anklets can be made using cardboard rolls and colourful duct tape.

Skill Building Activities:

Make some cool 3-D structures with tubes and a low-temp glue gun.

Toddlers love to drop things through our cardboard Drop Zone.

Arts and Crafts:

Create a unique piece of art for a kid’s room, toy room or classroom.

Turn a long cardboard tube into a torch.

Cardboard Tubes for Play:

In a pinch, a sturdy kitchen roll, makes an excellent bubble wand.

Make a set of simple “stand up” paper dolls.

Well?  What do you think?  Did we inspire you?  Now, it’s your turn to inspire me!  If you have a favourite cardboard roll craft or activity, I’d love to hear about it!

Now, I’ll bet you’re wondering how you can re-use all those Keurig K-cups you have stashed too!  Don’t worry!  We’ve got you covered: 25 Ways to Re-use Your K-cup pods.

Sensory Play - A MUST For A Developing Child

Developing sensory & motor skills is imperative for a growing child. Discovering new and unique ways to incorporate as many of the 5 senses during play is something that is not only fun but educational as well! 

Here are a few creative crafts & activities we suggest for little ones looking to explore! 

Enjoy!! 

xox

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From HubPages: 

I-SPY Bottle

All you need is:

1 bag of un-cooked rice

Water bottles, coke bottles, or VOSS bottles

Hot glue gun

Several small items you would like to go in your bottle (beads, charms, buttons, marbles)

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Sensory Bins - One of our FAVS!

Thanks to Growing a Jeweled Rose: 

All you need is:

Mashed potato flakes!

Food coloring to dye the mix if you want

Add water for even more fun dough-making!

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More Sensory Bin Ideas from Growing a Jeweled Rose: 

All you need is:

Cooked pasta noodles

Food coloring

Bowls or containers

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Color in a bag!

All you need is:

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups cold water

Food coloring

2 gallon-size ziplock bags

Duct tape

 -This photo originally appeared in FamilyFun Magazine-

The Do's and Dont's of Quitting a Job

A friend once told me "you want to leave your job the way you want to start your new one". 

Leaving a job with no explanation, over text message and/or without a proper three days notice is unacceptable. 

There is no easy way to tell your employer you want to quit your job. However, burning bridges should NEVER be an option. One should leave a job with grace and poise. Whether you are working as a hostess at Olive Garden or a Senior Level Executive at a company, there are a few crucial do's and dont's to live by. 

FORBES has a brilliant list of important rules to follow when leaving a current job. If you can follow this list, you are certain to leave with a lasting relationship with your previous employer and hopefully get that excellent letter of recommendation for your next venture!

Articulating The Goodbye

Do: Briefly explain your reason for leaving. Career experts advise simply saying that you’ve accepted another offer that you hope will further your career.

Don’t: Offer too much detail about the new position or your decision to leave. Your manager may misinterpret it or use it to try to persuade you to stay.

Mastering The Countdown

Do: Provide as much notice as possible and as is required. Two weeks is standard, but be aware of company policy; some march workers out the same day. In your remaining time on the job, maintain your enthusiasm and work ethic.

Don’t: Fake your way through the time that’s left. Career experts warn that managers will remember your final long lunches, early departures and general distraction. If you want strong recommendations, keep up the same pace.

Handling The Counter

Do: Be prepared for a counter offer, and if uninterested, turn it down graciously. Career experts suggest saying that you appreciate the offer but feel the other position is in line with your career goals.

Don’t: Insult the employer by tossing out a line like “it’s too little too late” or “it’s not about the money.” You’d be wise to bite your tongue. At the same time, don’t forget why you’ve decided to leave or be lured back into an unsatisfying experience.

Refining The Tone

Do: In speaking with managers, colleagues and subordinates, always focus on the positive experiences you’ve had with the company.

Don’t: Burn bridges by being overly negative, lying or taunting colleagues with news of your next position.

Training The Replacement

Do: Agree to help hire or train someone for the position in your remaining time on the job. It’s ultimately to your benefit to enable a smooth transition, making it less likely that you’ll be contacted after you’ve left.

Don’t: Rewrite the training manual or give too much of your time over to it. Says career coach Yusuf Wilson, “It is critically important to follow through on agreements. Do not over promise, but over deliver.”

Fielding Questions

Do: Let your employer or replacement know you’re willing to answer a few questions that arise after you’ve gone. Workplace expert Lynn Taylor says two e-mails or phone calls would be standard, and it’s courteous to respond as best you can.

Don’t: Give away too much of your time. Taylor advises against becoming a free resource to your former employer and says, “You must set limits.” If questions continue, begin by slowing your response time and consider offering your services as a consultant.

Informing Clients

Do: Seek the guidance of a manager on how to inform clients of the transition. They likely will approve phrasing and an e-mail notification.

Don’t: Disregard contract clauses that bar you from taking clients or proprietary information with you. Your actions could come back to haunt you.

Remembering The Details

Do: Pay attention to details like e-mail and phone messages. Where will they be directed after you’ve left? Carefully organize all hard and soft files so that important documents will be easy to find.

Don’t: Leave your physical space in a mess. If you don’t want to carry something home, toss it. Otherwise you may cause unnecessary frustration or contempt.

Writing The Transition Document

Do: Organize and write down the status of all projects and responsibilities that you are accountable for, including the appropriate contacts on each.

Don’t: Verbally give a manager the rundown. Taylor advises that you put everything in writing, so that your replacement can easily navigate projects once you’re gone.

Wrapping Up Relationships

Do: Answer all questions and offer feedback to subordinates, and remember to acknowledge those you worked with before leaving.

Don’t: Run out on subordinates without making sure you’ve left them in a position to succeed or follow up with you.

31 Ideas for Summer Fun!

With the holiday weekend behind us, there is only about a month of summer left.  But a month can seem like fooooorever when the kids are home all day in this hot San Diego weather we have been having.  It is so important to keep the kids entertained with crafts, outdoor play, neighborhood friends but most of all keep their minds engaged and BUSY!

Here is a simple list of '31 days of summer fun' thanks to "Let Me Start By Saying" to use as a basic guide for ideas!  We love these creative projects and ideas for kids of any age and they truly are a great way to get the family up and moving together!

Day 1
Start summer scrapbooks! Prepare to cherish these memories forever! Celebrate by treating your kids to whatever they want at the ice cream truck!

Day 2
Neighborhood scavenger huuuuunt!

Day 3
Handmade apology notes to neighbors whose gardens were trampled/gnomes toppled by your kids during neighborhood scavenger hunt!

Day 4
Recycle everything kids collected during neighborhood scavenger hunt as punishment for fighting over who actually won the scavenger hunt because everything has to be a contest to them!

Day 5
Visit local farm for berry picking! Make your own juice and ice pops from fruit you picked! Calmly tell the kids "No" when they hear the ice cream truck, because you just made cold treats!

Day 6
Make your own stain-remover to save the clothes worn while working with the fresh fruit! Teach the art of folding and putting away clean laundry!

Day 7
Break out the stickers, markers and glitter to add the first week's activities to the scrapbook!

Day 8
Remove/black out all incriminating evidence the kids put in the first week's entries in their scrapbooks!

Day 9
Nature walk! Forget to bring enough water, so agree to buy stuff at ice cream truck even though you're a little surprised to see one out there in nature!

Day 10
Pajama day while you all recover from poison ivy contracted during nature walk!

Day 11
Look up at-home science experiments & try some at home! Turn up the radio when you hear the ice cream truck approaching!

Day 12
Look up Sew-Your-Own Eye Patch online and everyone can make one for the kid whose eye was damaged during the "At-Home Volcano" incident yesterday!

Day 13
Make your own chalk, then decorate driveway, then calm crying kids when passing summer rainstorm washes it all off the driveway before dinner!

Day 14
Use remaining homemade sidewalk chalk to decorate this week's page in scrapbooks!

Day 15
Make tie-dye shirts for the whole family. Let them use their own money at the ice cream truck when it comes by as you bring the shirts outside to dry.

Day 16
Field trip to the mall to buy everyone in the house new white underwear and T-shirts because the tie-dye stuff turned everything you washed last night a blotchy pink.

Day 17
Open summer care packages from Grandma filled with toys, books and other activities.

Day 18
Dump bins full of toys into garbage bags and bring them to a donation center since the kids prefer to play with empty boxes rather than the toys, books and other activities inside them.

Day 19
Beach day! Of course there's no way to avoid the ice cream truck out there!

Day 20
Spend the day cleaning sand out of car, garage, mudroom, hallway, kitchen, laundry room, 10 towels, six swimsuits, three changes of clothes per kid, the closet, living room and bedrooms.

Day 21
Break out the scrapbooks again for updating. Search house for a couple pencils and a sticker you got at the grocery store yesterday, since the art supplies have gone missing.

Day 22
Print out kid-friendly recipes, then go to Farmer's Market for ingredients. Spend the day in the AC teaching them to cook.

Day 23
Order in pizza while the kids clean out the fridge: at least two of them woke with a snotty summer cold, and you just know all the food they made yesterday is seasoned with infectious boogers.

Day 24
Go to Target with gift cards your kids have collected from birthdays. Let them buy whatever shutuppery they want. Discreetly flip off the ice cream truck as you pass it on the highway (IS IT STALKING YOU???).

Day 25
Take the kids to the park. Leave park after 400 rounds of "It's too hot," "I don't like my sandals" and "I want snack -- no, not THAT snack," and toss them all into the playroom while you hide, rocking in a corner.

Day 26
Turn on sprinklers. Drink while kids ruin the lawn. Stare at ice cream truck with the burning hellfire of eternal hate when it stops at the edge of your lawn, causing your kids to freak the freak out until you give in.

Day 27
Spend the day at the movie theater. Feed your pain over how long this month has been with Junior Mints and popcorn.

Day 28
Remember it's scrapbook day. Go back to bed while kids do... whatever. I just don't care anymore.

Day 29
Watch TV all day. On separate TVs. Egg the ice cream truck when it dares drive down your street again.

Day 30
Dig out all the iPads you hid four weeks ago. As long as the game is free, allow kids to "buy" as many as they want as long as they stay quiet.

Day 31
Pay whatever it takes to get all your kids in camp until the first day of school.

Craigslist Nanny Court Case

This is absolutely crazy!  It is even more insane that this is even an issue in our community.  Craigslist is a great tool for finding a wonderful piece of antique furniture or even a used television, but NOT for finding a nanny.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to go through the proper security and precautionary measures before hiring your nanny, housekeeper, tutor, whatever!  When trusting someone to watch after your most prized possessions, you want to make sure their background and previous work experience is clean and vouched for!

Here at Seaside Staffing Company, we pride ourselves on completing extensive background and DMV checks and require all of our candidates to be Trustlined through the state.  Piece of mind is crucial!

This article is an example of a worst-case scenario but should be read and learned from!

http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jun/28/nanny-wont-leave-house/

Egg Relay Races!!

Found this AWESOME preschool education website with fun creative activities to do for any given day but also for special holidays like Easter! I will definitely be joining in with these egg-relay races!

For more fun ideas for Easter visit:

http://www.preschooleducation.com/geaster.shtml

St. Patrick's Day Parades in San Diego!

Look at all these awesome events happening in the San Diego area! 

Dress up with your kids and celebrate The Luck of the Irish!

34th Annual San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in Balboa Park

Saturday, March 15, 2014

9 am-5 pm

Parade at 10:30 am

www.stpatsparade.org

3rd Annual North County St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in Vista 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

10 am-4 pm

Parade at 11 am

www.vvba.org/specialevent/north-county-st-patricks-day-parade-and-festival/

34th Annual St. Patrick’s Day 10K Run, 2 & 4 Mile Run/Walk at Mission Bay Park 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

7:45am

Proceeds benefit Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego.

www.kathyloperevents.com/stpatrick/

St. Patrick’s Day Half Marathon, 5K Run/Walk and Green Mile in El Cajon 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

8 am

www.runeastcounty.com

For more information check out San Diego Family Website! 

http://www.sandiegofamily.com/things-to-do/seasonal-happenings/1109-st-patricks-day

BEST OF SAN DIEGO RANCH AND COAST MAGAZINE 2014

BEST NANNY & DOMESTIC STAFFING

6th Year In A Row!