Make It! Archives - The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

17 holiday teacher gifts they actually want (no DIY!)

November 20, 2018catherinemryan

If you’re like me, you want to show your appreciation to the teachers and other important adults in your children’s lives every holiday. I always want to give holiday teacher gifts, but I often come up short with ideas. Some years, I scour Pinterest for adorable, handmade teacher gift ideas; others, I just grab a handful of Starbucks or Target gift cards and call it good. This year, I wanted to change things up and give teacher gifts they actually want—and that support the local economy.

Here’s the thing, though. I don’t want to make cookie kits in a mason jar or craft rustic-painted signs out of wooden pallets I’ve reclaimed. Or maybe I would like to if I actually had the time to make those things. You see, most times when I try to DIY gifts, I get as far as buying the supplies—which then sit in my craft drawer for years, acquiring dust and guilt.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. (Do you feel that way too?) So I asked friends who are educators to share the holiday teacher gifts they actually want and can truly use—gifts that require zero DIY. And these ideas support local businesses instead of the giant corporations that, let’s be honest, don’t really need our dollars.

So this holiday, as you’re looking for gift ideas for teachers, childcare providers, coaches and more, take a peek below. I’m sure you’ll find inspiration for meaningful gifts for the grown-ups your kids love.

Tea ring: The best Christmas breakfast pastry you’ll ever eat

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017catherinemryan

When my brother and sisters and I were growing up, we eagerly watched the front porch at Christmas. We got excited about every delivery, but we waited for one package in particular: One from my grandma containing tea ring, the best Christmas breakfast pastry I have ever had the good luck to eat.

She made two tea rings for us every year, without fail, my entire childhood and mailed them to us in Oregon all the way from Illinois. They arrived slightly squished, but that just made the deliciousness more dense. We never complained.

Tea ring is a Christmas breakfast pastry that combines a fluffy dough, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter—lots of butter, of course. It’s a little like a cinnamon roll but won’t give you a sugar headache afterward. Even better, the recipe makes two, so you don’t feel bad going back for seconds—or fourths.

In the Christmas spirit of giving, I’m sharing my family’s most-treasured recipe for tea ring here. It’s legendary around these parts: Family friends continue to talk about tea ring, and friends of mine have dropped by Christmas day to “say hi”—aka angle for a slice of tea ring.

I’m always willing to share. If you have Christmas breakfast pastry this good, it’d be cruel not to.

Make a Christmas tree for animals

December 13, 2017catherinemryan

When we traveled to the Midwest for Christmas last year, I figured we’d be cold. But then we arrived at the tail end of a winter storm and our first day in Chicago had a forecasted high of 10 degrees. People. 10 degrees. So yes, we were cold. And when we arrived at my in-laws’ house in Michigan and saw so many animal footprints in the snow, I thought of all those critters struggling to survive the long winter months with scarce food and low temps.

So in the days leading up to Christmas, I wanted to give the critters a little present. The girls, their grandparents and I thought we’d provide a little holiday treat: We made a Christmas tree for animals.

How to make a Christmas tree for animals: A new holiday family activity to do good! Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

Family Christmas game: Laughing All the Way

December 11, 2017December 11, 2017catherinemryan

Christmas is about the only time of year when my whole family gets together. And when we get together, we play games. (Ask me sometime about our tradition of Star Wars Drinking Monopoly. Epic.) Now that we’ve grown up and some of us have kids, though, we needed a more family-friendly game to play at the holidays. So this year, I made one up: a family Christmas game that can be as naughty or nice as you want!

This post contains affiliate links, which means clicking and buying gets me a few pennies to support this blog—at no extra cost to you.

Imagine this family Christmas game as a mix between Cards Against Humanity and The Game of Things (which if you’ve never played before, you definitely should—it’s one of our favorites!). Basically, your family answers silly holiday questions or fill-in-the-blanks, and everyone has to guess who said what.

Pie is optional—but strongly recommended.

Want to add a fun family Christmas game to your holiday? Read on for the rules—and a printable so you can get your very own! Read more →

Handmade camping dolls make for an unforgettable summer

August 8, 2017August 8, 2017catherinemryan

When Eric’s parents were visiting Oregon this summer, we took a camping trip at Milo McIver State Park. It was the girls’ first camping trip of the year, and I wanted to help make it special. (Yes, I know the very fact of spending all day outside and roasting marshmallows make camping special without any extras. But still.) I pulled inspiration from one of our favorite books, Lulu & Pip, and made camping dolls for the girls.

The camping dolls were an instant hit. The dolls went with us everywhere, from a hike to the camp chairs beside the fire. They got dirty. They got chewed on. They earned their title of camping dolls.

And my hope was realized: The camping dolls helped make our camping trip unforgettable.

Handmade personalized baby shower book DIY [+ tutorial!]

July 17, 2017July 12, 2017catherinemryan

A while back, a few friends and I offered to co-host a baby shower for our dear friend Rose. I’ve known Rose since we were in middle school, and it blows my mind that we both have kids now. (Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were listening to Smashmouth and playing Girl Talk?) For her baby shower, I wanted to do something special that would serve as a memory keeper for the party. So I made her a handmade personalized baby shower book—and I think it turned out beautifully.

This handmade DIY baby shower book is a sweet gift for a mama to be. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

With a little prep and planning, plus some after the baby shower effort, I put together this baby shower book. Because I never do anything on time, I have it to Rose when her daughter was like 4 months old. But that just means I threw a baby shower that kept on giving! Right?

This handmade DIY baby shower book is a sweet gift for a mama to be. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

The 10 best handprint crafts for kids: Friday fun day

July 14, 2017July 12, 2017catherinemryan

I am a huge sucker for handprint crafts for kids, but even I think some of the ideas circulating on Pinterest are, well, a bit of a stretch. Hey, it’s a handprint, but it’s also a walrus! Or a leprechaun! Or a tank!

So when I went looking for arts and crafts ideas to memorialize my kids’ hands, it took a lot of scrolling to find ones I actually want to do. I have saved you some of the searching and picked out 10 handprint crafts for kids that are adorable.

You’ll want to keep ’em forever, if only to remind yourself that yes, once your kid’s hand was that tiny.

The 10 best handprint crafts for kids and families - Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

Lemony grain salad: An easy, healthy BBQ side dish

July 3, 2017catherinemryan

One of the many reasons I love summer: the laid-back, no-frills approach to summer entertaining. BBQs are the quintessential summer party, and for good reason: Guests bring whatever side or dessert they can throw together (or pick up from the store on the way over). You can grill just about anything. And summer BBQs give ample opportunities for a gal like me to practice making a signature healthy side dish like this lemony grain salad.

This lemony grain salad is an easy, healthy side dish to bring to a BBQ this summer! can also be made gluten-free. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

First off, I bring some version of this lemony grain salad to just about every BBQ and potluck we go to in the summer. (Sorry, guys, I hope you haven’t gotten tired of it yet!) I do it because it’s delicious and friends usually end up asking me how to make it—and because this easy, healthy, vegetarian BBQ side dish is so forgiving.

You don’t have cucumbers? No worries, throw in some radishes—or whatever you have in the vegetable drawer! You like your dressing on the sweeter side? Go you! Add some honey. You’re gluten-free? No prob, use quinoa for the grain base!

Because this recipe is so flexible, I don’t usually follow a recipe—but the last time I made it, I actually measured ingredients instead of eyeballing it. So I am super excited to share my bona fide recipe for lemony grain salad.

This lemony grain salad is an easy, healthy side dish to bring to a BBQ this summer! can also be made gluten-free. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

Camping crafts: Kids let their creativity go wild!

June 28, 2017June 27, 2017catherinemryan

Back before we had kids, Eric and I camped regularly—and spontaneously. We’d throw the tent, sleeping bags and a cooler in our 1985 Volvo station wagon and head into the woods. These days, camping with kids requires a bit more preparation—including figuring out some kids activities that will keep them happy in the camp site. Since the girls love art so much, it made sense to come up with some camping crafts so they could create in nature.

Camping crafts like this nature collage art project keep kids happy when you're family camping—and require almost no prep or supplies! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

We haven’t gone camping with the kids yet this year, but we camped for Father’s Day last year—and the girls loved doing this camping craft. They did it one morning when they needed a little out-of-the-sun quiet time after hiking, sprinting around the campground, making friends and walking over hot coals. (Just kidding! We’re waiting until they’re at least 6 to walk on the camp fire.)

Camping crafts like this nature collage are a wonderful way to incorporate art into your family camping this summer. Read more →

Father’s Day scavenger hunt with Yoobi chalk

June 16, 2017catherinemryan

Truth be told, we aren’t huge on holidays or anniversaries around here (with the exception of Christmas—which we call XMAS XMAS!!!). But Father’s Day is this weekend, and I wanted to involve my kids in doing something special for Eric, who is truly a phenomenal dad. The trick: Their attention spans are short. Kiwi is a disaster with paint, which rules out most Father’s Day crafts. And they’re much more interested in doing stuff with their dad than spending an afternoon making him a photo frame out of popsicle sticks. So this year, we devised a Father’s Day scavenger hunt.

One reason I’m excited about a Father’s Day scavenger hunt is that it doesn’t take a ton of commitment or prepping. All I needed to do was take a few photos of the kids (which in itself is no small feat, considering their semi-disastrous history with photo shoots). The girls didn’t have to do a ton. They can save their Father’s Day enthusiasm for the day-of, when they’ll get to “help” their dad find his prize!

So if you’re looking for a last-minute Father’s Day gift, this scavenger hunt—made with just a few photos, lots of chalk and a little imagination—is the perfect way to tell dad “I love you!”

A great Father's Day gift: a scavenger hunt with the kids! Ten Thousand Hour Mama Looking for a quick + easy gift for Dad? This Father's Day scavenger hunt, complete w/ kids photos, is perfect! Ten Thousand Hour Mama A Father's Day scavenger hunt is a fun, easy and great last-minute gift idea for the kids to do for Dad. Ten Thousand Hour Mama