Ally Noel

Latest posts by Ally

50+ Genius Upcycled Cardboard Box Crafts and Activities for Kids

Submitted by Ally Noel on Tue, 03/16/2021 - 12:05pm

Build trains, cars, houses, and creatures with cardboard boxes!

How many times have you bought your kids a new toy, and had them toss the toy aside and play for hours with a cardboard box? When it comes to keeping kids happily occupied, nothing is quite as cheap, easy, and effective as an empty cardboard box.

From diaper boxes, Prime boxes, shoeboxes, cereal boxes, and toy boxes, I don’t think I was fully prepared for just how many empty cardboard boxes would be involved in parenting. With a little imagination, those empty cardboard boxes easily become the foundation of a cardboard box house, cardboard box car, and an endless amount of cardboard crafts.

A Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe for a Tempting Breakfast Treat

Submitted by Ally Noel on Thu, 03/11/2021 - 11:30am

Whether you call them hand pies, toaster pastries, Pop Tarts—or just plain ol' delicious!—these treats sweeten up any family morning. Frozen pie crust simplifies this homemade Pop-Tart-style pastry recipe. It's easy to follow and comes together faster than you might realize. Kids can fill these, and top them, with their preferred flavors, from jam to chocolate and sprinkles.

Quick Pizzas & Pizza Dough Recipes for Family Night

Submitted by Ally Noel on Thu, 03/04/2021 - 9:36am

Everyone can make their own pizza just the way they like it!

Friday night is pizza night in my house, and although we love picking up the phone and having our favorite pie delivered, cooking with kids is special—and there is nothing quite like pulling a homemade pizza (on homemade pizza dough) fresh out of the oven. DIY Pizza Night has quickly become one of our most beloved screen-free family fun nights.

It all starts with a great pizza dough recipe, and I'm sharing my family's favorite easy pizza dough recipe. Plus our favorite pizza recipes, tricks, and hints for how to bring your next homemade pizza night to the next level. And pssst, save room for dessert.

How To Have a Netflix Party for Kids

Submitted by Ally Noel on Tue, 02/23/2021 - 9:30am

With a watch party, kids can see movies with friends again! Photo by Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

Once upon a time, in our pre-COVID lives, there was something special about heading to the local movie theater, grabbing movie snacks, and crowding into a theater to watch a new movie. Well, a visit to a crowded theater isn't happening right now, but a Netflix Party is actually a pretty great substitute. Hosting a Netflix Party is the next best thing to going to the theater, and you can host a watch party (on any platform, not just Netflix) with friends living across the street or family living across the country—or even on the other side of the world!

Here are some helpful tips on how to get started hosting your very own Netflix watch party. Make sure you check out our 50 Best Kids’ Movies for Family Movie Night to pick a flick you all can agree on.

10 Creative Tooth Fairy Ideas Kids Love

Submitted by Ally Noel on Sun, 02/21/2021 - 10:32am

What's that tooth worth these days? Photo by Mommy Poppins

As your child begins to notice the first signs of a wiggly tooth, you may start asking yourself a lot of questions about how to be the Tooth Fairy. What does the Tooth Fairy pay these days? Does she leave something besides money? Does the Tooth Fairy take the teeth with her?

From tooth fairy letters to tooth fairy pillows to glitter money and more, we've rounded up some truly creative and fun tooth fairy ideas and traditions that provide inspiration for creating a little tooth fairy magic in your own home. Plus, we'll tell you what the average kid seems to be collecting for those pearly whites...

What's Open In Connecticut for Kids Right Now

Submitted by Ally Noel on Fri, 02/12/2021 - 10:11am

Kidspace's building tables are waiting. Photo courtesy of Connecticut Science Center

Believe it or not, we’ve been riding the waves of this pandemic for about a year now. But, we’ve come a long way! Many of our favorite family-friendly indoor and outdoor spots in Connecticut, including museums, zoos, indoor play spaces, and entertainment places (including the Maritime Aquarium's cool new 4D theater), have progressively reopened with enhanced safety protocols, so kids can enjoy a special outing while staying safe.

Read on to see which of our favorite Connecticut winter day trip spots are open for family fun right now, and be sure to contact each business directly in case policies have changed. Most spots require advanced ticketing and mask wearing and enforce hand sanitizing and washing and capacity restrictions; but kids have gotten used to these measures and will just be excited for to bust out of their own four walls to see some cool art, visit animals, and jump and swing around.

Best Pizza Places in Connecticut for Families

Submitted by Ally Noel on Fri, 02/05/2021 - 10:11am

Frank Pepe's delicious pizza. Photo courtesy of @threeohfries

One food we know families can't live without—pandemic or otherwise—is pizza. Lucky for us, Connecticut doesn't just have passable pizza—it's famous for it! Next time the family has a hankering, consider venturing beyond your neighborhood and ordering a pie or two from one of Connecticut's best pizza places for families, from standard-bearers Frank Pepe and Roseland to relative newbies like Swyft and yPizzeria Marzano. Whether dining in or takeout, we can promise the pizza will be delicious, and you will be helping a small business through trying times for the restaurant industry.

Look to our Connecticut restaurant guide for more kid-friendly brunch, lunch, or dinner outings, including igloo restaurants and heated patios that are operating outdoors through the wintertime.

10 Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Weeknight Dinners

Submitted by Ally Noel on Sun, 01/24/2021 - 11:07am

Mexican Instant Pot Quinoa warms on a chilly night.

An Instant Pot is an electronic pressure cooker that is able to cook foods quickly—and once I started using one, I wondered how I ever lived without it. The only tricky thing is finding the best Instant Pot recipes that everyone in the family will eat. From kid-pleasing Instant Pot chicken recipes to the secret to perfect Instant Pot rice, I’ve tried them all, and rounded up the best of the best.

For those of us who don’t think about what to have for dinner until approximately melt-down-o’clock, this list of tried-and-true Instant Pot recipes will save dinnertime, one meal at a time! Don’t have an Instant Pot? Try our favorite easy one-pot meals. And whatever you make for dinner, save room for dessert.

Ally Noel

Ally Noel

Latest posts by Ally

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