Ways I Am Caring For Myself

Fun Ideas for At Home With Kids!

This week has been one for the books! With unprecedented amounts of quality family time, I’m choosing to be thankful for this season that we find ourselves in! 

The boys have definitely kept us busy - here’s a little list of the things that we have been doing to stay busy and encourage hands on learning. I hope that this list can spark some ideas for you and your family! 

1. Build a Fort
2. Decorate a card board box and make a city out of it, house, garden, etc - be creative!
3. Clean Your Toys: this can be a fun project with your kids. Lots of bubbles and warm water and they can give their toys a bath :)
4. Make play dough or slime
5. Make Bath Bombs: I’ve never done this one before, but we are going to attempt it this weekend!
6. Scavenger hunt
7. Hide n Go Seek
8. Tag: You can add a twist on this and play Ghost Tag, or whatever your little ones are into 
9. Art: There are SO many art projects you can attempt! Check out my Pinterest kid’s art crafts here for some ideas! 
10. A Reading Marathon: Gather the kids on the couch, bed, or next to all their stuffed animals and get cozy and read as many books as you can to them!
11. Easter Egg Hunt: Never too early to hide plastic eggs (maybe some with a toy or treat inside) around the house or outside! 
12. A Walk: A simple walk is always good for us!
13. Baking: Have them help bake muffins, energy bites, cookies...they love to be a part of the process! 
14. Kid’s Yoga: There are so many resources online for how to get started. 
15. Organized Sports: Have them play a mini game of soccer, basketball or baseball as a family!
16. Homemade Pizza: We’ve been making these for lunch and the boys love creating their own custom pizza!
17. Lastly, if our boys are just fussy and tired, I put them all in the bath tub. They always love the tub! Plus, it's never too early to take a bath xo.

 

I hope these trigger some ideas for your own little ones at home these next few weeks, especially while it's still cold in our neck of the woods. Don't stress! Some days just don't work out the way you want it too with 6 different projects on the list for your kids to tackle. If the day is just not going great, let them play with their toys, tablets (yes, some tablet time is okay in my opinion. It just needs limitations), or go outside for a drive!

To make our weekend a little more exciting we purchased a homemade beef pie from our friends at Good Hart General Store in Cross Village. This will be our 'out to dinner' night. We may even attempt a fun breakfast in bed one morning! We'll see how that goes! Our kids will always remember this time at home with mom and dad and siblings. Remember to try to always choose joy and make the most of it :) 

Winter Adventure

Above Mackinac Condos

Above Mackinac Condos is excited to be your newest Mackinac Island lodging destination! Bob Benser and Andrew Doud have created three luxury condos above Good Day Cafe and Doud’s Market that are available to rent May - October. 

Five years ago in 2015, Bob Benser purchased Alford’s Drug Store. He sold half of the building to Andrew Doud for the expansion of Doud’s Market. On the left of Doud’s Market, Bob Benser created Good Day Cafe, which serves ice cream, sandwiches, coffee, bakery treats, crepes, sandwiches and more. 

Most of the store fronts on Mackinac Island have second stories which are used to house their employees. Instead of using the upstairs of the Doud’s expansion / Good Day Cafe as more housing, Bob Benser along with Andrew Doud worked to create luxury condos to be rented out. The condos are gorgeous, with every comfort. 

There are (2) two bedroom condos and (1) four bedroom condo. The four bedroom condo occupies the third floor - it has a large balcony that overlooks the bustle of Main Street. 

The condos are very affordable: 

Two bedroom condos - 

$300 a night in May & October

$400 a night in June & September

$450 a night in July & August 

Four bedroom Condo - 

$600 a night in May & October

$700 a night June through September

The condos are available for extended stays only. 

As mentioned above, the condos have been afforded every comfort:

• Pull Out Sleeper Chair 
• Walk-in Showers 
• Completely Stocked Modern Kitchen 
• Washer And Dryer 
• Air Conditioning 
• Flat Screen TV's 
• Internet 
• Non-Smoking Only 

To book your stay call 906.847.3614 or email abovemackinaccondos@gmail.com. When you book at Above Mackinac Condos, mention that you saw this blog post on Little Luxuries’ blog! You will enjoy your stay in the Above Mackinac Condos and you will continue to make it your lodging destination for Mackinac Island for ages to come! 

Turkey Dressing Recipe

While going through my recipe box this week, I found some of my favorite recipes that I like to pull out for the holiday season.

This Turkey Dressing recipe is a family one on my mom's side.  

Turkey Dressing

• 1 loaf bakery style bread
• 1 c. chopped onions
• 1 stick oleo
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut bread into cubes, set aside in large bowl. Fry onions and mushrooms in oleo; add salt/pepper, cook until tender, add to bread cubes. Fry sausage until brown, drain fat, add to bread mixture. Mix in remaining ingredients of soup and eggs, Use to stuff turkey or place in casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour covered, til brown on top. Uncover the last few minutes in oven. Enjoy! 

I can’t wait to have you try this favorite recipe of my family. Let me know what you think!

Happy Almost Thanksgiving!

Xoxo,

Nicole