No stress this holiday season

 Something to keep in mind during the holiday season:

"You can do anything, but not everything" -- David Allen

"The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least" -- Unknown

"If there is no joyous way to give a festive gift, give love away" -- Unknown

And...here is something to help ease your holiday shopping, a $2.00 off the Wett Giggles gift pack with the coupon code, "All for you."
http://www.wettgiggles.com/ 

Favorite Fall Traditions for Families: How to Make the Most of Autumn as a Family

Yes, it’s Fall! The season for Halloween, pumpkins and cooler weather. It is also the season when we start preparing for the end-of-the-year and the holidays. Fall infuses us with fresh energy, renewed inspiration and a boost of fondness for traditions.

In that spirit, here are some favorite Fall traditions for you to make the most of this season as a family:

Decorating the House for Fall

 Yes, invite the season into your house. This tradition is lovely because all of you can be involved in collecting leaves, pinecones, apples, pumpkins or gourds and adding splashes of lovely Fall colors and fragrances to the home. Before starting to decorate, head out for a Nature walk and collect interesting ‘artefacts’ to add to the mantle, foyer and living areas.  Meanwhile, the kids can have a ball crunching leaves as they walk about or gathering them for craft time later.  Need some ideas for Fall craft? Here are over 100 of them! 

Fun and free, yes, this is the perfect Fall tradition for families.

Attend a Fall Festival

If you live in an area that hosts an annual Fall festival, mark your calendar for the date. Bundle up the kids and head to the festival to enjoy seasonal activities like, pumpkin carving or apple picking or simply, savor the smell and sights of Autumn.

Visit the Local Pumpkin Patch

Head out to the local pumpkin patch and let each member of the family pick a pumpkin. Come back home and you can have fun time carving the pumpkins and sipping on some spiced hot chocolate.

 Host a pre-Halloween Party

Who says, parties are only for Halloween? Have a pre-Halloween or celebrating Fall party with seasonal produce taking centre stage and fun Fall activities and games  for kids  to help them enjoy the season and learn about it as well.

  Bake Fall Treats 

Finally, a super-fun and easy way to celebrate Fall is by baking those apple pies, pumpkin pies, spiced cookies and more. Accompanied with a glass of milk, these are the perfect treat for hungry little ones after a day spent picking apples or pumpkins.

Does your family have a favorite Fall tradition? How do you celebrate this change of season? Share with the Wett Giggles community on Twitter and Facebook!

 

Photo Credit: Arvind Balaraman/Free Digital Photos

Top Four Fun, Frugal and Healthy Halloween Treats

October’s on and yes, if you’re a parent, chances are you’re already gearing up for Halloween. Costumes, masks, face paint and of course, treats!

Do you want to hand out the same ole’ candy this year as well? Seriously, with childhood obesity and tooth decay on the rise, do we, as parents, want to contribute to making kids unhealthy?

I think not.        

But we do want to keep the fun alive in trick-or-treating and we do want children to enjoy the occasion and look forward to their treats.

So, here are the 4 best fun and frugal treats for Halloween, and no they don’t involve candy:

 1. Ghost-Shaped Soaps for a Spooky Clean Halloween 

Right on top of the list are our super-cute ghost-shaped soaps that will help to wash off all the face paint and stay with kids long after Halloween is over. At just $7.50 for half a dozen soaps, these are fruity smelling, made with natural ingredients and perfect on the budget!

See how cute they are in the photo above!

2.     Homemade and Healthy Halloween Treats

There’s nothing better than giving out sweet treats that are actually healthy and good for kids. Better still, have the kids make them as well. Nice!

Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

 Healthy Halloween Treats from iVillage 

Halloween Party Snacks and Treats for Children from Parenting 

3.     Ghostly Reads for Kids of All Ages

Want to encourage reading in the neighborhood kids? Pair some homemade sweet treats with a spooky book. Yes, it is a great way to get kids reading without cutting out the ‘treat’ part of Halloween!

Here is a great list of books for Halloweenand best part is that most of them cost under $5.

 4.     A Basket of Treasures

Finally, you can put together small baskets filled with non-treat treasures for all the trick-or-treaters and let them go home with things they’d actually use. Some ideas include ‘ghost’-themed adhesive bandages, seed packets for their own ‘spooky’ plant, lead-free fake jewels and more. Need more ideas to fill up those baskets? Check out this amazing list by Green Halloween.   

This year, don’t let Halloween be yet another candy fest with sugar-laden, artificial color-filled candies being doled out. Make it fun, interesting and yet, healthy for the kids by making some simple but wise choices.

What are YOUR favorite healthy, fun and frugal treats for Halloween? Join the Wett Giggles community on Facebook and Twitter and share!

Back-to-School: Learn About Hand Hygiene for Kids

Yes, it’s August already and am sure you’re gearing up for back-to-school season. In the middle of shopping for school supplies, checking on uniforms and getting those backpacks ready, spend some time teaching the kids about hand hygiene. 

Yes, that is the one thing you shouldn’t forget if you want to enjoy a healthier, happier school season.

Here are some fun ways to help kids learn about hand hygiene:

 Make Hand Washing Fun

Begin by making hand washing a fun and easy exercise for even young kids. Make the wash basin easily accessible by adding a colorful step stool and put out fun soaps, such as our latest, ghost soaps to boost appeal and interest.

Make hand washing a game and time the kids while they wash their hands. Whoever washes for a full 20 seconds gets a gold star!

Have Kids Sing a 20-second Song While Washing Their Hands

 Young kids often wash their hands quickly and briefly, and that sadly, isn’t good enough. Help them time themselves by teaching them a 15-20 second song that they can sing or hum while washing hands for the right duration.

Set a Good Example

Children learn best by example and demonstration so let them watch you wash hands  regularly and diligently. Let them see how you value hand hygiene as a way of staying healthy and chances are they’ll be following suit soon.

 Have an Older Kid Teach a Younger Kid Hand Hygiene

Kids make great teachers and learners. If you can, have the older siblings teach the younger ones about hand hygiene. They’ll have more fun and the lessons would be remembered for longer as well.

Read Books or Watch Videos About Germs and Washing Hands

Finally, one of the best ways to teach a kid just about anything is through books, pictures and videos. Wash Your Hands! By Margaret McNamara and  Body Buddies Say,”Wash Your Hands” by Leeann Wenkman are two good options to start with.

Here are some more ways to make overall hygiene fun for kids and have a really healthy, wholesome school year.

How will YOU make back-to-school season a time for teaching your kids about hand hygiene?

Photo Credit: woodleywonderworks 

30 Frugal Fun Summer Ideas for Kids

With summer in full swing, chances are you’re looking for some great ideas to keep the kids busy and engaged, without busting the bank, right?

Well, look no further, we have 30 fun and frugal ideas for summer fun. Go ahead, print out this list, put it up on the fridge and start crossing off the items as you enjoy summer on the cheap:

1. Have a splash fest in the lawn or bath.
2. Get cheap water pistols and have a water fight.
3. Eat an ice-cream everyday.
4. Bake cookies.
5. Visit a neighbor.  Better still, help out a neighbor or friend.
6. Play hopscotch or another fun game from your childhood with the kids.
7. Go cycling.
8. Go for nature walks and pick out interesting flowers or rocks to help kids start collections.
9. Get gardening. If nothing else, just create a potted plants garden and get the kids involved.
10. Create a summer fun collage.
11. Visit the zoo.
12. Go to the beach.
13. Watch summer-themed movies.
14. Read summer-themed books or classics.
15. Put on fun music and dance away.
16. Get out water paints, art aprons and canvases and let the kids paint their idea of summer.
17. Create cute cards for everyone, just to say ‘I love you’.
18. Have a crafting hour every day. Need inspiration? Here are 30 craft websites to inspire you.
19. Create summer photo books.
20. Take a photo of the kids every day through summer.
21. Go through photo albums together and pick out favorite shots and frame them.
22. Have a dress-up party.
23. Make non-alcoholic fruit punch and some snacks and spend the day lazing at the pool.
24. Visit an orphanage.
25. Visit an old people’s home.
26. Put up a lemonade or bake sale stall in the front lawn or community center.
27. Visit the local attractions in your city or town.
28. Take a day trip to a nearby lake or tourist spot, armed with a well-stocked picnic hamper.
29. Play board games, especially ones that are new to your kids.
30. Have a “My Idea of Fun” list for everyone and try to do at least  1-2 things from each list this summer.

How will YOU be enjoying summer fun on a budget? 

Join the Wett Giggles community on Twitter and Facebook, and share your tips and ideas.  

Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt

Fun Ways to Encourage Beach Safety in Kids

Summer is here and chances are you’re already planning trips to the beach and lazy days spent splashing around.

However, going to the beach also means teaching kids about staying safe. Yes, waves, shells, jellyfish and the sand can cause injuries and turn a happy day into one filled with tears and pain.

Here are some fun ways to encourage beach safety in kids:

 Read Up on Beach Safety

 Yes, reading is a great way to encourage kids to learn and develop new habits. Before heading out to the beach spend some time reading books like Safety Dave and Daisy Go to the Beach  and Hari at the Beach to help kids understand the importance of staying safe at the beach.

With older kids, you can pull out articles from the web or the newspapers and explain what to do when they see a jellyfish or step on a particularly sharp shell.

Make a Stay Safe at the Beach Poster

 Summer means kids at home and what better way to get them to spend their time than making a beach safety poster. Do this as part of getting ready for their day at the beach. Have everyone bring pictures of what they think describes beach safety and create a collage-style poster. This is   great way to reinforce everything they’ve learnt.

 Beach Safety Pop Quizzes

 Finally, need a fun way to spend the time as you drive to the beach? Give the kids a beach safety pop quiz! That’s right? Have one of the kids keep time while the others come up with the answers to questions like, “What color is a jelly fish?”, “What is a rip current?”, “Who should you ask before going into the water?”, “Where does the lifeguard sit?”, “Why should you wear water shoes or sandals on the beach?” and so on.

Finally, don’t forget to carry the kids’ favorite Wett Giggles soaps to wash their hands and get the sand out from under their nails before they dig into their beach lunches. 

Check out our newly launched Ghost Soaps, in 4 delicious fragrances and bright colors!

What summer activities do you have lined up? How do you teach the kids about beach safety?

Join the Wett Giggles community on Facebook and Twitter to connect with other parents, share parenting tips and ideas and get special offers!

Photo Credit: Andrew Malone

Bath Time Fun for Kids: Ideas to Make Bath an Enjoyable and Tear-Free Time

• Do your kids run a mile at the thought getting into the tub or under the shower?
• Is bath time a time for yelling, screaming and plenty of tears?
• Do you dread mornings because it means chasing the children into the bathroom?

Well, help’s at hand. 

We have a big list of ideas, tips and tricks to make bath time fun for the kids. That’s right, no more tears, fighting, screaming and chasing down corridors. Turn bath time into a fun and enjoyable activity that children will actually look forward to with these simple ideas:

1.       Bring on the Foam Letters

You see those big foam letters? Well, they’re a great way to keep kids busy and occupied in the tub. They adhere easily to the bathtub walls and can turn bath time in to a fun word-building session. You can use simple letters for younger kids and short 2-letter words for preschoolers. They stay busy and you get to work with them on vocabulary and learning. Win-win!

2.       Use Fun Soaps

Ooh yes, kids love soaps that make bathing super-fun. While you can easily use one of our adorable animal-shaped, sweetlyscented soaps, you can also check out these neat Sesame Street finger paint fun soaps by the Village Company. That’s right. Let the kids paint the bathtub walls and themselves with colorful artwork and then, simply rinse everything right off. Isn’t that just cool?

3.       Add Some Bubbles

We all love bubbles. Yes, admit it, you love them too. So, why not add some kiddie bubble bath and let the kids have fun splashing around. Looking for a good child-safe bubble bath solution? Check out Mr.Bubble and Lander Kids Bath  to add a dash of bubbly fun to bath times.

4.       Fun Ways to Dry Off

Finally, make drying off fun with some cute, hooded towels or super-soft, personalized bath robes. Check out Zoocchini for animal-themed hooded towels that will make the perfect buddy for our animal-shaped soaps. For some great bathrobes, you can check out Terry Rich  that are actually great for pool time as well since they’re easy to zip up and colorful as well. But I don’t see why the kiddos can’t wear them after a bath as well!

How do you make bath time fun for your kids? Or which of these suggestions are you going to try out first to make bath times easier on everyone?

Disclaimer: Wett Giggles is not affiliated with any of these companies. All information is provided in the general interest of helping the readers. Please make all purchasing and usage decisions after exercising due diligence.

  

Photo Credit: evelyngiggles

{Giveaway} Staying Clean is FUN with Wett Giggles!

The summer season is right around the corner and chances are your kids are gearing up for a lot of time at the beach, park and just about anywhere outdoors.

Here are some tips to make staying clean super-fun and easy for the little ones:

1. Make Washing Hands Rewarding

Yes, let the kids know that when they reach the dining table with clean hands they’ll be rewarded with a warm hug and high five. Make it a fun tradition. You can even line them up and sniff their hands like a ‘sniffer dog’ and give them the go-ahead. Also,  using a sweet smelling soap (check out Beatrice who has a blackberry scent!) that they too can ‘sniff’ will up the fun factor!

2. Sing a Silly Toothbrush Song 

Yes, brushing teeth can be a real battle. Make it easy for everyone involved by singing a fun, little ditty. Something like, “This is the way we brush our teeth”, sung to the tune of “Around we go the mulberry bush”, will be easy and fun.

3. Transform the Bathroom into a Fun Room 

Yes, turning your bathroom into a fun zone where the kids would enjoy getting clean can be a real motivator to the young ones. Adding a colorful soap or two {see below how to win some!}, some bath toys, a fun step stool for them to reach the sink and faucet easily, a sweet toothbrush and of course, cool, kids’ towels are all simple but effective ways to increase the fun factor and tone down the routine element.

4. Add a Reward Chart in the Bathroom 

Print out a free reward chart and fill it out with their daily hygiene activities – brushing teeth in the morning, washing hands before breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner, washing hands after going to the toilet and so on. Laminate it or slide it into a splash proof protector and hang it up in the bathroom. Give them stars each time they complete an activity and get them some fun, little toys to reward them.

Yes, staying clean can be super fun and easy too if you know the right ‘tricks’. And we know that our Wett Giggles soaps fit the bill when it comes to upping the fun element in cleanliness, so we have a cool CONTEST for YOU! 

Win your choice of 1 Wett Giggles soap and make staying clean super fun for your kids!

To enter: 
Simply visit our website and tell us which Wett Giggles soap is your favorite.

For additional entries: 

Follow @wettgiggles on Twitter and tweet this out, “I’m making staying clean fun with @wettgiggles. You can too http://bit.ly/HQVv0D” Let us know you’ve done so in a separate comment.

Sign up for the Wett Giggles newsletter and let us know in a separate comment.

If you’re reading this in your email, you’ll have to click through to comment and enter.
Contest is open US-only  and is on till 04/30.

So enter NOW!!

Photo Credit: Katherine Johnson

How to Choose the Best Budget Birthday Party Favors…Ever

Have a birthday coming up? Worried about all the money that you’ll have to shell out on decorations, cake, food, and…party favors?

Well, let’s help you out with the last bit and share how to get beautiful, budget party favors that the kids will love:
1. DIY Party Favors for a Handmade Birthday

Right on top of the list is the DIY party favors. They’re unique, they’re fun, they can be personalized and best of all, they don’t cost a bomb.

What can you make that kids would love to take home with them?

Personalized cupcakes? A fun,  hand-painted t-shirt or photo frame? You can just buy plain ones in bulk and embellish them with a bit of fabric or ceramic paint. Need some more DIY birthday favor ideas? Check out this post on Modern Mom.

2. An Experience Party Favor

Experiences make great party favors that the kids can enjoy long after a party is over. Can you get a good deal on tickets to the zoo? Or maybe to the museum? Or a day pass to an entertainment park? Look for unusual but fun options and ask about discounts for bulk purchases. You’ll save money and the kids would have a fun place to visit after the birthday party is over. Win!

3. A Make-It-Yourself Birthday Return Gift

This is a spin on the DIY party favor. Here, let the kids decorate or make their own return gifts. For instance, you bake the cookies, provide the icings and decorations and let the kids decorate their own cookies and take them home! Package the cookies attractively and you have a great party favor in a limited budget.

You can do the same with ceramic mugs, photo frames or even, t-shirts.

4. Party Favors Made by Mom Entrepreneurs 


Finally, and this is our favorite, our birthday party favors made by mom entrepreneurs, like ourselves. Here are some great options to choose from:

• Impressive Inscriptions by Rosemarie and Rose Marie. This wonderful home-based business provides personalized bookmarks for all occasions, birthdays included. 
• Go Go Goodie Bags by Beckie and Sonia. This lovely site offers you both premade and custom goodie bag as well as plenty of other party favor ideas. 
• Wett Giggles. Well, we couldn’t end this list without a mention of our own adorable, animal-shaped and planet-shaped, handmade soaps filled with natural goodness, yummy fragrances and, a nail brush too!!

So, what ideas do you have for budget birthday party favors? 

Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt

Healthy Eating and Children: Fun Ways to Encourage Kids to Eat Their Vegetables

Children can be notoriously fussy and picky when it comes to cleaning off the greens from their plates. Sadly, more often than not, vegetables and kids don’t really get along well with each other. However, you, as a parent, don’t have to let this pickiness deter you. Instead, you can be a little sneaky, a tad innovative and make sure that your child learns to eat and love veggies.

Here are some ways to encourage healthy eating in children:

1. Add Vegetables to Kiddie Favorites 

One of the easiest ways to ‘sneak’ in veggies is by adding them to favorite foods. Spaghetti can easily have sauce made with grated carrots and beets along with the meat. Broccoli can be mashed and mixed with potatoes for croquettes. Spinach can be blended and mixed with some cheese and macaroni for an ‘alien-green’ Mac and Cheese.

2. Take Kids Vegetable Shopping 

Want kids to know their veggies and take to them naturally? Let them accompany you when you head to the farmer’s market or the store to pick up the week’s supply of veggies. Let them see, touch, smell the different vegetables and chances are they’d be more willing to try them out once they come home.

3. Let Them Pick Their Own Veggies, One Day of the Week 

Kids love responsibility and choice. So, give them both and let them pick a vegetable of their choice for dinner once a week. However, lay down the condition that it can’t be the same vegetable for two consecutive weeks. So, you can’t have potatoes this week and next. Make it interesting, fun and exciting. Look up recipes for their chosen vegetable and odds are you’ll have them eating a variety of vegetables at the end of the month.

4. Add Color to their Plates 

Children enjoy colorful meals. Yes, that is why processed foods’ manufacturers add all those artificial colorings into kids’ snacks. You can beat them and still give your kids a colorful meal by reaching for some vibrant vegetables. Green, red and yellow peppers can be sliced finely and tossed in mayo dressing with some raisins and nuts for a yummy and healthy salad. Use cookie cutters to shape grated carrots, blanched spinach and sautéed snowy white cauliflower into a fun plate filled with health and yumminess.

5. Read About Healthy Eating and Vegetables


Make eating vegetables a fun and interesting experience by reading up about them and swapping fun facts at the dinner table. Books and websites offer tons of information for various age groups. Spend some time every evening reading up together about the veggie you would be eating.  Websites, like, Nourish Interactive and books, like Nutrition Fun with Brocc and Roll by Connie Liakos Evers are great starting points for reading up about vegetables and healthy eating.

How do YOU make eating vegetables fun and interesting for your kids? 

Photo Credit: Abigail Batchelder

10 Interesting and Fun Facts About the History of Soap

Want to know more about the soap that you use to wash your hands clean? Here are 10 fun facts about the humble “cleaning bar”.

1. The earliest users of soaps were the Celts who referred to it as “saipo”. Not much of a difference in its name, huh?!

2. The first soaps were made by boiling oil from the olive plant or tallow {animal fat} with lye water leached from ashes of wood fire to dryness.

3.       Early soaps were mainly used for cleaning clothes and not so much on the bodies.

4.       The first civilization to use soap on the bodies were the Romans who, then, spread the soapmaking and using skills all through Europe.

5.       Soap making was concentrated around Marseilles and later spread to Genoa and Venice.

6.       Around the 13^th and 14^th centuries, soap was considered a revenue source by the British government and it was taxed.

7.       The manufacturing of good quality soap started only around the 18^th century when it was discovered how to make large quantities of caustic soda.

8.       Pears Soap dates back to 1789 and by 1700, there were over 63 soap companies in London.

9.       By 1890, there were many types of soaps available and the 5 big soap companies included Colgate, Albert, Morse Taylor, Pears and Bailey.

10.   According to a 2009 survey conducted by Soap magazine(yes, there is a  magazine named Soap), the world production of soap is around 10,000,000,000 Ib. per year (of which the U. S. makes and uses about one-third).

Keen to know more about soaps? Check out  this post that offers trivia about soaps andsoapmaking  including why Palmolive is called Palmolive!

Want to know what makes Wett Giggles soaps super fun and sudsy too? A careful process of making each bar by hand, with natural glycerin, essential oils and shea butter that makes them perfect for children’s sensitive skin.

With scents as appealing as blackberry, coconut banana, watermelon and more, these fun, natural soaps come with a nail brush and are super-affordable at just $10 a piece.

Plus, this month, we’re offering 20% discount on all orders and a flat $4.99 shipping rate as well, so go ahead and get yourself a fu, animal or planet soap that cleans and entertains as well!

Don’t forget to sign up for the Wett Giggles Newsletter to get more special offers and fun tips and ideas.