Spirit: Riding Free ~ Season 7 now streaming on Netflix!

We are pleased to partner with Allied Marketing and DreamWorks Animation 

to help promote this release. We were provided with gifts to thank us 

for our participation, but all opinions expressed are our own.

My girls have had a blast spending time with Lucky, Spirit, and their friends this weekend on Netflix! The debut of Season 7 of Spirit: Riding Free was yesterday, November 9, and it is fantastic. 

When we're not watching the show or listening to the theme songs, we're playing with this amazing Playmobil Spirit: Riding Free set featuring Lucky, Spirit, and horse stall, and all the supplies needed for Spirit to be well taken care of. It's a huge hit!

Run wild and free with Spirit Riding Free today - 

Season 7 is now streaming on Netflix! 

Share your Spirit love online using the hashtag #SpiritRidingFree!

Preparing Our Home for the Holidays

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All opinions expressed are our own.

As you know, I'm on a mantle decorating kick. Needless to say, as much as I loved my Thanksgiving mantle, I was super excited when it was time to make the swap for Christmas decor! I'm truly feeling like this is decreasing clutter on my mantle and helping to create a more peaceful space in my living room. I'm so excited at both the simplicity and festivity of this Christmas mantle!

I love the homey, rustic, details of this Holiday Handicraft Wood Tree Set. The trees are beautiful yet simple and the perfect size for my mantle. Combining wood with metal, they are sturdy, and I expect them to be a staple Christmas decoration in our house for years to come.

The Merry Christmas Tabletop Sign adds a pop of festive color to some rustic Christmas charm. It's a sturdy wooden sign and actually has a built-in stand so you could use it as I have on the mantle, or right in the middle of your Christmas dinner table as a free-standing centerpiece.

The Vintage Christmas Tree to the left is a favorite Christmas decoration that I scooped up last year.

Our mantle always seems to be full of little trinkets - they all deserve a spot there, but all of them together is just too much. Switching things out seasonally is making a big difference in simplifying our space and helping us focus on one thing at a time. Right now we're focused on Christmas and I'm loving these new additions to our decor!

You can find these Christmas decorations and more on the Oriental Trading website.

DIY Christmas Ornaments - Perfect Gifts for Friends and Teachers!

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All opinions expressed are our own.

I've shared before that my oldest daughter is a giver. She can find any occasion to give gifts to her friends. Christmas is one of the more obvious times of year where she starts planning months in advance for the most perfect, thoughtful, true-to-her, gifts for friends and teachers.

This year she chose to make ornaments for gifts. She knew she wanted them to be "winter color" themed ornaments with blue, turquoise, purple, white, and of course, anything sparkly. She loves to be creative and I love to be low-maintence these days, so these DIY winter themed Christmas ornaments were perfect for us both!

We started with some Clear Christmas Ornaments and then simply just filled them up with blue and pink Snowflake Beads, Winter Pony Beads, Silvertone Jingle Bells, Winter Fun Loops, Snowflake Jewels, Tiny Pom Poms, Glitzy Buttons, and Foam Snowflake Craft Shapes.

What we got were some colorful (just like my daughter!), wintery, super cute ornaments that will look great on Christmas trees this year and for years to come!

What a simple and fun way to ring in the holiday season and help us gift a lasting memory to our friends and teachers this year!

We got all the supplies for these super easy DIY Christmas Ornaments online from Oriental Trading.

Shop the Oriental Trading Christmas Sale today!

Our Home (and our Hearts!) are Ready for Thanksgiving!

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All opinions expressed are our own.

I love warm weather, but there's something to be said for the shift in New England seasons and the gradually change to cooler air, colorful trees, and limited edition pumpkin-everything throughout the grocery stores! Thanksgiving is my husband's absolute favorite holiday so we always do the holiday up big when it comes to food. We've always slacked a little (or a lot) on decorating, though. We look at the table on Thanksgiving morning and realize that we forgot to decorate! Thankfully the food takes up a lot of space and fills the space, in some ways serving the decorating purpose well enough!

This year though, we wanted to switch things up, both literally and figuratively. We decluttered our fireplace mantle and added some new Thanksgiving decorations to prepare our spirits - and this year our home too - for giving thanks!

I'm so excited about some of our new additions. I think we have the perfect combo of pretty and fun - because with two little ones you can't skip the latter!

This Sweet Fall Sign showcases white paint on brown wood. It's sturdy and reminds us of what Thanksgiving is truly all about - giving thanks! Several Fall Burlap Pumpkins add a pop of fun color to the simplicity of the sign. This pumpkin set comes with 12 pumpkins so we were able to spread this bit of charm throughout our home which was a really fun touch!

This "Carved" Thanksgiving Pumpkin Set is beautiful. Again, reminding us of the spirit of the season, these sweet pumpkins are the perfect touch. 

Of course, we couldn't skip the colorful Plush Turkey! This cute little guy keeps moving from room to room around our house. He's pleasing to the eye and a huge temptation for my littlest to play with! He certainly adds just the right amount of fun and silly to our Thanksgiving decor. We'll miss him when we pack him up after the holiday passes, but how fun it will be for him to visit again year after year!

To take our decorations beyond our living room, we've hung this Autumn Leaves Barn Star on our front door. I am super duper excited about this. I adore having a beautiful wreath on our door each winter, but that's the only time we ever really have pretty, and welcoming, door decorations. Just adding it to the door makes me feel more hospitable. I love the rustic charm of this star! It's perfect for fall in New England.

Everyone is well aware of my oldest daughter's commitment to gifting her sweet friends with holiday treats. She can't pass up the opportunity to let them know that she's thankful for them! This Give Thanks for Friends Craft Kit is what she chose this year and it is perfect. She has created one for us to hang on our mantle and is bringing these individually packed craft kits to her class so that everyone can make one of their own. Super sweet!

I'm so pleased with these new additions and how they've already added to our Thanksgiving spirit! 

You're likely not surprised that I was able to find all these festive things online, shopping from my cozy couch! Oriental Trading has a huge selection of Thanksgiving items that will help you embrace the spirit too! No matter what your theme or decor, I'm sure you'll find something you love!

Order Your Halloween Candy and Treats Online!

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All opinions expressed are our own.

If I'm given the option to complete a task of motherhood without leaving the house, I'm taking it! Life is busy. I'm a full-time working mom and time for myself is very limited. I'm certainly not complaining, but I am being realistic. The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is go to the store!

This year I got all my Halloween candy shopping done with one quick stop to Oriental Trading - online! No matter what you're planning to hand out during trick-or-treat, they've got you covered. Name-brand, chocolate, fruity, sweet, salty, even non-food items to give away, I promise you'll find something for everyone. The options are plentiful, the prices are great, and the convenience can't be beat!

This year we chose a combination of chocolate favorites and fruit snacks with the Hershey® Halloween-Shaped Chocolate Candy Assortment and the Welch’s® Fruit Snacks Halloween Medley. I know these will be enjoyed by our trick-or-treaters this year and I certainly won't be sad if there's some left over for me!

Order your Halloween Candy online today!

Photos courtesy of Oriental Trading

Halloween Party Planning with Animal Print Glow Sticks... and more!

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All opinions expressed are our own.

In anticipation of our trick-or-treat fun with friends this Halloween, we just made a stock-up on glow wands, glow necklaces, and glow bracelets! Halloween is just no fun without glowing treats. 

Last year we had a glowing mishap... we snapped our glow wands in the kitchen before we left the house and glowing liquid squirted all over the place! Needless to say, this year I tested a few of these before the big night to be sure we don't end up with glowing ceilings, countertops, costumes, and children this year! Thankfully, I think we're in the clear!

Check out these amazing Animal Print Glow Sticks! They are the perfect compliment to my daughter's Snow Leopard Costume! We were so excited to find them. She and her girlfriends are going to love carrying these around during their trick-or-treating adventure. They come with a string so you can use them as a necklace or tie them onto whatever you tote your candy in. The colors are so vibrant and the prints are super fun!

The Glow Party Assortment is the perfect mix of colorful glow necklaces and bracelets. It comes with 50 pieces - 25 necklaces and 25 bracelets - and includes the little attachments necessary to attach the ends. They are long-lasting, colorful, and just perfect to share with our friends this Halloween.

Save yourself a trip to the store and order all your glow accessories online from Oriental Trading this year!

Halloween Costumes for All Ages

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All opinions expressed are our own.

Halloween is coming! You already know we're ready for our party that night, and now we're ready for trick-or-treating too! My oldest daughter typically begins preparing her costume plans on November 1 of each year. As soon as she takes one costume off, she starts planning for the next. Historically, I've made her costumes but now that I have a toddler as well and am working full time outside the home, my time and energy is more limited. Off to the internet we went, searching for costumes for both girls.

Oriental Trading has so many costume options for trick-or-treaters of all ages! Whether you're looking for something for a baby, a grownup, or anyone in between, you'll find it. Group costumes, family costumes, themed costumes galore. On the top of our list when we look for costumes is a costume that works practically for us. Halloween night is typically cold in New England but no kid likes to wear their jacket on top of their costume. We were on the hunt for something cozy that we could layer underneath for warmth. Stylish, fun, and practical - that's what my girl was looking for.

Introducing our snow leopard and our duck!

I'd love to be able to convince my I'm-not-2-yet-but-I'm-in-the-terrible-twos toddler that she should wear her costume, but her favorite word right now is "no" so that's not happening. Fingers crossed she changes her mind by the end of the month!

I love these costumes and look forward to making memories with them this year! They are creative, fun, cozy, and high quality.

If you're looking to save yourself the hassle of a store trip to picked-over, messy costume aisles, browse Oriental Trading online. I guarantee you'll find something that works for you and your whole family. Happy Memory Making this Halloween!

Peanuts® Halloween Party Planning

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All opinions expressed are our own.

When I was young, I lived in a neighborhood full of friends my age, and trick-or-treating was truly a group affair. Everyone would eat a quick dinner and head out into the darkness (there were not even street lights!) for treats and fun.

We've carried on the same tradition in our family now that I have children of my own, but there aren't many kids my kids' ages that live in the neighborhood so the fun factor is not quite as high. Last year, thinking about our own situation, and knowing that we have several friends from school who live on busy streets that are unsafe for trick-or-treating, we invited some school friends over to our house and then headed out together for trick-or-treating. For one friend, it was her very first time trick-or-treating, because she'd never had a safe place to enjoy the tradition! 

Our little get-together last year was so much fun so it was an easy decision to make this an annual tradition! This year, we plan to invite even more friends, and even picked a theme for our pre-trick-or-treating Halloween party - Peanuts®! We're hoping to catch a peek at the Great Pumpkin this year!

We've gathered together some simple decorations to set the mood. They are so fun!

We'll cover the wall in our dining room with this a-m-a-z-i-n-g Great Pumpkin Backdrop. It's made of three strips of plastic that stick to our wall with static electricity - I didn't even need to use tape! There are only two of the strips hung here because I couldn't fit all three in this space. The completed set is 9 feet x 6 feet. 

I expect that we'll put this life-sized Great Pumpkin Cardboard Stand-Up outside on Halloween, but for now, on this rainy day, it's set in front of the Backdrop. Won't this make for some super fun photo ops?

We'll serve pizza because it's quick and easy, and we'll set our table with this Peanuts® themed Halloween Plastic Tablecloth, along with these themed Dinner Plates, and Napkins.

Hanging Paper Lanterns and Halloween Cutouts will complete the look!

We can't wait to have our friends over again this year... and can't wait to surprise them with this fun Peanuts® themed party!

All of these items - and more - can be found at Oriental Trading! Plan your holiday get-together easily with goodies to match whatever theme your heart desires. There are tons of fun and affordable options available!

We Love July... We've Gone Red, White & Blue Already!

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All opinions expressed are our own.

I cannot believe it's almost July! This is my first summer off from work in a long time and I am living it up. We are doing our best to venture out of our own backyard at least a couple times a week for some new adventures such as the playground, or our favorite children's garden. We are loving lazy days too, though, and are enjoying the sunshine right outside our own door.

We've had a great month, but the countdown to July has already begun! One week from today we enter our favorite month of the year! July is always an exciting time for us - multiple family birthdays and parties, tons of day trips, a road trip, cookouts at least every weekend, and of course (because we would never miss a reason to celebrate...) the 4th of July!

We are in 4th of July mode already around here! A quick online Oriental Trading order (I avoid shopping in stores if I can help it!) had us all ready to go.

We have a super fun Large Patriotic Bean Bag Toss Game, some Patriotic Traffic Cones to be sure we're playing fair, and a Patriotic Ball & Bat Set to replace the two whiffle ball sets that my husband and daughter destroyed last summer by hitting balls too hard.

For the littlest family member, we have an adorable Inflatable Patriotic Pool full of Patriotic Mini Rubber Duckies.

Because you really can't celebrate right without candy, we've got some of that too... some Patriotic Candy Corn Fun Packs and some Red, White & Blue Tootsie Pops!

And to get us ready for actual 4th of July Festivities like fireworks, we got some Mini Star Premium Glow Wands, in red, white, and blue. They will be perfect for the big night!

Oriental Trading is having a great sale on patriotic goodies right now - up to 50% off! Order in the next two days and you're guaranteed to get it by July 4th! Woohoo!

Bunnies, Chicks, Candy, and More... Easter with Oriental Trading

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All opinions expressed are our own.

There's another holiday coming up, and Oriental Trading is again my one stop shop! Without ever leaving my house and braving a crowded store, we're ready for Easter.

For our family, Easter is a fun time to celebrate the start of spring, the gift of Jesus’ resurrection, AND all things cute and cuddly like chicks and bunnies! My six year old daughter, who recently wrote in her school journal that her greatest temptation is candy, also sees every holiday as an opportunity for some new candy treats! Oriental Trading has you covered no matter what you’re celebrating this spring!

I love that when I’m shopping online with Oriental Trading, I can get everything I need for crafting, snacking, decorating, and gift giving all in one place. In fact, I’m often surprised at what we can find! My daughter was in charge of our most recent Oriental Trading order. She loves to browse through the different sections of the Oriental Trading website and come up with her list of must-haves. Not surprisingly, sweet snacks were on the list. We were able to do a complete stock-up on name brand candies - there’s a huge variety, bulk packaging, and reasonable prices. We have so much candy this Easter that I’m pretty sure the Easter Bunny just may borrow some when he fills eggs for our kiddos this year!

We love crafting anytime, but especially at holiday times. It’s a great way to get our house decorated and ready for entertaining family and friends. We love hosting holiday meals at our home and part of that is just making the space special for the occasion. We will use our Sand Art Easter Shapes and Self-Inflating Easter Mylar Balloons to do just that. Both of these come in a set of 12 - an assortment of 4 different Easter themed designs in each.

Because it feels good to give to friends, gift-giving is always a part of our holiday celebrations. I think my daughter would make it a part of every single day if she could! She chose some adorable Mini Easter Cameras and Jumping Bunnies to gift to her classmates for Easter this year. The Mini Easter Cameras remind me of the old viewfinder toys we had when I was a kid. Each click of the camera reveals a sweet Easter image. These little cameras are sold in a package of 24 so we have plenty to enjoy and plenty to share! The Jumping Bunnies are super cute and very fun! Just press down on their backs and they hop across the floor! We are having so much fun racing them and challenging them to see who jumps the furthest! This set comes with tons of bunnies - 144 to be exact! These are a hit in our home so we know for sure they’ll be a hit with our friends as well.

We love a lot of things but there are three things we REALLY love. Well… way more than three… but this next item was the perfect compilation of three current favorites: stickers, bunnies, and emojis! Seriously?! YES! Are these not the best? This roll of 100 stickers is almost too cute for me to handle. We adore them. They are individually perforated so easy to share too!

My bunny obsessed six year old could not have been more excited to find that although Oriental Trading does not sell LIVE bunnies, they do sell bunny ears. This Plush Bunny Ears Headband is the perfect way to let the world know her love for bunnies and let the Easter Bunny know her desire to get one soon. 

We can’t wait to celebrate Easter this year, largely in part to this huge assortment of goodies from Oriental Trading to help us get ready! If you’re looking for supplies to celebrate Easter this year - at church, home, school, or anywhere - Oriental Trading has what you need! Crafts, supplies, snacks, toys… you name it. As always, there’s a huge variety at an affordable cost. The only issue you might have is narrowing down your list! Oriental Trading is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders through April 6 - just enter the promotion code EASTER17 at checkout. Happy Easter!

Valentine's Day Crafts with Oriental Trading

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All opinions expressed are our own.

With a gift-giving, craft-loving first grader, it's no surprise that we start preparing for most holidays well in advance. Valentine's Day is no exception! We started our Valentine's Day planning extra early this year with the help of Oriental Trading. My daughter has always enjoyed crafting her own Valentine's rather than getting store bought ones, and this year she stepped it up a notch. Instead of DIY Valentine's alone, she also prepared some super cute, simple, and fun goody bags for each of her classmates. 

This set of DIY Valentine Cards was just what we needed to get started on our project. This set comes with 24 cards and 24 envelopes. It includes pink, white, and red folded cards as well as white envelopes.

For decorating, we chose a hefty assortment of stickers and decorative jewels. Oriental Trading had so many different options to choose from!

We are loving these Emoji Stickers! Aren't they amazing?! We used them as stickers, but as you can see, they double as Valentines! They come in a set of 12. Who wouldn't love to receive one of these for Valentine's Day? Super duper cute!

These Fabulous Foam Self-Adhesive Valentine Cookie & Candy Shapes come in a bag of 500! Just peel the backs and decorate to your heart's content (no pun intended)!

There's nothing more exciting to a first grader than Heart-Shaped Jewels and with Oriental Trading's package of 150 there are plenty of these sparkling gems to add to our cards! They are not self-adhesive so you'll need a glue stick handy but once they are glued down, they stay put, and certainly add a special something to Valentine crafts!

Aren't these turning out great?

We found the perfect Mini Red Gift Bags for our treats! They are tiny bags, but so cute, and perfect for our project and the goodies we chose to gift our friends. The outside of each bag was decorated with Peanuts Valentine Stickers. We've gotten these themed stickers every holiday over the past year and love them. A big roll of 100 perforated stickers means lots for decorating and plenty left for gifting as well.

We chose items for our goody bags that were fun, age appropriate, and generally gender neutral so that everyone would enjoy them. I love that Oriental Trading makes it so easy to get a bulk selection of one item affordably! We know our friends will love their Heart Rings, Glitter Heart Tattoos, Valentine Monster Pop-Ups, Mini Heart Stress Toys (makes the School Counselor in me proud!), and of course, Hershey's Hugs & Kisses Chocolate Candy.

We love making the holidays special for our friends - because it makes it special for us at the same time! Oriental Trading always has what we need for crafting and gift giving - fun for the kids with just the right price for Mom. Oriental Trading saves me a trip to the store (a huge plus for a busy mom) and offers such a huge selection of affordable fun. So save yourself a last minute trip to the store to buy Valentines for your child's classmates this year and place a Valentine's Day order with Oriental Trading today!