11 Gifts for Athletes that are $25 and Under

Runners, cyclists, football players. They all have different needs and preferences when it comes to their gear, diet, and workout regime. Here are a few gifts that almost any athlete would enjoy, and you can usually find them for under $25!

1. A fancy water bottle.

But not too fancy. Like, an under $25 fancy water bottle. Make it more special when you personalize it with their name in vinyl or a motivational quote sticker.

2. A comfy workout shirt.

This is another gift you can personalize with a name, or you could find one that says something appropriate, like "Not All Athletes Wear Shoes," for a swimmer. If you are a DIYer you could do a vinyl transfer of a map of a marathon route that a runner has completed or a list of games a player has won.

3. Slides

They may not be stylish with socks, but they are definitely comfortable for after workouts and games. A middle-of-the-line pair should be the right price. If you're looking for brand name deals, try a store like Ross Dress for Less or TJ Maxx.

4. Recovery Aids

A gift bag with some recovery items would be very appreciated. Some ideas of what to include are soothing bath bombs, Epsom salts, muscle rubs, massagers, cooling towels, or other things to help an athlete relax after a workout.

5. Food!

Those protein bars can get expensive, so help your friend out with a few healthy extras they can enjoy. Other ideas are electrolyte tablets, vitamins, or protein powder. The food should be specific to their workout, sport, or diet they are following.

6. A Cookbook or Health Magazine

These can be digital or paper. Again, get something specific to your friend or family member's sport or workout. Cookbooks can have good ideas for meals that they've never thought of and magazines will  have current ideas and recipes.

7. Socks, socks, socks.

Athletes go through a lot of socks. One more pair would always be welcome. Find out what brand your athlete likes best. People can be picky about their socks. Or just go with the ones with the best reviews.

8. Gloves

Keep those fingers warm with gloves that you can use on a smart phone. Winter sports can be hard on hands, and people always need gloves. They disappear almost as often as socks do. If it's in the budget, a matching scarf and hat would be great too.

9. A bag.

This could be a bag to put around a runner's waist, a bag to carry a water bottle easily, a wet bag, or whatever kind of bag your athlete most needs for their sport. (Sometimes it's a laundry bag.)

10. Safety Gear.

Reflectors for a bike, sunscreen, or a bright running vest are great ideas for gifts. Keep your athlete safe with the gear they need for their sport.

11. A Fitness App.

Fitness apps can be really helpful for workouts, at-home or otherwise. Choose the subscription that would be best for your athlete. There are apps for golfers, cyclists, you name it. Some of them are free with in-app purchases, and others have monthly, weekly, or yearly fees. Do some research online to get the best value for your money.

Good luck gifting! We're sure your athlete will be thrilled with your thoughtful presents! Let us know what you decided on in the comments below.

Holiday Travel Ideas to Make that Drive Seem Shorter

 

When our children were younger we would always be a little nervous before a long road trip. Who would say they were bored first? Who would poke someone else in the eye? And worst, who was going to throw up after being in the car for five minutes?

Some simple precautions helped give us a little peace of mind. First, each kid had their own Ziploc bag for car sickness emergencies. That's saved us a few times. (That, plus a little Dramamine.) Keeping the kids busy was a little more difficult. 

So, we thought we'd share a few holiday travel ideas that have helped us and our children have a more pleasant road trip experience. As for how to get along with your family once you arrive at your destination, well, you're on your own there.

1. Music and Audio Books

So this was hit or miss with us. One of our kids loves music and singing along. One of the others is okay with music, but goes ballistic when his sister sings in the car for too long. Music is still a sore point now that our kids are teenagers, but headphones help. The same goes for audio books. Sometimes they are in the mood, and sometimes they aren't. It's usually worth a try.

Some of our favorite audio books are Harry Potter, The Terrible Two, and The Worst/Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

2. Bribery Bags

Yes, you heard us right, bribery. Before our trip we would prepare small paper bags for each child to open every hour of the trip. In each bag we would put something small and new to (hopefully) keep them occupied and happy for a while. 

Some of the things we've included in the bags were suckers or other candy, a snack, a small toy, a game, coloring, or tiny toy sets. The dollar store is a great place to find items for your bags.

3. Family Games

First of all, Beaver. This is a game passed down from the grandparents. Whenever you see a yellow, diamond-shaped sign, you yell, "Beaver!" That's it. It's simple and noisy, but the kids enjoy it. 

Other noticing games for readers are the license plate game and the alphabet game. Eye-spy is a staple. For fewer arguments, set the rules beforehand. 

The singing game. To play this, family members take turns picking a word and then each take a turn singing a line from a song with the word in it. Whoever can't think of a new song on their turn is out. The last person out is the winner and gets to choose a new word.

4. The Last Resort

You've probably already thought of this one, but screen time is a good way to get some peace and quiet if you need it. We tried not to have our kids on devices too much, but sometimes everyone needs a break. Remember those charging cords!

Have any good car trip ideas to share? Comment below and let us know!

Happy End of Daylight Saving Time! Or not.

This Sunday, the clocks will change. People have mixed emotions about Daylight Saving Time. But whether you are a "yea" or a "nay," the fact is that the days are shorter at this time of year. And shorter days can mean Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) for many people, including people in our family.

There are a few reasons for this, like less sunlight time, loneliness during the holidays, or the need to reset our biological clocks with the time change. Don't lose hope though! There are many ways to combat SAD. https://wellbeingtrust.org has some great information about doing this.

Some symptoms of SAD are depression, heightened anxiety, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, and eating too much. To help with these issues, experts recommend talking to your doctor, light therapy, eating well, maximizing your time in the sun, keeping a regular sleep schedule, and exercising.

Another suggestion is mindfulness, prayer, or positive thinking. So, with the end of Daylight Saving Time, we thought some positive ideas might be helpful.

Feel free to use and share these. We wish you joy.

Thanksgiving Planning Plus Free Downloadable Planner

Thanksgiving is on its way. Are you ready? We've come up with a simple planner to help you get ready for the big day. You can download the PDF here, but keep reading for more great ideas for Turkey Day. 

https://drive.google.com/file/ 

We have a huge family with lots of brothers, sisters, nephews, aunts, you name it. We often make dinner for a dozen people and Thanksgiving is usually at least a 20-person affair, if not 30 or 40. So, planning is something we have to do if we want everyone fed and happy on Thanksgiving Day.

It's best to start a couple of weeks in advance. How many people are coming? Do you need to borrow folding chairs? How much turkey and pie will you need? Check out this turkey size calculator https://www.inchcalculator.com/turkey-size-calculator/ for a rough idea. As for pie, well you can never have too much of that! You can look up serving sizes for almost any dish you're going to make, so you can see how much you'll need.

Remember you can't do it all alone, at least not without having a nervous breakdown. Assign guests to bring different dishes. They will usually offer. Have people bring their specialty dishes. Each family has it's own take on Thanksgiving dinner, and you want to make them feel at home with their own comfort foods. Write it down, so you don't forget who's bringing what.

Keep track of everything on your to-do list and have a separate to-buy list or shopping list you can mark things off of. It helps if you put due dates on things to keep yourself on track. 

Don't forget to download our free Thanksgiving Planner to help with your Thanksgiving feast this year. Happy planning!

Host and Hostess Gifts

 Staying with family or friends at Thanksgiving or Christmas? Here are a few simple ideas for holiday hostess gifts you can bring to say you appreciate them letting you be their houseguest. 

1. Something Useful

A kitchen host gift item might be appreciated if your host doesn't always have large groups in their home. A serving platter or spoons, pretty napkins, hand soap, cheese knives, a cake stand, oven mitt, or a nice big bowl (preferably full of something yummy.)

2. Something Edible

Speaking of food, if you live close enough to your host you will probably already be bringing a part of your Thanksgiving meal. Bring a special Thanksgiving dish you're famous for.

If freshly cooked food is not practical, you can still bring goodies along in your suitcase. Some ideas are non-perishable items like boxed and wrapped pies, chocolates, candy, cured meats, an herbal tea sampler, fancy olive oil, etc. If you don't have room in your luggage, order online and have your gift arrive while you are there.

3. Something Decorative

Candles are probably one of the most popular host/hostess gifts. You could try doing something personalized, like making your own label for the candle to make it more special, or try some of these other ideas: A vase of flowers, a centerpiece (real or fake), pillowcases, a tablecloth, or a warmer for all those candles. We found this cute customizable candle on Amazon.

4. Something Fun

Bring an after-dinner game or activity. A get-to-know-you game might be appropriate, or another game if you already know each other really well. Some good games for crowds require more planning than buying, like charades or home-made pictionary.

 A relaxation gift for your host to use after everyone is gone is another idea, like a spa set, a gift card for a foot rub, a book to read, or a soft blanket. 

Your host will be grateful for your thoughtfulness even if you don't spend a lot, especially if you add a thank you note to your token of appreciation. Happy travels!

Let us know what gift you decide on in the comments below 🙂.

DIY Halloween Cemetery Sign

If you've seen the movie Hocus Pocus, you'll know the witches can't set foot on the hallowed ground of the local Salem cemetery. The Old Burial Hill sign is huge in the movie. We made a scaled down version to attach to a purchased garden arbor. 

We were hoping to be able to download an accurate depiction from an online source, but we couldn't find anything with good enough resolution to work with. Instead, we found a closely matching font at dafont.com: Wizards Magic.

We typed the words we wanted into LightBurn and cut the letters out of 3mm thick plywood.

The original plan was to have the letters on beams, like they are in the movie, but we decided that this option wasn't stable enough. Our letters weren't made of metal, like on the real sign.

Instead, we cut out a piece of wood to match the arc of the garden arbor. We just laid the arbor down on the plywood and traced it before cutting it out with a jigsaw.

We spray painted the letters gold and painted the arched wood black on both sides. We then drilled holes at the top of the sign for attaching it to the arbor. 

When gluing the letters to the wood, we opted for the good super glue. This stuff is great. The cheap super glue tubes often clog up or get glue all over your fingers. This Loctite super glue doesn't clog and doesn't come out too fast. Get the good glue!

The final step was using zip ties to attach the sign to the arbor using the previously drilled holes. Make sure your arbor is sturdy, so your cemetery sign doesn't fall over on any trick-or-treaters.

We laser cut letters and shapes for our own and customers' signs all the time. It was fun using the Wizards Magic font. Happy haunting!

 

5 Dice Games for the Family

We could all use a little less screen time. Why not bring back family game night? You don't need a lot of supplies for these game ideas. Just dice! And maybe some paper and a pencil if you really want to keep score.

1. Lady Bug Dice Game

This one is easy. Use one die to roll for the body parts of the lady bug and then draw it. The first roll needs to be a 6 for the body and the second needs to be a 5 for the head. The rest of the numbers can be rolled in any order. Four for each wing, 3 for each leg, 2 for each antennae, and 1 for each eye. This is a good cooperative game where there doesn't need to be a winner.

2. Farkle (our family just calls it The Dice Game)

You'll need 2 or more players for this game. It's simple to learn, but still strategic. Each player rolls six dice to try to get the following combinations. If they player doesn't use all the dice in his combination, he may use the remaining dice to roll again. If he rolls another combination, he keeps the points. If not, he loses all the points he gained on that round. Whoever gets 10,000 points first wins!

5 = 50

1 = 100

3 of a kind = face value x 100 (e.g. 3 Fives = 5 x 100=500)

4 of a kind = 1000

5 of a kind = 2000

6 of a kind = 3000

Straight (1-6) = 1500

3 pairs = 1500

2 sets of 3 of a kind = 2500

One variation is that if a player uses all his dice in combinations, he may continue his turn with all six dice again, but he will still be risking all his points from that turn. Remember to keep score!

3. Buck Dice

First, have each player roll a die to see who gets to choose the Buck. The player with the highest number rolls one die again. 

Whatever number he rolls is now the "Buck."

Play continues to the right of the first roller with each player now rolling three dice. 

Each time the Buck number is rolled, it's worth one point. 

If you roll a Buck, you may roll all three dice again. If you do not roll a Buck, your turn is over. 

The first player to 15 points wins.

In a variation of the game, a player gets five points if they all three of their dice are Bucks in a single roll.

4. Threes (High or Low)

For this game you will need five dice. Before you start, decide on how many rounds you want to play. 

Roll all 5 dice. You must keep at least one on each roll. 

You must keep all 3s. Threes are worth zero points, and all other dice are worth their face value. 

Continue to roll until all your dice are used. 

If you play Threes High, then the highest score wins. If you play Threes Low, then the lowest score wins. 

5. Ship, Captain, Crew

You'll need five dice and two or more players for this game. A player must roll a 6, 5, and then a 4 in that order in as many rolls as needed. The two remaining dice are his score or cargo.

6 = ship

5 = captain

4 = crew

After the first player gets his ship, captain, and crew, he may throw the other two dice as many times as he likes to increase his score. However, the subsequent players also get to roll the same number of times to try to increase their scores. 

Whoever has the highest score at the end of round wins.

Have fun playing these dice games with your family and friends! Let us know how it goes in the comments section below.