Kellie's blog

Now that my son is toddling around, I'm looking for activities that keep him busy but don't make our house look like a toy store showroom.

That's when I got the idea to make a play mat I can roll up to store in a closet or under a bed. The vinyl used to make banners is the ideal material for this craft. It's durable, it's easily wiped clean, and you can make a custom design. Win, win and win!

  ...read more

It’s back to school time again (gasp – where DID summer go, anyway?).  ...read more

July – the month of celebrating independence.   Here at Out of Office, we thought we’d stretch out the “independence” theme and bring you a new twist on the idea – achieving independence from your office and your usual routines. ...read more

Happy July 4^th, Out of Office readers! To pay homage to the red, white and blue, we thought we’d share a round-up of our favorite Independence Day posts, as well as a few on summer activities. Planning a party to showcase your patriotism? We’ve got some great ideas for you:

We moved into our house over two years ago, and once I got those last boxes unpacked I was over it. So, I never really got around to any formal decorating. Sure, we have a few pictures out and draperies hung…but overall, I’m just not feeling the “decoration motivation.” Except for one place – my son’s room. I had the best time transforming his tiny space into a cheerful, colorful little nest. Today’s project is one of many that I did for his room – wall art. ...read more

Many of you probably know this quote from a famous movie: “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.” Well, yeah, you kinda do. You’re going to get a heart-shaped (usually) cardboard box that isn’t very fancy – or personal.   ...read more

Looking for a unique way to capture all the special moments from baby's first years? As a first-time parent, I’m eager to record all the details of baby’s days, so I decided to make a template for a baby book to document the big moments. With a template, I can fill in activities or events as they occur (and it lets me catch up more easily if I get busy – imagine that! – and fall behind). ...read more

Sometimes it seems that the excitement and anticipation that builds around Christmas gifts can be even better than the presents themselves, especially for kids! My husband and I have many little nieces and nephews who already can’t wait for Christmas morning, a feeling I’m sure our new baby will share when he’s old enough to know who Santa Claus is.

Writing a letter to Santa was always a big part of the holiday build-up in my house. Sometimes the list would be endless (much to my parents’ chagrin!). Other times it would only include one super-special item…you know, something totally unattainable like a pony or a puppy, causing my parents to raise their eyebrows even more than they did the Christmas before! Regardless of whether or not my Christmas wishes were fulfilled by Santa, it was always fun to participate in the age old traditions surrounding the annual wait for his arrival on Christmas Eve.
...read more

Sometimes it’s the small stuff that makes a big difference in your day. Shave a minute off a task here, another minute there and suddenly you have time to get to the things you really want – like spending time with your family or sitting down with that book you’ve been meaning to start. The “small stuff” time saver I’ve added to my routine lately really is small in size. It’s a rubber stamp I had personalized with my address so I could speed up the process of getting my mail out the door each week, and I think it will come in very handy in a few weeks when I start sending out dozens of holiday greeting cards!  

 

If I haven’t told you before, fall is one of my favorite times of year. I like the weather, the pumpkin-flavored baked treats and – let’s face it – the Halloween candy! I always try to put out festive pumpkins, mums and scarecrows on my front porch, but this year I’ve added some new décor to the ensemble – a lawn sign to welcome the trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. ...read more