Lamination

My son is four years old and currently my husband and I are trying to teach him responsibility. We want him to learn the value of being rewarded for hard work and to take pride in his accomplishments. He heard the word "chore" for the first time a couple of weeks ago, but it has been difficult for him to truly understand what we are trying to teach him. Since time management can be a difficult concept (even for adults!)  I created a chart with daily and weekly activities so he can see what needs to be done around the house and we can track his progress daily. At this point, the actual tasks are limited but I can easily modify this as he grows, even into a teenager! (With slight alterations this can also work for the entire family.)
...read more

The end of summer is near, and soon students will be heading back to the classroom. While they may be groaning all the way to the school bus, many parents are breathing a sigh of relief as the long days of “I’m bored” draw to a close. ...read more

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

I like to make many of my own designs but sometimes I just don’t have the time! I was looking for a simple idea for summer entertaining ideas and came across an idea at thoughtfullysimple.com that I would like to share.  

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming, and we here at Out of Office are grateful for the teachers we had and those who are inspiring young minds now. To that end, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite projects for teacher appreciation gifts. We hope one of these ideas will be the perfect fit to honor your child’s special teacher for a year of fun and learning. And keep a look out for another great project coming your way next week from guest blogger Patricia! ...read more

St. Patrick’s Day is just a few days away and, for me, that means an “unofficial” start to spring! So, in an effort to celebrate the season (and hopefully usher in warmer temperatures!) I decided to do a little decorating.  ...read more

One of my most-dreaded household tasks (besides cleaning bathrooms, of course) is the weekly trip to the grocery store. It feels like it takes forever to plan the meals and prepare the list. Then I inevitably forget at least one item that we needed and find myself headed back to the store in just a few short days. Sigh. 

Video: 

Custom Coloring Books.mp4

Guest blogger Lynsey Purl is a senior communications specialist at FedEx Office®. She is a very creative mom of two and has previously blogged for Out of Office. 

As a mother of two, I am constantly struggling for creative crafts and gift ideas. My children absolutely love to color and their poor crayons are worn down to nubs. At ages five and two, they have flown through countless coloring books, the contents of which are proudly displayed on the fridge (and let’s face it, eventually tossed in the trash).

But why continue to stare blankly at random coloring book characters on your fridge when you can have a personalized piece of art at your finger tips? Creating personalized coloring books is a fun and easy way to entertain or yes, even educate your children. The books also make for a fantastic birthday gift that you can be certain no other child will bring to the party. No duplicate gifts here! (Hint- this is also great for helping younger children associate faces of family members and friends in a fun way. See, I said educational!) ...read more

You know the old adage that you can fix anything with duct tape? I feel the same way about lamination – everything is better once it’s encased in plastic. Think about it: you want to keep that priceless finger painting from getting torn? Laminate it. Need to preserve an old photo? Laminate it. Want to write on something, but still be able to reuse it down the line? You guessed it…laminate it! This attitude has even earned me a nickname among my fellow Out of Office bloggers – Leah the Laminator.  ...read more