birthday Archives - Everything's Famtastic

December 15, 2022April 4, 2024

10 Terrific Last Minute Gift Ideas to Sew Fast

There’s nothing quite like an upcoming holiday or special occasion to make me get my butt into gear and plan some interesting DIY gift ideas. And if you are anything like me, sometimes those gift ideas are going to be of the “last minute gifts” kind. 🙈

Luckily, I have been searching for a while now and compiling sewing projects that make perfect handmade gifts. Yes, even for those of you who leave your sewing projects to the last minute!

In this blog post you’ll find 10 terrific DIY gift ideas that can be made in a dash, some of them even in 10 minutes!

Whether you are looking to make lovely gifts for family, friends (or even yourself 😉) you’re sure to find the perfect one here.

March 10, 2022April 23, 2024

Awesome Book Series for Girls aged 9 to 12: What to read now?

In honour of World Book Day, I thought it was about time to let my younger daughter publish another list of her must-read book series for girls. A couple of years back, she put together a list of recommended reads for girls aged 6 to 9 but now that she is almost 11, it’s time for my little bookworm to update her reading recommendations for older girls like herself.

I’ve talked about this before, but my 3 children are ADDICTED to reading.

Like, when we go to the library, they borrow so many books they each take a sports bag with them to lug the latest literature home with them. And then the bags are so heavy the kids actually can’t carry them by themselves anyway.

Or like when we are in a Doctor’s waiting room and there is nothing to do but pick up scrappy old comic magazines or books for toddlers, my kids will read those too.

My kids love reading so much that my eldest daughter a while back also wrote a list of her own recommended book series for tween girls and my 8-year-old son also put together a list of his top book series picks for boys aged 6 to 9 .

To discover what some must-read books for girls aged 9 to 12 are, you’ll need to READ on…

November 18, 2021April 10, 2022

Sensational Book Series for Boys Aged 6 to 9 Years

This week’s post is going to be all about books. The fun kind. For boys. It’s a change of pace from the last few posts I have written here. And afterall, the season of gift-giving is coming. Maybe you’ll find some inspiring gift ideas. 😉

By the way, I have some great gift ideas for bookworms which might help you out, if your kids are anything like mine and your book collection has grown to epic proportions!

But for now, let’s get back to the world of books.

Both of my daughters LOVE books and were so determined to share their ~~addiction~~ love of reading with others, that they begged me to let them write a list of book series they highly recommend. You can read those lists here: book series for girls 6 to 9 and book series for girls 9 to 12.

But God forbid my son be left out of the action. He too wanted to share his love of reading with other kids (Hello, Bookworm #3 of the family!) and voila! Here we are.

If you are ready to dive into the world of unbeatable book series for boys, then you’ll want to keep reading!

November 26, 2020March 20, 2024

How to Sew: The Ultimate Handmade Relaxing Neck Pillow

Just the other week I shared with you a list of great gift ideas for book lovers, when you want to avoid giving them yet another book. (Didn’t catch it? Read the list here.)

diy, sewing, sewing project, neck pillow, neck support pillow, reading bone pillow, leseknochen, nähen, nähprojekt, beginners sewing, 60 minute project, gift ideas, christmas gift ideas, birthday gift ideas, gifts for him, gifts for her, gifts for kids, pin, Pinterest

There was one suggestion in there in particular that I know caught a lot of attention: that funky-looking neck support pillow. Remember? The one that was shaped a little like a dog’s bone?!?

They are so practical AND cute. You can use it as

> a neck rest (lean back and relax!)

> a book stand

> or just a comfy pillow to snuggle up with.

“What else is so good about a neck support pillow?” I hear you asking. Well, they’re ideal for a personalised, unique gift for any occasion (Hello, Christmas gift! Hello, birthday present!) for friends and family of all ages. And who doesn’t like comfort when reading?!?

What’s also super cool about these relaxing reading pillows is that they are SO easy to sew! Yes, even for beginners! (Trust me 😉)

And I’m here to share the details with you, how YOU too can DIY one of these super comfy, relaxing neck support pillows!

November 12, 2020January 18, 2023

Guide to the Greatest Gifts Book Lovers will Adore!

I love my kids. I love how they constantly have an abundance of creative ideas! And I love how they are always asking about Everything’s Famtastic and offering me ideas of what I could write about here. This post is the result of exactly this type of enthusiasm and brain-storming. Well, sort of… in a roundabout way… 😉

pin, Pinterest, book lovers, bookworms, book fans, gift guide, gift ideas, Christmas gift ideas, birthday gift ideas, anniversary gift ideas, Valentine's Day gift ideas, kids who read, gifts for him, gifts for her, gifts for kids, gifts for boys, gifts for girls, DIY, sewing project

All 3 of my kids are MASSIVE bookworms. My 2 daughters have been so for a loooong time. And my son, who just started school this year and always had an affinity for books, can now proudly read for himself. Suffice to say, that this bilingual household is overflowing with German and English children’s books!

A while back my eldest daughter wrote a (now very popular!) post about super books series for girls aged 9-12. And then my younger daughter published her list of must-read book series for girls 6 – 9 years. So naturally, they keep prodding me to write even more blog posts here about kids’ books.

But this article isn’t about books per se, rather about creative gifts for the book lover in your life. These gift ideas are perfect for bookworms of any age, especially if you are trying to avoid adding to the already sagging bookshelf!

So, what present do you give a book lover, if not books?!? Well, in this list we have thought of all the things an avid reader needs to stay comfortable, undisturbed and busy in their reading “happy place”! There’s also printables to keep an eye out for.

Be careful though! These gift ideas are SO GOOD that your bookworm may get so settled, you might never see them again! Take a look for yourself…

February 6, 2020April 16, 2024

Brilliant Book Series Girls 6 to 9 Years Old will Love

Wait! What?!? Are we in February already? Whoa! I have been working countless hours behind the scenes here on Everything’s Famtastic, studying and planning and preparing great content to serve you better. And I was starting to think that February might have been a little sewing-biased. And that would have been OK. But no! Not anymore!

My younger daughter decided that enough was enough. She was waiting no longer to have her turn in the spotlight like her bigger sister before her. So for this week, sewing chit chat is off the table, and children’s book reviews are the thing everyone is talking about.

pin, pinterest, reading, books, book recommendations, book reviews, childrens' books, books for girls, books for girls 6-9

If you remember, a few weeks back my eldest daughter (Miss 11) wanted to create a post reviewing her personally chosen and recommended book series for girls aged 9 to 12 years old. I was responsible for the general blurb, she wrote the review entirely independently. I’ve gotta say, I was REALLY proud of her and I’ve received a lot of positive feedback for her reviews 😊. *pat on the back Miss 11*

Not only our eldest daughter, but also our younger daughter and son are all complete and utter bookworms. Hand them a half-interesting book and it may well be finished within hours. Naturally Miss 8 (and Master 6, to be honest) also want to share their opinions of the best books to read. And by share, I mean, write a review here on this very blog. Who said the fam in FAMtastic didn’t stand for family?!?

So, without further ado, come and take a look at Miss 8’s recommended, best book series for 6 to 9 year old girls! I’m really excited that she wants to get on board with my blog! Read on…

December 19, 2019November 7, 2021

45 Excellent Experience Gift Ideas

I’m not going to pretend it’s not happening: Christmas is coming!! In less than a week folks! How organised are you? Have you already bought all of the presents you had planned to? Or are you still desperately trying to come up with some original Christmas gift ideas?

Ok, let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

Buying gifts for Christmas, en masse (but birthdays too) can be stressful. You’re daydreaming of having a few days off work. Maybe planning what you are going to feed everybody. The shops are full. It seems that every other person in your town is out there RIGHT NOW doing the same harried shopping trip. If you’re lucky you can go shopping alone, without the kids who GUARANTEED will see more things to add to their Christmas wish list. And if it’s a successful shop, you have to lug it all home, wrap the gifts and hide them somewhere (don’t forget to remember WHERE!!!) until Christmas.

pin, pinterest, experience gifts, gift ideas, christmas gift ideas, birthday gift ideas

If you are trying to be even the least bit conscious of reducing the plastic packaging and waste in your household (like we have been trying to do. Here you can read about some small steps to try to get started!), it all feels like a big, dirty contradiction.

So is there anything you can do, to still enjoy gift-giving this holiday season without the shopping mall stress and mounds of paper, packaging and plastic? Sure there is!!!

Give the gift of an experience!

Don’t know what I am talking about? Well…

December 5, 2019June 25, 2021

Let’s Celebrate This Birthday Together!- My First Year Blogging

Wowsers, has this week been exciting! Well, OK, I’m not sure how it was for you (feel free to tell me in the comments section below 😉). But for me, mega! Why?

Because this past week my baby turned one! No, not a real live human baby. (Three kids is plenty enough for this Mama.) My blogging baby! My Everything’s Famtastic.

Twelve months ago I finally quit listening to that little anxious voice in my head, grabbed the credit card to cover the subscription fees, faced my fears, and published my first blog post. I opened myself up to the whole wide world because I felt like I had something to share, something that might be just what someone, what you, were looking for.

Do you know what my very first post was about?

November 28, 2019April 16, 2024

Best Book Series for 9 – 12 Year Old Girls To Read Now

(as Recommended by Girls!)

pin, pinterest, books for girls, book series, book recommendations, recommended reading for girls, reading, books, 9-12 year olds

Last weekend our family bit the bullet and went to another flea market (Flohmarkt, for those of you wanting to expand your German vocabulary 😉). No, not to buy anything, but to Sell! Sell! Sell! And we had definitely collected plenty of unwanted kids’ stuff to sell.

Sure we made some money. Not as much as we had fantasised about beforehand (bathtub full of banknotes, anyone?!?), but we actually did OK. Afterwards, we reloaded the car and brought the unsold stuff home again. Do you know what constituted the biggest pile of leftovers? Can you guess???

BOOKS!

I mean, we did sell quite a few, but we just had so many that the kids didn’t want anymore.

Our 3 children LOVE books. If we left the kids alone with no demands or expectations of homework, attending school, helping out with chores, speaking to another human or having a breeze of fresh air brush their sweet faces… well, I think they would probably just lie in bed and look at books all day. Do you know what the perfect word for them is? Bookworms!

The 2 girls have been begging for months to contribute towards my blog here, as a sort of “Stuff for Kids, by Kids” offering. And hey presto! I have finally got my eldest right here, helping me put together a list of highly-recommended, tried-and-tested book series. to give you some great reading ideas!

So, why wait?!? Read on to discover these compelling, page-turning, book series for girls aged 9 to 12 years, as recommended by my girl, who is (funnily enough) also aged between 9 and 12 years old 😉.

June 2, 2019June 26, 2021

Fab Fathers, Giggling Girls & Irksome Illness

Willkommen again to the weekly entertainment and information session that is Everything’s Famtastic.

I thought that this week I would give a shout out to all the German Papas out there. A couple of weeks back, I wrote about Mother’s Day, with a big, warm virtual hug for all you Mamas.

But now it is the men’s turn. Or at least those who live in Germany (Sorry to you Australian, American, Canadian, English… dads). Father’s Day was celebrated in Germany this past week. On a Thursday, no less. And Father’s Day- or Men’s Day as the non-parent males would claim- is an entirely different thing to most other countries’ way of celebrating fathers. So, Alles Gute zum Vatertag to all those fathers out there doing their best for their kids! I hope that your children thank you and appreciate all you do! To Hubby: we love you very much and thank you for all you do for us!! xx

Allow me to fill you in though, about our week of things (including Father’s day) going not quite to plan. Aha! Also the perfect opportunity for us mamas to show just how tolerant, unshakeable and adaptable we can be. Maintain a positive attitude and all that, right?!?