Karissa Tunis

Simple Acts of Kindness – How to Help Others

This thing called life brings us many obstacles throughout our journey. Many mountains to climb. Many storms to walk through. And many incredible moments of peace, joy, and celebration in between. In addition to taking good care of myself mentally, emotionally, and physically; there is something that has always helped me to make a shift whether I’m having a great day, or if I’m in the midst of a personal storm. – To do something kind for someone else. It’s a win-win as it puts a smile on the recipient’s face, and lifts my spirits at the same time. We often refer to this as a Random Act of Kindness. Continue reading below to learn more about simple acts of kindness and the impact that they can create.

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Volunteering at School – Benefits for Moms, Kids, and Schools

Although certainly not a new concept, volunteering at school has exploded in recent times. More and more parents have become school volunteers! These volunteers spend many hours of their days helping in classes, planning school activities, and organizing fundraising endeavors.

Trust me, I know. I am one of those professional school volunteers. For the past 5 years, I have been the equivalent of the PTO president for my sons’ school. I have joked that with all the hours that I have invested… I have enough 20 hour blocks (the requirement for the year) for a dozen children per year. My two older sons now attend a different school and I have started volunteering there as well. I have listened to readers, helped with teaching writing, run committees, helped run a book fair, and created internet sign-ups for all kinds of volunteer solicitation.

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How to Raise Money for Charity – Fun, Unique Ideas

We are sharing inspiration for how to raise money for charity! Raising money for charity is always a great thing, but oftentimes we get stuck when it comes to fun and unique ideas that will actually gain some traction. Below are 6 ideas that would be fun to plan, that people will get excited about, and will ultimately raise significant money for the charity of your choice!

Fun Ideas to Raise Money for Charities

Cook Off
Talent Show
Scavenger Hunt
Shave Your Head
House Party
Nearly New Sales

For more on this topic, check out the full Helping Others collection

How to Raise Money for Charity

Host a Cook Off to Raise Money for Charity

Invite supporters and foodies to a friendly culinary challenge! At this charity cook off competition, contestants will be able to create their best dishes. Then you raise money by having people donate money to be able to taste the dishes and vote for their favorites.

Talent Show

Crowdsource talent and entertainment with this fun fundraising idea! Put on a talent show and charge an entry fee. Supporters will be able to have a fun evening watching a variety of entertainment and performing front and center! Then everyone can vote for their favorites at the end of the night.

Scavenger Hunt

Organize a scavenger hunt that sends participants all throughout your community. Raise money for your charity by charging a registration fee, and you can also offer extra hints for extra donations as they go through the puzzles. Businesses in your community may also want to get involved in the fun!

[ Read: 50 Simple Ways to Help Others ]

Shave Your Head

Shaving your head has become a popular form of raising money and awareness for charities. Participants pledge to shave their head (or their beard) in order to raise money. It would also be fun to have a photo gallery of before and after photos!

House Party

Now is your chance to host an awesome house party for a great cause! Plan a purposeful, yet fun house party and and encourage donations by offering prizes for different levels of sponsorship and donations.

Nearly New Sales

Collect gently worn, barely used items throughout your community and then host a sale or an auction. Promote the event ahead of time by taking beautiful pictures of these items and starting buzz on social media.

Teach Your Children How to Respect Nature

Trying to teach your preschooler about climate change, sustainability, pollution or GMOs might be a huge waste of your time. Most likely you will face a blank stare and your little one will lose interest in your speech in a matter of minutes. However, it is never too early to teach your child to cherish the environment. Help them develop a relationship with nature. This way when they get a bit older, they will be ready for more complex lessons. If you are wondering what the best ways are to teach your children how to respect nature, continue reading below for some strategies to help you get started!

This article is written by Grace Collins
For more on this topic, check out the full Helping Others collection

Incorporate nature into their life

Put a swing set in your yard and encourage your little one to spend more time playing outside. If you and your child love eating fresh vegetables and herbs, make a small garden near their play space. You can also build a bird feeder together and hang it up on a tree. Kids who spend more time engaged with nature are more likely to respect it.

Introduce them to the environment

Your kids won’t be able to connect with Mother Nature if you are constantly keeping them indoors. Instead, encourage them to get outside and get their hands dirty. Children usually love to play in the mud! So let them make mud pies and learn about the texture and moisture of the soil. You can also teach them how to make that loud whistling sound with a blade of grass. Or come up with other fun activities that help to bond your child to the nature around them.

Teach by example

It is a known fact that kids usually copy their parent’s behavior. That means they don’t do as you say; they do as you do. Therefore, lead by example. Show them how much you enjoy spending time outside, and how you respect Mother Nature. Show them your favorite types of trees, let them smell your favorite flowers, and allow them to watch you recycle while explaining why you are doing it. If you wish to take things one step further, teach them about recycled materials and clothing that is made from them. You can find more resources here. In addition, you can tell them how watering your lawn or garden only as much as necessary helps save water. Or explain to them why turning the lights off when you exit the room is important for the environment.

Let them assist you

After showing your kids how you are respectful to nature, let them participate in taking care of the environment. When you are recycling, let them sort out plastic and paper, or ask them to flip the light switch off themselves. Children take pride in helping out, so remind them not to leave the TV on when they are done watching it, or ask them to not leave the water running when they finished washing their hands. Here are 50 simple ways to help others in your community.

Books and movies can help you

There are so many books and movies that can teach young children valuable lessons about taking care of the environment. You can turn to the grumpy yet charming creature the Lorax for help, or let your kids read Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Take your little ones to the bookstore and pick out several books that can help them learn about the world that surrounds us.

Don’t let them kill all the bugs they see

Little ones are not as grossed out by bugs as grownups are, and they don’t have a problem with catching the bugs and squashing them. Therefore, teach your kids that these little creatures are a part of our world and have an important function in the natural environment. If they find a bug inside, help them carry it outside in a cup or a paper towel. Here are additional educational earth facts for kids.

Now Go & Teach Your Children How to Respect Nature

By teaching your little ones to embrace nature, you will help them grow into adults who will respect and help protect our environment 🙂

For more on this topic, check out the full Helping Others collection

Earth Facts for Kids – Educational Planet Earth Infographic

This week we are celebrating Earth Day! There is so much we can do to help our neighborhood, our communities, our cities, and even our whole world. And there are so many simple ways that kids can help the Earth! The educational infographic below is filled with Earth facts for kids. It’s a fun way to help kids learn more about their planet and feed their fascination.

Created by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Helping Others collection

Earth Facts for Kids

Size of Planet Earth

Planet Earth Mass 5,972,190,000,000,000 billion kg
Earth’s Equatorial Diameter: 12,756 km
Earth’s Polar Diameter: 12,714 km
Planet Earth Equatorial Circumference: 40,030 km

Earth Fun Facts for Kids

It takes 8.2 minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth
The surface of the earth rotates on its axis at a speed of 1,000 miles per hour
Water covers 155.6 million square km of the Earth’s surface
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that is not named after a mythical god
If you drilled a tunnel straight through the Earth and jumped in, it would take you about 42 minutes to get to the other side

For more on this topic, check out the full Helping Others collection

Kid Friendly Restaurant Where Kids Eat Free + Tips for Eating Out With Children

What makes a great kid friendly restaurant? Where can I take my whole family out to dinner? Which restaurants let kids eat free? How do I help my kids behave better at restaurants? I’ll be covering all of this and more so that your family restaurant experiences will be much more enjoyable for everyone!

Eating out with kids is doable, and can even be enjoyable! You just need to know how and when to best plan for a meal at a restaurant with kids…

This article is written by Karissa Tunis

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Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free

One of my favorite apps is Kids Eat Free Near Me. It shows you which restaurants kids can eat at for free, or offer a free kid’s meal with an adult meal purchase, and which night of the week. And the best part is that this app is free to download! I also like to keep a list in my Notes app in my phone with these same type of deals that are offered by my local restaurants. This has allowed us to eat out more as a family without over-stretching our dining budget. Enjoy!

National Restaurants where Kids Eat Free

Offers may vary depending on your location, but here are 35 national restaurants that offer kids eat free days!

Applebee’s
Bennigan’s
Back Yard Burgers
Bob Evans
Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen
Chick-fil-A
Chicken Out Rotisserie
Culver’s
Denny’s
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
East Coast Wings
Famous Dave’s
Firehouse Subs
Golden Corral
Holiday Inn
IHOP
IKEA
Jason’s Deli
Jeffery’s Sports Grill
The Locker Room
Lone Star Steakhouse
Little Bitty Burger Barn
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Moe’s Southwest Grill
On The Border
Pizza Street
Planet Sub
Ponderosa Steakhouse
Qdoba Mexican Grill
Red Brick Pizza
Steak ‘n Shake
Texas Roadhouse
T.G.I.Friday’s
UNO Chicago Grill
White Castle

Free Printable Restaurant Activities for Kids

Are you are looking for a fun activity to do at home? Or do you want something to keep your little one entertained when you go out to eat, even if it’s to a kid friendly restaurant? Here are some free printable activities to keep on hand or in your special going out bag:

Free Printable Coloring Pages for Kids that are Food Themed

These coloring pages are the perfect solution for a little coloring entertainment! The large spaces will allow young kids plenty of room to color inside the lines. And they will also provide lots of opportunity for older children to get super creative with their designs.

Free Printable Restaurant Activity – Fill in the Blank Menus

Allow your children to get creative, plan out their dishes, set their prices, and add some additional graphics. You can even laminate these to allow your child to use over and over again with dry erase markers. Perfect for the playroom, when going out to eat, or when creating your own kid friendly restaurants at home!

If you do decide to create your own restaurant at home, check out these 10 healthy snacks that toddlers can make.

How to Choose Kid Friendly Restaurants

When trying to decide where to go out to eat with little ones, you need to take a few things into consideration. As a mother of three myself, I have already been out to dinner, only to ask them to box up our food before we were ever even served. That’s right. We sat down. We ordered. And then either my husband or I had to make a quick dash to the car with our littles, while the other one waited to ask our server to instead bring us our meals in a box and along with the check.

Not only were those experiences super embarrassing, but they were also incredibly frustrating! Now we just paid nearly $80 for dinner, without any of the dinning out luxuries and ambiance. Too bad we hadn’t gone to one of our go-to restaurants were kids can eat for free!

After a few failing experiences, I learned a few tricks for choosing kid friendly restaurants, and eating out with children.

Is this restaurant kid friendly?

It’s great when you can dine someplace that offers deals where kids can eat for free, or some sort of other money saving discount. But whenever I took my kids out to eat before the age of 10, I looked for venues that were loud. Oftentimes had deep booths (because separation from the table next to you is ideal!). Offered music or entertainment (think cheezy mariachi band). Perhaps an outdoor area with yard games. And maybe a place that even has some peanut shells on the floor.

My examples are places like Texas Roadhouse, Chili’s, Chick-Fil-A, an ice cream shop, a local spot where people can sit outside at picnic tables and play bean-bag-toss, a local grill near a scenic spot, etc.

While I tried to use any going out experience to teach my children respect, self-control, manners, and appropriate behavior; it was nice when they could still be kids without feeling those judgy eyeballs from everyone in the room.

Check out how to set expectations for your kids and improve child behavior

Find Local Kid Friendly Restaurants

I love going to a local family restaurant near us that has an outdoor eating spot with picnic tables and a playground that is next to a small farmette. The kids can play and get their energy out before sitting down and eating, while then watching the farm animals on the other side of the fence. Also, there is a kid friendly restaurant near a small local airport that is not too far from our home. We can sit outside there, play giant yard games, and watch the planes take off and come in for landings. Or we like to eat at a nearby restaurant that has a dock overlooking a canal were small fishing boats come in and out.

These venues are casual, offer great tasting food that is inexpensive, and provide a fun atmosphere that families can enjoy together. And the best part, one of the restaurants even serves their kid’s meals on a frisbee that they can take home when after we are done. We’ve collected a few that now live in our beach bag, pool bag, and in a bin in our garage – how fun!

I have learned to always avoid anywhere that has table-clothes, expensive entrees, and any place that doesn’t have chicken fingers on the kid’s menu for $5 or less. Otherwise I know that if one of my kids spill a drink, they don’t like their food, or they can’t sit still; I will be upset. And I would rather try to avoid putting any of us in that situation to begin with.

Check out these free printable sticker charts to encourage good behavior, or let your child rate you with this free parent report card printable

Is the restaurant wait time too long?

Can my kids handle sitting around for 45 minutes to an hour coloring and eating? Or watching the planes, trains, boats, cars, or animals for an hour? Yes. (Tip – like I said above, look for restaurants that offer something scenic to look at.)

Can my kids sit in the middle of a restaurant with nothing to do for 2 hours? No.

It’s important to know what your kids can handle and for how long. Do not ask your 6 year old to sit at a table with your adult friends for hours on end and expect him/her to not get into trouble. If you need a day out with friends, then hire a babysitter.

Check out these tips to find a babysitter that’s a great fit

Tips for Eating Out With Kids

Before you even load everyone up in the mini van, and drive to a kid friendly restaurant, ask yourself these questions to better prepare for a nice evening out. But you need to be totally honest with your answers. If you answer unfavorable to any of these, then it might be better to stay in and try to go out another time. Because the last thing you want to do is find yourself in a stressful situation away from home.

Before Going to a Restaurant Ask, “Is my child tired?”

Always always always ask yourself this questions before going out to eat with kids! Even if you are going to a kid friendly restaurant, that still won’t save you from a sleep deprived toddler tantrum.

If you have an infant that is ready to sleep for a couple of hours in their car-seat in the restaurant, then grabbing some dinner with them beside you might work out really well! But if your toddler is about ready for nap time or bed time, then avoid taking them out in public. Otherwise you can expect melt-downs, and anything other than sitting still for an hour or more.

Check out promoting healthy sleep from birth to beyond

Do I have kid activities for the restaurant?

It’s important to have something to keep your kids entertained while they sit and wait for their food, or while you chit chat with your partner, spouse, or friend. If my kids have had no screen time that day, I might take their iPad along. I also keep a special bag just for special outings. This includes a few small toys, colorful eraser figurines, a little puzzle game, a notepad with tic-tac-toe, mad libs, etc. These are fun little time fillers that they can enjoy with one another, or with their friends if we meet another family out.

But I know that these items won’t fill an entire afternoon. For an hour, they are perfect! But I know that even our special bag has it’s limits 😉

For more on this topic, check out the full Travel Tips collection

Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis

Karissa Tunis is the co-owner of both the parenting website Adore Them and the family event company Milestone Family Expos. Through these ventures she is able to share inspiring, heartfelt insight with large audiences within local communities and across the country! Her knack for all-things-organization allows her to balance content creation, brand partnerships, and event planning without losing sight of what she wants for her own family. Despite her busy schedule, Karissa also makes it a priority to spend quality time with her husband and three children. You will often find her volunteering at her children’s schools, cheering them on from the soccer sidelines, or enjoying the great sites of Charleston, SC with her family.

Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com

Free Printable Restaurant Activity – Fill in the Blank Kid Menus

March 10, 2020

Free Printable Restaurant Activity – Kid Menus

Are you are looking for a fun activity to do at home? Or do you want something to keep your little one entertained when you go out to eat? If so these free printable kid menus are the perfect solution! Allow your children to get creative, plan out their dishes, set their prices, and add some additional graphics. You can even laminate these to allow your child to use over and over again with dry erase markers.

And to go along with our food theme, check out these great tips for picking kid friendly restaurants and eating out with little ones. Also, check out our 50 free printable coloring sheets that are food themed 🙂

Free Printable Restaurant Activity

Fill in the Blank Kid Menus

Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis

Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com

50 Free Printable Coloring Pages for Kids – Food Themed

March 10, 2020

Enjoy 50 free printable coloring pages for kids that are food themed!

Are you are looking for a fun activity to do at home? Or do you want something to keep your little one entertained when you go out to eat? If so these coloring pages are the perfect solution! The large spaces will allow young kids plenty of room to color inside the lines. And they will provide lots of opportunity for older children to get super creative with their designs.

And to go along with our food theme, check out these great tips for picking kid friendly restaurants and eating out with little ones. Also, check out our adorable free printable kid’s menus. Allow your children to get creative, plan out their dishes, set their prices, and add some additional graphics 🙂

50 Free Printable Coloring Pages for Kids

Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis

Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com

How to Boil Eggs – 6 Easy Ways to Hard Boil Eggs

Hard boiled eggs are arguably the perfect food. They make for a great breakfast on top of toast, lunch turned into egg salad, afternoon snack sprinkled with salt, or dinner thrown into some fancy looking ramen or on top of a hearty salad! Part of adulthood is figuring out how to boil eggs… And luckily, I’ve put together six different ways to hard boil an egg so that you can choose whichever option seems easiest for you.

Important Note: In every single one of these methods, the eggs become very hot. Please be careful when handling the eggs and other items that you will be using to cook them!

In this Article:

How to Boil an Egg Cheat Sheet (Printable)
How to Make Perfect Easy to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
What are the Best Egg Cookers on Amazon?
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven
How to Hard Boil an Egg in a Microwave
Instructions for Hard Boiled Eggs in an Instant Pot
How to Boil an Egg in a Crockpot

How to Boil Eggs Cheat Sheet (Printable)

How to Make Perfect Easy to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

Somehow my mom has mastered the art of making hard boiled eggs. She always chuckles when I marvel at her ability to simply boil eggs on the stove top without having to Google “how to boil eggs” first. As you already know, we’ll be covering many different ways to hard boil an egg; but since a boiling pot of water is the most traditional method… let’s start there!

Instructions for How to Boil Eggs on the Stove

Put eggs in a pot or sauce pan (don’t overcrowd them)
Add cold water until eggs are covered by an inch or two
Add a teaspoon of salt
Turn on high heat and bring water to a rolling boil
Once boiling, turn off the heat but keep the pot on the burner
Cover and let sit for 10-12 minutes
Run cold water over the eggs

What are the Best Egg Cookers on Amazon?

My life changed after buying an inexpensive egg cooker off of Amazon. I mean… it didn’t change drastically, but having an egg cooker has allowed me to make hard boiled eggs more often without having to use any pots, baking sheets, or bowls. I bought my sister an egg cooker from Amazon for Christmas, and she has now also agreed that this little appliance is a game-changer 🙂

An egg cooker is simply a steamer type appliance. You add water to the bottom of the cooker, poke tiny holes in the top of each egg (with the protected needle that comes with the egg cooker), close the lid, plug it in, and it’ll alert you when your eggs are ready! I also love that my egg cooker allows me to choose how hard or soft boiled I want my eggs by simply changing the amount of water that I add. It comes with a tiny measuring cup with clear labels on it – it’s seriously fool-proof!

The following list contains affiliate links. This does not change your price or shopping experience, but we simply receive a small commission should you choose to purchase items through our links.

Best Egg Cookers of 2020 on Amazon

Dash Rapid Egg Cooker: 6 Egg Capacity Electric Egg Cooker for Hard Boiled Eggs, Poached Eggs, Scrambled Eggs, or Omelets with Auto Shut Off Feature
Dash DEC012AQ Deluxe Rapid Egg Cooker: Electric, 12 Capacity for Hard Boiled, Poached, Scrambled, Omelets, Steamed Vegetables, Seafood, Dumplings & More with Auto Shut Off Feature
Maxi-Matic EGC-007: Easy Electric Egg Poacher, Omelet, Scrambled, Soft, Medium, Hard-Boiled Boiler Cooker with Auto Shut-Off and Buzzer, Measuring Cup Included, 7 Capacity
Cuisinart CEC-10 Egg Central: Egg Cooker, Brushed Stainless Steel
Hamilton Beach Electric Egg Cooker: and Poacher for Soft, Hard Boiled or Poached with Ready Timer, Holds 7

How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven

Before buying my egg cooker, my favorite method was to make hard boiled eggs in the oven. (Sidenote: I also make bacon in the oven because it minimizes the smell and mess of bacon grease and cooks it beautifully!) It just felt easier to put the eggs in the oven and set a timer instead of trying to babysit a boiling pot of water. I know, I know… boiling water is nothing difficult, but I’m all about taking the easiest route in the kitchen!

This option is also great for when you need to hard boil dozens of eggs at a time – like for Easter. You’ll need some eggs for the kids to decorate and eggs to serve while hosting Easter brunch!

{ READ: The Easiest Way for Kids to Decorate Easter Eggs }

Instructions for Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Use a muffin pan and place one egg in each circle
Bake in oven for 30 minutes
Immediately put the eggs in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes (to stop the cooking process)

Note: The eggs will often come out of the oven with brown spots on the shell, but this does not affect the flavor of the hard boiled eggs. You may also need to experiment with setting your oven to a slightly lower temperature if your oven tends to run hot.

How to Hard Boil an Egg in a Microwave

Yes. You can hard boil an egg in the microwave. And you know that I had to go try it out for myself! As you can gather, if you can use something to boil water, you can use it to boil an egg – including your microwave. This is a method that I could see the kids having fun with too – just be careful when removing boiling water from the microwave!

Instructions How to Boil Eggs in the Microwave

Fill a microwave safe bowl with water
Microwave the water until hot (about 3 minutes)
Stir in a tablespoon of salt
Place eggs in the bowl and cover
Switch the microwave to 50% power and microwave for 8 minutes
Place bowl in sink and let cold water run over the eggs to help cool them down

How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in an Instant Pot

I think I am the only mom on the block that doesn’t own an instant pot so I had to go do some research for this one! From what I here, you can use these handy appliances to make just about anything so I wasn’t surprised to find that many people are using their instant pot to make hard boiled eggs!

Instructions for Using an Instant Pot to Make Hard Boiled Eggs

Pour 1 cup of cold water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker
Carefully place eggs on the top of the rack
Seal the instant pot
Set for 5 minutes on high pressure
Then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes
Release any remaining pressure by carefully switching the vent knob to “vent” position
Remove the eggs from the instant pot and put them in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes

How to Boil an Egg in a Crockpot

There was a time in my life where I used my crockpot on a daily basis. The house always smelled like a mixture of whatever was cooking for dinner, which meant that the house usually smelled like onions – not ideal. Even though I’ve moved away from using the crockpot as regularly, I still understand the appeal of it! Making hard boiled eggs in a crockpot seems like a great idea – especially if you have to make a large batch of them.

Instructions for Boiling Eggs in a Crockpot

Fill crockpot with eggs (just don’t stack them)
Add just enough water to cover the eggs
Add a tablespoon of salt to the water
Set to cook on high for 2.5 hours
Remove eggs and put them in ice water

… And since you’re probably dying to know…

Yes, I did crave hard boiled eggs the entire time I was writing this article.

And yes, I used my handy-dandy egg cooker to make myself some as soon as I hit publish 🙂

3-Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

These easy to make, gluten-free, and sugar-free peanut butter cookies are perfect for any occasion, or an everyday snack. To vary the flavor, try mixing 1/2 cup dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips into the batter. Scroll down to learn how to make these flourless peanut butter cookies….