Stay Warm this Winter with Fun Indoor Activities for Kids and Tasty Jack's Pizza {#RealCheeseRealLife}

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Jack's Pizza. All thoughts and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

What is the chance that if I continue to tell myself that winter won't arrive that it will come true? One percent? Zero? Sigh.

While I will prepare for the (unfortunately) upcoming winter with standard actions — digging out boots, mittens and snow pants — experience has also taught me that having a variety of indoor activity ideas pays off for the long, dark, cold days when the kids are bored and the stuck-insideness begins to drive us all a little batty. You can't ever have too many crafts, apps, recipes, games, books, and more to fall back on!

With that in mind, here are five fun ways to "Win the Day" this winter and beyond...

Indoor Obstacle Course

Kids have energy; lots of energy. Along with turning on music and having a dance party, we love to pull out chairs, blankets, pillows, cardboard boxes, toys, and more to create an obstacle course to crawl in, climb on, shimmy through, jump over, and, in general, get us up and moving.

There is no wrong way to do this and kids love helping build as well as participating. It all adds up to hours of entertainment while also using up some extra energy!

Paper Snowflakes and Cut Paper Winter Art

We all grew up making snowflakes out of a piece of paper, right? Simply fold in half, in half again, in half again, etc, and then make different shape cut-outs. Just unfold the paper to see the results and, if your snowflake needs tweaking, fold it back up and continue expressing your artistic skills!

But then why not take things a step further and use all the little paper scraps that were cut out from your snowflakes? All it takes is some construction paper for the background, glue to attach, and creativity to design just about any sort of winter scene a child can imagine!

Paper Snowmen

Even though I have lived in the Midwest all of my life, I'm just not a fan of playing out in the snow. Therefore, I much prefer to join my kids in making snowmen when we can do them in the warmth and comfort of our living room in the form of paper snowmen!

Use any sort of paper you have — we like to recycle old newspaper — and crumple, adhering with masking tape when needed. Just like in the snow, start with a smaller ball and add on to make it bigger and bigger... then stack, decorate, and enjoy your happy snowman. Added bonus: no melting!

Indoor Ice Skating

A friend introduced us to this unique way to ice skate indoors and the interest has yet to lessen! Just have your child stand on a piece of wax paper, bunch it up around their ankle, and hold in place using rubber bands.

The "ice rink" is just about any type of flooring, but be warned that some are much more slippery than others. Little Sister B prefers to stay more on the carpet or rug so that she can slide and spin while Big Sister E is more of a daredevil and can sometimes barely stand up on the hardwood!

Cooking and Baking

I have yet to meet a child that doesn't love to help out in the kitchen! No matter if I'm baking cookies, cooking spaghetti or simply chopping veggies for a salad, my kids want to be involved in every possible way. Along with appreciating the help (mostly), being a part of the cooking process has a way of making kids extremely excited to eat the finished product!

So, while we oftentimes have to compromise on what flavor muffins or exactly which toppings will be offered in our sandwich buffet, there is never any question on what brand of pizza to pull out of the freezer. Nothing beats the quality, value, and taste of Jack's Pizza!

Created from 100 percent real Wisconsin cheese and a preservative-free crust, Jack's is made here in the Midwest with pride and never receives a single complaint. My entire family will happily come to the table to reach for a fresh slice and I'm always thrilled that in just 15 minutes I've got a meal on the table that everyone will enjoy!

Want to talk more about how stocking up on Jack's Pizza is a quick and easy solution for family dinners? Then be sure to join in the #RealCheeseRealLife Twitter Party this week!

When: Wednesday, November 11 at 1 p.m. CT

Where: #RealCheeseRealLife

Hosts: @TheMotherhood, @TMChatHost, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

Prizes: Four prize packs will be handed out to randomly selected participants who answer the trivia questions correctly. Each prize includes a $50 Visa gift card! (Prizes limited to U.S. participants only. See official rules for more.)

RSVP: Find out more and RSVP here.

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The next time you are looking for a meal option that will let you customize it perfectly to meet everyone's tastes, check out the full line of Jack's Pizza varieties – they even offer great pairing ideas to include your pizza in a complete, well-balanced meal!

Find out more about the quality, value, and time-saving delectable options that Jack's has to offer by visiting JacksPizza.com and connecting with them on Facebook. When you're feeding your family, give them the best!

Unleash a World of Creative Possibilities with Seedling Activity Kits {Make Your Own Party Piñata Kit Review}

Like pretty much all kids, my girls love getting hands-on with nearly any activity presented to them. Whether that means digging in the dirt, gluing together a craft masterpiece, cooking our next meal (and even washing the dishes afterward), or building a carefully constructed tower, they're happy as long as they can be a part of the action.

So, I'd like to say that I give them those opportunities at every turn... but that doesn't always happen. Sometimes it's just easier if I quickly make dinner on my own or plant flowers in the garden without them ending up strewn about the yard, you know?

Fortunately, I've found a new win-win way for all of us to be happy. My kids can participate in entertaining, interactive activities that they'll be sure to enjoy, while I don't have come up with the idea or even try to find the materials. Instead, it all arrives in the mail perfectly designed to spark creativity, curiosity and imagination right out of the box thanks to Seedling!

Founded in New Zealand in 2007, Seedling thinks "outside the kit" with their products, ranging from mermaids and magic to superheroes and science. What child wouldn't be thrilled with instant inspiration and materials needed for fun, hands-on learning — all in one box and delivered right to their doorstep?

Seedling activity kits combine award-winning design with high-quality tools and materials to inspire kids from 3 years old and beyond to create open-ended play experiences. They're very passionate about creating hands-on ideas for kids that encourage creativity, confidence and growth – so each and every one of their activity kits and toys are designed to provide the materials and suggestions for kids to make, learn and play, over and over again.

The result? Children (as well as their parents) can easily end up having a great time building, exploring and creating as there are never any boundaries. Instead, kids are always encouraged to steer their own creative course and continue the magic through imaginative play.

Knowing that my girls would be thrilled to receive a kit with a fun activity plan, no matter what the theme, I was already looking forward to their response when this adorable bag from Seedling arrived at our door.

As if the adorable reusable bag wasn't enough, once we opened it up and saw the beautiful packaging of our Make Your Own Party Piñata kit, we were even more excited. I love the way that Seedling designs their kits to be classic, modern and green all at once!

Inside, we found all of the craft materials needed to create our piñata as well as an instruction card that told me everything we needed to know.

Seedling believes that there's nothing more exciting than watching children explore, imagine and discover the world in their own unique way... and I adore the way that this kit let me do just that.

With Little Sister B's birthday just around the corner and Frozen party planning happening left and right, I was able to turn over the instructions for this kit to Big Sister E and Little Sister B and see where their creative vision would take them.

With a little tape, ribbon, glue and patience...

...our piñata turned from a pile of high-quality materials into a magical, extremely fun project. Let the party begin!

Okay, the party can't start quite yet because we haven't decided what to fill our piñata with and therefore need to still close and finish the top... plus it needs glitter. Lots of glitter. But the party can almost begin!

As well as the pride that my girls displayed from having used their imagination to turn this kit into a cute party game, seeing the way that my kids were able to work together and stay happy and engaged was a great mom moment for me. This box of craft supplies really became hands-on, meaningful and lasting fun!

If you're looking for a gift idea that is sure to wow, a Seedling activity kit just might be the answer — there's a perfectly curated activity kit for every age and interest, in a range of sizes and possibilities. The Make Your Own Party Piñata kit retails for $39.99 but there is an endless selection of other kits available both larger and smaller that range from $6.99 to $59.99!

Plus, with the majority of the kits, the fun and excitement starts with building a project, but it doesn’t end there. The finished products become playthings for fun that lasts today, tomorrow and beyond, whether that be accessories, toys, outdoor fun or more.

Need even more of an incentive? Then how about a discount? Right now when you enter the coupon code MAILCARRIER at checkout, you'll receive 15% off of your Seedling order!

To find out much more about the huge selection of boredom-busting kits available from Seedling, check out ShopSeedling.com and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Other than the activity kit that I was provided by Seedling in order to facilitate my review, I was not compensated or enticed to do this post in any way. This review is solely my honest opinion about this site and this product.

Create Your Own Sparkling Mini Snow Globes with Glitzi Globes {Review & Giveaway}

If creativity is a gene, then it's one that we continue to pass down in my side of the family.

My grandmother was creative, my mom is extremely creative, I consider myself decently creative... and my girls? Well, they'd dive headfirst into a pool filled with art supplies if they could.

However, while they love open-ended crafting abilities, I've found that they're even more excited when they are given a little inspiration, some direction, just about anything bright and colorful, and a whole lot of glitter. Are there girls who don't like glitter? I haven't met them yet.

Most recently, we've all been enjoying the ability to get our creative juices flowing with a new product that allows girls to make, fill, create and even wear their sparkling, pint-size creations: Glitzi Globes.

New to the world of do-it-yourself crafts from Moose Toys, Glitzi Globes are the create-your-own snow globe toys that allow young users to make 'em, shake 'em, and show 'em!

Girls simply use the included materials to assemble each adorable miniature glittery globe and then turn it into a pencil topper, jewelry, decor and more. With 24 characters and six themes to design and collect, these colorful arts & crafts are sure to bring a smile.

Knowing that my girls love crafts, glitter and animals, I had no doubt that Glitzi Globes would be the perfect combination of all three to grab their interest.

Looking over the Glitzi Globes Three Pack, Glitzi Globes Starter Kit and Glitzi Globes Glitzi Showcase, the girls couldn't get enough of the variety of colors and the charming faces of all of the cute little animals and were eager to get to work.

Immediately opting for the Glitzi Globes Glitzi Showcase, we looked over the contents and couldn't wait to get started.

Although I was initially a little hesitant wondering about the amount of mess or help that the girls would need in creating their mini snow globes, the clear, step-by-step instructions eased any worries that I had.

The unique globe maker has a designated spot for the dome and the base plate, so all the kids needed to do was place the dome, add in their selected deco shapes and glitter pellet...

...fill with water...

...and select the character that would be living inside. Once the character is placed on the base, it is placed in the globe maker...

...and the top is pressed down firmly onto the bottom to assemble the globe.

Voilà! Then simply open the globe maker back up and your colorful, whimsical creation is completed and ready to wear or display.

So easy!

The girls loved getting to pick between all of the cute characters, fun little deco shapes and more. Not to mention that the end result is so sparkly and unique!

Once all of the Glitzi Globes were finished, the girls immediately had fun interchanging them in the different color Glitzi Bases, adorning the top of their pencils or turning them into jewelry.

Then, after putting together the large Glitzi Carousel...

...the completed Glitzi Showcase was the perfect place to display each and every one of our sparkly creations!

While I wouldn't suggest it as a common occurrence, I appreciated that the Glitzi Globes instructions also gives directions on how to reopen the globes in case you forgot to add in one of the components or your child desperately needed to switch to a different character.

For now, however, the girls are extremely excited about their sparkly, artistic creations and have loved moving them from place to place around the house and incorporating them into their pretend play with other toys.

When can I attend a party that has Curious George, Glitzi Globes, Little People, a princess, Woody and Buzz, and Sulley in attendance?

Designed for ages 5 and up (although Little Sister B had no problem completing all of the steps on her own at age 4), Glitzi Globes are a unique and fun activity for girls everywhere. I can't think of another toy that results in custom, handmade snow globe accessories to wear or display anywhere you please!

To find out more about Glitzi Globes and to see if they'll make a great gift for the girls in your life this holiday season, visit GlitziGlobes.com and connect with them on Facebook. Each of the kits retail between $7.99 and $19.99 and can be found nationally at retailers, including Toys 'R Us and Walmart, as well as online from Amazon.com.

Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will soon see why creating your own miniature glittery habitats is fun and entertaining as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Glitzi Globes Glitzi Showcase!

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A big thank you to Glitzi Globes for providing the above three products for me to review as well as a Glitzi Globes Glitzi Showcase for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

Paint and Decorate Peel Off Stickers from Gelarti {Review & Giveaway}

This summer both of my kids participated in a wide variety of activities, some that they have done in the past and some that were brand new. 

And, while they would most likely tell you that they enjoyed each one and had fun swimming or playing tennis or going to camp, I never have any doubt when it comes to anything related to arts & crafts. Give these girls a paintbrush or some scissors or even just a handful of popsicle sticks and they're excited to let their creativity take over.

I'm pretty sure that they both started displaying their imagination, originality and inventiveness long before they could walk and, to this day, can often be found turning even the most mundane objects into artistic creations. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Therefore, when I am introduced to a product that incorporates art, painting, stickers, glitter and it glows in the dark, there is really no doubt in my mind that my kids have nothing but love for Gelarti by Moose Toys.

Designed with kids and parents in mind, Gelarti allows children to paint, peel, place, remove and reuse their uniquely designed stickers without leaving messy residue behind. Perfect for brightening rainy days or beating the heat while inspiring creativity, these unique clings arrive with their own specially formulated paint so that kids can customize and decorate them until they are just right to place nearly anywhere.

When a large package of great new additions to the Gelarti collection of products arrived, the bright colors and cute sticker options caught my girls' attention right away, bringing an immediate need for craft time.

Including the Gelarti Designer Studio, Gelarti Activity Pack, Gelarti 3D Glow-in-the-Dark Designer Series, Gelarti Glitter Designer Series and a Gelarti Scene Pack, we were thrilled to dive right in to get painting.

As each pack comes with everything you need to get started, it didn't take long looking over the paints, marbling tools, sticker sheets, Designer Studio's desk and 360° turntable, gems, 3D pieces and much more. The biggest question was where to start first!

Even though each of these Gelarti packs are recommended for ages 5 and up, I wasn't too worried that Little Sister B, at 4½, wouldn't be able to use and control the paints easily enough.

Sure enough, we found that the pens were just the right size for little hands and that without applying too much pressure, the paint came out slowly enough that staying within the lines wasn't a problem for her or Big Sister E.

I love that Gelarti sets are designed for open-ended creativity, giving users the control over picking each and every color, while also coming with illustrated instructions to help inspire and show how to create marbling, star or swirl effects.

Both girls had such a great time decorating page after page of Gelarti stickers that it was difficult to convince them to take a break to eat, to participate in any sort of other activity, or simply to save some for another day.

They just wanted to keep on painting and even ended up very sweetly collaborating together on a few of the pages!

Although just using the paints and the sticker sheets was completely fun, we did find that the addition of the Designer Studio made a good thing even better. It was so easy to slide a page into place and be able to turn it all the way around to easily reach whichever part was being painted.

As an extremely innovative and convenient bonus, my kids are thrilled about the way that the Designer Studio folds in half for easy storage and portability. They are both already talking about how excited they are to be able to bring this with them on our upcoming vacation!

Finally having to stop for dinner and bedtime, the girls reluctantly stopped painting their Gelarti stickers and left them to dry (it is recommended that they dry for at least six hours) overnight.

The following day, my young artists were thrilled to get to peel each sticker off and decorate the walls and windows. I hesitantly removed one to be sure that it wouldn't leave the typical sticky residue... and it didn't!

Instead, I was happy to let the girls add bright spots of color and cute design throughout the house and know that Big Sister E and Little Sister B can easily move them from the walls to the windows to the mirrors and more.

These most commonly have all ended up on the large window in the girls' playroom, making it easy for them to see them often and put the stickers through all sorts of cute stories and adventures!

Retailing between $12.99 and $19.99 the Gelarti collection by Moose Toys is available at major toy retailers nationwide, with some items exclusively sold at Toys 'R Us or at ToysRUs.com.

Both of my girls have had a blast with these paint-your-own stickers and I can't imagine any child who loves arts & crafts and being creative would feel any differently — we are definitely adding these to our short list of birthday gift ideas that are sure to please!

Thanks to the generosity of Moose Toys, one person will be able to provide an engaging and creative experience over and over again as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Gelarti Prize Pack* (ARV $80)!

*Prize Pack includes (1) Gelarti Designer Studio, (1) Gelarti Activity Pack, (1) Gelarti 3D Glow-in-the-Dark Designer Series, (1) Gelarti 3D Butterfly World and (1) Gelarti Glitter Designer Series

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A big thank you to Moose Toys for providing Gelarti products for me to review as well as a Gelarti Prize Pack for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

Wummelbox Subscription Arts & Crafts Service for Kids {Review & Giveaway}

Like pretty much all kids, my girls love getting hands-on with nearly any activity presented to them. Whether that means digging in the dirt, gluing together a craft masterpiece, cooking our next meal (and even washing the dishes afterward), or building a carefully constructed tower, they're happy as long as they can be a part of the action.

So, I'd like to say that I give them those opportunities at every turn... but that doesn't always happen. Sometimes it's just easier if I quickly make dinner on my own or plant flowers in the garden without them ending up strewn about the yard, you know? Not to mention that there are times that I look at craft supplies and know that I should be able to whip together something fun for my kids to do... but draw a blank.

Fortunately, there is an easy way for all of us to be happy. Thanks to Wummelbox, my kids can participate in entertaining, interactive activities that they'll be sure to enjoy, while I don't have come up with the idea or even try to find the materials. Instead, it all arrives in the mail perfectly designed to spark creativity, curiosity and imagination right out of the box.

A European-style subscription-based service for kids 3 to 8, Wummelbox delivers a monthly box of activities based on a particular theme (e.g. Nutrition, Music, or Color and Light) that provide the instant inspiration and materials needed for fun, hands-on learning — all in one box and right to your doorstep!

All of the projects and materials included in the boxes promote creativity and support a range of developmental skills such as feelings, senses, language, thinking and movement/motor skills... as well as being designed and tested by early childhood educators, designers and parents.

The result? Parents, as well as their children, can easily end up having a great time together building, exploring and creating.

Add in the fact that each Wummelbox is gender neutral and different each month, they include clear instructions and ALL of the materials needed for a child to create 3 or 4 projects, and that all materials are as eco-friendly as possible and meet the highest European and U.S. standards for toys, and you've clearly got a winning combination!

Knowing that my girls would be thrilled to receive a box of fun activities no matter what the theme, I was already looking forward to their response when this adorable box arrived at our door.

Opening up the Food and Nutrition-themed box, I was happy to find nicely wrapped individual packages waiting inside... and even a pair of scissors with a welcome note from Wummelbox mentioning that they might come in handy. How thoughtful!

As I looked over the included projects, I was glad to see that they were clearly laid-out with all of the materials and an instruction card that told me everything we needed to know.

I especially appreciated the "Wummel indicator" at the bottom of the project cards, which clearly shows how much parental help is required for that particular project.

Who wouldn't want to dive in and start creatively learning with fun like this?

After the girls and I finished reading about Wummel and the journey that he and his pal Hedgy take to discover the world of food and nutrition, we were excited to start with the Fruit and Veggie Game.

This game is just the right amount of art fun mixed with education, as Big Sister E and Little Sister B had no problem chatting along with me about the variety of fruits and vegetables depicted and how our foods grow.

At the same time, when they finished getting all of the pieces ready, they were happy to test their knowledge of which ones grow on trees and which grow in the field!

After having so much fun with the Fruit and Veggie Game, I knew that it would be a great extension of their love of art to move on to Head Chef, wherein they were able to design and color their own apron.

Using the provided textile crayons, both girls collaborated in drawing rainbows, our family, flowers, their names and more (it was a relief knowing that we could always wash out any mistakes with water!) and I finalized the results by running an iron over the entire thing.

Then my young chefs were ready to fill in their personal cookbook by drawing their favorite dishes and ingredients!

After much discussion over how fruits and vegetables are grown and cooked, it was time to move on to an activity that I was completely certain the girls would love, Grocery Store.

For this project, we began by using the provided felt, darning yarn and cotton wool to sew up four of our own colorful fruits and vegetables.

Next, using the Wummelbox, a cash register design and paper food, it only took a few minutes to turn the remaining supplies into a Wummel grocery store so that we could sell our fresh fruit.

Before long, the girls had included other pretend food to the mix and were having a great time buying and selling over and over again!

I'm not sure we could have had more fun with our Wummelbox! Not only were the activities entertaining for us to do together, the whole concept was the ultimate in convenience.

All of the inspiration and materials needed to provide creativity and curiosity were right there in the box... along with information about visiting the Wummel Zone online for additional ideas and video instructions to encourage further exploration. This one box can easily last us through multiple afternoons of active learning through play!

Wummelbox subscription packages include: Try A Wummel, a 1-month subscription for $39.95; Little Wummel, a 3-month subscription for $29.95 per month; and Big Wummel, a 12-month subscription priced at $23.95 per month and all include free shipping.

If you're looking to provide a child in your life with a gift that will keep on giving, Wummelbox is a great place to start! To find out more about all of their innovative boxes of fun, visit their website at Wummelbox.com and connect with them on Facebook.

Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will soon get to find out more about the inspiration, expertise, love and care that goes into each of these creative boxes as well, because...

One lucky person will win (1) Try A Wummel Wummelbox!

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A big thank you to Wummelbox for providing a Little Wummel subscription for me as well as (1) Wummelbox for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.