Make Your Holidays Merrier!
The all-new version of The Nice List is here!
The All-New Nice List is here!
Introducing The Nice List All Year and The Nice List Christmas Workbook!
THE NICE LIST: PAPER EDITIONS
The Nice List includes two separate notebooks:
The Nice List All Year: a gift-giving tracker to last for years to come
The Nice List Christmas Workbook: a planner for the entire Christmas season to keep you organized and help bring a little sanity to your holiday season
Both are available individually or together as a bundle and are designed to be used in a traveler’s notebook or independently.
FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE:
The Nice List books are designed so that they can be used in a traveler’s notebook -- a simple way to keep them together. For a limited time we will include a FREE handmade, upcycled traveler’s notebook with each purchase of The Nice List Bundle (while supplies last).
THE NICE LIST CHRISTMAS WORKBOOK INCLUDES:
How to Use The Nice List
How to Use The Christmas Workbook
November Calendars: weekly and monthly (undated)
December Calendars: weekly and monthly (undated)
Weekly To Do Lists for November and December (undated)
What Sparks Joy for You? Setting priorities for the holiday season
Budgeting worksheets: to establish a budget for your Christmas season — and for each gift, too
Coupons & Codes: tracker for holiday sales and discount codes
Giving Lists: to help you prioritize where you spend your money and on whom
Thoughts on Thoughtful Giving: ideas for gift giving and reducing the stress of the holidays
Thank You Note Tracker
Holiday Card Tracker
Menu Planners
Baking Planners
Shopping Lists
Blank pages for notes and planning
With a little planning and some careful thought before a gift is ever purchased, The Nice List can help you keep Christmas from spinning out of control and help you find the perspective you need. The Nice List helps you set deadlines to avoid high shipping charges and has a tool for tracking all of those promo codes and sale codes that start to flood your email inbox, too.
The Nice List All Year gives you a place to track all of the gifts you give the loved ones in your life -- not just at Christmas time. It is designed to be used for multiple years and can be purchased separately if you have more than 15 people in your life to track.
THE NICE LIST ALL YEAR INCLUDES:
How to use The Nice List
How to use The Nice List All Year
Giving Records for 15 people covering multiple years
The Nice List All Year is also designed to be used by anyone -- not just people who celebrate Christmas. From Hanukkah to Lunar New Year, Kwanzaa to Eid, and birthdays, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and more -- record every gift you give and make notes for coming occasions, too.
Plus, when you use The Nice List All Year year after year, you develop a record of your gift-giving, so you never give the same gift twice!
A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS PLANNER
Not only is The Nice List a beautiful planner, but it also comes with online tools including an extensive giving guide with gift suggestions in every budget for every person on your list — parents, inlaws, kids, friends, teachers. We have suggestions for them all and exclusive discount codes as well.
I love the Christmas season so much I have written what my husband described as my “love letter to Christmas” — The Nice List!
Order your copy of The Nice List today, and give yourself the gift of a very organized and holiday season!
Online Summer Camps for Kids 2021
Just because your kids are staying home doesn’t mean they have to be bored. Check out these great summer camps online for kids all the way through high school!
Last summer I found some incredible online summer camps for kids. Bambino had a wonderful summer of activity and learning and fun — all of which allowed my husband and I to have a relatively productive summer, too. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we have decided that online camps are the way to go again this summer, and I’ve found a variety of great places to recommend — some we did last year and some are new!
One of our favorite places to do summer camp has always been at museums. And museums often rely on summer camp admissions to fund their education and outreach programs for the year. So I’m delighted to be able to support some of our favorite museums again this summer!
And a bonus: you can do camps at museums all over the country! Just make sure the times work for your family. I almost registered Bambino for a camp on the East Coast before realizing that it would start at 6 am our time — that would never work for our family, but it might be perfect for yours!
This list isn’t comprehensive, but if you are looking for online camps for your kids, this is a great place to start. Check with the museums in your area (or farther away) to see what they may be offering as well as your favorite:
Universities and colleges
Private schools
Public schools
Arts organizations
Museum & Arts Camps Online
Charles M. Schulz Museum | California
Last year Bambino took several drawing classes at the Charles M. Schulz museum, and they were FABULOUS! He was enthralled and active for hours, giggling and producing super-fun artwork! He particularly loved classes taught by cartoonist Joe Wos who was both entertaining and instructive. I listened in and was truly impressed by both the instruction and the cartoons they produced. Bambino has spent the year since creating his own cartoons, too. It’s been wonderful! The Charles M. Schulz Museum has several offerings again this summer. Just remember: they are in California, so adjust the times as necessary for your timezone!
School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Illinois
You know that scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when they are wandering through the museum… THAT’s the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s one of the best art museums in the world, and I suspect their summer of online art camps will be exceptional, too. They have online offerings for kids as young as 4 years old — all the way through high school. They also have adult classes, too. And there’s a Family Camp which I’m really interested in — spend a week doing art with your kids with someone else being in charge!
Met Opera Global Summer Camp | New York
So the Met Opera isn’t technically a museum… but last year they offered a FREE camp all summer! I’m leaving this here in hopes that they will do the same again this year. Each week focuses on a different opera starting with Hansel and Gretel. There are discussion sessions, a craft session led online, and then opportunities to watch the opera. For the budding musician in your home, this is an amazing opportunity! There are two meeting times for different ages, and some of the Met’s stars are coming as guest artists, too.
I want to do this summer camp!!
The Loft | Minnesota
The Loft is a venerated institution in Minnesota dedicated to writing and writers. This summer all of their programming is online, and they have some incredible options for kids all the way through high school. Some of their programs are offered in conjunction with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, too. So fantastic! Their class list includes creating picture books for young writers and writing ACT essays for high school kids — and everything in between! Oh, and they also have great writing workshops for adults, too!
Joslyn Art Museum | Nebraska
For the second summer, the Joslyn Art Museum is offering some online camps for kids of all ages. Their selection is somewhat limited, but the camps look fantastic, so scurry over to sign up before they are all sold out!
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts | Pennsylvania
If they didn’t start so early in the morning for us, Bambino would be doing a bunch of these camps! If you are on the East Coast or Central time zone (or if your kids are naturally early birds), PAFA’s offerings are fantastic! Their range of camps for kids 6-14 includes a Disney drawing camp, painting, illustration, and fundamentals of graphic design. PLUS, these are such a value for the money. The camps largely run from 9 am - 3 pm EST and are quite reasonably priced. They even offer a payment plan!
San Jose Museum of Art | California
From their website: “Our campers will get a rare glimpse into working artists' studios for live demos, tutorials, studio tours and Q&As. Artists Diana Al-Hadid, Kathy Aoki, Kathryn Otoshi, Hayal Pozanti, Jason Sturgill, and Imin Yeh will be guest artists during each week of camp! Several of them are featured in SJMA exhibitions, South East North West: New Works from the Collection and Break + Bleed.”
Every week has a different theme, and they have guest artists as well as a STEM consultant who provides an art + science lesson each week. Awesome! Their schedule is great, too. You could enroll your child in camp for either mornings or afternoons all summer long, and every week will be different.
The Bronx Zoo | New York
Seriously, people. This sounds amazing! From the website: “Our Wildlife Camp Online is full of fun and learning about the world of animals, nature, and science. During the week of camp, campers will engage in counselor-led engagement and self-directed activities including up-close animal encounters, virtual exhibit and behind the scenes visits from all of our WCS zoos and aquarium, chats with our staff, hands-on science projects, crafts, and songs. Some of the activities will be scheduled at specific times and others will allow your child to engage in them at the pace that works for your child.”
California Science Center | California
The California Science Center is a fabulous museum, and their online camps sound really fun. All classes are led by trained educators and include “Interactive virtual tours of exhibits, live demonstrations, and exclusive question and answer sessions with our on-site scientists and animal care staff!”
Sounds amazeballs!
The Library Foundation of Austin | Texas
Writing is such an important skill for kids, and summer is a fabulous time for some intensive creative writing work! Last year Bambino did a Badgerdog session, and it was WONDERFUL! He is already signed up again for this summer. The Library Foundation offers some incredible writing camps for kids all the way through high school. They are affordable, too! Offerings include a poetry and film workshop, Screenwriting 101, Mythology, Slam Poetry, and the famed Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp.
If only parents could sign up…
Cleveland Museum of Natural History | Ohio
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s virtual camps this year are for grades 6-12. They offer both a medical camp and astronomy camp, too. If you have middle and high school students, here’s a great opportunity for STEM learning over the summer!
Frankly, we had such a wonderful experience with online summer camps last summer, and sadly some of our favorites are all in-person this year. I hope museums and other organizations consider making online options a permanent part of their offerings. It allows kids from all over the country to take advantage of their resources! Last summer Bambino attended camps in California, two different cities in Texas, Colorado, and Minnesota — all from our home in Colorado.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. If your local school or museum or university is sponsoring programs that are amazing, leave a link in the comments! Let’s all help each other and help our kids have a wonderful summer — safe at home!
And share this link with anyone you know who has kids at home this summer!
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Documenting Your COVID-19 Experience
Ideas for documenting and preserving your COVID-19 experiences.
Here we are, friends, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending on where you live, it may be longer than that for you. For our family, our pandemic experience started just over a year ago with a final trip to the grocery store, a new refrigerator, and the end of in-person school. I’ve been thinking a lot about the changes that have happened over the last year, and that led me to develop a project I’m excited to share with you:
The Stay at Home Club: a COVID-19 Journaling Project
Whether you are a regular journal keeper or a complete novice, this is a historic opportunity to document your experiences for yourself — and for posterity.
This journaling project is very simple. All you need is a blank book, something to write with, and the PDF of questions and prompts — a free download which I’ve created to help you. Our family is working on the journaling project together. I want to include everyone’s perspectives and experiences. But this could be a solo project as well.
You’ll find all of the details at the link below. It includes some videos that can help you get started, a few photos of what we have started, and suggestions for supplies, too.
Not only is this an exciting project, but it is also my first collaboration with Owl and Ember! Owl and Ember is a new enterprise I am beginning with a dear friend, Holly Kennedy. We are starting small — an Etsy sticker shop — but we have really big ideas!
The shop just launched, and we have the cutest COVID badges for The Stay at Home Club! How did you earn your crafting badge this year? What about cooking? Check out The Stay at Home Club badges and all of the cute stickers at Owl and Ember by clicking the link below!
Be well! Stay safe!
XO
Angela
The Nice List 2020: Three Ways to Plan!
This year we have three ways to use The Nice List and get organized for Christmas — plus stickers!
three ways to plan your holiday season this year!
Plus stickers!
So many of you have bought The Nice List over the years, and for that I am so very thankful! I hope The Nice List has become part of your holiday season -- bringing a little order and sanity to a crazy time.
I have been sitting on so many fun secrets this fall, and it is finally time to reveal it all! With the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the challenges of 2020, there have been some changes to The Nice List, but I think these changes will make planning for the holidays even more fun, creative, and simple.
The biggest secret of the year: there are THREE ways to use The Nice List this year! And everything is for sale NOW!
Three Christmas Planners for 2020
Announcing The Nice List Digital Planner!
Holly Kennedy, my graphic design partner-in-crime (@messymamaholly), and I are so excited to announce The Nice List Digital Planner -- a whole new way to make a list and check it twice! The Nice List Digital Planner works on your tablet or computer and is designed to be used with GoodNotes or Noteshelf. Equipped with all of the goodness of the paper version of The Nice List, The Nice List Digital Planner includes pages which can be duplicated and rearranged making the planner customizable and very easy to use.
Available in two different color schemes, the design is clean and cheerful with plenty of room for digital stickers, notes, photographs, and anything else you may want to add. Oh, and we also have digital sticker sets -- read on!
The Nice List PDF: A Christmas Printable Planner
As we have in the past, we are also offering The Nice List 2020 in a printable PDF format. This option is great for those of you who already have a planner system you love or who prefer using a binder. Perhaps you need larger print? Or you really like to customize your planning? Well, this is the version for you!
Both the Digital and Printable PDF versions are updated with some pandemic-specific ideas and tools as well as room for individualizing and personalizing your planning which makes it all even more fun!
The Nice List: the Original Christmas Planner
Maybe you are a paper planner person and love the paper version. Fear not! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to source the paper versions of The Nice List this year, but we have a limited supply of 2018 and 2019 books which we are selling at a deep discount just for the paper enthusiasts. Adjust the dates on the calendar pages, and you’ll be ready to go. Choose from a red cover or green cover.
But wait! There’s more!
Christmas Planner Stickers
Announcing The Nice List Sticker Shop!
We can’t introduce a digital planner without digital stickers! So we are launching two amazing sets of digital stickers with artwork by Holly Kennedy and Jone Hallmark to make your digital planning all the more festive. If you haven’t used digital stickers before, they are super easy and fun as you plan in GoodNotes or Noteshelf. Using these stickers, you can decorate any page as you like and use the reminder stickers and planning stickers to make your pages even more functional as well as festive. Each sticker set includes three pages of stickers which can be used over and over again in any digital planner -- not just The Nice List.
Coming soon: printed planning stickers & vinyl stickers!
In just a few weeks we will have planner stickers and vinyl stickers available for purchase as well. Stickers for everyone! Stay tuned for that fun announcement, too!
So no matter how you decide to plan this holiday season, we have you covered!
Additionally, the 2020 Nice List Thoughtful Giving Guide will be coming soon with gift suggestions for everyone on your list -- and a whole list of pandemic-specific ideas for making your holidays even better during this strange time.
Questions? Just ask!
Until then, be safe, and wear a mask!
XO
Angela
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The One Room Challenge Begins!
Exciting news! The Fall 2020 One Room Challenge has begun! Check out all of the details!
You can get all the details on the One Room Challenge and my projects here:
I hope you will stop by!
XOXO
A
Ah, the End of Summer!
Tips for at-home learning, a tutorial for comfortable face masks, and more!
Hello, friends! Here we are at the end of August. It’s a bittersweet time made more so by the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic.
Many of you have children and teens in your life: children, grandchildren, friends. Those children are headed back to school in one form or another — and it is likely they will have a very disrupted year this year. So I offer these words as a former teacher and now parent: it is ok that this year is different. To expect anything else just isn’t fair to anyone. It is different, and we must bend, adjust, and adapt accordingly. It isn’t going to be easy, but we can do it.
And to all of you teachers out there: I am thinking of you and praying for you. This isn’t the career you imagined, I know.
As for us: we will be doing school at home, online, for the foreseeable future. I’m comfortable with this and hope it will be a good experience for Bambino. With that in mind, I have created a range of resources for families doing school at home. Whether your children start out at home or transition to at-home learning, I hope these resources will be helpful for the children and families in your life.
And since kids of all ages, and adults, too, need comfortable face masks, here’s my face mask guide as well as a video tutorial on how to make any face mask more comfortable for all-day wear.
Be safe out there, friends! I hope you are well! Wear a mask, stay home, and take care of yourself!
Hugs!
Angela
Make Any Face Mask More Comfortable
Make any face mask more comfortable with this easy, no-sew hack! All you need is elastic!
Great for Kids at School | Keep Any Face Mask on All Day
Simple no-sew tutorial to convert face masks with ear loops into a mask that will stay on and is much more comfortable.
For anyone who is looking for a comfortable way to wear a face mask for a long time: here's a quick fix solution. In our family, we can’t stand ear loops, and personally I can't imagine a whole classroom of kids with ear loops constantly coming off! So here's an easy no-sew solution to convert the ear loops using elastic. We all wear masks like this, and they are quite comfortable!
I hope this is helpful for you and your family! It’s so important that we all wear face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, and making them as comfortable as possible makes this even easier!
Be safe!
Angela
Some other posts you might enjoy:
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School Supplies for School at Home
School at home is a new experience for us all! Check out this list of school supplies to make sure your children have what they need at home to start the school year off right!
It’s almost time for school again, and as many of us face school from home, lots of people are asking: what do I need to buy for my kids? Your school may send home a supply list. If so: buy the supplies! Being prepared for school is important, and during a pandemic we need to limit our trips to the store for that last forgotten item as much as possible!
If your school has not provided a supply list, however, here are the standard supplies we keep around the house for school work and creative activities, too.
For more on organizing your school supplies and doing school successfully at home, click this link:
Planners
I am a big believer in a good planner. Planning work and tracking progress can be the difference between success and struggle. For parents, tracking the work and expectations for one child or several can be a bit overwhelming. I turned to the Whaley Planbook to track Bambino’s assignments. It is simple, straightforward, and inexpensive. It can be used for multiple students — or just one. For middle and high school students who can learn to do their own planning, I like the Passion Planner. This is the planner I use in my daily life, but there is an Academic edition which is perfect for older students.
For more on planners, how to use them, and my favorite planner tools, check out this link:
All Ages
These are the supplies we keep in the house for school and other projects. Your school may have previously supplied a lot of these things, so keeping them on hand and organized can help make school a lot smoother at home.
Elementary School
Many of these items may have been supplied by your child’s school. They may expect you to have these things at home to complete assignments.
Middle & High School
Depending on you child’s school requirements, they may ask for more specialized items. But this is a good general starting place for middle and high school grades.
However you and your family are embarking on school for the year, I wish you all the best. Remember, it can’t possibly all be the same, so give yourself and your child some grace as you begin this unprecedented voyage.
