15+ Kid-Friendly April Fools' Day Pranks for Families

April Fools' Day is the end of this week (Friday, April 1st), so now is the time to prepare to prank your kids.

According to LiveScience, "Scientists say it's not only OK, but such humor plays an important role in American culture and society, and also helps humans bond with each other."

If done correctly, this can be a day full of silliness and fun. Your kids will laugh about the pranks you pulled on them for years to come.

How Did April Fools' Day Begin

Historians believe April Fools' Day may have started as early as 1582, but there are many theories about why it began.

According to The History Channel, April Fools' Day may have started for the following reasons:

• "When France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. […] People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called 'April fools.'"

• "Historians have also linked April Fools' Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele."

• "There's also speculation that April Fools' Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather."

Today, April Fools' Day is celebrated worldwide with people doing silly pranks and then shouting, "April Fools!" to those being pranked.

Understand the Point

It's important to understand that the point of April Fools' Day is to laugh. It isn't to mock, make fun, or belittle.

April Fools' Day pranks should be harmless. If the prank will cause your child to cry, then it is a prank you should avoid.

Parents should also understand that kids will most certainly try to prank their parents back – so play along!

Kid-Friendly April Fools' Day Pranks

1. Change the Alexa Wake Up Word: Super easy but very annoying

2. Put Googly Eyes on Everything: Add eyes to their lunch, foods in the pantry, etc.

3. Use Food Coloring Liberally: Turn their milk blue, change the color of the toilet bowl water

4. Plastic Wrap Doors: When they are asleep on March 31st, plastic wrap their door for a morning surprise.

5. Shift the Morning Alarm: Wake kids up way before their normal time, and then once they start getting ready, yell "April Fools!"

6. Write a Hidden Message on Toilet Paper: Unfold the toilet paper, write a funny note, and reroll the TP

7. Balloon Door Trap: Blow up a bunch of balloons and use painter's tape to secure them in a cage on their bedroom door. When they open the door, all the balloons will fall out.

8. Amazing Growth Spurt: Lay out clothing that is a few sizes too big

9. Serve Brown E's: Tell the kids you made brownies and watch them discover paper cut into the letter E

10. Give Them a Frozen Breakfast: Freeze a bowl of cereal with milk and spoon

11. Bust Out the Fake Bugs: Hide fake bugs strategically around the house

12. Short Sheet the Bed: While kids are at school or in the bath, short sheet the bed that evening.

13. Fill Their Pillowcase: Take their pillow out of their pillowcase and refill their case with balloons

14. Sit Out Whoopie Cushions: Place whoopie cushions in their seats

15. Prepare a Moldy Sandwich: Use green food coloring to make their bread look moldy

16. Make Undrinkable Juice: Prepare grape jelly in juice cups and watch them try to drink it

17. Put a Honk Sign on Your Car: Place a "Honk for April Fools' Day" sign on your car

18. Have a Ridiculous Argument: Start a silly argument, such as "No! You can't wear shoes to school today."

Have Some Safe Halloween Fun at Chuck E. Cheese

Halloween 2020 is looking like it is going to be a little bit different than Halloweens of the past. But if you are anything like me, you are doing everything you can to make the 2020 holiday seem as normal as you can. While many events have been canceled and trick or treating is up in the air, there is one event that has saved Halloween for my family – the Chuck E. Cheese Halloween Boo-Tacular.

I am happy to tell Halloween-loving families that you can safely celebrate all things spooky and fun at Chuck E. Cheese this year! They have made it possible for families to dress up in costume, play, dance, trick or treat, and eat without being afraid. The scariest thing about it is that the fun ends after October.

Read on to see why this is a must-do for families this October!

All the Chuck E. Cheese Fun You Love, Plus Spooky Entertainment

The reason Chuck E. Cheese is still just as popular as when you were a kid is because it is still just as fun! Chuck E. Cheese has everything kids love – arcade games, pizza, characters, and music. And, they have amped up the fun for Halloween! For example, there is un-spooky Halloween décor, photo spots, and free treat bags filled with candy, stickers, and other fun surprises for every kid in a costume.

My family had a blast! I already know it will be the most memorable thing we do this Halloween and an event we will never forget. Here’s why.

At the Boo-Tacular, all of your kid’s favorite characters join in a new show: Mr. Munch's Monster Mash-Up featuring Chuck E.'s Boo-tastic Dance. In addition to being Halloween-themed, they have also included special social distancing content for this year. Your kids will be able to safely dance along while spaced six feet apart (or more).

The fun doesn’t stop there! For Boo-Tacular, evening weekend guests get to enjoy DJ Munch’s Glow Party. Starting at 6 PM on Fridays and Saturdays in October, the lights are dimmed, and the glow party begins! The $14.99 entrance fee includes special glow gear in their treat bag – glow bracelets and glow tattoos. Guests attending the Glow Party also get to visit three touchless trick or treat stations.

Pumpkin Pizzas and More on a Special Halloween Menu

Kids love pizza, but you know what they love even more? Pumpkin-shaped pepperoni pizza with a Jack-O-Lantern smile! While we thought the pumpkin pizza was super fun, my family really loved the Halloween-themed desserts on the menu, like the Dippin' Dots® Eye Scream, Boo-tacular Oreo® Brownie, and the candy corn cotton candy. The special menu made it feel like a festive party.

Chuck E. Cheese Halloween Boo-Tacular: Safe Not Scary

2020 has been scary, but I am happy to say the Chuck E. Cheese Halloween Boo-Tacular is safe and not at all scary. During our visit, I was so impressed with how they are managing the safety of their guests. We really felt they went above and beyond. Here is a list of the ways they are keeping guests safe during this strange time:

• Temperature checks taken upon entrance

• All guests asked to wear their masks

• Hand sanitizing stations throughout

• All games are spaced out

• Team members sanitize all play and dining areas as well as restrooms continuously

• In-store contactless payments

Plus, Chuck E. Cheese has also installed upgraded hospital-grade air-filters at each of their open locations and is limiting capacity.

Safety is a top priority when it comes to deciding which Halloween events my family will attend, and Chuck E. Cheese did a fantastic job of making this mom feel safe and worry less.

Staying In? Party at Home with Chuck E. Cheese and KIDZ BOP

We had so much fun that my girls are already asking to go back. I think it is time to let some other families enjoy the in-store fun, but I have big plans to get a Boo-tacular Family Party Package to celebrate all over again at home. The package includes:

• Two large one-topping pizzas, a Boo-tacular Oreo® Brownie, two treat bags each including $5 in games to use on your next visit, as well as a free KIDZ BOP® Halloween activity sheet and glow in the dark temporary tattoos to enjoy at home for just $39.99.

Chuck E. Cheese is going out of their way to make sure families can enjoy the same level of fun while at home, even offering interactive activities, videos, crafts, and more through their website. Plus, they are pairing up with another favorite for my kids – KIDZ BOP! With this combo, you get all the pizza party fun + Halloween + KIDZ BOP entertainment.

Like I said, Chuck E. Cheese saved Halloween!

The 6 Best Types of Birthday Gifts for Adults

I recently celebrated a birthday. Another long year and another long number added to my age. I believe birthdays should be celebrated – no matter how many birthdays you have had. 😉

Unfortunately, I have noticed that as we get older, we celebrate birthdays less and less. I’m here to say – no more! Birthdays are not just for kids or milestone birthdays!

But, let’s face it. It is hard, as an adult, to decide how to celebrate an adult’s birthday. What do you give a woman who already has everything she needs? (Keyword – needs NOT wants.)

If you have a birthday coming up or are searching for ideas for a friend’s upcoming birthday, I proudly present the 6 best types of gifts for adults. We each have a celebration type – look through the six ideas below to see which one best fits.

A Grown-Up Party

Does your loved one love a good party? If so, then a grown-up birthday party is a great choice for celebrating the birthday gal. Replace the kid’s party themes with fancy décor. Swap kid’s foods for an elaborate spread, a five-course dinner, or delicious hors d'oeuvres with adult beverages. Some people like nothing more than partying by their friends and family. If this sounds like your loved one, a party’s the way to go.

Travel to Somewhere Special

Does your loved one have the travel bug? Has she always wanted to go somewhere exotic? Birthdays are the perfect excuse for traveling. Just make sure you choose to travel to somewhere special for the birthday girl. I was lucky enough to be traveling in Japan for my birthday this year – I highly recommend it!

The Perfect Present

Is your loved one’s love language gifts? If so, then it is time to go shopping! For many women, receiving the perfect present shows them they are loved and known. When it comes to shopping for the perfect present, do not look for things she needs. Instead, this is when you buy the special items she wants.

The Gift of Experience

Does your loved one have a thirst for adventure? Rather than throwing a big party or searching for the perfect present, this person will be happiest with a gift of experience. Think adventures such as sky-diving or snorkeling or seeing a Broadway show.

A Day of Rest

Does your loved one work her butt off day in and day out taking care of everyone else but herself? If so, then you should treat her to a day of rest. For some women, this may mean sleeping in and breakfast in bed. For others, this may mean a day at the spa or a day alone.

Act Like a Kid

Now, there are times when it is perfectly appropriate (and absolutely necessary) to act like a kid. If your friend is feeling especially old on her birthday, this may be just the right moment to remind her that she isn’t. Take her to an amusement park or out to the dive bar you frequented in college.

Which of these 6 birthday gifts appeals to you the most? Let me know in the comments!

Spending a Nickelodeon Sunny Day creating fabulous hairstyles!

This post is sponsored by Nickelodeon.  The content and opinions expressed below are that of Inrachelshoes.

Talented 10-year-old Sunny Day is a master hairstylist and salon owner. With her friends Rox and Blair and a can-do attitude, Sunny is ready to save the day—one hairdo at a time! Their teamwork and exchange of ideas is such a great example for kids, tune in and watch Sunny Day weekdays on Nickelodeon! 

When picking shows for my girls to watch and enjoy I like shows that are fun, but they also need to teach a valuable lesson.  Following a role model, a child can learn a lot about themselves which will help them towards their future.  What kid wouldn’t learn life lessons taught by their FAVORITE character on TV!  Nickelodeon’s show “Sunny Day” for instance is one of the top on my list.

The thing about “Sunny Day” that my husband and I love for the girls are the messages that are being conveyed to the kids through the plots and characters of the show. Being that Sunny, the main character on the show is a hairstylist, she is always looking for inspiration and is constantly journeying through her creative process of coming up with new hairstyles.  I like that when my girls are watching the show on Nick Jr., they are learning what it means to be original and how ideas can come from the most trivial things that you would never expect.  I sometimes overhear the two of them coming up with creative projects and how they’ve been inspired by something in outdoors and on their tablets. 

Another key idea that “Sunny Day” hones in on is the significance of uniqueness by showing that being different or looking different can be a good thing.  In this day and age I think it’s very important for our kids to understand that there is beauty in everyone, no matter the color of your hair, skin, eyes, and clothes.  There is great diversity that’s exhibited in the show and my husband and I really enjoy that about the show.  And it’s a lot of fun too! As Sunny would say - “Keep Smiling, Keep Styling”!

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I wanted to have some fun and create some Sunny Day-inspired hairstyles and here’s some tutorials to help you put your daughter’s hair in an awesome and fun way!

Maddie’s Hair Tutorial :

Step 1: Split the hair into three sections, creating an upside down “V” with the middle section of the parted hair. Then tie up the middle section to keep it out of your way.

Step 2: French braid the right and left parted sections while you still have the middle section tied up out of your way. 

Step 3: Now you should have the two sides French braided and the middle section (that was tied)  flowing free—or if you prefer to keep it tied, you can do it that way as well—and then braid the two side braids and the middle section into ONE braid. 

Step 4: Add some pizazz! You can add some Sunny Day bow clips and clip them to the top of the left and right braid. For more color, add some Sunny Day colored extensions, and tuck the into the braid, or you can even braid them in! If you want some color without extensions, you can rub some colored hair chalk on the hair (thought it works better with lighter hair)

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 Olivia’s Hair Tutorial:

Step 1: Split hair into two equal sections, all the way. 

Step 2: French braid both sections as if you were going to braid French pigtails, but stop midway and tie them with small hairbands.

Step 3: Add some Sunny Day color extensions all around the already braided part of the hair. (I would recommend 6-8 extensions maximum cuteness.)

Step 4: Take out the hair band of one braid and finish braiding down to the end while braiding in the extensions. Repeat on the other side. 

Step 5 (optional): Twist up each braid up (as if you were twisting a bun) and use a small clip or bobby pin to hold it up. Repeat on the other side. 

**For more Sunny Day inspired styles, check out the Style Files on Nickjr.com/sunny-day

**For more Sunny Day content and episodes, check out http://nickjr.com/sunny-day! **

Final snowstorm of the winter...oop I mean first day of Spring!

Just when we thought we were ready for spring, mother nature sent us a quick reminder that just because we’re ready, doesn’t mean that she is! I had my fingers crossed that this week was going to be the first of the spring weather we’ve been expecting. I had just put away their Moncler and Canada goose jackets, ready to shift their wardrobes into spring; so ready to just take the girls out to the park without having to lug around extra scarves, gloves, and hats so they don’t get too cold. Lone and behold, we are hit with another big snowstorm!

 Though, as much as we all like to express how inconvenient a snow storm is for us adults, we can’t deny that a snow day for the kids is something they wait on all winter. To be honest, I felt like a child myself when I heard that of the severity of the storm.  Knowing the girls would have a snow day it gave me an excuse to take the day off as well to spend it with them. So my husband and I gave in to the weather, and cancelled all the plans we had for our day allowing our entire family a day of fun in the snow! And what a day it was, thanks to Toby. Our world had been blanketed with enough snow to all the snow things that our girls love. We had snowball fights, built forts, and even a snowman, which of course, the girls named Olaf (how original). It’s funny how kids never seem to realize how cold it is when they’re playing in the snow. They play and play until their cheeks are all rosy, and their snot is running down the little noses. Thankfully their coats were not put away too far, and we still had their Sorel boots in the closet, which assured me despite their looks, they were kept especially warm in their snow-ready clothes. How un-expectantly grateful I was to have this snow day with the entire family. It’s a great opportunity for us grown-ups to feel like kids again and roll around with our little ones; to remember what it’s like to have so much fun in the snow that you don’t even feel you’re cold until you come inside. And my most treasured part of a day like yesterday, is when everyone is back in their pajamas, dry from the icy snow, sipping Swiss Miss hot chocolate to warm our hearts while telling stories to my little snowbunnies!

Enjoying family time with my girls with Ivory

This post is sponsored by Ivory. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Inrachelshoes.

Like many of the women of our world today who are both working and being a mom and wife, it’s easy to find ourselves running around from one thing to another. Whether it be dropping the kids off at school, grocery shopping, or picking up the dry cleaning, I think it’s safe to say  as women, we have many responsibilities to fulfill leaving us ever so busy without us even realizing it! Through the strong love we have for those who are important in our lives, we have an intrinsic obligation to Go! Go! Go! and constantly strive and work so hard to keep those who are around us safe, happy and well. From the world looking in, we mothers can seem like superwomen, and yes, while we do have super hero qualities, we are worrywarts! Naturally, I want the best for my two girls; I am always trying make sure that whatever products we are using are pure and natural at best, to say the least. Though, when I find a brand I can trust and believe in, it leaves me a great deal less to be worrying and thinking about. It allows me the mental space in my mind to really enjoy the small moments.

One of the simplest most treasured moments in my day is when I get to spend the quality time of bathing my two girls. They both have very sensitive skin, especially my little one, and I used to always find myself worrying about the products I would use to bath them, that maybe the ingredients were too strong, or contained additives or scents that would irritate their skin. It was until I discovered Ivory for instance, a brand I can trust my girls with giving me the peace of mind whenever I was washing them. When I purchase any of their products, I know I will be bathing my girls with the most caring, gentle cleansers designed to seriously clean with sensitivity. Their ingredients are chosen carefully, reassuring me that I make the right decisions for my family.  Ivory’s products allow me to be invested in just spending a carefree quality bath time.  We’ve recently been using Ivory’s Original Body Wash and Original 3-bar, both are free of dyes and heavy perfumes, which is perfect for sensitive skin. I’ve also enjoyed using the Ivory Free & Gentle Body Wash with Pear & Sandalwood, as it smells amazing and includes the #1 Dermatologist-Recommended moisturizing ingredient.

We need to realize life for its simpler pleasures and Ivory makes it easy for me to fill my life with moments that really matter!