1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking
powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the margarine with a
pastry cutter. Or use a vegetable grater to grate the stick into the
mixing bowl and let your kids take turns blending the margarine into the
dry ingredients with their fingertips. Once the dough is crumbly,
slowly stir in the milk.
2. Turn out the dough onto a floured working surface and gently roll or pat
the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle (it should measure about 6 x 8
inches). For the best results, handle the dough as little as possible.
3. Slice the rectangle into four 1-1/2- x 8-inch strips. Place the strips
on an ungreased baking sheet, then let your child mold and curve them
into S shapes that resemble snakes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the
bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the baked shortcakes to a wire rack
(a parent's job) and let cool. Carefully slice the cooled shortcakes in
half lengthwise or split them with a fork and then set aside.
4. Wash the strawberries and let your kids select four to use for the
snakes' heads. Slice the rest of the berries lengthwise into a mixing
bowl. Toss with the confectioners' sugar and let stand while you prepare
the whipped cream.
5. Combine the whipping cream and confectioners' sugar in a chilled bowl
and beat with an electric or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
6. Just before serving, arrange berries on the bottom half of each
shortcake, then cover with the shortcake top. Spread on whipped cream
and add a layer of sliced strawberry "scales."
7. For the snakes' heads, cut mouth openings in the tips of the whole
berries and place one at the end of each shortcake. Press a pair of mini
chocolate chip or M&M's eyes into the sides of each head and add a
forked tongue cut from green fruit leather. Serves 4.
Have everybody heard about some people losing their internet tomorrow, Monday? Apparently in 2011 a virus was set out to steal IP addresses. The government busted the people behind it and built lots of new servers to fix what the hackers had "rewired". But now they are closing down the back up, which means that if your computer is infected with the virus that was let out in 2012, then your computer will not be able to access the internet on Monday! There is a way to fix it. Below is an article I found on my local news webpage. Check it out and then click the link to make sure your computer stays in working order!!
Will You have Internet on Monday? When the computer trojan virus, DNSChanger, creators were arrested over 8 months ago the FBI began shutting down domains that may have been affected by the DNSChanger malware.
The virus, which has been circulating the web from as far back as 2007,redirects internet traffic to sites with paid advertisements where cybercriminals can hack into unprotected computers.
Authorities say some 275,000 computers are still at risk.
On Monday, the FBI's temporary Internet servers will go dark, leaving thousands of unsuspecting malware-infected individuals without online access.
Is your computer safe? Click here to check with the NS Changer Working Group (DCWG)
For a list of other safety tools, click here
Whats more fun than running around outside on a summer night chasing lightning bugs?? Catching them and putting them in jars for safe keeping! Most of the time you would use one of the gallon mason jars... I have a new idea for you. How about Mini Lightning Bug Jars? Easy to hold in small hands and not likely to be dropped when running thru the yard. These can be made by the child, with your help with the knife, or you can make them for your kids yourself. The choice is yours!!!!!!
All you need is :
Baby Food Jars
Knife (Adult help/supervision is needed for putting the holes in the lid with knife.)
Permanent Markers *I used black and orange for stars and fireflies*(optional)
Stickers (optional)
Instructions :
Step 1 -->Make sure the jars are clean and dry.
Step 2 --> Get an adult to poke holes in the top of the lid so the lightening bugs can breath.
**If you would like then your jar is finished. Or you can go on to Step 3**
Step 3 --> Write your name on your jar if you would like and decorate with stickers or draw fireflies with black and orange markers.
The words with a * after them have more information about that place to item at the bottom of this blog.
Brooklynd and Ciara chasing Pigeons!
This Fourth of July, my family and I decided that we were going to Downtown Asheville* for the Ingles Fourth of July Celebration in Pack Square*. We got downtown alittle after 4:30pm (the festivities started at 4pm) It took us FOREVER to find a parking spot! That's the thing about downtown Asheville*, they don't have very many places to park and the spaces that are available cost! I'm a country girl, born and raised in Candler, which is right outside Asheville*, I'm use to parking lots that are free to park in. Not parking lots that have a guy sitting at the entrance asking for my money to park in one of the spots!! I'm also not a fan of putting money in one of those little meters and having to run back to your car every hour or so to add more money if you aren't done shopping/walking around. So we ended up parking in the Bank of America parking lot because I saw a sign that said "FREE parking for Bank of America Consumers Only!" Well the bank may not of been open at the time but Yes, we are Bank of America consumers and if anyone would of said anything to us we were planning on swiping out out bank cards and showing them the sign :0) The Celebration Grounds* were alittle over a mile from where we parked so we had to walk a bit. The kids didn't seem to mind. My daughters started chasing Pigeons!! The pigeons would just walk the streets and not budge when you walked past unless you were just a bit to close or coming after them lol! Brooklynd kept chasing them, she wanted to catch her a bird! She told me that she was going to safe it! I truly have no idea what that pigeon would of needed saving from except from her and her sister!! :0)
My girls with their butterfly wings, Aj was still waiting on his dog.
The balloon guy making Aj's balloon.
Once we got closer to Pack Square*, we saw this guy who had a flower balloon on his bead and a apron full of balloons around his waist! He was making balloon animals and such for tips. Brooklynd, Ciara and Aj HAD to have a balloon so we stopped. The girls ended up with Butterfly wings while Aj got a dog on a leash. Then off to the festivities we went! The first thing the kids seen was a big blow up slide! Before the kids could get on the slide we had to sign a weaver and get them a bracelet, so we did.. Easy Peasy! They all went on the slide (my youngest got scared and climbed back down the latter but the other 2 had fun) I was a bit upset to find out that Splashville* was closed :0( They had live music set up on the new walkway/stage they recently built in front of the court house, so the sound guy and all his buttons and such, were set up st the back of Splashville, where all the water should of been coming up. It ended up being a dance stage for all the kids to play and dance to the music on. These 3 young girls, I'd say they were between the ages of 8 to 10, came out onto Splashville platform with hula-hoops. And next thing I know they are hula-hooping to the music! I have to say, that I think of myself as a pretty good hula-hooper even though I'm 24 :0) But these girls had me beat by a long shot! They were swirling the hoop on their arms, head, legs, ect all while not missing a beat... unless one of the other kids ran into their hoop.... that seemed to happen often but the girls never seemed to get aggravated when their hula-hoop got hit and knocked to the ground. They hula hooped for a while, every now and then one of the girls would go sit down and then a few minutes later she would be back out there. My daughters wanted a hula hoop so they could hula-hoop dance with them :0) It was an awesome unexpected show to watch! We LOVED it! I got some of it on video and took alot of pictures!!
A guy from the music station Star 104.3 was there also. He was the one who announced the bands and done all the talking for the games that were set up every so often for the kids. One of the games was where the kids lined up in 4 lines. There were 4 buckets full of water and had a big sponge in each one. Further down the road were 4 more buckets that were empty with a fill line marked inside them. The point of the game was for each kid, one by one, to fill their sponge with water and run it to their empty bucket, squeeze out their water, then run back to their line and hand off the sponge to the next kid to do the same. The first team to get their bucket to the fill line wins! They also played that same game but with the kids stretched out between the buckets and passed the sponge down the line to the water bucket to get wet and back to the empty bucket to get squeezed out. Another game was with bouncy balls. Each team had 36 balls in a big bowl. One by one the kids would run to the other side of the game area and put their ball into the top of a orange traffic cone! That game took a while before it was over but the kids enjoyed it. They had prizes that were given out to the kids after all the games were over. They were suppose to be to only the winners but all the kids just ram-shacked the girls with the prize bowls and got a prize whither they won or not :0) They also had craft tables sets up along with face painting. The girls doing the face painting were not the best artists but the kids didn't mind. Once we started walking around, we noticed that since Splashville was closed, alot of the kids were playing in all the random fountains that Asheville has placed around and about downtown. So of course my kids run straight for one and starts playing. It wasn't long before someone walked over and told me to get my kids out of the fountain so we just moved on to the next one :0) I mean , COME ON!! It's 90 something degrees outside and everyone was expecting Splashville to be on, so most of the kids were in their bathing suits anyways! After a bit of water fun we walked back down to the grassy area near the stage and Splashville and sat down and enjoyed the music. Me and my girls got up and danced in front of the stage and on the water platform a few times! We had a BLAST!
The fireworks started alittle after 9:30pm. They were being shot off on the top of a parking deck not to far away. There was only one small tree in our way but the fireworks went up so far in the sky that it only barley blocked a few of the fireworks. I video-taped the whole show but I haven't had a chance to put it on my computer yet, when I do I will be sure to post it :0) After the fireworks, we started the walk back to the car. By that time it was almost 10pm and all 3 kids were sleepy and ready to go home. Ciara, my youngest, did not want to walk to the car but both her daddy and my hands were full so she had to walk anyways which didn't make her to happy but we made it back to our car to find it still sitting in the same spot :0) No flashing of bank cards needed :0) haha After a long day in downtown, I was happy to be at home. I have to say that 2012 is the best 4th of July we have had yet as a family!! I'm so happy that we decided to go Downtown and spend the day! And to top it off..... we didn't even spend $10 the whole day and had the time of our life's!!!!! We are defiantly planning to return to downtown next year for the 4th of July Celebration once again. We couldn't of made a better choice!!! (Of course we will return way before that for all the fun bars/clubs, diners, shopping and much much more!!!!)
Our 4th of July fun in downtown Asheville!!
*Asheville ~ A city in Western North Carolina known for the Biltmore Estate and called Beer City of America. www.ashevillenc.gov
*Pack Square ~ Downtown
Asheville's historic Pack Square has transformed into a beautiful
public park with 6.5 acres of public space for visitors to relax and
linger. In addition to the
Roger McGuire Green in front of City Hall and the County Building, the
new park has a large open green space on a slope overlooking the main
stage, three water features and original, large-scale art by regional
artists. There are many seating areas surrounded by native trees and
shrubs. A granite Veterans’ Memorial stands near the courthouse at the
northeast corner of the park.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about our 4th of July and we hope that your holiday was as wonderful as ours!!
All pictures were took by me and belong to me, Autumn B of *Thru My Eyes Photography*
Step 1-->Heat
oven to 350°F. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch
pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Step 2-->Line
cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add
frosting; mix well. Using 1-inch scoop, shape mixture into balls; place
on cookie sheet. Freeze about 45 minutes or until firm. When firm,
transfer to refrigerator.
Step 3--> In
1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave red candy melts uncovered on High 1
minute 30 seconds; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 15-second
increments until melted and smooth.
Step 4-->Remove
a few balls from refrigerator at a time. Using 2 forks, dip and roll 1
ball at a time in red coating. Return to cookie sheet; immediately
sprinkle with red sugar crystals. Dip a total of 28 cake balls in red
coating.
Step 5-->Repeat
melting instructions for white candy melts. Dip a total of 23 cake
balls in white coating; immediately sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
Step 6-->Repeat
melting instructions for blue candy melts. Dip remaining 12 cake balls
in blue coating; immediately sprinkle with blue sugar crystals.
Refrigerate all coated cake balls about 10 minutes or until set.
Step 7--> On
serving tray, arrange cake balls in flag pattern in 7 rows, starting
from the bottom: 1 row of 9 red balls, 1 row of 9 white balls, 1 more
row of 9 red balls, 1 more row of 9 white balls, 1 row of 4 blue balls
and 5 red balls, 1 row of 4 blue balls and 5 white balls, and 1 more row
of 4 blue balls and 5 red balls. Store tightly covered. Serve at room
temperature.
Colorful layers of flavored gelatin and whipped cream give our light and tasty dessert its banner good looks.
For four servings, make one
box each of red and blue gelatin according to the package directions. In
tall, clear glasses, alternate layers of red gelatin and whipped
topping (we used Cool Whip), as shown. Top with the blue gelatin. (For
the fruity version on our cover, substitute raspberries and
blueberries.) Finish with a slice of star fruit.
Create simple quacking noisemakers, and the kids can be ready for the fireworks or parade.
First, cup two 1 1/4-inch
lengths from a plastic drinking straw. Stretch a wide rubber band
lengthwise around a jumbo craft stick. Slide one straw piece beneath the
rubber band 1 1/4 inches from one end. Lay the other straw piece on top
of the rubber band 1 1/4 inches from the opposite end, as shown, then
sandwich it with another craft stick. Secure the sticks with more rubber
bands. Decorate the noisemaker with stickers if you like.
A spiked 4th of July Treat that will make anyone feel like a kid again! (Make sure that if you have kids at the party that you also make a kid friendly version also with water or juice instead of the alcohol ) You can also use others colors other than Red, White and Blue for other celebrations!
Ingredients
1 3 oz box strawberry gelatin dessert
1 3 oz box berry blue gelatin dessert
3 cups water
6 envelopes plain gelatin
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups ice cold fruit flavored vodka or rum
Directions
Pour each of the gelatin dessert mixes into a heat safe bowl and set aside.
Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with the 6 envelopes of plain gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two.
Heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes).
Pour
one cup of the plain gelatin mixture into the bowl containing the
strawberry gelatin mix. Stir for two minutes, or until the red gelatin
is dissolved. Repeat process with the blue gelatin. Add one cup of
the liquor to each bowl, stir well.
Pour the
sweetened condensed milk into the saucepan containing the rest of the
clear gelatin mixture. Add 1/2 cup of the liquor and stir well to
combine.
Lightly spray 4 1 lb loaf pans (about 8" x 5") with cooking spray. Wipe out with a paper towel.
Pour
3/4 cup of the red gelatin mixture into one of the prepared loaf pans.
Repeat with 3/4 cup of the blue gelatin mixture. Divide the white
gelatin between the remaining two pans. Place all the pans in
refrigerator until the gelatin is set (at least an hour).
Cover the liquid gelatins and set aside.
When the pans of gelatin have set, dice the gelatin into small cubes. (You can cut the gelatin right in the pan).
Mix
the diced gelatin and divide as desired between two of the loaf pans.
(I had two pans that were predominantly blue, and two that were
predominantly red cubes.)
Grab the liquid gelatin
(if it is starting to set up, microwave for 10 to 15 seconds - just
long enough to soften, not warm the gelatin - and stir thoroughly).
Pour the liquid gelatin, red in one pan, and blue in the other, to fill
about 3/4 of the way up the gelatin cubes. (You may have a little
liquid gelatin left over.) Return pans to refrigerator and allow to set
for several hours or overnight.
Remove pans
from the fridge. Cut around the edges of the pan, and invert the
gelatin slabs onto a non-stick surface for cutting.
Cut
the gelatin into 3/4 to 1" strips, wiggling your knife to give an
uneven edge (like rock candy). If you cut the strips too thin, they
will break when skewered.
Skewer each strip
with a lollipop stick - hold the gelatin gently at the sides, and insert
the stick almost all the way to the top. Place on a non-stick cookie
sheet and chill until ready to serve!
The method for Star Piñata Sugar Cookies is so easy, and even easier if you start with Pillsbury refrigerated Sugar Cookie dough (I used three 16.5 oz tubes).
Open one package of cookie dough, add a bit of red gel food coloring to the dough.
I
found that it’s easiest to mix the coloring in with your hands,
kneading it gently, like bread dough. Add the food coloring a little at a
time, until the dough is a vibrant red color.
Next
place the dough ball in a bowl, and add 1/4 cup flour and mix until
combined. It seems a little backward, but I found the food coloring
mixed smoother this way. Repeat with another tube of dough and the blue
gel food coloring. For the last tube, just add the flour. (I added flour
because the Pillsbury dough is so chewy and delicious – a slightly
firmer dough is needed for these little guys.)
As
I colored the dough a couple days ahead of time, color bleeding was a
worry (there’s a fair amount of food coloring used!). So I just wrapped
each color tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated until I was ready to
proceed.
Remove
all three dough packages from the refrigerator. Split each into three
equal parts. Layer in alternating fashion, placing into a plastic wrap
lined loaf pan, and patting each layer out until the dough evenly fills
the pan. Top with another layer, again patting until even. Repeat with
remaining dough. Cover tightly and freeze for four hours or overnight.
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the pan and unwrap. Cut thin
slices, approximately 1/4-inch wide. Place on a baking sheet lined with
a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.
Immediately after the cookies are removed from the oven, use a star cookie cutter to cut the cookie shapes.
You
will need two side pieces, and one middle for each. Cut a round out of
the center of 1/3 of the cookies. Try to work quickly, as the cookies
set up very quickly and will be difficult to cut as they cool. Also, I
used a tiny cookie cutter to make adorable little stars from the scraps.
(Who wouldn’t want to nibble on these? And wouldn’t they be cute on an
ice cream cone?) Once you’ve cut all the shapes, allow the cookies to
cook on the baking sheet before moving.
To
assemble, take the first star cookie and lay it upside down so that the
baked bottom is facing up. Take the middle cookie (with the hole) and
dot some frosting on the center of each point. I used leftover white
cake frosting because I had it on hand, but you could also use a mixture
of 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and two teaspoons of milk.
Place the middle cookie on top of the frosting glue and add about a teaspoon of mini M&Ms to the open center.
Put
another outline of frosting glue on the middle cookie and place another
star cookie on top (so the top side is facing out). Let the cookies
harden for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Hope these cute little cookies add some delicious fireworks to your celebration!
12 filled cookies (and many small bite size cookies)
Ingredients
3 tubes 16.5 oz Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough
red and blue gel food coloring
3/4 cup all purpose flour
white frosting, or a mixture of 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and two teaspoons of milk
red and blue mini m&ms - I bought a bag of mixed and separated out the colors
Directions
Open one package of cookie dough, add a bit of
red gel food coloring to the dough. I found that it’s easiest to mix
the coloring in with your hands, kneading it gently, like bread dough.
Add the food coloring a little at a time, until you have a vibrant red
dough.
Next place the dough ball in a bowl, and
add 1/4 cup flour and mix until combined. It seems a little backward,
but I found the food coloring mixed smoother this way. Repeat with
another tube of dough and the blue gel food coloring. For the last tube,
just add the flour. (I added flour because the Pillsbury dough is so
chewy and delicious – a slightly firmer dough is needed for these little
guys.)
Split each of the colors into three equal
parts. Layer in alternating fashion, placing into a plastic wrap lined
loaf pan, and patting each layer out until the dough evenly fills the
the pan. Top with another layer, again patting until even. Repeat with
remaining dough. Cover tightly and freeze for four hours or overnight.
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the pan and unwrap. Cut thin
slices, approximately 1/4-inch wide. Place on a baking sheet lined with
a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.
Immediately
after the cookies are removed from the oven, use the star cookie cutter
to cut the cookie shapes. You will need two side pieces, and one middle
for each. Cut a round out of the center of 1/3 of the cookies. Try to
work quickly, as the cookies set up very quickly and will be difficult
to cut as they cool. Also, I used a tiny cookie cutter to make adorable
little stars from the scraps. Once you’ve cut all the shapes, allow the
cookies to cook on the baking sheet before moving.
To
assemble, take the first star cookie and lay it upside down so that the
baked bottom is facing up. Take the middle cookie (with the hole) and
dot some frosting on the center of each point. I used leftover white
cake frosting because I had it on hand, but you could also use a mixture
of 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and two teaspoons of milk.
Place
the middle cookie on top of the frosting glue and add about a teaspoon
of mini M&Ms to the open center. Put another outline of frosting
glue on the middle cookie and place another star cookie on top (so that
top side side is facing out). Let the cookies harden for at least 30
minutes before serving.
Since the warm weather is finally here, alot of people are having Birthday parties. A Pinata is almost always a must at a child birthday party. But they are so expensive! The big ones cost up to $40 these days!!! The cheapest pinata I was able to find last month was a small butterfly that was on sale for $11.99. My daughters just turned 5 and 6 so we had them a combined birthday party. I ended up not being able to get them a pinata, we ran out of money at the end. The day before the party, my aunt came and got my girls so they could play with her daughter and I could finish up the house and finish getting ready for the Birthday Party. While she had the girls, she found directions to make a quick pinata out of paper bags! Yes, I know, that sounds lame, but it turned out really cute!
Ciara, age 5, hitting her home-made Pinata
The Supplies you will need are :
2-4 Paper Grocery bags
Streamer in the colors that fit your Party Theme.
Glue(Craft Glue or School Glue will work)
Packing tape(Clear tape works best but if you would like you can use the colored duck tape that matches your party colors)
String or Ribbon
Goodies to fill Pinata
Hole Punch(I didn't have a hole punch so I stuck a nail thru the bag and tape to make the small holes)
Craft/Decorating Supplies :
Paper, Markers/Crayons, Magazine clippings,
Computer Printouts such as Clip-Art,
Stickers, Glitter
Depending on how strong you want the pinata to be is how many bags you use. I used 2 and it lasted thru 5 little girls hitting it, but as soon as the first boy took a swing it busted and everyone was happy! So if you have a party full of boys you might want to use 3 or 4 bags.
Bringing the Birthday boy or girl in to help with their pinata makes it
even more special to them, along with the important bonding time you will be
getting with your child! It's such a fun way to bring out someones imagination and make it useful!
Here is how to begin ---->
Start out with one bag laying flat on the table.
Decide how you're going to decorate your pinata.You can use pretty much anything you like. Any theme can be displayed on the pinata. For example, my daughters' had a very gurlie party. Everything pink, purple and flowery with Princesses and Faeries everywhere! With our pinata, I drew and cut out flowers of pink and purple construction paper along with a few green leaves and a couple butterflies. My daughters and I randomly glued them on the front and back of the bag. You can find pictures of princesses or any special design online or draw and color your own, Magazine pictures make pretty pinata's also! Make sure that none of the important pictures or designs that you want visible are on the bottom 4 inches of the bag.
Our Gurlie Pinata
Once you have your design on the bag and it is almost dry, if not all the way dry (depending on how much time you have before the party), Cut the streamer in 12 to 14 inch strips. You can distinguish how many of each color you would like to use, I did mine in a pattern with pink and white. Glue the strips about 4 inches from the bottom, letting them dangle past the bottom of the bag. You will need to open up the bag for this step. Make sure the strips are touching and go around all four sides of the bag, the last one may over lap a bit. Open up the other bags and place them inside the decorated bag. (They should all fit perfectly inside each other) Add your pinata goodies!! When you have all your goodies in your pinata, close the top of the bag by putting the tops together and using tape to keep it secure. Go around the top of the bag a couple times with the take to make sure it's strong enough to hold the weight of the bag on the string or ribbon.
Brooklynd, age 6, hitting our home-made Pinata
After you get it taped, using a hole punch, place holes about 2 inches apart across the top of the bag, about an inch from the top edge. Weave the string or ribbon thru the holes leaving about a foot of string on each end. Tie the ends together to make a handle on top of the pinata. This pinata can be made the day of the party and be drying while the party goers are eating and doing gifts, or it can be made in the days before the party. Finally...... hang up your Pinata!!
I hope you enjoy my directions for an easy DIY Pinata
Photos by Thru My Eyes Photography
Target gives away some awesome freebies!! Earlier this week my daughters
brought me a little box with the red and white target all over it. I
got excited because I knew just what was inside it! My Target Summer
Beauty bag!! When I opened the box I saw the most beautiful little blue
make-up bag, filled with all kinds of goodies!! The Goodies Included :
Aveeno Daily Detoxifying scrub, TRESemme Split Remedy Shampoo and
TRESemme Split Remedy Conditioner, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch
SunBlock SPF 70, a small sample of Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter color Peach Parfait, and a Sample Packet of Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo and Conditioner. Along with a Target coupon
booklet for the items in the bag and more! This has to be the best
freebie that I've gotten in a while!! I LOVE it! The make-up bag is a
beautiful blue with a leaf style design in a darker blue! Prefect for
travel or just for a sneak peek in some great products!!
To start getting your own freebies in the mail Check out my Freebie Blog and start LOVEing the site of the Mail Lady! Freebies, Freebies, Freebies and Deals!
I made my kids supper tonight! That may not seem like a big thing to mostly everyone but to me it is. I'm not a big cooker. My fiance does most of the cooking in my house. If he works nights.... then it's microwave food for me and my daughters! But tonight, Alan was at my cousins house getting his brakes changed so I decided to make my girls some food. It wasn't anything fancy but it was good and we loved it. What did I make?? Chicken and Mashed Potatoes! I boiled some chicken breasts a few days ago and kept some in the fridge. So I made the potato's and then broke the chicken in little strips and topped the mashed potato's with it. YUM!!!!! What a quick and yummy meal, my girls and I had. Now they are outside playing for a few more minutes before they get ready for bed. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself tonight!! Yay! Go me!
Quick and Healthy Summer Snacks for Young Kids Cont.
Nutella fairy bread recipe
Ingredients:
6 slices of bread of your choice
1/2 cup Nutella
100's and 1000's
Directions:
Spread each slice of bread generously with Nutella.
Press slices face down into 100's and 1000's.
Slice into triangles or use cookie cutters.
Mini hotdogs recipe
Mini hotdogs are perfect party fare and you can
have these made for the kids in no time. Here we give you tips on taking
these to the park for a party!
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pkts of bake at home rolls (12 rolls total)
12 mini frankfurts
squeezy bottle tomato sauce
squeezy bottle mild mustard
Method:
Bake rolls as per package directions. Split down the center.
Place frankfurts into cold water and gently warm without bringing to the boil.
Drain and place inside buns.
Squeeze sauce over just before serving.
Notes:
I like to put a saucer in the pan to keep the frankfurts immersed because it is when they hit the cold air that they split.
If you are going to the park for a picnic you can pour boiling water
over the uncooked frankfurts in a thermos and let them sit while you
re-boil the kettle. Then drain and cover with boiling water again and
seal until you are ready to serve.
I then place the split rolls in a plastic bag and heat them in the
microwave for 1-2 minutes and then wrap the bag in tea towel to keep
warm.
When you get to the park you have warm rolls with hot frankfurts in
the thermos and you can serve them up easily. Don’t forget the paper
plates and napkins.
This easy pizza-inspired roll-up is a kid-pleaser. Make
crunchy vegetables more appealing by selecting colorful varieties like
orange and purple cauliflower—and don't forget the dip! Keep 'em smiling
with watermelon cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters. Along with a few cookies for desert!
You can also do a Ham-and-Cheese Roll up by laying out one or 2 pieces of ham, add a slice of cheese on top of the ham. Then put one more slice of ham on top to hold the cheese in place. Then starting at one side, roll it up. You can serve these whole or cut them to make them more bite-size!
Recipes found at www.kidszone.com , www.eatingwell.com and my kitchen!
Quick, Easy and Healthy Summer Snacks for Young Children
A
quick, healthy snack for you kids! It's Summer time! What parent wants
to slave over a stove in the middle of the day to make their children
snacks thru-out the day, Or giving them those Rubbery microwaveable
snacks? I was on a mission and searched the web to find some quick and healthy snacks for parents to give to their kids. Below are a few that I've found. I will be posting more soon!
Blueberry-Banana Stacks
These tiny little beauties are so adorable and so yummy! They
are also very easy to make! I'm sure they would be a hit, not only for a
quick snack for you kids, but at Parties as well! Kids parties and
Adult parties. The Popcorn cakes are very light and make perfect
bottoms for the yummy toppings!
Ingredients
6
mini chocolate, caramel, or berry-flavored popcorn cakes
Toast waffles and cut into 6 sticks. Spread each stick with
cream cheese and use a spoon or squeeze bottle to dot sticks with jelly.
Serves 2.
Strawberry PB Crepes
Ingredients
1
9 inch store-bought crepe (such as Melissa's)
2
tablespoons peanut butter
1/4
cup chopped strawberries
Directions
Spread crepes with peanut butter and sprinkle with
strawberries. Roll up crepes, trim off ends, and cut log into 1-inch
slices. Serves 2.
SNACK ART
Much like an arts and crafts project,
making a snack can become an after-school activity. The bonus: Kids get
to eat their artwork, and you get to sneak nutritious foods into their
diet.
Create a work of art using a few of the following ingredients:
•The Foundation
Celery, carrots, zucchini or cucumbers cut into sticks or rounds;
banana, apple or pineapple slices; melon balls; lettuce leaves; or
orange sections
Lay out the materials and give each child plastic utensils and a plate
"canvas." Suggest that they build sharks, monsters, cars, flowers, or
have them write their names.
TIP:This makes a great birthday party activity.
WIGGLE WORMS
Ingredients
Fruit, such as grapes, melon, bananas or strawberries,
cut into bite-size pieces
Pretzel sticks
Chocolate sprinkles
DirectionsSpear about four pieces of fruit onto each pretzel, as if making a
kebab, to create the worms. Leave a tip at the end for the tail.
Parents, you can "pre-spear" the fruit if need be.
Join 2 worms with a piece of fruit to make a longer creepy-crawler.
Use sprinkles to make the eyes, spots and/or tiny feet.
COLD-CUT PUZZLER
Enjoy Some Lunch Time Puzzle Fun!
Start by making a sandwich with ham and cheese (or other sandwich meat).
Cut the sandwich into a variety of different shapes in different sizes
Separate the shapes & mix them up on your child's lunch plate.
Have her rebuild the sandwich by putting the puzzle back together before she eats it.
Need some ideas for games that are cheep but the kids will still love? Here are 2 Balloon Pop Games, the top game is for school age kids and the 2nd game is for the smaller kids.
Game 1Balloon PopGameBack-to-Back For 2 or More Players What You Need : LOTSofBalloons!!!!
Instructions:
1. Pick teams of 2
2. Have the pairs stand in a line or a circle, back to back, with a balloon held between their backs
3. When the adult says Go, the players press together, trying to pop their balloon. The first team to pop their balloon wins. Or if you don't want a winner, you can keep going until all the balloons are gone.
Game 2
Balloon Foot Race
Photo via Thru My Eyes Photography
Tie strings/ribbons to end of Balloons
Tie other side of the string to the child's ankles, one on each leg.
Give kids a length of your yard to run in (like a race),
Have them run once down to the "finish line"
On their way back to the starting line, The kids have to pop each-others balloons.
The last one with atleast one balloon not popped, Wins!
(Make sure you do this Balloon Foot Race on grass in-case someone falls.)
Three simple ingredients are all you
need to make homemade frozen youg pops
PREP TIME10 Min
TOTAL TIME6 Hr 10 Min
SERVINGS6
2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Original 99% Fat Free French vanilla yogurt
2 cups cut-up fresh fruit
such as blueberries, bananas, cherries, grapes, papaya, peaches, oranges
or raspberries
1 tablespoon honey
1
In blender, place all ingredients. Cover; blend on medium-high speed about 1 minute or until smooth.
2
Divide
mixture among 6 (5-oz) paper cups. Cover cups with foil; insert craft
stick into center of each pop. (Or fill ice pop molds according to
manufacturer’s directions.) Freeze about 6 hours or until frozen.
