A Mini Muffin Morning

Gotta love those $1 just add milk muffin mixes. Those chocolate chip minis were on the table for less than a minute and were already half gone. Guess I'll have to start making these more often!

For Little Ones: Five Tips for Road Trip Fun

*Just wrote this early childhood article for the B Kids facebook page yesterday - ah, I remember those days so well!

Packing up the car and heading to Grandma’s house or a vacation spot for spring break? Here are a few ideas to help make travel time more fun for your little one…and less wearing for Mom and Dad:

1) Timing is everything. If your baby or toddler doesn’t mind sleeping in her car seat, plan to hit the road about an hour before naptime.  Be sure to bring her special blanket or snuggle toy.  Of course, if your child doesn’t sleep well in the car, try to leave shortly after she wakes up in the morning or right after a good nap. A well-rested baby is a happy baby!

2) Along with bringing a few of your child’s favorite toys, books, and snacks, stash a couple of new toys in your bag of tricks! If you can tell that your child is getting restless or may be on the brink of a meltdown, a new rattle or small musical toy will be a helpful mood booster. (Toys that link onto the car seat are also a plus!)

3) Sing! Sing! Sing!  It wouldn’t be a road trip without a few rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat!  Have a family sing along or pop in a CD of toddler tunes. Clap your hands, roll your arms, and “car dance” along to the beat.

4) Be flexible and take breaks. It’s tough for little ones to be strapped into their car seats when they are used to being on the go.  Make sure to stop and let them stretch their legs. Restaurant play areas are great places to let kiddos run around safely. (It's also a good idea to wash hands after playing on the equipment.)

5) If all else fails, break out the bubbles!  Keep a party favor-sized bottle in your glove compartment for easy access to diffuse a major meltdown. Your toddler will be so surprised to see those bubbles floating his way, it should help to entertain him for a bit…or at least until you make it to the next rest stop!


*How do you make long road trips more bearable fun?

Simply Adorable - Fingerprint Popcorn Tree!

I found this in Noah's backpack today, and I fell completely in LOVE -

His little white fingerprints to make a "popcorn tree"...

LOVE.

Definitely framing it.

Everyday Fun with Colors!

*My latest early childhood article for B Kids Toys - posted over on their facebook page.

Spring has finally arrived, and colors are blooming all around us!  Simply pointing out yellow daffodils, green grass, and pink blossoms to your toddler while you taking a stroll together begins to build color recognition skills. Although children usually start naming colors between three and four years of age, exposure to a variety of colors early on provides visual stimulation and makes their environment more exciting! Allowing your child to pick a tiny purple flower or walk barefoot on the lawn will be just as exciting as she touches the soft petals or feels blades of grass tickle her feet.  Chasing after butterflies and noticing their bright patterned wings will also bring squeals of delight!

Taking a trip to a local farmers market (or even browsing the produce section of the grocery store) is another fun way to expose your child to a variety of colors (and shapes)!  Use descriptive words as you pick up a fruit or vegetable. Let him hold a bumpy orange or rough, brown potato and feel the outside textures.  If your family likes to garden, involve your little one in the growing process.  Toddlers and preschoolers will be thrilled to help hold the watering can or pick a bright red tomato!

Playing with brightly colored toys and reading picture books with your child also helps to build color recognition.  Between 18-24 months of age, your toddler may be able to point to a red balloon in the story or pick up a blue block when you ask.  Be sure to let her get creative with crayons and watercolors too!  Of course, don’t be discouraged if it seems to be taking awhile for your preschooler to grasp those colors.  Just keep providing colorful learning opportunities, give encouragement, and pretty soon, she will be naming every color of the rainbow!

Last Minute "First Day of Spring" Party!

As soon as Noah woke up this morning, he ran into my room and declared, "It's the first day of spring! We need to have a party, Mama!" 

How could I say "no" to that?

After I picked him up from Kindergarten, we went to pick out some colorful decor, a lemon cake mix and strawberries, and invited some neighbors to come on over that afternoon when Abby got home from school. 

 They devoured the cake, played outside, and decorated with sidewalk chalk -

Yay for spring - definitely a great excuse for a party! Good thinking, my boy! 

Breakfast Fit for a Leprechaun!

Along with our traditional St. Patty's Day breakfast, we also made our own version of a "Shamrock Shake" the day before - mint chocolate chip ice cream with green sprinkles on top in green cups! Just couldn't wait!

Luck of the Irish to ya!

Our Healthy Choices Family Challenge

*In 500 characters or less, I entered this story and photo in Disney Family's Try It Contest (- that was a challenge in itself). Our challenge is still in full swing, and the kids love trying to beat Mom and Dad! There are so many great healthy living ideas and experiences that have been submitted - pop on over and check them out!

To fight winter blahs and keep us moving, our family created a Healthy Choices Challenge displayed on our fridge! Together, we came up w/ exercise ideas, non-TV/video game activities, & good eating habits. Each time we make a healthy choice, we add that card to our envelope. At the end of each week, we count up our choices to see who has the most! We came up with rewards too like 50pts = a new book or 100 pts = roller skating! We're learning to make better choices and having fun together too!


*** How do you get your family movin' and groovin'?

St. Patty's Day Recipe: Irish Brown Bread

What do you get when you let your kiddos combine 4 and 1/2 cups of flour, 1 and 1/2 cups of rolled oats, and 2 and 1/2 cups of BUTTERMILK with their hands?

Great BIG smiles!!! :)

Last March, I saw this Irish Brown Bread recipe over on Family Fun and decided to add it to our St. Patty's day festivities along with our traditional Lucky Charms (that my kids start begging for in February), treasure trail of gold (Rolos), and green decor.

It actually turned out pretty well (despite the sticky mess). Of course, I'd never made it (or tasted it) before so I have nothing to compare it to - but it was good. Warm homemade bread with a little butter and honey - can't beat that!

Easy-Bake Afternoons and Tiny Treats

As cute as those pink-and-purple-packaged Easy Bake Oven mixes are, the price ($6-$8 for a teensy bit of batter) makes this mama cringe! Honestly, we had only used the Easy Bake oven a handful of times since Christmas because of that reason, but since discovering the snack size cookie mixes from Betty Crocker (for only $1), my daughter has been baking her little heart out!

Just add butter/oil or water - no eggs required. Super easy! To make our Easy-Bake afternoons even more fun, we've been using ideas from this adorable Tiny Treats recipe book from American Girl that we picked up at a doll shop during our "Girls Day Out" last Saturday.

Yep! Those are mini peanut butter blossoms - tiny bit of cookie dough and a chocolate chip. Too stinkin' cute and yummy too! There are lots of no-bake treat ideas as well -

That first evening after buying the book, we made mini donuts (multi-grain cheerios), s'mores (golden grahams, chocolate chip, mini marshmallow), and tiny cakes (two Oreos with frosting).

For such tiny treats, we really had a TON of fun! 

Fishful Thinking Favorite: Take a Detour!

Ever have one of those weeks days when you just feel kind of  blah? Laundry is coming out your ears (as always), the dishes are piled in the sink, toys are everywhere, cookie and popcorn remnants speckle the carpet that you just vacuumed less than 24 hours ago....ugh!  Not to mention your little boy was sick all weekend and would only sleep if he was draped across you all night, but still woke up every half an hour. Sigh.

So when Noah and I picked Abby up from school the other day, I decided to take a detour. First to Sonic for a Cherry Coke ( I really needed one!) and a couple $1 oreo sundaes for the kids. Then, on the way home, instead of just waving at the cows in the pasture that we pass every day on our drive, I decided to pull over into the grass, unbuckle the kids, and roll down the windows so that the kiddos (and the cows) could have a closer look.

There were probably five or six baby calves out there grazing together, and they were looking right at us. The kids really got a kick out of it. Noah insisted on taking a picture with my phone:

Of course, then Abby (and her thumb) wanted to take one too:

Then I figured I might as well get in on the act:

I'm sure those cows were wondering what in the world we were doing.  The brown one on the right was totally staring us down. :)

It was pretty funny and definitely helped put me and my kiddos in a better mooooooo-d.

(hahaha! Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

***It's hard to believe I wrote this post in March of '10. Even two years later, we still love taking those "beauty detours". With spring just around the corner, there will be even more to come! 

Seuss Day Flashback and Read Across America

We started last year's celebration with a Seuss-ed up breakfast of none other than...

Yep! The kids helped make Green Eggs and Ham (and actually ate it)!

We read lots of stories, played some rhyming games, and danced around to the Seussical soundtrack - such a great musical! My kiddos did a few Seussville actvities too - fun website!  

 

Now to find that red-and-white striped hat and run by the store to pick up more eggs and some ham. We're all set with the green food coloring! The kids are supposed to wear red, white, and black to school tomorrow and will be participating in Read Across America activities - should be a fun day!

  

*Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss book that you'll be reading with your kids tomorrow?