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!

Leap Day Fun: Fruity Frogs and "Tic Tac Toad"

Here they are - our Fruity Frogs (idea courtesy of FamilyFun)!

These were a lot of fun to make and eat - especially with cream cheese caramel apple dip. (I figured I had the cream cheese, might as well throw some brown sugar and vanilla in there too!) Good stuff!

Noah and I played a few rounds of "Tic Tac Toad" (idea from TLC family) earlier too. Yep! We drew our own frogs...

 

Now to gather all the blankets and pillows an set up camp in the living room for our sLEAPover (and American Idol fest up until 9 o'clock - DVRed it from yesterday). Oh, and our leap contest! The kids have been practicing for that all afternoon. The dog has even tried to get in on the act. :)

Here's hoping the kids actually go to sleep! 

Happy Leap Day!

Leaping into Leap Day!

I love the whole idea of having one extra day to spend with my kiddos so I've been trying to come up with some fun little things to make February 29th extra special.

Since the history behind Leap Day is all Gregorian calendars and Julian reform (???), we are keeping it simple and sticking with FROGS!

Here are a few ideas that I am tossing around for Wednesday's festivities...

1) Teach them the game of Leap Frog (...or at least attempt it) or let them LEAP and measure how far they jump (- throwing some math in there.)

2) Play a few rounds of "Tic Tac Toad" (I saw this while I was browsing and cannot find the link again, but you cut out some paper frogs in two different colors to use as markers - my boy loves tic tac toe.)

3) Most definitely make this Fruity Frog (from FamilyFun) - Granny Smith apples, grapes, cream cheese, and chocolate chips. How cute is that?

4) Break out the Froggy books, of course! Froggy Plays T-Ball is always good for a laugh.

Last, but not least...my kids will LOVE this one...

5) Have a sLEAP-over in the living room! The kids love when we all camp out together (and we haven't done it in awhile) so I'm sure they'll be excited about this, especially since Leap Day is on a school night.


*Have anything fun planned for your extra day?

Happy National Chili Day!

There's nothing like a little known national holiday to help you decide what to make for dinner. :o) I joined in the celebration and made FamilyFun's quick and easy White Chicken Chili tonight -

I used ground chicken instead of cubed chicken to save some time, and it turned out great! We like to crunch up tortilla chips to put on top and sprinkle on some cheese too. Good stuff!

And did I mention how easy it was to make?

My husband even went back for seconds - now that's really saying something.

*Does your family celebrate those little known holidays? Our favorite is National Ice Cream Day on the 3rd Sunday in July!

Thanksgiving Favorite: Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats

Chocolate, marshmallows, and fudge-striped cookies all rolled into one little pilgrim hat? Now that's something to be thankful for!!!

I found this idea on FamilyFun a few years ago, and we have been making them every Thanksgiving since - so good! Of course, melted chocolate + kiddos can get a little messy...but it's totally worth it!

Halloween Flashback: No Sew Superhero Capes!

Need a super easy, super cheap, last minute costume for your kiddos? 

This awesome Family Fun idea that we used a couple of Halloweens ago is sure to save the day!!! (It only cost me $8 for two capes and no sewing is required. Now that's my kind of costume!)

 I used adhesive velcro tabs to attach the Ss to their shirts (which I pulled out of their closets) and some glitter glue (which I already had in my art supply stash) to make them stand out. The whole process took me less than an hour (with kiddo interruptions) and then some time to let the glue dry. 

My kids (then ages 3 and 5) thought their costumes were SUPER COOL!


*Head on over to FamilyFun for all kinds of costume ideas - I tried to convince Abby to go as a "Smartie Pants" this year...may have to use that one myself. :o)

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Squares - so good!

I have been thinking about these pumpkin squares (courtesy of FamilyFun) since October arrived. Abby made them last year with little help from Mom. They are that easy!

(She was in her "cooking show" phase at the time - all decked out in her hat and apron.)

We didn't try the cider caramel sauce recipe for it since we didn't have those ingredients on hand, but I may have to try it this time around. We did top them with a dollop of whipped cream though - yum! Those pumpkin squares went so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of the finished product, but just hop on over to FamilyFun to feast your eyes on one - it's topped with ice cream!   

*What are your family's favorite fall treats?

Squid Dogs, Anyone?

Sound appetizing, don't they?  We actually had them last night for dinner - no kidding. I found this "recipe" a couple of years ago on the FamilyFun website and thought my kids (then 3 and 5) would get a kick out of them...

...and they did! Two of their favorite things, hot dogs and spaghetti noodles, looking like a slimy sea creature -what's not to love (especially when they get to help push the dry noodles through the cut-up hot dogs before Mom tosses them into the boiling water)?

Noah even requested "squid dogs" for his pirate-themed birthday party this past summer. How's that for authentic pirate grub? The lil' swashbucklers couldn't get enough of 'em.

Yes, these crazy-looking things have become a kid-favorite in our house, and I must admit, I've eaten them a time or two myself. Of course, they're not fried calamari, but they aren't half bad. Not to mention, they are so easy, quick, and add something fun to the dinner table.


*What are some dinnertime favorites in your house?