Ever Tried to Plant A Kiss?

Simply adorable and a perfect spring picture book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - Plant A Kiss -




We saw it a couple of weekends ago on the picture book wall at Barnes and Noble, and I read it with my son - twice! When we went to the library last week, I made a beeline for the Rs in the children's section,  and it was there so, hopefully, you can find it at your library too. 

A must read with your kiddos!

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! 

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?

A Valentine's Must Read - My Heart is Like a Zoo

Making heart animals with my kids has always been one of our favorite Valentine's Day crafts. (Cut out a bunch of hearts of different colors and sizes, and let the kids get creative!)

(Noah's Valentine Goldfish bag with heart bubbles - 2010)

So when I saw this eye-catching book cover a couple of years ago, my heart seriously skipped a beat! 



Vibrant colors, clever rhymes, and every animal you can imagine constructed completely out of hearts -



Pure genius and a perfect snuggle book for Valentine's Day! My kids loved it just as much as their mama.

Christmas Book Countdown!

Instead of counting down with an advent calendar, the kids and I gather up all of our Christmas books at the beginning of December and get wrapping - an idea that my best friend, Diana, shared with me a couple of years ago...

 (Christmas book stash from 2009 - I didn't realize I had so many!)

Then each night before bed, the kids take turns unwrapping one book for us to read together. Even two years later, getting to pick and unwrap the book is a BIG deal! Now that Abby and Noah are a little older, we've swapped out a few of the younger books for some new ones like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Legend of the Candy Cane, The Elf on the Shelf, and an extra surprise for Christmas night - The Twelve Days of Christmas!


This has become a tradition that the kids really enjoy, and it gives me a great excuse to keep buying Christmas books!