Dollar Crafts: Painting

My girls LOVE LOVE LOVE to paint.  They don't even require much - just some paint and a blank piece of paper.  I try to mix it up from time to time and when I saw these Poster Paint Sets at Dollar Tree I had to buy them.  For only a dollar, you get two poster pictures, 6 colors of paint and a paint brush!

Here are my excited, tiny artists in their huge art smocks and jammies!

This project kept them both busy for almost and hour!  Here they are hard at work:

 Ava is working on staying in the lines.

Sidney is working on two pictures at once!

I will be on the look out for more dollar crafts.  The dollar section at Michael's has lots of fun ideas.  Check back!

Birthday Balloon Wreath

Ava's 4th birthday party is this weekend (assuming no one gets sick - a considerably big assumption).  I saw a bunch of pins on Pinterest for balloon wreaths and it looked pretty easy so I decided to give it a try.  It takes some time to pin all the balloons in place, but it's super easy.  You can't mess it up.  Here's what you need:

- 18 in. straw wreath (I found mine at Michael's)
- Crepe paper
- 216 12 in. round balloons (I only covered the front of my wreath.  If you want to cover the back you'll need more.)
- Floral pins (You can find these at any craft store, like Michael's or Hobby Lobby)

I started by wrapping my wreath in crepe paper because I didn't plan to put balloons on the back of the wreath and I wanted it to look finished.  Also, the crepe paper keeps the straw from shedding.

Once the wreath is wrapped, secure the end of the crepe paper with a floral pin.

Now you can start pinning your balloons to the wreath.  Place the floral pin in the center of the balloon and pin it to the wreath.

Pin balloons all over the wreath, leaving a small section empty for the ribbon.  Set the ribbon in place and begin to pin balloons directly over the ribbon.

I also added the number 4 to my wreath.  First, I spray painted it purple.  Once it dried, I secured a ribbon to the back of the number 4 with a small nail.  Then, I secured the other end of the ribbon to the back of the wreath using floral pins.


Stayed tuned for more pictures from Ava's birthday party next week!

10 Ways to Volunteer with Your Kids During National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is April 15th - 21st!

When I was in grade school and high school I volunteered all the time, but when I got to college I became busy with other activities and volunteering became an afterthought.  I miss volunteering.  It was always much more rewarding than any paying job that I had.  I want my kids to experience that.  And what better time than now!


I did some research online and found some great volunteer ideas for little ones.  Here are some of my favorites:



Volunteer at school.  Ava’s preschool has a Mom Helper Day every other month.  Their next one is conveniently during National Volunteer Week.  It’s the perfect way to help out the teachers and meet other families.  And kids can help too.  Often younger siblings can come and help when there are opportunities to volunteer at school.


Raid the Closets.  I hang on to clothes for far too long.  I believe I have good reasons: I will lose the weight and fit into those jeans…That dress may look outdated but I only wore it a few times…I may not be employed right now, but you never know, I may need that suit…  It’s time for me and my clothes to move on.  There are lots of organizations and shelters that accept clothing, shoes and accessories.  And don’t forget about your kids’ old clothes.  My rule is that if Sidney didn’t wear the clothes that I saved of Ava’s, it goes to Goodwill.  Have your kids help go through their old clothes and pick what they want to donate.


Pull weeds.  Ava and Tim are always in the yard pulling weeds on the weekends.  Why not help out at your church or school or your neighborhood.  Kids love getting dirty and they don’t even realize that they’re doing work!  There is probably somewhere in your city that would love your gardening help.


A Yummy Thank You.  There’s nothing better than treats to say thanks for all you do.  Police officers and fire fighters work hard to protect us and we don’t often get to thank them.  Baking is an easy and fun activity for the whole family to do together.  And the police and fire stations are fun places for kids to check out!


Babysit for a family in need.  If you know a family going through a hard time, why not offer to help?  The kids will love playing together.  You can also do other things like volunteer to help with the grocery shopping.  The smallest of favors can mean so much and often is much more appreciated than any expensive gift.


Donate books.  Schools in underprivileged areas are always in need of children’s books.  There are also schools and libraries (like those in Joplin, MO) that are rebuilding after being struck by natural disasters.  Organize a book drive and donate some of your own books.  This week (April 8th - 14th) also happens to be National Library Week!


Cook a meal.  Do you know someone who just had a baby?  Or a family with a sick child?  When Sidney was born, a friend of mine set up a meal registry for us on MealBaby.  All my friends signed up to bring food to us for the first couple of weeks after we got home from the hospital.  And when Sidney was sick last year, a friend of the family sent us a letter with a gift card to a nearby restaurant.  It was so thoughtful and VERY appreciated.  Let your kids decide on the dessert or help pick the restaurant and deliver the food to the family.


Write a Letter, Draw A Picture.  Support the troops!  The men and women in the military who are overseas love getting mail from us folks back home.  Talk with your kiddos as they draw, paint and practice writing T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U. If they can’t write yet, ask them what they would like to say and write it for them. DoSomething.org has partnered with A Million Thanks; both sites have guidelines on how to get your letters and pictures to the troops. Operation Stars and Stripes also has a list of critically-needed items like Ziploc Bags, unscented Wet Wipes, stamps and Twizzlers.


Donate food to a food pantry.  Have your child pick out one item each time you go to the store. When you get a bagful, take it to a local food pantry.


Walk to fight disease.  Many organizations use walks to increase awareness and raise funds. Kids 5 and up can walk a few miles, and you can push little ones in a stroller.


Still not sure how your family can volunteer?  Check out these websites for inspiration: 


Volunteer Spot: http://volunteerspot.com/
Do Something: http://www.dosomething.org/
The Volunteer Family: http://www.thevolunteerfamily.org/

Shortcut Veggie Lasagna

Does your family do Meatless Monday?

Let me first say that I am by no means a Nutritionist or an Activist with an agenda.  I just care about setting my kids up for a good future.  That includes feeding them good foods most of the time and doing the best I can to not trash this Earth while I'm here.  That being said...


Have you heard about the Pink Slime in beef?  Gross.  That alone may make you want to consider Meatless Monday.  There are many other reasons to consider going meatless one or two nights a week, such as:


** LIMIT CANCER RISK: Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer.
** REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%.
** FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
** CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices.



There are also many environmental reasons to consider reducing your meat consumption.  Have you seen the documentary, Food, Inc.?  It was pretty eye opening and it made me angry!  So angry that it compelled me to change my buying habits at the grocery store.  I could go on and on but that's not what this post is about.


In support of Meatless Monday, I will share my meatless dinners recipes that my family enjoys.  I found this Shortcut Veggie Lasagna recipe in my Parents magazine.  It is super easy to make and doesn't require much time.  And, best of all, there's always leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 package (12-16 ounces) curly egg noodles
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen assorted vegetables, thawed
1 jar (16 ounces) chunky marinara sauce

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F and coat a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. 

2. Cook noodles according to package directions. 

3. Reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid. Drain noodles; rinse under cold water.

4. While noodles are cooking, thaw your veggies.  I just run warm water over them in a strainer, then dry on paper towels.

5. Combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and vegetables.

6. In large bowl, mix noodles, marinara sauce, and reserved cooking liquid. 

7. Place roughly half of the noodle mixture in casserole dish. Spread ricotta mixture over noodles.  Top with remaining noodles and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

8. Bake 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Happy Meatless Monday!

Easter Rolo Pretzels

If you are in charge of bringing a dessert for Easter, these Rolo Pretzels are so easy and so yummy.  I make them for almost all of our family events and not only do the kids love them, but the adults do too!


Ingredients:
- Rolos (I bought 2 bags although most times I do 3-4 bags.  One bag has ~56 Rolos and you need one Rolo for each pretzel.)
- Mini Pretzel Twists (Snyder's work the best because they're thicker; Rold Gold Pretzel Twists are too skinny)
- M&M's (You could also do other toppings like nuts or sprinkles or drizzled chocolate.  I have found that everyone likes M&M's the best so I stick to that.)


Instructions:
1.  Adjust oven rack to the middle position.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Unwrap your Rolo candies and place one on top of each pretzel with the wide end facing down.
3.  Place pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Any longer is probably too long. You just want the chocolate on the outside to look glossy and melty, but they should still hold their shape.

4.  Remove pan from oven and press the Rolo onto the pretzel with the back of a spoon.  I use 2 spoons - one to hold the pretzel in place and one to smash the Rolo.  It doesn't have to look pretty.  Just try to cover the pretzel.

5.  Place your topping on the chocolate.  Again, I stick to M&Ms, but you can be creative.  Pecans, cashews, and honey roasted peanuts would be good.  And for kiddos and those who can't eat nuts or don't like them, those mini Hershey's kissables make a great little topper.  If you want to get fancy you can give them a little drizzle of almond bark or white chocolate. 
6.  Let them cool by placing them in the refrigerator or freezer.
7.  You can store them in the refrigerator but they taste best at room temperature.


Happy Easter!

Birthday Interview

As I've mentioned, Ava is turning 4 years old this month!!!  I collected a bunch of birthday interview questions from various pins on Pinterest and compiled my own list of 30 questions. I loved hearing Ava's answers to these questions and all the stories that she shared.  It will be fun to compare her answers over the years.


I typed up my questions and her answers and printed them on birthday stationary that I found at Hobby Lobby.


Here are my questions (in case you can't read them in the picture):

1.  The color of my hair is:
2.  The color of my eyes is:
3.  My favorite food is:
4.  My favorite drink is:
5.  My favorites fruit is:
6.  My favorite treat is:
7.  One food I really don’t like is:
8.  My favorite song is:
9.  My favorite color is:
10.  My favorite animal is:
11.  My favorite book is:
12.  My favorite toy is:
13.  My favorite game is:
14.  My favorite store is:
15.  My favorite movie is:
16.  My favorite TV show is:
17.  My favorite holiday is:
18.  The thing I like to do most with Daddy is:
19.  The thing I like to do most with Mommy is:
20.  My best friends are:
21.  My favorite thing to do outside is:
22.  My favorite thing to do inside is:
23.  The coolest person on Earth is:
24.  My favorite part of school is:
25.  The thing I do most awesomely is:
26.  When I grow up I’m going to be:
27.  If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go:
28.  Three words that describe me are:
29.  If I had one wish it would be:
30.  My best memory is: