Kids Bowl Free All Summer

Check it out!!!
http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/

Hospital Survival Kit

My friend had a baby s few months ago so I took this idea and went with it.

In my bag I put a variety of things. I did granola bars, chap stick, gum, candy and nuts. I did some items from the bulk food section and then placed them in cut tie bags when I got home. It was so cute and fun to do.

On the link below there are printables and more ideas.

http://jensownroad.blogspot.com/2011/06/hospital-survival-kit-with-printables.html?m=1

Busy bag for toddlers and preschoolers

I am always looking for things to keep Keelin busy. I came across this great pin to make busy bags. Ours end up being a busy box. They are great and easy ideas. Check it out. She has 3 different parts so you may have to go back if you are interested in the toddler bags. This link is for preschool.

Original Idea and picture:
http://secondstorywindow.typepad.com/home/2011/10/toddler-time-busy-bag-exchange-part-3-freebie.html

Cleaning Hardwood Floors

I found this and did it. Use tea bags and water and go at it.

Original idea and picture:
http://www.diynetwork.com/floors/tips-for-cleaning-tile-wood-and-vinyl-floors/index.html

Card Game Organizing

I seen this great idea on Pinterest and I went to Ikea and bought these containers for our card games. They are PERFECT!! Plus they are really inexpensive.

Original idea:
http://jazzieandtahlia.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/08/playing-cards-storage-solution.html

Carmel Filled Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are super easy and do delicious. If you love chocolate and Carmel these will be hard to keep your hands off!!!


http://www.veryculinary.com/_recipes/caramel-filled-chocolate-cake-cookies-print.html

Recipe: Martha Stewart Macaroni and Cheese

When I couldn't really get around after tearing my ligament in my ankle a great friend brought our family this delicious dish.  I couldn't get enough of it.  I ate pretty much the whole pan by myself throughout the week and still wanted more.  The taste is SO good!

http://www.marthastewart.com/281007/macaroni-and-cheese

• 

Nobody knows exactly when the first batch of macaroni and cheese was made, but the dish dates at least to the colonial era, when Thomas Jefferson returned from a trip to Italy with a pasta machine and subsequently served macaroni and cheese at his dinner parties. Centuries later, in 1937, Kraft introduced its version, which has since become a staple in pantries across the country. Martha's recipe is one of her favorite comfort foods -- rich, flavorful, and easy to make. You can easily divide this recipe in half: Use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.

• Yield Serves 12

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

Recipe: French Toast Bites

I found this delicious recipe on Pinterest.  I LOVED it!  It was so stinkin yummy.  I hope you will try it and enjoy!

http://www.thatssoyummy.com/recipes/french-toast-kebabs-with-strawberry-syrup/#more-5471

I did regular syrup and whipped cream.  I didn't thread on the kabobs either we just had the strawberries on the side.

Recipe: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

I found this recipe on Pinterest through Emily Bites - http://www.emilybites.com/2012/01/philly-cheesesteak-sloppy-joes.html

It was simple and delicious.  My son ate it and my husband wanted more.  I used Mozzarella cheese because that is what I had.  Below is the recipe off of Emily Bites.  ENJOY!!!



Ingredients:
1 lbs 95% lean ground beef, raw
1 large (softball-sized) white onion, diced
1 medium or large green bell pepper, diced
3 T steak sauce
1 cup fat free beef broth
Salt & black pepper to taste
5 light wheat sandwich rolls (I used Weight Watchers brand rolls)
5 slices 2% Provolone cheese (I used Sargento)

Directions:
1.    Bring a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Brown beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once cooked, add the peppers and onions and continue to cook for a few more minutes until vegetables are softened. Mix in the steak sauce, beef broth, salt and pepper and bring to a bubble. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 5 minutes.
2.    Make sure you have an oven rack in the top third of your oven and pre-heat the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Open the sandwich rolls and lay both sides cut side up. Using your fingers, press the middle-inside of the bottom half of the roll to make a little more room for the meat mixture. Scoop about ¾ cup of the meat mixture onto the pressed bottom half of each roll. Top the meat mixture with a slice of the cheese. The top half of the rolls will be bare and cut side up.
3.    Place the baking sheet onto the oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and broil for about 1 minute (check at 30 seconds and again at 50 to prevent burning – broiling happens fast!) Cover the loaded bottom half of each roll with its toasted top half counterpart and serve!

Fun Jar

I got this amazing idea from my friend Katie. For rewards, I have tried charts, individual jars... This time there are 2 jars/canisters. One is the bank so to say and the other is the collection for something fun.

So when the kids obey ud, respond respectfully, say yes mom or yes dad, treat sibling with respect and try to create peace in every circumstance that can add a marble to the fun jar. When the fun jar is full we do something as a family. We are collecting for a movie day.

This has been beneficial in it is a WHOLE family effort not just focusing on one kid so they keep each other accountable. They have also been rewarding us! Try it!!!

Our Valentine Mailboxes

I seen this on pinterest and wanted to do it. I posted earlier with the link to the original.

Here is what I did
Target- got mailboxes in dollar section. I got the black sticker letters in the scrapbook section. Enough to make our names. I also got fun stickers to put on the notes too!
I bought the pink bucket in the dollar section for the notecards but that was in the fall. They may have something there still.

Dollar Store- I bought these glass candle holders. I came home and spray painted them black. I also bought a small notebook with different colors of papers to use for notes. I cut them in half when I got home.

Once the paint was dry I out gorilla glue on the top of the candleholder and put the mailbox on top of it. Let them dry completely before using the mailboxes.

Now we are ready to write sweet and encouraging notes to each other. Once someone puts a note in don't forget to put up the flag!! As valentines gets closer we may do treats too.

Our Valentine Cards

We did it!! I found this idea on Pinterest and we accomplished them. I love them and the kids do too. It was easy to do. Take a picture of your kid, load it to your computer. I search google for a website for adding text to a picture since I don't have photoshop. There I put the wording on the pictures. I uploaded the images to Costco. Keelin I picked a border and Bryson's I just printed. Once I got them I took a razor blade no not a shower razor but one for a utility knife and made slits where the suckers went. When making the slits I put the picture on a cutting board. Once the skits are in put the sucker in the slits and you are done.

If your school is like mine they don't want names on the cards. It usually takes too longer for the kids to pass them out. Plus if you kid is in preschool you have to do all the work so make it easy on yourself!

E-Mealz: Make meal planning easy

I have posted before about E-mealz but now that I have been using it - I really love it.  They have a huge variety of plans to choose from and I have liked them all that I have tried.

You can choose from portion control, whole foods, store specific, family of 4, family of 2...It also gives you a shopping list too.  You can visit and even download some samples.  If you choose a store specific plan it will even give you the total cost.

Click here and sign up - just try it and see what it does for you!

E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

Enjoy!!!!

Valentine's Day Plans

On Monday afternoon I tore a ligament in my left ankle stepping off our back porch.  So with that I am in a cast and sitting on the couch all day and I have time to blog now!

Here is are my plans for Valetine's Day!

Decorations- http://pinterest.com/pin/146015212888351303/
I will also be doing some Valentine's day crafts too but haven't nailed those down yet!

Breakfast

• Powdered Donuts with Milk- http://www.hostessblog.com/2012/01/sweet-love-bird-valentines-day-brunch/

Dinner 

• Spaghetti with Bread

• Twinkies with Strawberries- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvXCNhjPzF2bvd5buzCRU6Ke5hOC4oAqzuqr8VOcdESm_tLbCrA25HDss5XEgUuRKMpOMAPkyMJjnkjXJ2Esh92CV3AV5s0jaYwIQBUr-RqSRQFyT3CdSXUQHjQLDfGni_moQcaRllIc/s400/twinkie+dessert.jpg

• Strawberries with white chocolate with pink sprinkles (these ones I made on 4th of July and they were so delicious)

• Sprinked Pretzels- http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/248612841899176677_937zFPXI_b.jpg

Valentine Mailboxes

I have my mailbox now I am ready to make!  I will post my picture when I get done with mine!!!!

Check this out from a great blog - http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/2011/02/emily-did-something-crafty-holla.html

Date with Mom and Dad Coupons

Are you looking for a fun gift to give your kids?  Kids love to spend one on one time with their parents so why not give a gift that will do that.  I found that our kids would rather create a memory than just get a present.  My kids seem to be very social and would rather sit and talk with us than play with their toys.

While on Pinterest I came across this great idea and I can't wait to do it with my own kids.

Check it out!
http://lets-explore.net/blog/2011/12/a-year-of-dates/
You can download and print the coupons!!!

Prayer Pail

I came across this idea on Pinterest and I loved it.  I thought it was simple and great way to pray for other people in our lives.

Here is what you need:

• A small pail (I found mine in the dollar section at Target)
• Sticker letters
• Various ribbon
• Large popsicle sticks
• Marker

1.  Place the sticker letters on the pail - we call ours "Prayer Pail"
2.  Tie ribbons around the handle of the pail
3. Write names or whatever you would like to include in your prayer time.  We includes family names, friends names, school, church, government...
4.  Place them in the prayer pail - we will add more as we go.

Make it cute too so you want to have it in your dining room!!!!

Now it's time to pray.  We work ours out at dinner time.  My intention was to prayer for one stick per night but the kids changed it up and we each pray for a stick each night at dinner time.  It has become a highlight of dinner together.  The greatest plus out of the whole prayer pail is that the kids are learning to pray and pray for others.  It is priceless!!!

Here is the link from where I got the idea:
http://www.joyshope.com/2009/07/prayer-pail-with-supercool-guest.html
I didn't like the way the paper looked so I did the letter on the pail.

Valentine's Day

Our next holiday is Valentine's day which I love.  There is always so much adorable pink things out there!

Here are some ideas I found on Pinterest:

Valentine Glow Sticks- http://www.theteacherwife.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-make-my-glow-v-day-freebie.html

Valentine Party Table- http://atozebracelebrations.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweet-tweet-valentines-party.html

Valentine's Garland- http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2011/11/sns-link-party-107-banners-pennants.html

Valentine's Wreath- http://www.etsy.com/listing/89489847/reserved-for-dw-berry-wreath-valentines?ref=sr_gallery_36&ga_search_query=valentine&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_ship_to=US&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_page=3&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

Valentine's Wreath-  http://www.thehybridchick.com/2011/01/paper-heart-wreath/

Kiddie Valentine- http://luxefinds.com/Redirect.php?targetURL=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F~r%2Fblackeiffel%2F~3%2F531954401%2Fkiddie-valentines.html%3Freferrer%3DLuxeFinds.com&searchJobId=8293725&ss=valentines&sr=15&entityType=BE&entityId=9-76074&title=Kiddie+valentines&page=&sourceName=Black*Eiffel

Personalized Valentine's Day Card- http://www.tangledandtrue.com/2011/02/valentine-round-up.html

Valentine's Day Garland- http://www.marthastewart.com/274866/valentines-day-crafts/@center/276967/valentines-day#/272197