Kid's Snack- Dessert Nachos!

What you need-

Flour tortillas, any size

Bananas

Strawberries

Chocolate syrup

Cinnamon /sugar mixture

Pam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut tortillas in whatever shapes you like.  We did hearts.

2. Lightly coat each of the chips with Pam cooking spray.  Bake for 10-15 mins.

3. While the chips are cooking, take your bananas and strawberries and slice them up. 

4. Prepare your plate with a drizzle of the chocolate syrup.  Add about half of the bananas and strawberries on top of the chocolate.

5.  When the chips are crispy, take them out and VERY lightly spray with more Pam.  I am serious when I say just VERY lightly.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mix.

6. Put the chips on top of the strawberries and bananas, then top off with the remaining strawberries and bananas.  As a delicious finish to the dish, drizzle with more chocolate syrup.

Christmas Craft- Reindeer Headband

Reindeer Headband:
      What you need- Brown construction paper
                             - Scissors
                             - Google eyes
                             - Red pom poms
                             - Popsicle sticks
                             - Glue
                             - markers
      What you do-  Cut out the "headband" from brown construction paper.  Make sure its about 4ish inches wide, and long enough to fit around your child's head, but tight enough to stay in place, taking consideration for the inch or two to glue together.  Glue on the eyes, a red pom pom for a nose, and draw on a little smiley face.  Glue the ends of the headband together and fasten with a paperclip to dry.  While it's drying, trace your child's hand on the brown construction paper and cut them out.  These are the antlers.  Glue them to popsicle sticks, leaving a few inches of the stick to glue to the headband.  Let everything dry before gluing the popsicle sticks/antlers to the headband.  Hold the sticks in place until they are dry.

Thanksgiving Craft- 3D Thankful Turkey Centerpiece

Here is another idea for a great craft to make your children realize what they are thankful for.

What you'll need:
Thick paper plates (make sure they aren't glossy)
Old toilet paper roll
Scissors
Glue
Construction Paper(brown, orange, yellow, red)
Markers
Disposable sauce cup
Black paint

What to do:
1. Color the bottom of the plate orange
2. Paint the sauce cup black
3. Draw a turkey face on the toilet paper roll.
4. Glue the toilet paper roll onto the paper plate.  Then, glue the sauce cup on to the toilet paper roll.
5. Cut out several "feathers" from each of the colors of paper and glue them to the back of the paper plate.
6. Have your child write what they are thankful for on each of the feathers.  If your child is too young, you can write it on for them.  The important part is to ask themwhat they are thankful for, and ask them why they are thankful for it.

Thanksgiving Craft- Thankful Turkey

Thanksgiving is coming, and it's the perfect time to make your kids think of all that they have, and why they should be thankful!  This craft is super fun for kids 3 years and older.

What you need:
Construction Paper(brown, orange, yellow, red)
Scissors
Glue
Markers
Google Eyes

What to do:
1. On brown paper, draw the turkey's body.  I like to do the circular body with an oval head on top(like in the picture)  But, a simple circle will do fine.
2. Cut out the turkey.
3.  Cut a small triangle of yellow or orange paper, and a red oval.  Glue the red oval on the turkey's head, and the triangle over it for the beak and the gobble.
4.  Glue on the google eyes.
5.  Cut out several feathers of all the colors of paper and glue them to the back of your turkey.
6.  Have your child write everything they are thankful for on the feathers.  You can help them, or do it for them.  The important part is to have them think of things that they are thankful for.  I also like to ask my daughter why she is thankful for each thing.

This is so much fun, and so easy for tiny hands!  I will also be adding a 3D thankful turkey centerpiece craft.

Craft- Hand Decorated Plates (with sharpies!)

This is the coolest idea that I have checked out so far!!  I had so much fun designing these,  and they are a great way to save memories, as well as money.

All you need is some all white plates, cups, bowls etc. that you can get for super cheap at the dollar store or walmart, and sharpies. 

1. Preheat your over to 350 degrees F
2. Decorate your plate however you want.  It works with any color of sharpie markers.  You can also let your kids decorate them.  You can do seasonal, draw your child's favorite character, do simple designs, or have your kid draw a picture of your family. 
3.  Bake at 350*F for 30-35 mins.  Be careful getting these out of the oven though-they will be HOT.
4. Set on a cooling rack and allow them to cool.  They should be completely cool in 30 minutes.


***For some reason, I cannot get pictures to load at this time.  Hopefully I'll get them up soon!!***

Kid's Snack- Mini S'mores

S'mores are probably the best snack ever created, but creating these magnificent marshmellow and chocolate sandwiches is far from practical for everyday.  Well, fret not, you can still enjoy these amazing flavors with just a few minutes in the kitchen.

Take some vanilla wafers, and spread some nutella on them.  Add three mini-marshmellows and then top with another wafer. Pop these little guys in the oven (heated at about 400*F) for just a few minutes, and enjoy.

These snacks are great for movie night, slumber parties, or even birthday parties.

Craft- Seashell Picture Frame

What you need
Any sized picture frame
Hot Glue
Small/medium seashells
Summer photo

This is a fun and easy craft that I loved doing with my mom when I was a kid.  Simply glue the seashells onto the frame using the hot glue, however you would like.  You can also use glitter and paint to decorate the shells before you put them on the frame.  Once the frame is covered in shells, add the photo, and you have a very beautiful summer photo in a lovely, customized summer fun frame!

Valentine's Day Craft- Piggy Card

What you need
Pink Construction Paper
Scissors
Markers
Glue

Cut out a large heart out of pink construction paper. This will be the piggy's head.  On another sheet of pink paper, cut out two triangles (ears) and another, smaller heart(nose).  Also cut two 1/2 inch strips.  Glue the ears in place, and add detail if you'd like.  Take the two strips, and glue the ends together perpendicularly(in an L shape).  Now, fold the bottom paper over the top.  This should make it into another L.  Keep doing this to make a spring, and glue the tops together.  Once it dries, glue the base of the spring into the middle of the heart, where the nose will be.  Now, glue the heart shaped nose on the top of the spring, to make a pop-out nose.  Color two nostrils onto the nose.  Now, draw two heart eyes, and a pretty little smile.

You can add your own personal message to the piggy.

Craft- Christmas Cards

Santa Card
-What you will need
    White Construction Paper
    Scissors
     Glue
     Crayons/Markers
     Cotton Balls
Take the paper and fold it in half, "hamburger style".  Draw on a Santa, to where the left side of his head is on the crease of the paper, to form the card.  Color his hat red, cheeks pink, and skin orange, peach, or which ever color you have that is close to skin tone.  Now, cut Santa out, on both sides of the crease, so you have a Santa shaped card.  Next, cover his beard, mustache, and trim and ball of his hat lightly with glue, and cover it with cotton.  Now, write your personalized message inside.

Present
-What you need
     Green and red construction paper
     Scissors
     Glue
Choose whether you want the present to be red or green.  Now, take that color of paper and fold it in half, "hamburger style", to where the card opens upward.  Now, fold the other color of paper in half the same way, and cut a strip longways, making 2 strips.  Glue one strip midway down the card, horizontally, to make ribbon.  Cut the other strip to match the height of the card, and glue it midway, vertically, to finish the ribbon.
Cut out a small piece of white paper for the gift tag, and write "To: person's name, From: Your name".  Now, on the "ribbon colored" paper, and cut very thin strips, about half an inch wide.  Make a swoop, similar to the "Cause" ribbons.  Do this three times, and glue all three together to make the bow.  Now, glue the bow on the top of the card.  Now, write you personal message on the inside

Kid's Christmas Craft- Paper Plate Banner

This one is a fun craft that your kids will love!  And, what's great about this idea is that you can use it for any holiday, with just a few simple changes.

What You Need:
Paper Plates
Large Google Eyes
Paints, Markers, or Crayons
Pom Poms
Construction Paper

Reindeer
First, paint or color a paper plate brown.  Glue on the google eyes, and a red or black pom pom for the nose.  Color or paint the mouth in a nice little smile.  Then, trace your child's hands on the construction paper, cut them out and glue them onto the plate for the antlers.  Then, on the construction paper, cut triangles for the ears.

Snowman
Take two paper plates and glue them together, one on top of the other.  Cut out a black top hat from the construction paper and glue it on the "head".  Glue on the google eyes, and use black pom poms for the mouth and buttons.  For the nose, you can use orange construction paper cut into a triangle(carrot) or another black pom pom.
For a little added touch, instead of just having the white of the paper plates as the "snow", you can cover the plates with cotton balls.  You can also sprinkle some fine glitter onto the cotton to add a little glisten.

Wreath
First, cut a circle in the middle of the paper plate out.  Color or paint the rest green.  Add red pom poms around the wreath.  Use construction paper and cut out a bow, and glue it to the bottom of the wreath.

Santa
This one is slightly more difficult.  Paint or color the plate a peach or pink color.  Glue on the google eyes.  Draw or paint a nose and mouth.  Now, with construction paper, cut out a triangle, or "hat" shape.  Glue on top of Santa's head, and line the bottom with cotton balls.  Glue a few cotton balls at the top corner of the hat as well.  Now, cut out a rounded triangle shape, for the beard.  Glue it on the bottom of the face, and cover with cotton balls, bringing it up around his mouth for his mustache.

Now, to make a nice holiday banner, use yarn, twine, or construction paper to stick them all together.  You can glue, tape, or string them all together.

Craft: Hug and Kiss Pillows

This is a good craft to do with you child!  It's great to make two, one for the child, and one for someone like Grandma, Grandpa, or another friend or relative.

What You Need:
4 pieces of felt, which ever size you'd like the pillows to be(enough for 2 pillows)
2 or more pieces of felt, for names
Tacky Glue
Polyester stuffing

Take the two pieces of felt meant to be the main colors of the pillow.  Glue three of the sides together, leaving one open for stuffing, which will be the last step.  With the other pieces, cut out letters for each of the names that will go on the pillows, and glue them onto the pillows.  You can also add things like xoxo, hearts, or any other cute things that your child wants to add.
Wait about an hour for everything to dry, and then stuff the pillow with the stuffing, and glue the final side closed, and clamp it together.  I used potato chips clamps.

These pillows are great because you can chose any colors or designs that you want!  Be as creative as you and your child want to be with them!

Face Painting: Four Step Kitty (pic included)

Step One: Ears
First, right above the eye brows, paint two triangular-shaped black outlines.  Fill each in with white face paint, using the eyebrow as a bottom line.  After the white paint dries, use a light pink paint and make two, filled-in, smaller triangles.  They represent the inside of the cat ear.

Step Two: Nose
Paint the entire nose white.  Once it dries, paint only the tip of the nose light pink.  Then, take black paint and make a line across the nostrils.

Step Three: Mouth
First, paint the area between the top lip and nose white, extending slightly beyond the corners of the mouth.  Then, paint two small circles on the cheeks, for a little touch of cuteness.  With black paint, make a small line down the septum all the way to the top of the lip, thickening it at the bottom.

Step Four: Whiskers
This one is easy.  Make three black lines extending from the center of the white paint outwards.  Add a few little black spots around the base of the whiskers.

There. you're done and you have an adorable little kitty

Snack For Kids: Fruit Kababs

What you'll need:
Shishkabab skewers
Your or your child's favorite fruits(Watermelon chunks, strawberries, apples, bananas, pears, kiwi, grapes, orange slices, etc)
Yogurt

Ok, so this one is super easy, and is a good one to have the kids help out with.  First, make sure the fruits are cut up in slices, or are able to be stuck on the skewers.  Then, simply put the fruit on however you would like to.  Use the yogurt to dip these sweet skewers in.  The kids will love helping to make these, and eating their delicious, healthy snack.  Much better than any cookie or candy!!!

Dress-Up: Puppy

This is an easy one that my daughter LOVES!  It's easy to do, and easy to undo.  We all know that every kid loves to play dress up; just look at halloween.  For the puppy dress-up, simply get 2 socks and an eyeliner pencil or liquid eyeliner.  For girls, put her hair in two ponytails, put a sock over each ponytail, and secure it with a hair tie.  Then, paint the puppy nose and the "whiskers" (as 5 would look on dice).

I hope you and your puppy have a great time with this!

Parenting- Challenge Your Baby!!!

I am not an expert.  I didn't go to school for child care or child psychology.  However, I am the mother of a VERY intelligent, well spoken 3 year old little girl.  My daughter, Alex, can spell her name and several 3 letter words, she knows simple addition, she has a very high vocabulary, can write several letters without seeing them before hand, and can figure out several problems by herself.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, like most soon-to-be moms, I began planning EVERYTHING.  Little did I know, all that went out the window when my 7lb. 8oz. angel came into this world.  I instantly saw the potential of this little tiny newborn.  So, as many parents so, I talked to her, played classical music while she slept, and covered the sides of her cribs with those black and white pictures of blocks and diagonal lines and such.  By the time she began lifting her head, I became to challenge her.  I would show her a toy and put it just out of her reach.  And wouldn't you know, she found a way to get to it.  At 4 1/2 months, Alex started to crawl, even before she sat up.  Then, I was SHOCKED when my daughter took her first 3 steps... at 7 1/2 months old.
After that, I began teaching her things that everyone around me said she was too young to learn.  I started with sign language.  I taught her simple things at first, like eat and milk, and as she got older, I taught her things like more, several different animals, and then, enough for her to tell me things that she needed.  She could sign to me that she wanted more milk please, or more to eat please, etc.
When she began talking, I talked to her all the time, like she was an adult.  Now granted, I did do the baby talk from time to time, but usually, I would use proper grammar, and bigger words than most people use around a child.  She picked it all up very easily.

My point in all this being, even if everyone around you says your baby is too young to learn something, challenge them anyways.  If they get something wrong, still encourage them, and reward them if they get it right.  Children are so smart, and their parents need to learn to challenge them more.  Let's make this next generation the smartest of them all!