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Archives for December 2013

5 Alarm Fire Craft

My twins really loved this art project. Seriously, they made about 15 each! It's really easy to do and only requires a piece of paper and some finger paint. Paint your hand (or child's hand) red and have place it on the paper with your fingers far apart. Add a little red and yellow (or orange) to make a "fire" on the side where the thumb print is. Using white paint add  a face (one finger print) to the top of the fingers. A little more red on the top for the fire hats and a blue line across the fingers makes the hose. And there you have it, a five-alarm fire print! … [Read more...]

Easy Oreo Truffles

Are you looking for some easy, last minute Christmas cookies to make with your kids? These Oreo Truffles are perfect! Not only are they simple with just three ingredients, they are also super fun to make! Those three ingredients you'll need?  One package of Oreo cookies, one 8 oz brick of cream cheese, and 2-3 bricks of white baker's chocolate.  Red or peppermint sprinkles are optional. 1)  Start by crushing the whole package of cookies into crumbs.  You can hand crush them, but using a food processor or blender works best.     2) Next soften the cream cheese and blend it well with the Oreos.       3) Take a spoon full at a time of the Oreo-cream cheese mixture and roll them into balls. Set aside on a cookie sheet until you have rolled all of the mixture into balls. Put the balls in the refrigerator until hard (about 1/2 hr).   4) Using a double boiler, melt the white chocolate. If you don't have a double boiler (we … [Read more...]

15 Must Do Family Christmas Activities

It seems like every year Christmas creeps up faster and faster.  Life gets super busy with the hustle and bustle of the season and you forget to slow down and spend quality time as an immediate family.  We've got 15 must do family Christmas activities to encourage you to stop and have some fun. 1)  Cut your own real Christmas tree. Take your family on an adventure to a Christmas tree farm and enjoy the hunt for the perfect tree.  It's definitely more fun than you think! 2) Go ice skating on an outdoor rink or on a lake. When was the last time you bundled up and went ice skating outside? Get outside and enjoy the fresh air! 3) Go Christmas caroling in the neighborhood next to yours. Grab some friends and neighbors and spread Christmas joy with the lost art of caroling. No one will care if you can't sing. 4) Go shopping for toys to donate. Teach your children the importance of giving in this time of "I want..." by shopping for those less fortunate. 5) Have a family movie … [Read more...]

Snowman Bulbs

Today's Pinned it, Did it post is brought to you by a friend of mine. I completely fell in love with her adorable snowmen when she posted a photo of them! I begged, borrowed, and stole (well, I asked first) the photo and idea because I just had to share it with you, our lovely readers! She said these were really easy to do and here is how she did it! 1. Take your clear glass (or plastic) Christmas bulbs and stuff them with "insta-snow" (a.k.a. fake snow) and replace the tops 2. Use a paint marker to draw in the faces on the ornaments 3. Hot glue (adults only please) two glittery pom poms to the side to look like ear muffs 4. Carefully thread glittery pipe cleaners through the top of the ornament and attach to the pom poms And there you have it! The cutest snowmen Christmas bulbs I have ever seen! … [Read more...]

Popsicle Stick Soldier Ornament

Yup, it's more make your own Christmas ornaments time again.  Over the past few weeks, you may have read about all the popsicle stick ornaments we've been making.  Today we make a popsicle stick soldier ornament. I realized as I went to write this post that I only have one photo of Nutty making this adorable ornament.  We made so many ornaments at the same time that I forgot which ones I took photos of and which ones I didn't.  Oh well... As with the other ornaments we've made, you can pretty much figure out how to make the soldier just by looking at the photo.  However, if you need actual directions on how to make it, they can be found in the original post from which I pinned the idea (scroll down to #6). Nutty is 7 so she needed a little help with the finer painting (ie. the face) but otherwise she loved making the popsicle stick soldier and she says it's her favorite ornament she's made. Does your child have a favorite ornament that they've made? … [Read more...]

Gingerbread Biscotti Treats

This time of year my favorite thing to do is bake. My kids and I are awfully fond of anything Gingerbread-ish. So I came up with a gingerbread recipe I thought I'd share with you. Gingerbread Biscotti Combine first: 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ginger 1 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour Once these ingredients are mixed well then add: 1/4 cup dark molasses 2 large eggs Mix well and create  log shaped cookies from the dough. The other method you can use is to create a large circle shape and then bake and cut immediately after removing from the oven with a pizza cutter. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes and then ENJOY! … [Read more...]