I'm sure you've seen a bunch of those "Caught Ya Being Good" ideas all over Pinterest. If you haven't, here and here are a few of them. I LOVE the idea of "Caught Ya Being Good", and while I thought the jars were cute, I wanted make my own version of it. My variation is more like "Wanted For Good Behavior" and has a kinda western theme. Yes, I know I have girls but I just couldn't resist a wanted poster so I had to tie in the rest. The principle is still the same--reward my girls for good behavior. I'm just so sick of yelling at them all the time that I thought I should start acknowledging when they are good. Now when I catch them being good (without me asking) they get a sheriff's certificate. After they've gotten 10 certificates, they get a reward of their choosing whether it be $5.00 for their piggy bank, a date with mom or dad, or an extra treat before bed. These certificates, however, are not easy to earn. The girls only get them when they are CAUGHT being good, not … [Read more...]
Mexican Stuffed Shells–Pinned it, Did it!
I often pin recipes on my personal Pinterest account but never actually make them. Pinned it, Did it! is the perfect excuse to start trying some of those recipes I've pinned. Mexican Stuffed Shells was one that I had all the ingredients for on hand except for the shells. I made a trip to the store for the pasta then got to work... I quickly discovered that these tasty shells are super easy to make and one that the girls could easily help with if you let the meat mixture cool a bit. (Tottie wanted to help me stuff the shells with the meat but I didn't have time to wait for it to cool.) I WILL be making this recipe again! They were so good and my whole family loved them. They aren't exactly quick to make, but they are easy, which makes up for the time it takes to stuff all the shells. Don't they look good to you? … [Read more...]
Fuel for Active Kids — #QuakerEpicAdventures
March was a crazy month for our family. Nutty started gymnastics on Mondays on top of swimming on Tuesdays and church on Wednesdays. Hubby and I shoot in a pool league on Thursdays. Uff-da (as we say in Minnesota)! I'm making some changes for this month! Unfortunately, there was a period of two weeks where gymnastics and swimming both fell on Monday evening (until I could reschedule swimming to Tuesdays). Nutty would get home from school at 4:15, change clothes, grab a quick snack, and head to swimming at 5:00, immediately after swimming and a shower, we'd head to gymnastics at 6:00. We didn't eat dinner till around 7:30pm! So what did I give Nutty for a snack to keep her fueled for swimming and gymnastics? Granola bars of course! Quaker® Big Chewy Granola Bars to be exact. They're bigger than most granola bars and with 14g of whole grains they gave her the fuel she needed to make it through till dinner. Unfortunately, the box we received to try for this post did … [Read more...]
Insects Made From Cereal
So as I am scheduling our posts for this week I realize that ALL of them are tasty treat related but we're still sticking to our regular schedule. Today's post is both a craft and a tasty treat. We're making insects from cereal. Ok, sounds gross, I know, but they're actually super cute! I told you they were cute. To make them (and then eat them) with your kids, you'll need: Froot Loops, Fruity Cheerios, or the generic of either Pipe cleaners Large gum drops Candy sprinkles (optional) Frosting (optional) Scissors Toothpicks 1) The inch worm is super easy and is good for younger kids. Just curl a pipe cleaner slightly on one end and start stringing the cereal. 2) Press a gum drop drop at the other end of the stringed pipe cleaner. We found it easier to poke a hole in the gum drop with a tooth pick before trying to press it onto the pipe cleaner. 3) Use a small amount of frosting and candy sprinkles to make a face on the gum drop. 4) Use another … [Read more...]
Banana Cookies
Do you frequently buy bananas only to have them go bad before you eat them all? Are you sick of making banana bread all the time? How about making your family banana cookies! My mom made banana cookies all the time for my family growing up. I don't know if it was just or fun or if it was because we frequently had over-ripe bananas. Either way, they are yummy, easy to make, and I now make them for my family. You'll need: 2 1/4 cup flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 2/3 cup margarine 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 ripe, mashed bananas Mix everything together, drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 400° F for 8-10 minutes. Check often while baking because some ovens are different and you don't want to over cook these. The recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies. Yep, it's that easy! What do you make with over-ripe bananas besides cookies and banana bread? … [Read more...]
11 Last Minute April Fools Activities For Kids
Today is April 1st which means it's April Fools Day. I really wanted to play some kind of trick on you guys, our readers, by announcing we were quitting this blog, or by putting up a 404 NOT FOUND page in it's place for the day. Lindsi convinced me it probably wasn't a good idea as people might take it seriously if they weren't paying attention. So, instead of a joke on you, I'm letting you in on a few awesome, last minute tricks you can play on your family... 1) Upside down/backwards house While your kids are at school today, turn everything that you can (photos, knick-knacks, whatever you can) upside down and/or backwards. When your kids ask what happened, act like you have no clue that things are different. If your kids are on spring break and are home today, slowly change things when they aren't in the room. 2) Blue toothbrush Put a small drop of blue food coloring in the middle of your child's toothbrush sometime today. When they go to brush their teeth tonight, … [Read more...]
