I loved LEGOS® growing up. This past Christmas my girls got a ton of LEGO® Friends and are finally sharing in my love for the tiny little blocks. My girls and I also love watching videos on YouTube. It's fun to see what you can discover on it (with supervision from mom of course!). LEGO® now combines two of our favorite things with their Official LEGO® Channel on YouTube!There are over 500 videos on the Official LEGO® Channel with more being added daily. What's best is that they are all kid-friendly so you can feel ok leaving your children to surf the channel while you look away for a few minutes (i.e. get the dishes or laundry done, or if you're really lucky, close your eyes for a 15 minute nap!).We could have spent hours building a playlist off of this channel. Nutty loved the LEGO® Friends Music Video, Tottie loved any of the LEGO® Monster Fighters videos (yes, she's my little monster lover), and I liked the short little LEGO® City clips. We all liked the videos that fast … [Read more...]
Ice Fishing with your kiddos
Every year, the day after Christmas, we take the long journey to the great wide open (also known as Papa Tractors). This year was extra special because, this year Papa Tractor took our oldest son ice fishing. He had a special hat made just for him and bought him his very own ice fishing rod. It was special indeed! He reserved a special ice house just for us for the entire day. We hopped in a Bombardier (see the photo)and headed to 5 mile point. It was five miles out in the middle of the lake and it took us nearly a half hour to get there. But was it worth it? Indeed! We spent nearly 7 hours out there and the only person who caught anything was Papa. But, it didn't really matter because the day wasn't totally about catching....it was more about the memory, the special time, the incredible gift of grandparents. It was a successful day for sure! Have you ever been ice fishing? Do you have any amazing memories with your grandparents you want to share? … [Read more...]
World Unplug & Play Day™
We interrupt our normal Pinned it Did it! to bring you an announcement:Tomorrow (January 19th) is WORLD UNPLUG & PLAY DAY™!Play from Scratch™ and Toys In The Dryer challenge you (yes, we mean you) to take a break from your gadgets and just play for an entire day. Shut off your cell phone, computer, and tablet, turn off the video games and mp3 players, unplug and play in the real world. We don't care what you do exactly, just do something as a family that doesn't involve a cord.“Technology can bring us together as well as distract us from what’s important,” said Jeff Freeland Nelson founder and CEO of Play from Scratch. “We think everyone should take the pledge, unplug for just one day and rediscover what it’s like to play in the real world.”You can take the pledge and watch a video of kids making the case at unplugandplayday.com. Organizations as far away as Bilbao, Spain have already jumped on board and are encouraging their friends to unplug and play. “Our goal is simple,” said … [Read more...]
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies–Guest Post
People have become aware that more children nowadays have what is called a gluten intolerance. The National Institutes of Health, Univ. of Chicago Celiac Disease Center reported in 2012 that between 5% and 10% of all people suffer from a gluten sensitivity of some form. Many bakeries have also become aware of the growing need for different options of baked goods and have started providing gluten free alternatives. As parents, chances are that we all have at least one friend of the family who's child has a gluten sensitivity. It is a good idea to have ingredients and a recipe on hand for playdates. Below is a gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe that all kids can enjoy. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. Ingredients 3/4 cup softened butter 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract 1/4 cup egg substitute 2 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour mix 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 12 ounces … [Read more...]
Why you should teach your child a second language now–Guest Post
Bilingual Benefits--Why you should teach your child a second language now From increased creative thinking to improved multi-tasking, Heidi Bernal, principal of Adams Spanish Immersion School in St. Paul, Minn., sees firsthand the benefits of students learning a second language. “Children are like little sponges and they’re already in a learning mode,” she says. “Most are not afraid to jump in and take a risk (when learning a new language). We use dance, pantomime and pictures and they pick it up quickly.” Bernal points out that new research shows that learning a second language increases brain function.In addition, she says there are long-term advantages such as better job opportunities, and savvy parents, wanting the best for their kids, are looking ahead to their futures. “Spanish is the fastest-growing language group in the United States so there’s a practical use,” Bernal says, “But there are also kids learning Mandarin, and with the global economy, those children might … [Read more...]
Melted Crayon Formations
My husband was sick of finding tiny crayon pieces all over the house. He was about to throw them away when I told him we could re-purpose the crayons. He then remembered something he used to do with his mom when he was younger--Melted Crayon Formations.The unfortunate thing is that he couldn't exactly remember what he and his mom did. He remembered melted crayons and something about plunging them into ice water. So...he went with that...The girls took the paper off of all the tiny chunks of crayon they had. Then, much to my dismay, my husband melted the crayons in our egg skillet! Oh well, crayons are non-toxic and the skillet cleaned up nicely. While hubby was melting the crayons, I got out one of our large pots and filled it with ice water. Once the crayons were melted, hubby poured the liquid into a metal cap from a jelly jar......then he quickly plunged the cap into the ice water. This caused the crayons to rise and harden quickly. Though my girls thought the formations … [Read more...]
