Don't let the name of this tasty treat fool you! It is SUPER good! My mom introduced our family to this recipe a few weeks ago and it has been a frequent request since then. To make this Dump Cake you'll need: 21-24 oz Cinnamon Spice apple pie filling (or plain apple pie filling and 2 tbsp cinnamon) 1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (must be Duncan Hines without pudding in the mix) 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1/2 cup coconut (optional) 2 sticks of unsalted butter Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Now for the extremely easy and ubber fun part: Dump each ingredient (in the above order) evenly into a 9x13 inch baking pan to make layers of the ingredients. The butter will need to be cut into tablespoon size pieces and evenly placed across the pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping. … [Read more...]
12 fun Beach Day Activities
1. Fill a bucket relay- Set up a bucket a few feet from the water. Have each child race to the water and fill their hands with water and race back to the bucket to dump it in. Time them to see how fast they can fill the bucket up with water using only their hands! 2.Go on an archiological dig- Dig deep into the sand to find rocks and trinkets. Discuss how each item looks, feels, and even smells. Explain how the smooth rocks got their feel from the waves crashing over them and buffing them smooth. Tell them how the sharp and jagged rocks may not have been in the water very long and they haven't been smoothed by the water. 3. Look for sea glass- Did you know that glass is smooth after it has been in the water for some time? Mason jar glass often takes a blue color to it when it has been buffed by the waves and shore. Brown glass is usually from root(beer) bottles and red sea glass is considered one of the rarest colors! See if you can collect enough sea glass to make a mosaic … [Read more...]
I’m a #DontSweatMom! You can be one too–Giveaway
A few weeks ago I (Jamie) decided to join the campaign to become a Don't Sweat Mom. What is the Don't Sweat Mom campaign? It is based on the book "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" by Kristine Carlson. The campaign is creating a community of moms that are coming together to stress less and choose happiness more. It’s about finding our joy in everyday parenting. As Colorado Mountain Mom said in her book review, I too had a little blogger regret after I signed up for this campaign. Like her, I didn't think I was going to have time to read the book. I quickly discovered, however, that the book was broken up into short, easy to read chapters. It doesn't have any particular flow, so it's convenient to simply pick the chapters that you want to read and skip around. In fact, this blog post has taken me MUCH longer to write than actually reading the book! There were many chapters in "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" that struck a cord with me. "Make Special Mommy & Me … [Read more...]
Amazing chocolate and salt bars
Are you ready for the most amazing blondies in the world? Ingredients: 2 1/4 C flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 sticks of butter, softened 3/4 C sugar 3/4 C brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips 2-3 tablespoons kosher salt Mix all but kosher salt together and spread into a square baking pan. Sprinkle the kosher salt on top of the brownies before baking. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Grab a HUGE glass of milk and enjoy! HEAVEN! … [Read more...]
Finances and Children–Guest Post
Today we have the pleasure of having Dr. Deanna Cole, a a licensed psychologist with a broad background in neuropsychological and psychological assessment, therapy and psychoeducation share her thoughts on finances and children: It’s important that parents talk about money and money issues with their children. Kids are often aware of their parents’ financial burdens even when adults attempt to shield their children from life’s stresses. They should also be made aware of the good things money brings! Teach your kids the value of financial planning, saving and possibly even investing. When you enjoy a vacation, a trip to the circus or a simple trip to the ice cream shop, you have a perfect opportunity to talk about how nice it is to have money to enjoy life’s luxuries (and slip in a bit of education or your own financial wisdom as well). Better yet, work out a plan with your kids ahead of time to come up with the money for a special event. Have them get creative about ways your … [Read more...]
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Raising Kids…
We all know that raising children has good, bad, and ugly times. Today we bring you a little humor related to raising your little ones! The Good: Pregnancy gives you the best, most luxurious hair you've ever had. The Bad: Four months after you give birth, your hair begins to fall out. The Ugly: You no longer care that your luxurious hair is gone because there's no time to wash and style it anyway. The Good: Pregnancy gives you glowing skin. The Bad: Six months into your pregnancy, stretch marks begin to show. The Ugly: Your skin now looks like a prune. The Good: You thought that your third trimester of pregnancy prepared you for sleepless nights. The Bad: Tossing and turning in bed is nothing compared to actually having to get up with an infant. The Ugly: Due to sleep deprivation, you have now used breast milk or formula as coffee creamer. (photo source) The Good: You bought the safest, cutest car seat for you infant. The Bad: You didn't realize how … [Read more...]
