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...]
Christmas in July- Make your own Snow
Do you ever want to play with snow inside and not have it melt all over the place? Make your own fake snow! Perfect for these HOT July days! It's great for decorating , letting your kids drive their toy cars through or just plain playing in! All you will need is: A few unused disposable diapers (It would be super gross to use dirty diapers.) Water A container to mix in silver glitter (optional) Ok, now this is so easy you are going to think you missed something! 1) Cut open the diaper and pull out the inside absorbent layer. 2) Put it in the container and slowly add water 3) Mix until it becomes snow consistency! For powdery snow use less water, for slushy snow use more water. 4) Add a bit of glitter for some sparkle. (optional) My girls had a TON of fun playing with the snow! We attempted to add more water and make a snowman but it wasn't really successful. My girls did however, enjoy adding more and more water to see how slushy they … [Read more...]
Hosting a Winter ONEderland Party
Planning birthday parties is one of my favorite things to do! With 4 kids I get the chance to get creative every couple of months (tee hee hee). This past month my baby boy turned ONE! I threw him a Winter ONEderland Party. I thought this party turned out so cute that I'd share it with you so that you too could be inspired! The first, and most important part of the party is the cake....of course! It just so happens that our local bakery offers a FREE "smash cake" for their 1st birthdays. Thanks to them I didn't have to pull out the pans and make one, yay! Check with your local bakery to see if they offer the same. (Note- I didn't blot out my sons name because it would have taken a long time to do...this will be the only post in which I will share his name). I asked them to add blue and white dots to the cake to coordinate with the colors. I also had them make a "winter- themed" sheet cake for our party guests. My lovely friend made the gorgeous fondant igloo, penguins, and polar … [Read more...]
Ten things to do in the winter with your kids
Since today is our "Hodge podge" day where we post pretty much whatever we like (ha ha ha) I thought it might be a good time to post some ideas of fun things to do with your kids during the winter months, especially since we're in the thick of it right now. Hope you find some great tips from this list! 1. Explore tracks- take time to go outside and explore the different shaped animal tracks in the snow (or dirt) and see if you can figure out what they are. This adventure offers a few great things: a little science learning, quality time, and creative thinking. Photo courtesy of Five Elements Arts 2. Make a trail hunt- Go outside during their nap time (or a time when they can't see you) and make a trail throughout the yard, twisting and turning and jumping between steps. Have them go outside and follow the trail. Photo Courtesy of Log Like 3. Make a "headless snowman". We all know snowmen have three circles...well this snowman has only … [Read more...]
Borax Crystal Snowflakes…FAIL
I have no idea why this week turned out to be a FAIL week for our projects but sometimes life just is that way. We promised to share our failures along side our successes. So here is another FAIL. This is what you SHOULD end up with photo courtesy of About This is what I got What I did wrong---I estimated rather than measured Here is what you will need measuring cup and spoon Borax 20 mule team bowl (pint size) boiling water pencil string pipe cleaner food coloring (optional) Cut a pipe cleaner into three equal parts and twist together Attach string to each snowflake and hang using a pencil, make sure they do not touch the side or the bottom of the jar Fill the jar with 1 pint of boiling water and carefully MEASURE 3 tablespoons of borax and stir until disolved. (you may add a drop or two of food coloring at this point). Set them aside for 24 hours and when you come back to them you WILL have pretty crystal snowflakes. Just in case you … [Read more...]
Tortilla Chip Snowflakes…FAIL
I labeled this "tasty treats" because NORMALLY it IS a tasty treat but when you get distracted and side tracked they burn in the oven and then they are no longer tasty =) Making your own tortilla chips is REALLY easy and they taste amazing (most of the time). Here is what you will need tortillas cooking spray sugar baking sheet oven scissors I used a circular cookie cutter to cut the tortillas into smaller circles first (if you get the burrito size you can get quite a few smaller circles from each one) Once you have the amount of circles you desire fold them in half and start snipping pieces out (much like you do when you make paper snowflakes) Place them on a baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray Bake at 350degrees F for 7 minutes (NOT 20 like I did...LOL). Then sprinkle with sugar once you remove them. ENJOY! Here is how they are supposed to look (this was the only one that wasn't burned to a crispy black dirt flake) *just a little funny thing to … [Read more...]
