ready to go snacks - Kid Friendly Friday

I get so many great ideas from Carisa's blog and here is one of my favorites - a bowl full of snacks. This stays in the pantry on a low shelf (as opposed to the chocolate that stays on a very high shelf). When Abby wants a snack she can go get one her self. If we are headed out the door and need a snack for the car - she can pick one or two real quick. To see more kid friendly ideas check out I Blame My Mother.

What is making your life easier at the moment?

Muffin Tin Lunch

This muffin tin meal was inspired by the book Apple Trouble. pear, apple, milk

cashews, black berries, leaf shaped peanut butter sandwich



These are all foods that the poor little hedgehog found stuck to his back. Thank goodness for a friendly billy goat that helps him out.

To see more great muffin tin creations click here.

Kid Friendly Friday - yarn

It's amazing what adding a little bit of yarn and glue will do to liven up drawing time.

For more kid friendly ideas go check out I Blame My Mother.

Got Zucchini????

Just got back from the farmers market with a big bag of zucchini. I recently read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (it is a really good book - no matter what my book club friends say) and found this great recipe:

DISAPPEARING ZUCCHINI ORZO
¾ lb pkg orzo pasta (multicolored is fun)
Bring 6 cups water or chicken stock to a boil and add pasta. Cook 8 to 12 minutes
1 chopped onion, garlic to taste
3 large zucchini
olive oil for sauté
Use a cheese grater or mandolin to shred zucchini, sauté briefly with chopped onion and garlic until lightly golden.
thyme
oregano
¼ cup grated parmesan or any hard yellow cheese
Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.
Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve cool or at room temperature.



and don't forget this recipe. It is my all time favorite way to eat zucchini or squash. My friend Katy just posted this recipe on her blog for zucchini bread which I plan to try soon.

Kid Friendly Friday - Slime Style

Making slime has been my favorite summer activity so far. I had as much fun playing with it as Abby did. It is very simple to make and will last for a few weeks in an air tight container. Go here for the recipe. The animals always seem to end up playing with us.

For more kid friendly ideas go see Sarah at I Blame My Mother or

We Made it Fridays Showcase at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

Summer Fun

I saw a great idea on this blog for a way to add some fun as the summer days start to get a little boring. I think I have mentioned before that I am felt crazy, so I was very excited to have a new felt project on my to do list. Each morning of our Summer Fun week I had a special activity planned for the day.Our special activities were:


make cookies


visit a nature museum and picnic in the park


paint toe nails (this was a first for Abby and a very big deal)


play at the mall and have lunch with friends


make Slime (more on this soon)


visit a local Raptor Center


have a movie night with snacks and popcorn





I plan on doing this one week out of each summer month. For tons of great activity ideas go here or here.

And the Winner is...

Sorry for the bad picture but the winners are Katy for the Princess book and Loretta for the Pirates book. Congrats girls. The books are headed your way.

Go Ape Card Game

Abby got one of the coolest games for her birthday. Go Ape is like Crazy Eights but instead of asking for the card you need, you have to act it out. We had lots of laughs playing with cousin Emily when she visited us from Canada last week.

Thanks Grandma Gail for this great game. :)

For more Kid Friendly ideas check out I Blame My Mother.

Scanimation

I just have to share a new author we found recently. These books use a technology called scanimation and it is the coolest thing ever. As you move the page the image gives the illusion of motion. So, so cool. They are sturdy also, so even the littlest readers can enjoy.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. Only two days left.

Time For A Giveaway

In honor of my blog's first birthday I would like to host a give away. Two lucky winners will get a copy of one of these Barefoot collections that include a storytime CD.

Here is how to enter: leave a comment telling me which book you would like to win. If you have a blog and would like to be entered in a second time, blog about the giveaway and leave another comment letting me know. The contest will end Sunday at midnight. Good luck.