Archive for the ‘kids do’ Category

Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to around our house.   A little Bird House for Emma’s Valentines.  We made it out of an old box.  Emma painted and punched and glued to her heart’s content.

And a tree for Lily to “squirrel” her Valentines away.  Do you recognize the container for oatmeal?  How many of my childhood Valentine’s boxes were made out of oatmeal boxes?  Many.  We did our best to make it look like a tree…. Lily loved cutting and counting leaves.  We cut up bamboo skewers and painted them brown for the stems.  And when it was done, she decided the tree should have heart fruit.

And I loved that the ideas for the girl’s boxes were their own.  I was just there to help them figure out how to create them.

Ben wanted to say something sweet to his Valentines….  not.

The dynamite was made from Rollo’s candy rolled with red paper.  The wick is a bit of black licorice and we tied up the bundle with some black pipe cleaner (because that’s what I had on hand.)  This Valentine could have read, “You’re Dynamite!” or “You’re a Blast”…. but Ben wanted it to read “You’re the Bomb.”

Can you tell Lily is in to squirrels right now?  I tried to talk Lily into giving nuts… just a little healthier than chocolate.  But in the end she picked M & M Peanuts… which still have nuts, Mom…. and chocolate.

And here’s Emma’s.  We are still working on the card a bit…  She’s just happy to use glitter.  And love the saying, “You’re so Tweet.”

Lots and lots of Valentine’s creations.  And none of it’s perfect…   just lot’s of fun for the kids.  And in the end, that’s what it’s all about.

Since I lived off of chocolate over the holidays, I am turning over a new leaf with some healthy snacks around the house.

The kids need them too… after school snacks.   Here’s a few we’ve all enjoyed lately:

• Edamame:  I love edamame when they serve it in a restaurant.  But I’d never thought about buying it to have at home.  A friend of mine told me about the box at Costco in the freezer case and we recently picked one up.  The box is divided into smaller bags, which are a perfect serving size for me and kids for after school.  One bag feeds us all.  I pop the bag in the microwave for 3 minutes, cut it open, and pour into a serving bowl.  Sprinkle on a little Kosher salt and it’s just about perfect.  Plus it’s full of fiber, protein and vitamins…. and the kids love it.

• Pomegranate seeds and Clementines too:  I’ve been keeping bowl of pomegranate seeds on the counter and loving them. Nedra over at Cactus Needle Quilts shows a quick and easy way to seed a pomegranate, I can’t wait to try.  I looks sooo much faster than my method.  I’ve also been keeping clementines around for those sweet tooth moments.

• Celery sticks “boats” filled with Light Laughing Cow Cheese:  They are quick to make and easily everyone’s favorite snack these days.  I cut off the top and bottom of the celery stick, wash it under cold water and dry it off, then spread one wedge of the cheese into the stick.  I usually cut them up into 3 inch sticks and watch them disappear.

What healthy snacks are you eating these days?  I’d love to hear.  I’ve got to keep things interesting or chocolate might start looking good again.