This summer, one of my goals is to make my kids more independent and helpful around the house. They are both at good ages where they can: help in the kitchen, help to keep the house clean, and help to keep things organized. But, as a lot of moms can relate, just because they know how to do these things, doesn't mean it's easy to get them to actually do it.
I think that's the reason why last week's #1 most popular post in the Kid's Co-op was called "Simple and Easier Ideas for Building Toddler Self Help Skills." I know a lot of parenting experts advise never to do things for your child that they know how to do for themselves. However, as we're rushing out the door, working to get dinner on the table or trying to get the kids in bed, sometimes it's just easier to do things for the kids instead of allowing them do it themselves. This summer, I'm going to dig a little deeper into chore charts and building independence for my kids. What are your goals this summer?
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting New York City to check out the new line of Disney Baby products. Even though my baby days are over, it's still fun to see the newer Disney characters come to life on bibs, onsies, bedding and more. By attending this event, a donation was given to Operation Shower on my behalf, which was icing on the cake!
Operation Shower is is a non-profit organization that provides baby showers for military families to ease the stress of deployment. Disney has teamed up with them to them by donating a selection of Disney Baby products to these families via their new Shower in a Box Program. Here'a a peek at the some of the Disney products that I had the chance to check out while in New York.
For the classic Disney fan, there was lots of Minnie and Mickey gear. I fell in love with these little pink shoes (shown above). It was nice to hear that Disney Baby wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel. Instead of starting from scratch, they have partnered with some of our favorite brands, like Stride Rite and Graco to create products we can trust.
Out of everything, my favorite product was the Winnie the Pooh "Dream Stars" Soother from Cloud B. I've been a fan of Cloud B's twighlight turtle for a long time, so I think it's pretty cool that they made a pooh version of it. It actually projects stars onto the ceiling that are in the shape of Mickey Ears. Isn't it cute?
I know there are a lot of people looking forward to Monster's University this summer and this Monster themed wadrobe and bedding is so lovable. It was a very dreary day in NYC, so my photos don't do portray how vibrant the colors were. You really have to see it up close to apprecite the details. It was really well done.
Last, but not least, here's a photo of the gorgeous New York skyline, and my photo with Tigger and Pooh.
Do you like the new Disney Baby line? Who is your favorite character?
Have you been inspired today? I always see or read things online that inspire me. There are so many yummy recipes, creative crafts and home DIY projects that I want to try, but I don't often get to put my plan into action. Lately, I've seen some different recipes for grilled pizza and they looked amazing. So, I gave it a try and my family loved it!
I used pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joes. When you grill pizza dough it makes it really nice and crunchy. Too many times, I've given a slice of pizza to my sons and ended up cutting it up on a place. That is not the case with grilled pizza! The crust is light and crispy which makes it great for kids.
As soon as the dough was cooked on the underside, I quickly flipped it and added my toppings. I kept the grill on low heat, and luckily, the crust came out perfectly and all of the cheese melted nicely.
A big reason to love grilled pizza is because the mess is all kept outside. Whenever we've made pizza inside, there are little bits of cheese that don't make it onto the pizza. Doing it this way, I didn't need to clean up anything in the house, and I was able to watch my kids in the yard while I was cooking. This perfect for those summer afternoons when they want to do anything but come inside.
The pizza was a success! My son didn't want his picture taken, but he was more than happy to show off his slice of mushroom, basil and oregano pizza. We will definitely be making this again!
Do you want to try it? Stephanie, from Confessions of a Stay-at-home Mom, has a video thatshows you exactly how to make grilled pizza. If you've never made pizza on your grill before you definitely want to check it out.
What's your favorite thing to grill in the summer?
I have to admit, I like rainy days. I'm not talking about rain every single day, all year round, but, every now and then it's a nice change. On rainy days, my kids really need to use their imagination to keep busy. Sometimes they end up playing in the rain and other times we bake or do crafts.
Hello, friends! I usually post the Kid's Co-opp earlier in the day, but it has been BUSY around here!
Just when I was getting into the swing of things with spring, I have a feeling summer is throw me for a loop. I'm already preparing for those long summer days. We had our first pool party with friends today and it was nice seeing the kids splash and swim together. Our calendar is as organized as it's gonna get and I just bought some new art supplies for the summer. Both my kids love painting, as do I, so I'll be keeping an eye out for crafts that involve painting.
What are you looking for in this week's edition of the Kid's Co-op? If you have a special request for certain types of crafts, let me know and I'll help you find what you're looking for.
Lowe's is having a FREE Kid's Build & Grow featuring the lovable monsters from the new movie Monster's University!
Take your child to Lowe’s where they can build Mike and Sulley Scarers inspired by Disney•Pixar’s upcoming release Monsters University! Each participating child will get to complete this project for FREE at the workshop, plus they'll get a free Apron and a patch.
What: Make Monsters University Scarers
When: Saturday, June 8th & Sunday June 9th
Where: Your local Lowe's Store
For more information and to register for this event, go to the Lowe's Website.
When we moved into our house several years ago, we were less than thrilled with the cream colored carpet that the previous owners had installed. At the time, my kids were both under age 4, so you can imagine how many spills we were cleaning up daily. I don’t know if the carpets were stain resistant, but they sure didn’t seem like it and it was driving me batty. Now, years later, I’m learning aboutMohawk SmartStrand Carpet, and my entire view on carpet has changed!
Most other carpets have stain and soil treatments that are applied topically to the fiber. Over time, due to natural wear and tear, the topically applied stain and soil treatment wears off. SmartStrand carpet by Mohawk is totally different. It has permanent stain and soil resistance that will never wear off. Yes, NEVER! That's because the stain protection is built into the SmartStrand carpet strands, and Mohawk is the world’s largest flooring manufacturer so you know it's a brand you can trust.
This past weekend, I had the chance to meet Chip Wade from Better TV and the rest of the License to Spill team. As soon as I heard they were stopping in Philadelphia’s famous Italian Market, I knew it was going to be fun. The Italian Market is famous for it's food, but it's also filled with such a great energy.
I love the idea of the License to Spill Tour because it allowed us to have a little fun with carpet. This tour is travelling around the U.S. to different food festivals and events where they're combining some of the messiest foods with some of the best carpet. Chip Wade, from Better TV and the rest of the team show how easy it is to clean SmartStrand carpet. Even tough stains, like ketchup, red Kool-Aid, and red wine will clean out easily with a dish rag, some warm water, and mild detergent, like dish soap.
The most interesting thing I learned about Mohawk SmartStrand carpet is that it's like a very high thread count bedding set. You know how easy it is to tell the difference between cheap sheets and really nice sheets? The same with carpet. This carpet is made with so many fibers that it makes it very soft and I could really tell the difference.
You can't go to the Italian Market and not focus on food, it's just impossible! While I was there, I had the chance to watch Chef Peter McAndrews, of Paesanos restaurant, make traditional Italian sandwiches and Gus of Isgro Pasticceria serve up his famous cannolis a the License to Spill booth. Yum, yum, yum!
Everyone, including kids, had a chance to test out this stain resistant carpeting. We squirted it with red wine, soy sauce and some other messy things. It was pretty gross.
Here you can see a piece of SmartStrand Carpet get completely stained.
See, the stains literally rinse right out. I don't know about you, but it makes me want to get Mohawk SmartStand carpet! If you want to check it out, be sure to head over to the Mohawk Flooring website, where you can enter to win your own 6’ X 9’ SmartStrand Silk bound carpet rug.
A good friend told me about this Raspberry Bar Recipe over a year ago and I've recently been craving it again. It's only semi-homemade, but, if you're looking for a quick and easy sweet summer recipe to make with the kids, this is it!
One thing my kids love about summer is having a chance to play with water balloons. On hot summer days when we need an easy game or activity to keep the kids busy, water balloons are the perfect boredom buster!
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Do you want to play with water balloons this summer? Look no further... Here are 15 Easy Water Balloon Game and Activity Ideas for Children!
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1) Paint with Water Balloons - My kids and I have used balloons for painting and the results were absolutely beautiful. Our balloons were filled with air, but Megan from Littlest Bird Studio decided to use water balloons too. She said "The water added weight and movement to the balloons and were really fun to squish around!"
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2) Water Balloon Number Target Practice - Combine number recognition review and water balloons for a fun, easy and educational summer game. Read more at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas.
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3) Balloon Roll - For this game, you have to keep your water balloon on the ground. The child that rolls their water balloon the farthest, and does not pop it, wins!
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4) Angry Bird Inspired Water Balloon Game - "Inspired by the mega popular video game Angry Birds this takes the game outside into the sun for fun all summer long." Read more at No Time for Flash Cards.
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5) Water Balloon Sight Word Toss - It's really simple to help reinforce sight words while playing a water balloon toss game. Learn more at Royal Balloo.
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6) Water Balloon Pinatas - Turn your monkey bars into a summer fun with this idea from Scrap Happy Heather.
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7) How Far Can You Go? See who can throw their water balloon the farthest. The kid who gets their's the farthest WITHOUT POPPING it, wins!
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8) Splash and Score Baseball - "Kids can test their aim and douse their opponent at the same time with this water balloon game of throwing and blocking skills." Get the scoop on the Spoonful website.
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9) Water Balloon Spoon Races - Jessica from Two Shades of Pink used wooden spoons from the dollar store for this simple summer game.
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10) Fill the Bucket - This is a great team game perfect for a kid's group or camp. Each team uses water balloons to fill up a bucket. Whichever team fills the bucket first wins! Read on about this game and others at My LDS Projects.
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5 More Water Balloon Games
Still looking for more easy water balloon activities? Read my post from last season with 5 more Water Balloon Games for Kids and Preschoolers. These are sure to keep the kids busy this summer!
Finally, here's a little Water Balloon Trivia for you from the Guiness World Records:
The largest water balloon fight consisted of 8,957 participants and was achieved by Christian Student Fellowship at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, on August 2011.
175,141 water balloons were used during the fight.
Can you imagine that? Do you have any favorite water balloon games?
Have you ever heard of Paper Culture? It' not just another stationary company. It's an eco stationery company on a mission!
They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk. At Paper Culture, they are on a mission to provide modern stationary with clean lines, bold colors and fresh typography. Yet, more importantly, they understand the responsibility to promote sustainability and use exclusively 100% post consumer recycled paper. This means that no new trees are cut down to produce your cards or envelopes.
Now, I've reviewed other stationary companies before, but I've never seen any of them have such a positive commitment to the environment like Paper Culture. They plant a tree with EVERY single order and work hard to offset their entire carbon footprint. In fact, they have already planted 300,000 trees to support this mission! Also, I was very impressed how they used minimal packaging when they shipped the notecards to my house.
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The people at Paper Culture also understand that women are super busy (and we need about 3 more hours in each day), so they have a FREE Mailing & Addressing service. Through this service, they will stamp, address and mail your cards for FREE. You pay only the cost of the stamp. That's a huge time saver, isn't it?
So, let's get to the good stuff. Here is some of their stationary...
A friend of mine is having a baby soon, so I thought it would be nice to get her some notecards to use after the baby is born. These orange bears make me so happy, and I think she'll be tickled pick to see these for her new family of 3! They are nice and thick and the orange color is so vibrant.
This is just one of the 1000's of designs available on the site. So, head on over to the Paper Culture Website and see what they're all about.
Thanks for coming to this week's edition of the the Kid's Co-op where you'll find lots of creative inspiration from blogland. Have fun browsing, or link up your own kids activities, crafts, projects, and other family friendly ideas!
Last night, I finally got the chance to go to my first Philadelphia Union soccer game with my family. There were tons of families at the game and the weather was absolutely perfect. I played soccer as a kid, but now that my son is in love with the sport, I've been learning so much more about the game and really enjoying it.
The Philadelphia Union stadium is really modern and I don't think there is a bad seat in the house.
There are always flowers for those who want to see them. - Henri Matisse
My husband and I have been together for almost 12 years, so I don't know why I was surprised by the special Mother's day he planned for me. It included some of my favorite things: my kids, coffee, brunch, flowers, and one of the best local places. I want to share some snapshots from throughout the day.
Last November, I attended a media event at Longwood and received a yearlong pass to the Garden. We have already been back 3 times since then, and every single time has been wonderful.
The photo above is of my son in the Children's Garden at Longwood. I can't believe he's seven. Seven is a great age.
Hello! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday, I celebrated Mother's Day with my husband and sons. It was a beautiful, sunny day filled with love, food and flowers. I'll share some photos with you tomorrow, but, now, it's time to hit the Backyard Barbecue Bloghop! Are you ready?
Grilling vegetables from the garden and chatting with friends at the pool are just a couple of my favorite summer time activities. There are so many things to love about summer. In honor of this season we love so much, I've teamed up with some friends to share family friendly recipes, activities, and crafts.
Are you creative in the kitchen? For as long as I can remember, I have always loved experimenting with different recipes. All of the women in my family are fantastic chefs and cooking is something we've always done together. I really want my sons to be comfortable in the kitchen too, so I have them help whenever possible. This Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe is so unbelievably easy. It truly only takes about 2 minutes to complete, which makes it perfect for your kids to watch you make or help make it with you.
Here is how to make Strawberry Vinaigrette:
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup strawberries cut in half
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
Place all of the ingredients into a blender. Then, blend until smooth. That's it! You've got homemade Strawberry Vinaigrette.
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This vinaigrette went perfectly with a baby kale, gorgonzola, chicken and strawberry salad. It was so good! Also, quick and easy recipes like this prove that salad dressings can be made from scratch with very little effort and only a few ingredients.
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Come back on Monday to check out more summer recipes with my first ever Backyard BBQ Bloghop. I'll be teaming up with some fabulous bloggers to host a link-up with lots of wonderful recipes, activities, and crafts that you won't want to miss! See you then!
Are you celebrating National Public Gardens Day? This day raises awareness of America’s public gardens. It's a chance for you to teach your children the importance of environmental stewardship, plant and water conservation. Join the celebration by finding a local garden near you: http://www.nationalpublicgardensday.org/
I'm going to keep this post short and sweet! After a long cold winter, it's incredibly nice to have vibrant spring blooms and warmer weather, but my allergies are really bad this week. Instead of having a little pity party for myself, I'm going to focus this week's linky party!
This is an all new edition of the Kid's Co-op. I hope you find some inspiration for the week ahead! If you try any of these ideas, leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
My sister smiled when she heard that I was working on a blog post about Scott Products, because she knows how loyal our family is to this brand. My parents always bought Scott toilet paper, and when I finally bought a house of my own, naturally, I did the same. We have always believed that Scott provides quality products at a good price. Plus, their new incentives with the Scott Shared Values program make it even better to be a loyal Scott customer.
I support small local businesses almost daily, but sometimes, a trip to Walmart is a must. Just this past weekend, while picking up some groceries for our recent food drive, we also stocked up on some our favorite Scott toilet paper and paper towels.
If there's is one thing you don't want to run out of, it's toilet paper. Right? That's why I like buying these big packs of Scott Toilet Paper. My parents always liked the Scott 1000, but I like the Extra Soft too. I never feel guilty having too much t.p. in the house!
There was a nice selection of Scott products at Walmart and it was really easy to find exactly what I was looking for, thanks to the bright colored logo. I was also excited to see a $4 Vudu coupon on the Scott Extra Soft package.
Over a year ago, we decided to cancel our cable account and use instant internet video and public t.v. instead, so, I'm always interested in learning about new online streaming services. Vudu is a high definition video library where you can rent, buy and watch a vast selection of movies and TV shows, on a variety of devices. This is really cool for us because we can get instant video streaming to our t.v. via our computer.
After stocking up on our Scott products and a some other items, my little guy was getting tired. He looks like he could have comfortably slept on those paper towels, but it was time to check out!
The next day, I let my son choose a movie from Vudu. He chose Madagascar 3 which we all loved!
Have you ever used Vudu? If you want to check it out, pick up select packs of Scott Extra Soft Bath Tissue, 24 pack, double roll, or Scott Towels, 6 pack, mega roll for a $4 vudu coupon.
Also, don't forget to sign up for the Scott Shared Value consumer rewards program which offers unique deals, coupons and rewards to members. It's totally FREE and only takes a minute to join on the Scott Shared Values Website.
Thanks for reading!
You can check out the rest of my shopping trip in my Google+ album here.
