Lakeshore Learning Activity November 2nd

If you have a local Lakeshore Learning store near your house, there's a fun activity this weekend you may want to check out. 

On Saturday, November 2nd, you can make your very own Scarecrow Wind Sock at Lakeshore Learning.  Let the autumn breezes blow through this handmade happy scarecrow wind sock.

Lakeshore Learning is always adding new crafts to their schedule! Each Saturday, the kids have an opportunity to create a different craft from 11am to 3pm. It's fun and FREE!

Continue to the Lakeshore Learning Website to find a store near you.

Free Museum Entry with Bank Of America Card

Are you in the mood to learn something new with your kids? Want to experience art and culture?

If you're a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit/debit card holder you're in luck!

This weekend, November 2nd & 3rd, all Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit/debit card holders get FREE admission to more than 150 museums nationwide with the Museums on Us program. 

Continue here to find a museum near you and learn more about the Museums On Us program. 

Note: Free general admission limited to cardholder at participating location. Excludes special exhibitions, ticketed shows and fundraising events. Not to be combined with other offers. Be sure to read the details on the website.

Easy Halloween Song for Kids

Want to learn a funny little Halloween song?

Continue here to read:

Easy Pumpkin Song for Kids

Two Free Events at the LEGO store

Calling all LEGO fans!

Our local LEGO store is hosting two FREE upcoming events, so if you have a LEGO store nearby, check to see if they are offering these events as well.

Trick-Or-Treat at The LEGO® Store! Anyone that comes to the store on October 31, 2013 dressed in a Halloween costume will receive a free LEGO Monster Fighters  Keychain.

Then, on Tuesday, November 5th 2013 starting at 5pm, you can learn how to build this cool LEGO mini tractor, and take it home – for free!  

Be sure to check with your local LEGO store to confirm that they are having these fun & free events.

Find a LEGO store near you.

Don't Forget: Quantities are limited and offer is good while supplies last only. See store for more details.

Try Hockey For Free: November 2, 2013

As part of the NHL's Come Play Hockey Month, ice rinks across the U.S. will be hosting programs for kids to try hockey for FREE!

 

Any parent who has ever had a child play hockey knows that it can be a huge investment of time and money, so you really want to make sure your child is committed before signing up. This is a great opportunity to have your son or daughter, between the ages of 4 to 9, get on the ice and learn a little bit about the sport. 

These FREE hockey trial sessions will take place this Saturday, November 2nd.  Please check the map on the Tru Hockey for Free website to find a location near you.  All locations have a limited amount of equipment available for use so please register a.s.a.p.

{Thanks to DullesMoms.com for the tip!}

Animal Jam Online Game by National Geographic

Affiliate links included in this post.

Over the past year, my son has learned to love reading. His two favorite things to read about are sports and anything by National Geographic Kids. Their books are great because they teach kids about the world, but in a really fun way. Did you know that National Geographic also has a cool new game called Animal Jam?

Animal Jam is an online virtual playground for kids who love animals and the outdoors. This game was designed to provide a fun, exciting, and safe environment for kids to play online, while inspiring them to explore and protect the natural world outside their doors. We haven't tried it yet, but it seems like something my kids could really get into!

Want to check it out with your kids?  

Click on the image below to create an account and start playing for FREE! 

Boo-nana Milkshake Recipe with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Every year, when my kids go trick-or-treating, I always have to sneak a Reese peanut butter cup out of their candy stash.  I love all Hershey's chocolate, but their chocolate and peanut butter Reese's cups are my real weakness. That's why I decided to mix Reese's with another favorite snack to make a simple halloween treat.  It's a Boo-nanna milkshake with mini Reese's pearnut butter cups mixed in! 

This milkshake was so easy to make using a frozen banana, milk, honey and one pack of Reese's mini peanut butter cups.

To make your own Reese's Boo-nana milkshake, just cut one frozen banana into pieces, then add about 1 cup of milk, one teaspoon of honey and one pack Reese's mini peanut butter cups. Then, blend it in the blender until smooth.  If it's too thick, just add some more milk and continue blending.  It's that easy. 

When everything is all mixed up, pour it into a glass, top it with whipped cream and a few more mini Reese's peanut butter cups.  To make it look festive for Halloween, cut up some black construction paper or cardstock, and make ghost eyes and a mouth. Boo!

To find more creative Halloween snacks and desserts, check out the Hershey website.  They have some really cute recipes such as Mummy Cookies, No bake Butterscotch Haystacks and Kisses Acorn Treats (my favorite)!

Party Idea: Rainbow Loom Birthday Cake

I am so excited to share this Rainblow Loom birthday cake idea with you!  If you have a kid at home who loves creating these bracelets, having a rainbow loom themed birthday party is such a fun and easy idea.  This loom themed cupcake-cake is colorful, festive, and something you can make at home. This is an original idea that a friend of mine came up with and I think the results are fabulous!

How to make this Rainbow Loom themed birthday cake:

As you can see from the photo above, this loom birthday cake is actually made up of 18 cupcakes.

First, make any type of cupcakes you want.  The cupcakes shown above are made with rainbow chip cake mix which you can find in most grocery stores.

1. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost the cupcakes in white frosting.
2. Then, place one marshmallow on top of each cupcake.
3. Use brightly colored fondant to make individual looms and wrap them around the cupcakes just like you were making a loom bracelet. I love how Wilton sells a pack of primary colored fondant which is perfect for beginner cake-makers. 

Using a rectangle flat sheet cake base will make the presentation look really nice and and help to keep the cupcakes in place. 

The cupcakes shown above were all made by my friend and her daughter. They wanted to come up with a unique rainbow loom cake idea, and I think they did an amazing job. The girls at the birthday party loved it! 

If you need more than 18 cupcakes, you can decorate the extra cupcakes like this.  Just use the extra fondant to make 2 looms for each cupcake.

I love the look of a rainbow themed birthday party. Don't you?  

If you want another cake idea for a rainbow party, check out this gorgeous Layered Rainbow Cake by Meaningful Mama.

Home Depot Free Kid's Workshop November 2013

It's been a while since we've attended a Home Depot Kid's workshop, but it's definitely time to get there again soon!  On Saturday, November 2nd 2013, from 9am - 12 noon, Home Depot is hosting a FREE workshop for kids ages 5-12 to build a table-top ship that would be perfect as a Thanksgiving centerpiece.

All of these workshops are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis, so it's really important to pre-register on the Home Depot website.

According to their site, this workshop teaches children do-it-yourself skills, tool safety and instill a sense of pride and accomplishment. Children will recieve a wooden craft kit, a certificate of achievement, a Workshop Apron, and a commemorative pin.*  

*One workshop kit, apron and pin per child, while supplies last.

Our Big Day Making a Worm House #MiniMissions {Sponsored}

I'm on a mission! My mission is to have more creative moments with my family and I'm excited to join other moms across America who are doing the same.  Thanks to Scholastic and Kellogg's® Frosted Mini™ Wheats "Every Day is a Big Day" program, you have the opportunity to earn FREE Scholastic books and enter into a sweepstakes which helps give back to your community.  Free books, family fun, and good memories... will you accept this mission?

For October, our mission is to have "Creative Moments."

Scholastic and Kellogg's® Frosted Mini™ Wheats is encouraging families to let their creative side shine. They wanted us to engage in 4 creative pursuits as a family - design, decorate, bake, write, etc. which is exactly my kind of fun. 

One of the activities we completed, as part of this mission, was making a worm home at a local farm. My 5-year-old and I spent a special morning together learning all about the red wigglers and what they need to flourish. I'm not very keen on touching the worms, but luckily he thinks they're pretty cool. We used an empty coffee container, filled it with some strips of newspaper, some dirt, old lettuce, and the worms. Then, we spritzed it with some water and put a little dirt in there. Once that part was completed, we covered it up with burlap and let the worms do their thing.

Sometimes, it surprises me how much my kids know, and little experiences such as building a worm house, really feeds their thirst for knowledge. Everyday, they want to learn more about the world, but as much as I teach them, it continues to amaze me how much I learn from them. Naturally, there are moments when my kids drive me crazy, but magical moments and special mornings getting crafty together make it all worth it.

Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® and Scholastic have partnered to bring you the Every Day is a Big Day program, created to benefit families, schools and communities across the country.

Your family is invited to complete monthly Mini™ Missions to get free books for your family. Also, each month you’ll be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win one of 131 valuable prizes for your school and community. As you earn books and enter the sweepstakes, your family is sure to have a blast and learn something new along the way!

Start here and register for your first monthly mission!

This is a sponsored conversation by me on behalf of Kellogg's(R) Frosted Mini-Wheats(R). The opinions and text are all mine.

How to Find Local Hayrides, Pumpkin Patches & Corn Mazes

This is the time of year when moms and dads are looking for local farms to pick pumpkins, go on hayrides and maybe even trek through a corn maze with their kids. But, how do you know where to find the best places?  

Here are some helpful online resources for finding the best kid-friendly fall & halloween attractions in your area:

1) PumpkinPatchesandMore.org is a fantastic resource for finding pumpkin patches, hayrides and other fall activities throughout the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand other other areas as well!

2) CornMazesAmerica.com is a wonderful directory of corn mazes throughout almost every state in North America.

3) There are also some amazinghyperlocal blogs that have thorough listings of family friendly fall events in big cities and small towns across America. I have these websites listed on the Best Blogs for Local Funpage. These blogs are run by local parents and many of them can offer insight that you won't get other places.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy this time with your family!

Travel With Kids: Heritage Narrow Boats in Cheshire

 When my husband suggested spending a day overlooking the English countryside via canal boat, I was immediately on-board. I've seen canal boats in England, and I was always intrigued by them. My kids loved the idea too, and I have a few tips to share with you if you're considering taking your kids on a canal boat ride.

1) Be prepared - Once you're out on the canal, you don't want to have to turn back for anything. There were a some pubs on our route, but other than that, we had to come prepared with everything we needed for the day.  My mother in law packed a lovely picnic with lots of snacks and we were happy to have some cold beverages since it was a very warm day. Other essentials included sunscreen, antibacterial hand cleaner and a good camera for capturing all of the views from the canal.

2) Rent a day boat before deciding to cruise the canal for an extended period of time. We had a fantastic day on the canal, but I don't think my sons, ages 5 & 7, would have been able to spend much more time on the boat.  Like most kids their age, my sons are very active, and I think they would've gotten bored if we had rented the boat for several days or a week. Maybe when they are a bit older, but for now, one day was just right.

3) Go with friends or family.  We were lucky to have some family with us on our canal boat ride and it really was a life saver.  The boat was very easy to maneuver, but it takes a bit of strength and focus, so my husband and I took turns as captain. It was nice being able to trade off every once in a while so that the other one could relax.  Having our family there was great too, because we had a few extra sets of hands available to help make sure the kids were happy and safe. I don't think we couldn't have done so well if it was just my family of 4.  I think having friends or family with you is essential.

To sum up our day on the canal... The weather was great, we were with good company, and it was the first time my kids and I got to go on a narrow boat!  It was an experience we all really enjoyed and I would definitely do it again some time.

Have you ever spent the day on a canal boat?  Is this something you'd like to do with your family?

The company we used to rent our canal boat: Heritage Narrow Boats

Family Friendly: Steak and Guinness Pie Recipe

Over the years, I've had other moms ask me how my kids became such "good eaters." My sons eat everything from spinach salad with balsamic vinegar, to sushi, to steak and guiness pie.  Just like all kids, they have their picky moments, but most of the time, they eat a wide variety of foods and think it's because they never had a choice. 

Of course, they can choose whether or not they want to eat something, but I would never give them the chance to eat the same thing for days on end. In our house, it's all about variety.  I'm always making different entrees and vegetables for dinner. Even if they tell me they don't want to have a certain vegetable or side dish, I put it on their plate so they can try it and most of the time they eat it. They are always getting something different and it's been this way since they've been babies.  

Last week, I made a steak and guinness pie for the first time ever. It was a special treat for my husband, but I warned him not to set his expectations too high.  When we finally sat down to eat, we were in awe!  It was incredibly good.  

I should have known that Jamie Oliver knew what he was doing when he came up with this recipe.  I adapted it to suit myself, and this is what I came up with:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 2 medium red onions, 2 carrots, and 2 sticks celery - chopped into small pieces

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped into fine pieces

• 1 pack (about 6 ounces) of baby portabella mushrooms, broken up into pieces

• About 1lb of stewing beef, cut into bite size pieces

• A few sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

• 1 bottle of Guinness

• 2 tablespoons of flour

• 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese

• 1 pack of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

• 1 large egg

Do you want to know how to make this Steak and Guinness Pie? There's no need for me to reinvent the wheel.  I followed Jamie Oliver's Step by Step Instructions and the results were amazing, so I suggest you do the same.  I have to admit that cleaning and chopping all of the vegetables took a bit of time, however, everything after that was as easy as pie (pun intended)! My favorite part about the preparation was that all of it could be done early in the afternoon so it eliminated my time in the kitchen after my kids got home from school.  

So, remember how I told you that I warned my husband this might not be the best dinner ever.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  He enjoyed it so much that he snapped a photo of his pint and pie for facebook.  My kids also loved this meal and I've already been asked when I'm making it again.

Fall is officially here, and this was a wonderful recipe to welcome the new season with my family. Do you have any favorite recipes that you make it the autumn?   

Go! Go! Smart Wheels Airport Review & Giveaway!

 

The Go!Go! SmartWheels Playset arrived and I don’t know who was the most excited. My four and five year old sons (Matthew and Andrew) begged for me to open the box immediately and my 8 month old son (Ryan) got excited to climb over the box.  The box sat on our butler’s pantry for two days before I could bring myself to “tackle” the putting together portion of this toy.  After the boys’ persistence, I reluctantly agreed to open the box before they left for school. I was surprised when Matthew and Andrew were able to put the play set together without my help. I was even more surprised and pleased that they did so with Ryan grabbing pieces to put in his mouth. I really appreciated that all of 
the pieces were safe for Ryan to grab and put in his mouth.   

The Airport Playset came with one vehicle, a plane. Ryan loved that it made noises and that it was small enough for him to handle.  I loved that it came with batteries and the automatic shut-off!  The colors and sounds kept my kids' attention for a long time.  Matthew and Andrew enjoy playing with the toy and driving it around the 6 “Smart Point” locations that made fun and exciting sounds.  At times, Ryan likes to break pieces off of the track but Matthew and Andrew are able to fix it for him. Once again, Vtech produced a great toy for my kids!

Here's some more information about the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Airport, as described by Vtech:

Go! Go! Smart Wheels enhance one of the most popular play patterns while teaching important learning skills, boosting imaginative play through cause and effect, encouraging interactivity and providing an outlet for good old-fashioned role play.

The SmartPoint™airplane responds to the airport’s six SmartPoint locations with different phrases, music or fun sound effects.

It’s playtime with miles of learning! The airplane also teaches letters and sounds, while the airport strengthens fine motor skills and builds children’s imaginations through pretend play.

The control tower antenna turns to “fly” the plane on cloud platform and the tracks can be reconfigured or connected to other Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets (each sold separately) to encourage creativity.

Ages 1-5 years, MSRP: $24.99

Want to win one?  Enter using the rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Chrissy, my guest contributor, for reviewing the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Airport Playset.  Vtech kindly provided this playset for review purposes.  All opinions are our own.

 Learn more about Vtech products on the Vtech Kids website.  

Disclosure / Sweeps Terms can be found in the widget above and here as well.

NJ Beach With Kids: Golden Inn & Sandman Matt

What a way to end the summer!  My friend Joey Fortman recently invited my family, along with other local families, to join her at The Golden Inn so we could learn how to make sandcastles with Sandman Matt!  You may have seen Sandman Matt on the show Sand Masters.  He has created some of the most magnificant and detailed sand castles that I have ever seen!

This is the sand castle that Sandman Matt created while at the Golden Inn - Avalon New Jersey. Isn't it cool? As you can expect, kids on the beach were completely mesmerized with this gigantic sand castle (which explains why the bottom of the castle needs a bit of repair from little hands pressing a little too hard.)  Shortly after I snapped this photo, Matt put his magic to work and completely redesigned the bottom of the castle so that it was in tip-top shape again. 

Sandman Matt spent a couple hours helping the kids how to make some pretty amazing sand castles. We used his special 'Can you dig it sand tools', bucket and form builder which definitely made it easier to work with the sand and get a good shape for our castle. 

My son had fun building this castle with my husband and we are excited to use the 'Can you dig it sand tools' the next time we're at the beach!

Thanks to the Golden Inn for hosting the event.  We love Avalon, NJ and it's great to see the businesses along the Jersey coast back to business after Hurricane Sandy!

Disclosure: The event was hosted by Joey Fortman of Real Mom Media and the Golden Inn.  All opinions are my own.

Museum Day Live! Offers Free Admission September 2013

As a child, my parents took me to tons of museums and historical sites up and down the east coast of the U.S.  I may not have appreciated it much back then, but now I see the value in exposing kids to everything museums have to offer. Museum Day Live! is an annual event in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live Ticket...for free! This year, it takes place on September 28th, 2013.

 

Here are some details about the program which were listed on the Museum Day Live! Facebook Page:

- Only an official Museum Day Live! ticket is eligible for free entry. Official tickets can be found here on the Museum Day Live! website soon, stay tuned.

- One ticket per household, for two people.

- A ticket will gain entry to only one of the participating museums, excluding parking and special events and exhibits.

- If museum reaches capacity, museum has the right to limit the number of guests until space becomes available.

You can find participating museums and learn more at Smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

Image Source: Smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs 2 Foodimobile Truck

Looking for some local family fun? To celebrate the upcoming release of the new movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, "foodimobiles" will be visiting family-friendly destinations across America.

Just in time for lunch, the menu will be full of options including Tacodiles (Tacos), Subwhales (Sandwiches), Hippotatomus (Baked Potatoes), Barry Strawberries, among many others. The food will be served in lunch boxes featuring characters from the film, and visitors will also get recipe cards explaining how to make foodimals at home. Pretty cool!

The truck has already visited a few cities on their tour, but, there's still time to catch the truck in the following states and cities:

Philadelphia, PA - Saturday, September 14 at 12:00pm, the CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 Foodimobile Truck will be stopping by the Please Touch Museum at 4231 Avenue of the Republic.

California - Los Angeles, San Diego

Texas - San Antonio, Houston, Dallas

Massachusets - Boston

New York - New York City

Plus, Cincinatti, St, Louis and Chicago

For more details and exact dates, please go to: Cloudy2foodtrucks.com

Image Source: Cloudy2foodtrucks.com

Take the Tech Timeout Pledge!

You know that saying "Everything in moderation?"  I like that saying. I think there are times when I need me-time and my kids need their own time to unwind. Everyone, no matter what age, needs time to de-compress to forget about school, work, chores and just chill out. Sometimes that includes video games,  t.v., computer or the smart phone. Honestly, those viral "Dear Mom on the iPhone" blog posts get on my nerves. It's not up to me to judge any mom for taking time to herself because, as a mother and wife, I know that the vast majority of my time is spent helping others. 

With that said, I want to be truly accessible to my kids without a piece of technology getting in between us.  I value all of the special moments with my kids when we're playing in the ocean, wandering through the park with our feet in the creek, or talking together at the kitchen table.  There are definitely times when the phone needs to be put away and the laptop needs to be shut down. End of story.

As we are thrust into a more tech-savvy world and more people are working from home, sometimes, it takes a conscious effort to ignore the beeps and vibrations coming from our pocket to truly appreciate the world, and the people, around us.  No matter how difficult it can be to disconnect, but it must be done.

Tech TimeOut is a new initiative that wants to help us disconnect with technology a little more and reconnect with what really matters.

The Tech TimeoutTM challenge encourages families to take a daily break from technology. Participating families are encouraged to disconnect from all things electronic with the goal of helping spouses, parents and children build stronger bonds, communicate more personally and get more involved in each other’s lives.

 

Building stronger bonds and communicating with our husband and kids is a good thing. So, when I was challenged to take a time out from my tech devices;  for just one hour a day, I happily agreed. I went to a baseball game with my family, spent a day at the beach and enjoyed my family without distraction. My kids notice everything, so you can bet, they know when I'm fully paying attention or my mind is someplace else. Having a tech timeout gives me a chance to enjoy my friends and family without being interrupted, appreciating what I have and letting others know that they are my priority at that moment.

Do you find it easy to disconnect from technology or are you constantly finding yourself playing on your smart phone whenever you get the chance?  Tech Timeout has some easy ideas for connecting with your family without technology.

I'm going to print off this list and see how many things I can do with my family before the new year while being completed disconnected from technology.  Are you up for the challenge too? I want you to do the same and let me know on Facebook or Twitter how you're doing! What do you think?

Learn more at TechTimeout.com

Ebates: Get Money Back From Your Online Purchases

If you're doing back to school shopping (or possibly even early Christmas shopping), don't forget about Ebates!  I wrote all about it back in February, and thought it would be a great time for a quick reminder. It's one of those things that might seem too good to be true, but it is as good as it seems.  You get back money for your online shopping, and it's easy as pie.

You can read my full post: How I got almost $50 back from Ebates.