Cookin' in the Kitch {Marshmallow Cripsy Treats}

I don't know if you can even call this a recipe.

There isn't much to it:
1-2-3 EAT. or in this case melt-mix-press-EAT
So simple a 2 year old can do it, well, everything minus the stove part.
Don't believe me?
I'll prove it...

Melt in pan

 Add marshmallows to pan, stir until melted

 Pour melted mix over cereal, stir 

 Press into pan

Eat & Enjoy!

NOTES-

-I used Marshmallow Mateys in place of Lucky Charms Cereal.

-The size of your pan will determine the thickness of your bars. I used a 12x12 cake pan & they were about one inch high. Next time I'll make a double batch so they are thicker.

-You could also add multi-color sprinkles on top...that wouldn't be a bad thing, that's for sure.

-Stop reading the fine print & go make these already! You know you want to....

Little Learn & Play Academy {Week 1}

We finished our first week of 'school'!
This week is brought to you by the Letter : Aa, the Number : ONE & the Color : Red.

Here's a little re-cap of how our week went-

Our Science Exploration took us outside during a downpour :)
We filled different sized containers from different sources to see how
fast they filled & talked about where rain comes from.

My Sister & Niece joined us for a visit to our library to help us pick out
some new books for the week. The obvious favorites were Big Fire Engine
& TRUCKS, but I was delighted to hear Amelia Bedelia requested everyday.
We also wrote a note to my parents to mail. The kids dictated, I wrote.
It is sure to bring a smile to their faces :)

Our craft for Thursday was to make an Apple Tree. I had cut out & assembled
the tree beforehand, then 'J' glued all the embellishments on himself. He was
eager to put it on the wall for all to see. Later in the evening we took a walk
to the corner to mail our special note. On the way home we made sure to
take our time & look at all the leaves falling in our neighborhood :)

In Kitchen Class we made Lucky Charm Treats (click here for recipe)!
'J' helped measure/pour the cereal, cut the butter & count marshmallows. After I melted/poured the hot ingredients he helped to press the mix into a greased pan.
As part of our Life Skills for the day he helped wash the dirty dishes & dust the tables
before a family party we were hosting. What a great way to end the week :)

Even with all the 'extras' we had going on this past week (teething baby, potty learning, family party at our house, over night at Nana & Granddads & the hubby's birthday) we still had a great week of learning. Now that I got my feet wet a little, I'm feeling much more confident for the weeks to come. You know what they say, "It can only go up from here"!

School House Rock

Well, the day has come!

Today is 'J's first official day at "school". We were able to finish up our new classroom (of sorts) on Labor Day, & we did it together as a family. Here are some snapshots I took & I'll have more to come after today! If you know me by now, then you know I am definitely one of those mums, the one that takes a picture of her kid on his very first day of school...even if they don't leave the house because "school" is in the backroom.
Yea, that's me.
"Crazy Over Enthusiastic Mum?"
<raises hand> "Present!"

Lesson Planning

Weekly & Monthly Plans

 Daily Activity Center

 All Months, Days, Colors, Letters, Numbers & Weather Drawings are secured with Velcro so he can change them daily/weekly/monthly

 Notice those tighty whities? 

We've entered Potty Learning Territory, yikes!

(Dry-Erase Board is by Crayola)

The bar & cups are from Ikea, the supplies are a mixture of Dollar Store & target. My favorite (& his!) are the Crayola No-Drip Watercolors

RRR-IIIIIIIIIINNGGG! That's the bell, gotta get to class!

Chomp-Chomp {Road-Trip Snack Necklace}

A little bit back in time I happened upon this pin originally from Blondie and Brownies  and knew exactly when to do this.

Today!

Because today is the day we hop into our (already) loaded car & head out for our camping adventure!

So while shopping this week I picked up a few items that would work and were dairy-free/appropriate. Then for fun (hey, it's supposed to be an adventure, right?) got a surprise treat to toss in the mix :)

Mom's Best Honey Nut Toasty O's, Trader Joe's Fruity O's,
mini pretzels & Lifesavers GUMMIS. I used some sock yarn
I had in the craft room for our string & a plastic crochet needle.

I thought the best time to do this would be in the morning during Little 'A's 1st nap. I thought wrong. That plan only works if the baby actually takes a nap. In my case he went down great, I set up our 'station' in the front room & right when we were in the middle of things he woke up. Oh well, it worked out in the end.

We had a lot of fun making these! It was great for so many things- following directions, hand eye coordination, dexterity & of course, snacking fun :)

 I knew we would snack while we worked, but in hindsight I probably would make this an 'after nap' activity since we did have a candy in the mix. And as far as the candy is concerned, I did not set those out in a bowl, I left the bag right next to me & handed him them as he went along. I kept it to 3-4 gummis a necklace. 

 He wasn't quite sure what to do at first. He kept trying to pull them off, lol. But once I showed him that you EAT it off, he was pretty jazzed about it :)

We made several, one for him to wear in the car during our drive, & a few to share with our friends' daughter while on our camping adventure. This activity went so smoothly that we went ahead & made 2 dozen Chocolate Chip Devils Food Cupcakes (dairy-free) & some meat pie filling for Hobo pies tomorrow :) All before 10:30 am! And I know what you're thinking....

Yes- I take cupcakes camping. You make them beforehand & just wait to frost them until you are there so transport is easy!

and YES- I will most definitely be frosting them with Chocolate Marshmallow frosting, we are CAMPING after all ;)

Hope you all have a fun, adventurous weekend....I know we will!

Right Now.

We are going on another family "trip".

Only this time, there will be no hotel, there will be no house to stay at, hell... there may not even be beds...

Because, well folks, we are going
CAMPING!

It is something we have been talking about & wanting to do all summer. Our first camping trip as a family. And thankfully enough our close friends are as crazy as we are to go camping with little tykes in tow. And our other friends are even crazier to go camping with friends that have kids when they very much do not. Ha! This ought to be interesting :)

So we rounded up the necessary items from family willing to lend it out, and everything else we just stole while they weren't looking. I made my master list, stocked up on food & last but not least, ordered a run through. What kind of "planner" would I be if I didn't make the Hubs do a trial run with a borrowed tent? A borrowed tent, mind you, that we will be setting up most likely at night...the opposite of day...as in daylight.

Even though we don't hit the road until Friday, I wanted to get this whole "Let's be reeeal sure we know what we are doing with this thing before we end up sleeping in the car because we did not in fact know what we were doing." thing out of the way. So after dinner & a quick run to the market to cross the rest of the food items off the list (hotdogs & s'mores here I we come!) we got to setting up the tent. 

'J' did such a good job not getting in the way too much helping & as it turns out, the Hubs did know what he was doing after all! It wasn't long before we quickly piled into our future home for the weekend.

And then we got to thinking... why stop here with our trial run? Why not let the fun last...all night. 

Impromptu Boys Backyard Campout here we come! Wa-Hoo!

And as an added bonus, this would also cross 'Inflate air mattress & check for possible leak(s)' off the list too! High Five me!

Aaand I was crossing off one that I was just adding to the list as I was crossing it off, 'Practice run with 'J' sleeping outside in a tent'! Man, I am on fire! Woo!

So the Hubby blew-up the mattress, loaded it up with bedding & when the time was right, they headed out into the night.

I hung out for a few minutes, enjoying the awesomeness that was happening right in my very own backyard.

Then I said my "Night Night"s & headed inside, leaving the Menfolk behind to sleep beneath the stars.

And as an added bonus, Hubs took the baby monitor out just in case...and I just happen to have a receiver right next to my pillow :) So as I settled into bed to write this post, I was delighted to hear the quiet conversations between a father & a son...on their first official Camp Out. 

Music to my ears.

Has it already been 730 days?

Wow.
That went fast.

I mean, I know they say
"You just watch, before you know it they'll be grown"
"They grow in the blink of an eye"
"They aren't that small forever"
and the like, but it's incomprehensible until you are face to face with it-
time flies.
But man, have we had fun.

*Warning: Quick flashback mini monologue approaching*

'J' was not an "easy" pregnancy, neither before nor after. We faced some issues actually getting pregnant, then faced more issues staying pregnant near the end, then he was stuck sideways & needed a cesarean section to get him out, THEN I had a severe allergic reaction to the medical grade liquid adhesive they used on my sutures & it was a very uncomfortable recovery. And I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I cherished ever single day of his pregnancy. Because I was given the most amazing reward for it all, my little Dude. His presence has changed more than just our lives, he has changed the lives of everyone around us.

Ok, back to the present.

This little dude amazes me on a daily basis. I swear, it's like the clock struck 24 months & he added a truck load of new words to his repertoire. He is speaking in small sentences now & understanding (almost) everything coming out of my mouth. We have conversations, guys, CONVERSATIONS. And he also thinks he's funny now, which in turn ends up being funnier than what he was doing in the first place. And smart! You can see the wheels turning in there non stop. He knows his ABCs, can count from 1-10 & is fantastic with problem solving & puzzles. And this was all well before he even turned 2!

So in honor of this wonderful occasion we did the only appropriate thing parents can do, we partied. We said before having kids that the 1st birthday would be BIG, everyone we know on the invite list kinda BIG. (And man did this dude have a sweet 1st birthday party, people are still talking about it. Full blown mini MAN party with mini food, 'staches & ties all around!) But then just immediate family after that, until the 18th Birthday. But just because the guest list is cut short doesn't mean the party is.

CAMP OUT


That was the theme. A good ole' fashion Camp Out party in the backyard.
Please don't ask how I came up with it, I literally have no clue. It just popped in my head & I thought "Ya know, that could work..."
Did people stay overnight? No.
Were sleeping bags involved? No.
Was there a tent? If you count covering most of the backyard in a GIANT sheet-fort a tent...then YES THERE WAS!

Here are some of the Highlights:

*I know you are dying for the details, so click *HERE* to get the low down!

You know that moment right before the guests arrive when you are checking off your mental list/hoping you didn't forget something/trying to get the last minute things done/crossing your fingers it doesn't start thunder storming like the Weather Channel predicted/running in circles/wondering if they will have a good time & if it will all work out like you imagined it? I hate that moment. Being the Type A person I am, I loathe that moment. Of course there are going to be bumps in the road. Something unplanned ALWAYS happens (thats why I actually plan for it so that I freak out less when it happens), in our case we lost power on Wednesday, it didn't come back on until Friday & we lost all the meat for the party & had to re-buy it all friday evening. THEN friday night the Fire Dept showed up because the transformer in our next door neighbors backyard was leaking & smoking. THEN they were calling for severe thunderstorms & 100* heat for Saturday, party day. But we forged on, preparing Plan B, Plan C & Plan D just in case.

But it all worked out!
No rain!
Everyone survived the heat!
And most importantly, 'J' had an amazing day!

And the 'icing on the cake'?
'J' got to have his first piece (EVER) of Birthday Cake! I made a completely Dairy-Free S'mores Pie-Cake that knocked it outta the park.

Some people may look at all this as 'Over the Top'. And that's fine. Everyone's different & so are their priorities. But the way we see it, is that we had to work real hard to have our kids, & by golly we're gonna celebrate them as much as we can. Their birthday is an Anniversary of the day they fully entered our lives & our family, & that is definitely deserving of 'Over the Top' in our books.

So here's to you, 'J', two years down & many more to go~