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!

The Great Outdoors {Re-Cap}

Ok, it's finally time for a Camping Adventure Re-Cap!!
All together now, "YES!!!"
Wait, why was I the only one that cheered for that? You all know you are totally excited to see the pictures & hear the details, just admit it, we won't judge, we're all friends here...except for that guy in the back...I don't know who let him in...

Anywho, on to the good stuff, you might want a grab a snack before the slideshow begins....

CAMP ROCK- LODGING:

• Our home for the weekend. Just because we were tenting it, doesn't mean things can't be cozy...or coordinating...
• Our view for the weekend.

THE FOOD & DRINK:

• Our Road-Trip Necklaces were a HIT!
• Campfire Breakfast
• Campfire Lunch
• Campfire Dinner (mentioned in this post)
• "Campfire" Cupcakes for dessert- devils food cupcakes topped with chocolate marshmallow frosting & graham crumbles.
• more dessert...
• ...more dessert & a lesson on how to really eat a s'more ;)
• Fresh homemade lemonade. Like the little log we burned all weekend? When in need head to the woods for supplies!
• Cheers

FUN & GAMES:

• Lots of exploring with the "dada"s
• The Hubs enjoying some Campfire convo
• Jill & Nate telling tales of their recent trip to Europe
• Boy+stick+dirt=Happiness
• Tossin the ol' pigskin (Why does that always sound so inappropriate?)
• Jamie (right) & Maddie (left)
• Charlotte taking a dip in our makeshift kiddie pool :)
• A campground with an Arcade, good. Jamie winning Jill a bangle from said Arcade, freaking awesome. 
• There's nothing like a game of Doggy Doo to remind you why you are all friends.
• Our doggy ran into some digestion issues so Dr. Nate came to the rescue
• Not only did someone actually make & market this game, but my friends actually bought it. And THAT is why we are friends :)

NOT SO FUN & GAMES:

•  We had a scare Saturday Night. 'J' woke up crying & when we checked on him his face & lips were starting to swell & he was drooling like crazy. Our first thought was "Grab the Epi-Pen, he's having an allergic reaction!" quickly followed by "I don't want to have to stab my son in the leg!!!" then "How did he get dairy?!?! He's been asleep for two hours!!". After doing a quick assessment we decided to try liquid Benedyl first. He quickly passed out so I took him back in the tent & lay down with him. I could NOT TAKE MY EYES OFF OF HIM. I took picture after picture to compare to see if the swelling was going down.
• Everyone else went fast to sleep, I on the other hand did not. I lay with my hand on his chest most of the night to make sure he was breathing. Even when hours had passed & he seemed to be doing a lot better, I just couldn't shake it. We have been dealing with this allergy his whole life, that is the closest we ever came to using "the Pen", & it's something I never want to have to use on my child. Ever.
• We woke up in the morning & embraced a new day. Thankful for the blessings in our life. Thankful I didn't have to use "the Pen". 'J' was in good spirits, & then about an hour later we started to see some allergy symptoms quickly returning. *LIGHTBULB MOMENT*, its something at Camp!We had just lit the fire. The Wood!!! There was something in the wood, when burned, that was getting in the air & causing an allergic reaction in 'J'. We gave him some more Benedryl & tried to keep him occupied away from Camp while also trying to pack camp up. I finally realized what a silent blessing it was that 'J' has food allergies, otherwise we NEVER would have been prepared with Benedryl (& an Epi Pen) within arms reach & things would have went from bad to worse VERY quickly. Thinking back his eyes started getting red/watery & his nose started to run saturday evening (you can see it in some of the pics of him above), but we thought that he had just gotten smoke in his eyes & they were irritated. Oh how wrong we were.

FRIENDS & FAMILY:

• The Menfolk
• The Ladies
• Sitting on our favorite spot at Camp Rock, the first of many annual trips to come :) You know those non family people in your life that are well deserving of "Aunt" & "Uncle" to your kids...these are those people. They may not be blood, but that doesn't mean they aren't family.
• And of course I had to toss in a pic of little 'A', please don't sue me if your ovaries just exploded...he brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "If looks could kill"...