4 Cherry Recipes You’ve Got to Try this Summer
Guys. This year, my in-laws had a cherry tree full to the brim with absolutely perfect cherries. No worm or anything. I’ll admit, I’m not a super cherry fan, but these recipes that I found definitely have me drooling. Plus, you should start seeing cherries on sale in your local stores in the next few weeks.
- Cherry Pie Crumb Bars Recipe by Crunchy, Creamy, Sweet.
- Cherry Turnovers by Savory Bites Recipes
- Homemade Cherry Sorbet by For the Love of Food!
- Cherry Pie by Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
I love baking something new for the 4th of July. This year will be totally different since we don’t have parades, fireworks or family get togethers. However, you can still bake and make some yummy food! So choose one…or all of these recipes and get cooking!
5 Places to Find the Perfect Father’s Day Gift
Did you know that Father’s Day is just over a week away! Are you ready? If you need a few ideas I’ve noticed some very cool places that are offering some fun Father’s Day gifts. Check these out!
- Groupon. Have you shopped from Groupon before? If not, you really should take a look. I’ve purchased quite a few fun things to do and event tickets from Groupon. So it’s legit. Check out their different options available near you.
- Shutterfly. Do you want a family picture for your hubby’s home office? Check out the fun ways you can put family pictures on pillows, travel mugs, metal prints, pint glasses and so much more.
- Favorite Restaurant. Now that restaurants are starting to open again, it’s really nice to go out to dinner. We don’t go in-stores, but we do take out and it’s wonderful. Grab a gift card from a favorite restaurant and plan a night out. With the great weather, you could grab some food and take it outdoors!
- Cabela’s. If you have a really outdoorsy hubby or father, then this is the spot for you. Right now Cabela’s has a great Father’s Day sale going on now. From grilling, fishing, hunting and more, there is something for everyone!
- Your Home. It’s true, there are so many DIY projects that you can make in your own home which would be perfect for your grandpa or dad. A good place to look is Pinterest. I love the traditional hand print with words from each of your kids.
Sugar Free Breakfast Ideas the Whole Family Will Love
Breakfast. Yum. I love breakfast, but I’ve noticed that a lot of options have a TON of sugar in them. Look at all of the cereal boxes or even frozen pre made breakfasts. There is a lot of sugar! The trick to eating a healthier breakfast is to have a sugar free base and then add healthier options on top. For example, you could make a sugar free waffle, pancake or crepe recipe and then add in fruits, cinnamon and greek yogurt instead of syrups and sugars. Have you ever had waffles or crepes with yogurt instead of syrup? It’s so good! Start YOUR day out right with these Sugar-Free Breakfast Ideas:
Granola & Greek Yogurt
Add in- Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Banana, Kiwi, or any other yummy fruit that are in season. Grab a yummy granola to top it off. My kids eat this for a mid morning snack too.
Waffles
Ingredients:
1 3/4 C Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Beaten Egg Yolks
1 3/4 C Milk
1/2 C Oil
2 Stiffly Beaten Egg Whites
Directions:
Sift together dry ingredients. Combine yolks, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients. Fold in whites, leaving a few fluffs. Bake. Makes about (4) 10 inch waffles.
Crepes
1 Cup Flour
1 1/2 C Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Oil
Directions:
In Bowl combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Lightly grease a 6-Inch Skillet or Crepe Pan. Heat up the pan and remove pan from heat. Spoon on 2 Tbsp batter and heat evenly. Makes about 16 small crepes.
Pancakes
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Oil
1 1/2 C Flour
4 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
Milk enough to make for medium thickness
Directions:
Beat all together until well combined. Heat in greased pan until golden brown.
Egg Burritos/ Egg Omelette
Tortillas (optional)
Eggs
Cheese
Bell Peppers
Onions
Directions:
Beat eggs and add in peppers and onions. You can either make it into an omelette or scramble together for burritos.
7 Fun Summer Activities While Social Distancing
Most states are still in the social distancing stage. So what we we going to do this summer? Even though we can’t be in crowds, there is plenty to keep us busy. Here are 7 fun summer activities you can do and stay away from crowds.
- Visit your state Capitol and have a picnic. Most kids have never visited their state Capitol. This summer introduce it to your kids. Call ahead and most Capitols have free tours as well (if yours is open). Pack a lunch and have a picnic on the grounds.
- Service. I always find ways to serve during the summer. This way the kids aren’t focused just on themselves. Look around your community and find a way to help others. You could help out your own family like grandpa and grandma.
- Be a tourist in your city. When we travel to new cities we love doing these scavenger hunts. Why not get one for your own city? You’ll learn new things that the kids will remember every time they walk down that city street, or see that special building. The best part? You are just walking around and learning, not going into any buildings! If you don’t want to buy a scavenger hunt, you can always check Trip Advisor for your city and hit the hot spots.
- Movie nights outside. Since most of our movie theatres are closed, how about you have your own movie night outside. If you don’t have a screen projector, then set out a laptop or iPad and play a movie on your deck! Grab pillows and blanket and enjoy a show under the stars.
- Family campfires. This is one of our favorite things to do during the summer. We have a park close by that has fire pits that we can use. If you don’t have one close by, search for campground near you. A lot of campgrounds will have day use spots available for you to enjoy. Grab some hot dogs, and smores and eat and chat around the fire. I love bringing a guitar to sing too.
- Golfing. Have you seen all of the beautiful golf courses open? I have! If you don’t play, this is a great time to learn. You could even bring the family along and learn together. I’ve seen mini golfing open as well. So check your local ones for times.
- Bike on a new trail. There are so many fun bike trails around me and now we have had the time to try them out. Check for some near you. You can find fun dirt, mountain and paved trails.
4 Healthy Breakfast Smoothie Recipes You’ve Got to Try
Breakfast is always the hardest for me. I love the waffles, pancakes, donuts and juices. One easy way to eat healthier at breakfast is to have a healthy breakfast smoothie. It’s easy and can be an on the go breakfast option as well. Here are 4 recipes that are the perfect breakfast choice.
- Blueberry Pie Smoothie by Buildyourbite.com
- Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Smoothie by northsouthblonde.com
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie by Like Mother Like Daughter
- Peach Carrot Smoothie by Primavara Kitchen
You could buy the ingredients and have one every day of the week. You might just get your family hooked too. Enjoy!
Tips to Make the End of the School Year Special
This year has definitely not been a normal year. School kids are missing out on many fun activities and celebrations because of the pandemic and social distancing. With school cancelled for the last few months until the end of the year, most kids won’t be seeing their friends or teachers for the rest of the year. However, even with these differences, you can still make the end of this year special. Our kids deserve praise and recognition for the hard work they have been doing!
- Celebrate with their friends! Even though we aren’t getting together with big groups of friends, you could still find a way to celebrate with them. You can set up a virtual meeting with your kids and their friends, you could set a designated time and place to meet and do a social distancing meet up (although it does work better with older kids that really won’t go within 6 ft of each other). You could make cards and deliver them on the doorstep of special friends.
- The last day of school could be special by switching up your routine. I don’t know about your, but the last 8 weeks has been nothing but school work and surviving. We haven’t really switched up the routine at all. It’s kinda sad! But we did it! So, on the last day make a new breakfast, go on a picnic, do the last day of school celebrations with friends, take around your teacher/friends gifts, Face time family and friends, make or order out a yummy dinner. Just by switching up what you do on the last day of school can make a big difference.
- Gifts. I’m not normally a gift person. I like to do experiences over gifts. However, since this summer is looking like we will be staying home, I’ve thought of a few fun outdoor toys that I could get my kids for the last day of school. That way it’s an end of school year present AND a summertime stay busy present! I got my boys a RipStik which they have been wanting. My little kids have wanted scooters. You could also look at water toys or water guns.
- Decorate the house/rooms with banners, balloons and color. The minute the kiddos see the decorations, they know it’s a day to celebrate. Grab balloons from local businesses and hang them outside the house.
- Show your teachers how much you appreciate them with a simple, inexpensive gift. There is a good article here that gives some great ideas. Our teachers have worked so hard and have switched up their routines and teaching to help our kids succeed. Make their last week/day special.
- Make a 2020 Time Capsule. This year is one to remember. Have your kids make a capsule to capture the ups and downs of this year. There is a good article you can read here about how to make your own.
5 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Mom & Grandma
Mother’s Day is coming fast, can you believe it? We’ve been a little preoccupied with this crazy pandemic. However, you still have time to do one or more of these awesome DIY Mother’s Day gifts for mom or Grandma…or both! Because mother’s deserve some praise.
- Mother’s Day pop-up card for either mom or grandma. There are so many options on Pinterest, but this is one of my favorites. Easy peasy for little kids to do as well. If you want a more intense one, check this out.
- DIY Mason Jar Herbs. Aren’t these cool? Pick a favorite herb and start an herb garden in your own home!
- Sugar Scrub for soft skin. This is a favorite for any woman. You can make different scents, but my favorite is this one– I mean coconut and pina colada. It’s a perfect combination to feel like you’re at the beach.
- Scavenger hunt for mom. Buy a few favorite things for mom for example; favorite candy bar, gum, soda, lotion, earrings, necklace, clothing, pictures. Then have the kids put together a scavenger hunt for her to find. This also works really well for Father’s Day too.
- Chocolate. Need something quick and easy? This is a great time to support your local chocolate companies. Grab a few favorites.
5 Fun Family Games You’ve Got to Try
Now that we are going on more than a couple weeks at home, you may be tired of your same old games. We have a good few games that we play non-stop, but we are antsy to get a few new ones for the coming weeks at home. Here are the game that we love playing over and over, hopefully they will become a new family favorite in your home!
- Grandpa Beck’s Games Skull King game. We were recently introduced to this game and the kids can’t get enough. It’s one of those that both kids and adults can play and enjoy together. Our kids 8+ were able to play it.
- Sleeping Queens Card Game. This is a good one for younger kids. We have a 5 year old boy that can play this one with the family. Super fun and easy to play.
- Play the game of spoons. If you guys haven’t played this then you’re missing out. This is a hit! Even my 5 year old learned it and loves it. Grab a deck of cards- you can even use Old Maid type of cards. You just need one full match set for each person that is playing. For example if I have 5 people playing I would grab out all of the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s and 9s. So there are 4 cards of each, total of 20. You put in one LESS spoon on the table. So I would put 4 spoons on my table in the middle. Then you shuffle the cards and pass them out. Each person has 4 cards. You are trying to get a set of 4 of the same NUMBER. So you grab one card from your stack and pass it to the person to the left, everyone does that at the same time and you pick up the card from the person at your right. You pick up the card, look at it, keep it if you want, and then pass another card to the person to the left. You keep doing this until someone- or yourself, get 4 of the same NUMBER, then you grab a spoon. The last person won’t have a spoon and then has to have a letter. You can spell the word PIG or whatever you want. So that person then has a P. You shuffle the cards and start again. Now once you have mastered this, you can put the spoons in another room! This is a bit dangerous, but oh so fun. Give it a try.
- Jax Sequence Board Game. This is a fun game for everyone 7+. It takes about 30 minutes to play, but then you’ll want to play again. So fun!
Disney Shares Their Famous Churro & Dole Whip Recipes: Check Out These Super Easy Recipes
Is anyone else day dreaming about being at Disneyland and enjoying all of the yummy food? I sure am! Thanks to Disney, we can now make their famous Churros Bites and Dole Whip at our own home. Each one requires little ingredients which is super nice. So have a Disney style party tonight by making these yummy treats.
Disney Parks Churro Bites you can check out the complete guide here
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions:
- Combine water, butter, salt, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in 1 ½-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring pot to rolling boil.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add flour and stir vigorously until mix forms a ball. Remove from heat and let rest for 5-7 min.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until combined. Set aside.
- Heat oil in medium skillet or 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat or until temperature reaches 350˚.
- Spoon dough into piping bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 1-inch strip of dough over saucepan, cut with knife, and drop into hot oil. Repeat until churro bites fill saucepan with room to fry.
- Fry churro bites until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer.
- Drain churro bites on paper towel.
- Mix sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in medium bowl. Toss in churro bites until coated. Place on serving plate and serve with favorite dipping sauce.
Dole Whip Recipe: You can find the complete recipe when you use the Disney App.
(This is for a single serving)
Ingredients:
- 1 big scoop of ice cream
- 4 oz of pineapple juice
- 2 cups of frozen pineapple
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a blender until it’s a thick drink.
Add your swirl and then you’re done! Enjoy!
Step-by-Step Potty Training Tips (The Perfect Quarantined Goal)
Guys, now that we are all quarantined, this is the time to potty train! When you hear the word potty training, what do you think first? Pee, crying, fighting, pee, and more pee? I’ll be honest, I’ve always DREADED the potty training phase. It’s just not convenient and it’s so tiring. It’s one of those things that can really be hard or can really be quite simple. As I’ve had 3 kids to potty train, I’ve found some really good tips and tricks. Each time I’ve followed this guide below and each of my kids have been potty trained in 3 days or less. That’s right, 3 days. It’s definitely not an easy 3 days and at the end I’m ready for Cafe Rio, Coke and a giant piece of cheesecake. But it’s totally worth it.
Now with that being said, each kid is different and they have different needs. I’m actually on kid 4 right now and potty training as we speak. She is taking a few more days than my boys. Who knew? Yours may not be trained in 3 days, and that’s fine but hopefully they will be closer to the end result. I’m hoping some of these ideas will help you have a more fun and successful potty training experience.
Before Potty Training Week
- Let your little one pick out special underwear (you’ll need quite a few- I grab at least 10 pairs).
- Show your little one the potty and get them familiar with it. Show siblings using it and let them test it out.
- Prepare a spot to play in your house, preferably non-carpet, that is near the potty.
- Buy fun, unique drinks (Gatorade, tummy yummies, capri suns). You can also buy new coloring books, sticker books, puzzles, anything they can do in one place.
- Buy pull ups for night time and nap time.
- Clear your schedule for a good 3-4 days where you don’t have to drive anywhere and can focus on your little one.
The Week of Potty Training
Day 1: When your little one wakes up feed them breakfast first before you start training. I’ve found that our little ones need to be in a good mood with a full belly. Once they are awake and fed, have them take the rest of their diapers and throw them in the trash (I always go rescue them later). Explain that they don’t need to wear diapers anymore. They are big boys/girls now and will be wearing their special underwear.
Once the diapers are in the trash, get their underwear out and let them choose which one to wear. That’s all they need to wear on Day 1- just the underwear. I don’t put on shirts or pants. Now is the time to get them pumped full of fluids. Give them their drinks and find a good location to camp out for a few hours. I always like to stay in the kitchen where I have tile. It’s a lot easier to clean up their pee. Get games, play-doh, books and focus on them. Then you basically watch them like a hawk. Instead of asking “Do you need to go potty?” Tell them- “Let me know when YOU need to go potty.” The hope is for them to FEEL when they need to go and then tell you.
When they start peeing, rush them to the toilet and let them finish on the toilet. I even have my boys sit on the toilet when they are learning. Have a good attitude about it and be happy (by the end of the day your face will hurt from trying to smile). Never scold them. Just remind them that they are now going potty in the toilet and not in their underwear. Encourage them and give them a new set of underwear. Have them flush, close, and wash their hands. Build the routine. Then repeat-“Let me know when you need to go potty.”
Then head back to your location give them more fluids and continue playing. That’s basically what you do…all…day…long. Bring in an iPad and have them watch a show while you organize your kitchen or do whatever you need to stay busy for the rest of the day. Rush them to the potty when they start going and have them do the routine. Soon they will FEEL when they need to go potty and then learn to wait until they are on the toilet.
At night have them go potty one last time and put a pull-up on. Make sure they are standing up and not laying down when you put the pull-up on. Treat them like underwear and not a diaper. This is their pull up that they wear for night time and naps, no more diapers.
Day 2: This day is similar to the first day. Just keep doing the routine and get them in the habit. If your little one caught onto the routine yesterday and didn’t have too many accidents then you won’t need to give them as much fluids. But if they still need the practice. Then grab your drinks and have them start drinking. Hopefully today will go a little more smoothly. If they are getting the habit down, venture outside or around the house and let them continue to tell you when they need to go to the bathroom.
Remember to keep a good attitude they want to think going to the potty is fun. I don’t usually give prizes but I do have special treats on hand for when we need to shake things up. Make it a fun day and give your little one a treat because it’s a special day. Tell grandparents to call and tell them they are proud of your little one for wearing underwear. I know it’ sounds silly, but they will be so proud and find that it’s a very good thing to do.
Continue on the day with watching them, taking them to the bathroom, finish on the toilet, flush, close and wash your hands and give them new underwear if needed. Continue asking “Let me know if you need to go potty.”
Note: If on day 2, they still don’t pee in the toilet and they tend to pee everywhere but the toilet, don’t give up! Each child is different. I’ve had 3 boys that have used this 3 day system with 100% success. However, my little girl needed more time. Keep going for a few more days. You’ve got this!
Day 3: If your little one is still having accidents then you will need to continue doing the same as day one. But hopefully this will be the day it finally clicks. The accidents will hopefully be getting less and less. If they are being consistent in telling you they need to go potty, then you are well on your way. If they aren’t, then just keep going for a couple more days. It will get better!
You can even try to go out for a bit and away from the house. If you’re really ambitious you can venture away from the house. In a store be sure to mention that “they have pottys here so let me know if you need to go.” I always bring a set of clean underwear and pants with me for the first few weeks just in case. Get in the habit of having them go to the bathroom before you leave the house. That will help with accidents in the car seat.
All I can say is Good Luck! It’s definitely not an easy task to potty train, but it’s so worth it once it’s accomplished.
5 Tips to Make the Homeschool Transition Awesome
Okay, how are you guys doing with the transition from public or charter school to homeschool? I’ll admit now that we are in homeschooling for the long haul, it was time for me to make a few adjustments to make it a little more awesome. Now I know every family is different and some of these won’t work for you, but I’m guessing no matter the ages of your kids, you could implement of couple of these ideas.
- Make a schedule. When we started homeschooling, I saw a few schedules floating around social media. I saw them, but quickly passed them by thinking, “I’ve got this, I don’t need a strict schedule.” Little did I know how much that would fail. Finally, I created a very laid back daily schedule, one that we could follow. If you like your day strictly outlined then go for more detail, but mine is as follows:First off, I’ll admit we sleep in- so whenever we wake up we eat breakfast, do a chore, straighten up our school supplies and have free time until 10. This is when I’m finished working and ready to focus on the kids.
10am-12pm School work that is given by their teachers. I rotate kids and help them when needed. I have a toddler too. So usually one of the grade school aged kids is playing with the toddler, while I’m helping the other two kids. That’s worked out great so far.
12pm -1pm Make lunch and eat/free time- we have been going on a walk around the block or do a quick P.E. activity during this time too. (see number 2 & 3 for a little help with this too)
1pm Zoology with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. They have started doing a Facebook Live every day at 1pm MST. The kids love watching and learning about different animals.
1:30pm-2:30 pm Reading time/Finish school work from teachers. They usually have reading assignments from teachers they need to finish. If you’re all caught up with school work, you can do extra fun learning activities here as well (see #3 listed below).
2:30pm-3:30pm The kids can do their fun screen time, creative play, outside time and help with dinner.
So as you can see, this is a super easy to follow outline where I have options for us to do, yet a guide for what we need to get done and what could be done next. It has helped me stay sane and not be scattered and behind in their school work.
- Make a list of lunches for the kids. Since they have to eat every day at home for lunch, it can get overwhelming finding things they like and won’t complain about. First, be sure to see if your school is providing free lunch during the coronavirus break. Ours is, which has helped a ton. We try and get that a few days a week. If not, then make a list of lunches the kids like and put it somewhere they can see everyday. This way you don’t have to tell them every day what they can have. They can look at the list and make it themselves, or tell you if they need help. Taking that one worry out of your head is so great.
- Take advantage of the free educational learning activities that are available right now. Since we are all in this pandemic together, a lot of companies have offered free subscriptions or access to their sites. You can check out a great list here. My kids love doing some of these during their extra free time. I also love the Kids Art Hub on Youtube and Mystery Science.
- Know that the kids’ emotional well being is just as important, if not more important, than their education. I read something about this lately and it really struck me. The first few days I was hard on my kids. I feel like they should understand everything, right? I have to get back into teacher mode, instead of mom mode. Take the time to be patient and understanding. I would rather look back on this time and have them know I loved them and we tried hard instead of me yelling at them and putting them down. Try to be positive, then go yell in a pillow. Your kids are hard on themselves enough.
- Get outside everyday. This is definitely a life saver for me. Even if it’s a little chilly, grab your coats and get outside. Go on a walk, bike ride, jog, play in your yard, play sports, do anything you want outside. Take breaks during your school day and get outside. It makes you feel better about the world. We can do this!!
10 Fun and Free Activities to do at Home with Kids
2020 will be a year we will all remember. With the coronavirus, we are asked to stay in our homes so we don’t spread the virus. This can be super hard when you have kids. What can you do at home ALL day long? There are so many resources out there that I almost get overwhelmed. So, I’ll start out with just 10. These 10 activities are ones we have already done and the kids have enjoyed. Score!
Make a terrarium. Grab a mason jar or see through container for each child. Head outside and first find some small rocks or pebbles. Put those on the bottom of your jar. Then find leaves or grass and make a soft bed on top of the rocks. Next you can add some soil to put on top of the greenery. Then let the kids run free. Let them find whatever they want to add to their jars. They may even find a worm or other small insect. At the end have each kid tell you about their jars and what they have in it.
Deck of Card Work Out. We did this today for our P.E. time. The kids…and I were exhausted when we were done! It’s super easy and fun. Directions: Grab a deck of cards and pull out all of the Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and Jokers.
Here is your guide.
Hearts= push ups
Clovers= squats
Spades=crunches or sit ups
Diamonds= jumping jacks
Jokers= run (you could run around your house or your block)
Draw a card and do the number of reps called:
Jacks= 11
Queens=12
Kings = 13
Aces= 14
Make Play-doh. This is super fun if you have little kids. Even my 8 and 10 year olds will play with it if I make it into some sort of competition. Who can build a big fort? Who can build 10 blocks and stack them on top of each other? I found a good recipe here.
Make a dessert together. Has anyone else been stress cooking? Take this extra time we have at home to teach your kids how to make a favorite dessert. My kids absolutely love baking. I have to remind myself to calm down and relax as we are doing it. But you end up with a yummy treat at the end! Win-win!
Paper airplane competition. This is so fun, especially because my boys LOVE making airplanes. Grab some paper, make your plane and set up a run way. See how far each one can go.
Play the game of spoons. If you guys haven’t played this then you’re missing out. This is a hit! Even my 5 year old learned it and loves it. Grab a deck of cards- you can even use Old Maid type of cards. You just need one full match set for each person that is playing. For example if I have 5 people playing I would grab out all of the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s and 9s. So there are 4 cards of each, total of 20. You put in one LESS spoon on the table. So I would put 4 spoons on my table in the middle. Then you shuffle the cards and pass them out. Each person has 4 cards. You are trying to get a set of 4 of the same NUMBER. So you grab one card from your stack and pass it to the person to the left, everyone does that at the same time and you pick up the card from the person at your right. You pick up the card, look at it, keep it if you want, and then pass another card to the person to the left. You keep doing this until someone- or yourself, get 4 of the same NUMBER, then you grab a spoon. The last person won’t have a spoon and then has to have a letter. You can spell the word PIG or whatever you want. So that person then has a P. You shuffle the cards and start again. Now once you have mastered this, you can put the spoons in another room! This is a bit dangerous, but oh so fun. Give it a try.
Write letters and send them to grandparents. Now that we are staying away from our grandparents, we decided it would be fun to write them a letter. They look forward to getting the mail every day, since they can’t get out much. Think of others you could write a letter to.
Science experiments. You can use this site called Mystery Science to give some fun informational lessons as well as fun experiments for the kids to learn. It’s one of my 8 year olds favorite times of the day.
YouTube Art for Kids Hub is one of our favorite times to stop the school work and get a little creative. This site teaches you how to make a variety of animals, cartoons, characters and so much more. It’s great for all ages.
Watch the Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari every day at 1:00 pm MST. It’s on their Facebook page here. You just go to their videos and you’ll see a “live” come up when they are starting. So many fun animals. My kids have really enjoyed watching these.
5 Things I’m Buying/Doing to Survive the Coronavirus
This Coronavirus is getting real here in the United States. I know it’s on all of our minds right now. I’ve been reading the updates from different states and it looks like a lot of our normal every day routines will be changing. Schools are going to be cancelled which makes me re-think what I need to do or get. I thought I would share with you a few things that are not your typical toilet paper and water that I’m buying.
The first thing I’m buying is a outdoor play set/swing set for my kiddos. Since we are trying to stay away from large gatherings, a new outdoor toy should keep them moving around and outside. With a lot of schools closing, this would be super helpful. You can see some great Lifetime playsets on Amazon here. If you’re not a fan of playsets, you could grab a trampoline. That could get on my list too!
The second thing that I’m buying are some new family card games and crafts for the family. I’ve heard great things about these two games- Skill King and Cover Your Assets by Grandpa Beck. I actually just bought Cover your Asset today. It’s a good one that younger kids can even play. Take your mind off of the craziness that is going on and have a family game night. Make a fun craft together with the kiddos. I bought some of this air dry clay with instruments. I thought it would be a fun thing for all of my boys. We aren’t super crafty around here.
The third thing that we are more doing than buying is updating and organizing our home. When you are home bound it can definitely get depressing. We had a few trips planned this month that have been cancelled. It’s definitely a bummer, but to be safe we are waiting this out and hopefully helping with not spreading any sickness. With that said, we got out our list of house jobs that we’ve wanted done. We start on that tonight! I would encourage you to do the same. Make a list of things you could do to your home or yard to update and fix. You could also go room by room and organize and declutter. Just by putting some positive energy into my house will help me take my mind off of the anxiety that is in the world right now. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders.
The fourth thing that we are doing is trying to be more aware of those around us. I’m sure you have all seen long lines at grocery stores. It’s pretty crazy how shelves are bare and items are out of stock. Instead of hoarding for ourselves, can we look around us or even ask others what they need? In times of crisis we tend to want to fed for ourselves. However, we could do a lot more good if we check up on others. Even a phone call or text could help.
The final thing we are doing is taking time to be still. With all of the updates that come every few hours, it can be overwhelming and down right exhausting, even my kids can feel it. Take some time off your research and updates. Go take a walk with the family and relieve some stress or just sit in the sun and be still. Pray, meditate, do what you can to make you feel calm. We can survive this.
6 Easy Steps to Make Your Own Emergency Kit
With the scare of the Coronavirus, It has people wondering if they are ready to be quarantined or what if a natural disaster was to happen? Are you ready? If you haven’t already made your own emergency kit, now is the time to do it. With an emergency kit you will be better prepared to survive when a catastrophe happens. Here is an easy step-by-step guide to help you build your own emergency kit.
Step #1
Make a Plan. You can make a 24 hr or 48 or or 72 hour kit for your family. I would recommend making a 72 hour kit for your family. Grab an index card and make a list. List out how many people you have in your family and think about each person as you go through this list.
Step #2
Gather Bags. You will need to get a bag for each person in your family. Look around your home. Get old backpacks that you aren’t using or buy some new ones for each person in your family. Check out Walmart, they have good prices on backpacks.
Step #3
Get Water. You need about 1 gallon of water per person for the 72 hours. That would be (8) 16 oz water bottles to make up a gallon or you can get bigger bottles to make it more manageable.
Step #4
Gather your food. You will need to gather enough food for 3 days for each person in your family. The easiest thing to do is get food that you will actually eat. You will want to get items that has a long shelf life too. Some suggestions are: Canned soup, peanut butter, granola bars, canned meat, canned fruits, canned vegetables, freeze dried fruits or meats, fruit snacks, hard candy, specially packaged milk, honey, protein bars, vitamins. I always thought I had to get certain emergency foods, but that’s not the case. Just get long shelf life foods and change them out every 5 years or so. Remember you don’t need a gourmet meal when you are in survival mode, just enough food to keep you sustained and healthy.
Step #5
First Aid Kit. This can be a DIY first aid kit or a store bought one. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Get a container like a pencil box and add the following items to it: Band aids (variety of sizes), Antibacterial ointments, plastic gloves, gauze and tape, small scissors, Q-Tips or cotton balls, medicines (cold, pain, baby, allergy), thermometer, tweezers.
Step #6
Batteries & Other Essentials. You’ll want to put in the following that would be super helpful for emergencies. Flashlights, batteries, hammer, wrench, pet supplies (if applicable), manual can opener, whistle, blankets and a change of clothes for each person. I would recommend doing long sleeve and pants per person in their bags. That way if it’s winter you are prepared, if it’s warmer you can cut them down to size.
Those are the basics of what you would want to gather for your emergency kits. Now you can get more fancy or make it super simple. Either way you will be better off than not having anything at all.
80 Songs That Inspire & Uplift Kids & Teens
I grew up listening and singing to music everyday. We didn’t even have Alexa’s at that time! These days, my kids are spoiled to listed to anything they want just by asking our Alexa to play it. I love having music in our home. However, lately I’ve noticed my older kids start playing this hard metal music. The message a lot of these songs give are depressing and rough. The words they use are crude and rough.
That’s why I’ve tried to find some good songs that the kids would enjoy, all the while being uplifted as well. I came across the Big Life Journal post they did that had 80 Songs to Inspire a Growth Mindset in Kids. I wanted to share it with you. so you too could add them to your playlist. These are the songs that they have listed for both kids and teens:
30 Songs – Younger Kids (2-6)
- Big Life (Lindsay Müller)
- Be a Friend Song (Emily Arrow)
- Don’t Hide Your Magic (Emily Arrow)
- Follow Your Arrow (Emily Arrow)
- Everyone Makes Mistakes (Sesame Street)
- Proud of Me (Grover-Sesame Street)
- Can’t Stop The Feeling (Justin Timberlake-Trolls Soundtrack)
- Get Back Up Again (Anna Kendrick-Trolls Soundtrack)
- True Colors (Anna Kendrick- Trolls Soundtrack)
- Go the Distance (Roger Bart)
- Hakuna Matata (Lion King Soundtrack)
- How Far I’ll Go (Moana Soundtrack)
- So Glad I’m Here (Elizabeth Mitchell)
- I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack)
- I’ve Got A Dream (Mandy Moore)
- Let It Go (Idina Menzel)
- Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts)
- Fired Up (Disney Zombies Soundtrack)
- My Year (Disney Zombies Soundtrack)
- Shake It Off (Sing Soundtrack)
- Sunshine in My Pocket (Auntie Kayte)
- The Power of Yet (C.J. Luckey)
- Grit and Resilience (C.J. Luckey)
- Try Everything (Shakira- Zootopia Soundtrack)
- A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Disney Channel Song)
- I am Light (India. Arie)
- Everything Is Awesome (The LEGO Movie Soundtrack)
- The Roses of Success (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Recording)
- Good Day Sunshine (The Beatles)
- Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
50 Songs – Tweens/Teens (7+)
- Brave (Sara Bareilles)
- Never Ever Give Up (Matthew West)
- Anything’s Possible (Lea Michele)
- Couldn’t Be Better (Kelly Clarkson- UglyDolls Soundtrack)
- You Make My Dreams (Pentatonix- UglyDolls Soundtrack)
- Girl In The Mirror (Bebe Rexha- UglyDolls Soundtrack)
- Rewrite The Stars (Greatest Showman Soundtrack)
- A Million Dreams (Greatest Showman Soundtrack)
- This Is Me (Greatest Showman Soundtrack)
- Count on Me (Bruno Mars)
- Best Day of My Life (Kidz Bop Kids)
- I Lived (OneRepublic)
- Don’t Worry Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin)
- Everybody (Ingrid Michaels)
- Fight Song (Rachel Platten)
- Firework (Katy Perry)
- Roar (Katy Perry)
- Happy (Pharrell Williams)
- High Hopes (Panic! At The Disco)
- I Can Be (Taio Cruz)
- I’m Still Standing (Taron Egerton)
- Live Your Story (Tina Parol)
- One Foot (Walk The Moon)
- Proud (Heather Small)
- Skyscraper (Demi Lovato)
- Something More (Gabriela Bee)
- Stronger (Kiesza)
- #thatPOWER (Will.i.am, Justin Bieber)
- The Champion (Carrie Underwood)
- Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield)
- Nobody’s Perfect (Hannah Montana)
- On Top of The World (Imagine Dragons)
- Jorja Bleu (Bret Michaels)
- Thunder (Imagine Dragons)
- What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
- Beautiful (Christina Aguilera)
- Be The Change (Britt Nicole)
- The Climb (Miley Cyrus)
- Try (Pink)
- Waka Waka (Shakira)
- Hall of Fame (The Script)
- Stronger (Kelly Clarkson)
- Superheroes (The Script)
- Happy People (Little Big Town)
- Beautiful Day (U2)
- Living In The Moment (Jason Mraz)
- Never Gonna Let You Down (Colbie Caillat)
- Floodgates (Colbie Caillat)
- Long Live (for King & Country)
- Pompeii (Bastille)