Spooky Treats

This year for Halloween, Jakson's class held a Goulish Luncheon. The challenge was given to 
the kids {but really to the parents} to create a festive snack to share with the class. And what a spread it was...

The kids had so much fun digging into spooky foods like, Eyeball Spaghetti, Mummy Wraps, 

Monster Apples, Spider Sandwiches, Witches Hats, Frankenstein Pudding and Spider Nuggets! 

Bon Appetit and Happy Halloween! 

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25 activities for Christmas

Here are some great ways our family likes to add some holiday cheer during this time of year. Maybe you'll find one to add to your list of traditions. 

Alright, so they may not be "Griswold" style, but they're still fun nonetheless. Enjoy! {Be sure to click on the links to find the recipes or directions!}
 
1. Go see Christmas lights
2. Make a cinnamon hand print ornament
3. Visit a live nativity
4. Make hot cocoa with marshmallows
5. Watch favorite holiday movies
6. Bake Christmas cookies and then share them with our neighbors
7. Make snow slime
8. Create a gingerbread house
9. Help the kids make a Christmas list: something you want, need, read, give, & wear  
10. Build a snowman- over and over again!
11. Make scented pine cones  
12. Make outdoor ornaments
13. Make our own wrapping paper
14. Make reindeer food
15. Drink apple cider smoothies
16. Create a birthday cake for Jesus
17. Adopt a child or family in need
18. Create a candy nativity scene
19. Read our favorite Christmas stories
20. Pick out the perfect Christmas tree
21. Blast Christmas carols in the house
22. Put up Christmas decor all around the house
23. Play with snow clay
24. Sit by the camp fire and make s'mores
25. Sleep by the Christmas tree

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Best Caramel Apple Play Dough- Ever!

I've made several homemade play doughs with my kids and hands down, this recipe is the best. It was easy to make and the consistency came out perfect! It's actually hard to believe, but I managed to make this with out any I Guess Im Due moments! This is for the books...

Caramel Apple Pie Play Dough

(courtesy of www.mamapapabubba.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup of ‘just apples’ apple sauce (I used natural applesauce)
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of coconut oil {or other favorite oil}- I used canola
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
1/2 packet of Duncan Hines apple pie Frosting Creations (I couldn't find this so I replaced it with 1 Tbs of Apple Pie Seasoning)
1/2 packet of Duncan Hines caramel Frosting Creations
red gel food coloring (skipped this- I liked the natural caramel color it created)
2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

Directions:
Add first set of ingredients to a large pot and heat on the stove {stirring regularly} until just bubbling. Remove from heat and add in dry ingredients. Stir until combined and dump mixture out on the counter. Allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Knead dough until soft and fully cooled (it may feel sticky in the beginning, but resist the urge to add flour – that stickiness vanished completely for us once the dough was no longer warm). Store in an airtight bag or container when not in use.

We used fun tools like: pie tins, cookie cutters, baking sheets, rolling pins, bowls, and pizza cutters. The options are endless!

The kids LOVED this activity. I think they've asked to make their apple pies just about everyday. And since the house smells like sweet fall every time we take out the play dough, I don't mind picking up the mess after they're done!

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A Thanksgiving Activity: The Thankful Tree

I am constantly trying to instill thankfulness in my children on a daily basis (who isnt?!). But even with all my preaching, we still have I Guess Im Due moments in this area. I always seem to have at least one that needs some extra practice with gratitude.

So this month, being that we are celebrating Thanksgiving, I decided to start a new family tradition. Meet our Thankful Tree.

The purpose of our tree is to remember and reflect on what we are thankful for and how God has truly blessed each and every one of us. 

Before I started this activity, I read the book "Biscuit is Thankful" to help remind the kids what being thankful means. Afterwards, we had a great conversation about things we were each thankful for just like Biscuit. We took our conversation outside and began hunting for the perfect branches to create our Thankful Tree. After we collected our branches we took a large vase and placed the branches so they fit just the way we wanted. Now, that our tree is assembled our goal is to sit down everyday for a few minutes and think of something specific we are each thankful for. Then, we each write down our response on a fancy piece of paper and cut it out into our very own leaf. After attaching a ribbon to it, the kids find the perfect spot to hang it up. 

It's been so much fun to hear what the kids are each thankful for. Things like, "the trees," "the fire that keeps us warm" and "going to the library." The tree has been such a great daily, visual reminder to all of us to be thankful for what we have. Instead of complaining about the things we don't have, the leaves are proof that God provides more than what we need. By the end of this month, it will be amazing to see how these branches will be weighed down with people, places, things, and feelings for which we are all thankful for. 

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a 'smashing' easter craft

Growing up in a Mexican family makes it for interesting holidays, and Easter is no exception. Actually, my mom took Easter VERY seriously. This meant matching outfits, bonnets, and making cascarones!  Ahhh, good memories...

I'm a sucker for tradition, so this year I decided to pass mine on (minus the bonnets). So I gathered up some materials and got started making my favorite Easter craft, cascarones. For those that aren't familiar with cascarones, they are egg shells, filled with confetti and then sealed shut and saved for smashing on unsuspecting victims later! 

So here we go...

Cascarones

You'll need:
1 dozen eggs (eventually emptied)
egg dying kit
tissue paper (pre cut into 2 inch squares)
confetti
white glue
small paint brush
1 piece of printer paper


1. Take your egg and gently crack the top. Now take your finger and carefully pick out a small piece of egg shell, leaving only a small hole.
2. Once you have a small hole on top, empty the egg into a bowl. (I saved my egg whites and yolks for scrambled eggs.)
3.  Now that your egg is empty, rinse your shell clean and set it aside to dry.
4. When all your egg shells are emptied and dry, you are ready to decorate them. Follow the directions on your egg decorating kit.
5. When the shells are decorated and dry, you can begin to fill them with the confetti. We created a funnel with a piece of printer paper and poured the confetti in that way.

Okay, only two more steps. I promise, we're almost done!!

6. After you have filled all the egg shells, take your pre-cut tissue paper, glue, and paint brush. Gently, place the tissue paper over the hole and brush the glue all over the tissue paper to seal it shut. 
7. Let the glue dry and wah-la, you now have cascarones! 

Happy smashing!

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