The BEST Art Supplies for Kids

We mamas are in big anticipating the coming of SUMMER VACATION, eh?   Sometimes we feel excitement to just chill and relax, and other times a little dread pulses through the veins. I mean dread in all good ways... we love our kiddos like no one else, yet that fear of keeping them from turning to technology addicted zombies bites at me.

I asked my kids what they wanted to spend their summer doing, and their quick answer was: lots of swimming, and lots of art.  I couldn't be more pleased with their answer since we live in Las Vegas, and it is H-O-T. We. Will. Swim. Lots.

...And art...  kids are the BEST natural artist that exist. I would LOVE to keep creative little artists forever. Plus, art is my total and 100% favorite way to "play" with my kids. When working on art projects, if we relax, we can have a grand time with the kiddos.

I'm hoping to carve out some time to make these adorable at smocks by Becky from Ucreate!

Here's my list of great art supplies to entice budding artists to spend less time looking at the screen, and more time with a smock on. I'm acquiring them a little at a time... thank goodness for the craft store coupons!!


(*** Means a definite essential)
1. Oil pastels ***
2. Colored pencils (twistable are great!) ***
3. Pip squeak markers ***
4. Skinny markers
5. Sharpies
6. collage materials (buttons, googly eyes, etc)
7. Chalk
8. Sidewalk chalk
9. yarn
10. Scissors, fun shaped ones too ***
11.Glue ***
12. Glue gun (teach older kids to use)
13. Embroidery floss
14. Stockmar crayons
15. Mini paint rollers
16. Colored masking tape
17. Colored duct tape
18. Tempera paint
19. Watercolor crayons
20. Liquid watercolor paint, or watercolor tubes
20. Watercolor cakes (regular stuff) ***
21. Variety of paintbrushes ***
22. Glitter glue
23. Shaving cream
24. Pipe cleaners ***
25. Printmaking tools (vegetables, sponges, bubble wrap)
26. Finger paints
27. Contact paper (for stained glass activities)
28. Stapler
29. Regular pencils ***
30. Regular pens
31. Sketch books ***
32. Beads
33. Paper plates
34. Clay ***
35. Salt dough
36. Play dough
37. Construction paper ***
38. Card stock
39. Heavy weight white sulphite paper
40. Poster board (cut smaller)
41. Fabric and felt scraps
42. Brown contractor's paper from Lowe's (instead of butcher paper) ***
43. Marshmallows (sculptures)
44. Glitter
45. Toothpicks
46. Wooden shapes (to paint or make magnets)
47. Window markers
48. Mat board remnants (from frame shop)
49. Rainbow loom and bands
50. Perler beads (or melty beads)
Pull out a few of these materials ever day and watch the kids go to town with their creations... better yet, "go to town" with them!

Oh all the possibilities:
 suncatchers, postcards, printing with kitchen supplies, magnets, embroidery, illustrating a book, marble rolling, shaving cream on the window, painting cookies with edible paint, paper mache, puppets, dyed pasta, melted crayon shapes, and so much more!

Happy summer preparations!!
XO,
Nancy

5 Meals from around the World

 

 





Navajo Tacos

 

 

Brazilian Stroganoff

 

Sweet Lime Enchiladas

 

Thai Chicken Sundaes

Crepes

 

 

ENJOY!!

Jan

Navajo Tacos

 

We love Navajo Tacos!!! 

Here is a great and simple recipe we like for Indian Fry Bread from Food Network.

I love that everyone can create their own exactly the way they want. 

Some of our families favorite toppings are.....

Seasoned Meat

Cheese

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Olives

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Refried Beans

Green Onions

Salsa

 

And of course you can spread one with Honey Butter for a perfect Dessert!

 

ENJOY!

Jan 

 

9 -9x13 Desserts

Hot Milk Cake

Bill Cosby Dessert

 Valentine's Dessert

This Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe is from Crunchy Creamy Sweet. 

Their picture looks a lot better too but seriously it has become one of my favorite cakes to make. 

Skor Cake Recipe from allrecipes.com

Pudding Cake

Peppermint Brownies

 

Frozen Banana Split

 

Photo Credit

 SO YUMMY!!! and EASY!!!!!

Taste of Home Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

Enjoy these 9- 9x13 Desserts along with these 9- 9x13 Dinners!

Jan

 



 

Bill Cosby Dessert

I remember my mom making this for me when growing up.  It is really simple and easy!! 

Perfect recipe for KIDS TO MAKE!

 

1 box of Graham Crackers
2 3oz box of vanilla pudding
3 cups of milk
8 oz cool whip thawed

Chocolate Glaze
3/4 cup margarine melted
2 1/4 T cocoa
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
3 tsp vanilla

Mix box of pudding with milk.  In a 9x13 pan make a layer of graham crackers, then a layer of pudding, then a layer of cool-whip, repeat.  Pour Chocolate Glaze over top.  Glaze will look runny but will harden when chilled. Chill for a couple of hours.

Jan

Clean up with KIDS

I should probably start off by saying I really am not qualified to give advice in this area. Thankfully, I have watched others and continue to work on this in my own home. Maybe someday I can come back and write a post that says MY KITCHEN is clean and my kids helped and I didn't have to yell at them once.  So here are some things that do work for us in trying to maintain cleaning our kitchen.

 

 

1.  Clean up your plate after you eat and rinse it off!! (You can also have everyone load their own plate, silverware and cup in the dishwasher) This one simple action will help keep the table cleared off and make the sink not pile up with dishes.

 

2.  Work together.  After a meal if we all pitch in the job is easier and doesn't take as long.

 

3.  Divide up the work in small tasks: Nancy has a great idea here.

• Put the food away
• Wash off the table
• Sweep the floor
• Load the dishwasher
• Wash pots and pans
• Wipe off counters
• Empty Garbage (if needed)

4. Make it fun. We turn on music while we clean up.(We also do a little singing and dancing during clean up)

 

5. Be consistent. This one simple principle makes all the difference.  It doesn't matter what chore chart you use the only way to keep a clean kitchen is set your rules and stick to them.  If the rule is to clean off your plate and put it in the sink than make sure that happens. I heard a quote about exercising but that can really apply to anything....
"Never let 2 days go by without doing it." After the second day it is just easier to slack and that's what gets us in trouble.

6. My sister-in-law is really great at this one..... Always start your dishwasher right after dinner and empty your dishwasher before you go to bed.  After breakfast the next morning, you can immediately load your dishwasher because it is empty.  This prevents dishes piling up in the sink.

7. Use paper products during busy times. When I had a baby my friend brought me a box of paper products. (Paper plates, cups, silverware, napkins)  It was so nice after dinner to just throw away the plates and just wash the pans. 

8. Be Grateful.  When cleaning up remember that you had food to eat, plates to eat on, a table to sit at, a stove to cook on, a sink with running water, a dishwasher, a FAMILY to cook for.  It could always be harder!!!

Happy Cleaning!!
Jan

Placemat Craft for Kids

 

 
 
My daughter came home from school with these cute paper placemats that they had made for their Thanksgiving Celebration Lunch.

It got my creative side going and I realized that you could make placemats for any holiday or any kind of party theme.  It can also be a great craft for the kids to make and use to help set the table for family meal time.

I forgot to add if the strips are too long you can glue down the ends and cut off excess.  Add stickers or other cut outs to your place mat.

I also made a St. Patrick's Day placemat by cutting some shamrock with my cricut and glued them on. You could also let each child make one with their name on it.  The possible ideas are endless.  After decorating your paper placemat, laminate and your placemat will last through many meals and snacks. 

You can also add fun Napkin Rings for your placemats.

 

 

Happy Decorating!!

Jan

Feeding the Extended Family

 

There will probably be a time that you will be responsible for

FEEDING THE EXTENDED FAMILY.

 

Whether it is for a Birthday Party, Family Reunion, Baptism, Summer Party, Sunday Dinner, Graduation, Weddings and Baby Showers, feeding the extended family can feel overwhelming. 

 

Here are two simple rules that have help me.

 

1. Make it simple but Have Fun!: If you are the type to go overboard try to scale it back a little.  This doesn't mean you have to not have fun with it.  I am trying to find a balance.  I love to go overboard and have fun decorations that match everything we eat.  I love to create fun food to go along with a theme.  I love all the preparation part but sometimes when it is all over I am exhausted, my family is tired of my screaming and I realize that sometimes I don't even enjoy the party itself!!  OTHER TIMES though if I plan ahead and I try to scale it back just a little I usually end up enjoying the party just as much as I did planning it.

 

2. Include others to help.  We had a Waffle Bar for my daughter's baptism and I asked two of my sister-in-laws to be in charge of cooking the waffles so that I could focus on other things including the guest.  Ask others to bring part of the meal.  Consider having food Catered or Go Dutch treat and eat at a restaurant.  Make sure your spouse and kids are on board.  Have a little family meeting and explain what is going on and ways that they can help.  Help them understand what is important to you.

 

My favorite part is coming up with the food.  There are so many fun food ideas that can make feeding the family easy.  Try one of these......

 

 

 

 

So Enjoy FEEDING YOUR EXTENDED FAMILY!

Jan

 

 



6 Suggestions for Cooking with KIDS

I used to hate when my kids wanted to help in the kitchen.  I hated the extra mess and the spills.  I tried to continue teaching them to cook but it just wasn't fun for me.  I had two experiences that really changed my attitude about cooking with the kids.

1. One day I yelled so much at my daughter while cooking, because she was making so many messes and I was late trying to take dinner to someone else, that she stopped wanting to help me cook.  For several months, I would ask her to help me and she would just say "NO, I don't want to help."  It took me a while to figure out what I had done and asking her to forgive me, before she was even willing to help with the simplest things in the kitchen.

2.  With my 4th pregnancy, I got really sick at the beginning of my pregnancy.  My husband was a full time student and was often gone.  My two oldest daughters ended up cooking a lot of meals for our family with me instructing them from the couch on what to do.  I was so grateful that they had been learning the basic of how to cook so that they didn't have to just eat cold cereal and PB and J's. 

I do not profess to be an expert on cooking with kids but here are  a few simple suggestions

I recommend in COOKING WITH KIDS!!

 

 

 

 

Always remember that your kids are going to make a mess when cooking.  If you think about it most likely so do you!!  When cracking eggs kids are most likely going to leave a shell in.  So to prevent frustrations, have them crack the eggs in a smaller bowl and then show them out to get the shells out with a spoon.  Kids are going to spill
flour on the floor so wait to mop the floor til you are done cooking.  They are going to most likely spill the last of the chocolate chips so remember to have extra ingredients when the kids help. And most important............

DON'T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK!!

 

Remember to keep the recipe simple.  Teach them to make scrambled eggs, toast, stir the noodles, peel potatoes or flip pancakes.  I also taught my girls how to use a knife to level off the flour or sugar so there is not excess.  Teaching simple steps make it easier for them to learn. Even if you have a hard time with kids in your kitchen, try taking baby steps and before you know it you can kick your feet up and watch them make you dinner.

 

Start Young!!  My almost three year old loves to pour things in the bowl. She loves to stir.  She loves to roll the cookies in a ball.  She loves to use her rolling pin and she can roll a pretty good crescent roll.  She loves to start the kitchen aid mixer.   She can crack an egg too but we just EXPECT A MESS at this age and leave that for mom to do.

 

It is so important to Make it FUN while cooking.  My daughter was completely shocked one day when I threw flour on her face, when I had started to get frustrated with cooking with her.  It was a fun moment for all who joined into our flour fight. Use your cookie cutters, food coloring or other fun recipes when cooking with kids.  Listen to fun music while cooking.  Keep the mood light and don't stress so much about the end result.  It's just food!!!

My husband is really great at (teaching by example) always telling me "Thanks for this delicious dinner."  Very rarely does a meal go by that one of my kids miss telling me the same phrase. The world is filled with so much negative, the best thing we can do is Praise them for what they are doing right.  "Good Job on not getting any shells from the eggs in the bowl."  "You flipped that pancake so good." "It looks great."  Teach with love.  Try showing them easier ways to do something.  Let go of your expectations or the way that it "SHOULD" be.  You just might come up with a new recipe or a better way of doing something. 

I think the worse part of cooking is cleaning up. But try to teach your kids that clean up is just part of the recipe you are making.  Try to clean up as you go.  When baking cookies race against the timer to see if you can get the mess cleaned up before the cookies are done.  Start cooking with a sink full of soapy water so that you can wash the dishes as soon as you are done.

Happy Cooking!

Jan 

 

 

 




 

 

 



 

 

Themed Meals

 

I have always loved to plan parties for my family.  I remember starting planning holiday fun when my two oldest were 5 and 2.  That was a magical age. I stayed at home all day with my girls and we didn't make a lot of money, so I remember trying to create Holiday Fun for us.  It started to become a tradition and my girls loved to see what would happen on holidays.  Even when I went back to work outside the home they still loved when I would create Holiday Fun for them, even if it was on a much smaller scale. 

Pinterest has so many ideas for themed meals, parties and activities. So if you feel in the mood to create some Themed Meal Time check out our pinterest board and some of these food ideas we have done in the past.

Holiday Parties.......

Heart Shape Party Food for Valentine's

14 Heart Shape Foods

Green Party- St. Patrick's Day

Breakfast

 Green Eggs and Ham, Green Oatmeal or Lucky Charms

Lunch

Picnic Lunch- Leprechaun Switch

One year we made a picnic lunch. Picture on the left. 

When we came back from running errands to go on our picnic

 our lunch had been turned green by the Leprechaun.

Rainbow Snack

 

Holidays are probably the easiest to create a Themed Meal for.

Have you heard of National Food Holiday Days.  Pick a day and check out this website and you can create your meal around the National Food Holiday.

Did you know.......

March 14th is National Potato Chip Day?

March 25th is National Waffle Day.

March 26th is National Spinach Day.

March 28th is Something on a Stick Day.

Themed Meals for PRESCHOOLERS

Preschoolers love themed meals and can be especially easy to create. 

Use a book for Inspiration:

Try using shapes to create lunch whether it is a orange for a circle, pizza for a triangle

or using a cookie cutter to cut heart shape PB and J's.  

Your PRESCHOOLER will love it!!! 

Pick a letter for the day and make a lunch using that letter. 

C: Carrots, Celery and Cucumbers, Crackers and Cheese, Clementine, Craisins,   

Themed Meals for

MOVIE NIGHT

Polar Express Movie Night

Teen Beach Movie Night

Beach Party

Themed Meals for

Sports

Football Party

The ideas are endless just think of a fun day you want to celebrate and then begin planning!!

Enjoy!
Jan