Family Friendly Memorial Day Activities

I cannot believe Memorial Day is already upon us. While celebrating the long weekend with your family and friends do not forget Memorial Day is a chance to remember and celebrate those who served our country; both the ones who returned and those who never did. Let’s not forget all the soldiers, both past and present, which fought and served in the name of our freedom, making it possible for us to enjoy this time with our loved ones. 

While today I am going to focus on our family’s first annual camping trip of the season and share the camping tips and tricks I have learned. There are also many local activities to partake in. Most being low or no cost at all. Many of your local communities have Memorial Day Parades and other festivities. Local festivities are always fun to attend and are usually free, with the exception of “extras” which typically means food and treats. To save money I suggest packing your own and heading off to the Parade. Make a day of it enjoy the parade and then head to a local park for a picnic. Check your area’s Chamber of Commerce to see what events are happening in your community. 

Camping is always an inexpensive family get-a-way. Once your initial investment of camping gear is made, and you can keep the costs of this low by checking for tents and other camping gear on craigslist, or your areas freecycle websites. You can also watch for the end of season sales to find awesome deals.

I love the quiet of the outdoors and nothing beats snuggling up by the fire at night. If roughing it is not your thing there are many family friendly camp grounds with showers, pools, and tons of other activities for the whole family.

I think many people are intimidated by cooking all 3 meals in the great outdoors; here are some tips to make it easy.  

Plan ahead:

1. Create a menu of the meals you plan to prepare and bring only what you need to save space.

2. Make pasta salads and sides and do any prep work you may have ahead of time at home. 

3. Make your hamburger patties and wrap them in foil or plastic wrap. Prepare your other meats by marinating, etc. at home.

4. Cut up any vegetables ahead of time at home. Do not cut vegetables like potatoes in advance since they will brown.

What to bring: 

1. Heavy duty aluminum foil is a must for camping you can use it for cooking and you can wrap left overs in it too. It always makes for easy clean up!

2. Quart and gallon sized Zip lock bags are good for food storage without the space of plastic containers filling up your cooler as well as some recipes (shown below).  

3. Don’t forget to pack a good combination of utensils for cooking as well as some clothes to protect your hands from hot food that has just come out of the camp fire.

4. A large pot safe for cooking over the fire.

5. Bring some of the kid’s favorite cereals for quick breakfasts; use the zip lock bags for storage to save space.

6. Pack food for enjoyment as well as nutrition remember you are on vacation, so some treats now and then won’t hurt!
Tips:
1. Cook baked beans right in the can over the fire to reduce dirty dishes. Open the lid leaving part of it still attached to keep the beans covered from the ash. Remove the paper label and place on the fire. You will need to stir the beans to keep them from burning on the bottom of the can.

2. Use frozen bottles of water instead of bagged ice in the cooler. Not only will it keep your cooler clean but when the ice melts you will have cold drinking water. I do recommend a small bag of ice to use for drinks and some campfire recipes (shown below).

3. While it might be convenient to want to use paper plates and utensils, to save packing space as well as the environment I recommend investing in some non-breakable dishes and utensils that you can find at your local Dollar Store to keep with your camping gear.

4. Keep lunch simple with sandwiches, chips, and fruit. You do not need to cook every meal. Pack a picnic lunch for fishing, swimming, or hiking. 

5. Always clean up after each meal, the last thing you want it to attract ants or other bugs or worse still animals. A large bucket or plastic tub is great for washing dishes. I like to bring two, one to wash and one to rinse. 

6. Crack eggs ahead of time and store in a zip lock bag or plastic container.

7. Mix up pancake batter and store in an old cleaned out squeeze type ketchup bottle.  

8. Old TicTac containers are the perfect size for your spices and do not take up much space.
 9. Cut down on the cook time for baked potatoes by cooking them 1/2 way in the microwave then wrap the potatoes in foil and place them in cooler till ready to eat.

Easy camping recipes:

Campfire breakfast burritos (Make ahead at home)

16 Eggs
1 lb. Breakfast Sausage
1 Yellow Onion
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
6 Med. Potatoes, chopped
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
8 or 9 Flour Tortilla Shells
Salt & Pepper to taste
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil for wrapping 
Optional: Salsa and/or hot sauce

Peel and chop potatoes and boil until soft. Crack 16 eggs and cook over low heat until you have soft, scrambled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute yellow onions and garlic in 2 T. olive oil until fragrant. Add sausage to onion mixture and cook all the way through. In large bowl combine Sausage mixture, scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese, green onions, parsley, and Salt & Pepper. Divide ingredients into 8 or 9 tortilla shells. Roll and wrap in foil, toss into the cooler and they are ready to throw on the fire when you want them! Cook in indirect heat for about 20 minutes!

Omelets in a Bag

Eggs
Milk
Cheese
Fresh veggies and seasonings of your choice
Salt and pepper
Quart size Ziploc bags

Place all of the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and seal firmly removing as much air as possible. Let the kids squeeze away until the ingredients are all well mixed. Place zip lock bag in a pot of boiling water, and cook until the eggs are set and cooked through. Viola! Omelets in a bag!! And you don't even need to dirty a plate, eat it from from the bag!

Corn on the Cob 
Heavy duty aluminum foil
Corn on the cob, husked
2 ice cubes per ear of corn
Butter

Spread butter on corn. Place corn in aluminum foil and top with ice cubes. Double fold ends to seal making a foil packet while making sure to leave room for heat circulation. I found it best to do no more than two ears of corn per packet. Place packets in the campfire away from direct heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes; turning packet over once during cooking.

Campfire Chicken Packets

These can be made ahead at home the morning of your trip. I like to cook these our first night at camp it’s quick and easy and cleanup is a snap. Make as many or as little as you need this recipe is for 4 packets.

4 Boneless chicken breast halves
2 large onions cut into ¼ inch slices
3 large bell peppers (we prefer red, yellow, and orange bell peppers)
2 cups sliced baby bella or button mushrooms
¼ c Italian or Greek dressing

Lay out 12x12 squares of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place 1 chicken breast in the middle of each square of foil. Top with vegetables and ½ cup of dressing. Fold the fold up around the ingredients to form a packet. Place the packets in the campfire on indirect heat and grill for 30 to 40 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170°

 S’mores 
There is no right way to make a s’more! Be creative try chocolate marshmallows or chocolate graham crackers add bananas or strawberries. The ideas are endless. For traditional s’mores you will need.  

Graham crackers, broken into squares
Hershey's plain milk chocolate bars, broken into sizes to fit the graham cracker squares
Large marshmallows, and wood sticks or long metal skewers. 

Roast your marshmallow to desired doneness and Take your toasted marshmallow (still on the stick), and lay it on the side of the graham cracker with the chocolate. Now take the other half of the graham cracker and cover the hot marshmallow, pressing down firmly enough to pull out the stick. When the S'more is fully assembled, let it sit for a few seconds. The heat will somewhat melt the chocolate and you won't burn your mouth! Now squish the S’more between your fingers and eat it. Make sure to lick the "marshmallow goo" that slides out the sides.

Ziplock Bag Homemade Ice cream

1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 Quart size ziplock baggie 
1 Gallon size ziplock baggie
Ice

Put milk, vanilla and sugar into a pint or quart-sized ziplock bag. Seal well. Fill a large, gallon-sized freezer bag with ice. Add the salt. (Don't forget to shake the vanilla bottle before measuring out 1/2 t. so that you don't pour out alcohol at the top).

Put the smaller bag into the larger bag and seal.  Shake and mix until the ice cream thickens, about 10 minutes. You can also let the kids gently throw the bag back and forth to help mix the ice cream. The bag gets very cold, so you might want to use towels to hold it. When the ice cream had thickened remove the inner bag wipe it off and enjoy! 

Makes 1 serving.

Flavor Options:

Flavor combinations are limitless. Chocolate syrup is a basic option, while various flavor extracts available in your grocery store's baking section can lead to more exotic variations. Try combining mint extract and add small chocolate chips (if you want that green color you could always add food coloring). Or crush 6 Oreo's or any other cookies and add to the bag. Crushed Candy bars, Health, Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and M&M's  are some of our favorites. I recommend adding roughly 3 tablespoons, but you may add as much or as little as you wish!

Note: If  you are adding solid toppings to your ice cream wait to add until after the ice cream has thickened and stir your toppings in. 


Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday weekend!

It's always fun to look back to see just how far you have come!

While surfing Pinterest I came across this wonderful idea by Lisa's Workshop and I thought why not take this a little further. I love the idea so I thought I would start this tradition within my own family. But rather than using the Dr. Suess book as suggested in Lisa's blog. I am going to start my own scrap book of sorts for each child adding to it each year and presenting it to them at their High School Graduation.

I have already emailed there teachers and they are on board! I plan to not only include a note from their teacher(s) but also a piece of artwork and/or school work, an all about me sheet (see below) from that year along with their class photo, report cards, and any important milestones or accomplishments they have made during that year!

It may even be fun to include additional information such as the price of gas, milk, and bread. Include major news Headlines both local and national. Any major family news or changes such a new baby or a big move. And don't forget to add your own letter's to your child each year! The possibilities are truly endless, have fun with it!!

I think all of the kids will really appreciate it and maybe one day share this tradition with their children. I know I as a child and even now always loved going through my Mom and Aunt's old photos and year books and things!

Nerf Super Soaker Block Party

We were recently chosen by House Party to host a Nerf Super Soaker Block Party!  The kids are so excited.  What a better way to kick off summer.  We will have tons of food including the CHEETOS® Puffs SIMPLY NATURAL™ White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks provided for the party!

The invitations are sent now the planning will begin. 

I have thought of a couple of games using the Nerf Super Soakers in addition of course to a good old fashion water gun fight. 

Beach Ball Score:

Each child in groups of two will stand opposite each other with a beach ball in the middle. At the start of Go! the children will use their super soakers to move the ball passed the other child to win the game!

Water Gun Cup Game:

With plastic disposable cups lined up on a table each child will squirt their cup with their super soakers to see who can knock their cup off the table first!


Gift Bags:

In addition to the goodies provided by House Party, I thought I would make gift bags for the children and include items for summer time fun.  Many items can be purchased rather inexpensively from Oriental Trading in bulk.

Food:

Nothing says summer like grilling outdoors! 

We plan to keep it simple and serve grilled hot dogs, fresh fruit kabobs, and homemade lemonade. For a little extra fun the kids can make their own ice cream with the play and freeze ice cream ball!

Leamonade

1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 cup water (for the simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice

3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

Helpful Kitchen Tips

• Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!
• Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator--it will keep for weeks!
• Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips!
• Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!
• Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle perfectly shaped pancakes every time.
• Always spray your grill with nonstick cooking spray before grilling to avoid sticking!
• To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes!
• To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling!
• Sweeten whipped cream with confectioners' sugar instead of granulated sugar. It will stay fluffy & hold its shape better!
• For easy "meatloaf mixing", combine the ingredients with a potato masher!
• If you don't have enough batter to fill all cupcake tins, pour 1 tablespoon of water into the unfilled spots. This helps preserve the life of your pans!
• To easily remove honey from a measuring spoon, first coat the spoon with nonstick cooking spray!
• Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan. The marshmallow won't stick to your fingers!
• Mash and freeze ripe bananas, in one-cup portions, for use in later baking. No wasted bananas (or you can freeze them whole, peeled, in plastic baggies).
• To quickly use that frozen juice concentrate, simply mash it with a potato masher. No need to wait for it to thaw! A wire whip works also.
• To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature & roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing!
• To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap & enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove-top--skillet will be much easier to clean now!
• Transfer your jelly to a small plastic squeeze bottle--no more messy, sticky jars or knives! This also works well for homemade salad dressing!
• To aid in washing dishes, add a tablespoon of baking soda to your soapy water--it softens hands while cutting through grease!
• Save your store-bought-bread bags and ties--they make perfect storage bags for homemade bread!
• When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead. No white mess on the outside of the cake!
• If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato. It absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up"!
• Next time you need a quick ice pack, grab a bag of frozen vegetables out of your freezer -- no watery leaks from a plastic baggie!
• Slicing meat when partially frozen makes it easier to get thin slices.
• Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful, glossy finish!
• Place a slice of bread in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up!
• When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corns natural sweetness!
• To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh; if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

 

Happy Family, Happy Kids!

Last night as I was hiding in the bathroom eating my secret stash of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, while pretending to have a tummy ache so that Mommy could have a few minutes of peace. It occurred to me that maybe I need a break, a little grown up time. Date night, couple time, alone time, grown up time whatever you call it in your house; it is an absolute necessity at the very least once a month. I often have the debate with my friends in regards to putting your kids first. I believe in putting me and my fiance first. Now let me clarify. I am not talking about scenarios in which we are poor and we leave our children to starve while selfishly eating the last piece of bread. Of course in situations such as that I would and do put my children first. I am simply saying if Mommy is burnt out and exhausted, unhappy, depressed, and so stressed that I am ready to pull my hair out I am of no good to anyone most of all the kids. I have to take care of myself in order to take care of my family. And we as a couple needs to nourish our relationship in order to stay on the same page and keep a united front when the little monster’s try to team up on us or play us against one another.  :)

I think many times as women we forget about ourselves, we are told we are selfish or made to feel guilty (mostly by ourselves) if we take any sort of break or time away from our children. The truth is taking time for you and your relationship is one of the more positive things you can do for your children. It helps to build their self-esteem and gain independence and obviously children flourish in a positive home environment. Our emotions are like a common cold they are contagious and children inherit our self-esteem so it's important to be a good role model as you are their first and most important role model whether you know it or not. A solid foundation equals a solid family. Happy home; happy kids! I strongly believe that when everything in your daily lives revolves around your children it not only does a great disservice to and your partner but to your children as well.

And with Mother’s Day coming up this weekend there is no better time to take a “vacation day” so to speak. Just a few hours alone with Daddy talking about grown up subjects without the constant interruption of Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom. That is all I wish for this Mother’s Day weekend is a little reconnection with my "husband to be" as friends and lovers. Mommy and Daddy need a time out!

I realize sometimes the costs of a night out with the expenses of a babysitter, dinner, movies, or what have you can get a little expensive. Here are a few simple date night ideas and you never even have to leave the house.

Bring dinner to the bedroom: Create a candle light dinner in the privacy of your bedroom after the children are tucked in and fast asleep in bed. Turn off the TV and talk about your day focus only on one another, not on the piles of laundry or dishes in the sink and most definitely not cell phones!

Play: Play time isn't just for the kids.  Play a game together: Cards, video games, or even a board game. Get competitive, make bets with each other!

Massage: Take turns giving each other massages.  What better way to relieve the stresses of the week.  As an added bonus get some massage oils to share.

Take some time for yourselves you deserve it and your children will thank you later!

Now that's customer service!

Let’s face it unfortunately when it comes to customer service there seem to be more complaints then praise lately. So it is so refreshing when a company goes over and above to please their customers and Fisher Price® has proven to be that company for me and have impressed me time and time again!

I have to give credit where credit is due. I have contacted Fisher Price® two times in the past year and the employee’s I have encountered always exceed my expectations. The first contact I made with them was in regards to an infant bath tub I had purchased. I had misread the tag on the newborn sling feature of the tub and dried the sling in the dryer, the tubing around the sling melted. I called Fisher Price® hoping to order a new sling and after explaining what happened, the customer service representative informed me that unfortunately they did not have a replacement sling for that tub. She could however send me a voucher for the price of the tub so that I could buy a new one or another Fisher Price®/Mattel® product. I honestly could not believe that this company went over and above like that and was actually going to replace the entire tub! I received the voucher in the mail about a week later!!

The second contact I had with them was just today in fact. Over the weekend I had gotten a laugh and learn musical table at a garage sale. When I looked the toy up online to be sure there were not recalls, I noticed that it came with a little purple phone receiver that was missing from the one I bought. I contacted Fisher Price® through their online contact form to again see if I could order a replacement. This morning I received an email back saying they were sorry the phone was lost and they will send a replacement out right away. How can you beat that? 

I will tell you one thing is certain Fisher Price® has definitely made a lifelong loyal customer in me! Not only do they offer excellent products that baby, kids, and parents will all appreciate but their customer service is above and beyond excellent. I cannot recommend Fisher Price® enough!  As a parent it is so reassuring to know that a company is going to stand behind their products as well as take such care in customer satisfaction, I know that it's money well spent when I purchase a Fisher Price® product!

Keep up the good work Fisher Price®!!

School's almost out!!

 

Summer is fast approaching and while it is definitely time for family fun in the sun. Don’t forget that it is also important to keep the kid’s minds academically sharp! There are many summer programs to help achieve this, check with your area's community center to see what kinds of programs they offer. There are also many simple ways you can incorporate learning experiences into your fun summer activities. Get involved, play with your kids, and teach them valuable lessons while doing so. You’re never too old to play!

 

Of course there is no better time to teach your children about exercise and the importance of keeping your body healthy than in the summer. Who wants to stay inside playing video games when there is a whole world to explore? 

 

Some fun activities perfect for summer: 

 

Water Games: 

 

• Have a good old fashioned water gun fight. You can find water guns fairly inexpensively almost anywhere. You don’t need to purchase $50 water guns to have a blast! 
• Sponge Bombs, we found this idea on Pinterest and made them last summer. You simply take sponges we purchased our supplies at the Dollar Store and spent a total of $10 and made over a dozen bombs. Cut them into strips of equal widths and secure the strips together in the middle with either a rubber band or a zip tie. We chose to use the zip ties so that our bombs would last for many uses. You can play many games with them. Take turns tossing the sponge bombs to each other while moving one step back on each toss see how far you can get. Dodge the sponge (think dodge ball with water). Use your imagination!

 

• Make an obstacle course and take turns running it, see who can complete the course the fastest. You could even make your own winner ribbons. Have your own Summer Olympics right in your back yard!

 

There are many opportunities to keep your child’s math skills in the forefront during the summer months. And who said math had to be boring.

• Host a neighborhood lemonade stand you can teach your children how to make change and of course count their profits. Not to mention the measurements they will learn while helping to make the lemonade and any baked goods you choose to have at your stand!
• When traveling have your children guess how far of a distance you will travel, use traffic signs and mile markers to help with their guess. The person who guess the closest gets to pick the first activity/restaurant when you reach your destination.
• You can also teach them to figure out how long it will take to get to your destination by calculating your speed and miles. Not only is this a way to keep them occupied in the car but it will also cut down on the “are we there yet” question being asked over and over.
     

Below are some more ways to have fun and incorporate learning in the car. 

• Read, read, read… This will not only keep your kids busy in the car but they can also earn a free book by joining the Barnes and Noble’s Summer Reading Program, print the reading journal from their website and once it’s complete you can take it in to the store and choose a free book! Also check with your local library many also offer summer reading programs for children!
• License Plate game: Look for different states license plates and see how many states you can find. As an added bonus to this game you could figure out how far the other cars have traveled from their home states. 
• I Spy. A fun game that all ages can play. We play this often on our trips. “I spy with my little eye, something green”. Each player takes turns guessing what you spied! What a great way to pass the time while driving!!

 

 

I for one can’t wait for the warm weather and fun family adventures! There are many other opportunities to teach the children then I have listed above, if you use your imagination the possibilities are endless!!