The Good Housewife

originally uploaded by lawgeek to Flickr

I find relevance and a little incredulity in this "article" from Housekeeping Weekly, circe 1955.

Find a Play Space with Kaboom!

photo by repres

Whether on vacation, new to an area or want to find that perfect spot to bring your kids for an afternoon at the park, Kaboom's Play Space Finder is a great tool for parents and caregivers. What's more, join their online community and you can contribute to the ever growing list of playspaces they have listed (Over 16,000 total!) all across the nation (and world). Right now, all of the playspace's are outdoor parks. Members also have the opportunity to write reviews and rate the play spaces they encounter on a scale of 1-5. So, go check it out for yourself and tell me what you think!

Muffin Tin Meals Aren't Just For Mondays

(Chicken Mickey Nuggets, BBQ Sauce, Cantaloupe, Green Grapes, and Cheese Circles)

Mickey Mouse made his way into our meal time today(Disney has their hand in everything I guess!) as we feasted on a muffin tin meal on a day other than Monday. We love to have Muffin Tin Meals on days other than Mondays...especially if there was a theme that week - it just takes less thinking and I can whip it up in a matter of minutes! Cantaloupe (pictured above) has become a household staple and my kids beg for it at almost every meal! I don't mind! I love cantaloupe too!

Don't Forget: Next Week's Muffin Tin Monday Theme is from our color series: Orange!!

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

These are simply to.die.for. And while at my good friend Alicia's a week ago, we devoured more than a few! Thanks Alicia for turning me on to this great recipe!

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix (or another cookie mix like Krusteaz)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup white vanilla baking chips ( or use powdered sugar and a little milk to make it the same consistency)
Red sugar, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg and flour until dough forms.
2. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls; place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Using thumb or handle of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon jam into each indentation.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips on High 1 to 2 minutes or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Spoon melted chips into small resealable plastic bag; cut small hole in corner of bag. Squeeze bag gently to drizzle melted chips over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar.

Tips:

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 1/3 cup. Increase flour to 1/4 cup.
Use a plastic squeeze bottle with narrow tip to drizzle melted baking chips.
Thumbprint cookies can be made with many types of jam; try apricot, blackberry or blueberry.

recipe found at betty crocker

Paint Sample Color Cards

While at Home Depot recently...(someone told me you can buy basic glue there in bulk-looked but did not find it...) Then, I remembered this post from Sharla at My Little Gems and I found the Disney Paint Display. Oh. Dear. I was so excited to see these sample paint cards! So (naturally) I snagged a few (they're free!), laminated them (for durability) and the kids had a ball sorting and matching and playing an impromptu game of memory or as they like to call it (thanks Charlie and Lola) "flip flop!"

Muffin Tin Monday - Theme: Foods You Can Eat With A Straw!

(Jello, OJ, Caff. Free Coke, Pureed Strawberries (with a smidge of ice cream, Pureed Bananas, Apple Juice)

We got extremely creative with this week's Muffin Tin Meal. We did a "Taste Test" with all of our foods (ahem, drinks)! The kids were blind folded. They got to smell each section before they tasted it. And we recoded our "observations". It.Was. So. Much. Fun! The kids yelled out their answers and cheered when they got it right (which was almost everytime). Here were our "findings":

The "Aftermath"

And now it's your turn....I challenge you to think outside the box with this one....soups, smoothies, yogurt, pudding....It doesn't have to be pureed beef to be a "food"!!! :)

***I will accept non-themed muffin tin meals this week and put up the link without the photo if you still want to participate!***

Want to participate? Blog about your muffin tin meal (or post it to the flickr group) and come back here and leave me a comment with the URL. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Muffin Tin Mamas

Funny Days With Mommy and Maddie

Adventures of A Flake

Just For Fun

Mind Games

The Sound You Hear Is...Living

No Need For The Sunday Paper

Don't forget! Muffin Tin Monday is tomorrow with the theme: Foods You Can Eat With a Straw! This might be a difficult one, but I know all of you will pull something awesome together! As soon as you post, come let me know!

Now for some Sunday linkage...

Curbly.com via Apartment Therapy: Cocktail Napkin Coasters....I've done this project before using photos and it's fairly easy and the reults are so cute!

Parent Hacks: Cinnamon sugar is a salt shaker makes for easy-peasy cinnamon toast!

Cupcakes and Cutlery: This super sweet blog dedicated to all things cupcake (and more) shares a cupcake liner find that is a must see!

Chica and Jo: Dulce de Leche Cupcakes...oh.my.goodness...I am sooooo making these!

Garnish: to make the ordinary cute and clever

SimpleMom: Can I link to her links post? Is that aloud? I hope so, because she shares some great finds!

One Crafty Place: Play Kitchen Hacks...sooooo fun!

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Phillipians 2:3

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Life Hack: Positive Reinforcement with Kids (shhh..It Works For You Too!)

We are trying to teach little dude and little miss some important life principles guided by our faith in God. We are reading a great book* and memorizing bible verses about selflessness and obedience and what it means to love as God loves. There are lots of concepts and verses we want our kids to remember. So why not type 'em up, laminate 'em...

And put 'em where the kidlets are at least once a day...


And then put some more, higher up, so Mommy and Daddy can be encouraged too!


Every day...

*The awesome book we are reading is a book titled: Say Goodbye to Complaining, Whining and Bad Attitudes in You and Your Kids by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. So far, it's a fantastic book that I highly suggest you check out for yourself!

Mucky Goo: "A How To" Post

Mucky Goo...Is it Sensory...Is it Science? I don't know...But, it is sure to have your kidlets saying "eeeeeewwwwwww" with a smile on thier face! This recipe comes to you straight from my kids preschool and we did it today at home and it was a huge hit (there were lots of "eewww's" and giggles).

For this potentially messy project, you'll need:

- 1/4 cup School Glue

-1/4 liquid starch

- 4-5 drops of food coloring

- a low wide pan for mixing ( a used pie tin perhaps)

- plastic baggies (to store it in)

-newspaper or dropcloth in case of spills

To start, prepare the area you will be working in. We lined our table with Newsprint and two low wide bowls (I would have used a pie tin...but we didn't have any, so I lined a 9" cake pan with aluminum foil!)

Pour 1/4 cup liquid starch in the pan...

Add 1/4 cup school glue

Drop in some food coloring (remind your kidlets: "No touching!" till everything is added!)

Time to get gooey! Let you kids explore with their hands! Mix, mix, mix! I really encouraged my kids to get in there with their hands and they loved it!

To save their muck, and have fun later too, we poured the muck into reclosable ziploc baggies. I still had them sit at the table with the baggies (even though it was less messy), because I was afraid one might split open!

Be prepared for some eeewwy, gooey fun!

Construction Paper Catepillar

This project is a sure fire winner with kids, and a perfect companion craft to Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar. Have you been to his website? They have a free craft/idea section for his books!

This craft is so easy and has a lot of reward for very little effort! Be sure to grab these essentials before you begin:

-Construction paper in various colors

-Glue Stick (or other adhesive)

- Paper Cutter or Scissors
-Marker (to draw face)

Here's how to make it!:

Cut strips of Construction paper (we cut ours 2" by 8"...which made it nice and tight). Watch as your son lays them out to make railroad tracks and uses the glue stick as a train...

Have child swipe the glue stick on one end of the strip, and make a loop. (photo shows several loops completed...).

Next, swipe the glue stick on the next strip and before making a loop thread it through the first loop and then close the loop! Repeat several times with your strips until you reach your desired caterpillar's length. (we did 7-8 strips).

It should start to look like this! (We drew our face on before it was completed, but that's optional!)

After you have made your Caterpillar body, cut two small strips of construction paper for the antenna...

Curl them around the end of a pencil to get them nice and curvy...

And lastly, glue your antenna to the top of your caterpillar's head! If you haven't already, draw a face on the little guy (or gal)!

Have fun mommies!

Parent Resources for Preschoolers and Kids

(photo via Adventures of a Flake)

Below are a few of the resources I have come to know and love over the past years. Included are a few new ones (including fave blogs for gathering tips and ideas for learning through play).

Scholastic.com

This company has been around for generations and you don't have to wait until your kids are in school to access all that this company has to offer, including Reading ideas for every age group and book lists to help you get started!

The Mailbox Magazine (and companion website)

I just subscribed to this incredible resource! It is an amazing monthly magazine design for teachers (but perfect for parents too!). It's full of wonderful ideas to help you teach your children in a fun and creative way. The website is a compnaion to the magazine subscription that is free when you subscribe!

Brightly Beaming Resources- Home of the Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum

Great for both seasoned homeschoolers and first timers. This website breaks down the alphabet into daily and weekly activities and there is even a booklist to go along with each week! They cover vocabulary, shapes, colors, and much more!

Lakeshore Learning Materials

I've talked a lot about this company, but it's because I truly believe in the quality of their products. They are a great resource for parents (and teachers of course) for ages infant to sixth grade. They also have a bunch of free resources including free clip art and craft ideas!

Discount School Supply.

Low on price, but not low on quality. They carry everything from teacher resources, arts and crafts, room equipment to so much more! Check them out today and request a free copy of their most recent catalog. Like Lakeshore, they also have a free resource to parents and educators called My Community.

and now for some of my fave blogs:

No Time For Flashcards: This former preschool teacher share her wealth of knowledge with us as she homeschools her toddler son! She is a wonderful resource for me and makes every craft seem fun and doable! Did I mention she is on her second rotation of alphabet activities?

Teaching Tiny Tots at Mommy School: I can't remember where or when I first started reading Teaching Tiny Tots...but she never fails to deliver awesome ideas for homeschooling and learning through play! And check out her sidebar for some awesome resource ideas as well!

Just For Fun: Sandy has some awesome ideas for you and your little one! She is a caregiver (and has children of her own) who truly cares and truly gives of her time and talents!

Crafty Crow: This Children's Craft Collective rocks my socks off! Go here for amazing arts and crafts ideas for childen ages 0-99!!

Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie: She's just starting out, but already I am hooked. She makes teaching her little one seem so effortless and fun! And I love finding out just what she will come up with next.

Adventures of a Flake: She another "newbie"... And don't let that name fool you! This SHAM teaches her little ones a letter each week and makes it fun for everyone! (including mamma). And that's what it's all about right? Go here for the why's and how's of her "method".



That's it for now, there are a lot of big name and little known blogs and websites I did not include (and that's on purpose!). Check these out and let me know what you think!

Are there any favorite sites for learning and play that you "heart"? Leave a comment and share it with us!!

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday is a weekly blog gathering (here at HCO) of mommies who serve one meal a week (or more:) ) in a muffin tin! We post submissions every Monday and enjoy sharing and encouraging each other as parents. To submit your muffin tin, just leave me a comment or email with your blog post's URL. If you don't have a blog, post it to the Muffin Tin Monday Flickr Group. We try and do themes several times a month - so come join us And remember, as always, you can be as basic or as detailed as you want!

I know you may be thinking yourselves "She did NOT post that as her Mufin Tin Meal!" And I am here to say "Oh yes, I did!" There are several reasons why this works for me:

1. The old "Ask and you shall recieve" method - You want string cheese, crackers and turkey? You got it! Ironically we ended up giving them seconds off our plates about 10 minutes after they said they were "full".

2. When I said "You can be as basic as you want...": this might be what I meant!

3. Some days are better than others - Every muffin tin meal can't be great, right?

4. Mama's sick - Since Wednesday night...Need I say more?

I'll add one of my favorites that I did from this past year, "monkey bites": sliced banana dippers and assorted toppings:

Please, I beg of you...out do me today! Show me all of your Muffin Tins, on this fine Monday!

Muffin Tin Mamas:

Muses of Megret

Just For Fun

Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie

(daddy helped with this one)

Adventures of A Flake

Scott and Christie

(she took her kids tin to their school!)

The Sound You Hear is Living

(A President's Day tin)

A Kindred Family (MTM goes to Thailand)

Can I Taste It Now?

No Need For The Sunday Paper

(photo via The Toby Show)

No Need for the Sunday Paper is a weekly links post that happens every Sunday here at HCO. For more links that we love visit other NNSP posts. Don't want to miss a links post? Make sure to subscribe to my RSS feed (via feedburner) or become a "follower" via Blogger (both located in my sidebar).

The Toby Show: Fabric Square Matching Game

One Crafty Place: My new compulsive click! It's a great "new to me" site! Go check it out!

Katie's Nesting Spot: Simple Felt Cuff Bracelet. So Cutie Patootie!

Drooling over these craft rooms at Tip Junkie. Someday...

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Scripture For Sunday:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)

"Love Bird" Kids Craft

OK, Love Bird is a bit of a stretch, but I thought this was a simple, easy to do craft that you might enjoy as much as I did! The result is a precious keepsake! I must confess, this idea is not my own and comes from a friend's daughter's preschool - Thanks Penny! We used it to talk about God's love for us - that if His eye is on the sparrow, then how much more is He watching over us, for we are worth more than many sparrows!(Matt 10:29-31)

Gather Your Supplies:

-Contruction Paper in white and one other color of your choice.

-Pencil or Pen

-Scissors

-Washable Tempera Paint

-Stapler or glue ( I used a stapler!)

-Hole Punch

-Ribbon (for hanging)

Directions:

1. Trace the bird's body pattern onto colored contruction paper. Cut it out with the scissors

2. Using the paint brush, paint the child's hand and have them make a handprint on the white paper. When they're hand is on the paper, press down on each finger to make sure the handprint is even. Left straight up off the paper.

(these are my son's 3 1/2 year old prints)

3. Cut out handprints. Make sure you leave a little extra paper at the base of the palm when cutting.

4. Make a "sandwich" with the handprints and bird body, matching the handprints evenly, and making sure the printed side is FACING IN. Staple the hands to the body where the little excess part is at the base. One staple worked for the whole thing. Bend the handprint "wings" over, pressing the crease down. Doing it this way, makes the wings able to move and "fly"

(no photo for this one)

5. Punch a hole at the top of the body and tie a ribbon through so you can hang it anywhere you please!

It should look like this:

Valentine's Day Teacher Gift ( A V-e-r-y Last Minute Project!)

So, I am pretty sure, that most of you, if are doing anything for your child's teacher for Valentine's Day (and believe me, I think you are A-Okay if you don't do a thing!), have already come up with a fantabulous idea, executed it, and have it ready to go!

On the off chance that you haven't yet put together a little something, and you need a last minute gift idea...here is what I did, courtey of Just A Girl - Altered Hand Sanitizer and Liquid Hand Soap!! Trust me, they'll love it! (psstt...go check your cabinets, for any extra stock you may have lying around...)

As an Assistant Teacher at a preschool, I can assure you....Germs. Are. Ev-er-y-wh-ere! That's why I love this idea. First, it's cheap. Second, it's simple. Third, it's practical. And lastly, it's a bit creative. For the "how-to" check out Just A Girl!