Crafting with the kiddos

I love crafts!  I always have.  Now that the girls are getting closer to three, we can craft together.  I am currently hooked on Pinterest and there are so many good ideas pinned up there.  I don't often add content, I just wander through what other people have pinned.  One of my new favorites is the Play At Home Mom site.

There are so many simple and fun ideas on this site.  Today the girls and I made some colored rice.  I Googled it and the basic idea is 2 tsp. of rubbing alcohol, some food coloring (gel or liquid), and 1 cup of rice.  I used some zipper bags and let the girls hold them while I put in the ingredients.  Then we sealed them and squished them until everything was mixed up.  They kept asking for more colors!  I am almost out of rice again.  I will have to start buying the HUGE bag.

I think that we may dump the big tub of dried beans and put the rice in it. That or we'll use the ginormous plastic storage tub to hold the rice.  The girls can use measuring cups, funnels, spoons, toy construction trucks, and other things to play with it.  We can also use it to make pretty paper weights or Eye Spy bottles.  It's a cheap and easy activity to do with the kids.

What did we do with that rice?  We made Eye Spy bottles today!  The rice dried on the stovetop (no heat) all day.  I stirred it often to break up clumps.  The thinner you can spread it out, the better.  When the girls are older, I will send them on a scavenger hunt to find items.  Today, I snuck around and found odds n' ends to pop into the bottles.  I have a bunch of beads and buttons around.  Then I added some other things: plastic toys from the party favors section and some buttons that I bought.  The girls had fun choosing what to put in the bottle and helping to scoop the rice.  We used some small soda bottles that were washed and dried.  The end result:

The girls really liked the little frogs and some imprinted coins from a trip to Disney (high school band trip).  They added beads and buttons, too.

This one has some sports-themed buttons that I found at a local craft store.  I added some old charms from broken jewelry, pebbles, buttons, shells, etc.....  Be sure to glue the lids on or screw them down very, very, very tightly.

Pancake Sunday - Whole Wheat Edition

Today I substituted some whole wheat flour in for all purpose flour (afp).  I had to cook them over lower heat, but they turned out pretty good.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Dry ingredients:
1 c. AFP
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp.  baking powder
pinch salt
3 tbsp. sugar
generous dash cinnamon

Wet ingredients:
3 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter
1-2 eggs
1-2 c. milk (depending on your preferred consistency)
vanilla to taste

Add the wet to the dry and mix.  Cook on hot skillet over medium heat until tops are bubbly.  Flip.  I added some vinegar to the milk to sour it.  I poured scant 1/3 cup fulls of this onto a skillet and cooked.  We had about a dozen pancakes from one batch.  Next time, I plan to use some molasses or honey instead of sugar.  I might add some nutmeg or use pumpkin pie spice instead.  I LOVE fall flavors.

Two. Is. Awesome. Today.

Today two years old is pretty cool around here.  Started off with a quick trip to the doctor to check on Thalia's arm.  It seems that she dislocated that ligament or muscle on the elbow joint.  She likes to flop when you hold her hand.  She throws in a twist for good, painful measure.  Thalia was fantastic for the doctor.  She sat nicely and ate her fruit snacks.  She played with her bunny and talked to the doctor. 

Calliope was a bit jealous of all the attention Thalia is getting.  She decided to wear underpants all day!  We've been dry all day!  There was some poop, but it wasn't too bad.

On top of a two+ hour nap, they watched Winnie the Pooh together.  They sat and watched a whole movie.  That is a first!  I was able to wash a sink full of dishes without stopping.  It was so nice.  

The IMAGINATION has been wonderful!!!  There is a lion living in the basement.  They throw him food over the baby gate.  The dog's leash is a seat belt that Calli hooks on her sister's shoulder.  Thalia crosses her arms and tells me "You good girl." Calli helped me mix up a cake.  She has been baking cakes in the bookshelves all day.  Thalia is is Jack Black dancing it around the house singing "What's up?"  The girl is going to be a rock star.  They are playing together very nicely and cracking up.  It is just the greatest day. 

Summer Windup

I always start the summer with all these plans and goals.  I don't usually reach them. This year I put together a little tin with ideas to beat boredom with two toddlers.  I'm not sure where that tin is right now.  I haven't touched other than to move it once or twice.  We did do some of the things: play with dried beans, paper plate maracas, play with balloons, fingerpaint, peanut butter play dough, regular play dough, painting, go to parks, and bubbles. 

I did get more active, but I also cooked more.  So, I'm back up a bit weight-wise.  Sigh.  Fenrir and I are taking more walks.  He makes me feel guilty if I don't.  We joined the pool and went a lot during the really hot days.  The girls learned to climb more on the playground.  It makes me really proud and really scared to see them bravely explore their world.

The one thing I really got from this summer was that we did things together.  The girls and I went to visit family and parks, we played in town, we swam, and we cooked.  We did a lot together and the housework and chores will be waiting as always.  I don't feel like I wasted it away like some summers in the past.

Pancake Sunday - Apple Edition

It's Sunday and that means pancakes at our house.  I love pancakes.  Easy to make and fun to play with.  Today I didn't have any milk, but I did have apple juice.  So, I experimented. 

Apple Yogurt Pancakes

dry ingredients:
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
salt to taste
healthy dose of cinnamon

wet ingredients:
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce (this is a guess because we had the little cups - I used two)
1/2 cup yogurt
2 eggs
splash vanilla
apple juice (until the texture is right)

Mix wet ingredients into dry.  The cooking temp/time was a bit of a challenge.  These burned a bit while cooking.  I turned the heat just below medium and they still burned a bit. I think maybe I need to make tiny pancakes instead of the medium sized ones I like.

Pancake Sunday - Banana Yogurt Edition

A while ago I started making pancakes for Toby and I (me?) on Sundays.  It's a favorite thing of mine.  It kind of fizzled out a bit now that the girls are in to everything.  Today I'm bringing pancakes back (sing that a la Justin Timberlake). 

Via Weelicious, I was reminded how versatile pancakes are.  She has so many variations.  I grabbed our trusty copy of Joy of Cooking and got moving.  The additions really worked nicely.  I hope you've made pancakes before.  It's helpful to know how you like your batter.  My mom always like batters really thin for pancakes.  I like them a bit thicker, but not as thick as some recipes call for.  That's why there's no real measurement for the milk here.  You add enough to get the consistency that you like.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tsp double-acting baking powder

In a separate container combine:
2 large eggs (beaten)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt
a splash of milk
splash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and add milk a splash at a time until you get the right consistency.  Mash up some bananas and stir that into the mix.  I ended up using three smallish bananas.  I'm very exacting about this recipe, no?  I think I will add some walnuts next time.  These turned out really moist.  I cooked them in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Really, the dial was set just lower than medium.  I have a tendency to rush things and burn the pancakes.  While they cooked I did the dishes and tidied the kitchen.  I also chased two toddlers around.  Calliope insists that she has a bee in her ear today.  Swim ear? 

What were the girls doing while I cooked?  They watched some Dora and ate cookies.  I don't do it often, but sometimes I honor Grandma P's memory and give the girls cookies for breakfast.  Ok, I give them oatmeal cookies for breakfast a lot.  It's no worse than the sugar cereals and donuts available. 

 Yes, they are on the counter.  That's how I get some cooking done.  They will sit and watch for ages on the counter. 

 Yum!  Pancakes fresh off the skillet...well, after a few minutes.  I never know how many a recipe will make because we eat them as they are done.

I'd love to know if you try these and if they work out for you.  Happy Pancake Sunday!

Meet Calliope

This is Calliope.  We call her Calli.  She'll tell you she's Calli.  Sometimes she'll joke around, but she always lets you know in the end.  It's easy to tell because usually she says, "I Mommy" or "I Nana" if she's joking.  Thalia is a little tricksy on that one.

Calli is a goofball.  She is silly and crazy and just a little chimpanzee.   She is very sad that these glasses don't fit anymore - not even when they're upside down.

Calli can be ornery.  Really, really ornery.

Calli might be stubborn, but she's is also a sensitive and sweet little girl.  She loves hugs.  She loves her sister.  She is always there to kiss Thalia's boo-boos.