Indoors with the Kids

Spring is upon us.  Yay!  I cannot wait to get outside with the kids everyday and be WARM again.  BUT, spring is a teaser in many parts of the country.    We have beautiful days and then we get some of the biggest snow storms of the year.  And, while I know the moisture is good for the land, and yadda yadda yadda, it's bad for me because that means more days cooped up inside with three busy kids.  In November, that's tolerable.  In April--not so much.  

So, what to do on those bad weather days?  When I'm being a good mom with loads of energy (wait, when do I EVER have loads of energy?), there are a few fun activities we do inside.  Thought I'd share them!

(Just as a warning--some of these are messy.  Very messy.  So, there's kind of a love/hate relationship there.  But the kids really think they're fun.)

 Oobleck

Don't know where the name came from. Basically, you mix some cornstarch and water together, maybe some food coloring, and MAGIC happens.  Seriously, the stuff is weird and fun.  I myself find it entertaining.  It's like a liquid that's a solid that's a liquid.  Lots of fun. Lots of mess, as you can tell from my little boy.  Oh, and it's not supposed to be edible.  Don't ask me why he's got stuff on his face.  

Slime

This one isn't quite as messy but it's still a lot of fun.   I made it with my son's co-op preschool class for Halloween and it was a hit.  Amazing what some household products can turn into!

 Edible Playdough

Another one that I love.  First, there's the peanut butter kind.  My favorite recipe so far is here.  Entertaining and yummy.  

Then, there's cake mix playdough.  Dangerous.  Very dangerous.  This stuff tastes way too good.  One of my boys pretty much just stuffed his face with it.  And then I stuffed my face with the leftovers over the next few days.  But it's fun because they can make "food" with it and then actually eat it.  Sometimes, I let them use chocolate chips for decorating. 

 Paper Helicopters

I got this cool book from my son's book order a while ago:

The Usborne Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do

Some of the activities are more crafty than science-y, but what I really like about them is most of them use things I already have around the house and they don't take much time to do.  One of the boys' favorites was the spinning paper helicopter.

Boy, that kid really needed a haircut. 

I was going to write all the instructions for you...but then I got lazy and found a video that will work. This video has you use a template.  Our book didn't say to do that, but a template is an easier way to explain it.  It's really, really easy to make.  And my boys had a great time with them.

Indoor Hopscotch

I like ideas that will get my kids' energy out.  'Cause otherwise, they go into hyper-crazy-silly mood which drives me totally crazy.  So indoor hopscotch is a good one.  You get some masking tape and make hopscotch squares on your carpet. You can add numbers or not.  And then play.  Easy and fun.

Another thing you can do with masking tape:  make "roads" for them to push their cars on.  My boys definitely liked that one. 

And of course, there's always balloons and dance parties and cookie-baking and crafts galore.  So if your kid is like mine and asks you several times a day, "What can I do??", you've got options!

Nutty

I have a new obsession: making almond butter.

I really dislike the taste of store bought almond butter. But I’ve made several batches in the past few days, added different ingredients and it’s DEElicious. Better than peanut butter.  (Never thought I’d say that)

Today’s batch?  Dark chocolate cinnamon.  Oh.my.gosh.  It’s straight-out-of-the-bottle-with-a-spoon delicious. 

You’ll need:

-2-3 cups Raw almonds

-Food processor.  I attempted almond butter in my (Amazing, Awesome, Spectacular) Blendtec and while it can handle peanuts just fine, almonds are a lot more difficult to process so it overheated.  Boo.  So I said, “Hey mom, wanna buy a food processor?”  And enticed her with the idea of fresh almond butter every week.  (yes, it lives at her house but I visit almost daily.)

-1 1/2 c. melted 60% cacao chocolate chips.

-1 tsp. salt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1-2 tsp grapeseed oil (or coconut if you don’t mind that hint of coconut flavor)

-2-3 tsp cinnamon.  I LOVE the taste of cinnamon so I probably put about 4 tsp. in my batch today (and still not as strong as I wanted)

-2-3 Tbs. turbinado sugar.

-Patience.  Yep, just when you think your almond butter is finished.  It’s not.  Keep going.

First step, spread your almonds onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes at 325* F. Let cool for 10 more minutes.

 

 

Throw your cooled almonds into the processor and press start.

 

After about one minute it should look like this.

 

After two minutes.

 

Three and a half minutes.  Not done yet.

 

Six minutes.  Don’t stop!

 

Ten minutes.  Ahhh….beautiful creaminess.

 

Now, melt those chocolate chips and grapseed oil in a glass bowl over a saucepan with almost boiling water. Remove when chocolate chips are almost fully melted.

And try to keep sneaky fingers away.

Dump chocolate into your almond butter along with all other ingredients.

Voila!

And while you’re so engrossed in watching this concoction come together you’ll turn around and see this:

Oh my.  She’s like the chocolate Joker.   Note to self: Never leave melted chocolate bowl in the vicinity of an almost three year-old. 

 

Enjoy!

Pregnancy Essentials

So.  In case you other 5 readers who aren't related to me haven't caught on yet, I, one of your esteemed blog authors, am pregnant.  Very pregnant.  In fact, my due date was last Tuesday.  And so far, no action on the labor front.  Such is pregnancy, I guess.  But as I not-so-patiently wait for my pregnancy to come to an end (which it surely must, right??), I've thought back to a few things that have really helped my body cope with the never-ending changes of pregnancy.  Now, seeing as this is my first, maybe these are all obvious to some of you more experienced mothers out there, but hopefully some of the things on my list will help make pregnancy a little more comfortable for someone.  Especially when you are 49 weeks pregnant... like me.

1. L'Occitane Verbena Foaming Bath Knowing my affinity for baths as well as all things lemon flavored/scented, my sweet husband got me this bath gel for Christmas.  And while I'm sure that he had a little help from the saleswoman at the beauty store, it was the perfect gift because oh.my.gosh. this stuff smells like heaven.  Seriously.  As it turned out, I have had to deal with really bad RLS this last trimester, and pretty much the only thing that calms my muscles and helps me sleep is a warm bath before bed, and this bath gel just makes those baths that much more enjoyable.  

2. Nike Free Run+ Now, I know people are pretty particular about their running shoes, especially if you run a lot, and I can't attest to these being amazing running shoes yet, because well, I haven't had a chance to actually run in them yet.  But I can tell you, these are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.  They have some crazy technology where they bend with your foot a lot while still providing a lot of support, and with all the cushioning they feel sort of like slippers.  I've taken to wearing them everywhere, especially during the last couple weeks when I can't stand wearing my other shoes for more than 10 minutes.  And I've definitely given them some major mileage the past few days with all the walking I've been doing in trying to get this baby out.  

3. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm Ahhh... who doesn't love Burt's?  I've been a dedicated fan for many years, and it's safe to say I'm a tad bit snobbish towards other chap-sticks.  I'm also a tad bit obsessed with Burt's (just the classic minty lib balm variety, not the tinted balm or lipgloss or anything else) - I always keep one in my car, on my nightstand, and in my purse at all times.  And people didn't tell me how much I would need chap-stick during pregnancy - my lips are constantly chapped.  And since I live quite literally at sea-level, I'm not chalking it up to "dry winter air".  Anyways, I heart Burt's Bees.  Pregnant or not. 

4. Exercise Ball This isn't actually the one I have, I just chose this one for it's pretty pink color.  But many are the benefits of a large exercise ball like this one for pregnant women.  Definitely more comfortable than sitting on a chair or even the couch, my exercise ball has provided me a lot of relief during my entire pregnancy, and is also great for laboring mothers (or so I hear).  Just google "exercise ball and pregnancy" and you'll find lots about how great they are.  The size of the one you get depends on your height, but I think for average-height women you want one that is 65cm.  

5.  Microwavable Heating Pad  A heating pad has been so great for the little aches and pains of muscles during pregnancy, and again, is supposed to be great during labor, too.  You can find them lots of places, but seriously, they are so easy to make and way cheaper to do it that way.  I made mine and they are pretty hard to screw up, but if you have a sewing phobia (*ahem* Lindsay and Carly), they also sell cute ones in lots of places on the interent.  This one is from Etsy.  Another fun fact - you can put them in the freezer and use them as a cold-pack, too.  

So there you have it!  Some pregnancy essentials I'm sure glad I had during this pregnancy.  Now, let's hear what you couldn't live without during your pregnancy - I'm curious to know.  Also, I need to have something fun to read to distract me from dwelling on the absence of my labor.  So let's hear it, people - what did you love during pregnancy?  

Roasted Beet Salad

Surprise!  Bonus post this week!  Yeah that’s right. Just thank the hubby who is at a meeting, the girls who are sleeping and the DEElicious dinner I made tonight that I shall now share with the world {read: you 10 or so readers.}

Look at those colors! And it’s a sooc shot!

So, the other day I received beautiful purple beets in my organic produce co-op crate.  It thought, well what in the heck am I going to do with these?  I’ve literally never, ever cooked beets in my entire life.

So that’s where Google came into the picture. (Pretty sure my family would have starved before the internet.) 

I found this recipe for a beet salad and adapted it slightly.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast

Mixed baby greens

Purple and gold beets

Lemon

lemon pepper

olive oil

feta cheese

salt and pepper

First, cut the stems off the beets, wash and place on aluminum foil.  Drizzle olive oil over the beets and sprinkle with salt.  Completely wrap the beets and place on your grill or in your oven (at about 350*). Check beets after about 20 minutes and remove when tender.

While the beets are roasting, sprinkle the chicken breast with lemon pepper and place on the grill.

When beets are done let them cool for a bit and when they are not too hot to handle, remove the skins.  Chop into quarters.

Place greens, chopped beets, and sliced grilled chicken into a bowl.  Squeeze lemon juice from a fresh lemon over the salad, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some salt and crumble the feta cheese on top.

It is SO.SO good.  The tanginess of the feta cheese along with the sweet, roasted flavor of the beets is YUM.  (almost said YUM-O, shoot me I am NOT Rachael Ray.)

Another bonus?  It’s healthy.  Can’t beat that!  Apparently beets are insanely good for you.