Snack Time: Strawberry Cream Cheese Sandwich

Few things taste better in the morning than home made breakfast. My personal favorite is waffles with cream cheese and strawberries. With that, you get a little bit of crunch/crisp from the waffles, smooth creaminess from the cream cheese, and the delightful juiciness from the strawberries. I'll bet you can even taste it right now in your mind and are trying to figure out if you have the necessary ingredients to make it. Fortunately, There are a lot of variations to it to suit almost any taste.

Here is a Pinterest link to some variations. 

My personal favorite is either cream cheese with strawberries on an egg bagel, or strawberries and Nutella on whole wheat toast. I just can't get enough of them.

What are your favorite flavor combinations?

Snack Time: Ghosts on a Log / Ants on a Log

I don't know about you, but I grew up eating ghosts on a log. Truth be told, I still eat them as an adult. That is how much I love them.

Ghost/Ants on a log are super easy to make. You slice some apples as thick or thin as you want. Then you spread peanut butter on them, and top with marshmallows or raisins.  Simple as that! You could also do celery and cream cheese or peanut butter, use mixed nuts instead of raisins, use another dried fruit, etc.

Here are some Pinterest links for more great ideas:

Ghosts on a log

Ants on a log

Thanks!

Activity: I love you because....

This is actually a game that my husband and I play when one of us is feeling really down, but it also translates well for a kids activity.

The rules of this game are simple. The first person says, "I love you because" and then says why they love someone.

The second person responds with "I love you because" and continues the same as the first person. This can go on and on and tends to move past the physical aspects of loving someone fairly quickly.

Here are some examples:

I love you because you make me laugh.
I love you because you are my sunshine.
I love you because you make me feel safe.
I love you because you giggle a lot and that makes me happy.
I love you because you are silly.
I love you because you are kind.
I love you because you are eager to learn new things.
I love you because your heart is beautiful.
I love you because you work hard.

There are truly an infinite number of answers that could be given in this game. The trick is to try not to repeat everything that your spouse or child or playmate says, which after a while can be much more difficult than it sounds.

And as a bonus, you could even use this game after your kids have been fighting and you want to remind them that they love each other, not hate each other. It would also work well in the car on a road trip since you don't actually need any materials to play the game.

Pom Pom Balls And Painter's Tape

With all of the different craft projects that I do, and all of the gross motor skill activities we try to fit in, I find that I always have painter's tape on hand in at least one color.  Why painters tape you ask? There are a number of reasons actually. The first being that it doesn't destroy your walls when you peel it off. I have not lost any paint, or left any residue after peeling off painter's tape, no matter how long it is actually there.  The second reason is that I can also use it on carpet, tile, laminate, and wood flooring without leaving residue, stickiness, or markings. So basically, in our house, painter's tape is gold. With all than in mind, here is an activity that uses painter's tape and is sure to keep your kids entertained when it is too wet or cold to play outside.

The credit for this idea comes entirely from a website called Frugal Fun 4 Boys,

The object of the game is to keep the puffy ball (pom pom) inside of the track that you made using the painter's tape. You can also use other items like marbles, ping pong balls, etc, but they might role too much for beginners. The puffy balls are very light weight, and won't role on their own, making them the best item to start with. To move the puffy balls, you can either blow like normal, or for more silliness and exactness, use a straw. Even crazy straws might work, or toilet paper/paper towel tubes. Basically you can use anything in the house that is hollow.

I can't wait to try this tomorrow with my daughter. Enjoy!

For more pictures and variations, please visit Frugal Fun 4 Boys.