Leap Day Cupcakes

David's class will be learning about Leap Year tomorrow, so we decided to send in a Leap Day treat.

To start, I colored white cake green to make these frog cupcakes. We colored the frosting green as well and sprinkled on green sugar.  I added mini marshmallows for eyes and used black and red frosting to add some final touches.

Banana Oatmeal Yogurt Muffins

While looking for some healthy banana recipes, I came across this one that is mixed entirely in a blender. The kids love these and so do I. 

Ingredients:

2 cups quick oats

3 bananas, smashed

2 eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Place all the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) in a blender or food processor. Fold in chocolate chips and pour in a greased muffin pan. 

Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Place on a cooling rack. We like these warm, right out of the oven. They don't last long! 

Chia Banana Bread

This bread was delicious! I found it on Pinterest.

(http://www.savynaturalista.com/2014/09/24/banana-chia-bread/) 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup chia seeds

3 bananas, smashed

1/2 cup almond milk

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. 

In a separate bowl, whip the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and banana. Slowly add the flour and almond milk, alternating between the two. 

Fold in the chia seeds. 

Place the batter in a greased bread pan and bake for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Let cool on a cooling rack.

Fuller House Party

Full House was one of my favorite shows growing up. So, about five years ago when I saw it playing on tv, I introduced it to my kids. They liked it just as much as I did. When we heard Fuller House was being made, I loved that the boys and I could share so much excitement over this show. 

Here are some of the treats we come up with...

I baked a chocolate cake in two small square pans and placed them together so they made a long rectangle. Then I covered it with frosting and made some window accents with fondant. I also put some red frosting on a piece of fondant for the door. 

We used some of our favorite quotes and images and placed them on cupcakes with frosting. 

Our favorite one was Mr. Woodchuck. 

Here is a bee for the girls Honey Bee group.

And these cupcakes are all a tribute to Uncle Jesse.

The pink bunny and "Bullet" the car episodes are some of our favorites. 

And these chocolate roses on a stick are perfect for our "Pin a Rose on Your Nose" quote. 

One of my friends and her girls love Full House as much as we do, so they are joining our celebration. These are the sticks they made for our "Who Said It" game. 

Here are the quotes: 

“Have Mercy”-Jesse

“Pin a Rose on your nose”-Stephanie

“How Rude”-Stephanie

“You got it dude”-Michelle

“Cut it out” -Joey

“Oh, Mylanta”-DJ

“Aw, Nuts”-Michelle

“Oh, Please”-Michelle

“Watch the hair”-Jesse

“You’re in big trouble, mister”-Michelle

“Hey, squirt”-Kimmy

“Talk to me”-Jesse

“Nerd Bomber”-DJ

“Hola, Tanneritos”-Kimmy

“Hot Dog”-Stephanie

“There’s a car in the kitchen”-Michelle

“Don’t be silly. I’m just cleaning my rubber gloves.”-Danny

“No way Jose”- Michelle

“Duh”- Michelle

“You little chicken wing”- DJ

“Ahh the smell of chloride in the morning”- Danny

“I’m not a tattletale, but I’m telling you said that”- Stephanie

“I know you are, but what am I”- Joey

“Whoa, baby”- Michelle

“What’s up munchkin”- Jesse

“Don’t hate me cuz I’m beautiful”- Kimmy

We also have some trivia questions done up for intermission games:

1. Who do Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen play on Full House?
2. What are the names of the three men in the house?
3. What do Jesse and Rebecca find out they are having at their ultrasound?
4. What is the name of Danny Tanner’s oldest daughter?
5. Who likes to say, “You got it, Dude.”?
6. What show does Joey get his comedy break on?
7. What is Uncle Jesse’s favorite expression?
8. Who is Uncle Jesse’s favorite singer?
9. What character always wants food?
10. Who is DJ’s best friend?

We also plan on having pizza (for Steve), lemonade to drink (for Danny's lemon cleaner obsession), and some other foods that come from specific episodes.

Daily Chore/Activity Charts

To help the kids feel more productive around the house and to limit their use of electronics so they can become more active, we decided to make these chore/activity charts. Each kid has to earn a set amount of points each day in order to gain access to their ipod/ipad/xbox/etc. If they earn a certain number of points each week they can also earn $5 to be put in a bank/college account. I laminated these so they are dry erase. We can wipe it off at the end of each week and start over. On the back of each card I have a running total of points the kids earn each week. (See the picture at the bottom.) 

If you would like access to this file, you can click on the link below and make your own copy. Go to File and Make a Copy in order to edit your own. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r1qtJgaCOzRU4-F11ntuNSVnNMWJKGJ3MnyvmWZkz4E/edit?usp=sharing

4-year-old's chart

7-year-old's chart

13-year-old's chart

The back of each card

We decorated the papers with stickers before we laminated them. They turned out pretty well. 

Update: These charts are working so well. The kids rarely even use their device when they complete their points. They are finding that playing board games and doing things together as a family are even more fun. Such a huge win for our family! 

Star Wars Photo Board

For "March is Reading Month" our elementary school is taking on a Star Wars Theme. David thought we should create a photo board to share with the other kids for the month. This is what we came up with...

I started by sketching, Han Solo, Luke, Obi Won, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Yoda, and C3P0. I did four characters per display board. 

Then I outlined with a black Sharpie. I used acrylic paint to fill in the details. 

Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt #4

Our 4th Annual Scavenger Hunt is set for tomorrow. 

Here is a link to our past three scavenger hunts if you would like some ideas for clues: http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2015/02/valentines-day-scavenger-hunt-3.html

Here are the clues for tomorrow's hunt: 

#1: The living room gets cold

And like it I do not.

But your next clue is found

Where the living room gets hot.

#2: The house also can get dry

But not ‘cause of stupidity.

Please find the next clue

Where we increase humidity.

#3: The living room clues are over

And it’s time to move on.

Go find a clue where

We often greet Don.

#4: We can’t stop now,

You’re getting so close.

Go find a heart where

Matt showers the most.

#5: You’ve got one more challenge,

You’re almost home.

Gifts will be found

Where Dad charges his phone.

#6: You did, you made it,

You solved all the clues.

This day is full of love

So don’t get the winter blues.

Valentine's Day Paintings

On our snow day today, we all sat down and did a Valentine's Day painting. Everyone put their own spin on the project. :) 

Valentine's Day Brownie Treats

We decided to make these brownie sandwiches for David's Valentine's Day party at school. I made two batches of brownies and spread them in a sheet cake pan. I baked them for about 16-17 minutes. 

Then I used a small heart cookie cutter to cut the brownies. 

I piped red frosting on top of one of the hearts. Then I stuck another heart on top of the frosting. 

Finally, I sprinkled powdered sugar on top. 

Lombardi Trophy Valentine's Day Box

Still in the Super Bowl spirit, David decided he wanted to make a Vince Lombardi Trophy Valentine's Day box. We simply covered a tall box with tin foil. Then we cut a football shape from a piece of cardboard and covered that. I used an exacto knife to cut a slit in the top of the box and in the football. Then we hot glued the football to the box so it was slightly slanted. We taped on some accessories and it was done.