St. Patrick's Day Activities

We did a variety of St. Patrick's Day activities today. 

 We made some green finger jello. The kids then made their own creations with some whipped cream. 

We also made rainbow sticks by using dowel rods, Fruit Loops, and marshmallows. 

We have done the Skittles challenge before, but it never disappoints! 

Arrange your Skittles on a plate and add warm water over top of the skittles. Watch the colors move until the meet. 

Rachel also created her own rainbows with a cup of water and the sun after watching the rainbow video from Mystery Science: https://mysteryscience.com/trending/mystery-5/light-color/209?r=55522192 

We also did some St. Patrick's Day painting/drawing and rainbow creations with Magna-Tiles. 

St. Patrick's Day Food

We made some St. Patrick's Day traditional food today. 

I started by putting a chopped onion, 3 quartered carrots, 4 halved red potatoes, and about 2 cups of vegetable stock in a crock pot. I added the corn beef, 2 tsp garlic salt, and the pickling spice kit to the crock pot. I set it on high and cooked for 6-7 hours. 

We then continued with potato soup (http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2013/12/potato-soup.html) and Irish soda bread. 

Ingredients for the soda bread: 

4 cups flour

4 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup softened butter

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk (use 1 cup of milk and 1 Tbsp vinegar mixed together) 

For the topping: 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup buttermilk

Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter, egg, and buttermilk. Stir. Pour on a floured surface and knead until the ingredients are all incorporated. 

Shape the dough into a circle and place on a greased pan or a baking stone. Cut an X in the top. Brush the bread with some of the buttermilk and butter mixture. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. (Every 15 minutes, spread more of the butter and buttermilk mixture on top of the bread while it's baking.) 

Pi Day Celebration

3/14 is National Pi Day. Here are some pictures of our annual Pi Day celebration:

The kids worked together to make their own mini pies. We used my apple pie filling recipe (http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2013/10/dutch-apple-pie.html) to create the filling for the mini pans. 

The kids designed the tops of their pie. (Rachel wanted a cat face instead of a traditional Pi theme!)

Then we made homemade pizza and decorated it with the Pi theme.(http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentines-day-meal.html) 

Mario Day Celebration

We have been celebrating Mario Day for a couple of years now. I am usually able to find a Mario gingerbread castle on clearance after Christmas, so that becomes a fun activity for us on Mario Day. I also made a new photo board this year as well. New to our celebration was some Mario-theme food and mystery question boxes. 

I also start my photo board with pencil and then outline in Sharpie. Then I paint it with acrylic paint. 

For the question boxes, I a cut the flaps off the top and covered the outside of each box with tissue paper. Then we filled them with candy and gum. 

I taped another piece of tissue paper over the candy and added a question mark. 

The kids held the boxes over their heads and jumped up to hit the tissue paper, which sent the candy flying out. 

We added our Mario figures to the gingerbread castle. (The figures came from our Advent Calendar this year.) 

Banana Coffee Cake

Ingredients: 

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 tsp lemon juice)

1 tsp vanilla

3 mashed ripe bananas

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Crumb Topping: 

1/2 cup butter softened, cut into cubes

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup quick oats

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. 

Combine the eggs, sugar, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add in the mashed bananas. 

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir with a spoon. Repeat until all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Just use a spoon to mix so you don't over-mix the dough. 

Pour into the pan. 

Make the crumb topping: Mix the powdered sugar, flour, oatmeal, and cinnamon together. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients and place on cake. Bake for 35 minutes. 

Let cool. Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar with 2 tsp milk to make a glaze. 

Add the glaze and serve. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

We had a bunch of ripe bananas to use today, so we tried some new recipes. This is definitely a keeper. 

Ingredients: 

5 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/5 tsp cinnamon

1/2 to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10x15 inch pan with cooking spray. 

Stir the mashed bananas, brown sugar, oil, milk, and eggs together in a bowl. Add in the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 16 minutes. 

Let cool on a wire rack. 

Instant Pot Dirty Rice

We wanted to try something new for Mardi Gras this year, so I altered the recipe found here: https://acadianasthriftymom.com/easy-instant-pot-dirty-rice-ready-in-under-30-minutes/

Ingredients: 

4 oz bacon, chopped

1 lb bulk sausage

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic)

2 tsp creole seasoning

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

1 14oz can of chicken broth

1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

Set your instant pot to saute and add the bacon, sausage, onion, and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the sausage is browned. 

Pour in the rest of the ingredients and stir. 

Set the Instant Pot to manual for 15 minutes. Seal the lid and let cook. 

After 15 minutes, let it naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release. 

Remove the bay leaf and serve. 

Daily Positive Affirmations for February

For the past few years, I have added messages to the kids' doors every day from February 1st-14th. I have done things I love about each kid, have had relatives and friends send messages about things they love about each kid, and have had the kids write messages to each other about things they love about their siblings. 

This year I decided to write 14 positive affirmations or quotes that I thought were fitting for each kid. I will post an affirmation a day above their bed for 14 days. 

2020 Super Bowl Commercial Bingo

This marks the 7th year we have played Super Bowl Commercial Bingo! This year there are players on both teams that went to Central Michigan University, so the free spaces feature Eric Fisher and Joe Staley! I have created three different cards from these featured brands so each of my children have a different card to play with. If you would like to print these for your own party, click on this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1owstMChyg0Lm3WJ7YtA32Wcqh5-bPNdavBmMExoesq4/edit?usp=sharing

7th Annual New Year's Eve Family Party

Our 7th Annual New Year's Eve Party is just beginning! 

Every year I write activities down on a piece of paper and put them inside balloons. When the clock strikes the time on the balloon, the kids take turns popping the balloon to reveal the activity.  

List of activities: Time capsule questions

hot chocolate bar

Chopped challenge

play the card game Golf

play a board game

make Rice Krispie clocks

"One Word" painting

make soft pretzels

make 2020 cheese bread

elephant toothpaste in champagne glasses

brownie trifles

photo shoot/dance party

fire ice cream

streamer ball surprise

glow ring toss

candy clock transfer minute to win it game

tic tock game

toss through time game

Hershey kiss minute to win it reveal

stack attack game

New Year pictionary

What are you wearing game

Write thank you cards

fortune teller joke craft

New Year's mad libs

dandelion thumbprint painting

scavenger hunt

Would you rather game

This year, I also added traditions from around the world. We will do a different tradition on the hour of each hour from noon to midnight. 

Rachel and I made a balloon drop out of Legos a couple of nights ago as well for some added decorations. 

This link will take you to all of our past balloon activities. 

http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2018/12/6th-annual-new-years-eve-balloon.html

Little Mermaid Party

For the Live presentation of The Little Mermaid on tv tonight, we decided to throw a little themed party. We pulled out the photo board I had made for the school play last spring and hung green streamer on the window as a seaweed backdrop. 

Rachel did a Little Mermaid painting for a decoration. 

We made green grape seaweed and Ursula tentacles (pretzel rods with purple frosting and chocolate chips) 

These Sebastian treats are made from a red blob of frosting, a strawberry top and claws, and white frosting eyes with the tips of chocolate chips on top of the frosting. 

The jello "sea" cups were enjoyed by everyone with some whipped cream waves.