Cupid's Fantastic Float

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, love is definitely in the air!

The love of all things sweet that is.

The boys went to Boy Scouts sometime and Emma and I got together to concoct this yummy drink to share with y'all. We came up with this which we're calling Cupid's Fantasic Float (isn't the name adorable?  Emma came up with it...love her!)

Here's what we love about our float: It's super easy to make, super cute, super yummy, and a tad healthier than other drinks we've seen around.

So without further ado here's the recipe and step-by-step directions:

Cupid's Fantastic Float

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups Raspberry Juicy Juice

1 cup club soda

2 scoops vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

1 red vine or twizzler

Steps:

1. Measure out juice and club soda into a glass ball jar.

2. Gently plop a scoop of ice cream onto the top of the drink. Stir gently to combine and when it melts in a little plop another cute little scoop on the drink to float on top.

3. Snip both ends off of a twizzler to make a fun straw. (optional)

Voila!  A fun drink to surprise your kiddos with!  Emma loved this! 

I called the twizzler optional because you could always serve with a fun-colored straw and then you would have a completely natural colored drink.  No red dye 40 in sight if you forego the straw! Or you can purchase these panda red licorices that are all natural and amazing!

I hope you enjoy this drink as much as we do. It's a sweet thirst quencher for sure.  

Give these a try and we're sure you'll LOVE them like we do!

Be sure to let us know how you like them!

Thanksgiving Printables Roundup

The week of Thanksgiving is a major drag when it comes to Thanksgiving.  In essence I'm supposed to be teaching them something but really my mind is preoccupied about making the turkey, and did I remember to get the heavy whipping cream and did I tell my mom to pick up soda?, and on and on.  

Basically I'm a hot mess any other day but Thanksgiving just kind of sets a 450 degree fire under me to elevate me into a bunch a lotta fun mess. 

But you still love me, right?

So we will be doing a lot of worksheets.  A lot of printables.  A lot of turkey, gratitude themed worksheets that will hopefully sneak some learning into my kiddos without them figuring it out.  Oh the twisted webs we weave...

So here are some things I've found on the world wide webs.  

Do you like how I say that like old people say "the sugar diabetes"? 

Of course you do. 

Here's what I've scrounged up for you...

I've been a fan of Free Homeschool Deals as long as the day is short and let me tell you, this time of year is no exception.  

This downloadable packet from Only Passionate Curiosity is perfect for those of us who more than one child because there are sheets on different levels. 

Then there's this entire e-book from Apologia that I can't wait to tear into!  Apologia is the publisher of the chemistry book we are using this year and so far I have been loving it! There are lots of little science snippets, printables, craft ideas, and more!  Super fun! 

Over at the Proverbial Homemaker she has a neat Thanksgiving Lego Challenge.  This set features lego challenges, copy work, memory verses, coloring pages, devotionals, and more!  So amazing for those of us with little ones obsessed with Lego! 

Confessions of a Homeschooler has a really great Thankful Turkey craft.  Lots of fun to cut everything, assemble, and talk about what you are thankful for. 

Confessions of a Homeschooler also has an adorable Thanksgiving Preschool Printables.  Full of different activities you can have fun with puzzles, pre-writing, graphing, and more.  I just love all of her products! 

So there you have it, my list of printables I have found! 

If you have others you'd like to share, please comment below.  I love all of your comments and read each and every one of them.  You guys are so precious to me and I am so THANKFUL for each and every one of you!  I hope these printables help ease some of the stress around the holiday so you can have a blessed time with your little ones! 

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

How I Cook with Kids

I've had a lot of people ask me how on earth I cook with the kids.

Don't they make a mess? Doesn't it take so much time?

Definitely yes to both questions. I do not cook with the kids all of the time because quite frankly, it would be a disaster. I don't want to cook with the kids when I am stressed or running on a strict schedule, because I don't want it to be something they remember as me screaming at them or herding them away.

Today though was a day of freezing cold weather so we are staying in all day. Why not make cookies? Better yet, gingerbread cookies. Here are some of my pointers for cooking with little ones:

Tip #1: Be patient and breathe: just lower your expectations from the beginning. You can be sure not all of the ingredients will make it into the bowl...there will be a lot of unhygienic practices, and probably not a lot of sharing. Just know that going into it.

Tip #2: If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. I think that rings true here too. The kids are not patient people so them waiting for me to get the chair to climb to the tippy-toppy shelf to look for some forelorn ingredient usually is a recipe for disaster. So I've gone to measuring everything out ahead of time so we can just dump and mix. A lot of times we will measure out because that is good of course for math and all that, but with the two kids and just one Momma, I often time just pre-measure...especially when the recipe has a lot of ingredients as this one did.

Tip #3. Laugh. I found humor in our "friends" baking with us today. I know some people think this to be gross but the cookies are just for us, and for Cal it helped him stay involved longer...let the toys bake too :)

Tip #4: Have the kids be prepared. I put the kids in their own aprons so they feel ready and excited. Thanks to my very generous Aunt Jan the kids have a great variety of cooking tools, pot holders, and all kinds of fun things, just for them. I think these help keep their attention a little longer and keep them excited

Chef #2!

Tip #5: Find age appropriate jobs: I've learned this one through a lot of trial and error. Emma loves to cook but I've often given her jobs that were just too hard. She's frustrated, I'm frustrated, and then it's just no fun. I try to give the kids things they can do and feel a sense of accomplishment from doing.

Cook with your kids...you'll be glad you did :)