cool it! 101 popsicle recipes...

I have been mia again for a few days.  I was in DC...as a chaperone.    I was imagining awful AWFUL things with 42 8th graders, and I was really anxious about leaving Jack for 2 days, but you know what??  It was sooo much better than I imagined.  The kids were amazing, and Jack survived without me for 3 days.  Having never been to DC, I was amazed with it all.  It is a place I definitely want to go back to one day as a family.  I will have picture later this week, but in the meantime I wanted to share these delicious treats now that things are starting to heat up outside. ( I can't believe it's almost June!).  

Embracing homemaking has 101 homemade popsicle ideas and they are all sure to be a hit this Summer.

Orange Julius is one I just have to try....go check it out and get ready for Summer!

Gone fishing....

My husband loves to fish.  He waits all winter for that first nice day where he can get out on his own and get some fishing done.  Well now he has a new fishing buddy....Jack.  Jack is getting just as into it as my husband.  So last night they grabbed their poles, loaded the wagon and headed down to the nearby pond.  

Jack got his first fish of the season.  

Hopefully it's his first of many this season.....Have a great Wednesday.

I'm in heaven

Reese's is my all time favorite candy.  I could eat them all day everyday.  So when I saw this post from Something Swanky titled "100 ways to eat a Reese's, I knew I had to share.  I never knew there were so many desserts using my favorite little treat.

Be sure to check out all the recipes HERE, and have a great Thursday.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

I am so happy to get out with Jack and ride bikes, play with bubbles and go for walks.  That also means many more pictures to come. It is so hard to get a picture of Jack but he managed to stop moving for a second so I could snap this.

of course I couldn't forget Lenny....

slow cooker tamale pie

Usually when I think of slow cookers, I think of cold, winter days.  Well I saw this recipe over at Six Sister's Stuff and thought let's try it anyway.  So yesterday on a warm and sunny Monday I made this slow cooker tamale pie.  And you know what?  Slow cooker are also good on warm, spring nights!  My husband said this was amazing.  The cornbread topping makes it taste just like a tamale from your favorite Mexican restaurant.  It's also great for your working moms and those with little time to cook.  You can get the very tasty, very simple recipe HERE.  

Come celebrate with Crayola!

To celebrate their 110th birthday, the 8 original Crayola crayons are throwing a birthday bash at the Crayola Experience, the worlds only interactive Crayola family attraction. The new Crayola Experience features four large floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that your kids will love! They focus on the magic of color and the encouragement of creativity in children, and it will be opening this May
This seems like a place Jack would LOVE!  Bes of all, right now, you can enter to win a three-night all expenses paid stay for four to celebrate the birthday and the Grand Opening in May 2013! Sounds like so much fun, I know I'm entering!

To enter, visit Crayola's Facebook page and click "enter here"! Good luck!

disclosure:  Crayola provided me with the information

TeachHUB, and the first infographic made by (my) kids!

For National Library Week, TeachHUB.com and Clever Girls Collective are proud to present the world's First Ever Infographic Made By Kids! For more information about TeachHUB.com, please visit their website.

  
I don't know if you all know this, but I am a special education teacher.  Because of this, I am always on the hunt for the most new ideas, current practices and lessons that meet the common core.  I look on pinterest, blogs, message boards...you name. it!  We now I found a great new site with all of this along with ideas and techniques to use in the classroom.  TeachHUB is the newest place for teachers to go for up-to-date education information, a place to share ideas and "borrow" others, and where you can go to find professional development of your choosing.  

TeachHUB's mission is to improve the quality of education by making available the most current, complete and affordable resources for all K-12 Educators.  "Built by Teachers, for Teachers, we offer free lesson plans, the latest in education news, professional development and real teacher blogs plus the tools and applications modern Educators need to maintain a level of excellence in their classrooms."  TeachHUB.com provides the latest in education technology, news and tools. It's a great free resource for all K-12 teachers.

My favorite part?  I really like that on the home page, they list the top 7 stories using pictures.  This way I can see at a quick glance the newest topics being featured. It's quick and easy to find what other educators are interested in and checking out.

Recently I administered a survey to my students asking them varied questions about what they know about reading, who their favorite characters are, and what do they know about certain library topics.  The kids loved that they were filling out a "survey", and I loved the answers to "what does your teacher do over the Summer?" 

Check out the first infographic made by kids: 

TeachHUB.com is a free resource for teachers and parents who want the latest in education news and technology. You can see the latest articles from TeachHUB by subscribing to their Facebook pageor following them on Twitter.
 

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, and content and opinions expressed here are all my own. To learn more about the TeachHUB.com, visit their website.#CleverTeachers #NLW13

Do you follow me?

My relationship with pinterest is like a marriage.  At times I can't get enough of it and want to spend all my time with Pinterest, and then other times I need my space and have to get a little "me" time.  Well right now I'm in my "Can't get enough of" phase, and I think you should join me.  You can check out all my boards and my obsessions with desserts and Adam Levine. 

 



 

Follow me here.

Oh and I would love it if you would leave your pinterest profile in the comments below!

How to Trick the Picky Eater: Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend Baby Food Maker Review

Even though Jack is eating solid foods, he is one of the pickiest eaters I have ever seen.  No meat, no cheese, and he has to inspect everything!  Trying new things is an even bigger struggle; I am hoping that this is just a stage and he will soon grow out of it.

So when I was given  the Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend Baby Food Maker from NUK through the Moms Meet blogger program, I was excited to see what I could blend up for him to eat.

The Freshfoods Baby Food Maker is an all-in-one steamer, blender and food processor so that you can make your own, homemade baby food from scratch in one convenient appliance with minimal effort. Since I’ve always been one to make as much of my own household items from scratch as it is, making my own baby food was always something I’d intended anyway. But this food maker simplifies it so that even the most novice of mommas can whip up good-for-you meals for their babes, lickity split.

With the food maker, you can make up to four meals at a time and select whether you want smooth or chunky texture. The machine itself is pretty small so that it’s quite manageable (as compared to my regular food processor). You steam (if necessary) and blend in the same container so it’s not very messy at all, and clean-up is simplified. Plus, if you want to steam two different foods at once, there’s a separate steam compartment so that you can multitask without hassle. Once you set the choices, it only takes about fifteen minutes or so to steam the veggies and then a couple more minutes to puree them and you have fresh, whole-foods dinner ready for baby.

What's great about this maker is that it works great for toddlers.  I can blend up fruit, and sneak in those veggies to make sure he is getting all he needs nutrition wise.. I’ve already tested it out by steaming sweet potatoes and apples and making "apple sauce".  I've also make smoothies with spinach mixed and Jack loved them both.  The best part was that it was SUPER easy to make and even easier to clean up! I can even steam veggies for my husband and I!

If you're interested in trying it yourself, you can download a $20 coupon for the Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend Baby Food Maker as well as print a coupon for any Freshfoods accessory. Find out more about the Freshfoods Baby Food Maker and other Freshfoods products for baby (including freezer trays, a food mill or popsicle molds) on the NUK website or by following NUK on Facebook.

Find the Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend Baby Food Maker on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinions on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday..Easter

Spring Break is over now and I am back to work.  The countdown is now on for Summer break.  We didn't go anywhere, but we still had a great time....bowling, museums, seeing friends, and just relaxing.   I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted but I did want to share a few Easter time pictures. Jack loved the Easter egg hunts..even in the cold weather! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and have a great week ahead.  

 

Love giveaways?

Don't you love giveaways?  I do.  And I just happen to be part of one over at Yellow Bird, Yellow Beard.

Head on over there and enter to win a $20 shop credit to my shop Smitten Image.  While there check out her great blog and the over giveaways going on.

Easter Goodies..

I can't believe Easter is here already.  I can't believe it's still FREEZING outside in almost April.  But I AM so happy I have a week off for Spring Break.  We have no plans except to relax and have fun.  I am hoping to take some pictures and post a bit more this week.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite Easter finds around Pinterest.  I am going to try out the homemade Reese's tonight, the are my all time favorite candy!

 

 

DIY Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs

Easter deviled eggs

Peep's on a stick

Brown Butter Easter cookies

Carrot chocolate strawberries

Glitter Easter Eggs

Wordless(ish) Wednesday ...bowling

I never was a big bowler growing up, but I would do it now and again.  When I did bowl, I was awful.  For about the past year or so though, Jack and I have become expert bowlers.  In the summer we would go every other week or so, and now it's every month or so.  Jack has a ball and I am ready to join a league!!  We went with my family over the weekend, and had a blast. 

my little len

I had to share this picture of my dog Lenny.  He LOVES the snow.  He runs, gets buried and keeps on going.  He has the time of his life out there; I think he would stay out there all day if we let him.  

And since we're talking dogs, I thought I would share some of my Etsy favs for pups.  They are all handmade and affordable!! Check them out.

clockwise from top right:

Two Tails Dog Bakery 

Glam Mutts

The Brick Kiln

Sugar Plum Collars

Zero calorie cake

I love birthdays.  I think that it is a great time to celebrate and have a great time.  And what better way to celebrate than with cake.  Well  ChapStick has won my heart, and come out with limited edition cake batter and velvet cupcake Chapsticks. The best part is you will not have to burn off the calories after!  The cake-inspired flavors moisten your lips with the sweet flavors of velvet cupcake and cake batter flavors.  They are both so good, I can't decide which I like better!

You can find these limited edition chapsticks at Walmart, CVS and Walgreens nationwide for a limited time. Pick one up for your favorite persons birthday or celebration and use the back of the wrapper to personalize it as a sweet gift. Make that small sentiment extra special with yummy chapstick. They are such a cute little addition to gifts or for party favors!  I am obsessed with these soft and sweet chapstick flavors.

 

You can check out more with ChapStick on their site, and on Facebook.

Disclosure: “The ChapStick® velvet cupcake product, information and gift have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. Velvet Cupcake