me and my girl

Let's Cool It!

Ahhh.... the long, hazy, hot, humid days of summer..... they're officially here :)  This is the time of year when most of our outdoor activities are done early in the morning and afternoons are reserved for swimming and relaxing.  For the last week, however, all we can manage to do is avoid the numerous thunderstorms that darken nearly every day.  This week, Emma, Claire, and I wanted to share a bright and cheerful recipe for some wonderful Strawberry Lemonade.  It is very easy for the little ones to help out with...and they love eating as many of the strawberries as possible, so you have to work fast!  This is the perfect drink for relaxing in the shade after a nice long swim or for sitting inside in awe of the thunder, lightning, and rain...as is the case for us  ;) Strawberry Lemonade

5 lemons    about 1 1/3 cups for the lemonade and 1 lemon sliced in rings to add to the cups and the       pitcher 1 pint fresh strawberries, diced, chopped, sliced, or pureed...it's your choice 8-10 cups water 1 cup sugar

Wash each lemon and strawberry very well.  You will need the juice of about 4 lemons if you are using an electric juicer.  If you are using good old muscle power and a hand juicer, you may need 5 lemons or so.  Add the juice to the pitcher along with the sugar and stir.  Add the water and strawberries.

You may prepare your strawberries in a variety of ways, you can dice them, slice them, puree them, mash them, freeze the slices....whatever you prefer.  For ours, we diced them, then mashed them just a bit to release the juices.  Stir the strawberry lemonade mixture and add the lemon slices for garnish.

Sip slowly and Enjoy! **Hi, I'm Sandra! I have been married to my wonderful husband for 12 years and I am a homeschooling mom to four blessings. You can learn more about me here.   I would love for you to stop by and visit with me at my blog, My Inspired Heart, and see what creative adventures my family and I are up to!

Sprouting Some Fun!

Here is a fun treat for you, your kiddo and your kitty (if you have one). Wheat grass is extremely easy to grow and is great for green smoothies and/or nurturing your cat. This also makes a great science lesson even for the smallest ones in your family.

 

First, buy some wheat berries. They can be found in any supermarket that sells bulk grains or in health food stores. Place them in any kind of dish and cover them with water.

 

Soak the berries for 24-48 hours or until they begin to sprout. We change the water if it begins to look cloudy. Sprouted berries are fun to look at and pull apart.

Sprinkle the sprouted berries on top of your potting soil. You can use a very shallow dish if you like. (Pie tins make a nice little indoor lawn.) Go ahead and pack the berries close together--the seeds take up more room than the grass will. Water the soil, cover tightly with plastic wrap and put the pot into a dark place.

When the seedlings have fully sprouted, remove plastic wrap and place the pot near a window to continue to grow and green up. This is a great time to talk about why plants are green.

 

Within a few days you have grass! You can give it to your cat when it is a few inches tall. You want to leave enough time for the roots grow deep enough that your cat doesn't tug the blades completely out of the pot. If the grass is for you, you can start cutting whenever there is enough for your purpose.

Grass makes our indoor kitty frisky!

 

 

Enjoy!

wisdom has two parts

snow treats

My biggest struggle in spending time with my kids is selfishness:  I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it.  It is that simple. 

Sometimes I have to force myself to put away my project and go play, but as my kids have grown bigger (and bigger and bigger), I realize that every moment I spend with them is worth it.

Here are some fun ways to play together on a snow-day:

--build a snow fort
--make snow angels
--have a snow ball fight
--spray a snow sculpture with colored water (use food coloring)
--write messages in the snow
--take photographs together
--sled down a hill
--be birdwatchers
--make snow slushes:

Snow slushes are so easy!  They are also tasty and they have no fat!

Gather juice (any flavor) and some cups (don't use glasses, I just used them for the photographs):

Pack clean, white snow into your cup:

Slowly pour the juice into the cup:

Use a spoon or a straw to eat/drink your slush:

Enjoy!

holiday baking fun

Some of the best days are holiday baking days! 

Kids love to get involved in measuring, mixing and taste-testing.  If they can see over the counter while standing on a chair, they can help.

Recipes that call for rolling dough or dipping things in chocolate are perfect for kids.  Big messes are ahead, but so is much fun and sweetness!

Here are some recipe links:

Chocolate Crinkles (pictured above)
Candy-Dipped Pretzel Rods
Snickerdoodles
Chocolate-Dipped Oreos

Happy holiday baking!

lollipop, lollipop...

...oh, lolli, lollipop!

From the time my babes can stand in a chair and see over the counter I try to keep them close-by while I am in the kitchen.  We try to add fun to eat AND fun to make recipes to our collection because the kitchen is a perfect place for creativity!

The latest recipe we tried was Lollipop Cookies.  Mixing, rolling, decorating and eating are all part of making these adorable cookies!

On a cold autumn day these would be an enjoyable and yummy project!