From the category archives:

Family Fun

Super Simple Dump Truck Cake

by Stacy on May 3, 2010

I’m terribly behind on posting all the fun things we did in April. Tons of outdoor play, my big news, and some green endeavors but before I get to any of that … I just had to share a snippet from my Little Man’s 1st Birthday party. I called it a Little Digger party and I kept it super simple – a kiddie pool full of buckets, shovels and beans (easier to clean up indoors than sand), construction hats, super sized dump trucks and more. It was just the perfect chance for me to create the dump truck cake I’ve been dreaming of for years now. Literally … TWO YEARS! I tried to make it once before using brownies but my brownies always turn out flat and crusty and well the effect just wasn’t what I had in mind.

This time, however, I choose Devil’s Food Cake (and one butter yellow just for good measure). Followed the directions on the box and then cut it all up into cubes.

{Two Devil’s Food Cakes cut into cubes}

Taa Daa!! Coolest Boy’s Birthday Cake Ever!

I served it up in these super cute dump trucks I picked up from Target (in the pool toys aisle) for $1.99. A few cubes of cake, some Sugar Free chocolate pudding, lite whip cream and sprinkles = A BIG HIT!

I stuck some pinwheels and cute candles in the mix that I snagged from the Dollar store.

PARTY TOTAL: UNDER $40
The most expensive part of the party was the beans (I bought over 22 lbs of them). If I did it again I would probably just buy a bag or two of sand (I heard they are $3 at Walmart) and put the kiddie pool outside.

BEANS – $22
Buckets, Shovels and Construction Hats – $5 (Target Dollar Store & Goodwill)
Mini Dump Trucks – $6 for 3
Dump Truck Cake – $3.75 (Borrowed the Dump Truck from Big Brother)

Little Digger approves and I’ll bet your Little Digger will too.

{ 30 comments }

Our Favorite Trees

by Stacy on April 9, 2010

Today’s get outdoors activities found us having breakfast outdoors. It was an unusually chilly day in San Antonio, and my ice cream drink breakfast (i.e, fruit smoothies) may not have been an ideal choice but we found plenty of ways to warm ourselves up anyways.

A brisk walk did the trick and provided just the right tools (our own two legs) we needed to do some eagerly anticipated exploring in our neighborhood.

Today we took turns choosing our favorite trees,

I chose this strong statuesque beauty for all her maternal qualities. Not only can she sustain whole families of birds, squirrels and other critters and crawlers but she has also allowed a small gangly looking vine to grow right alongside her branches and right up her lean trunk. Something about the bond between the tree and the vine made me think what I must look like carrying my three year old in my arms at that very moment. I instantly understood her choice for eternal companionship.

This was Happy’s favorite tree and what a fine choice it was. I’m not sure if it was the way the sun was shining through its branches or the fact that it was the tallest tree around, but one things for sure … he knows how to pick ‘em.

Sweet chose the only tree around us yet to sprout leaves, she said she liked this one because it was the baby tree. Baby, just what she wanted to be on this particular morning. Of course, I happily olbliged her request to be held a little closer for just a little longer than usual – cuddling and mommy time doesn’t come easy with this wild one.

Little didn’t have a favorite tree, per se but he sure was enamored with all the new growth around us. The wildflowers, the blossoming shrubs, and any and all trees. Today was his first day being able to walk alongside us without having to be pushed in a stroller or held constantly. You could just feel how proud he was to be walking along with us. Oh how I know, I’m going to be missing these days much sooner than I’d like. Thank goodness, we decided to take the Be Out There Pledge and find even more ways to connect with one another (even while we’re all together).

I can’t wait to get outdoors again tomorrow.

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Care to join me?

by Stacy on February 11, 2010

I made a terrific new friend [Amy from Adventures and Pursuits] this week, and like most of the friends I meet thanks to KSW… she had a fantastic idea! She wants to organize a Great American Postcard Swap for families across the United States. What does that mean you ask?

Well, basically it means you will get a postcard a week FOR A YEAR from a different state across the country (they’ll come in alphabetical order). What a special treat for the kids to find something just for them in the mail each week, not to mention a fantastic way to teach your children about diversity, geography, goodwill and even handwriting.

To participate, you’ll need to sign up right away – there is only one family from each state so claim yours before someone else does! If you become a “State Representative”, you will be responsible for mailing out 49 postcards during your designated week.

** You will only send mail once,

but you will receive a new postcard

every week for 49 weeks (50 States)**

The cost for postage will run about $14 dollars.

I think this is a wonderful opportunity for children of any age and I hope you’ll contact Aimee and join me in the a Great American Postcard Swap! I can’t wait to hear from each and every one of you

*Update- Aimee is running a second postcard swap for folks who didn’t make the first list*

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We’ve been busy baking

by Stacy on December 23, 2009

There’s been a lot of baking going on in our home this holiday season as we take a moment to show our friends and family how much we care by giving them something homemade & covered in chocolate. I’m so thankful my children have a generous nature and giving attitude as they bake each batch with love knowing they’ll be going elsewhere and not staying at home with us. {Except for the one bite they get from each batch ~ I’m no Scrooge you know}

We’ve made Snowmen Cookies ~ An Advent Fun Activty

Sugar Cookies & Candy Bites

To Make Your Own Candy Bites:

You’ll need 3 ingredients & about 10 minutes! Yep, they’re that easy

Snyders Square Pretzels
Hugs, Kisses, or Rolos
M&Ms

Place the pretzels on a flat baking sheet, Put a kiss on top of each one, Bake at 170 degrees for 4-5 minutes, Then add an M&M to the top of each one, Let cool, Then pop in the fridge to set {Warning: These are incredibly addictive warm, but hey, somebody has to eat the ugly ones }

And personalized Snowmen cookies for Santa too, ALA 4 year old

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Setting Up Shop

by Stacy on November 18, 2009

KSW_Eat_Local

Looking for some fun activities to keep your little ones busy this Thanksgiving Holiday? We’ll be featuring some fun for everyone ideas to keep the wee ones occupied and get them excited about Thanksgiving at the same time!

Our first activity is setting up a pretend grocery store ~ talk about Eating Local! The only limit is your imagination and if you’re a recycler, than chances are you have everything you need in your recycling bins {Empty juice bottles, cereal boxes or any boxes for that mater, yogurt or butter containers, etc}. Anything your kids will have fun sorting, stacking, and putting in their carts.

If you have toys or toy bins with wheels (dump trucks, strollers, toy boxes, etc) use these as makeshift shopping carts. Give your kids a few reusable shopping bags for toting their goods after they pay.

I taught my kids to pick out the items they wanted and wheel them to the checkout ( 2 x Ikea Lack Tables and a fisher price piano). Next, we emptied the shopping carts, scanned all the items (complete with beeping sound and everything) and packed them into the shopping bags. We used junk mail as our currency but given more time, I’ll probably make some life like versions out of felt.

The kids had a blast with this activity and the best part was watching them interact with one another with no adult participation. Anytime there’s a chance to see the world through the eyes of a child, I encourage you to stop and take a moment to enjoy it. More than likely, you will learn something yourself.

Note: Children will vary, but this activity provided 45 minutes of pure entertainment for my 2 & 3 year old. This activity inspired from the Bo’s November curriculum Yr II from Itty Bitty Bookworm (more on this amazing resource coming soon)

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