Showing posts with label mommy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mommy. Show all posts

Making Sandwiches with Harper {Kids Craft}

A few days ago, Little Miss Harper wanted to help me make lunch. I love her eagerness to help and her interest in learning. But, on this particular day, I wanted to keep her busy and out of the kitchen, as I was in the middle of a project.

I asked her if she wanted to make paper sandwiches while I made lunch, it sounded appealing to her! I had a collection of paper sandwich fixings ready for an occasion like this. I found a yellow glue stick to imitate mustard. Harper was all set to make sandwiches!

To prepare for this activity I had previously cut the following shapes from construction paper

bread shapes  white paper
red circles for tomatoes
squiggly green leaves for lettuce
yellow squares for cheese
brown circles for meat

You will need a glue stick. Red or Yellow is fun with this paper food craft, like ketchup and mustard!


As you can see, this activity is completely basic. Construction paper and glue. I offered Harper ample supplies for building sandwiches. To keep her busy and having a lot of fun!




She began by adding mustard to the bread and adding tomatoes.


Next up was cheese! 


Harper was completely into this craft. She loved making sandwiches. She added layer upon layer, happily crafting while I made lunch!


My kids both love a good paper food craft! If I find myself with a few extra moments and a pack of construction paper I make little craft bags for occasions like this day.  They are always a huge hit with my kids. They have enjoyed making paper cookies, paper pizzas and paper jam sandwiches. These are the best kind of kid food crafts in my opinion because they are virtually mess free and they are really a lot of fun!

Gourmet Homemade Oreo Marshmallows

It was one of those days, the cupboards were growing bleak, the need to grocery shop was strong, but the interest wasn't there. I knew I could put it off another day. {Face it, shopping with two young children is not fun!}

After whipping up an easy peasy dinner, I knew that dessert was in order too. I had 3 ingredients on hand and this little bit of yum is what I came up with!





To make Oreo Marshmallows you will need:
White Chocolate
Oreos
Marshmallows

First melt your white chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 25 seconds or so until it is smooth.
Crush Oreos, place in a bowl.
Dip your marshmallow into the melted chocolate, immediately dip it into crushed Oreos. 
Set aside for about 25 minutes until the chocolate has set.
Enjoy!


My family loved these! They were soft, sweet and had bits of crunch thanks to the chunks or Oreo cookies. This was an incredibly easy treat to make with a gourmet flavor perfect for kids of all ages!

Do you love gourmet marshmallows? Have you ever made something like this at home?



All About Harper

My cute little daughter is demanding some screen time over at Sweet Silly Sara. She insists her older brother is a spotlight hog over here and I have to agree. He is a spotlight hog, she isn't being represented adequately and it is high time that I devote some screen time to Miss Harper.

Harper is turning 2 in a matter of weeks now. She is a fun little girl. She loves to play, to dance and to wrestle her brother. 

Harper is a chatterbox. Her favorite things to say right now are

"Awww Man!" 
"Do it again!"
"Come here Mom"
"No!"
"Hi Kitty!" 

Speaking of the kitty, Harper adores him, he is like a rock star to her. Kitty enters the room and she loses all control of herself. Self respect goes out the door. She gushes, runs towards him, throws herself at him. If she has gentle hands, kitty is into this worship. If she has the hands of an almost 2 year old, he exits a room at light speed.

You can't keep Harper inside for very long! She loves to ride her cute little Kinderfeets Tiny Tot bike on the porch. She gets into epic riding sessions with her spotlight hogging brother who also has a red bike. They think it is pretty neat that they both ride the same color of bike.


Harper enjoys playing with her baby doll, who she simply calls "Baby". Each day she brings me Baby, I help her put a shirt on Baby. She kisses baby, wipes her face with a baby wipe and hands her over to me with a "Here Mom..." I am to hold Baby and give her kisses until her mommy can come back. My smart little girl has learned about hair color and has made it her mission to use crayons to color the head of this baby doll... so every day we have to clean Baby up when we are finished with her.

Harper is a pro at playing at the Park.

Harper gives some pretty great hugs. She likes to kiss too. She follows a good hug or kiss with an "Mmmm!" Like it is the most delicious thing ever to her. 

I had no idea how much fun having a daughter would be. It seems like only yesterday she was a sleepy little baby, but look out world, this girl is a mover and a shaker. She is breaking hearts, blowing kisses and dancing along the way!

I hope you enjoyed catching up with the blondie! She wants you to know she will be making more frequent appearances on Sweet Silly Sara.




Thanks to my friends at Kinderfeets for sending us a bike to mention in this post!

Summer Time.... The Kick Off

Summer vacation started for Roo on Friday. He was pretty okay with the end of the year. So far he has had no complaints about hanging out at home with Harper and I.



On Friday, first day of summer for my little guy we loaded the baby into the stroller and we set off, downtown bound. The sun was shining. Life was pretty good. We were in search of a haircut as Roo was looking shaggy. We stopped at each place in our little town we could think of, hoofing it here and there. It must have been the day for haircuts. No one could get us in. My son, his lip quivered each time we left a shop. He really wanted a haircut. His heart was set on it.

I promised tomorrow we would get a haircut, even if we had to wait for 2 hours. He still looked sad. He looked at me with big blue eyes and said "Take Care of Me." I said "Aww, I will. What can I do Roo?"
He said "Take Harper Rae to lunch with me."

Smart kid, so to lunch we went. Our first lunch date in a long time. Just the three of us. After feeding the growing children, we were prepared to walk on home. It was a lovely day to have spent strolling about town with my kids. It was a shame about the haircut, but I didn't think the day was wasted by any means!


When I tucked my Roo into bed that night, he told me, "Today a happy day Mommy." I said "I thought so too honey. A good and happy day spent with you." I started to leave the room and he whispered "Stay, stay here." So I laid back down in his bed and he stroked my arm until he fell asleep.


Motherhood, nothing ever goes as planned. From hair cuts, to ducking out of the room at bedtime. But, something I am learning along the way is that, being able to adapt, to make the best of the day, is the key to having happy days

Time Flies When You Are Raising A Family



How fast time flies when you are raising a family! It seems like only yesterday I was the mother of a 15 month old boy, trying to find my way in the journey that is motherhood. Fast forward to today. That boy is turning 5 in May. I am now the mother of a 15 month old girl.

They are growing so fast! My heart breaks a little everyday when they are a little bigger, they are a little older, they are a little more independent. I am excited to see them grow and discover the world, but oh, if they would just stay small a little longer!

It hit me hard, just like a ton of bricks might, when I realized... in less than 3 months my little boy will be 5.  I had to catch my breath as I replayed that time in my mind. How badly I wished I could hit pause. I wished I could savor those moments with an infant in my arms, or chasing a toddler about. I wished I could greedily gather up all of the giggles of a 3 year old on his most rotten day, to collect in my heart. I wished I could have all of those moments again with Roo. I wished I could go back to when Harper was a newborn and just soak it all in, how tiny she was, her sweet sighs. The way she smelled when she was days old, the way she would smile when I would stroke her cheek.

If I only knew how fast it all really goes when it was all beginning!

 


Now that he is closer to 5 and she is 15 months old I am learning to savor moments.

Every evening after dinner I tuck my phones into a cabinet. I leave my laptop in another room. I stash the tablet away. I grab the coziest quilt and invite my kids to cuddle with me. I hand the remote over to Roo, he selects a cartoon and with my two babies I relax. I don't let the chirping phones distract me, this is my favorite time of the day, the time I spend quietly with my kids, giggling when appropriate. Smelling the sweetness of their blond hair. Memorizing the way their skin feels beneath my hands as I massage tiny backs and shoulders. Wishing that if I can't have the moments that have passed back that I can be all there for these brief pre-bedtime moments. The way my daughter clings to be, her head resting on me when she is tired, or the way my son hugs me and sighs "Uhmmm" when he wraps his arms around me. Those are moments to savor, to cherish, to be there completely for.





Winter Weather and Missed School

It seems as if my family has not had a regular week since Christmas break began. We have had snow, snow, snow for about 2 months now. Delays and of course school closings have been in abundance.

Wouldn't you know it, on top of missing so much school due to the weather, Roo was ill and he missed several of the days he could have attended in January. 

The scene in our backyard

We received blizzard bags from school as we have exceeded our calamity days. Roo blew through them in a few days. 

To make a long story short, I was growing concerned that he was going to start losing skills he has acquired, so we took a more intentional approach to learning at home.

One day we took a plastic cup and added some water to it after breakfast. We placed it on the deck and went about our business. Later I asked Roo to check on it. He was quite pleased to see a cup of solid ice awaiting him. 

We then sat the cup on the counter in the kitchen. It was 3 pm. We timed it to see how long it would take to melt. When I went to bed that night at 11, only a touch of ice remained. The next morning, my son was thrilled to see it was all melted back into water. He then proceeded to insist on having a bath... he carefully carried the cup of melted ice water to the tub. He climbed in and poured it over his head and laughed... Boys, I tell ya, they are funny creatures!

We practiced writing daily. We worked on shapes daily too. Write your name, write abc, make a cross, make a square, etc. He is pretty good at shapes. His handwriting is messy, but if you let him write really small his letters are great, if you can read them. 

We read a lot of books! We discovered the fun of Pete the Cat and the Don't Let Pigeon... titles. We spent minutes (he is only 4 after all...) pouring over look and find books at different times in the days of never ending winter...We delighted in old favorites such as The Little Pumpkin Book, all of his Dinosaur Train books and Several from the Little Critter series.

We went to a pet store and looked at different animals. We talked about how birds come from eggs and what they eat. We oohed over guinea pigs, and pleaded with Daddy to get a bunny.

We observed footprints in the snow from a cat and a bird, then we checked out our own tracks and tried to write our names with footprints. Roo marveled at the cat prints. He thought they were "really cute".


It is funny, but initially I worried that winter would have negative effects on my son and his education, but I found the opposite was true. I found that the things he was not doing at school, he could actually do with just a little one on one attention. I will even admit, for about 9 minutes I indulged the homeschool fantasy. Then both kids were crying, the dog was barking and I said a silent prayer for good weather and I gave thanks for his preschool teacher.





The Day We Made a Straw Flute

I was working late one night when I got this idea... we could make straw flutes tomorrow. I wrote, in blue ink, the words STRAW FLUTE on the back of my hand.  Before I knew it I was waking up with a stiff neck on the sofa. I had maneuvered myself under the sofa cover and caught a few zzz's.

The next morning I noticed blue ink on my white leather sofa. What the heck? I examined it... backwards it read, STRAW FLUTE. A sighed a heavy, irritated sigh. Oh shoot. Well since this project was so important to me that I wrote it on my hand and created a new mess to stress over we might as well make the damn flutes...

So we did.

I have no idea if we did them 'right' but I know we had fun with the flutes for a few hours on a winter day.

I had 8 straws on hand, so we used all 8.


I cut them and put them in order from shortest to tallest.




Then I secured them to one another with clear tape.


My son grabbed it and ran with it, he was having fun making noise, on a very small scale.
Excuse the poor quality of the photo I was literally chasing him to get a pic!

So there you have it folks! We made an easy peasy straw flute and the 4 year old was busy and happy for a few hours that day.



My Kids Ruined My Body

Hello world, my name is Sara and I have issues. Lots and lots of issues. Big ones, small ones, weird ones, sad ones.  Pick an issue and chances are I have it, or have had it, or I will develop it at sometime in the near future. What can I say? My life is filled with drama these days.

I am having an issue as I type this blog post. A part of me wants to curl up in a ball and sleep for a week, while a part of me wants to develop an eating disorder, another part of me wants to flip a certain finger in the direction of some people and let it go.


Do you know how it feels to be told your body is "disgusting" after having children? This is my current all consuming issue. Body shame. It is a big one to me, I dwell on those words. I get angry. I break down and cry, feeling utterly ugly and unlovable. I spend hours each week obsessing about what I ate, or what I didn't eat, how many walks I took, how my clothes fit me. Goodness, clothes are so important when you are as disgusting as I am. Trust me, no one wants to see me in my naked glory of stretch marks, saggy skin or fat.

At the age of 35 I have 2 children. My son is 4 and my daughter is 10 months old. Having these children has ruined my body according to some people. Yes, you read that right. My kids ruined my body.

Here is the thing, I did gain weight since I had children. A lot of it too. I have lost weight which just makes my skin look... saggy, stretched out, not magazine worthy at all. Places I didn't know could wiggle have more jiggle than I want to admit. My butt? Applying for statehood status. Yeah, I got booty to spare and share if anyone needs a little. I had 2 c section babies. So I have a big scar above my pubic hair line.

My ruined body.

A few weeks ago I had the nerve to go to the pool with my family. I wore a very modest tankini. I know no one wants to see me in a bikini. I wore something that would cover my body so no one had to see the mess that is my stomach. It is not flat, nor is it likely to ever be like a washboard. I tried my best to keep everything in place, constantly tugging my tankini to cover my belly and as much of anything else it could cover. I feel self conscious as it is. Being in a swimsuit is like... being in underwear that are wet ya know? I generally don't parade around in a bra and panties in front of my friends, family or neighbors, but I go to a pool to let the whole world judge me. I feel exposed. I feel like everyone is staring at me, are they? Who the heck knows, but I feel like they are. My husband hands me the baby and as I try to enjoy the moment, watching my son playing happily, looking at my beautiful daughter who is smiling and happy, the pool is new and exciting to her.

My husband wants a photo of the baby and I so I adjust to hold her at an angle that will allow him to capture both of our faces. As he is saying "Smile" I hear the laughter. I try to tell myself that people are having fun, it is a pool after all!  Then I hear it again, and again. I feel eyes on me. I know I must have blushed. I look up to see 2 teenage girls laughing at me and staring. I am the object of their amusement. Me and my ruined body. I feel the breeze on a strip of my stomach where my top has worked its way up. I feel like I could cry, or leave and vow to never go swimming again, unless it is in our backyard.

That was not a good feeling. It seriously impacted the day. The rest of the day every time those girls laughed, I knew they were laughing at me, or some other Mom with a ruined, gross body. When we got home I had a good long cry. I completely wallowed in self pity. I tucked the swim suit into the back of a drawer, or maybe it went to the attic... I won't be wearing it again probably.

When I tried to talk to someone about how I felt, it only made it worse. Foolish me picked the wrong person to go to for comfort or reassurance. I guess I wanted to hear that I was not gross. That I was okay, not inducing vomiting sessions or anything. But guess what I heard instead? "If you feel gross, do something about it. You can lose 20 pounds or maybe even 30. Stop eating, start working for results...." This made me cry harder. Much much harder. Little did I know how hard the next words would hit me. "I think your body is disguising since you had kids."

So, instead of having a friend say they liked me for me, I heard I should develop an eating disorder and work out until I see results that please others.

If there has ever been a day when I could fall apart completely, a day when I felt like maybe I was so gross that I could die and spare everyone I know from the pain and ickiness of looking at me, it was that day.
I spent a long time reflecting on that. I looked in the mirror. I searched to see signs of this hideous monster that I had become. I saw a 35 year old woman that looked tired. My hair is really cute in this style of pixie short. My outfit was good. A decent skirt and a casual yet nice top. I had on great shoes, pretty nail polish.... My butt is big! I know that, but I am okay with it. The last time I checked the booty size was not a factor in what was in my heart. My butt doesn't make me a monster. My belly is a belly. I wish it were flatter, smaller. But, really how many people are subjected to the scar, the stretch marks, the evidence that my body made not one, but two miracles happen? Not very many. My upper arms are a nightmare for me, but my kids seem to think these hideous monster-ish flabby arms give great hugs.

If I couldn't see these monstrosities that are worthy pointing and laughing and hurling harsh words about my disgusting body changes why were they so evident to other people? Why did it matter to anyone else what my body looks like?

My body changed. I may have "ruined" my body according to the standards of the general masses, but when it comes down to it, my body tells a story. A story of childhood, illnesses, accidents, drunken days of youth, adventures I am glad I took. Chances I gambled on. My body tells a story of loss, of love and of miracles. I made two little people in this body. Every stretch mark, flabby patch of skin, every jiggle, every inch of my booty was well earned. I don't regret one single imperfection. They have all been worth it.

So, to the teenage girls that laugh at me in a swimsuit, or to the "friend" that thinks I am disgusting now that I am a mother, I would like to say thank you. You have reminded me that I have to work harder to make my children realize we shouldn't measure a persons worth because of their looks or lack of looks. We shouldn't let someone else tell us we are gross because we have babies. We shouldn't tolerate that type of behavior. Anyone shallow enough to look at your beautiful miraculous body and point out your flaws isn't worthy of your time or your love. Your dress size doesn't determine what kind of person you are.

To my children, I want to say, you absolutely didn't ruin my body. You made it better than it ever was before. You have softened me in all the right ways. For that, I thank you.












Saturday #227

So, here I am technically about a month behind again...it is summer. Hubs is home and the family is restless. 2 months of daily outings, but really not doing anything have taken their toll on us. If my google calendar didn't keep me on my toes I would be lost.


Going on memory here....

On Saturday #227 I had the honor of sleeping in a little. We went to breakfast in near by Mt. Gilead Ohio and Harper was really into that. She prefers whatever we are eating to baby food these days, so she had eggs, biscuits, pancakes, bananas. She was a happy girl. Mr. Picky Roo had sausage, so he was happy.

After breakfast we took a walk down one of the few hills in our area. Walking up reminded me I haven't seen many hills, nor walked them since moving to our tiny, very flat, town. We found a baby toad on the uphill walk.

After that, a dash into Kroger.

We returned home to play outside until Roo could take no more, he wanted to play cars inside where it was cool.

Not a thrilling Saturday, but we had an awesome breakfast, experienced nature, took a walk and enjoyed the summer day. I hope you had the chance to enjoy your children over the weekend.

Saturday #226

On Saturday #226 (46 for Harper) we didn't have big plans, it is still summer here and we have been staying busy. The weekends haven't needed to be packed with activity. It has been kind of nice to rest a little on the weekends honestly.

So, instead of completely boring you with details of cleaning, backyard play sessions and books read, or worse yet, me droning on and on about what I worked on when I wasn't playing with the kids or cleaning, I will tell you about a random day from the week.

We are fortunate to live fairly close to the Ohio Bird Sanctuary. We love this place. We visit the birds, they have an impressive collection of hawks, owls, crows and even a Bald Eagle. We also enjoy walking the trails on the property. {I am nearly a month behind on this series time wise again...} At the time of our visit my foot was still pretty bad. It was swollen, bruised, painful and I was resorting to kinda dragging it, limping to get around without crutches. I tried my best to handle a short trail, but there is no going downhill when you are doing this weird shuffle of a walk. Instead Harper and I enjoyed the little enclosed building that houses small birds. Armed with a few cups of worms we wanted to feed the birds, but a noisy crowd had decided to sit and talk to each other- the birds were scared and did come up as they normally would.


Never one to let a change in plans ruin my day, Harper and I instead sat on a bench and took a ton of selfies.

We observed a bee on a flower in the garden area.



We had a nice time, Harper enjoyed herself, Roo was exhausted from his little hike and despite the whole foot thing I was glad to get out into the sun for a while in a place that I love.





Saturday #225

On Saturday #225 (45 for Miss Harper) we had plans to go to a festival, despite my inner groaning I went with as bright of a smile as I could muster. After numerous fairs and festivals I am growing tired of that scene, but I go with a smile for my kids. Roo can't get enough rides and excitement...



After watching a long parade and taking in the sights of a town we don't know much about we were off again, this time to an event that included all the fun stuff kids love, bounce houses, animals, cookies, funnel cakes... not quite a festival, but like a mini one.

The kids were again exhausted after another weekend in the sun, playing, riding rides and eating garbage. Harper had her first nibbles of a cookie and she was pleased with the experience, and considered it a win to get to munch a sweet treat.

We all got a little sun, everyone fell asleep easily that night, including me. Summer continues here for about another month, so every day seems like a weekend. I hope you have had a chance to enjoy your family this summer! Remember we only get 940 Saturdays from birth to departure for college. Thanks for stopping by the hear how we spent one of ours.


Saturday #222

On Saturday #222 (# 42 for Harper) my family let me sleep in! How lovely a chance to rest is. The kids and I had been battling colds all week and I was feeling very ran down. Sleeping til almost 8 a.m. was exactly what I needed.

We hadn't made plans to get into very much but we decided to go to a neighborhood yard sale event that happens every year. We saw friends, we walked around for about 2 hours. We didn't buy much of anything other than some odd wall paper for a project I have been dreaming up and I found a hot rock therapy system, new in box for $2. I can't wait to try it out!

After our walk and yard sale experience the kids were hot, we stopped for lemonade for Roo and headed home to relax. The kids were tired. I was tired, instead of cooking we grabbed a pizza and called it a day. No one complained about that and I was fine with taking the easy way out.

We spent the evening cuddling kids and giggling. Harper is hilarious. Her personality is developing before my eyes. She adores her brother. She chases him around the house at a record speed and has earned herself the nickname of the blond puppy. Not only does she follow Roo around like a puppy, but it is not uncommon to see her crawling after her brother with a toy in her mouth, much like a puppy. (She is smart, she sticks whatever she is playing with in her mouth then chases him down and resumes playing!) She loves to play with toys! Dolls,cars, blocks, you name it, Harp wants to play with it.

 At bed time, the kids were too tired to fight it, they drifted off with ease and it wasn't long after that before hubby and I were both asleep on the sofa. We must be getting old to doze off at 10 on a Saturday.

I hope you had the chance to spend time with your nearest and dearest over the weekend.



Saturday #214

On Saturday #214 (34 for Harper) the kids and I were up early as is the norm. Roo wanted to take a walk, and I thought that was a good idea. I had hopes of walking some of the rotten out of him before his baseball game.

We walked for about a mile and a half. The morning was lovely. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping. My kids were sweet. I couldn't ask for much more.

Baseball was cute. Roo tried. He went home happy. I took advantage of the sunny day and tackled my lawn care duties while Miss Harper had a nap.

Harper is getting so big! She is gorgeous, has the craziest cutest hair ever. She loves her brother and wants to be wherever he is. Sometimes I grab her and we get in bed with Roo in the morning, she sees him and she squeals with happiness. She crawls over to him and puts her face up against his with a huge smile.


Later that day we took a walk at Lowe Volk, which was semi nice until we got deep enough in the woods to be attacked by mosquitoes despite using repellant.


We kept the last weekend of the school year quiet. I felt that I spent it with my kids and we were outside for most of the day, so it was a success.

Saturday #213

On Saturday #213 (33 for Harper) everyone was healthy. The day was spent much like all of the others as of the last few months, at baseball.



Now, to be honest. I am behind on this series. Like several weeks behind, so I am trying to play catch up. Details are fuzzy at best. Now that it is summer and {Mr.} Adam is home, the days all run together. So... the next few posts in this series may or may not be accurate...


After baseball I believe I came home to pack a lunch. We are trying a new family hobby of geocaching. To be honest, I do not love the new hobby. I like walking with the kids, but I am not going to go digging around to find these things. I go strictly for moral support.

The kids grew tired of geocaching, so we took a walk around the lake and made a stop at the swing sets. Roo was happy to get in a little playing time. He sweetly asked of we could get ice cream. Being on a diet, ice cream was the last thing I needed, but Roo is little! He earned it and he very wisely told his dad that Harper wanted ice cream too, no one says no to Harper. Since everyone else was eating junk food I caved and had a sundae which promptly made me feel sick... lesson learned.

After geocaching, lunch, ice cream and tons of walking the kids were tired. We headed home to tuck little ones into bed.

The day was well spent. I am sure I forgot a few details, but you get the idea of Saturday #213 out of 940.





Saturday #211

On Saturday #211 (#31 for Harp) most of my family was ill. The kids both had a viral infection that was definitely not fun for anyone. Looking back a few weeks as I play catch up here, I recall it being a very sad weekend. I can handle most anything, but my kids being sick and unhappy is a deal breaker. That causes me pain too!



With everyone feeling sick we took it easy. There were lots of naps and snuggles for the kids and lots of cleaning for Mom. {Mr.} Adam wasn't feeling well either, so I was kind of on my own.

After I had cleaned until I could clean no more,I worked for a few hours then I lounged on the sofa with a good book (About a Boy) and a few episodes of the Wonder Years on Netflix.

I didn't have the heart to cook dinner for one, so I made a sandwich and went back to work. Lucky for me, my furry entourage was willing to keep me company and they secretly liked the quiet of the house and the chance to have me all to themselves. I spent the evening with a dog to me left, a dog at my feet and a cat behind me on the back of the sofa. All in all it was not a bad way to spend an evening, I just wish my kids had felt better.

I hope your Saturday was spent in better health, and that you had the chance to spend time with the people you love.




Coconut Rice Krispie Treats Recipe {Dairy Free}

Earlier this week I needed to make a snack to share with little boys. I thought I would go with a standard favorite and make Fruity Pebble Treats until I realized margarine has milk in it and I needed a snack that was free of milk and chocolate.

I started a batch of a nutella type Rice Krispie Treats... then I realized after adding the Jif version of Nutella that oops this has chocolate in it... It was irrelevant anyways because the recipe was a total flop. 

I scanned my pantry and came up with coconut oil as an ingredient a little more digging searching produced a bag of coconut flakes...

So, I created a recipe that is free of milk and chocolate for my dears that face food allergies. I wasn't sure how they would turn out so I used {Mr.} Adam as a guinea pig. He said they were good but that they were too adult for kids. I shrugged my shoulders and said "I am okay with that because I tried."

Imagine how thrilled I was to hear from the Moms a few days later that the Coconut Rice Krispie Treats were a hit and that several Moms thought they were lovely! So here is the recipe, I hope you like it too!




print recipe

Coconut Rice Krispie Treats {Dairy Free}
Dairy Free Rice Krispie Treats with a delicious coconut flavor!
Ingredients
  • 4 1/2 cup Rice Krispies
  • 10 ounces Marshmallows
  • 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 1/3 cup Coconut Flakes
  • as desired Sprinkles
Instructions
Spray a baking dish with coconut oil spray as well as a pan.Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 10 ounces of marshmallows to the sprayed pan. On medium/low heat melt the oil and marshmallow. (This took about 3 minutes, be sure to stir frequently)
When the marshmallows and coconut oil melt add 4/1/2 cups of Rice Krispies and 1/3 cup of coconut flakes to the pan, stirring until the cereal is well coatedSpread the mixture into the prepared baking dish.Add sprinkles.Allow to cool for one hour.Cut into squares and serve.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 16 servings




If you liked this easy recipe you might want to check out my Pretty Pebble Marshmallow recipe or My Nuts About Cookies Bark recipe. Thanks for dropping by today!



Saturday #209

On Saturday #209 (#29 for Harper) my family allowed me to sleep until almost 8 am. Unaccustomed to a few extra hours I woke up with an achy back and a feeling I describe as sleep intoxication, you know that feeling of getting enough sleep that leads to good feelings? Giddy with rest? 



I took the day at a relaxed pace. There was no baseball game to rush to, nowhere that I had to be. I mowed grass, played with the kids and eventually went for groceries.

Roo was more than happy to be my sidekick while I mowed. He is growing so fast. He  is a great helper. Truth be told, Roo just wants to be where I am. No matter what I am doing, as long as he is at my side he is pretty happy. It is a source of frustration in my marriage that Roo is so attached to me, my husband tells me I have made him a Mama's Boy. Well, so be it. He loves his Mommy, I love him. He will be too big to want to hang out with me before too long, so I happily soak in every minute of him being a Mama's Boy. 

Harper is hilarious. A happier baby has never existed. You scoop Harp up in your arms and she delights you with laughter, smiles and lots of sloppy kisses. She is mobile, crawling at record breaking speeds. Getting into EVERYTHING. Trying to walk, giving me mini heart attacks all day long. My 7 month old can not be ready to walk! I am not ready.

It is funny how dull our weekends have been, but how I have never been more satisfied at the end of the weekend. I have found pleasure in the small things. Taking a walk with my kids in the morning. Laying on the floor coloring with markers with Roo. Holding Harper until she drifts off to dream nestled against me. 

I hope that you had a great weekend with the people that you love. You get 940 Saturdays from birth to the time your kids are ready to go to college. Make the most of each one!

940 Saturday's: Saturday #208

On Saturday #208 (#28 for Harper) nothing exciting happened. The morning was spent trying to keep my son clean for baseball pictures... I failed and tossed him in the bathtub at the last minute.



After that was finished I mowed grass and folded laundry. Harper crawled around, exploring the house. Roo played outside. The day passed. We ordered Chinese for dinner. The day was over before I knew it.

Not an exciting weekend. I keep thinking... we did something... what am I forgetting? But I am drawing a blank, there was no exciting activity. But, that is okay. I spent the weekend with the kids.Mission Accomplished. I hope you had a great weekend. If you did anything tell me about it! As you can see my life needs a little inspiration. Laundry and lawn care are not the most exciting weekend activities.

Thanks for dropping by this installment in the 940 Saturdays series.





Saturday #207

On Saturday #207 (27 for Harper) a truck was rented and a big 4th birthday gift was picked up. Short on time, a quick shower was had and the kids and I went to baseball. The game was cute, my son was not interested in playing baseball, but he was interested in slipping over to the playground... he is cute and he is rotten! How I love that boy.



We installed a new car seat after the game for little Miss Harper, I felt better about that as the way her head slumped forward in the Graco seat we were using.

I really didn't want to do anything that day. I have been in a personal funk lately. So when the game ended I came home to mow grass. We ordered out for dinner and I was happy to let my inner geek shine by working on a Saturday night after my kids were sleeping soundly. I bored {Mr.} Adam and he was quietly snoozing in a chair while I made the most of the quiet time.

Not an exciting weekend, but it was what I needed. I hope you has time to enjoy your children. Thanks for reading about one of our 940 Saturdays.


Happy Birthday Baby!

My Dear Roo,
Happy Birthday! You are 4 years old now. Oh my, how fast it has gone. It seems like just yesterday you came home from the hospital, an 8 pound 3 ounce bundle of cute with my blue eyes and the lightest blond hair. Immediately I was in love.

Every time I look at you, for just a second I see you like this. This is the first time I saw you, via a photo taken by Daddy.

This year has been different for you, in good ways. While you were 3 you graduated from a sippy cup. You have made huge improvements to your speech. I am so proud of you on that. When you were 2 you didn't talk a lot. You could say a few words, but you were mostly quiet. At 3, you talk a lot but it is mostly jibber jabber. Your vocabulary has grown incredibly. I love it when you talk to me.

My happy boy!


You became a big brother when you were 3. You take the job seriously and you love Harper. You often make her laugh and give her kisses. She looks up at you with wide eyes and a huge smile. You are too cute when she cries and you say "Hi Baby Harper Rae, I pet you!" to try to soothe her and you pet her head, much like one would a cat.





You have wonderful manners. I often hear how polite you are from others. I love that you say "Good Morning" and "Thank you" at every opportunity. I hope you always have that polite and sweet attitude.

You are such a cute little boy Roo!


When I had Harper and we were apart for a few days your daddy told me there was one thing that could always be said about you. You are loyal to your mother. I love that you always come to me. Just last week, you got hurt at the park, as your Dad tried to check you out you ran to me with such urgency that you knocked me off of my feet. We were in a heap on the ground, and you held onto me as tight as you could. I hope you will always come to me. {Roo was fine, just a little scared.}


Roo, I love you! You are my best buddy. A great helper, smart and almost too cute for your own good.
Happy Birthday! I can't wait to see what the age of 4 holds for you!