Best Boba Recipes

 My 9 year old, Harper, has developed an obsession with boba. She bats her big blue eyes at me and says "Mommy, let's go out for a tea..." almost everyday. It is so funny that I have this little bestie who thinks I am rich. To keep her happy and getting her boba fix at least once a week, we have been making some fun recipes at home. If you are wanting to save some cash and still have a treat, like us, you are going to love this list of the best boba recipes to make at home.

Before we get into this, can you believe Harper is 9 and a half already? It seems like just a few months ago that so many of my friends were chipping in to write posts for my blog so I could bask in the wonder of our new baby Harper.  Now here she is, a full blown tween with a boba tea habit.

Jasmine Milk Tea Boba by Greedy Girl Gourmet

Lychee Milk Tea Boba by My Vegan Minimalism

Hokkaido Milk Tea by Aubrey’s Kitchen

Vegan Boba Cake by Rainbow Nourishments

Homemade Black Boba Pearls by Delightful Plate

Fruity Bubble Tea by Kids Activities Blog

Watermelon Fruit Salad with Brown Sugar Boba by The Devil Wears Salad

Strawberry Milk Tea by Moon and Spoon and Yum

Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bars by The Oregon Dietitian

Strawberry Milk Tea by White Kitchen Red Wine

Taro Bubble Tea by The Oregon Dietitian

Chocolate Milk Bubble Tea by The Littlest Crumb

Earl Grey Milk Tea by Entirely Elizabeth

Iced Boba Coffee by Recipes from a Pantry

Vegan Bubble Tea by Plant Based on a Budget

With so many tasty bubble tea recipes, the hardest part of getting your boba fix will be deciding which of these recipes to make first. Happy sipping!

You can find some of my favorite drink recipes here 
Sour Apple Margaritas
Hillbilly Cider
Bomb Pop Cocktails
Blueberry Lime Vodka Sorbet

15+ Paper Plate Crafts for Kids

If you are looking for easy ways to keep the kids entertained on a cold winter day; this is the place for you! I have found some really fun paper plate craft ideas for kids that are perfect boredom busters! These are all fairly easy, and kids of all ages will have fun with these ideas! Be sure to click thru the links for the tutorials.

BB8 Paper Plate Craft by Attachment Mummy

This paper plate craft is perfect for Star Wars fans! It comes together with basic supplies and includes

a free printable template to make it easy for all skill levels.

Paper Plate Fruit Fans by Family Focus Blog

These fruity fans are the perfect way to beat the summer heat with a craft that kids of all ages can enjoy! 

Alien Spaceship Craft by Easy Crafts for Kids

This craft is so cute it is practically out of this world! It all starts with a little imagination and a paper plate.

Mermaid Twirlers by Red Ted Art

These cute little mermaid twirlers are nothing short of adorable and they are bound to make a splash

during craft time!

Yellow Submarine by Lil Tigers

This craft is so creative and gives kids an ocean view like they were diving in a submarine! 

Paper Plate Sunshine Craft by The Soccer Mom

This is the perfect craft for a rainy day! It is bright, colorful and spreads cheer to all who see it!

Space Themed Plates by Glitter on a Dime

Kids who love outer space will be over the moon for this easy paper plate craft that proves that the sky's

the limit to their creativity!

Rainbow Fish Craft by Two Pink Peonies

Pair storytime with a colorful and engaging craft! This rainbow fish craft is perfect for preschoolers!

Paper Plate Woven Bowls by Craftsy Hacksy

This introduction to weaving makes for a great paper plate craft! This is a great craft to make and share

with someone special!

Paper Plate Monkey by Mom Wife Busy Life

This paper plate craft is so cute you might go bananas for it! Kids of all ages will love to make their own

monkeys!

Rainbow Mickey Mouse Craft by Grace Giggles and Naptime

This Mickey Mouse craft is so colorful and cute! Kids are sure to be all cheers for this craft with Mickey

Ears!

Paper Plate Snakes by Mom Brite

This cute and easy craft will slither into your heart! Kids will love making these paper plate snakes!

Paper Plate Animal Masks by Crafts for Toddlers

These masks are so much fun for little kids! They can make a craft then engage in dramatic play for a

really great afternoon!

Snow Globes by Ottawa Mommy Club

These are perfect for kids! A snow globe they can handle with no feat of breaking it, and they are adorable

too!

Eric Carle Inspired Cats by Moms Who Save

This is a visually stunning craft that is perfectly paired with an Eric Carle story! Save this idea for a rainy

day activity for kids of all ages.

You can find more fun paper plate crafts here:

Paper Plate Lions

Paper Plate Witch

Paper Plate Crowns

How To Improve Your Diet And Health

 You’re probably going to have some good ideas and the best of intentions when it comes to your diet and your health. You’ll want to do well – you’ll know that it’s important. However, it’s not always easy to put your ideas into action. You might find that you start off on the right track, but you easily veer off in another direction, for example. Or maybe you just don’t know where to start because changing your diet and improving it would be such a huge new way of living. Don’t worry; there are some simple things you can do that will help you. Read on to find out more. 

 

Photo by Alexander Grey

 

Meal Plan

One of the biggest reasons that people’s diet plans don’t work out is that they are busy. They run out of time or get tired, so popping a processed meal into the microwave or calling for takeout is an easier option. Obviously, as well as being easy, it’s unhealthy. 

 

If you can do meal planning, you won’t have this problem. You’ll always know exactly what you are going to eat, you’ll have all the ingredients, and you’ll be able to plan your time accordingly. You could try out new things, like this vegan garlic noodles recipe, or stick with tried and trusted – but healthy – meals. The choice is yours. 

 

Even better, when you have extra time, you can batch cook, and in that case, you’ll only have to warm something up when you are busier. 

 

Choose A Diet

For some people, eating healthily is hard because they don’t really know what they should and should not be eating or when it’s healthy to eat and when it isn’t. If this is your issue, you should choose a diet that will suit your lifestyle and that has been proven to work. Intermittent fasting is a great example of this. 

 

Taking this as an example of what you can do, how do you start? Well, first, you have got to learn how to fast properly, then you can ensure you have the right plan in place. Do your research, and you’ll know exactly what to do and can follow the rules accordingly. 

 

Eat The Rainbow 

Whether you opt for a specific diet or not, a good rule of thumb when it comes to eating well is to ‘eat the rainbow’. This means that you should try to make your meals as naturally colorful as possible. If your plate looks very beige or white, for example, then you know you need to add some bright vegetables to the meal to make it healthier. When you think about it, vegetables are rainbow-colored, and meat, pasta, rice, potatoes, and other ‘sides’ are all one brown/white color. This clearly shows the healthier parts of any meal, and it’s a good guide to help you eat right. 

 

Focus On Hydration 

Although most of the time, you’ll be focusing on the food you eat when you want to improve your diet and get healthier, you must also think about what you’re drinking and ensure that you get enough water during the day. 

 

Being properly hydrated is good for your health since it means your body’s functions are in good working order, and you feel more energized. As well as this, your immune system will be working well. Plus, when you’re dehydrated, you can become confused, irritable, and develop headaches. 

 

Make sure you include plenty of water in your daily life. Ideally, have a reusable bottle with you at all times so you can sip on it through the day and never reach a stage where you are dehydrated.

Easy Fine Motor Sensory Ball Activity

Preschoolers will love this easy to set up and totally engaging sensory ball activity. It combines fine motor work and sensory play for a boredom buster with benefits. Best of all this activity is super affordable to set up. You can get everything you need at the dollar store.

If you have been reading this blog over the last decade, you might know I am passionate about fine motor and sensory activities. I love creating activities that are fun and benefit development. This is no exception. It is so easy to set up, but it is engaging for kids and helps them build fine motor skills. No fancy equipment required.

All you need to make this fine motor ball is two simple things.

A bumpy ball 

Tiny rubber bands

This is so easy to set up.

Simply stretch the bands over the bumps of the ball

For younger children, use fewer bands

To challenge older children use more bands and make the loops complicated. 

Offer the ball to your child and encourage them to remove the bands. 

Have your child place the bands in a container, storage bag etc as these can be a choking hazard and dangerous to pets. Supervise this activity please!

If you are looking for more sensory and fine motor activities check out these popular posts.

Feather Beading Activity

Dino Rescue 

Rainbow Disc Sensory Bag

Rainbow Sorting Sensory Bin

 This rainbow sorting bin is so much fun for little ones. It has a variety of textures, shapes and colors for sorting on a rainy day, or anytime! This is perfect for kids who are learning colors, or just need some busy work!

My daughter loves rainbows, and she loves busy work, so this rainbow sorting bin was the perfect rainy day activity for her. We had dyed oats in our craft supplies, and with that, an idea was born to make this activity. Dying oats is so easy, and they are awesome to play with. 

I grabbed a 3 pack of mini pots at the dollar store  and painted them with Kwik Stix but you could use any type of small container, like a baby food jar, a food storage container or whatever for this bin. you just need something that your toddler or preschooler can place the beads in.

Supplies:

Dyed Oats  * instructions here*

Small containers

A plastic storage bin with a lid

Clothespins

Small spoons

Foam beads

Buttons or larger beads

After dying your oatmeal start layering it into the storage bin.

Place the pots or containers for sorting into the bin.

Add beads to the bin, or buttons. I like to offer a variety of textures in the beads. This bin has foam, wooden and standard crafting beads in it.

Add a few small spoons, clothespins and other items for sorting, pinching and measuring. Tongs and slotted spoons are great additions!

I added a clear plastic ornament to the bin too because I wanted to challenge Harper to place the items in a smaller opening.

Offer your child the bin. Ask your child to identify colors as they are picking them up. Encourage your child to sort the colors. This bin is fun to play in, and it is visually appealing too. The variety of textures is engaging. The use of clothespins and or tongs uses the small muscles of the hand. 

This bin has so many developmental benefits and it is a lot of fun too!

Harper loved this bin. She is a big fan of rainbows and busy work, so this rainbow sorting bin engaged her for a while on a rainy afternoon. When she was finished we snapped the lid on the storage bin and stashed it away for another day.

You can find more sensory play ideas here

Rainbow Disc Bag

Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin

Pot of Gold Sensory Bin

Saint Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I have the perfect sensory bin to share with you for the occasion. This Pot of Gold Bin is easy to set up, is loads of fun to play with, and will get kids excited for the holiday!

Sensory bins are so much fun for kids. They combine fine motor work, the engagement of the senses, and imagination into one awesome invitation to play. This Pot of Gold St. Patrick's Day Bin was so easy to set up, and I got everything I needed at the dollar store. This sensory bin is easy to set up, and the kids will want to play with it many times. 

Supplies:

1. A plastic storage bin with a lid.
2. St. Patrick's Day Foam Scatter
3. 4 Leaf Clover Confetti
4. Buttons in assorted colors
5. Small black cauldrons from the party favor section of Dollar Tree

Instructions:

1. Dump the confetti, foam scatter and buttons into the storage bin.
2. Add a few of the cauldrons to the bin.
3. Offer your child tweezers, spoons, or any other tool you like for scooping.
4. Allow your child to fill the buckets with a rainbow of colors (beads) and the gold foam coins.

I encouraged my daughter to tell me what colors she would find in a rainbow and place one bead from each color in the bucket.

We also used this as a counting exercise; how many gold coins could she find? How many big clovers? And so on.

Harper also had fun just digging in the scatter and confetti. She brought a few little action figures into the mix and had a fun small world session later. 

I like to make these bins in shoe box sized plastic containers so we can snap a lid on it and revisit the activity later. The kids always want to play with the bin again!

If you like this idea you can find all of my sensory bins and bags here.
Reader favorites include:
Sensory Party in a Bag
Birthday Cake Sensory Bin
Grab some FREE St. Patick's Day Coloring Pages here
Check out these End of the Rainbow Snacks
Check out these easy 3d Shamrocks

Ways to Keep Tweens and Teens Entertained This Winter

 Winter is the time to introduce tweens and teens to new, screen free activities. If you are looking for inspiration for busting boredom while teaching new skills to older kids, you are going to love these ideas.  From knitting to financial know how, this collection has something for a variety of interests.

Making a quilt is a great project because it teaches useful sewing skills and produces a good blanket to keep them warm once they're done. Try getting some simple quilt patterns from here and see what kind of project your teen will produce from there on out.

Keep a teens hands busy while creating a useful item with knitting kits. Make a scarf with the included pattern and knitting tools. These are so much fun for kids of all ages and they will love wearing their creation all winter long! 

Give kids the chance to have fun while developing financial literacy. This game is perfect for a variety of ages and will help pass the time on a snow day. Cash Flow for Kids is from the Rich Dad line of goods, and packs a lot of fun into a compact package.

Y'art Kits are the perfect crafty escape for a winter day. These are easy to create works of art with yarn. Harper and I loved this unicorn kit from Play Monster and it only costs about $11. We are going to order the Pug Y'art Kit too because it is so cute!

Knitting is the thing to do this winter, and this Hat Not Hate Loom Kit is the perfect way to get started. This makes it so easy to make a toasty hat for yourself and to share. Buy more yarn and keep creating hats, which are so much more fun to share than hate. Order for $25.

In the 1980's my cousin was really into Latch Hooking Rugs. I was always a little jealous of her creations and wished my parents would buy latch hook kits for me. 40 years later, my daughter has been latch hooking some impressive works that would have my cousin jealous! Order these for about $15 from Play Monster for a fun crafting session that will have your girls hooked.

Yamaha offers an assortment of high quality musical instruments that are perfect for all ages, including teens and tweens. Something like the Alto Venova makes for a perfect pastime. The instrument produces the mellow sounds of the sax, in a portable and fun to play package. Tweens and teens will love picking up a new skill this winter like playing a unique instrument. 

If you are looking for more ways to craft with tweens and teens check out these ideas.

Reader  favorites include:

Dragonfly Bookmarks

Rainbow Coasters

Flying High In the Sky

This easy to set up sensory bin is perfect for little hands. It is fun to sort thru and play in, and it has a really fun feature for night time play; this Flying High in The Sky Sensory Bin Glows in the DARK!

We have been making sensory bins for about 8 years now.Even though Rolf is a tween and is generally too cool for my projects, even he wanted to get his hands into this one. I used things we had in our craft supplies, but for your convenience I added affiliate links to help you find some of these items that you may not have.

Supplies:

A Storage Bin with a lid

Neon Blue Food Color

Glow in the Dark Paint

A zipper seal baggie

White Rice, Uncooked (2 cups)

Rainbow Ribbon

Toobs - In the sky

Tongs

Glow in the Dark Stars

Cotton Balls

To dye the rice

Place 2 cups of white rice into a zipper seal baggie.

Add 2 tablespoons of non toxic glow in the dark paint (I used art deco brand) and 10 drops of neon blue food color to the baggie.

Seal and shake well.

Pour the rice on a paper towel, paper plate, or something like an old cookie sheet and allow to dry for about 4 hours. You may need to stir halfway through the drying time.

To assemble the bin:

Cut several sections of rainbow ribbon in various lengths from 1 to 3 inches.

Gently "fluff" several cotton balls to resemble clouds.

Pour the dry, dyed rice into the storage bin.

Bury several sections of rainbow ribbon in the rice bin.

Place the remaining rainbow ribbon on the top of the bin.

Bury several plastic glow in the dark stars in the rice bin.

Sprinkle the remaining stars on top of the bin. 

Add fluffy cotton clouds to the bin.

Add the planes and helicopters from the tube of Toobs 

Add a pair of tongs to the bin and invite your child to explore.

The tongs add a challenge to the bin, which is excellent for practicing fine motor skills.

I like to make sensory bins in a container with a lid,so we can snap the lid on it when play time is over and revisit the activity later.  For bins like this that are fun to play with anytime, that comes in handy because my kids want to dig around in this one all the time!

Here is the bin after dark. We LOVE glow in the dark activities! 

Some of our favorite glow in the dark activities include:

No Electric Night Lights

Galaxy Glow in the Dark Slime

Find more sensory ideas here:

Sensory Play