Fruit Nachos {Kid Friendly Recipe}

These are seriously my new favorite snack. I'm pretty sure I like them even more than Ariana and she loves them!

They are easy-peasy and great for a quick snack that kiddos can help make.

This isn't my recipe, we got it from a Highlights magazine, but it's so easy and yum I wanted to share.

Fruit Nachos:

Cinnamon sugar pita chips

1 box instant vanilla pudding

assorted fruit (we used blueberries, raspberries, and kiwi)

Mix up your vanilla pudding as directed on package. We used the quick 5 minute method cause we're impatient like that. Plate your chips and drizzle on the pudding (like cheese) then top with the berries and kiwi or fruit of your choice. Dig in! Seriously, this is yummy and light for enjoying on a warm day.

*We've also tried them with bananas, strawberries and a little chocolate syrup and that's yum too!

75 Stocking Stuffers For Kids

I was thinking of things to put in Ariana's stocking the other day, and then a friend of mine posted asking for advice for stocking stuffers for her little boy and I was coming up with ideas. I decided to share them here too! This list is for boys and girls probably ranging from age 1 - 5.

Stocking stuffer ideas for little ones.

1. foam soap

2. barrel of monkeys

3. character socks

4. crayons

5. mini books

6. little cars

7. toothbrush

8. magic washcloth

9. hairbows

10. flashcards

11. dress up crown

12. train whistle

13. colored bubbles

14. playdough

15. hat/mittens

16. dress up jewelry

17. bath crayons

18. glitter glue

19. spinning top

20. CD of kid songs

21. harmonica

22. stickers

23. kalidescope

24. watercolor paints

25. character fork and spoon

26. temporary tattoos

27. curly straws

28. small flashlight (you'd be surprised, explorer, doctor, shadow maker, cat annoying toy and dentist toy rolled into one)

29. bubble bath

30. mini puzzle

31. letter magnets/foam letters

32. finger puppets

33. animal masks

34. stamps

35. fun bandaids

36. sunglasses

37. growing dinosaur

38. toy baby bottle

39. mini tools 

40. candy canes

41. small doll

42. rubber duck

42. silly putty

43. cookie cutter (for helping mom and dad make cookies)

44. Barbie

45. action figures

46. wind up toys

47. earmuffs

48. pez

49. viewmaster slides

50. echo microphone

51. matchbox cars

52. go fish card game

53. punch ball

54. bath fizzers

55. bird whistle

56. sidewalk chalk

57. little people

58. dinosaurs

59. grabber hand

60. mini magna doodle

61. personalized cup

62. bouncy balls

63. glow in the dark star stickers

64. kid scissors (Ariana loves to cut now)

65. bendy characters

66. purse

67. mini tractors

68. markers

69. foam airplanes

70. small snow globe

71. doll clothes

72. play shaving kit

73. fuzzy slippers

74. fruit snacks

75. handwritten letter from Santa

Maybe this is helpful to a few of you out there. Stockings were always one of my favorite things. I still love to get/give them with my family. Sometimes they can be a challenge to find little things to fill them with though. Happy Holidays!

Halloween Tutu {Tutorial}

I whipped up this little back tutu for Ariana the other day and it's perfect for her Halloween outfit. It would be cute as part of a costume, she was a black cat with a tutu and ears and a fluffy tail with a similar tutu I made on her first Halloween.

Here is how I made this tutu. It's so easy!

Supplies:

spool of tulle

scissors

elastic

sewing machine and thread

1. Measure your waistband. I used my elastic and just put it around Ariana's waist and marked where I wanted it. Make sure it overlaps a little when you cut it so you can sew it closed.

2. Using a sewing machine make a few stitches back and forth to close it and make your waistband.

3. Measure you tulle. I cut mine at about 14 inches. My tutu is made up of 60 strips. Don't worry if they aren't perfect.

4. I put my elastic around a chair to hold it steady while I worked. Starting with one strip of tulle at a time, fold it in half and poke it down behind the elastic.

5. Reach your fingers up through the loop and grab the tail of your tulle.

6. Pull the tail through forming an knot on the elastic band.

7. It should look like this.

8. Repeat knots until you have a full skirt. Remember mine took about 60 pieces of tulle.

Colorful Hearts! {Valentine Craft with Ariana}

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

A few weeks ago Ariana and I made these cute and colorful "stained glass" hearts! It was a fun and easy Valentine craft for kids.

A few weeks ago Ariana and I made these cute and easy little "stained glass" hearts! It didn't start out being cute little hearts. Actually, it started from this project I found about melted crayons and watercolor. I was ironing pieces of crayon on paper and the crayon made pretty designs on the wax paper when I ironed it. So, I decided to iron 2 pieces of wax paper together with the pieces of crayon in between and see what happened. Low and behold, it actually worked and the wax paper melted together to hold in the crayons!

I loved the pretty colors that this made. I wasn't sure what to do with the pretty wax paper but loved the way it looked when I taped them up on the glass door to display them. That's when I decided they should be little stained glass hearts. I cut a heart shape out and glued it in between two pieces of construction paper to make the frame. Then I glued a bit of yarn to the back to hang it with.

I mailed these out to some family and friends, along with handmade cards from Ariana and a few pictures I took of Ariana from our photo shoot last week!

See how cute the hearts turned out!! 

Basically all Ariana did was design the crayon pattern. I grated the crayons with our cheese grater...probably not the best idea cause that was a MAJOR pain to clean afterward.

Then I put the grated crayons in separate bowls and let her do her thing. 

She watched me while I ironed and when I was putting it all together I gave her some of my valentine stamps and a red ink pad and let her stamp away on her cards she made! She loved that.

So anyways, this was a super fun craft. Probably would have been more fun with an older kid who can use scissors and that sort of thing, but I didn't think about that when I was coming up with the idea. Definitely something I'll do again when she's older!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND BLOG READERS!!

Lots of x's and o's today!!

Cat

Blue and Green

I'm raising a little artist, I just know it!

Ariana got some watercolor paints in her stocking this year. So, the other day, Ariana and I got them out for a fun afternoon activity. She totally loved it! I think she enjoyed it about a million times more than coloring. She painted 5 pictures that first day! I had to make her stop so we would have some papers for another time!

 

She was so focused on what she was doing! She would paint each part of the picture separately.

Her favorite colors were blue and green. I think she liked how bright those colors showed up on her paper.

She also enjoyed watching the colors swirl in the water each time she dipped her brush.

Her almost finished page.

I tried not to tell her what colors to use or where to do it. She knows enough from coloring etc that I just let her do her own little thing. She's such a creative and imaginative little soul! I love watching her grow and learn new things! She's my favorite!

xo's

Cat

Sunday Confessions are BACK!!!

That's right, I'm bringing Sunday Confessions back!!

This used to be a regular post on my blog, but I got burnt out on it. For the rest of 2010 I hope to continue my Sunday Confessions posts. That's 10 more editions of Sunday Confessions (or 50 quirks, likes, and dislikes about yours truly). 

1. I used to collect pigs. 

Not real pigs, although I've always wanted one!

It started with Piglet (and I'm not even really a Winnie the Pooh fan) and went from there. In 7th grade I cried because we had to read a book call "A Day No Pigs Would Die". Mostly it was figurines but I had some funky things like a pig roll the pig (like dice) game!

 *here*

 I don't collect them anymore, but I still find them irresistibly cute!

2. I know I've mentioned it before on my blog, but I would L-O-V-E to own one of these (VW camper vans) 

I would totally name mine and crochet a granny square blanket and sew some cute pillows to throw in there for snuggling. I would drive it all around Germany, France, Italy and anywhere else I wanted to travel. It would be a dream vacation!

 *here*

3. I love me some sushi! 

I could probably eat it every day! If only I had money to eat out everyday...or a good sushi place around here for that matter. We haven't found one yet.

 *from our last date night in Omaha*

4. Clawfoot bathtub.

I want one.  

I love taking my book and having a good soak in some luxurious bubbles. A glass of wine is nice too. It's my best thinking place. It's my quick stress reliever.

*here*

5. Kai Lan.

She has stolen my heart!

I love her show, Ni hao, Kai Lan. I don't like many kids shows (they're not like they used to be) but, I watch this with Ariana!

*here*

I love coming up with things to confess, but sometimes it can be trying.

If there is anything you want to know about me, post it as a comment and maybe you'll see it in a later edition of Sunday Confessions!

I'm off to a birthday party, whoo hoo for making new friends!!!

xo's

Cat

♥♥♥