Baseball Uniforms - A Laundry Challenge! #whiteuniformpants #whiteagain

My son has played baseball for years. Many of those years the biggest cleaning worry was a grass stain, which was easy to treat and return the pants to their pre-game appearance. Now that he is in high school, they play hard and they really ground in the dirt from the field. Whether laying out for a catch or sliding into base, his pants are always dirty when he comes home.

Over the years, I have tried this cleaner and that, all sorts of pre-treatments and soaps. Some of them work great most of the time, but it seems that there are playing conditions that cause dirt that just won't come out of the pants no matter how many times you wash them.

Before and After with Fels-Naptha soap. It helped but there is still a lot of dirt.
Before and after with a combination of dish detergent and peroxide. Better but still not clean.

So, I finally broke down and gave a try to a trick I heard time and again, the car wash. You know what...it worked. We tried at home with our hose and a jet spray nozzle, but that just wasn't enough. I did put a bit of prewash on it to provide a bit of soap. Use the hooks that they have for hanging mats and voila! clean pants.
Not perfect, but pretty good and much better than with soap alone. Be sure to take a bucket with you to bring the pants home in...they are pretty damp after being hosed down.

Ozobot Evo Party and Review #Tryazon #OzoSquad

As a participant in the Tryazon Ozobot Party, I received an Ozobot party pack which included a complimentary Ozobot Evo for my family and a guest. All opinions expressed are my own.

Growing up, I never thought anything about being interested in science and math. In fact, I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an engineer, although honestly, I'm not sure I really knew what an engineer was. Coding was something that was still 'new' when I was growing up, at least non-punchcard coding, but I had several opportunities to experience it in fun ways through camps and classes. I can remember first learning on an Apple Desktop computer and on a TRS-80 in math class in junior high. I even had a chance to go to a three week long summer camp in high school where I learned to program to create drawings. That knowledge base has served me well in my career too.

As a mom, I look for ways to bring STEM concepts to my kids in a fun way, such that they don't always realize that they are actually learning. When I first learned about Ozobot, I was intrigued it looked like a fun interactive toy that would help my kids learn about the basics of coding. Then, in late summer, I was invited to participate in a Tryazon party to check out the new Ozobot Evo and share it with friends and family. I was very excited to get the chance to let my kids and their friends play with the Ozobot Evo.

I didn't mention it to the kids until the party pack arrived. My daughter was so excited, wanting to know when we could open them and play with the Ozobot.

I love the packaging that the Ozobot Evo came in. Once opened, there are cute little 'drawers' that hold the charger, the markers, and the skin. There is also a pocket that holds the play mat and the top allows you to store the Ozobot Evo easily.

We started with the Experience Pack (available free on their website for Ozobot Evo owners). It introduces the kids to Line Navigation, first with basic pre-drawn black lines and then engages the kids by having them draw black lines that the Ozobot can follow.

As they work through the Experience Pack, they are awarded with stars on the Ozobot app and learn about the color codes that can provide direction to the Ozobot Evo. These color sequences can tell the Ozobot to spin, to walk backwards, turn right and more. The experience pack includes a code reference sheet.

The set comes with markers, but we found that if you have good markers you can also use standard markers to make lines to navigate and color sequences to tell the Ozobot what action to take. This is very helpful when everyone wants to make their own set of lines for Ozobot and you only have one set of official markers.

The Ozobot Evo in action:

Everyone had fun playing and exploring with Ozobot. After tackling the Experience Pack, the kids explored using the app to control the action of the Ozobot Evo. Then, they moved onto OzoBlocky on the app which allows them to drag and drop coding and create loops of the activity. With five levels from novice to master, OzoBlocky allows your child to do progressively more challenging code concepts. Once the code is assembled, load it to the Ozobot Evo and they can see their code in action.

At this point, my kids have only touched the surface of the games and learning opportunities within the app. My daughter really wants to explore racing with two Ozobots and has found continuous lines (both loops and intersected loops) on YouTube that she is experimenting with and discovering new ways to play with the Ozobot Evo.

I think this is a great toy for kids to explore coding concepts through interactive play. One mom at the party talked about how this would be a great alternative for a child that is in to video games, as Ozobot Evo can provide learning and exposure to coding through interaction. Which is a great alternative to some of the video games that are out there.

You can learn more about Ozobot, the Evo and the Bit and explore the App and other available resources on their website. Ready to buy? Right now, for a limited time, you can save on the purchase of you own Ozobot Evo by heading to their website and using the coupon code OzobotParty1517 to save 15%.

As a participant in the Tryazon Ozobot Party, I received an Ozobot party pack which included a complimentary Ozobot Evo for my family and a guest. All opinions expressed are my own.

"H" is for Halloween

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

I am a big fan of the fall. I enjoy cool evenings, crisp days, hayrides, bonfires, and the tastes of fall. Our schedule seems to dictate to what extent we get to enjoy all of those activities. The best part is that they are family activities that allow us to spend time simply being together.

Last weekend, the kids asked if we could make an apple pie. I had some apples that I had picked up at the orchard, as well as some that were leftover at the swim meet concession stand, so the three of us made a pie. It was the first time my son had helped make a pie. It was fun to teach him about cutting in the shortening and tossing it gently with water to give a nice flaky crust. My daughter helped measure out the flour, sugar and seasoning to add to the apples. And my son measured for the crumb topping. I got to peel the apples and told the kids how my grandma and grandpa could peel the entire apple in one continuous piece, creating a spiral of peel. I showed them that I couldn't do the full apple, but was getting close.

This weekend we are hosted a slumber party to celebrate my daughter's birthday. We did a build your own pizza bar. I made a homemade crust and set out individuals crusts for each girl. The toppings included pizza sauce, regular and mini pepperoni, two types of shredded cheese, browned sausage, and diced peppers. It was a fun time by all building their pizzas.

For Halloween, my daughter requested to be a cat. So, we headed to the store to find fur to make the tail, ears and patches. We found a black hoodie and leggings to be the foundation of the costume. We planned out the patches, the tail and ears and I did the cutting and sewing. My son was in the uncertain phase this year, so he is recycling a convict costume that we had in the basement. Historically, we have made his costume as well. Recent selections have been a baseball card, a Lego Minifigure and a vending machine. This may be the last year that we head out to trick or treat as a family. It is always a good time, catching up with others in the neighborhood. There are families that gather on a driveway with a bonfire and one year a family had a food truck that was serving sample size soups and coffee to the parents.

How will you celebrate Fall and Halloween?

“H” is for Halloween: With fall officially in full swing, Hormel Foods is introducing the "ABC's of Fall" on the Hormel Foods Recipes Pinterest page! Encourage your readers to check out new seasonal posts, and share with us their favorite fall recipes, “spooky” snack ideas, and ways they use classic fall flavors using the hashtag #ABCsofFall and #HormelFamily.

· “M” is for Mummies:

Hanging out in cemeteries isn’t the only place for these scary creatures – turns out they like pizza too! That is, in these Mini Mummy Pizzas. To make your own, top half an English muffin with pizza sauce, add Hormel® Pepperoni Minis, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and add two sliced black olives for eyes. Viola!

· “S” is for Spooky: Make a “Spooky Chili” this Halloween for a fun and filling time! Use Halloween-shaped cookie cutters to cut shapes out of cheese slices and place the cheese shapes over a bowl of hot Hormel® Chili with Beans. Pair it with this spooky Halloween dip

featured on the NATURAL CHOICE® Pinterest page, which uses a variety of Hormel Foods products!

· “W” is for Weekends: Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so use the whole weekend as an excuse to indulge in some of your favorite fall treats!

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product samples for my family to try. I also receive thought starters, information and photos that can be used in a post.

Spring Break Staycation - Bowling and Arcade Fun for the Family #StarLanes #Polaris

When I was a kid, Spring Break was just a week off of school. There was one year that we headed on a family vacation to Arizona, but aside from that they were just a week at home. I'm not really sure that I remember that my friends went anywhere either. There wasn't a 'fancy' term for staying home that week, it was just what we did. Nowadays, of course, the practice of staying close to home and enjoying all that your broader community offers has a label - staycation.

Now that I am a mom, we tend to spend the week of spring break close to home. Making some short driving trips, but otherwise spending time with friends. We like to fill the week with activities like bike riding (although it seems to be very windy when we do), bowling, jumping (used to be at an inflatables place, but now we have trampoline places), heading to the playground, swimming at the Y (or a water park) and hanging out with friends. This year our spring break has included play dates with friends, movies, breakfast out, swimming at the Y, board games and sleepovers. Still to come is a chocolate factory tour, movie and lunch at a dine in theater, time with Grandma and Grandpa, a trip to the science center, a visit to the bookstore, bowling and probably more dining out.

Many businesses know that there are many families doing staycations and offer specials during the week. The week before spring break, our local Y sent out a special pool schedule for spring break. I have seen special offers from many other local businesses that know that parents will be looking for something to make the break fun.

If you are in the Columbus area, or close enough to drive, like we are, then you might want to check out the special offer at Star Lanes Polaris. Their special is designed to span several weeks of spring break, so you can take advantage now through April 10th.

Pins, Pop-a-Shot and Pizza

March 16 - April 10

For $15, children ages 12 and under, will receive a kid's meal menu item, game of bowling and shoes and $5 arcard game card.

Available weekdays from 11am to 3pm. Must be accompanied by an adult.

Why not gather together your group of moms (or dads) and plan a playdate at Star Lanes. You can all visit, while the kids play or join in the fun and challenge the kids to a game.

No compensation was received for this post. A promotional gift card was provided for a future visit. All opinions are my own or that of my family.

The Return of the Busy Life

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

It's funny to me how cyclical busyness is in our lives. We either have nothing going on or we have a hundred and two things going on.

As we start to get back into the school routine, we are also getting back into soccer for two kids and baseball for one. That is one less sport than the spring/summer season, but still proves to be very busy. The good news is that by some coincidence, both kids have soccer practice at the same field, on the same day, at times that overlap by 45 minutes...meaning that although they will each get a bit of time to sit before or after their own practice, I get to have a much easier than normal schedule.

Of course, even though their practices are on the same night, we still have to get there pretty quick after I come home from work. This makes dinner a real challenge, but it is important to me that we get the chance to eat together as often as possible. I tend to take two approaches to dinner on these busy nights. Either I select a meal that I can prepare ahead so that I can get it on the table in a quick turn before we head off for soccer or I plan a meal that I can prep while they shower after practice.

One of my quick prep favorites is tacos. By cutting the vegetables and preparing the meat the night before, we can quickly warm the meat and eat before heading out. Another favorite is chicken Caesar salad. When I cook dinner the night before, I prepare a couple of extra chicken breasts, slice them up and have them ready to go, along with romaine lettuce, some shredded Parmesan, some dressing and croutons.

When we have to wait for dinner, it is important to me that the kids get an afternoon snack that I know will help hold them over through practice until dinner. This means that I look for snacks that have both carbs and protein - I have always heard that a sustaining snack has some protein along with carbohydrates to help fuel their energy needs. Some of our go to favorites are string cheese and crackers, or apples and peanut butter, or yogurt and granola.

Another item that the kids enjoy as a snack before we head out the door (or sometimes, as we do) is Hormel Rev Wraps. I like that they have a good amount of protein, but don't seem to be such a big snack as to spoil their dinner. The kids like that there are so many varieties to choose from, although experience says that Pepperoni Pizza is their favorite.

Then, dinner is usually some sort of a dish that requires a little bit of prep time - either on the stove or in the oven - that times up well with them getting their showers.

It can be a challenge, but sitting down as a family for dinner is important and we find ways to work around that.

What is your approach to dinner when your schedule is full?

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product and some of the information for this post.

Little Green Pouch - review

No compensation was received for this post. A complimentary sample was provided for the purposes of this review. All images courtesy of Little Green Pouch.

It seems to me that lately, there are more and more items available at the store in pouches. I think I first tried a pouch product in the baby food aisle. I thought the concept was interesting, a squeeze pouch that could allow your young child to feed themselves fruits or vegetables without the need for a spoon. Then, I tried a product that was designed for adults - I can't remember the brand now, but it was a during exercise type of snack that would give you energy on the go. I liked the idea of a snack that I could put in the bag on my bike and enjoy on the way.

A while back, I was contacted by someone from a company that is offering a new product - Little Green Pouch. The product is a reusable pouch, that is dishwasher and freezer safe. It opens at the top with a interlocking zipper bag closure (like on your sandwich bags), to allow for easy filling of the pouch.

I told them that I would love to try this product and share it with my readers.

The pouches are very easy to clean. I cleaned them by hand the first time and then used my dishwasher. The zipper opening allows you to easily fit a bottle brush inside to clean. Trying to reach your hand in with a washcloth is a little bit harder. The dishwasher - simple. Open up your pouch, invert it and place over one of the tines in your upper rack.

The opening created with the zipper, allows for the pouches to easily be filled. They even have a little picture on the back of the pouch to suggest that you use a spoon, a funnel or a pitcher to fill. We tended to fill most with a spoon, or a pitcher (blender). Once filled, seal the zipper and remove the cap on the spout to enjoy the contents.

Each pouch can be filled with up to 7 oz of product, but I found that closer to 4 oz was the level to which I could fill and have the contents consumed. Coincidentally, this is also close to what are found on many of the other pouch items. The pouch does have a graduation on the back that shows you 2 oz increments, as well as the 7 oz max fill, which takes the guess work out of filling the pouch.

Each pouch also has a label spot on the back, so that you could mark whose pouch it was. I don't know about your house, but at my house it seems to be very important to my kids that they don't share a straw, a spoon, or cup...so this makes it an easy way to keep each person's pouch as their own.

We filled our pouches with an assortment of items. I liked that not only could I choose what to put in them, but also that I had more control over the ingredients and texture (some of the pouch items that I have bought and tried were too smooth, I like a little texture to my nourishment). I used them for yogurt - easy to consume and a great way to eat it on the go. We mostly enjoy blended yogurts at my house, so there weren't to many pieces of fruit...if you used fruited yogurt, might have to check and make sure it won't clog the spout. I also used them for pudding when I made some homemade pudding for the kids. We used them for smoothies, which we are a big fan of at my house. It is not only a great way to use up the assorted fruit in the house, but you can even sneak in some veggies for more nutrition.

Looking for more ideas? On their website, they offer several recipe ideas for things to make and fill in the pouches. They have recipes for sweet and savory - one savory option that I noticed is Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Kale puree. They even have a separate search to find Paleo friendly recipes. I really think that the options are endless...anything you can puree, can go in the pouch.

What would you put in your Little Green Pouch?

No compensation was received for this post. A complimentary sample was provided for the purposes of this review. All images courtesy of Little Green Pouch.

Corraling the Water Bottles and Travel Mugs

One of the challenges that I feel like I face in my house is a place to properly store things. Sure, I can usually find a corner, a basket, a shelf to tuck things away on, but it doesn't always feel very organized to me.

One of the items that have been a challenge to store are our reusable water bottles and insulated travel mugs. Between the ones that we have purchased overtime - with filters/with chilled cores/insulated/fits the bike cup holder/for coffee and the ones that we have gotten through different events - summer reading club/sports/store events/vacation, we have more than our fair share of reusable water bottles. On any given day, several will be occupying the dish strainer in our sink but several need to be stored. The real challenge has always been the varying heights and some of them have straws - so even if I had cupboard space, they likely would be too tall for a typical shelf.

We have what is supposed to be a coat closet at the end of our hallway near our garage door. Because of a feeling of lack of storage space and a desire to have some semblance of order, it has become more of a storage closet. It is where we keep our vacuum, we have two hanging shoe organizers, there is a shelf unit that holds our winter gear, my spring form pans, a roasting pan, my cookie cutters and up until a few weeks ago our water bottles.

Their perch on the top shelf always felt like it was one bump away from having several water bottles come clattering down to the floor.

Then, as I was wondering the web, as I so often do, I randomly came upon the idea of using an over the door shoe organizer to corral water bottles. I loved it. So, the next time that we were at Target, I picked up this inexpensive over the door shoe organizer and set out to organize my water bottles and travel mugs.

My hall closets and pantry all have bi-fold doors, so they weren't options for me for hanging it, so I settled on the back of the laundry room door. It keeps them out of the way, but still readily accessible, just a few steps from the kitchen.

I really am pleased to be able to store 24 water bottles and travel mugs out of the way. The crazy thing is, I still have 4 or 5 in my kitchen - the one I take each day to the gym, one for each of the kids to take to their near daily sports practices or games and summer camp, the one that I take coffee to work in each day and one other for those days when we have back to back sports and need more than one water per child.

In addition, now I have regained a shelf, plus some random other space where some additional mugs were tucked away, that allows me to better organize other things.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

One in a Minion

This year for Valentine's day, we decided to go a different route and not just buy cards at the store for my daughter's class. I also wanted to avoid giving candy - I don't remember passing out or receiving candy as part of Valentine's Day card exchanges when I was a kid, but now it seems that everyone attaches some type of candy or lollipop to their cards. Now that my kids aren't in preschool, we no longer get to make things for class parties, so making a treat sounded like a fun way to go.

I have some seen some really cute ideas around and decided it would be fun to make something. We decided on making an edible treat and attaching a card to the baggie...so, I guess I didn't totally get away from sweets, but at least I went cookie instead of candy. What did we make, you ask...as if the title of this post didn't give it away...Minions!..and we attached a card that said "You're one in a Minion. Happy Valentine's Day"

This is not an original idea, you can see my inspiration here. I did go a cheaper route though and used a tub of frosting and used frosting colors to make the blue and the black frosting that I needed and used a decorating tip on a zipper baggie to decorate the cookies, rather than buying the more expensive pre-colored cake/cookie frosting. It worked well for me. I was able to find the candy eyes at Target in their baking aisle.

I started by giving all of them overalls. Then we did the glasses, smile and hair...placing one or two eyes on each as we went. For the glasses, I pretty much drew a straight line across and then either put one or two dots on it so that when the eye was placed, it would give a black rim under it.

We did our best to make several different looking Minions. Some had hair, others did not...we even varied up the hairstyle.

We used the snack size zipper bags for holding the cookies and used the Avery business card stock for printing the cards - they were the perfect size.

Scooby - Doo Live! Musical Mysteries North American Tour 2014

No compensation was received for this post.

I grew up watching Scooby-Doo and have shared Scooby-Doo with my kids. When I heard that Scooby-Doo Live! was coming to Akron, I was very excited, because I knew it was a show that the whole family would enjoy.

Tickets for this show would make a great Christmas present. I love to take the kids to live theater and when they are already familiar with the characters, it makes it that much more enjoyable for everyone. Plus, we have a history of giving each other tickets to live shows and sporting events for Christmas. We have frequently made 'vouchers' for those events where the tickets haven't yet gone on sale or we didn't receive paper tickets.

Scooby Doo: Musical Mysteries
Akron Civic Theatre
April 5, 2014
2 Thrilling shows at 2pm and 5pm.

Jeepers! SCOOBY-DOO and the Mystery Inc. Gang have been called in to help
solve an epic mystery in Akron. A trouble-making ghost is haunting a
local theater and SHAGGY, FRED, DAPHNE, VELMA and SCOOBY-DOO are
on their way in the MYSTERY MACHINE to help solve it! This hilarious live
theater show brings everyone's favorite animated series to life. Filled with wacky
new characters, fantastic songs and outrageous antics, SCOOBY-DOO LIVE!
MUSICAL MYSTERIES, presented by Warner Bros. and Life Like Touring, will
have audiences on the edge of their seats in traditional Scooby-Doo fashion.
See if this time the gang is in over its head!

Special Offer!
I am excited to be able to share with my readers an exclusive password that will allow you to participate in the presale event, the day before tickets go on sale to the general public.

The Presale is this Thursday,12/12/13 from 10am – 10pm

Use the password: SHAGGY

Links to buy tickets:

Click here to buy tickets to the 2PM show

Click here to buy tickets to the 5PM show

Tickets go on sale to the public on 12/13/13 10am.

No compensation was received for this post. The Akron Civic provided the information for the presale and the exclusive password to share with readers to participate in the presale. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Seasonal Allergies #Claritin

A few weeks back, I heard someone say that this year the allergies were going to be rougher because the summer wasn't hot. I'm not sure I fully understand the correlation, but as a mom to a child that suffers from allergies, I am here to say it certainly seems true.

I can remember the first year that my son suffered from allergies. He was all stuffy, which could have been anything, but when I looked at his eyes, I just knew it wasn't a cold.

Of course, my son's allergies are worst in spring and early fall, which conveniently (NOT!) coincides with soccer and baseball seasons. So, at the peak time of allergies for him, he is also spending extra time outside...and playing and breathing hard, which only seems to exacerbate the issues. Thankfully, for us, Children's Claritin and some eye drops really help to make the allergy seasons more bearable for him.

As a mom crew member, Claritin has shared the following Back to School Allergy Tips:

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your child’s daily routine.

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens from body surfaces and hair.

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the day.

No compensation was received for this post. As a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. All opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

Baked Wonton Cheese Sticks

No compensation received for this post. Complimentary packages of Frigo Cheese Heads string cheese were provided. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Now that the kids are back to school, there seems to be more snacking occasions than normal. They seem to come home from school hungry for a snack, which works out well on days when we have sports and can't eat until after. Of course, on those days, I find myself grabbing a snack to go too! Then, there are the evenings, after the kids are in bed and I am looking for a little something to nibble on with a glass of wine, as I relax, wind down from the crazy day and watch a show.

I don't know about your house, but at our house, string cheese is a favorite snack. Personally, I am a fan of cheese of all forms and find it to be a satisfying snack. I feel good providing string cheese to the kids because I feel it is a reasonably healthy option - the pack I have at home right now is only 80 calories per serving and provides 6 g of protein and some calcium. I don't know that the kids think of it as a healthy snack, but I know that they think that it is fun to eat as they tear off string after string.

As America’s Favorite String Cheese, Frigo® Cheese Heads® String Cheese is:
- Perfect for school lunches and after school snacks
- High in calcium and a good source of protein
- Individually wrapped for wholesome and fun snacking on-the-go
- Easy to use in recipes the entire family will enjoy

Typically, I think of string cheese as a stand alone snack or an accompaniment to a bowl of crackers. But last weekend, as we geared up for the official start of football season, we decided that it would be nice to have a little snack while we watched the games. We had had our fill of chips the prior day as hosts of the fantasy football draft, so I decided that I could use string cheese as an easy way to enjoy baked cheese. I decided that breading them and trying to fry/bake them would likely turn into a mess, but figured that wrapping them up in wontons would allow us a way to have baked cheese with less mess. When I suggested the snack and started to pull out the ingredients, both of the kids were anxious to help, so I let them help me roll them up and took over when it came to bake.

Baked Wonton Cheese Sticks

Wonton Wrappers
String Cheese
Oil
bowl of water

Open the string cheese and cut each piece into three equal sections. Place on the wonton wrappers and roll up like an egg roll, using the water to wet the edges to help the wrapper seal.

Place the wrapped cheese in a skillet with oil, over medium heat. Turn until browned.

Place the cheese sticks into an oven safe glass dish and bake for 10-12 minutes at 375.

Serve with a side of marinara.

Everyone liked the baked wonton cheese sticks and agreed that we should definitely make them again.

No compensation was received for this post. Complimentary packages of Frigo Cheese Heads string cheese were provided for the purpose of sharing. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Making Kid Friendly Chopsticks

This post is courtesy of my son. We went to lunch Tuesday at a Thai restaurant, his first visit to a Thai restaurant. When I requested chopsticks, he wanted to be able to use them too. He is not yet comfortable using chopsticks in a traditional way, but he had previously used special kid chopsticks at another restaurant. As a result, he knew what he needed to make a set of kid friendly chopsticks out of a standard set of restaurant chopsticks. He headed up to the hostess stand and asked for a rubber band. We made up a set and he used it to enjoy his lunch.

After we were done eating, he wanted to take a video of me making the chopsticks. So, based on his request, here is a picture of the three supplies that you will need - a rubber band, a set of chopsticks and their wrapper:

Here is the video that he shot of me making the chopsticks:

As you can see, you simply roll up the paper that the chopsticks come in and place that between the chopsticks on the non-eating end of the sticks, leaving just enough room to attach the rubber band. Attach the rubber band securely above the wrapper, and Voila!, chopsticks that a child can easily master and use to enjoy their meal...just like mom.

(I guess this is my first Vlog...does it matter that I didn't say a thing? He certainly had what feels like an odd angle and I feel like I look a mess, when he moved the video to show me - but all in all, I can now say that I have Vlogged.)

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday.

Zipzicles - review and giveaway

We are a big fan of frozen treats in our house, especially in summer time. We have made our own popsicles at home for years, but now there is a new way to enjoy homemade frozen treats: Zipzicle. With Zipzicle you can create your own Ice Pops in your favorite flavors. No need to worry about sticks or taking your treats on the go. Simply use a small funnel or baster to fill the tube to the fill line, seal the zip closure and freeze. Once frozen, run the zipper closure under a bit of warm water to make it easier to open.

We first tried ours out using Silk Protein Milk for one and cherry cola for the other.

The kids really enjoyed the pops and thought it was great to be able to make their own favorite flavor. After making the cherry cola one, I read that it is not recommended to use carbonated beverages for the Zipzicles. My son really enjoyed the flavor, so we might try again and just not fill the tube as full. My daughter, who always seems to be done before her treat is gone, loved that she could zip it back up and enjoy it later. I liked not having to throw away half of a freezer pop.

We have decided that Zipzicle is a great way to pack away that bit of leftover smoothie for enjoyment later. We used to simply pour them into a cup and set them in the freezer, but they were always too hard to enjoy. With Zipzicle, it is easy to squeeze it out and enjoy it as a frozen treat. Who knows, maybe we will make smoothies just to enjoy as Zipzicles!

You can use the Zipzicles just once, or you can wash them with a bit of soapy water, rinse, and refill. We decided that if we have friends over, we would keep them single use, but for the kids, I have labeled theirs and we can use them a couple of times at least.

The Zipzicle site is full of recipes, tips and more. You can purchase direct from ZipZicle or find them on Amazon.

Giveaway!
Courtesy of Zipzicle, three (3) A Busy Mom of Two readers will each win a free pack of ZipZicles to try them out for yourself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through August 28th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary package of Zipzicles for my review and they are providing the three packages for the giveaway. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

A Colorful Summer *

* No compensation was received for this post. Crayola provided information for the post, a gift pack for my family and one for the giveaway. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.
As a mom, in today's world, I am so glad for the simple things...a box of crayons, water colors, sidewalk chalk. It is so nice to watch the kids be creative and express themselves...and to spend hours busy entertaining themselves with the favorites of my own childhood. Not that I let my kids spend a lot of time on the computer, iPod, iPad or watching TV, but some days it sure feels like that is the primary source of entertainment and that is why it is so refreshing to watch them color and create.

There is just something so inviting about a blank concrete driveway when you have a pack of sidewalk chalk. There is something about having such a large canvas to color on. At our house, we tend to draw rainbows, sunshine, our names and roadways. I love when they make roadways and then grab their scooters to travel the routes that they drew...and the stories about how when you get to the dead end your scooter flies to the other side of the pathway and reenters.

I think as a mom, one of my favorite new products from recent years is Color Wonder...I love that I don't have to worry about colors winding up on all sorts of other surfaces in my house, with the special Color Wonder markers, the color only shows up on the Color Wonder paper. That is pretty awesome! I am really excited about their new Color Wonder Glitter Paper and Markers. My daughter absolutely loves glitter, but it seems that we get glitter everywhere...whether from a craft or a new shirt that glitters. It can be a pain to clean up, so knowing that this product gives her the glitter effects with no glitter mess is a good thing in my book.

Their Color Wonder Mini Stow and Go is perfect for entertaining the kids on the go. The container has space to securely store 6 Color Wonder markers and a small pad of paper. It comes with three markers, but we filled ours with some of our other markers...to give us the most variety when we are coloring on the go. The small paper pad it comes with is plain color wonder paper, allowing the kids to use their imagination to color whatever comes to mind. The container makes a perfect writing surface for them in the car...fitting easily in their small laps.

Here is some information about some of their exciting new summer products:

Washable Sidewalk Chalk:

*A standout from the crowd -- it’s the first sidewalk chalk featuring 48 classic Crayola crayon colors! And that’s not all - the chalk is also bolder and more vibrant than ever.
*With so many colors to choose from, kids can let their imaginations run wild to create beautiful masterpieces that may include “carnation pink” flowers, “sepia” colored tree trunks, “granny smith apple” turtles or “scarlet” colored lady bugs.
*A new anti-roll shape prevents chalk from rolling away and the wide sides allow kids to draw thick lines.
*Parents will appreciate that the chalk is washable from sidewalks and driveways - simply spray away with water!

Color Wonder Mini Stow and Go:

• Mess-free fun hits the road with Crayola Wonder Mini Stow and Go!
• The Color Wonder Mini Stow & Go gives you a portable writing surface and storage for your creations and markers.
• Markers color only on special paper and not on skin, furniture or carpets!
• Each pack includes a 15-page mini Color Wonder Coloring Pad and 3 Color Wonder Markers

Color Wonder Mess-Free Glitter Paper and Markers:

* Crayola’s new Color Wonder Glitter Paper is full of glittery fun but without the mess, since the glitter effects are in the paper.
* Kids can create dazzling, sparkly masterpieces with their favorite Disney Princesses and Fairies.
* With Crayola’s Color Wonder system, parents can rest easy since the mess-free Color Wonder markers will only appear on the special Color Wonder paper – not on skin, clothing, walls or furniture.
* Kids can color and watch in awe as hidden images magically appear on the glittery paper.

Giveaway!
Crayola has offered to send one A Busy Mom of Two reader a Crayola Summer Gift Pack.
The gift pack will include:

(1) Pack of Washable Sidewalk Chalk
(1) Color Wonder Mini Stow and Go
(1) Color Wonder Mess-Free Glitter Paper and Markers

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Giveaway will remain open through August 16th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Crayola provided information for the post, a gift pack for my family and one for the giveaway. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Kalahari’s Summer Splash Celebration #giveaway #KalahariOH *

*a complimentary gift box for my family to experience. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

There is just something so fun about a get away at a water park. As a kid, I can remember the fun of going to the water park and they hold the same appeal today as an adult (somewhat surprisingly, since generally, the idea of walking around in my bathing suit is far from appealing). I have always been one to enjoy the water and swimming, but the experience was so different than just a day at the pool. In fact, most of the time, there is little actual swimming - lots of sliding and splashing and floating, but little swimming.

Water parks have come a long way in my lifetime. When I was really young, I don't remember that we even had water parks in Ohio (we may have, just not any that I knew about). I know that when I was older there were a couple of water parks built in Cincinnati - the Beach came first in 1985 and Surf Cincinnati a few years later. A trip to the water park was a special day, but it was just a day. I can remember one year, when we were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, we took a day and went to the water park down there. I don't remember much about the park itself, but I remember coming back to the room after the day at the park and my brother had a strange rash. That rash turned out to be chicken pox that he had unbeknownst to us had been exposed to those last couple of days of the school year. It made for a fun ride home and although I didn't have them on vacation, I did get them a few weeks later.

Now, as an adult, I have had the fun of taking my family to enjoy indoor water parks. Many are actually resorts with the water park attached to a hotel and full of several amenities for the whole family. Not only do you have the luxury of being able to enjoy a water park year round and not worry about getting a sunburn, but you also get the chance to head back to the room for a break and the chance to play the day you arrive through the day you checkout.

One of the water parks that the family enjoys going to is Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio. Did you know that at 173,000 square feet, Kalahari Resort in Sandusky is America's largest indoor water park? Kalahari water park is full of attractions for all ages and level of thrill seekers. Some of the attractions include a 12,000 sq. ft. wavepool, the Swahili Swirl 60' diameter bowl raft ride, Zip Coaster uphill water rollercoaster waterslide, Cheetah Race 4 lane mat slides, Kid's Safari and Leopard's Lair for the little ones, Rippling Rhino and Victoria Falls raft rides, lazy river, and MUCH more!

In addition to the obvious attraction of the water park, we enjoy their room selections. Our favorite is their Village Suite, featuring three bedrooms (one with a king bed and two with two queen beds), a living room, and a fully equipped kitchen. It is a great way to enjoy the park with a large group. We have gone with my family and especially with young ones, it is nice to be able to make a dinner in the room and to be able to put them to bed for the night and still be able to gather and visit in the common areas.

This summer, you can enjoy Kalahari's Summer Splash Celebration: A ONE WORLD AFRICAN CELEBRATION OF MUSIC, FOOD & ART.

As part of the celebration, I have an opportunity to share with one reader a Kalahari Sandusky Gift Box.

Kalahari box containing:

· Kalahari Brochure
· Summer Splash Flyer
· Features Fact Sheet
· Green Initiatives Fact Sheet
· 1 Sandusky Overnight stay with restrictions
· 4 Sandusky Safari Outdoor Adventure Park Passes
· 2 Kalahari Ball-caps
· 1 Kalahari CD
· 2 Kalahari Magnet
· 2 Shirts

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through August 15th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary gift box for my family to experience. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Skwooshi Review and Giveaway*

* a complimentary sample was provided for this review.

It is a rainy Saturday morning here, which means that the kids will require some activities to keep them entertained and not just watching TV all day. One of our favorite rainy day activities has always been playing with modeling compounds. The kids will pull out my pie mat from Tupperware to protect my table and will spend time mixing together colors and cutting out shapes and making figures and more. This weekend, we are playing with a new modeling compound called Skwooshi.

This "new mouldable, mess free, scent free colourful compound that NEVER dries out" was launched in a lead market of "Columbus on June 10th...before nationwide distribution takes place in September. The product is called Skwooshi, it is amazing. Your creations are only limited by imagination when playing with this revolutionary new dough."

My daughter has especially enjoyed playing with the Activity Set that we received (my son is 10 and doesn't seem to gravitate to modeling compounds as much as when he was younger). Skwooshi is available in 10 fun colors. The Activity Set comes with 3 colors and more colors are available in 2-packs. In addition to the 3 colors of Skwooshi compound, the Activity Set comes with 3 storage containers, 4 activity tools, 4 cookie cutters, 1 cutting tool and instructions. As with other products, we no longer have single colors of any of Skwooshi compounds, instead we have a lovely rainbow mixture. It is still just as much fun to roll out, cut out and play with. She likes playing with the brick maker and the cookie cutters. On a rainy day, she will sit and mold and build for quite a while...a nice quiet break!

The material has a different feel than other modeling compounds, I am guessing that this is in part how they are able to keep it from drying out. It does seem to stick a little more to the mat we use than other compounds, but cleans up easily. Because I wanted to test and confirm for myself that Skwooshi never dries out, we have had a small piece of Skwooshi sitting on our counter for about 3 weeks now. I am pleased to say that the product is true to its word and even sitting out has not dried out. The piece that is sitting there is still completely soft, moldable and playable. If your kids are like mine, this is huge. So often times, we will put things away with the container not quite closed...with Skwooshi, it is good to know that it won't dry out.

Skwooshi is intended for kids over 3. I also noticed that it carries a wheat and gluten free claim. Not having someone in my immediate family with wheat issues, I guess I didn't realize that in a play product that this would be important, but if you do have someone that is, I think it is good to know.

Giveaway!

Thanks to Irwin Toys, I have the chance to give 5 (five) A Busy Mom of Two readers a chance to win 1 Activity set and 1 2-Pack Skwooshi compound, in advance of it's national launch in September.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will remain open through August 13th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

 No compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary set of Skwooshi so that my family could experience the product and share about it. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Valentine's Day at the Rusty Bucket

Looking for a tasty way to celebrate Valentine's Day with the whole family? Why not head over to your local Rusty Bucket and share a meal tonight - the kids eat free. Plus, they will have balloons, candy, Cupid's Cup kid beverages and more!



I have never been to the Rusty Bucket, but after checking out their menu, I am excited to give them a try.

"Comfort Food At Its Best

The Rusty Bucket features an extensive American menu of your family favorites. There’s something for everyone!"

Find the Rusty Bucket location nearest you here.

No compensation was received for this post. The information about the special was provided by the Rusty Bucket.

Create Abilities for Kids

I don't know about you, but my kids are always looking for ways to entertain themselves. They love to create, color, and draw. When they were in preschool, I was always amazed at the ideas that their teachers had for crafts and creative expression.

I like to believe that I am creative, but I think that in reality I am good at creating something when I have an example in front of me. I look for inspiration (or full-blown direction) when I am creating scrapbook pages, decorating a cake or doing a needlepoint. Same is true when it comes to activities for the kids. I am not good at coming up with the ideas, but am great at working with them to complete a craft or activity.

We recently had the chance to check out Create Abilities for Kids.

"Create Abilities for Kids offers a unique solution to busy parents looking for ways to maximize quality time with their young children. [Their] age-appropriate art kits are designed for ages three, four or five. They contain all of the materials and instructions needed to create an art 'masterpiece'. And these all-inclusive kits will be delivered to the subscriber's mailbox each month. This saves the parent time in planning, getting the materials, and doing the prep work because [they've] already done all of that for them."

I really like that the kit comes with everything that is needed for the activity. It even includes the glue and the paint brushes!

My daughter was looking for something to do, so I pulled out one of the kits. It was nice because I could simply open up the zipped storage bag and pull out all of the supplies that she needed. The project that we had chosen was a Cinnamon Acorn. The pieces for the acorn came pre-cut and there was a container of paint, a container of glue and a container of cinnamon. There was also a foam brush and a small paint brush.

Paint the bottom of the acorn:

Sprinkle cinnamon over the wet paint on the bottom:

Place the black diamonds on top:

The finished acorn:

I liked that I was able to set her up with the activity and guide her through each step. She thought it was pretty cool and as she was making it asked if she could hang it in her room when it was done. When she was adding the cinnamon to the craft, she kept saying "I like the smell of cinnamon, it smells so good". It was a simple and straight-forward craft. I liked that the directions were simple and that there was flexibility - she could put the diamonds on the top in whatever way suited her and she could add as much cinnamon as she wanted. There was no right or wrong.

In addition, the instruction sheet also includes some facts to share with your child. These are not only interesting, but can spur additional conversation. On the acorn activity, one of the facts was that a 100 year old oak tree produces on average 2200 acorns. So, we started to talk about how Scrat (from Ice Age) would love to find a mature tree. For all the trouble that he had with that one acorn, imagine if he had an old oak tree around - he would have more than he would know what to do with.

Creative Abilities for Kids offers monthly subscriptions for their kits. You can choose to receive 2, 3 or 4 kits per month and can select them for a 3, 4, or 5 year old. If you have several children that you are buying for, they do offer discounts for kits for multiple children at the same address. Many of the kits are themed around holidays or events - the acorn craft was for the celebration of the start of fall.

With Creative Abilities for Kids, you can have a steady supply of activities and crafts, without having to maintain an extensive amount of supplies or having to buy more than you need of the supplies.

No compensation was received for this post. A complimentary set of kits was provided so that we could experience them and share about our experience. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.