Super Easy Summer Treat!

Now that Thomas is turning two years old in a few weeks he is old enough to want to do everything his mommy and I do! He recently went to Florida to visit his grandma and discovered one of the best tools ever!... A big boy step stool! It is seriously the best thing since sliced bread for him! Thomas loves to be involved in everything now. He watches us bake, cook, prepare all meals etc and loves to be involved every single second! It is the cutest thing!!

He always wants to help out and I look for different treats and easy meals that he can have fun being involved in without having to use big knives or the stove to prevent injury. Even though I never take my eyes off of him you just never know! I recently came across a childhood treat of my own (nostalgia at its finest) and I figure I will give it a go with Thomas. It is a bit messy but, Thomas wouldn't have it any other way!!

They are Copycat Kit Kat Bars! Sooo yummy and so very easy and fun to make with your little ones.

Image & Recipe found off of Raining Hot Coupons.

There are only two ingredients for this recipe and it is so much fun for the kiddies to mess around in! This may be the perfect rainy day activity and comfort food recipe. 

• 1 Package Vanilla Creme Wafers (I would just buy the store brand)
• 1, 12oz Package of Chocolate Chips

The best thing about this is depending on the nutritional rules of your household you can make this however you want it! Whether your an organic and natural household or even a gluten free household. Just buy the ingredients that work well for your family.

Image found off of Raining Hot Coupons

Next, all you need to do is line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper, melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds or however long it takes. Depending on the power level of your microwave of course! Then, once all the chocolate is melted allow your little one to have fun dipping and coating the wafer with the melted chocolate! Lift the wafer out with a fork allowing all the excess chocolate to drip off. Side note, once all is done you can even allow your little one to use the chocolate to draw pictures and shapes on construction paper or wax/parchment paper. Just something a little messy, yummy and different for them to experience. 

Image found off of Raining Hot Coupons

Once all your wafers are coated, place them in the fridge for five minutes to set! Trim the edges to make them even and enjoy!! SO much fun!

What are some yummy treats that you enjoy making with your little ones? Comment below and let us know some of your favorites!!

XOXO,

-D

What's for Dinner?!

It has been a long time since Keri and I posted a recipe that we enjoy! The recipe that I am going to share with all of you I have made a handful of times! It is every Mother and Nanny's dream.... fast, easy & simple. A household favorite in my book! I have made this for Thomas and my employers. Needless to say, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! Pun completely intended ;)

This is what we call a ONE PAN DINNER! Chicken, Potatoes and Greens! 

Both images were found from Trey and Christy.

I am a HUGE fan of Pinterest! I throughly enjoy stalking all of my beautiful girlfriends and mommy friends to see what they pin and what works best for them! One of my working girlfriends pinned this and gave it a go! I was very inspired and just HAD to try it the next day! You literally throw your raw chicken, potatoes and greens into a pan. Then season and bake! EASIEST THING IN THE WORLD AND OHHHH SOOOO YUMMY!!!

RECIPE:

• Three Chicken Breasts
• Four Medium Red Potatoes
• Green Beans or Broccoli (I used Broccoli)
• 1/2 Stick of butter melted
• Italian dressing mix packet (follow directions on packet for your homemade dressing!)

What to Do:

• Cut the chicken breasts in half
• Cut the potatoes into small chunks
• Spray the bottom of your 13X9 pan
• Place your chicken in the middle, potatoes on one side, veggie on the other
• Top it with half the packet of dressing and the melted butter
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour

I cannot brag about this recipe enough! It is a no brainer! Especially on your laziest of days!! 

Give this AWESOME recipe a go & let us know how you and your family like it! Thanks to our friends over at Trey and Christy for this wonderful, simple & easy dinner idea! MOMMIES and NANNIES ACROSS THE WORLD THANK YOU! 

XOXO,

-D

Getting Ready For Baby #2

I feel like the weeks are just flying by now! I can't believe next week is the beginning of July already! The count down is officially on till we bring home baby #2. 

I have started pulling out all Makenna's old clothes and organizing them. I took out all the newborn and  0-3 month sizes and can't believe we'll have a little baby to wear them all soon! I love looking back and remembering when Makenna wore each item. She was holding them up to herself and saying, "We can give these to Gummy Bear. They no fit me anymore." As I was going through all the clothes, I noticed yellow stains on a lot of the newborn stuff. I remembered seeing something on Pinterest a while ago about getting stains out of baby clothes. I went back on and did some research. I decided to take a few peoples suggestions and combine them. I was amazed at how well it worked! Almost all the stains are gone or hardly noticeable anymore! I'm sorry I never took before and after pics! Blogger fail! But here is the recipe I used to get the stains out. 

• OxyClean powder detergent
• Hydrogen peroxide 
• Gain dish soap
• Hot water
• A small spray bottle

1. I combined about 3 tablespoons of OxyClean and about 3-4 tablespoons of hot water.   
2. Added 2 1/2 tablespoons of Hydrogen peroxide
3. Added a good sized squirt of Gain dish soap, a tablespoon maybe
4. Shook it al up and let all the bubbles settle so I could put the lid on the spray bottle.
5. I laid out all the clothes with stains and sprayed them all generously rubbing the solution in with my fingers. 
6. I let them all sit for around 20 mins
7. Put them all in the washing machine set on the stain wash setting and used OxyClean detergent 
8. When the cycle was done I laid them all outside to dry in the sun

The results were pretty amazing. There were some heavily stained onesies and now they look brand new! Some still have really faint stains and if I really cared I would probably just redo the process on them. But they don't bother me since baby #2 will be adding her own stains in no time. I'm kicking myself for not taking before and after pictures so I could show you how well this really worked.

Now I just need to find somewhere to put all these clean clothes. My husband and I decided that although we have a third bedroom, we want the girls to share a room for as long as possible. Makenna has been really great saying she's going to share her stuff with her baby sister. As soon as I mentioned sharing her room she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "But this is MY room." She's finally coming around to the idea when I showed her some cool bunk beds they can get eventually. Baby will be in our room for the first year anyway since I plan of breast feeding and it will be easier to have her right next to me.

I feel like I have so much I need to do to get myself organized. If you are a parent of 2 or more and have any good advice for me, feel free to share!!

-K 

Some Fun and Easy Frozen Treats

I have been absolutely loving the weather this week! After a long and cold winter, we were ready to play outside and enjoy the sunshine. The kids love to sit outside and have an ice pop after lunch. I really want to get an ice pop maker or some ice pop molds, but in the mean time Bomb Pops are a big favorite! Here are some other fun and easy frozen treats kids are sure to love!

"Homemade" Ice Cream Sandwiches

With two busy toddlers, I am keeping this really simple. Feel free to make a from scratch or allergy free version by just swapping out items.

1. Get a ready to bake pack of large sized chocolate chip cookies and bake according to instructions.
2. Wait for cookies to cool down entirely.
3. Take your favorite flavor of ice cream and put about two good sized scoops in the middle of two cookies.
4. Gently press down on cookies and flatten it out a bit. Use a spoon to even out ice cream falling out.
5. Wrap in tin foil and put in freezer for a little bit to firm back up.
6. ENJOY!

Frozen Grapes

Again this is such a simple thing to do and the kids love them. I probably don't have to write out directions, since most of you have probably done this before, but I will anyway.

1. Buy a bunch of grapes.
2. Wash throughly and take off vines... is that what they are called, vines? lol no clue
3. Put still wet grapes in a freezer bag or a freezer safe container.
4. Pour a tiny bit of sugar into bag or container and seal it up
5. Shake to mix sugar around grapes.
6. Freeze for a few hours or until grapes are hard.

For the kids I like to cut them in half when I serve them frozen. Grapes can be a chocking hazard and while frozen even more so. So make sure you supervise younger kids. You can also leave out the sugar part if you want to!

Frozen Watermelon  

This is so good and again very straight forward. I have been craving watermelon this entire pregnancy!

1. Buy a watermelon. I wish I could tell you how to pick a good one out but I always buy the WORST one there somehow! :( I'm cursed.
2. So if you are bad at picking watermelon like me, get some pre-cut ones.
3. Cut the watermelon into triangle slices keeping the green rind part. Its easier for the kids to hold that way, and just slightly less messy.
4. Put in a freezer bag or freezer safe container and freeze for a few hours.

How simple is that and they are sooooo good! I have even seen people insert sticks into the rind part before freezing them. 

Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather like we are! What are some fun and simple frozen treats you love? Feel free to share them below! 

Rainy Day Fun!

Are you stuck inside with your baby and big kids on this awful rainy day? Here is a SIMPLE & FUN recipe for some home made Play Dough!

Recipe & Picture found from Pinterest.

RECIPE:

1. 3 Cups Flour
2. 1 1/2 Cups Salt
3. 6 Tsp. Cream of Tarter
4. 3 Tbsp. Oil
5. 3 Cups Water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour ALL ingredients into a large pot. 
2. Stir consistently over medium heat until a doughy ball forms. 
3. Remove from heat and knead until the texture matches Play Dough. 

Store the Play Dough in a plastic container IN THE FRIDGE. It should last for a couple of weeks. However, in my experience I would check it every few days just to make sure it is still good.

Feel free to add a few drops of food coloring to it and glitter to make it fun & sparkly for your little one. The best part about this homemade recipe is that if your child decides to put the Play Dough in their mouth all ingredients are found in your kitchen. YAY for non-toxic!

I hope you and your little one enjoy this recipe just as much as we enjoy giving it out to you! If anyone has any other great craft recipes that you and your baby love to do together please comment & share your experiences with us!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

-D