I just love, love LOVE kids...LOVE. Did I say love? I meant LOVE! They don't take themselves seriously, every GOOD thing is like, the BEST thing that has ever happened to them. They love hard & smile often. They only have to have what they need to be ontop of the world and their hearts are golden. Kids...are the best.

Everyone that knows me, knows kids are my heart...

 I have tons more I can post...but to save you from JUST scrolling through pictures :) I wanted to post a few really cool activities for kids, kid friendly recipes, tips & tricks and some other good stuff! Let's make these little blessings smile!

My fave kid-friendly recipe's:

Cracker Baked Chicken...............................
I absolutely LOVE making this for and with kids..they can help crush the crackers and dip them in the butter and cracker coating! Make sure to wash those little hands of with lots of warm soapy water after!

Ingredients:

-2-3 lbs chicken (I like the boneless, skinless tenderloins but you could also use chicken breasts etc, if you  use bone in you will have to lengthen the cooking time)
-3/4 cup melted butter

-Saltine crackers (when crushed you'll want about 2 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Place one to two packages of saltines in a ziplock bag. Push all the air out and seal the bag tight. Place it on the counter and let your kid(s) go to town smashing the crackers to bits!
3. (I add some pepper, salt & Mrs. Dash (sodium free) seasoning to the crackers and the butter for added seasoning. Adding the seasoning to the butter ensures the seasoning is in all the layers!   
4. Dip the chicken pieces in the melted butter/margarine. Coat with the crushed salted cracker crumbs. Place on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 mins
5. Serve with yummy dipping sauces like bbq, ranch and/or ketchup!        

Pick-your-pasta...............................................

I love doing this because it gets the kids involved with the cooking and what they eat. They see what goes in, they see what THEY picked...so cute the kick they get out of "helping"..

Ingredients:
-linguine/spaghetti/bowtie/rigatone (which ever pasta is easiest for you kid to eat. with little ones I stick with bowtie, its cute and easy for them to pick up. Don't be afraid to over cook your pasta with kids. overcooked=good with kids)
-fixings: baby carrots, diced carrot, green beans, brocolli, yellow squash, yellow/orange bell pepper, garbanzo beans, slices or pepperoni, slices of ham, slices of chicken, kidney beans, corn etc.
-toppings: shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, marinara sauce, alfredo sauce

The idea is to create a spread of which ever type of past+fixings+toppings. Cook the pasta, drain and allow your child to select from the array of fixings. Toss the pasta and fixings in a pan with some butter or olive oil just until your veggies are heated through. Toss it in a bowl and add whichever toppings your child loves. Usually the tykes want shredded cheese and/or chicken!

Getting them involved in the kitchen allows for quality time, conversation, laughs and gets your child invloved with what he/she is eating. Enjoy!!

Yummy Fruit Dip..................................................
Friends of ours introduced this to me and they served it along side strawberries. I think it goes with any fruit really! The best part: there are only TWO ingredients!

Ingredients
-sour cream
-brown sugar

Stir up 2 cups of sour cream with 2-3 table spoons of brown sugar (you can add more or less, whichever suits your taste buds)..stir both up until you get this lovely tan cream...tangy and sweet!

Serve it along side fruit for a great snack! (Have yet to try this but...I'm thinking I want to try subbing the sour cream for some cottage cheese!)

-For the littler ones:
  *Toddler food ideas
  *homemade baby food recipes

Activities

For the fall:

*50 fun fall activities to do with kids

and...

For whenever:

Hundreds of coloring pages here!

Letter recognition printables here!

25 things to do with a wiggly toddler (boy) here!

The BEST home made play dough here!

so fun!

Here are some more:

-10 Ways to amaze kids: science at home!
-Tons of toddler activities
-Projects/resources for fun kid activities

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And finally...this would not be complete, without some really cute printables/wall art/words!:

Enjoy!!

xo
Kristina

When I was a kid, no season beat summer. Winter was a close contender what with winter break, christmas and new years...but summer..summer was the "off" season for kids. Now, as an adult, summer gives way to better weather but certainly no more "summer vacation" from the reall "work" (school). I find that the older I get, the more I appreaciate each season for what it has to offer...and with today being the first official day of fall, I cant help but day dream of the comforts the cool autumn weather brings...and everything else!

for so many reasons......

chunky sweaters....BOOTS...hot apple/pear cider...snuggling...staying in when it rains...the smokey smell of fireplaces in the air...making tamales...atole...pernine..."greige" nails...SCARVES...hoodies...smell of the cement after it's rained...color of the leaves...cinnamon in the air at every store...COZY blankets...candles...TURKEY...grandma's stuffing...early christmas shopping...families coming together...pumpkin cookies...pumpkin seeds...wearing hats all the time is cute again...the post season...using the crock pot more often...menudo...plush socks...crisp fall air...hearing grandma "gobble" on the phone as her "hello" LOL...shopping with mom (we do this more in the fall..not sure why)...crafts...did I mention snuggling? :)

Aside from the ramblings in my mind about fall...here are a few more things I think are perfect for this time of year:

STYLE:

1. Boots, especially the faux riding boot..a must have to wear with skinnies, jeans, tights, skirts & dressses...here are some classic ways to sport these:

2. scarves, scarves, scarves...need I say more? Here is a tutorial for different ways to tie a scarf!

3. opaque tights...clearly so fall :)

4. There's nothing I hate more that fussing with my purse in the wind and rain..having it slip off my shoulder with because of my coat, trying to keep it covered during the rain, worrying about juggling the umbrella and hot cider AND my purse. No thanks...ladies, meet: the messenger bag :)

CRAFTS:

Here are some awesome crafts I can't wait to try for the fall!!

1. The wreath :)

Here is a tutorial on how make these beautiful fall wreaths (although for the wreath circle itself you could just use foam tubing, you can find it at OSH, Home Depot etc) Totally adroable! I'm so making one for our door!

2. A centerpiece...

this one is as simple as buying a glas vase and hot gluing the twigs to it...you can also tie twine around for a bow to add texture...love the contrast in colors!

3. Pretty felt leaf garland..

4. So many more I can't keep track! Here are links to more fall crafts:

     -101 Festive Fall Tutorials
     -Fall Frenzy from craft-a-holics :)



2. For the kiddoes... (and 50 fun fall activities for kids! )

crafts! c'mon...how cute are these?! :)

bake cookies with kids...it will ALWAYS be something they want to do...something you can do together...

Here is the recipe: Pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting

Happy Autumn!!

Today was the Oakland A's Faith Day...and of course, I planned to dress the part ;)  The only problem was..my only A's shirt was a long sleeve. Not gonna work. So! I found a tutorial on Pinterest (I am OBsessed with this site!)...anyway..a tutorial on pintrest showed me how to transfor a large t-shirt into a cute baby doll top..:ahem: allow me:




the shirt before




cut the sleeves and collar all on the other side of the seam. also,
cut the hem on the bottom and then one more strip off the bottom for the straps. (you will only need the body of the shirt & the strip you cut above the hem, the rest is scrap)



I fold the top part over in the front and back, leaving space to slip the "strap" through and sew along the
 "collar" about an inch down.

now, I don't have a sewing machine..if I did I would have sewn it with that like the tutorial shows.
But! I only had 20 minutes and thread & needle I.. know, its NOT the prettiest but its all I had :)



After :)  I slipped the strap through the front and back and tied it on my right shoulder.
Ready! :)


It was SO hot today...thank God I had this to wear..and I got compliments all day! :) Phew!