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Holiday Cooking With the Lovies

November 27, 2012 By MommyOctopus 5 Comments
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Below is a guest post from my friend Nicole from MyLoveForCooking.com.  Be sure to check out her website!  Lots of awesome recipes and tidbits.

The holidays are often a hectic time by nature and there always seems to be a never ending “to do” list. Most of the work seems to revolve around cooking. For me this is my favorite part of the season.

If you have little ones in tow it is a chance for them to be helpful and make the chores a lot more fun. Depending on the age and abilities of your child there are almost always some way they can do their part with holiday prep in the kitchen.

With my lovies (almost 4 and a brand new 2) I try to encourage their interest in helping in the kitchen. You might be surprised at what they are able to do. Here are some basic ideas for younger children to do their part in the kitchen:

3-Year Olds

  • Wash fruits and vegetables
  • Stir ingredients in a bowl
  • Tear lettuce
  • Pour liquids

4-Year Olds

  • Grease pans
  • Open packages
  • Peel oranges or hard-cooked eggs
  • Snip fresh herbs with dull scissors
  • Mash bananas with a fork

5-to 6-Year Olds

  • Measure ingredients
  • Cut soft foods with a blunt knife
  • Set the table
  • Garnish food

I find cooking with them to be a great opportunity to teach them about the ingredients we are working with. They also tend to get more excited about trying new foods when they have helped prepare them. If you have a picky eater getting them involved may really help. There is nothing like seeing the pride on their little face when they see the results of their hard work.

The holiday season is a perfect time to get a little help in the kitchen while also starting traditions that can last a lifetime. I find myself recreating recipes and traditions with my lovies that I experienced as a child. Sharing time cooking with those I love has always been something that means so much to me. The kitchen has always been a safe place to make mistakes and learn through trial and error. Make the holidays the start of great memories as well as recipes. Happy Holidays!

XOXO Nicole

Here are some recipes that are sure to be a hit with the little ones:

  • White chocolate dipped holiday pretzels
  • Christmas tree English Muffin Pizzas
  • Gingerbread Pancakes
  • Snowman Cookies
  • Cheerios Christmas Trees
  • Reindeer Cookies

We Are In Disney!

November 25, 2012 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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I had mentioned this to my facebook readers, but in case you didn’t know, we are in Disney this week!  My mom has been wanting to take a trip and since she recently retired after many many years of working for the public school system, she decided to take a family trip taking all of us with her!  We are here with my mom, grandfather, brother and sister in law, nephews, niece, and of course my hubby and kiddos.  We arrived last night and took today to rest, relax and tour the other fun hotels.

Here’s a photo of my kiddos waiting for the monorail with Grandma.  My youngest of course was much too busy to stand still 😉

And here’s just us girls.

I will be posting when I am not riding rides or chasing the kiddos and my assistant Edith will be posting on occasion as well.  I hope ya’ll had a great thanksgiving break!

Erin

Markers For Lunch

November 19, 2012 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Why oh why does my 21 month old insist that markers are tasty! ICK!  Good thing they are non-toxic!!  What was the weirdest things your kids tried to eat as babies?

Tasty Tuesday: Super Simple Guac That Rocks!

November 13, 2012 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
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First up, you need 3 avocados. I’ve found Aldi to be the cheapest at about $.89.  One medium sized tomato, half a small onion, lime juice, salt and pepper are the only things you will need.
Look at the beauty of the avocado.  I’m so hooked!
If you haven’t worked with avocados before, it’s easy.  Find avacadoes that are a little squishy.  If they are hard, leave them on the counter for a few days until they are soft.  Gently slice in half, keeping in mind there is a big ole seed in the middle, and then scoop out the goods.  Try and resist eating it right off the spoon.  It’s much better in the guacamole!

Throw all of your ingredients in the food processor and let it work it’s magic until it’s nice and creamy.

Perfection!!  I could eat this every day!

Super Simple Guac That Rocks!

Recipe Type: Snack
Author: Mommy Octopus
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
If you’re looking for a super simple and delicious guacamole recipe, this one is for you!
Ingredients
  • 3 avocados
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1/2 small yellow onion
  • 3 tbs lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
3.1.09

 

 

The Fresh Market Opens Today in Athens!

October 10, 2012 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
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Most of my facebook fans already know this, but if you missed it, The Fresh Market opened this morning in Athens.  I was very excited to be invited to the “Parmesan Cracking” ceremony this morning.  It was a great experience and I was very happy to sample all the goodies!

All in all I felt the prices were comparable with other similar stores in the area, but they seemed to have a bigger variety.

I was very pleased to see the grind your own peanut butter and almond butter stand.  That’s always fun for the kids, plus then you KNOW it’s fresh 🙂

My favorite thing of all had to be the okra chips.  They are incredible!  I first tasted okra chips on our trip to Helen and I became addicted.  They are awesome!

I was also impressed with the pink and purple yogurt pretzels.  I think these would be adorable for baby showers!

And then there was the wide variety of sweets!  Again, prices were comparable with other bakeries in the area.  And they looked SOOO good!

And OH THE CANDY!  Anyone who is watching their waist line should avoid this area completely!  Better yet, blindfold yourself!

And finally the “Parmesan Cracking”.  This was pretty neat – a different sort of grand opening celebration.  Side note that this parmesan block cost over $1,000!!!  WOW!  But was it ever tasty!

I will definitely be back to shop more!  Now for the things I’m sure you’re dying to know.  We asked the following to managers today during our shop:

Q: Do you take coupons?

A: YES!

Q: On a Buy One Get One Free sale, are the items half off or buy 1 to get 1 free?

A: They should ring up 50% off.  If it doesn’t, a manager should be able to correct this.

Q: Will you carry Limburger cheese? (okay this was my mom asking for my grandfather!)

A: YES – very soon – shipment was delayed.

And if you want to see the grand opening cutting of the cheese, watch below!

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Chocolate Chunks!

October 9, 2012 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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A year ago my son was diagnosed with a soy allergy. Little did we know how much of our world would change for the better. I started making everything from scratch, which has been a wonderful learning experience, but one area we struggled with was chocolate. I’m happy to say after finding a recipe on Pinterest to make my own chocolate, I have one very happy (almost) 6 year old boy! Warms my heart! It tastes really good, too! Here’s his first taste!

Recipe modified from about 4 different recipes on Pinterest to suit our needs and what we had on hand.

Homemade Chocolate Chunks:

  • 1/2 Cup Cocoa
  • 1 Cup Butter
  • 1/2 Cup sugar

Combine Cocoa, Sugar, and Butter in a double boiler, stirring well when melted.  Pour onto a pan lined with wax paper.  Freeze overnight and break into chunks.  Store in the fridge.

Easy Peasy!

Free Columbus Day Printables and Activities

October 8, 2012 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Happy Columbus Day!  Since we homeschool, I was searching for some activities for the kiddos and decided to go ahead and make a list.  Here’s the goodies I’ve found for Columbus Day:

Stand Up Ship

Christopher Columbus – Primary History

Apple 4 The Teacher Columbus Day Printables (Word Search, Unscramble, etc)

Classroom Junior (Word Search, Mazes, coloring, poems)

Coloring.Ws – Columbus Day

Kaboose – Columbus Day Crafts

Let me know if you come across others!  I’d love to find more activities!

This Weekend, I Plan To….

October 5, 2012 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Say “Goodbye” forever to this nasty ivy in my kitchen.  I’m sure at one time it was nice, but now it’s quite yellowed and really not my style.

Ewww… I know.  When we moved here 7 years ago, we just had 1 kid and since then we’ve had 3 more, so really I’ve been busy with babies and kiddos and the house maintenance took the back burner.  Now it’s time to tackle some projects.  I’m so super excited, too.  Can’t wait to show after pics!  I think what really got me motivated is my new countertops from the Giani Granite project.

And I have to say it really warms my heart seeing my 2 boys working hard on the house 🙂 Here they are prepping for painting:

For paint, we are using a 5 gallon bucket of paint that I found at Lowe’s for just $30!  It was in the OOPS section.  I love shopping this section because you never know what fun colors you will find and it’s a fraction of the normal listed price!

Soo… what color do you think the kitchen will end up?  Any guesses?

Hiking Safety Tips from Georgia’s State Parks

October 5, 2012 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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No one ever plans to get lost in the woods, but it does sometimes happen.  Each year, Georgia’s park rangers spend numerous hours searching for hikers who did not return on time, slipped on waterfalls, got off the trail or encountered other problems.

“Most of the time, our guests are just running late or they’ve gotten slightly off course,” said Danny Tatum, manager of Tallulah Gorge State Park and chief of the Department of Natural Resources’ Search and Rescue Team.  “And sometimes they’ve forgotten to call home.  But occasionally people really are in a bad situation and need help from rescue personnel.”

With so many people heading to the mountains for leaf watching this fall, park rangers have offered the following tips for a fun and safe journey.  To find trails ranging from easy, paved paths to more challenging hikes, visitGeorgiaStateParks.org.

Safe Hiking Tips

  • Avoid hiking alone because the “buddy system” is safer during any type of activity.  If traveling with a group, never stray from the group.  If hiking alone, pick a well traveled trail.
  • Tell someone where you are going and when you will return.  Don’t forget to check in with them when you get back.
  • Stay on marked trails.  Making shortcuts and “bushwhacking” causes erosion and greatly increases your chance of becoming lost.  As you hike, pay attention to trail blazes (paint marks on trees) and landmarks.  A double blaze indicates a change in trail direction or intersection, so be sure to follow the correct trail.
  • Never climb on waterfalls.  A high number of injuries and deaths occur on waterfalls and slippery, wet rocks.
  • Always carry quality rain gear and turn back in bad weather.  If you become wet or cold, it is important to get dry and warm as quickly as possible, avoiding hypothermia.
  • Dress in layers and avoid cotton.  Today’s hikers can choose from numerous fabrics that wick moisture, dry quickly or conserve heat.  Many experienced hikers wear a lightweight shirt that wicks moisture, while carrying a fleece pullover and waterproof jacket in a daypack.
  • All hikers should carry a whistle, which can be heard far away and takes less energy than yelling.  Three short blasts is a sign of distress.
  • Carry plenty of drinking water and never assume stream water is safe to drink.  Frequent hikers might consider buying a water filter or water purifying tablets at an outdoor supply store.
  • Don’t count on cell phones to work in the wilderness, but if they do, be able to give details about your location. Telling rescue personnel that you’re lost by a big tree won’t help much as telling which trailhead you started from and how long you’ve been hiking.
  • Don’t rely on a GPS to prevent you from getting lost.  Batteries can die or the equipment can become damaged or lost.
  • Invest in good hiking socks and boots such as those found at sporting goods stores.  Avoid blisters by carrying “moleskin” (available at drug stores) and applying it as soon as you feel a hot spot on your feet.  Available in the foot care section of drug stores, moleskin is like felt that sticks to your skin.
  • Wear bright colors.  Don’t dress children in camouflage.  Keep dogs on a leash because they sometimes become injured or lost too.
  • Keep dogs on a leash because they sometimes become injured or lost too.

Carry an Emergency Kit
Each hiker should have these items:

  • Water
  • First-aid kit
  • Whistle
  • Small flashlight with extra batteries
  • Glowstick
  • Energy food
  • Brightly colored bandana
  • Trash bag (preferably a bright color, such as “pumpkin bags” sold in autumn).  Poke a hole for your head and wear it as a poncho to stay dry.

Especially for Children

  • Talk to children about what to do if they become lost, even if in the city.
  • Teach children that they won’t get into trouble for becoming lost.
  • Reassure children that people (and possibly dogs and helicopters) will look for them if they become lost.  Do not hide from searchers; answer their calls.
  • Do not run.  Instead, “hug a tree” and make a comfortable “nest.”  This prevents wandering even further.
  • Do not be afraid of animals or strange noises.  If something is scary, blow the whistle.
  • Come up with a password that a child will respond to if a stranger needs to pick them up.  Searchers can use this password.

What to Do If You Are Lost

  • Stay in one place.
  • Make shelter.
  • Stay warm and dry.
  • Be visible and heard.
  • If helicopters are searching overhead, seek an opening in the forest.  Lie down so you look bigger from the air.

Visit  www.GeorgiaStateParks.org.

How to Eat a Cupcake!

October 1, 2012 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

A friend of mine posted this on facebook and it totally cracked me up! Great way to solve that awkward moment when you’re not quite sure how to eat a cupcake without looking like a pig or without frosting on your nose! Solution in the video below!

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