Under the Sea!

As I mentioned before, my MOPS group made a busy box a few weeks ago!  I just ADORED the idea!  I'm not big on Samuel watching a lot of TV (though he does watch TV)...but he's also one of those kids who has tons of toys and just kind of doesn't play with them for very long or very often.  So between the MOPS busy box and some research on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) I made a goal to create my own busy boxes for Samuel to enjoy!

One of the first boxes I was most excited about was an idea I came up with.  The theme is Under the Sea!

We just returned from a trip to the beach, and Samuel LOVED the beach...so what better busy box to make!!!

It was simple, quick, and inexpensive.

Here is a break down of items and costs of the busy box I made:

Rice= .64 (walmart)
Blue food coloring=already had this at home
Plastic underwater sea creatures=$1.00 (dollar tree)
Blue storage box=$1.00 (dollar tree)
2 books about the ocean=$1.00 for each (dollar tree)
Seashells=free from our recent beach trip, though I did see some at the dollar tree
Sand=free from our sand box
Photo album:$1 (Dollar Tree)
Large plastic bowl:$1 (Dollar Tree)
Old Set of Measuring Cups=I already had these, but they can be purchased for $1 as well at the dollar tree or Walmart

Total cost: approximately $6 after tax...it could cost you more or less depending what you have around the house!

So what did I do:

First I loved the sensory aspect of this!  So I put a bag of rice in a large Ziploc container with about 20 drops of blue food coloring and dyes our rice blue to represent the ocean!  Samuel LOVED this!  We put the rice in the large bowl and mixed in the sea creatures and sea shells!  He LOVES looking for the sea creatures and shells!  We also use this for sorting, separating the sea creatures from the sea shells.  And we use it to count sea shells.  This week Samuel has learned to count to 6!!!!  I really think this is partially from counting the sea shells OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again!  But, this is also great because Samuel is so fascinated by the rice that he gladly plays with this on his own for an extended period of time (20 minutes yesterday!).  This allowed me to make a couple phone calls and sort the laundry!!!  So it's a great activity either on their own or with a family member (please note, if your child is very young, then I probably wouldn't let them do this activity unattended since these items could be swallowed!).

When Samuel was bored with the rice, we switched over to a bowl of sand with the same concept of burying shells and sea creatures...does it ever get old??? 

Samuel is also a little book worm, so the books are great for discussion or for him to look at on his own!

And my photo book isn't finished yet since we have only been back from the beach for a few weeks, but I plan on adding pictures of our beach trip for him to look at.  If you have never been to the beach, you can cut photos from magazines of the sea!  Or let your child cut them, depending on their age and skill set!

Here are a few pictures of our busy box...not everything is shown, but it gives you a good idea! 

Even better, now that my busy box is established I can keep looking to add to it!  Coloring sheets, art projects, and music!!!  It's still a work in progress, but it is great fun!  We pull this box out about once a week!   Great fun for us to play together, or a little break for me to get a couple things done!!!  If anyone has any suggestions to anything else to add, please share!!!

Toddler Busy Boxes

I am a member of MOPS...Mothers of Preschoolers (http://www.mops.org/) so a lot of the recipes and ideas I've shared from on my blog from my most favorite resource: other mom's!  Tried, tested, tried again, over and over and over again! 

A few weeks ago my MOPS group made busy boxes for the kiddo's!  And these, are by far, the most brilliant idea ever!  First off, I'm a mom who frets...a lot!  I worry if my son watches a lot of TV, that the activities that we do aren't educational enough, that he's not trying new things...so a typical first time mom! I've been assured that by the second one that I'll loosen up some :0)

A busy box is a great concept for any parent who has kids!  They are so great because you can really personalize them for your child and they help with the sanity!  And they, as the name suggests, keeps your child busy!  They also don't have to break your budget!

Toddlers are busy busy busy people!  My son has an attention span of about 5-15 minutes...that is a typical almost 2 year old!  And like many parents, we have tons of toys...and they aren't played with that often!  So after seeing the MOPS busy boxes, I decided to start making my own! I've decided that 10 boxes will be my goal.

The best thing about busy boxes are:

1. They don't have to be fancy...simple might even be better!  So I picked themes that I thought my son would enjoy and be educational.  Thus far we have an ocean box, a shape box, a number box, a letters box, a bug box, a dinosaur box, and a colors box.  I also have two additional items that aren't so much as a theme, but an educational component that works with sensory, dexterity, and colors.  I call them my busy bags because I had to store them in a bag! I also hope to add a transportation, space,  zoo, and a farm box in the future!

2.  You don't have to break the bank!  I sat down and made a list of ideas of what I wanted my boxes to represent (the themes I listed above!).  Then I went through all our toys and books and pulled out any that were relevant! And I had plenty!!!  Then I decided to research some ideas to go with each box.  I joined www.pinterest.com and typed in Toddler Busy Box and was in heaven!!!  So many great ideas out there!  And so many different ways!  I decided on themes...I feel that is better suited for Samuel and what I hoped for us to gain from the boxes.  Other mom's decided the boxes were better used as quiet time/break time so some people made 7 boxes, one for each day of the week.  Some mom's just have travel boxes, or restaurant boxes, or boxes for while they are on the phone.  My friend used her busy box last week while her daughter was sick. The possibilities are endless!!!  Any supplies you don't have, you can get cheap too!  I paid a visit to the dollar tree and was amazed at all the great items I got for such a reasonable price!  As I list my boxes over the next few weeks, i'll also post prices!

3. The idea is that the busy box will keep your toddler, well, busy, and give you a little bit of a break.  You know, break...so you can go to the bathroom without a toddler asking what you are doing or trying to flush the toilet while you are using it!  Or you can cook garlic bread in the oven without little hands trying to help!  Or you can switch out the laundry and throw in another load...at the same time!  Or you can make a doctors appointment without screaming! Or maybe you just need a few minutes to yourself...we all do!  Your toddler only gets the busy box on occasion.  Once or twice a week...that way it seems new to them!  It's also the reason you can make multiples!  Yesterday we just used one...today we did two.  One in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Once again, your boxes your decision!  Here in Maryland, it starts getting cold in October and regular outdoor time might not happen again until March or April!  And there are plenty of rainy days out there too! 

As you can tell, I am a fan of the busy box...and so is my son!  And I feel so much better now that I know his downtime is being used in a way that is fun and somewhat educational.  Trust me, my son watches Nick Jr....he loves Dora!  But I also prefer knowing that if I need to get dinner on the table, that TV isn't my only option for entertainment!

Crock Pot Baked Apples!

Simple and delicious! Makes 6 baked apples!

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Directions

Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat and preset it for 3 hours. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor, if using. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Homemade Ice Pack

Use Dawn dish detergent to make ice packs!! Partially fill a ziploc and seal then throw it in another bag to be safe and freeze. It stays cold longer than ice and is a great flexible ice pack!

And even better, you can get coupons for Dawn frequently!  Buy the small bottles for less than .50! 

Homemade Febreze!

This will make a 32oz bottle of Febreze!  At the cost of about .15 a bottle!!! 

1/8 Cup of your favorite fabric softener

2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda

Hot tap water to fill the bottle to the top!

Fill up your spray bottle and get your house smelling great!

Crock Pot Pizza

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 (8 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
1 (16 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of tomato soup
2 (14 ounce) jars pizza sauce
1 (8 ounce) package sliced pepperoni sausage

 Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off grease.
In slow cooker, alternate layers of ground beef, noodles, cheese, soup, sauce and pepperoni.
Cook on Low setting for 4 hours.


*you can also add green peppers, onions, other types of cheese, whatever pizza toppings you like put it in the crock pot by 1 and it's ready at 5!

Crock Pot Viennese Coffee

I LOVE my crock pots! That's right, plural...I have 4 of them!

This is a great little recipe for any pot luck or get together!  I sometimes double the recipe for my MOPS group I attend...and add more chocolate as I see fit :0) Great for coffee lovers!

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups strong freshly brewed hot coffee
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup creme de cocoa or Irish cream (optional)
whipped cream
chocolate shavings for garnish

PREPARATION:

Combine coffee, chocolate syrup and sugar in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Stir in heavy cream and creme de cocoa if using. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until heated threw. Ladle coffee in to coffee cups. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 c. crushed pretzel sticks
3/4 c. melted butter
3 tbsp. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry banana Jello
2 c. boiling water
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Mix first three ingredients and press in bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees (metal pan) or 325 degrees (glass pan) 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Beat 1 cup sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzels. Mix Jello and water until dissolved. Add strawberries. Stir into Jello, then set aside for 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture. Chill.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Penuche Glaze
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2-2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions:
1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2Have ready some ungreased baking sheets.3In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy.4Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract.5In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.6Mix flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture.7Drop tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.8Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges.9Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks.10Let cool completely for a least one half hour, then frost with glaze.11For Glaze:.12In a medium saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until slightly thickened. Beat in the milk. Blend in confectioner's sugar until the glaze is smooth and spreadable. Using a silicone basting brush, which I love and use religiously now, or a butter knife to spread glaze on cookies is the best tip. Please note; this glaze will harden fairly quickly. I suggest that you keep the saucepan over the stove on the lowest heat possible to prevent it from hardening.

Cookie Salad

1 c. buttermilk
3 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
8 oz. carton Cool Whip
15 oz. can mandarin oranges (drained)
2 sections fudge striped cookies (crushed) (about 10-14 cookies)
Mix together pudding and buttermilk. Fold in Cool Whip, oranges and one section of crushed fudge stripe cookies. Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies on top of salad.  Serve cold!

Homemade Laundry Detergent and Cleaner

• 4 cups of hot water
• 1 bar of ivory soap (or if you don't like the smell of ivory soap, Fels Naptha)
• 1 cup washing soda (can be found at walmart in the laundry detergent section)
• 1/2 cup borax (found in laundry detergent section)

Add grated soap to 4 cups of water, stir over med heat until dissolved (you can also do this in an old crockpot, it takes about 30 minutes in a crockpot and a lot less time on the stove)

Fill a 5 gallon bucket with hot tap water.  Add melted soap, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup borax.

Stir until all powder is dissolved.

Fill bucket to top with more hot water.

Stir, cover, and let set over night.

Fill empty laundry bottles (or milk jugs, or orange juice cartons, etc) half full of detergent and half water.

Before each use, give a good shake.  CAN be used in HE machines!

Works great as general cleaner, fabrics, floors, walls, windows, microwaves, etc.

Homemade Glass Cleaner

• 1 Cup of Water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2-3 drops of dish soap

Mix all ingredients into an empty spray bottle

Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub

2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice
1 cup vegetable oil

mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, and spice mix.  make sure all lumps are gone.  mix in vegetable oil.  this will keep for months!

you can adjust the oil however you want...if you prefer a more wet scrub, you just add more oil!

these are really cool (and CHEAP!) Christmas gifts...place them in a Mason Jar, decorate the lid and add a ribbon...great gift!  and if you don't like pumpkin smell, you can just leave it out!  This makes 3 cups!

Dryer Sheet Alternative

Take your favorite fabric softner (downy, snuggle, whatever you have coupons for!).  Soak an old hand towel completely.  Wring it out, let dry completely.  Throw it in the dryer with your next load.  Can be used up to 40 times!!!