Kindergarten Lunches Week 5

I can not believe we are to the end of September already! 

I seriously have no idea where this month went. 

I don't feel like I accomplished nearly as much as I wanted to. 

I guess I'm still adjusting to the kids being in school and after school activities again.

This week my daughter actually did eat her lunches. 

I am so proud of how well she is adjusting to full day school. 

Clearly she is better at this than me...LOL

MONDAY

I packed her mini pancakes with syrup, carrots, grapes, fruit snacks, and a Capri Sun.

 TUESDAY

 I packed her mini pierogies, carrots, grapes, animal cookies, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

WEDNESDAY
 

She had a Nutella sandwich cut like an M&M, carrots, Musselman's apple sauce, pretzels, M&Ms, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

THURSDAY

She had pizza, apple slices, mini oreos, and a Capri Sun.

I soaked the apples in ginger ale for 10 minutes to prevent browning.

 FRIDAY 

I packed her buttered noodles, carrots, apples, mini oreos, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

The products used in this post are listed below.

The pink container is from Pottery Barn Kids. 

The container with green inserts is the Rubbermaid LunchBlox entree with trays*.

The silicone flower cup* is Wilton.

The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*. 

The clear container with 3 sections is an EasyLunchBox*. 

 

*Affiliate Links.

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Button Art

Yesterday I shared how I made the washer art for my mantel. 

Today I am going to share how I made button art. It is the same principle but with layering. 

I stuck with my gray, black and white theme. 

This wasn't something I really planned it just kind of happened.

My inspiration came from the Etsy shop Letter Perfect Designs. The artist sewed her buttons to a fabric backing, but I decided to use glue instead.

Supplies

Picture Frame - I used 8x10

Scrapbook paper - Cut to size

Buttons of varying sizes and styles - I picked up a pack at Wal-Mart. The package says $1.99 on it, plus I used extras from my sewing kit.

Glue Stick- I used Elemer's Disappearing Purple Glue Stick

Glue - I used Loctite Super Glue

Wooden Skewer  

1. Remove the glass and backing from the frame.

2. Cut your scrapbook paper the same size as the back to the frame. If your paper has a pattern, make sure you cut it so it will be going in the direction you want.

3. Glue the paper on to the frame back using the glue stick. It is important to do this step otherwise the weight of the buttons will cause the scrapbook paper to bend out.

4. While the glue is drying, start laying your buttons out on a table in different arrangements until you find one you like.

5. Once the glue is dry, use the wooden skewer to apply a thin layer of super glue to your buttons. Depending on your glue's drying time, you may only want to do 1-3 at a time before adhering them to the paper.

6. Once the super glue has dried, you can glue more buttons on top of the other buttons you already applied to the paper. This will fill in any gaps, and create the look you want. 

7. Allow your button art to remain flat overnight to ensure that the glue has dried and none of your buttons move.

8. Place the button art in your frame, and stand back and enjoy your work!

 

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Washer Art

Today I was doing my weekly cleaning, and it dawned on me that I shared my Scrabble Art, but I never shared some of the other items I made for the mantel in my living room. 

One of my favorite pieces is a "Y" made out of washers. It is super easy to create.

The hardest part is deciding what you want your letter to look like.

Supplies

Picture Frame - I used 8x10

Art Canvas - I used 8x10

White Paint - I used some leftover acrylic I had (optional)

Paint Brush - I used a foam brush so there wouldn't be brush marks (optional)

Washers of varying sizes - I got some at Home Depot

Glue - I used Duco Cement*

Wooden Skewer 

1. Remove the glass and backing from the frame.

2. Make sure your canvas fits in the frame. 

3. Remove the canvas from the frame and paint the canvas. You can paint it any color you like or leave the canvas plain. I just painted the canvas white. The reason I like to paint the canvas is that way if you make a mistake or drip some glue you can easily touch it up with some paint.

4. While the paint is drying, start laying your washers out on a table in different arrangements until you find one you like.

5. Once the paint is dry, use the wooden skewer to apply a thin layer of glue to your washers. Depending on your glue's dry time you may only want to do 1-3 at a time before adhering them to the canvas.

6. Allow your canvas to remain flat overnight to ensure that the glue has dried and none of your washers move.

7. If necessary, touch up the paint.

8. Place the canvas in your frame, and stand back and enjoy your work!

If you would like to check out my inspiration go here.

 I know I promised that I would start posting the amount it cost me to make my projects, but this is one that I made before I had my blog so I really don't remember the cost. I still plan on posting the cost on any new projects I post :)

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Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Earlier this month I posted about how much my family loves oven roasted carrots. Today I thought I would share how I make oven roasted sweet potatoes.

These little guys are another super easy side that take very little prep time, but give you delicious results. I know that when I make these, my entire family will eat them without issue.

These sweet potatoes were the first "table" food my kids ever had when they were babies. Just peel off the skin, make sure they are not too hot, and you are good to go.  

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil - for drizzling
Fine Sea Salt - for sprinkling (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Wash and pat dry your sweet potatoes.
4. Cut your sweet potatoes into slices, about 1/2" thick. (If you want them thinner or thicker that is fine. Just try to be consistent, and remember that you may have to adjust your baking time.) 
5. Place your sweet potato slices on the prepared baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.
6. Lightly sprinkle the sweet potatoes with sea salt.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The sweet potatoes should be soft and easily poked through with a fork.

Once baked, the skins are crispy and the centers of each slice are filled with creamy goodness. My kids love them so much, they think they are having desert with dinner.

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Apple Pie Cookies

Today was "Apple Crunch Day" in my daughter's class.

They asked the parents to donate apple snacks, so the kids could see all the different things apples could be made into. 

Of course, I could not pass up the chance to try out a new recipe. To me there is nothing better than getting to try a new recipe and give it away; because I get to taste it, but it doesn't sit in my kitchen tempting me to eat it. Trust me, these little delectable bites will keep you coming back for more!

These apple pie cookies are amazingly addictive! I am so glad I had to send these to school with my daughter because otherwise I am pretty sure they would have disappear in 1 day. This recipe made 40 bite-sized treats of apply goodness. I sent 30 to school with my daughter and the other 10 disappeared almost immediately.

When I first saw this recipe on Pinterest, I thought these little guys looks labor intensive. To my surprise, they were super easy to make. The recipe is from Food Pusher, and let me just say that everything on her site looks amazing and I can't wait to make more of her yummy goodies.

Apple Pie Cookies

recipe slightly adapted from Food Pusher

Crust

(You could use store-bought refrigerated pie crust, or your favorite pie crust recipe.)

1 1/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I used bleached)

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)

4 tablespoons butter (I used unsalted)

3 tablespoon Crisco (I used buttered flavored)

3 tablespoons ice cold water

flour for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Fill a cup or bowl with ice water. (This will give your ice a chance to melt a little.)

3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour and salt. 

4. Cut the butter into flour, and then cut in the Crisco until well blended. (I used a pastry blender* to do this.)

5. Add ice cold water (from the cup or bowl you filled earlier) and mix with pastry blender*. Then use your hands to work the dough into a ball.

6. Flour a square sheet of wax paper or baking mat*, place dough ball in the middle, lightly flour the ball. Roll dough out to a thickness of about 1/8”. 

7. Using a 2” round circle cutter*, cut out as many circles as you can. Collect dough scraps and roll and cut more circles until you use all the dough.

8. Carefully place circles on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place them in the freezer until needed. 

Topping

 

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I used bleached)

3/4 cup oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned) (I used old-fashioned)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon   

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks (I used unsalted)

21oz can apple pie filling roughly chopped, or your favorite apple pie filling (I took a knife and cut the apples while still in the can.)

powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

1. In a large bowl, mix all of the dry topping ingredients with a fork. Add butter chunks and mix with a pastry blender* until all the butter is incorporated and the mixture forms crumbles.

2. Take your cookie sheet of dough circles out of the freezer and place about a tablespoon of the chopped apples onto each circle, and spread it out.

3. Place about a 1/2 tablespoon of the oatmeal mixture on the top of the chopped apples. 

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. 

5. Remove from oven, and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. 

6. Prior to serving you can shake a little powdered sugar over cookies.

Notes: 

-I had a little of the chopped apples left over, so you could use a smaller can.

-Food Pusher mixes the topping mixture in with her apples, plus sprinkles some on the top. I just put the topping mixture on top because I wanted more room for the apples. I had about 1/2 the "topping" mixture left over, but I still recommend making the full amount because it is delicious on ice cream, oatmeal, etc.  

  

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Kindergarten Lunches Week 4

I cannot believe we are already 4 weeks into the school year!!

So far my daughter loves it. I however do not. 

She is definitely picking up more attitude and becoming harder to deal with.  

MONDAY

 I packed her a butterfly Nutella sandwich, carrots, grapes, some sad looking organic pretzels, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

The container is the Rubbermaid LunchBlox entree with trays*.

 TUESDAY

I packed her mini pierogies, carrots, Mott's strawberry applesauce, mini oreos, and a Capri Sun.

The pink container is from Pottery Barn Kids, the silicone flower cup* is Wilton.  

WEDNESDAY

She had a sun shaped grilled cheese sandwich with ketchup, cucumbers, apple slices, banana bread with vanilla brown butter glaze, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

I soaked the apples in ginger ale for 10 minutes to prevent browning.
 

The container is an EasyLunchBox*.  The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*.  

THURSDAY

She had some pasta with frozen mixed veggies, some apple slices, cucumbers, a chocolate chip Zbar, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.  

I soaked the apples in ginger ale for 10 minutes to prevent browning.

The container is the Rubbermaid LunchBlox entree with trays*. The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*. 

FRIDAY

She had a leaf shaped grilled cheese sandwich with ketchup, carrots, Mott's applesauce, some gummy candy corn, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

 The container is an EasyLunchBox*.  The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*.  

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Cleaning Makeup Brushes

We all know that we should clean our makeup brushes. 

It extends the life of your brushes (which can save you a lot of money), but it is also good for you skin. Think about it, do you really want to keep wiping bacteria and dead skin cells on you face? Ewwww!

How often should you clean brushes?

Once a week is the rule of thumb, unless you have acne prone skin and then you should wash them daily. I usually wash my brushes in the evening and let them dry over night. I really try to do it when I know I won't be using them the next day, but that isn't always possible.

There are tons of different products on the market for cleaning your brushes, but I can't recommend any because I don't bother with them. I use my kids' shampoo, the same shampoo I use for lice prevention. The shampoo contains tea tree oil. Tea tree oil in know for its effectiveness against bacteria, viruses, fungal infections, scabies, and lice. It has even been shown to be effective in the treatment of acne. Sounds perfect for makeup brushes don't you think?

If you would like to see the recipe I use to make the shampoo go here.

In my PCL (Pre-Child Life) I just used regular old baby shampoo to wash my makeup brushes. It works fine, I just like the addition of the tea tree oil.

The Method

 

1. Fill a bowl with about a tablespoon of shampoo and warm water.

2. One by one, swirl your brushes in the water. Kind of like you are painting the bottom of the bowl. This will work anything in the bristles out. (I like to work from largest brush to smallest. This way I can pull them out in the same order I put them in. I know I'm crazy. I also toss my sharpeners, tweezers, etc. in at the end.)

3. Allow the brushes to soak in the bowl as you add each new brush. If you haven't washed your brushes in a while, and your water becomes full of product, you should start over at step 1 part way through.

4. Rinse the brushes one by one in cold running water. (As I pull the brushes out of the bowl I wash the handle with some of the water/shampoo in the bowl.)

5. Wipe the brushes on a paper towel, to remove excess water. Make sure to dry the handles and any metal on the brushes. Take care not to pull on the bristles!

6. Reshape the brush bristles with your fingers.

7. To dry the brushes, I keep an empty aluminum foil/saran wrap box in the bathroom, and drape a paper towel over it. Then I lay the brushes across the box allowing the bristles to hang off the edge.

 8. Once the brushes are completely dry, I put them away. I store them in a plastic box, laying flat. I also wash out the box the same time I wash the brushes.

Years ago when I began washing my brushes weekly, I thought of it as a pain in my butt. Now I just think of it as part of my regular hygiene routine and it is far less annoying.

How often do you do it?

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Banana Bread with Vanilla Brown Butter Glaze

The other morning I woke up to some very sad looking bananas sitting on my counter. Thankfully even sad bananas can be yummy.

As usual, my search for a recipe started on Pinterest. I came across this wonderful recipe on averie cooks. I made a few very small changes due to what I had on hand and personal preference. This banana bread was absolutely the best banana bread I have ever eaten.

Banana Bread

adapted ever so slightly from averie cooks

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (DIY vanilla extract)
2/3 cup Greek yogurt (I used fat free, because it is what I had on hand)

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

1-3.4oz box vanilla instant pudding

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.

3. In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for about 1 minute.

4. Add sugars, eggs, vanilla, and yogurt to the butter and whisk to combine. 

5. Mash the bananas.

6. Add the bananas to the mixture and stir to combine. 

7. Add the dry pudding mix and stir to combine.

8. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the banana mixture and stir until just combined.

9. Pour batter into prepared pan.

10. Bake on middle rack for 50 to 58 minutes. Until top is golden and set, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. At around 30 minutes turn your oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for the remaining time.

11. Allow bread to cool in the loaf pan for 20-30 minutes before removing from the pan. 

12. Transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

Vanilla Brown Butter Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (DIY vanilla extract)

1+ tablespoons cream or milk, optional 

1. Brown the butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop, heating over medium heat. Swirl the pan frequently for about 5 to 7 minutes. (Just until the crackling, and foaming have subsided. You want the butter to be a light brown, and have a nutty aroma. Not dark brown and burnt.)

2. Transfer the hot butter to a mixing bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.  

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla to the butter and whisk to combine. 

4. At this point based on desired glaze consistency and taste preference, add the cream/milk a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached. 

5. Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread before slicing and serving. or slice, and glaze each piece individually. 

The unglazed bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. 

The glazed bread can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Although, I am highly doubtful that it will last 5 days.


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Command Center Update & Free Printables

I must say, I am very flattered by all the love my command center has been receiving.  

We have been using it for over almost 2 months now and it has been wonderful! To say it has made life in this house less complicated is an understatement.

The calendar has made keeping track of the kids 2 separate school and activity schedules easy. Plus my daughter can easily see what "day" of school it is. Her school works on a 6 day rotating schedule. Now she can look at the calendar and see what day it is (i.e., 1, 2, etc.) and then know what extra she has on that day (i.e., gym, computer, library, etc.). This has really helped with her sense of responsibility when it comes to being ready to get out the door in the morning. I still check that she has everything she needs, but it is already instilling in her how to get ready for the day, and how to be responsible for her own items and time.

The baskets and bins have removed so much clutter from my kitchen. My kids know where to drop their papers from school. Our mail, coupons, and receipts are no longer scattered about our kitchen counters. Plus, I no longer have to search for out budget book every time I need to add something or check it.

I have been receiving a lot of requests for the sayings I hung above my command center. 

I figure instead of trying to email them to everyone who has asked, I would attempt to share them as a printable. I use the word attempt because this is my first time doing this and I am just hoping it works. I used Scribd, so you will have to sign-up for an account but it is free. Each document is linked below.

Wrong is Wrong

Good Things
Great Believer in Luck

If you have a different saying you would like as word art, I explain how you can create your own word art using Picmonkey here.

I hope this helps some of you!

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DIY Hair Color

This past Friday was Crazy Hair Day at my daughter's school.

My daughter was super excited about it, and kept asking what she was going to do.

My first thought was to put a bunch of barrettes in her hair, but we ended up deciding on color instead. 

I didn't have any of the spray hair color stuff, so we went to plan B. 

Sidewalk Chalk!

I came across this idea on a pet grooming blog. 

Thank You Pinterest!

This is a super simple idea to pull off at the last minute for a Halloween or costume party you end up attending at the last minute. 

Supplies

Sidewalk Chalk (I used Crayola)

Water

Bowl

Hairspray

1. Place some water in a bowl and allow the chalk to soak for 5-10 minutes.

2. Grind the chalk in the bowl to create a paste. (kind of like a mortar & pestle)

3. Wet hair slightly. 

4. Apply paste to hair. (It will dye your hands but it washes right off with a little scrubbing, so no worries.)

 

5. Allow hair to dry.

6. Spray hair with hair spray.

7. Allow hairspray to dry.

8. Tip head upside down and lightly scrunch hair to knock out the excess chalk.

9. Repeat steps 6, 7 & 8 if necessary.

10. Finish with a coating of hairspray.

  

This is my daughter's hair before I sent her out the door to school.

All day I stressed over what kind of mess her hair was making, and how much her teachers were going to hate me...LOL.

As soon as she walked out of the school, and I could pick her out by her hair color I knew this idea was a success!

This was her hair after school. 

Don't you just love how I can almost never get her to look at the camera?!?! Apparently I have traumatized her over the years with all my picture taking or something..LOL!

Clean up was a snap!

It all washed out in 1 shampooing. 

This is an idea that I will definitely use again! 

It was easy to do, easy to clean-up, and I won't have a ton of different cans of hair color sitting around year to year.

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Kindergarten Lunches Week 3

This was my daughter's first 5 day week in kindergarten, plus her dance, and karate classes. 

I must admit she was a trooper. I thought for sure she would be exhausted by the end of the week, but she did great. She even ate great this week. She kept pointing out that she was growing because she ate her lunch. I love this kid!!

MONDAY

I packed her vanilla bean, cinnamon french toast and syrup. She also had grapes, a banana, a cherry pie Larabar, and a Capri Sun.

The pink container is from Pottery Barn Kids, the silicone flower cup* is Wilton. The little container is the Rubbermaid LunchBlox sauce container*.

TUESDAY

 She had a peeled organic hotdog (yes, I said peeled), grapes, carrots, grape tomatoes, cheddar Chex mix, mini oreos, and a Hello Kitty Funtainer* of water.

The container is an EasyLunchBox*.  The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*.

WEDNESDAY

Today she had pasta, cheese, grapes, apple slices, mini oreos, and a Hello Kitty Funtainer* of water.

I soaked the apples in ginger ale for 10 minutes to prevent browning.

 The container is an EasyLunchBox*.  The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*.

 THURSDAY

I packed her mini pierogies, cucumbers, apple slices, animal crackers, and a Sistema Twist N' Sip* of water.

I soaked the apples in ginger ale for 10 minutes to prevent browning.

The container is the Rubbermaid LunchBlox entree with trays*. The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*.  

 FRIDAY

She had pizza, grapes, baby carrots, chocolate pudding with sprinkles, and a Hello Kitty Funtainer* of water.
 
The container is an EasyLunchBox*.  The silicone cups are Wilton pastel cupcake liners*.

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