Cocoa Jars

I wanted to do something for the girls at work so I decided to make cocoa jars! They are inexpensive, easy to make and you can add your own creative flare to them! I bought mason jars at the local grocery store and also bought a couple spools of cute ribbon. I bought 2 containers of hot chocolate mix, 1 bag of mini marshmallows and 1 bag of mini chocolate chips. This made 12 jars. If you use the same ingredients I did, its important to put the chocolate chips in the middle. If you put them at the top, they will sink down and mix into the marshmallows. I added a small candy cane but it would also be cute to add a layer of crushed candy cane to your jar! A mini bottle of kahlua would be cute as well :)

I wanted to add a personal touch to each jar! I considered making hanging tags but instead decided just to add each persons initial at the top of the jar with cute sparkly stickers!

Mess Free Painting (Snowmen)

Today we decided to put a little spin on our painting! First I traced 3 different sizes of circles using cups on white construction paper and cut them out. Next, I laid out 3 ziplock bags and picked out 6 different colors of paint. I picked out 2 circles and 2 colors for each bag. I squirted some paint on each circle and carefully slipped them into the bag! Make sure they are tightly zipped!



Here comes the fun part! Your little one can use their hands or paint brushes to swirl and spread the paint around! I even put them on the floor and we used our feet too!

Once Cayden was done, I carefully took the circles out of the bag and let them dry! I then stacked them to make snowmen and drew little faces! Some cute new art work for our fridge!

 

 

Water Fun

Cayden is all about asserting his defiant side right now! He has always loved bath time but for a couple months he refused to take baths. It seems that overnight this has changed again and I cant keep him OUT of the bath.We found a Toy Story boat that has flashing lights and color changing Toy Story characters that make bath time lots of fun...maybe too fun! Cayden would like to take about 3 baths a day but now we have come up with a solution! After 1 bath, we pull out the bowls! The color changing toys keep him entertained for hours! I fill one bowl with warm water and one with ice water and he moves the toys back and forth! We even bring the pan out to put the boat in and fill it with bubbles!

 

Salt dough Handprints

Every website and blog I've been to that has directions to make salt dough prints makes it seem very simple. I did not find it so easy but I ended up with some cute ornaments!

This is the recipe I used (it made about 6 toddler ornaments, you would be able to make more for an infant)
-2 cups flour
-1/2 cup salt
-3/4 cup water

You will also need
-Acrylic paint
-Gloss
-Ribbon

Mix ingredients and knead the dough. Then roll and make into circles using a cup. I made a small hole for the ribbon using a straw. My little one loved the rolling part!

 

We also had Woody and Buzz make some hand prints too :)

 

 

You will find that everyone uses different oven temperatures and baking times to make their salt dough ornaments. A lot of websites will tell you to bake your prints for 20-45 minutes at 300 degrees. But neither of these times were nearly long enough and the temperature was too high. If you cook them at too high of a temp, they will rise and you will have to poke holes in them. They will also start browning on the outside before the inside is cooked. I finally found the perfect cooking time and temperature.

-250 degrees for 2 hours and 15 minutes. I turned the ornaments over and turned the temp down to 200 for the last 15 minutes. They turned out great!

 

I painted the inside of the hand but it would also be cute to paint the outside of the hand or paint them both with different colors. If you are painting the entire ornament with acrylic paint, you can use a can of crystal clear acrylic coating. Since I only painted the inside of the hand, I used a clear coat high shine glaze. Don't forget to add your child's name and age/date on the back!

 

I think everyone will love this gift from Cayden! :)

My son hates slime

I decided to make "slime", even though Cayden is wierd about textures. I found a really easy recipe.

1 1/2 cups liquid starch
1 1/2 cups clear glue
Food Coloring

Mix the liquid starch and glue together until its the right consistency. Since I had 4 different colors, I divided the slime into 4 sections. I accidentally bought gel color instead of liquid so instead of adding a couple drops, I had to mix the gel in by hand. The longer it sits, the less sticky and watery it will be so I might wait a minute or two before handling it.


Cayden not only did not want to play with the slime, but he wouldnt even touch it or get near it. Everytime I tried, he ran away yelling YUCK! Apparently slime isnt his thing but it was worth a try! I got a little enjoyment out of it :)

 

15 Toddler Boy Activities

I found a great blog that had 20 mom & son date ideas that inspired me to make my own list of 15 fun activities for toddler boys (or girls).

1. Get outside- boys love anything outdoors. Go for a walk, go to the park, even just the back yard!

2. Bouncy Houses- I love bouncy houses because they get all of my little guys energy out! Its a great work out for mom too!

3. Mall Play Areas- We are a big fan of these! They may not be the cleanest of places but they are a blast for toddlers!

4. Painting- Painting is great for creative little minds! Cayden loves mixing the colors.

5. Barnes and Noble- Sadly, there are not many book stores left but luckily we have a Barnes and Noble not too far from us. Mommy goes to pick out some good books for bed time stories and Cayden goes for the awesome Thomas train table!

6. Zoo/Aquarium- We go to the zoo all the time. Since there are only a few warm, sunny months, we usually go all bundled up. Our local zoo has a year membership for $60 (The membership is the same cost for a family of 4 to go to the zoo one time) Our favorite animals are the elephants and monkeys!

7. Build a Fort- Surprisingly, we havnt done this one yet but its next on my list! Some of my favorite memories as a child are building forts in our living room with chairs, blankets, and sheets!

8. Childrens Museum- There is never a lack of things to do at the Childrens Museum. They have a ball area, slide, water features, art room, etc.

7. Play Area at Mcdonals- I was never allowed to play in these when I was little so I had never thought of this until my "mommy group" suggested it as a play date. Cayden loves Mcdonalds "cluck clucks" (chicken nuggets) so whats better then eating AND playing?!

8. Throwing rocks in water- This never gets old. There are some great parks around that have small lakes. Cayden can throw rocks in the water for hours, sometimes we even bring bread to feed the ducks. We also go to the ocean and throw rocks in the water and watch boats.

9. Story time at the Library- We did this a lot when Cayden was younger. You read books and sing songs. This wasnt such a hit when he got older because it involves more quiet time then Cayden likes but it might be perfect for your toddler.

10. Lowes Building Workshops- Lowes has free "Build & Grow" kids clinics where you can build wooden toys (cars, airplanes, bird houses, etc.) They are designed for older kids but younger kids can do it with help from mom or dad. If the work shops dont work for you, you can buy one of the wood toy building kits and build something at home.

11. Floor Time- This is Caydens favorite. Sometimes you feel like having a relaxing day and not leaving the house. Its easy to catch myself turning on the TV and sitting on the couch but toddlers enjoy nothing more then one on one play time. Playing trains, crashing cars and playing with Woody and Buzz are some of Caydens favorites.

12. Play Dates- I found a few moms with little ones close to Caydens age and we get together once a week! Playing with other kids is great, especially if your child doesnt have siblings or go to day care/preschool. Its great for us moms too!

13. Art Projects- Pinterest is full of great toddler arts & crafts. Slime, bird feeders, handprint animals, leaf rubbing, etc.

14. Starbucks- Sometimes just getting out of the house and getting a treat at your local coffee shop is what you need. Cayden loves the petite vanilla bean scones at Starbucks. Just sitting in a chair and talking are some of my favorite times with him.

15. Movie Nights- We are just getting to the age where we can watch a movie. Make it a special occasion and bring out the popcorn and m&m's! Curl up with a blanket and turn on Toy Story (always Toy Story in my house).

Handprint Owl

Handprint animals are always cute! Cayden and I have already done a handprint butterfly and a toeprint caterpillar!

 

The owl handprint requires a little more help from mom! First you will want to draw a tree branch. I had originally planned to make 2 owls but my tree branches weren't spaced far enough apart.

This is where your little one comes in "handy" (pun intended lol) 

Have them paint their hand with a paint brush, then turn your branch upside down and have them make their handprint! Cayden wanted to paint his hand over and over and make more hand prints so we used some scratch paper too!!

 

 

Next, you'll want to add the eyes, nose, feet and ears! 

So cute!! Great to give to a grandparent or just to hang on the fridge :)