Rice, Rice Baby

So, do your kids love to play in the sand box, but it's still a little too cold outside? Here's an idea for you little ones to play with that you can vacuum up if a mess occurs.

Lots of fun, cheap and easy (Put a little bit of alcohol or vinegar in a baggie, add a few drops of food coloring. Throw in your rice. Mix it all up and then spread it on a sheet pan. Let it air dry or put it in the oven at 200 degrees for about half an hour. You can mix the coloring with just water if you need to, but the alcohol makes the colors a little brighter. You can also add a scent if you want.). I got one of those wide shallow plastic storage boxes, so she could go crazy with the mixing, measuring, pouring, and raining and it doesn't make a giant mess that takes me hours to clean up. Hiding little figurines in a the rice and slowly excavating them has also proven to be enjoyable. You must make several colors for added entertainment.

(http://www.colorfool.net/)

Hot Rocks

Rocks that have a fairly smooth, flat surface are best. Heat the rocks up in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (on a foil lined cookie sheet). While they are heating, have your kids get busy tearing the paper off of crayons they plan to color/paint on the rocks with. Remind them to handle the rocks with pot holders, put them down on a protected surface (we used plastic cutting boards), and "paint" with crayons. The crayons melt and the resulting color is very vivid (my kids love the glittery crayons the best). And, if you're a tired mom like I am at about 3 in the afternoon, you can just pick one crayon color, press it down on your own rock, and let the entire thing melt down, just watching....watching.....watching the crayon melt....down....down...its fun.

(http://blairpeter.typepad.com)

Family Reading

If your child is old enough to read, take turns reading to one another. If your child is not old enough, then set time aside to read to your child.

If the child is reading a book for school, read the book yourself and discuss during your family meals.

Form a family bookclub. Choose a book that you and your child would enjoy reading and invite other families to do the same. You can then organize get together to discuss the book!

You and your children have common interests? Then pick a book on the topic and just read.

Home Scavenger Hunt

Make a list of things you want them to find but keep it open-ended. For example:
•something blue
•something with flowers on it
•something smaller than a tennis ball
•something bigger than your head
•something stretchy

You can adjust the list according to your child's ability. So for an older child it could be:
•something square and bumpy and smaller than your fist
•something silver that moves
•something soft on the inside and hard on the outside

For a younger child try:
•something round
•something heavy
•something scratchy

You don't need to have a particular object in mind - that's part of the fun, seeing what your kids can come up with!

(http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/)

Easy Puff Paint

I found this on one of the blogs I subscribed to. This is really cool and super quick/easy. Combine the following in a little bowl:

1 tablespoon self-raising flour

a few little drops of food colouring

1 tablespoon salt

Then add some water to make a nice smooth paste.

Paint away on a nice thick sheet of cardboard (if you don't have enough paint brushes use cotton buds - they work really well).

Microwave the design on high for 10 - 30 seconds until the paint puffs and it's all nice and dry. We did ours for 30 seconds.

Let me know if anyone tries it and how it works for you.

(http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/)

PIE Night

This is an idea I got from a Enrichment Activity. R and I do this. Once a month we have PIE night. PIE stands for Priesthood Interview Night. It is a chance for the father of the home to spend time with each child while mom bakes pie (or any dessert you like). Right now R just spends quality time with Baby D, being that he's only 4 month old. When your kids get older, ideally dad take one at a time and talks to them about how they are doing. With younger kids he can help them write in their journals, talk about gospel topics or just let the little ones talk about whatever they think about. As they grow older, topics will change. It's a teaching opportunity for the dad and a chance for dad to grow closer to the children. It also helps create a safe environment for children to bring up issues they may be having troubles with. Russ and I do PIE night on the first Sunday of the month. And while we are eating dessert, we have family council, a chance for us to look at what is going on in the month to come and make sure we are on the same page.

April Fools!!!

MarthaStewart.com had some cute and harmless April Fools Day jokes.(Though I don't know how harmless the fake cockroach is). Click on the link for some good ideas. Let me know if anyone uses any of them and how it turns out. Also, post any other April Fools ideas you may know. Mom's always need a good laugh :)
http://www.marthastewart.com/

Fake Ding Dongs

I got this idea from the blog Bakerella. In my house we think they taste a lot like ding dong. Not quite the same, but close. You bake a chocolate cake and let it cool completely. You then break the cake up into crumbs in a bowl. Add a container of cream cheese frosting. Mix until smooth. Form into little balls, or whatever shape you prefer. Put them on a cookie sheet in the fridge so the can firm up (or in the freezer to speed up the process). When ready, dip in chocolate. You're done! We love them. I suppose you could use any kind of cake or frosting depending on what flavor you want. It anyone tries this with different flavors, let me know how they turn out.

Picaboo.com Offer

I got this email yesterday from www.picaboo.com. "Buy Any Book, Get An Extra Copy Free; Ends Monday March 31st at Midnight PST. Use coupon code MARBGF at checkout for instant savings." It's on those digital scrapbooks, all you have to do is upload your pictures.

-Sara Phillips

Homemade Girl Scout Cookie

I came across a blog with some recipes for homemade Girl Scout Cookie. I didn't try them, by if anyone does try them, let me know if they are any good. Click on the cookie recipe you want and it should take you to the link.
Samoas
Do-si-dos
Tagalongs
Thin Mints

Bakerella

I found a fun blog.
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/
She has lots of fun ideas for cooking. Some are easier to make than others. I did the Shamrock Truffles (I just did strips not shamrocks on top) They turned out so yummy. A little messy but not too hard. And the Kiddos could help you roll them into balls.

Gobble Bag

Or Gummy Bag for anyone who attended Joy School. This is a cute idea to teach your children to pick up after themselves. If anyone tries it, let me know how it worked for your kids. http://www.ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/351

Grocery Guru

KSL has a way you can sign up for a free podcast from the Grocery Guru. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=209
The instructions explain how to get the free podcast, and if you scroll down the right side, you'll see Grocery Guru. Click there and you can sign up. I've listen to him before and he seems to have some good ideas. I know the guy also has free seminars you can sign up for (I heard about it on the radio), but I can't find the info anywhere online. Let me know if anyone know anymore about it.

Family Jounal

LDS Living Magazine has a great article about keeping a family journal. It sounds like a great way to keep your family close to one another and also to work on your own family history. Read the article on the LDS Living Magazine link. Let me know what you guys think. I think it sounds like a great idea.

I also went to a RS enrichment activity were the lady who spoke talked about how her family does a similar thing. They call it a Blessings Journal. Anytime something happens in their lives that they can see the Lord's hand in, they write it in this journal. That way, as a family, they can all remember the many times the Lord has blessed them. When her children were little, there were many stories of praying to find a lost toy or something similar. As her kids got older, the stories were much more spiritual. What a great way to teach your children at a young age look for the Lord's hand in all thing.

More Fonts

More fun, free fonts that aren't all handwriting fonts. They are done by the same guy as the other post. http://www.kevinandamanda.com/scrapbook/fonts/
Hope you guys like these one's too.

More Money Savings

Okay so someone asked for it; my friend just told me about three more websites to help save money on your groceries. These are free sites, so give them a try and see which ones work for you. http://www.hotcouponworld.com/; http://www.budget101.com/; http://www.couponmom.com/

- Sara Phillips

The Grocery Game

Okay, here's another one. I was surfing blogs today and found this website that a friend of mine uses: www.thegrocerygame.com. What she does is pays $5 a month for this website, once a week she prints off a list and it tells her what is on sale at her local grocery store, what coupons to use and the final cost of the particular item. It sounds like she's saved a lot on her grocery bill, and even found things that ended up being free. The website has a $1 trial period for a month, I think I'll try it out and see if it makes a difference. Please leave a comment if you have used this site before or if you try it. -Sara Phillips

Sister Savings

Here is a website that helps you find weekly sales at local grocery stores (Utah & Arizona Only); it also helps you plan meals and helps you add to your food storage. Check it out. http://www.sistersavings.net/

- Sara Phillips

Cool Handwriting Fonts

For anyone who wants some free, neat fonts go to http://kevinandamanda.com/scrapbook/fonts/fontsforpeas/
He will even make fonts from people's handwriting for free. Though he saids that he does not do all the one sent to him.