Making dinner can be a chore, especially when cooking with children with different taste buds. When I involve them in the planning or making, I have a better chance of them enjoying the meal. Not saying this is foolproof because I do not know how your household is, but in mine, it is a miracle if I can please everyone with the food put in front of them.

We celebrate the Lenten season; we do not eat meat on Fridays. This season is always a reminder of how much meat we consume. We have to be creative, and 9 out of 10 times, our creativity is a hit. Tonight we set forth to make roasted vegetables for dinner to put over pasta. As I was cutting the vegetables, my toddler was throwing a tantrum, and I was trying to figure out a way to please him and still make dinner. Looking at the colorful vegetable, I had an “aha” moment; why not make a rainbow?

I asked my toddler to join me on his stool and make the rainbow. I first cut up all the vegetables and placed them in bowls so he could quickly grab them. I put parchment paper on a baking pan and built a rainbow together. The activity in the kitchen caused my other children to join in the fun. We spoke about the colors and the rainbow while we created our masterpieces. Being that it is the week of St. Patrick’s Day, we accomplished an educational, hands-on St. Patrick’s day meal on our meat-free Lenten Friday!! Woot Woot! Enjoy!

Rainbow Roasted Vegetables Pasta with Feta

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• Author: creatingorganizedchaos

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Description

Super easy and tasty Roasted Vegetable and Feta Pasta.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 Red Pepper chopped

1 Orange Pepper chopped

1 Yellow Pepper chopped

3 small Zuchini chopped

1 Red onion (sliced)

1 Cup of Feta cheese

1 Box of bow tie pasta

2–3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

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Instructions

1- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

2-  Wash your vegetable and cut them accordingly.   Place in bowls to easily pull from to place on baking sheet.

3- Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

4- Design your rainbow on the pan.  Starting with the red vegetables and ending with the feta as the clouds.  The kiddos took control of the design.  Let them have fun with it.  Perfection is watching their smiles.

5- Drizzle pan with Olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6- Bake for 20 minutes or until tomatoes pop open.

7-  While vegetables are baking, boil a pot of water and cook pasta.

8- When Vegetables and pasta are done cooking combine in large bowl.  Serve warm.

Looking at this rainbow, you think, “Aw, what a cute little rainbow.” What you need to think about are the different benefits found in such a simple activity. This activity works with their sensory skills, is educational, and is EDIBLE.

This craft only needs THREE items. We had fun as a family making this craft. My older children enjoyed this as well. It was fun to work with all ages. The littles just focused on getting the fruit loops on the pipe cleaner, whereas the older children concentrated on the color scheme on their rainbow.

What makes this activity a great Sensory activity?

Sensory play can help build your child’s motor skills. During this activity, your toddler will use small muscles in their hands by “pinching” and enhancing their hand-eye coordination by putting the fruit loop onto the pipe cleaner. It may sound simple to an adult, but when you watch a child do it, you can see the simple challenge it becomes to them. When doing this activity, meet your child with patience and understanding; each child can complete them at different speeds.

What makes this activity educational?

Easy answers, COLORS. You are using primary colors in this activity. You can talk to them about colors throughout the activity. There are a few ways that you can work with colors. The colors are in the fruit loops. Keep it simple and discuss the different colors, pointing them out as you make your rainbows. Another way is first to draw a rainbow on a piece of paper and discuss the colors. One can also take it a step further and get colored bowls and have your child sort the colors into the bowls.

Whatever you choose to do, HAVE FUN and remind your child there is no PERFECT rainbow!

Material Needed:

• Pipe Cleaners (no specific color)
•  Large marshmallows
•  Fruit Loops
•  Bowls

Instructions:

Step One: Put material out on the table. Put fruit loops into a bowl and marshmallows into another bowl.

Step Two: Stick one large marshmallow on one end. This will act as the knot at the end to hold the fruit loops on.

Step Three: Begin to design your rainbow by threading fruit loops onto your pipe cleaner and pushing them down to the marshmallow you are using as the “knot .”Do this until you read the other end. Leave enough room for another large marshmallow to act as the other “knot.”

Step four: Enjoy your creations!!!

Who doesn’t like Jolly Ranchers? Well, to be honest, I don’t, but the kiddos love them, and turning them into something that lasts a little longer they love them even more! This one is super simple (our favorite type of activity/recipe).

Jolly Rancher Lollipops!

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• Author: creatingorganizedchaos
• Total Time: 10 – 15 minutes

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Description

A simple sweet twist on one of our favorite treats!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 – 3 Jolly Ranchers per Lollipop

Parchment Paper

Cooking Spray

Baking Sheet

Lollipop Sticks

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Unwrap Jolly Rancher candy combinations. Any combination of candies works!

Place your creations on opposite sides, alternating, so no one’s lollipops get stuck together. The Jolly Ranchers within your creations should be touching.

Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes. (See notes below)

When fully melted take out and roll your lollipop sticks so they are fully coated.

Let them sit until they are cool.

ENJOY!! 

Notes

Keep a close eye on the oven. Our first batch was done in about 7 minutes the second set was done in 6 and every oven will be different.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5-7 minutes

In our home, we have acquired many traditions over the years during the holiday season. We have laughed as we have put together school projects during the season that ask us to tell a story of your holiday season. I say we laugh because it turns more into a novel than a story, meaning we have so many things that we brought into this season and love each one. This specific tradition teaches children the true meaning & feelings of the season. We have our Elf on the Shelf, as many do in their houses. The Elf is different because it promotes good behavior so that they stay on the “Nice List.” This particular tradition promotes good deeds and making others happy.

Years back, my brother gave our family the book, The Giving Manger. It came with hay, a single wooden cradle, and a ceramic baby. Hmm, this is interesting. What is it? We read the book, and from that point on, we fell in love with it, as did our children. The book tells the story of Jesus’s birth and about good deeds. The story encourages children to be kind and do good deeds for others. Each day the children tell us how they helped someone else or made them smile. After they tell their story, they place one piece of hay in the manger. The main idea is that the cradle will be full of hay by Christmas to comfort baby Jesus. At first, we were unsure if the kiddos would stay engaged with this, but I will tell you they were and continue to be. They even go out of their way to do things around the home and with their siblings for the simplicity of putting a piece of hay in the cradle for baby Jesus.

It is a beautiful tradition, and we hope it warms your home as it has ours.  The Giving Manger can be purchased on Amazon and many other bookstores.  The Giving Manger

Let us know how your children like it or a different way in which you promote Good Deeds and giving during this particular Holiday Season.

When the kiddos have off from school it is always a mental challenge on how we can make this day work for all parties involved. I would love to say lets just have a pajama day and watch movies, or go for a walk and play outside. Problem is that only works for maybe one hour before they start fighting and Mommy wants to grab a bottle of wine (some would think 7 am is to early to pop a bottle). I need to at least make it until noon because hey its 5:00pm somewhere (I kid I kid 🙂 ). So to prevent that bottle from opening I have to get creative. This week they happen to have two days off one mid week and one on Friday. The mid week one I decided to do with a friend for each child. The weekend I warned them with be a family day.

I gave them different options for the day, crafts, games, or cooking. They chose cooking. We decided to make a baking competition. We first went for a hike to get out some energy. This gave them some fresh air and good start to their day. My rule on a beautiful day is to always spend some time outside. Fresh air is so important to all of us and we enjoy our outdoor time.

Then they sat with cook books, the teams happened to be boys vs girls. They each picked out their own recipes. I sat with each team separately. I had them read to me the recipe. They had to write down the kitchen equipment they needed and the ingredients. We reviewed how complicated the recipe was and some choices were vetoed, because Mommy could see into the future and the mess and fights that would occur would cause Mommy to pop that bottle early.

How the BAKE off worked:

• Make teams- in our house it happened to be Boys vs Girls
• Pick a recipe- The teams both sat with their own cookbooks. They picked a few recipes each and I reviewed them with them. We talked about time and how complicated some were. We narrowed it down to one recipe each.
• Look at the recipe- Each team had to read through their recipe. They had to write down the kitchen equipment they needed and the ingredients for the recipe. We then looked over the lists together. We crossed out items I knew we had in the Kitchen. For the bigger kiddos, I had them look for the items themselves in the kitchen.
• Go to the Grocery store- Depending on ages the kiddos may want to do different things. My older children wanted to explore the store on their own. They asked to look for their ingredients on their own but quickly returned when they could not “find” their ingredients (typical). We collected all ingredients needed and then headed home. The store was a great learning experience for everyone. The were able to learn where some items may be located, prices of items and what to look for in the packaging.

• Let the BAKE OFF begin- Each team had their own time in the kitchen alone. They alternated as some items had to set or bake. I assisted when needed. For the younger kiddos I was hands on and for the older ones, I attached from a distance and provided help when necessary. The older ones liked the independence and gained confidence in what they were doing.
• Judging- We let the Dads and Grandparents be the judges. We had three different categories.
  • Presentation
  • Taste
  • Creativity

SURPRISE SURPRISE! It was a tie. No one had the heart to choose one over the other. No worries, all involved had a great time learning and creating. This is was a great way to spend the day with the kiddos and friends. We will definite do this again!

Let us know if you do it, how it went and what you may have added!

Some great children’s Cookbooks we have used:

• The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs
• Kids Can cook Anything
• The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs

My oldest son is wilderness all the way. He loves nature and loves to use it to build and create things. It was fitting that he would ask for a survival campout for his birthday this year. As I have said in previous posts, campouts are very popular at our house. It’s super fun and easy. However, that does depend on who is camping and who s glamping. Seeing what people unload from their cars for one night amazes me. The mattresses these days are insane. I am jealous because these children never have to know the pain of that one rock or root your tent was placed on, and you can’t get away from it. Nothing like a rock or stick poking you in the back all night. Even better, I laugh because kiddos have no idea the arguments that occurred while putting up tents in our childhood, those damn poles. Now all they have to do is pop a button, and viola, the tent is up, with outlet areas, ROOMs, places to hang your i-pads, and so forth. 

Okay, so let me get back to this Survival Party. I will admit he had me stumped at first, which is not normal for us when it comes to party planning. I told him to let me think about it and see if I could come up with something. Well, well, well, once the gears started turning, we pulled off an entertaining and easy Survival Campout party. We came up with a few fun activities, and the food, oh, how yummy it was.

Activities:

•  Build Your Bow and Arrow– My son chose this activity because he has been making bows out of branches and strings for the last few years. When we went to the county fair, we saw a different way in which they were using PVC pipes. We took a picture, figured they were easy enough to make and went with that plan. Well, if I could post the faces of the Dad’s confusion, you might laugh. Even better, the 11-year-olds figured out how to make them before the Dads did. In the end, they were easy to make and fun to use. 
• Glow in the Dark Scavenger Hunt– We purchased the thicker glow sticks. We hid these around the yard and in the woods. We counted as we put them out, which is very important. These boys got very competitive. Some glow sticks didn’t work in the batch, so do yourself a favor and count as you put them out. I don’t care about the age you give a group competition; they are on it. They set out to find the glow sticks, and they didn’t stop until they found all 28 (30 packs, two duds).  

• Haunted Path– We made a haunted path through the woods in our backyard. We used Halloween decorations, some we purchased and some we borrowed. We placed a Bluetooth speaker in the middle of the path set to play haunted music. To set the mood one step further, we collected lanterns, put their setting on strobe throughout the path, and placed a fog machine at the beginning of the trail. The last touch was the best; we asked all the dads who had joined us to go out to the path and hide throughout the course to jump out at the kiddos. The dads jumped at this opportunity and got into it, some even lying on the ground, ready to pounce on their kiddos. When I released the boys into the path, they must have gone down it 30 times. It was a success! Ahhh, the sound of screams and laughter, no better sound. As they were going through, I should have notified my neighbors this was occurring tonight; luckily, no police were called.

Food!

• Build Your Own Nacho bar– When first planning this party, I contemplated freeze-dried food. Then I got sensible. Would serving that to the boys have been funny, but they wouldn’t have eaten them, and I still would have had to feed them. I began to think about what they could cook on the fire…. Hot dogs did that…..Popcorn has done that a million times… NACHOS!! What kiddo doesn’t like nachos? I know, I know, I am sure there are a few out there, but pretty much any child eats chips. We filled the table with protein toppings and other items to put on their nachos. We used metal to-go containers for them to build their nachos in and then put foil over the top. They placed their foil-wrapped nachos on the fire grid, and within minutes, they had melted cheese and delicious nachos. These were both kid and Dad approved!

• S’MORE Birthday Board: Instead of a birthday cake, we decided to stick to the camp-out survival theme. We went with S’MORES. But not the ordinary s’mores, of course. We had to up our game. We created a fun survival/Halloween s’more board. It had candy, marshmallows and cookies, and all that goodness.  We lit a candle in the middle and sang Happy Birthday. After that it was a free for all. Some just made a plate of goodies while other created some delicious s’mores.

In the end, this party which started as a 10-year-old dream and complexed this momma turned out to be so much fun to plan and participate in! I hope you enjoyed our story! Let us know if you use any of our ideas and what else you may have added to your Survival Party!

Halloween is coming near. Once that air turns crisp, my children can not wait to start decorating for Halloween. What better way to have fun with the season then by creating a Halloween sensory kit. This allows them to enjoy the upcoming holiday and builds their sensory skills.

These bins entertain them as they explore their senses. We also like to put things in containers that will engage their motor skills. For this particular bin, we placed beads and pipe cleaners, thus allowing them the opportunity to put the beads on the pipe cleaners to make bracelets and other fun things. We also use various colors and textures to help engage their senses on different levels.

This particular box is for my children, but we had to remember my niece. My children (well, most of them) like the scary parts of Halloween (at a child’s level), for example, the spiders, witches, and snakes. On the other hand, my niece wants nothing to do with it. My son wanted spiders in the box for Halloween, so we found ”sparkly, glittery Spiders.” We talked them up to her with all their beauty, and she loved them. There are so many items you could add to this Holiday themed box, but this is what we added:

Halloween Sensory Box Contents-

• Play Foam Pfluffle
• Scoops
• Orange pony beads
• Black pony beads
• Black and orange pipe cleaners
• Spiders
• Ramekins