This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made at those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support! The Fourth of July, or Independence Day should be an awesome celebration this year, now that the pandemic restrictions are being lifted! It will be wonderful to spend this important holiday with our loved ones and count our blessings that we live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave. My husband, my dad, my brother, many other family members and dear friends are in the ranks of those brave ones, and I am so thankful for them. I am happy and blessed to be able to express that gratitude on this holiday. Whenever we have family get togethers, it is always nice to have simple snacks for people to munch on until the actual meal happens! This year we are doing fruit kabobs with fruit dip and Patriotic Rice Krispy Treats! They all take very little time, the kids love to help make them and they fit many dietary needs! The little flamingo skewers were from Dollar Tree. They were actually stir sticks, but we snipped the knob off of the bottom so that they would have a pointier end to stab into the fruit. My 3 year old granddaughter loved helping me making the pattern of fruit as we put it on the sticks, and popping a few extra pieces into her mouth in between. Putting the kabobs on this star studded plater from Walmart makes these simple fruit snacks more festive! The fruit dip is one that I learned to make years ago from my friend Cindy! Now I see it all over the internet! It is a super simple recipe, but so delicious. 3 Ingredient Fruit Dip
*You can use vegan cream cheese to make this dip vegan! Two of my grandchildren helped me with the Patriotic Rice Krispy Treats! My 6 year old grandson was able to measure out the 6 cups of cereal just fine and my 3 year old granddaughter assured me that she could handle the marshmallows and the sprinkles! She was awesome at both. I simply followed the recipe on the Rice Krispy box, threw in a few sprinkles and then after pressing them into a 9 x 13 pan, (which my grandchildren had buttered), we pressed in a few more sprinkles on top. My gluten-free SIL is grateful when I make these gluten-free treats and if you use vegan butter and marshmallows, they are vegan as well. I am going to visit a couple of my grandchildren who live an hour and a half away and bring them these treats all wrapped up. This would be cute for neighbor gifts or your kids friends. I love these simple ideas and how simple they are with a big result. What are you doing for the 4th this year? I hope that you all have a wonderful celebration!
0 Comments
This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made at those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support! Around here, we are always up for a new game! This one, Skyjo, was a gift to me for Mother's Day! Little did we know when we began playing it that my youngest grandchildren would be able to catch on to it so well! Skyjo is a great game for old and young alike! Skyjo is a card game with numbered cards from -2 up to 12. The object of the game is to end up with the fewest points. The lowest cards are shades of blue and green and the highest are yellow up to red. My 3 year old granddaughter learned quickly that blue and green are "good" cards and that yellow and red are "bad" and those are the ones that you want to get out of your hand! After one time of playing "partner" with her mom, she was ready to have her own cards and play independently. She has beat me way more often than I have her! Playing Skyjo takes 2 things. Luck, or in other words, the luck of the draw literally! It also takes a certain amount of strategy and problem solving skills. You have to know what cards to replace when you draw and if it is worth replacing already fairly good cards with even better ones or taking the risk of switching out the unknown. I have been so surprised at how quickly even my youngest grandchildren have begun to figure out some of the more subtle strategies! Educational value of Skyjo: While the competition of the game alone makes it fun, there are so many great skills that kids can take away from it!
During these hot summer months in Phoenix when playing outside isn't really an option unless there is water involved, it is so great to have games to play that we can all enjoy and give the kids a way to play something besides electronics! Cooperative play is so important! Not only that, if they are having fun playing and secretly learning at the same time, that is a terrific bonus! Math skills are something that all kids should have reinforced! Skyjo fits the bill! Are you playing any great games this summer? Let me know what they are! I can always use suggestions! Related Posts You May Love:
This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!
My SIL had a great idea the other day, and as soon as he mentioned it, I had to run with it! He told me that since it is too hot for Hot Cocoa Bombs now, I should do the opposite and have Ice Cream Bombs! I thought, "What a great idea! Little nuggets of ice cream, just the perfect size for children or dieters or to eat as many as you want of the various flavors!
In the next few minutes, I was off to the store to get the ingredients that I knew I would need:
You will also need your molds that you use for Hot Cocoa Bombs. You can find them here.
Making Ice Cream Bombs Part I:
Making Ice Cream Bombs Part II:
Eating Ice Cream Bombs:
When you go to eat these tasty little nuggets, I've found that the best trick is to use the base around the stick as it is intended, a base to keep the ice cream in place. When you bite through the chocolate at the top and begin to eat it and the inner ice cream, it can all sit on the base without falling all over the place. Then, you have the nice chocolaty base to finish it all off. So, be sure to stick that chocolate base to the stick very well!
My favorite chocolate was the milk chocolate, but my SIL says he prefers the semi-sweet. What do you think?
I have a refrigerator on my back patio where I keep drinks and snacks. My grandchildren like to get out popsicles and eat them during the summer. Last summer I found a sticky puddle in the refrigerator to clean up because my little grandson had put the rest of his popsicle in the fridge thinking it would keep it cold for later! Ha Ha! Hopefully this summer these cute little Ice Cream Bombs will get all of the way eaten with no leftover mess! (Chocolate and not mess? Ha!) I hope that you will give them a try, too!
Other Ice Cream Treat Ideas you may love for this Summer:
This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support! Summer break is nearly here!
While my children are all grown with children of their own, I am going to have a few of my grandchildren with me again this summer! Time to brush off my "keeping kids entertained and learning" skills! No one wants their kids to become zombies, attached to their screens all summer allowing their brains to become mush. It is time to get planning some fun, educational and exciting activities that will keep the kids engaged, growing and best of all keep the adults happy as well! We're here to help you Kick-Off a Great Summer! |
Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
April 2024
|