http://www.mommytopics.com Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:12:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 I’m Lovin’ These Shoes! http://www.mommytopics.com/shopping/im-lovin-these-shoes http://www.mommytopics.com/shopping/im-lovin-these-shoes#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:12:18 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=260

I have to tell you about these new shoes for Llany, that I am Lovin’.

They’re cute right?

Sporty.

Practical.

But that’s not the only reason why I’m Lovin’ them.

Check this out…

This is why I love these shoes!

Brilliant right?!

This takes the guess work out of trying to find the next new size shoe while in the store.

It’s also going to really come in handy a few months from now, with figuring out if he’s fussing because he’s grown out of the shoes and his toes are truly scrunched and hurting, or if he’s just pulling my leg because he’d rather be barefoot.

Been there, done that.

I also just really like looking at his cute little toes through that window. It tickles me inside. I know… I’m weird.

I’m always excited when I see people thinking outside the box and putting good ideas into action. Shoes have been around forever and it would be easy for executives to huff and puff and “nay” the proposal to implement a new idea like putting a window in the bottom of little kids shoes to help mom’s out. Mom’s have been, and will certainly still, buy shoes without this extra feature.

But I sure do appreciate this extra feature.

Thank you Starter, and thank you Walmart.

And by the way… no… I wasn’t paid or solicited for this review in any way. I just came across these while shopping at Walmart this week, and I loved them so much I had to share it with all of you.

Have a great weekend! And go buy some of these cool shoes!

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/shopping/im-lovin-these-shoes/feed 3 Summer Family Fun Tuesdays – A Trip to the Zoo http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/727-a-trip-to-the-zoo/a-trip-to-the-zoo http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/727-a-trip-to-the-zoo/a-trip-to-the-zoo#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:30:27 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=40

The saddest thing happened.

My kids and I took a trip to the Zoo with my Mom, and her two sisters. I took the cutest pictures of a baby panda sleeping, a momma flamingo feeding her just hatched baby flamingo, lions eating freshly offered meat, a baby deer learning to walk… it was such a great trip… so many great pictures… and then…

I went to upload the photos to my computer and every single picture… 250 pictures… all said, “Corrupt File.” I tried to view them on my camera and on my computer and I got the same error, every time! So, so, so SAD!!!

If anyone reading this has a Nikon and has ever had this happen, I’d love your feedback. The pictures were viewable on my camera for several days until I tried to upload them, and then all of a sudden, POOF! They were all ruined. I’m so nervous now when I take pictures. I don’t want this to happen again and I wish I knew what caused it.

But… the show must go on!

So…

Instead of a brand new Zoo post for this week’s Family Fun Tuesday, I’m reposting our last trip to the Zoo. I’m banking on the fact that most of you have probably never seen this post before because it was one of the very first ones I did, and so for most of you, it’ll be just like a brand new post.

So… without further ado… our trip to the Zoo!

We may live in the suburbs, but we still get a chance to see some wildlife.  It’s actually pretty amazing when you think about it.  Throughout the day I just couldn’t believe that we were getting to see so many amazing animals from all over the world.  There they all were, just a few feet away from us.

Ooooooh! Picture perfect flamingos.  Just look at that pink and black.  So awesome.  I’m glad I don’t turn the color of what I eat the most.  Hmmm? What color would I be?

Check these guys out.  They’ve got their own hammock… and they use it!

Now take a look at this lovely pair.  They didn’t stay here for long.  Off to the other side of their habitat.  We followed.

Hello gorgeous!  Are you looking at me?

Breathtaking!

And where is your companion?

Ah – ha! There you are.

And who said cats hate water? This guy is just lounging in his jungle jacuzzi.

Now, you can correct me if I’m wrong about this… I am from the suburbs… but aren’t these pumpkins?  I’ve never seen a pumpkin in it’s early stages before it’s fully ripe and round.  I know… I’ve been deprived.  I do have inner dreams about living on a farm, but then I think about how much work it would be and I abandon the dream quickly.

Lovely little Zebra eating his dinner.

Such amazing stripes!

Look, a Ton-Ton.

Oh no wait… that face is much too sweet to be a Ton – Ton.  Must be a Camel.  Hello sweety face.

Oooooooooh.  Takes my breath away.

That’s right beautiful… give me that sultry look.  Beautiful darling.  The camera just loves you.

I can almost hear her purring.

Awww.  Mrs. Jumbo.  Don’t you just love that scene from Dumbo when Mrs. Jumbo is rocking Dumbo in her trunk.  I love that song… “Baby Mine.”   I always sing that song to my newborns.

Baby mine don’t you cry

Baby mine dry your eye

Rest your head close to my heart

Never to part

Baby of mine.

Who can name this flower?  I don’t name ‘em… I just oooh and ahhh over them.

Hello Mr. Rhino.  Are we interrupting your dinner?

Hmmm?  Someone needs to learn to chew with their mouth closed.

Giraffes!  One of God’s most amazing creations.

Another darling face.  Don’t you just want to kiss it?!

And here’s another lovely flower.  Orange.  There is something so wonderful about orange isn’t there?  Bright, warm… wonderful orange.

The King of the Jungle.  I was so bummed that he was sleeping.  I couldn’t get a good look at him or a good shot of him.

But then I saw this sign and decided I was kind of glad he was sleeping.  I can’t believe they just put up this sign and make the general public responsible for keeping their distance.  Can you imagine?  That would be a sure way to instantly end a zoo trip.  Blech!

Here’s Mrs. Lion… also sleeping.  It must be getting late.

Hey there Mr. Koala! You’re not asleep.

Look at you, you sweet little darling.  Watcha thinkin’ about?

No no no!  Not you too!  Don’t doze off.  Wake up!  You’re just so adorable!

Don’t you just want to nuzzle noses with this little guy?  Not sure about those claws though.

Alright!  Looks like everyone has had a long day.

It’s closing time.

Time to head to the car and make the trip back home.

I hope everybody has a good zoo within a day’s drive from where they live.  The San Diego Zoo is a great one!

Thanks auntie D for the Zoo passes.  We all had a wonderful time!  Can’t wait to go again.

Next time we’ll have to see the Pandas, Gorillas, Crocodiles, Polar Bears, and all the other wonderful creatures we didn’t get to, today.

(Yeah… that’s exactly what we did this Summer… saw everything we didn’t see last time. I just don’t have the pictures to prove it. Ugh!)

So…

What kind of Summer Family Fun have you been up to? LINK up now and tell us about it!

Summer Family Fun Blog Hop Tuesdays

If you’re new to this LINK up, you get all the info about it here!

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/727-a-trip-to-the-zoo/a-trip-to-the-zoo/feed 3 Gratitude for the Second Half of Summer http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-the-second-half-of-summer http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-the-second-half-of-summer#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:25:52 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=257

Summer has been so fun and such a needed break from our regular schedule. Our summer is a couple weeks past the midway point and while my mind has begun to start planning for the coming school year, there are plenty of summer days left for simplistic and spontaneous fun. This week I am grateful for…

307. summer’s second half

308. berry picking

309. blueberry pie

310. raspberry pie

311. scones

312. the backyard

313. joy that comes from a child catching her first lizard with her bare hands

314. rest when there is pain

315. a second parent to take over when I can’t function

316. nurse practitioners

317. antibiotics that work

318. healing

319. vehicles that fit the whole family

320. warm breezy evenings at the playground

321. gearing up for soccer season

322. pink cleats

323. being married to the Coach

324. seeing a boy learn to build with hammer and nail

325. libraries

326. trips to the pool

327. Legoland

328. the Zoo

329. summer family flicks

330. pet rocks

331. glitter crayons

332. colored pencils

333. paint

334. strawberry lemonade

335. smoothies

336. iced coffee

337. planning for the coming school year

338. exciting new books

339. getting organized

340. planning field trips

341. ordering supplies

342. glitter

343. shopping online

344. glue sticks

345. home school conferences

346. home school friends

347. vacation days still ahead

348. time for more fun

holy experience

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-the-second-half-of-summer/feed 8 Christmas in July and Winner of the Surfer Dudette Giveaway http://www.mommytopics.com/shopping/christmas-in-july-and-winner-of-the-surfer-dudette-giveaway http://www.mommytopics.com/shopping/christmas-in-july-and-winner-of-the-surfer-dudette-giveaway#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:54:52 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=254

There is going to be a lot of “Christmas in July” buzz amongst the blogs, starting next week.

Mom’s are gearing up to share and collect ideas for decorating, recipes, gifts, and crafts, NOW, so that when the busy holiday season strikes, their entertaining arsenals are full and ready for action.

Now is also a great time to purchase gifts you can sock away until December, and have on hand, ready to give to the ones you love.

Surfer Dudette’s online ETSY store is a great place to stop by and pick up incredibly unique accessories, you can’t get anywhere else. All of her handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, would make any woman or girl feel beautiful, feminine, and loved.

And for one of my lucky readers, today truly is like Christmas in July because she has won the Surfer Dudette Necklace GIVEAWAY!

Drum roll please…..

And now…

The randomly drawn winner of the Surfer Dudette Necklace Giveaway is…

Comment #4 – Cindi Washam

“I really like the rust flower brooch. Beautiful!”

Congratulations Cindi, and thank you so much to everyone who entered and left great feedback on your favorite pieces in the comments!

Thank you also to everyone who visited Surfer Dudette’s ETSY store. Remember that when you shop there you are supporting the efforts of a hard working Mompreneur. If you haven’t browsed her site in a couple weeks, she’s added some new items you may not have seen, like this:

Love Me By the Seashore Necklace by Surfer Dudette

Gorgeous right?!

So…

Merry Christmas in July, and head on over to Surfer Dudette’s online store and get some Christmas shopping done before the holiday rush. You’ll be so glad you did!

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/shopping/christmas-in-july-and-winner-of-the-surfer-dudette-giveaway/feed 1 Wordless Wednesday – How Do They Know?! http://www.mommytopics.com/garden/wordless-wednesday-how-do-they-know http://www.mommytopics.com/garden/wordless-wednesday-how-do-they-know#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:15:19 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=253

(The photo above was taken the morning after these photos were taken… painful.

And I really shouldn’t have been surprised by this photo, because of these photos, … but I still was. How do they know?! )

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/garden/wordless-wednesday-how-do-they-know/feed 11 Summer Family Fun Tuesdays – Old Town Temecula http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/720-old-town-temecula/summer-family-fun-tuesdays-old-town-temecula http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/720-old-town-temecula/summer-family-fun-tuesdays-old-town-temecula#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:47:24 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=250

Does your city have an “Old Town”? What’s it like?

You may have heard of Old Town San Diego, a well known historic district in Southern California. It’s made up of museums and historic buildings such as preserved adobe homes, an old schoolhouse, a historic blacksmith shop, San Diego’s first Newspaper office, and a super creepy old mansion called the Whaley house.

I was taken to the Whaley house in 4th grade on a school field trip, and the problem with the Whaley house is that it has a reputation for being haunted. At the beginning of the tour they tell you all about the evil criminals which were tried in the house’s courtroom, and hung outside as a result of a guilty verdict. They also tell you about two of the Whaley children who died in the home due to disease and an accident in the backyard. They tell you all about the haunting and ghosts that have been seen, photographed, smelt, and felt in the house and then they send you… in my case an 8 year old… off to explore the house and take pictures.

FREAKED… ME… OUT!!! For days! And nights. Yep… it was mostly the many nights after that, when I was especially FREAKED OUT!!!

Old Town San Diego has some GREAT Mexican Food and there are always neat artisan booths and shops to explore, but for Family Fun we prefer an Old Town that you’ve probably never heard of, located about 60 miles north east of San Diego, in the city of Temecula.

As a young child living in San Diego, my family and I would take trips to the city of Ontario, about a two hours drive north, nearly every other weekend to visit my Grandparents and everyone else on my dad’s side of the family. On most trips we would make a stop half way in the little horse town of Temecula to take a bathroom break and eat pizza at Scarcella’s, feed ducks in the duck pond, or grab soft serve ice cream cones from the Corner Deli in Old Town.

The city of Temecula has boomed from a population of a few thousand residents in the 1980’s, to a population now of over 90,000. Thankfully amidst all the growth, the residents, businesses, and city officials have embraced the history still preserved in Old Town, and have maintained much of the authentic look and feel of the Wild West.

Old Town Temecula today has retained a collection of buildings, still in use, which go as far back as 1890, when the small town was built up by wealthy cattle ranchers. Prior to 1890 Temecula was one stop on a Southern California stage coach route, and before that, it was settled by Spanish ranchers who received California land grants as a result of the Mexican American War. Perhaps the oldest group of citizens native to the area however, are the local tribe of Pechanga Indians. Their tribe claims to have been present in the area for more than 10,000 years and their mythology teaches that life on earth began in the Temecula Valley, which was named “Exva Temeeku” meaning the union place of Sky Father and Earth Mother.

Indians, cowboys, stage coaches, and the Old West… COOL!

I mean come on! You can’t get a more authentic Old West feel, than in a town where the street (first paved in 1915) is lined with a wood planked boardwalk, and a pile of fresh road apples.

AU-THEN-TIC!

Did I mention you need to watch your step?

Each year Old Town Temecula is host to several festivals that draw crowds from San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, and other neighboring cities. Some of our family favorites include the Rod Run, Bluegrass Festival, Hot Summer Nights Concert Series, Old Western Days complete with Bank Robbery re-enactment, and the Street Painting Festival shown above.

Along with the festivals, weekend farmer’s markets, and amidst the town’s old west charm, there are several great places for families to eat, shop, learn, and play.

Sugar Babies is a Children’s Boutique that always has items I go “ga-ga” over. Their selection of handpicked items include children and babies clothing, shoes, hats, socks, blankets, plush animals, specialty wood toys, puzzles, and more.

One of my favorite items at Sugar Babies is this Tootles Crayon Holder Apron for the little female artist. They also carry fabulous handmade tu-tus and embellished onesies.

The Old Town Sweet Shop carries all the great nostalgic candy you will remember from childhood. The owners say the most popular phrase you will hear from happy customers is “remember these?”

Some of our family’s favorite treats from the Old Town Sweet Shop are samples of their “Fresh Made” Fudge, the retro candy, the wide assortment of Jelly Bellies, and their ice cream cones.

My kids will not accept a trip to Old Town Temecula  without a stop at the Sweet Shop.

The Temecula Fruit Market is the perfect place for those fresh picked cravings. With an assortment of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and honey from local growers it’s tough to walk out, without something tucked into a brown paper sack for later.

Temecula’s first Bank, built in 1914, has been preserved and turned into a restaurant with great Mexican Food, now simply known as, The Bank. If you make a reservation you can actually request seating for your family inside the original bank vault.

The best family BBQ restaurant on the planet… in my humble opinion… can be found at Sweet Lumpy’s BBQ. My kids love eating the peanuts and getting to throw the shells right on the floor. And the BBQ sauce is sweet and delicious… even my picky toddler loves it. I highly recommend the Pulled Pork Sandwich or Ribs. Yum! Yum!

For a fantastic Hamburger, a delicious Vanilla Coke with the most perfect tiny balls of ice (I’m weird) and an an outdoor seat with a view of everything happening on the street, we love eating at Mad Madeline’s Grill.

And, when visiting Old Town with kids, you can’t miss out on Professor Pennypickles Children’s Museum and Gift Shop. It’s stepping out of the Old West and into a playful lab of children’s experimentation with all kinds of fun exhibits and activities. We could spend half the day in here alone!

My kids LOVE this place!

Old Town is also home to the Temecula Museum where you can find out more about the stories behind the buildings that still remain, and the exciting details of generations of cowboys and Indians who have called Temecula, “Home.”

Also, a nifty little detail easily missed is this authentic jail cell tucked back in between some shops. You’ll probably have to ask somebody to point you towards it because it’s easily missed if you don’t know where to look. I wont tell you what’s inside… you’ll have to find that out for yourselves.

And Mommies… after a day of treats and entertainment for the kids, don’t miss out on something for yourself from the Cafe Bravo Coffee House. They provide amazing home baked goodness, fantastic in house roasted coffee, and a charming and relaxing atmosphere.

On a hot summer day, one of my personal favorites, is their Ice Shivered Caramello topped with homemade whipped cream.

And one more great place for Mom is the The Spice Merchants which is the cutest little gourmet store that carries a selection of over 300 spices & blends, as well 65 loose-leaf teas. I can always find great gifts here, especially for those hard to buy for people who seem to already have “everything.” The Spice Merchants staff are great at helping to assemble gift ensembles of complimentary spices and cooking accessories. I’ll admit, it’s tough to walk out without a little something for myself too.

So… we’ve been meandering through Old Town, shopping, eating, and enjoying the summer sun in the wild west.

What has your family been doing?

Link Up, and tell us all about it!

Summer Family Fun Blog Hop Tuesdays

If you’re new to this link up, you can find all of the info for it here.

This post linked to: Summer’s Simple Things

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/720-old-town-temecula/summer-family-fun-tuesdays-old-town-temecula/feed 4 Gratitude for Relief from a Very Long Drought http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-relief-from-a-very-long-drought http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-relief-from-a-very-long-drought#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:21:22 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=251

279. unexpected rain in Summer

280. dark skys

281. incredibly beautiful lightning

282. surrounding thunder

283. the scent of dry dirt drenched

284. new seeds planted

285. little helpers

286. God’s faithfulness

287. endurance

288. a downpour of new hope

289. prayers answered after a long desert journey of questioning and quiet

290. a new job for my husband after a very long season of uncertainty

291. lessons learned through difficult trials

292. growth

293. the melting away of fear and doubt

294. clear skies after storms

295. provision

296. my husband

297. our marriage

298. supportive family

299. a tremendous church

300. Vacation Bible School

301. those who give their time to teach, encourage, and love my children

302. book club

303. gleaning from others

304. rejoicing

305. a new season

306. looking to the future with a smile

holy experience

Have you read these other posts yet?

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-relief-from-a-very-long-drought/feed 4 Saga of A Hindered But Hopeful Gardener – Post 4 – Planting Seeds http://www.mommytopics.com/garden/saga-of-a-hindered-but-hopeful-gardener-post-4-planting-seeds http://www.mommytopics.com/garden/saga-of-a-hindered-but-hopeful-gardener-post-4-planting-seeds#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:56:03 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=248

So this week I’m talking about planting seeds.

For starters, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to do this step in spring, once the danger of frost has passed.

It’s July, and I’ve just gotten my seeds into the ground. But hey, on the bright side, I’m going to have a true harvest in late fall. I’m pretty excited about that. I can’t wait to pick pumpkins and make pies and muffins in late October and November, as opposed to my crops being ready for picking in August or September.

Every year I take my kids to church on October 31st, to what we call the Harvest Festival. It’s really just a fun time to play games, wear costumes, and collect candy. It never has anything to do with actual planting and harvesting.

This year it will be so fun, as a family, to have a true Harvest Festival and celebrate the miracle of pulling food from the ground, that started out as a simple little seed.

And call me a city girl, but for some reason, when I opened my packet of seeds for planting peas, I was shocked to see that they were just little dried peas.

And the pumpkin packet was just filled with dried pumpkin seeds…

And the watermelon seeds were… well… watermelon seeds.

And yes, to plant the sunflowers, we simply planted… sunflower seeds.

Weird.

I mean, I guess it’s actually the farthest thing from weird, and really makes complete sense when you think about it. But that’s just the thing… I’d never thought about it. All I’ve ever planted before are flowers, and they all have different types of seeds, so you never know what you’re going to see when you open up the little seed packets. It’s always an interesting surprise to see what each seed will look like.

So, it was just sort of strange this time when planting my new crops, to open up each packet and see seeds which I am already REALLY familiar with.

Silly little city girl. I know.

So first, as promised in my sketch, we planted Sunflowers in a row, 4 inches from the fence.

We planted them in a long row, all the way down.

And… we added a new hose to help with some of the watering.

This whole new garden area has it’s own little sprinkler system, working off of a drip line that goes to all the fruit trees. The sprinklers are set on a timer to water around 7pm each evening.

Next we planted our peas.

We put them about 3 or 4 inches in front of our row of sunflowers, and we planted them in a staggered double row, with each pea 2 inches from it’s neighbor, and the two rows 3 inches from each other.

I love having sweet little helpers who are so curious and excited about every bit of the work.

And then came our hills for pumpkins and watermelons.

Now, I have been advised not to plant too many of these because 1) I’m told these vines are going to go wild and take over, and that too many will just be too much, and 2) the bees will have a difficult time getting to the flowers to pollinate them, for the creation of the fruit, if the vines are all overtaking each other.

And let me just tell you right here… I had no idea that besides soil, water, and sun, I also need bees in order to get the pumpkins I’m dreaming of. Once some of my dear online gardening friends made mention of this in the comments on last weeks post, it really got me thinking and asking a whole lot of questions. My kids and I have been doing some research through picture books on gardening from the library, and online photos and information. I’ll save what we’ve learned about the development of pumpkins for an entire post of it’s own once mine start showing their flowers, but for now let me just say this…

For the first time in my life I understand why they call it, “the Birds and the Bees talk” and I’m sooooo amazed! I get it. It’s incredible. The groundwork has now been laid for my kids as they are understanding what it is bees do, and years from now, when it’s time, I’m totally going to build that bridge from pumpkins to people. Amazing!

Silly city girl.

I know.

So…

Each pumpkin and watermelon hill is about 3 ft. in diameter and has 6 seeds in it, planted around the perimeter of the dome. The seeds are spaced 6 inches apart from each other in each hill, and each hill is surrounded by a 4 inch wide, 4 inch deep moat.

I’m going to wait and see which hills seem to be growing the best, and at some point in the next couple of weeks, I’ll choose 3 hills to eliminate, for better spacing and pollination in the garden.

I’ve included all kinds of pictures and details about spacing and watering, etc. in hopes that my newly beloved community of gardening bloggers will offer input on any concerns you see with my work, my plans, changes that need to be made, and so on.

I’ve also included all these details, for my kindred city folk and fellow hindered gardeners, just in case my hope-filled saga is improving your interest and confidence in stepping outside with your kids and starting a garden of your own.

I have a lot of hope.

We’ll see what happens.

Stay tuned…

And by the way…

For those of you who expressed interest in some of my artwork, I have been taking steps to make it available for sale as prints. I’m still working out the kinks of an online process through which to make it available, but here are just a couple of the pieces from my collection to tease you with and to assure you… I am working on it!

“How Does Your Garden Grow”

“Garden Tomato”

“Garden Carrots”

I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Linked to: Funky Junk Interiors

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/garden/saga-of-a-hindered-but-hopeful-gardener-post-4-planting-seeds/feed 11 Wordless/Works For Me:Wednesday – Best Sign… EVER! http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/best-sign-ever http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/best-sign-ever#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:56:48 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=246

(Sign we saw hung on a Toy Vendor’s booth when we went to the San Diego County Fair)

*While you’re here visiting MommyTopics, check out this quick-to-enter GIVEAWAY by Surfer Dudette, and this Summer Family Fun LINKY.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday and Works for Me Wednesday

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]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/best-sign-ever/feed 8 Summer Family Fun Tuesdays – Pudding Pops http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/713-pudding-pops/summer-family-fun-tuesdays-pudding-pops http://www.mommytopics.com/summer-family-fun-tuesdays/713-pudding-pops/summer-family-fun-tuesdays-pudding-pops#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:37:01 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=244

What kid doesn’t like pudding right?!

Heck… what PERSON doesn’t like pudding?! I love it!

So, last week the kids and I had our first go at making homemade pudding pops.

At my house there are far more fans of Vanilla than Chocolate, but we mixed up a batch of both flavors to experiment with.

And for this activity the Vanilla is certainly much more fun to work with because…

You can add food coloring to it and make all kinds of fun colors.

Except for purple.

See that cup in the bottom right hand corner?

That was supposed to be purple, but no matter what ratio of blue and red food coloring I tried, I just couldn’t get the shade I was striving for. I guess because of the original yellowy base, the end result stayed far more in the realm of a weird taupe brown color, than a purple.

Oh well.

I’m not a huge fan of purple anyway.

It would have nicely completed our rainbow of colors though.

Next time I might try this with a White Chocolate pudding so I can start with a white base.

Anyhow… moving on…

My original intent was to make beautiful stripey pudding pops like this which I’ve seen on a few different websites and blogs.

This one was intended to be patriotic, but again… no white pudding.

Because of the lack of white in this one, it actually reminds me more of Dr. Seuss than our flag.

Which is fine… I like Dr. Suess.

I like him A LOT.

(I just watched Dumb and Dumber on TV last night. I totally said that statement in my head as I typed it, just like Jim Carey… in case you care.)

The Rainbow Pop.

See now in this picture the purple does actually look purple.

Not too bad.

This is cute, but it really is trickier than it looks to create these lines.

It takes a very steady purposeful hand not to drip and slop and accidentally ding your spoon against the insides of the cup.

This was my 8 year old son’s effort to make a rainbow pop.

It really is pretty tricky and it takes more patience and focus than you plan for as you begin.

This one would have looked really cool if we had swirled it a little with a toothpick and gave it more of a tie-dyed look.

And instead of topping his with purple, he went for a stripe of chocolate.

Good decision.

It turns out that Vanilla pudding pops are not as delicious as Vanilla pudding. The taste gets a bit dull when frozen and really needs some chocolate with it to make it worth eating. In fact I recommend a lot more chocolate mixed in to each pop than just the stripe seen above.

But that’s also just my adult opinion.

The kids could care less.

They loved these things.

But kids taste buds and food interests are weird. Anything bright and colorful and sweet excites them. My kids like to eat ice cream cones topped with magical marshmallows.

When we try this again I think I’ll do it with food coloring and Vanilla Ice Cream instead of pudding. We already know how good ice cream tastes frozen.

So after we realized how tricky creating smooth lines was, the rest of the pops went something more like this.

Little bit of this, little bit of that, glob here, splat there, spoonful of some more here.

The kids didn’t care about the stripes. They just loved all the colors and getting to play with their food.

We all really had a lot of fun doing this together.

And you’ll notice once again, I do let my kids get messy with food… but I demand it takes place outside.

That’s just how I roll.

We had a variety.

Popped in the sticks…

Put a cookie sheet full of pops in the freezer…

And the next day there was a fun fight about who got to eat my perfect looking rainbow one.


For more amazing, fun, creative popsicle ideas, you and your kids can enjoy this summer, and for years to come, check out this neat popsicle book.

And tell me…

How has your summer been going?

What kind of fun have you and your family been having?

Please… link your Summer Family Fun posts below.

If you’re new, you can check out these guidelines first.

I can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to!

Summer Family Fun Blog Hop Tuesdays


Linked to: I’m Lovin’ It Fridays @ TidyMom, Check Me Out Saturday, Weekend Wrap Up PartyCraft School Sunday

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