Child's Play: Museum of Natural Curiosity

One thing I realized on our trip to Utah is how many fun entertainment options are available for kids. From restaurants with child-centered distractions and menus to large, high-quality entertainment centers, I was highly impressed with the selection. My cousins were nice enough to take us along to the Museum of Natural Curiosity one morning and my kids were in heaven! They have three main areas to play - Kidopolis (a miniature metropolitan area filled with a pretend theater, post office, laundromat, etc.); rainforest (filled with fun ropes course and even an airplane you can fly in the sky); and waterworks (fun ways to play with water for kids of all ages.) We stayed for a few hours and left at lunch time, but this is a definitely a place you could spend all day and be a hero in your kids' eyes.

Blake especially loved this theater where kids could change the scenery, lighting, sound effects and even dress in costumes. His favorite was the pirate set-up.

What kid isn't obsessed with laundry machines? These light-up manual washers and dryers were a big hit.

There are even little hidden compartments along the ground of the complex. This one was a miniature dinosaur house that visitors could peek in on.

Several of the activities incorporate learning in fun ways. This music studio lets kids add different musical elements to create their own personal masterpiece.

The drum room is probably the loudest area in the entire place. It's fun to create a beat, but you'll be ready to duck out within a few minutes.

Ella jumped right into the rain forest area and loved playing on all of the ropes.

I even followed my kids up the rope bridges to the suspended airplane to catch a few shots of Blake driving. Definitely not a good idea for people who are afraid of heights, but so much fun for adventurous kids.

It was a great day filled with fun and cousins we don't get to see very often. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone living in or traveling to the Salt Lake area.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

On a cold and rainy day, not much sounds better to eat than hot soup and a yummy sandwich. Living in Seattle, we get those days a lot. Grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup is one of my favorite combinations, so creating little bite size crouton versions of these sandwiches to go directly into the soup was life-changing. And by making the croutons fun little shapes, even my kids are interested enough to eat the tomato soup.

I found these mini cookie cutters that had a variety of little shapes that were about 1 inch in diameter - tiny, but perfect for little croutons. Make up a grilled cheese sandwich as usual and the little cutters slice right through the sandwich making adorable hearts, flowers, stars, etc. (They're perfect for cutting shapes into fruit, veggies or cheese as well.) You can also make a more plain-jane version by slicing the sandwich into small squares with a knife. Top your soup with the cut-out shapes for extra gooey cheesy goodness!

Child's Play: Valentine's Day Edition

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday for kids. It's made for sugar and silly crafts. Today I'm sharing three of my favorite kid-friendly Valentine's Day activities. While these are easy enough for a two-year old, I think older kids would enjoy them too (and the end results might be a little prettier).

Hope you have as much fun doing these with your Valentines as I did with Max.

Giant Rice Krispie Kiss
Every Valentine's Day, my mom used to give my brother, sister, and me a giant rice krispie treat disguised as a Hershey's Kiss. I loved this tradition as a kid and decided to start it with Max. Making rice krispie treats and then shoving them into a funnel is the perfect kitchen activity for a two year old.

You'll need:
A batch of rice krispie treats (my ooey gooey recipe below)
A small funnel
Margarine or butter
Foil
Paper and pen

Grease the funnel and your hands with butter or margarine. Pack the treats into the funnel.

Turn them out onto parchment paper.

Wrap in foil and add a little paper tag.

Rice Krispie Treats
1/4 cup butter
1 16 oz bag big marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups Rice Krispies

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir fairly constantly until they melt. Add the vanilla and stir. Mix in the Rice Krispies. (These will be more gooey and marshmallow-y than typical Rice Krispie treats...just the way I like them.)

Heart Attack
Growing up, my mom had a fun idea for letting people know we were thinking of them. We'd cut out tons of paper hearts and "heart attack" their door. I decided to repurpose this idea as a toddler-friendly way to decorate our front door for Valentine's Day. I had tons of die cut hearts left over from some other project, but you could make it even more crafty and cut out your own. Just make sure to use paint-friendly tape.



You'll need:
Paper hearts
Tape
A door (obviously)

Tape hearts all over the door. 

 Done! (That's my kind of craft.)

Potato Stamp Valentine
Like his mom, my toddler is not a crafter (see below for proof). For him to do a project, it needs to be simple with big mess potential--which in this case, he fully achieved.

The idea is to create stamps out of a potato for old-fashioned, homemade Valentines. At our house, this quickly devolved into a finger-painting extravaganza, leaving my kitchen table looking more like a crime scene than a Pinterest-worthy tableau of budding artistry.

However, the card I made turned out pretty cute, giving me hope that this craft could be really cute in the hands of a more crafty mother-son duo.

You'll need:
A potato
1 or 2 bottles of water-based acrylic paint in red or pink
Cardstock

Cut the potato in half. Carve a heart.

Stamp away!

Decide finger painting is way more fun.

Looking for more Valentine's Day ideas? Check out our sequined wreath and embroidered felt hearts.

Book Report: Best Christmas Books for Kids

When I was growing up, my mom had a collection of books that she stored with the holiday decorations and only brought out at Christmas time. Each night of December, we'd pick one or two to read together under the glow of the tree lights. Pretty nice, right?

I'm working on building a Christmas library so I can carry on the tradition with Max (and on that note, do any fellow moms of heavy-machinery-obsessed toddlers have recommendations for Christmas stories featuring cement mixers and excavators?).

Anyways, here are a few of my favorite Christmas tales:

The Story of Santa Claus by Scribbler Elf
The lush illustrations in this book are so magical they’ll enchant even the most skeptical little ones. As a kid, I truly believed Scribbler Elf  penned this tale of how a man named Nicholas became Santa (especially after my mom told me that the editor was just Scribbler's American publishing partner).

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Relive your childhood with this Caldecott-winning perennial favorite about a young boy swept away on a magical Christmas Eve journey.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
I love Jan Brett’s signature Scandi style, which is at its best in this story of Teeka, who learns a valuable lesson about how to win friends (human and otherwise) as she helps train Santa’s reindeer.

The Snow Child by Freya Littledale
This isn’t strictly a Christmas story, but the snowy setting and themes of hope, love, and dreams coming true make it a worthy edition to your Christmas library.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!” I’m sure it’s already on your list, but I’d feel irresponsible if I didn’t include this Christmas classic.

Stars Were Gleaming by Greg Olsen
A beautiful tribute to the true Reason for the season. Kids will love the beautiful artwork, while you’ll enjoy the poetry, scriptures, and quotations about the Savior.

I’m sure I’ve missed some great books...what are your favorite children’s stories for the holidays?

Finding the Right Tree

Christmastime is filled with traditions. One of my favorites this time of year is our annual search for the perfect Christmas tree. We like to get a head start and head out the morning of Thanksgiving to find our tree. We've been a few places over the years but Mountain Creek Farm is the one that's seemed to stick with their friendly people and gorgeously green trees.

This sweet spot has trees of all shapes and sizes so we're always able to find exactly what we're looking for. There's a little stream that runs through the middle with cute bridges that the kids love to throw rocks off.

A few minutes into our trip, Ella announced that she wanted this little tree. While I was originally tempted to bring the little guy home and set him up Charlie Brown-stlye in her room, she quickly focused her attention on a much larger tree that we were actually able to consider.

Blake was a little busy throughout the trip, hunting birds with his stick. Help.

Finally we found the perfect tree. And luckily I brought along my trusty saw and person who uses the saw. Be sure to bring along gloves, boots and even a garbage bag to kneel on for the actual cutting part if it's raining. 

Watching All of that hard work, sawing and carrying trees, calls for a yummy cup of warm cider. Lots of tree farms provide a cup or two complimentary during your visit, a must on my list of proper tree farm requirements. The other is candy canes. Without these critical items, the experience just isn't quite the same. See how easily I can be persuaded with a little bit of sugar?

If you decide to forego the faux this year and cut down your own, there are a few things to keep in mind in terms of type of tree. Durability, color and fragrance are the main concerns. I've outlined the most common types you'll find at any fir farm or tree lot. Keep in mind, the best tree for one person isn't right for another so go with what seems right for you. Good luck in your search!

Type	Look	Fragrance	Durability
Douglas Fir	Full and dense with short and soft needles; classic green color	Average	Low
Noble Fir	More sparse branches; green with blue hue	Highest	Average
Grand Fir	Average fullness with areas of open foliage; dark green	Average	Low
Fraser Fir	Narrow shape; dark green with sliver under needles	Average	Average
Turkish Fir	Similar shape and density to Noble; dark green with blue hue	None	High

Child's Play: Turkey Handprint Place Cards

Every Christmas Eve, I’d make place cards for dinner. They would usually feature a very artistically drawn holly leaf (you know, three berries, two leaves...a holiday classic). Even though my extended family would probably have sat in the exact same configuration with or without the cards, I loved feeling like I had a part in a grown-up affair.

I decided to start my two-year-old early in the place card making tradition. Using a fantastic idea from Kaitlin, my fellow TJB blogger, we made turkey handprint place cards. For a kid who usually isn’t very into art projects, dipping his hand in the paint was messy enough to keep his attention for the three minutes it took to do this.

But before I go any further, you must know something: I am not crafty. At all. So anytime I write about a crafty idea, you can be guaranteed it’s very easy, very straightforward, and requires almost no supplies.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s what you need to know to make these charming little place cards for your Turkey Day feast.

You’ll need:
Gold acrylic paint (like this)
White card stock, cut into the size of your choice
Gold sharpie marker (like this)

To make the place cards:

1. Squirt some paint onto a paper plate. (Depending on the type of paint you use, be careful to not get it on clothes and surfaces.)
2. Have your kids dip one hand in the paint and press onto the cardstock.
3. Let dry.
4. Once dry, add a beak, gobble thing, and feet to the turkey handprint.
5. Write each person’s name on a card.

Done! I love how the gold paint keeps these from looking too preschool project-y (not that I have anything against preschool projects).



We’ll be bringing you more fun things to do with kids every week, so stay tuned. In the meantime, what are your favorite Thanksgiving crafts to do with your little ones?