independent time

Crazy cammy,

last time we talked I heard you did the whole "indepent play time thing"

which I really do think is prety awesome!

Here's a blog post of maybe some more ideas about that subject!

Place to Bloom

color activity

this activity looked so cute!

fun, easy, non messy way to teach the kiddos about mixing colors!

go check it out!

the trash

i grew up with a very frugal mom,

in a good way,

she was always trying to save our family money in the daily house to house ways

so we could splurge a little more on family vacations and adventures!

this is probably something you may already do, but if not i wanted to tell you about it:)

sorry it is on the lame-o side a little...

trash bags.

don't buy them.

store the plastic bags you get from grocery stores,

twist them up so they're storable and don't take up a lot of room.

i keep a big bag of them under my sink i constanly add to,

and then put about 5-6 at the bottom of all our different size trash cans around the house,

so then, after i pull that trash out, there's more bags there just waiting to be put on immediately!

you may think the down side is that the bag is small and not as "durable/strong" and that you have to take it out more often,

but we think the great thing about a small bag is that you do take it out often,

so then there's never something smelly in there waiting for days to be taken out til the trash is full!

plus with diapers...let's face it,

after you clean up one of those nasty ones of Jarrr,

put it in a grocery bag and it helps the smell stay in!

hope this tip works for you!

maybe you can just use it for the small trash cans around your house if you really want to stick with the big/durable/expensive ones for your kitchen.

whatever works!

side note: captain sammy wasn't too keen on this when i first did this when we were married but now, i don't know if he'd choose any way different!

oreo beats nutella any day though

you can bet your bottom dollar i'll be making some of these puppies real soon.

oreo-chocolate-chip cookies!

 via picky-palate

i think chocolate chip cookies and oreos are my 2 most absolute favorite treats in the whole wide world.

ilovethembothsomuch!!!!!!!

pretty much all it is is making your most favorite choc. chip cookie dough ever, and surrounding and double stuffed oreo with it, and bake :) sounds delicious to me so don't mind if i do!

btw- the woman from picky-palate thinks up the most outrageously yummy concoctions, i don't know how she does it!

here's the original recipe:

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Oreo Cookies, I used the double stuff
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined.  Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.  Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.  Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie.  Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough.  Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking.  Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Serve with a tall glass of milk, enjoy!
Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE Cookies

nutella!!!

saw these 2 cute recipes with nutella! cammy, have you eaten nutella? we always have a jar in our pantry :)

nutella brownie bites: (via hoboken)
"Nutella Brownie Bites
makes 1 dozen bites
(can be shared with kids 12+ mos)

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c Nutella
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, Nutella and chocolate syrup until smooth.
2. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour, whisking smooth between each tablespoon.
3. Divide batter evenly between the wells of a mini muffin tin, filling each well to just below the top edge. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a brownie bite comes out clean. Enjoy!

*Note: There is nothing in these that cannot safely be shared with younger eaters, but I recommend this for kids 12+ months due to the high sugar content. However old your eaters, be sure to serve them age appropriate servings. One brownie bite goes a long way for the little ones!"

and nutella hot chocolate (via hoboken again)

Nutella Hot Chocolate
makes 1 cup
1 c milk
2 Tbsp Nutella
1. Combine milk and Nutella in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Whisk until Nutella melts and milk gets hot.
Extra Rich Variation
Add 2 additional teaspoons Nutella and 1 tsp sweetened cocoa powder.
Cinnamony Variation
Add a cinnamon stick to the pot when making either the original or extra rich version. Once milk is hot, lower the heat and allow to simmer an extra 5 minutes.