Category: kids

1. Sunday, December 9

   Week 307 Menu

   First off, thanks for all the well wishes last week! Everything is all better now (thank goodness!) and we really appreciated your kind words and tips!

   

   The December rush is in full swing and we’re having a lot of fun! We held Cate’s birthday party yesterday and it went so smoothly. Side note: seven- and eight-year-old girls LOVE party games. It doesn’t take much to entertain them! Cate chose an animal theme for her party and decided she wanted a giraffe birthday cake. I was so happy with how he came out. (Click here for my how-to-make-cute-cakes-even-when-you-don’t-know-what-you’re-doing post.)

   Soooo…our family has some news. We are moving to San Diego in January! Nate has a great job opportunity in San Diego so we are moving back! We are really going to miss the Bay Area terribly, but it’s fun to move to a place we love and know well. For the next month or so we are going to try to use up food in the freezer, so there may be some random stuff on the weekly menus!

   MONDAY:
   - Chicken strips (we have a bunch of these in the freezer!)
   - Carrots

   TUESDAY:
   - Stefania’s Braised Chicken (I have a few pounds of chicken legs in the freezer)
   - Rice and Salad

   WEDNESDAY:
   - Take out (swim lesson night)

   THURSDAY:
   - Leftovers from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

   FRIDAY:
   -  Homemade pizza ~or~ paninis (tbd)

   SATURDAY:
   - Chuck E. Cheese for Anna’s birthday (it’s her family year so she got to choose the “restaurant”)

   SUNDAY:
   - Breakfast for dinner

   You know the drill…please post your menu for the week, no matter how small or big, plain or fancy!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:03 am   33 Comments
   Categories: kids, weekly menus

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2. Thursday, October 11

   Fun Times in Anaheim

   We are not entirely sure how much longer we’ll be living in California, so we decided we should get a Disneyland trip under our belts just in case. We skipped school (parenting at its best!) and took three days last week to bop down to Anaheim for some fun! The trip was fast and exhausting, but I am sooooo glad we did it. With the exception of Owen (who just wanted to crawl around the hotel room instead of being dragged around amusement parks in record-breaking heat in a stroller), we all had a blast! And it was totally worth skipping school.

   The Anaheim Visitor’s Bureau did a fantastic job helping to coordinate our trip. Thank you, Anaheim! I would love to share our experiences with you in case you decide to bop over to Anaheim yourselves!

   Howard Johnson at Disneyland
   The tourism board put us up at the HoJo Anaheim. It was the perfect spot for our family. Here are all the reasons we loved staying there:

   

   • We were in a 2 Queens Premium room and it was great for our family of five. Often when our family stays in just one hotel room, there is very little space for luggage, the pack n play, and the people…we just feel cramped. This room had plenty of space for everything, so everyone was comfortable the whole time.
   • We were spoiled with a room in the tower overlooking Disneyland Park, so we had front row seats to the nightly fireworks. Which was just plain awesome.
   • The Castaway Cove Water Playground was AWESOME. So well done, so much fun, the kids LOVED it.
   • The hotel is a very short walk to the Disneyland Park entrance, eliminating the need to park your car at the amusement park (which is a huge pain). Heaven.
   • Mimi’s Cafe is right across the street. We ate breakfast there a couple mornings and it was very family friendly. The night we arrived it was kind of late and we ordered take-out, turkey dinner for our whole family for $25! It was just what we needed.
   • The night we arrived the girls were beyond giddy. Cate exclaimed, “Mom! This hotel room is wonderful!” I replied, “So, you like it?” To which Cate replied, “No, Mom. {pause} I LOVE it.” Anna just kept repeating “Disneyland Fireworks! Disneyland Fireworks! Disneyland Fireworks!” It was all just so darn cute.

   Disneyland Park
   Of course we visited Disneyland – that was the original goal of the trip! A few quick notes on our visit this time around:

   • Cars Land at California Adventure Park is AWESOME. We didn’t even do any of the rides in Cars Land and we still loved it to pieces. It is beautiful, so well-done, you feel like you’re walking right through the movie. The Cozy Cone Motel served snacks that were all cone themed in cone-shaped containers. The whole area was created that way, with great attention to detail.

   

   • The World of Color show was really cool and the girls counted it as one of their favorite parts of the day. Be sure to get a fast pass early in the day for the show!
   • We ate dinner at Cafe Orleans that night. It was SOOOO nice to sit down in an air-conditioned restaurant and have someone serve us. We were really glad we took the time for a sit-down meal. The food was great, too. The pommes frites were DELISH.
   • Did you know about the parent swap option? Both Disney and Knott’s had this. If you have a baby in a stroller, when you get in line for a ride, you can request a parent swap pass. That way, one parent can wait in line with the kids, ride the ride, then when they get off, the other parent can get in the fast pass line and be able to ride as well. It was WONDERFUL and perfect for us, since Owen couldn’t go on any of the rides.

   

   • We were excited to discover that they are building a new princess area at Disneyland. Whenever we go to Disneyland, the girls see Sleeping Beauty’s castle and immediately ask where the princesses are. Well, the princesses are located in the back of the park, nowhere near the castle, so it’s always kind of a let down. But they are building a new princess area right next to the castle! It will be perfect and my girls can’t wait to visit Disneyland to see it when it’s done!
   • You may be wondering…was skipping school worth it? Was the park really less crowded? It was still busy. All of Australia happened to be there that day. But the lines were definitely not as long as on a high-traffic day, so it was worth it. I think going on a Tuesday would have been even better than a Monday. If anyone has tips of the best days and times of year to go with the least amount of crowds, please share!

   

   Knott’s Berry Farm
   We spent half a day at Knott’s Berry Farm and it was great! More relaxing than Disneyland and WAY less crowded (we didn’t have to wait in any lines and could ride some of the rides over and over again). Our family is planning to dress up as Peanuts characters for Halloween, so seeing the Peanuts characters walking around got the girls pumped for their costumes. And Owen, our dog lover, LOVED meeting Snoopy in person. I also really liked how all the kids rides were in one place, Camp Snoopy. It was fun for the kids to hit ride after ride after ride. We had lunch at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, where the chicken and biscuits were deeee-licious. The girls really enjoyed their jello appetizer…perhaps a little too much.

   

   Medieval Times
   After Knott’s, we headed over to Medieval Times for dinner. Nate and I had never been and weren’t sure what to expect. It was a middle school dream of mine to go to Medieval Times, so the dream was finally coming alive! We really weren’t sure what the girls would think, especially since Anna is scared of the dark. Welllll…every last member of our little family loved it, even Owen! We arrived and got to meet the Princess Catalina. It was like Anna was meeting her greatest hero. She was super shy but reached out for her hand, which she held for our photo. The princess was so gracious and sweet to the girls, which Nate and I greatly appreciated. When it was finally time for the festivities to begin, we were seated and the lights went down. There was no silverware, but our loyal server snuck a few pieces so I could feed the baby. The food was great and there’s something about ripping into your food with with your hands that really gets you in the mood to cheer on dueling knights.

   

   Okay, seriously, our kids LOVED every minute of the dinner and show. They ate the food, they cheered wildly, Owen kept clapping and pointing. At one point when the Red Knight (our knight) was fighting, Cate was literally trembling as she cheered him on. Anna fell for the blue knight, even though he was from the other side of the kingdom. After it was all over, you could meet the knights and royalty for autographs. Anna wanted to meet the blue knight, but she got shy, wouldn’t look at him or the camera, and when Nate told him how she cheered him on and liked a winner, Anna kicked Nate in the shins. A first crush if we’ve ever seen one!

   Discovery Science Center
   On the day we drove home, we spent the morning at the Discovery Science Center. Again, the kids loved it. Owen was happy because he could finally crawl around and explore somewhere! The exhibits were really fun and well done and we could have easily spent the entire day there. They have different “adventures” for different age levels at the various exhibits and they were tailored very well for our girls. There is a dinosaur exhibit outdoors where you get these cool magic wands and go on an adventure, looking for discoveries. The girls loved it. There is also a pretend grocery store where you learn how to shop with the environment in mind. I actually really loved the grocery store. I feel like the way we shop for food really does have an environmental impact, so I loved that they were helping the kids to learn to think that way, too.

   

   Yes, we did a LOT. Arrived Sunday night. Monday at Disneyland. Tuesday morning at the water playground at the hotel. Lunch and afternoon at Knott’s. Dinner at Medieval Times. Wednesday morning at Discover Science, then hit the road for home. We could have easily spent a day or two at each place we visited, so we packed a lot in just a few short days. But, like I said, it was a BLAST and I am so glad we did it! I think the girls were in Fun Heaven.

   Big thanks again to the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau for helping coordinate so much of our trip. They are a fantastic resource! And I highly recommend staying in Anaheim for a Southern California family vacation. Easy access to Disneyland is a huge plus, and Anaheim is smack dab in the middle of Los Angeles and San Diego, which have so much to offer. Fun family times!

   In the interest of full disclosure, Disneyland provided us with two passes and some vouchers to go towards a meal. Anaheim provided us with our hotel accommodations, additional Disneyland passes, admission to the other venues and two meals. We paid for our own transportation costs and additional meals. All opinions are my own!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:03 pm   20 Comments
   Categories: fab faves, kids, travels

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3. Wednesday, September 26

   An Amateur’s Guide to Making Super Cute Cakes

   If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love making cakes for my kids’ birthdays. The birthday cakes my mom made for me as a child are cherished memories, so it’s something I want to pass on to my own children.

   

   When I started making cakes for our kids, they never came out quite how I envisioned, but I’ve gotten better with every cake and finally feel like I have a handle on the process. I suppose I could have just taken a class at some point, but where’s the fun in having someone who actually knows what they’re doing share their wisdom with you?

   

   Owen’s 1st birthday party was on Saturday. I made a doggie cake for him because, as a 1-year-old, there are only two things in the world he loves: things with wheels and doggies. I spent several hours getting the cakes ready for the party and when I was finally able to show Owen the final product, he got super excited and giggled, just like when he sees a real dog! That excitement made all the hard work totally worth it. The cake ended up being a huge hit at the party, and not just because it was cute (which it was!). It was uber delicious, too, so I will share the recipes at the end of this post!

   

   After all these years of figuring out how to decorate cakes on my own, I wanted to share my learnings with you. Remember, I’m an amateur…but I think most of us are, so hopefully these tips will be as helpful to you as they are to me!

   1. Make the cake two days in advance and freeze it.
   When you start decorating you want the cake to be frozen, so for time-saving purposes, it’s a good idea to bake the cake at least two days in advance. After baking, let the cakes cool completely on a cooling rack, wrap in plastic then freeze.

   2. Use cake strips!
   Have you tried the cake strip trick yet? I will forever be indebted to my friend Lindsay for sharing this trick with me. I get flat cakes out of the oven EVERY TIME. Click here for all the details.

   3. Decorate the cake the day before you are going to serve the cake.
   The times that I’ve saved the cake decorating for the day of the party were always far more stressful times and the cakes were not as well done. I HIGHLY recommend decorating the cake the day before you need it!

   4. Make a ton of frosting.
   The frosting recipe I will share below is enough to frost a 2-layer cake. When I know I’m going to be making a “cute” cake, I usually triple the recipe to be safe.

   5. Spread a crumb coat on the frozen cake then refrigerate.
   When you’re ready to start icing the cake, do a crumb coat first. This is a thin layer of frosting that goes on before the final layer. If the cake is frozen it is much easier to ice. The crumb coat is an extra step but SO WORTH IT. It’s really wonderful to have a layer of frosting where it doesn’t matter if crumbs show…it makes all the difference. Once the crumb coat is on, refrigerate or freeze the cake again until the frosting firms up (30-60 minutes).

   Also, a quick note on carving. If you need to shape your cake, it’s helpful to carve it when it’s frozen. If it takes a while for you to get it all cut up, you may want to stick in the freezer again for 15-30 minutes before doing the crumb coat. Bottom line – frozen cakes are easier to deal with the whole way through the process!

   6. Don’t let the food coloring dictate the colors.
   I have a set of eight food color gels that I use, which provides me with lots of color options. However, I never use those colors straight up – I used to be a painter, I can’t resist mixing the colors! One of my favorite tricks is using brown to tone down the colors. I find most of the default food colors are a little bright for my taste. Adding a hint of brown makes nice, rich colors. Click here for a chart from Wilton for more color-mixing inspiration.

   This color was made using blue, brown and black.

   7. When you mix a color, make more than you think you need.
   I love making my own colors, but there is one problem…it’s tricky mixing the same exact color more than once. When you create a color, make sure you mix more than you think you need so you don’t run out halfway through the princess’s dress or Superman’s cape!

   8. Seek out inspiration for designs!
   I have a book called “Cakes for Kids” by Matthew Mead that I LOVE. Either get your hands on that book or another similar title and use it for tips and inspiration. Searching the web is a great tool, too. I always do tons of looking around for shapes and ideas when coming up with the design.

   9. Keep it Simple
   A simple design can be powerful and it’s much easier to execute, so the likelihood of success increases dramatically. And remember, cut the cake into the shapes you need when it’s frozen!

   Spiderman ended up being super simple – I just had to shave off the edges of a round cake!

   10. Draw the design ahead of time.
   Draw your design out on paper ahead of time, real-size. You can then lay that over the cake to cut it to the right shape and it’s not quite as scary when you put frosting to cake.

   11. Buy a couple flat spatulas.
   I randomly picked up a couple straight spatulas at Michael’s once, not realizing how awesome they are. They have totally changed my ability to spread icing on cakes – it looks so much more smooth and pretty than when I use a butter knife. I have two angled straight spatulas – one little, one big. They are wonderful!

   12. Buy a set of decorating tips and don’t be afraid to use them.
   You need decorating tips in order to decorate the cake, so make sure you have a set! I recommend using gallon-sized freezer ziploc bags instead of piping bags – it’s just a lot easier for clean-up. Also, I generally spread a flat layer of buttercream over the whole cake and then either use the small round tip to draw on the cake or a flower tip to fill in areas, like Spiderman’s eyes and the doggie’s nose.

   13. Use waxed paper under the edges of the cake to keep the plate clean.
   I wrote about this trick that my friend Nikki shared with me a few years ago and I still use it every time I frost a cake. Place your cake on the serving platter. Tear up strips of waxed paper, about 2″ – 3″ in length, then tuck them under the edges of the cake all the way around. When the cake is completely iced, carefully remove the paper. I use a thin knife to sort of hold the icing back so it doesn’t stick to the wax paper and pull away from the cake when I remove the paper.

   

   14. Cake boards are awesome!
   I love these cake boards for displaying the cake. They come in white, which looks cute, but you can always cover them with another color paper if you like (like pink for Hello Kitty). I bought a pack of big, round cake boards a few years ago and they’ve been wonderful to have handy!

   15. Have fun!
   If you don’t have fun doing this, then don’t do it. I really love doing making these cakes, so it is worth the work. Make sure you’re having fun!

   I know it seems like Wilton sponsored this post, but they didn’t (although, I should have thought of that!). They just have great products that work! Wilton also has a page on their site “Cake and Dessert Decorating 101″ that is very helpful if you want even more tips.

   A word about the cake:
   For years I used cake mixes and I encourage you to do the same. They’re easy and taste good. However, I have started making my cakes from scratch just because I found some recipes that I love…and I guess I like to make things harder on myself than I need to. The chocolate cake recipe below is seriously AWESOME. Just sayin’.

   And a word about the frosting:
   I love homemade buttercream and use it for almost all of my cakes (recipe below). I hate store-bought frosting. Making buttercream is in fact super easy so you should just bite the bullet and do it! The recipe below is perfect – my frosting comes out right every time.

   I have used swiss meringue buttercream at times – it tastes fabulous and you can play around with how the surface of the frosting looks a bit more (for example, on the elephant cake I could create texture that I would not be able to do with regular buttercream). It’s a bit more work to make, so if I don’t need the flexibility of texture, I just stick with regular buttercream.

   I’ve also used 7-minute frosting because I needed to (you have to check out Anna’s ghost birthday cake…so funny), but I HATE HOW IT TASTES, so I will only ever use it again if I have need to pipe little ghosts.

   Feel free to chime in with your own cake decorating tips and tricks!

   Chocolate Cake
   From Matthew Mead’s Cakes for Kids
   - 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for the pans
   - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
   - 1 teaspoon baking soda
   - 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
   - 1/2 teaspoon salt
   - 3/4 cup unsalted butter (Jane note: mine was salted, it was fine), at room temp
   - 2 cups sugar
   - 3 large eggs, at room temp
   - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
   - 1 1/2 cups whole milk (Jane note: mine was 1%, it was fine)

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

   Lightly grease two 8-inch rounds OR two 9-inch rounds OR one 10-inch round. Line bottom of pan with waxed paper or parchment paper, grease again, then coat pan with thin layer of flour. If doing cupcakes, line 24 cups with liners.

   In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

   Using an electric mixer, on medium to high speed beat the butter in a large bowl for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar 1/4 cup at a time at medium speed and then beat 3-4 minutes more or until well combined. Scraped down sides of bowl. Beat 2 minutes more at medium. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

   With the mixer on low, add flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, beating until just combined after each addition. Beat on medium-high speed for 20 seconds more.

   Spread batter in prepared pans – fill pans 2/3 full. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (make sure you don’t undercook! You want no jiggling in the middle and a clean toothpick).

   Place cake on wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto the rack, lift of the pan, remove waxed paper and let cool completely on rack. Cupcakes should cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing.

   Buttercream Frosting
   Adapted from How to Cook Everything
   - 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
   - 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
   - 6 tablespoons cream or milk (cream is better)

   Beat butter with a mixer (I use my KitchenAid with the paddle attachment). Gradually work in the sugar, alternating with the cream and beating well after each addition. If the frosting is too thick to spread, add a little more cream, a teaspoon at a time. If it is too thin (which is unlikely), refrigerate for a few minutes; it will thicken as butter hardens. You can add up to 2 teaspoons of vanilla, but if you need white frosting leave the vanilla out!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:00 am   31 Comments
   Categories: kids, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, sweet things, the goods

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4. Friday, September 14

   I want to tell you about Lucy

   I want to tell you about my little friend Lucy. She’s three years old and she is funny, feisty and loving. Really loving. Like, if she met you right now, she would tell you how much she loves you.

   

   Lucy is also the person in my life who I think about when things get hard or stressful, or at least when I think they get hard or stressful. All I have to do is call Lucy and her family to mind and I instantly gain perspective. You see, Lucy has a terminal and degenerative genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). She can’t walk. She can’t eat. She can barely breathe. And yet she is LUCY. She has this amazing little brain that works just like yours and mine. She loves using her iPad (which, by the way, has opened up the world to her). She loves to go swimming. She loves the Disney princesses. She loves to swing on the back porch with her brother and sister in the special swing her grandpa built for her. She likes to drive her special chair ALL BY HERSELF. She is just like any three-year-old, except her body just doesn’t cooperate.

   

   Lucy’s parents Chad and Cherisse are amazing. They have the tremendous task of caring for Lucy, and they do so with tenderness and love, just as any parent would. But, actually witnessing their care, on both good days and bad? It is a true inspiration and a reminder of the great love and great good we are all capable of. Even with all the care that Lucy requires, they still have strong relationships with their two older children, who adore Lucy as well. Cherisse’s Instagram feed does a heart good, let me tell you. Getting a peak into their day-to-day, the small moments Lucy has with her siblings, it’s beyond touching.

   

   Lucy is a miracle. She was diagnosed with type 1 SMA (the most severe form) as a small baby. At the time of diagnosis, the doctors said Lucy would be lucky to see her first birthday, which was hard for Cherisse to believe looking at the baby in her lap. It became clear as time went on, however, that the disease would overtake almost all of her abilities.

   

   And yet…Lucy is a miracle. 90% of SMA Type 1 babies don’t make it to their 2nd birthday…and Lucy is a trooper of a 3-year-old!

   SMA stinks. Lucy is the second child I’ve personally known who has this disease. I’ve been wanting to tell you about Lucy because, well, I love her story. But I also want to help Cherisse spread the word about SMA. I love this infographic from the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation that gives a fabulous summary of the disease:

   

   Here is SMA in a nutshell: it’s degenerative, it’s the #1 genetic killer of infants and young children, it affects the body’s ability to function in just about every way and yet the brain is never affected. But here’s the sort of magical thing about SMA…research of this disease could truly do wonders. Treatment and cure is plausible and, if discoveries are made for SMA, that research could help with the treatment of hundreds of other genetic diseases and neurological disorders. (To read more about SMA, click here!) 

   Have you ever seen the This American Life tv show? It is as great as the podcast, and my most favorite story from the series is of Mike Phillips. Mike was diagnosed with SMA at age 9. He was 27 when This American Life told his story. He always said that if he could talk, he would want to sound like Johnny Depp. Awesomely they got Johnny Depp to narrate his story, a story that is amazing, haunting, sad, funny and will definitely make you cry. It gives such a unique insight into the mind of someone dealing with this disease.

   Lucy has made a mark on this world. She has impacted many lives. And she is a beautiful reminder to all of us that each and every day we have on this earth is a gift. I am going to quote Cherisse here for a bit because, well, the words of Lucy’s own mother are more precious and powerful than anything I can come up with.

   “I would not trade the world for this little girl that brings so much joy, love, hope and light to our lives. She is an angel in every sense of the word and I wish I could share her with the whole world. She has enough love in her little red heart for everyone she meets (and she will tell you that she loves you too, over and over again). I don’t think that our family will ever feel as loved and supported as we have while caring for this very special girl, my heart swells when I think of all of the kindness and love that has been shown to us. Everyday I think that my life will never be as stressful as it is now but then it won’t ever be as wonderful as today, another day (and everyday) that I get to spend with my three little ones and my sweet husband.”

   

   If you’d like to help support SMA research, Cherisse is going to be running the Santa Barbara 1/2 Marathon to raise money for the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the SMA cause. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if some of you could support Cherisse and help us fight SMA. Even if it’s just $5. Consider it your annual This Week for Dinner subscription fee or skip the pumpkin latte at Starbucks for a day. No pressure, just if you’re feeling it! Click here to donate!

   And, have you seen the completely awesome Flight of the Conchords charity song? Really, you have to watch it. The whole thing (or at least start around the 5:00 mark). It will make you happy and the supremely catchy song will get stuck in your head. Let’s helpa helpa helpa the kids!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:24 am   14 Comments
   Categories: fab faves, kids, music, musings

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5. Sunday, August 19

   Week 291 Menu

   On Friday, my friend Natalee had us over so we could do a lemonade stand. Cate looked forward to it all week and was over-the-moon excited when the day actually came. It was one of those magical moments as a parent, watching her live the dream, so to speak. I never did a lemonade stand as a kid, so my 7-year-old self got to live vicariously through Cate. And it was as much fun as I always imagined it would be.

   

   I seriously can’t believe summer is almost over. Just two more weeks of sleeping in and hitting the pool when we can! And, because it’s summer, I didn’t really get to a lot of items from last week’s menu. We’ll see how this week goes!

   MONDAY:
   - Spinach and Pancetta Stuffed Shells
   - Salad

   TUESDAY:
   - Leftovers

   WEDNESDAY:
   - Chicken Pot Pie (still have a recipe I want to try)

   THURSDAY:
   - Leftovers

   FRIDAY:
   - Grill night…hot dogs, hamburgers
   - Watermelon, baked beans

   SATURDAY:
   - Eat out

   SUNDAY:
   - Breakfast for dinner, probably waffles

   You know the drill! Please pretty please share your menu for the week!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:45 am   59 Comments
   Categories: kids, weekly menus

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6. Tuesday, July 3

   Homemade Creamsicles…and venturing into the world of making popsicles!

   One thing I’ve never made is homemade popsicles. I don’t have the molds. I’m not that into popsicles. And the girls have never asked to make them before. Hence, no homemade popsicles at the Maynard home! But I remember loving them as a kid and when I mentioned possibly making popsicles at home, Cate and Anna started cheering. Literally.

   

   Tropicana recently contacted me about writing a post incorporating orange juice with making something fun with my kids. Since we had already been contemplating making popsicles, Tropicana finally kicked me into gear! We went out and bought a really cool Zoku popsicle maker and were ready to go!

   My most favorite popsicles as a child were creamsicles. Whenever I take a bite of one, I’m instantly transported to my childhood home on Ensign Court, eating creamsicles on the front porch. I decided making homemade creamsicles would be a great way to use orange juice and make some new memories with my kids.

   

   We hit the store and picked up Tropicana’s Pure Premium orange juice, pulp free of course for the popsicles! Tropicana makes their juice with fresh oranges and it is 100% pure and natural, which makes me happy to use their product. We grabbed whole milk, orange extract, and, of course, cream and headed home to mix and freeze!

   I found a recipe on a blog called Nourished Kitchen that looked promising. It’s simple to throw together, providing ample opportunity for the kids to pour, mix and stir. There is also a lot of down time while the orange juice simmers, so you can grab some books and read together while you occasionally stir the juice. All in all, it is a great recipe to make with the kids!

   

   And the final product was good! We had leftover filling (the original recipe made a TON), so I threw it in the ice cream maker with a pinch of xanthan gum. The ice cream was yummy, although it had sort of a dry taste to it. I think I might need to perfect a creamsicle-flavored ice cream based on the vanilla ice cream recipe we’ve had such great success with. Does that not sound completely heavenly?

   

   There was one major snafu with the popsicles, though. This filling did NOT work with the Zoku maker. Such a sad discovery! The pops were totally stuck, so don’t use the maker for this recipe! My friend Necia swears that they’ve had great success with the Zoku, so we’re just going to have to try some other recipes! Thankfully I have friends with regular popsicle molds who were able to save the day. My favorite molds were the ones from Ikea, they worked great!

   See those there creamsicles freezing nicely in the Zoku? Yeah, they’re never comin’ out. At least not without lots of hot water.

   I’ll be sure to report on more of our homemade popsicle ventures!

   Homemade Creamsicles
   From Nourished Kitchen, with my notes and quantities adjusted
   - 1 cup orange juice
   - 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
   - 2 egg yolks
   - 1 cup cream
   - 1 cup whole milk
   - 1/2 tsp orange extract
   - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

   Simmer honey and orange juice over medium heat in a small saucepan until reduced by half – this will take 20-40 minutes. Just grab some books and read in the kitchen with your kids while you wait! Stir occasionally. Once it has reduced, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

   Whisk together egg yolks, cream, milk, orange extract and vanilla extract. Add orange juice mixture and whisk well.

   Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until solid. Do not use a Zoku popsicle maker for this recipe – it will stick inside!

   Will make at around 8-10 popsicles.

   This post was sponsored by Tropicana. Tropicana Pure Premium is 100% pure Florida orange juice. If you would like to connect with the folks at Tropicana, visit them at Facebook.com/Tropicana.

    

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 2:10 pm   14 Comments
   Categories: kids, Recipes, sweet things, the goods

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7. Tuesday, June 5

   Quick and Cute Teacher Gift Idea

   

   Today I wanted to share a teacher thank you gift idea that I used this week and ended up really loving. My friend Amy from Living Locurto shared this super cute blog post with me a month or so ago. It’s a plant with a cute gift tag that says “Thank you for helping me grow this year!” Amy provides a free printable and I love that it’s super cute, quick and thoughtful. I pinned the post straightaway, knowing I would be using it come June!

   

   I did in fact end up using Amy’s idea and to great success! I was just going to use her cute printable, but I decided I wanted to incorporate the girls’ photos and card-making skills, so I changed it up a bit. Here’s what I did!

   1. I took the girls to our local garden center and let them choose small plants for their teachers.

   2. I picked up some old school, wooden rulers at Target.

   3. I turned the card into a growing flower on a ruler…get it? grow? growth? measurement? teachers? rulers? flowers growing? Super cute, right? Anyway, for each card I cut out two identical flowers out of cardstock, glued a photo of my daughters cut into circles on the center of the flower, then glued the flower to the ruler, with the ruler glued between the two flower pieces. Did you catch those annoyingly-written directions? This is why I am not a crafty DIY blogger.

   4. I gave the girls the cards and let them decorate the flowers however they want. We wrote “Thank you for helping me grow!” on the back and then stuck the rulers into the plants. Voila! Instant super cute teacher thank you gift!

   

   The girls’ teachers loved their gifts. Wanna hear something funny? Cate’s teacher gave all of the mom volunteers a card – the card was a giant sunflower, with each petal being a note from each child in the class. Can you guess what the center of the flower said? “Thank you for helping us grow this year!” We both laughed when we saw each other’s cards. We decided that great minds really do think alike!

   Thanks for the inspiration, Amy! Happy teacher gifting, everyone!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 7:21 pm   10 Comments
   Categories: fab faves, kids

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8. Sunday, May 27

   Week 279 Menu…and why the tooth fairy STINKS

   It’s a bagel morning at our house today. Want to know why it’s a bagel morning? It all starts Friday afternoon when Cate lost a tooth at school. Saturday morning she wakes up, checks under her pillow, and lo and behold her tooth is still there. Which maybe wouldn’t seem too terrible except LAST time she lost a tooth the same thing happened. That time, however, the tooth fairy snuck in during breakfast and Cate got two dollars instead of one and everything worked out. Unfortunately, yesterday the tooth fairy didn’t ever show. So, Cate wrote her a letter, wrapped that around her tooth, stuck it under her pillow then woke up this morning to find…the letter and her tooth. AGAIN. Thank goodness for the book Pinkalicious, we just keep saying, “It’s just like Pinkalicious! The tooth fairy just must be soooo busy this weekend.” Believe it or not, two other kids in Cate’s class lost teeth on Friday. Proof positive that the tooth fairy has more on her plate than she can handle.

   

   Which brings us to the bagels…the tooth fairy only had a twenty this morning when she realized she screwed up AGAIN. So she went and spent $13 on bagels just to get the change…and by the time she got back with the bagels, Cate was already awake. Stupid tooth fairy. I kind of hate her right now. So, bagels for breakfast, everyone! Aren’t I a nice mommy to go out and get them so early? You’re welcome! I love you all, too!

   MONDAY:
   - Happy Memorial Day! We’ll definitely be grilling up some classic Memorial Day fare, said fare TBD!

   TUESDAY:
   - Spaghetti and Meatballs
   - Cheddar cauliflower (from the CSA…it’s yummy!)

   WEDNESDAY:
   - Cream of Mushroom soup

   THURSDAY:
   - Tuscan Tomato Soup
   - the girls both want soup this week, but they can’t agree on the flavor, so we’re having two soup nights

   FRIDAY:
   - Dinner at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Cate’s last day of school!

   SATURDAY:
   - Leftovers

   SUNDAY:
   - Breakfast for dinner…waffles!
   - Fresh fruit

   Please share your menu for the week! And, if you see the tooth fairy, tell her to get her patootie over here pronto.

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:29 am   48 Comments
   Categories: kids, musings, weekly menus

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9. Tuesday, January 10

   Call for ‘Recipes’: LUNCH IDEAS!

   Bethanie, a long-time reader, recently emailed me asking if I would be willing to put the following question out there: What do you pack for your kids’ lunches? Like my daughter, her child doesn’t have the ability to heat food at school but is sick to death of sandwiches. I am in the exact same boat, so I was totally down with this call for “recipes” of sorts!

   

   AND…for that matter…I’m having a bagel for lunch today. Which is what I had yesterday. Not exactly nutritious and definitely boring. SOOOO…

   Today’s Call for Recipes is three fold!

   • What do you pack for kids’ lunches, especially where they can’t reheat food?
   • What kinds of food do you pack for your own lunch?
   • If you eat lunch at home, what are you eating?

   Bethanie ended her email with “I know the blog is ‘This week for DINNER’, but I’m desperate!” and I actually feel the same way. I’m good about getting my dinner plan together each week, but I’m terrible about lunches! Can’t wait to see all of your great ideas and tips!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:16 pm   53 Comments
   Categories: call for recipes, kids

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10. Friday, January 6

    Homemade Tiaras

    Warning: there is no food to be found in this post. Sorry. But I do promise to deliver absolute and total cuteness. Hope that makes up for it!

    I am not a crafty person. I rarely have any “projects” going on, despite the fact that I am a creative, artsy type. But once in a while something catches my eye that I simply must do.

    A tiara for the more courtly princesses.

    As you know, Anna recently hosted a “Hello Kitty Glamour Party” for her birthday. As we prepared for the party, she said to me, “Make sure everyone wears glamour stuff to my party, mama.” I decided I could help Anna’s guests out by providing them with some lovely tiaras. But lovely tiaras are surprisingly hard to come by.

    One of the benefits of editing DailyBuzz Moms is I get to read oodles of fabulous blog posts about oodles of fabulous topics. One of these such posts came from Joy’s Misadventures. Joy described how she put together her daughter’s Halloween costume, complete with a homemade tiara that was the prettiest little tiara I ever did see.

    A tiara for the more whimsical, pixie-like princesses.

    I emailed Joy, found out where she got the stuff, and ordered the supplies straight away! With my Hobby Lobby floral wedding beads and headbands from Target at the ready, my friend Amy and I sat down and got creative. (Please note: I made two tiaras. Amy made seven. That is friendship.)

    Every tiara was unique, whimsical, adorable. I couldn’t have been happier with the result. And they were EASY to put together. Just wrap the wire around the headband. Done! Thank you, Joy, for the inspiration!

    Party tiaras all in a row.

    You’re welcome for making all of your tiara dreams come true.

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:00 am   12 Comments
    Categories: fab faves, Fun Stuff, kids, the goods

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