Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry season is finally in full swing in western Oregon, and so as the kiddos and I picked 10 pounds this morning, I thought it was time I share our new favorite recipe for fresh strawberry cupcakes. We just discovered these at Easter when Trader Joe's had some particularly good strawberries in, and they were so good that Mugger requested them for his birthday this week. So the recipe is found here at Just Jenn Recipes -- you'll have to click through for the link. We (and by "we" I mean Other Half as he is the Chief Cupcake Baker in this house) pretty much follow the recipe as it's written until the frosting part. We haven't tried her suggestion for chocolate frosting -- Other Half made strawberry frosting for Easter and white frosting with a strawberry garnish for Mugger's birthday.
The best thing about this recipe is that the unfrosted cupcakes freeze well, so you can double or triple the batch if you need to use up lots of berries. And if you leave the frosting off, you can call them muffins and serve them for breakfast, too!
Can't wait to get my sliced strawberries this week -- this year we're getting 2 30-pound pails instead of just one!

Making Pasta Beads with Food Coloring

School is out for Bug tomorrow, but she's getting a jump on her summer art plans today. She was making a picture with glued macaroni when I picked her up from Pre-K yesterday, so I asked her if she'd like to make something with colored pasta. As soon as I showed her the colored pasta necklaces on Make and Takes, she was ready to go! This is such a simple craft as you only need tubed pasta, food coloring, and rubbing alcohol. Here's how she did it:
Since Bug wanted 6 different colors of pasta beads, we put our pasta into 6 different sealable sandwich baggies. Each baggie then got 4 drops of food coloring (orange = 1 drop of red + 3 drops of yellow and purple = 3 drops of red + 1 or 2 drops of blue) and 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. We zipped the baggies shut and then tumbled them gently to coat all the pasta pieces.
Bug spread out her baggies and gave them a quality control check to make sure they were all saturated with color.
Then we spread them out on a pan to dry. Instead of letting the pasta dry on paper towels, I put tissue paper underneath, remembering a post on tie-dyed tissue paper from Parent Hacks. Bug's brother turns 7 tomorrow and she's hoping it will all be dry in time for wrapping his present.
Make and Takes puts it out in the sun to dry faster, but unfortunately our Oregon skies are a bit rainy again today. Bug is thinking hopeful thoughts at least. We don't have it spread out real thin, so it might not be dry by tomorrow, but we'll post a creation when she gets to craft with her new beads.

Coconut Oil Granola: The Best Ever!

Sometimes I have the best of intentions, but then... well, you know how it goes. Such was the case with my purchase of Salad People by Mollie Katzen nearly 3 years ago -- I wanted to be that mom who cooked with her preschoolers so that they'd develop an enthusiasm for cooking and healthy eating at a young age. Well, the kiddos finish 1st grade and Pre-K this week, and here I am opening up Salad People with her for the first time. This awesome book would probably still be sitting on the shelf if not for the urging of my friend, Anna, who told me we had to try the granola recipe. A month later, we did, and wow!

We didn't stray too far from the recipe, being that I'm a Kitchen Catastrophe and all. I did skip the nonstick spray for the baking tray since I have one of those nifty silicone baking mats (which I highly recommend as it cuts way down on greasing pans!) For the 2 cups combined seeds and nuts I used about a cup of almonds, 3/4 cup of sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds -- I'm all about cramming that healthy stuff in there when I can. I did have one ingredient switch that I think made a huge difference in the flavor: instead of canola oil, I used coconut oil. The smell and flavor was phenomenal! I know coconut oil doesn't work everywhere, but it sure works in this recipe. I think next time I might even try to cut down on the oil a bit, too.
Bug was my helper on this one -- she did great pouring in and stirring ingredients...
...as well as smashing it flat into the pan for baking.
And after 30 minutes: crunchy golden goodness!
Broken up, this filled 2 quart jars which I've been keeping in the freezer for maximum freshness. One jar is already gone as Other Half has pronounced this to be 10 times better than anything store-bought. I had dried currants to add to it after baking, but we've loved it plain.

If anyone else has used coconut oil in granola or has a link to a favorite recipe, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Easy Chocolate Cake

The kiddos had a cake walk at the school carnival last week, so last minute we decided to make this chocolate cake from AllRecipes.com. I changed a couple things based on some comments and what we had, so here's my version:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup plain yogurt
  
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (we used Hershey's Raspberry Chocolate Chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Stir together the cake mix, instant pudding and sugar. Add the water, oil, eggs, and yogurt, mix until well blended. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan.
2. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

So we actually ended up making this cake twice. Why? Apparently because I, being the Kitchen Catastrophe that I am, cannot grease and flour a pan properly. Other Half cautioned me about over-flouring the pan and I think I totally under-floured it in my fear. Happily for them, my kiddos had to consume Cake #1 as it came out of the pan as a crumbled mess.

So, while I was teaching my adult Spanish class, the rest of the family mixed up Cake #2, shown in the pictures above-- if you look closely, you can see all the excess flour on the cake as Other Half didn't want to risk repeating my error in the 11th hour. Since the cake came out of the oven after the kiddos were in bed, they got to decorate it in their jammies before school the next morning. This cake certainly doesn't need anything as it is moist and yummy and very chocolaty all by itself, but Bug had her heart set on sprinkles. So, first Other Half whipped up a basic chocolate glaze, and Bug drizzled on Layer #1. Then it got a good dusting of powdered sugar to cover up the flour, chocolate glaze Layer #2 (with help from Mugger who wanted in on the decorating action), and finally some pink sprinkles. Bug decided that the pink sprinkles would be a little clue that the chocolate chips were raspberry chocolate chips, making her cake extra special.

And special it was -- she won the award for Most Unique in the Pre-K class. As for the cake itself, it was yummy and yes, I'd make it again. I'm usually a from-scratch baker as I'm getting more conscious about what's in my food, but for a quick dessert to be made out of things I can keep in the pantry, this yellow cake mix and chocolate pudding mix combo can't be beat. Actually, a reviewer on AllRecipes gave several other variations she had tried and I think it won't be too long before I'm swapping in lemon pudding and blueberries.

Anybody got any no-fail desserts for me to try? Bug is certainly game for another round, especially if sprinkles are involved...

Observing Lent as a Family

Since today is Ash Wednesday, I made a comment on Facebook about giving stuff up for Lent, not really having settled yet on what I wanted to give up this year. A MOPS friend, knowing that I come from a church background that loves its liturgical seasons and traditions, asked if we were participating as a family and if we could give any pointers for her to use with her own young children.

I had to stop and think about that because although my husband and I each give something up for Lent each year, we generally undertake the decision of what to give up as a private matter and don't really discuss it until after the decision is made when we ask for mutual support. The more I thought about it, though, the more it made sense to make this a family affair. If we observe Advent as a family, why should we wait to include them in Lent?

Our children attend Lutheran school where they had participated in an Ash Wednesday service already this morning, so it was pretty easy to start the conversation. At 4 and 6, they weren't too clear on the details, but Mugger did pick up that the ashes were to remind us that we were sinful and to show God that we were sorry. We told them that during the 40 days of Lent some people give up something that can be a temptation for them (like too much coffee or too much Facebooking) to remind them of how Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days. Every time we are tempted towards whatever we gave up, we can remember how Jesus was tempted and ask Him for help in resisting the temptation. And every time we fail to resist the temptation, we can be thankful that Jesus was able to resist for our sakes and ask Him to restore us.

Once they understood that, we asked them if they had any ideas for what they could give up. Bug immediately said she wanted to give up being naughty -- oh, that it were that easy! We told them we wanted to come up with something more specific and if it could be the same thing for all of us, we would be able to help each other with loving correction.

So what did we come up with? Picking a specific example of naughtiness, we decided we wanted to give up screaming at each other for Lent. The kiddos tend to use screaming in disrespect at the start of a tantrum (usually when we tell them something the opposite of what they wanted) and we tend to use screaming when we're at our wits' end with frustration over their disobedience. To help each other, we agreed that if we're in a situation where it seems like screaming is about to happen, one of us may gently say, "No screaming for Lent."

So, Mindy, there's your answer, at least that's how we're doing it in our house. I also like to add something in when we're working on taking something out, so we're renewing our efforts at nightly family devotions and talking about beginning deliberate Bible verse memorization with our kiddos.

If you know me in real life, feel free to hold me accountable and ask me how it's going :) And if anyone has some resources for Scripture-memorization with kiddos, feel free to share them. Tonight we opened up a CD/DVD combo entitled "Hide 'Em in Your Heart" that we received awhile back, but the video is very dated -- it's a great lesson on '80s fashion, actually. I do love the concept, though, of putting Bible verses to music to aid memorization, so feel free to comment with any resources that have worked for you.

Links I'm Loving...

Usually I just post links I like to my Tumblr, but I've found that I don't have a great way to organize that yet. Here are some that I don't want to get buried there:

• From Zen Family Habits, "5 Ingredients. 5 Minutes. 5 Meals" If ever there was a menu plan for me, this is it! Some day I'll get real brave and write a "My Life as a Housewife" post, but I am the world's most timid cook. A perfectionist/procrastinator who never really learned how to cook is not the most ideal person to let loose in the family kitchen, but sometimes the task falls to me. If you have any simple, can't-fail meals like these, I'd love to have them.
• Don't remember how I found this one, but here's a simple recipe for homemade powdered laundry detergent. I don't know if Borax and Fels Naptha are the most eco-friendly detergent ingredients ever, but I'm all for them if this frugal combo works. And I don't have to melt soap on the stove, so even better. If you've made this, I'd love to hear how you liked it-- I'm considering springing this on my MOPS group for a "craft" in the spring...
• From SugarDoodle, this Thanksgiving Thankful Countdown-- liked it so much I submitted it to our MOPS newsletter. I love the idea of counting down to Thanksgiving with daily deliberate gratitude rather than relegating it to the holiday we rush through between the excesses of Halloween and Christmas.
  
• If you saw my posts on the spool doll nativity, you could probably guess that I have a lot of leftover wooden spools. So when I saw these spool Advent calendars on Just Something I Made, I knew I had found my next spool project. I happen to have a bunch of green ones, so I'm tempted to put mine on a wire and have a wreath-shaped Advent calendar. Hmm, maybe there will be a photo op in that one...
• And finally, the gem of Christmas preparation posts (pass this one on to the grandparents!) would be "10 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids" by Megan (of Simple Kids) on Simple Mom. We've discussed this with my folks (and they're on board!) but haven't with the in-laws yet. Wish me luck!
  

Sparky

Well, think I had a first this week, being mentioned on a "big" blog for this post, which I shared over at Camp Creek Blog. The passage I quoted ended up being the spark for a new open thread, one in which even the author of the quote, Laurel Snyder, stopped in to comment.

In my pursuit to live in the now, this gem of kid lit caught my eye this week, so I had to share this for the open thread's comments...

At the end of "Danny, Champion of the World" Roald Dahl writes:

A MESSAGE
to Children Who Have Read This Book

When you grow up
and have children of your own
do please remember something important

a stodgy parent is no fun at all

What a child wants
and deserves
is a parent who is
SPARKY

I'm thinking about writing the word SPARKY on my mirror to serve as a reminder to me each morning...

Guess it's time to go read another kids' book!

(Found this gem via Land of Meg via Kids Craft Weekly on Facebook.)

Living in the Now

On Saturday I mentioned this open thread over at Camp Creek Blog about letting kids pursue their dreams. After reading the linked article, "Unconventional Wisdom: Why Passion Matters," I left this comment:

"The wisest parents I know are honest. They watch their children grow and steer them toward their strengths with encouragement rather than force. And sometimes these parents feel pride and fear."

I love this. This idea is actually helpful as we seek balance for our children's lives. We choose to spend more time and energy in the areas where they are passionate, rather than trying out every sport and activity under the sun just because the neighbor kids or kids in school are.

One of the most satisfying parts of parenting to me is seeing where God has gifted my children and how they develop those gifts as their own personal calling. To me, that's what the idea of vocation is all about-- I don't want my kids training for jobs in those college years that will be here before I know it, rather, I want them pursuing their vocation with a sense of purpose.

Lori responded with this:

diana, i feel that way — i don’t want my sons’ childhood to be spent preparing for their adult life, their adult job … i want them to be living as fully as they can *now*, today, exploring their interests, delighting in what delights them now.

rather than a mini-adulthood, childhood should be, in my opinion, building a foundation for adulthood … learning about life, about love, about work, about the world, about their talents and passions …

It was funny she mentioned the "now"...

So true, Lori! In fact, here's a quote I read just this morning from the new kids' book Any Which Wall, reviewed here:

"That's just how parents are," Henry explained wisely as he ate the cheese off the top of his slice and wiped his greasy hand on his jeans. "They like to talk about how they used to do things or about how they plan to do things someday, but parents aren't very good at right now."

I so want my kids to live in the now, too!

Thoughts? Opinions? Feel free to post them here or over at the Camp Creek Blog post.

Saturday Morning Reads

Just two from the feed reader today...

• "Just Let It Go" from Life from the Roof (found via Small Notebook): a great piece on the reasons we hang onto all the clutter in our homes.
• Camp Creek Blog has an Open Thread up for discussing the article "Unconventional Wisdom: Why Passion Matters" by Jacquelyn Mitchard in this month's Reader's Digest. As parents, we often want our kids to have a Plan B to handle life's realities, but this article argues for letting kids dream and pursue those dreams.
  

Filling the Days of Summer

My Mugger (who'll be 6 next week) is a planner and a doer. He likes to fill his days with activity and often enslaves me if he doesn't have something in mind to do by himself. That in mind, I've been bookmarking the following to help him fill his days on his own:

• After seeing this on Etsy, entitled "216 Summer Ideas for Bored Children Printed Individually in a Mercantile Mason Jar Ages K thru 12," I've started my own list in a Word document so that I've got plenty of age-appropriate ideas.
  
• Although, after seeing this on the Artful Parent, our list might take a more visual approach and be scattered around a doorway instead of hidden in a jar:
• If I'm in need of some art ideas (that probably will require my assistance), I'll draw some from Artful Parent's list here. She entitled this "An Activity a Day for March," but there are lots of spring projects that will work well for summertime, too. At the end of her list of 31 projects, she also has a great list of ideas to put in her daughter's Fun Box.
• Another great resource would be Blue Yonder Ranch's Book of Days. We purchased the May edition and didn't get past the first page (since Mugger got hooked on Rube Goldberg contraptions), but I'm guessing that with school ending next week, we'll be revisiting it and might want to purchase Summer, Book 1 as it looks like a good one.
  
• For more ideas, I'll be checking out the links on the Summer Lovin' post on 30 Days and the "Mom, I'm Bored" summer edition of Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family. I should have no problem filling an idea jar with all the links at those two posts.
• I don't know how much "academic" learning we'll undertake, given the kiddos' ages, but I do know that whatever we choose to study will be their choosing. I plan on checking in at the Summer Unschool on Vintage Chica from time to time to see how other families are taking their summers.

So that's it, a big list of links. Once Mugger and I put our heads together and decide what format this will all take, I'll have to post again. For now, I'm still in the collecting ideas stage, so if you have any favorite activities that 3 to 6 year olds can do without much direction, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll add them to our master list.

Just one link...

If you click through for just one link, make it this one, a Mother's Day post (yeah, should've had it up awhile ago) from Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids. Titled "Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First", it's a great reminder about how much our own emotional state affects our children. Read it here.

Back to the library...

Bug is loving storytime at the library every Thursday morning, and she and Mugger are both loving the bounty she brings home. Some books are so loved by them, that we've just learned that our library has a maximum number of renewals it will allow! So headed back this week are:
1. Polo: The Runaway Book by Regis Faller -- The kiddos have the first Polo book and have loved it for awhile now. I love both books for the creativity they inspire as these books have no words! Mugger and Bug love to "read" the book to each other, telling us about Polo's adventures through the pages.
2. Marsupial Sue (w/ cd!) by John Lithgow -- You haven't lived until you've discovered John Lithgow's (yes, the actor, of 3rd Rock from the Sun fame) kids' books-- they are truly hysterical. We about had I'm a Manatee memorized for awhile during a phase in which Mugger was addicted to it. This one is great because the text of the book is actually a song, and a very catchy little waltz at that. We have great fun singing this one at the top of our lungs. Definitely going on the wishlist! Speaking of Lithgow's songs, Singin' in the Bathtub has long been one of our favorite kids' cd's.
3. Marsupial Sue Presents The Runaway Pancake (w/ cd!) by John Lithgow -- This story within a story is also fantastic, and yet another catchy tune by Lithgow that the kiddos love to belt out.

So, any favorites you'd like to recommend? We'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Motherhood Is...

... never getting the beds made (and being happy about it) because The Kiddos are too busy playing in them!

It's the moments like this I want to remember if I'm ever tempted to regret all the housework that has gone undone. I'll take Mugger and Bug's happy faces over chores any day, which would be evident to you if you were to ever see our home...

So do you have any Motherhood Moments captured? Enter them in the Mother's Day Photo Contest at 5 Minutes for Mom and your picture could be worth $1000.

Justin Roberts is coming!

So The Kiddos are bonkers with excitement and they still have almost 2 weeks to wait. Who's Justin Roberts, you say? Only the biggest name in the indie family music scene, as far as our family is concerned. His last CD "Meltdown" is the most-requested CD in our car, played so often that Mugger and Bug have the order of the songs memorized!

His newest CD "Pop Fly" comes out on April 15, and I was all set to pre-order on Amazon until I read this review on Thingamababy. No, it's not a bad review-- quite the opposite-- but it was there I found out that if I pre-order from Justin Robert's website (by this Friday), I can score a Pop Fly baseball tee for my Mugger.

And, yes, Justin is coming to town! Not here to Orange County, but to LA for the LA Times Festival of Books (April 26 and 27) to give short concerts on the kiddie stage. Even though my beloved sister lives in LA, not much will drag me there, so it should give you some idea how great our Justin Roberts enthusiasm is that we are looking forward to the drive! Since it's also The Kiddos first concert, this should be quite the experience!

Happy Easter!

In planning to dye eggs with The Kiddos (ages 2 and 4.5), I knew I had to find a stress-free, mess-free method. I had visions of my dining room rug getting a bloodbath from an overturned red dye cup or The Kiddos showing up in their Easter best for church tomorrow with purple hands!

This year we found some inspiration that resulted in great (and easy!) eggs from Family Fun. We put the eggs in a colander in the sink and sprayed them with vinegar. Then we used food coloring and put 1 drop on each egg and then gently shook the colander to spread the dye around. We waited 30 seconds and repeated with a second color for a cool effect. Check out the pic below and decide for yourself!