Happy Tell a Story Day!!

Reading is one of my favorite pass times.  I love to read a good book.  As my life as gotten more busy and I have less time to set down and read, I have found audiobooks.  What better way to have someone tell a story then listen to an audiobook.

How to Celebrate:

* Check out your local Library for Story Time.  Libraries love any reason to have kids come together and listen to a story.

* Tell your Kids a Story.  Tell them about your childhood.  Read them your favorite story from your childhood.

* Have your kids tell you a Story.

* Make up a Story together as a Family

Celebrate the time together as a Family

Happy National Pretzel Day!!

I don't think anyone is more excited about National Pretzel Day the Stanley from the Office. 

I grew up in the Western US. Until I was a teenager, pretzels were the hard crunchy snack Mom would give us because they were "healthier" than potato chips.  I wasn't a fan. They were dry, hard and yucky.  When I first saw or learned about Soft Pretzels I was a little confused.  To me those were not pretzels.  I was very hesitant to try one.  I didn't like pretzels why would like this big thing shaped like a pretzel.  Then I had a Soft Pretzel while on a trip to Chicago.  Man, had I been missing out.  It was so soft, flaky and a little crunchy on the outside.  Then to dip it into some mustard. That is a Pretzel. That is something I enjoy.

How to Celebrate:

Pretzel Maker is giving away a Free Pretzel to anyone that can recite a Tongue Twister.

If you are not lucky enough to live by a Pretzel Maker, like me. Then we will have to make our own pretzels. Yes they take a little time but they are oh so good.  The prefect activity with the kids to see who can twist the prefect pretzel.

Classic Soft Pretzel




Maybe you like the hard pretzels but just need a way to jazz them up.  Here are some yummy ways to eat hard pretzels.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cookies

Rolo Pretzels

For an Activity:  Why not play that old fashion game of twister.  What better way to enjoy Pretzel Day then have your family knotted together like a pretzel.

Happy Penguin Day

Ahh.. Penguins.  They are one of my favorite animals to visit at the Zoo.  While these animals my look cute and cuddly, they are wild animals. Like many animals in the wild today, their homes and habits are in danger.  Today is the perfect day to help remember.  Earth Day was this last week, also giving a reminder it is our responsibility to protect this world we call home. 

How can we Help? What can we do? 

Defenders.org provides some ideas on how to to help the Penguins. 

In our home some simple ideas are to teach our children to: 

Respect the environment

I think Recycle, Reduce, Reuse is a great start.

Respect all Living Creatures

As parents we much teach out children, we are responsible for animals, large and small.

Get involved in your Community

Join service clubs or events in our local area. 

Tonight here some ideas to do with your family. 

Visit the Zoo. 

Spend the day with Penguins.

Learn about Penguins

Fun Facts about Penguins

Make Penguins Appetizers

Penguin Oreo

There are some fun ways to celebrate these amazing and cute animals. 

Happy Penguin Day!!

** I am not afflicted with any charity, website or person that supports or advocates for animals or the environment. I do not endorse any websites in this article. I only found their information interesting.  It is your responsibility thoroughly investigate any charity before donating or providing any money to their cause.**

Work From Home

How many times have you wanted extra money to...

Pay off Debt
Buy a Car
Buy Dream Home
Vacation
Save for College
Ready for Retirement

Do you know someone that is making money on the internet? Have you ever wondered how?

I would love to show you how as a Single Mom, I was able to quit my Full Time job.  I am able to Work from anywhere there is an internet connection.  I set my own hours.  

Leaving me Time to be a Mom.

I have learned to leverage the Power of big name companies like eBay and Amazon.  

I have created the lifestyle not many people know. Let alone a Single Mom. 

Would you Invest $20?  

Yes for less then a tank of Gas, you can start your own online business. 

Build the Wealth of your Dreams.

Take 5 Minutes to watch this Video.

Follow the Plan

It will Change your Life.

Happy Pigs in a Blanket Day

What a Fun Day! Pig in a Blanket are a kids favorite.  It's one of mine.  OK I don't have the most sophisticated food taste.  I can be happy eating cereal, Hot Dogs and Mac and Cheese.   Not that I don't enjoy those grown up foods. But who can not love a simple "kid" food. Pig in a Blanket is one of those "kid" foods everyone can love.

Over the last few years I have seen many different recipes.  Today would be the day to try them.

Basic Pigs in a Blanket 

Piglets in a Blanket

Cheesy Pigs in a Blanket

Reuben Pigs in a Blanket

Pizza Pigs in a Blanket

Mini Chorizo Corn Dogs

Your family needs a fun game to play after dinner.  So why not play "Pig in a Blanket".  

How to Play:

It involves a group of kids (ideally >4 or 5 people) having their sleeping bags spread out on the floor and each kid gets into a different sleeping bag and hides inside it. The person that is "it" goes around and taps each person under their sleeping bag and that person snorts (like a pig). The person who is "it" then tries to guess who they are based on their snort. If they guess someone correctly, that person comes out from the sleeping bag and helps the person who is "it." The game continues until everyone has been correctly identified and are out of the sleeping bags. This game was a lot of fun!

Happy World Book Day!

“Reading is the single most important skill necessary for a happy, productive and successful life.” 

- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Today is the prefect excuse to read a book.  Turn of the TV, put down your phone and read a book.  Reading a book in so many ways seems to become a lost form of entertainment.  Our society carves the instant gratification we get from our phones, TV and the Internet.  We want it now and we want it fast.  While reading requires us to slow down, unwind and relax.  We can fully enjoy what we are reading if our mind is still going over all the events of the day. 

LifeHack.org has some fantastic articles on the benefits of reading daily.  Reading more than Facebook, Twitter,Blogs and Emails.  Check out this article to learn, 10 Benefits of Reading.   Did you know if your Ready Daily you are more likely to be Successful?  
10 Reasons Why People Who Read A Lot Are More Likely To Be Successful

Now go Read! 

Happy Jelly Bean Day!

I've been looking forward to Today.  I LOVE Jellybeans.  They are by far my favorite candy. Yes more than Chocolate.  I look forward to Easter every year, just for the Jellybeans.  Who could not love this sugary goodness.  

The Turkish delight, a Turkish dessert made of soft jelly covered in confectioner's powder, was an early precursor to the jelly bean and inspired its gummy interior. However, it is generally thought that jelly beans first surfaced in 1861, when Boston confectioner William Schrafft urged people to send his jelly beans to soldiers during the American Civil War. It was not until July 5, 1905, that jelly beans were mentioned in the Chicago Daily News. The advertisement publicized bulk jelly beans sold by volume for nine cents per pound, according to the book The Century in Food: America's Fads and Favorites. Today, most historians contend that jellybeans were first linked with celebrations of Easter in the United States sometime in the 1930s for it's egg-like shape.
From Wikipedia

Celebrate your Love of Jelly Beans. 

Courtesy of WikiHow

Decorate your home with jelly beans. 

• Mason jars filled with jelly beans, with a ribbon around the jar. Glue a few jelly beans to the lid and varnish to help them keep for a long time.
• Fill an ice cream sundae glass with jelly beans of one flavor. Place a ring of chocolate or brown jelly beans on the surface, topped off with a ring of white jelly beans to look like cream
• Make a candy wreath using jelly beans. Glue or thread jelly beans on a circle of twine. Hang on the wall.
• Fill a glass vase with jelly beans. Place a bunch of flowers on the top for a spring display. Try to match the jelly bean colors with the flowers.

Make jewelry from jelly beans. 

• Thread jelly beans onto a necklace or a bracelet and wear all day.

Make jelly bean cupcakes. 

• Make flower cupcakes. Make rings of jelly beans around the cupcake topping to form petals. Use similar or the same colors to keep the look uniform. Add a jelly bean of a different color in the center.
• Make piles of jelly beans on the cupcake as a topping.
• Place three cupcakes together. Frost with buttercream, and arrange white and yellow jellybeans across the cupcakes to look like corn on the cob. Stick a corn fork each end and it'll look like a corn. Keep on a plate for each corn cupcake set.
• Make animal shapes using jelly beans as cupcake toppings.

Add jelly beans to a drink

• Add to a hot drink. Make your usual cup of tea, hot chocolate, coffee or other hot drink. Toss in a few jelly beans in such flavors as cinnamon or vanilla. Drink.
• Add to a cold drink. Jelly beans are great in an iced chocolate or milkshake. Try a thick shake to have them sit up top.
• Add to an alcoholic drink. Spice up the flavor of vodka or other plain alcohol by dropping in a few jelly beans.

Play a blindfold tasting game. 

• Place different flavors or jelly beans in separate containers. Blindfold each player and have them guess the flavors or the jellybeans. The player who guesses the most right wins. The prize could be a basket of jelly beans.

Just EAT Them.....

Happy Kindergarten Day

Remember your first day of Kindergarten.  Remember the feelings of being scared, excited maybe apprehensive.   Truthfully I don't remember my first day of Kindergarten.  I don't remember much about Kindergarten.  I remember my Dad worked in a different state, as a family we spend several months of my Kindergarten year with him.

How to Celebrate Kindergarten Day? 

Pull out family pictures of you or your children in Kindergarten.  Let each family member have a turn sharing their memories of Kindergarten.  Share what they loved and what they didn't.  Help younger children not yet in Kindergarten get excited about this adventure.

Play some games common in Kindergarten.
(or when I was in Kindergarten.)
Red Light, Green Light
Simon Says
Tag
Red Rover
Play your favorite Childhood game.

After some games with the family, it will be time for a snack.

Kindergarten Snacks
Pretzels
Apple Slices
Celery Sticks and Peanut Butter
Popcorn
Trail Mix with Cereal

Happy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

It was invented because several other convenience items were developed that gave the housewife time to make a cake pretty as well as delicious

The idea of cooking a cake upside down, is an old technique that started centuries ago when cakes were cooked in cast iron skillets. It was easy for cook to add fruit and sugar in the bottom of the pan and a simple cake batter on top and put it over the fire to cook.
Then flipping it over onto a plate was a natural way to show the pretty fruit and let it run into the cake as well.

The idea of the pineapple soon after 1911 when one of James Dole's engineer had invented a machine to cut his pineapples into nice rings. Soon the convenient and pretty rings were used in this age old technique of the skillet cake. The invention of the maraschino cherry added the necessary color needed to make this cake stunning. 

From Kitchen Project.com

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is not one of my favorite cakes. Actually I don't care of it at all.  I grew up eating it. My Mom and Grandmother love this cake.  It was a staple food at family dinners.  My favorite part was the pineapple.  I could eat a whole can of pineapple by myself.

Pick your Favorite Recipe and add Pineapple Upside Down Cake to your dinner tonight.

Traditional Recipes
Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Paula Deen's Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Slow Cooker Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Caramel Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Maybe you are in the mood for something unique.  After all you did try Pineapple-Garlic Upside Down Cake to celebrate National Garlic Day.

12 unique Pineapple Upside Down Cakes


I will be celebrating the spirit of Pineapple Upside Down Cake using apples.

Happy Garlic Day

Garlic is one of the worlds favorite seasoning.  The "stinking rose" is a favorite to add favorite to almost any type of cuisine. But how to celebrate this day?

When I think of Garlic, I think of Italian Food.  The best way to celebrate this day is to live like an Italian and Cook.  I have always admired Italians value of Family and Food.  What better way to spend time with your family then cooking.


Make an Italian Feast featuring Garlic.

Italian Chopped Salad with Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette
Roast Tomato Soup with Garlic
Garlic Shrimp Linguine
Garlic Toast
Pineapple-Garlic Upside Down Cake

Enjoy Garlic.

Happy Animal Cracker Day

How to Celebrate:

Movie:  Animal Crackers

1930 Marx Brothers comedy film, in which mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding. A critical and commercial success on its initial release, filming took place at Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens; it was the second of two films the Brothers would make in New York.
Wikipedia


Eat:  Animal Crackers

Eating Animal Crackers seems like a given.  There are many different types and brands that are easy to find at your local grocery store.

Why not make Animal Crackers with your kids?  

(Have a store bought bag on hand, just in case.)

I am a fan of Becky Sue's recipe on her blog Baking the Goods.  She provides step by step pictures to make frosted Animal Crackers.  Yummy, Yummy Yummy.  

View Her Recipe Here.