Watering Gadget for Helpful Kids

My son loves to help and sometimes that old watering can is a bit cumbersome for little hands. So I grabbed one of my husband's Gatorade bottles, punched a bunch of holes in the lid (with a tack) and there you go! An easy to use watering gadget that the little man can use. This method will also guarantee that your freshly planted seeds won't be flooded out of their comfy beds. Man, do I love the concept of Re-new and Re-use!

Set Sail on a Slothful, Saturday

Build a Spaghetti Squash

Pirate Ship!

Wow what a lazy day! But a very NEEDED lazy day. To prepare for the crazy week, I like to cook/bake and prep for the 'ol lunch box scramble. We had a spaghetti squash in the fridge and it was time for a new taste test with my "Little Man."

Supplies

• 1 spaghetti squash

• Aluminum foil

• Deep pan

• Oven mitts

• Cutting board

• Fork

• Tupperware containers

• Straws

• Coloring pages

• Crayons

• Permanent markers

• Tape

• Safety scissors

• Tub, sink, backyard pool

Preparing the squash

Wrap the spaghetti squash in aluminum foil. Place in a deep pan (incase the squash springs a leak your oven'll be saved!) Cook at 350ºF until it gives when you press on it. It took this squash about 1 1/2 hours.

When the squash is ready. Pull it out of the oven and peel off the aluminum foil. Be careful it'll be hot! Place the squash on a cutting board using some oven mitts or a kitchen towel and cut it down the middle lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Then, take your fork and scrape the insides out. This will pick up the fibers of the squash and SURPRISE it really looks like strands of spaghetti. Place the strands in tupperware and set aside while it cools and later place in the fridge. Or snack while you create. Fyi, you won't need to doctor it up. It tastes great in its natural state.

Crafting the ship

Have your son/daughter choose any coloring page. Block out a section of the coloring page in the shape of a flag and have them color it in as they wish. Have them trim out the flag. 

While he/she is working on the that, finish hollowing out the squash completely. When completed, fashion the squash like a pirate ship with those magic markers! My son added one of his favorite wrestling toys to act as the pirate. Take the straw and fold the flag around and tape into place. Place in the hand of the pirate. Place pirate into hollowed half of squash. "Float away little critter..." Now remember you have two halves. So two boats make for some swash buckling fun on the high seas!

This is wonderful "together time" that ends with a great snack in their bellies and a lesson...that PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD can be Healthy too!

;)

Getting my little one to eat vegetables.

"Yes, It is a Game and Yes, it is a Competition!" My little one is so competitive and even with me! So when I saw that his vegetables were still hanging around on his dinner plate...I had to go for it. "Hey Little Buddy, did you know my snap pea has 6 little peas in them?"

"How many does your snap pea have?"

He then tore that snap pea open like a stark, raving mad bunny rabbit and he counted 8 little peas. He continued to say in astonishment "and they taste good too Mommy". SCORE!

He is now a fan of snap peas.

May the applause resume. Thank you.

Orange/Clove Potpourri Decoration

My son and I were looking for a fun simple little craft to do this afternoon. What could we possibly do with no crafts lying around? So I had me a little daydream of the olden days (when I was a kid) and we just used what we had! I did remember making a "Do it yourself Orange/Clove Potpourri." During the cold months, we always have oranges handy to create a fantastic mulled apple cider. There ya go! The puzzle pieces were fitting into place.  

Supplies:

Orange

Whole Cloves

Peel/Stick Bow

Paper Clip

Scissors

Mini Dish

Method:

Take your orange and pierce the skin with cloves. Place the cloves however you like. You can create a huge smiley face or spell out your son's or daughter's name. Then, take your paper clip and shape it into a u. Wiggle the u-shaped clip into the staple that holds the bow together (on it's underside). Now take both the bow and u-shaped clip and pierce the orange straight through (as so the bow rests firmly on top of the orange.) Take your scissors and then cut the top round parts of the bow off, trim and fluff. Use the discarded parts of your bow and cut them down into sparkle bits (as shown in the picture), scatter a few cloves about and there you go. 

What are you doing? 
Get outside and play! 

NEVER underestimate the power of a GREAT time kicking the fall leaves around. And in keeping with our household tradition, we prepared a steaming crock pot full of spiced hot chocolate to end our play right. Aaahhh...

It's a real memory maker.