Treats to keep cool this summer!

Hello! we're midway through summer when the sun is blaring! Here are some treats to keep the kids cool and hydrated this summer!

Go-Gurt Bites!

• use go-gurt pack (or any yogurt you like)
• make dot ball on a cookie sheet
• freeze and enjoy!

 Homemade Popsicles

First you will need to get a popsicle mold. They are sold in various shapes and sizes at most stores. You can find a lot of different varieties on Amazon. Once you have a mold you can start making the following awesome flavors:

Strawberry Banana:

• 1 banana
• 4 strawberries – stems removed
• 1 cup of water or almond milk for a creamier popsicle

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Honey Lemonade

• ½ cup honey
• Juice from 6 lemons
• 1 cup of water

Stir all ingredients together and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Chocolate Strawberry

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 6 strawberries stems removed
• ½ cup of chocolate syrup

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Mixed Berry

• 1 banana
• ½ cup of frozen berries
• 1 cup of water or almond milk for a creamier popsicle

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Chocolate Banana

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 2 bananas
• ½ cup of chocolate syrup

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Cherry Vanilla

• 1 cup of vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup of cherries
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Orange Dream

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together and pour evenly into the molds. Freeze the mold for at least 8 hours and refrigerate any leftover mixture.

Cherry ICEE

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make this Cherry Icee:

2 Cups Cold Water
1 Cup Sugar
1 Package of Red or Blue Kool-Aid
4 cups of ice

Here is how you make this delicious

Place all ingredients in a Blender and Blend until smooth!
Serve immediately

You’ll love this amazing icee recipe and it wil become one of the kids favorites, so you don’t want to miss out!

Kid Friendly Fun Snacks!

Hello everyone and happy May! I cant believe it's crept up on us so fast! Sometimes getting kids to eat at any point in the day can be difficult here are some fun kid friendly snacks they'll love to eat!
All these recipes are super easy as you can see and you can modify to your child's liking!

These peanut butter and jelly kabobs look so fun and pretty. Can't have peanut butter in your school? Swap out that and the jelly for some lunch meat and cheese and it's still healthy and fun!

Ingredients 6 ounces fresh raspberries 1/2 cup Greek yogurt Directions Fill a piping bag or ziplock back with yogurt (your choice of flavor). Freeze for a few minutes to an hour, checking every 10 minutes. You want it to solidify a bit without becoming solid. Meanwhile, rinse raspberries and allow to dry a bit. Once the yogurt is frozen, fill with piping bag or cut off the tip of your ziplock. Gobble them up! Even top with poppy seeds for "sprinkles," if desired.

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole-wheat bread
• 1 slice sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 slices Land O’Frost oven-roasted turkey
• 2 pimento-stuffed green olives
• Mayonnaise or mustard (optional)
• Toothpicks
• Round cookie cutter

Instructions

1. Cut bread slices with the circle cookie cutter.
2. Spread mayonnaise or mustard on the bread.
3. With a knife, cut little triangles out of the edges of the cheese to resemble teeth.
4. Lay the lunch meat on the bottom of the sandwich, followed by the cheese and top slice of bread.
5. Insert toothpicks into the side of two green olives and stick into the top of the sandwich. Serve!

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats gluten-free
• 1 cup peanut butter* smooth and slightly runny
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup mini M&Ms
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well mixed.
2. Scoop 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of mixture at a time. Press mixture between your hands multiple times to get it to stick together. Roll into a ball and place on a cookie sheet.
3. Repeat with remaining mixture.
4. Refrigerate healthy monster cookie bites for at least 30 minutes before serving.
5. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*You can heat peanut butter in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to make it a little easier to work with.

• 5 hot dogs
• 1 can crescent rolls
• ketchup and mustard for dipping

Instructions

1. Begin by preheating you oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice your hot dogs into thin pieces (ours were about half inch each). Set aside.
3. Roll out your crescent dough and press the seams together.
4. Cut into 8 strips. Then cut lengthwise into 8 more strips. You should end up with 64 1.5 inch x .5 inch pieces.
5. Wrap the hot dogs in the crescent pieces and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Serve warm. ENJOY!

Spring means NEW! Tips oon organizing around the house

Spring is almost here, and you know what that means out with old and in with the new! Here are some tips on getting on top of spring cleaning and organizing around the house!


Start with the places you don't think about on an everyday basis:

Dishwasher- put some baking soda in it on high temp wash to disinfect and clean

Garbage disposal- putting some vinegar and lemon can help clean and take away the smells in it.

Organizing drawers- Get rid of things you haven't worn in the last 6 months and make a commitment to putting away laundry each week!

They key is keeping up with the mess! A deep clean should be done at least once a month and keeping up with the clutter can help those deep cleans be less of deep cleans. Stay organized, make a list of things you need to do weekly to do so! If you want more tips on staying organized and cleaning check out our Pinterest board!

Indoor Winter Activities!

With winter here the time spent outside is limited so here 4 fun things you can do with the kids during those cold winter months!

1. Bring them to the Cottage!

We have a huge open play area with lots of toys, books, puzzles and climbing structures there's never a dull moment here! Monday's Mr. Ryan  our music teacher comes, Wednesday and Thursday we have a dance and movement class and on Fridays we have show and tell! Not to mention everyday the kids make and take home very fun art projects reflecting the theme of the month!

2. Let them help out in the kitchen!

Kids love feeling apart of whatever mom and dad are doing, letting them help with meals or even just planning a special treat to make together would make them feel like important helpers!

3. Read together!

Snuggle up on the couch and let the pick their favorites! You'll have some qt:)

4. Indoor Scavenger hunt!

Create a indoor scavenger hunt, by using pictures let them find those things and have a fun reward for them when they find everything!