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Game day means that there will be lots of really good food. I love appetizers and snacks and munchie foods, like chips and dip, pretzels, bacon-wrapped anything, and everything buffalo chicken. I may not be too excited about what’s going on on the TV, but the prospect of game-day party food is always something worth getting excited about. Since I love almost everything that includes “buffalo chicken” in the name or ingredients and the Super Bowl is just a few days away, I figured it would be perfectly fitting to make an easy treat that would be perfect for snacking on throughout the game....

I’ve just been introduced to Belgian endive from a good friend of mine and now I’m obsessed. It’s a lettuce that is small and yellow in color and it’s flavor is on the bitter side. But paired with bacon and blue cheese, it’s the perfect combination. This vegetable is great for finger food as it’s shape is just right for a bite-sized appetizer. Endive, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Lettuce Wraps Ingredients for Endive, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Lettuce Wraps: 2-3 heads endive lettuce 1-2 cups chopped bacon cooked and cooled Marzetti® Chunky Blue Cheese dressing 1/2 cup slivered almonds – optional...

Exploring Our 5 Senses: Sight I took advantage of my phone’s camera to set-up this scavenger hunt in just a couple of minutes. I went all around the house, looking for interesting details and textures to photograph. I zoomed in on 12 different objects, including book spines, artwork, toys, and food. You might not get super-crisp close-up photos with your phone, but that’s okay. The more you zoom in, the more difficult it is to guess the object, so keep your child’s age and abilities in mind when photographing....

Supplies you will need: Card stock Acrylic paints in fall colors plus black and white Small paintbrush Toothpick Scissors Glue stick White paint pen Pattern First you’ll need to print out the pattern. Use the pattern to cut out your templates from card stock. Kids will dip their fingers in acrylic paint and press them onto the feather areas on the template. Alternate colors as you go. Have kids use their thumb or forefinger to make the body and head with brown paint....

For today’s re-purposing craft, I’m going to turn a simple jar into a vase that is going to make flower arranging so easy. There’s nothing I dislike more than buying a beautiful bouquet of flowers at the farmer’s market only for them flop everywhere in the vase if it isn’t just right size. Supplies: Jar with a metal lid Glass paint Spray paint Drill with a drill bit wide enough to make holes for flower stems Hemp cord...

I showed it to her and she was intrigued at first, but as soon as it got to her belly, she was fussing and trying to pull it off immediately. I have decided that everyday we will have a try it on again and see how it goes, and finally she will humor me and put it on, probably saying under her breath “this is why I will go to therapy when I grow up....

Supplies for Heart Shaped Toast: one slice of bread butter heart shaped cookie cutter topping: sugar, cinnamon, or jam Toast your bread and butter it. Place on a heart shaped cookie cutter. Fill in the heart cookie cutter with your topping and Enjoy! *To color your sugar pink: Add 3 T of sugar and one drop of food coloring, and stir. *

This is my first attempt at a how-to video and it’s a little rough :) How To Make: Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe for Homemade Peanut Butter: 1 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts – can be pre-shelled or have fun shelling as part of the process. 1 tsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp. brown sugar This makes 1/2 cup peanut butter. Chop in food processor for 3-5 minutes, or until desired consistency....

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment After discovering a Yeti, named Everest, on the roof of her apartment building, teenage Yi and her two friends embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family. On the journey of their lifetimes, Everest helps Yi, Jin, and Peng unlock inner bravery they didn’t know they had. And as they travel across China to return the magical creature to his home, Everest will help them discover where they truly belong, too....

My Top Kid’s Party Tips: How many is too many? Only have as many children at the party as years the child is turning. So if your child is turning 3 then only invite 2 friends, turning 5 then invite 4 friends. We now have siblings that want to join in the party fun, so take them into account as well. It’s takes a lot of energy to entertain kids, at any age....

Kids and mess tend to follow each other. And that doesn’t stop when it comes to crafting, especially for the little ones. With all of the activities that are on the messier side, like painting, playdough, markers, glue, it’s best to be prepared for what’s to come in the project. Set up your environment ahead of time. Make sure there is a table cloth down or a cover up over the kids clothes....

We’ve got a FREE printable for you to fill out with the family, getting you outdoors! Thanks to our designer Juliann Law making this darling printable, we’re ready for summer to begin! To kick off summer, we’re coming up with all the things we want to do to get outdoors with our summer bucket list! Yes, summer is here!! It’s time to get outdoors and enjoy the sun. All summer long we’ll be sharing all sorts of fabulous ways to enjoy the season with creative ideas, fun freebies, and guest bloggers for our Get Out and Play summer series!...

I get discouraged when I buy toys and then my kids don’t play with them longer than five minutes. It makes me feel like I wasted money or chose the wrong toy. I feel bad about myself when I buy cheapo plastic toys in the dollar aisle at the store. My solution to all these negative feelings? I think “What would Laura Ingalls do (if she lived in the 21st century)?...

So, the boys were very interested when I took a half-broken box they were playing with and turned it into a playhouse for their Legos. My kids are a little too young to draw their own scene inside a box, but older kids will enjoy drawing pictures on the playhouse walls and rugs on the ground. Use any of the following supplies: Box (any kind will work) Markers or paint Old Furniture Catalog (Pottery Barn, IKEA, etc....

Previously, we’ve investigated a tree seed, Observed what happens to snow when we bring it inside, and explored edible science with making butter. For our next scientific observation, I’ve recently guest posted over at Skip to My Lou for her 30 Days 30 Bloggers Craft Camp. We tested all kinds of objects to see if they sink or float in water. We gathered objects from all around the house, filled up our bowl with water, and wrote down our predictions and results in our science journal....

Not only are these pumpkins a darling and sweet craft, adding beads to pipe cleaners is an activity perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. It helps improve their small motor skills as they thread the beads onto the pipe cleaners and it’s great for hand-eye coordination skills as well. I’m sharing the step-by-step instructions for these Pumpkin Beaded Pipe Cleaners over at Creative Child Magazine. Head over to see the full tutorial and other great child-inspired articles!...

Nothing screams more summer than a vibrant simple salad! I can’t get enough of salads during the summer months. Pasta salads are really my first to go recipes, but when you’re craving a bowl of freshness, this corn salad recipe is the best! This summer corn salad recipe is my first choice if someone invites us to a BBQ or a get together and asks to bring a side salad to share....

Supplies for Stitched Leaf Garland: fresh fallen leaves – washed and patted dry, still soft sewing machine You’ll want to rinse your leaves and pat them dry before you begin. This will help with keeping them bright and the garland will stay clean as you work. NOTE: Don’t let your leaves stay out for too long before you begin stitching them. They will start to get crispy. To help prevent this, if you’re not ready to stitch just yet, either keep them outside or put them in a zip top back or place a wet paper towel over them....

It has been hot, hot, hot here in the Nation’s Capital, so aside from spending time in the comfort of our air conditioned home, we’ve been doing a lot with water lately. Washing bikes, watering flowers, running through the sprinkler or washing toys, for the last few weeks, water is a must-have in any form. And what I’ve found is that fun summer learning can be shoved in just about any part of our day, whether we’re indoors or out, slathered in sunscreen or cool in our basement....

The hustle and bustle of the season is in full effect! At this time of year, it seems especially odd to think of raising kids in a time when parents worried about children “getting enough stimulation.” With a two year old that is more-than-comfortable with a smartphone and a four year old who already battles the pressures of over-scheduling, I’m looking for more opportunities for my kids to decompress....