Hot Chocolate Pancakes...Yummy in my Tummy!!!

Brrrr it is cold out!!  We have had some of the coldest weather that I can remember here in a long time and we have been obsessed with Hot Chocolate.  So the other morning when I was making pancakes for breakfast I thought it would be fun to add some of the Hot Chocolate mix to our pancake batter.  The girls loved the mini marshmallows inside their pancakes.  

It was definitely a fun treat on a cold winter morning!

Here is our Hot Chocolate Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 packets of your favorite Hot Chocolate Mix

1 1/4 cups milk

  1 egg

3 Tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and hot chocolate mix.  Make a well in the center.

2. Mix together the milk, egg and oil then pour into the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat.  Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan.  Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Our Elf on the Shelf Ginger Week 2

Ginger has been pretty busy this week!!!  Here is a peek at what she has been up to...

 Just relaxing on the window

Since we didn't decorate our tree yet Ginger thought she would help out

 Lifting a weights made out of a candy cane and two large marshmallows.  You need to work out when your main diet is sugar based!!

 The girls got a treat of some homemade mini doughnuts to start off their morning.

 The coffee was all set up for us on this chilly morning

 Ginger reminded us of the true meaning for the season and decided to join our Nativity Set

Ginger was just zip lining through our kitchen.  She even left the girls some candy canes and Clara a candy cane made out of a Baby Mum-Mum cracker.  Ginger is the best!!!

A Very Minted Christmas

Every year I get excited to see all the fun designs that are available for our family Christmas card, even though I get a stomach ache thinking about actually taking the picture.  Hopefully Clara will be the ham that she usually is and everything will go nice and smoothly.

This year as I was looking for ideas for our card I noticed that Minted had a really great selection of fun designs for their Photo Christmas Cards.

Here are just a few of the fun designs that caught my eye as I was browsing their site.  I am planning on a playful card this year the girls are excited to wear their Christmas Pajamas, so these seemed like they would go really well with our theme.

Be sure to stop by Minted to see all the other things that they offer!

They have an variety of stationary, prints and children's room decor items too.  These items would make great gifts for any occasion.

**Disclosure: I will receive money off my next Minted purchase for writing this post to participate in Minted's holiday card promotion however these are my own unbiased opinions.

Elf On the Shelf Adventures Week 1

Ginger is back and she is having a lot of fun!!  Every morning the girls anxiously wait to go down and see where she is and what she has been up to and this week she has been pretty silly.

Day 2

Ginger decided she would be a leprechaun for the day.  She was also wearing the rainbow loom bracelet that Juliette made for her.  Which made Juliette so happy!!

Day 3

Ginger thinks driving a shoe train is a lot of fun!

Day 4

Ginger must be wishing for some snow.  She made us some cute snowflakes.

Day 5

It was a bubble bath kind of morning for Ginger.  I think she liked that the soap had her name in it!

Day 6

Ginger was really creative today! These play-doh containers led us to...

...a play doh GINGER!!!

After looking around again we finally found the real Ginger hanging out on top of the Kitchen cabinets.

Day 7

Ginger was so excited that we were going to decorate gingerbread houses that she decided to decorate her own.

Check back next week to see what else Ginger has been up to!!!!

Does an Elf on the Shelf visit your house if so what has your elf been up to?

Our Elf on the Shelf is BACK!!!!

Ginger, our The Elf on the Shelf made her first appearance right after Thanksgiving and the girls couldn't have been more excited.  She was waiting for them on top of the front door where Juliette spotted her the second we went downstairs for breakfast.

Throughout the day Juliette kept telling us that she cant wait to see where Ginger is tomorrow and I wonder what she is going to do tomorrow.  I love their excitement over her and the anticipation of what she will do next.

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?  Where have you found your elf playing?

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Mixed Media Family Turkey Project

For school Emily had to create a turkey with her family.  We all worked together to decorate this turkey.  It was so much fun to get out our collection of collage materials and decide what would make a really cool looking turkey. 

A few weeks ago we had made some spin art in fall colors which worked perfectly for the turkey's feathers.  Then we used different dried beans and feathers as well as crayons, a band-aid, some felt, glitter glue and of course a googly eye!

Neighborhood Toy Store Day 2013!!!

                                                     

I Heart My Neighborhood Toy Store and I personally love finding quality unique toys that my children enjoy playing with that also stimulates their mind and imagination.  Big box stores do not always carry these high quality toys and I feel they often cater to "fad" toys that children outgrow quickly and are usually cheaply made.  At your local toy store you can find a wide selection of the best toys on the market that your children will really enjoy playing with.  In addition, shopping locally offers better customer service and is a great way to support your community!

November 9, 2013 is the 4th annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day.  Participating local stores will host in-store events for families (such as activities, craft projects, live performances and/or special discounts) to help kick off the holiday shopping season and celebrate the joy of shopping for toys!  This annual event is coordinated by the non-profit organization ASTRA, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

You can find a participating toy store at Your Neighborhood Toy Store.

 Here are some of the quality toys you could find for sale at your neighborhood toy stores, that are all winners of ASTRA's Best Toy for Kids 2013:
 
Clara absolutly loves her Skwish Classic by Manhattan Toy.  This is an innovative wooden rattle that truly provides her with entertainment.  I have seen her push it, squish it, drop it toss it, shake it and reach for it when it gets away from her.  It definitely holds her attention and encourages grasping and reaching skills which is very important for a 6 month old!! 

 
 Bunny Peek A Boo by Smart Toys and Games, Inc. is a 3D puzzle made up of sturdy wooden blocks and a cute rabbit character.  Juliette and Emily loved solving these puzzles by choosing one of the cards and recreating the picture they see with the wooden pieces.  This game helps develop spatial perception skills.



 
RingStix Lite byRingStix System Enterprises LLC is variation of the game of catch.  Players pass the ring back and forth using two sticks that are available in a variety of colors.  this game can even be played independently.  The girls are really looking forward to testing this out once the weather is warmer. 

                                                       

www.yourneighborhoodtoystore.org

You can find ASTRA/ The Woohoo Factor on Facebook HERE

   and on Twitter (@TheWoohooFactor)

 

Disclosure: I was asked by Child's Play Communications to help spread the word of Neighborhood Toy Store day. I was not paid for this post but I was compensated with the toys I reviewed.