A teacher friend of mine recently suggested that I try making plantable paper with my kids.  I loved the idea so I immediately started googling 'plantable paper' in hopes of finding a recipe.  Of course, several different recipes surfaced.  I chose the following one as I thought it was the most 'do able':

http://gardentherapy.ca/seed-paper-v-day-cards/

Surprisingly, I did not do any tweaking to this activity.  The kids were also the ones to tear the newspaper into strips.  They pushed the button on the blender, a great thrill for them, and strained the mixture with little help from me.  Once the paper dried, we used cookie cutters to make cute shapes from the paper.  The cookie cutters did not cut through the paper completely but there was enough of an outline to trim afterwards with scissors.  We are going to give the paper as Mothers' Day gifts this year.  Now, we just need to make the cards to go with the paper!

    I have been trying to do one little project or activity with my kids every weekend.  It gives them something to look forward to and it gives us the opportunity to spend some time together.  Our last project was Jolly Rancher Lollipops.  I used the recipe from the following link:

http://cuckooking.blogspot.ca/2010/07/jolly-rancher-lollipops.html

    I don't know where you buy lollipop sticks so I just used wooden skewers, which are available at any grocery store.  I cut the skewers in half and trimmed ends.  We also tried popsicle sticks for a few.  They worked well also.  I did not use cooking spray either.  Instead, I put some vegetable oil in a bowl and had the kids brush the oil onto their tinfoil molds.  The tinfoil peeled away more easily than what I thought it would.  Having the kids brush the oil on and peel away the tinfoil created more involvement for them as well.  The kids also put their sticks underneath the Jolly Ranchers before they went into the oven.  Our lollipops also took longer to 'cook' than the six minutes recommended in the recipe.

    I know my kids enjoyed this project, or at least the product of this project, because one asked if we could do this activity at her birthday party.  "What a great idea!"  I thought.  

    There is nothing like a beautiful spring day to put a little bounce in your step.  My kids and I will definitely be getting outside today.  About a month ago, we had some exceptionally warm weather.  During this time, the kids each made their own toilet paper roll bird feeder. 

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/birdfeeders/a/ToiletPaperRollBirdFeeder.htm

I chose this birdfeeder project because it is super simple and because I had materials on hand.  We used four different types of seed (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower & flax).  If using more than one type of seed, use the largest-sized seeds first.  In this case, pumpkin and sunflower were the largest.  The kids just used their fingers to stick these seeds to the peanut butter rather than rolling the rolls in them.  Then, they rolled their toilet paper rolls in the smaller two seeds to fill in the gaps. 

    Spending time with the kids making these feeders was fun.  Because they are so simple, there was no frustration on anyone`s part.  The best part though was seeing how excited the kids got when the birds found their feeders.  The birds literally cleaned the rolls.  Now, the kids want to make more!

Puffed wheat cake is one of my favourite treats.  One day at work about a year ago, we were talking about recipes and such.  I mentioned that I loved puffed wheat cake but that I didn't like making it because my cakes would either turn out hard or crumbly.  That is when a co-worker let me in on the secret of perfect puffed wheat cake - MARSHMALLOWS!   I have since tweaked a recipe from Saskatchewan 4-H Cookbook to come up with a fail-proof recipe. 

Perfect Puffed Wheat
1 c. margarine or butter
1 c. corn syrup
2 c. brown sugar
5 large white marshmallows
6 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
10 heaping cups puffed wheat

Begin by melting margarine.  As margarine melts, add marshmallows.  As marshmallows begin to break down, add corn syrup, brown sugar and cocoa.  Bring to a full boil.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla.  Mix in puffed wheat.  Spread mixture in greased 9x13 pan.  Let set.  Enjoy!!!!!!

* Often times, I make half this recipe in a 8x8 pan.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined."
- Henry David Thoreau
To say that I am writing this first post 'confidently' would be an exaggeration; 'trepidly' would be more accurate. Creating this blog is akin to the feeling I got when my friends and I played 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey' as kids. I think I know where I am going with this blog but cannot say with absolute certainty. I do know that I want the postings to be helpful and inspiring to the moms who read them. I also understand and appreciate the power of writing to connect people. Thus, I invite you to join me on this journey.