Banana, Egg and Oatmeal Pancakes

 

        Ingredients

 

              1 banana

              2 eggs

              1 pack instant oatmeal 

 

        Instructions

                   

             Mix ingredients in a blender or food processor

             Heat a large skillet over medium heat

             Lightly coat skillet with cooking spray or vegetable oil

             Pour about 1/4 cupfuls on to hot skillet
             Cook until edges are dry and flip with a spatula 
             Cook other side until golden brown
             Makes 6-8 pancakes

 

 

 

 

Halloween Books for Kids

Summer is officially over and Fall has now begun! With only six days till October, Halloween will be here before you know it. While you wait for its arrival, you can build anticipation with some fun Halloween movies and books...I have put together a list of a few favorite Halloween books that are sure to get the kids excited for the upcoming holiday!

 

The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing

 

Where's my Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi

 

Wee Witches Halloween by Jerry Smath

 

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

 

Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson

 

The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan Berenstain

 

The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting

 

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex

 

Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell

 

Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting

 

Trick -or- Treat: A Happy Haunter's Halloween by Debbie Leppanen

 

H is for Haunted House: A Halloween Alphabet Book by Tanya Lee Stone

 

Halloween Night by Marjorie Dennis Murray

 

Dracula and Frankenstein Are Friends by Katherine Tegen

 

Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood

 

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall books for kids

 

Summer is almost over, and there's no better way to welcome the new season than snuggling up on the couch and reading fun, fall-themed books! We have been visiting the library weekly scouring the shelves for good reads. I have put together a list of our favorites so far.

 

 

(This book was not in the list originally because it was just recently released but we were able to order it from the Scholastic Reading Club flyers)

 

 

Pippa the pumpkin fairy by Tim Bugbird

 

 How many seeds in a pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara

 

Let it fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

 

Leaf trouble by Jonathan Emmett

 

The very best pumpkin by Mark Kimball Moulton

 

How big could your pumpkin grow by Wendell Minor

 

Fancy Nancy and the Fall foliage by Jane O'Connor

 

When the leaf blew in by Steve Metzger

 

A friend for all seasons by Julia Hubery

 

I know it's Autumn by Eileen Spinelli

 

Patty's pumpkin patch by Teri Sloat

 

Fletcher and the falling leaves by Julia Rawlinson

 

Pumpkin pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

 

 

Fall Decorating

The temperature is still in the hundreds here in Arizona but that's not keeping me from preparing for fall. I hope I am not the only crazy one trying to make my place all cozy and autumn-y even though its 110 degrees outside. If the stores already put out the Fall/Halloween stuff then its okay to start decorating, right? Some small stuff we've done so far...

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Fall Activities (Fall Bucket List)

1. Visit a pumpkin patch 

 

2. Go on a hay ride

 

3. Get lost in a corn maze  

 

4. Make a fall dessert

 

 

5. Carve a pumpkin...or two...or three 

 

6. Make pumpkin spice white chocolate

 

7. Have a Halloween movie marathon

(list of family Halloween movies)

 

8. Make s'mores

 

9. Go to the park and enjoy the autumn weather

 

10. Make Fall/Halloween crafts

 

 

11. Make warm apple cider

 

12. Make or pick out Halloween costumes

 

13. Treat yourself to a Starbucks seasonal drink

 

14. Go Fall clothes shopping

 

15. Put up Fall/Halloween decorations

 

16. Make a pumpkin spice body scrub

 

17. Buy seasonal candy/treats

(orange cream oreos, candy corn, pumpkin spice m&m's) 

 

18. Go to the library and find fall themed books

(list of fall books for kids)

 

19. Have a Halloween breakfast

 

20. Go to a local fall festival/event

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIY Dry Shampoo

 

 

So far all of my attempts to go no 'poo have been unsuccessful. I can't seem to make it past the first couple of days. My hair becomes an oily mess and it looks like I haven't showered in weeks. I recently came across a dry shampoo recipe on Pinterest and wanted to give it a try. I have never used dry shampoo but I thought if it works well, it could help with my no-pooing. This is the recipe I used for my dark brown hair.

 

2  Tbsp cornstarch

2  Tbsp cocoa powder

1  tsp cinnamon

 

I mixed the ingredients in a small bowl and emptied the final product into a clean e.l.f. powder container. You can store it in a mason jar, salt shaker, empty spice bottle... I just like the convenience of using a loose powder makeup container and a makeup brush to apply it. So far it has been working very well, I can go about 5 days with out washing my hair and my daughter says my hair smells delicious!

 

 

 

Family movies to watch this Halloween

 

 

1. Hocus Pocus

 

2. Coraline

 

3. Monster House

 

4. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

 

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas

 

6. Casper

 

7. Halloweentown

 

8. Don't Look Under the Bed

 

9. Casper Meets Wendy

 

10. Teen Witch

 

11. The Addams Family

 

12. Corpse Bride

 

13. ParaNorman

 

14. Frankenweenie

 

15. Ghostbusters

 

16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

 

17. Gremlins

 

18. The Witches

 

19. The Wizard of Oz

9 Days Left

Rebecca starts kindergarten in just 9 days and I never imagined being this emotional. I am really trying my best to keep it together. I feel anxious and nervous but also really excited. Rebecca's backpack, lunchbox and water bottles finally got here! We ended up with a pink Jansport backpack (pvc-free), a Fluf lunch bag (pvc-free) and two reusable Copco water bottles (bpa-free). Lets see how long they last...maybe after she has used them for awhile I will do a review.

 

8 funny rhyming books

Teaching children to rhyme is important because it is the first stage in phonological awareness. Rhyming is a great exercise that can help improve your child's reading ability and language skills. Reading books that rhyme is a great way to practice rhyming, as well as singing and listening to nursery rhymes. I have made a list of my favorite rhyming books that I think are so fun, you wont even mind reading them over and over again!

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

Silly Sally by Audrey Wood

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy

There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea by Jennifer Ward

Parts by Tedd Arnold

Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

 

We Give Books

Today I came across a fantastic website and felt like I needed to share it with everyone! The website is We Give Books. We Give Books is a free site that allows you to read books online. There are many children's books to choose from that range from ages 0-10.

 

 

 

That isn't even the fantastic part though...for every e-book you read, We Give Books donates a book to a literacy organization. How awesome is that? You do have to sign up by creating a username and password but it is very quick and simple. This site is truly amazing!

Educational shows on Netflix

Let your kids watch TV- guilt free,

with these 9 entertaining and educational shows on Netflix.

 

 

1. Super Why (Reading)

 

2. Peg and Cat (Math)

 

3. Word Girl (Vocabulary)

 

4. Magic School Bus (Science)

 

5. Justin Time (Science)

 

6. Wild Kratts (Animals)

 

7. Peep and the Big Wide World (Science)

 

8. Monster Math Squad (Math)

 

9. Pinky Dinky Doo (Vocabulary)

 

 

Educational websites for kids

1. http://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/

2. http://www.abcya.com/

3. http://pbskids.org/

4. http://www.starfall.com/

5. http://www.rif.org/kids/leadingtoreading/en/leadingtoreading.htm

6. http://www.brainpop.com/ 

7. http://www.cookie.com/

8. http://www.hoodamath.com/

9. http://www.grammaropolis.com/

10. http://www.makemegenius.com/

11. http://www.turtlediary.com/

12. http://www.fuelthebrain.com/

13.  http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/

Learning sight words with Endless Reader

  

I found this really great app that helps kids with sight words. It is so funny! Me and Dustin always crack up when Becca plays it. It is one of the only apps I have ever paid for and its a pricey one but I think its definitely worth it.

 

 

 

Hiking Adventure

We went hiking in the evening because it is way too hot to be outside, let alone hike during the day and we saw our first wild snake! It was pretty cool. We watched it for a little while, took some pictures and then went on our way. I expected my daughter to be afraid of it but she wasn't scared at all. She actually decided that she wants a pet snake...yeah...that's not happening.

We think its a black tailed rattlesnake but we don't really know.