Rockin' Hummus at the Library

One of the things that my girls really enjoy doing it going to the library. Our library has something that is really pretty cool (we think). It has a coffee store built within the library but on the outside of the library in the hallway. The great thing about this coffee store is that you can get a latte, a mocha...ice tea...juice...milk, really anything that fits all budgets and desires. In addition, one thing that you can do is bring your own lunch!

This past summer, my daughters and I have been packing our lunch and going to the library. The girls get the biggest kick out of it.

This week, Daddy Bryan met us there for lunch. The girls thought that was so much fun...a family lunch date. So we had a hodge-podge of a lunch but one of the items that I took was homemade hummus.

I received a recipe from a former co-worker of mine, who in my eyes has the best recipe for hummus. I have modified it to fit our taste buds but this one rocks!

Hummus
4 cups chick peas (roughly 2 ½ cans drained)
½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
½ cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin

Combine the chick peas, tahini, warm water, olive oil and juice of one lemon in food processor. Process until smooth, scrape down side of bowl when necessary. Add garlic, salt, cumin and pepper (to taste if you like) and process to blend. It will keep well in jar in the refrigerator and makes roughly one quart.

Tailgate Party Salad

This past weekend, we went to a tailgate cookout in our town. Each family was to bring a dish to share with others. A few weeks ago, I had made a similiar salad to the one listed below but for the life of me, I could not remember where I found the receipe. So I recreated it..it turned out pretty good...thought I would share with you the "tailgate party salad".

1 bunch/head raw broccoli
1 bunch/head cauliflower flowerets
1 c. raw pumpkin seeds (you could use sunflower seeds)
1 lb. bacon, browned crisp
1/2 of an onion, cut very finely
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1 c. mayo
2 tbsp. white vinegar

Wash broccoli and cauliflower, trim off heavy stalks and use the tender flowerets for this salad. Cut onion into thin slices and then finely chop into small pieces. Add pumpkin/sunflower seeds. Toss together. Add grated cheese. Stir mayo and vinegar together until creamy; add to the vegetables. Stir well and top with bacon, then refrigerate.

Cooking with Kids

One thing that we really enjoy in our home is cooking. My oldest daughter has picked up on the love of cooking. We have made some interesting things and some really awesome dishes as well. We will do various things in the kitchen such as making homemade pizza every Sunday night, baking cookies, making homemade granola, salad dressings. You name it...and we are more than likely able to do it with teamwork.

I thought in my postings that I would start adding recipes for cooking with kids. One of our favorite things to make is fruit kebabs.

You will need to cut the fruit you select into various bite-size pieces and combine the different fruits on the kebab. We separated each of the different fruits in a bowl/plate so that it was easy to grab or place a toothpick into the dish. Kids can select any type of fruit combination that they like. While creating, they can place their fruit kebabs on a serving platter.

Such fruits that you can use include the following:

• pineapple chunks


• apple slices


• pear slices


• kiwi


• oranges


• mango


• cherries


• peaches


• grapes

Making a kebabs doesn't have to be just fruit, but it can be various cheeses cut into bite size pieces. And rotated with turkey/ham/chicken bites and bread. It is a sandwich on a stick.

ArtPlayDate Music

Music is just one of the best things in the world. There are just so many different kinds of music that one can enjoy. The last time we visited our library, I was searching for just the right music for when we are playing. One of our favorite things to play currently is "house" in our home, as well as ballet teacher. I was able to find some music that fit just that type of play, but then I thought, we need something fun, upbeat and great for kids when we do our ArtPlayDates...whola I found it. It is called "The Bees Knees - We Share the Earth". It is a great collection of 14 different songs that have catchy words and lively tunes that keep kids of all ages interested in the music and want to dance while they create.

Napkins Holders for Your Family Dinner Table

You will want to select once color of craft foam that you can cut a 1 1/2 x 5 inch strip. When we cut the craft foam we used specialty edging scissors, but you can use regular scissors or pinking shears. Make a hole at each end of the strip. Use permanent markers, foam stickers, eyes, pipe cleaners, foam letters, etc. to personalize your napkin ring. When you are done decorate and things have dried (if you used glue), grab a piece of yarn (any color) and run it through the two holes and tie securely together for form a ring that you can then insert your napkin into.

A Special Art Playdate Request...from my Four Year Old Daughter!

I must say that I have not written on my blog for a while, but a funny thing happened to me again for the second time in two weeks. My daughters and I went over to my sisters house last week, for the morning, to hang out and just have some fun (of course she made her to die for chai that I just can not seem to create at my house). Little did I realize that my nephews and my one daughter we hoping that we would be having an art playdate. I was so surprised that they were that excited about getting together and having a playdate and remembering. It is almost as that they anticipate/expect to do it when we go together. So we had an impromptu art playdate of drawing and painting with watercolors.

Then again, this week, my older daughter asked me...so... can we do a craft again today? It is just so much fun to see how art/crafts has become a part of her life, and how she enjoys doing it as much as I do. So we will be restarting our art playdate ideas and will be posting soon. Until then!

Coffee Filter Butterfly

The items that you will need for this project include the following:

• 1 coffee filter (will need to be split so that it lays flat)
• 2 wiggle eyes
• tongue depresser or popsicle stick
• fuzzy wire or straw
• watercolors
• paint brush
• water to dip your paintbrush in to remove the watercolor

First you will need to split/unseel the coffee filter so that it is laying flat on the table. Next let your child(ren) decorate the coffee filter with the watercolors. After the coffee filter dries, place glue on the tongue depresser/popsicle stick and place your butterfly wings on top and press gently. Make sure that you leave enough room at the top of the tongue depresser/popscicle stick to glue the eyes. Next you will glue the fuzzy wire on the back of the wooden stick. Allow time for the watercolor to dry, as well as the glue.

Feather Painting...Texture Painting

One of the beauties of painting is that you can do paint with anything! Feathers, sponges, forks, stamps, your fingers, etc., you name it and it will work. One of our most recent painting activities included feather painting. It is a lot of fun because you can dip the feather into all different colors of paint, swirl it around and draw/drag the paint into different shapes. The imagination is in the creator of the painting.

Paperplate Fish

Making a paperplate fish is easy and quick fun to do at home. What you will need is the following:

• 1 paper plate
• Stapler
• Tissue paper, shiny paper or construction paper that is in 1-inch squares or 1-inch circles
• Glue
• An eye (can be one that you get at a craft store, or one that you create on your own via drawing or cutting it out of construction paper)
• Yarn
• Hole punch
  

First you will need to cut out a triangle that is roughly the size of a piece of pie. Then on the opposite side of the paper plate, take that "pie" shaped piece, you will want the "point" side to go a little bit behind the paper plate, and then staple the piece so that both pieces join together.

Next you will select various pieces of tissue paper, shiny paper or construction paper and glue them onto the paper plate. You will want to glue it all around so that your fish is nice and brightly colored. Next you will glue on the eye and lastly punch a hole at the top of the plate and thread string through the hole, so that you can easily hang your fish.

A Nature Walk...Guessing Colors

With spring here, it is such a great time to walk around the neighborhood, go to the playground, or visit a park. One thing that we did this past weekend was visit our neighborhood park. On our way, as we walked on the sidewalk, we talked about nature played a game similar to "I Spy". For example, "I see something that you don't see...it is yellow". The girls would look around the area we were walking to see if they saw anything yellow. When they spotted something they would say what it was. In this example it was daffodils... that were growing in front of a neighbors home.

This is a great game to play because it allows the kids to identify their colors and they may see things that you did not even catch, which is fun too.

Happy guessing! And Happy Spring!

Creating a Story...the Beauty of Imagination

In our home, we love to make stories come alive. By this, I mean I will start a story...then I will ask my daughters "what happens next?" I just move my hands to show them that they are next in coming up with an idea to help complete the sentence. We have the best time coming up with some really wild stories, but we just laugh about it when we are done. Sometimes we talk about rabbits going roller skating or penguins riding a bicycle on a walking trail. Really, right now, I think it doesn't matter where the story leads...they are having fun creating a story of their own, when we combine each others imagination together.

One thing that we just started doing is having our older daughter draw pictures in her "journal". Knowing later on that we are going to be putting words on the opposite side of the drawing. For example, she drew our family...but turned them into being a king, queen and two princesses along with our three cats (who are the boyfriends/princes of the princesses - pretty hairy boyfriends eh (ahahah)). But the thought behind this is that she is drawing an image, thinking of what the story line is going to be and then creates it...each page is a continuation of the next. After the story is done, on the front cover of the journal she is going to draw a front cover with marker or crayons.

Incentive "Treasure Chest"

The challenges that a preschooler and toddler bring to ones life can be somewhat difficult at times. It is important to be creative and think on your toes. One of the "incentives" that has been successful for our family has been a "treasure chest" of stickers. The treasure chest can be an art activity by itself for one day or over a course of several days depending on how decorative you want it to be.

Many craft and hobby stores have various types of decoupage type of items that can be decorated. Our family has favored the treasure chest.

It can be decorated with glitter glue, markers, crayons, stickers, paint, etc. Inside of the treasure chest when we have needed something of an incentive, whether it was "if you do this...you can select a sticker to wear"...or "you can get a new sticker if you do this", and better yet, "go get your treasure chest and you can pick a sticker to put on your chore chart".

The ideas really are endless of even what you would like to put inside of the treasure chest. It could also hold little surprises if a child did well for the week...little surprises if you are trying to potty train, being on good behavior, etc.

Display your children's artwork

One of the most important things to do is to display your child's/children's artwork in your house. It can be in the kitchen on the refrigerator, on the pantry door, in their play area, and of course in their room. It is great way to show them how proud you are of them in their accomplishment.

In our home, after each day at school. We display our daughters work of art on the refrigerator. If it is a large sheet of paper then we display it on our pantry door. Over the course of the days (in between classes) we talk about what she was drawing...how she pasted the tower, etc. She gets so excited talking about it. Each month, we rotate the artwork she has done in her room.

In her room, we have created a little gallery of artwork. We went to Target, in the photograph frame area, we purchased acrylic frames where you can easily remove the back of the frame to insert anything that you wish. We let our daughter select her most favorite pieces that she did for the month, we place it inside of the frame and then rehang it back on the wall.

It makes one of the neatest looking pieces of art in her room and it makes it her room even more, because it is something that she has done and is very proud of it.

I was looking through a magazine and saw another way you could display your child's artwork. I thought it was really a pretty cool idea. Go to a Goodwill, Salvation Army store, etc and purchase wood photograph frames. The wood frames can be all different sizes. Paint the wood frames any color that you would like. Remove the glass, the mat, etc. because you would not be using these pieces of the frame.

Once the frame painted...arrange the frames on the wall, any way that you like. Each time your child brings home a piece of artwork, get some sticky tact (something that will not hurt your wall and place it behind the artwork and display on the wall in the middle of the wooden frame. Whala you have a piece of artwork in a frame. The great thing about using this type of frame is that you can easily remove the artwork to insert something new in it.

A "Sticky" Collage of Fun

Collages are fun to make, you just never know what you are going to find to add to it. One of our most recent Art Playdates was making a "Sticky" Collage. You will need the following items:

• A sheet of contact paper (best size is 11X17 because it is large enough where you can place different objects on top). If you don't have contact paper, that is fine, you can glue the objects onto a sheet of construction paper. Contact paper just gives less of a mess.
  
• Different objects (squares of tissue paper, pom-poms balls, feathers, really anything that you can find or cut out of paper or fabric).
  
• First you will need to cut the contact paper to the desired size. Peel the backing of the contact paper and lay the sticky side up. Next gather different items that you would like to add to your collage. Place those items on the contact paper and the design begins.
  
  
  

Bubble Painting

One of our favorite outdoor activities is bubble painting. Now this can get a little messy. Kids loves bubbles! Here is a fun change of blowing bubbles...painting with bubbles.

What you will need is the following:

• 2 T of tempera paint or 15 drops of food coloring


• 1/2 cup of bubble solution


• Large piece of paper that you can attach to your fence, around trees, between two patio chairs, etc.


• Baggie ties or tape (to hold the paper)

Mix the tempera paint/food coloringing into the bubble solution and then stir together.

Tape or use a baggie tie to attach the large piece of paper. We attached the large piece of paper to our fence, and used a baggie tie to keep the paper hanging.

Have your artist dip their bubble wand into the paint solution and then blow the bubble mixture onto the paper that is hanging. Let the project dry and you are done.

Flower Fun for your Table

I don't know if you would have this around your home, but if you go to a craft store/dollar store you will be able to find inexpensive artificial flowers. This is an easy craft this is a lot of fun because the kids can change the flower bouquet around and each bouquet will be different.


You will need the following supplies:

• Artificial flowers
  
• Flower foam (flower frogs) or you could use play dough if needed


• Tissue paper - any color that you would like


• Ribbon
  

Have the kids stick the flowers into the flower foam/play dough. Place the colored tissue paper on the table, then place the flower bouquet on top of the tissue paper. Wrap the tissue paper around the base of the flowers so that if forms a layer around it like a vase. Then take the ribbon, and wrap it around the vase and tie it with a bow. You are done...and can place it on the table as a centerpiece

Making a God's Eye

This project originated from the Huichol Indians of western Mexico. They original thought behind this craft was a protective symbol that parents made for their children.

The materials that you need include:

• 2 sticks about the same lenghth and similiar thickness (about 5 inches). Can also use craft sticks, etc.


• White glue


• 1 variegated yarn

Place both sticks on the table and cross them over each other. In the center of the bottom stick, place a bit of glue and then place the other stick on top of it, forming a cross. Let them dry. OR if your child is older you do not have to use glue and just cross them over and hold in one hand.

Gather one end of the yarn you have selected and tie the loose end of the stick as close as possible to the place where the two sticks come together (the center). Leave around 7 inches of "tail"hanging from the knot. Hold the sticks (in the cross), in one hand and with the other hand bring the yarn under one stick, around, then over to the next one, under it, around it, and over to the next one, repeating the patern to the desired size you like.

Cut the yarn, leaving a tail of around 12 inches. Tie the two "tail’s" together and trim the ends.

Monoprints

One of the most fun activities that kids love is making monoprints. I must say it is also one of the easiest supply lists to have on hand. In the printing world, "mono" means one of a kind which is great for this activity. Heads up...make sure you have plenty of paper for print making!

1. Have your child squeeze out "blobs" of washable nontoxic paint onto a cookie sheet.
2. Next, lay a large piece of paper on top of the paint that is on the cookie sheet.
3. Have them rub their hands on top of the paint...kind of like you were smoothing out the paper or a piece of cloth so their were no wrinkles.
4. Have them lift off the paper, and lay it flat to dry.
5. Next, have your child make designs with their finger on the paint that is remaining, and then place another piece of paper on top of the newly formed paint design/cookie sheet.
6. Press with their hands and then pull the sheet of paper off of the cookie sheet. Whola...you have another print, one that is totally different that before.
7. Don't hesitate to add more paint or a variety of colors to get a different affect for their print making.

The prints that they make, once dried, are great pieces to hang in their room, on the refrigerator, in their playroom (if you have one)...it is just a way to show that you love their artwork being displayed.

Have fun!

Drawing with Dough

This is something that is a little different but is good for all ages. The mixture is between dough and paint, yes, I know that sounds alittle weird. It is a concoction that is fun to squeeze out onto your paper. When it dries, the salt in the dough crystallizes, leaving a glitter look to it.

Here is what you will need to make the mixture:

2/3 cup of water

2/3 cup of flour

2/3 cup of salt

Washable tempera paint

Squeeze bottles (you can find these at an all in one store, or a craft store too).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the water, flour and salt. Divide the dough (onced mixed) into different bowls so that if you want more than one color, each bowl will be a different color. Drop a few drops of tempera paint into each bowl. Mix and then pour/spoon the mixture into the squeeze bottle.

To make your designs, you can squeeze the bottles onto the paper (the heavier the paper the better), mixing and forming. When you are done with the design, be sure have the paper lieing flat on the table for drying.

Edible PlayDough

It has been a while since I posted on the himamma blog....but don't worry, I will start posting some new ideas...we have been busy doing various arts and crafts. Be sure to check back within the next week or so.

One of our favorite playdates is making edible play dough. It is great for families that have really young children who love to put everything in their mouth. Even my four year old had fun making it...because she loves to "cook". Enjoy...here is the recipe for edible play dough (all natural).

Edible Play Dough
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1 C powdered milk

Put all the ingredients together and mix it up with your hands (or use a mixer) until its fairly smooth. The oils from the peanut butter will keep it from sticking to the table and the kids' hands. To store the play dough you can place it in a plastic bag or a covered container.