Kid Friendly Friday for April 10 -Chocolate Winner!!

Happy Birthday to Pilot today!

On Saturday I attended two Wedding showers for my niece who is getting married this Friday. The second one was at her Aunts home. We played a game- guess the total chocolates in the jar game. I had to leave early so I asked the grandma of the bride if I came close to the correct count with my guess of 139. She pulled out the paper and looked, it was 140! I couldn't believe it!

Well really I can believe it, I am good about chocolate. I know my chocolate!!

So, later when I called to let my mom know that we had made it to Price safely, she told me that I was the winner of the chocolate jar!! Cool!!

However, I told grandma to the bride, that if I won, don't send it home to me, just give it to the Bride. But they tried another number, it Angel was with 132 and of course she wasn't there either. I am teaching her how to be really good with chocolate too, obviously!!!

So then the next number was 152, it was my sister- all the good guesses came from my side of the family. I guess we can tell which family knows their chocolate! So my sister did the same thing I was going to do if I won, she gave it to the bride. She will need her chocolate!!!

That was so fun. I am sorry I missed the announcing of the chocolate count, but just hearing that I won was so funny and fun.

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So as I was typing this, I thought this could be a Kid Friendly Friday entry.

Take a plastic or glass jar, flower vase, empty clear bottle, zip lock- really anything you can see through. Then put a lot of something in it, big is better than small. It is really better to start with small amounts like 20 to 30 things. Then they can count the items with you and not loose interest. You can even do smaller if you want.

I can almost see "Cyberchase" the PBS show in my mind as I envision doing this game. They have episodes on estimating and I love their math connections. Too bad we don't have TV any more, because I know my kids would still watch it. One is never too old to have their math reinforced by repetition and fun.

Some ideas for counting are: wrapped hard Candy, miniature wrapped chocolate (my favorite), legos, marbles, army men, plastic snakes or frogs, nuts in shells, gumballs, etc.

Then guess how many items are in the bottle. Help your kids estimate the number by counting a layer and multiplying the number of layers. I did this with Angel who is 11 and she got the second closest count at the party! She now understands how to do the game. I got a kick out of hearing one girl say, I guessed a 2 digit number! Even 99 is way too low, I doubt that she knew how to guess-timate!

Guess-timating is something we can all learn and having fun at home playing games can help our kids learn how to guess-timate. This can be an important skill, not only for winning the candy jar, but in other areas of our lives too. Too bad I can't think of anything right now but I am sure it is a useful talent or skill!! Just kidding..........

OK, I guess I should mention how I use guess-timation. I guess-timate how much food will fit into a cooler when we need to fill it. I guess-timate how many jugs of milk I can fit into my fridge. I guess-timate how many cookies will fit into a plastic bag. I guess what size container or bag I need to put my leftovers away. I guess what size bag I need to have to pack for a vacation.

I guess how much food I need to fill my stomach- not really, I love to stuff myself with the good stuff and I don't stop until I can't fit any more in. No guessing there!! LOL....

Have fun and help your kids learn how much will fit!

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If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with you can add that as well.

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My Kid Friendly Friday for April 3rd

A few Valentine's ago, I picked up some 'Conversation Cards'.  This pack has 46 question cards, and some rules.  The object is to give people a chance to learn more about their friends, spouses or significant other.  This is a fun game.



I remember in High School, one of the few things I can remember from that time ohhhhh sooooo loooooong agooooooo; or 'back in the old days' as my kids say.....  I remember in High School, I took a class that is now more commonly called study hall, can't remember what it was called when I was there.  It was an experiment and I'm not sure if they kept it.......  Whatever!!!

I'll start again.  I remember in High School, in my study class, my friends/acquaintances, and I would write lists of questions we wanted to know about the other person.  Then the person would fill in the answers and tadaah, we learned a lot about them!  It was really fun.  I am sure I have some of the papers in a box somewhere.  That would be fun to find and then get in contact with my friend and share it back to them 31 years later!  That really would be fun.

So, my idea for today is this: 

Conversation Questions for the Family

We wrote questions on the back of old business cards.  We have a stack of them and I try to keep some of them in the car.  So when we have down time in the car, we can ask a question and then talk.  It has helped us get to know each other a lot better.

I think that it would be fun for use in sleep overs / slumber parties.  Dates.  Dinner parties.  Playdates or Hanging (as my 11 yo informs me).  For parties, everyone could write their own questions and put it in a box, vessel and then at a certain time you could play the game.  Pull out a card and answer the question, one person at a time could answer.  Everyone could answer, a conversation could come from it.  Etc.  Who knows, a lot of different outcomes could come from a question.

As a family, we have had fun with them.  I hope this gives you some ideas on how to get to know your housemates better.  Sometimes we are surprised by how little we really know about our loved ones!!  I have been.  Or is it that they are constantly changing their likes as they grow?  Could be both!!!

Have some fun and see ya later~!!

Sharinskishe

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Join in Kid Friendly Friday and by adding your post to
Mr. Linky on Sarah's Blog 'I Blame My Mother'.
Post on kid friendly recipes, reviews, giveaways, crafts, games, books.....anything!
If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with you can add that as well.
Hope you find something useful! Thank you for participating!

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My Kid Friendly Friday - March 20

Making Silk Flowers for a Wedding / Dance

I spent most of last Saturday making boutonnieres for my nieces wedding reception. It was so fun that I forgot to keep count and stop when I hit 14. I made 5 purple ones and 14 blue ones. But my sister, who is the expert, said no worries, because they will be included in the corsages and so my work was not for not.

This project was fun and fairly easy. Since I already make candy bouquets, things were not so different on the boutonnieres. I know that my kids, 11 and 13, could also do these. My daughter would have a bit more fun than my son.

I will post about this again when I can add some photos, I don't believe that I did not take any!!! I wonder where my mind was?

Anyway, I am thinking this is a fun skill to share with you and my kids. My son will benefit from learning how to make flowers and let me tell you why I feel this way.

Many years ago, I lived at home with my wonderful parents. On Sunday spring mornings, my dad would often go out to 'get the Sunday paper' and sneak some wild or garden flowers home. He would then hide himself in my mom's craft area while she was getting herself and all six kids ready for Church.

Then when it was time to leave for church, he would present her with a beautiful corsage that he loving wired and wrapped for her. I was always a bit jealous that he did not make me one too. I am so grateful for the love he has always shown to my mother! My dad took the time to learn how to make a corsage, so that he could surprise my mom with homemade ones. One made from her favorite flowers.

He still sometimes bought/buys from a florist, but I know my mom's favorite flowers come from her own garden and are prepared with love by my dad.

I really hope that my son will carry one the tradition/ example my dad set for my mother. I believe he will.


Have a great day!

Sharinskishe


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If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with you can add that as well.
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My Kid Friendly Friday - March 13

Winter Gardening

Well we are itching at the bit to get our garden in. I have heard a few of you wonderful Bloggers using the Winter Sowing Methods. I have decided that I will get the kids together and go through our seed catalogs and have them make their garden layouts using the photos from the catalogs.

This should be fun. I asked my parents if they ever tried winter sowing, and my dad said no. He said the weatherman says it is too early to plant so we should wait.

Well, I have to try something different this year. I always look forward to any volunteer tomato and squash plants that come up, so I am hoping that if I sow some seeds now that maybe they will come up when it is time. My volunteers always do better than the plants I buy at the nursery and plant myself. I believe it is because they are just more hardy if they grow in their natural environment.

We have about 6 to 8 more weeks before we should be planting, but I am going to put some of my seed out now. We will sow them directly into the garden beds, hope for a snow or water really good. Then I will cover with a couple of inches of last years grass clippings and wait for the last frost to come and go.

Then I will uncover the grass from the beds and watch for young plants to reach for the sky. At least that is what I hope will happen.

I may put some planting jugs together, but I am not sure If I will have time and energy for them.

So this Friday, (which will be Saturday for us this week), I am going to have the kids create their vegetable wish list and if the weather is good we will plant the seed on Saturday as well or wait until next week.

Should be a fun activity. Something that would be fun to do as well, would be to make plant markers that can survive outdoors and mark what we have done.

Now I am off to find the seeds from last year and the catalogs for the project.

Added: I found two catalogs. Good, 2 kids.

I know where my veggie seeds are but I am not digging them out and bringing them in the house. So the photo of flower seeds I have been given and my daughters giant pumpkin seed packet will have to do for the seed photo.

Have a great day!

Sharinskishe

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Mr. Linky on Sarah's Blog 'I Blame My Mother'.
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If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with you can add that as well.
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Kid Friendly Friday March 6

Our 'Friday" is not always on Friday. That is if we are meaning the end of the work/school week and everyone is home for the weekend. My husband is driving for a Charter Bus company right now and he does not have a set schedule. So we grab whatever night he is home and make it our DVD- movie night.

We have popcorn and all snuggle up on the couches and watch a good parent approved movie. I am sad to say that parent approved does not alway mean PG movies. If mom or dad like Iron Man, The Hulk, the Bourne movies, as well as Veggie Tales, The Work and The Glory Movies, Fire Proof, Liken the Scriptures, SpongeBob Squarepants, Baptists at our Barbecue, Mobsters and Mormons, Disney movies, etc. we watch them too.

My kids have been really good about choosing Church movies, especially on Sundays. We definitely are not perfect but we usually make pretty good choices. I believe that if it was not for Mom (me) we probably would stick to the better movies, I mean more wholesome types. However, I love The Bourne Movies, Hulk, Iron Man and I sometimes forget that these types of movies are not without challenges. However, it does get my kids asking questions alot. So maybe it is not all bad.

We have started to pop our popcorn in plan brown paper bags in the microwave. It is a lot cheaper to buy a bag of kernels and make your own microwave bags than purchasing Microwave bags.

I hope you have a wonderful Kid Friendly Friday!!!

Sharinskishe

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Kid Friendly Friday February 27

My own kids are now 11 and 13, a girl and a boy. Our needs and interests are different than those of you with younger kids. But sometimes activities can be universal.

One thing I think is fun is to make pizza, individuals ones. We made pizza last night and I tried a new dough recipe. Everyone liked the dough. I did have to improvise the pizza sauce though.

So this is what we did. Pizza - Sorry it doesn't look so great. This photo was taken the next day before we reheated it!

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 1/2 cups flour

I threw all of this into the breadmaker and sprinkled in some Italian Seasoning, Oregano and a bit of sugar. I was going to add salt and forgot. It needed the little bit of salt. I think I could have left out the sugar. You may have to adjust the flour depending on humidity and such, but just make a nice soft, non-sticky dough.

I let it rest/rise for 20 mins and then cut it in half. I made two 12 inch pizzas from this recipe. I made each pizza on a baking sheet on my pizza peel so I could slide it off onto the preheated pizza stone.

For the Sauce:

I mixed 1 small can of Tomato paste with a 1/2 can of spaghetti sauce with meat, and added a sprinkle of Italian Seasoning.

To make the pizzas, we just shaped the dough into rounds, added the sauce, put on cheese, pepporoni and mushrooms.

I baked them for 14 mins at 400 degrees F. This you will have to watch and decide for yourself if the pizza is done.

I also rolled mozzarella into the pizza edge. We can buy what we call 'mozz worms' from our local Smith's deli case. That tasty good too.

If you have more toppings on hand, diced ham, cooked ground beef or sausage, olives, vegies, pineapple, etc. everyone can make what they like. You should be able to make 3 or 4 personal pizzas out of this. I got 2 medium to large sized out of it.

Please comment or e-mail me if you have any questions.

Sharinskishe

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Join in Kid Friendly Friday and by adding your post to Mr. Linky on
Sarah's Blog 'I Blame My Mother'.
Post on kid friendly recipes, reviews, giveaways, crafts, games, books.....anything!
If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with
you can add that as well.
Hope you find something useful! Thank you for participating!

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