Family Fun

  • Dairy & Egg Free Sugar Cookies

    3D Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

    My friend Ashley at Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life brought over some amazing Christmas cookies earlier this month.  They were delicious and they were a huge hit with our family!  We have one family member that is not eating dairy and eggs so I adjusted Ashley’s recipe a little bit and the cookies came out delicious and beautiful (you would never know they didn’t have eggs and dairy)!  My Mom gave the girls these super cute 3D Christmas trees which the girls loved decorating and putting together.  Thankful for some time to spend with the family and enjoy special treats!

    Sugar Cookies

    • 1 1/2 cups Non-Dairy Butter (soy or almond), softened
    • 2 cups Granulated Sugar
    • 4 Egg Substitutes (Ener-G Egg Replacer is our favorite and lasts a long time too)
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 5 cups All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    Cream non-dairy butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.  Place cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
    Next day:  Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.  Cool completely.
    We decorated some of the cookies with sprinkles prior to baking.  The remaining cookies we decorated with icing after cooking.
    Cookie Icing
    • 1 pound Powdered Sugar
    • 1 stick Non-Dairy Butter
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1/4 cup Non-Dairy Cream (coconut, almond, or soy milk)
    • Add Food Color or divide in multiple bowls and create a variety of colors

    Blend together all the ingredients until smooth.  Chose one food color or divide up into multiple bowls and a variety of colors.

    A batch of the girls decorated cookies

  • Merry Christmas!

    Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  May this Christmas Season be a wonderful time packed full of many amazing memories for you and your family.  We have so many things to be thankful for during this special Christmas Holiday!

  • SMILING IT FORWARD™ with Tylenol®

    The makers of TYLENOL® were so inspired by the “feel better” smiles shared organically by moms across the country online that they’ve teamed up with How I Met Your Mother star and mom of two, Alyson Hannigan, to launch the SMILING IT FORWARD™ campaign

    Today I’m SMILING IT FORWARD™  because there’s nothing in this world that makes me smile more than seeing my children happy and healthy!

    Our girls were born 7 weeks early so they started out in the NICU.  We have made numerous trips to the pediatrician and various doctors over the past few years.  You know you’ve been to the doctor a lot when you are on first name basis with the staff at the doctor’s office!

    As a mom I have learned that one of the most stressful times is when your child is sick, especially as infants when they cannot tell you what hurts.  I usually see the first sign of sickness in my daughter’s eyes then I start noticing that she’s not really playing or acting like her normal cheery self.  Sometimes if I catch it early enough we can ward off the sickness or at least lessen the severity of it, with some extra liquids and rest.  But, unfortunately it is not always possible to get them feeling better before the full sickness sets in.

    Sick kids usually mean more snuggles and attention from mom.  It also usually results in a tired mom who is being woken up in the middle of the night, running to the store for extra Gatorade, holding a cool cloth on their forehead while waiting for the medicine to kick in, encouraging them to eat or drink tidbits, cleaning up sick messes, and many more tasks.  While a sick kid is exhausting for mom that moment when she gets to feeling better and you see that smile break free it is worth it all.   Shortly after you see that smile you know she’ll be back to her happy self soon!

    Here’s the picture I shared on SMILING IT FORWARD™

    What makes you smile? What picture will you share?

    More About SMILING IT FORWARD™

    Between September 17, 2013 and January 31, 2014, McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®, is inviting anyone 18 and older to share a photo that makes them smile on SmilingItForward.com. Each photo approved & shared will trigger a $1.00 donation from TYLENOL® to Children’s Health Fund, with a minimum donation of $75,000 and a maximum donation of $100,000. Review Terms and Conditions for complete program details. For information about Children’s Health Fund, visit www.childrenshealthfund.org

    In addition to sharing your photos, you can also visit:

    I have received information and products from McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks.

  • Thankful for My Family and so Much More!

    Thankful for sweet girls who made me a “special” breakfast.

    There is magic at our house! Every night I lay out all the non-perishable items (cups, plates, bread, english muffins, or bagels, etc…) that I need to make breakfast the next morning, however, this week by the time I get to the kitchen breakfast has been made for the whole family and the kids are already eating! It’s like breakfast has magically appeared every morning (and there’s no mess either)! This morning I must have been extra good because I got more than the normal Tuesday Toast! Thankful for my sweet girls!  I saved the sweets that they gave me for breakfast for later so I could share them!

    Thankful for kids who love making crafts and expressing their appreciation

    Karlie’s turkey from school. She had the most turkey feathers out of all the students in her class, her reason “I have so much to be THANKFUL for in my life!” Not sure if you can read the feathers they say – friends, social studies, love, food, life to live, teacher, pets & animals, family

    Thankful for hot chocolate

    Made hot chocolate and apple cider for my two chickies since it was a cold and rainy afternoon.  They enjoyed their hot treat after school.

    Thankful for a husband who plays games with the family

    We figured out that Jake has the steadiest hand in our family.  Karlie is watching him carefully so she’ll be ready for her next turn.

    Thankful for kids who enjoy playing games

    We played Kerplunk and Jenga tonight. After a few close calls we did manage to get quite a tall Jenga tower before it came crashing down. Here’s a picture of Brina focusing on her turn. Thankful for some fun with the family tonight!

    There is so much to be thankful for today and really every day of my life!

  • Sweet Celebration

    Jake brought me a sweet treat shortly after midnight on my birthday

    I had a great birthday.  There are so many reasons to celebrate yet another year.  All the cards, calls, texts, emails, messages, and more from family and friends made my birthday extra special.  Thankful for Jake and the girls, they treated me very well and managed to surprise me several times too!

    Cute birthday notes from Brina and her classmates at school!

    Brina and Karlie made me breakfast in bed for my birthday, such a neat surprise!

    Birthday sign from Karlie

    Homemade ice cream cake made by Jake and the girls!  Delicious!

  • Game Closet

    Our game closet has been cleaned out and re-organized so we can more easily access the games.  We got rid of some of the games the girls had outgrown!  Some of the games we donated and others we sold at our garage sale or online.

    Games have always been a fun activity in our family.  It came to our attention a few months ago that it would be beneficial to do a weekly game night with the kids.  Playing games, we have noticed, has allowed for extra teachable moments in our family.  While everyone wants to play well it’s good to learn how to have fun and be a good sport even if you cannot win every game.  There are a lot of positive attributes to playing games such as  reading, counting, strategies, waiting turns, being a team player and so much more.

    While we play at least once a week on our regular “family game night” !  We often pull out a game when friends are over or at some point (or two) over the weekend.  Playing games together allows everyone to relax, spend quality time together, while talking, and creating memories.  To keep it fair we roll a dice to see who will be picking the game for the evening.  If time allows we may play two games or stretch a game out over several evenings.  Our girls look forward to game night every week!

  • Native American & Hagood Mill History Experience

     One sweet Native American that took several minutes with the girls explaining all the details of her outfit from the otters, knots on her blanket, family crest, leather, beads and so much more.  Very fascinating!

    The girls have been learning about the Native American Indians in their Social Studies class at school.  It has been a lot of fun discovering neat details specifically about the Native Americans located in South Carolina.  They have even done extra credit activities such as building a Wattle & Daub and Longhouse which were used by the Native Americans in SC as well.

    Hagood Mill

    While I was online I discovered that Hagood Mill in Pickens, South Carolina was doing a Native American celebration.  We decided it would be a great opportunity for the girls to learn more and experience first hand a little piece of the Native American culture as well as the mill history in SC.   The only problem is we already had multiple events already on the schedule for that Saturday!  Thankfully, the event was only a few miles away and we were still able to squeeze in most of the events.

    Cherokee “Duck & Dive” War Dance from their war in SC.  The “Duck & Dive” was named after the way they fought with the the English ducking and diving as the muskets would be fired then re-loaded.

    Karlie and Brina standing on one of the mill stone that used to be used in South Carolina’s old mills

    The girls have been working very hard in their school activities, but  it is always a lot of fun when we find extra ways to help them have a more interactive experience because it helps the information come alive for them (and makes it stick).  This was a great event and will be very valuable as they continue to study the Native Americans at school.  We talked to a lot of different people, watched demonstrations, Native American dances, items they used, and a lot more.

    Putting their hand prints on the white horse, they loved this activity

    Rainbow hand print horse, very colorful.  The horse was a good sport! 🙂

    Native American meal cooked over a fire, complete with mushroom soup, fish, venison, chicken, potatoes, and corn.  It looked smelled delicious!

  • Jello Jigglers

    The girls had a lot of fun making Jello Jigglers after school to share with their friends who were coming over after dinner.  We had a great time doing this treat together while talking about memories, the girls day at school, and the fun we were anticipating having with our friends that evening.

    I remember making Jello Jigglers when I was a little girl with my Great Grandma Vi so this activity brought back a lot of sweet memories of my Grandma Viola.   It is wonderful being able to carry on this fun tradition with my girls too.

    The girls had a wide variety of shapes and animals from birds, flowers, Mickey Mouse, hearts, bears, rabbits, and more.  They had a blast choosing the cookie cutters and getting this special treat together to share with their friends.  I would say it was a big hit because there were only a couple “jigglers” left by the end of the night.  🙂

  • Lunch Box Notes

    Brina and Karlie lunch containers with a note

    Every once in awhile I write to a note and stick it in the girls school lunch boxes.  They always like finding their notes and over the months I notice they keep a stash of notes inside one of the pockets of their lunch boxes.  The fun part is coming up with something different to do for each note.  For this note I wrote their names in bold marker colors and attached them with Disney princess tape to the outside of their lunch containers.

    Brina’s Note

    Most time the notes are the same or similar with only slight variants.  The notes for this particular day both read: “Have a great day at school! Learn a lot and have fun!  I look forward to seeing you soon!  Love, Mom XOXO”

    Karlie’s Note

    What are some creative ways you leave notes for your kids or spouse to brighten up their day?