18 Month Old Rapunzel Toddler Photos

Little Miss is becoming such a beautiful girl. One of my favorite Princesses this month… Rapunzel from the Disney movie Tangled.

Her tiny cast iron skillet with the sun star painted on it was a great prop for today.

Giant scissors and some cut blond hair on the floor! She loves to stroke my hair whenever I hold her, she also twirls her own hair while she falls to sleep.

Rapunzel is a creative, passionate, and joyful girl.

I like to sing an affirming song to her, I sing to her is to the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”…

“Storm is a happy girl
Happy girl, happy girl
Storm is a happy girl
She’s my happy, happy girl”

Rapunzel 6 months old & 18 months old

Valentine’s Affirmation Hearts

We don’t go over bored for Valentine’s Day, but we always get the kids these little heart cream filled chocolates and try to have dinner together.

Affirmation Hearts

I cut out hearts and wrote attributes, strengths, and affirmations on them for each child. Then I taped one to their door each day until Valentine’s Day. First thing in the morning on the 14th, I placed their name and the rest of the hearts for them to see when they woke up that morning. They really enjoyed this and looked each morning to see what the newest heart said.

Baked Spaghetii and Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 package spaghetti
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce
  • 2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Cook and drain spaghetti noodles.
  3. In a separate pan, brown and drain ground beef.
  4. Add spaghetti sauce and warm through.
  5. Spray a pie dish or casserole dish with cooking spray, then add spaghetti noodles.
  6. Top with sauce and ground beef mixture.
  7. Top with cheese.
  8. Place in oven for around 10 minutes or until cheese is brown on top.
  9. Warm the meatballs in the oven with marinara sauce for 30 minutes.
  10. Serve with garlic bread and salad.

Chocolate Raspberry Tarts

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teas. water
  • 2 TBS flour
  • 1 sheet pastry puff
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 16 raspberries
  • 2 TBS powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Beat the eggs and water with a fork.
  2. Sprinkle flour and unfold pastry sheet.
  3. Roll out into 16×16 inch square.
  4. Brush pastry with the egg.
  5. Cut into 16 squares (4×4)
  6. Place 1 raspberry and 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips in the center of each square.
  7. Fold the pastries over to form triangles and crimp the edges with a fork.
  8. Prick the tops of each pastry and brush with egg.
  9. Place onto baking sheets and freeze for 15 minutes.
  10. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
  11. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  12. Serve with ice cream.

Tangled Disney Dinner

It’s Disney Dinner Movie Night again… Tangled is such a cute movie, we all enjoyed it. The kids helped me make the meal tonight, and I always think it is so much fun to have tons going on in the kitchen with my kids all at the same time.

Appetizer:  Braided Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups water heated to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit
  • 2 teaspoons Active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Melted butter
  • Garlic salt
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Whisk yeast, salt, and olive oil in the warm water until yeast is dissolved.
  2. Add yeast mixture to 3 cups of flour in a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook. Add additional half cup of flour if dough is still sticky. Knead with the bread hook attachment for 8 minutes in the mixer.
  3. Coat bowl with oil and place in a warm place with a slightly damp towel covering the bowl and let rise for one hour or until doubled.
  4. Punch down dough. Knead for 3-5 minutes. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough out to three 30″ ropes.
  5. Grease a baking sheet. Braid dough into three separate braids, about 15″ each. You should have two 15″ loaves. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.
  6. Melt the butter and use your pastry brush to apply to the dough.
  7. Sprinkle on the garlic salt, followed by the parmesan cheese.
  8. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Arrange the loaves together for one continuous braid.

Entrée:  Angel Hair Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:

  • Angel Hair Pasta
  • Alfredo Sauce
  • Chicken
  • Frozen Broccoli

Directions:

  1. Season Chicken
  2. Bake Chicken 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
  3. Boil Pasta for 6 minutes
  4. Add Alfredo Sauce to pasta
  5. Shred chicken and add to pasta.
  6. Broccoli bag in microwave for 5 minutes then add to pasta.

Vegi:  Hazelnut Parsnip Soup

I found a recipe that I wanted to try at Sugar, Spice & Glitter blog for Hazelnut Parsnip Soup, but I couldn’t find all of the ingredients so I ended up making a Cesar Salad.

Fruit:  Max’s Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb apples
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp apple juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

  1. Core, peel and slice apples into several slices.
  2. Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and lower the heat to medium-low.
  3. Combine apple slices, melted butter, apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a mixing bowl and mix until apples are evenly coated.
  4. Transfer everything from the bowl into the preheated skillet and spread it evenly.
  5. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Stir the apple occasionally.
  6. Take the lid off and raise the heat to medium. Stir and cook the apples for another 5-10 minutes.

Drink:  Sunset Raspberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/4 cup raspberries
  • 1 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed (about 6-8 lemons)
  • 1-2 tablespoon grenadine syrup (optional, for colour)
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 2 lemons sliced

Directions:

  1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, 1 1/4 cups water and raspberries to create a raspberry simple syrup. Heat it over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, mashing raspberries as it simmers. Remove from heat, strain and let cool to room temperature.
  2. Add the raspberry syrup to a pitcher with the lemon juice and about 5 cups of water. Stir to combine.
  3. Add ice to glasses and 3/4 full of raspberry lemonade. Then you can stir in some grenadine syrup Refrigerate.
  4. Before serving, add the fresh raspberries and lemon slices to the pitcher.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 4 Tablespoons shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 T molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt (plus extra for sprinkling on top, optional)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1-2 Tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease your cast iron skillet with butter and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Whisk together until completely combined, and then set aside.
  3. Cream together melted butter and sugars in a large bowl.
  4. Whip in the shortening.
  5. One at a time, beat in the molasses, vanilla and eggs.
  6. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, combine completely, and then beat in the remaining half of the flour mixture.

This was so much fun to have my family helping with dinner and to enjoy this fun movie with them.

17 Month Old Elsa Toddler Photos

It actually snowed the weekend that she turned 17 months old… this was perfect for our Frozen Elsa pictures. She looks like such a sweet little lady!

Elsa is a powerful, graceful, and creative girl.

I like to sing an uplifting song to her, I sing to her is to the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”…

“Storm is a creative girl
Creative girl, creative girl
Storm is a creative girl
She’s my creative girl”

Our new Husky pup!

First time touching the snow!

Elsa 1 year apart…

Elsa 5 months old & 17 months old

Beauty and the Beast Dinner Night

Our family loves Disney and Family Movie Night, so we have joined them together for a family Disney Dinner Night. Tonight mom got to choose, so it was Beauty and the Beast, which was a bit too fancy of food for the preteens to enjoy. I chose to make versions of the recipes that are mentioned in the song, “Be Our Guest”. We watched the live action version of Beauty and the Beast since it is probably my current favorite of the Disney movies. I hope you have as much family fun as we did.

Appetizer:  Hot hors d’oeuvres (Pizza Roses)

We got our idea for the perfect pizza roses from the Sugar, Spice, and Glitter Blog.

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet Pizza Dough
  • 1/2 cup Pizza Sauce
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Pepperoni slices

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven tp 350 degrees.
  2. Cut the pizza dough into 2″ wide strips and then spread slightly to bring each strip to 3″ wide.
  3. Spoon some pizza sauce onto the dough strip, and spread evenly.
  4. Sprinkle some cheese onto the sauce, and then make an overlapping layer of pepperoni slices.
  5. Roll the strip lengthwise, to make a pizza rose.
  6. Place the finished roses on a lined cookie sheet. You can fan out the pepperoni slices slightly.
  7. Bake on the bottom rack of your oven according to the dough directions, typically about 12-15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.
  8. If the pepperoni starts to overcook before the dough is finished cooking, place a sheet of tinfoil gently over the pizza roses, shiny side up.
  9. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving alongside additional pizza sauce.

Entrée:  Beef Ragout

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs. sirloin steak, cut into chunks
  • 4-5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 8 oz. tomato sauce
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 10 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 14.5 oz. can beef stock
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • No Yolk Noodles  

Directions:

  1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a stovetop pan over a medium-high heat and brown the beef until dark.
  2. Drain the beef in a colander to remove the fat while you cook the rest.
  3. Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper, then add about 2 tbsp oil, the onions, carrots, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 mins over a low-medium heat.
  4. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for a further 3 mins. Add the herbs, tomatoes and stock, season and bring to the boil, stir the beef back into the sauce and reduce to a simmer.
  5. Add to crock pot for 3 hrs. Stir or use a fork to roughly shred the beef.
  6. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water for 3 mins, drain then tip into the ragout, toss together with some of the parmesan.

& Cheese Souffle

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 3 Tablespoons Flour
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 cup Cheese, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon White pepper
  • 4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
  2. Grease and flour ceramic baking dish. Set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and flour to form a roux. Stir and cook until it thickens and takes on a golden color, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the milk and stir well to incorporate. Let cook for two minutes before removing from heat.
  5. Allow the flour-milk mixture to cool for about 5-10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
  6. In a small bowl, beat your eggs until light and frothy.
  7. Add the eggs, cheese and seasonings to the mixture.
  8. Put the soufflé mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the tops with the Parmesan cheese.
  9. Place in the lower half of the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until well-browned and puffy. (sadly my soufflé sank in).

Vegi:  Soup de jour

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
  • 3 medium white onions diced
  • 42 oz. of beef broth
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese
  • slices of a French baguette
  • 4oz of provolone cheese

Directions:

  1. Sauté onions in melted butter in a large pot for 30 minutes.
  2. Add beef broth, garlic powder and salt, then bring to a boil.
  3. Let boil for a minute then reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 50 minutes.
  4. Add parmesan cheese and let simmer for 10 more minutes.
  5. Pour a few cups of soup into a large Pyrex.
  6. Put some cheese slices on top.  
  7. Put it in the oven on broil until the cheese began to brown.  (For about five or six minutes).
  8. Cut the baguette and dip into soup as you eat.

Fruit: Pie & Pudding “en flambe”

We got our idea for “en flambe” from the epicurious blog; but sadly, ours didn’t turn out very tasty at all.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tea vanilla
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into bits
  • 6 apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
  • 1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry (from a 14-ounce package), thawed

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. In a 10-inch skillet, stir together the 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla and the vinegar. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
  3. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is amber in color (like a brown paper bag).
  4. Remove from the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and swirl until the butter has melted. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  5. Carefully arrange the apples over the sugar mixture in concentric circles, being careful not to touch the hot sugar mixture.
  6. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
  7. Place the puff pastry over the apples and tuck the sides down around the apples.
  8. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon sugar over the dough. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the pan juices are bubbling.
  9. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a rimmed pie plate to serve.

Drink:  Mrs. Potts Strawberry Iced Tea

One of the recipes that all of the kids enjoyed! YAY

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups brewed tea
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 cups sugar

Directions:

  1. In a saucepan, boil the strawberries, sugar, and water.
  2. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly.
  3. Pour the syrup through a fine colander into a gallon pitcher.
  4. You can freeze the solids in ice cube trays.
  5. Pour the tea into the pitcher with the syrup and stir.
  6. Chill completely.
  7. Serve over strawberry ice cubes.

Dessert:  Try the Grey Stuff

Another delicious recipe for the kids!

Ingredients:

  • 3.4 oz box Vanilla Pudding Mix
  • 1 1/2 cups Milk
  • 15 OREOs, crushed
  • 8 oz Cool Whip
  • Edible Sugar Pearls, as desired

Directions:

  1. Make the vanilla pudding according to the boxed directions, however only use 1 1/2 cups milk rather than what is called for.
  2. Place the pudding in the fridge to thicken for 5 minutes as you crush the OREOs.
  3. Mix the OREOs into the vanilla pudding until completely combined.
  4. Add the Cool Whip and stir gently until just combined.
  5. Refrigerate for 5 minutes before placing the pudding into your serving dish and decorate with edible sugar pearls.

Thanks to my wonderful family for try all of my fancy foods!

Tot-School Yellow Day

Read:  

Song: 

YELLOW SUN


Yellow sun, oh what fun.
Now we all can play.
I will wear my yellow suit
And swim out in the bay.

Yellow sun, in the sky
Shinning down on me.
I will play out in the sun,
Then rest beneath a tree.

–Jean Warren

Color Recognition:  Show the child 3 cars or toys (be sure one is yellow).  Have the child point to the yellow car.

Word Recognition:  Print the Yellow paper to use with do-a-dot markers

Discuss: 

  • What is something yellow? Sunshine, bumble bee, cheese, etc…
  • “I spy something yellow…”

Snack:  Bananas, Lemonade, Lemon pudding, Pineapple, Corn, Kix, Eggs

Yellow Playdough

Get out any yellow play dough and yellow play dough toys and tools. Show the child how to use the tools.

Yellow Mixed Media Collage

Materials: any drawing materials that you have that are YELLOW (crayonsmarkerscolored pencil), white and yellow paperscissors, glue

Description: Child used drawing materials on the white paper. Then she will cut small pieces of her paper and glue them all onto the yellow paper.

Skills Targeted: teach your tot to follow directions, be creative, and fine motor skills.

Play with Yellow Balloon

This girl loves to play with balloons, so I got out a yellow one for her to play with today.

YELLOW word and pictures

I found these Color Headers in the Target back to school clearance a few years ago.  She put the yellow pictures onto the YELLOW word.

Cornmeal Sunshine

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Glue
  • Cornmeal

Directions:

  1. Make a sunshine with glue on the paper.
  2. Let the child sprinkle cornmeal over the glue.
  3. Shake off any extra. Then she drew in the cornmeal with his finger.

Skills Targeted: teach your tot color recognition, teach your tot to follow directions

YELLOW Baby Bin

I made a Baby Bin filled with yellow toys for my granddaughter to play with too.


Here are the links to posts for the individual colors that we learned:

Christmas Day Kids Foods

We do all of our Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve each year. So for Christmas day I decided to put out finger foods for the kids as they were coming and going throughout the day. This way I don’t have to be in the kitchen cooking, so I can enjoy Christmas day too.

Hot Chocolate Bar

My kids are crazy about hot chocolate. We got some different flavors, but I also just made some in the crock pot to have out all day. Then we added marshmallows, mints, chocolate chips, chocolate wafers and chocolate stirring spoons. I added a scoop of peppermint bark ice cream to mine… YUM!

Cheeseball Platter

My husband loves cheeseballs so we have one almost every holiday. I placed salami, crackers, and cheeses along with the cheeseball.

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients :

  • Crescent Roll Dough
  • Cream Cheese 8 oz.
  • Marshmallow Cream 1 can
  • Fruit Diced Tiny

Directions:

  1. I spread the Crescent Roll dough on a pizza pan.
  2. Then I baked it according to the directions on the can.
  3. Mix together the Cream Cheese and the Marshmallow Cream to spread on the Crescent Roll.
  4. I cut the fruit into tiny pieces.
  5. I placed the left over fruit and dip in a platter for the kids.

Vegi Pizza

Ingredients :

  • Crescent Roll Dough
  • Sour Cream 1 tub
  • Ranch packet
  • Vegetables Diced Tiny

Directions:

  1. I spread the Crescent Roll dough on a pizza pan.
  2. Then I baked it according to the directions on the can.
  3. Mix together the Sour Cream and the Ranch packet to spread on the Crescent Roll.
  4. I cut up the vegetables into tiny pieces.
  5. I placed the left over vegetables and dip in a platter.

Cheesecake

My simple little pleasure, cheesecake!

Christmas Potpourri

I got the idea for Christmas Simmer Pot gifts from https://mommymadethat.com/stovetop-potpourri-gift/. We made these for teachers, baby sitters, coaches, and neighbors. Just add orange slices, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and pine tree sprigs to some simmering water. Smelled delightful all weekend.

Family Christmas

The kids all got X-men Storm shirts from Baby Storm this year!

I love, LOVE, love, love, LOVE these kids!!!

16 Month Old Belle Toddler Photos

Silly Girl is now 16 months old!

Toddler Belle with her stacks of Little Golden Books.

Belle is an intelligent and passionate girl.

One of the songs that I sing to her is to the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”…

“Storm is a smart girl
Smart girl, smart girl
Storm is a smart girl
She’s my so smart girl”

She looks so precious!

the rose

I love her, she’s such a sweet girl!

Belle 1 year apart…

Belle 4 months old & 16 months old