Do you have preschool-age kiddos? WarnerMedia Kids & Family is inviting all preschoolers, parents, caregivers, and educators across the country to enjoy a free VIP virtual birthday party for Cartoonito, a new preschool block launching on HBO Max and Cartoon Network.
The one-hour interactive event coined as “Nito’s Birthday Party,” will take place at Cartoonitoparty.com on Monday, Sept. 13 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET and will feature exciting sneak peeks, breaking news, and special guest appearances from the stars and creative teams behind upcoming Cartoonito shows. RSVP to the VIP experience HERE.
This looks pretty exciting. I love educational cartoons. Even though my kiddos are older, I sometimes put on educational cartoons on the TV when we are doing crafts or building legos in the living room as background noise. You’d be surprised how much kids brains suck up when they have their hands occupied. We have HBO Max, so I’ll be putting on Cartoonito in the next few weeks while we are painting rocks (the next requested craft).
Most of us Gen X kids remember shrinky dinks. They’re still around. You can buy craft kits at Dollar Tree, Five Below, local craft stores, or on Amazon.
We were also recently given shrinkable plastic by the sheet. And this is great because you can draw your own designs, cut them out, hole punch them, shrink them in the oven, and end up with all sorts of cool stuff.
If you’re not familiar with Shrink Plastic, it is super fun and simple craft with anyone who can color can do. However, it does require adult supervision at some point during the craft, cause you have to use the oven.
To do this craft you will need the following items:
Permanent markers- You can also use colored pencils, but I like the vibrancy of permanent markers.
Pencils
Before…After…
You are looking to make a specific design, you will need to print that image out onto a piece of white paper. And then you will trace it onto the shrinkable plastic using a pencil. Word of advice: most shrinkable plastic shrinks significantly if you start with an image that is the size of a silver dollar, it will come out about the size of a dime.
Also important to note, punch a hole if desired, in the plastic before you shrink it. Once it has shrunk and is hard, it is almost impossible to put a hole in it. Especially without damaging the plastic.
Once your design is traced/drawn onto the plastic, color it with permanent markers. I like these markers.
Once your design is colored, punch a hole in it as desired/needed. Then cut your image/design out of the sheet, trim up any sharp/pokey edges. Use a nail file if needed. You can also file the plastic after it has been baked/shrunk and cooled down.
Most shrinkable plastic sheets will come with the heating/baking directions for the plastic, but it’s usually less than 10 minutes. And you will need to keep an eye on it. That is the step where you do not want small children around.
In the past, I’ve made wine charms, this year I made all kinds of cool stuff, including zipper pulls for the kids’ backpacks, I made keychains, I drew our family’s SCA heraldry/devices. I also made some little charms for a charm bracelet for my daughter.
Next up I will be drawing food and making little toy food for my son’s Playmobil characters to eat. While some of his sets have come with food, he is missing things like french fries, hamburgers, pizza. All things that the Playmobil guys in his adventures want to eat.
We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food. You can learn more about Tryazon here.
Prepare to indulge with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Niagara Chocolates! Hand-crafted in small batches, with a focus on creating the most indulgent experience possible, Niagara Chocolates make delicious chocolate divine. These mouth-watering chocolates feature an array of unique flavors, all sourced with exceptional quality non-GMO ingredients and Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate.
They have a total of 250 hosting spots open for this opportunity! The first set of 125 parties will be in October and the second set will be in November. Those selected get to receive a party pack with $150 worth of Niagara Chocolates to sample and share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here: https://www.tryazon.com/niagara-chocolates-sampling-party/
About 10 years ago I was gifted a beautiful set of glass dishes from a friend. They were painted with my SCA device/badge (they are blue and white with blue and white Fleur de Lis). I still have them, what I love about them is they look like they were made from stained glass.
The person who gave them to me used Gallery Glass, which is a glass paint that looks like stained glass once it dries.
I have played around with this medium myself over the past few years, and recently I wanted to decorate the kid’s windows, a mirror, and make some window clings/fake stain glass for some friends.
Before we start this DIY, all of the items that you need to make these projects, as well as some more kid-friendly sun catchers can be found here in my Amazon storefront.
I do earn a small commission when you purchase items through my Amazon links, Think about it as buying me a cup of coffee, or a taco.
Using Gallery Glass is very simple. If you have ever used puffy paint or fabric paint, you can use gallery glass. You can paint on glass, you can paint on mirrors, or any sort of clear glass dish/cup/bowl, or you can make window clings like I will be showing you below.
Find an image that you wish to make into a window cling. I’ve done Celtic Knot Bears, prehistoric fish, unicorns, mandalas. Whatever speaks to you!
Slip the printout/drawing of what you want to make into the page protector. You’re going to use the faux leading (if you run out of this and can’t find more in town, sometimes in a pinch I will use black fabric/puffy paint). If your image is all straight lines, you can use the peel and stick leading (found here).
For this project, I used white puffy paint on a glass picture frame. The black leading wouldn’t have “popped” as much, and the white gave me the detail I wanted.
You will outline your image with the faux leading, and allow it to dry. Depending on the weather/humidity it can be as little as a few hours, or it can take overnight to dry properly.
Finished project- Gift for my dad
Once the leading has dried, select your colors of gallery glass and fill in the leaded “panes“ and allow your creation to dry. I usually let them sit for 24 to 48 hours to dry all the way, and cure a little bit so they’re not tacky. Once that time has elapsed you can make it a permanent window cling by gently peeling your creation off of the page protector and applying it to the window/glass as needed.
If you want something you can move around, then you will remove the paper from the inside of the page protector, and cut the image out of the page protector. And then place the creation on the window. The side with the page protector adhered to it will be facing outwards/not against the glass.
If you were looking for ideas for different art styles or creations for your stained glass/window cling project, check out my Pinterest board here. This is a project that anyone can do. It is a fun project, it is not necessarily good for small children, but I would say anyone probably ages 10 and up can handle it. It does take a lot of patience. And a fairly steady hand. This is why I tend to get Suncatcher painting kits for the little kid to do while I work on these. She can sit and do her “Stainglass“ craft while I do mine. These make great gifts. And they are absolutely beautiful.
The supplies can be a little expensive, but once you have them, a bottle of gallery glass will last you between 5 to 10 projects, depending on what size, and how many other colors you’re using in your project. Some local craft stores sell gallery glass products in their stores, so before you buy them on Amazon, you might try your local craft store.
My next big project is a Pride Flag for my nibling. I’ll be using a piece of clear acrylic (18×24) and the peel and stick leading, since it’s all straight lines.
2 days until school starts! I got the kids up early to get them prepared. Their new school is an early start school.
Over the weekend I picked up half a share from Porchlight- My friend Brooke split a share with me, and it’s honestly the best month spent. We got all kinds of great food, definitely more than a week’s worth.
I also did a back-to-school grocery shop with tons of lunch food for the kids.
And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.
No CSA box this week. We’ll be back on it in the next few weeks.
And I didn’t do any meal prep yesterday. I wasn’t feeling too hot over the weekend, so I spent a lot of time napping and resting. Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of prepped stuff in the freezer.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.
Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. The kids are digging leftovers from dinner, or quesadillas. When school starts, I’ll be packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year, so I’m sure that the kids will want to buy their lunches a few times per week.
Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
Sunday: Nachos or BRC bowls, veggies
Monday: Waffle sammiches (waffles, eggs, sausage), strawberries, and watermelon
We’ve gone to this event in the past, and it’s always a fun time with great resources.
FREE community event with activities, games, crafts, raffles, shopping, and resource booths for families of all abilities.
When: September 25, 2021 10:00AM-1:00PM
Where: Park de la Cruz Recreation Center 3901 Landis Street San Diego, CA 92105
Activity Booths • Giveaways • Games • Family Resources • Networking • Shopping & more
Children of all abilities can enjoy activity stations including Super Mario Wheelchair Course, Life-Size Candyland Game, Ernie’s Rubber Duckies Literacy Bathtub, Ghostbusters Ghost Trap Craft, and more!
Resource and service providers for children of all abilities will conveniently be onsite to speak with parents and offer helpful information.
All activities and resources are FREE and open to the public! To learn more or register, click here.
I love making cordial and liqueurs. I’ve been making them for over 20 years, and they can take a little time and effort, but I promise you the end result is definitely worth it.
A few weeks ago I posted on Instagram about a cherry cordial that I had just started.
I know a lot of people think of cherry cordial they think of those Queen Anne’s chocolates with the goo in the middle and the maraschino cherry. And I promise you this is not that.
Ingredients/Supplies:
750ml (aka a fifth) bottle of mid-grade vodka or brandy. I like vodka because it usually doesn’t have any flavor of its own or has a very mild flavor. You want mid-grade because you want something that tastes ok on its own, but isn’t too cheap or too expensive.
3lbs. Fresh, Ripe Fruit– I prefer cherries, strawberries, pineapple, chopped into bite-sized pieces. With cherries, poke holes in the cherries with a knife, or if you have a cherry pitter, pit your cherries(not necessary, but it’s cool). You can use most fruit, stone fruits are great! The only two that I’ve made that turned out gross were banana and kiwi.
Sweetener- About 1 cup, but it can vary based on your desired level of sweetness. See below.
A clean jar with a screw-on lid. I washed my mason jar (this size) in the dishwasher.
Directions:
Before you start: It is crucial that you wash and dry the jar and both pieces of the lid (band and flat lid). Everything needs to be clean and free of bacteria- otherwise, this can turn funky.
Pack the fruit into the jar, and pour alcohol over the fruit. The fruit needs to all be covered by the liquor. Why? Otherwise, the fruit will rot. Ewww.
Screw the lid on tightly and place the jar in a cool dry place- I use the cupboard over the fridge. Give it a shake about once a month. After about 6 months, give it a taste. It may need to sit for up to a year to fully develop the full fruit flavor. Sometimes the alcohol will leech the color from the fruit. This usually happens with strawberries.
Once the fruit flavor is imparted to your liking, strain the solids off, press the excess liquid from the fruit and discard the solids.
Wash and dry the jar and lid. Add the liquid back to the jar and sweeten as desired. I use simple syrup, but you can use honey or straight white sugar. I like simple syrup because it easily incorporates with the liquid. Whereas if you use honey or plain straight white sugar, you can end up with the sweetener sinking to the bottom and not fully incorporating. I start with a 1/4 cup, mix, taste, and adjust as needed.
Allow this mixture to mellow and age at least 6 weeks. At this point, your fruit liqueur/cordial is ready to drink!
How do I drink Cherry Cordial? Usually with coke, but it’s good with all sorts of mixers. It also makes a great gift!
My next liqueur recipe will be for my award-winning Irish Cream. This stuff puts Bailey’s to shame! I’ll post it later this week.
9 days until school starts. I need to get on the stick and head over to JCP and get the kids some socks and scour the mark down sections. They both need shorts, and unfortunately, most stores already have cold weather clothes out. We won’t be ready for those for a few months.
Over the weekend I picked up half a share from Porchlight- My friend Brooke split a share with me, and it’s honestly the best month spent. We got all kinds of great food, definitely more than a weeks worth.
And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.
I also went out to the Hillcrest Farmers Market yesterday and met Farmer Donald from Yasukochi Family Farns. I picked up some amazing strawberries, watermelon, corn, green beans, and brocolli. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my meal prep pics yesterday. If you are looking for an amzing deal on produce, check out their CSA box!
Veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.
I meal prepped a bunch of fruit, veggies, and rice yesterday. I also cleaned out the fridge and re-arranged the freezer. We are all set for the week. I chose easy to cook meals that don’t require the oven. We are expected to have temps in the 90’s for most of this week.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pikc them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.
Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. The kids are digging leftovers from dinner, or quesadillas.
Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
Sunday: Chicken Chili over rice, beans, veggies
Monday: Fritatta, watermelon, sourdough toast
Tuesday: Pesto Ravioli, garlic bread, roasted veg
Wednesday: Nugget night: Nuggets, crackers, cheese, fruit
Thursday: Waffles, eggs, fruit
Friday: Takeout Night
Saturday: Leftovers, fruit
Please stay safe you guys!
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
Don’t have any idea what I am talking about? PinchMe! Join PINCHme and receive free samples that you can provide feedback on.
PinchMe is awesome! Once you are signed up, they will email you reminders when new samples are about to drop, and remind you when it’s time to leave feedback.
Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. PinchMe learns what you like and offer samples just for you.
Once you’ve had a chance to try the samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell PinchMe what you think of the samples.
I get PinchMe samples every month. Here is what arrived at the end of June for the June 2021 boxes. The One Bar was really good.
What are you waiting for? Sign up here and get on the free sample bandwagon! I’ve gotten all kinds of awesome sample/trial size items, as well as full-sized items to try out from PinchMe!
Do you have preschool-age kiddos? WarnerMedia Kids & Family is inviting all preschoolers, parents, caregivers, and educators across the country to enjoy a free VIP virtual birthday party for Cartoonito, a new preschool block launching on HBO Max and Cartoon Network.
About 10 years ago I was gifted a beautiful set of glass dishes from a friend. They were painted with my SCA device/badge (they are blue and white with blue and white Fleur de Lis). I still have them, what I love about them is they look like they were made from stained glass.
The person who gave them to me used 
For the window clings, I start with a high-quality 
2 days until school starts! I got the kids up early to get them prepared. Their new school is an early start school.
A few weeks ago I posted on Instagram about a cherry cordial that I had just started.
Fall is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for
Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. 
Hewes Family Fun 