Nathan's DINO-MITE Birthday!

ROAR!!! Nathan is FOUR!!!  Planning birthday parties for my boys is fun and it gives me time to reflect on how much they have grown in the past year.  I feel like 3-4 was a huge change.  Nathan became so much more independent.  I want to keep him little forever, but time flies so I must make the most of every single moment.  

To make the cupcake toppers I simply used some dinosaur stickers, card stock, paper punches, glue, and toothpicks.  First cut the paper shapes.  Then glue the toothpick between the two pieces of card stock.  Last put the sticker on one side and insert them into cupcakes.

 

We welcomed our guests with GIANT dinosaur tracks that led to the door and inside to the party. 

 

We had purchased some new patio furniture a few weeks before, so I had lots of card board to work with.  With a couple bottles of acrylic paint (two colors of green and 1 brown) I was able to create some foot prints (both big and small) and a couple of dinosaurs to decorate with.  You could also use brown wrapping paper or paper bags.  Both of those would be much easier to cut out compared to the cardboard.  The cardboard was very durable, but my hand was a little sore after.

 

In addition to using as floor and wall decoration, you could use the footprints as place mats.

 I got out some green sand buckets and some other random green serving bowls/platters.  They were perfect for our snacks of goldfish, pretzels, cheese cubes, grapes, dinosaur chicken nuggets, and of course cupcakes!

 While painting the cardboard, I also painted the kiddos names and dino prints on brown lunch bags.  The goody bags each had a Dinosaur Egg and some Fossil Cookies to take home.

 Check out how to make the Dinosaur Eggs HERE

 A simple "Happy Birthday" banner and some green and yellow crepe paper completed the decorations.

 The plastic dinosaurs of the boys, and the fossils we made added a little more decoration to the table.

 Click HERE to see how the Boys and I made the Fossils

The Birthday Party was a HUGE success and EVERYONE had a great time, 

especially the BIRTHDAY BOY!

Dinosaur Eggs

Fossil Cookies

Fun with Fossils

And here's the invitation we sent out. You can purchase it in our Etsy shop here.

Magical Mom's June Menu- 30 Days of Dinner

This month's menu includes lots of new recipes including several of my favorites including Tequila Lime Shrimp with Cumin Rice, Spicy Bacon Carbonara, Pesto Chicken, and Honey, I ate the Pork Tenderloin.  My tummy is rumbling just thinking about all of the delicious things we are having this month.  Be sure to check out our other monthly menus for even more ideas.

Magical Moms March Madness Menu

Appetizing April Menu

Marvelous May Menu

Just click on the menu item to go directly to the post with recipe, directions, and pictures.  ENJOY!

*Recipes coming soon

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1 Key Lime BBQ Chicken, Better than Rice-A-Roni Rice Pilaf, Honey Grilled Pineapple	2 *Parmesan Panko Tilapia, 2-Step Potatoes with Loaded Sour Cream	3 French Onion Salisbury Steak with Crunchy Cheese Toasts, Herb Butter Corn on the Cob	4 *Sausage Stuffed Shells, Ceasar Salad
5 Maple Dijon Chicken, Oven Roasted Asparagus, Crispy Parmesan Potatoes	6 Braised Sirloin Tips with Portabello Mushrooms	7 Pretzel Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken,  Cheddar Broccoli Bites, Parmesan Pilaf	8 *Super Sloppy Joe Sliders, Skinny Spinach Mac & Cheese	9 Pesto Chicken and Pasta, Henderson House Salad	10 Blue Cheese Butter Restaurant Style Steak, Spinach and Orzo	11 *Apple Butter BBQ, B.B.B. Bacon Bean Bundles, Lawry's Potato Squares
12 {Caesar} Chicken Salad Pitas, Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Cinnamon Dipping Sauce	13 Disney's 50's Primetime Cafe Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots	14 Honey, I Ate the Pork Tenderloin, Grandma's Green Beans,	15 *Chippy Chicken, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Krazy Corn	16 Spaghetti and Baked Meatballs, *Cucumber Salad	17 Jalepeno and Bacon Cheesy Bread, Grilled Chicken (make and extra piece for tomorrow)	18 BBQ Chicken Potato Skins, Strawberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
19 Tequila Lime shrimp, Cumin Rice, Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash	20 Steak on a Stick,  Pan Fried Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli	21 The Bread Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms,	22 *Oriental Honey Chicken	23 Pocket Burgers, Crispy Onion Straws, Deviled Eggs	24 Spicy Bacon Carbonara, Caesar Salad	25 *Dorito Chicken Fingers, *Oven Baked Fries
26 BBQ Pulled Pork {Cincinnati Style}	27 Sweet Cajun Chicken, Grilled Zucchini Flats	28 Golden Pork Chops, Noodles, Carrots	29 *Grilled Peppered Steak with Mushroom Wine Sauce	30 Cha Cha Chicken Tacos with Mango Tango Salsa

5 Things to do With all the Plastic Easter Eggs

If you are anything like me you always find yourself wondering what to do with the plastic eggs after the egg hunt is over.    Here are some of my favorite ideas for my little guys.

1. Word Families
2. Match upper case with lower case letter
3. Solve addition or subtraction problem and match with correct answer
4. Identify number of dots on egg and match with correct numeral
5. Make patterns

All you need are some plastic eggs and a permanent marker to create fun learning tools for your little one.

{after dark} Easter Egg Hunt

The Henderson kids and Lewis kids are getting together for spring break for some fun!  There is sure to be some later than normal bedtimes so we have planned an after dark Easter Egg hunt.  Fill each Easter egg with an activated glow stick.  I used the bracelet size because they fit best in the small eggs.  This size can often be found in the dollar section at the front of Target and at the checkout at Micheal's Crafts.  For even brighter eggs put a blinking LED ring or ball inside.  Then send the kids out with a flashlight and a bucket to find the glowing eggs.  It will be one egg hunt they will never forget.

PB&J Sushi Rolls

I'm not going to take credit for this fun twist on a kids' staple, as there are tons of these all over Pinterest. I happened to come across it and thought it was a great idea so I decided to make for my kiddos.

It's super easy... I don't really need to give you instructions, but the pictures above will guide you if you need help! Enjoy.

Magical Mom's March Menu Madness

Now there is a tongue twister for you!  Every month I put together a menu for the following month.  It really helps me to stay organized.  I know that if I don't have something planned, we will spend way too much time (and money) trying to figure out what to have for dinner only to order take out of some sort.  Putting the menu together helps me keep track of how often we have something, but most importantly it helps me make my weekly grocery shopping list.  I challenge myself to put one new recipe in each week.  I use my friends, family, other blogs, cook books for inspiration.  Sherrie and I often bounce things off of each other.  I love that she can try a new recipe and tell me what she would do differently and vice versa.  I also like to add in a few things that I can make double of and freeze it to use for lunches, later in the month, or the following month.  I will explain my freezer cooking and preparation later.  First I gather all of my supplies to the kitchen island. I have two good old fashioned recipe boxes, a couple of cookbooks (including the latest from The Chew), my ipad, and a file folder with previous menus and ideas.  The second thing I do is ask my family for requests.  Next, I break down the main dishes into categories: Beef, Poultry, Pork, Fish, and Pasta.  Since I usually get only a few requests from my very indecisive family(another reason the menu is a must!) , I have to look back at previous menus, search the internet, talk to Sherrie (of course), and inevitably there are always a couple of things that I don't make from the prior month's menu because of scouts, sports, or other commitments.  Lastly, I just start filling in trying to make sure that like menu items are spaced apart enough.
I have included links to most of the recipes.  I will try to get caught up with the older ones and I will definitely add in the new ones along the way!

March 2013

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1	2
					Two- Step Perogies and onions, Caesar Salad	Herb Butter Steakhouse Steak, Sautéed Mushrooms, Almost Cut Potatoes, Loaded Potato Topping
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Slow Cooker Green Beans, Redskin Potatoes, and Ham	Puff & Stuff Chicken, Better than Rice-a-roni Rice Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli	Honey I ate the Pork, Disney's Ohana Maui Scalloped Potatoes	Cha Cha Chicken Tacos with Mango Tango Salsa	Aunt Betty’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Ham and Cheese Calzone x2 to Freeze)	Crab Cakes, Oven Roasted Asparagus,Lawry's Potato Squares	Best Darn Pork BBQ, Connie's Coleslaw
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Slow Cooker 8 Spice Lemon Chicken, Simple Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese	Lazy Lasagna (x2 to Freeze), Garlic Bread	Chipotle Barbacoa Bowls with Cilantro Brown Rice and Corn Salsa	Ritzy Buffalo Mac and Cheese, Veggies and Dip	Grilled Chicken, Crispy Parmesan Potatoes, Honey Grilled Pineapple	Lemon Grass Skewered Shrimp, Rosemary pull apart bread	Spicy Bacon Carbonara
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Green (Cilantro Lime) Chicken Burritos	Cindy’s Baked Spaghetti, Salad	Creamy Garlic Ranch Pork Chops and Garlic Mashed Potatoes Corn	Mushroom Swiss Burgers, Garlic Herb Potato Wedges	Chicken Bacon Ranch Pockets, Salad	Family Movie Night Cheese Pizza, Connie's Caramel Corn	Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Steamed Asparagus
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Spicy Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches, Cucumber Salad	Maple Dijon Chicken, Steamed Broccoli	Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Flattened Redskin Potatoes	Crispy Crunch Oven Baked Tacos, Creamy Corny Rice	Mouth Watering Pot Roast, Carrots, Mashed Potatoes	Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi Pasta	Perfect Picnic Chicken Salad, Broccoli Cheese Soup
31 Easter
Brunch Menu Still to be Determined. Turkey Breast,  Grandma's Green Beans

Follow the Magical Moms on Facebook and Pinterest for weekly menu ideas, crafts, and Disney Magic.