One-on-one time with Mama or Daddy Coupons

A friend posted this great idea of giving the gift of PRESENCE for Christmas to her children in the form of one-on-one time coupons.  I LOVED this idea, so I took it and quickly created my own one-on-one time coupons to use as stocking stuffers for the kids.

Easy and quick hot mini pizza bites

So, my kids get pretty sick of sandwiches and the types of other things I pack them for lunch at school.  On weekends, holidays, and summer days, I like to mix it up a little with not too much effort. No, this one is not the healthiest of items, but you can pair them with some cut up fruit or carrots and call it a day.

After my son requested "pizza lunchables", I decided I'd try to instead buy similar ingredients and make them myself.  With a little trial and error, I think we finally hit a winner.  We found a cracker that tastes more like a crunchy pizza crust than a crumbly cracker, and found that warming them up produces a much tastier pizza bite.

Here are the instructions:
You will need a package of shredded mozzarella (the finer shreds), a package of Town House Flatbread sea salt crackers (and this brand/variety seem to work the best, WAY better than any other crackers we've ever tried), and pepperoni (whatever brand/variety you like.)

 Put a few crackers on a microwaveable plate.

 Layer a pepperoni on each cracker.

 Sprinkle some cheese on top of each pepperoni. (The finer shreds melt faster than the thicker shreds.)

 Microwave for 15 seconds or until the cheese is slightly melted.

Let cool a little, and enjoy!

A.C.T.S. Prayer Guide for Kids

styrofoam snowmen

We had a "snow day" (due to the frigid temps, not the snow), so I had the kids do a snowman craft to help fill the day. 

I had bought small styrofoam circles in various sizes from the dollar store.  We used toothpicks to put the styrofoam circles together. We rubbed the bottom circle against the table which filed it dow/flattened it a little so the circle would rest on a flat surface.  I then hotglued them to paper plates for stability. 

The kids used toothpicks, buttons, and felt scraps to decorate their snowmen (which I hotglued into place.) We were able to cut out mittens, and scarves out of the felt. I even was able to construct felt top hats using hot glue.   The kids had a blast making these.