Fun On a Dime

Fun and Exciting Times!

2012

A couple of weeks ago I promised, mainly myself, to post my plan to get me motivated and then we had a fun and crazy week that interrupted that plan! HA! Is that not how it always happens? You start to make a plan and all of a sudden you find yourself sidetracked!…Well, last week’s sidetrack was definitely a new adventure and a lot of fun. We were invited to show off some inexpensive Mother’s Day ideas on a local morning news show. Since most of the ideas were food, there was a lot of prep the night before and then getting up super early so we could be on the set at 5 AM. We did three different segments between 5:15 AM and 7 Am, splitting up the 5 projects and talking about each.What a great experience!

Here is a clip below of the first segment. I am a little bummed that the network did not post the other two segments, though. My daughter warmed up a lot more in the other two and the chocolate dipping video was probably the best one of all. Thank goodness for modern technology and the ability to schedule your TV to record or we would have missed it. There were so many things my daughter was saying to the news anchor that I did not hear at the time. Gotta love a girl who knows her chocolate dipping. (click here if you cannot see the video)

My Mom was able to join us on our adventure to help work the behind the scenes. She helped me prep the display and was there just in case Little Miss decided to going running around while filming, which she never did. Yes! And the only reason I look cute is because my mom found that shirt! AND another thank goodness to family, my Mom and Debra (SIL), who have cute decorations and let me borrow them! Someday I will have my own stash, but until then I am so glad they let me borrow from their cute stuff.

My daughter still talks about this “House” that she had lots of fun showing how to make chocolates. As you can see, she warmed up… a lot!!!

how to chocolate dip with kids

All these Mother’s Day ideas I shared can be used for Father’s Day, too. So make sure you check them out!

Filed Under: About Michelle (aka the Fun On a Dime Lady), Adventures

5 Mother’s Day Gifts On a Dime

2012

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WARNING: Ladies, if you are reading this, email it to your hubby or leave it up on the screen for your family to see. Maybe they will get the hint! =-)

We all know the best Mother’s Day gifts are from the heart. When I was a younger my Dad used to go into panic mode when it came to Mother’s Day and trying to make it nice. One year when I was a teenager he told us that our Mom was not his Mom and so we needed to do the planning. He would go get anything we needed from the store (we usually made her a breakfast) or help make anything needed. We just needed to make a list and tell him what we needed help with. We just had to remember that Mother’s Day was not about big extravagant gifts but showing our appreciation for our Mom. Suddenly Mother’s Day became a lot more fun and had a lot more meaning for everyone.

Here are some meaningful Mother’s Day ideas that are perfect for any Mom, can even be done last minute and will not break the bank. These are all gifts that can be Dad driven or kid driven and are definitely from the heart!

Personalized Breakfast

Check out how to make an easy Personalized Breakfast. You can do more than just pancakes. A super easy way to make an ordinary breakfast a little more fun and personal!

Personal Notebook

Make a personal notebook that will be a keepsake for years to come. We did one when I was in my twenties (youngest sibling was 7) that we put together the night before. My mom still has it! Click here to get more details on how to make your own.

All About Mom Video

This is part of our family tradition that we do ever few years for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. It is one of my favorite gifts! Click here to see a video and a list of questions that will get you started.

Chocolate Madness

Another night before or day of gift that any chocolate loving Mom will be excited about. Super easy to do and my children L.O.V.E. to help dip anything in chocolate. They are getting pretty good at it! Here are more details and simple tips to make chocolate dipping a breeze and super fun for everyone participating.

Heart Attack

You can never go wrong with a heart attack! What Mom does not like to see or hear nice things being said about them? Cut out hearts from paper, write nice things about Mom on each heart and tape them all over a place she will get to see them often, like the kitchen or her bedroom. My children love to contribute and are just as excited about taping the hearts up!

Filed Under: All Ages, Birthdays/Celebrations Tagged With: Crafts, Fun, Tips

Personalized Mother’s Day Breakfast Ideas

2012

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I love Mom Food

A special breakfast for Mom is a great way to make any Mom feel important and a fun way to start Mother’s Day. You can add a fun and personal twist to breakfast by using some simple Cookie Cutters. Use hearts, flowers, letters or whatever else you have on hand that might work well for you. If you are lacking in the cookie cutter department, I found this 4 piece Heart Cookie Cutter Set for less than $3 and this 101 Piece Cookie Cutter Set with letters and a variety of shapes in the Party Section (specifically the Wedding and Cake Decorating Isle) at W-Mart.

Pancakes

Use plastic or metal cookie cutters to make your pancakes into fun shapes. Make huge heart pancakes, a ton of small hearts or even letters to spell out “MOM” or “WOW MOM” when you turn “MOM” upside down. **You can use the metal cookie cutters to cook a specific shape, BUT to be honest, it was easier to cook the pancake and then use the cookie cutter once it had cooled a minute. If you don’t have any pancake mix in the house, it is easy pancake recipe to make from scratch. Here is a no fail pancake recipe I have made that tastes great and is “no-fail”.

Eggs

You can even shape your eggs. We only did it with hearts. Again, you can cook the egg inside the metal cookie cutter and wait to flip it until all the egg white is cooked OR you can cook the egg as usual keeping everything compact and then cut the egg into a heart shape after avoiding the yolk, of course.

Fun, right? Here are our 2 cooked eggs. The one on the left is the one cooked with a cookie cutter and the one on the right was cooked after. Doesn’t that look cute with the mini pancake hearts?

French Toast

You can even cut the French Toast into a fun shape. You can do “MOM”, hearts, or anything else you desire. Again, it is easiest once the french toast has been cooked.

Make sure you let your children help you. My daughter was right there begging to cut hearts into the pancakes. So simple and she was having a blast!

Need some more ideas? Check out these 5 Simple Mother’s Day On a Dime Gifts

Filed Under: All Ages, Birthdays/Celebrations, Creative Gifts

Personalized Notebooks

2012

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An easy and very personal gift for any Mom is to put together a personalized notebook. And don’t think you are too old for this! You are never too old!! You can do pictures, hand prints, notes, or whatever you think your mom will love best. Here are a couple of ideas that we have used for my Mom.

Favorite Memories of Mom

Idea # 1: We made this book with all the children in our family ages 7-25 and spouses were included. The youngest drew a picture or the cover. Every member of the family has 2 pages in it. One to share their favorite memories of my mom and the second for a painted hand print. (We thought it would be funny to add a hand print. lol) Everyone typed something up (or told/gave me what they wanted to say and I typed it up) and we placed each sheet of paper on a piece of colored card stock. We attached all the pages together with 2 hole punches and some colored yarn. Honestly, we used what we had and we put this together the night before Mother’s Day. My Mom loved it and still has it 8 years later!

Here is the Cover:

The Cover was followed by a list from the youngest of things she liked about our Mom and then her hand print, which she embellished with glitter (her idea).

The following pages were letters and hand prints from the older children. Most were specific stories and memories they loved to remember about our Mom. My other sister added a foot print to her “print” page.

To Have a Mom Like You!

Idea # 2: This was put together by my Sister-In-Law, Emali. It is a simple folder with clear plastic sheets. We were each asked to write “What it means to have a Mom like you”. Most are letters that start just with that. The youngest made a cute colorful page that spelled out “MOTHER” and a word for each letter. Below is an inside cover. And again, this is another of my Mom’s favorite Mother’s Day keepsakes.

Need some more ideas? Check out these 5 Simple Mother’s Day On a Dime Gifts

Filed Under: All Ages, Birthdays/Celebrations, Creative Gifts Tagged With: Crafts, Fun, Tips

Chocolate Madness

2012

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Chocolate dipping is perfect for any occasion, Mother’s Day, a gift for a friend, a fun family night activity, etc. This is also great for a last minute personal gift, because you can do it the night before or day of. My children love to help and for some reason everything just tastes better with chocolate…but that is just my opinion!

What You Need:

Chocolate to melt and dip in. Options:
- Chocolate chips – add oil to get the desired consistency
- Candy Melts (Click link to see picture)- Cocoa and White found in the Party Section (Wedding/Cake Decorating Isle) at W-mart for $2.50
Bowls for dipping – the smaller ones are easier to use less, but get more depth for dipping. We use pastry dishes
Wax paper
Cookie sheet or tray to place wax paper and dipped chocolates on while drying
Favorite foods to dip
- Strawberries
- Oreos
- Shortbread Cookies
- Cinnamon Bears (my favorite)
- Pretzels – any type
- Marshmallows
- Graham Crackers
Optional: Toppings
- Sprinkles
- Mini M&Ms
- Coconut
- Mini chocolate chips
- Nuts
Apron or old t-shirts for helpers to wear- They will want to wipe their hands on something.

Tips for Starting:

Prepare chocolate, layout the food you want dipped and line a cookie sheet or tray with wax paper and place on the table. Prepare the chocolate by melting in a bowl on defrost in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and repeat defrost every 30 seconds until it is melted completely. I think it is helpful to layout what you want dipped. If you do not want an entire bag of Oreos dipped, do not put the whole bag on the table. Your display does not have to be as put together as below. I just did this for the picture. ;-)

Start dipping. Some helpers need a little demonstration to show proper dipping technique (i.e. one person dipping per bowl at a time, do not lick your fingers or drop leaves in chocolate). My kiddos picked it up really quick and even asked if I could go away, so they could do it on their own. Ha! Nice try!!

And do not forget about the toppings! Toppings are not required, but are a little additional fun and add some color. You can also drizzle a little of the white chocolate on the milk chocolate (or vice versa) to give it a fancy look. Heavier toppings like the Mini M&Ms are better to put on after the chocolate as set for a minute or two, otherwise they slide off. My little helpers are especially fond of the sprinkles!

Once finished, let them set until chocolate has hardened. If you are in a rush, you can place them in the fridge for a few minutes, but it is not necessary. Having your wax paper on a tray is allows you to move the chocolates out of the way or out of sight while they are setting.

Look at these, don’t they look great?!?!

Need some more ideas? Check out these 5 Simple Mother’s Day On a Dime Gifts

Filed Under: All Ages, Birthdays/Celebrations, Creative Gifts, Food Projects

May Family Challenge {Show and Tell Night}

2012

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It’s the first Monday of the Month and so it is Family Challenge Time! If you have not been able to join in before, make it a goal to join in this month. I have been wanting to do this activity for a long time and now I have an excuse to motivate me to actually implement it. Nothing like a challenge to put your rear into gear!

Sara from Play With Your Family is hosting this month’s challenge with The Family Network…. Thanks Sara!

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As the school year comes to an end I am wondering what new things I have learned this year. Have I gained a new skill, educated myself, become a better person? Being a mom and staying home to take care of kids it sure feels like I am falling behind in the rate I am progressing. My daughter basically learned a new language this year as all 1-2 year olds do. She also is learning to go potty by herself, get herself dressed, climb up very high objects, hold a pencil, count, get out of doing things with her cuteness, and trying to learn her colors. I am often jealous at how fun and easy it is for her to learn and progress. I wish I was still learning like that and having my eyes opened to the exciting world we live in.

That said, I think there are things we have accomplished this year (even if we have to dig deep) we can share with our family. So my challenge to all of you is to have a family show and tell night. I think I might make the absolutely wonderful and almost healthy chocolate chip cookies that I have perfected this year (I think I have perfected them because I can’t go more than a few days without having a stash of them in my freezer for those moments when you just need a cookie).

Your kids could share their favorite school project, play the piano piece they learned for recital, or show you how to dribble a soccer ball. Whatever their thing is this year, let them have a moment to be proud of their accomplishments.Suggestions for Family Show and Tell Night:

Make an invitation/ reminder for your kids with the day and time so they can be preparing what they will share with the family.
Invite grandma and grandpa or a neighbor family to your presentation.
Film your show and tell night. This is going to be memorable. ( I am hoping my husband will give us a dance party at the end which we always love to catch on video)
Have refreshments afterwards, or during if it is your talent.
Write an introduction for each member of your family that can be read before they show and tell. Mention some good choices they have made this year or reasons you are proud of them. Make them feel special.

Oh I am so excited to see all the ways this event can pull your family closer together. Make it a priority and I know you will not be disappointed. Please let us know how your show and tell night goes. I can’t wait to see pictures about it and to see all the wonderful things your family has done this year.