Moms Talk Network

Competing with mother nature when the children are on Summer vacation can be challenging.  It may be raining or pouring outdoors but you can keep the little ones busy by recreating fair or festival activities indoors!

Face Painting  is easy to do by using this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Cornstarch
• Cold Cream
• Food coloring
• Small Jars with lids
• Small Paintbrush

Simply mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/2 teaspoon of cold cream blend well in a jar.   Add water and mix.   Add a few drops of food coloring until you achieve the color desired.   Repeat process for each color of paint that you want to use.

After you have all the paints ready, make sure that the child has a clean face and use a small paintbrush to apply a design.  There are a number of places on the Internet to find downloadable stencils.  Just a suggestion if  you feel you need the extra help.  What’s neat is that the paint washes off with soap and water.

Some brave mom’s might allow the kids to practice on one another.  Let the fun begin!

Elephant Ears Recipe

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tbls sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• powdered sugar to taste

Heat 2 inches of oil in deep skillet to 375 F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Mix beaten egg, milk and vanilla in small bowel. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, mixing well. Using a funnel with a 3/8″ opening, hold thumb over opening, pour 1/2 cup of batter into funnel. Hold 1″ over oil and let batter drip out in a circular motion.

Brown both sides.

Serve hot with powdered sugar.

This recipe is perfect because you don’t have to deal with yeast.

It’s Summertime and 4-H clubs, County and State Fairs are popping up all around the country.

Fair’s are perfect for spending quality time with your loved ones!  The last concern you should have is going over the budget.  With a little bit of planning and preparation you can have a stellar time without hurting your wallet book.

Watch for Free Days & Discounts

Sit down and research the Fair’s listing on the Internet.  See if they offer a Kid’s Free Day and/or Senior Discount if the grandparents will be tagging along.  Use this tool to decide on the best day to go!

Upon arrival to the Fairgrounds, head straightway to the Information Desk. Some fair’s give away souvenir booklets for free and they are packed with discounts & coupons.  The Michigan State Fair charged me $2.00 which was well worth the tiny investment.

Fair’s are awesome because they have a slew of free activities. The baby animal barns, exhibits, pig races and yes, even rock concerts!  Alice Cooper never sounded better than the day we watched him in the pouring rain!

Bring  Your Own Cooler

Pack it with sandwiches, snacks and your own beverages.  This will cut your expenses in half.  It’s ok to allot for one special treat if you are financially able.  What’s a fair without everyone’s favorite ~ Elephant Ear?

Try and steer the children away from the game area where you can sink a fortune just to win a small prize.  This grandma promises the little ones that she will bring them to the dollar store on another date where they can spend their pennies and come home with more goodies than they would at the fair.

Carpool!

To defray gasoline costs and parking, perhaps you can ride to the fair with friends.

Make lasting memories and have a blast!

Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic Inc., the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced a new addition to its award-winning and best-selling I SPY ™ franchise with the release of I SPY ™ Universe for the Nintendo DS™.  I SPY ™ Universe will take gamers on an interplanetary exploration of riddles, puzzles and brainteasers as they try to save the universe – and will be available at retail this summer for $19.99.

“For over a decade, I SPY has entertained children and families with its enthralling seek-and-find interactive gameplay,” said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. “With our second I SPY DS, we are delighted to offer another deep and engaging I SPY experience for a new generation of fans.”

Set in a unique I SPY cosmos, players must search for and find objects located on 12 photo-realistic planets to reach and repower the sun.  Players unlock new planets and explore the universe by finding over 400 objects in 36 I SPY riddles and playing six brain-teasing games.

I Spy Universe

Eating is a part of life.  Your body gets its nutrients from food, but sometimes we go overboard with our eating habits and it results in weight gain.

One common cause for weight gain is emotional eating.  Emotional eating is eating to bring yourself comfort when you’re upset, stressed out or facing some other kind of distress.

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but it begins in the mind.  Stress takes its toll on your life.  When your defenses are compromised your emotional and physical health takes a hit.

Everyone has good days and bad days, but how we deal with the bad ones brings emotional eating into play.

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Our sister site Family Foodies has a great round up of awesome cookbooks that would make a great gift for dad this year, especially if he is interested in doing more of the cooking.

• Must Have Cookbook for Dad: How to Grill
• Must Have Cookbook for Dad: Deen Brothers Take it Easy
• Must have Cookbook for Dad: BBQ USA
• Must Have Cookbook for Dad: Sam the Cooking Man
• Must Have Cookbook for Dad: Tough Guys Don’t Dice

Check them out!

Mom, are you struggling to help your kids with their homework?  Need some extra resources for providing them with chances to practice what they’re learning?

Check out the Discovery Channel’s Homework Help section.  It’s packed with activities that help your kids practice and absorb new skills.

If you are looking for a different Mother’s Day present this year, give the gift of convenience. For many mothers thinking of nutritious, great tasting and simple to create meals can be extremely time consuming. Many moms can spend hours each week just deciding on what to make and putting together dinner for their family. If you are looking for a gift that will not only save her some time, but also make the entire family happy and satisfied with a delicious meal, look into a menu planning service.

Menu Planning Services are an extremely convenient and effective way to help mom plan the family dinner each evening of the week. But planning what to cook for each dinner is just the beginning. Such services generally also include easy to follow grocery lists that show all the ingredients for the meals of the week, so mom can easily shop one time and pick up all the ingredients she needs to prepare each week’s meals. No more running to the store each day after work and wasting precious time that should be spent with you. (more…)

In a speech before a joint session of Congress on February 24, 2009, President Barack Obama presented a plan to expand education opportunities in America. He called on “…every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.” (source whitehouse.gov) He went on to say that his administration would provide the support necessary for all Americans to complete college so that “America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”

Later in 2009, funding for PELL grants were increased. As part of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, the administration rolled out plans to expand this long standing educational grant program. So are there specific grants for moms to return to college or vocational school? (more…)

April Fool’s Day is the perfect day to have fun with the meals you serve. Surprise your family on April 1st with these fun April Fool recipe ideas.

Fake Hot Dogs And French Fries
Your kids will love fake hot dogs and French fries for lunch this April fools day. Peel a banana and spread peanut butter all over it to give it the appearance of a hot dog. Serve it in a hot dog bun with some strawberry preserve drizzled over the hotdog to make it look like ketchup. (more…)