Saturday, October 27, 2012

Grannies Kitchen Tips for Devilish Decorations

Devilish Decorations


A slew of simple spooky decorations can set a spirited mood at your Halloween party. In addition to pumpkins and balloons, try these tricks.
With a black marker, draw ghostly eyes and mouths on old white sheets. Drape over the bristle ends of brooms and prop up against walls.
Cut out shapes of bats from black construction paper and suspend them from the ceiling with black thread and tape.
For an eerie glow, replace some of your regular lightbulbs with green or orange bulbs, which can be found at hardware and party supply stores.
Greet guests with spooky sounds from a purchased cassette or compact disc.
Pick up a bag of spider webbing from a party supply store. Place in corners throughout the house and attach black plastic spiders. Also scatter spiders on tables, mantels and counters.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Halloween Costume for Girls - Dora the Explorer

Halloween Costume for Girls - Dora the Explorer Fancy Dress Costume

If your daughter is a really big fan of Dora the Explorer then this would make a wonderful fancy dress costume for HalloweenDora the Explorer is always ready for the next big adventure and with right outfit and accessories your little girl could be transformed into an intrepid explorer ready to discover the delights of trick or treating and foraging for tasty candy treats.

Dora the Explorer Fancy Dress Costume – What Do You Need?
As an explorer who is always on the go, Dora’s clothing is very practical. You can choose to order the complete outfit online or you can look to recreate the style with items of clothing that your daughter may already have hanging up in her closet.
Dora’s costume consists of a pair of bright orange shorts and a hot pink short sleeved t-shirt. On her feet she wears a pair of white sneakers and these are teamed with a pair of yellow frilly topped ankle socks.

Do You Need A Dora Wig?
Dora has very dark straight hair, which is shoulder length and the style features bangs.  If your daughter does not have this type of hair, then it is not a problem.  You can buy a cool looking wig that will sit snugly on her head and completely transform her appearance.

Dora Needs Her Backpack
As a fearless explorer it is very important that Dora has all the things that she needs close to hand.  This is remedied by the very handy backpack that she carries around with her at all times.  If you are going trick or treating then this would be a very useful accessory for your child to have so that she has a place to store all her treats.

A Little Background Info on Dora the Explorer
The character of Dora comes from a very popular television series which first aired in 2000 on the Nickelodeon Channel.  Dora was a 7 year old Latina girl and in each episode we would see her go off and explore a wonderful new place where she would meet new  people or animals and she would offer her assistance if they needed help. She has been seen as a great role model for little girls to look up to and as a positive representation for children from ethnic minorities. 

The show has been updated recently and little Dora has grown up and matured into a pre-teen.  However there is still plenty for little girls to enjoy.  You can purchase a whole selection of Dora Explorer books, DVDs and other accessories too.

Dora the Explorer is a wonderful Halloween costume idea for a little girl who is always on the go.  This would also make a great gift option for children who love to play dress up.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Halloween Fun

Kids love Halloween. Period. And they'll love it even if you don't create their get-up from scratch or buy the year's hottest Halloween costume. They love it because it's just plain fun to dress up and eat treats. So don't stress. Join the fun!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Deals of the Day


Check Out these Deals of the Day we have found. We will add more as we find them.
Paying it Forward

$2.95 .COM Domains 125x125

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Healthy Fall Activities for Families

Healthy Fall Activities for Families to Share

With schools now in session, most likely your life is settling back into a routine. Just because things have settled down, doesn’t mean your family has to become sedentary and less healthy. These healthy fall activities are great for everyone in your family to share.


• Visit an orchard as a family and pick fruit from the trees. Once you have picked and purchased a good quantity of apples, make homemade apple pies or applesauce.


• Have you ever picked your own pumpkins? There’s something to be said for going out to a big field of pumpkins and looking for just the right one. For some, the best will be the biggest, but even the smaller pumpkins can have great “character.” Take your selections home and turn them into pies, carve them for Halloween or paint them with silly faces.



• Visit a local corn maze. Farmers all over the country have learned that people will pay to go through a corn maze. If you look in the newspaper or online during the fall months, you may find more than one corn maze in your area. Just remember to follow the rules that the farmer has posted and have an adult go through the maze with younger children. Most of all have fun being outdoors in the crisp fall weather.

• Go for a walk in the stunning fall foliage. Whether you take a walk around your neighborhood, find a park nearby or a local hiking trail, you can enjoy the beauty of nature and the time you spend together. Be sure to take a long a camera to snap pictures of not only nature but your family, as well.



• Speaking of fall foliage, why not take a bag with you while you take your walk? Search for the most colorful or large leaves that you can use for fall crafts. Leaves can be used to decorate pre-made wreaths to give it a different look, glue them to picture frames or come up with other ways to bring the beauty of the outdoors inside.

• An old time favorite is to rake up the leaves in your lawn into a large pile and then take turns jumping into the leaf pile. Of course, you’ll want to be sure there are no sticks in the pile and that the rake is away from the leaves so no one is hurt on it.

• Buy a bale of hay and create a scarecrow to decorate your yard. Let the children find old clothes for the scarecrow to wear – blue jeans, t-shirt, flannel shirt and hat – then see how full you can get them. Use a pumpkin for the head and paint a face on it.

• There’s no need to sit and watch television when you can get outside and play. Gather families, friends and those in your neighborhood and have a game of touch or flag football, basketball or other fun game. After the game, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or hot apple cider.

There are so many healthy fall activities your family can share. This list provides just a few to consider. With just a little thought you can find a variety of special activities you can do as a family that will become a cherished autumn tradition.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Grannies Kitchen


Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

The children’s book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? was recently given to us by a friend who loves it and now that we have read it, I am passionate about spreading the word because I feel it is a book that needs to be in every child’s library.
The book deals with two incredibly important topics – positive self-esteem and kindness.
I was taught from a very young age the importance of kindness. My mom always told me, “You don’t have to be friends with everybody, but you do have to be kind to everybody.” That lesson has served me well through the years, and it is a value I try very hard to teach my girls on a daily basis.
Now that I am a mom myself and around young children all the time, from what I have observed, I don’t think kindness is innate. I believe it is something that has to be taught, coached, modeled and reinforced. The same goes with empathy, I think kids have to be taught how their words and actions affect others.
This book does exactly that through an easy to understand symbol.
The book is about buckets, and how everyone in the world carries around an invisible bucket filled with good thoughts and feelings about themselves.
When you show kindness and love, you help fill someone’s bucket. The great thing about being a bucket filler is you also fill your own at the same time! Bucket fillers are happy because it feels good to make others feel special.
But on the flip side, when you are mean to someone, you dip into their bucket. It talks about how sometimes bullies will try to dip into other people’s buckets to fill theirs, but that never works. A bucket dipper empties their own bucket at the same time, because it never feels good to be unkind.
This book is the perfect conversation starter for kids about bullying. With October being National Bullying Prevention Month, this truly is a phenomenal book to open up on the dialogue.
When reading this book, my daughters will give me spontaneous examples of friends that dipped their bucket or someone else’s bucket during the day.
By talking about what happened, we are able to brainstorm ways they could have helped someone, or how they could have communicated how someone hurt their feelings by something they did. It has started a gazillion priceless conversations and created a bunch of unexpected teachable moments. The kind of recess stories that I might not have otherwise heard.
Every day when I kiss Emma good-bye at school, I remind her to “be a bucket filler today!” and she knows exactly what I mean.

I just LOVE this book because the world needs more bucket fillers, don’t you think?
Has anyone else read it? Do you agree?

Have you filled your bucket?

Monday, October 1, 2012

Orange Witches' Brew Punch Recipe


This Orange Witches' Brew slushy punch requires no ice ring to keep cold. It's not too sweet, so it appeals to everyone. Use this refreshing beverage for any celebration. 

This recipe is : Quick 

Ingredients

Directions

  • In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin and sugar in water. Stir in the apricot nectar, pineapple juice and lemon juice. Freeze in two 2-qt. freezer containers. Remove from the freezer 2-3 hours before serving. Place contents of one container in a punch bowl; mash with potato masher. Stir in ginger ale just before serving. Repeat. Yield: about 8 quarts.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 122 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 23 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein.