THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, April 2-4, here is what is going on:

It's FREE day at the Denver Botanic Gardens in Chatfield

April 2

8500 Deer Creek Canyon Rd
Littleton, CO 80128

FREE Home Depot Kids Workshops, April 3, 9 am - 12 pm,

Designed for children ages 5-12, each child will receive an orange apron and an achievement pin

Make a FREE Silly Bunny Puppet at Lakeshore Learning Centers (April 3, 11 am - 3 pm)

Decorate a FREE easter egg pail at Michael's Craft store, April 3, 10 am - 1 pm

Castle Rock's Outlet Mall will be hosting an Easter celebration with Art 4 Life's Face Painting and the Easter Bunny. April 3, 11 am - 1 pm.

Bunny Trail EggVenture at the Children's Museum in Denver

April 3, 10 am - 5 pm

*Outside fun is free, inside fun is general admission

"Jump, hop and bounce from one “eggsploration station” to the next. Filled with egg-dyeing, animal friends, arts and crafts, music, candy, stories with the Big Bunny, and more, Bunny Trail EggVenture is educational, exciting, and so much fun!"

It's FREE day at the Denver Art Museum

April 3

100 W 14th Ave
Denver, CO 80204

It's FREE day at the Denver Museum of Miniatures

April 4

1880 Gaylord Street
Denver, CO 80206-1211

*And don't forget this Tuesday, it's FREE day at the Denver Children's Museum

Tuesday, April 6

2121 Childrens Museum Drive
Denver, CO 80211

*And the Denver Auto Show starts this Wednesday, April 7, click HERE for details

Denver Auto Show

The Denver Auto Show is April 7-11. My family and I went to this last year and it was really fun. It's at the Colorado Convention Center. Here is the description:

"The Denver Auto Show is bigger and better than ever! The car show is the perfect place to see the latest examples of fuel efficient technologies and aftermarket accessories. At the Colorado Convention Center you'll not only see all the new 2010 models, but also be treated to sneak peeks of selected 2011 intros, concepts and the latest in tricked out cars!"

This is really fun for the whole family. There is a kids pit stop that has a HUGE inflatable fire truck slide, and this year there is balloon artist and yo-yo master. There are also tons of food/drink/snack booths set up.

*Click HERE to get more information

*I HIGHLY recommend taking the light rail, it is a lot cheaper than parking downtown, and it goes right up to the Colorado Convention Center, plus the kids love it!

Tacos

So the little taco mixes are fine and dandy for a quick dinner, but I made these real tacos the other night and my kids (even mr. picky) had seconds, and my husband said "Don't ever make the other tacos again." I got this recipe from my Mom and she got it from a neighbor. There are a lot of ingredients, but it's not too bad and it is well worth it! In my Mom's words When you make it, everyone will think you are wonderful!"

The Recipe:

Cook one chopped onion in oil in a fry pan. When almost done, add

• about 5 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 4 tablespoons Chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I added 1 tsp. because we like it spicy)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 teaspoons of Coriander (I only had coriander in the seed form, looks like this)

So I just put 2 tsp. of them in a little ziplock bag, and crushed them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer; however I think a rolling pin would work fine also. They looked like this when I was done.

(And just FYI, did you know that coriander is the seed of a small plant and the leaves of the plant are cilantro, I did not know that)

Stir together. Add 2 lbs. of hamburger and cook, breaking up meat and scrapping bottom until beef is no longer pink. Then add:

• 1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons of cider vinegar (I didn't have cider vinegar so I used regular white vinegar)

Bring to a simmer uncovered until liquid has reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Then enjoy!

Taggies burp cloth

front

back

My cousin Tiffany made this cute little burp cloth for my son. It's an awesome idea if you want to make a taggie type thing for a baby. It doesn't even necessarily have to be a burp cloth. My son loves to just play with the little ribbons (or tags) coming out from the sides. Hope if gives you all some good ideas1

Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars

You'll Need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup + 2 Tab. butter, melted

1 (14 oz.) bag caramels

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Unwrap caramels. Melt caramels with heavy cream in a saucepan over low - medium heat. In a large bowl, combine four, baking soda, salt, oats, brown sugar, and melted butter to form a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle half of the crumbly mixture into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked mixture and top with caramel sauce. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture on top. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes more. Make at least several hours ahead to allow caramel to set.

*when I made these, I used a whole bag of chocolate chips and the chocolate kind of overpowered the caramel. Next time, I would use half to 3/4 of the bag.

Homemade Fanny Pack

Here is the really cute fanny pack my mom made for my little guy. She kept making little purses and girly things for my daughter, and tried to think of something she could make that was boyish, and she came up with the Mickey Mouse fanny pack.

the Front

inside

the back

First she sewed a long rectangle shape, then folded it up to create the fanny pack and sewed the sides. She made a little pocket thing for the strap to go through and then sewed the straps on, but you could make it without the little pocket, just sew the straps on before you fold it together. Then sew on little pieces of velcro to hold the straps onto your child.

I am linked to:

THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, March 26-28, here is what is going on:

Spring Thing Craft at Michael's Craft Store, FREE,

March 27, 10 am - 1 pm

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic, make a FREE kaleidoscope,

March 27, 10 am - 11 am

Click HERE to register:

Make a FREE puppet Pal at Lakeshore Learning Centers (March 27, 11 am - 3 pm)

Momporium at Aspen Grove in Littleton, Saturday, March 27 , 10 am - 9 pm

On Saturday, March 27^th from 10 am until 9 pm, we will be showcasing a variety of mom-owned businesses at Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center. Fun activities will be available for the kids and gift bags will be given to the first 100 shoppers to arrive at the event." Click HERE to read more information.

FREE Easter Egg Hunt/FREE crafts/ FREE picture with the Easter Bunny

at the Bass Pro Shop in Denver

Going on March 27-April 4

There is a lot going on, so click HERE to see all the times and info

Easter EGGstravaganza

Saturday, March 27 1 pm - 3 pm

Butterfield Park, Castle Rock

"Celebrate spring's arrival in The Meadows at this popular Easter event. The Annual Egg Hunt will have over 24,000 plastic eggs stuffed with candy! Other scheduled events include: The easter Bunny, Balloon Artist, Bungee Swing, Jelly Bean Countin contest, Food and Beverage available for purchase, Bunny Crafts, Egg Rolling Contests, Lil' Spike Kiddie Train! The Event will take place Rain or Shine (or snow!) at the Park."

AGE EGG HUNT TIME

0-2 years 1:30 p.m.

3-4 years 1:45 p.m.

5 years- Kindergarten 2:00 p.m.

1^st-2^nd Grades 2:15 p.m.

3^rd- 4^th Grades 2:30 p.m.

Click HERE to see more info

FREE Wilton Spring Cookie Decorating Demo, March 28, 1 pm - 3 pm

Sock Bunny Family

Here is my sock bunny family (I got my idea from Family Fun, but I did mine a little different)

A close up on the back of them, cause I love the little fluffy tails

Close up on the baby bunny

To make these, you will need:

kids socks (I used girl's size 3-5 years, and an infant sock for the baby)

3 Clear hair elastics

ribbon (whatever color you want, I used pink, blue and yellow)

rice

cardboard

goggly eyes

pom poms (little ones for the noses, and medium ones for the tails)

hot glue gun and scissors

• First, cut out circles in the cardboard, I used the lid of a juice container to trace them.
• Put the cardboard circles in the bottom of the sock so it stands up.
• Fill with rice to just above the heel of the sock.
• Use a clear hair elastic to tie the top of it together (leaving an inch or so)
• Use some ribbon and tie it below the heel part to make the head/neck of the bunny
• Cut two slits in the top of the sock to make ears, and round them to an ear shape. (the infant sock worked perfectly for this, but the girl's sock didn't lay right, so I hot glued them in half, like this:

before

after

• Then glue on the googly eyes, and pom pom nose, and tail.

I am linked up with these parties:

http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/

http://www.simplydesigning.blogspot.com/

Countdown to Easter

Tomorrow will be 12 days until Easter, and what better way to get your kids excited than with a countdown. This really cost me nothing. I just saved up a couple egg cartons and had the kids paint them white. Then took some left over Valentine's candy and put one in each hole. THen i used two sheets of construction paper and printed out two sheets - one with their names, and one with the numbers. I hot glued the number sheet on because tape wasn't working to well. Anyway, hope everyone has a happy Easter!

I am linked to:

Momporium

Saturday, March 27th 10 am - 9 pm
At Aspen Grove

When moms connect...things happen!

On Saturday, March 27^th from 10 am until 9 pm, we will be showcasing a variety of mom-owned businesses at Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center. Fun activities will be available for the kids and gift bags will be given to the first 100 shoppers to arrive at the event.

More than 30 mom-owned businesses featured in this unique event. Fun activities planned through the day for little ones!

Click HERE for more details

Aspen Grove is located in LIttleton

7301 S. Santa Fe Drive

Easter Hair Accessories

Cute Easter hair accessories made by my Mom:

linked up to:

Celebrate National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month, and it's almost over, but you still have time to take advantage of it. Click HERE to see a list of really awesome and simple crafts you can do.