Gingerbread House Party

This week one of the moms in my homeschool group came up with the idea to get together & have the kids build gingerbread houses.  I had never made a gingerbread house without the kit (my limited crafty personality), but they used graham crackers, vanilla icing, & assorted candies.  

So everyone brought the different items & we met at J's house.   The kids had a great time putting them together.  Some collapsed from the weight of all the candies while others really held up.  The good thing about them is that you could actually eat them & they tasted great!

So if you want to make a gingerbread house to display as a decorative item, get the kit.  However, if you want to build something fun that you can actually eat at the end, use the graham cracker & icing idea.  The kids loved it...art & sweets all at the same time!

Kid's Food

As a homeschool mom I am always trying to come up with ideas for lunches & snacks that are nutritious. These are some ideas I got from the newest edition of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

Instead of potato chips try cereal snack mix or baked whole grain crackers. You can find generic whole wheat crackers that are economical & great tasting. I like eating mine with hummus.

Instead of bologna sandwiches try low-fat turkey with mustard or horseradish. My son loves adding a splash of tobasco.

Instead of ice cream try frozen yogurt tubes, & instead of the the favorite stand by mac & cheese try noodles with olive oil and grated Parmesan. All of these are healthier options for your kids & take no extra time to prepare.

Candle Salad

Good afternoon! In school today we made some candle salads (also called Light of the World salads) for lunch. We have been studying plants, researching fruits of the world & today made the salads as a continuation of that study.

Jesus said that he was the light of the world while He was on earth...He is our light. As Christians, we are the light of the world. These salads represent His light through us. So make some of your own & enjoy with your kids.

First we put a leaf of lettuce on a salad plate & placed some sliced pineapple on top of that.

Then we placed half of a banana into the hole of the pineapple ring.

Next we secured a strawberry to the top of the banana with a tooth pick (this represents the flame).

For the handle we used a dollop of yogurt on one & a round chocolate mint for the other one.

The final product was delicious & went well with our lunch!