While Rowen's little body isn't quite ready for a sugar rush, (nor is mom or dad) I did pick up some toys and books for his Easter basket that will keep him occupied for at least the next week. And add on his Nana's annual egg hunt, he will have plenty to keep him busy! We spent Easter with James and Ava too, and since they are able to eat the sweet stuff, I thought I'd make them a little basket that will help balance out the sugar.
I found two recipes on Pinterest for play-dough and finger paints, and decided they would be the perfect match for some quiet and creative playtime. These were super easy recipes and turned out awesome! I didn't even have to buy the ingredients because they were all in my pantry! (So it's all non-toxic for those play-dough/paint eaters out there.) All I purchased were some glass containers to put the paints and play-dough in. To stay on the Easter theme, I cleverly (if I do say so myself) named the colors Poppy Pink, Easter Grass Green, Lent Purple, He Is Risen! Yellow, etc. These were fun to make and even Kurt helped! I think he liked playing with the play-dough. The recipes are below.
Play-dough
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
food coloring
Dump all the ingredients into a pot and stir them until blended together.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it forms a large ball.
As soon as it joins into one large ball, take it off the heat and dump it onto your counter or wax paper. Wait
for it to cool, then knead it a few times until it becomes nice and soft.
Finger Paint
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp corn starch
2 C water
food coloring
Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan and stir over stove until mixture thickens. Cool and pour into containers. Add desired coloring.
And since kids can't live on non-toxic play-dough and finger paints alone, I also put some of my favorite trail mix in their basket. It's just:
1 can salted peanuts
1 can smoked almonds
1 bag dried mangoes
1 bag yogurt covered raisins
1 bag craisins
2 bags M&M's
I used coconut and pretzel Easter M&M's but I like to switch things up from time to time. And since it was Easter I called it Bunny Bait. And yes, I realize that there is chocolate in this. I just couldn't resist! They would think me the worst aunt in the world if I didn't give them some form of candy! In my defense there are almonds (protien!) and dried fruit (need I say more?) in it, so it's like 50% healthy.....(I'm so proud because this is the only "recipe" that I've come up with on my own! It took me a few years to get it just right. Hey! I know what your thinking....Trail mix, real ambitious/original/difficult/insert your sarcastic adjective....but just try it and you can maybe appreciate what goes into making the perfect mix!)
Hope you had a Happy Easter and try these out! (Once you pull yourself out of that sugar haze, of course!)
1 can salted peanuts
1 can smoked almonds
1 bag dried mangoes
1 bag yogurt covered raisins
1 bag craisins
2 bags M&M's
I used coconut and pretzel Easter M&M's but I like to switch things up from time to time. And since it was Easter I called it Bunny Bait. And yes, I realize that there is chocolate in this. I just couldn't resist! They would think me the worst aunt in the world if I didn't give them some form of candy! In my defense there are almonds (protien!) and dried fruit (need I say more?) in it, so it's like 50% healthy.....(I'm so proud because this is the only "recipe" that I've come up with on my own! It took me a few years to get it just right. Hey! I know what your thinking....Trail mix, real ambitious/original/difficult/insert your sarcastic adjective....but just try it and you can maybe appreciate what goes into making the perfect mix!)
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| The perfect Bunny Bait! |
