Halloween Art

Savannah LOVES doing art. Every day she asks for an art activity, so I've been trying to come up with CHEAP, easy activities to fill our afternoons. I loaded up the girls a few mornings ago and hit the dollar store and Michaels and came up with some fun finds.

Sponge Art and Pumpkins

From the dollar store- paper plates $1.00, garage sale pricing stickers $1.00, gold pom poms $1.00

From Michaels- black paint $1.25, orange paint $1.25, pumpkin sponge $0.50, bat sponge $0.50

Already had- white paper, random paint brushes

Savannah hasn't quite mastered the glue bottle by herself, so for this activity, she pointed where she wanted the glue, I did the squeezing, and she did the placing. 

Glue bottle squeezing is a great activity for developing fine motor skills in toddlers, but on this particular day, I didn't have the energy for the mess it would lead to.  : ) 

We love this recipe!

Pampered Chef 3 Cheese Garden Pizza

1 pkg. (10 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust 2 garlic cloves, pressed 1 C. (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese 1 C. (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese 1 medium tomato, sliced 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1 small onion, sliced 1 C. sliced fresh mushrooms 1/4 C. (1 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place pizza dough on flat stone of your choice. Roll dough to fit stone. Bake 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven. Spread garlic onto crust; sprinkle with mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Top with tomato and Italian seasoning. Layer zucchini, onion and mushrooms over tomato; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 15-18 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

A nice way to sneak in vegetables!! 

Also, a great meal for the kids to help cook. Savannah likes to roll the dough, help chop the veggies (we have the Pampered Chef Ultimate Mandolin- a great tool for kid friendly slicing), and sprinkle the cheese.

We didn't have onion, fresh garlic, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, or parmesan. Instead we sprinkled the dough with oregano and a little bit of garlic salt and added a little extra cheddar and mozzarella. I also like to use 2 zucchinis and 2 tomatoes!

Everyone gobbles this right up. No leftovers here!

My Favorite Play Dough Recipe

I know there are lots of play dough recipes out there, but this one is my favorite.  I don't love that you have to cook it, but the cooking gives it a great texture.


This is the recipe used at my daughter's preschool. Desert Sun Child Development Center. 


4 cups flour
4 cups water
2 cups salt
8 tsp. cream of tartar
8 Tbsp. oil
4 tsp food coloring/Kool-Aid/Watercolor

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Combine water, oil, and food color and gradually stir in the dry mixture.
3. Cook over medium heat until ball forms

Try different flavors of kook-aid for vibrant colors and yummy smells.
Add cinnamon for a spicy twist.

Plastic animals, straws, pasta noodles, pipe cleaners, feathers, shells, drink umbrellas, and cookie cutters are all great play dough accessories.

1st Post

Hey everyone!

Thanks for checking out my new blog. I thought this would be a great place to share ideas, tips, deals, advice, activities and stories on the joys, comedies, and trials of motherhood.

Not quite sure where I'm going with it yet. But my main objective as of now, is basically to create a fun, simple blog that I would enjoy looking at myself.

Now, for the deal of the day! I found out about this through a friend, thanks Erin! If you have had a baby at a Gateway hospital, you can get a free 3 month zoo membership. Knowing that the BEAUTIFUL Arizona fall weather is approaching, how perfect is this!

Just follow this link and enter your email address. I'm not sure how long it takes, but I'll let you know when I get mine.

3 month zoo membership!!