Yummy Mexican Pizza

We love pizza around here.  I try to do pizza night about once a week.  This is one of our favorite pizzas and it is so easy to make.  My girls LOVE it too!

1.  Roll out pizza dough (fresh or purchased).

2.  Put crust on cookie sheet--I always use my Pampered Chef baking stone.  (I poke it with a fork to avoid bubbles.)

3.  Top with refried beans for the sauce.  (I know it sounds crazy, but it IS really good!)

3.  Add any toppings you would enjoy.  We chose chicken and peppers.  (I have also used ground beef.)

4.  Top with cheese and bake following your crust's directions.  We bake ours at 400 for about 15 minutes. 

5.  Enjoy!   

Games with Younger Children: Mancala

I was organizing the other day (an actual love of mine, yes, I have a problem!) and all of our non-kid games were giving me the sad eyes.  They were longing to get out and get played with.  Because our children aren't going to be really ready to use them for a long time, there isn't much chance they will come out anytime soon.  Soo, I decided instead of playing them the real way, we were going to need to do some modifications.  

I got out Mancala and decided it could become an organizing game instead.  The girls organized the little pieces by color.  They loved it.  Then, I asked them how we should play and they came up with other games.

If you haven't played it in awhile, there are really small pieces, so you will only want to get this out if you have bigger, small children! 

Cheesy Fresh Mushrooms

Here is an appetizer my mom made for us while we were growing up!  Cheesy Fresh Mushrooms.  Super easy and super tasty.  The only problem with sharing this with you right now is that I don't currently have the ingredients to make them!

1.  Wash mushrooms and scrub off any remaining dirt.  Pop stems out.

2.  Enlist assistant ;) to put a small cube of cheese in the mushrooms. We used Cheddar.

3.  Broil on high on foiled cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. 

4.  You want the cheese to be browned and the mushrooms to be soft.  I squeezed them to be sure they were done.

Barnes and Noble Online Storytime

Barnes and Noble has an online storytime that is really fun!  Each month they feature a book that is read outloud, usually by the actual author.  The pictures of the book show like a little mini movie while it is being read.  My girls really enjoy watching them!  (You can also watch the archived ones.)  This month is Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann.  Click here to check it out!

Free Kids Gardening Kit

If your house is like ours this will be an easy and enjoyable freebie to do because we always have Annie's Mac & Cheese. You just need to go here and have two UPC codes from Annie's products you have purchased between now and April 30, 2011 and they will send you a free gardening kit. My daughter will be excited when this arrives because she has already been asking when we are going to plant our garden. I think she is ready for spring or at least just ready for her never ending supply of cherry tomatoes in the garden!

Cheap and Easy Calendar Puzzles

Take advantage of those clearanced calendars and turn them into a fun puzzle! 

I used my new paper trimmer (love it!) and cut them into one inch strips.  I numbered them at the bottom as I cut them off. 

If you cut more than one puzzle make sure to mark them somehow so that you don't get them mixed up.  I put "A" on the back of my first ones and "B" on my second ones.  You could use stickers on the back as well.

Tips for Painting with Children

Now, I am not the biggest fans of 3 and 4 year olds covered in paint and therefore covering other things in paint, but my girls love to paint!  So, being the crazy lady that I am I let them do it...sometimes.  Here are a few tips I have learned while painting.

1.  Make paint shirts out of old shirts that have been stained and are going to get thrown away. 

2.  Use lids from finished food containers like peanuts or peanut butter for holding paint.

3.  Use cotton swabs or cheap foam brushes as easy paint brushes that can be thrown away.

4.  If you are looking for a large piece of paper to paint, cut open brown grocery sacks.