Sweet (or Sour) Gummy Hearts

I've seen a lot of recipes floating around online for homemade fruit snacks.  They've peeked my interest and I've been curious if they were any good and if they were worth my time making.  It wasn't until I spied these sour gummy stars at The Mommypotamus that I was finally compelled to make them--like right away.  They just looked so good to eat, and fun.

Not only are they yummy, healthy, and my kids love (seriously love) them, but they take only minutes to make.  

These little treats have become a regular snack at our house.  My kiddos are always willing to help whip up a batch and they are satisfied that they take only about 20 minutes from start to finish (including chill time).

The first several times I made them lemon flavored, but then decided to try orange.  My two older kids love the sweetness of the orange ones, but my one year old and I prefer the tart lemon.

Sweet or Sour Gummy Hearts

2/3 cup fresh squeezed citrus juice (orange juice for sweet gummies or lemon for sour gummies)

6 tablespoons honey

4-5 tablespoons gelatin (preferably grass fed)

3-4 drops food grade orange or lemon oil

1. Combine juice, honey and gelatin in a pan over low heat. Stir until well combined and all gelatin lumps are dissolved.  

2.  Add orange or lemon oil.

3.  Pour mixture into molds and place in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

4. Once firm remove gummies from molds and store in an air tight container.  They will stay firm at room temperature once chilled and can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.

I hope you give these little gems a try and enjoy them as much as we have.

General Conference Prep - Part 2

In my last post I shared some of the things that we do to get our kids excited and ready to listen to General Conference.  Now I'll share a few things that I do the day of to help it run more smoothly.

**One benefit to living on the east coast is that we have plenty of time in the morning to get our wiggles out.  We try to make sure that our boys get out and run around so that they are ready to sit still, be quiet and not bother each other for the next two hours.  In between sessions we get them outside as well.  

**I like to get the room set up nice and early.  We watch through the internet so I want to make sure we have a good connection.  About an hour before conference starts I like to pull the feed up on lds.org and byutv.  There is always a re-broadcast of something else playing (or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing on Sunday morning) so the spirit is in our home before we sit down to watch.

**Watching through the internet at home is such a wonderful convenience but hard to watch on such a little screen.  A few years ago we got a projector and always hook it up to watch conference!  They boys love to watch it on "the big screen".  If you have the capability to hook your computer up to your tv that is another way to make it a little more engaging.

**We also try to be as comfortable as possible.  We pull out our big pillows and blankets so that everyone is nice and comfy before each session begins.

**Before conference begins we like to set some ground rules.  Our boys know that mom and dad want to listen.  If they are too noisy they will have to leave the room which also means missing out on any treat or activities we have planned.

**Speaking of treats and activities . . . I posted last year about our conference basket.    I love the packets that circulate the web but if I give those to my boys they go through them before the first talk is over!  I have to slowly give them things so that we can draw it out for longer!

**Treats are always part of conference for us.  When I asked the two oldest boys what they liked about conference they both mentioned licorice.  It has inadvertently become a tradition to have red vines around the house during conference time!

**I also like to have a spread of food lying on the table. Crackers and a fruit/veggie tray usually does it for us.  That way if someone is hungry I don't have to miss anything... they can just help themselves!

**Since we usually have a little one in our family it always helps if they sleep through at least one session of conference each day.  More enjoyable for everyone!

These little things really make a difference in our conference experience.  In addition to the licorice my oldest said that what he likes about conference is listening to the stories.  I don't always think he's paying attention but later on he can retell a story he heard with wonderful accuracy.   Something must be sinking in while they are busy with their activities--just having them in the room really does make a difference!

I am always looking for new, exciting ideas to change things up.  Tell me, what do you do to help your kids get excited (and quiet) for General Conference!

General Conference Prep

Our church holds a two-day General Conference every 6 months where we can listen to the leaders of our church.  I love to listen but with 4 little boys in the house it's not exactly an easy task.  To make it a more enjoyable weekend for the entire family I have found that with a little extra prep work it can be fantastic!  I'm going to share a few of my secrets with you!

Every year before General Conference we review and learn a little about the First Presidency and Apostles.  It helps the boys to focus a little better when they recognize the faces, know the names, and know a fun fact about the men they are listening to over the course of the weekend.  Because--let's face it--no child wants to sit and listen to speakers for a total of 8 hours!  (Yes, I make my kids listen on Saturday too!)

One year I decided that I wanted to make our Family Home Evenings leading up to General Conference a little more interactive and perhaps a little more memorable.  Each week we learn about several members of either the first presidency or 12 apostles.  Then we do an activity that correlates with one of those men. Here are a few ideas that have been fun for our family:

*Fishing for General Authorities because President Monson loves to fish.  (I hooked paper clips to cards of the Apostles and First Presidency.  When we caught each one we would name them and state a fact about that man.)

*Bake banana bread together (and eat it for dessert) because President Eyring enjoys baking bread with his family.

 *Make and fly paper airplanes because President Uchtdorf  was a pilot.

*Paint with watercolors because water coloring is a hobby of Elder Richard G. Scott.

*Play a game of backyard football because Elder Holland and Elder Cook played football, Elder Bednar met his wife while playing flag football, and Elder Cook is a fan of our OU Sooners.

Other times I have had each of the boys pick a General Authority to teach everyone about.  The boys like to make notes of what they are going to say.  One year my oldest drew pictures to remind himself that President Monson raised pigeons, can wiggle his ears and played chess with his son.

Last fall Mr. J taught us that President Uchtdorf was a pilot, has read Harry Potter, and likes to dance.

Here are some links to the church bios of the First Presidency and 12 Apostles.  If you've heard one of them speak and they've mentioned something personal that might be of interest to your family then use that as one of your facts.  For instance, Elder Cook spoke at a stake conference of ours and mentioned his love of the OU Sooners (where my husband got his masters)--that is always one of our fun facts now.  Or that Elder Scott and his wife have the same names as my husband and I!

Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Boyd K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson,  Neil L. Andersen.

There are so many fun ideas that you could use . . . and these are just a few of mine!   I would love to hear what you do to prepare your kids for General Conference!

Harry Potter Wands

Not long ago the boys and I decided we needed some "Harry Potter" wands.  I had seen some ideas on Pinterest but I wanted something a little more kid-friendly.  I like to keep it simple.

Items needed:

Wooden dowel

hot glue

spray paint

I bought a long wooden dowel at Hobby Lobby and had my husband cut it into 3 equal pieces.  Each of the boys then got to take turns with the hot glue making designs all over their dowel (I helped the 3-year-old).   Once the glue was cool we took them outside to spray paint.  My oldest wanted black while the others wanted theirs to be bronze.

The longest part of this project was waiting for the paint to dry!  It was a super quick but rewarding project and my boys have loved casting spells with their wands!

How to Draw a Momper Contest

My daughter is in a "how-to-draw" phase.  She loves how-to-draw books and she's even made several of her own how-to-draw books.

When I heard about the How to Draw a Momper Contest over at Story Panda I knew I'd have to tell my daughter about it--and I wanted to tell all of you about it too.

Story Panda, an ipad story telling app, has a new story by Doreen Marts called Mompers.  It's a cute tale about a girl who sees monsters everywhere, but when she yells out her warning it comes out as "Mompers!"

Starting today Story Panda is hosting a contest where your child can draw their own momper, take a picture, and submit it to Story Panda for a chance to win an original trading card sketch of a momper by Doreen Marts.  I know my daughter would think that was pretty awesome.  So if you have a little artist in your house head on over to Story Panda's blog for contest guidelines and rules.

Have fun!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss - Check

Saturday was Dr. Seuss's birthday.

Did you do anything in your family to celebrate?

My plans went as far as reading a few Dr. Seuss books with my kids, eating green eggs (colored with spinach) and ham for dinner and drinking "pink ink" (or strawberry milk).

My daughter was much more proactive than me however.  She came up with all sorts of grand plans all on her own.  We played games like pin the star on the star bellied sneetch, find the lorax under the truffula tree, and oobleck tag.  She also had some crafts planned like the one above where we created a Dr. Seuss animal of our own.  I was so impressed with her creativity and initiative to plan something fun for our family.  We had a fun day celebrating and spending time together.

Wild Orange--and a Giveaway!

Essential oils seem to be emerging out of obscurity these days.  Years ago my mom introduced them to me but I've been hesitant to share my knowledge with others for fear that they'd think I was crazy!  But lately I hear of more and more people "discovering" them and finding out how amazing they are.  Have you been wondering what all the excitement is about?  Today my friend, Janine, is going to give you a little glimpse into essential oils.

If I look at the ingredients in Lysol Antibacterial spray,  I can't say them, let alone spell them. And I most certainly do not know what they are! I used to spray them all over my counter. Then make sandwiches on the same counter. Ugh! What on earth did we ingest?

Here is an all natural cleaning tip: Wild Orange essential oil is a cleaning powerhouse!

I put it in a spray bottle with water and use it to sanitize my counters. That same spray can be used to spritz the surfaces of your home instead of Lysol to kill pathogens without introducing synthetic chemicals in their place.

Ingredients: Water, DoTERRA Wild Orange. Hey, I know those words. Wash the counter and break out the PBJ!

Add it to a spray bottle of water and spritz the surfaces of your home instead of Lysol to kill pathogens without adding harmful, synthetic chemicals to your home.

Wild orange is great as an antibacterial soap without harsh chemicals that dry out your skin or add toxins to  your body. Using and empty foaming soap dispenser, fill it up 1/4 full with liquid castile soap like Dr.Bronner's. I used the citrus flavor here, then fill the rest of the way with distilled water. (chlorine in your tap water can dry out your skin). Finally, add 7-10 drops of wild orange. Wash away!

For more wonderful uses for doTERRA wild orange, please visit my blog. 

Isn't that great?  I can't wait to try it out.  And you really have to check out her blog for all the other amazing things that wild orange can do  Guess what?  Janine is giving away a bottle of wild orange doTERRA oil plus a 25% discount to all future purchases!  What a deal!  Just enter through Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anyone that contacts Janine through her blog and mentions Serving Pink Lemonade will get 25% off the doTERRA intro kit!  The offer is only good through March 15th.