Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

I saw a picture of this cake on Pinterest and I knew I had to make it.  It is really easy to make and the kids LOVED it.

Here's what you need to make this cake:

-cool whip (thawed)
-ice cream sandwiches
-chocolate sauce and/or caramel sauce

Depending on how big you want your cake to be is how many sandwiches you need to use .  I wanted a small square size so I only used 6.

First I took 3 ice cream sandwiches and layed them side by side .  I then spread a layer of cool whip and layered another 3 sandwiches on top.  Then I spread the cool whip over the entire cake .  I then drizzled chocolate sauce over the top of the cake .

Place cake in the freezer for a couple hours so the cool whip sets.

This is what the finished cake looks like .

This is something that the kids can help with.  I'm definitely going to making this for birthday parties.

Hope your family enjoys this as much as mine .

Jenn

Making Bird Feeders With The Kids

For our craft last week the kids and I made bird feeders.  This is an easy craft to do with kids of all ages.

All you need for this craft is peanut butter, bird seed, string and pine cones.  We collected a bunch in the summer to use for crafts throughout the year.

The kids just spread the peanut butter on the pine cones and rolled it in the bird seed.

When we were done we tied string on and hung them out in the backyard on the trees.  The kids loved watching the birds have their snack.

This is also a great craft to do at birthday parties.

Jenn

Tissue Paper Pumpkins

This is a great craft to do with the kids.  I did this with my 2 and 6 year old.  We even did this twice in one week.  These are also great to display for Halloween decorations.  

What you need for this:

- toilet paper
- orange tissue paper
- green tissue paper
- tape
- markers

Take a piece a orange tissue paper and fold it in half.  Place the toilet paper at the end and roll it up.  Use a piece of tape on the seam.  Push the ends of the tissue paper into the ends of the toilet paper roll.  Cut a small piece of green tissue paper and stick it in one of the ends.  Give your kids a marker and let them create their own faces.  I hope your kids enjoy this Halloween craft as much as mine did.

Jenn

Legoland Discovery Centre Toronto

My husband and I took our kids to the Legoland Discovery Centre in the Vaughan Mills Mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  My kids had a blast.  As soon as we pulled up they were screaming with excitement.

They loved the giant Lego people .

These are all the activities they have there for you to do.

LEGO FACTORY
As soon as you walk in the door they show the process of how Lego is made .  Both kids got a Lego piece as a keepsake . 

KINGDOM QUEST
The kids loved this ride .  You get to ride through a tunnel and use a laser gun to shoot all the bad guys to save the princess.

MINILAND
This part was amazing.  It was a whole city made of Lego.  There was the Rogers Centre, Air Canada Airport, CN Tower, Air Canada Centre,  and a whole lot of other Canadian landmarks all made out of Lego.

LEGO MASTER BUILDER ACADEMY
The kids took a class on how to build a Lego beaver.  My 6 year old loved it but my 2 year old lost interest after a few minutes.

LEGO FIRE ACADEMY
They had a decent size play area for the kids to play on. With slides and wall climbers and different levels.

MERLIN'S APPRENTICE
The kids also loved this ride .  It was like a carnival ride .  The faster you pedaled the higher you went.

LEGO CONSTRUCTION SITE
This area had Lego everywhere .  There were soft Lego, big and small Lego.  Even the baby enjoyed it.

 

LEGO RACERS: BUILD AND RACE
This area had ramps to race Lego cars.  This was a challenge for us since my husband and I had no idea how to build a car out of Lego.  Luckily we found cars laying around that other kids had built. LOL.

When we were ready to go home you have to walk through the Lego store .  I had already looked online at their website to see what they sold to get my kids prepared on what they could choose .  I didn't want any melt downs for an expensive set.

Overall we had a great time and I would recommend taking your kids there. Admission wasn't too bad.  It was $22 for ages 13 and up and $18 for ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free .  They also have a cafe inside .  We ate in the food court of the mall when we were leaving.

If you would like more info click here .  There are also other Lego Discovery Centres across Canada and the United States. 

Jenn

Let's paint the fence

My kids are always telling me they're bored even though they have a ridiculous amount of toys.  My mom told me that when we were little she used to give us a paint brush and a bucket of water and let us paint the deck.  By the time we thought we had "painted" everything the water had dried so we'd start again.  My kids love doing this.  I bought them each a special bucket and paint brushes from the dollar store and they couldn't wait to get started.

I hope this will keep your kids busy for hours.

Jenn

Fruit Loop Neckaces

Sorry I haven't written lately but my husband and I have just moved into our first home .  Moving with 3 young kids has been keeping me very busy.  Now that I'm mostly settled in I should have some more time to get on my blog.  The good thing about moving is there had been lots of  DIY projects I have been working on so I'll be writing about those soon.  To ease back into things I'm going to start back with a kids craft that I have used to keep my kids busy while I've been unpacking.



My 2 oldest love making Fruit Loop necklaces.  Not only is it a neat thing to make but it also gives them a snack to eat.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
-Fruit Loops
-plastic lace (you can find spools of it in the craft store)


For those of you that don't know, this is what plastic lace looks like.

All you do is cut a piece of the plastic lace and tie a loop knot on the end.  Pour some Fruit Loops in a bowl and let the kids thread it on.  Once they are done tie the ends together and let them wear and eat their creations.

Here are some pictures of my little ones making theirs. 

Isabella was a pro at this.

Dean couldn't wait till he was done.

Showing off their hard work.

YUMMY

Hope you all enjoy this with your kids.

Jenn

Hotdog Octopus

My kids are very picky eaters, so I decided to make their dinner more fun. I took a hotdog and cut it half way down to the bottom, and made another cut the same way on the other side. I know an octopus has 8 tentacles but I wanted them to be thicker so only made 4, but you can cut more if you'd like. After the cuts I boiled the hotdogs until the "tentacles" started to curl up. They thought this was the best dinner ever, and never complained once about not wanting to eat. I hope your kids will enjoy this as much as mine did.

Jenn

The Chocolate Race

Since I have been living a more healthy lifestyle and have started running I decided it was time to register for my first 5K. I'm not the best at running but I'm not horrible and I know that doing a 5K race I will feel like I have accomplished something and really show how much more healthier I have become. My friend had told me about The Chocolate Race. It is on May 12. 2013 in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. There are 3 categories 10 mile, 10K and 5K. You don't even have to run as walkers are welcome. As a bonus they also feed you chocolate before, during and after the race. Chocolate strawberries, truffles, chocolate milk and more. They also have "mini" chocolate race for kids. There are 2 categories "Pint Size" 1 km Chocolate Race and "Adventure Kids" 2.5 km Chocolate TRAIL Race. I signed my 5 year old daughter up for the 1K race. I think it will help her self esteem participating and finishing a race. Even though it's at and earlier start time then mine she is so excited to be doing a race with me. There is also activity stations set up with activities for kids. After the race my family and I will be spending the day at the Chocolate Festival that will be running there all weekend. It is also Mother's Day that day so I couldn't think of a better way to spend my day.

If you are interested in registering or finding out more info click here. If you do decide to register let me know and I'll look for you!