happy healthy families

Crayola's Big Colorful Birthday Adventure {Enter To Win!}

To celebrate their 110th birthday, the 8 original crayons are throwing a birthday bash at the new fun-omenal Crayola Experience, the world's only interactive Crayola family attraction. Right now, they're out on a colorful adventure to spread the news, and you're invited to join the fun!

And Your Family Could Be Invited To The Party!!

Just FOLLOW the crayons on their adventure, LEARN more about each color and enter to WIN a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the all new Crayola Experience this coming May, 2013!

Visit the Crayola Facebook page and click "enter now" for your chance to be first in line when the Crayola Experience reopens.

The winner will be among the first to experience the fun, along with a three-night, all-expenses paid stay!! The new Crayola Experience features four floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that will bring the magic of color and your child's creativity to life!

It's an experience your kids will never forget - and neither will you!

Disclosure: All contest information and entry details have been provided by Crayola.

Winner - Eggland's Best Giveaway

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We have a winner!

Here is your sequence:

Congratulations to #135 - Angie B!

Please look for your confirmation email and respond asap!!

Eggland's Best Giveaway - Ingredients For An Eggs-Cellent Mother's Day Brunch!

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It's a fact - all eggs are not created equal. When compared to ordinary eggs, Eggland's Best eggs contain:

10 times more vitamin E
Double the amount of omega-3’s
Twice the amount of vitamin D
3 times more vitamin B12
25% less saturated fat
38% more lutein

Pretty amazing, don't you think?

Eggland's Best wants to help you cook up one 'eggs-cellent' Mother's Day's brunch while helping you feed your family a nutrition packed delicious meal. The Eggland’s Best website has tons of great recipes like the Breakfast Burrito and the Sunny Side Breakfast Pizza that are sure to get your mouth watering as you kick-off your menu planning.

Plus, they are giving one Happy Healthy Families reader an Eggland’s Best gift pack!

The Eggland's Best gift pack includes:

(1) coupon for one free dozen Eggland’s Best eggs

·(1) ceramic mixing bowl

·(1) egg-shaped wooden cutting board

·(1) whisk

·(1) bowl scraper

·(1) ceramic mug

·(1) eco bag

How To Enter:

Take a peek at the wonderful mouth-watering recipes on the Eggland's Best website. Leave me a comment below letting me know which recipe is your favorite! {Mandatory entry}

You can receive extra entries by the following:

1. leave a comment about your Mother's Day plans this year (2 extra entries)
2. leave a comment letting me know what you are most looking forward to this Mother's Day (2 extra entries)
3. Follow HHF on Twitter (3 extra entries)
4. Subscribe to HHF (3 extra entries)
5. Like Eggland's Best on Facebook (3 extra entries)
6. Follow Eggland's Best on Twitter (3 extra entries)
7. Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment (4 extra entries)
8. Share this giveaway on Facebook (4 extra entries)
9. Follow HHF on Pinterest (4 extra entries)
10. Share this giveaway on Pinterest (4 extra entries)

Notes:

Giveaway ends Tuesday April 16 @ 11:59 EST
Winner will be chosen Wednesday April 17 using random.org
Please include your email address in your comment.
Winner will be notified and must respond by Friday April 19 or new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: “The Eggland’s Best coupon, information, and two gift packs have been provided by Eggland’s Best.”

Honey Maid Introduces Made Co.

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Honey Maid has been fueling the creativity of kids since 1925, and now they have decided to take it even further by creating an online initiative – Made Co. - a unique new online contest series in which kids ages 6-12 can win opportunities to have their ideas brought to life with the help of industry experts.

At Made Co., kids not only get the opportunity to make things but they also get to learn and understand the process behind how things get made. And at its core, Made Co. encourages kids’ creativity and productivity in a fun and engaging way.

How It Works~

Through Made Co., Honey Maid will partner with several experts from a variety of industries including clothing designers, game and toy makers, among others. Along with Honey Maid, the industry experts will review idea submissions and select one grand prize winning idea per project to be professionally created, with the help of the winning applicant. One of the current projects on the site now includes a chance to win a trip to attend a writer’s workshop (for a winning child with her/her parent) with My Weird School book series author, Dan Gutman, at HarperCollins Publishers headquarters in New York City. The winner will work with Dan and HarperCollins to produce ten copies of the book that s/he has conceived.

We Gave Made Co. A Try!

My two boys, ages 6 and 8, decided to enter the cartoon contest. They collaborated on a cartoon about Phineas and Ferb. They did need my help along the way as creating the comic was a bit confusing at first. We soon got the hang of everything though, and they were able to work on their masterpiece without my help after a little experimenting.

My six year old definitely took the reins on this project, even drawing his own version of a robot. For doing this he earned extra bonus points! Very cool! I was tickled pink watching him plan the story, from beginning to end - including what characters would say, the background and locations, and the plot points. I was beyond impressed with his work and creativity (beaming mommy of a kindergartner here!!)

So What Did We Think?

We all loved doing this project! The boys had a great time working together, and in the end created a very cute cartoon. This was something we all worked on together and had a lot of fun doing.

As a mom, I so appreciated that this site encouraged my guys to think...really think....and plan and work out their ideas until those ideas became a real cartoon strip that my kids are now so proud of! They had to formulate how the plot would start, what happens along the way, and how it would end. Made Co, created a wonderful learning experience that got my kids' creative juices flowing and provided them with a lot of fun. Kudos to Honey Maid for creating this site!

My boys are very proud of themselves. They had fun even while debating over plot points and characters, and they are definitely excited to see what contests are coming up next!

For complete details and rules about Made Co. visit www.HoneyMaid.com/MadeCo. And don’t forget to visit www.Facebook.com/HoneyMaid to learn more about the entire range of Honey Maid products such as Honey Maid Grahamfuls, which can help can fuel your child’s creativity.

Disclosure: I received a gift card from Honey Maid to facilitate this review, All opinions expressed here are my own and those of my sons.

No Bake Mother's Day Dessert {psst..Cheesecake Is Involved!}

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Came across this cute, easy and very cool No Bake Mother's Day dessert recipe in Woman's Day. As soon as I read the words, 'cheesecake,' I started drooling. When I saw the pictures of these desserts I decided I needed to share.

I love the idea of serving these decadent treats in clear jars with lids - add a pretty ribbon and these jars of scrumptious cheesecake desserts would make perfect Mother's Day gifts to hand out to teachers, friends and anyone you have on your list. Plus, the basic recipe is easily adaptable so you can add chocolate, blueberries, lemon, etc...and create your own fabulous creation.

Make a few of these 'jarred desserts,' add some tea, mugs and a new book all stashed snugly in a basket, and I think you would have one very special handmade Mother's Day gift to give someone!

See the recipe and more pics here!

Need a Laugh Today? Watch This Video {Seriously. Watch. Now.}

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This is the cutest - not to mention smartest - two year old thief I have ever seen! A mom posted this video of her son to YouTube Sunday, posting - "This is what our 2 yr old does at night. He picks the lock to his sister's room and takes her stuff...We caught it on video."

HYSTERICAL. {And, it made my ovaries twitch. Go figure.}

My Sweet Six Year Old Gone Picky {Eating, Of Course!}

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He is still sweet as ever ... my six year old ... and I would never last a day without his sweet hugs and smiles, but oh my gosh have his recent eating habits driven me 'round the bend as they say!! The words 'picky eater' do not even describe fully my little guy these days.

Hopefully this is just another fun kid phase we are once again in the midst of going through, but until I see the light at the end of this particular tunnel, I am spending a good part of my time seeking out cool kid-friendly recipes that might tempt his taste buds.

'Cuz you know, if he had his way, he would eat pancakes all day.

And some days I almost give in and let him.

I came across this idea today - a layered salad - that looks so cute he may give it a bite or two. Maybe adding in some raisins (he does like raisins!!) between the layers will help. There are probably other little 'treats' I can sprinkle in as well that may encourage him to munch his way through the salad.

A simple idea really, and so often those turn out to be the best!

{from Parenting.com}

Layered Salad

What You'll Need:

Salad mix of your choice - this recipe calls uses Watercress
Slaw mix
Shredded carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Quinoa, cooked
Strawberries
Salad dressing

What to Do:

Arrange layers of salad ingredients in small layers, using clear glass containers.
Top with strawberry and serve with an assortment of dressings.Slaw mix
Shredded carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Quinoa, cooked
Strawberries
Dressing of choice

{image: ziggityzoom.com}

Easter Crafts For Kids That Are Easy {Peasy!}

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Need some cool ideas for Easter crafts for your kids that are easy, fun, and E.A.S.Y? You're going to love these ideas then - no major projects listed here...most of these cute crafts just need scissors, glue and and things you probably have already around the house.

Easter Wreath Ala Paper Plates

Items You Need:

Paper Plates (preferably white but any will do!)

Scissors (safety scissors for kids, of course!)

Glue (glue sticks are awesome)

These cute bunny and egg templates from DLTK (just click and print them out!)

How much you will need to participate in making these home-made Easter wreaths really depends on how little your kids are - the smaller ones will probably need your help cutting while the bigger kids can likely handle this project all on their own. Of course, it is always fun to get in on the action when kids and glue and smiles are involved, right?

To start, you and/or the kids need to cut the center portion of the paper plate out - so just the outside of the plate is left and ready to become the wreath.

Next, go to DLTK's holiday page, and print out the bunnies and Easter egg templates provided. Once printed, these too will need to be cut.

Then all that needs to be done is to let the kids glue the bunnies and eggs around the plate -making the awesome wreath!!

Add some yarn on the back of the plate to hang it,

Easy-Peasy!

Envelope Bunnies {Ala Envelopes, Of Course!)

Items You Need:

White envelope (probably 5x7 envelopes will work best)

Pink construction paper or just extra paper around the house...i.e. printing paper, that can be colored pink (this will be for inside the bunny ears)

Crayons to color the bunny's eyes (or use more construction paper if you prefer!)

Cotton ball for bunny's nose (or just color a nose if you like!)

To start, seal your envelope.

Then print out these bunny ear templates from Martha Stewart, and trace ears on the sealed side of the envelope.

Next, you or the kids need to cut along the line through both layers of the envelope.

Turn the envelope over, and what used to be the side of the envelope now becomes the bottom of the envelope! So this now becomes a perfect little bunny bag to put a few yummy treats inside!

Cut pink construction paper to make eyes and insides of ears, and glue them on the front of the envelope. Use colored pencil for mouth; glue on a pom-pom nose.

Again, easy-peasy and so darn cute!

Cardboard Bunnies Ala Toilet Paper Rolls!

Put those discarded toilet paper rolls to fun use by making adorable little bunnies. iVillage has complete instructions for making these Easter decorations, however the directions call for hot glue, acrylic paints and felt - a few items you may not (or may) have around the house.

So if you are anything like me, you might want to see my 'adjusted' version of this craft project for the kiddos!

Collect empty cardboard toilet paper rolls ad/or paper towel rolls.

Either keep the toilet paper roll the same size they are, or if you like, cut them in half and make two smaller rolls. With the paper towel rolls, you probably should cut these as they will be far too long to really work with (especially for little kids.)

Then use colorful construction paper to cover the cardboard rolls (crayons can work too as can markers.)

Next, decorate the rolls with bunny faces! Use cotton, buttons, crayons, bows, etc. to make the bunny eyes, nose, whiskers and mouth.

Cut out bunny ears from construction paper, and glue {with regular old glue} the ears on the inside of the rolls.

Voila! Cute easy cardboard bunnies that will make perfectly sweet decorations for your Easter table!

Homemade (And All Natural) Easter Egg Dye

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My kids still love to dye Easter eggs (yay), but we never know what to do with those pretty colorful eggs once Easter has come and gone since eating hard boiled eggs with chemical dyes on them certainly is not going to happen. So I was 'egg-cited' (sorry, just had to do that!) to find these recipes for all natural homemade dyes @ivillage!

So before you fill those cool Easter baskets with yummy goodies, gather up some fruits and veggies from your kitchen and get ready to color eggs with these natural healthy homemade dyes!

Use fruits like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries and cranberries to make pretty shades of blues, pinks and purples.

Use veggies like red cabbage, beets, yellow onion skins, and carrots to get dyes in the shades of blue, red, orange and yellow.

Liquids such as grape juice and teas can be used to make wonderful colors for dyeing as well. That grape juice makes a brilliant purple!

Coffee, and spices like ground turmeric and paprika can make wonderful earth tone dyes!

How To Make Homemade Easter Egg Dyes Using Fruits and Vegetables:

Place the fruits or vegetables in a saucepan with about 2 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve or colander, reserving the liquid. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar and stir until combined. Let cool to room temperature and dye your hard-boiled eggs. The longer the eggs sit in the dye, the brighter they will be.

How To Make Homemade Easter Egg Dyes Using Spices:

Place 4-5 Tbs. of spices and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve or colander, reserving the liquid. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar and stir until combined. Let cool to room temperature and dye your hard-boiled eggs. The longer the eggs sit in the dye, the brighter they will be.

How To Make Homemade Easter Egg Dyes Using Liquids Like Tea and Juice:

Do not add water when using liquids - just add ¼ cup white vinegar into 2 cups of liquid. If using tea, make the tea in 2 cups water, then let it cool and add the ¼ cup vinegar.