Day: June 25, 2017

Painted Hydrangeas

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Painted Hydrangea (7)

We needed a quick craft pick-me-up for the afternoon, and just about all I had on hand was a bouquet of white hydrangeas. They turned out to be the perfect canvas!

Simply set out the blossoms, along with watercolors.

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Liquid watercolors will provide the most vibrant color, but after this mama tipped over a cup of a very bright pink (and this stuff stains, folks), we decided to play it safe with Crayola’s watercolor paints!

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Travis liked seeing all the different colors appear on our white flowers.

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These would make a great centerpiece for a summer dinner al fresco!

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Sponge Balls

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Sponge Ball (1)

If it’s hot and the kids need a novel way to get wet, look no further than this update on a classic water balloon fight.

Place three different colored sponges in a stack, and cut each sponge into three strips – you’ll end up with three piles that look like a rainbow layer cake. Secure each pile with a rubber band in the middle, and fan out the sponges slightly – now you have sponge balls!

Sponge Ball (2)

Grab a bucket filled with water and go wild.

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See who can throw their sponge ball the furthest, have fun dipping them into the bucket and squeezing the water out…. or get each other wet with a gentle game of sponge ball tag!

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Perfect on a hot summer day!

Whatta Melon Smoothie

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Whatta Melon Smoothie

Credit for this fun recipe goes to Family Fun magazine. I recommend purchasing a whole watermelon since you will need to cube and freeze 2 cups worth for the recipe – that way your child will have a visual of the green rind, black seeds, and pink flesh.

Ingredients:

  • 2 kiwi fruit, cubed and frozen
  • 1/2 banana, frozen
  • Handful of fresh spinach
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla coconut milk, divided
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar, divided
  • 2 cups frozen cubed watermelon
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • Mini non-dairy chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)
  1. In a blender, combine the kiwi, banana, spinach, 1/2 cup milk, and 1 tablespoon agave; process until smooth and green – the more spinach you use, the greener it will be! Pour into the bottom of smoothie glasses.
  2. Rinse out the blender and add the watermelon, strawberries, remaining 1 and 1/2 cups milk, and remaining tablespoon agave. Process until smooth.
  3. Spoon the watermelon layer over the green layer – ideally the two won’t mix, but we still got a layered, slightly mixed-up effect.
  4. Top with chocolate chips for the seeds!