Pink Santa!

 

   If your family celebrates Christmas and breast cancer awareness, Pink Santa is the craft for you. He makes a great holiday gift from the kids and looks great on a desk or in a foyer. And you can fill him with treats!

Materials:

2 small clay pots
½ yd white marabou
1 bottle pink acrylic paint
1 bottle desired flesh color acrylic paint (Santa doesn't always have to be white!)
1 pipe cleaner for belt
White foam
Pink pom pom for nose
1 pair of googly eyes
Glue
Favorite candy or treat
Small piece of pink foam

Directions:

Take the two pots and glue the bottoms together. Let them dry.

Paint the bottom pot pink and the top pot the flesh color.

Cut out two ribbon shapes from the pink foam and set aside.

Cut out mustache shapes (think ceiling fan paddles).

Glue on googly eyes, nose, and beard.

Tie pipe cleaner around for belt.

Glue the pink ribbon on Santa’s lapel or the brim of his hat, and on belt.

Fill with treats!

Pink Smoothies

photo by The Style PA

Great for celebrating Breast Cancer awareness or just whenever you and your kids want something healthy and pink!

1 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup strawberries
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey
6 ice cubes

Throw in to blender and your done! Also makes a great on-the-go breakfast!

Talking to Kids About Cancer

Breast cancer is a sad and horrible thing, which is why I have been very careful with the words I use with my children. I do not get in to specifics, and I focus on the positive. Simple phrases like “people that are sick,” “ a sad illness,” are more than enough for some age groups and have worked for my girls, who are all under five. 

photo by allspice1

As they grow older they will undoubtedly have more questions and I will be ready, but for now I feel it is important to try and find a harmonious balance between keeping informed and involved while protecting their innocence. Others parents may choose a different route, and I encourage you to follow your instinct since you know them best, especially if your child has already experienced the loss of a loved one. 

9 Things to Do for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

photo by mimitalks

According to the American Cancer Society, every two-to-three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer

I am a mother of three girls and have watched loved ones battle with the disease.

Some have lost and some continue to fight. And so we have chosen to make breast cancer awareness a part of our family.

Beyond the significance of helping a great cause, consider it an excellent way to encourage physical activity and introduce the concept of cancer.

Every weekend during the month of October, we do one activity that recognizes breast cancer awareness month in a fun and creative way.

Here are 9 family-friendly breast cancer awareness activities:

1)    Participate in The Race for the Cure or other breast cancer family walks and runs.  In general races and walks have different heats with more options for stroller-friendly distances and terrain. The month began with the Race for the Cure and we celebrated our fifth year of participating!

2)    Make awareness t-shirts. Outline the classic “awareness ribbon” shape on a white t-shirt and have the kids go wild with pink fabric markers and paint.

3)    Pink Bake Sale! Hold a bake sale in your neighborhood or at work or school.  Try turning your favorite goody pink with natural food coloring or have your kids decorate the packaging with pink stickers and ribbons.

4)    Honor someone who has died from cancer. If you’ve lost someone to breast cancer have your kids paint an unfinished wooden frame ($1 at most major craft stores) and put up a picture of them.

5)    Honor someone living with cancer. If you know someone fighting breast cancer, honor them on your race/walk t-shirt. If you think they would rather keep their illness private, try just using their initials or have your kids draw something that reminds them of that person, like grandma’s favorite flower.

Pink Santa!

6)    Light a pink candle to remember or support someone with breast cancer. Round up the family and light it together one night after dinner.

7)    Donate your hair to an organization that makes hairpieces for cancer patients.

8)    Pink smoothies for breakfast! (see recipe)

9)    Pink Santas for Christmas! (Get an early start on Christmas crafts. See instructions)

Tie-Dye Napkins

These are a lot of fun to make and a cheerful, colorful addition to your child’s lunch! 

You will need:

10 White Cotton Napkins (Target brand is only $5.99 for a 10-pack)

RIT dye packs in your child’s favorite colors

Rubber bands

Disposable squirt bottles

GOGGLES and GLOVES for your little ones!

Directions: 

1) Prepare the dye according to the package directions.

2) Dampen napkins. Take white napkins and place rubber bands according to the instructions for the design you and your child like best and squirt on desired colors.   

3) Then line dry and put through the wash once (alone with no clothes!) and dry in dryer.

Purple Mac and Cheese

Having fun with vegetables can leave a positive effect on your little ones' eating habits. If they love purple, this is the recipe for you. Make sure not to disguise the fact that the mac and cheese has cauliflower. Show them how beautiful it is before cooking.

purple cauliflower

Purple Mac and Cheese

1 large purple cauliflower

½ cup butter spread (yogurt butter, olivo, etc.)

2 tsb. salt

¼ cup flour

¼ cup milk (any fat percent)

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups macaroni

Directions

Chop and de-leaf cauliflower. Bring to a boil then remove cauliflower from boiling water. KEEP THE PURPLE WATER. Add salt and noodles to the purple water and continue to boil. 

Puree cauliflower in blender and set aside.

In a sauce pan over low heat, melt butter, add flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Then add milk, salt, and stir in cheese. Simmer until it becomes a thick sauce and then slowly stir in the puree. The more puree you use, the deeper the shade of purple.  

When the noodles are cooked, drain them and top with the purple cauliflower-cheese sauce! And for extra fun, read the book Purplicious before bed.

For Moms on the Go - Purple Mac and Cheese - The Shorter Way

For those busier nights, prepare your favorite boxed macaroni and cheese (make sure it's white cheese, not orange) and add puree and twice the amount of butter. Important: remember to boil the macaroni in the purple tinted water from the cauliflower. 

Earth-Friendly School Lunches Your Kids Will Love

Settling in to the hustle and bustle of a new school year can sometimes leave parents reaching for pre-made and quick-fix lunches. But these can be harmful to your child’s health and to the environment. A few moments spent planning ahead can help your pocket, the ozone layer, and your child’s nutrition.   

1)      Stock up on reusable containers, t-ware, sports bottles, and switch to cloth napkins or washcloths. For those of us concerned with the use of plastics, stainless steel can also be a nice option. And if you do choose plastic, give the label a quick glance and make sure that the plastics are free of BPA and lead.  Consider a bento box!  This is the route I have chosen, because it can go right in the dishwasher, it stores in one piece so I don't lose any lids. :)

2)      Stay away from individually wrapped foods. Full-size containers are cheaper and can reduce waste from wrappers, lids, etc. Larger containers are also great to wash out and keep around for kid's craft projects and storage. Fun project: a large cottage cheese container can be decorated using glue and tissue paper to make a great storage container for crayons, pens, markers, or even dry foods like rice.

 

3)      Plan lunches with your child.  Children love to give their opinions and it is a great way to spend time together.  If you are short on time, do what I do and brainstorm ideas together in the car on the way to dance or sports practices and then right them on a piece of paper when you get home.  If you do have more time, make a calendar menu and keep it up on the fridge, this can help you save time in the morning when it is easy to lose your train of thought.  If your child can write, try letting them fill in the menu. If they can’t, let them draw a small picture of the meal.

4)      Get Healthy! Use lunch as an opportunity to introduce a new fruit or vegetable along with ones they already like, water-down juices to reduce sugar, send in plain water or milk, and limit or cut out sweets and chips. And don’t be afraid to send-in those leftovers! My daughter loves leftover meatballs, casseroles, or leftover purple macaroni and cheese.

5)      Get Creative! Write a quick note, use a cookie-cutter for sandwiches, try tie-dying your napkins, or use the meal itself as an outlet for creativity. Try fruit or chicken kabobs. Tri-colored pasta with yogurt butter, or anything that involves dipping! A speedy lunch favorite in my home is turkey hot dogs (without nitrates) heated and thrown in a thermos with two squirts of ketchup.  My daughter then gives it a shake when she gets to school to, as she says, “distribute the ketchup evenly."

For the past few years, a number of articles have linked school lunches and childhood obesity. Why not start off this school year on the right foot?

Upcoming Posts. Check Back!

Cool Gadgets Corner

1) Planet Box and Go Green Lunch Box, VIVO Bento Box

2) Tastes like Peanut Butter, IM Healthy

Recipes:

1) Purple Mac and Cheese

2) Quinoa Cookies

3) Apple “Sushi” and Baked Apples

4) Pumpkin Recipes

5) Non-icky Halloween Recipes

6) Cheesy Turkey Quiche

Arts and Smarts:

1) Tie-dye Napkins

2) Hanging Message Pouch

3) Apple Craft

4) Halloween Pot, and Felt Costumes

5) Balloon Germ

6) Pumpkin Craft

            Features

            1) Earth and Kid Friendly School Lunches 

            2) The Peanut Butter Quandry (FAAN Race)

3) Awesome Apples

            4) Halloween Safety Starts with Costumes

            5) Flu Facts

            6) Powerful Pumpkins

            7) Synovitis