Food Fun Friday - Meringue Snowmen

My girls have developed a love affair with meringues. I started buying containers of them at the store, but they are a little pricey. I decided to try my hand at making my own. I remember seeing some adorable meringue snowmen in a magazine a few years ago, but cannot remember where this idea originated. Now that I know how easy and inexpensive it is to make meringues (not to mention how amazing they taste!), I will never buy the store kind again.

You will need:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• Chocolate chips
• Electric mixer or a Kitchen Aid

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Separate two eggs and pour the whites into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cream of tartar and mix until the egg whites get frothy.

Mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar gradually, one tablespoon at a time.

Stop beating when soft peaks have formed and the mixture has become stiff. 

Spoon onto a greased baking sheet to form a snowman. I spooned a smaller amount for the head and larger amounts for the middle and bottom of the snowman. You will want to make sure each spoonful is touching the one before it.

Add your chocolate chips to form a face and buttons.

We had extra batter left over. Who knew 2 egg whites would make so much meringue? We just used the rest of the batter to make traditional meringues.

Bake for 2 hours at 225 degrees. The meringues should be lightly browned. You can leave them in a little longer if you like a crunchier meringue. I like mine on the more chewy side, so I took them out after 2 hours. 

These things are so delicious! They will melt in your mouth and you will not believe how easy they are to make.

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Easy DIY Advent Jar and 35 Advent Calendar Ideas

I just love going to MOPS. Besides, the friendship, fellowship and great food, we get to make fun craft projects. A few weeks ago we made an easy Advent Jar. What's an Advent Jar you ask? Well, its just like an advent calendar, except you use a jar and Popsicle sticks.

You will need:

• Clean glass jar
• 25 Popsicle sticks (the larger the better)
• Ribbon (a wider ribbon and a thinner ribbon in holiday colors)
• Double sided tape or a hot glue gun
• Fine tip permanent marker

A recycled jar would be perfect for this project. Just make sure you have removed the label. The Popsicle sticks they provided us at MOPS were the larger tongue depressor type, but small ones would work as well if that's what you have on hand. The Popsicle sticks I received were dyed red and green. They sell colored Popsicle sticks if you don't want to go through the trouble of dying them yourself. Of course you can leave them natural as well.

The length of ribbons you use will depend on the width of your jar. You want to make sure you have enough of the wider ribbon to wrap around the jar completely and overlap itself a bit.

Fold over one end of the wide ribbon about an 1/8 of an inch. Then add a few strips of double sided tape to the back of the wide ribbon.

Wrap the ribbon around the jar, making sure it is straight as it goes around. You can also place the ribbon on a table (tape side up) in straight line and set the jar on it so the ribbon is in the middle. Then you can just pull and stick the ribbon on the jar. 

Make sure that the end of ribbon that you folded over is the end that overlaps, as it will look much cleaner than having the unfinished end overlap.

Next you will use your thinner ribbon. You will want to cut this ribbon longer than the wide ribbon since you will be tying it. You do not need any adhesive on the back of this ribbon. You can leave the edges on the thinner ribbon as is, or you can cut a little v shape like I did on mine. Tie the thinner ribbon around the wider ribbon on the jar and make a knot.

Now it's time to write your fun Advent ideas on the Popsicle sticks. A fine tip permanent marker works best for this task.

When you are done, place the sticks in the jar and pull out one a night during Advent to do with your family. You can also write a number on the back of the sticks so you know which one to pull out each night. This way you can make sure the activities you have planned go with the time you have on any particular day.

If you are having a hard time coming up with ideas to write on your sticks, here are some ideas from some of my favorite bloggers.

1. Driving around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights (In Lieu of Preschool)
2. Putting reindeer food outside the house on Christmas Eve so Rudolph knows which house to stop at.     (Nurturestore)
3. Making cranberry sauce which makes the whole house smell festive (Domestic Goddesque)
4. Building Gingerbread houses (Housing a Forest)
5. Going out to the town's annual tree lighting (Toddler Approved)
6. Bake and craft and listen to Christmas music (Life at the Zoo)
7. Decorate the Christmas tree as a family (Childhood 101)
8. Bake and package up goodies to take to neighbors (This Reading Mama)
9. Visit local train displays (Busy Kids Happy Mom)
10. Going on a hunt for the perfect Christmas Tree (Happy Whimsical Hearts)
11. Nighttime shopping with the kids including a Starbucks stop for some sweet treats (Rainy Day Mum)
12. Baking cookies for Santa (Mom to 2 Posh Little Divas)
13. Playing Find the Wisemen. The wisemen wander around the house on their way to the manger and the child has to try and find where they are on their journey to the manger (JDaniel4smom)
14. Enjoying hot chocolate with the family (Creative Playhouse)
15. Making Santa cookies with cookie cutters (Adventures in Mommydom)

If those aren't enough, here are some more!

16. Make chocolate dipped pretzels
17. Set up the Nativity
18. Watch a Christmas movie and eat popcorn
19. Color Christmas pictures
20. Make a construction paper chain using paper strips
21. Write a letter to Santa
22. Reading a Christmas book
23. Open one Christmas present (done on Christmas Eve)
24. Have breakfast or lunch at a restaurant
25. Family pizza night - make a pizza together
26. Visit Santa Claus
27. Make Peppermint bark
28. Read "The Night Before Christmas"
29. Have a dance party to Christmas music
30. Wrap Christmas presents for friends and family
31. Make rice krispie treats
32. Bake an apple pie
33. Put out the train set
34. Make Christmas colored pancakes
35. Take a trip to the library and look for Christmas books

Please sure your favorite Advent activities in the comments below. I would love to hear about your family's traditions!

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Kids Holiday Gift Guide 2012 - The Best For Less

There are lots of holiday gift guides out there, but being that I am a frugal gal who loves to save money, I decided to focus on great toys that also were on sale for at least 40% off. If you plan to do some Christmas shopping for kids and are on a limited budget, this guide is a great place to start. It helps that Amazon offers free shipping with a $25 purchase for all the items below. A number of these have been favorites with my kids. I have divided the toys up into age groups so you should be able to find something for all the kids on your list.

Infants-2 years old

Playskool Poppin' Park Pound-N-Pop Carnival 50% off

My kids had a version of this as infants and they all loved it. Brightly colored balls popping and rolling is the funniest thing in the world to a baby. This toy adds 8 different songs to make play even more fun. Babies learn about cause and effect as they roll and pound to music and lights.

Big Bird Stack And Nest  48 % off

The recognizable Big Bird greets your baby as they stack the red, yellow,blue and Big Bird rings. This toy not only keeps baby busy, but works on important fine and gross motor skills. The rings all have different textures which make them perfect for teething babies. 

Lamaze Play & Grow Freddie the Firefly Take Along Toy 47% off

My twins are now 4 and I still have the Freddie the Firefly toy I bought for them as babies. I could not bear to get rid of it as it was such an loved toy. This soft toy has a teether and so many other colorful features that crinkle and crunch and awaken baby's senses.

Alex Jr. Mix 'n Max - Nest 'n Bloom  41% off

This soft baby toy allows baby to nest the cups and build a flower. This helps build hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. The Nest 'n Bloom also contains pieces that rattle and crinkle, keeping baby entertained. Babies will love taking the toy apart and trying to put it back together.

Ages 3-6

My Pillow Pets Miss Lady Bug 18" 47% off

I am a little biased here because this my daughter's exact Pillow Pet. This is a great price! Her fur is so soft and plush that my little one loves to lay her head on her each night and cuddle her each day. It's machine washable so you can just pop it in the washer when it gets a little too "loved."

Alex Little Jumpers Trampoline  43% off

I confess, we never bought this, mostly because I never saw a price this low on it. But a friend of mine had it and when we would go over to visit my kids would jump the whole time. If you're looking for a toy that will wear out your kid, look no further! The legs fold for easy storage and it's good for up to 80 pounds.

Adventure Force Pirate Dress Up  42% off

Being a mom of 3 girls, I wanted to throw in something for little boys (girls would enjoy it too) to dress up in. Dress up play is so important for preschoolers and really allows them to use their imagination to transform themselves and creative unlimited play scenarios. This fits size 4-6x.

VTech Smart Ship Learn and Go - Disney's Jake and the Never Land Pirates  40 % off

Keeping with the pirate theme, this Learn and Go has a full keyboard and 10 learning activities designed to keep little ones challenged. Kids will love it because it features the real voice of Jake and pirate music. Arrrrrrr!

VTech - Tote & Go Laptop with Web Connect - Pink  43% off

This is another favorite in our house. We have had this Laptop for a while and the girls still enjoy it. There are just so many games and activities that it's hard to get bored. You can even connect it your PC for customized downloads. The mouse stores in the cover which makes it great for carrying around. We always take this laptop with us when we travel.

Fisher-Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System (Blue) 52% off

I love all the options on this thing. You can play with it 6 ways - Digital Reader, Game Player, MP3 Player, Photo Viewer, Art Studio and Notepad. It has a 3.5 inch color screen and the whole thing opens and closes like a book. Great for travel!

Ages 7-10

Simon Flash  53% off

Do you remember playing Simon as a kid? Well, it's back with a high tech twist. They have added different styles of game play here so your kids (and you!) can test your memory, speed and logic skills. I am all for games that promote family togetherness and this fits the bill. Because this is small, it is perfect for road trips and travel.

Family Time Fun Gather Round Dinner Game 60% off

Gather Round Dinner Game is something I will be getting when my kids are a little older. I love the idea of promoting family mealtime. This game will give your family lots to talk about and be challenged by. It includes 132 activities. People have said it encouraged their picky eaters to stay at the  table longer and eat more because they did not want to stop playing.

Educational Insights Laundry Jumble Game  47% off

This fun game will encourage siblings of all ages to play together. The object is to pull clothes out of the dryer using only your sense of touch. Younger kids will benefit from the tactile exploration and the chance to develop their fine motor skills, while older kids can help with the counting and matching.

Razor A Kick Scooter  50% off

This is the original kick scooter made from Razor. I love it because it gets kids outdoors and using their muscles, is a fun form of transport, and lets face it, you can't beat that price. It's only 6 pounds and folds easily for quick storage. Be sure you have a helmet if you get one of these for your child. Recommended for ages 5+.

Knex Value Tub 400 pieces  56% off

I love toys that encourage creativity and Knex certainly does that. This 400 piece tub contains bricks, rods and connectors. As a mom, I appreciate the fact that they come in a handy storage tub which makes clean up a breeze. There are so many things kids can build and then play with. Each time they play with the Knex it's a new experience.

At the time of this writing, all the items were available at the above discounts on Amazon. Prices and availability on Amazon is subject to change. 

This post contains affiliate links, but each of these products were personally chosen by me.

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