Family Fun

Three Family Fun Springtime Games for Kids with Goldfish Crackers!

March 22, 2020 by Sandra Leave a Comment

This video has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GoldfishGameTime #CollectiveBias

Happy spring! I know it doesn’t feel like spring in some areas of the country, but hopefully, that’ll change soon!

Today, I’m sharing three family fun games for kids, and they all include Goldfish crackers! In the video, you’ll find out how to play Goldfish Crackers Basketball, Goldfish Crackers Buckets, and Goldfish Crackers Challenge!

I hope you enjoy the video and, as always, thanks for watching! 😀

How does your family enjoy Goldfish crackers? What are your favorite springtime activities?

TWO Recipes for a Fantastic Easter Meal (Asparagus and Carrot Cupcakes)

March 11, 2020 by Sandra 6 Comments

Now that we are living near Chicago again, we are extremely blessed to be able to shop at a Mariano’s Fresh Market grocery store.

It’s what I’d call a great grocery store. It just is. Seriously. It’s unlike any other grocery store I’ve ever been to in my life.

Why? Because shopping there is more than just your average, everyday grocery shopping trip to the store. You can turn a regular trip to the store into an experience at Mariano’s. You can literally go there for a delicious sit-down lunch, get a cup of coffee afterwards, then grocery shop.

Once you have everything you came to shop for, you can pick up a hot dinner To-Go from the plethora of options, then take out your Mariano’s rewards card and check out with the nicest cashiers ever. Finally, head home to enjoy a delicious family meal that you didn’t have to cook yourself after a day of shopping.

That’s what Mariano’s offers, in a nutshell.

So as you can see, Mariano’s is not your average grocery store, which is why shopping there for our Easter meal made sense. I picked up the ingredients I needed to make a great meal, and today I’m sharing two delicious Easter recipes that my family enjoys and that I think you’ll like, too.

I’m trying to keep our Easter meal a little on the healthier side, so as I mulled over ideas for what to prepare this year, I decided on asparagus as the perfect side dish. I can make it in the oven in less than fifteen minutes, so while the ham is resting on top of the stove (after it’s finished baking), I can quickly prepare and cook the asparagus so that it’s ready when the ham is ready to be served. Perfect timing.

Here’s the ‘pin’able version of the recipe to make it easy to for you to find later.

Here’s the printable version:

Oven Asparagus

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus (about 30 spears)
2 tablespoons extra-virgen olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut ends off of asparagus then place asparagus on a baking sheet.
Add extra-virgen olive oil, sea salt, and pepper to the asparagus and toss until asparagus is evenly coated and in a single layer.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Serve promptly and enjoy!

https://thesensiblemom.com/2020/03/marianos-is-a-great-place-to-shop-and-im-sharing-two-recipes-for-your-easter-meal-asparagus-and-carrot-cupcakes/

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes

The other amazing recipe that I made this weekend to test out for my Easter meal was whole wheat carrot cupcakes. These turned out fabulous! I modified a recipe for carrot cake from The America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, and wow, these were delicious!

Even my 6 year-old son, who is very picky about fruits and vegetables in his desserts, could not get enough of these cupcakes. You can actually see the carrot strands in these cupcakes, but that didn’t even matter to my picky eaters. These cupcakes were devoured.

Oh, and I had guests over on Saturday afternoon, and they loved them, too. I used the Mariano’s brand whole wheat flour to make these cupcakes, and I used their store brand vanilla frosting. The frosting was a perfect complement to these whole wheat carrot cupcakes. Yum, yum, yum.

Here’s the printable recipe:

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (we used organic sugar)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups grapeseed oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and grated

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, and then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake pans with cupcake baking cups and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt, then set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars for about 2 minutes.
Slowly add in the grapeseed oil and continue whisking until it is thoroughly combined with the egg/sugar mixture. This should take 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in the flour mixture to the liquid mixture until no steaks remain.
Add in the carrots and stir the mixture with a spatula.
Using a 1/4 measuring cup (so that the cupcakes are the same size) and a spoon (if needed), measure out 1/4 cup of the batter at a time and add to individual baking cups.
Once all the baking cups have batter, place the cupcake pan(s) in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs.
Cool for 30-45 minutes, then frost and enjoy!

https://thesensiblemom.com/2020/03/marianos-is-a-great-place-to-shop-and-im-sharing-two-recipes-for-your-easter-meal-asparagus-and-carrot-cupcakes/

Overall, I’m thankful that I was able to find just what I needed at Mariano’s to make a delicious Easter meal for my family, and I’m thankful that in trying out my Easter recipes this past week, I found a new cupcake recipe to make for my family on special occasions.

What are some of your favorite Easter recipes?

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Mariano’s — All opinions are my own. #MyMarianos #cbias #SocialFabric

This blog post was originally published in March 2013.

The Best S’mores Bar, a S’mores Trail Mix Recipe, and Clean Up Made Easy

March 5, 2020 by Sandra 4 Comments

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Wet-Nap, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #showusyourmess (http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV).

We decided to do something a little different for our Easter celebration this year.

Instead of buying lots of candy and small toys for our children, we put together an unforgettable, incredible S’mores Bar. It was awesome! And while I’m not sure that I agree, one of my kids even said that it was better than Disney World. 😉

I don’t know about that.

But we did have a fun and messy time with it all.

Tip: Clean sticky hands and faces easily by setting Wet-Nap cleansing wipes out on the table.

How to Create a Great S’mores Bar

I knew that I wanted our s’mores bar to be really special, so I planned out what to make and shop for ahead of time. I’m sharing all the ingredients we used in ours below to give you some ideas of how to put together a truly unforgettable s’mores bar of your own.

Here’s a list of the foods I included in our S’mores Bar:

Fudge Stripes Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies, thin and crispy
Snickerdoodle Cookies, thin and crispy
Honey Teddy Grahams
Graham Crackers
Mini Pretzels
Mini Pancakes
Mini Marshmallows
Stacker Marshmallows
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars
Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Chocolate Bars
Mini Chocolate Chips
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Drops
Fresh Strawberries, sliced (Try not to skip these! They really add a special taste to the s’mores and help to cut some of the sweetness.)

Spread the ingredients out on a table, and then let your family and friends build their s’more creations! Designate one or two people to roast marshmallows over the stove.

S’mores Trail Mix Recipe

In addition to simply laying out ingredients for the kids to build their s’mores, I also put together a fun and easy-to-make S’more Trail Mix. It was a great addition to the table. 🙂

Here’s the recipe:

S’mores Trail Mix

Ingredients

1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup Teddy Grahams
1 cup mini pretzels
1 bag Hershey's Milk Chocolate drops, 8 oz.

Instructions

Add ingredients to a bowl and mix until incorporated. Enjoy!

https://thesensiblemom.com/2020/03/best-smores-bar-smores-trail-mix-recipe-clean-made-easy/

Easy S’mores Bar Clean Up with Wet-Nap Wipes

Everyone knows when you eat a s’more, you’re going to be reaching for something to wipe your hands and face in a very short amount of time. 😉

The perfect solution to the messiness was setting out Wet-Nap wipes for the kids and adults to quickly grab. That way no one had to get up and run to the sink in the middle of enjoying their sweet treats.

I think Isaac used the MOST Wet-Nap wipes out of us all. 🙂

Easter is special every single year, but this year, it was definitely more memorable.

How did you celebrate Easter? What’s your favorite way to use Wet-Nap wipes?

This blog post was originally published in April 2014.

7 Things I Learned from the Book: 52 Things Kids Need From a Mom

December 17, 2019 by Sandra 4 Comments

Motherhood is hard work.

But it can also be a beautiful journey — even when there’s pain involved.

In my own journey as a mom, I’ve experienced many, many joy-filled moments. It’s truly a blessing to have five children. There’s laughter and comedy going on in our home all the time.

But…there’s also a lot of pain that’s been written into my personal story as a mother. The most terrifying night of my life happened this past year as I held my then 4-year-old son in the pediatric intensive care unit.

I thought he was dying right in front of me. As the tears filled my eyes, I thought he was dying even as I held him up in my arms struggling to help him in any way that I could while the nurses and doctor did their job to save his life.

By God’s grace, David survived and ultimately underwent a bone marrow transplant. He’s doing well now, but there are bumps along the way. And these little “bumps” that at times steal my joy because of their ability to turn into “mountains” are hard to live with.

But I’m not in control.

God is steering this ship.

I was reminded of that and so many other wonderful things about motherhood and what our kids need from us as moms as I read through the book by Angela Thomas, 52 Things Kids Need from a Mom.

After I finished reading this particular book, I thought it would be a good idea if I shared a post about the tips and ideas that I walked away with and started putting into practice in my own life.

Here’s My Top 7 List:

1. The little things matter. Turning down beds at night. Talking to your kids like they are fascinating. Getting to know their friends and treating their friends like family. Touching your children. It all makes a difference. Seemingly tiny acts of love can speak volumes to those on the receiving end of it. The little things matter.

2. A private family blog is a great idea. Why did I not think of this sooner? Instead of hoping your kids will remember important facts, special events, and even fun stories about your family, why not document it for them in a private a family blog?

Birthdays, where you were born, your family tree, and that vast wealth of knowledge you’ve gained over the years…why not put it all into a blog? A blog that is NOT public. A blog that is only for your family’s eyes to see. When I read about this concept in Angela’s book, I thought: this is genius!

3. You set the tone in your home. It’s true. Our children do not set the tone and frankly, they should not be allowed to set the tone in our homes. They’re kids. They should be following our good example. Yes, as moms and human beings (and sinners!), we will fail at this sometimes, but ultimately, setting the atmosphere in our homes is our responsibility.

4. Share your family’s “highs” and “lows” around the dinner table. This idea wasn’t one of the “52 things” but it’s something that Angela’s family does that really stuck out to me.

Basically, you go around the dinner table, and have each member of your family share one high point and one low point about their day. Our family has started doing this, and we now look forward to hearing each person’s response. You may even be surprised by what you hear.

5. Just keep praying even when you there’s no such thing as “quiet time” in your home. When I only had two kids, it seemed like having quiet time with the Lord was relatively easy. I could read seven chapters a day in my Bible. I had a PRAYER CLOSET that I would visit often. I had it together. 😉

Then I had my third child…and the wheels fell off.

Truthfully, since then, I haven’t been able to get back to the place that I was at with my quiet time as when I only had two children. And that’s perfectly okay. Angela reminded me of this and encouraged us moms to just keep praying around our kids. Praying in the same noisy room that they’re in (just because they want to be with us) is sufficient.

6. It’s okay to do something extra-special for your kids every once in awhile. Plan an over-the-top birthday party for the birthday child, even if it’s just your immediate family that’ll be celebrating with them. Make a homemade Valentine’s Day card. Go on a special outing. The possibilities are endless, but remember, this is only an every-once-in-awhile event.

7. Make much of God, and your kids will notice. In Angela’s words, “Our kids need moms who will teach them that no matter what and no matter where, God is a really big deal.” My greatest joy in life would be to see all of my children come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and that they’d each walk with Him.

So that’s it. Those are 7 things I took away from reading the book 52 Things Kids Need from a Mom — a book that was given to me by my mom. 😉

I’d love to hear anything you’d like to share from your motherhood journey!

This blog post was originally published in 2014.

Family Fun

How to Create a Great S’mores Bar

Here’s a list of the foods I included in our S’mores Bar:

S’mores Trail Mix Recipe

Here’s the recipe:

Easy S’mores Bar Clean Up with Wet-Nap Wipes

Here’s My Top 7 List:

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