Pizza with Pazazz

Gavin's Snake

Not that you generally need a way to make pizza more appealing to kids, but here's a fun way to eat their favorite food with a little more pizazz!  I let the boys each pick their favorite animal and viola...we had an alligator and a snake calazone!

Supplies:

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Pizza Dough
• Pizza Sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Any desired toppings (pepperoni, etc)
• Olives for eyes (although I had to cheat because I ran out...mine our kidney beans :)
• Scissors
• Rolling Pin

Directions:

1. pick and animal (snake is the easiest because it doesn't have legs)
2. roll out long oval about 4" wide by 12" or more long. Try to make the dough about 1/4" thick
3. spoon a thin layer of pizza sauce only down the center of the snake...DO NOT GET SAUCE ON THE EDGES OF THE DOUGH!
4. Fill with cheese and other toppings
5. Carefully stretch dough over and pinch it to the adjacent side (should look like a long pot sticker)
6. Roll the snake body so the pinched seam is underneath
7. Coil the snake in a circle leaving the head slightly apart from the body
8. Pinch two eye holes and insert olives or beans
9. Take a pair of scissors and snip little "v's" into the top layer of dough. Be sure to not cut into the middle part or your fillings with bake out of your snake
10. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-20 min or until golden brown 

Enjoy

Gage's Alligator

Say Cheese!

Pictures are worth a thousand words! If you are a parent, they are worth more than that, but what about your kids? What do they think pictures are worth? My guys are head over heals with the idea of documenting all of their daily excitement. They love to look at past photos, take photos and play photographer. I'm not here to lecture about putting together baby books (partially because I'm still working on Gav's and he is 4), but I am here to advocate that you let your child experience the joy of capturing their loved ones on film. Nowadays, thanks to the camera phones, taking pictures has never been easier. My kids are better at working all of my electronics than I am and they haven't even entered grade school yet. Here's some of the best ways to have your child help capture special moments and they'll gain a new respect for how hard it is to get a great photograph.

Photography Opportunities:
1.) Let them take a picture of their birthday cake and guests.
2.) Pet Perks: Animals almost always look great and are always doing crazy stuff. Let them snap away as Fido runs through the sprinklers or snoozes in his favorite bed.
3.) Family: I give the camera to the kids and tell them to take pictures of each when they do things that they think are fun, that they love, or that are silly. Nothing says fun like a silly face contest...print them off and vote for a winner :)
4.) Vacation: Everything looks different from their point of view. Have them take some pics and you'll see. Example: I could not figure out what in the world Gavin was snapping away at the grass for...turns out it was a tiny little spider on a blade of grass...How he saw that while walking past I'm not sure, but it was the cutest thing I ever say (him talking to the spider telling it to hold still, not the actual spider)
5.) I Spy: Great for practicing how to use a camera and making sure the picture is in the viewer.
6.) I LOVE: This is my favorite game ever and I mean EVER! I gave the boys the camera and told them to take pics of things they love and they surprised me. Here are a few of the things the love...I hope you love them too!

"I love that our sissies love each other"

"I love my Gagey laughing"

"I love her cute little nose dots"

"I love my sissy in my hat"

"I love hiding in pillows"

"I love sharing with my baby"

Gage and Gavin's Hospital "We love the hospital that made Addy can come home!"

Paint Perfect

He's soo excited I couldn't get him to hold still!

Yeah Spring has sprung! What better way to gain back sanity than send the kiddos outside for hours of entertainment with minimal effort. My boys love this activity, as did I when I was little. A special thanks to my mom for the great idea!

Supplies:
Old paint brush (several styles if possible)
Bucket or paint tray if using a roller
water
food coloring

Directions:
Fill the bucket or tray 2/3 full of water and add 2-4 drops of food coloring. Turn the kids loose to paint wooden fence, deck or even stucco. Beautiful part is that as long as the color isn't vivid you can't see it when it's used. The wetness makes the wood appear dark then dries the same as before.

Sparkle Their Creativity

Spark their imagination and creativity with this recipe for
 homemade sparkle puffed paint. The best part about this recipe is easy clean-up. OH and let's not forget the time it frees up for you to enjoy a cup of tea in peace!

Gage's Rainbow Fish

Gavin's Puddle

Recipe:

1/3 c. Flour
1/3 c. Salt
1/3 c. Water
Food Coloring

Directions:
Place everything BUT WATER into a small ziplock bag. Seal the bag and shake until mixed. Add water and reseal the bag. Kneed the bag until paste inside resembles yogurt (add water if needed). Repeat this step for all colors until you have several colored bags of paint. Lastly, snip a small corner off each bag. Option #1: use the bag as is like a pastry bag to sqeeze the paint onto stiff paper (I like to use cut up grocery bags or cereal boxes) and allow to dry. Option #2: Squeeze the bag into empty glue bottles and recap.Use these make-shift bottles to paint. Allow picture to dry.