Free Superbowl LI Printable For Kids Who Do You Think Will Win? & Party Game Plan

Superbowl LI 

Print out your 2017 Superbowl LI Free Printable. Get into the excitement this Superbowl! Who is going to win? Have the kids guess!

If you are celebrating this Superbowl here's the full-proof game plan.

PREGAME

Have the kids help you with your spread. Put out popcorn, chips, dip, crudités with ranch dip, charcuterie spread of grapes, berries, goldfish crackers, cold-cuts, & cheese. Set up a drink station of beer, soda, and water.  

1st Quarter

Coin Toss - Heat up the appetizers, and set them out. Prepare cheese dips for Nachos, bake mozzarella sticks, bagel bites, meatballs, hot wings, and other tasty fares to snack on. Get your appetizers out to your guests!

Half-Time

Plan to set up your buffet away from the TV. If you have a dining table, or counter, set up the hoagies, sliders, pizza, chili bars, and salads to feed your party.

3rd Quarter

As the game is winding down, clear out an area to set up desserts and set up a tea and coffee bar. Think cookies, cupcakes, brownies, rice crispy treats and other delicious ideas!

The best part of Superbowl? Enjoying the game, the commercials, & time with your loved ones! It's also a great time to find pockets of time to catch up with your teens, and little ones while the game entertains your guests. These are the memories and traditions that your family will remember.

Free Chinese Lunar New Years 2017 Year of the Rooster Coloring Sheet

Lunar New Years 

Print out your 2017 Chinese Lunar New Years Coloring Sheet. Add as much RED as possible, since that is the LUCKY color during this holiday.

This year is the Year of the Rooster. How will you be celebrating? There will be Lion Dances, Parades, Fireworks, and lots of cultural activities.

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè | That's how you say Happy New Year in Chinese - Mandarin 

Wishing you all a Happy & Healthy New Year!

Celebrating Happy New Year Count Down! Free Printables

New York City's New Year's Eve Celebration is on the bucket list of many. Print out the Time Square Ball on Card Stock. Slice the 2 dotted lines. Cut out the countdown strips on the printable below and slide the strip through as you count down HOURS or MINUTES or SECONDS.

Wishing you all a Happy & Healthy New Year!

The Heavyweights: Nintendo 3DS XL vs. Nintendo New 3DS 2016

We have enjoyed our Nintendo 3DS XL, 

Yoshi edition as our portable gaming device. 

It might lack the Amibo NFC Reader, but the screen size, 

the battery life, and convenience of

the Nintendo 3DS XL is bar-none.

This 2016 Black Friday all the major retailers were offering

Limited Edition Black or White Mario Edition 

Nintendo New 3DS for $99.99.

How do the 2 compare?

Here's my 3DS XL and the Black Mario Edition

New Nintendo 3DS offered for Black Friday 2016.  

Nintendo 3DS XL (not the new 3DS XL)

4.88 inch autostereoscopic 3D display 

and a 4.18 inch touch screen

Dimension 156 x 93 x 22mm weighing 336g

1,400mAh lithium-ion battery

Nintendo New 3DS

New Cover Plates

3.88 inch autostereoscopic 3D display 

and a 3.33 inch touch screen

Dimension 142 x 80.6 x 21.6mm weighing 253g 

1,700mAh lithium-ion battery

NO CHARGER

Built In Amibo NFC Support

C Stick For Enhanced Control

Improved Processing Power than 3DS

Some Detailed Reviews on 3DS XL new and old, 

and new 3DS:

expertreviews new 3ds vs new 3ds xl whats the difference

via IGN's Review New 3DS XL vs. 3DS XL vs. 2DS Comparison_Chart

Comparing the two, the smaller New 3DS really looks sharp, 

the size is compact, and the screen quality are sharper 

and an obvious difference to the 3DS XL. You can feel how much faster the processor is on the New 3DS. The upgrade makes the portable gaming experience 
feel smoother and faster.

Kids and people with small hands will appreciate

 the compact size. The removable face plates are 

cool to customize. The best part is if you can locate one, the Black Friday price of $99.99 is a great entry point for a sleeker portable gaming.

9 + DIY Best Lego Minecraft Birthday Party - Free Printables

Minecraft and LEGO has been the kids passion at our home. 

Starting this year, we have a SPECIFIC Birthday Theme request from our kids and it starts with:

LEGO Minecraft

There are tons of Minecraft ideas on Pinterest as well as LEGO ideas, but for a LEGO Minecraft itself, the choices are dearth.

Party Invitation

For our invite, we were inspired by Delia Creates Lego Party Delia Creates Lego Party.  You can download a blank invitation and add your customized type. It prints out 4 x 6.

LEGO Banners

We had made Name Signs at Pottery Barn Kids a few years ago. You can make your own as a 3D sign for the party or photograph each letters and print them out, see below.

Minecraft Signs

Minecraft has wooden signs that you can customize. I saw some signs that were printed and wanted to customize my own so I created these below. I also added a blank one you can customize yourself. Print out 8 1/2" x 11" signs.

TNT Mentos Diet Soda Explosion

One of our fun scientific experiments was Mentos and Diet Soda. We saw lots of parties utilizing this and wanted to incorporate it into our party. It takes 2 of these print outs to wrap a 2 Liter Soda, so print 2 copies on 8 1/2" x 11" paper.

Don't Eat Steve!

I fell in love with Delia Creates Don't Eat Pete print out. Inspired by her beautiful LEGO version, I created Don't Eat Steve LEGO Minecraft.

You will need to print out the board below on an 8 1/2" x 11" paper. 

To play you place candies like smarties, gummy bears, fruit snacks, etc. Choose 1 person to be IT. Have them leave the room, and the rest of the players get to decide which image is PETE/STEVE. The person who is IT is asked to return and picks and choose each candy until he/she chooses the candy that was designated PETE/STEVE. The person who's IT has to stop eating. The game resets and a new person gets to be IT. 

Minecraft Fortune Teller - Happy Birthday!

I also fell in love with Julianandco.com Minecraft Fortune Teller Valentines print out. Inspired by her beautiful Minecraft version, I created LEGO Minecraft Birthday Fortune Teller-complete with 3 more languages wishing your special someone a Happy Birthday. The Chinese character is pronounced - Shēng rì kuài lè.

You will need to print out the fortune teller below on an 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Cut it out and go to Julianandco link above to fold the fortune teller.

I hope this gets you jump started in Party Planning! Good Luck and Happy Planning!

FOR PERSONAL PRINTS ONLY

FREE PRINTABLES

Save The Images By Right Clicking

8 1/2" x 11"

4" x 6"

Skylanders SuperChargers for Apple iOS Requirement

 

 

What do I need to get started playing Skylanders SuperChargers for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch?

To experience the full Skylanders SuperChargers experience, all you need is the Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The Starter Pack contains:

• Skylanders SuperChargers Video Game
• Wireless Portal and Wireless Gameplay Controller
• 2 Skylanders SuperChargers – Spitfire and Super Shot Stealth Elf
• 1 Skylanders Vehicle – Hot Streak
• Collection Poster featuring the complete set of Skylanders Superchargers and their vehicles
• Compatible with: Apple TV 4th Generation, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5/5C, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPod touch 6, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2. Minimum storage required:3G

amazon

How to Buy Skateboards for Kids

View image | gettyimages.com

Kids love skateboards, but before choosing their first skateboard, take some advice from the local skateboard shop. The first rule? Avoid skateboards from Walmart, ToysRUs, Target, those skateboards, like bikes are toys and not proper gear - so no favorite characters. You can stick stickers on the skateboard if that is any consolation. The second rule was to make sure to avoid water with your board. The last rule we were imparted was to take and make sure to hold onto our skateboard. If you aren't watchful, it's easily stolen.

The easiest thing you can do, when looking for the first skateboard is to look for skateboards that are complete, which means that it comes with a 1. Deck Board 2. 2 x Trucks 3. 8 x Bearings 4. 4 Wheels 5. Hardware 6. Risers (which help pad absorb and protect the deck from the trucks) 7. Grip Tape. Skateboards sold as Completes basically means that the skateboard is sold with all the parts and depending on the shop can be ready to go and assembled, or just shipped with components for you to assemble yourself.

Most parents purchase gear, not sure if their kids will like skateboarding, so keeping it simple with a budget is a good game plan. The first part about buying a skateboard is the Deck size. You can get a mini Deck which can start at 7.0. If you can check out your local skate shop, you can have your kid step on the board to see if that works for them. From our experience, the 7.0 looked too small for our kid who wears about size 13 shoes and is about 3'10", so in our case, we were looking for a 7.37 to 7.50 Skateboard Deck. Some kids can ride larger decks, but have them test them out on a practice run, if the shop will let you.

You can also build a skateboard, but that means researching for a decent brand of skateboard decks, purchasing 2 x Trucks, 8 x bearings, 4 wheels, 1" Hardware that takes Allen or Phillips tool, a Grip Tape, and you can further add 2 x Risers.

Next, you have to think about Protection for your kids, that means Helmet, as well as Knee + Elbow Pads + Wrist Guards. One good quality brand for all that is Pro-Tec. 187 Killer Pads are also well endorsed by Pro Skateboarders. If you stop in at the local skateboard shop, take a look at what they sell, and that will give you an idea of what you want to buy. Both Pro-Tec as well as 187 Killer Pads come with a Youth or Junior pack that fits young children.

We purchased our complete skateboard at tgmskateboards.com + they got our skateboard to our kids in time for skateboarding camp. We had asked if they can assemble the board for us, which they did.  Woo-Hoo! We also got a bunch of stickers from them. Overall, we are pleased with TGM Skateboards, and will go back to them again for our future purchases.

We liked the graphics from World Industries, and went ahead with this board as our choice. Our earlier picks were not available. When we got our board, it was a solid skateboard and our kids were happy with the skateboard. 

world industries complete character stripe 7.5

The rest of the gear, helmet, pads were from the local skate shop. We got really good service and the employees were very nice, answering all of our questions.

So if your kid is interested in Skateboarding or if you want to start your kid with good gear so that he can properly learn how to skateboard, give them a solid skateboard, and let them show you what they can do.

Watch your 6!

Summer Camp Planning | What's in your Summer Camp BAG?

View image | gettyimages.com

We are just finishing up our summer camps and I must say, prepping for camp is exciting, and we get to do it all over again for fall, this school year.

Do you have morning drop offs? How do you get them in their day clothes, pack their gear, feed them breakfast, slather them with sun block, and get them to camp on time?

So what's your plan of approach? At our house, we pack the kids clothes the night before. Some camps have kids wear clothes for special theme days, so check their calendar.

If your kids go to camp with a backpack or bag, please empty them when they get home. You do not want a wet swimsuit, nor find anything smelly to forget about.

If your kids are going to sports camp, please take out their gear, clothes, socks, and such and spray Lysol so their gear doesn't breed bacteria. For my kids, I've been spraying with this Natural Spray made with 1/2 cup of witch hazel + 7 drops Peppermint + 7 drops Tea Tree Oil

Keep a checklist and go through the list as you prepare for the morning crazy rush.

In the afternoon, make sure you have ice cold drinks, snacks, and such when you pick them up.

Optional Items: Aloe, Sunglasses, Lip Balm, + First Aid are great to bring along.

One of the mother's blogging mentioned that she packs BodyArmor drinks that she gets from Target that she packs for her kids.

Body Armor She finds Gatorade to be too sugary, and BodyArmor drinks for me, taste like Honest Drinks version of a sports drink without all that sugar.

For snacks, grapes that are kept cold, bananas that are also kept cold, or crackers, are great items to pack for your kids.

Have a Happy + Safe Summer!

Tea Eggs & Me

http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2009/09/tea-eggs.html

http://globetrotterdiaries.com/recipes/chinese-tea-eggs

A simple way to eat eggs. These can easily change up the hard boiled egg option for brunch. For the tea lover, it's another way to enjoy tea flavors, savory style. No need to make Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern to try these, they are not scary at all.

Sunday is my Fun Day! Art Gifts for Loved Ones

Instead of buying a gift, this Holiday, I'm thinking of making art either a photograph or a silhouette of my children and placing it in a frame.

-henryhappened has this great DIY for creating silhouettes of your children.
HOW TO MAKE SILHOUETTES OF YOUR KIDS

-jaimemoorephotography has these fabulous photos where her daughter posed as these famous life-changing women. not just a girl 

Menu Planning

Crazy as life in our home usually is, it is also full of happiness and laughter, and spending time together at home, sharing a meal is the warmest part of the day.  No matter how busy, we tried to mix things up from home-made to home cooked. We have been lax with our carbs this week, hence the mac and cheese and bagel bites/pizza, but next week, we will do better.

Here's our work week menu:

Monday Lunch Oatmeal, Chia Seeds, Flaxseeds, Almond Butter, Frozen Berries

Monday Dinner Turkey Burger, Turkey Bacon, Salad, and Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday Lunch Bagel Bites

Tuesday Dinner Dinner out with Friends

Wednesday Lunch Fabio Vivani's | Baby Spinach Tomato Tortilla

Wednesday Dinner Oven Baked Breaded Cod Fish with Parmesan Broccoli (Boiled Broccoli with freshly grated Parmesan)

Thursday Lunch Steamed Artichoke with Dip A Kid Friendly Steamed Artichoke Recipe

Thursday Dinner CPK Pizza Frozen

Friday Lunch Annie's Mac & Cheese with Broccoli 

Friday Dinner Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Spaghetti Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Dreaming of Soft Boiled Eggs

Soft Boiled Eggs

4 Large Eggs

Season with Salt & Pepper

Fill a medium size pot with water and bring to a steady boil. Add eggs and cook them for exactly six minutes, maintain the heat at a simmer, then drain and rinse them briefly in cold water.

To leave the egg in shell, hold the egg vertically, the narrow side down, with a paper towel to shield you from the heat, tap a spoon or knife around the circumference, about 1/2" below the top so you can remove the shell and serve with a spoon.

Serve with toast

Top Eco Friendly Gift Guide for Father's Day

Digital Subscription of NY Times

Digital Experience so your dad has the times at his fingertip, whether he is waiting at the airport, commuting, or just sitting in his favorite chair catching up on the latest news. He will love the access as well as not having to corral all those loose newspapers for the weekly recycle pickup.

Before They're Gone: A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks by Michael Lanza

Give your father a gift of adventure. This book is a memoir about a father and his children on a one year trek. Facing the unknown as a family adventure, this book will warm your father's heart, and maybe you can plan a visit with him to see an animal, witness the changing environment, or visit a park that has it's natural inhabitants facing extinction.

Jack Black 'Double-Duty' Face Moisturizer SPF 20 8 oz $48

Protect Dad's face with Jack Black products. Double-Duty moisturizes and protects the skin, although SPF of 20 isn't enough, you should still add sunscreen, but it's great to have some SPF protection rather than none. Dad will love the quality of the product.

Bulldog Natural Skin Care

All-Natural Skin Care Products that is based in UK. Their products eliminate the synthetics such as parabens, sodium laureth sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and artificial coloring. Dad will love the feeling of great skin care minus the synthetic stuff. You'll love how great he looks!

Panasonic ES8243A

Stop your father from throwing out all those disposable razors! The Panasonic ES8243A is a top shaver for your dad's daily grooming needs. It works dry or wet, and provides a close shave as equivalent to the Braun's top electric razor for a better price. You'll father will love this as a tool for his daily grooming.

Novara Forza Bike - 2013

Recreational cycling provides a workout and appreciation for the great outdoors. Your dad will love it for the freedom the bicycle gives him and will love a date with you out on the road.

If your father enjoys a day on the green, you can surprise him with Dixon Golf Balls. They are 100% recycled, although they won't break down, if you send it back to Dixon, you can allow them to recycle the used balls and receive a discount or credit for it. Dad will love that they are performance driven balls, and that he is using balls that used recycled materials.

Review of Dixon Eco Golf Balls

Dixon Golf

Eco Friendly Golf Tees from ecogolf

Mirimichi Golf Course

For the ultimate surprise, book a trip to Tennessee to experience Justin Timberlake's Eco Friendly Mirimichi Golf Course. Situated 15 minutes away from Memphis, Tennessee.

Top 10 great places to go for the green — and be green

Also, for those whom wanted to know, US TODAY's article on how green is golf? is linked below.

How Green is Golf?

Milton S976 Dual Head Chuck Service Gauge

If your father loves all things cars, such as driving, commuting, or enjoys cruising, an excellent Tire Pressure Gauge will help him save money by keeping his gas mileage in check by letting him know if the tires are properly filled. He'll love you for your thoughtfulness. You'll be happy knowing you saved him money and help being eco-conscious.

goPoint Technology GL1 OBD-II

This cable will allow you to connect to your car's On Board Diagnostics (OBD) data to your apple product- iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. You run the app and find out the status of your car. Fixes that pesky DTC gas cap warning message. Your father will love this tool for car maintenance. 

Solio Solar Power Charger

Your dad will love having power in his pocket wherever he is when the sun is available. Solio's updated charger even charges Apple products, great for camping! The ultimate Eco-Friendly gadget for the tech loving dad.

shwoodshop canby sunglasses

Sunglasses made from sustainable wood is the perfect Eco shades for your stylish father. He will love how it protects his eyes from the sun, and looks good too!

Clarisonic Mia Graphite $119

Take care of dad's face with the Clarisonic Mia. It keeps his face smooth, clean, and healthy by lightly exfoliating and is gentle enough to use daily. He can bring it with him into the shower. Dad will love his healthy fresh and clean face.

Kikkerland Ace Bottle Opener

Sleek bottle opener that looks great at Dad's personal bar, or at his office. He can fantasize about life in the Mad Men era with the drinks, the cocktails, and this cool bar tool.

Appreciation Gifts: End of the Year Teacher Edition

ENVIROSAX Super strong, holds 44lbs

As the school year is coming to the end, you can give the gift to your child's favorite teacher for an amazing year.

REI Lunch Cooler $17.50

Gifts that focus on R&R is always a hit! It's Summer Time, so after a year of rushing to work, your hard-working teachers deserve to enjoy the summer and relax and recharge. Give a cooler or reusable shopping bag packed with some summer time fun like ice-tea cup, some magazines, sunscreen, bug spray, or a beach towel.

"Thank you for quenching my knowledge."

You can gift Teas, Green Teas are great for the anti-oxident properties! or Breakfast, Black Teas, Iced Teas, etc.

"Thank you for helping me grow this year." 

Plants are a nice useful gift. You can give a basil plant in a pretty terra cotta pot along with a recipe for pesto or bruschetta. Any other herbs can work too, like mint, parsley, lavender, rosemary, dill etc.

Cosmetic or Toiletry bags are great for your teacher. It comes in handy for traveling, or day to day organization. You can get it monogrammed or fill it with tissues, band-aids, and wipes. Also, you can pack it with bath salts, scented soaps, and a travel size lotion, tooth-brush, paste, and mouthwash.

Add a photo of your child with THANK YOU! or a note written and signed by your child.  Below is a sample note and a link for older children.

Thank you teacher from a young child 

Dear Mrs Smith,

Thank you for being my teacher. I enjoyed your class very much and most of all liked your art lessons. 

You were always very kind to me and helped me with my reading.

Thank you.

Examples of Thank You Note for Teachers

It's always appreciated by these hard working men and women who's passion each day is to teach children. To teach with relentless energy, love, and possess such amazing work ethics, they are the true heroes. A small gesture of appreciation is the least any student or parent can do.

Screen Free Time with Your Kids

Time at home with younger kids require lots of activities. Rule of thumb is 1 hour of TV iPad iPhone Game time per day, but I find myself reaching for some sort of video distraction, while trying to get my child to eat, or as I do some cooking, cleaning, showering, etc.

If the weather permits, a trip to the park is always a great idea. Packing a soccer ball, a bike, or scooter, or other outdoor toys makes a trip to the park a good one.

At home, a section with construction paper and a pair of scissors (child-safe and blunt) is a great activity. Playdoh with all it's shapes and tools is another busy activity.

For rainy or wintry days, a game of indoor basketball, we use a beach ball which we throw into an empty hamper as an indoor-friendly version keeps the kids happy and active. Also, a blow-up punching bag, weighed down with sand is another energy buster. When in doubt, play some music and dance and jump around! That is always a mood buster.

You can also provide quiet time with books, Legos, and even sit down and do an impromptu reading. If you are spontaneous, the simple action of changing things up is always a trigger for FUN!

The main idea is to play with your children, sprinkle the day with active and quiet time, and hopefully by bedtime, they will be worn out from the days activities!