How to Keep Kids Safe Online

 

I am really excited to announce that Mommy and Things has teamed up with the computer guys at TechKnowBase.com to give parents of children of all ages some advice on how to keep your kids safe online!

You know all those scary stories about kids you hear on the news? The ones you don't even want to think about? And then your heart gets heavy and you just cringe thinking "what if"? Do a quick count: how many WiFi enabled devices do you have in your home? Smart phones, tablets, iPads, laptops and desktop computers are all included. Some devices you may not even know are capable to connect to the internet, like smart TV's, iPods and even some GPS devices! Your child has access to all of these devices, and since you cannot supervise what they are doing 100% of the time.. we need to learn how to keep our kids safe online!

The internet contains a lot of harmful sites and inappropriate viewing material for children. Children can be easily persuaded to give up their address, phone number or even pictures of themselves. Children 1-18 can have a lot of freedom on the internet and you might not even know. With sites like YouTube it easy to get away from the original video you were watching and onto a completely different video, something that may contain nudity, violence or cursing. Many apps for smart phones or tablets will contain adds, so while your child might be playing a friendly game an add for a dating website might pop up. And all those website that you child goes to play games; they can have chat rooms built in or ask for credit card information. Some sites acknowledge that kids will click on anything, a disguise ads to look kid-friendly, but when clicked downloads a virus onto your computer.

So how do you keep your children safe online? Should they be allowed to have a computer in their bedroom? What are the signs that your child has been viewing inappropriate content? When is a child old enough to have a social media account or talk to friends in a chat room?

The article on TechKnowBase.com answers all of the above questions, as well as giving you a list of kid-friendly products that can help with minimize the chances that your child will run into pop up ads or be able to view inappropriate content!

Click here to view the article "Keeping Kids Safe Online"

 Why you are on their webpage make sure to leave a comment and join the discussion:

When is a child old enough to have their own phone/computer/tablet?
When is a child old enough to have a social media account or talk to friends in a chat room?

What method do you reccomend to keep kids safe online? 

If you haven't heard of TechKnowBase before, they are a great website devoted to giving free information and tutorials on anything computer related. If you are having any kind of problem with you computer visit their question and answer page here, and see if they can help you out! Hopefully this is the first of many articles that Mommy and Things and TechKnowBase team up on! 

-Megan from Mommy and Things

Halloween Snack Mix

This is so easy! I feel in love with snack mix over the summer! My little girl loves all the different ingredients! It is so much better than giving her plain cheerios or pretzels! I love doing festive things around our house, it makes the holidays all the more festive! We made a 4th of July Snack Mix and it was a HUGE hit! We love to make a big batch, seal it in an air tight container and use it to snack on until its gone! It also makes a festive and expensive gift! I love the idea of sealing it up in a mason jar type container and adding a festive Halloween ribbon to it! So this is less of a recipe, and more of a suggestion. Add in whatever you like and omit what you don't.. it is just that easy!

Just mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and store in an air tight container!

Suggested ingredients:

Cheese Crackers

Salted Peanuts

Pretzels

Reese's Pieces Candy

Caramel Popcorn

Honey Nut Cheerios

Cocoa Puffs

Candy Corn

Mellowcreme Pumpkins

Source: Munchkin Munchies

Fall Scented Playdough

I love all the Fall scents! Our house has been covered in pumpkin spice air fresheners and candles! So what better than Fall scented playdough?? Making homemade playdough is at lot cheaper than buying it! Plus you can great scents like PUMPKIN SPICE, that you just can't find in any store! This is a great recipe and it is so easy to make! I love Learn Play Imagine, they always have great activities for kids of all ages and this is one of them! To make the playdough, you start off by making a base recipe and then add other ingredients for the color and scent!

Ingredients for the base playdough:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 cup boiling water

Ingredients for Fall scents and colors:

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Ground Cloves

Apple Flavor

Liquid Watercolors (or Food Coloring): Orange, Green, Red, Yellow and Brown

To make the playdough:

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and cream of tartar and stir.

Add the vegetable oil and stir again. 

Next, stir in the according color and spice for the playdough you are making. 

Finally, add in the hot water. Stir until the dough has cooled, then you can knead with your hands. 

Then, just store you playdough in an air tight container to make it stay soft! 

Color/ Flavor Combos:

Pumpkin Pie - Orange

Candy Apple - Green

Clove -  Red

Nutmeg - Yellow

Cinnamon - Brown

Source: learnplayimagine.com

Free Fall Printable

 

I am so excited about Fall this year! We have many fun activities and crafts planned to do with the family.. The only thing is that it's almost October and it's still hot outside! I'm ready for jacket weather! This fun fall printable adds to the festive decor in your house with the large pumpkin in the middle! Of course I am going to obsess over pumpkins this year! As soon as the pumpkin farms open around here, we will have some all over our house.

Go to Craft Girl to download and print your Free Fall Printable! A great way to display this is to add it to a nice frame!

Also, go print your Free Fall Bucket List and check off all the must do fall activities!

Family Movie Night: Beauty and the Beast

 

This weeks movie night will be... Beauty and the Beast! I seem to be sticking with the Disney Princess theme here! Each week I will be making a new Disney themed movie night! Be sure to follow my blog on Google +, Pinterest, Facebook or subscribe with your e-mail address to get updates on all the other movie nights to come! Each Disney Movie will come with themed recipes, a free dinner menu printable, decoration ideas, crafts and activities! Disney themed dinners are so much fun to do once a week, or once a month! They are great as countdowns to a Disney Trip! Your little one's will look forward to the movie nights each time! Make sure to check out all the other movie nights here!

Click here to download and print your free Beauty and the Beast Menu! Make sure to set it out for dinner, I love the idea of framing it!

1. The Menu: the menu is made to give your child a well-balanced healthy meal, making sure they get there veggies in! Below each course is listed and described with links to suggested recipes! The menu from this week is taken straight from the song "Be Our Guest" in the movie!

"Hot Hors d'Ouevres": If you don't know what an hors d'ouevre is, it is basically French for appetizers. Since the song doesn't specify an hors d'ouevre to serve, we can use our imagination! You could always buy some frozen savory pastries, like quiche, or spinach puffs! If your kids are very picky about what they eat, chicken nuggets or pigs in a blanket would work good too! And because everything is French, how about some French Fries? Browse the Mommy and Things appetizers and dips for ideas!

"Soup Du Jour": Otherwise known as French for "soup of the day". Again another item from the song. Keeping with the French theme, a French Onion Soup would be nice. Or to go the easier way, you could always buy your child's favorite soup or even spaghetti o's! Look in my recipe section for other soup ideas! Serve your soup with a nice side of toasted French Bread! Browse the Mommy and Things soup's for ideas!

"Cheese Souffle": Another item from our song! A lot of people hear souffle and think it's too hard to make.. it's really not! Since the souffle is cheese flavored, most kids will love it! Here is my recipe for a great Cheese Souffle!

Sparkling Grape Juice: This will be our substitute for the wine and champagne they serve in the song! When I was a kid, we would buy sparkling grape juice, in either red or white for New Year's Eve.. and I looked forward to it every year! Having sparkling grape juice or even sparkling cider for kids definitely makes it a special day!

"The Grey Stuff": "Try the grey stuff! It's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!" If you have never heard of the "Be Our Guest Restaurant" at Disney World.. you need to look it up. I have never been there, but it looks amazing! And of course the serve "the grey stuff"! Basically its a cookie n' cream mouse! All the copycat recipes sound amazing! And this will definitely make your kids feel like they're eating at the Beast's Castle. Here is a copycat version of Disney's "The Grey Stuff" from the Be our Guest Restaurant.

Magical Rose Shortcake: You can't have a Beauty and the Beast themed dinner, without seeing the magical rose! Doesn't it look amazing! The best part is, you can buy all of the ingredients and won't have to bake anything! Or you can try your hand at making homemade shortcake or even cupcakes, but still make the strawberry rose on top! Click here to find out how to make the Magical Strawberry Rose Shortcake.

2. Crafts: Do the crafts with the kids throughout the day to prepare for your family movie night! Make sure to bring all the crafts to the dinner table, to add to the decoration and show off their masterpieces! 

Coloring: A must for every movie night! Pick out a few of your favorites, let the kids color them and be sure to hang them on the wall for decorations during dinner! These are my two favorite free Beauty and the Beast themed printable coloring sheets from Coloring-Book. Go pick out your favorites, print and color!

The Magic Mirror: decorate a magic mirror for with your kids! An easy way is to buy a dollar store hand mirror, and get some jewels and a few of those foam cutout stickers. Help your child glue the jewels on, decorate with glitter and add some foam cutout stickers. You could also make your own at home, using some card board (or even a cereal box cutout) in the shape of a mirror, and glue on an oval piece of foil to act like the mirror. To decorate this one, the could color with markers, paint and add the jewels, stickers and some glitter. 

Tissue Paper Stained Glass: In the beginning and end of the movie, we see the story being told through stained glass pictures. As a craft, help your child make a few easy stained glass shapes of their own to hand on the windows! This craft is so fun and adds to the decoration for dinner! The stained glass shapes are shown in hearts, however any shape or tissue paper color combo will work! Click here to see how to make theses Easy Tissue Paper Stained Glass Shapes!

 

3. Decorations:

In the movie, Belle and the Beast sit down for a fancy dinner, complete with china, cloth napkins, candle light and wine glasses to drink from! Make your dinner as fancy as possible! You can put out a single rose in a glass vase as the "magical rose", light a few candles and use your best dishes. It might even be fun to play some French music in the background and to have everyone dress up for dinner!

Have your guests join you for dinner! If you have a Lumiere (candleabra), a Cogsworth (a grandfather clock, or even a wall clock), or a Mrs. Potts (tea pot) set them out on the table and have them join you for dinner. If you would like, you can cut out faces with construction paper and tape them on the candle, clock and tea pot to make them look real. Don't forget any dolls or stuffed animals of Belle or the Beast would be welcome to come as well! 


4. Activities:  

Belle's favorite activity is to read. Pick out a few of your child's favorite books, and read to them. If they are old enough, let them read to you!

If your kids are old enough, teach them some simple French words and practice using them at dinner! Here is a list of very simple words/phrases:

Oui (yes)
No (pas)
S'il vous plait (Please)
Merci (Thank You)
Je m'appelle.. (My name is..)
Excusez moi. (Excuse me.)
Plus (More)

  

 Be sure to check out last week's movie night, The Little Mermaid and more here!

Are you loving these family movie nights? Be sure to follow Mommy and Things by following us on Goggle +, Facebook, Pinterest, or subscribing with you email address to make sure you get the updates on the new movie night each week! 

What should next week's movie night be? List some of your child's favorite movies in the comment section for a chance to have your favorite movie selected as next weeks movie night!

 

Disney's "The Grey Stuff" Copycat Recipe

 Photo Source: amomblog.com 

"Try the Grey Stuff! It's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!" The recipe at the infamous "Be Our Guest" Restaurant in Disney World, may be a little more complicated, but the recipe is so similar and has had rave reviews! Basically, this is an oreo mousse! Yum! This recipe is paired up with the Family Movie Night: Beauty and the Beast!

Photo Source: attractionsmagazine.com

Ingredients: 

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 1/2 cup milk

15 regular Oreos

1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping

3 tablespoons instant chocolate pudding mix

edible pearl sprinkles, for garnish

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the vanilla pudding mix and the milk with a whisk. Set in the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes. 

Place the Oreos in a food processor and blend until they are fine crumbs with no chunks. 

Take the pudding from the fridge and mix in the Oreo crumbs. The mixture should be a dark gray/black color. Then, fold in the container of whipped topping. The color will be lighter. Next, mix in the chocolate pudding mix and stir until completely combined! 

To serve: using a cake decorating bag and a Wilton 1M Star Tip. Swirl a small amount onto a dish and  top with a few of the pearl sprinkles. An alternate serving style is to swirl a small amount on top of a graham cracker to make it look more like it does in the movie! 

Source: The Disney Diner

Tissue Paper Stained Glass Hearts

 

Tissue Paper Stained Glass Hearts.. such an easy craft! With a little help from an adult, almost any age would be able to make these! I love this craft as a Valentine's Day decoration! This craft was featured in the Family Movie Night: Beauty and the Beast post, make sure to go check it out!

What you will need:

Tissue paper in pink, red and white

Construction paper in pink, red and white

Clear contact paper

Scissors

Instructions:

Begin by cutting the pink, red and white tissue paper in 1/2  to 1 inch squares. A little goes a long way, so don't cut too much!

To make your heart shape (or any other shape), fold a piece of construction paper in half and cut half of a heart, this makes sure that both sides are equal. If you want to try another shape, just cut the folded construction paper into a half circle, square, oval or star. While, the construction paper is still folded, cut a parallel shape about 1 inside the shape. This will create heart shape with a hallow center. 

Next, open the heart and center it on the contact paper. From here the kids can fill the inside of the heart with the cut tissue paper. Be sure not to put any tissue paper outside of the shape border. 

After your child has finished decorating the heart shape, place another sheet of contact paper on top. Press on the contact paper to seal, making sure they are no air bubbles. Cut around the outside of the shape, leaving a small amount of contact paper to keep the shape in contact better. 

After your shapes have been cut out, hand them on the window! They will look beautiful!

Be sure to check out the Family Movie Night:Beauty and the Beast for free printables and other Beauty and the Beast inspired recipes, crafts and activities! 

Source: Wee Folk Art

Julia Child's Cheese Souffle

Savory souffles are great for a main course for a brunch or dinner, or in a smaller portion as a side dish. This cheesy souffle is made with both Swiss and Parmesan cheese! With such a delicious flavor, this is the perfect kid-friendly souffle! Don't worry about making this dish, it's pretty much failure proof! The recipe is actually a Julia Child's recipe, no recipe can ever be bad when it has her name on it! This dish was paired with The Family Movie Night: Beauty and the Beast, be sure to check it out!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
a pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Butter either 6 souffle cups or a straight-sided baking dish (a small circle casserole baking dish) with 1-1/2 of the softened butter. Dust the inside of the baking dish with the Parmesan cheese, making sure to knock out the excess. 

In a large sauce pan, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour, stir the mixture constantly for about 2 minutes. The butter and flour should foam or froth up. Remove the mixture from the heat and beat in the hot milk. Then simmer over medium heat and stir slowly until thick, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the paprika, nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Slowly add the egg yolks in one at a time, whisking in between. 

Whisk the egg whites, to stiff, shinning peaks. Then, whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the sauce pan to lighten it up. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites into the sauce a little at a time, alternating with some of the Swiss cheese. 

After the eggs and cheese have been completely folded into the sauce pan mixture, scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish(es), and place the pan into the oven. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. When finished the top of the souffle should be browned and it will have puffed up about 1-2 inches above the rim of the dish (this may not puff up so much in a larger baking dish). The dish needs to be served immediately, and the puff will start to flatten after a few minutes. 

Source: Cooking Weekends

Pumpkin Spice Latte {Starbucks Copycat}

Everyone has been raving about Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte this year! But why go out and buy one when you can make your own at home at a less expensive cost! This Starbucks copycat recipe of their Pumpkin Spice Latte is very similar to the real one! Try it out and let me know what you think! Happy Fall! 

Ingredients: 

2 cups milk (either half & half, whole milk, reduced fat or skim) 

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree

1-2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-4 shots of espresso OR 1-4 ounce of strong coffee
whip cream (optional topping)

Directions:

Brew your espresso or strong coffee. To make strong coffee you can double the amount of coffee grounds that you normally use. 

In a small sauce pan, combine your milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Heat until simmering, but do not boil. Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla. Using a blender or milk steamer and blend or steam until frothy.

Pour 1 cup of the pumpkin milk into a coffee cup and add 1-4 shots of espresso OR 1-4 ounces of strong coffee. Top with whip cream and dust with additional pumpkin pie spice.  





Source: Key Ingredient 

Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese

This sandwich is a new twist on a old favorite. It's sweet and fruity, surrounded by crunchy toast! There are great things about the breakfast food: its so easy to make and you can make it with any kind of fruit! Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches.. such great possibilities!

Ingredients: (Makes 4 sandwiches)
8 slices sandwich bread
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened 
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoon butter
0.75 cup fresh blueberries (or any fruit)


Directions:
Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. 

Mix together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. 

Make like a grilled cheese: Butter one side of each piece of bread. On one piece of bread (with butter on one side), spread the cream cheese mixture onto the other side. Place the bread, butter side down and cream cheese side up, on to the skillet. Place a handful of blueberries onto the sandwich, and top with another piece of bread, butter side up. Cook for about 5 minutes on one sides, then flip and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. 

Comment below: which fruit do you use in your Breakfast Grilled Cheese?

Source: Once a Month Meals

Easy Pepperoni Pizza Balls

These little appetizers are so good! They perfect addition to any football party! They make a fun little snack for the kids! The best part is they are so easy to make and taste great! Serve these along side a warm marinara sauce.


Ingredients:
3 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 per can)
56 pepperoni slices
Block of cheese (Colby and Monterey jack)
1 egg, whisked
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
1 jar pizza or marinara sauce


Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the block of cheese into about 28 squares.

To make the balls, flatten out one of the biscuits. Stack the pepperoni and cheese on top. Gather the edges up to make make a ball shape. Lay the pizza balls, seam side down on to a greased 9x13 pan.

Once all of the balls are formed, brush the tops with the whisked egg. Sprinkle the top with generous amounts of parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, and garlic powder. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve with warm pizza sauce or marinara sauce





Source: The Gunny Sack
 
 

Crispy Edamame

This recipe is so easy to make and the fact that's it healthy makes it even better! I normally make this an hour or two before dinner, sort of as an appetizer, or just as a snack! I have heard of some people eating these instead of popcorn during a movie! And I know why, they are that good! This is a healthy snack everyone will love! 

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package shelled edamame

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the powder kind)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, rinse edamame under cool water to thaw and drain.

Spread the beans onto a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil. Then, sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt and pepper.

Bake until the cheese is crispy and golden, about 15 minutes.

Source: All Recipes 

Disney Movie Night

DIY Seaweed and Barnacle Backdrop

Looking for decoration ideas for your next sea themed party? Try this super easy barnacle backdrop that uses streamers and cupcake liners! These would also look good in a few different shades of green!This was used as decoration inspiration in our Disney Movie Night: The Little Mermaid!

What you need:
Variety of shades of streamers
Silver foil cupcake liners


Here's what you do:

1. Just hang some streamers of all different sizes as a backdrop to the table or over the table for an underwater feeling! 

2. Flatten the silver cupcake liners and glue them to some of the pieces of streamers.

 For more sea-themed crafts see Ariel inspired Salt Dough Starfish Necklace!

See Disney Movie Night: The Little Mermaid for sea-themed recipes, crafts and activities!

Source: Chickabug