Toms River Mom

Popcorn balls make a quick and easy snack or a special treat for parties and holidays. Take this basic recipe and tailor it to your occasion – the possibilities are limitless! Ask your child for ideas – this is a snack preschoolers can help make.

Popcorn doesn’t have a whole lot going for it nutritionally – it’s not high in nutrients except for some fiber. But it’s light and airy so popcorn treats can be big on size, but not big on calories.

How To Make Sweet Popcorn Balls
10 cups popcorn (about 1/3 cup unpopped kernels)
2 T butter
½ c brown sugar
¼ c honey
¼ tsp salt

Preparation time – about 15-20 minutes
Makes about 30 golf ball-sized popcorn balls

Click here to find out how to make them!

These are from Parent’s magazine. It is a few ways to attempt to calm down your toddler when he/she is acting like a teenager. We’re not ready for that…yet!

1. Give her a big hug or squeeze
2. Try a time-out
3. Look the other way
4. Offer an alternative
5. Never give in
6. Give her an ultimatum
7. Keep her busy
8. Find the fun
9. Change the location

Click here for more details on all of the above. Good Luck!

Spread the luck o’ the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day with a homemade shamrock stamp. Use it to decorate paper place mats, coasters, tablecloths, or anything else your little leprechauns wish to dress in green.

Materials

1. Heart-shaped cookie cutter (2 1/2 inches wide and long)
2. Potato, cut in half
3. Paring knife
4. Green acrylic paint
5. Paintbrush

Click here for instructions

What better way to find out what’s going on at Cattus Island. Click here to find out how to join their mailing list.  They will let you know when any events are happening.

Make a very simple musical instrument using a cardboard roll.

Materials Required:

1. Cardboard roll
2. Piece of paper lunch wrap – large enough to wrap around one end of the cardboard roll
3. Rubber band
4. Decorations – I used colored sticky tape and stickers
5. Single hole punch

Click here for instructions.

Help your child practice putting on and taking off winter clothes. You know they can do it. They know they can do it. Let’s get your kids to help more by taking off their coats and boots all by themselves AND have them put them away. Imagine that!

Click here for more lessons on coordination.

Parents.com reminds us that it’s never too soon to start setting limits and encouraging good behavior from your kid.

 

Too Young to Discipline?
When your 1-year-old screams for candy or throws food out of your cart at the grocery store, it’s hard to know how to deal with her misbehaving. After all, a child this age is still too young to be disciplined, right? Not quite. While tactics like time-outs or taking away privileges don’t work well on toddlers (they aren’t old enough to link cause and effect), this is actually a good time to introduce your child to the concept of right and wrong.

Hi, and Happy Easter. Well, almost! As I sit here hunting for March events for kids, I’m realizing something—there are a lot more events going on these days than there were a few months ago. To me, that means SPRING IS COMING!!! I can’t wait!

I’ve listed here a few fun Easter ideas as well as all of the Easter events I can find for families in and near Toms River. If you find any of your own that aren’t listed PLEASE send them to me at TomsRiverMom@gmail.com. Thanks so much.

Here are the Easter events I’ve found:

March 18, 2010 thru April 11, 2010 — The Easter Bunny will be at the Ocean County Mall.

March 20, 2010 — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Imagine That! Museum in Florham Park, NJ. Check their website or call (973) 966-8000 for details.

March 28, 2010 at 1PM SHARP — Easter Egg Hunt at Jenkinsons Aquarium/Boardwalk. All ages. Check their website or call (732) 295-4334 for details.

March 28, 2010 at 1PM SHARP — Easter Egg Hunt in Seaside on the Beach and Boardwalk. All ages. Check their website or call 1-800-Seashor for details.

April 3, 2010 — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the New Jersey Children’s Museum. All ages. Check their website or call (201) 262-5151 for details.

April 4, 2010 — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Ocean County Mall for Simon Kidgits members only. It’s from 9:00AM through 10:00AM. Reservations are requested. Please call (732) 244-8201 to register. Admission to the breakfast is $5.

Things you can do at your home for Easter!

Or, of course, you could have your own easter egg hunt! It’s fun. It’s easy. And the kids LOVE it! You don’t have to make it huge, just get a few of your close friends to come over with their kids. Make the hunt a BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket) so each kid has his/her own personal basket. Get small things and toss them in the yard, or the house if it’s too cold outside. (Although, most of the kids don’t mind the cold if there is good loot to be found). If they fit in easter eggs, great. But if not, that’s fine too. As long as they fit in the basket everybody’s happy.

Have some appetizers and drinks for the parents and snacks for the kids, and you’re good to go. You don’t have to do anything elaborate – just have FUN! If dad want’s to get more involved, throw a Easter Bunny costume on him and have him play with the kids outside, it’ll be a great photo op too!

Click here for some fun and funny easter egg hunt ideas.

Keep an eye on the Crafts page for fun Easter crafts that you can do for an Easter playdate, or any time!