Toms River Mom

Sweet Shamrock Pretzels

Aly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:01:42 +0000

Here’s a tasty new twist on the traditional St. Patrick’s Day shamrock — sweet green pretzels fashioned from canned refrigerated bread stick dough and coated with a sprinkling of colored sugar and cinnamon.

Ingredients
1. Canned refrigerated bread stick dough (we used Pillsbury Original Breadsticks)
2. Colored sugar
3. Cinnamon

Click here to find the Instructions

Sweet Popcorn Snacks

Aly — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:49:23 +0000

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!

The best tantrum tricks

Aly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:37:46 +0000

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!

Give her a big hug or squeeze
Try a time-out
Look the other way
Offer an alternative
Never give in
Give her an ultimatum
Keep her busy
Find the fun
Change the location

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

Shamrock Stamp

Aly — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:07:02 +0000

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

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

Click here for instructions

Join the mailing list at Cattus Island

Aly — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:00:14 +0000

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. Related posts: Head over to Cattus Island Welcome to TomsRiverMom.com Scavenger Hunt at the Island Heights Library Related posts:

Musical Kazoo

Aly — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:00:52 +0000

Make a very simple musical instrument using a cardboard roll.

Materials Required:

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

Click here for instructions.

Daily Lessons – Coordination

Aly — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:58:06 +0000

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.

Secrets to toddler discipline

Aly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:23:35 +0000

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.