Grab this free letter E printable! (This post contains affiliate links.) Free Letter E printable - E is for Elephant! We happen to have a large supply of dot stickers from my teaching days. These are fun to use and easy to find (check any office supply store). So I designed a page with larger circles to give my boys practice forming E's with one of their favorite things: stickers. On the day I took these ... Read More
Meatloaf Deluxe
This comforting dish is a favorite for all of us. Our 12-month-old absolutely devours it. I made some adjustments to this recipe. Deluxe Meatloaf serves 6 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup ketchup + 2-4 tbsp 1 can kidney beans: rinsed, drained and mashed (I run them through the food processor) 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 cup oatmeal 1 celery rib, chopped (if you have it) 1 tsp ... Read More
Egg counting mats
Today I'm sharing some free printable counting mats! (This post contains affiliate links.) Free printable counting mats I created these free printable counting mats and laminated them so that my three-year-old could fill the nests with "eggs" - brightly colored gems I bought at Michaels. He did really well with the nests up to five. After that he needed my help. Such a pretty activity for spring! P.S. Due to a ... Read More
A Simple Sensory Bin for Letter E
We've just launched our first letter exploration! We started with the letter E because it is one of the easiest letters to form. Find out what we did with this simple sensory bin for letter E. Here are the things we came up with: letter E stamps toy elephants envelope egg (play food) eight (puzzle piece) plastic Easter egg toy eagle eyes (Mr. Potato Head's) ear (Mr. Potato ... Read More
How to teach the alphabet to preschoolers
Are you wondering how to teach the alphabet to preschoolers? Or just looking for ideas? You'll find hundreds of ideas for playful learning at The Measured Mom®. My oldest had a fascination for letters before she could talk. Even though she didn't even call me Mommy until she was over two, she knew all her letters and added the sounds as soon as she could talk. Her younger brother picked them up just as ... Read More
Healthier Peanut Butter Cookies
I believe that making cookies with Mom should be a part of every kid's childhood. I also believe that making giant batches of sugary cookies isn't good for anyone -- and especially not for me. So I am always on the lookout for whole grain, low sugar recipes to enjoy with my kiddos. And I don't make giant batches of cookies because they will not stop calling to me until I've eaten every last one. If there are ... Read More
Black & Brown Burritos – A meatless main dish
This is a recipe I found in the newspaper a few years back. We use considerably less spice than is recommended so that our kids can enjoy this dish, too. This is a budget-friendly main dish and one I can often make with items I have in the freezer and pantry. Black & Brown Burritos Serves 8 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves minced garlic chili powder, to your family's taste (up ... Read More
A simple play dough idea: get out the craft items!
(This post contains affiliate links.) Giving our kids time with play dough is important. (Here are six reasons why.) We've recently made play dough a regular activity at our house (after a time of keeping it locked away for this mom's sanity!). The other day we made a new batch of play dough using this no-cook recipe, and the kids had fun using craft items to make their creations. My oldest two (ages 5 ... Read More
Whole Grain Muffins
Looking for a new recipe for whole grain muffins? I found this recipe on the back of a package of Bob's Red Mill wheat bran and tweaked it just a bit. These are soft, hearty muffins full of whole grain goodness. You can find the original recipe here. Whole Grain Muffins makes 12 muffins 1 cup wheat bran 1.5 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 ... Read More
An indoor game to burn energy: Hunt for exercise cards!
We've had a string of very cold days here. The deal is that my four-year-old really needs an energy burner when he doesn't get outside. I created this simple indoor game to burn energy for him and his five-year-old sister. I make a series of index cards with an instruction to perform some kind of exercise -- each card also states where to find the next one. It gets the kids running all over the house and ... Read More