How to Make To-Die-For Nutella Rice Krispie Treats: Keeping Style In Your Life

May 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Nutella Rice KrispieTreats - ExtraordinaryMommy.comOur Summer Vacation officially starts this Friday.  I can hardly believe it.  My small people are going to be home with me for an entire Summer.  I know they are counting down the days.  If I’m honest, I am too.  That doesn’t mean I don’t fear the refrain, “Mooooommm…… I’m BORED!” because within a few weeks (days) I’ll certainly be hearing it.  While I want it to be up to THEM to use their imaginations, to head outside and to play with each other, I am well aware they will rely on me to guide them at times as well.

My small people do LOVE to get their hands dirty and make delicious treats in the kitchen – especially if I let them sample along the way.  One of our favorites (it has actually been a HUGE favorite of mine since childhood) is the classic Rice Krispie treat.  Now…. the truth is, no one has ever been able to make them as well as my grandmother did and it has been a long time since she was able to make them for me…. so, I thought it would be fun to find a recipe with an alternative spin that my family and I would LOVE.

And I did: Nutella Rice Krispie Treats. They are extraordinary. Just watch:

This recipe is from the amazing Chef In Training.

What treats to you make with your small people over the Summer to keep little hands busy (and tummies happy)?

This video is part of my weekly ‘Keeping Style in Your Life’ Series… a new one comes out every Monday.  For past videos, see below.

Hair Tutorial: Create Quick, Easy Beach Waves

10 Ways to Tie a Scarf

Organize that Kid’s Room

Healthy Smoothie Recipe

5 Must Have Fashion Items for Your Winter Wardrobe

Hair Tutorial: Quick & Easy Double Braid and Fishtail Braid

Wine Tasting: 6 Amazing Red & White Wines for $15 or Under

How to Organize Your Home Office in 10 Steps

5 New Spring Fashion Trends for 2013

Make Guests Feel Comfortable In Your Home – 5 Tips

How to Make a Braided Bun

How to Make Perfect French Toast

How to do a Sock Bun

Make it a ‘Yes Day’ With Your Kids!

5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Redecorate a Room in Your Home

How to Do a Fancy Ponytail Twist

 

This video was shot and edited by my good friends at Pounds Media. 

Pounds Media

 Disclosure: As you likely know by now, I am proud to have a long term working relationship with Kelloggs, though, as always, all thoughts, opinions and true love of Rice Krispie Treats are all my own.

Filed Under: Fashion and Style, Featured Content, Lifestyle, Recent Posts, Style In LIfe Tagged With: , , , , ,

Every Kid Deserves This Kind of Carefree Joy….

April 12, 2013 by 2 Comments

I spent one morning last week doing one of my very favorite things in the whole world: sitting on the beach and watching my small people play.  For me, the beach is a sensory experience – the second I arrive, I’m overwhelmed by goodness.  I love the salty smell, the sounds of the waves hitting the shore, the feel of warm sand between my toes and every time I’m mesmerized by the sight of the ocean as it exhibits the power that only it can.

KidsBeach

Living in the middle of the country means we don’t often have the luxury of this sensory overload – and as my small people hit the sand and take off like mini-beach-missiles, I find myself, once again, longing to live on the coast.

They run.

They jump.

Kids Beach Delaney Leap

They dance.

They leap.

They pitch sand. (of course they do).

coop pitch beach

They construct sandcastles.

And play beautifully with each other.

They sprint to the water and race to me, fingers speckled in the gold flecks that I have only ever seen here in San Diego on Coronado Island.

KidsSand Dollars

Screams of, “I’m rich!” punctuate the soft whoosh of the waves as the tide moves in. And then they are gone again, compelled to catch the gold as though it will buy them out of the years of school they have in their future.

But then they discover a plethora of sand dollars.  And by plethora, I mean more than I have ever seen in one place at one time.  Big ones,  medium sized and teeny-tiny – all flecked with the same gold that decorates the sand.

Sand dollar

Now THIS is rich.  King Neptune has coughed up his treasure, drizzling it on the shores of Coronado for my children to gather, sand sliding between their fingers as they pick up one, then two, then a third… struggling to juggle their bounty in little hands.

And I am stuck. They are like wild children – their energy boundless.

I’m lucky.  A witness to their joy. They are in love with life. And it loves them right back…. the sun, the surf, the sand… kissing their hair, caressing their toes.

Sea lion
I marveled at their amazement as a baby sea lion waddled from the surf just feet away from us, taking cover in the nearby rocks.

I’m mentally capturing this moment, trapping it like time in a bottle.  It is always here that I am most reflective. I can hit pause and reset.

Where does their energy come from?  Can I have some?  Why can’t all kids have what they have?

Watching them overwhelms me with gratitude.  And reaffirms my resolve to both push them to grow from carefree small people into big people who effect change and care about the world around them and to continue to model that behavior for them.

Share BreakfastI think more kids deserve to have the same energy… the same carefree love of life.  Funny to think it can start with something as small as breakfast, but it does. By now, (if you’ve spent any time on this site) you know child hunger is something I have written about many times and you also know my family and I are big fans of Kellogg’s – not only for breakfast, but for the work they do to SHARE BREAKFAST with hungry kids.  It isn’t just what they put on our table in the morning, but what they do for kids who need the same kind of energy my small people already have.  This is my second year working with Kellogg’s and I’ve been delighted to watch the progress of the Share Breakfast campaign…as I write, they are this close to being half way to their goal of donating one million breakfasts to children in need.

And one of the most extraordinary things about Share Breakfast?  You can help simply by spreading the message.  Tweet the message.  Pin it.  Watch the video with the amazing celebrity Taye Diggs.  It is estimated that one in five kids is hungry.  ONE IN FIVE.  That is absurd.  If they are hungry – they don’t have the energy to play and experience joy they way my small people were doing on the beach.  And they definitely don’t have the ability to focus so they can learn in the classroom.

It’s so simple.  Click. Watch. And Share.

Thank you.

As I mentioned above, I do work with Kellogg’s, however, all thoughts and opinions on this site are always the reflection of my own opinions.

Filed Under: Extraordinary, Featured Content, Give Good Get Good, Recent Posts, Small people Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Share Breakfast With Your Small People and Other Little Ones in Need

March 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Joanna45Every morning my husband gets up at 4:30 in the morning and heads to the gym.  You might call him dedicated. Many do. Or crazy.  (I’ve done it) You might think his exercise regimen demands this of him, but what people often don’t realize is that his motivation is sleeping soundly as he wakes – one with freckles and chocolate brown eyes and the other a little blond guy who is currently missing three front teeth.

Jeff heads to the gym before the sun rises every morning so that he can be home to share breakfast with our sweet small people before they head to school each day.  I get them out of bed and dressed and as we head downstairs… there is their daddy, pouring milk on their cereal and cutting up fruit.  Instead of this ritual, he could be sleeping for an extra hour or more each morning and THEN heading to work to start his day, but this time is so important to him.

I can’t claim to be a morning person, but these three?  Are laughing, singing songs and telling jokes before I’m fully awake.  With everyone in a good mood, they share time, they share food and they share moments.  Sometimes, I just observe their banter, absorbing the calm before the chaos of trying to get out the door.  You know what I know? Many families don’t have this time.  Many dads don’t have the luxury of these moments – and there isn’t a single one he takes for granted.  He asks questions, quizzes them on past Presidents, and whips out multiplication flashcards.  He prepares their minds while he feeds their bellies, making sure they have everything they need to have the energy to learn.

Never for one moment have my children had to question if there would be enough for them to eat.  And yet one in five children have circumstances that are so far from what mine experience, it breaks my heart.  One in five children right here in the United States is hungry.

Hungry.

They, quite simply, don’t have enough to eat every day.  They head to school in the morning without breakfast, without the energy to focus and make it through the school morning.

For more than the past year now, I’ve been working with Kellogg’s and often talking about the beauty of breakfast in our home.  Today’s message is a little different.  I want to talk about Sharing Breakfast. Because Kellogg’s believes in the power of breakfast and its ability to give each of us – especially our small people – a great start, their ‘Share Breakfast‘ program with partner Action for Healthy Kids is working to change the number of kids who start their days without.

Screen Shot 2013-03-12 at 1.19.18 AM

And even better, you can help. And it is easy: it is some of what we do every day – Tweet or Pin or post a Facebook update.  When you do, use the #ShareBreakfast hashtag to help spread the message. Every time you do, the equivalent of one meal will be donated to a child.  .

Last week, I had the chance to chat for a few minutes with Actor Taye Diggs (Private Practice  - and one of my personal favorites, Stella Got Her Groove Back), the celebrity spokesperson for Share Breakfast.  His passion for this program is fueled in part by his role as a dad.  For me, making sure my small people are aware of the needs of others and that I model how to best to help is a priority.  Though Taye’s son is only a little guy, he did share with me a similar desire.

“We’re already planting the seed and as he gets older, we will introduce him to programs like this, because these are the types of things I think we are going to be involved in for the rest of our lives.  I think the most important thing to do is lead by example.”

Just look at the work already being done and the lives already changing…. this is Cypress Elementary in Kissimmee, Florida.

If you want to know a little more… this is a message from Taye Diggs…

Each time you watch and share these videos as well, you are ALSO making a difference.  As of this writing, the equivalent of more than 287,000 breakfasts have been donated.  The goal is ONE MILLION.  Will you help?  Watch a video. Share a video.  Tweet with #ShareBreakfast.  Post on Facebook.  It all helps – and it doesn’t cost you a penny.

Thank you for caring as I do.

I’m grateful once again, to be working with Kellogg’s.  I’m thrilled with the work they are doing to help hungry children and also – I’m delighted by the emphasis they put on breakfast – it is my children’s favorite meal. As always, all opinions and thoughts are mine alone.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured Content, Give Good Get Good, Recent Posts Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Family That Resolves Together… Reads Together, Plays Together

February 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

FamilyResolutions: Families that Play TogetherI woke up this morning as one little hand made its way across the top of my chest…seeking….slowly…stopping only as it honed in on the beating of my heart.  A warm body attached to that pint-sized arm snuggled up against my right side. To my left, a muffled, “I love my mommy…”,  sighed from another small person.

And in a flash, my New Year’s resolution to force these two babies of mine to stay in their own beds and let me sleep in peace dissolved into nothingness. In the dark, I felt more than I could see, his small hand opening and closing as it kept time with my heart.  I could only imagine he must have done the same as he slept within before he was born.  His blond hair tucked beneath my chin, I could smell his wanna-be boy, but all-baby to me.  I tilt my head towards my girl as she stirs, tossing her leg over mine, already fighting the alarm clock that has yet to ring, ‘nuggle, Mommy, nuggle…’ burrowing down in to me for comfort.

This is officially the only type of January morning I love.

Today, I resolve: I will let them stay babies – my babies – as long as they wish.  And together, we will make resolutions as a family.  We will resolve TO DO instead of resolving to STOP….

Here are the results of our family resolutions.

What about you and your family?  Have you set any resolutions together?

Here is our recap:

*Institute a monthly family game night

*Create a Family International Night – Dinner and fun to learn about different cultures

*Make a family effort to be more Organized and Tidy

*DEAR time – Drop Everything And Read

** and the one STOP – Small people want to try to stop fighting

We will follow up with these resolutions next month to see how we are doing… in the mean time – SHARE… what do you do to Play and Stay together?

I am proud to say I am working with Kelloggs for the year and they have encouraged me, as they do with breakfast and meal time, to slow down and spend quality time with my family.  This post is sponsored by them, though, as always, all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

 

Filed Under: Featured Content, Featured Videos, Parenting, Small people, Video and Vlog-It! Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Making Learning and Play Fun with Fruit Loops

December 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

Fruit Loop Patterns & Learning NecklaceBeing a mom is easily one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done.  My goals are constantly shifting, constantly changing.  I am always aware that I am shaping little minds and leading by example.  I want my small people to learn, I want to teach them to play.  I want to model good behavior… I want them to be kind.

I want them to look back on their childhood and know that they had fun.

And that they were loved.

I don’t doubt that I am accomplishing this. (on most days, that is) But I have always loved to challenge myself to combine a few goals at a time – what if I could play with them AND teach them something at the same time?  Now that they are a little older: what if I could treat them to something they love and have them work creatively together as brother and sister at the same time?

When they were little bitty, I loved to come up with games that helped them to learn – counting, colors, sorting – while having a ‘reward’ at the end.

Kellogg’s recently asked us to work on a project together: Use one of their cereals, Fruit Loops, to ignite kid’s colorful imaginations.  I asked my small people to not only help me create the project, but to showcase it in action. Delaney even named our game:

Spectacular Fruit Loop Patterned Necklaces

For ages 3-5
You will need: Ribbon any color
Ziploc bags
Fruit Loops – of course.

Measure the ribbon 12-18 inches depending on your child (adult tie a knot at one end)


Have your child or children sort the Fruit Loops by color and choose TWO.

You can put two colors and one ribbon in a Ziploc bag for later play or to keep them separate.

Show your child how to create a pattern blue-green-blue-green or red-yellow-red-yellow, by placing each Fruit Loop, one at a time on the ribbon. (For more advanced play, choose three or four different colors).

Once the necklace is complete, adult can tie a second knot, place it around your child’s neck as a necklace AND…. voila!  A Fruit Loop Necklace.

Learning…. AND a treat.

Skills practiced and learned: colors, sorting, patterns, fine motor skills and finger licking :)

And yes… my small people couldn’t help but do a little snacking as they went.

Disclosure: I am thrilled to have a long term relationship with Kellogg’s which allows me to share projects like this with you.  As always, all thoughts and opinions shared on this site are mine. 

 

Filed Under: Checking this out, Featured Content, Motherhood, Parenting, Recent Posts, Small people Tagged With: , , , , ,

Share your Breakfast: Kelloggs Makes it Easy (and You Will Feel GOOD About It!)

December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Mornings in my house are a little chaotic. I’m sure you understand – there is a rush to get dressed, a rush to get out the door, a rush to find socks and shoes, and in the colder months – we are always on the hunt for sweatshirts, coats, mittens and hats. Just this morning, my small dude tried to opt for the socks he wore YESTERDAY.  I DON’T THINK SO, LITTLE GUY!

But no matter how limited our time might be, my small people never – and I do mean NEVER –  skip breakfast.  I know that their little minds and their little bodies need fuel first thing in the morning.  I know that they need energy to push them through the day, to help them concentrate, to allow them to absorb what they will be learning when they first walk through the doors of their classrooms. As a mom, you try to head off potential disasters for your kids – I know that my children can’t concentrate when they are lacking in two very important areas: sleep and food.

We are lucky.  Breakfast in our home in something we cherish as we know it isn’t a luxury all children have.  It hurts my heart to know that there are, in fact, so many children who DON’T have the opportunity to start the day this way.

In fact, one in five children head to school hungry.

Think about that for a moment. One in five. How many small people do you think you know who might not get enough to eat every day?

I think you know combating this problem is a passion of mine. I’m grateful to partner with companies who want to do something about it.  Since breakfast is SO important, Kelloggs has created the ShareBreakfast campaign and they have partnered with the fabulous Taye Diggs to spread the word.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Content, Featured Videos, Give Good Get Good, Recent Posts, Video and Vlog-It! Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Post-Hurricane Sandy Donation: Finding a Way to Help

December 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

So many of us are counting down the days to the holidays. Decking the halls, hunting for gifts and choosing pictures for cards.

But East of us, they are still picking up the pieces.  Still leveling homes, still looking for warm places to stay, still gathering the food needed for families to feel ‘normal’ again.  I still feel a tightening in my chest every time I see the pictures and the video from the wreckage left by Hurricane Sandy.  My heart still warms with every offer of help I hear, and with every outstretched hand I see offered.  Food and items were gathered from the four corners of the country and shipped in.  I wrote about the efforts, knowing some people wanted to help, but weren’t sure just how. When you are miles away, it is easy to feel helpless.

I have kept in close contact with many friends in New York and New Jersey. While Sandy may not be the lead story in the news each night anymore, the need is still there.  And I know every little bit you and I do even now, helps.

I have worked with Kellogg’s for this past year and was proud to see them step up as one of the first companies to donate.  They committed $500,000 to the Red Cross and Feeding America on October 30th.  Clearly, I don’t have the capacity to give in that manner, but I can take baby steps.  While working with Kellogg’s a few months ago, they offered me a year’s supply of cereal to give away here on the site.  After Hurricane Sandy hit, I requested to donate those boxes instead and wondered if there was anything additional they might be able to contribute.

On my behalf, Kellogg’s doubled the donation to a 2 year’s supply of cereal. Rather than just picking a food bank and shipping them, I wanted to make sure these boxes were going where they were needed.  Knowing my friend Dawn Sandomeno’s home city of Belmar, New Jersey, was hit extremely hard, I started with her.  After a few weeks and a series of phone calls, today, I spoke with MaryAnn LaGuardia, the head of the PTO at Lavallette Elementary School in Tom’s River, New Jersey.  While juggling the loss and leveling of her own home, MaryAnn has been handling the many donations that have come their way. Despite the chaos she must be experiencing, she was happy to accept the donation on behalf of her students.

Screenshot from Lavallette Elementary's Website

From Lavallette’s website:

Words could never express how kind and generous people have been to the Lavallette School as we work to provide positive light for our children during a difficult time. People from every corner of the United States have reached out with financial donations, supplies, and kindness to allow the Lavallette School to keep on moving forward during its 99th year.

I hadn’t seen this at the time, but this is exactly the sentiment she expressed to me when we spoke.  It is extraordinary when you consider the many faces, the many families impacted by this storm and how easy it is to help, if even in a small way.

I’m so very happy I was connected to MaryAnn and Lavallette. I’m honored to have helped in even a small way.  I would love to know if you have found any additional ways to help as well as any suggestions you might have for how we might continue to help.

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