Summer Wednesdays are the best! Our team of bloggers is sending you great projects to do alongside yo ur children this summer. This week Amy has an amazing collapsible playhouse to share. How perfect is that? Kids can create and play, and parents can have the freedom to collapse the house when it needs to be stored away! I can imagine my children loving to decorate and get inside this creation.

Also, I love Amy's unique design and special attention to the interior space. The house looks like a little jewel box.

Save your refrigerator and moving boxes for this project! We'd love to see your creations.

If you've missed a post in the Endless Summer Series, here's what we've done so far:

Jen made a free printable banner for the last day of school! We created abstract art with tape. And Alexandra crafted a scavenger hunt that is ready to go.

School ends on Friday here, and we're excited to dig in to even more Endless Summer Projects! Have you made your summer bucket list yet?

xoxo, MJ

Hello friends!

It's the last week of school around here, and I feel like we are barely limping across the finish line. I want to share and reshare these great ideas for how to end your school year with fun and celebration! Here are three activities we're doing this week to make the start of summer a treat.

Teachers are busily signing these sweet books for each of our children. I'm keeping them a secret (shhh!) until their high school graduations, but I love reading the thoughts from special people in their lives. I did a post on this project if you want to try something similar for your littles.

We're making final thank you presents for the best teachers and attaching these tags. By the time the end of the year rolls around, these hard working individuals could use a laugh and an extra treat. Click on over here to get your own set of printables to add to your gifts. They also make great final lunchbox notes for the students in your life.

If you're looking for a quick, meaningful, but inexpensive final gift, try crafting some of these chalkboard frames for your teachers. We've made them the past few year, and they've been a big hit.

I have this printable from Classic Play all ready to go for my preschooler and big kids to run through! There's nothing like the feeling of crossing the finish line and accomplishing another year. I wonder how I ended up with a 4th grader - yikes! But I'm so excited to have them in summer mode to enjoy the warmth and sunshine together.

Have any great ways that you're wrapping up the academic year and welcoming summer? We'd love more suggestions!

xoxo, MJ

One of my most favorite activities ever? A scavenger hunt. My favorite birthday party (in 6th grade) was a complex scavenger hunt that my dad and brother planned for me. And for my husband's last birthday (which falls on April Fool's Day) we planned a silly scavenger hunt for him to find his presents.

Scavenger hunts pique curiosity and extend problem solving skills in wonderful, new ways. I'm so delighted that Alexandra has decided to make one as part of the Endless Summer Projects series! And I mean make the entire hunt for you, ready to go, just press print.

My preschooler has his final day next Thursday (before his big sisters do), and I'm planning this adventure to kick his summer off the right way! Hop on over to Alexandra's blog to get the hunt for yourself!

And if you missed them, catch up on our first two posts in the Endless Summer Projects series!

We have something really great up our sleeves for next week! We'd love to see what you're doing this summer, too! Share your projects using the hashtag #endlesssummerprojects, and we'll show off your creativity.

Have a bright one, friends!

What are you planning to do this summer with the kids? Water parks or amusement parks? Day trips to historic monuments? Camping? How about hitting the local art museums!! They can be a whole lot of fun, too. Kids and art are a fabulous pair.

And art transforms us, while helping us remember who we are. It defines us as human beings and sometimes even elevates our handiwork to show a sliver of heaven and Divine creation.

But even with all that beauty and awesomeness in an art museum space, a family excursion to a quiet, clean, monitored space can sometimes be a total disaster or at best a giant headache. Today I'm sharing our ideas on how to make these journeys peaceful, enjoyable, and can I even throw in... inspirational? Well, let's start at peaceful.

1. FEED AND HYDRATE EVERYONE FIRST

I know it's an obvious, but it deserves its very own point. Do not take children to a museum and expect them to have energy to walk and interest to look unless they are hydrated, fed, and relatively rested (that goes for the adults, too). Hitting the sculpture garden with a cranky, crying, tired child will leave you beating your head against the wall.

Enter the excursion with a sense of energy and enthusiasm and time it well. Early morning and mid afternoon can be a wonderful time to explore art. Side note: make sure you hit the restrooms before hiking up the stairs to the Renaissance wing.

2. DO YOUR RESEARCH AND SHOW YOUR LOVE.

If you're going to a museum you've never been, take the time to learn the highlights and find your own must-sees. Your children will feel your enthusiasm and want to discover right along with you if you set the tone in the right way. It will also encourage your children to find their own favorites and show them off to you! Let them know you're interested in the art they love.

3. HIT THE GIFT SHOP ON THE WAY IN

Never would I have thought this was a good idea until I read this post from Gabrielle. So, we tried it. We went right in to the store (much to my children's delight), and it was a great way to see quickly the most

famous works in the museum. We had each child pick postcards of their two favorite pieces. With art museum map in hand, we made our way around to each of their picks and enjoyed what we saw along the way to these galleries. We then took each child's picture with their favorites, and these works became something personal and a special memory from the visit.

4. IF POSSIBLE, BRING YOUR SUPPLIES.

Many of the larger art museums ask that you check your bags. Smaller art museums are more flexible. When we can, we have the kids bring along their sketchbooks and colored pencils (easy to transport, harder to do damage). Whether it's on a bench or right on the floor, sitting and sketching can take the experience to another level for kids. Let them decide the art work that they want to draw and give them as much time as you're able to complete their finished piece.

Do you have any great ways to enjoy art museums with children to add to the list?

Let's get out there and explore these beatiful places... and bring our kids, too!

xoxo, MJ

Wayfair offers a zillion things home – the largest selection of home furnishings and décor across all styles and price points. For more information and inspiration, visit Wayfair and follow Wayfair on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest. Wayfair compensated me for this post but all opinions and project ideas are mine.

Welcome to week #2 of Endless Summer Projects! I'm delighted to team up again this week with my blogger pals: Ali, Melissa, Jen, and Amy. We taking our project to the big leagues this week with a large two foot by three foot canvas. Grab your favorite tapes and some scissors and let's get to work.

When my little guy L was an even littler guy, we took he and his sisters to the Art Institute of Chicago. They ate up all the painting and sculptures, but the wing of modern art was a favorite. At 2, L fell in love with this giant striped piece and ever since then I've been thinking about how to bring this idea to his space.

With all of the awesome washi tape and duct tape varieties now available, this striped project got a whole lot easier. The supply list is simple: a large canvas (the large scale can better handle the wide variation in pattern), tapes, and scissors as well as your favorite stripe lover. L is just a little bit bigger than this canvas, which was a fun way to note his relative age/size as we were creating this together.

We decided together that we wanted vertical stripes, and we began off center so that we could create a non-symmetrical striped pattern. You can predetermine the order of your stripes or do what we did and create balance as you go by making some of the stripes extra thick and others thinner.

Secure each stripe by extending the line to the back of the canvas. Perhaps the most challenging part of this DIY (though none of the steps would really be considered challenging) is making sure that your lines stay straight as you pull the tape down the canvas. Little hands can easily select what colored stripe comes along next and guide the roll of tape as you straighten and trim the ends.

Let's just say this project had us at hello, and L was so excited with his new canvas, even if it had one lone stripe. But we kept moving forward, mixing up the width of tapes as we added new colors to the canvas.

We had five different colors and a windy day, but all in all this project took us 30 minutes from start to complete in his room.

L and I worked together to hang our new artwork above his dresser. It already houses some Wayfair pieces! And I've been looking at these three as other fun additions to this big boy room (a fire extinguisher water hose is the best)!

Wayfair Firefighter Gear  + Whitney Bros Mirror  +  WallCandy Arts Mural

The finished art offsets L's very special items and pops all the bright colors in the room in a fun and festive way. L pulled out a classic quote on me while we were making this, "Mommy, whenever I look at this, I'll think of you and all the fun we had making this!" Awh. So sweet. How could I not give this kid something special?!

My blogger gals and I are hopping around today to show off our favorite picks from Wayfair for children's and tween's bedroom and playspace. Click on over and see the adorable ice cream supplies with Alexandra, the colorful picks at Lulu the Baker, the chic art prints at Classic Play, and all the animal love you could want at This Heart of Mine!

Alexandra Hedin, Lulu the Baker, Classic Play, and This Heart of Mine

If you missed it last week, be sure to grab Jen's printable summer banner for end of the academic year celebrations that kicked off our Endless Summer Projects series. Thank you all for visiting and sharing and enjoying time spent with your kids in the creation process!

xoxo, MJ

It's about that time to celebrate and relax with the opening weekend of summer: Memorial Day! Whether you're spending the holiday with oodles of family and friends or kicking back for a low-key day at home, I've found some of fabulous activities to enjoy the outdoors and togetherness.

1. Scavenger Hunts are the best! And this one by Play Dr. Mom combines the alphabet and searching, challenging young players to bring items from the outdoors to match up with as many letters as they can find.

2. Looking for a fast DIY for your backyard? Grab a dollar store shower curtain and some painters tape and make a jumbo tic tac toe board. Colorful frisbees make great markers, too! Check out how A Turtle's Life for Me put it all together.

3. Bucket toss is a classic in any arrangement. Pull out the rainbow hues and arrange at a close distance, in a triangle, or far apart to challenge the entire family. Apply numbers to buckets like they've done over on Gets Bored Easily to add another level to the toss game.

4. If your Memorial Day will bring high temps, cool off with some water balloon pinatas like these. Pool noodles make fun bats, too!

5. The poppy is a symbol of remembrance and is often linked to Memorial Day. These lovely flowers were created in a few simple steps - make these together for the holiday! Check out Bar's poppy project over on Handmade Charlotte.

What does your holiday bring? Are you ready to welcome in summer?

xoxo, MJ

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Nestle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia  #BreakfastEssentials http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

This time of year is getting a little hectic with end-of-the-school-year activities colliding with new summer interests. Our children are wrapping up dance, while starting up soccer, and finishing craft club, while beginning softball. But no matter what time of year it is, we have a pre-game, pre-performance ritual to get ourselves psyched!

A few years ago, my husband introduced a heaping spoon of peanut butter. Gratefully none of us are allergic and we all love it (plus it has some nutritional value), and we were easily convinced that a scoop of peanut butter would set us off on the right foot.

Some of our activities are beginning early these days, and my children are expected to be up and filled with energy right after breakfast.

I decided to take our ritual of mounds of peanut butter and transition it into a morning smoothie. My children love fruit smoothies and chocolate milk so it wasn't a far leap!

These were quick to make and little hands made everything more enjoyable. The recipe is simple using items you likely already have around. Here's what we used to create our Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Smoothies:

To add a little extra loving, I decided to make some straw notes to wish my favorite athletes all the best. It was a cute surprise to greet them at the breakfast table. M is our slugger in her second year of softball, and C is a big kicker in her second year of soccer.

I used flexible straws and attached our notes with some tape on the back. Be sure to tape right above the bend so that your straw can both reach into the glass and the note is low enough to make the straw functional.

Little L is not yet in organized sports or activities, but that didn't stop him from wanting a smoothie to start off his day!

I picked up the Carnation Breakfast Essentials at Walmart. For a limited time while supplies last, they have a coupon available for your own smoothie making. And if you're looking for more smoothie recipes, check out Carnation's host of ideas or follow them on Facebook.

And parents, of course, need a little extra success, too, so pour yourself a glass of these delicious creations.

Do you have any pre-game rituals that get your kids off on the right foot?

xoxo, MJ

I can hardly believe it! It's that time of year again?! Bring on the Endless Summer Projects! Jen, Alexandra, Melissa, Amy, and I have been working for months to put together a fun, creative collection of projects. Well, it wasn't all work...there was a fair amount of laughter, sharing, and good old-fashioned sarcasm thrown around to get us to today.

Over these next 15 Wednesdays, stretching us long into August, we'll be sharing some fabulous ways to spend time with your children this summer and soak up all the sun-kissed joy of summer!

Most of us are not yet into the official summer schedule. We have 19 days left of school (but who's counting, right?), and I'm always looking for memorable ways to celebrate the close of another year. Our typical tradition includes stopping by teacher's classrooms to thank them for a good year and enjoying a lunch out all together, since the last day is typically a half day.

Jen of Classic Play has a great printable banner ready for all of us to celebrate! Imagine the joy of your children breaking through the streamers as they run out for the bus or into the car.

Click on over to Classic Play to get the downloadable pdf and get it ready for your end-of-the-year party. I want to put one on our minivan and maybe one on their bedroom doorframe the morning of the last day.

What are your year-end traditions?

xoxo, MJ

P.S. I'm hosting next Wednesday's project, thanks to our friends at Wayfair. Grab a large canvas and some washi tape...

Anticipation of something amazing is almost as fun as the actual event, right? Well, that's certainly the way we feel around our house. I'm grateful that my children love school, but I also know that we are all ready for a break in projects and homework, a break in the weather, and a return to some of our favorite activities.

We try to mix in learning with our summer relaxation time so that our children realize again that learning is fun and a lifelong pursuit. About this time every year, as the school year winds down, and our plans for summer begin to solidify.

What do you want to learn this summer?

What do we need to make sure we do?

Where should we go?

It's summer daydreaming together, and it's also been a fun way to collect this moment in time for each of my children...as their wishes change so much from year to year and mark this special time in their childhoods.

I also love sharing what I (and my husband) enjoy about summer and what we want to learn and do. It's a great way to pass along our family history and also to open up little eyes to big possibilities.

Start your summer conversation now. I've got a handy printable that you can download and make a part of  your summer memories! Bring it to dinner or leave it at the breakfast table for your children to complete. And enjoy the conversation and the fun activities that result.

Our Endless Summer Projects series begins tomorrow, and it's going to kick off the fun in a really big way. Make sure you hop back to see what we have for you!

xoxo, MJ

May is a busy month with birthdays, year-end celebrations, sports, and Mother's Day! Sometimes special dinners out and shopping trips don't make the final agenda before Mother's Day. And though I sometimes enjoy the quite solitude when everyone leaves our home, I really love experiencing all of us together in this space - making and creating.

So why not craft together as an activity for Mother's Day? Or have your children to create alongside special grandmothers or aunts for a sweet Mother's Day experience?

This is an incredibly budget-friendly (slightly time intensive) craft that all three of my children enjoyed. Gather together:

• Paper (we chose rainbow and only used one piece of each color paper to make all the beads here)
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Glitter glue (really, any glue is fine, but glitter makes everything better, right?)
• Pencil or pen (to wrap the paper)
• String or twine for necklace/bracelet/anklet creations

First step? Cut isosceles (ish) triangles out of your paper. Ours were about an inch at the thick end. Here's the important next step: begin with the thick end and tightly wind the entire triangle around the pencil. We made different shapes by doing this. Some beads were exactly symmetrical, some looked more like cones or party hats, and others looked like a wobbly top.

As you get close to the end of the wrapped paper, squirt a dollop of glitter glue on the front and back of the end tail and graciously smear it all over the end and the rest of the bead. This will help secure the tight wrap and spread the glitter around the whole bead.

Once the bead is secured, carefully remove it from the skewer and let it dry for a few minutes before crafting further.

String your handmade beads for necklaces and bracelets that are one of a kind. You'll have the finished product made from little hands, and the priceless memory of the entire experience as a special Mother's Day treat.

Happy Mama's Day! And happy crafting!

xoxo, MJ

I am a big fan of silly jokes. I am not ashamed giggle at the ridiculous, and it's fair to say that my sense of humor resembles the age group I used to teach, ten-year olds. Since I've been out of the classroom for nearly a decade, my children get the brunt of my humor via lunch box notes.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, but any week (or day) is a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude to teachers for their creative work to open up the world to our children. Having spent a few years studying and working as an educator, I can safely say that (besides parenting), there is no more difficult task than guiding students.

And as a teacher, I loved getting the super thoughtful creations from my students and the super practical gifts from their parents. So why not combine the two?

These jokes make great additions to thoughtful giftcards to local coffee shops or craft and teacher stores. They can personalize a wonderful batch of cookies or a gift basket filled with gardening tools and succulents.

Maybe a big bag of stickers and stamps would be a nice gesture for a new elementary teacher? Or perhaps a box of delectable chocolates topped off with a funny?

Among our favorite gifts to make for teachers are these chalkboard frames. And these printable jokes would make a great card on the top and allow even the most timid of children to express the joy of gratitude to a great teacher.

Print out both pages of fun jokes that you can send along with a simple daisy from your yard or a generous donation of Scholastic books!

You can download page one of basic jokes here and page two with librarian and math teacher humor here.

If you share in the joy of silly childhood jokes, follow Pars Caeli on Instagram or Facebook and get a daily joke sent right to your feed (doodle is complimentary).

How are you showing the love to the teachers in your life?

xoxo, MJ

Happy Friday. Happy May. Popping by to share some fun news.

This is kind of awesome. The warm and talented Stacy of Kids Stuff World has invited me into the cozy guest chair of the 20 Must Follow Pinterest Moms. This space is inhabited by some of the most innovative, creative mamas on the interwebs, and, jeepers, I'm glad to be at the same party with these ladies. I've followed a majority of them for a while, and if you're hooked into my Mommy & Daddy School board or my Create with Kids, you've seen a lot of repins from these geniuses. It's also followed by nearly 250K interested individuals, and it's a delight to have my content out there for this supportive audience.

For the month of May, I'll be guest pinning post from Pars Caeli and sharing some of the great pins from these mommas just in time for summer prep.

I'm incredibly grateful to Stacy for this opportunity. I'm a small fish in this big pond but happy to swim along and learn as I go.

If you're a momma or an educator, click on over and follow the 20 Must Follow Pinterest Moms board. It's an active one so be ready for oodles of inspiration!

Do you know any inspiring moms out there that I should be following via Pinterest? I'm always looking for fresh and positive ways to approach parenting and to teach and learn alongside my children.

Have a bright weekend, friends! Coming at you on Monday with a little something...

xoxo, MJ

Friends! I have some exciting news to share!! Now is the perfect time to get excited about summer...and projects...and vacation...and extra time with our children. That combination of things doesn't always lead to shouts of joy and enthusiasm. But thanks to the fabulousness of four of my pals, we're going to turn the 15 weeks of summer into one big ball of fun.

Get psyched, lovelies, and join Melissa of Lulu the Baker (also BHG style spotter building her dream home), Alexandra of Alexandra Hedin (and those great Seattle TV spots), Jen of Classic Play (love her PBS series), and our new addition, the amazingly talented maker Amy of This Heart of Mine (the DIY-r behind so many Design Mom projects). I've been pinching myself, wondering how I got so lucky to work with these beauties, and I'm delighted that I get to share their minds with you! Treats all around.

Beginning May 12 and running every Wednesday throughout the summer, the five of us will be sharing cool projects to engage you and your children in the joys of summer loving. We're bringing aboard some fabulous sponsors and more than our fair share of suprises along the way.

Our first five weeks will star our Mini Makers, with activities that will get all hands on deck with some cool results. Throughout June and July will take the laughs outside for unique projects that will give you time to soak up some sun (SPF, please), and into August, we're making travel and vacationing something that brings on happy memories!

 

None of other than Jen Cooper of Classic Play designed our kicking ice cream cone logo. And guess what? She made it into these super cute baggies and temporary tattoos.

And as a special teaser to the Endless Summer Projects, she's showing us how to do the same today. If we're hanging out on Instagram later, you'll see my kiddos sporting some wicked cone tats.

Parents, what are you looking forward to about summer and, perhaps, a little extra time with your children?

xoxo, MJ

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Wet-Nap but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #showusyourmess  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Hello friends and a happy Monday to you! I'm excited to share with you a fun way to welcome spring and enjoy candy leftovers. Around our house, the Easter Bunny sent a few more Peeps and peanut butter eggs than all of us together can consume. This year, we used these treats in our own sort of welcome spring party. I know that it's been spring according to the calendar for quite a while now, but here in the Midwest the temperatures have finally turned warm enough for us to be outside doing our usual things - blowing bubbles, enjoying nature, and eating outside.

So we put together a S'mores Bar in a basket. And then we fired up the grill to roast our marshmallows. Each of my three children have distinct taste in s'mores (of course) so we added in a little something for everyone.

M, the oldest, adores peeps and can gobble an entire container in a sitting. She created a peep-chocolate-chocolate sauce masterpiece that was delicious and a whole lot of mess. *Don't try this at home unless you have clean-up tools easily accessible. We kept a Wet-Nap pack with us to make sure we could do a quick wipe of hands, faces (and even hair!).

C, our middle, is a huge fan of peanut butter cups (so am I), and she made her s'more with a peanut butter egg and marshmallow. In the end, she won for messiest with marshmallow on her face, hands, hair, and clothes!

L, our youngest, is not one for getting too messy. He's also not a fan of marshmallows. So, he created a s'more with chocolate bars and sprinkles. He pretty quickly ditched the graham crackers and had chocolate bars covered in sprinkles. It's a good combination - couldn't fault him there.

We topped off our s'mores eating with a great game of wiffle ball, and it felt like the hibernation is finally over! Welcome spring.

This week brings more sunshine, softball and soccer games, and some quality time breathing in the fresh air! Have you made any s'mores yet this season? It's never to early to make the delicioius combination.

xoxo, MJ

P.S. If you want to show off your messy ones and enter to win a $1,000 giftcard to Walmart and a year's supply of Wet-Nap click over to the contest that ends June 16, 2015.

P.P.S. Print a coupon while supplies last for any Wet-Nap product over here. I grabbed ours at Walmart because, well, they have everday low prices.

Hey friends!

I'm sharing some advice, a practice I generally try to steer away from, over on Bunny & Dolly today. PJ is the new momma to Asa (and the proud momma of Levi, too)! Big congratulations to her and her gorgeous family.

I'm going against my general rule of thumb to offer my own 3 cents because the transition from mom of one to mom of two was a doozie for me. All the comforts of motherhood that I'd become accustomed to (AKA: focusing, relaxing during naps and bedtime, consistency) were tossed around during that first year, and I wish my wiser self would have come dancing in a bit more often.

So, if you know a mom preganant with her second or a new mom of two, send her over here. And if you've been through it and wanna laugh at/with me, I'm cool with that, too!

It's always such a privilege to spend time on someone else's blog so please click on over and get to know what Bunny & Dolly is all about!

xoxo, MJ

What's the sweetest way to end a lovely series? With dessert, of course.

Sheri has baked up a classic treat that she's honed to perfection - cupcake cones! I've never made these, and it's been on my mom-to-do list for a while. And I wouldn't want anyone but Sheri to give me the complete scoop (pun intended) on how to make these work - and look so good!

I loved this note of wisdom and encouragement from Sheri's post today:

It’s all about working together to create something special, and if {using a mix} is going to help you get there, then go for it. Sometimes you just want to cut right to the fun part, and especially with young children or kids who are not enthusiastic cooks, a mix is just the ticket.

The Mini Cooks series has been such fun to create together with Joy and Sheri. These ladies have such talent and creativity! They not only inspire me, but they naturally push me to be better.

And the best part of the whole experience for me was that my family came along for the ride! We made meals and snacks together and tried new flavors and dishes. If Spring Break is coming up, consider pinning the series and take some time to enjoy cooking together!

A fun surprise is in store for tomorrow. Pars Caeli turns TWO, and I have a present...

See you for the party - pajamas and slippers are encouraged. :)

xoxo, MJ

New to “Mini Cooks”? You can catch up here:

MJ’s “Recipe for Success”
Joy’s “Egg in a Basket”
Sheri’s “Granola Bars”
MJ’s “Vegan Smoothie”
Joy’s “Enchilada Lasagna“

Image and idea from Jen at Classic Play

Happy April! Bring on those showers and flowers. Our family is in celebration mode today for my hubs whose birthday is today and who has happily handled April Fools jokes his whole life. He's such a good sport. Happy birthday, my love!

April 1 brings us the silly, the ridiculous, and the over-the-top - it's the perfect kind of day to have some fun. And it's not too late to do these easy peasy jokes on your kids. I love the elaborate and extended pranks, but for my kiddos, a simple introduction to the idea of April Fools is called for.

Here are my top picks for the simply wonderful jokes of the day:

1. I'm a little biased, but I think Classic Play always has the greatest resources for fun with your kids. And, no doubt, Jen has a great treasure trove of April Fools jokes. I love how she and her children illustrated these quick pranks over a breakfast.

2. Martha Stewart's team crafted some fun ideas with food. The mashed potato sundae is a classic and one that I think would get my kids. How about yours?

3. Have you done (or been on the receiving end) of the frozen cereal trick. Put the milk in the bowl first, set it in the freezer. Take out and add the cereal. It will leave your little ones dumbfounded, in the best way. The full how-to is found over at Parenting.com.

4. For the youngest set, I think a batch of freshly baked brown E's is a great way to go. Your child will be glad to know his/her letters, but sad/laughing that they'll miss out on the chocolate treat.

5. This last one is a great surprise prank that I might do for fun on some other day of the year. Why not put googly eyes on every food in the fridge? It's such a hoot to open the door to sets and sets of eyes staring right back at you!

Are you setting up any jokes this April Fools? We're off to set up a silly scavenger hunt for the birthday boy. Here's to a great April!

xoxo, MJ

It's time for another beautiful installment of Mini Cooks with my friend, Joy of

Frock Files

. She's cooked up an easy, hands on meal cheerfully titled Enchilada Lasagna. And it's perfect for our family and probably yours, too.

I am a huge pasta fan, favoring of course fresh pasta above all, but still a fan of ramen and even Spaghettios (oh, gees, I just admitted that). And yet I am raising three amazing children who have absolutely no interest in noodles or pasta. Joy's recipe today takes some of the flavors we adore and adds in tortillas - you've got to check it out.

It's what we're having for dinner. I wish it could look this pretty.

Thank you all for the amazing support of this collaboration! We've had a ton of fun planning and prepping it all for you and your families. Do you have an awesome recipe to share? Tag it with #minicooks so we can pin it to the

Mini Cook Pinterest

board.

Catch all of the recipes and tips on these posts!

5 ideas for getting started with Mini Cooks

Egg in a Basket

Snack Granola Bars

Lunchtime Vegan Smoothies

xoxo, MJ

It's time for another fun project in collaboartion with our incredibly talented friends over at Classic Play. Today we're making paper daffodils with the kids for some pretty fantastical results.

This wreath is so simple to make from supplies you have around your house. Grab some paper (we used misprinted letterhead) in white and yellow, cotton swabs, food coloring, and some scissors. Bring your children into the process and let them feel the sense of accomplishment form their paper flowers.

We decided to dye our cotton swabs yellow using diluted yellow food coloring first. First, trim off one swabbed end, and dip and dunk them into the yellow dye. This step is not necessary (you can paint or color these with a permanent marker), but the process itslef added to the fun. My son, 4, became our specialist in creating the centers of the flowers.

We dunked ours a few rounds for fun. Take those out of the dye and place them to the side while you craft the petals. The process for creating these paper flowers is super similar to that of folding a paper snowflake. You want to create from a square piece of paper so fold over a right triangle and trim the excess to form.

You'll work from a square piece of paper (so from the first image, trim off the extra paper at the bottom.) Fold the large triangle in half. And then fold it in half again. Your triangle should look something like the one on the right below. Hold it with the end that is connected to the main fold.

Next cut out your petal shape, making sure to only cut along the two open sides. You'll cut a C curve along the top of the triangle. Creativity is encouraged here; some of our daffodils had pointed petals and some very round ones. Unfold your flower to discover!

Next up, create inner yellow circle. Shape it into a cone and secure with glue or tape.

Using a sharp pencil or the colored cotton swabs, poke a small hole in the center of your white flower. Push the cone tip through the hole in the white flower and insert the yellow swab into the center of the yellow cone. Secure all the flower parts together with invisible tape around the stick (and behind the petals) of the cotton swab.

We decided that with all these “fresh” flowers we needed to make something bigger. With the help of a simple styrofoam wreath, we pushed the blunt end of each swab into the circle form. With the handiwork of my children, we were able to fill about half of the wreath, and I wanted a really full final product so I kept on creating for an hour after they lost interest.

These everlasting flowers are charming on their own or strung as a banner. And this process was just as fun as the finished wreath. We're all very proud of our new door decoaration.

Happy crafting!

xoxo, MJ

Wednesdays are always such fun around these parts with the addition of our Mini Cooks series. In our fourth week here, Joy, Sheri, and I are teaming up for lunch. And I'm delighted to share with you our version of this awesome recipe that has loads of vitamin A and vitamin C to make you feel really good about what you're adding to your children's lunches.

Surprisingly, my three perceptive children have not picked up on the fact that I make smoothies every time I test out a new recipe on them. It's my fall back plan for good nutrition if the main meal ends up going south on us. I also love adding them to our lunches at home for an easy way to add extra goodness and interest to our sometimes boring lunches.

We've made smoothies from whatever we have around our house including juices, yogurts, sherbets, berries, bananas, and whatever fruits are in season or on sale in the frozen foods. This blend is extra good for us with the addition of some apple cider vinegar and soy.

I enlisted my mini-est of cooks for this recipe. He's always excited to cook and bake with me, he loves smoothies, and he's head over heels for orange.

Here's what you need, alter depending on your favorite flavors (but don't skimp on the maple syrup):

• Juice of 4-5 oranges
• 1 frozen banana
• 2-3 cups of peaches (frozen or fresh)
• 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp of maple syrup
• 1 small container of vanilla yogurt (soy)

This recipe is perfect for young helpers. They can smell the maple syrup, oranges, and vinegar. They can take in the beautiful colors of the fruits. (If you're like us, without a juicer) they can squeeze the juice and pulp right from the oranges. L felt pretty powerful squishing the orange peels and seeing orange juice happen right before his eyes.

We threw all of our ingredients into the blender. L is able to handle the hand mixer and toaster, but the blender just makes too much noise for his liking so I grated and liquified while he got distracted with one of his favorite household chores.

This is where I just had to go with his interest and let him play. Eventually he realized that the dishes were dirtier than he really wanted to deal with, and he was ready to taste test our smoothie.

His reaction? Two thumbs up, and "awesome." I'll take that.

He was excited to make it for his sisters' return from school, proud of his accomplishment. And I felt good that we were all enjoying a healthy addition to lunch and snack.

Do your mini cooks enjoy smoothies? Give them a try and don't forget to add a colorful straw! :) See more great recipes suitable for your mini cook on our Pinterest board.

xoxo, MJ

P.S. More fabulous posts for the children in your lives:

5 ideas for getting started with Mini Cooks

Egg in a Basket

Snack Granola Bars