Edible Fingerpaint Fun!

Today I want to share with you a really fun little activity to do with your toddler! I'm always on the hunt for new + fun things to do with Owen that can keep us inside--these are especially helpful in cold weather or when we're sick.

I found this idea on Pinterest a while ago, so I really can't take any credit for how much of a great idea it is.

Supplies / Ingredients

Vanilla yogurt
Duncan Hines Flavor Creations in various colors / flavors
clean containers with lids



Step One: Buy a few colorful packets of Duncan Hines Frosting Creations. Be careful which flavors you chose though, I picked a mint flavor for the green and it was gross. It is inevitable that your child will try to eat some of the "paint".

Step Two: Divide yogurt into a few bowls and mix in the packets of powder. Mix it really well so there are no clumps. Remember to write the expiration date for the yogurt on your containers, as this is also now the expiration date for your "paint".

Step Three: Place your sweet baby in a highchair with a bib and rolled up sleeves, because things could get messy. Now might be a good time to take out the splat mat, and don't forget the camera!

Step Four: Dole out some fun! And by that I mean spoon some "paint" onto the try in front of your child and let them go to town mixing the colors. You could just let them play, but also take the opportunity to use this as a teaching moment.

Talk about the colors in front of them and show them what happens when they're mixed together. Obviously Owen is too young to grasp the concepts of mixing primary colors, but it is never too early to start laying the foundations for early learning!

Some other fun resources for toddler activities:

Play Create Explore
30 Summer Activities for Kids from Lil Luna
Tot School
Summer Play Date Ideas from Dear Owen

[RECIPE] Mexican Inspired Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

My favorite place to find dinner inspiration is (and no, surprisingly it is not Pinterest) Instagram. I don't know what it is about Instagram, but people (including myself) love to post pictures of their meals on there. I've found some great answers to the the age old question: "what am I going to make for dinner" on Instagram.

One of my favorite people to look for great (and usually pretty healthy) ideas is Natasha of Schue Love. She is where I got the recent idea to make a Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato. It was a suuuper quick dinner to throw together--all I had to do was some quick prep and pop the potatoes in the microwave for 8 minutes. We all enjoyed it and it was pretty healthy too!

 Mexican Inspired Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

4 sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1 avocado, diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Small container of pico de gallo

1. Place your sweet potatoes on a large microwave-safe plate. Poke holes in each potato using a fork. Microwave on your microwave's potato setting for about 8 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

2. While your potatoes cook and then cool you can prep the toppings. Mix a few tablespoons or so of taco seasoning (to taste) into your Greek yogurt. This will give the whole dish a great Mexican flavor.

3. Cut a cross in the top of your sweet potatoes and squeeze them just a bit to open them up enough to pile on some of your tasty toppings. Top with whatever you prepped, and enjoy!

Have a happy weekend, friends!

Yellow Friday is Here! + an Amazon Giftcard Giveaway

Because I know we all love a great deal and great products I wanted to make sure to share with you fabulous shopping event that's going on! Courtney and Julie aka The Chirping Moms are the two sweet, blogging mommas bringing us all of these wonderful vendors and some really great discounts! Please take a minute to stop by these shops and see some of the great products and items they have to offer!  

  SHOP YELLOW FRIDAY at  The Chirping Moms!

Yellow Friday, Spring Fling edition, has FINALLY arrived!
All shop deals are revealed below.  In the next few hours, keep an eye on the blog   for follow-up posts  with more information about each shop and details on their deal.  All deals will run through Sunday at midnight. There are LOTS of great deals at fantastic stores.  If you have any questions, feel free to email the chirpingmoms@gmail.com. We are so excited to bring this fun shopping extravaganza to you!
EVERY shop is using the same code:  yellowfriday 
Anne Riggs Designs:  Spend $50 in shop and get a free set of 25 makeup/facial pads AND mesh laundry bag, value $16 The BBQ Pantry:  20% off Baxter & Beatrice:  25% off The Beaufort Bonnet Company:  15% off  Carly Megan:  25% off Dolphin Organics:  25% off sunscreen and aloe based lotion The Idea Box:  25% off The Little Crane:  10% off London Times:  30% off Love Bubs:  20% off Messy Kids Designs: Buy One Shirt, Get Another One 50% off Mis-Tee-V-US:  25% off Miss Monogram:  15% off and Free Bow when you spend over $100 Missy Madewell:  25% off Olivia and Owen:  20% off Posh Princess Bowtique:  20% off The Recycled Bin:  "Spend More, Save More" deal...see detailed post for more info! Refined Inspirations:  20% off Ruffles and Twirls:  20% off Sila Boutique:  15% off Simply (Darr)ling:  20% off Smock Your Tot Website or Etsy Shop or Facebook:  20% off Snapping Turtle Kids:  30% off Starlight Woods:  15% off Owl Be Sweatin:  15% off Wild Sprout Design:  20% off
Again, EVERY shop's coupon code:  yellowfriday.
Thank you for shopping with The Chirping Moms!
Earn entries in the giveaway below by shopping or sharing these deals on social media! You could win a $25 Amazon.com gift card!  a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Year in My Life gift + Discount Code!

Father's Day is just over a month away! Have you thought about all of the wonderful father's in your life yet? This will be Keith's second Father's Day and I really think he's earned something thoughtful and special. He is an amazing dad!

So, when Minted contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing one of their Father's Day gifts I jumped at the chance to get my hands on one of their custom art prints. Minted is one of my all time favorite brands for all paper product needs. In my opinion, custom / personalized gift are always the best gifts, and Minted makes such high quality paper products, so I knew this was a great offer.

Minted's Art Prints are printed on museum-quality cotton rag archival paper with archival pigment ink. The result is a stunning, museum quality print with rich and vibrant colors.



The process of creating my print was a cinch. I created a folder on my desktop for all of the pictures I wanted to include and then simply uploaded them to their site, and dragged and dropped them into the place I wanted them. I decided to go with the A Year in My Life print in 11x14 for Keith. There are a variety of sizes and designs available. You could make the print HUGE and have it be the focal point of your room, or have it be smaller and include it in a gallery wall or on someone's desk at work.

I think it's important to note that while all of my photos are of different photo  quality (pixel, etc.), they all look equally beautiful in this print. Several of the photos were taken by our photographer during our family photos last Fall and others were taken by me with my Canon dSLR and they all blend nicely together into one piece of art work thanks to Minted's high quality printing and paper.

I love the layout I chose for Keith's gift and there are so many more to chose from. Minted will also frame your print for a great price if you chose to go that route! I thought that with Owen being just about 16-months old, this would be a sweet time to include some pictures of Keith and O together.  

Don't you think it looks nice on our dresser? I think that when Keith opens his gift I'll suggest it go here! And if you're interested in some of the other neat gifts Minted has for Father's Day, some of my personal favorites are:

Around the World Travel Journal
Trianulation Personal Stationary 
I Love San Francisco Art Print 

AND the sweet folks at Minted have kindly offer to give Meet the Sullivans readers 10% off plus free ground shipping on all Father’s day gifts! The code is MTHDAD10. The discount is good for two weeks from today and remember to leave time for shipping!
 

All wrapped and ready to go! Now I just need to make sure Keith doesn't read this post before Father's Day...

Happy Shopping, friends! 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review, although I did receive the art print for free in exchange for sharing my review with you. This is my honest opinion of the Minted company and their products.  

Mother's Day 2013

We had a beautiful Mother's Day weekend here in California. The weather was sunny and pretty warm for this time of year and we were lucky enough to spend some time outside!

Friday night Keith's sister came over with her family and they hung out and watched Owen while we went to see Iron Man 3. If you're a fan of the movies, you'll like this one too. Robert Downey Jr. is as funny as ever! Can you believe Keith and I haven't been to a movie together since we saw The Hobbit LAST YEAR, in December, but still. If you know us you know we love the movies and nearly six months in a long time to go without going together (did you follow that?). It was a nice start to a great weekend!

Saturday Keith worked and Owen and I went to lunch with my mom and sister to celebrate Mother's Day. We ate burger's and fries and took a nice walk. We stopped at a park for Owen to play for a bit, but things got crazy when he threw himself on the ground and tried to swim in the tanbark. It was a dusty, dirty mess. When Keith got home I went for a pedicure (ahhhh) and then we had a mellow evening at home.

Sunday morning Keith let me "sleep in" while he took Owen downstairs to play. I am incapable of sleeping in. I always want to do it, but whenever I have the chance I just can't make it happen. I start thinking about what they're doing downstairs and I just can't turn my mind off.

Our gift to Keith's mom. She loves dogs and he garden, so a terrier shaped topiary was a cute gift.

Keith took Owen out to get some Starbucks and bagel sandwiches for us for breakfast and we opened cards and presents. It was a lovely morning. We got ready in a flash and took off for San Francisco to spend the day up there. We managed to knock quite a few things off our Family Fun Day to do list!

Owen fell asleep on our way up, so we waited in the car a bit for him to wake up. It was super super foggy and cool, but in typical San Francisco fashion it quickly burnt off. We started out doing a little shopping at Sports Basement (we love browsing in that place) and then walked over to Crissy Field to let Owen get his wiggles out.

 

Then we wandered over to the Palace of Fine Arts. It is so gorgeous over there. We witnessed a proposal, saw people taking family photos and wedding photos--it is picturesque and really makes for a great backdrop, don't you think?

The Wanderlust Festival was going on on the Little Marina Green. Owen was very intrigued by the cool music and the balloons!

We ate lunch at Tarantion's on Fisherman's Warf (complete with complimentary champagne for all the moms!) and then had coffees and a sundae at Ghirardelli Square. It was a fantastic afternoon!

Unfortunately, not soon after we made it home we discovered Owen had a low grade fever. Poo little guy was  burning up and really really sleepy. We spent the rest of the night cuddling and just trying to make sure he was comfortable.

Look at those pink cheeks!  I think the popsicle helped cool him down a bit, or at least cheered him up. He is doing much better today, but Monday was a rough day. We're spending the day laying low, reading books and taking naps. Here's to hoping he's back to 100% tomorrow!