It all started with a truck in the toilet...

That's when I knew if I didn't get this kid outside I would lose my mind we had been inside too long! So, it was cold...and MOMMY HATES TO BE COLD...but we headed outside to play. We took a rake and got to work! (It wasn't dark...the picture just turned out that way) We grabbed a couple rakes and hit Mommy with them got to work.

Then after Mommy came to after being hit by a rake one too many times my little guy had decided our work was through we headed inside for craft time! Time to make the DOUGH! Salt dough, that is!

4 c. flour

1 c. salt

1 1/2 c. warm tap water

VOILA!!

My little SENSORY KID was loving the dry ingredients...kinda like sand...which he used to hate. But, I was trying to get him out of my hair entranced in something that was not going to turn into an INDOOR SNOW STORM!

When the "flurries" started, I quickly added the warm water to cut down on the mess I was trying to NOT have to deal with...I had to start dinner!

Oh yeah....that's a lot LESS MESSY!! What was I thinking? Sometimes my art teacher past doesn't mesh with my mom-of-a-too-busy-toddler present. A little more flour and a little help kneading and it is all good! Loads of fun! Ahhhhh...time forMommy to have a moment to just think....what was I going to think about? Oh yeah, right, dinner! Now, I can start dinner and watch from afar and not be bothered. Unless, of course, your name is Montegue J. Cat! Then it is your DUTY to bother my while my hands are dripping with cold, raw chicken juice *gags*! Finally, when the salt dough project turned into a full-body sport, I decided it was time to call it quits and get him involved in something else... Thanks to PAMPERED CHEF and their bowl and collander set WITH LIDS, I had a nice and easy way to clean up but have our supplies on hand for another time...like in 45 seconds when he gets bored with cars and trucks... I didn't care that he was onto something else! I was just glad he wasn't asking to go outside again thrilled that we had some fun hands-on playtime! We were warm and cozy, him playing with his cars and me finishing up a vat of CHICKEN CORN NOODLE SOUP... until he saw what was floating down from the Heaven's above! We could actually WATCH the SNOW STORM coming in!! As much as I hated that there was snow on its way...this was kinda cool!

And SNOWFLAKES taste WAY better than CHICKEN CORN NOODLE SOUP...if you're 3!!

The evil white particles fall to earth...

While my babes were out playing in the snow and I was thinking how warm my non-frozen butt was...see past SNOW post! I found a great recipe in my Kraft Foods magazine! If you don't get this magazine - you need to. The cover price is $4.95 but if you sign up online it is COMPLETELY FREE! The recipes are so good and the whole premise is that you can make great recipes from ready-to-eat, semi-prepared groceries. So, I found a great recipe that would be easy, quick to prepare while watching my 2-year old bounce off the walls and something that I could keep warm while the snow bunnies played without the fear over overcooking. It is called Shipwreck Dinner and this is what you do.... Brown 1 lb of lean ground beef and drain. Add a box of Mac n' Cheese dinner (unprepared) noodles and powdered sauce Add a can of stewed tomatoes (I used Italian diced tomatoes) with liquid Add 1 cup of frozen peas Add 1 cup of milk Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover. Let cook for 12 minutes or until noodles are cooked. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top and let melt. Everyone loved it! That's always a good thing! Check out that Kraft Foods Gig! I save every single issue with my cookbooks! It is a phenomenal resource!! *********************************** Will keep you updated on Julian as soon as I have today's news. Will shout from the mountain tops when that agent says..."sign on the dotted line!"