25 S'mores Recipes That You Have to Try Right Now!

August 10 is National S’mores Day! I kind of adore the graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow stackers, so this is a pretty major holiday for me. That said, I like to go a bit beyond the traditional treat.

I know, I know, s’mores purists will balk at the idea of adding all kinds of ‘stuff’ to the ooey, gooey treats. But, I enjoy adding something a little extra. From summertime ice cream sundaes to modern art masterpieces, I’m here to say, “Happy S’mores Day!”

Check out these sweet, sweet s’mores, that you make for the treat’s special day – or any day!

1.     Animal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches – Perfect for an animal, carnival or circus themed kids’ party!

2.     Banana Splits – The classic summer sundae in s’mores form.

3.     S’mores Cookie Ball Truffles – So, they’re not exactly the typical flat stack, but these Oreo goodies are so, so, so, so good!

4.     Peeps and Marshmallow-Middle Chocolate Eggs – It’s two Easter candy traditions in one perfect package.

5.     St. Patrick’s Day Desserts – They’re lucky, chocolatey and green!

6.     Valentine’s Day Donut Deluxe – Heart-shaped marshmallows, a donut and more makes this s’more a sweetheart surprise.

7.     Hanukkah S’mores – Celebrate the Festival of Lights with a festival of fun chocolate goodness (and you can even make them kosher as well).

8.     Christmas Morning Donuts – The holiday morning donut is a tradition in our house. We took the typical and made it Christmas-tastic by adding in more s’mores.

9.     Candied Yam Marshmallow Casserole – It’s so Thanksgiving. Think of this one as a deconstructed sweet potato pie.

10.  Cupcake Cuties – Swap out the chocolate bar for a sliced cupcakes!

11.  Candy Corn for Halloween – The sugary fall treat makes the sweet stacker even better.

12.   Monster Madness – They’re gooey with goodness (and candy eyes!).

13.   ModernArt – A little food coloring and you’ve got a painted masterpiece.

14.  Olaf’s Melting – The Frozen snowman melts in the microwave with this indoor s’more.

15. Cherry Red Coconut Concoction – It’s a bit more grown up, and totally tasty.

16.   Pink Princess Sparkles – They’re pink with strawberry scent and sparkle with a sugar crisp.

If you’re looking for s’mores that are also ‘something’ else, try:

17.  Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes – It’s everything you love about the stack, including the graham crackers, in a cupcake design.

18.  Cookies – These S’mores Cookies from Fireflies and Mud Pies turn the campfire favorite into a kitchen creation!

19.  Bread Pudding – When it comes to creative, this recipe from Spaceships and Laser Beams takes the cake (or rather, the bread putting).

20.   Brownie Trifle – Yum! Mom Endeavors’ trifle is brownie-packed and full of marshmallowy goodness.

21.  Rice Krispie Treats – They already have marshmallows in them anyway, so why not try this kid-friendly treat from Real Life at Home?

22.  Sweet and Salty – Pint-sized Treasures has combined the sugary and savory tastes that you will want to try – right now.

23.  Mini Pies – These pint-sized pies from Mess for Less are still big on suburb s’mores taste.

24.   Banana S’mores – The Typical Mom’s BBQ taste treats are literally bananas!

25.  French Toast – Crazy Adventures in Parenting’s breakfast recipe is a mouthwatering morning treat.

Are you still on search for more s’mores? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas galore!

 

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Pipe Cleaner Paint Prints: Kids' Flower Art

Flower printing is a favorite kids’ art activity of mine. But, sometimes Mother Nature just doesn’t cooperate with your crafting. When that happens you have to come up with a creative solution.

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What can you do when the kids want to make flowery paint prints – minus the flowers? Pull out the pipe cleaners! This easy craft isn’t just colorful, pretty and fun. It helps your child to improve her fine motor skills, teaches about shape and line and can even become a color-mixing exploration.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Pipe cleaners

·        Paper

·        Tempera paint

·        Wax paper or kitchen foil

·        Optional: Paintbrush

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Bend the pipe cleaners into a flower shape. Turn the straight lines into rounded curves and circles. Start with a center circle. Wind the next pipe cleaner’s end around the circle. Curve it into a flower petal shape. Loop it under the circle and make another petal or two. Wind the end around the circle and repeat with another one. Your child should keep going until she’s completed her flower.
 

2.     Pour the paint onto wax paper or foil (these make inexpensive barriers/palettes).

3.     Dip one side of the pipe cleaner flower into the paint. Your child can use one color (making a solid print) or a rainbow of hues (different colors on different petals). Get messy and let your child use her hands to spread the paint out or try a brush.
 

4.     Press the flower (paint-side down) onto the paper.
 

5.     Peel the flower up to reveal the print.
 

6.     Repeat!
 

Try this kids’ art activity with other shapes. Instead of a flower your child can explore shapes (make it into a math lesson). Encourage her to bend circles, rectangles, diamonds and triangles, and then make prints. Another option is to make two or more different shapes and create a print pattern – such as triangle, diamond, circle, triangle, diamond, circle.

Are you looking for more children’s arts and crafts? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

 

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Kids' Craft Sand and Tape Art Activity

Craft sand. It’s beachy, artsy and fun for kids! That said, it’s also messy. Just like glitter, colorful sand will get everywhere from your child’s ponytail to the little crevice between the floorboard and the wall. But, this shouldn’t stop you from trying out a sand-filled art activity!

Typically when I craft with the sandy stuff, I use school glue. The kids can draw patterns with it or paint a wash over a larger area, sprinkle the sand on top, shake off the excess and they’ve got a magically textured piece of sand art. Sounds simple. It is. But, if you want to simplify it even more, take out the glue and swap in the double-sided tape!

When your child is done creating her artwork, take some time to explore the sand through the sense of touch. Ask her how the art feels on her hands or simply sift through the excess grains that she’ll shake off of the paper.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Double-sided tape

·        Craft sand – Choose a few different colors.

·        Paper

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Stick the tape onto the paper. Your child can create a rainbow of lines, make letters or create an abstract pattern.
 

2.     Pour the sand over the tape.
 

3.     Shake the excess off onto another piece of paper or into a bag. Tie the bag and use the sand later on.
 

 

Your child can also mix a few different hues to make a multi-colored piece of tape. If she doesn’t like the texture of the sand (the result is rough) or you don’t have any on hand, you can also use glitter and double-sided tape.

Your child doesn’t have to stick to the paper (and yes, the pun was intended). She can use the tape and craft sand technique on wood, felt, foam or any other surface.

Are you looking for more creative kids’ crafts? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

 

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Double-Sided Tape and Glitter Art Activities for Kids

I’m totally a glitter girl. In all of my years teaching children’s art classes, I’ve found that no material is more loved, cherished and overall adored than the sparkly stuff. Put a jar, tube or messy pile of sparkles in front of your child and you will instantly see his eyes light up. My son is almost 14 and he still slyly says, “Hey mom, what are you making?” whenever the glitter comes out (I know that means he wants to use it, without running the risk of looking uncool and actually asking to get crafty).

So, we all know that the issue with glitter (and the number one reason that the parents of my students say, “Thanks so much for using sparkles here, because we don’t at home”) is the mess. You can clean as much as you’d like when the art activity is over, but you’re still going to find random sparkling pieces everywhere from your child’s hair to the floorboards for what seems like weeks.

I’m still yet to find a solution to the mess factor. But, I didn’t happen upon one way to use glitter that doesn’t involve that added goopiness of glue. Obviously you need some sort of medium to hold the sparkly stuff in place. School glue is the obvious choice (I’ve also used paint, ice and modeling clay). This time we’re using tape. How? Double-sided tape! It perfectly holds those little shining bits on to just about anything (we used paper, craft foam and even a mason jar!) and is much easier than getting out the glue. This is such as simple craft that you’ll shake your head thinking, “I can’t believe I haven’t been using double-sided tape with glitter all along.”

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Glitter

·        Double-sided tape

·        Anything that tape will stick to – This can be plain old paper, foam, felt, tissue paper, glass jars, plastic bottles, wood, and the list goes on and on.

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Peel the tape off and stick it onto the paper (or anything else you’re using as a surface). Your child can make sparkly lines, shapes, patterns, letters or words. We made letters with card stock paper and craft foam.
 

2.     Sprinkle the glitter on top of the tape. Try not to touch the top of the tape too much. This tends to make it less sticky.
 

 

 

3.     Shake off the excess onto a piece of paper or into a bag to use later.
 

4.     Repeat with new surfaces. Here’s a plastic Easter egg:
 

Here’s a glittered mason jar that we use to hold the extra sparkles:

Are you looking for more shining crafts for kids? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

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Three Ingredient DIY Weed Spray that Really Works

I’m usually all about kids’ art activities, but sometimes I stray. This time I’m talking DIY weed killers. I know, I know – it’s a far stretch from tempera print-making, fizzing water colors and Model Magic sculptures. But, if you’re here chances are that you’ve got kids. And, if you’ve got kids, you may just want something to handle the mess in your yard that isn’t filled with toxic chemicals.

 

We spend a lot of time outside in the summer. Every year it seems like pulling the weeds turns into even more of a totally unwanted task. I sometimes joke that I want to spray the whole yard down and then cover up everything green with concrete. Sounds bad, right?

Last year I gave up. The thistle had taken over and I just couldn’t keep up. Maybe if I had a few hours every day to devote to my yard I could do it. Or, maybe if I hired a lawn service it would all look pristine. But, neither of those are possibilities. So, when my husband suggested that I try this DIY weed killer recipe I figured that it couldn’t hurt.

I would love to say that it’s 100 percent all-natural, but it isn’t. I did use blue Dawn dish soap (which obviously isn’t a naturally occurring substance). I kind of figured that if it’s safe enough to put on the dishes (that my family eats from), then it’s not in the same toxic category as plant poisons are. Even though you can’t (and definitely should not) eat this DIY blend, it isn’t as harmful as the chemical sprays available.

Here’s What You Need:

 

·        ½ cup Dawn dish soap (the blue kind)

·        1 cup salt

·        1 gallon jug distilled white vinegar

·        A spray bottle

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Empty half of the vinegar into a large mixing bowl.

2.     Add the dish soap.

3.     Stir in the salt.

4.     Pour the mix into the spray bottle.

5.     Spray the weeds thoroughly, drenching them all the way down to the ground.

So, what happened when I sprayed on this magical stuff? First, let me say – don’t spray plants or grass that you want to keep. Don’t even spray near them. You will most likely kill these greens as well. Second, this spray really works! I was kind of surprised myself at how well it worked.

Here’s what my driveway weeds looking out pre-spray:

 

Later that day:

 

The next day:

My husband took the weed spray to the backyard and hit the thistle with it. This is what happened by the next day:

Do you have a favorite DIY or natural solution to gardening or cleaning woes? Add your favorite idea in the comment section below!

How-to Be a Freelance Writer in 7 Easy Steps

So, I googled “how to become a freelance writer” just to see what the Internet had to say.

Actually, I googled “how to become a freelance writer” as I was trying to type and check my email (on my phone) at the same time. Typos aside, I got a lot of amazingly generic advice. “Like what?” you ask. Here are a few of my favorites:

·        Be a good writer.

·        Have self-discipline.

·        Set goals.

·        Be able to communicate clearly.

·        Maintain a professional attitude.

·        Have the ability to motivate yourself, even in the face of mass rejection.

I’m going to be brutally honest here, if you actually said to yourself, “Holy wow, those are such helpful ideas!” right now you’re a little more than a step behind in the freelance writing game. That isn’t supposed to be mean – just a bit snarky I suppose. But seriously, you already know that the above mentioned traits/ideas are necessary for any kind of freelance or writing career. What you probably want to know is something that’s less obvious.

I can’t say that I have all the answers. Far from it. There are freelancers out there who have crazy-good careers and make much more money than I do, and then there are those who make less. What I can give you is some friendly advice. A few tips from my own personal experience. These aren’t general ‘go to journalism school’ types of suggestions. They are what I’ve learned from my own successes and failures. Please keep in mind, everyone has their own niche and what worked for me (or didn’t work) might not fit your career.

1.     Speaking of niches – find yours. It took me a surprisingly long time to call myself a ‘parenting writer’. That’s basically what I am. I’ve written everything from home décor and DIY content to fashion and style, but what I truly enjoy is writing for parents. When I write about dental health, dressing for success or how to lay a ceramic tile floor you can really tell that my heart’s just not in it. If the topic you’re writing about bores you, it will show. Find what you’re passionate about and try your best to write about it.

2.     Steer clear of “sign up with us to become a real freelance writer” sites. Or, at least don’t stick with them for long. If you want to read my thoughts on content mills, check out my article on these sites. I made quite a good living off of content mills for a few years. That said, I hated what I was writing and got way to complacent. I wasted years creating mass amounts of crappy content for maybe $25 an article.

3.     Build your social media following right now. Immediately. Why? There are lots of reasons. Maybe you want to start your own blog. You need somewhere to promote yourself. Even if you’re writing for other people, you still need to promote your content – or theirs. This isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. For example, let’s say it’s between you and another equally as talented writer. You have a Twitter following of 10 and the other choice has a following of 10k. Guess who’s getting the job. Um, the person who’s actually able to tweet the content out to more than her BFF, downstairs neighbors and parents.

4.     Prepare proposals. Here’s a story – a potential client asked me for an email explaining my approach to his article. This was for a one-time only job. I replied with a detailed outline that clearly spelled out the structure of the post. He hired me. That turned into an ongoing professional relationship that brought on more work than I could have imagined when crafting that outline.

5.     Don’t say no. Let me rephrase that – don’t say no unless what the client is asking is completely ridiculous. I’ve been asked to write a 1,000 word article for $5. That was a big N-O! If the work aligns with my niche and the client is paying a fair price, I tend to take it. You never know when ‘an article’ will turn into months of consistent pay (see the above example). You also never know when that one random article will get seen (and read!) by someone truly important. Don’t miss out on what could be an amazing opportunity because you’d rather watch the Real Housewives of somewhere or another instead of writing (and yes, I actually have done this).

6.     Value yourself, in a totally realistic way. Go back to that $5 I was offered for 1,000 words. Someone probably will offer you a similar deal. Have some self-respect and don’t do it. At the same time, set your rates at a fair price. If you’re just starting out, don’t expect to make hundreds of dollars per 400 word blog post. It would be nice, but it’s just not likely here in the real world. Don’t quote me on that though. There are freelancers who’ve struck it big from the get-go.

7.     Join a community. Freelancing isn’t exactly a communal experience. Many of us started on this career track as a way to work from home. When you’re going it solo there’s no morning ‘water cooler’ gossip session, no one to bitch at when you’re having a bad day and no one to grab a quick bite with on your lunch break (and eating the leftover crusts from your kid’s PB&J as he finger paints with his pudding doesn’t count as a social lunch date). Joining a Facebook (or similar social networking) community for freelance writers has helped immensely when it comes to finding camaraderie at ‘work’.

 

 

P.S. The title was meant to grab your attention. I don’t take myself seriously enough to really think there are seven easy steps to becoming a freelance writer. There are suggestions, advice and tips, but as far as steps go – I don’t believe in them. You won’t find a mystical formula to freelancing, there’s no guide that has all the answers and while magical beans may grow a beanstalk up to the sky, they won’t give you a new career. If someone tells you otherwise, be weary. They are probably just trying to sell you something. Are you considering making the big switch from working outside the home to being a WAHM? My new book Work at Home: A Guide to the Best Change You'll Ever Make has ideas (and worksheets) to help you make the transition!