Sidewalk Chalk Fun

A great boredom buster for my dear daughter is sidewalk chalk.  A bucket of the colorful sticks can bring hours of entertainment and giggles.  I love how creative she can be.  Take a look at her latest creation.


Her simple beach scene with a lounge chair, umbrella,
and lemonade on an end table.

 

This is how she turns her chalk drawing into a working piece of art.



All this play time can make a girl thirsty!
Good thing her cool lemonade is near by.





Caution:  Sidewalk chalk fun may rub off on you.  The good news is it
easily brushes away (especially if you use a leaf blower like I did). 
Don't judge me.  She loved it!

What are some fun sidewalk chalk activities your family enjoys?  

Field Trip: Mrs. Baird's Bread



Visit Mrs. Baird's web site here.

Growing up in Houston, Texas the bread of choice was always Mrs. Baird's Bread. My grandmother lived near the factory and we always loved the smell of fresh bread baking. We would frequent their factory thrift store and many times the bread was still warm from production. Why not journey down memory lane and enjoy a factory tour! I can already smell the bread baking!

Tours are available Wednesday and Thursdays at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

10 DAY NOTICE REQUIRED. 

Note: Due to the capacity of our tour facility there is a 25 person maximum per tour, per time slot. Groups larger than 25 people will be split into multiple tours over Weds/Thurs period

Houston Bakery
6650 N. Houston -
Rosslyn Rd.
Houston, TX 77091
(713) 996-5000 x 5000
For a map, click here.

Please note the following:

• Children must be at least 6 years old to participate in a tour.
• One adult (18 or older) must be present for every 10 children on the tour.
• Your legs need to be covered
• For safety reasons:
  NO open-toed shoes are allowed, no "heel-out" shoes like flip-flops or sandals, no "heelys" (tennis shoes on rollers) and no jewelry
• No VIDEO cameras are allowed inside the bakery
• Please contact the bakery a minimum of two-three weeks in advance.
• During hot weather months, scheduling a tour in the morning is recommended.

                Download a Coloring Book of the Adventure Tour Characters!      

Click here

Sugar N' Spice and All Things Nice

When I think about eating healthier I always crave food I should stay away from. I can literally hear the "Good Angel" and the "Bad Angel" arguing on my shoulders. No matter how hard I try the "Bad Angel" always wins. What can I say...I have no will power!

I my moment of weakness my kiddos and I made cake batter cookies. We used a recipe found on triedandtasty.com. Click on this link for recipe: Cake Batter Cookies

 What's good for the lips just may hurt my hips.  Curse you "Bad Angel"! 

Pinwheel Craft | Kids' Crafts | FirstPalette.com

Here's a fun 4th of July craft, courtesy of FirstPallette.com, that the entire family can enjoy. Here's hoping that there's enough wind to keep the pinwheel moving.

Detailed instructions can be found on the following link: 

Pinwheel Craft | Kids' Crafts | FirstPalette.com

You can check out some of the fun activities around town by clicking here.  Have a safe and fun holiday.  Remember to thank our Military members for allowing us our freedoms. God bless the U.S.A. 

Kegg's Handmade Candies Factory Tour

When I think candy factory I think Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My sister and I use to wish for an opportunity to leap into the movie screen and taste the delicious goodness. (With permission from Mr. Wonka of course: we wouldn't want to turn out like Violet or be escorted away by an army Oompa-Loompas.) I recently discovered that you can bring a little of the movie magic to life by taking a tour of Houston's own chocolate Factory at Kegg's Handmade Candies!

Come and Take A Tour for FREE!

Reservations may be made online by clicking this link: Reserve online

• When: Weekdays(Monday Thru Friday)
• Times: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
• Cost: Free
• Type: Self-Guided for Groups of less than 10 People.
• Reservations Required: For Groups of 10 People or More
• Length of Tour: Approximately 30 Minutes

  

The Kegg’s Candies Chocolate Factory is a customer friendly production facility. It was built with a factory tour entrance and a 90 foot long glass wall exposing a clear view of the entire chocolate making process.  The tour ends in Kegg’s 2,000 sq. ft. colorful chocolate factory retail store where you’ll find over 600 handmade candies, frozen custard and Italian ice.  Free samples of signature confections can be had with ease.

You will learn about the cocoa processing, the chocolate and confectionery manufacturing process as well as the history and tradition of Kegg’s Candies.  You will see, touch and feel an actual cocoa pod and learn how the cocoa plant, the cocoa pod and the cocoa bean play an important role in producing the chocolate candies we all love to consume.

Group tours that are scheduled in advance are met by a Kegg’s Factory Tour representative that will guide you through the facility and provide information and answer questions. For groups smaller than 10 people or individuals, tours are self guided at the customers own schedule and pace. So just stop by any time during tour hours when it’s convenient for you.

Don’t forget to bring a few dollars to buy some souvenirs as a memory of your visit. Stop by and experience what life at the chocolate factory is really like. They guarantee you’ll have a really “sweet” experience!

Click here for Maps & Directions to the Kegg's Candy Factory

For more information on Kegg's Candy Factory click here!

Fun with Glow Sticks

We had so much fun playing with glow sticks tonight!  Who knew that a $5.00 trip to the dollar store would produce so much fun.  I think my older kiddos enjoyed it more than my 7 year old (but don't tell them I said so).  Here are a few photos of what we did. 

Top row L to R:  Glow in the dark hopscotch, name in lights, glow stick taped to Nerf gun, glowing target for Nerf darts.

Middle row L to R:  Hula-Hoop w/glow sticks taped to it, hula-hoop in action, cup w/glow stick taped, enjoying lemonade.

Bottom row L to R:  Bubble bath w/glow sticks, swimming in neon lights, glow stickes rubber band to a headband, indoor fireworks in July!

Check out this video of my daughter dancing in the dark!

 
We also enjoyed a glow in the dark dance production by Marisa. The cartwheels did not record well but we hope you enjoy her video.

Craft/Treat: Red, White and Blue Ice Pops

Here's a fun 4th of July treat you can make as a family.

Celebrate red, white, and blue all summer long with these patriotic ice pops. The secret ingredient is a blue sports drink, along with cranberrry juice and lemonade.

Yield: 8 ice pops

Cost Per Serving:$.15

Ingredients

• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1 cup lemonade
• 1 cup blue sports drink, such as Gatorade

Preparation

Arrange 8 3-oz. paper or plastic cups on a baking sheet and divide cranberry juice evenly among them. Place baking sheet in freezer and freeze until juice is almost firm, about 1 hour.
Insert craft sticks into center of slightly frozen juice. (If sticks won't quite stand up straight, you can repositions them when the next layer starts to solidify.)
Divide lemonade evenly among cups to make a second layer. Freeze until hard, about 2 hours. Pour Gatorade over lemonade layer and freeze until solid, about 3 hours. Gently pull each ice pop out of its cup (it helps to squeeze the cup lightly from bottom) and serve immediately.

All You JUNE 2008

NOTE:  Do you like the recipe but too many steps?  Simply fill ice cubes trays with red, white, and blue liquids.  Once set serve with gingerale.