Have you ever felt like you just need something new to do with your kids? Something that doesn’t involve the television or the iPad—especially during the summer months?

I know that there are moments I could use some fresh ideas for my children when it comes to play-time, and that’s why I love the idea behind BabbaCo’s monthly activity boxes. They call them BabbaBoxes.

What can you expect from a BabbaBox?

• Super fun activities that help you cut back on screen time
• Enriching projects your little ones can do more independently
• A different mix every month. Books, games, puzzles, imaginative play, sensory activities and more!
• Books that will delight them over and over

BabbaCo offers three monthly subscription plans, Digital BabbaBox from $6.00/month, BabbaBox from $15.99/month, and BabbaBox Premium from $29.99/month.

While I love to take my children outside to play as much as possible during the summer, I’m also a work-at-home-mom, so, there are times when I need to find constructive and enriching activities for them to do indoors while I try to get a little work done.

My kids get pretty cranky when they are bored—and really, who wouldn’t—so I’m really looking forward to giving BabbaCo a whirl this summer.

BabbaCo has a box to meet your lifestyle, so be sure to learn more about the plans in more detail on their site. You can even save 10% on BabbaCo’s Summer Survival Pack right now!

The post Good Kid Fun: BabbaCo Activity Boxes appeared first on Parent Pretty.

Pecan Shortbread Cookies Recipe

My idea for this recipe came from your basic pecan sandies. I love them (because I really, really love pecans) but I have never liked their texture and have always wished that they were just a little more chewy.  All of my favorite cookies are chewy!

I fiddled around with a recipe for a few days and I found that by reducing the flour and increasing the butter in my recipe, the resulting cookies were thinner, crispy and a little chewy.

This pecan shortbread cookies recipe has the nutty flavor of pecans without being too overpowering, and you can even press a pecan into the top of the cookies before putting them into the oven for a little extra crunch.

They also taste amazing crumbled over vanilla ice cream — with or without chocolate syrup!

I have to warn you, though…once you make these cookies, you’ll never be able to look at pecan sandies in quite the same way again!

Love cookies? Try these!

Cake Mix Cookie Bars
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Simple Sweet Sugar Cookies

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When I make a fruit salad for the family, I always go heavy on the strawberries because it is our favorite fruit. Depending on your tastes, you can also use halved grapes, chunks of mango and even raisins in the place of any of these fruits, or even in addition to the ones already included in the recipe!

Even though my daughter is a teenager, and knows full well how important it is to eat fruits and veggies on a daily basis, she still needs some coaxing every now and then. I can make this fresh fruit cocktail salad recipe on a Friday afternoon, and she is sure to reach for it at least once a day when she feels like snacking all weekend long! It’s so helpful to have the fruit easily accessible; there’s no peeling, slicing or dicing for the kids to worry about.

Fresh Fruit Cocktail Salad Recipe

The most important part of slicing and chopping the fruits for this fresh fruit cocktail salad recipe is to do it all over the bowl you are going to serve the salad in, or to make sure to drain the juices into the bowl when you are done.

Notice that there is no sugar in this fruit cocktail salad recipe? Those juices, combined with two tablespoons of honey, provide a nice dressing that adds flavor and a hint of sweetness to the fruit salad!

More sweet strawberry recipes

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry No-Bake Cheesecake

When stored in an airtight container (I use a Pyrex dish with a lid), the fresh fruit salad cocktail recipe will stay good for up to five days in the refrigerator.

The post Fresh Fruit Cocktail Salad Recipe appeared first on Parent Pretty.

As much as I love cheesecake, I have never been able to bring myself to actually make one because all of the recipes are so complicated! I found that a no-bake cheesecake was so much easier to make and didn’t require the hours of cooking and overnight refrigeration that traditional cheesecakes require.

Strawberry No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe

My intention was to make this no bake cheesecake recipe using a few substitutions in order to lower the calories and fat content.

While I do enjoy the occasional indulgence while dieting, I try to keep it all in moderation so that I don’t feel too guilty afterwards! And honestly, half of the fun of cooking at home is being able to make things exactly the way you want them!

I lowered the fat and the calories in this recipe by using fat free cream cheese in the place of regular cream cheese.

I originally tried to substitute 2% milk and cornstarch for the heavy whipping cream, but the results were disastrous! Even after chilling for several hours, the cheesecakes melted as I took them out of the springform pans.

Note to self: some things can’t be substituted. 

After trying again, I found that the consistency of the no-bake cheesecake was much more firm when I used the heavy whipping cream. These little cheesecakes were light and delicious, and the fresh strawberries on top were the perfect accompaniment.

More Easy Sweets on Parent Pretty

Fruity Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Single Serve Chocolate Mug Cake
Meyer Lemon Bars Recipe
Pineapple Banana Bread Recipe

The post Strawberry No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe appeared first on Parent Pretty.

What is a terrarium? Well, a terrarium is a collection of small plants growing a controlled environment, often a small, clear, sealed container. In the photo below, you can see the materials you’ll need for the project, and you can find a complete list at the bottom of the post.

Because a terrarium is a closed environment, it’s a great way to illustrate for children how an ecosystem works. Your child can observe many interesting natural processes through the thin glass walls of his or her terrarium, including: photosynthesis, respiration, and the water cycle.

Of course, half the fun in making a moss terrarium is having the opportunity to take a nature-walk with your child. You’ll love this opportunity to explore the great outdoors, and it will give you an opportunity to reiterate to your child the importance of preserving nature’s beauty.

We chose to recycle a jar that used to contain a candle. You could use any glass container with thin walls, the thinner the walls the better you’ll be able to see what’s inside your terrarium.

Pickle jars or sauce jars work great too!

Once you’ve chosen your terrarium container, you’ll want to be sure it is clean and dry. Then, begin the layering process by letting your child spoon a 1″ layer of small pebbles into the container to create a false drainage system.

Next, is a layer of activated charcoal, which you can find in pet stores. The activated charcoal helps keep the water clean and free of mold and bacteria.

Now, add a layer of soil. After researching terrariums, it seems that using garden soil is not recommended. We didn’t have any potting soil, so we sourced ours from the yard. One of the main concerns is insects, but honestly, I’m not concerned with the insects in 1 cup of soil from my yard.

You might want to build your terrarium with potting soil, I’ll let you know how ours fares with the garden soil!

I said I wasn’t concerned with bugs, right? Not so sure about worms! One earthworm did managed to stow away in the moss. Evan enjoyed observing him, then later, we returned the worm to our garden.

You can use a bamboo skewer to round out pits for your plants. Arrange by placing the larger/taller plants near the back, and work your way toward the front wall of your terrarium.

We used some rocks found in our creek to decorate as well.

It’s always fun to let your children put their fingers in the dirt, get a little messy, and best of all—explore our beautiful, natural world.

Earth-friendly play and earth-friendly clean-up

When the playing is done, you can scrub those little fingers with earth-friendly Mrs. Meyer’s Liquid Hand Soap (we love the crisp and sweet Apple scent), which is made from plant-derived ingredients, and doesn’t contain anything harmful like chlorine bleach, ammonia, parabens and phosphates. In fact, Mrs. Meyer’s fully discloses their complete ingredients list on their label, and as a parent, I really respect and appreciate that.

Mrs. Meyer’s also uses 25% post-consumer resin in recyclable bottles, and their products — ranging from Liquid Dish soap to Laundry Detergent — are never tested on animals.

And that’s it! You end up with a super cute little terrarium! You can find a printable version of the materials list and instructions below.

Happy earth day and happy terrarium-making!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Mrs. Meyer’s. Opinions are my own.

The post DIY Kid-Friendly Moss Terrarium appeared first on Parent Pretty.

Of course, add a second child to the mix, and you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed and stuck in a rut. I know I feel that way sometimes. It isn’t that I don’t love the time I have with my children, but frankly, every person needs a break. We all need to add some zest to our routine once in a while, and to have experiences outside of parenthood.

I’ve been really bad about making time for myself over the years. I have a lot of guilt over pampering myself, and I know I can’t be the only parent who feels this way.

With that said, I know that it’s time to give myself a little treat. I need a break, and I could definitely handle a little ZEST in my mom-routine.

So, how am I going to add some zest to my life? Well, I am taking a trip. I am taking a really EXCITING trip, without my sweet kids, and even without my husband. It’s all Mama, this time, and I can’t wait to tell you what I have planned!

Kraft Italian Dressing only has one goal in mind… tantalizing your tastebuds. And we’re always looking for new ways to help you amp up your zest appeal. Like what you see? Let our Zesty Guy show you even more ways to spread a little zest at getmezesty.com.

Moms, what do you do to add a little zest and spice to your mom-routine?

Compensation was provided by Kraft via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kraft.

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About Make-A-Wish Foundation

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has given hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions. From their humble beginnings with one boy’s wish to be a police officer, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has grown into an organization that grants a child’s wish in the U.S. every 40 minutes You can help us grant wishes that change the lives of wish kids by donating here. Make-A-Wish Foundation’s efforts are so incredibly impactful in the lives of these children, and it makes my heart swell with joy when I think about all of the magical moments Make-A-Wish Foundation has helped foster.

Spread the word about #WorldWishDay

Please help me spread the word about #WorldWishDay by sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook (you can use the buttons at the bottom of the post.) You can also learn more about the program by visiting Make-A-Wish Foundations website, where you can also make your donation to support these precious children and help them make their wish a reality.

This year, 10,000 wish kids and their families will travel for a Make-A-Wish® experience. That’s 50,000 roundtrip tickets or 2.5 billion frequent flier miles. In honor of World Wish Day®, the day of the wish that inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish, visit wish.org/tickets and donate miles and dollars – and help wish kids take flight.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Make-A-Wish®. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Make-A-Wish Foundation’s #WorldWishDay appeared first on Parent Pretty.

Since my daughter is still a growing teenager, I really want to make sure that she eats breakfast every morning.

While I have bought a ton of freezer staples like waffles and pancakes, just taking that extra step of microwaving or toasting something for breakfast is enough of a deterrent that she often goes without breakfast. When I pick her up from school, she is often ravenous, even though she’s eaten lunch. Missing breakfast really takes a toll on children and I want to give her options for things that she can eat either on the way to school, or to even put in a Ziploc and put in her book bag the night before.

I started out with my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe and made a few adjustments to make this cookie recipe more breakfast-friendly.

While at the grocery store picking up raisins, I noticed that there was a dried fruit mix containing raisins, apricots, apples, peaches and pears. That’s where I came up with this idea to make fruity oatmeal breakfast cookies instead of a regular oatmeal cookie (which happens to be one of my favorite cookies!).

Whereas my original recipe called for a cup of white sugar and a cup of brown sugar, I omitted the white sugar because they really don’t need to be that sweet. I also added pecans to give the cookies a little more substance. You can easily substitute any other nut, or omit them altogether and the cookies will still turn out delicious!

You might notice that these fruity oatmeal breakfast cookies are pretty large compared to regular cookies. There’s a reason for that…these aren’t sweet indulgences, after all, they are made especially for breakfast!

More breakfast recipes

Homemade buttermilk pancakes
Pumpkin banana muffins
Pineapple banana bread

The post Fruity Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies appeared first on Parent Pretty.

Hold onto your fins, because Ellen DeGeneres, the voice of the beloved blue tang fish in 2003′s Finding Nemo, will lead the cast in Disney/Pixar’s all-new big-screen adventure — Finding Dory — opening in theaters on November 25th, 2015!

More about Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory

BURBANK, Calif. (April 2, 2013) – When Dory said “just keep swimming” in 2003′s Oscar®-winning film Finding Nemo, she could not have imagined what was in store for her (not that she could remember). Ellen DeGeneres, voice of the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, revealed details today about Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory — an all-new big-screen adventure diving into theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” said DeGeneres. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating ‘Toy Story 16.’ But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is—it’s got a lot more Dory. — Ellen DeGeneres

Director and Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton takes audiences back to the extraordinary underwater world created in the original film. “There is no Dory without Ellen,” said Stanton. “She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.”

According to Stanton, Finding Dory takes place about a year after the first film, and features returning favorites Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang, among others. Set in part along the California coastline, the story also welcomes a host of new characters, including a few who will prove to be a very important part of Dory’s life.

I know I’m thrilled to see Finding Dory, how about you?

Finding Dory opens November 25th, 2015. Be sure to like Finding Dory on Facebook, and follow Disney/Pixar on Twitter.

The post Disney Pixar’s ‘Finding Dory’ Coming November 2015 #FindingDory appeared first on Parent Pretty.

For me, when I really want to show someone I love how much I appreciate them, I cook them a delicious meal, or whip up a quick sweet treat. When I made the strawberry pecan fudge pictured below, it was because I wanted to give my husband a nice thank you for helping me stay up late the night before working on a project for work.

The dip pictured below would be a pretty incredible THANK YOU, as well, don’t you agree? I know my mom used to make a delicious dill dip in a hollowed-out loaf of King’s Hawaiian bread like this when I was young, so it brings back a lot of fond memories!

Speaking of King’s Hawaiian bread, have you heard about their Project Mahalo?

Each Project Mahalo charitable partner will receive a minimum $10,000 donation, and the partner earning the highest number of votes will instead receive a $25,000 donation. You can learn more about this incredible project at the bottom of the post.

Giving generously to others without expecting anything in return is at the heart and soul of Hawaiian culture, and a core value of King’s Hawaiian. I really just deeply love this philosophy, and I think it’s one that we could all stand to incorporate into the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

So, how do YOU say thank you?

Mahalo is the Hawaiian word for thank you.  You can say thank you to these wonderful charities- Big Brothers Big Sisters, Meals On Wheels Association of America, Family Caregiver Alliance, and One Warm Coat by voting for them on www.kingshawaiian.com/project-mahalo.

All charities will receive $10k, but the winner with the most votes will receive $25k.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kings Hawaiian® Project Mahalo. The opinions and text are all mine.

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