*Cheap* Fun!

ok, well except for the MANY gallons of water used.....

Grandma gave them a pool (nothing fancy but still fun!)
Here they are filling it up (the other lil boy is my neighbor's son)





Look how high the lil man has his shorts.....Silly boy!



The Big girl asked her PawPaw for a net.

She says she is going to catch a squirrel or a bird or maybe even a toad!

UH.HUH

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Our little princess is sick. She woke up early this morning with fever.

Hopefully she will be back to normal soon!

Dollypops are so SWEET!

Aren't these dolls adorable?

They were made by the talented Jenny B. Harris. You may have heard of her blog "All Sorts". (and if you haven't then you must run.....DON'T WALK....run over there and take a looksie!)

Jenny has so much talent that it just oozes out! hee hee

These dollypops are one of her newest creations and I am in love.

You can get one or ALL of them through her Etsy Shop.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the ALL SORTS blog. Your lil ones will love the Softie Doll Dress up. *Heck, I love playing around with it!

She also has a website where you can browse some of her wonderful art work.

http://www.jennybharris.com/

I love this recipe (Corn dog muffins)

I was flipping through one of my mom's cookbooks yesterday and found a recipe for "Corn Muffins" and then instantly remembered the CORN DOG MUFFIN recipe from "Ramblings of a Crazy Woman".

Check it out!

It's another great way to eat a corn dog.

Kids....PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

You can find these YUMMY creations and many others at Willow Tree Toys.

Gettin' our "SWIM" on ....

Yes, it's still HOT and it's gonna get even HOTTER before it's all over. I sure hope you are cooling those lil ones off !! We have already shared some popsicle recipes, hosted an ice cream giveaway and now we are going to share some of our favorite swim suits.

(Grab BIG Daddy's wallet because we are going shopping!)

Cute Crabs

*click on photos

Summer Giveaway #3 (Play Doh!)

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED. A WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED! Thanks for entering this giveaway.

Play Doh was definately on the top of my FAVORITE toys list when I was a child. I loved everything about it .....The feel, the smell and yes even the taste! lol (Although I do not recommend eating any KIDS!

We could spend hours molding and creating things with the play doh. Just like I loved it so do my kids. We have tons of play doh around here along with a few of the playsets. Their favorite is probably the McDonalds play set. Lil Princess loves to make french fries!

Have you guys seen all the different play sets there are now? I would love to own one of each but I don't think we have room for all of them.... hee hee!

And I am going to tell you RIGHT . NOW . there is nothing like Play Doh. BELIEVE ME, I have tried those "others" and nothing measures up to the real deal.

Play Doh will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. (There's been a whole lot of play doh made in those 50 years.)

My Trendy Tykes is going to celebrate right now since we love Play Doh so much!

We are giving away this cool Octopus Play-set :

*It also comes with 4 cans of Play-Doh

We are also tossing in this great Play Doh duffel bag filled with accessories and 5 cans of Play Doh.

FUN FUN!

Now all you have to do is CLICK HERE and take a look around the site. Come back here and tell me which product you would like to have for your kids.

*For an extra entry just blog about this giveaway on your own blog and then come post a link as your second entry.

Giveaway will end Tuesday July 1st.

REMEMBER: If you are posting as "ANON" you MUST leave an email addy within your post or your comment will not be published.

What we did today.....

This weekend while shopping I found some cheap magnetic adhesive sheets so I grabbed them.

Today we made magnets.....

SUPER EASY and the kids had fun making them!

You will need:

adhesive magnetic sheets (I found mine at the local dollar store but you can also order them here.)

Scissors

Old magazines/photos

Crayons/Markers *optional

Just take the photo and apply it to the magnet

Cut your shape out and attach to magnetic surface

For some of our magnets, I applied a piece of paper over the sticky part and allowed the kids to draw a picture and then I cut it out......VOILA homemade magnets!

Here is another homemade magnet idea from MOM!I'm BORED!

She's FAB-WE-US

My little princess is prancing around in the other room singing "I'm FAB-WE-US!"

Yes little princess....You are FAB-WE-US.

A great summertime treat (that's good for them!)

Here's a great snack idea to try with the kiddos :

FROZEN GRAPE POPS

This great idea comes from Tidbits of Tammy (Head over and check out this great blog!)

Let's fly a kite!

Got wind?

Then you need a kite!

I found this great tutorial over at "A Big Cup of Tea".

Head over there and make your own kite!

Around the Table games

We recently had the opportunity to try an amazing game called "Family Talk". I have been hearing about this game for awhile now and was just tickled beyond belief to be able to share this with my family. Our whole family hardly ever gets to sit down together and eat (Dad works late most nights) but when we do sit down to enjoy a meal most of the time we are just tired and exhausted from the day's activities that we just SIT AND EAT (Nothing else).

Family Talk has changed that completely and we LOVE IT! You see Family talk is a game designed to get the family talking. All you do is flip over a card and discuss the topic with everyone. It is so fun and rather interesting to hear everyone's responses. We have gotten so wrapped up in the questions and TALKING with each other that we hardly ever want to leave the table.

Visit Around the Table Games and take a peak at all the wonderful games they have to offer. I am sure there is something there that is just perfect for your family!

If these were just a little bigger

Our little princess just loves to dress up and most of the time she pairs any one of her ensembles with my shoes (heels). *see proof below*

When we are shopping the first thing she goes for is the dress up aisle mainly for the makeup and SHOES. (she is definately my child!)

I would love to have these cute baby heels in her size.

The heels are made by Heelarious and come in many different colors and styles. Wouldn't they make a great baby shower gift?? I bet you would be the only one buying heels for the baby! lol

Aren't they cute??

And of course they would never break their neck wearing them since they are soft and the heel folds up as you step on them.

WFMW Popsicle Tips and a Summer Giveaway #2

GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED and winner has been notified. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

It's HOT!

When it's hot outside my kids like to cool off with a popsicle.

Now is the perfect time to share some popsicle tips and recipes with everyone!

I love to make homemade popsicles. There are so many different popsicle molds to choose from now days. Here are two of our favorites :

If you don't have a popsicle mold then DON'T WORRY because all you need is some of those small paper cups and some sticks. Pour your mixture into the cups, freeze and then when it's time to eat just peel the cup away from the frozen treat!!

Now here is my favorite popsicle recipe to use :

12 ounce can of juice concentrate
4 cups water (2 cups plus 2 cups)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1/4-oz)
Molds, Sticks, Freezer
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in the microwave or in a sauce pan. Remove from the heat. Stir in the unflavored gelatin. Stir a lot, to dissolve it completely. Pour in the juice concentrate and the remaining 2 cups of water. Mix well. Pour into molds and freeze.

TIP:The Gelatin will prevent the popsicle from dripping.

Here is another great site for popsicle recipes.

And if you are going to be eating alot of popsicles then you will definately need to buy one of these...

The DripStik is AMAZING! I could spend an entire post raving about this product. When we recvd ours (GREEN AND PURPLE!) in the mail we had to try them out asap. I no longer have to worry about the kids getting their clothes messy nor do I have to constantly wipe fingers and chins (Popsicle drips). I LOVE DRIPSTIK and every mom that comes to my house is just amazed at the product as well. You can read more about DripStik products here.

Here is my little princess with one of our DripSticks.

For more WFMW tips be sure to visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Ok, I know you are wanting to get to the GIVEAWAY part of the post, right?

Well here it is...

ARE YOU READY?

hee hee

Leave a comment (any ole comment will do) and you will be entered to win a BASKIN ROBBINS Gift Certificate. How much is this gift certificate worth?

$40.00

That would be a lot of ice cream!

*Remember if you post as ANON you must leave a valid email addy or your comment will be rejected.

Baskin Robbins has been serving up sweet treats for over 62 years now. Stop in this month for some OREO yumminess as it is their "Flavor of the Month".

You can also grab one of their famous ice cream cakes for a SUPER SWEET after dinner treat!

*Giveaway ends June 25th and winner will be notified via email. You will have 3 days to respond and if I do not hear from you then I will have to choose another winner.

150+ ideas for your summer break

Gina over at UNPINK LIFE has a list of over 15o activities to do this summer. Head over there and grab a few and save them for that day when you hear "MOM, I'M BORED!"

Clickety Click HERE!

And not too long ago ROCKS IN MY DRYER hosted "Great sites for Kids" where readers everywhere posted their favorite sites especially for kids.

CLICK HERE for those sites.

Summer Giveaway #1 Jenga Pink GIRLTALK

UPDATE: Giveaway is now CLOSED and the winner has been notified. THANKS FOR ENTERING!!

Alrighty here is our first Summer giveaway:

The folks over at Hasbro games has come up with another winner. Jenga GirlTalk is sure to be a hit with your daughter. Just think of all the fun she will have playing this game with her girlfriends. Heck, you may even want to host a sleepover RIGHT AWAY after seeing this game! (haha)

Seriously, Jenga is a great game. It plays pretty much like the original JENGA. You pile the blocks on top of each other and try to lift them without causing a big crash. There is one great new element. Each block has a special question like : "Who is your closest friend"?

The game is for ages 8 and up.

Would you like to win JENGA PINK GIRLTALK for your daughter?

*All you have to do is leave a comment under this post telling me your all time favorite board game.

*For an extra entry all you have to do is either add "My Trendy Tykes" to your blogroll or post about this giveaway on your blog. Just come back and leave a link to your post and you will be entered TWICE.

(Giveaway ends June 23rd @ 12:00am and the winner will be emailed)

PLEASE NOTE: all "ANON" comments without an email addy attached will be deleted.

I MUST HAVE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS if you want to participate in any giveaway here on My Trendy Tykes.

*Cool Recipes*

Here's some great recipe ideas to try with your kiddos!

Choco-Nut frozen bananas

here's another great frozen banana recipe (courtesy of Dinner's on Me)

Octopus hot dogs

Pudding Cone cups (courtesy of KidsKuisine)

It's HOT!

I am going to be honest with all you readers right now.......

I AM WIMP when it comes to heat. You see, I just can not stay outside when the heat rises above 70 which means MOMMY must have some indoor activities on hand at all times.

If you are a HEAT wimp like me or just looking for some RAINY DAY activities then check these out :

Scratch Art (courtesy of Skip to My Lou and A big cup of Tea)

Finger painting with edible paint

Cute Aligator magnet (courtesy of Ramblings of a Crazy Woman)

Stay COOL and have FUN!

(some COOL and REFRESHING recipes coming later today along with GIVEAWAY number 1)

Neglected

Poor Poor bloggie....

I have just tossed you to the side.

Well, to be honest I have been a little BUSY with these kids of mine. You see...we had vacation bible school and then that older daughter of mine decided to go back to ANOTHER vbs with some friends in the neighborhood. I had to keep the two little ones occupied plus momma had business to handle (Little girls need their hair bows, ya know?)

Oh, and we also had a few sickies here in the "H" household.

I AM NOW PROUD TO TELL YOU DEAR BLOGGIE POO that we are back to blogging and you will not be neglected anytime soon (uhhh....hopefully!)

It's SUMMERTIME.....shouldn't we be able to relax?

WOW,

Summer has made our lives even busier and it is only the second week into our summer break.

Last week the kids attended Vacation Bible School all week (I headed up the pre-school craft section). This week our oldest daughter is attending yet another VBS program with a couple of friends.

We have not been able to sleep in yet!

I apologize for the Boring posts or LACK of posts lately. I am just completely ZONKED!

There will be some GREAT giveaways coming though and I have some special SUMMER CRAFT projects lined up so STAY TUNED...

Oh, and you may want to check out the banner below for some more SUMMER FUN:

A little summer reading made possible by Barefoot Books

When I was younger I used to love curling up with a nice book. I think I was nearly 10 years old when I really started to enjoy reading. My favorite time of the year was when the book fair came into my school. They usually only set it up twice per year and one of these were near the end of school year. I would buy a couple of books for the summer trips (You know those LONG CAR RIDES!)

Now I am much older and have children of my own. My children LOVE it when I read books to them. They are always asking me to hold the book up so they can view the pictures. My youngest is only three but she can tell you about all of the books we have read. I am amazed at how much they actually absorb.

Reading is a great activity for ANYONE!

If you are wanting new books for your summer vacation then I have a WONDERFUL site to share with you.

Barefoot Books carries and enourmous selection of children's titles. I am pretty sure you will find something for every age group in your family.

You can search by price, age, and even bestsellers.

Below are a few of the bestsellers:

1. Animal Boogie

2. Whole World *this one is featured on Oprah's "O" list

3. Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon

4. My Daddy is a Pretzel

Oh, and if you are looking for some nice bargains then be sure to check out their SUMMER SALE. Some books will even be marked down by 80%!

If your children are not reading already then now would be a great time to start a new SUMMER READING tradition!

Log on to BareFoot Books and get started today.