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Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Jan
9

Party Mix Anyone?

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Recipes, Things to do

Back in the 60’s, my parents called it “Nuts and Bolts.”  Around holiday time, mounded bowls of party mix always accompanied their Christmas parties.  On baking day, the savory combination of cheerios, peanuts, and pretzels roasted in butter, seasoning salt and Worcestershire sauce would keep me hovering in the kitchen, my mouth watering as the warm, rich smell permeated the house.  When it was done, my mother would spread the hot mix out to cool on a cut-apart brown paper bag.

Today, party mix can no longer be called “Nuts and Bolts.”  It has evolved way beyond that nickname.  I counted 75 versions of party mix on the Chex website!  From sickly sweet to super savory, there is something for every set of taste buds.  In the sweet category, these sparked my curiosity:   Bananas Foster Crunch, Ginger Honey, Hot-Buttered Yum, and Chai Crunch.  Interesting savory selections included: Cajun Kick, Moroccan Crunch, Chili & Lime, and Backyard BBQ.

As a child, when we made party mix in the oven it was an hour long process.  I always hung around and “helped” so I could snack. With the microwave, 15 minutes is all you need to concoct a batch. Little hands can help with measuring, pouring and stirring.  This makes a good activity for a wintery day or night with a delicious result. 

This week, each of my children chose a Chex mix recipe for me to share with you. Katie, 10, picked the good ol’ traditional.  David, 13, chose one called “Deviled.”  For these recipes, go to www.Chex.com.  For nostalgia sake, I called my mother and got her recipe for the original “Nuts and Bolts” from her dog-eared Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Enjoy!

Nuts and Bolts—Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1971

4 c. cheerios
1 ½ c. mixed nuts
1 ½ c. seasoned croutons
1 c. pretzels
½ c. salad oil
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Measure cereal into a large roasting pan. Mix spices with salad oil and pour over cereal, mix well.  Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

-posted by Donna Detweiler, who has a tradition of taking party mix on airplanes for snacking with the complementary drinks.  Yum.

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Jan
1

I finally broke down and bought an iPad.

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things We Love

I’m an Android user all the way. And all my computers are HP. My phone allows me to create a mobile access point, so I can get on the internet wherever I take my computer. But I got tired of lugging my HP everywhere (I’m a homeschooling mom, and since I work full-time, too, I work anywhere I can at any hour of the day or night), so I bought an iPad in September.

And then I wondered why I waited so long. I love being able to access email and internet anywhere(thanks to my phone). Netflix is great for the kids on long roadtrips, Angry Birds is a whole lot better on a larger screen.I’m auditing a Latin class, and I never lose my notes, now, cause they are not on paper anymore.

I love the apps for my kids. My sports minded son had no problem learn those pesky 11′s and 12′s multiplication facts with Baseball Math. And we love Jellybean Tunes. But hands down, our favorite is Where’s My Water? (It’s all about physics and logical thinking), created by Disney.

The creators of Jellybean Tunes have a a blog called Moms with Apps, that promotes quality apps for kids and families.

So, tell me, what are your favorite apps – either grownup or kid-friendly? Leave me a note. I’d love to know.

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who still loves her Samsung Galaxy ANDROID phone, and has no plans to trade it in for an iPhone.

 

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Dec
23

Children’s Artwork – Last Minute Gift Ideas with Lasting Value

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things to do

Need a really great last minute gift idea? You have the perfect resource right at hand, under your roof, under foot too, most likely.  Your kids!  A child’s artwork can be a treasured gift for anyone, especially those close to that child.

Children’s artwork is often refreshing in its simplicity and innocence.  It doesn’t have to follow any rules to be special. From the modern art look of toddlers, to the stick figures of 4 year olds, so the lollipop trees of kindergarteners, the pieces created by children is treasured because of the relationship, not because of the look, although many of us love it whether we know the particular child or not.

Children’s artwork from the Victorian bushfires in February 2009. (Pauline Crosbie ) / CC BY-NC 2.5

I chose to decorate my kitchen with my children’s art.  I bought inexpensive Lucite box frames, which allowed me to easily slip a picture in the front of the cardboard, and then change the pictures at will. The kids glowed with pride seeing their framed pictures.  I hung 6 frames in my white-walled kitchen. The bright colors stood out and created an eye-catching whimsical look that gave me energy whenever I was in there.

These frames plus one or more selections of a child’s artwork make a perfect gift for grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles etc.   The frames come in many sizes and cost less than $10 and can be found at most drug and grocery stores than have a frame section. The artwork, of course, is free!

Other repositories for children’s art are easy to make–online calendars, mugs, mouse pads etc. You can buy thermal coffee cups which allow you to slip any artwork in a decoration around the cup. Another popular holiday option is the homemade garden stone or hand print.  Children design their own stone with their name or a theme. Most craft stores carry many inexpensive varieties of these keepsakes.

I enjoyed using my children’s art for gift wrap. At Christmas time, I would cover the table with the end roll of newsprint I’d gotten from the newspaper office. I gave the kids red and green markers, crayons and Christmas stickers and let them scribble and draw. After we finished the background, we’d put Christmas stickers all over it. For another year, I did another variation on the gift wrap theme: old-fashioned potato prints.  I cut simple designs in the potatoes, like a tree or a star, and let them dip them in red and green paint.  I used special ribbon to complement the children’s unique wrapping paper and to achieve a finished look.  Rustic twine worked well when I used brown paper one year. Real cloth ribbon makes any package look spectacular.

Win-win is how I describe using children’s art at Christmas time. We need meaningful gifts to give.  Children need to have fun and feel special.  All this is accomplished with little cost and great memory-making when we recognize the lasting value of what is right under our noses at home. Children’s art—which is available up to the last minute too, with no shipping charge!

-posted by Donna Detweiler, who is confident that gifts of children’s artwork makes just about anybody’s Christmas day more special.

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Dec
20

The Latke Song for Hanukkah, Studio3Music Style

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Symphony Concerts

If you came to our Holiday Concert, you were at the premiere of a brand new Hanukkah song! We thought you and your children would like to see it here. Be sure to note how the kitchen gets messier and messier as the days go on! Here it is in digital format.

Click on the image below to see the book full-size. For the best viewing, click on the double page button to the left of the X on the top bar. As you listen to the song, flip the pages in time to the words.  Please feel free to share this with your family and friends via Facebook or email them the blog link. Enjoy!

-posted by Miss Analiisa on behalf of all of us at Studio3Music, who wish you a very warm and happy Hanukkah and Christmas season, filled with love, joy and peace.

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Dec
17

Reimagining Jingle Bells

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family

If Jingle Bells is the first Christmas song you remember, you’re in good company.  Jingle Bells is possibly the most performed and recognized secular holiday song all around the world.

Just imagine you weren’t slightly sick of this ubiquitous song and think about it as though it was the first time you’d ever heard it.  It has a lively tune. It’s really easy to sing along with, and the lyrics paint a compelling picture. Dashing through the snow.  A one-horse open sleigh, Laughing all the way. Making spirits bright. A sleighing song tonight. No wonder people love this song. Wouldn’t you enjoy riding in that sleigh on a dark, starry night, being pulled behind some Belgian horses with steam coming from their nostrils as they tossed their manes and bells jingled in the crisp night air? I would!

Back in the 1800’s, when horses were still the main mode of transportation, sleigh riding was popular.  James Lord Pierpont wrote his song originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh” about the sleigh races held on Salem Street in Medford Square, Massachusetts.  Records show Pierpont’s song about this winter event was copyrighted September 16, 1857.

Today in Medford, you can find a plaque commemorating the “Birthplace of Jingle Bells” at the Simpson Tavern–19 High Street, in case you go looking. The lively tone and mood of Pierpont’s song befits a tavern.  I can picture the men and women, exhilarated and flushed from the brisk outdoor air, coming in to Simpson’s place to laugh and talk about the race. I picture Pierpont at the piano, coaxed into entertaining the crowd, coming up with this lively ballad about their winter night reveries as the fire of the tavern crackles in the background.  Laughter rings through the warm room and the horses bells can be heard in the distance. Perhaps some races are still in progress as the group warms up with ale and friendship.

To be fair I must tell you that there is some controversy about the writing of Jingle Bells. Some claim that the song was written by Pierpont for a Thanksgiving program for Sunday school children while he lived in Savannah, Georgia. The citizens of Medford, MA, refute that claim and historians continue the debate.

I obviously think Jingle Bells is a song worthy of a fresh look this holiday season. So, here are the lyrics for you to enjoy as you picture yourself back in New England during a snowy Christmas season. Frankly, I’m having trouble imaging Pierpont writing this song in Georgia!

Dashing thro’ the snow,
In a one-horse open sleigh,
O’er the hills we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob tail ring,
Making spirits bright,
Oh what sport to ride and sing
A sleighing song to night.

Chorus:
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago,
I thought I’d take a ride,
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank;
Misfortune seemed his lot,
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got upsot.

Chorus

A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.

Chorus

Now the ground is white
Go it while you’re young,
Take the girls to night
And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob tailed bay
Two forty as his speed.
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack, you’ll take the lead.

Chorus

Additional song notes:  Jingle is not a kind of bell, it is an imperative verb. And bobtail simply means that they “bobbed” or cut short the tail of the horse, which was the style of the day.

-posted by Donna Detweiler, who has actually ridden in a one-horse open sleigh on a starry night in Montana—one of the highlights of her life!

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