Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

Snow is not usually something that receives a warm welcome.  I love winter.  Snow is fun best of all, I love the magical feeling I get when I see the snow sparkling outside.  Below, I have included activities that you can do in the warmth of your home (Play date word search fun, French toast soufflé or Family movie night) and I have also included some fun activities that will  get you out into the fresh winter air (Divide & shovel, Tip the cup and Frosty treasure hunt).  Like most things in life, balance is very important.  Some people like to “hibernate� and stay warm and others prefer to go out and enjoy the many activities that winter has to offer.  In my opinion, everything is good in moderation…. except perhaps the French toast soufflé, which is good in abundance (the recipe can be found below).

Play date word search fun:

This is a fun activity to do with a friend or a sibling.  Each person can create their own word search using words that are related to winter.  You can do this on the computer or on a piece of paper.  Make a chart with 12 rows and 12 columns.

Write 10-12 words at the bottom of the word search and then start placing the words into the empty chart (they can be spelled in all directions - up or down or across and even diagonally, if you are feeling really adventurous).

When you are done, exchange your word searches.  Take the time to find the words your friend or sibling has hidden, while they try to find yours.

Here are some good words to get you started:  Snow, Shovel, Skiing, hockey, skates, hot cocoa, scarf, mittens, fireplace, blanket, and ice rink.

French toast soufflé

This is my family’s “ultimate� winter comfort food.  As the temperatures start to drop, every day that goes by, my children beg, negotiate and plead for me to make this dish.  The nice thing about it is that part of it can be made in advance!

Ingredients

• 10 cups Challah (egg bread) cut in 1â€� cubes
• 1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 ½ cups  1% or 2% milk
• â…” cup 5% or light cream
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup blueberries tossed with a tsp. of white sugar (optional)

Directions

1.                   Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 9�x13� glass baking dish. (If you are planning to add the blueberries, add them to the bread cubes and mix them around.)

2.                   In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg is added.

3.                   Stir in milk, cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

4.                   Pour cream cheese mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

5.                   The following morning, remove the soufflé from refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

6.                   Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

7.                   Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

Makes 10-12 Servings

Family movie night!

What a great way of getting all of your family members together for some much needed quality time.

Here are some tried and true suggestions that can help make your family’s movie night a great success:

·         Pick a movie start time:  Decide upon a specific night of the week and starting time and stick to it. Friday nights are often good movie nights because it’s a nice way to de-stress after a long week of work and school.

·         Which movie is best?  Obviously, different people have different movie tastes, especially people of different ages.  Trying to find a movie that makes everybody happy can be quite a challenge.  Here is a list of some of our family’s favorites…

Monsters, Inc.               The Incredibles  Finding Nemo                The Lion King

Aladdin             Brother Bear                  Cinderella                      Sleeping Beauty

Mary Poppins                The Sound of Music       Back to the Future         Toy Story

Kung Foo Panda            Daddy Day Care            Charlie and the chocolate factory

The Tooth Fairy Harry Potter                   E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

The Princess Diaries

·         Consider a theme:   Encourage your kids to come up with creative snacks based on the movie.  If you are watching the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory�, chocolate themed treats will do perfectly!  Chocolate milk, ice cream or bowls of different chocolate “WONKA� treats, like chocolate covered raisins or snack size chocolate bars that are generally available year round and especially around Halloween.

·         Be creative:   Get the kids to create tickets for the movie.  A cute idea is to have the kids “usher� their parents to their seats, using a small flashlight like in the olden days.

·         Comfort Zone:  Plenty of comfy seats are a must.  Bean bag chairs, cozy warm blankets and large pillows on the floor make for a very comfortable and cozy setting.

·         Serious Snacks:  Movie candy and buttered popcorn (microwave is perfect), along with pop or water can  lend an air of authenticity

Movie nights are definitely wonderful traditions that your kids will remember long into adulthood!

Winter Olympics:

Here are some games and activities to keep your kids busy in the winter, and off the couch!!

“Divide and shovel�:  Divide your family members or other willing participants into two teams. Take a shovel and “draw� a line down the middle of your drive way.  Provide both teams with utensils and tools for clearing the snow. Don’t forget to allocate space to dump the snow!  The winning team is the one that managed to “clean up� their side of the driveway first.

“Tip the cup�:  This is a great way to practice your pitching skills and to develop your hand eye co-ordination.  Place 10-12 plastic drinking cups along a fence.  Make snowballs and take turns trying to hit the cups off the fence.  Each cup that is “tipped� is a point.

“Frosty treasure hunt�: This idea comes from one of my favourite sites www.kaboose.com.  It involves hiding all of the winter accessories that you children would need in order to build a snowman or snow person!  Before heading outside, give them clues or a treasure map to lead them to all of the hidden items.  Then, when they have found all of the items, take a walk to a park or your own yard, and help them build a snowman with all of the items they have collected.

Whatever you decide to do, try to enjoy all of the wonderful activities, moments and memories that winter 2011/2012 hopes to deliver!

Shelley Sefton is a chef, recipe developer & creator of “Yummy in my Tummy� - classes for kids that  offers them the opportunity to  experience exciting adventures in the kitchen – combining education, art,  food and most important of all FUN! Contact: (905) 597-0672 or sdsefton@rogers.com.  

(c) Shelley Sefton 2011

 

June is a very much “happening� month!  June is the month in which a large number of marriages are known to occur.  It is of widespread belief that June is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage.  Many consider it good luck to be married in this month.   June is also well known in Canada as the month in which an entire day is set aside to honour the special dad’s in our lives.

Below I have included the instructions to create a special father’s day word search for the kids to create and then share with their father.   Afterwards, father’s day Olympics  is a great way to spend some quality time together and to get some exercise and fresh air – below is a suggested list of games.  And for the finale of the day, the father’s day backyard BBQ.

Father’s day word search:

Write down all of the qualities that you love about your dad (12-14 will do nicely!)

Here are some ideas: huggable, funny, handsome, tall, sporty, encouraging, super, best, awesome, smart, musical.

Create a table with 12 rows down and 12 columns across. This can be done on the computer or by hand!
Take the words and fill them into the squares of the word search allowing the common letters of the words to overlap and have the words run in different directions

Challenge your dad to find all of the words. You can always offer to help him!

Father’s day Olympics!

Below is a list of some fun games you can play together with your dad.

• Egg and spoon race
• The limbo
• Red rover
• Hopscotch
• Three-Legged Race
• Flag tag relay
• Create an obstacle course

Many of the rules to these games can be found at www.familyfun.go.com/playtime

Remember it is dad’s special day and so you may want to “let� him win in at least one race!!!

Father’s day backyard BBQ

After all that moving around… you can be sure everyone will have built up quite the appetite.

While all dads are different, based on the dads that I know… a father’s day BBQ is a superb way to let the dads in your life know how much they mean to you.  There is a reason the following has become a universally renowned saying:  “a way to a man’s heart is through his tummy!!�

The menu:  Kebobs using beef, chicken, tofu, salmon, shrimp and/or vegetables provide for a variety of options from which to choose.  Of course, some dads just want a good old-fashioned hamburger or hotdog.  Corn on the cob, potato salad, and roasted mushrooms and onions are always a welcome addition!

The décor:   Use a variety of home-made or store-bought decorations to decorate the chairs of any of the fathers that will be present at the BBQ.  You can also try visiting a local party supply store or dollar store to pick up some brightly coloured decorations.

Certificates:  These can be made and presented to all the special dads that are attending.  Using the computer or construction paper and markers or crayons, create a certificate that honours each dad for being so uniquely special.  Some ideas include most athletic dad, most cuddly dad, most handsome dad, dad with the best smile, best BBQ-ing dad.

In every family, we find different situations and therefore different definitions as to what is or makes a person a dad (Some have two dads, there are step-dads and adopted dads). The most important thing to keep in mind is that anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a DAD!

Happy Father’s Day to all of the awesome Dads in the World.

Happy Father’s day to my father and father-in-law, my husband, my brother and brother-in-law.  All amazing dads that deserved to be honoured!!!

Shelley Sefton is a chef, recipe developer & creator of “Yummy in my Tummy� - classes for kids that  offers them the opportunity to  experience exciting adventures in the kitchen – combining education, art,  food and most important of all FUN! Contact: (905) 597-0672 or sdsefton@rogers.com.  

(c) Shelley Sefton 2011