Failed pizza dough is fun

A few weeks ago, we wanted to make pizza and as I had made pizza dough in the past to raved reviews I dug out the very old yeast packet out of the pantry and went straight to work.

Two hours later, the dough looked exactly how it did when I threw it in the bowl with a thud. It hadn't risen and gotten all pouffy and yeasty and pizza-dough like.

Mad as shit -- but not as mad as my husband who had to drive to three stores to find Boboli -- I threw it on the table (another thud) and told the kids to have fun, which they did with all their play dough accoutrements (or just pounding it with their fists like my son in the photo above). 

"Mom, what is this?!?" My son asked excitedly. 

"It's dinner." I replied.

One of these days these kids will get sarcasm better than Colbert.

Indoor Snow

So I've done it. I've hit the jackpot with the laziest mom hands-on activity for my kids ever.

I realize I'm a little late posting this -- we did this on March 6th and now it's April and all our snow has melted. But maybe you're reading this from Saskatchewan, I dunno, and it's still relevant.

Instructions:

1. Must be winter (or spring if you live in Chicago) and must snow
2. Go outside, fill bowl with snow - avoid yellow snow
3. Give it to your kids who will be waiting with baited breath
4. If you're feeling up to it, add some food coloring.
5. You're done. Pour a glass of wine (or vodka, depending on your day)

It can't get any easier than this and the kids loved it. They're not keen about sticking their hand in snow outside, but in a bowl with food dye -- that's a different story.

Lazy mom strikes again!

Kid tested, mother not approved

Keeping in the spirit of entertaining the kids at home with a fun hands-on activity for lazy moms (which translates to something that involves the least bit of prep time and as few ingredients as possible), I move on to CloudFluff.

CloudFluff is equal parts cornstarch & shaving cream. 

You mix it together and it's supposed to be a soft dough you can shape & form (see website where I found it). 

I'm doing something wrong -- apparently the last 3 years engulfed in babydom has left me unable to follow directions let alone mix 2 ingredients together -- because my concoction ends up being very fluffy and creates a mess all over the entire kitchen.

Need less to say the kids LOVE this 

I throw it all in a bowl and let the kids have fun with whatever toys I don't mind cleaning afterwards. My son loves to drive his trucks through it and my daughter just likes to smear it all over the table and on herself.

I do it when the floors need a good cleaning to begin with (everyday) because that's what you'll be doing once the fun is done -- CLEAN.

Have fun!

Making play sand

I made a New Years Resolution -- I know, stay with me -- that I would try a new sensory/hands-on activity with the kids every week. Well, I lost steam on that pretty quick and after a few weeks I decided to try something new every month and it's much easier.

Our first experiment -- Play Sand

On this blog, I found a way to make indoor sand that's also non-toxic (in case you have a kid who puts everything in their mouth like I do) by simply mixing whole wheat flour with canola oil until you get a "sandy" consistency.

With a splat mat draped across our kitchen table, I mixed these two pantry items into play sand that my preschooler could fill seashells with and my toddler could push through her fingers and across the table in exploration.

As my previous post mentions, I suck at crafts so crafting with them is usually a bust. The lazy mom in me likes to find something that's 2-3 ingredients (stuff I usually have in my pantry anyway) that I can mix up, entertain the kids, and curb my preschoolers pleas for the television.

This is a long winter, but mix up some play sand and pretend you're sitting at the beach.