LearningCandy

I am so excited to share a post with you today from LearningCandy.  This company was started by a Mom for kids.  Miss Lana's mission is to foster curiosity, confidence and give inspiration to every child to help them succeed in life and to help teach parents how to do that! I cannot think of a better goal.  I have tried to instill those same qualities in my two boys and I love participating in activities that will help them achieve this goal and grow up to do the same with their future families.

LearningCandy offers fun personalized products for children with themes including History, Geography, Math, Science, Marine Animals, The Solar System, Emotions, Big Brother/Sister, Character, Inspiration and others.

Check out their blog with great articles with ideas for you and the kids in your life:  

• 12 Ways to Develop Your Child's Imagination
• 9 Fun and Educational Pen and Paper Activities That Can Be Done Anywhere
• A Basic Music Lesson That Can Be Taught On the Go
• Sensory Development: Stimulate all Five Senses

They also have FREE activities and printables to get the creativity flowing! 

I hope you take a moment to check out this fun and unique resource for successful kids.

- Krista         

A Gift For Kids Every Parent Will Approve of

One of the best gifts we can give our kids (besides our unconditional love) is the gift of a love of learning.  Curious, inquisitive kids think proactively, they love exploring, it's easier for them to learn new things and they tend to achieve greater success in life.

Did you know that 90% of a child's brain is developed by age 5? No time is more important for developing mentally healthy, happy, inquisitive people who will contribute greatly to the lives they touch.

How can we help our kids develop a love of learning from an early age?

Easy! Just play and talk with them!

It's true. It's that easy.  Well, almost.

Research is clear: by consistently stimulating young kids' brain through interactive learning, you grow their learning muscle while instilling within them a life long sense of curiosity and exploration.  The most important thing you can do to help increase your child's IQ and build a solid foundation for future academic and life success is to build strong language skills from birth.  Do not wait for the child to start school. We never get those critical first five years back.

LearningCandy.com offers families tools and resources to have the all-important intentional conversations, to spend quality time bonding and to help get kids excited about learning and knowing. 

LearningCandy was founded in 2013 by a mom on a mission to foster success in kids.  We offer fun, unique, educational gifts every kid will love and every parent will approve of.  

For little kids, our fun personalized products help families spark a love of learning.  For big kids, our inspirational line of character-building gear addresses issues such as confidence, no bullying and self-awareness.

To support our mission further, a portion of our profit is going to be donated to Jumpstart, a non-profit focused on early learning.

We are inviting you to work with us to raise awareness that families can make a profound difference in kids' lives and open the world of opportunities by getting them excited about learning, by becoming their best teachers and by encouraging them to take an active life position.

If you share our beliefs and hopes for a better society we encourage you to tell your friends and family about the work we do. Connect with us on social networks, grab our button and get in touch to share ideas and feedback. We would love to hear from you (info@learningcandy.com)!

When visiting www.learningcandy.com join our mailing list for inspirational and educational articles, free printables and exciting updates. 

  

Resources:

Read Kindergarten Is Too Late [by Masaru Ibuka] book overview

Find easy but effective kids activity ideas on our blog

Get Free activity printables

Read the first article in our new series: Parenting Lessons From Successful People: Richard Branson

Related Links:

www.facebook.com/learningcandy

www.twitter.com/learningcandy

www.pinterest.com/learningcandy

email: info@learningcandy.com

I am proud to be a:

Granny-Guru: Can I Just Take a Nap?

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Can I Just Take a Nap?

Readers know the classic book for reading your grandchildren to sleep, “Goodnight, Moon.” A new classic has been introduced, “Can I Just Take a Nap?”

A bowl of Cheerios (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ron Rauss, architect, poet and first-time children’s book author, decided to enter a contest in 2010 that Cheerios hosts every year for new children’s book authors. He won, beating out more than 8,000 entries.

Simon and Schuster published his book and General Mills, owner of Cheerios cereal, put a small, paperback version in three million boxes of Cheerios. Now, it’s out in hardback. Although Rauss is also an illustrator, his publisher chose Rob Shepperson to illustrate this book.

This is the sweet story of a sleepy little boy who wanders all over trying to find a quiet place where he can take a nap. Author Rauss says it was really a story about how tired he was as a new, stay-at-home Dad.

New parents and grandparents, unused to the early rise and unbounded energy of children and grandchildren, can relate. But, grandparents also know that one of the ways to get a tired grandchild down for a nap or down for the night is to have a soothing ritual, like reading to them in bed, or just before you take them to bed.

The child in this book, Aiden, was named after Rauss’s own, now four-year-old son. A book soon to follow will feature Rauss’s 18-month-old son, Jaxon.

Order the book from amazon for your own new sleepytime tradition by clicking on the title, “Can I Just Take a Nap?”

 Carol Covin, Granny-Guru

Author, “Who Gets to Name Grandma? The Wisdom of Mothers and Grandmothers”

http://newgrandmas.com

Guest Post: Vegan Creamy Mushroom Soup

I am so happy today to have a Guest Post from a new Blogging Buddy! Please let me introduce to you in case you haven't found her already Miss Janette from Culinary Ginger!

Hello foodies! My name is Janette and I'm fairly new to food blogging, but I'm having a great time sharing my recipes and stories on my blog culinaryginger.com.  I'm honored to be a guest blogger today  and I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please contact me if you have any questions. Happy cooking!

Who knew you could use raw cashew's to make a no creamy soup creamy? Not me, until I ordered vegan mushroom soup in a café in London. I asked how they make the soup so thick and creamy and they told me, raw cashews. So those of you who are not able to tolerate dairy and missed out on all those creamy soups, this recipe is for you and is also a great vegan and vegetarian recipe.

I've tried the recipe a few times and this is the best tasting so far. The difference this time, I used dried porcini mushrooms and reconstituted them in warm water. This created a mushroom broth that I think gives the soup the extra mushroom flavor boost. 

Ingredients (4 servings) 

• 1oz dried porcini mushrooms* (see note)
• 4 cups luke warm water
• 1 and 1/2 lb of mixed mushrooms, stems removed and chopped  (I used 14oz cremini, , 4 oz portobello, 2 oz shitake, 4oz reconstituted porcini)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium leeks, chop, then wash in a bowl of water, drain on a paper towel
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4  teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2/3 cup of raw cashews
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups of vegetable stock to thin out soup, if needed

*The 1oz of dried porcini mushrooms equals 4oz of fresh porcini mushrooms after reconstituting.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, add the 4 cups of lukewarm water.
2. Add the dried porcini mushrooms and allow to sit for 30 minutes to reconstitute. This will also be the mushroom stock for the soup.
3. Using a sieve, drain the reconstituted porcini mushrooms. This is in case there is grit. Save the liquid to use later.
4. Chop the reconstituted porcini mushrooms the same size as the other mushrooms.
5. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add all the mushrooms, including porcini, sauté until soft. 
7. Remove 1/3 of mushrooms and set aside to add to soup later.
8. Add leeks, pinch of salt and continue to sauté until leeks are soft.
9. Add the garlic, ground coriander, rosemary and bay leaf, cook for 2 minutes.
10. Add the cashews, stock, the rest of the salt and pepper.
11. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
12. Discard the bay leaf.
13. If you have an immersion blender, use this to blend the soup in the pan. If not, transfer 1/4 to a blender and blend until smooth, if it's too thick, add vegetable stock to get the consistency you like. 
14.  Transfer to a bowl and continue with the rest of the soup. 
15. Put all the soup back into the soup pan, add the mushrooms you set aside. 
16. Reheat and test for seasoning. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve.

                                                                    

Guest Post for Notes from the Nelsen's: Donut Peach German Pancakes

Today I am Guest Posting for: Miss Heather is a true blue sweet heart! You may remember her fabulous Guest Post here @ A Handful of Everything Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie.  She has completely re-vamped her blog and it is looking fantastic! Be sure to stop on over and check it out!

There are 2 parts of my post today: For all the fantastic details check out my Guest Post Here:

Guest Post

Donut Peach German Pancake

and

Pampered Chef Giveaway and Catalog Show!

I am giving away 4 well loved products! Including 3 new products available this month! The New Classic Batter Bowl, the New Mini-Serving Spatula, the New Cobalt Mix-N-Scraper, and the Square Baking Pan together worth $44.50! Wohoo!

Pampered Chef Personal Website: http://pamperedchef.biz/kristascookin
Host Name: Krista Low
The show will close on 9/15.

The September Guest special is 20% Off Glazed and Unglazed Stoneware and Pampered Chef Bakeware!

If you would like to host your own catalog show in September and earn 60% off any Glazed or Unglazed Stoneware contact me today! kristascookin {@} gmail {dot} com.

Guest Post for Notes from the Nelsens: Tie-Dye Cupcakes

Not long ago I had a wonderful Guest Post from Miss Heather @ Notes from the Nelsens.  Her Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie was fabulous! She was so kind to offer me a chance to post on her blog now too! Since it's summer time and the kids are home I try to find fun things that they can do with me.  This is what I came up with.  I had seen similar ideas floating around on Pinterest and I knew we had to try it out! This was a huge success.  They dissapeared at an alarming rate and hit the spot for a quick and easy summer treat! Enjoy :)

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

Guest Post: Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Good Morning!

I am so excited to share with you a post from a Guest Blogger! Meet Miss Heather from Notes from the Neslens! She is super sweet person and has an amazing blog.  You'll notice her button over on the left in my sponsors! Yup, she's pretty awesome!  Let's give her a big welcome and check out one of her favorite childhood recipes!

Guest Post: 

Hi friends! I'm Heather, and I blog over at Notes from the Nelsens. I'm an elementary school teacher who loves Jesus, cooking, laughing, coffee, tennis, traveling, book stores, and date nights with my hubby- especially when those date nights involve any or all of the above things.

Like this one- a date-night cooking class at the Viking School.

Or this one that ended at Barnes & Noble.

This is Matt, by they way. :)

We met in high school,

dated through college,

and got married 5 months after we graduating from Furman and Clemson - GO TIGERS!!!

We've been married for 5 1/2 years now and together for almost 12!

I started blogging a little over two years ago when we bought and renovated our first house. We imagined buying a move-in-ready house for our first home but ended up doing quite the opposite... we gutted the entire thing and lived with Matt's parents for 5 months while our house was under construction. You can see the before and after pictures here. It's come a long way since we bought it nearly three years ago, but we still have some to-do list items to tackle.

Apart from house and yard projects, we love to travel. Road trips, plane trips, or a quick one night away, we love getting to see new places and make memories just the two us before we start a family.

One of our favorite trips was a Mediterranean Cruise we went on last summer. You can read about our other travels here.

Apart from traveling, one of my other loves is cooking! Today, I'm going to share a recipe with you that I've been making since I was a kid. If you're interested, you can see all of my other recipes here.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie:

My mom used to make this for me as a kid. She would always put an extra scoop of peanut butter at the bottom and tell me to make sure I ate the whole thing. She wanted to fatten me up and get me all the protein she could since I was such a picky eater. ;) This is also one of the first things I remember making "all by myself" as a kid, and I've been making it ever since! It's the perfect snack that can really serve as a meal if you need it to. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:
1 banana (spotted is the best so it's sweet!)
2T peanut butter
1T honey or agave nectar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk or almond milk
handful of ice cubes

optional: add fresh blueberries, strawberries, and a scoop of greek yogurt for extra protein!

Directions:
Blend and enjoy!

Thanks, Krista, for letting me share a little bit of our world with your readers! And thanks to you for taking the time to get to know us a little bit! I'd love it if you'd stop by our blog and say hello sometime. Here are the other places you can find me:
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

Email: notesftn@gmail.com

Have a wonderful week!

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