3,000 Facebook Fans Giveaway

Every time the Teaching Heart Facebook Fan page hits 1,000 new fans we host a giveaway!!!  Guess what?  We just hit 3,000!  Woot!  Teaching Heart Fans are the best teachers and parents around that love teaching their kiddos with their hearts.  THREE lucky winners will be selected to win.

1.) 25.00 Gift Card to Amazon.com
2.) CDROM of your choice from http://www.teachingheart.net/primaryteachertimesaver.html
3.) Packet of your choice from http://teachingheart.cerizmo.com/

What do you have to do to win???  Two things to be entered.
- See that follow this blog square on the right.  Become a follower and click that.  Then head over to our facebook page and leave a comment under the facebook contest entry status.  That is it!  3 lucky winners will be chosen on July 5, 2011!!

Need back to school ideas?  Make sure you visit us at: http://www.teachingheart.net/ultimate.html
Don't forget we will be having a major party soon.  Click here to learn more about that and check the blog daily!

Check out our Teaching Heart Store to show off the site you love!!
http://www.cafepress.com/teachingheart

4th of July Treats and Printables

 So I saw this cake... From Glorious Treats 

It looks like a plain vanilla cake, right?  Look inside and...

There is a surprise flag inside...  Is that cool or what??? 

There are so many yummy 4th themed treats floating around the blogs and websites...

Like these easy Marshmallow Pops from Living Locurto

Here is an easy and quick fun red, white, and blue cake the kids can put together in snap.  Follow box directions.  Before you put in the over swirl red and blue gel on the top of the cake...  Ta-da, the kids made a 4th cake.

How about some yummy red, white, and blue learning???

Have you seen the Liberty Goldfish?

Cute, huh?...  they look like...

Print this Teaching Heart graphing sheet out for some fun math fun with your kids.  Do it with them or let the older kiddos do it alone.

Don't forget about the star shaped marshmallows that are in stores now...

Buy Star Marshmallows and Practice Math Skill with these sheets... Click Here for Free Printable.

Do you have any fun and yummy 4th activities you like to do with your family???

Week of Giveaways Around the Corner....

Back to School Party – Sunday, July 24 till Sunday, July 30^th.  Winners  announced first week of August!!!  Each day a new prize.  OVER 7 prizes total…  gift cards and other goodies any teacher would love.  Plus a few free printables shared with all!   Don’t miss the party!!!  If you have an item you would like to donate to this year’s party that is valued over $25.00, please email Colleen at  cgallagher_1999@yahoo.com before July 11, 2011.  All donators will get a link placed on Teaching Heart Blog.  Easy advertising.  Check out last years fun!!!  Check back this week when we announce a kick off contest!!! 

Yummy Summer Treats To Eat

Summer is here.  What fun yummy treats do you like to make in the summer???...

Last summer I shared some Smore Treats and ideas here.

A few weeks ago I made S'More Bars...  Mmmm & Easy....

The directions for these bars were on a pack of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies.  Here is the yummy recipe.

 

1

pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1

cup graham cracker crumbs

1

cup butter or margarine, melted

3

cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz)

4 1/2

cups miniature marshmallows

 

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13x9-inch pan.
2. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.
3. Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 5 to 6 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars tightly covered.  Makes 24 bars

My kids loved these...

Another favorite is the Sandy Oreo Treat.  Great to bring to a summer party.

Summer Fun Recipe:

 

 

2 (20 oz.) pkgs. GOLDEN Oreo cookies1/2 stick butter1 (8 oz.) cream cheese1 c. powdered sugar3 1/2 c. milk2 sm. French vanilla instant pudding boxes1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip

Cream the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Mix pudding together with the milk, add the Cool Whip to pudding mixture. Then blend in with the cream cheese mixture.
Crumble the Oreo's in a blender, leave the cream in the Oreo's. Use a sand pail to fill with your yummy treat. Alternating cookie crumbs and filling, ending with the cookie crumbs on top. Top with a sand shovel for serving.

I was searching online for some more fun summer recipes and found a few that I would like to try...  My kids love tacos and wouldn't these be fun??? 

Mucho Choco Tacos - You can view the creative recipe here...

Check out this simple Beach in a Bucket Dessert made with pudding cups...



Make a Takes shares these fruit scewers...  Great for the 4th!

How about making your own summer popsicles with this easy idea?

So, do you have any fun summer recipes that are kid friendly?

Dear 16-year-old Me

I thought the Video above was very powerful and reminds me to check my skin since I was one of those teens in the tanning beds, spreading baby oil on my skin, and getting burned multiple times as a teen.... I can do better for my kids and make sure they have sunscreen on. Thought I would share since this is the time of year we need to lather up those kiddos.

Silverlicious Game Board Review....

My five year old is a HUGE Pinkalicious fan.  We loved the Silverlicious book and were excited to try this game.  The game board and its pieces are very attractive just like the Pinkalicious stories. However; game play of this game is not “so easy-licious”…  Too bad they didn’t ask for assistance from a mom with a four to five year old when creating this game…  However, we changed the rules to the game and then had a great time playing.  If your child cannot read, you will need to play with them for sure.  You must read each card to know what to do while playing the game. 

Here is how we played.  There are three paths that one of three pieces can choose to follow to the end of the game.   Have each player choose a piece.  They follow that path to the top to win.  Before they can win they need to collect four silver coins along the way.  They pick cards from their pile (each player should pick a pile of cards to draw from) along the way that tells them what to do.  Once they make it to the top of the board game play is over and they are the winner.  The cards are very cute and ask each player to do cute things… like draw Toothina, tell the name of Cupid in Silverlicious, write a note to a family member about why you love them, or say something nice to a player…  Once you complete the task on the card, the card tells you how many spaces to move.  We enjoyed the game playing it  this way and have played it many times.  I would recommend the game if you don’t mind making up your own rules for game play.  The board and playing pieces were well thought out but the game rules are a little difficult.  I would still purchase this game for a Pinkalicious fan, I would just play it differently.    

Final Fling Bachelorette - Wine Party...

To learn about the printables that go with this party, please see:
http://www.teachingheart.net/bachelorette.html

Me and the bride!!!

Well, I pulled off a fun and classy Bachelorette party.  I was a little nervous about it.  I was nervous it may not be fun and people may not mingle (since the bride was having so many people from different parts of her life).  I only really knew her and one of our other college roommates really well at the party.  The rest of the girls I know as acquaintances or do not know at all.  As a result, I struggled for weeks about what to do... first I thought spa party and then realized that was way out of my budget.  Then, I thought a True Romance Party might be fun (you know the S-E-X toy type parties).  The bride thought that might work but was hesitant because her mom was attending the party.  I even brought the idea of BUNCO up.  Strippers were a definitely a NO!   The Bachelorette said no to that before I even started planning... Darn!  LOL!  Finally, I made a choice and created a wine game and a few other original games.  It was action packed and fun... best part when it was all over the Bachelorette said, "This was the best girls nights out and it was so much fun!"  Phew...

Food:  I made cookie balls, cookies, and chocolate strawberries.  The bridesmaids each brought an appetizer and we ended up with quite a feast.

I made Sangria and everyone brought a bottle of wine.  What was left, the bride took home.  Here's the loot she ended up with...  However the party people consumed over 14 bottles at the party... 

Decorations:  I went with hot pink and black as colors since everything bachelorette seems to be in those colors.  I made the banner below.  Got the balloons on Amazon.

Plates , Napkins, and beadscan all be viewed on Amazon. 

Favors and Prizes...  I loved my prizes for the games.  They were all wine related (except for one risqué one for my one silly game).  I have collected them for a year.  Here are two of my fave prizes.  Wine charms and a wine cork holder . 

 Check out the wine cork holder here .  I also had wine stoppers, wine pourers , cute wine glasses , and wine openers for prizes.

Below are the favors...

Customized bottle of wine (I used the six packs and made a label), a CD, rabbit wine cork , and a pink wine glass filled with Hershey kisses .

Now my favorite part... the games!  

First game was an icebreaker of sorts... after the bride introduced all her guests, I read statements she had written about each guest and we took turns guessing who she was talking about.  It was a fun way for people who do not really know everyone at the party to get to know everybody. 

I managed to fit 15 people in my dining room... It was tight and hot - but fun!  Note my candles in the wine bottle...  I thought they were cute.  You can purchase them here. 

Second game was sooooo fun.  I want to do it again.  I made an easy wine tasting game.  You need six bottles of wine...One really cheap and one expensive. It is helpful if you can get a few people to buy a bottle each before the event.  Buying six bottles on your own can be expensive.  The bags came from a wine tasting kit like this one.   I poured each wine one at a time into small dixie cups and we all tasted it.  The object of the game was to guess the name of the wine (there was a wine bank/ word bank), guess the most and least expensive, and try to guess which one the bride liked the best and the least.   We went around and tasted each wine...  by the time you are done tasting you probably have tasted a glass of wine total.  So it's not like you are poring everyone a glass, just a taste; otherwise you better take keys at the door. 

I had a recording sheet for the answers...

Winner had the most points out of 10.  Our winner had 6.  So it was a hard game.

We moved into the family room for another activity.  Everyone at this party was already married except two of the people.  So, everyone brought their wedding albums and we went around the room letting each person share a favorite memory about their special day with the group.  It was so much fun hearing everyone tell the bride what to look forward to.  We also passed around albums.  When everyone was done sharing, I pulled out another sheet for a game... I had been recording things that people had said.  For this game each person needed to match a statement up with the bride... 

After this we played my only game that was somewhat risqué (come on, you have to get a little crazy at a Bachelorette party)...  I had pictures of a graphic of a penis and on each one was a letter of the alphabet.  I mixed them up and would call out a letter, the first person who would shout out a sexual word that started with that letter got to keep the card.  At the end we counted up who got the most cards and they won a fun prize from True Romance.  I think the bride was surprised to see her mom getting all into the game.  We laughed a lot.  Here's our winner with the prize...  (I have to thank my friend Cheryl for the prize - It was a big hit!!!!).

Present time: Everyone brought a present that the bride and groom could use on their honeymoon...  We played a little game as she opened gifts...  I had wrapped corks with questions such as;  

What should Jenn definitely take on her honeymoon?, Tell us about a boyfriend of yours that was not the one…. Who is the guy you are happy that Jenn is not marrying?, Give us one word to describe Jenn… (After you answer this, pick another cork  - read it and answer it.), What advice would you give Jenn to make her marriage a success?,  What’s your best sex tip?  If you give her a great tip – you win a prize!!!, What’s the worst date you have had?.  How are you like your mother and how is Jenn like hers – in your oppinion? ....

Before the bride opened a given gift, the giver would take a cork and answer the questions...  Tons of laughs followed.  It was fun and everyone was involved.  Great night for my girls final fling before the ring!!!  Now time to get creative with the wedding toast...  HELP!!!

To learn about the printables that go with this party, please see:
http://www.teachingheart.net/bachelorette.html

 Of course we had to decorate the bride with a veil...  My crafty girlfriend made this!  She also made the jewelry for the wedding (that's another post)!!!  Below is the bride with her momma!