Green Eggs and Ham, And Some Yummy Gummy Candies

One of Conrad's favorite books to read is "Green Eggs and Ham" By Dr. Seuss. He also loves scrambled eggs, so, I decided to make green eggs and ham for breakfast.

It was a lot of fun for Conrad, and simple to make. Just add green food coloring to the scrambled egg mixture before pouring it into the pan. Then, as you scramble the eggs, toss in the ham.(I used diced lunch meat.)

(Note: if you use egg yolks to make these, use blue food coloring, and it will be a deeper green color. I had to experiment with it for awhile to get a good color)

The second time we made this, There was no ham in the house, so we used turkey instead. I also threw on some cheese, as Conrad wanted cheesy eggs.

 And of course, because Conrad was having green eggs, he insisted that mine should be colored too. He chose blue for me, so I had a blue omelet!

Conrad enjoyed helping me make these fun breakfasts, but he enjoyed eating them even more! When we were finished with breakfast, we read  "Green Eggs and Ham" to finish off our morning!

 "Yummy Gummy Candies"

For this activity/recipe, you will need the following items:

• An Ice cube tray, or Candy molds
• a small sauce pan
• two packets of sugar free Jello-any flavor
• six envelopes of plain Gelatin
• 1/2 cup of water

Conrad and I have made these gummy treats several times. They are fun for everyone involved, quick and simple to make, and because they are made with sugar free jello, they are 0 points for those of you who count points with Weight Watchers.

First, you need to put all the packets of Jello and gelatin into the sauce pan with the water. (I had Conrad dump them in for me, and then move away from the stove for the next part) Next, turn the burner on a low setting, and stir the mixture until it has melted down with no lumps. When you are finished, and all the lumps are gone, pour the mixture into the ice cube trays or candy molds. (Note, I split the batch in half, and made half lime, half raspberry.)

Place the molds into the freezer for 10 Minutes. Remove from freezer, and pop the gummies out of  the molds. I was concerned when I first made these, that the gummies would be difficult to get out of the molds, But I found that if I used a butter knife and slid it down the side of the candy, it popped out of the mold with ease, and didn't damage the gummy.


This is the end result. I chose to cut these into smaller pieces, since I used ice cube trays, as they were pretty big for small mouths. Since the first time we made these, Conrad and I have made them twice more. The third time we made them, we did not cut them up, and called them "Dino Eggs" for our field trip to the dinosaur museum. These make a great little snack, especially if you, like me, enjoy gummy candies, but without the sugar.

Fun with vinegar, food coloring, and Baking soda

Growing up, my mother used to do all sorts of fun projects with my sister and I. Recently, I was reminded of today's project, when I ran across it on Pinterest. I decided Conrad would appreciate it, and so...today's science activity began! :)
For this project, you will need the following items:

• White Vinegar
• Baking soda(we used a whole box)
• Food coloring
• egg cups, or small containers(we used baby food containers)
• a large baking pan
• Medicine droppers, or syringes 

 Dump the baking soda into the baking pan, and spread it out until it covers the bottom of the pan. Next, Pour vinegar into the small containers, and add a few drops of food coloring to each container.

Use the Medicine droppers and syringes in the vinegar solution, as seen above.
Now, Have fun filling syringes with vinegar and dropping them onto the baking soda. The results will turn out something like this:

You can also experiment with mixing colors. I used this as an opportunity to talk with Conrad about what the different colors make when mixed.

Conrad had a lot of fun playing with the color explosions, and asked a lot of questions about the colors mixing. I also enjoyed myself (mixing colors has always been one of my favorite things to do, and I love the rainbow look of things).
This project was simple to set up, easy for most ages to do, and fairly easy to clean up. I must warn, that because you are using vinegar with food coloring, the solution will stain clothing, and possibly hands. I had Conrad take off his white shirt before we began.

The Biggest surprise for me came when I was cleaning up. As I began to rinse the leftover mixture down the sink...the ugly brown-green color from the top went away, and this is what I got:

 as I said before, I love mixing colors, and I love rainbows. When this appeared underneath the gross brown-green color, I was pleasantly surprised! I had already sent Conrad outside to play, so he didn't get to see this, but you can bet next time we do this project, I will remember to show him! :)

just a little about me

 Several of my friends asked me to start a blog about my adventures as a nanny for two beautiful boys. This blog will include activities, recipes, project ideas, pictures and stories from my time with them.
 To start out, Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am 31(almost 32), and have worked in various day cares over the past 10 years. I have enjoyed working with children since my mother first started taking me with her to volunteer at the daycare she worked for when I was 10. I lost both my parents when I was 16, in a car accident, but I always aspired to be like my mother. After high school, I attended Concordia University, in the Early Childhood Education Program. Unfortunately, due to financial issues, I ended up leaving after the fall semester of my senior year. This is when I began working at day cares. After several years, and four different day cares, I have finally found a job that I love.
 I currently have in my care, a 7 month old boy, and a three year old boy. The family I work with has been nothing but good to me, and have told me several times that I am part of their family! I can't even being to express how happy I am with this "job". I put that in quotes, because it really doesn't feel like work. I get to play all day with the boys, and plan my own activities. I get to cook healthy, fun, and child friendly meals. I get to go on field trips, and spend time outside. The best part of it all, is that I get to watch these boys learn, and grow. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to care for a child not my own.
 I think that is it for now. Hopefully many of you will enjoy reading this blog, and get some great ideas from it. Also, please if you have any ideas, don't hesitate to respond and comment! I love feedback! :)