Cupcake Saturday!

Welcome to another Cupcake Saturday! We hope everyone has had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. Since we have been going on this "road trip" of ours, our cupcakes are, too! These are our Rocky Mountain Road cupcakes:

Just a side note- "Rocky Road" has nothing to do with the Rocky Mountains. The idea was developed back in the 1930's, during the Depression.
Anyway, our cupcakes have a chocolate cake, with some chocolate chips. The original recipe is with walnuts, but ours have pecans. We were sent a whole bunch of pecans from Texas, so we decided to use them in these. They are topped with a marshmallow frosting, and sprinkled with some more chocolate chips and nuts.
Thanks for looking and have a great weekend! We will be taking a short break for a week or so, but come by next week!

Today's Party Trivia:
-  Today's date is full of Old Western firsts. The first showdown occurred in 1865 and the first train robbery was in 1873.
- The USS Constitution, one of the Navy's first frigates, built and stationed in Boston, started its maiden voyage in 1798. (I wonder if that lazy lad is still there...)
- Today is National Junk Food Day. A great day to celebrate...:0) 

Kid-Friendly Friday

Happy Friday, all! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Today's kid-friendly project will keep the backseat busy on any road trip. It's another recycling project for those of you who have old cookie sheets hanging around.

Materials:
Cookie Sheet
Paper
Markers
Magnets (round and strips)
Glue/Tape
Scissors
Laminating plastic (optional)
Paper clip

Step One:
Think of what games you would want to play. Either find them online or create your own. I did a little bit of both. I printed off boards for Checkers, Scrabble, Connect Four, Tic-Tac-Toe, Chutes & Ladders, and a blank Bingo board. The Bingo board was left blank so the kids can put their own things in, like street signs.

Step Two:
The next step would be to laminate the sheets for sturdiness. This isn't absolutely necessary, but it will make the games last longer. It also allows you to write on them with dry-earse markers. My laminating job wasn't great, but it will get the job done.

Step Three:
Cut out circles to put on top of the magnets, so they can be differentiated. Red and black work for Checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe, and Connect Four. You can add other colors for the other games.

Step Four:
I made spinners for Chutes and Ladders. To do this, I drew a circle on a scrap of cardstock and split it into different, equal sections. Then, all you need to do it put a pencil in the middle with a paperclip and spin. You also don't have to worry about losing the dice.

The magnets can go into a plastic bag for storage, and a file folder attached to the back will keep the game boards safe from crumpling.

I like these magnetic cookie sheet games because it really doesn't take up much room in the back seat, and to help curb the "summer slide," you can make them into learning games as well!


Thanks for stopping by!

Are We There Yet?

Today's project isn't really a crafting post. It's more of the teacher in me, I suppose. It's a busy book, so you don't have to keep hearing, "Are we there yet?" from the backseat.

 

I created a PDF file of different backseat games and activities. There are also spots to do some journaling about the day's activities. I left it pretty blank so kids could draw in it. And I had fun making different versions of "I Spy." After last summer, I think it would be much easier having a list of things to spy other than, "something green." Between this and the mini album from earlier this week, the whole trip is covered and remembered!

Come back tomorrow for more backseat activities.


Thanks for stopping by!

Where Have You Been?

Today's project is a wall map. Back home, we have a big wall map hanging up that shows where we've been. Each family member has a different color pushpin and we've put in all the cities and places we've visited. After last summer, it was quite full! Since we don't have one of those here, we decided to make our own. This is a great thing to help track all of the states you've been to, or just to help your kids learn about geography! (Which is definitely helpful, since I've known high school seniors who don't know where all of the states are... How sad.)

We cut out all of the states and outlined them on big poster paper. We added the state names, abbreviations, and capitals to each one. Finally, we glued the states we've been to onto their outlines. When we get back to Washington, we'll be able to add North Dakota onto it. Now we just have that big, glaring (quite literally, sorry for the poor picture taking) hole in the middle, and Alaska and Hawaii. One day we'll get out there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
Apparently July 18th is a slow news  day...
- In 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt was nominated for a third term as US President. He would go on to be the only President to serve more than two terms. He served for 3+ terms.
- Today is National Caviar Day

My Road Trip Mini-Album

Today we have a road trip mini album to share with you. What better way for a child to keep notes of things going on with this mini album? Each 2-page layout has a spot for a 4x6 photo and a section for writing down some memorable things.

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The first dental school in the United States, Harvard's School of Dental Medicine, was established in 1889.
- Disneyland was dedicated in 1955. It was officially opened to the public the next day.
- Today is National Peach Ice Cream Day

Our bags are packed....

We're ready to go! This week, we will have road-trip themed projects to share with you. After this crazy, fun-filled weekend, we will be getting ready to head back west. This will be the third time in a year making this cross-country road trip, and yet, we aren't sick of each other in the car. I guess that's a really good thing. Wouldn't want to have to stop the car in North Dakota and "accidentally" leave someone there... :)
So to start off, we have a cute little card. I know most people don't make cards to announce a vacation, but we aren't most people! We'll make cards for any occasion.

I love the little details on the people, right down to the coffee cup. That's really how we survive each other for so long. A little caffeine, some music, I Spy... (That's not so much fun in the middle of nowhere. "I spy something green.") And you may notice that the map is upside down. That's the kind of co-pilot we are. Even with GPS we manage to get lost. We had some good adventures last summer that way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The Rosetta Stone, a large granite rock carved with three languages, was found in Egypt in 1799.
- In 1916, two men incorporated Pacific Aero Products in Seattle, Washington. The company would later become Boeing, named after William Boeing, one of the founders.
- In 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System was released. ("I am thankful for my NES...")
- Today is National Ice Cream Day and Cow Appreciation day. So, before having a snack, find a cow and say thanks!