Fried Mozzarella Sticks
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Fried Mozzarella Sticks ~ Cooking with Kids!

ByMariel

So, this fun little cooking school, Spoon and Spatula, opened up near my house and my girls just finished their first ‘camp’ there… pizza camp! Each day of the week, the classes revolved around pizza. The first day was bubble pizza, then fruit pizza, calazones, pizza wontons, and fried mozzarella sticks.

The girls have been anxious to make some of their newly-learned recipes for the family. So, this past Sunday, I did my own little cooking class with the kids. They taught me how to make their Fried Mozzarella Sticks from the Spoon and Spatula class, and I taught them how to make homemade marinara for spaghetti, Jana’s Awesome Breadsticks, and Cherries and Cream Dessert Squares. Mmmm! It was a ‘free day’ (from the diet) to remember.

Adirondack Park
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Adirondack Park for Families (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Happy August from Allison at Tips for Family Trips! I know that many of us are getting into the back-to-school groove, but I can’t let the summer slip away without sharing one more top vacation destination – Adirondack Park in New York.
August is one of the best times to visit the Adirondacks because temperatures are cool and comfortable, while the park’s many lakes are just right for swimming and canoeing. If you love colorful autumn leaves, then fall in the Adirondacks is unbeatable.

Lake Placid, a two-time Olympic host city, is located in the Adirondacks, and my family had the opportunity to visit this lovely town last June. Here are some of the fun activities we recommend in Adirondack Park.

girls-night-out gift bags
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Girls Night Out Gift Bags… Fun & Inexpensive Ideas (she: Mel)

ByMelissa Sunday

Hey! It’s Mel from So Festive {Simple Ways to Celebrate}. Are you all having a great summer? We sure are! Summer is winding down. In fact, where we live, most kids have already started school. After the hustle and bustle of summer ending, you might deserve a little Girls Night Out.

And if you are going to have a Girls Night Out, you might as well put together some favor bags. Because who doesn’t love a fun swag bag?

Check out my fun and inexpensive ideas, and let me know in the comments what you’d include in a Girls Night Out gift bag for your friends.

Easy Caramel Croissant Bread Pudding | FiveHeartHome.com for OneSheTwoShe.com
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Easy Caramel Croissant Bread Pudding (she: Samantha)

BySamantha

Hi there, Or So She Says readers! It’s Samantha from Five Heart Home, and I’m excited to be back today sharing a doozy of a dessert!

Croissants, meet caramel. That’s right, folks…as if flaky, buttery croissants weren’t already decadent enough, today’s recipe drowns them in a custard of homemade caramel sauce and bakes the whole concoction into luscious bread pudding goodness.
As an added bonus, the caramel sauce is homemade yet takes less than five minutes to whip up! Sound too good to be true? It’s not…the recipe is actually deceptively easy to make. But nobody will ever guess that when they taste it.

inspiration for moms
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Inspiration for Moms… “You Are Enough” (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hi my friends! It’s Veronica, and I’m so excited to be back this month with some inspiration for moms (and kids)! Here in Tennessee, we have been back in school for two weeks now. So life has been pretty chaotic around here!

Over the past little while I’ve seen the saying “You Are Enough”. It seems to be all over Pinterest and the internet. After the past couple weeks I’ve had, I think I’m beginning to understand why! I’ve needed this great little reminder.

Gift Ideas 8 Year Old Girl

Gift Ideas 8 Year Old Girl

ByMariel

Something special is happening on Saturday. Audrey’s getting baptized! It was so fun to snag some pictures of her in her pretty white dress and talk to her about the big day. She even got to get her ears pierced on her 8th birthday, so turning 8 is a pretty big deal around here.

So, with gift buying freshly on my mind, it’s time to share some gift ideas with you… because maybe YOU need some gift ideas for 8 year old girls. These ideas come from Audrey, herself AND some OSSS Facebook fans, mother’s of 8 year old girls. Here we go!

sweet and sour shrimp skewers
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Sweet and Sour Shrimp Skewers (she: Ruthie)

Byruthie

Goodmorning everybody! It’s Ruthie from Cooking with Ruthie back to share a quick and easy end of the summer grilling recipe…

If you’d like a fresh take on shrimp, try grilling it on a skewer with a sweet and sour sauce. It’s a nice flavor combination you can enjoy as you say goodbye to summer and hello to fall. The sauce is easy to whip up, and you keep the shrimp moist by basting while grilling for just a few minutes on each side. It really is easy and so worth the prep work.

DIY tin can vase
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Tin Can Vase for Flowers or Art Supplies (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hello again! It’s Carmella from the Creative Carmella Blog! I am so happy to be back here at Or So She Says to share a fun and easy craft project.

I have learned that some of my favorite creative projects have been those that don’t require anything special to make. Only using what I had at home, I made a little tin can vase, perfect for a surprise gift for a friend or to spruce up a drab corner of your house.

halloween at southern california theme parks
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Halloween at Southern California Theme Parks (she: Kimberly)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

Hey everyone, it’s Kimberly from PackedwithFun.com, the official blog for Get Away Today. We specialize in Southern California vacations and I love sharing insider travel tips and tricks here on “Or So She Says.” The Southern California theme parks are always fun, but one of my favorite times to visit is during the Halloween season. Now, just to be clear, I love Halloween, but I don’t do scary. I know there are a lot of people that love to be scared to death, and if that’s what you’re looking for, Southern California is the place for you, too. Each September – October, the major theme parks celebrate the holiday and the events range from G-rated fun for the whole family (my personal cup of tea) to good luck going to sleep at night for the next month or so. Since October is a really popular travel month due to U.E.A. and other fall breaks, I wanted to share a brief overview of what you can expect during Halloween at Southern California Theme Parks:

back to school mad libs
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Back to School Mad Libs Round Up (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Hello, hello! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots here with you today. I’m always so excited to spend time here with Mariel and her readers! And I’m always so excited about this time of year. Fall (my favorite season) is on the way, back to school time is just around the corner, and this year it will mean baby boy number four in October for our family. So many fun things to look forward to.
I like to try and add a few new activities to our countdown each year, just to mix things up a bit for my boys. In July, our family took a big road trip from Utah to Arkansas. I packed up a ton of activities to keep my boys busy during the 23 hour (one way!) drive. And ya know what? The big book of Mad Libs was their favorite! It was mine too, actually. I love how my four-year-old already knows that a noun is a person place, or thing (thank you, Mad Libs). And we all get a kick out of how funny our stories turn out. My twins laugh and laugh and laugh over them!
So, I thought I’d see if I could round up a few back to school Mad Libs to add to our countdown this year. They are the perfect way to add a bit of light-hearted humor to what can be a kind of scary first day.

dealing with a bossy child

Dealing with a Bossy Child (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Happy August Everyone! It’s Heather from FamilyVolley.com. I’m excited to be here today to share some parenting tips to make things a little bit easier in your home. And although today’s post is geared toward toddlers, the parenting tips can be used when parenting kids of any age. When our oldest child was nearing 2, I clearly remember my mom telling me that the twos were terrific, not terrible. I have always been grateful for her counsel. I ignored all the people telling me “to brace myself for the terrible twos”, went into parenting a two year old with an open mind, and you know what, she was exactly right. Now, five kids later, two is one of my favorite ages. As much as I love all the toddler developments, there is something that comes with being two that isn’t terrific. Two year olds tend to be a little bossy. Toddlers in general seem to be a little bossy and want things their own way.

Educational Ruler Activity for Kids

Easy Educational Ruler Activity (she: Amy)

ByAmy Lee

Hi, it’s Amy from The Connection We Share. For a while, I’ve been wanting to teach Elle how to use a ruler to measure. Since this week’s blog hop is ruler themed, I thought it would be a perfect time to do that!

My goal for this invitation to play is to teach Elle to measure things with a ruler and practice writing numbers. I thought it would be fun for her to measure an object and write down its length on a Post It and let her stick it on the object.

Come check out this fun and easy project and… bonus! 7 other blog friends have come up with a ruler idea of their own, to celebrate Back-to-School!