Two reasons a thank you note should be written.

What’s the big deal with writing thank you notes? Before we can learn to write thank you notes we needed to recognize and be thankful for:

• those things we receive – gifts, clothing, food
• the effort others put in on our behalf – watching a piano recital, coming to a school function

Be thankful for those things we receive.

It is easy for us to understand a thank you is required after receiving a physical gift. Christmas and birthdays are great times to begin teaching your children how to write thank you notes.

Grandma sent Suzie a gift in the mail. Teach Suzie to pick out a card and write just 3 sentences of gratitude. Help her find a stamp and mail the thank you card. It is not important to spell every word correctly or even be legible for a small child. The important part is getting into the habit of being grateful and expressing those feelings in a handwritten thank you note.

Recognize the effort others put in on our behalf.

This second reason for why handwritten thank you notes should be written is sometimes more complex.

• Who gave you a ride home from school?
• Did a teacher give additional help with an assignment?
• Did a friend listen to you complain about your bad day?

These are three examples of when someone spent time helping or listening. Others are not required to be a listening ear. They are not required to invite you to join them for lunch but they did out of kindness. This kindness should be acknowledged with a thank you.

Technically we could write many thank you notes each day for those small and big things that others do for us.

Is saying ‘thank you’ good enough OR do you need to write a handwritten note?

I love looking at situations from different perspectives. If I helped someone out and they said thank you immediately how does that make me feel? If later I received a thank you note for that same act of kindness now how do I feel?

Hearing thank you right away is always polite but by writing a note that person would feel even better. By writing handwritten thank you notes we are opening the door to a new or better friendship. We all want to feel appreciated, especially when we are doing something nice for someone else.

Thank you notes do not need to be long or written on a fancy card. This printable is a great help to know what to write in a thank you card.

Some of the points I included are:

• Why should you write? To show sincere thanks…
• When should you write? Within a week, but better late than never.
• Steps to a perfect note. Specific details are given how to open the letter, how to progress and how to close.
• Additional things to remember from Emily Post such as how to write a note when you do not like the gift you received.

Tuck this in with your premade cards, or try creating your own with this simple Thank You Card Template.

Writing thank you notes is something we all need to learn and practice regularly. Remember the two main reasons why handwritten thank you notes are important. Be thankful for those things you receive and recognize the effort put in on your behalf. Each day we can find someone worthy of a thank you note. Once you start writing these notes of gratitude it becomes a habit. Amazingly you will find yourself being more thankful and looking at the world in a different way…in a better way.

In 2012 my mom showed my Little Chefs how to make Strawberry Rocky Road while visiting at their cabin. My kids LOVE cooking with Grandma. They fight over whose turn it is this time. Usually there are too many anxious cooks for one Grandma so I get called in for reinforcements. Grandma taught them how to cut the strawberries with a real knife! Since then she has found a strawberry slicer that is even more fun then a knife and much quicker. It is a great kitchen tool!

This time homemade angel food cake was not made and used. We cheated to make the recipe super quick everything was store bought; angel food cake, strawberry glaze and whipped topping. The Little Chefs were able to make this on their own from start to finish in less then 30 minutes-short enough that they did not loose interest.

If you have more time go ahead and make the angel food cake and grab one of those Junket strawberry packets and follow the recipe on the back to make it on the stove top for the glaze. Either way, you have the option of eating it immediately, or letting it chill in the refrigerator for a short time before consuming.

Potty training is a BIG event. As a parent I look forward to this day just as much as my kids look forward to their birthdays. Why not celebrate it just as much?! I have potty trained 4 kids so far. My son is my last one and I am SO excited. I decided that this time around we are going to have a big potty training party. We are going to celebrate with food and decorations, a movie and of course a lot of attention and praise. This is HIS day. This is HIS weekend.

I decided to go with a race car theme. Boys and cars seem to go well together. I went shopping at Walmart to get all my party supplies. I noticed they have a huge selection of not just diapers, but baby products in general. I found Pull-Ups® Learning Designs® Pixar’s Cars Lightning McQueen for boys. In fact my son saw them first and was so excited about the character. The lowest priced package is $8.97 found on the shelf just above the big case of Pull-Ups.

I decided to choose one bathroom that he would be using throughout the party. I found a party tablecloth and draped it over the door. I used red and black balloons to decorate around the door. I found some fun race car decals that are repositionable for walls. I put those up strategically on the walls he would be facing while “trying” so that he has something to look at and we have something to talk about. It is all about distraction to that he would sit there just a little longer. The idea was to make it very inviting so he would want to go inside and check it out. It really did work. The first time he stepped in there he put his hands on his face and said “Wow!”

Immediately outside the bathroom I placed a bench that was filled with drinks and incentives. When it comes to potty training all rules about food and treats go out the window for a few days. To help with the potty training process I like to give my kids a lot of liquids that can be juice boxes, water bottles and popsicles.

Race Car Potty Training Party Printable

Supplies Needed:

• Race Car Potty Training Party Printable
• Scissors and/or paper cutter
• Tape or glue

Directions:

1. Cut out each label.
2. For the water bottle, juice box and mini candy bar the process is the same. Place a small piece of tape or glue on one end of the label.
3. Wrap tightly around the object.
4. Place a small piece of tape or glue on the opposite end to keep it wrapped and tight.

Just for sitting and “trying” I give rewards. My son was scared to even sit on the toilet. We started slow, before the party. He had to sit and count to 10 then he could get off. At first it was a very fast 1-10. After a few tries he started to see there was nothing to be afraid of and would sit there even longer. Each time he would get a reward. Pull-Ups has these fun characters that describe different types of personalities to help with your approach to potty training. My son is a turtle with some traits of a puppy. He responds to change slowly and likes to do things on his own. Their website was fun to read because it has some great ideas for each character as well as online games to play.

When it was time for our big party my son wasn’t scared anymore. Each time during the party that he would sit and “try” he could choose one thing from the bench. Since everything on this table was customized to race cars it was so fun to watch him choose. Besides the mini candy bar labels I have also created 2 x 2 squares that say “Way to go!” The squares can be put on any prize you want to offer your child.

What I discovered about the Pull-Ups Learning Designs is they last for more then one up and down. My son was able to put them on and off himself multiple times without the waist band loosing elasticity and becoming unuseable.  This design is softer then the previous Pull-ups I remember from my other kids. The best part was how excited my son was about wearing the Lightning McQueen Pull-Ups.

This Potty Training Party was a success! My son loved having everything customized to race cars. He loved seeing his reward just outside the door of the bathroom. That visual and constant reminder helped in the process. Don’t forget to download the free printables for your own Race Car Potty Training Party! Go now to find out which potty training character your child resembles then come back and let me know.

Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap

When I make Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken I like to add an extra piece or two of chicken above what I think we will need for the meal. The leftovers are sliced or shredded to use the next day in this wrap. When I am pressed for time running to sports events this is so quick to put together. My kids love it because it is a wrap. I can get them to eat almost anything wrapped in a tortilla!

I can pack in 4 different vegetables hidden under the chicken that they already love. I always seem to have extra marinade from the first night (if not it is fast to make a little more). That is drizzled on top of everything to give even more flavor and moisture to the wrap. That is it! So fast and delicious!

The ingredients are simple and probably already in your pantry and refrigerator. All you do is blend everything together then throw it in a zip top bag with your raw chicken. Let it marinade overnight and it is ready to grill. I like to reserve some of the sauce the night before in a small container to use the next day as a dipping sauce because it is so yummy. This is one time when I love having leftovers. The only way I usually get extra for the next day is to grill more chicken then what I anticipate needing on day 1. This chicken is so delicious on a salad or as a wrap. It makes a great day 2 meal!

This is a mild tasting casserole. My kids loved it, especially when adding a dollup of sour cream on the top after cooking, but the adults wanted something a little more. Adding some salsa to the top works well for adults to give it a little kick.

Tater Tot Casserole

Just a few tips:

• Baking the tater tots first without the topping helps them become crisp.
• If you have whole olives in your pantry and not sliced like me, use a strawberry slicer to quickly cut them. This is a task my Little Chefs love to do.
• If you are not going to use all the green onions you purchased check out my tips on How To freeze Green Onions. I love having them on hand!
• To help speed up the beans cooking throw them in the microwave for one minute before adding them to the casserole.

Milkshakes remind me of summer! Our weather here can’t decide if it is winter or spring. In fact, we had snow this past weekend! Just a little but I saw it coming down! Regardless of the weather we decided after soccer and volleyball games that we were going to make a classic milkshake. Mint chocolate chip with oreo. My kids have never experienced these delicious flavors in the form of a milkshake. It was time to fix that!

Did you know there are so many different flavors and types of Oreos? My third Little Chef just recently had a birthday party and she saw thin oreos at the store and had to get them for her party. It was pirate themed so we spray painted them gold with special edible spray so they looked like pirate coins. We all loved how they turned out- so fun!

This Mint Oreo Milkshake definitely is an easy recipe! All you need is a blender, some ice cream, oreos and milk. Add everything to the blender and let it rip. Pour it into two glass cups, one for you and one for a friend. Sip it through a straw for a delicious, refreshing treat that will definitely cool you down. If you like the oreo taste try our Oreo White Chocolate Cookie.

Recipes like this are perfect for late nights with friends. My kids love late nights and they love making something in the kitchen by themselves. These milkshakes would make a little mess on the counter but they are quick meaning it would keep their attention from start to finish. If I am really lucky they might even help with the clean up.

Did you know the fastest way to clean a blender is to pour in some hot tap water. Add a drop or two of dish soap. Put the lid on and turn on the blender. The spinning motion will clean the blades and the sides so fast. Don’t fill it too high and keep you hand on the lid because you would not want it to pop off and create a huge mess!

Mint Oreo Milkshake

Just a few tips:

• High quality ice cream will produce a better milkshake.
• Slightly chill your serving glasses in the freezer to keep the ice cream from melting too fast.
• The oreos make the milkshake have a brownish tint. If you would like a green tint add a couple drops of food coloring when blending.
• Start with 1/4 cup milk for a thick milkshake and add up to an additional 1/4 cup of milk for a more runny milkshake.

This delicious strawberry lemonade muffin recipe is not too sweet. I think that is why I like it so much. It is tangy from the lemon juice and sweet from each piece of strawberry. It is great for breakfast or brunch or if you are like my kids any time of the day.

While we are talking strawberries let me introduce you to the fastest strawberry slicer that is fun even for kids.
My mom first introduced me to this little gem over a year ago. My kids had so much fun helping Grandma slice the strawberries, even my littles can help. This is a great task for those little chefs who are not trustworthy of a knife but who really want to help. All you do is cut the leaves off the strawberry then pass it to your helper who will put the strawberry in the slicer and squeeze over a bowl. Out pops perfectly, evenly sliced strawberries.

Don’t forget to click on 2 at the bottom of the page to get the Strawberry Lemonade Muffin recipe along with some helpful tips!

The eggplant and the tomatoes are cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. As you can see in my picture I cut down some of the tomatoes because I wanted them the same size or smaller then the eggplant so it would stack better. Seasonings are added and then topped with mozzarella cheese. After they are baked, serve warm. If you use baby eggplants these can be one bites.

If you like eggplant try our Roasted Mixed Vegetables with Basil recipe.