Happy Hour Mom

Japanese-Inspired Treats | Candy Sushi

Shannon — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 20:45:57 +0000

When my girls were younger we lived in Japan for a couple years and they fell in love with the country, the culture and the food. When I found this fun candy sushi recipe I knew they would love it. We made them a year after we moved back to California for my daughters 3rd birthday and 12 years I still love them. We are big fans of the version with Rice Krispie treats, Swedish fish and Fruit Rollups – because well, who doesn’t love a good Rice Krispie treat. Making all three versions makes for a super fun party tray for your next event, potluck or school party. They are so simple to make with a lot of crossover in their ingredients – so if you’re making one you might as well make them all!

Twinkie “Rice” Rolls

Start by cutting the Twinkies into slices sized to the width of your Fruit Rollups. Roll out the Fruit Rollups and cut into them into strips long enough to wrap around each Twinkie for the seaweed wrap on the special rolls. Cut pieces of the Gummy Bears and place them in the middle for ginger.

What you’ll need:

Hostess Twinkies as the “rice” for the rolls

Clear, Yellow, Orange or Red Gummy Bears for pickled ginger

Green Fruit Rollups for the seaweed wraps

Powdered Donut “Nigiri”

Cut your powdered sugar donut minis in half. Roll out your Fruit Rollup and half them down the middle. Next, place a Swedish Fish on top and wrap in a Fruit Rollup.

What you’ll need:

Mini powdered sugar donuts as the “rice” for nigiri

Swedish Fish for the Nigiri fish

Green Fruit Rollups for the seaweed wraps

Rice Krispie Treat “Nigiri”

Make your Rice Krispie treats and cut them into small rectangular pieces to the size you want for your rolls. Roll out your Fruit Rollup and half them down the middle. Next, place a Swedish Fish on top and wrap in a Fruit Rollup slice. You’ll notice with these that I couldn’t find green Fruit Rollups so I went for the rainbow rollups and opted not to cut them in half. They were just as cute and even sweeter.

What you’ll need:

Rice Krispie treats as the “rice” for nigiri

Swedish Fish for the Nigiri fish

Green Fruit Rollups for the seaweed wraps

Share your version of candy sushi in the comments, we’d love to hear about your favorite combination of treats and see what you come up with!

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The Perfect Swaddle Blanket

Shannon — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:53:46 +0000

We are expecting in January and recently received our first round of baby gifts for our sweet girl. It has been 15 years since I had my last child, so I was especially excited to see the adorable bows and booties and tiny onesies that seemed suited for a doll. Now that my girl are teenagers, it’s hard to imagine them ever being that small! Despite all the cuteness of the miniature clothes, I absolutely fell in love with the Lou Lou and Company ribbed swaddle blanket. It is seriously so soft and stretchy I can’t wait to use it with baby girl.

While I haven’t actually swaddled our baby with it, I can tell by the quality of the fabric – with the perfect amount of stretch – that it is going to be one of my favorites. I love that it is also large enough to use for nursing and will most likely transition to the toddler years. The material is breathable but not too thin, making these ribbed blankets the perfect amount of cozy for mom and baby. I tend to run hot and often get clammy hands, so I am extra particular about different fabrics and textures of clothing and blankets. I can’t wait to get more!

Based on the quality of the swaddle blanket, I plan on ordering some of their other items. The knotted gowns and rompers look adorable and there are a ton of mix and match options to coordinate.

Do you have a go-to swaddle blanket? If so, share below!

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Everything You Need For College Dorm Move-In Day

Shannon — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 20:16:56 +0000

I can’t believe the time has come for my oldest to move into her college dorm. Just yesterday it was her first day of kinder and now I’m flying her across the country for her next adventure. When I think back to my college move-in experience, I feel like it was a lot easier loading up our car and driving a few hours to my new dorm. Since we are flying my daughter from California to Illinois, it felt like a lot more preparation and planning was needed to ensure we were packing and ordering the essentials. While she found some posters and decor on Etsy, we purchased most of the essential dorm room items on Amazon because our Prime account made shipping super easy, quick and affordable. I love how quickly things arrive when we purchase through Amazon. Below are a few of our favorite finds that helped make her dorm feel cozy.

Dorm Room Essentials

3 inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper – MUST-HAVE

My daughter absolutely LOVES her mattress topper for extra comfort. She has already moved into her summer dorm room and this was one of the items she took with her early. The dorm mattresses aren’t the most comfortable, so this is the perfect way to add extra comfort. I’ve already sent the link to a few of her friends so they can order theirs for the school year! Most dorm beds are Twin XL and this Linenspa option has all sizes are currently available.

Soft Twin XL Dorm Mattress Cover

We paired this with her 3-inch memory foam mattress topper for an extra layer of comfort and protection. It is super soft and easy to clean, making it the perfect addition to her comfy dorm bed.

Portable Mesh Sower Caddy

A shower caddy is a college dorm musth-have and the mesh option is ideal for storage and hanging. The plastics options are nice too, as long as there are plenty of holes for drainage, but this are a bit more flexible and accommodating for storage. It holds a ton if you want it too, but you don’t have to use all of the pockets, making it more compact. This one has a 4.8-star rating, comes in a ton of colors and is a decent price compared to other options. So far she loves it!

Shower Shoes – MUST-HAVE

A good pair of shower shoes is college dorm must-have. There are a ton of options out there, but we chose these based on the reviews and the variety of colors to choose from. They are comfy, lightweight and non-slip – what more could you need in a shower shoe?

Laundry Backpack With Shoulder Straps

This is another item that is a dorm room essential, but there are a million products to choose from. We chose this one for the extra mesh pocket for to transport detergent and dryer sheets, the large variety of color options, decent reviews and affordable price.

Ergonomic Aluminum Laptop Stand For Dorm Desk

My daughter picked out a pink stand, but this comes in black, a couple grays and gold. It is super easy to assembly (the pieces just slide together) and was easy to add to her suitcase for travel. It’s compact so it doesn’t take up a ton of room and she has room underneath for her sticky note pads. There are also great options with a single drawer, but she liked this one the most.

Slim 4-Tier Rolling Storage Cart For Dorm Room

With limited space in your dorm room, this is perfect for storing essentials like towels, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, essential oils, your shower shoes and shower caddy, or your dry food and snacks next to your dorm fridge. It has slide out storage shelves, wheels for easy moving and comes in black, green and white.

Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

Most of the dorm move-in lists we’ve looked at have included a handheld vacuum, so we figured it was a good idea. There are a ton of options on Amzaon, but we settled on this one. The reviews are comparable to most others we reviewed and the price was great. So far she likes it. Not the item she was most excited to shop for and pick out, but has already come in handy to keep things tidy in her room. Definitely on of those items we hadn’t thought of on our own!

DormDoc First Aid Kit

This was definitely a “mom” pick and another item that she insisted she didn’t need…until she got there and was already needing a band-aid in the first week. It zips up and includes bandages and basic first-aid itmes along with a variety of OTC meds. She now has a cold and used the OTC cold meds in the kit until she was able to make a trip to the drugstore for more meds.

Damage-Free Dorm Hanging Essentials Variety Pack

This is the perfect variety pack of damage-free poster strips and hanging hooks for dorm rooms. Whether you are adding posters or pictures to the walls, fairy lights, or hooks on the closet door for robes or organizers – these work great and you get a little of everything for move-in day!

3-Drawer Nightstand/Dresser 9 (not on wheels)

Depending on the size of your dorm room, you may want to have a nightstand. This is a great, lightweight option that includes additional storage. In addition to the drawers for storage, the hard tabletop allows you to add a small light and will hold your phone, headphones, alarm clock, book, etc. – making it the perfect compact nightstand for your dorm room. It’s easy to assemble and comes light gray, dark gray and brown.

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Thanksgiving Crafts + Snacks: Healthy Apple Turkey Treats

Shannon — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 22:24:16 +0000

This is a fun classic craft, perfect for Thanksgiving Day. These Turkey Apples can be “gobbled” up as a snack while guests wait for the turkey to be done or saved as part of Thanksgiving dinner. When the kiddos were younger, we often turned to Make and Takes for age-appropriate ideas and crafty tidbits. This happens to be one of the fun finds we discovered back in 2010 when looking for Thanksgiving craft and snack ideas. After all, nothing beats an edible craft!

Every Thanksgiving we are on the lookout for new, creative activities to keep the littles busy. The kiddos are often looking for things to do (other than chase one another around the kitchen) while the adults are either cooking or enjoying a day of parades and football. It’s the perfect opportunity to setup a “kids” table with apples and fun toppings for everyone to create their own adorable, potentially healthy, “Turkey” treats.

What you need::

Whole apples, any color, washed and dried
Toothpicks
Stick pretzels
Mini marshmallows
Raisins, craisins
Popcorn

I love the ingredient additions and examples at food.com. (I encourage you to go through the comments for inspiration!)

Olives
Cloves
Fruit Loops
Candy corn

Photo credit: NcMystery, food.com

Brittany over at Mom. Wife. Busy Life added her spin to the mix with these fun ingredient additions:

1 baby carrot (cut a triangle shape for the beak)
Grapes
Chocolate chips
Prunes

Photo credit: Mom. Wife. Busy Life

You can really sweeten things up like the team at I Heart Crafty Things with:

Spice drops
Red fruit snacks

Photo credit: https://iheartcraftythings.com/thanksgiving-apple-turkey-craft.html

Keep in mind, this isn’t just for the kiddos! My favorite way to do this is to pick a variety of ingredients and let everyone decorate their apple with their favorite treats. With a basket of apples and plenty of toothpicks available for everyone to attach their goodies, you’re all set! Push your toothpicks into the back part of the apple and start decorating. The best part is that when you use an assortment of ingredients, each turkey will look a little bit different.

As one commenter on Food.com points out, these would be great to pack for a school lunch. They’d be a great for a class activity too!

I think I’d have to agree on the broken Fruit Loop rule…

Is this a crafty treat you can see yourself trying, or have you already? Share pics and tips in the comments below, we’d love to see how you dress your turkey!

Original post by Toni on Nov 21, 2010

Photo credit for main image: Swirling F. on Food.com

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Simple Fall Party Treats | Rice Krispie Pumpkins

Shannon — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:27:17 +0000

These easy to make Rice Krispie Pumpkins are perfect for Halloween potlucks and class parties. I don’t know many people who DON’T like Rice Krispie treats, plus they are adorable, perfectly themed for the fall holiday season (they’d be great for Thanksgiving, too!), and so easy to make that you hardly have an excuse not to. This was originally posted nearly a decade ago and my little pumpkins still ask for them every year.

One evening back in 2012, as we sat down for dinner, my four year old mentioned her Halloween Party the following day. Her dad glanced over at me and I knew he had forgotten to tell me something. In fact, he forgot to tell me that he had put my name down to bring the class dessert. Yes, MY name. At 7pm the night before the party I found out that I needed to prepare 20+ Halloween treats for her preschool class. I waited until my girls were in bed and headed to the store. One large box of Rice Krispies, Marshmallows and 2 tubes of green frosting later, I was ready to play Martha Stewart. These Pumpkin Rice Krispie treats were the perfect pick for her preschool Halloween party. Super simple, inexpensive, delicious, and absolutely adorable!

What you need:

6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 10 oz. packages (about 80) Marshmallows OR 8 cups Miniature Marshmallows
Orange food coloring (15-20 drops Yellow and 8 drops Red)
12 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
Green Frosting
12 small green gum drops (optional)

Directions:

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Tint with orange food coloring. (About 15-20 drops Yellow, 8 drops Red food coloring)

2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Mold the warm cereal mixture into 20-24 pumpkin-shaped portions.

4. Use the green gumdrops for the stem and green frosting for the vines. Or use frosting alone if you can’t find the gumdrops. (That’s what I did here due to the short notice and limited options at the closest grocery store!)

Tip: Create your vines first and use the frosting to help attach the gumdrops.

Merida seemed to like them!

What is your favorite fall-themed treat? Share with us in the comments below, and share pics if you make these, we’d love to see them!

Original Post: by SHANNON on OCTOBER 30, 2012

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How Brighten Up Your Nursery On A Budget

Shannon — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 21:38:58 +0000

With this colorful nursery the choices are endless.

I feel like I just jumped into a bag of skittles and I am loving it. Starting with a bright apple green wall color, Jenny paved the way for an amazing nursery. Painting the walls of your nursery with a colorful, playful hue is a cost-effective way to transform the space and brighten the room. With the simple added touch of vintage postcards, the walls are adorned with fantastic wall hangings. Not to mention the amazing lamps to add extra lighting and the unique seating choices that, while lacking in order, create the perfect variety for design and comfort.

It doesn’t hurt that with the exception of a few IKEA and Wal-Mart purchases, this room is comprised primarily of items pulled from other rooms in the house(seriously?!).

Mmm, this room looks so refreshing I want to throw it all in a blender with some ice (maybe some Vodka) and drink it up!!

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International Fashion Brand | Estonia’s Tallinn Dolls

Shannon — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:01:00 +0000

Since 2009 Estonian designers Liisi Eesmaa and Karolin Kuusik established the brand “Tallinn Dolls,” with classic designs versus playful looks for a new generation.

The first collection by Karolin Kuusik is very feminine, classic, chic and spicy.

The designers are the symbol of pop art in Tallinn. Their charismatic and creative looks are shown in the campaigns of Tallinn Dolls. This sensational and fresh brand is sold in Estonia, but they want to introduce their talent to international market. The designs are unique, and wearable daily. These girls set the trends, they don’t follow them. The price range per item is between €50 – €200. More pictures and info about Tallinn Dolls can be found at tallinndolls.com. Let us know what you think of Estonia´s clothing brand Tallinn Dolls? Did you have any favorites in their collection?

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