Funfetti Mug Cupcakes

Here's a super quick 'n easy recipe that Annalyn and I whipped up the other day. The small-scale recipe was easy for her to help with and it only makes two mugs, so no leftovers lying around. Just enough for an afternoon picnic with my girls. Here's how Mama (and my little helpers) makes it:

Funfetti Mug Cupcakes

Ingredients:

- 2 T. Butter, melted

- 1 large egg

- 2 T. Milk

- 1 t. Vanilla extract

- 1/4 c. Sugar

- 6 T. Flour

- 1/4 t. Baking powder

- pinch salt

- 2 T. Sprinkles

Happy first day of Fall!!

Had a wonderful day welcoming my favorite season.  We even snuck in a little craft time while Emma was sleeping (yes I did paint my sleeping baby's toes to make a caterpillar. Don't judge!). Peanut helped me pick out different leaves to use as the background and got quite a kick out of me painting her toes to make the caterpillars. Happy Fall, everyone!

Peanut Post: Peanut's Kitchen

Peanut decided to cook dinner last night.  I looked over and she had even put her hat on.  Obviously, there was some serious cooking going on.  Here's a look into her kitchen :)

 

I couldn't get the video to load, but here's the link.

Peanut Post: Dates with Mama & Daddy

Dear Annalyn,

Just in case your amazing little memory doesn't remember these last few months of being an only child, I wanted to put into writing some of the fun and special dates Daddy and I have had with you lately.  Recognizing that it's only going to get harder and wanting to celebrate the change our family is about to undergo, we've been making an effort to have more Peanut dates.  After the crazy cold and snowy winter we had, I made the rule that nice weather days don't go wasted, no matter what.  I don't care if the house is a wreck, it messes up your nap schedule, or I can hardly move by the end of the day (sitting with my feet up on my days off is so much harder this time!).

As a result, we've had some pretty amazing days and experiences together lately. 

1.  We've made the most of our zoo membership with several trips this spring already.  I've even gotten ambitious and taken you by myself a few times!  Your zoo highlights consist of:  (narrated mostly in third person because we can't convince you otherwise right now)

"She saw the rhinos!  I want to get closer... I want to kiss the rhinos! And hug 'em!"

"The bridge is bouncy.  Hop, hop, hop!"

"The butterfly was on my hand! It tickled.  She kissed the butterfly.  Fly, fly, fly little butterfly!"

"Little baaaaby elephant!  Him's tiny!"

"We ate dots!  Pink dots!"  (dip 'n dots)

"She pushed the stroller"

"It's a girl lion.  She roared!"

"I want to wear glasses like Mommy."

"Them's little baby racoons!  Cute little baby ones!"  (talking about the lemurs)

Peanut Post: You can teach a two year old to stir, but you can't keep her from snitching

So it's true, a two year old is more than capable of helping stir in the kitchen.  She can even go and get her own chair to push up to the counter.

Dishes like this pasta salad are great to let little ones help with - no heat, minimal mess, and lots of stirring.  (also lots of practice with colors and veggie recognition!)

Peanut Post: Peanut's First Playdough

Hey guys, Peanut here.  You'll never guess what Mama and I did this week - we made playdough!  It was so easy that Mama even let me help make it, so I let her help play with it afterwards.   Mama says she found the recipe on Pinterest, but apparently there are a lot to choose from.  We just went for a simple, easy to make one with no coloring or glitter or anything else crazy to make a mess (Mama and Daddy liked that part).  It was also easy to make and stays soft in the fridge.  Here's how Peanut and Mama made it:

Peanut's Playdough

Ingredients:

- 1/2 c. salt
- 1 c. flour
- 1 T. cream of tartar
- 1 T. oil
- 1 c. boiling water