Red, White & Blue Foods For A Fun 4th Platter!

I was going to wait and do this little platter for the next weekend when we hosted our mom's but I said why wait? Don't let the big perfect ish out on the internet deter you from creating special moments for you and your littles. Mine were not worried that I didn't have all of my perfect placement they were just excited that we made it together and they friggen love a theme! Here are some food ideas for a red, white and blue snack board!

Red

Strawberries

Raspberries

Watermelon

Radishes

Red Peppers

Cherries

Pomegranate

Tomatoes

Red Apples

Salsa

Pico De Gallo

Peperoni

Dried meats

Red Pepper Hummus

Beet Crackers

Red Pepper Tortilla Chips

Red licorice

Red Starbursts

Red Sourpatch Kids

Red M&MS (any red candy, I picked up the dollar boxes at Stop& Shop and picked through for the colors, because we don't ever eat it, it is very special!)

White

White Nectarines or PEaches

Turnips

Parsnips

Cheese (goat, manchego, white cheddar, fetta, farmers cheese, fresh mozzarella)

Cauliflower

Crackers

Bread

Coconut Chips

White Corn Tortilla Chips

Hummus

Yogurt Dip

White chocolate

White Chocolate kisses

White chocolate or yogurt covered pretzels or almonds or berries

Yogurt drops

Marshmallows

Blue

Blue Berries

Blackberries

Grapes

Blue candy (again m&ms, skittles, sour candies anything works here!)

Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

Blue Corn

Roasted Blue Potatoes

Use a nice big wood cutting board, or platter and arrange how ever you want. Include the kiddos or simply surprise them. I love serving anything on a platter but these grazing platters are my favorite for entertaining, a little bit of everything until the meal is served!

I hope you enjoy it!

xoxo

Natalie

Summer Water Toys For Kids

We have three weeks left of school and I am READYYY. Ready for a slowwwwww summer, with a lot of at home Spanish lessons (need to get these girls more comfortable speaking Spanish!), some work books, some road trips, tutoring to miss that summer slide and a whole lot of outdoor PLAY.

We have a yard this summer and are enjoying every second so far. And after getting some toys that only last a second I know the ones that truly engage my girls, so I thought I would share more. This will be a three post round up, this first one is water toys that we love or want, the second one will be backyard toys and the third some simple play invitations to set up for your kiddos when you want to get work done along side them. And I always remind anyone that is shopping my suggestions that you don't need to have all of these at once, try and think of what your kid would enjoy and engage with the most. What do you have space and the budget for and also the invitations to play/activities will have a lot that you can do with out big purchases if you are not in the market for any of these!

1. We have this pool, and I love the size and the bench. Will be getting myself a little float to have my cocktail in! Ha!!

2. If your looking for a smaller pool and more aesthetically pleasing I would grab this shell one.

3. I just ordered a slip and slide for outdoor playdates (that we hope to have soon!)

4. We also picked up a new sprinkler for the yard on days we don't want to fill the pool, this one has lights and is so fun.

5. I also really love this sprinkler pad, especially for younger babes that may be a lot more work in a pool, this is refreshing and not dangerous.

6. I know that I want to invest in a water table that is a bit more interactive for sensory play, for sand or water beads, and saw this one. Plus it's not an eyesore!

7. Don't get me wrong we have had a couple versions of this one and the girls love them.

8. I tried to convince O that we should get this water slide pool, and I still think we should, imagine the summers of fun with this!

9. This rainbow sprinkler!! Omg, it looks so fun and cute for BBQ's and playdates, I swear water play is our favorite so something like this would be endless amount of fun for the girls. (I am going to round up a bunch of our favorite invitations to play with different toys like this!)

10. We had some of these last summer, an alternative to a water gun which I will not buy. I am going to look for them because they also are fun in the bath too!

11. Water balloon baseball bats!! Oh these must be soooo fun. Have kids set up teams on a play date and set up a game, especially great for older kiddos.

12. This pool with a basketball hoop, looks so fun.

13. I also think that this Aquaplay set looks incredible, an interactive water table but with more to play with than the baby ones. Would be great for science lessons too!

14. Water Easel looks like so much fun! We love to paint and create and this would be easy cleanup!

15. Jumbo Water Beads are staple for us, we use them in a play sink (linked below), a plastic bin, water table, bath, and so much more sensory fun.

16. Speaking of a play sink, with real water, this is the one we have and the girls LOVE playing with it. I love that it can easily be played with inside, I use a few towels underneath, on a terrace/patio or in the yard. And it's easy to move around.

I cannot wait to share more!

xoxo

Natalie

Books For Kids On Losing a Pet

Hello there, a little late with my Monday post but we lost our sweet Lola over the weekend.

Lola is my sisters dog who we have had for 11 years and much more a family dog than just hers. She was especially special to my mom and both the girls who loved that sweet little puppy girl. We have all been very heart broken, actually completely destroyed by having to saying goodbye to a furbaby that was truly a part of the family.

And if you know me you know that like anything else I looked for books to help my girls understand and grasp and just simply cope with some really big feelings on loss. And I thought that I would share some here.

Here are some I recommend.

1. Saying Goodbye To Lulu

2. Goodbye Mog

3. The Bernstein Bears Lose a Friend

4. The Memory Box

5. Why Do I Feel Sad

6. Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children

7. The Longest LetsGo Boy

8. Zara's Big Messy Goodbye

9. I'll Always Love You

10. Remembering Blue Fish (Daniel The Tiger)

11. I Miss You : All Pets Go To Heaven

12. Over The Rainbow

13. Dog Heaven

14. The Rainbow Bridge: A Visit To Pet Paradise

15. The Invisible Leash

16. Memories of You: A Pet Memory Book

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened".

Sweet girl you have brought so much love and joy into our lives, and Zoe wants you to know that she forgives you for chewing up her barbie because you are her best baby girl. I hope you have endless bones to chew up there in doggy heaven.

Sending so much love.

xoxo

Natalie