April Fool's Day Fun!

Once again the day for pranskters, jokesters and people who just like to have fun has arrived. 
So, today is "throwback" blog post day... ok, I made that up. 
But, the fun is still the same as a throw back Thursday picture on face book...right?

Here goes!  Make your plans.  Enjoy and have fun. 

Remember, both parties need to have fun.
Don't use this day as an excuse to be hateful or unkind to someone.




"The first of April, some do say,

Is set apart for All Fool's Day.

But why the people call it so,

Nor I, nor they themselves do know.

But on this day are people sent

On purpose for pure merriment."

`Poor Robin's Almanac 1790



Joke for the day

Q: Why are people so tired on April 1st?

A: Because they just finished a 31-day March!

Giggles and groans escaped my children over the years as I "tricked" them on this fun day.

Try a few of the following to get a few giggles and groans of your own!

1. Choose a bright color of food coloring to add to the milk. Buy milk in a cardboard carton this

week so no one can see inside. Make sure you are around when the first glass is poured!

OR... pour a glass of milk and then add chocolate/strawberry syrup or food coloring to the milk, but do not stir it! Let the kids guess what kind of milk they have.

(You can do the same thing with play dough. Leave it white after you make it. Roll into balls and then insert a small drop of food coloring into the center of each ball. As the children squeeze, push and pull the play dough, SURPRISE! the color appears!)

2. Serve lunch or dinner in reverse order, the dessert first, then the main dish and last serve the

appetizer.

Mix up the dishes... main course in a dessert cup, soup in a glass etc.

3. Wear your clothes inside out and/or backwards OR for the opposite season

4. Tape the silverware to the table...upside down!

5. Give everyone a plate with different designs (from different sets of dishes)

6. Use mismatched paper plates, eating utensils, and cups

7. Buy realistic-looking toy plastic flies and strategically hide them in breakfast, lunch or dinner

meals. Drop a plastic bug into their glass of juice or milk

8. Make ice cubes that have a plastic bug frozen inside

9. Use small glass jars for drinking glasses

10. Have a "flour" center piece (5# of flour) it the center of your table.

Use a pillowcase for your tablecloth or table runner.

11. Give everyone a different chair at the table

12. Drop an invitation in lunch boxes, cereal boxes, book bags etc. inviting your family to dinner.

Write all the words written backwards so they have to be read in the mirror.

13. Bugs on a Log: celery stalks filled with peanut butter, cream cheese or cheese.

Place raisins on top for "ants".

14. Beef Cake or cupcakes- A tasty way to fool your family is to make April Fool's Day dishes that

deceive the eye and palate. Make the meatloaf in a round pan or muffin tin with cupcake liners.

"Ice" with mashed potatoes. Garnish with carrot curls or strips for candles and steamed

vegetables. Peas make pretty decorations.

15. Big Foot

At dinner the night before April Fool's Day, introduce your kids to a new vegetable and tell
them if they eat it, they will wake up bigger and stronger. (If your kids have never eaten Brussels
sprouts, this is the perfect time to serve it.) When they go to sleep, stuff the toes of their shoes
with cotton or newspaper and, if possible, swap out their jeans and shirts with clothing a size too
small. You can also have your kids do this to your spouse's shoes and clothing for some extra
giggles.

Source:

http://www.sheknows.com/holidays-and-seasons/articles/827335/best-april-fools-day-pranks-for-kids

16. For your fruit-loving kids, core an apple and insert a dark-colored gummy worm.

17. Create a bag of donut seeds by using any cereal that is round with a hole in the middle, such as
Cherrios. Put them in an envelope and on your computer create a picture of donuts with the title
of "donut seeds" at the top.

18. Glue Googly Eyes to the food in the refrigerator or

on the toiletry products in the bathroom (shampoo, toothpaste, etc.)

You could also use a Sharpie and draw faces on all the food cartons.

photo source: http://lolsnaps.com/news/42722/0/

19. If the drawers in you chest of drawers are interchangeable, move them around.

20. You’ll have to hold back giggles when you watch your family trying to take a sip of this gelled

juice. Angle the straw for a much more believable “drink,” but you could also

set the Jell-O in a large pitcher and watch various members of your family hilariously try to pour

themselves a cup. Get the recipe for Undrinkable Juice

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/tasty-pranks-april-fools-day-recipes/3-b-129779#129783

21. Use a small post-it note and place it under the computer mouse (covering the ball on the

bottom). When they go to use the mouse, it won't do anything! Remember to write "April Fool!"

on the bottom!

Make sure to get your April Fool's Day trick in early or you may hear the age-old chant,

"April Fool's gone past, And you're the biggest fool at last!"

I Love You...Let Me Count the Ways

There are so many ways to tell someone that you approve, like, love, or are proud of them. 

What is your favorite "praise phrase"?

"Somehow it always seems that  we use the same phrases.  I didn't believe this, until one year when I was teaching high school my picture appeared in the Year Book.  It was a photo of me with a huge smile... so far so good... my hand raised in apparent delight... again, so far so good and then the caption... "Wonderful!  Wonderful!!".  It was then that I realized, that phrase was used BY ME for everything that pleased me.  I dug out a list of ways to praise your child that  I used when teaching self esteem.  I began to explore other ways to praise my students and my children.  What is your favorite "praise phrase?"  Do you mix them up or do you have a  catch-all.  I challenge you to expand your horizons and think of more ways than on the list. I know you will do "wonderfully!""

 

Below is a list from the book:  Miraculous, Magical, Moments in Minutes: 

 Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share by Becky Baxa.

(available in paperback or kindle addition from Amazon.com) 

 

Which phrases do you use?  Do you find yourself using the same old phrase for everything? 

What new ones would you like to add to your "praise vocabulary"?

A VARIETY OF WAYS TO

PRAISE YOUR CHILD!

 

WOW     Way to go     Super     You sure are special     Outstanding     Excellent     Great

 

Good     Neat     Well done     Remarkable     I knew you could do it     I'm PROUD of you

 

Fantastic     Super star     Beautiful     Nice work     Looking good     You're on top of it

Positively 100%     Beautiful     Now you're flying     You're spectacular     You are important

 

You tried hard     You make me happy     You've got a friend     You make me laugh

You brighten my day     I respect you     That's correct     You're a JOY     You're a treasure

You're wonderful     You're catching on     Now you've got it     You're incredible     Bravo

You're fantastic     Hurray for you     You're on target     Nice     Terrific     How smart     Good job

That's incredible     Hot dog     Dynamite     You're beautiful     You're unique     Bingo     

 

Good for you     I like you     You're a winner     Remarkable job     Beautiful work     Spectacular

You care     That's perfect     Awesome     A+ job     You're OK     My buddy     You made my day

That's the best     Give them a  hug     A giant kiss     Fantastic job      You're darling    

 

You're precious     Great discovery     You've discovered the secret     You figured it out

Fantastic job     Hip, hip, hurray     Nothing can stop you now     Magnificent    Marvelous

You're on your way now     You mean the world to me     Phenomenal     Exceptional

You're a real trooper     You're real responsible     You learned it right     You are exciting

What an imagination     What a good listener     You are fun     You're growing up

Beautiful     You are important     You mean a lot to me     Say, I LOVE YOU!    

 

A nod, smile combo     A SMILE!     EYE CONTACT with all of the above!

 

Go through the list and mark your favorites. 

 

Can you think of your own to add?

 

 

There are 97 phrases listed. 

 

 Can you think of 3 more to make it 100?

 

Let me know what you come up with!

 

 

 

Rainbow Salad

St. Patrick's Day is March 17. 

 

Wikipedia states that "Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick  is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland),^[4] the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland,^[3] as well as celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.^[5] Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.^"

 

There are all types of symbols  associated with this  day:  shamrocks, leprechauns, four leaf clovers, the color green, pots of gold and rainbows.  As a kid we would take green pipe cleaners and twist them into four-leaf clovers.  Then we would pin them to our shirts for the day.  It was quite popular to be pinched if your weren't wearing green on St. Patrick's Day.

 

Rainbow Salad

 

Now, whether or not you celebrate the holiday or not, a rainbow salad is a fun way to brighten up any meal.  You may use any fruit, if it is the color that you want.  For example you could substitute watermelon for the strawberries, cantaloupe for the cutie oranges and honeydew melon for the kiwis.  Just arrange them on a tray in the colors of the rainbow:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.  Then if desired, add cut bananas or mini marshmallows on each end for "clouds". 

 

Why not try this with vegetables too?  Cauliflower would make great clouds! 

 

 I would love it, if someone would send me a photo of a rainbow vegetable salad!

 

The Value of a Smile- Smile Coupons

Let's continue on with last week's blog entry.  After all, the simple smile is probably the fastest, easiest thing you can do, yet it is often them most overlooked

in our hurry up, electronic, screen based society.

Here is a quote from one of my favorite books.  :-)

"Smiles are such an amazing, wonderful thing. It doesn't cost anything, you never run out of them when giving them away and you never tire of receiving them.  If you give one away you are not more poor.  Yet if you get a smile you are somehow richer, boosting you up and filling you with happiness.  A smile only takes a minute, but the memory of that smile may last  a lifetime. The amazing thing about smiles is that when you give one away, it somehow makes you feel just as happy as the person you gave it to.  A smile tells someone that you like them, that you are friends, it communicates good will and   acceptance.  A smile makes the home a happier place to be and  business more pleasant.  A   simple smile cheers you up, pushes away sadness or fears, gives encouragement and makes  pain and trouble a whole lot easier to deal with.  You can not buy a smile  or steal one.  A smile  has no value at all until it is given freely and lovingly away or until it is received.  What an amazing, simple action. Yet it carries such a huge value! Why not give some smiles away today?  Your happiness tank will be filled as you fill-up the tanks of those around you!  It has been said that a smile  is worth a THOUSAND words!  Proverbs 17:22  (NIV) says:  “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  A smile is like good medicine.  It makes us cheerful.  Even if you don’t really “feel” like smiling, if you try it for awhile, most of the time,  you begin to feel happier as a   result. It will make people wonder what you have been up to.  

Make some smile coupons and give them  to your children. Use them  to help ease stressful situations, during trials and disappointments. Could you stay upset  if your child pulled out a coupon and  handed it to you?  Do you think you might get a smile from a sad child if you     presented a coupon out of your pocket especially for them?  You don’t even need a physical coupon.  Every parents pockets can be filled with an endless supply of smiles to share with  children at a needed time.  Just reach inside your pocket, pretend to dig deep looking for the perfect smile and “ta-da!” pull out their uniquely designed smile just for them!"

Give it a try! 

.  

  Gather up crayons, colored pencils, stencils and paper; and,  organize a family event.

Have everyone create their own personalized smile coupons. 

 Here is an example

 

Source: 

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes: 

                         Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share  

   by Becky Baxa 

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Smile Break

Food for Thought

 

Have you looked into your spouse &/or child's eyes and SMILED at them today?

Watch their face light up as you make a heart connection.

 

How about this question?

Have you had a one-on-one conversation with each family member today?

Not the kind where you tell them to wash up for dinner, brush their teeth before they put on their pajamas for bed, clean their room or take out the trash. And, certainly not the electronic conversation!
 But instead,  the kind of face-to-face conversation where you listen with your eyes,
 as well as your ears. Listen to their feelings, fears, concerns, joys, goals, etc.

 

Teachers and child care providers often make a list of their students/children and daily check each one off the list when they have smiled at them, had a personal interaction with them or said one positive thing to them.  They do this until it becomes a habit.  No one gets overlooked and they are guaranteed that 100 % of their children  receive positive feedback every day. 

 

This is not such a bad idea for busy parents. 

Consciously choose to give positive feedback to each and every family member every day of the week.  After a while it will become a habit that will reap many benefits!

 

Smiles are such a great boost to the self esteem, for both the giver and the receiver.

  See how many smiles you can give away!

 

This blog post was inspired by the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes :
Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa available from Amazon.com both in paperback and Kindle editions.

180,full color, pages of non-stop fun!