“Astronaut Annie” Children’s Book Review

February 23, 2018 By Marijean

“Astronaut Annie” by Suzanne Spade; illustrated by Nicole Tadgell

If you are looking for a new book to read to your children, I highly recommend Astronaut Annie. Check out my review on this book, and read why my kids absolutely love it.

About this book:

Annie’s joyful exuberance and her family’s whole-hearted support leave no doubt that her dream is within her grasp. This delightful story―with backmatter about women astronauts―encourages young readers to pursue their dreams and reach for the stars.

Career Day is approaching, and Annie can’t wait to show her family what she’s planning to be when she grows up. But, she must keep it a secret until Friday! So curious family members each ask Annie for a clue. Convinced that she’ll be a news reporter like he once was, Grandpop gives her his old camera and notebook to use for her presentation. Grandma is sure Annie wants to be a champion baker like her, so she offers a mixing bowl and oven mitts to Annie. Hopeful she’ll become the mountain climber he aspired to be, Dad gives Annie an old backpack. Mom presents Annie with a pair of high-top sneakers to pursue Mom’s favorite sport in high school — basketball.

Grateful for each gift, Annie cleverly finds a way to use them all to create her Career Day costume. When the big day arrives, Annie finally reveals her out-of-this-world dream to everyone.

This book is hardcover and has 26 pages. It is recommended for ages 5-8, although my almost 10 year old loved reading it. It is beautifully illustrated, and the font is a great size for my kids to read. My kids loved reading in anticipation to see what Annie will be on career day, and were constantly guessing if her relatives would guess what she will be before career day! This book kept them entertained, and I also enjoyed my 9 year old reading it to me. At the end of the book you get an awesome surprise, 4 pages about Women that have gone into space and facts about the moon! My kids were so excited to read up all about the women that have good into space, It is the perfect book for any child that is starting to learn about space or has a love for it already, If you are looking for a new book to give your child, consider Astronaut Annie!

You can pre-order this book through Amazon for $12.29. The book goes on sale on March 6, 2018. The retail price of this book is $17.95.

*I received a copy of this book to review. All my opinions are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

DIY Valentine’s Day Crayon Craft

February 12, 2018 By Marijean

Last year my daughter and I made a really cute Valentine’s Day Craft that she was able to pass out to all of her friends. I love this particular Valentine as you use recycled materials and there is no candy attached. My children Do Not need any more candy throughout the year. They get enough from their daddy.

Basically you will need:

Crayons – Sharpie – Cardstock – Heart shaped silicone mold ( I found mine at Joanne’s) – Glue Dots ( I got Elmer’s medium thickness.)

Everyone has broken crayons laying around. Okay maybe not everyone. But if you have kids you most likely do. This is a great way to recycle and reuse those crayons. Just peel the paper and break into small pieces. To make it easier you can soak the crayons in water. The paper will come off easier this way.

We did use some non-broken crayons just to add some pretty colors in each mold heart. Then make sure to read the directions on your silicon mold. I put my mold on a cookie sheet and baked 15-20 minutes at 250. Let cool on rack or place in the freezer to cool. Then the hearts just pop out of the mold.

Then take the card stock and cut into squares. Write whatever saying you like. We choose “You make my world colorful” But you can also use, “You color my world” or “Happy Valentine’s Day”. Then place a glue dot in the center and place the heart on top!

It’s that easy! I’m excited to do this craft again as my daughter has different children in her class this year.

Let me know in the comments what Valentine craft you are working on!

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Serve up some Old-Fashioned Caramel Cinnamon Rolls for your Valentine on Valentine’s Day!! #PremierProtein

February 12, 2018 By Marijean

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 9 Buns

Ingredients

Rolls

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or 1 packet)

1 cup Premier Protein® Caramel Shake warmed in the microwave or on the stovetop to about (110° F), or warm to touch but not boiling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus additional for greasing bowl and pan, melted

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling out

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon Premier Protein® Caramel Shake

Directions

In medium bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1 cup warm Premier Protein® Caramel Shake and stir to combine. Let sit for 3 minutes. Then stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg and mix until well until combined. Gradually add in flour, stirring after each addition. Once dough is no longer too sticky to handle, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes to make moderately soft dough. Shape dough into a ball.

Place dough in lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until size has doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down, cover and let rise again for 1 additional hour. Punch dough down. Grease an 8 x 8-inch glass or metal baking dish and set aside.

Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in separate bowl. On lightly floured surface roll dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Brush about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining butter evenly over the dough using a pastry brush. Sprinkle 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over.

Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into 9 even 12-inch strips. Roll up each strip tightly, sealing the end by pressing it into the dough. Arrange rolls in prepared pan. Pour remaining butter over the buns, then sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar on top. Let rise, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. While cooling the rolls slightly, prepare glaze. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and Premier Protein® Caramel Shake in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle rolls with glaze. Serve warm.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Jacksonville Zoo with B1G1 Deal until the 14th!

February 12, 2018 By Marijean

Come and celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!!

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is offering an admission special. Buy one regularly priced adult ticket and receive one free general admission ticket of equal or lesser value. Download coupon here, or be green and show your coupon on your phone. Coupon valid Feb. 10 – 14 only. Cannot be combined with any other coupon, discount or offer including Zoo Value Tickets. One free admission per coupon. One coupon per transaction.

Also, make sure to check out the new tiger cubs that just made their first public appearance on February 10th! the are adorable!

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Jasmine Disney Princess Subscription Box Review from Pley.com #pleyandlearn

February 7, 2018 By Marijean

*This post contains an affiliate link

I just received the new Disney Princess subscription box from Pley! This month’s princess is Jasmine. The box transforms into The Sultan’s palace–it’s magical! It’s loaded with goodies just like the other Disney Princess Pleyboxes. There’s an activity book with a story and all sorts of activities that your little one will enjoy. A very pretty T-shirt, Pop keychain, and jewelry box with a necklace and magic lantern earrings — all fit for a princess! Your kids will have hours of fun with the Princess Jasmine scratch off and painting pages that are also included in this fantastic box! The total contents of this box would easily retail for over $45, but they sell it for $22.99! Each box contains 4-6 items that your little princess is sure to love.

My 9 year old daughter was super excited to check out what was in this box. She could not wait to take everything out and play!!

Here is what was included in this month’s box:

Jasmine Long Sleeve T- Shirt (MSRP: $15.00)
Jewelry box with Jasmine necklace and magic lantern earrings (MSRP: $15.00)
Jasmine Pop keychain (MSRP: $7.99)
Princess Jasmine Painting pages (MSRP: $5.99)
Princess Jasmine Scratch Off pages (MSRP: $5.99)
Activity Book + The Sultan’s Palace crafting activity (MSRP: $10.00)

As you can see, it came with many cool Jasmine themed items for my daughter to enjoy. Now lets talk about each item.

Jasmine Long Sleeve T- Shirt: Some of the boxes come with apparel. When you sign up for the box you can let them know what size your child is. I am so happy that Pley.com offers bigger sizes. My daughter is a size 10 so they sent a Disney brand size 10/12 which fits her perfectly! It is long-sleeved so it is perfect for the winter weather right now.

Jewelry box with Jasmine necklace and magic lantern earrings: This set is so cute! It comes with gold-plated earrings for pierced ears, and a beautiful gold Jasmine necklace. Keep them together in the adorable metal jewelry tin when you are done wearing them.

Jasmine Pop keychain: My daughter is very into the “Pop” series of characters. This box comes with a Jasmine Pop keychain. Perfect for putting on your backpack or playing with it as a little doll/figure!

Princess Jasmine Painting pages: Just grab a paint brush and you are set! These painting pages are awesome and not messy! Each page (12 pages) comes with a set of dry paint right on them. Get a cup of water and a paint brush and this is perfect for traveling or doing at home.

Princess Jasmine Scratch Off pages: What child doesn’t love scratch offs? 2 magic scratch offs are included along with a stylus, so fun to scratch and find out what picture will turn up!

Activity Book + The Sultan’s Palace crafting activity: Each box you receive comes with an activity book filled with fun stories and activities based around the themed princess. It also comes with instructions on how to make your crafting activity!

My daughter was super happy with this subscription box. The items are high quality, and I love that the box can turn into a palace so there is no extra waste. This box would make a great birthday gift, anytime gift, or the holidays will be quickly approaching!