Our Homeschool End of Year Party with Dr Pepper #BackyardBash #shop #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own.

For more ideas on how to create your own #BackyardBash, check out the tumblr page at www.drpepperbash.com.

It's the end of the homeschool year here at Coller Academy---which doesn't really mean much since we homeschool year round. Still, we like to have a special party for the kids each summer to celebrate them moving up to a new skill level and to let them know how proud we are of all they've accomplished in the past year. Jamie and I planned a fun party for the kids and included some of their favorite treats. Pop is a fun part of our most special celebrations and today we chose Dr Pepper for our Homeschool Backyard Bash!

Walmart has a good selection of Dr Pepper varieties. It's one of our family's favorite sodas and I love all the fun choices: small and regular sized cans, little bottles, big bottles, Diet, vanilla, original---there's something for everyone!

It's been a great year full of many changes---moving from Oregon to Arkansas, saying goodbye to old friends and meeting wonderful new ones, and lots of character building along the way. From learning to read to entering high school, the Coller kids have had an awesome school year!

We started off our party with some recognition certificates. The five oldest kids are moving up in grade level, while the youngest were honored for things like learning to read, write, or name colors.  Each year, I fill their school boxes with new supplies, so they received those along with their certificates. We also had a gift for the kids--a DVD set of their favorite series, Liberty's Kids. 

The kids got a sneak peek at some of the resources we'll be using for math and English this coming year, as well as our favorite history study: Mystery of History.

Having Daddy hand out the certificates really made the kids feel special. Even though he can't be home for much of our lessons throughout the days, we make sure to save a lot of our presentations, book reports, etc. for evenings and weekends when Jamie is home to participate.

After awards time, we decided to do an impromptu talent show. The highlight of the performance was Avalon's funny faces.

Next came game time. The kids played bowling with a rubber ball and some Dr Pepper bottles that we'd refilled with water. Thanks to Jamie for drinking lots of Diet Dr Pepper this past week so we'd have some "pins" for our game!

We didn't get to my bottle cap bingo game, (everyone wanted to eat!) but I'm sure we'll do it sometime later---along with some of these fun bottle cap games and crafts I found. Be sure to check out my Bottle Cap Games Round up.

Treat time! The kids' favorite part of the party! Dr Pepper has such a unique flavor that it's fun to use it in all kinds of recipes. From barbecue sauce to marinating a roast, Dr Pepper is great in lots of meals and desserts. We used it to make cupcakes, as well as ice cream floats! 

Cainan helped me set up the treats table with all our fun goodies. 

I found these Cheez-It varieties at Walmart and thought they'd be perfect for our snack table. The kids love snack mixes with pretzels and other yummies added in, and the Scrabble Junior crackers were great for a school-themed party. Jamie and the kids had fun playing a spelling game while they were eating!

I know this is all about the kids and the snacks and stuff but I have to show you my favorite part of the party---our new Coleman water cooler. I was in Walmart on the 4th, looking for something for water since we were headed out to a picnic, and found this. This 2-gallon cooler is a great size for us and it's stackable. I totally love it.

There are tons of recipes out there for Dr Pepper cupcakes. I used the one on The Sweeting Spot for the cake part, and made my own buttercream frosting with cherry flavoring. Check out my cute Instagram video for a quick explanation on how these came to be!

While we were a little sugared out after having our savory treats, pop, and cupcakes, we did end up having our Dr Pepper floats after dinner tonight, complete with fun bendy straws.

I love it when the kids go to bed happy after a fun day of making memories. Today was one of those perfect days. What kinds of traditions do you have for celebrating the simple things with your kids?

#BackyardBash

#CollectiveBias

Linking with:

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life
A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life 
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home
Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife
The Scoop @Stone Gable
Make Bake Create @ Hope In Every Season
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
Wake Up Wednesday
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants 
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above
Homemaking Party @ Hope In Every Season
Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Homeacre Hop   
Think Tank Thursday @ Saving4Six 
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home 
Create It Thursday
Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Inspiration Friday @ Dear Creatives
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm 
Pintastic Party

Bottle Cap Game Ideas for Home and School

Making bottle cap games and crafts are fun and cheap ways to recycle used stuff into something useful. When we were in Oregon, where you get five cents back for every pop bottle you recycle, (but have to take the lids off first) I had zillions of bottle caps. I wish I would have gotten real brainy and saved them so I could execute some of these great ideas!

There are lots of fun ideas for bottle cap games to be found at From Kindergarten with Love.

Here's a Snapguide on How to Make Lady Bugs Out of Bottle Caps. Super cute craft ideas!

There are several great learning game ideas here at Learn With Play At Home, including this fun Addition Game.

Beckie at Infarrantly Creative designed this awesome Checkerboard Game featuring bottle caps as the game pieces. Love this!

Here's a creative take on the memory game. Atelier de Marcellou uses things found in nature to make a great outdoorsy play set.

Danielle from Working House Mom, Wife has a cute idea for making foam stampers for kids' crafts!

What ideas do you have for reusing bottle caps?

Easy Fruity Party Petit Fours for the Homemaking Party

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! Today I'm guest posting at Cathy's blog, A Peek Into My Paradise, and sharing my recipe for Easy Fruity Party Petit Fours! I hope you'll visit her and check it out! In the meantime, join the party! Linking with:

Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Parfait --- Protein Bar Recipe #BarNutrition #shop #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own.

A few days ago, I made these Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Parfaits for the kids for breakfast using high protein Life Choice snack bars and now they're totally hooked on parfaits! I like to feed my kids a healthy morning meal so we'll all survive our homeschool day, and these protein-packed parfaits are a great choice for early morning energy.

Their favorite part of the parfait was the chopped up Life Choice protein bars I added to the mix. They loved the rich chocolatey flavor, coupled with the chewy texture, in this Double Chocolate snack bar.

Life Choice bars are exclusively at Walmart. I found mine at the edge of the granola bar aisle, just above the fruit snacks. Our store had three varieties: chocolate, peanut butter, and chocolate mint. Make sure to print a coupon before you go---available for a limited time.

Paired with fresh fruit, Life Choice bars provide a nutritious breakfast and they make a great on-the-go snack. You could stash some in your bag or desk and always have an energy booster on hand.

It's easy to make this high protein snack. Just layer fresh fruit, yogurt, and chopped up protein bars. I chose strawberries and bananas for ours and used vanilla yogurt. I made smaller ones for the kids, but Lynzie got this one pictured. She couldn't finish it all, it was so filling!

These are great when you're headed out to work or school. Just layer everything in a plastic cup and pop on a lid. You can slip it into a bag to eat at the desk or put it in the cup holder of your car and munch on it while you're stalled in traffic. It's fun to try new things. I'm glad I made these fun parfaits for our family and I know I'll be experimenting with more combinations soon. What would you pair with Life Choice bars to make a high-protein on-the-go snack?

#BarNutrition 

#CollectiveBias

Make Bake Create Party

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Candy Bar Apple Crisp --- A Great Camping Recipe with Gourmet Grillware and a Giveaway

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Gourmet Grillware. I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions are honest and are my own.

What kinds of foods do you like to take camping? For the longest time, our mainstays were hot dogs, soup in styrofoam cups, and s'mores. Nothing wrong with any of that, of course, but it's fun to branch out a bit and come up with some fun and creative meals and snacks to enjoy in the great outdoors. That's just what I've done with this Candy Bar Apple Crisp. I'm using the Medium Oval AuGratin Dish from Gourmet Grillware to bake it right on the grill, but it can also be done in the oven---just in case you're pretend camping this weekend!

The past couple of years, I've really been needing some good quality and versatile kitchen supplies. This pan goes from freezer to oven to table to fridge. Don't put it in the dishwasher though---this one's hand wash only. It's a great size for grilling vegetables, or serving a side dish for our big family. I'm really impressed by the strength and sturdiness of this piece and am excited about trying out more. Gourmet Grillware has an awesome warming tray that I want to get next. This is something I find myself using all the time when I'm trying to keep grilled sandwiches or burgers hot while cooking up a feast for our crew.

Besides stovetop or oven use, another great way to use the AuGratin dish is by taking it camping. It's a nice size for stashing in your food box and will be great on your outdoor grill or portable cookstove. I've got an excellent dessert recipe for you that will be super easy to make anywhere---even on a camping trip! Make sure to let me know if you try out this simple and delicious Candy Bar Apple Crisp and check out the giveaway below to win a prize package from Gourmet Grillware!

Much of the prep work can be done at home, if you like, but these ingredients are also easy to pack along on your outing. You'll start by mixing up your crumbly topping in a bowl---stirring with a fork until you've got pebble-like pieces that look like this. This mixture can be stored in a plastic zippered bag in your cooler. When using the Au Gratin dish, this topping makes enough for two batches.

Next you'll chop up your apples. I cut mine smaller than my regular oven apple desserts. I find that they cook more evenly this way when I'm using an outdoor heating source. You could also prep these ahead of time and chill---adding a little lemon juice to the bag to keep them from browning. Before placing them in the pan, make sure to oil it.

Once you've arranged your apple pieces in the pan, sprinkle on the topping and cover with tin foil. If you're cooking this outdoors, set it on the grill and let it cook for 30-45 minutes, or until the apples are soft. If you're cooking inside, bake on 350º for the same amount of time.

Once the apples are soft, sprinkle chopped up candy bars all over the top and let it grill or bake uncovered, 8-10 minutes, or until the candy bars are melting and oozing yumminess all over the place.

Once it's baked, this is an excellent dessert served either warm or cold. 

Candy Bar Apple Crisp

9 oz. yellow cake mix

1 c. oats

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. softened butter

3 apples

2 chocolate candy bars

Note: This recipe is for a batch that will accommodate the Medium Oval AuGratin pan or a 8x8 inch pan. You will have some topping mix left. If you desire to make a larger batch and use all the topping, double the apples and candy bars and use a 13x9 pan.

Using a fork, mix the cake mix, oats, brown sugar, and cut up butter in a bowl until crumbly and resembling small pebbles. Set aside. Peel and chop apples. Spray Medium Oval AuGratin pan (or 8x8 oven dish) with oil and add apples. Cover with half the topping mixture and cover with tin foil. If you're cooking this outdoors, set it on the grill and let it cook for 30-45 minutes, or until the apples are soft. If you're cooking inside, bake on 350º for the same amount of time. Once the apples are soft, sprinkle chopped up candy bars all over the top and let it grill or bake uncovered, 8-10 minutes, or until the candy bars are melted.

Sound tasty? Here's the best part. Gourmet Grillware is giving away a prize package worth over $220! Just enter to win on the widget below. Giveaway open to US residents only. Items included in the prize package are: 

Fish Griller MSRP $71.50

Large AuGratin  MSRP $42.75

Sauce Pot with spout MSRP $35.75

Griddle with sides MSRP $71.50

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Linking with:

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life

A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life 

Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home

Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios

Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 

(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife

The Scoop @Stone Gable
Make Bake Create @ Hope In Every Season
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants 
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above

Creative Candy Ideas for Party Time with Zours! #ZoursFace #shop #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Yesterday was Jamie's birthday, so the kids and I planned a fun family party for him. We had cake, presents, and his favorite Mike and Ike candy---with a little twist! It's always been a tradition to wrap up some movie snacks for Dad on his birthday, and Mike and Ikes are always included. 

This year we bought him the new variety, Zours, since we knew he'd never tried them before and would love them. We found them in the Walmart candy aisle with all the other movie candies. Zours are like Mike and Ikes with a sour coating that makes you pucker! There are five flavors in the box---my favorite are the sour blue raspberry.

I had some cupcakes in the freezer, so I decided to play around with them the day before and see how these Zours would look on top of frosting. They looked pretty cute---just like giant sprinkles! 

At present time, the kids all gave him the things they'd made for him, then it was my turn to give him the family gifts. I gave him the Zours first, since I knew he'd be expecting a box of candy anyway. He was surprised by the new version of Mike and Ikes and thought they were pretty awesome! 

After Jamie was done opening all the presents, I brought out his cake. He had asked for pound cake frosted with my cheesecake fruit dip. I decided to use my sprinkles idea and decorate his cake with the Zours too. He thought it was a fun idea and joined the kids in guessing which color they'd get on their piece of cake.

Since the party yesterday morning, there have already been special requests put in for more Zours in the house. In fact, I was out buying Jamie more this evening only to come home and find that the he and the boys had finished off the birthday box---and took this lovely #ZoursFace picture of themselves. Ugh. What am I going to do with these guys??

Want to try Zours for yourself? Check these lists: list #1 & list #2 to see if there's a Walmart demo in your area!

#Collective Bias

Linking with:

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life

A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life 

Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home

Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios

Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 

(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife

The Scoop @Stone Gable
Make Bake Create @ Hope In Every Season
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants 
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above

The Homemaking Party: 4th of July Crafting

It's a thundery ol' day out there today so we're all inside being crafty and relaxing. Lynzie played piano and read her book all morning. The boys played Legos, the little ones played in their room, and Selah and I worked on paper crafts. Selah made a cute paper doll and I prepared my package to mail for Sue's Patriotic Banner Swap at It's a Very Cherry World. I love rainy, inside days like this!

Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party!

Linking with:
Homemaking Party @ Hope In Every Season
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Homeacre Hop   
Think Tank Thursday @ Saving4Six 
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home 
Create It Thursday
Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Inspiration Friday @ Dear Creatives
Anything Blue Friday
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm 
Beverly's Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound
Pintastic Party
The Creative Collection @ Craft-O-Maniac
Link Party Palooza
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
The Party Bunch
The Art of Homemaking
Inspiration Monday @ Your Homebased Mom
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday 
Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom 
Living Proverbs 31
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy 
Masterpiece Monday @ BoogieBoard Cottage 
A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success 
Make It Monday (paper crafts) 
Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T. 
Making Your Home Sing Monday

How To Help Your Kids Deal With Severe Weather -- Duracell Batteries #PrepWithPower #shop #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

They say the tub is a good place to take shelter during a tornado, but with our big family, I'm not so sure that helpful hint applies! When Jamie was offered a job in NW Arkansas last fall, we had only one reservation about moving here: tornadoes. Since then, we’ve decided to do our best to take the threat seriously, without letting fear consume us. Everything’s more bearable when you add some silliness! Being prepared for severe weather is important in our part of the world, so we decided to make that part fun, too. In addition to the essentials like a weather radio, phone app, and a well-practiced plan of action, I've also come up with a fun kids pack idea to keep the little ones' minds off of the stormy weather outside. Since the loss of power is a major part of severe weather, Duracell batteries are essential additions to our kids packs.

I buy all my batteries at Walmart. Their battery center is conveniently located near the checkout aisles, so I don't have to head back to the electronics section every time I just need to grab a quick pack. They're always well-stocked with lots of different sizes. 

Duracell has always been a trusted brand for us as they're long-lasting and affordable. Batteries are a hot commodity around our place. You wanna make one of my boys happy? Batteries. Batteries are the answer.

Each of my younger kids has a pack specific to their own interest. This one is 5 year old Avalon's. She's got a snack, a water bottle, coloring and reading books, a pair of socks, a battery-powered game, her flashlight lantern, and fresh batteries.

I like to keep individually wrapped snacks on hand that can be put into their packs. Granola bars and fruit snacks are good choices because their shelf lives will last through the whole season. (Don't forget your medieval armor to protect you against flying debris!)

Ok, so no one has actually done the tornado drill with the medieval helmet on---but I do have them wear bike helmets and bring a pillow to put over their heads. When I was a kid growing up in Oregon, we had earthquake drills. The main thing they'd try to drill into us was to cover our heads, so I want my kids to get in that habit too. Avalon also loves to bring this little flashlight that doubles as a lantern.

Lynzie brings along her battery-powered book light. Our shelter-in-place spot is one of our bathrooms because it's the only room with all interior walls. Since we don't have a tornado shelter or basement, this is our next best option. It has actually really surprised me how many of my friends don't have a tornado shelter or basement. In fact, I took a poll tonight on Facebook to see how my local friends handle severe weather alerts. I'll post the results at the end of this article, but one of the biggest surprises to me was that the majority of those polled think that 50% or less people in our area have a safe shelter plan when a storm hits!

Handheld, battery-powered games are another fun thing my kids like to include in their packs. It's a good distraction for them and helps release some of that tension and worry that comes with the fear of the unknown. (The boys are pretty good about the eyes, nose and mouth protection---but I think they need the girls' lessons in head protection!)

Here are the results of the poll I conducted with my local friends tonight. 

 Do you live in an area with severe weather? Besides, the obvious essentials, are there any fun or silly things you do with your family to help lighten things up during a storm? Make sure to grab a Duracell coupon so you'll be stocked up on batteries if your lights go out!

#PrepWithPower  

#CollectiveBias