World Unplug & Play Day™

We interrupt our normal Pinned it Did it! to bring you an announcement:

Tomorrow (January 19th) is WORLD UNPLUG & PLAY DAY™!

Play from Scratch™ and Toys In The Dryer challenge you (yes, we mean you) to take a break from your gadgets and just play for an entire day.  Shut off your cell phone, computer, and tablet, turn off the video games and mp3 players, unplug and play in the real world.  We don't care what you do exactly, just do something as a family that doesn't involve a cord.

“Technology can bring us together as well as distract us from what’s important,” said Jeff Freeland Nelson founder and CEO of Play from Scratch. “We think everyone should take the pledge, unplug for just one day and rediscover what it’s like to play in the real world.”

You can take the pledge and watch a video of kids making the case at unplugandplayday.com.  Organizations as far away as Bilbao, Spain have already jumped on board and are encouraging their friends to unplug and play.  “Our goal is simple,” said Nelson. “We want to give everyone an excuse to have a really fun day.”   Now get out there and play!  Lindsi and I took the pledge, we dare you to do the same.

About Play from Scratch
Play from Scratch™ is a toy company based in St. Paul, Minnesota dedicated to inspiring creativity, imagination and wonder in kids and adults through open-ended play using sustainable materials.  You'll be hearing more about Play from Scratch™ from Toys In The Dryer as we will be reviewing some of their products.  Jamie also had a chance to interview Jeff Freeland Nelson the founder and CEO.

We received no compensation for this post.  We agree with World Unplug and Play Day 100% so we decided to share it with our readers.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies--Guest Post

People have become aware that more children nowadays have what is called a gluten intolerance. The National Institutes of Health, Univ. of Chicago Celiac Disease Center reported in 2012 that between 5% and 10% of all people suffer from a gluten sensitivity of some form. Many bakeries have also become aware of the growing need for different options of baked goods and have started providing gluten free alternatives.

As parents, chances are that we all have at least one friend of the family who's child has a gluten sensitivity. It is a good idea to have ingredients and a recipe on hand for playdates. Below is a gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe that all kids can enjoy.

This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

3/4 cup softened butter

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1/4 cup egg substitute

2 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 

Grease a baking sheet (keep one on hand just for gluten baking).

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. 

Gradually add egg substitute and vanilla while mixing.

Sift together gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Stir into the butter mixture until blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a teaspoon, drop cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until light brown.

Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to wire racks.

Rich Coffman is a blogger on the front range of Colorado. After attempts at baking himself, he now buys gluten-free cookies from his local bakery.

This is a sponsored post written by guest poster Rich Coffman on behalf of  Indulge Bakery.  All opinions are that of the author's unless otherwise stated.

Why you should teach your child a second language now--Guest Post

Bilingual Benefits--Why you should teach your child a second language now

From increased creative thinking to improved multi-tasking, Heidi Bernal, principal of Adams Spanish Immersion School in St. Paul, Minn., sees firsthand the benefits of students learning a second language. “Children are like little sponges and they’re already in a learning mode,” she says. “Most are not afraid to jump in and take a risk (when learning a new language). We use dance, pantomime and pictures and they pick it up quickly.”

Bernal points out that new research shows that learning a second language increases brain function. In addition, she says there are long-term advantages such as better job opportunities, and savvy parents, wanting the best for their kids, are looking ahead to their futures.

“Spanish is the fastest-growing language group in the United States so there’s a practical use,” Bernal says, “But there are also kids learning Mandarin, and with the global economy, those children might work in international business some day.”

Tips for parents 

Nancy Rhodes, director of foreign-language education at the Center for Applied Linguistics, in Washington, D.C, says learning a second language, particularly for younger children, doesn’t have to be taught in formal classrooms. She recommends that parents provide fun and interactive language-learning environments. For example, children can learn by watching TV shows like Sesame Street, which teaches basic Spanish words to preschoolers. Many parents also add bilingual books, CDs and toys.

“I would suggest to parents that there are all sorts of programs you can do at home,” Rhodes says. “The more you expose your child to language the better, even if it’s playing CDS and playing songs. You just want to expose the children to the different sounds…

Then it won’t seem so ‘foreign’ when the child starts to learn and really study a language.”

Guest Author: Purna Virji
Purna Virji possesses a talent for learning new languages with six in her present language-speaking repertoire. She is a former producer for an Emmy-nominated television show with a master’s degree in international journalism. She currently works at Pimsleur Approach, the world leader in the audio-based, language-learning program developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur.

Melted Crayon Formations

My husband was sick of finding tiny crayon pieces all over the house.  He was about to throw them away when I told him we could re-purpose the crayons.  He then remembered something he used to do with his mom when he was younger--Melted Crayon Formations.

The unfortunate thing is that he couldn't exactly remember what he and his mom did.  He remembered melted crayons and something about plunging them into ice water.  So...he went with that...
The girls took the paper off of all the tiny chunks of crayon they had.  Then, much to my dismay, my husband melted the crayons in our egg skillet!  Oh well, crayons are non-toxic and the skillet cleaned up nicely.

While hubby was melting the crayons, I got out one of our large pots and filled it with ice water.  Once the crayons were melted, hubby poured the liquid into a metal cap from a jelly jar...
...then he quickly plunged the cap into the ice water.  This caused the crayons to rise and harden quickly.  
Though my girls thought the formations were pretty cool, my husband remembers them being much cooler and much bigger.  I told him that all things like this are cool and bigger when you are younger.  He told me he was going to have to check with his mom to see if he did it right.
What things have you done with melted crayons?

Healthy Chocolate Frosting Shots--Pinned it, Did it!

I'm not exactly sure when or how I first discovered the blog Chocolate Covered Katie but I've been lurking around it for quite some time.  I've pinned a few of her recipes but mostly I've just bookmarked her entire site!

I FINALLY decided to try something from Katie's blog!  Her chocolate frosting shots aren't something I've pinned yet but I'm going to now!  They are both easy and yummy!

To make chocolate frosting shots you need just 4 ingrediants:

• full fat coconut milk
• cocoa powder
• vanilla extract
• sweetener such as stevia or powdered sugar

Because I think Chocolate Covered Katie is such an awesome site I'm going to make you go there for the actual recipe.

Yes, her's look much more appetizing than mine! Mine kinda look like poop compared to hers!

Ok, I do have to make a couple confessions...  

1) While I thought the frosting was heavenly on graham crackers and also think it would be good on other things, I wasn't thrilled with it in the shot form (i.e. by itself).  My daughter also didn't like it by itself but thought it was ok on graham crackers.  

2) I like sweet things so I did end up adding powdered sugar to my frosting (and probably more than I should have).  Katie does not add it to hers but says that you can add it to taste.  

What do you think?  Would healthy chocolate frosting be something you would try?