Kids’ Recipe & Summer Reading List
Published June 14, 2010
Summer’s here, and I confess to being one of those paranoid mothers who worries her kids will spend the next 2 months forgetting their entire last year’s worth of education. I can see their little clockwork minds turning even now with the inventive belief that somehow, if they practice their Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus skills 24 HOURS A DAY all summer long, they too can achieve random stardom and be free from the despotism of elementary school. All they have to do is sing loud enough and often enough—which roughly equates to one unbelievably long Party in the U.S.A. at my house. Thus, in the interest of my personal sanity my children’s intellectual health, I have searched out these summer reading lists (below) to keep handy when visiting our local library. Which will be frequent and directly proportional to the amount of times I hear Justin Bieber infer that I am an eenie meenie miney mo lover. So here you go—for your sanity kid’s developmental benefit as well:
- http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/forparents/tp/summer_reading.htm
- http://www.canadianfamily.ca/articles/slideshow/20-books-every-child-should-read-beofre-thyere-16/0/
And no matter what age you are, this recipe is fun.
Except, before you read it, tell the rest of us what YOUR summer plans are. And let’s be honest…do they involve Justin Bieber??? *eyebrow raises suspiciously*
Edible Play Dough
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup corn syrup (although, since I’m kind of anti-corn syrup, this summer I’ll attempt to make it with Blue Agave)
- 1 & ¼ cups nonfat dry milk
- 1 & ¼ cups powdered sugar
Mix all the ingredients together before playing and creating shapes with the dough. Be sure to laugh wildly, make silly faces, and behave —for all it’s worth—like you’re all five again. This is therapy for your soul (as well as your kids’). Refrigerate for a couple of hours once finished; then eat and enjoy the sugar high before you both crash headfirst into a lazy, summertime nap. Or into more Justin Bieber singing.
What’s the mood noise of the moment? My youngest’s favorite music video.
Tags: clockwork minds, edible playdough recipe, Gummy Bear music video, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, kid's summer books
06.14.2010 / 3:21 pm
Oh wow. That Gummy Bear, he sure is awesome, isn’t he? And what’s a Justin Bieber? Is that like Gummy Bear? Or more like Yo Gabba Gabba?
My summer plans revolve around staying cool and possibly finding a nicer place to live. And, of course, READING. My kids have already achieved the first level of the summer reading program at our library and I’ve joined a book club where our first book is… The Divine Comedy by Dante. Which, ironically, is not at all funny. I read it in college. It’s pretty serious stuff. So we’ll see how that goes…
06.14.2010 / 4:08 pm
Heheheh…Dani–I’d accuse you of singing Bieber when you’re alone in the car except that you have kids which means you’re never alone in the car. The Divine Comedy, eh? I forget if I’ve read that the whole way through (not a good sign if I can’t even remember). I do remember discussing it and reading excerpts in college, but am guessing that’s as far as I went with it. Will you post a book review at your place??? And a new place to live? Hopefully before some weirdo friends of yours come out to visit in September *wink, wink*.
06.14.2010 / 10:20 pm
So is this Bieber person like Justin Timberlake? I’ll have to do some Googling, I guess.
I will post a book review when I’m done. Heck, I may even dig out my old essay from good ol’ Core I and post it (wow, new blog idea… I wouldn’t have to come up with anything new for months if I post my undergrad essays!!).
And yes, now that I have employment, I would like to move to a place without bugs before my weirdo friends come out to visit! I’m looking at this place, tell me what you think:
http://www.superstitioncanyon.com/
06.14.2010 / 10:44 pm
Um…YES PLEASE! Wow. I can’t wait to seeeeeee you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And great idea on your undergrad essays. I’d love to read them
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06.14.2010 / 11:03 pm
Oh Justin Beiber. Even my two-year-old likes to sing “baby, baby, baby, ooooo, baby, baby, baby….” my brain is falling to pieces just typing this.
06.15.2010 / 9:17 am
Cute Mary, very cute. Thank you for the book lists.
My kids are reading. Cooper – Through the Looking Glass. Sadie – The Girl of the Limberlost. I am reading to Chloe – Fairy Realm 4 and to Claire – The Magic School Bus(senses) plus any other books with lots of pictures.
The song that Chloe and Claire sing over and over “Party in the USA.”
06.15.2010 / 9:24 am
Hey thanks for including a Canadian list, I know you did it just for me and my kids. They need to be raised with all things American and Canadian.
The recipe sounds good, I may give it a try, even with my disdain for peanut butter.
I think Dani is really a secret Justin Bieber fan. Mary you just need to start having your girls record videos of them singing songs and then upload them to Youtube, and hopefully one day someone will see it and offer them a record contract.
06.15.2010 / 9:56 am
That is pretty much how it’s done these days
06.15.2010 / 10:36 am
I have thus far avoided the “baby baby… *desperate wailing* babyyyy” in our car for fear of my two year old becoming attached. She does however demand “nights gonnea beeee goo night!” (black eyed peas) fairly regularly, which I find slightly more tolerable. I am currently on an 18th century lit binge; I’m reading Wuthering Heights at the moment. Just finished Pride and Prejudice for the 8th time, and Sense and Sensibility is next if I don’t burn out. I’m considering reading Caylee the Chronicles of Narnia, but I’m not sure she has the attention span just yet. So we’ll see.
06.15.2010 / 10:55 am
Nice, Emily. And Caylee is SOOOO cute. I remember our first reading of Narnia to the kids and one of them was totally not into it. I was like, “Do you not understand how much you’re going to love this is 5 years???” Alas, they wanted me to read them Kipper the Dog…
Kati, I think I need to see Paisley do this. That makes me smile.
Heather, my kids LOVE the Magic School Bus! And, if it makes us all feel better, I hear it on good authority that a certain friend of Will and Lori’s (*ahem* Jeremy L.) also likes to sing Party in the USA (thank you facebook for that tidbit).
Will, I agree, Dani’s a closet Bieber fan. Or maybe Anthony is? Hmm… Yes, the list was just for you. Hope you feel loved. And I still take issue with your peanut butter hatred. Incidentally, I wonder if anyone ever got a job through youtube doing normal things like housecleaning and yardwork…or office work. Maybe I’ll video my kids’ mad laundry-folding skills and see what job opportunities come up.
06.15.2010 / 1:41 pm
Mary and Will: I just saw my first Justin Bieber youtube clip (remember, I have preschoolers…they’re not into that teenybopper stuff yet). Huh… I don’t think either Anthony or I are in danger of becoming fans!
Hannah’s recent gem~”I love my humps, my humpmyhumpmyhumps, my lovely lady lumps. CheckitOUT!” (I think she and Caylee have the same taste in music).
I tried reading Narnia to my kids last summer. We got through The Magician’s Nephew, but barely. It’s a bit old for them now. But they LOVE the Little House series, and talk about Pa and Laura like they are real people. We’re on “Farmer Boy” now. =)
And finally, youtube delivers the best stuff: http://www.youtube.com/theflylady#p/u/5/xdEYi3YOXpA
06.15.2010 / 2:14 pm
And there it is. Housecleaning on youtube. To the William Tell Overture no less!
And, Dani, that’s really cute your kids are so into Little House. My favorite part from all the books will forever be the Laura’s family making maple candy on pans of packed snow. Every Christmas I sing “Over the River and Through the Woods” and wish for snow and maple candy–thinking of Little House in the Big Woods…
06.15.2010 / 3:23 pm
I was so excited to read “Sugar Snow” to my kids; it’s definitely one of my favorite moments in the series! =)
06.15.2010 / 9:02 pm
HaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh Justin Bieber…..
This reminds me that I need to post my pictures from Science Camp with my new 12-year-old girlfriends.
I finally challenged one of my cabin dwellers to try not to mention his name – as much as she wanted to – for if she did….there would be a 25 cent charge for each infraction. This actually helped lighten the moods, which were swinging that week – and even helped bring some mathematics into the mix of boy craziness.
I am looking forward to having help from my trusty assistant Naomi while at work. For some reason, small children adore older children – and Naomi adores small children. So it works well for us, and she can make some extra spending money on the side.
I love edible playdough by the way! I’ll have to remember to let the kids play with and eat it after naptime – right before the parents pick up.
06.16.2010 / 9:54 pm
My summer reading list has morphed into the back labels of pill bottles, shopping lists, a newspaper from a city I care nothing about, ostomy supply catalogs, and Google maps to doctor’s offices. Oh yeah…I’m one cultured baby boomer all right. Let the good times roll! Bring it on, Justin baby.
06.17.2010 / 2:51 pm
Oh Jeanette, how I love thee! You ARE so cultured! And such an amazing care-taker these days. But I confess that I DO miss you, so…here’s to hoping all wraps up well soon with the family.
Margo: you’re so very brave to handle a cabin under those conditions. Were we ever this way over cute boy singers??? I refuse to believe it! And that’s so sweet Naomi gets to help out. Amazing, just like her mamma.