Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies, Cinnamon Ice Cream and Learning about Money
It's Friday afternoon and let the festivities begin!
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| Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie with Cinnamon Ice Cream |
Friday nights are "movie nights" in our house.
Every Friday, like clockwork, our daughter comes home from school and reminds us as soon as she walks through the door: "It's Movie Night, Mom!!," as if I would ever forget. The TV goes on, the popcorn gets popped, and we all let out a sigh. We made it through another week! Hallelujah.
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| Lakeshore Learning Game - The Allowance Game |
Lately, we've been thinking a lot about money and how to teach our little one about the basics -- saving and sharing; earning and spending, so that she may develop a healthy relationship with money.
It's tough. The value of money is such an abstract concept and the quicker she learns the importance of hard work and the reality that nothing is free, the better off she'll be. Right? These are tricky concepts for adults, let alone a six-year-old.
But, first things first, right? What is money?
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| How real does this look?! |
One of our favorite games to talk about the basics is the Allowance Game by Lakeshore Learning. Anyone played it? It's such a fun and easy way to starting learning about numbers and the value of money.
It's designed for kids 5+, with simple text and easy rules.
As the banker - you get to practice making change. (Yes! Four quarters make a dollar.)
There's even an opportunity to talk about collecting interest and saving money in the bank. Hmm.... let's talk about this.
This isn't a paid endorsement, just a happy fan of yet another fun Lakeshore Learning product! Stay tuned for more on our discussion about money and kids.
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| Blue Party Dress Available in Our Pop-Up Shop! $10 |
In case you missed it, our newest endeavor is a pop-up store called Little Lovebug's Closet. It's filled with gently used and lovingly repurposed items. We've got tons of toys, books and clothes.
Check it out! https://little-lovebugs-closet.myshopify.com
Little Mama is actively involved -- taking pictures, setting up toys and rolling up her sleeves, because this is HER shop and she's the manager, as she'll readily let you know. If you get the chance - you'll have to ask her what she's doing with the proceeds. We shall see.
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| Dia De Los Muertos Dress |
Our other endeavor is a dress buy-back program with our Etsy shop! Buy a dress and send it back once you're done. We'll issue a credit of up to $5 to use in our Etsy shop or in Little Mama's Closet. We'll fix up the dresses for someone else to love. It's our way of keeping clothes from the landfill reducing and recycling.
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| Red Feathers Dress |
Everyone wins!
Now to the good stuff.
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| Cinnamon Ice Cream |
Let's talk dessert. Dangerous dessert.
A couple nights ago, I made cinnamon ice cream using Marcela Valladolid's recipe. I cut the amount of cinnamon in half and threw it in my ice cream maker because I'm too impatient to wait 8 hours for it to freeze. (It's a NO-churn recipe.)
Truth be told, I was a little out of my comfort zone using a can of sweetened condensed milk. Cans are not my style, but I love Marcela Valladolid and wanted to give this a try. Let me tell you, the end results were rich and decadent and absolutely delicious.
As if ice cream wasn't enough, I proceeded to make Martha Stewart's Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. Soft, chocolate-y and with a hint of spice -- say no more. While mine may not look quite as tasty as hers - this recipe is a keeper and I'm adding it to the rotation. Just saying.
http://www.marthastewart.com/336516/mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies
With a scoop of ice cream on top,
and sandwiched between two cookies!!
Bliss.
Absolute and total bliss.
Peace to you and yours this weekend.
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