Young At Heart Mommy

Managing Motherhood Through Love & Laughter

Caramel Apple Pie Popsicles

Judging by the amount of sunshine we are getting I am well aware that Summer is still alive and kicking. But I can’t help but be ready for Fall. Am I the only one eager for the season change? It’s my favorite time of the year and I am so over this heat. Bring on the nice weather, warm apple pies, big pumpkins, and cute boots! If there is anything I associate with Fall it’s all of the baked treats and homemade goodies that bring about those warm fuzzy feelings. Since Summer is still here I decided to combine two of my favorite things from each season, popsicles and apple pie! If you are also itching for Fall to arrive these are a great way to hold you over and put you in the mood. If you think warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream is delicious just wait until you try these Caramel Apple Pie Popsicles!
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Spark Summer Time Creativity With Juicy Juice + Crayola #UltimatePlaydate #CollectiveBias

 

DIY Juice Box Art Caddy #UltimatePlaydate #CollectiveBias

As a parent I have always encouraged my daughter to explore activities she enjoys and those that help her grow. This includes playtime. In our home playtime is just another outlet for learning. It isn’t limited but rather nurtured. Whether it’s through a puppet show, crafting, dress up with our pug Chloe, or collecting stones outside for her nature collage- we are learning together. Playtime promotes creativity, imagination, and allows children to gain an understanding of the world around them. Not to mention, it’s just plain old FUN. Even as an adult I find myself taking advantage of playtime. I almost forgot how entertaining it is to get a box of crayons and some white paper, drawing whatever comes to mind. 
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Make Your Own Jolly Rancher Lollipops

What You Need:
  • Parchment Paper
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Lollipop Sticks
  • Cookie Sheet

    First things first, unwrap all your Jollyrancher candy! While you are preparing your lollipops, preheat your oven to 275ยฐF. Any hotter and they will melt too quickly. After two attempts, I found this to be the ideal temperature.

      

    When i took a trip to the store yesterday I thought I picked up the Original Jolly Rancher bag but somehow ended up with Passion Fruit flavors. If you want your lollipops to be colorful make sure you get the correct assortment. These flavors were still very good and also tangy.

    Once all of your candies are unwrapped, you are going to take three at a time and group them together on your parchment paper. You can mix and match your colors according to what you want your lollipops to look like. We only had three basic colors to work with so we did our best! Make sure you leave enough space between each group because they are going to expand in the oven.
      
    By now your oven should be ready for candy cookin’. Place your baking sheet into the per-heated oven and allow them to melt for about 6 minutes.
    Make sure to keep an eye on them because once they have begun to melt, it does not take long after. The longer they are in the oven, the bigger they get. If the candy melts too thin it will be difficult to keep the stick attached.When they are finished they look something similar to the photo below.

     
    The lollipops will be very hot when you remove them from the oven. Immediately place the stick at the ends of the melted candy, twisting so that the candy wraps around it. This will keep it firmly in place.As you can see, each lollipop has it’s own unique shape. Some are long, some are short, and some are wide!  
     

    These cool rather quickly but we allowed ours to sit for 10 minutes so they wouldn’t be floppy.  Once they’re are cooled off you can pop them right off the parchment paper.If you want to speed up the process you can stick them in the fridge. These homemade Jollyrancher lollipops are Toodie approved! 

      Let’s Make Puffy Paint!

      What You Need:
      • 1/2 Cup of Flour
      • 2 Tablespoons of Salt
      • 2 Tablespoons of Baking Powder
      • Food coloring
      • Water
      • Cardboard Paper
      • Q-tips
      • Paint Brushes (optional)


      Directions:
      • Mix your flour, salt, baking soda, and food coloring color together adding water until it creates a paste. 
      • Distribute different color paint into cups or bowls.
      • Use your cotton swabs or paint brush to create a picture on to the paper.
      • Make sure that the paint is applied thick so that it will rise.
      • When your painting is finished place it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds for paint to become fluffy! 

      Toodie’s Homemade Stepping Stone

      This kit was purchased at ACMoore craft store and contained everything needed to make one stepping stone. Toodie loves to be outside and is always playing in the backyard picking flowers, observing nature, and chasing bugs. She was excited to make her own yard decoration that she could appreciate everyday!

      Toodie added water very slowly to the mixture and stirred until it was a thick batter to be poured inside the square mold.

      The kit came with a bag of chunky glitter to spread across the surface. This would make the stone sparkle in the sun. Toodie sprinkled it on, more generously in some areas than others. Then it was time to make her tiny hand print in the squishy mud. 

      After we imprinted the stone with Toodie’s hand print it was mommy’s turn to carve her name with a popsicle stick. On to the decorating next..

      Toodie enjoyed decorating her stepping stone with crystals and colorful rocks.

      After all of the jewels and rocks were in place, it was time to let it bake in the sun.

      We let it sit for 24 hours to dry completely and then cleaned the surface gently with a damp toothbrush. This removed all of the dust and extra particles stuck to the stone. 


      After a little TLC we found a spot for it in the yard. 
      With it being very rainy and wet here lately, it adds a little bit of color and sparkle to the damp rocks underneath.

      Everywhere