9 Fun Father’s Day Menu Ideas-with gluten-free ideas

9 Fun Father’s Day Menu Ideas-with gluten-free ideas

by | Jun 17, 2021 | Father's Day, Special Days

9 Super Recipes for a Super Father's Day

9 Fun Father's Day Menu Ideas

with some Gluten-free Ideas

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Celebrate Dad! Here are some fun, Father's Day Menu Ideas that will please just about anyone. Whether you want to celebrate with an amazing brunch, an afternoon grill fest, here are some ideas for you.  And there is the added attraction of some food ideas that are just fun. Mix and match to create your own memorable Father's Day Meal. Create some fun memories.

 

Free Father's Day Super Dad Card Kit

A brunch might be just what you want to try this year for Father's Day.

Father's Day Brunch Ideas

1-Bowl Vegan Banana Nut Muffins (GF)

Minimalist Baker

These look great and are delicious even if you don't need to eat gluten-free. They are now a part of my “go-to recipes.”

Gluten Free Father's day brunch Banana Muffins

Father's Day Portrait Toast

SOOOO cute! Kids can make portraits on toast-just substitute your favorite gluten-free bread.

 

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Roll-Ups

from Fork and Beans

I grew up with my mom making something similar. She rolled jelly in the bread and topped it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I still love that special breakfast.


 

CANADIAN BACON EGG CUPS 

from Melissas Southern Style Kitchen

Father's Day Canadian Bacon Egg Cups-gluten-free

Egg and Cheese Hash Brown Waffles

from Chisel & Fork

Substitute the waffles in the recipe with waffles made from Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking &  Pancake Mix.  I love this mix and use it all the time.  I also use it for pancakes and abelskiver.Pamelas Gluten Free Baking mix

Father's Day Hash Brown Egg Waffles

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

This looks so good! This is a naturally gluten-free and low-carb casserole.  This would be a wonderful choice for a group.

This Simple Gluten-Free Breakfast Casserole consists of a layer of hash brown potatoes, sausage, onion, red pepper, cottage cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper, and cheese! Mmmm! So good! ”   Blessed Beyond Crazy

Father's Day Breakfast Casserole-Gluten Free

INDIVIDUAL SEVEN-LAYER DIPS

from The Girl Who Ate Everything

This is a fun and delicious recipe.  It's not hard to find gluten-free corn chips and THERE YOU GO!!!  Gluten-Free!!! And these would be great for a small or large group and would compliment the Breakfast Casserole above.

Father's Day Individual 7-Layer Dip

EASY GLUTEN-FREE BREAKFAST FRUIT PIZZA -Father's Day Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Suggestion: Make these into individual servings and let everyone decorate their own! Young ones would live that.

Father's Day Gluten Free Fruit Pizza

CHOCOLATE BANANA ICE CREAM

How can a desert be deliciously decedent and healthy?  This ice cream is and so simple to make.

When two of my children were at the same univsersity, I knew their diet could be better. When I visited them, I would often take foo I knew they liked but woul also enjoy eating. In an effort to get more fruit into their diets, I used this idea with  bananas and blueberries.  They loved it and actually made more after I Ieft.  Soooo…I am sure you will enjoy take on healthy ice cream.

Father's Day Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

Father's Day Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

And with all vcelebrations,

 

Get a Free Father's Day card in the Resource Library and then use the card storage system here.

Free Greeting Card Organizer

FREE Father's Day Super Dad Card Kit

Organize Your Greeting Cards

Organize Your Greeting Cards

by | May 25, 2021 | Planning, Special Days

Organize Your Greeting Cards

or

How not to be “that person” who always sends a card late

or not at all.

Greeting Card Organizer Mini Kit

WHY Should We Organize Our Greeting Card Stash?

Life is crazy! That is a simple fact for most of us. We have relatives and loved ones spread throughout the country or around the world. Using a greeting card organizer allows you to be able to stay on top of your greeting cards and cuts down on being late ad missing an occasion completely.

It is so important to let people know we care about them and sometimes a phone call or an internet chat just doesn't do it. That is why greeting cards, letters, and a simple note are so important.  Organizing our greeting cards, so that we can send one at a moment's notice is a wonderful way to let people know we care.

 

Greeting Card Organizer

HOW to organize your Greeting card stash.

There are many ways to organize your cards:

  1. Box-Do a DIY and cover a box with decorative paper and add dividers.
  2. Binder-Get a 3ring binder, add pocket folders, and label them for the occasions you send cards for. -This system works well and can easily be stored in a bookcase.
  3. Purchase a box intended for card storage. These boxes should have dividers that you can label.

TGreeting Card Organizerhis is a great choice because you can store your cards in the month in which you will send them.  By having the dates at a glance, you can tell what you need to purchase and always be on top of getting those memory-making cards to those you love and care about. I used this method for several years.

I switched to a plastic box designed to organized greeting cards. Why? As the family grew, I felt I needed more space for card storage. A plastic box provides a safe storage location and I like that it allows space to also store stamps easily.

Another advantage is that it allows space for “Thank You” and “Thinking of You” types of cards.  It is so nice to have those cards at a moment's notice. Sometimes, a simple card to let someone know you are thinking of them is just that kind and thoughtful reaching out to let someone know you appreciate them.

Greeting Card Organizer Mini Kit

The box comes with 6 dividers that you label so that they fit your needs.

The labels I use for the card organizer are:

  1. Birthday-child
  2. Birthday Adult
  3. Thinking of You
  4. Wedding/Anniversary
  5. Baby Shower
  6. Sympathy & Misc.

How I use the Greeting Card Organizer.

  • Keeping a year-at-a-glance calendar (in the Kit) in the organizer, you know when a card needs to be sent.
  • Add Birthdays, anniversaries, and all-important dates for your friends and family to the Year-at-a-Glance Calendar
  • When you purchase a card for a specific person, can put a checkmark beside their name on the Year-at-a-Glance Calendar to show that that card has been purchased.
  • Next, address the card and put a stamp on it, so that's ready to go when you need to send it.
  • When a new month approaches, go through the year-at-a-glance calendar, and if necessary, purchase, or make the cards you need to send.
  • Pull out the cards you are going to send and put them in a location that makes it easy to grasp as you go out the door.
  • In addition, I add a post-it note with the date the card should be sent.
  • As you can see, I store stamps and Birthdays, and other important dates to the Year-at-a-Glance Calendar.

It's a great feeling to make life easier in any way. This one is especially wonderful. Remembering people, you care about enough to send a card is a small but powerful gesture. A snail mail card can be kept and enjoyed for years to come.

I keep many of the cards given to me. It's so warm and fuzzy to read them over again. It makes me happy and I know I am not the only one.

Get the Kit and make your life easier while you help others feel appreciated!

 

You may also like:magic happens when you say thank you

 

Ice breaker questions for kids to warm up your party

Ice breaker questions for kids to warm up your party

by | May 18, 2021 | Games/Activities

Fun Ice Breaker Games for kids Parties

Icebreaker Questions

for kids

to Warm Up Your Party

Ice Breaker Questions for Kid's Parties are non-competitive and fun questions meant to help your party-goers become more about each other. They help and the children get to know each other a little bit more and this allows them to feel more comfortable with each other.

How and Why to use Icebreaker Questions/Games for Children's Parties

Icebreaker games and activities are played at the beginning of your party as your young guests arrive. The games help them learn other's names and possibly their interests. When children do not feel like strangers, they are more comfortable and the party atmosphere is easier to create. You want to create a party atmosphere where children are relaxed and comfortable with each other. In a way, it can help set the tone for the celebration, so it should be fun, relaxed, and inclusive.

Attention Spans by Age for Ice Breaker Questions

Attention spans increase as children grow older. Although research varies, we know that the younger the child, the shorter the attention span. TeachMeToTalk.com  shared research that stated, “…a study (by) (Gaertner 2008) (stated) that said the normal range for a toddler’s attention span is 3 to 6 minutes. Any longer than that and a child requires full adult support to stay with a task.” In addition, Brain Balance Achievement Centers shared a simple chart that gives general guidelines for attention spans by age.

  • 2 years old: four to six minutes
  • 4 years old: eight to 12 minutes
  • 6 years old: 12 to 18 minutes
  • 8 years old: 16 to 24 minutes
  • 10 years old: 20 to 30 minutes

Any mom knows these things, but it is helpful to have a general guideline for planning activities for parties as well as everyday activities.

Icebreaker Questions for Kids (Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers)

A simple but fun Icebreaker Game that meets the needs of toddlers is BEACH BALL ICEBREAKER. Prep: Get an inflatable beach ball. Inflate it. Have a list of questions prepared for the children to answer. You can read the questions from your list or cut the questions apart and put them into a basket, from which you draw a question. To Play: Ask the children to sit in a circle. Give the ball to a random child, and ask a question. Once the question has been answered, the child with the ball passes either to the child next to them or across the circle. Continue playing until each child has answered at least one question. Questions can be reused. Feel free to add your own. Examples could be:

Questions for Ice Breaker Games for Children's Parties

Get these Ice Breaker Questions in the Resource Library now!

Icebreaker Questions for Kids (3-5-year-olds)

Beach Ball Toss –

Materials:

  • 1 or more Inflatable Beach Balls
  • Permanent Marker

Inflate the Beach Balls. With a permanent marker, write a question on each section of the ball. Play: Sames as above. Examples: Additional Questions You Can Ask.

Ice Breaker Questions for Preschoolers

Get these Ice Breaker Questions in the Resource Library now!

Expanding the game for Grade Schoolers

By adding ice breaker questions for kids that encourage your grade-schoolers to share a bit about themselves, add some of the following questions. The following printable will give you some ideas.

Ice breaker questions for grade school kids

Get these Ice Breaker Questions in the Resource Library now!

These questions could also be printed, cut apart, and put into a hat or basket. Ways to vary the Ice Breaker Questions for kids in games: Parties are meant to be fun for all who take part in them.

Taking a bit of time to help make the children have an atmosphere that is friendly will help them feel more comfortable, will help everyone more relaxed and able to have fun together.

Just as Ice Breaker Questions are used in adult work situations to build a well-functioning team, the same concept is so helpful in helping children gain confidence by sharing in a friendly environment.

When kids or adults are comfortable they will enjoy their surroundings and the activities so much more. Enjoy these age-appropriate Ice Breaker Questions and help make your party guests comfortable.

You may also enjoy :

 Party Games for Pre-schoolers

 

 

 

 

Organize for Awesome-Plan Your 2020 Family Celebrations

Organize for Awesome-Plan Your 2020 Family Celebrations

by | Jan 21, 2020 | Planning, Resource Library

Organize for Awesome-

Plan Your 2020 Family Celebrations

plan and organize 2020

Traditionally, January is often the time of year we attempt to make the coming year better.

So how do we do that? (drum roll)  The answer is:

Organize and Plan

According to Psychology Today, we can feel stress for a variety of reasons. Among them are:

  • we don't have enough time to accomplish something we need to do
  • we have enough time but don't know how to manage it
  • thinking that we do not know how to accomplish something we need to do.

The most straightforward answer to reducing stress is to look at what you need to do, organize to accomplish your goal, and then create a plan to achieve it. Then WORK THE PLAN.

Simple?  Can be.

Planning is Stress Prevention

That's why Cool Parties 4 Kids is here.

And we are going to start by helping you organize and then plan your family celebrations for the year.

Make a list of all the:

  1. Birthdays
  2. Graduations
  3. Anniversaries
  4. Graduations
  5. Holidays
  6. Vacations

List all your family celebrations on the chart shown below.

(Available for free in the Party Planning Resource Library)

You can take this a step further and designate a date each month to purchase or make celebration cards for those you have listed. Purchase or make your cards, address them and remember to mail them so that the recipient gets them in time for their special day.

Next, add other important dates to the chart.  Examples include Federal (US) Holidays, state holidays, your religious holidays, and another else that you want to remember to celebrate.

Add Some Fun and Wacky Celebrations

There are also a lot of fun and kooky days to celebrate. Among them are:

  • National Milk Shake Day
  • and National Dress Up Your Pet Day
  • Winnie The Pooh Day
  • National Hot Chocolate Day
  • Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
  • Random Act of Kindness Day
  • National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
  • Dr. Seuss Day
  • National Learn About Butterflies Day
  • National Space Day
  • and National Star Wars Day
  • There are so many, many more.

Look through the days those that excite you and your family, and include them in your schedule. Enjoy a round of miniature golf with your family on “National Miniature Golf Day.”  Eat Ice Cream on “Eat Ice Cream Day.” for Breakfast Day. If you would prefer to eat your ice cream in the evening, make it a breakfast for dinner night and enjoy your favorite ice cream. There is so much fun to have.  2020 is your year to do it!

Fun and Goofy Holidays

Many websites list weird and fun holidays.  You can try: Major 2020 Daily Holiday Calendar or National Day Calendar.

Make 2020 a year to celebrate

special days and every day.

Be spontaneous and flexible. Celebrate the everyday!

My children are grown and I don't see some of them nearly as often as I would like.  When they were growing up, we had a very simple form of celebrating. Hot Fudge Sundaes. We would go out or make them at home and celebrate a rainy day or anything good. Often it wasn't the reason that was important, it was just relaxing and talking to each other.

Now, when my daughter and I talk and plan some time together, one of us always says, “We'll go out for Hot Fudge Sundaes!” It's just a fun thing we do. Find your fun things to do. It does not need to be big or expensive. It's really about being with those you love.

Celebrate the everyday

Make 2020 a year to enjoy your family and celebrate!

I

The Best Fun and Colorful Gluten Free Mini Rice Cakes for kids and more

The Best Fun and Colorful Gluten Free Mini Rice Cakes for kids and more

by | Oct 1, 2019 | Party Food

The Best Party Worthy Fruit Recipes-

fun, delicious & healthy!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Kid's parties should be fun!  So why not serve fun and healthy food to make the party even better?  Here is a collection of fun and healthy fruit recipes.  They all include fruit, are colorful and known kids pleasers. gluten-free treat-mini rice cakes with fruit 1.from Cool Parties 4 Kids—mini rice cake with fruit treats. These fun and easy treats are gluten-free Ingredients include:

  • Gluten-Free Mini Rice Cakes
  • Cream Cheese
  • Nut-Butter
  • Honey
  • Fruit
    • Strawberries
    • Blueberries
    • Raspberries
    • Bananas
    • Kiwi

If using raw honey—DO NOT FEED TO CHILDREN UNDER 1 YEAR ID AGE!

Directions:

  • Let the cream cheese soften.
  • put 4oz of cream cheese in a bowl.
  • Add 1/2 cup of nut butter to a bowl
  • Add 1-2 tbsp of honey (or to taste) to each bowl of cream cheese and nut-butter. Stir in completely.
  • Prepare the fruit: wash all berries and remove stems from blueberries and strawberries.
  • Peel and slice the banana
  • If desired, use a fruit/vegetable cutter to cut shapes into the strawberry and banana slices.
  • Spread the mini rice cakes with either the cream cheese mixture or the nut butter mixture.
  • Place the fruit on the mini rice cakes in a  decorative manner.

Serve soon after preparation as the rice cakes can absorb the moisture from the cream cheese and nut butter.Gluten Free-mini rice cakes with fruit

This is the tool I used to cut the fruit–great for also cutting fun shapes from vegetables.

These rice cakes are a great size for these and other treats.

Another way to prepare your Kiwi.

2. Apple Monsters from KitchenCents.com

Healthy Rainbow Fruit Yogurt Barb

2. Banana Sushi from MyFussyEater.com

Banana Sushi

3. The Apple Donuts from ForkandBeans.com offer so much variety.

Even picky eaters will find a favorite!

Apple Donuts

4. These colorful fruit kabobs from Dinner at the Zoo,

just simply add color and fun to any celebration.  Use regular or Greek Yogurt with rainbow sprinkles to add some for fun and color. The kiwis are cut with small metal cookie cutters for additional interest. That adds a lot. Colorful Fruit Kabobs

5. I can't wait to try this Strawberry Banana Cheesecake.

Go over to the SlowRoastedItalian.com for this fun one.

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad

6. Banana Splits created from bananas, berries, granola and more…  From Clean FoodCrush.com

Banana Splits with more fruit

7. This would be a wonderful substitute for a traditional birthday cake. Get the recipe at hoosierhomemade.com

(hint to my kids-this would make me happy for my next birthday–just a hint.) Substitute a gluten-free cake and enjoy!   Cake with layered fruit

8. From Must Have Mom comes a fun fruit caterpillar.

Use it with a Picnic Theme or The very Hungry Caterpillar Party for lots of fun.

Caterpillar Fruit Kabobs

9. These fun fruit treats are made with nut-free butter so they are allergy-friendly.  I also like the combination of textures–puffed rice teeth, nut-free butter, and fruit.  This fun recipe for  Apple Monsters is featured at Two Healthy Kitchens.

Apple Monsters

10.Fun Frozen Pineapple Pops from EatsAmazing.co.uk EatsAmazing.co.uk