A "MAZE" ING guest post by Jennifer from "Queen of Chaos"

      I am very excited to have Jennifer from "Queen of Chaos" here with me, today. She is a mom of four darling kids-  3 gorgeous little girls, and one handsome son. I have invited Jennifer to come share one of her favorite activities that her and her children do together. I would like to thank her for taking the time out of her busy schedule to come visit, and share her fun activity with us.

     I know I can't be the only one out there with hyper active children. I have had several discussions with other moms on how they have some kids that can just play happily by themselves and how other kids need constant entertainment. I needed something to do that would get both those children to get along together. So I sent my 7 year son to get all his Lego's and my 4 year old daughter to get the marbles out of marble works.

     I love things that keep them quiet and cooperative while challenging them at the same time. This was perfect for just that. I gave my 2 oldest kids a Lego sheet and told them to make a maze.  Although they ended up making one together, and I was very happy to see how well they cooperated. I ended up making the other one with my 2 year old "helper." We then would periodically switch to test each others out.

4yr. old with mom's maze

This was one of my kids's maze creation

My 2 year old trying out my maze

     This was fun because with trial and error we could do it so many different fun ways. They got to learn spacial awareness, tactics, communication with the others and so much more! I love that you could make this as intricate or small as you wanted. All my kids enjoyed both parts of making and doing on this as well!

Here is a little video clip of my son doing the mazes.



For other Lego fans out there check out these Lego fun Pinterest links:

Lego City Printable
Lego Kirigami
Lego Math
Lego Sentence Building

Written by Jennifer Davis at Queen Of Chaos

  I would like to, once again, thank Jennifer for stopping by. Lego's are really fun to play with, and are great to use to help kids learn. Thanks again!

Guest Speaker: Michele Gill

 I would like to welcome Michele Gill from "The Mommy Blogger Directory" here with us, today. She has some terrific tips on making money while blogging. Thanks Michele for taking the time to share with us!

A Look at Some of the Most Affordable Online Payment Systems

If you want to receive payments on your blog, you will need to sign up with an online payment processor. As electronic commerce has exploded in popularity during the last decade, there is no shortage of companies that allow individuals and small merchants to process credit card payments on Advantage Processors.

Of course, payment processors are also in the business to make money for themselves. They do this by charging various fees to their users. In most cases, the buyer doesn't pay anything extra. Rather, it is the merchant that assumes all fees related to processing the transaction. One concern that many bloggers have is finding a payment processor that doesn't charge too much.

There are several companies which allow you to receive payments without any sign up or monthly fees. Rather, you pay a small charge every time you receive a payment. Here are some of the most inexpensive online payment processors for bloggers:

Amazon Payments

With Amazon Payments, the fees for receiving payments of under $10 are 5.0% + 0.05 for each transaction. Payments over $10 will cost you 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. You can easily withdraw your funds straight to your bank account.

Dwolla

While a relative newcomer to the online payments industry, Dwolla is already processing over $1 million in daily transactions. The fees are very low: $0.25 per transaction for purchases over $10 and nothing for transactions under $10. Their only drawback is that they don't allow the buyer to use their credit card. Rather, Dwolla functions as an e-wallet that the customer has to load from their bank account.

Stripe

This company offers a very good payment solution that costs only 2.9% + $0.30 for each successful transaction. What sets stripe apart is that they also provide solutions for web developers to integrate their payment gateway into their sites and applications without requiring any setup or monthly fees.

Guest Speaker: Amber from "Dessert Now, Dinner Later!"

Hi there!  My name is Amber & I blog over at Dessert Now, Dinner Later!  I share all things sweet & savory alongside my knowledge & skills as a culinary graduate.  If you ever have a culinary question, don't be shy to ask!  I love to ease your cooking/baking concerns. 
I remember starting to enjoy cooking with my mother when I was about 11 years old.  My favorite time together in the kitchen was when we would bake pies & other desserts for Thanksgiving & Christmas.  Creating things in the kitchen brings people together.  I love it!  That time in the kitchen with my mom at that ripe young age sparked my interest into making food a huge part of my life.  

I graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Nutrition & Food Sciences, emphasizing in Culinary Arts at Utah State University in 2008.  I have been in 3 different bakeries & 1 restaurant that also catered.  So I know a bit about food.  Stop by my blog for some delicious recipes.  I also have a recipe link party on Saturdays.  If you are a food blogger, come by & share your recipes!  It starts every Friday night at 9:00pm MST.  


So the reason I am here today is because Jacque asked me to come by & share a recipe that I enjoy making with my children.  I have two cute little kiddos.  A 3 1/2 year old boy & a 1 1/2 year old girl.  Since they are so young, their cooking & baking skills are pretty limited.  I like to keep it to things that they can help roll or shape, like bread or cookie dough.  They also like to shake or stir things, like coating food with crumbs in a zip-top baggie or stirring kool-aid.  And of course licking the bowl & spoon of whatever I am making...they are professionals at that!

With that being said, I brought my favorite recipe to make with my kids.  MUDDY BUDDIES!  Right now I have two variations on my blog:

Cherry Cheesecake Muddy Buddies

Gingerbread Puppy Chow

Muddy Buddies are extremely versatile & perfect for little helpers because they can help push the buttons on the microwave to melt the morsels & they can shake the coated cereal in a zip-top baggie.  Plus they are fun to munch on. 

Here is a general recipe outline to making your own muddy buddy creations:  

Muddy Buddy Recipe Outline

From: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 1 (10-12 oz bag) chocolate or other flavored morsels
• 1 Tbsp shortening (to thin out the melted morsels)
• 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups powder (cake mix, powdered sugar, pudding mix, or gelatin mix or combination)

1. In a LARGE bowl melt your bag of morsels (chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, cherry, cinnamon etc) with the shortening in the microwave on 50% power for 60 seconds at a time.  Stirring & re-heating until melted.
2. Add Chex cereal & fold with a spatula gently until the cereal is well-coated.
3. Combine approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups worth of desired powders (cake mix, powdered sugar, pudding mix, gelatin mix, or any combination.) in a zip-top baggie.
4. Add coated cereal to the zip-top baggie, zip shut, & shake until evenly distributed. Enjoy!

BONUS: I have compiled some tips & age appropriate tasks when inviting your child(ren) into the kitchen.  This is an educational blog after all.  These are just guidelines.  Adapt these activities to suit your child's needs & interests within your (the parent's) comfort zone.

Kids in the Kitchen: Ages 3 & Under
Toddlers this age are too young to have "helping" in the kitchen.  Alternative activities can be:

• Buy a kitchen play set to mimic what you are doing in the kitchen.
• Leave pots, pans, tupperware, & other safe items in the lower cupboards or drawers so they can play with them.  This helps them feel like not everything is completely "off-limits" in the kitchen.
• Let them snack in their high chair while they watch you cook.
• Teach them the dangers of HOT things in the kitchen.
• Let them taste everything you make, so they appreciate different foods/flavors & sparks that desire to create in the kitchen.
• Practice hand washing before eating.
• Teach them new words of the foods/equipment you are using.
• Point out senses that they use in the kitchen: smelling the food as it cooks, touching the different textures of ingredients (like flour vs sugar), seeing things cook from the oven window, hearing the water boiling on the stove, & tasting the meal after it's made.
• Allow them to be the official bowl/spoon licker :)

Kids in the Kitchen: Ages 3-6 years old
Children in this age group can be your "Sous/Assistant Chef" by:

• Adding/pouring pre-measured ingredients
• Gathering ingredients
• Helping set the table for dinner & gather dirty plates after the meal
• Washing table with a rag
• Opening packages
• Scrubbing fruits & veggies
• Tearing lettuce
• Using blunt scissors to cut food
• Using a can opener
• Stirring liquids, doughs, or dry ingredients
• Shaping rolls (it's like playing with play dough for them)
• Shaking/coating foods in a zip-top bag
• Spreading condiments, dressings, fillings & frostings using a small spatula/butter knife/sandwich spreader
• Squeezing lemons/oranges/limes
• Mashing potatoes
• Peeling bananas, oranges, or eggs
• Cut-out shapes for sugar cookies

Kids in the Kitchen: Ages 7-11 years old 
These children to pre-teens are now Chefs in Training & should be able to:

• Measure ingredients with cups or spoons accurately
• Peel/shred vegetables
• Fill muffin tins
• Scoop cookies
• Crack eggs into a bowl
• Cut soft foods with a blunt knife
• Knead & roll dough
• Help plan meals
• Make simple recipes with 6 ingredients or less
• Microwave with supervision
• Use a hand mixer with supervision
• Whisk liquids
• Roll meatballs

Kids in the Kitchen: Ages 12-15 years old 
Teenagers are now Junior Chefs in the Kitchen & are ready to learn:

• Knife safety & how to chop vegetables with supervision
• Oven/Stovetop safety & how to use with supervision
• How to plan & shop for meals
• How to use the electric mixer, blender, grater, & other kitchen appliances or sharp utensils with supervision
• How to follow steps in simple recipes

Kids in the Kitchen: Ages 16-18 years old 
These "young adults" are now Senior Chefs in the kitchen & should:

• Use math skills to half & double recipes (can apply to previous age group as well)
• Cook a meal once a week or on a semi-regular basis for the whole family
• Experiment making world cuisines (Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Peruvian, etc) & expand their cooking genre
• Plan balanced menus for dinners, parties, or other special events
• Learn how to shop for ingredients while learning costs of different foods & ways to save (especially important for when they go off to college & have to buy & make their own meals)
• Learn new skills such as canning or drying foods

If you liked what I shared please tell your friends & come visit me:

http://dessertnowdinnerlater.blogspot.com/

Also you can follow me on facebook, twitter, or pinterest for the latest recipes & tips:

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