Want to be the talk of your backyard bbq? Make and bring this Blueberry Crumble Recipe. It’s easy to throw together and tastes delicious too!
We recently went blueberry pickings, which I have to blog about. Since then, I have a ton of blueberries, but not a ton of different recipes. When talking about what to make, I knew I had to try a crumble.
Believe me… I’m happy I did!
This dessert was so easy to make and tasted so fresh. We picked them one day and made this the next. It was amazing.
I have a feeling this will be another staple dessert I bring to parties in the future.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Blueberry Crumble:
2 cups of blueberries
sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup quick cook oats
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
First, preheat your oven to 375 F.
While it’s heating up, spray your crumble pan with cooking spray or spread water. Then, add the layer of blueberries at the bottom. Sprinkle sugar on top of the blueberries.
We used red colored sugar for ours!
Then, mix the crumble topping (sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and butter) in a bowl. When it’s all combined, spread on top of the sugared blueberries. To give it some extra flair, you can sprinkle some extra cinnamon sugar on top.
When the oven is preheated, place the blueberry crumble in for 25-30 minutes.
We took ours out at the 25 minute mark and added festive sprinkles. Then baked for an extra five minutes.
Serve this delicious dish warm with whipped cream or ice cream!
What’s your favorite food item to bring to a cookout?
If you’re looking for some books to read this summer, these 5 Summer Reading Picks are a great start.
Each book was picked by a mermaid-loving four year old!
With school out, it’s important to keep kids reading and learning. Switching up books and ‘shelfies’ can help keep them interested and excited to read!
Mila has accumulated a TON of books in her four years. She has a few favorite picks — but it can get redundant reading them 1000 times. To help keep things fresh, I love to show her themed books and have her pick out her top picks.
I laid out ‘summer’ books that included zoos, weather, and other ocean animals. Of course, she was instantly drawn to the mermaid ones!
Here’s all of Mila’s picks:
The Little Mermaid
This was my book when I was a kid, but Mila is in love with it!
It’s the classic tale with beautiful images. Since Mila knows the story, she likes to pretend to ‘read’ to me. I love seeing what letters and words she is beginning to recognize too. If your kiddo loves “The Littler Mermaid” the movie, you’ll love the book too.
This is one of Mila’s favorite series! She loves the story and trying to figure out how the characters are going to catch the mermaid next. I love the rhyming and how it gets her brain thinking. Mila always finds new things in the pictures too. The last time she read it, she pointed out a big fish I had never saw!
This series has how to catch a unicorn, leprechaun, and the Easter Bunny too! It’s a series I’ll always recommend for any occasion you need.
If you’re interested in this book or series, check them out!
That’s Not My Mermaid
The “That’s Not My” series has been a staple in our home since Mila was a baby. They let kids feel different textures and understand what the words mean. Plus, there’s a hiding mouse that kids love to seek too.
Mila absolutely loves the mermaid one in the series. It’s one she has by her bed all summer long. She loves reading this one to me and showing me she remembers all the words.
Last year, “The Rainbow Fish” was Mill’s favorite summer book. It’s a great story about sharing and being mindful of others. We made the cutest paper craft (pictured above) and Mila recognizes thee cover image any where she sees it.
The bright colors are so perfect and I love this classic tale. This will be one boo I always have on hand.
Mila got this book earlier this year when Our Generation Dolls gifted us a few dolls and accessories. She saw the book and we’ve been reading it in chunks since! It’s a fun story of Coral and her passion for surfing.
The doll that came with this book is adorable too. Mila is constantly playing with her and her friends. I’d totally recommend them to anyone looking for a good doll!
Reading is such an important way to learn and imagine. It makes me so proud Mila can pick out her favorites and enjoy our time reading together. We’ll never get this time back, so we’re making every second count!
We can’t wait to show you more summer activities and fun that we’ll be having this year! Stay tuned.
What are some summer inspired books you’d recommend? We’d love to read them.
If you love strawberries and want a cute pot to grow them in, you’ll have to make this Strawberry Handprint Pot!
These pots are a great way to watch plants grow, but also perfect for kids to get involved too.
I’ve said it a ton before, but Mila and I are obsessed with plants. We probably have 200 houseplants. Then in the summer, we have fruits, veggies, and herbs. My front porch looks like a jungle.
Last year, strawberries were our favorite to grow. Mila would literally eat them from the plant. It was so fun to check every morning.
To make strawberry picking more fun this year, we made this Strawberry Handprint Pot.
Here’s what you’ll need to make yours:
Green Paint
Red Paint
Black Paint
Pot
Brush
Strawberry Plant
Potting Soil
This handprint art is actually pretty easy to do.
Just paint (or have your kiddo paint) the majority of their hand with red paint. Then the top part with green.
Press firmly on the pot. We were able to get two handprints per paint!
Once it’s dried, add the seeds on to the strawberries. I just made little hearts in black. I thought it looked cute!
When those are dry, plant your strawberry plant and you’re good to grow.
Like all our crafts, I think this turned out so cute. I know this pot will have strawberries in it for years to come!
Looking for more strawberry fun? Check out some of these recipes and crafts we’ve done in the past!
If you’re looking for a fun way to get your kids outside and interested in bugs, make this DIY Bug Catcher.
The best part, I reused everything to make this!
Mila is slowly getting interested in bugs. She can tell you all about the butterflies life cycle and can identify different bugs too! Mostly, she’s excited about catching lightening bugs this year.
Even though I know she can, I don’t think she’ll want to use her hands. Cue another light bulb parenting moment…
We decided to make a DIY Bug Catcher so we can see lightening bugs and whatever else she catches. Like I said before, we got to reuse items to make it too!
Here’s all that it took to make this:
Parmesan Cheese Bottle
Stickers
Pipe Cleaner
Googly Eyes
Hot Glue
Tulle
First, take the label off and clean the Parmesan cheese container. I don’t think the bugs would mind the cheesy smell, but it needed washed out.
After, I hot glued tulle on the smaller hole side. This way the bugs can get fresh air!
I then put stickers that said, “Mila’s Bug Catcher” on it. When I was done with that, I let her put whatever stickers on there.
While she was decorating her bug catcher, I made the bug face top. I just used the colored googly eyes Mila told me to use and a pipe cleaner for the antennas. All I did was use a little hot glue and it worked perfectly.
Once you’re finished, twist the lid on and your DIY Bug Catcher is complete!
I’ll make sure to update with our bug catching adventures. Which bugs did you like catching as a kid? Let me know in the comments.
If your child is interested in flowers and putting them together, they’ll love this Kids Floral Arrangement Activity.
With a few supplies, kids will make different arrangements for a long time!
Mila is obsessed with flowers. When she sees them at the store, we have to buy a bouquet… or two. I’m usually fine with it. We smell them and love bringing life into our home.
One day, Mila told me she couldn’t wait until our flowers were done growing so she could make her own bouquet.
Cue the light bulb moment!
I thought about all the fake flowers we had recently bought and that she could do just that. Over and over again.
Here’s all Mila used to make her Kids Floral Arrangement.
Fake flowers
Colander
Vase
Wire cutters
To start off, I only had the flowers to prep! Since they’re usually bundled all together, I wanted to cut them. There’s wires underneath fake flowers, so I just snipped them all with wire cutters.
Then I put them on a plate for Mila to choose what she wanted.
I did ask her to plan and put the flowers in a colander. This way she could work on her motor function skills. It was fun to watch her plan and be creative with the flowers. She especially loved the fake butterflies!
After she had it all planned, I told her to put them in the vase. She again, fluffed them and put them exactly how she wanted.
In the vase, I added crinkle filler paper so the flowers stayed upright.
Now we have a bouquet of flowers that will never die on our kitchen table. She is so proud of what she made and I love that we can do this activity again and again.
Here’s to all my seasonal floral arrangements being made by Mila!
Do you like getting fresh flowers or are you more into plants?
Looking for a fun sensory activity your child can do outside? Try this Flower Potion/Soup.
Not only does it get your kid independently playing outside, it’s a fun sensory experience for them too.
Flowers are Mila and my favorite part of spring! All the pretty flowers make me smile and she loves to pick them. We try to incorporate them in a lot of play activities.
Another element Mila is obsessed with is water! I learned early on in parenting that water calmed Mila down. No matter if it was a lot or just a little.
This kid activity is a perfect mix of the two!
Everything you need is either in your backyard or your kitchen:
Flowers
Jars
Water
Big Bowl
Sticks
Water Dispenser
This activity is really child led. I did ask Mila to collect different flowers that were in our yard. Then I set up the potion/soup station.
I let her know that was her mixing bowl and she could add whatever in there.
She really took over after that!
Mila pretended she was a witch making potions the entire time. She let us know what the potions would do and who they were for. As always, I love hearing from her creative mind.
What’s your favorite spring kid’s activity? Let me know in the comments.
Lets bring on the May flowers and start this month off with a Gardening Sensory Bin.
Since kids need some type of play at parties, I thought a Gardening Sensory Bin would be great. It turns out… it was.
Although I haven’t posted about it yet, Mila’s birthday part was garden and plant themed. She loves plants so much, it was a perfect fit. All of Mila’s friends loved it and Mila kept playing with it for days after.
Just beware of beans flying everywhere.
For this bin, I used things that were around my house, but you can find everything at the dollar store:
Dried Beans
Fake Flowers or Produce
Gardening Accessories
Jars or Mini Pots
Sensory Bin
All you need to do is a fill a sensory bin with whatever kind of dried beans or rice.
Then, place fake produce and flowers like they’re planted in the ground. I loved the felt produce from Targets Dollar Spot or we use fake flowers from the Dollar Tree.
Next, place some jars or pots in the bin along with some gardening accessories.
Now it’s time to play!
Your child will know exactly what to do with this bin. It’s a lot of fun to watch them play and discover. I’ll have this sensory bin ready for whenever. It’s easy and has endless amounts of fun.
What are you looking forward to this month? Let me know in the comments.
Ohio is a state full of hidden gems. Our favorite local one is Dundee Falls in Dundee, Ohio. With a short hike, you’ll find a beautiful waterfall and peaceful scene.
Besides the view, I love that Dundee Falls is perfect to explore for people of all ages.
For our first adventure of the season, Mila, Josh, and I all went to Dundee Falls. Mila and I have been there quite a few times, but it was Josh’s first. My family has taken Mila since she’s been one and she’s always loved it!
It’s only about a mile hike from the start to the falls. Then another mile back. It’s not long at all and it’s shaded by trees. That makes it so nice for a hot summer day.
Some things I would suggest people to bring when they come to Dundee Falls are a change of clothes, water bottle, and sunscreen.
Since it’s the first time Mila and I’ve went so early in the year, I did not expect it to be as muddy as it was. If you’re planning on visiting in the spring, prepare for the slippery mud! It’s sort of everywhere.
This time, we went a different path from normal. We crossed the stream before the falls and went the long way around.
It was fun seeing them from a different view and just getting to explore. I did fall like ten times, but it was still a blast. We also got to climb over the river rocks and just get completely immersed in nature.
If you go the regular way to get to the falls, you do have to climb down a little rock way. This is normally somewhat slippery, but it was even more muddy which made it a little difficult to get up. I can imagine it was tricky to get down too. BUT there were so many people able to get up and down of all ages and ability levels. Just know it’s not accessible for those in wheelchairs or other limiting abilities.
Mila’s favorite part is actually getting into the water at the falls. She just loves to play and jump in it. She always looking for fish, frogs, and whatever else she can find too. At this time of the year, the water felt nice. I fell in the deeper water under the falls and was soaked. It wasn’t too cold for me to get back.
Our trips to Dundee Falls are so informative and an amazing sensory experience for Mila too. We loved pointing out wildlife and talking about cleaning up our Earth.
Speaking of… the trail and park in all is really clean. People who visit are mindful of their trash if they bring a picnic. They’re also really nice too. I’ve always had positive experiences visiting Dundee Falls. Some people even bring their dogs, which is always so cute!
The three of us had an amazing time Exploring Dundee Falls. Mila and I might have ended the trail completely muddy and soaked with water, but the adventure was worth every second.
Once you’re done visiting Dundee Falls, I would suggest making a short drive to the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock. We go every time we’re near Sugarcreek! It’s Mila’s favorite.
Another place you have to visit is The Wallhouse. They have such great ice cream. It ends the day perfectly.
If you’re from Ohio, let us know some trails or places we should visit next! Or let me know your favorite place to go to where you live. Maybe we’ll have to go too.
Happy Earth Week, friends! If you’re looking for a fun way to explore the rainy April season, this Rain Process Art is perfect for kiddos
It’s a great way for kids to show how they think of rain and to see their creativity too!
To celebrate and honor our planet this week, all our DIYs will be made with recycled products. We usually try to reuse items as much as we can, but this week it will be a priority that I’ll showcase.
Even though Mila and I aren’t particularly fond of rain, we can appreciate its beauty. Blue is a special color to us and we love that rain helps water our plants. It’s important that we celebrate our earth and all its weather.
For this process art, I just found some items that reminded me of rain…
Shades of blue paint
Bubble wrap
Paint brushes
Stuffing
Cardboard
Pipe cleaner
Glue
For all of this, I let Mila decide what she wanted to do. That’s the best part about process art.
She started off painting bubble wrap dark blue. This makes such a cool effect on the cardboard that we love. Then she used the dark blue bingo dauber to make more blue dots.
After we experimented a little.
I added water in the lighter blues. She tried squirting some on the cardboard. Then she used a straw to make the paint look like water dripping on the window.
When she was done panting, I added left over stuffing to the top to make it look like a cloud. Then a pipe cleaner to hang it.
Like all of Mila’s artwork, I think it’s perfect. It looks like the most beautiful storm.
Keep checking in this week to see more ways we celebrate our earth. If you can’t wait until then, check out these fun Earth Day activities we’ve done in the past:
Springtime is heating up and refreshments are needed. This Cran Raspberry Punch is fun twist on a vodka cran, but can be made for littles too!
Mila and I LOVE making punch. I feel like we’re constantly making and drinking it. For all her parties, I throw a themed punch together. Now with holidays and different seasons, I think it’s so fun to make something for them too.
Since spring is here, I wanted a light punch that Mila and I both would love. She is obsessed with cranberry juice; which I’m happy for that. We also both love raspberries so a combination of the two was a must. I always like to be able to make punches or different drinks with the capability to add some type of shot too. This reminded me of vodka cran, just with the extra sweetness of punch.
Here’s what you’ll need for this Cran Raspberry Punch:
Raspberry Sorbet
Cran Raspberry Juice
Raspberry Seltzer Water
Shot of Vodka (optional)
To make this drink, you just need to add this in either a cup or a punch bowl. When it’s just Mila and I, we just make them individually.
Personally, I start off with the raspberry sorbet. Then I’ll add the juice and alcohol for the adults. After, I like to finish off with the seltzer water. It just makes it foam up a little better. The seltzer water somehow mixes it all up perfectly too.
You could garnish with fresh raspberries or fun shaped ice. I feel like the cup I used in the picture is a whole garnish. It’s from DIY With the Wears.
Then, enjoy!
Check out some other fun punch recipes we’ve made:
Grey Skies & Rainbow Highs 