Make Mother's Day Last with #Yourkidvid (Win an iPad Mini)

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Yourkidvid.

It's no secret that moms like to be acknowledged for their hard work, especially on Mother's Day. However, as my hubs can attest, appreciation doesn't need to come in the form of big expensive gift to be meaningful (although I am still grateful for those diamond earrings that year). This is where "the thought is what counts" can really be put to work. Unfortunately, creativity, time and presentation are difficult for most people to put into action to create a picture-perfect gift for Mother's Day that brings the tears, hugs and major brownie points.

While framing that adorable shot of the kids at Christmas or Easter and presenting to mom is nice, it just doesn't give the whole story...

Screenshot of "Madeline Loves Mommy" video from Yourkidvideo

But there is something truly magical when you hear the sound of a laugh, giggle or the words "I love you" that only a video can capture!

So with a little help from Yourkidvid, you can give mom an unforgettable, unique personalized gift that she'll cherish for years. The concept is genius: using all those cute videos of the kids on your smartphone and computer, Yourkidvid's award-winning team edits them into an original cinematic experience with hand-picked music, color-corrected images, graphics and that special touch for a video that she'll be proud to share with everyone including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and email, starting at only $29. (And for those of us with family that we don't get to see often, this is the ideal gift for grandma to get on Mother's Day too!)

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Don't think you'll be able to get the videos off mom's phone without her noticing? Then get her a Yourkidvid gift card and she can make her own video to cherish for years to come. 

There are 85 million moms in the U.S., but is there a mom in your life who is truly #1?

Yourkidvid, the professional video editing service for you and the little ones you love, is holding a contest to find America’s #1 mom.

To enter, like Yourkidvid on Facebook AND publish a description of why your mom is #1 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram using the hashtag, #1in85million.

Your entry can be as simple as sharing a moment, a story, a quick note or even a video about a lifetime of motherly love. Just include the hashtag #1in85million and like us at www.facebook.com/yourkidvid by May 11, 2014. A winner will be selected by the video editing geniuses at Yourkidvid, to receive an iPad mini plus a Gift Card for a free Yourkidvid Premium Video! The winner can give the prizes to their #1 mom or keep them . . . we won’t tell! Go to www.yourkidvid.com/1in85million for details and rules.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Yourkidvid.

Trash to Toys: 10 Recycled Educational Toys

Thanks to today's contributor, Kiddie Academy (www.KiddieAcademy.com) for the following ideas for creating recycled educational toys.

Want to feed your child’s imagination, while helping the environment? 

Earth Day is a yearly reminder to consider our role in protecting the environment. Parents can make a positive impact by creating fun, educational toys from everyday items that may initially seem like trash, but can be repurposed into teaching tools.

Computer Keyboard: 
An outdated keyboard is a perfect teaching toy, as it includes the entire alphabet to assist in early literacy exercises. Challenge your child to sing the ABC song while locating each letter on the keyboard.

Shoebox to Mailbox: 
Children love getting mail. Reinforce both reading and writing skills by creating a family mailbox from an old shoebox. Encourage your child to write notes to family members, and leave notes for them as well.

Water Bottle Instrument: 
Fill a clean, dry plastic water or soda bottle with rice, bells, beans or coins and shake them to hear a variety of new sounds. Glue the top on to secure the contents.

Junk Mail: 
Instead of immediately sending your unwanted mail to the landfill, allow your child to play with the envelopes and letters. She can pretend to be a postal carrier while getting additional exposure to printed words.

Magazines: 
Glossy photos in magazines are perfect for creating collage art that provides fine motor skill practice with scissors and glue.

TV Remote: 
Children love pushing buttons. An unused television remote control can be used for number and math play. Simply remove the batteries and ask him to find the numbers as you call them out.

Clothing: 
Dramatic play is an essential teaching tool that allows children to explore social roles, practice problem solving and language skills. Add no longer needed pieces of your own wardrobe to the toy chest to encourage your child’s imagination. She can literally “try on” a different role by wearing your skirt, hat or shoes.

Linens:
Your child can use a worn out sheet or towel as a cape, picnic blanket or as the roof to a play fort.

Toilet Paper Tube: 
Empty TP tubes are a favorite art tool in classrooms. Save a box of them, and give them to your child along with a few craft supplies to see what he can create. Binoculars, stamps and creatures are popular choices.

Boxes: 
While it’s tempting to immediately recycle a box, your child can have hours of fun using an empty box for creative play. What seems like trash to you could become a school bus, secret hideout or magic castle.

For more eco-friendly education tips, parents can visit Kiddie Academy's Family Essentials blog: http://www.kafamilyessentials.com.

Fish Friday: Celebrating Lent with Baked Tilapia with Shrimp from Olive Garden {Recipe}

Those who are observing Lent and abstaining from meat may be struggling to come up with dinner options for their families. This Baked Tilapia with Shrimp recipe from one of our family's favorite restaurants, Olive Garden, is perfect to conclude Lent or for any night your family is craving seafood. Serve it with your favorite vegetables. 

For a lighter version of this recipe, try Olive Garden’s new Baked Tilapia with Shrimp at only 340 calories!

Baked Tilapia with Shrimp Recipe

(Serves four)

Ingredients

4                     Tilapia filets

1.5 – 2 lbs.        Medium, unpeeled, deveined shrimp

1 tbsp              Butter   

1 tsp                Garlic, chopped

1 tbsp              Onion, finely chopped

1 cup               White Wine               

1 cup               Heavy Cream             

1 stick (4oz)      Butter, cubed        

1 tbsp.             Parsley, chopped

Pinch               Salt      

Pinch               Pepper                       

Instructions

Make the butter wine sauce. (Yields 2 cups/4 portions of 4 fl. oz.) 

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter, chopped garlic and finely chopped onion in pot for 3 minutes.  Stir with rubber spatula.  No browning.

Add white wine and heavy cream. Simmer gently until volume reduces by half.  About 1 cup.

Turn off fire.

Add cubed pieces of butter.  Stir until butter, wine and cream are combined.  Sauce should have a slightly thick consistency.

Finish with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

* Important: A fresh butter sauce must be served after being made. This sauce will not chill and reheat. When adding the butter to the reduction, the temperature of the sauce cannot exceed 150 degrees.

Rinse the tilapia filets and shrimp under cold water and place in a baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes. (Filets’ internal temp should be 145 degrees.)

For plating, place the shrimp on top of the filet and top with the hot butter wine sauce. Serve with your favorite vegetable on the side.

Easter Eats: Cheesy Corn Bake from 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House {Recipe}

For our family, Easter lunch/dinner looks a lot like a lighter version of Thanksgiving: a big piece of meat with all the same kind of fixings like mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, we'll you get the picture.

So to change it up for this year, we opted for BBQ. Good ole barbecue. While Dallas-Fort Worth has tons of amazing places to enjoy BBQ cooking at its best, the hubs wants to make it himself. However, I'm in charge of the fixings. And it's just not BBQ if I can't get at least a few bites of this Cheesy Corn Bake from 3 Stacks Smoke House in Frisco. There's just something about this golden goodness that screams "I need to eat this NOW." 

Perhaps it's the cream corn. 
Perhaps it's the cornbread mix. 
Perhaps it's that one stick of butter and cheese. 
Whatever it is, it's good. 

And while Trace “The Rib Whisperer” Arnold of 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House isn't giving out all his secrets for tasty BBQ, he did share this recipe and his tips to make it perfect. And now I'm sharing it with you! 

CHEESY CORN BAKE
Trace “The Rib Whisperer” Arnold of 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House

Ingredients

1 can of undrained whole kernel corn

1 can of cream corn

8 oz. of sour cream

2 well beaten eggs

1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix

1 stick of melted butter (not too hot, avoid clarifying the butter)

1/2 cup finely diced fresh jalapeño peppers

Instructions

Place mixture in a well-oiled 9x13 pan and bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Variations

• Top with fresh grated cheddar or blended cheese.
• Substitute jalapeños for green chilies. Cayenne pepper is also a great substitution for heat.
• Add red bell pepper for a holiday flair.
• Add brown Panco bread crumbs and top for a crunchy texture.
• Light sour cream will reduce calories.
• Cream cheese can be substituted for sour for a richer blend.
• Fresh corn can be used in place of canned.
• Plain yellow cornbread mix can replace Jiffy if you want to eliminate the sweet flavor of the Jiffy.

After this, you might be making this Easter side at Memorial Day, July 4th and Thanksgiving, too! Plus if you get a chance to visit 3 Stacks, I highly suggest you also try the fried dill pickle cheese fries - they'll make every day better! 

Hoppy Easter! 

Easy Easter Crafts Using Handprints from a Not-So-Crafty Mama {As Seen on TV}

I'm not a crafty mama. 

So when my latest assignment on Good Morning Texas was to demonstrate some Easter crafts...I kinda wanted to turn into a turtle and duck into my shell. 

No such luck when you're on TV. 

So I decided that the best crafts are the kind that anyone can do - even me. 

While I don't enjoy crafting, I do like to have a little piece of memorabilia from my kiddos to keep or give to the grandparents who don't always get to see the kids, but love getting to stay involved in the kids' lives. 

After getting a cute craft from my child's school using my daughter's feet for leaves and her hands for petals, I sprung an idea. We'd do all things fun with handprints. 

Honestly, these crafts are so easy, they don't even need instructions. Just take a look at my tutorial I did on GMT on April 10. And you still have time to do these since they are so quick and still get them in the mail just in time for Easter. Or you could use many of these for Mother's Day, too!  Need more ideas? 

Check out my Pinterest Easter Board! 

  Follow Autumn Reo {mamachallenge.com}'s board HOLIDAY: Easter on Pinterest.

Do you have any handprint crafts you'd like to share? 

#JOESGOESBLUE: Joe’s Crab Shack Kicks off Annual April Autism Speaks Fundraiser

This month Joe’s Crab Shack has joined organizations across the globe in celebrating the international Light It Up Blue campaign on World Autism Awareness Day and kick off its second annual national fundraiser for Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.

As one of Autism Speaks’ largest corporate partners, Joe’s raised more than $1 million in 2013 through in-restaurant donations, online donations and sales of Joe’s “Light It Up Blue” tie-dye T-shirts.

• Head to Joe’s Crab Shack to donate and receive coupons for free food. For every $1 donation, receive a free kids meal entrée; $5 donation for a free Crazy Good CrabDip; and $10 donation for a free Classic Steampot. While readers are at Joe’s they can purchase a “Peace of the Puzzle” signature tie-dye T-shirt and 10 percent of proceeds will go to Autism Speaks.
• Take in a Rangers game at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 16 for the autism awareness game.
• Advocates can spread the word by posting photos of themselves supporting Autism Speaks with the hashtag #JoesGoesBlue. At the end of the campaign, Joe’s will award gift cards to photo winners and post guests’ photos in a puzzle mosaic on Joe’s social media.
• Restaurants will also “Light it Up Blue” throughout the month to remind guests of the worthy cause. 

Information about local Autism Speaks efforts is available here. To find the closest Joe’s Crab Shack location, visit www.joescrabshack.com/locations.

Easy Easter Food Fun for Everyone {As Seen on TV}

"Multitasking Mama" is my middle name. Unfortunately, "Make-and-Do-Mama" isn't.

So if creativity isn't one of your skill sets, you are in good company. This Easter I've put together a few of my favorite craft ideas that are as much fun to make as they are to eat! These activities that I either found on Pinterest or have been making for years will give you and your kids something fun to do while you spend time together and best of all, when you are done, you can gobble them up for snack time.

And did I mention they are super easy? So easy in fact my son made his own YouTube video on how to make one of them? (Kids these days...)

All of these crafts were featured on Good Day Dallas on April 5, 2014. Hope you caught the segment, but if you didn't, here's the highlight reel and the recipes for you to make at home!

Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

Jackson's Easter Day Bark
From MamaChallenge.com

Package of White Almond Bark
Package of Easter M&Ms
Sprinkles
Easter Egg Malted Eggs

Place the almond bark in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 90 seconds to melt (adding more every 10 seconds until it's melted.) 

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spread the almond bark. Drop the M&Ms and other candy over the melted bark. Allow to cool by placing in the freezer. When it solidifies, break into pieces. Makes for a cheap, easy and cute gift to friends, neighbors and teachers!

Easter Basket Cupcakes
(I've been doing these since I was a kid!) 

Cupcake with vanilla icing 
Favorite Easter candy
Licorice rope
Jelly Beans 
Peeps or Chocolate Easter Bunny candy
Shredded Coconut
Green food coloring

Place coconut in a plastic baggie or a plastic bowl with a lid. Drop 3-5 drops of food color and then cover. Shake container until completely saturated green. There's your Easter grass!

Now just line up all your candies in a few bowls so the kids can easily get to them to make their Easter baskets. 

Taking the cupcake, sprinkle or swirl cupcake until the top is covered in coconut. Now place your Peep or Chocolate bunny in cupcake. Place jelly beans around it to look like eggs. Last place both ends of your licorice stick into the cupcake to resemble a basket. Now eat it!

Carrot Snacks
This is a great for small kids that doesn't involve sugar! 

1 quart size plastic baggies or clear pastry bags
Favorite orange snacks (I prefer Amy's Organic Bunnies, buy you can use Cheetos or Goldfish) 
Green ribbon

After removing the zip closure on the bags with a diagonal cut, please snacks in one corner of the bag and twist up to resemble a carrot. To close, tie a green ribbon around the top to look like a stem and you are done!

Strawberry Carrots

White Chocolate Chips or Orange Melts
1-2 Tablespooons of shortening
Orange powdered icing coloring 
Strawberries
Crushed Oreos

Melt chocolate with shortening until smooth in the microwave or over a double boiler. Now turn chocolate orange if needed with the icing coloring. Next after drying your strawberries (if you don't the water will cause chocolate to seize and turn gritty), dip the strawberry into chocolate until covered. Place on wax paper to dry for 15-20 minutes. Serve "carrots" over a bed of crushed Oreo to resemble a garden.

Carrot Patch Cups 
As seen on Kidzui.com

Ingredients:
2 Packets of instant chocolate pudding
2 Cups of milk
1 Thawed package of Cool Whip
2 Cups Oreo cookies
Orange Icing (or white with orange food coloring)
Edible candy grass (or Coconut dyed with green food coloring)

Directions:
Mix the pudding and milk together.
Gently stir in the Cool Whip.
Crush your Oreos and add half of them to the pudding.
Divide the pudding mixture into cups or dishes and top with the remaining Oreos.
Pipe the orange frosting onto the top to look like a carrot growing out of the ground.
Top with a few blades of fake grass.

I'll add photos after today's segment! In the meantime, take a look at all the fun Easter crafts I've found on my Pinterest page! 

Follow Autumn Reo {mamachallenge.com}'s board HOLIDAY: Easter on Pinterest.

Last-Minute, Kid Friendly St. Patrick's Day Treats {As seen on TV}

Today's MamaChallenge: 

Quick, Easy + Kid-friendly St. Patrick's Day Treats 

Don't we all wish we had enough time to make the perfect themed desserts for every holiday? I know I wish my "Martha Stewart" switch would turn on one day. But in the meantime, I'm happy to create some desserts that the whole family can be a part of that are quick, easy and in some cases you don't even have to cook anything!

These recipes are all part of WFAA ABC 8 Good Morning Texas on the Monday, March 17 St. Patrick's Day show. But just in case you aren't able to tune in or need to get the recipes, here you go! 

Rainbow Pots of Gold 
(Inspired by Women's Day)

What are all leprechauns after? Gold at the end of the rainbow! So we've combined both the pots of gold and rainbow for a fun treat that is as much fun to make as they are to eat. 

Ingredients
1 box of white cake mix
Food coloring (basic variety pack works great or whatever color you want to make)
1 tub of chocolate frosting
Several Tootsie Roll minis at room temperature
1 package of Sour Patch straws in red or Twizzler Rope licorice
Yellow/gold candy (I used Sixlets or you can use M&Ms or jelly beans)

Instructions
Make the cake batter as instructed for cupcakes. Divide the batter evenly between four small bowls. Then using the food coloring, change each of the batters to your desired color. Next in a greased and floured muffin pan, take one spoonful of batter and begin alternating even amounts of each color until it's about 3/4 full. Complete the process until you finish your batter. Bake muffin as instructed on box. 

In the meantime, unwrap the Tootsie Roll and begin rolling until its flat. The strip should be about 1.75 - 2 inches long. 

Once muffins are complete and cooled, flip them over to begin icing. Using the chocolate icing, frost the cupcake except the bottom (which is normally the top of the cupcake.)

Take your Tootsie Roll and form it to look like the top of a bag (almost in a circle.) Lay on top of the cupcake. 

Next take your straw/licorice and loop it under the Tootsie Roll so it looks like a string. Criss-cross the ends to resemble a tied bag. 

Last, lay your candies in the Tootsie Roll portion to look like gold pieces. 

Now your cupcake should look like a pot of gold, but when you bite into it, you'll find the rainbow surprise! 

It's My Lucky Day Treat Bars

I've never been a big fan of colored marshmallows in my cereal. Or any cereal that turned my milk a bright unnatural color for that matter. But when you pair the cereal with a little marshmallows and butter, something magical happens - like these bars. So easy my five-year-old made them, these treats are exactly the perfectly quick treat to make everyone's day a little more lucky (or at least tastier.) 

Ingredients
5 cups of Lucky Charms cereal
4 cups of marshmallows (I prefer the small ones so they melt easier)
3 tablespoons of butter

Instructions
Sift through your cereal and pull out some of the Lucky Charm marshmallows so you can put on top of the treat bars for decoration! 

Melt the butter on medium heat (or in the microwave if you really wanted to stay off the oven) and then add marshmallows. Stiring often to keep from burning, add cereal until combined. Pour combination into a greased pan (I like 8x10 so they are thicker) and then pack down with a greased hand (thank you, Pam spray.) Allow to sit for an hour at least to harden. 

Optional, you could die the treats green while mixing, but I just can't stomach green food unless it's an avocado or a margarita.) 


Oreo Truffles

I've never met an Oreo I didn't like. And when it's mint then dipped in chocolate, well then we are meant to be friends for life. This is a no-cook recipes, so it's all hands on deck to make these babies. Just make sure not to eat all the Oreos before you start making them. (If you prefer you could use Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, but who still has any of those left by St. Patrick's Day?) 

Ingredients
1 package of Mint Oreo Cookies (don't open them until you're ready to make these or you'll eat them all) 
1 package of cream cheese Dipping chocolate or white/green candy melts (You can find these at Walmart now!) 

Instructions
Crush the cookies in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine crumbs with cream cheese well. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place in freezer for an hour. Meanwhile melt your chocolate either in the microwave as instructed (or on the stovetop if it's easier) and then dip truffles in chocolate coating completing. 

Then decorate however you wish! 

For other great St. Patrick's Day Ideas and more fun, check out my Pinterest page!

Follow Autumn Reo {mamachallenge.com}'s board HOLIDAYS: St. Pat's Day on Pinterest.

Celebrate World Nutella Day with Easy Nutella Banana Nut Bread {Recipe}

Several years ago I received my first container of Nutella. 

For a while, I was able to resist the thought of a container of the hazelnut gooiness in the pantry. But then I finally dipped in my index finger and went in for a small taste. And then another. And another. 

I found both a friend and a foe that day. I just can't quit you, Nutella. 

And apparently I'm not the only one, especially since now we have a National "holiday" committed to our love of the product. 

Happy World Nutella Day, folks. 

And while you can put Nutella in everything (just take a look at Pinterest), I'm sharing a quick recipe you can make even late at night when you hear Nutella calling your name and you just want a little fix. 

And of course, banana and Nutella taste really, really good together. 

Nutella Banana Nut Bread 

1/2       cup white sugar

1/2       cup brown sugar

2          eggs

3          bananas, mashed ripe bananas

1/3       cup milk

1          cup Nutella

1          teaspoon vanilla

½         teaspoon salt

1/2       cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk, and vanilla until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, beating constantly until just blended. Spoon Nutella into a bowl and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended. Add half the banana bread batter to the prepared pan. Top with half the Nutella batter. Pour the remaining banana batter into the pan and top with the remaining Nutella. Swirl batters together with a knife. Bake for 50-55 minutes (the bread will seem undercooked). Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.