Keep 'em Busy: DIY Flannel Board

Wanna make a flannel board?

Remember how great those were growing up?

Remember how the pieces just "magically" stuck up there?

OK, then!  Here's what you need:

     1.  Artist Canvas (whatever size you want)

     2.  Flannel fabric, about 4 inches longer and wider than your canvas

     3.  Staple gun

     4.  Pellon sew-in interfacing (NOT THE FUSIBLE kind!)

Place your canvas on the flannel.  I really wish now that I had ironed my flannel first.  You may want to go do that.  Fold up the edge on one side and staple into the wood frame of your canvas.  Stretch and staple the opposite side.  Repeat on the remaining two sides.

I had some extra fabric hanging over.  I debated gluing the edge or stapling.  I chose to staple it down on the inside.  Flannel board = done!  Wasn't that easy?  OK, ready for some pieces?  You can order flannel board pieces online so if you really want a professional set of Jesus and the Disciples, go ahead and get your credit card out and zoom over to Amazon.  I'm cheap, so I decided to make my own pieces.

I made pieces in two ways.  First, using the Pellon interfacing, I drew and colored some letters using a sharpie and then cut them out.  You can see through the facing, so you could trace coloring book pages or use stencils and let your kiddos color them as well.  Secondly, I took some pictures I printed and had them laminated.  I used rubber cement to paste the pictures to the interfacing and let them dry.  Once they were dry, I trimmed around them.  They looked really nice when they were done!  I don't think you would even need to laminate them.  Maybe you could cut out coloring book pages or comic book pages and use them as well.

Now wasn't that fun?  And look how nice!  Happy crafting!

--Mandy--

Cars! It's a Tow-Mater Sandwich.

Little man has been on a "Cars" kick for a week or so now.  We've watched both movies several times while playing racing and spies with every "Cars" and "Hot Wheels" car we own.  So when he specifically requested, "A Peanut Butter and Jelly Mater," I went on a little web search for ideas.

If you Google:  "mater sandwich" you actually get several hits.  This is not an original idea by any means.  Several are very professionally and artistically done.  Several are not.  Next I searched for a picture of Mater to keep beside me as I constructed the sandwich.  

OK:  So to make a "Mater Sandwich", start by making your actual sandwich and setting aside.  Next, take the heel of the loaf of bread.  Roll it as flat as you can with your rolling pin.  Trim "design contrast" pieces and paste on with peanut butter.  I used a piece at the top, two small on the sides, a piece across the middle, and a piece along the "bumper." Next trim a piece for his "nose" and his mirrors.  I took two toothpicks, broke them in half, and pushed them through the mirror pieces.  Then I stuck the ends into the sandwich crust to make them stick out.

Next, I added Wilton's candy eyes and two chocolate teddy grahams turned upside down for wheels.  The headlights I'm particularly proud of (although no one seemed to notice but me) that one is a yellow fruit loop and one is a cheerio.  The cheerio is his missing headlight!  The teeth were the most challenging thing to figure out.  I was out of white cheese and couldn't think of anything else that would work.  Finally, I happened upon some white chocolate candy melts in the cabinet.  A little trimming with a sharp knife and we have buck-teeth, people!  A few lines drawn on with an edible food marker finished him off.  

Little man was super excited and demanded I take a picture of him with the sandwich.

First he gave me this weird little smile.  Then I told him to act natural and he gave me the second photo... which is actually pretty accurate for "natural." 

I really think I could do better a second time, but my first attempt at Mater turned out pretty good, I think!

Happy lunching!

--- Mandy ---

(c) www.makinglunchspecial.blogspot.com

Bear with me...

Ok, any sandwich made to look like a bear calls for some obligatory bear puns.

So bear with me.... if it becomes unbearable, just grin and bear it...

I'm just bearly getting started here.

No really, just bear in mind that this beary cute sandwich was easy to make and turned out pretty well.

His crusty ears were pasted on with peanut butter.  A little heart sprinkle for a nose, candy eyes, and a food writer to add details and before you've lost your bearings... voila!... a little bear for my little man's lunch.

--Mandy--

VRooom! It's race weekend, baby!

Ladies and Gentlemen, START. YOUR. ENGINES!  If you live in the Indianapolis area, you know that the world stops on Memorial Day weekend for the biggest race of the year, the Indianapolis 500.  Adults turn into children again and even people who don't normally follow auto racing turn their radios on to listen to the blacked-out race.  Robbie is nuts about cars, so I made this cute little "sub sandwich car" and have the DVR set to record the race!

To make the car, I took a sub sandwich and carved out a little seat with a bread knife for my driver.  I took some grapes, mini baby carrots, and some toothpick pieces and constructed a little body.  I took my new Wilton's food safe markers and drew on a little face.  Next, I took a Clif Z-bar and cut out a few wheels and a steering wheel and skewered those on too.  I added some candy eyes and drew on a smile to complete my happy little car. Little man was THRILLED.  

Now, I think you have to know your kiddo here when you are using things like toothpicks to decorate your food.  Before I let little man eat the sandwich, I pointed out where all the toothpicks were and reminded them he needed to pull them out while he ate.  Then I sat down and ate lunch with him, keeping an eye out that he didn't forget.  He is three and he did just fine.

 If you are interested in making cute food, I suggest you buy some candy eyes and food writers.  They are a really easy way to make a big impact on what you are making.  Adding eyes and a smile to any food is enough to bring a big grin to my son's face... and that is what this is really about.

--Mandy--

Keep 'em Busy: Mad Scientist

This idea has been going around Pinterest for quite a while, but I can remember watching the magic of baking soda & vinegar reactions even when I was a little kid.  My three-year-old was entertained for a good half-hour not including set-up and clean-up.  He could have kept going, I think, but I ran out of vinegar!

All you need is a tray full of baking soda and several small container full of white vinegar that have been colored with food coloring.  Take a medicine dropper and squirt the vinegar onto the soda and watch the colorful little chemical reactions.  I played along too for a while, showing off my 'mad skills' of being able to put my thumb over the end of the straw to 'magically' move liquid from the container to the tray.  I would also suggest covering your surface with wax paper or newsprint to keep any drips from staining your countertops.  

--Mandy--

Silly Saturday - An Easy Face

Saturday is my favorite day of the week.

1.  I don't have to go to work. 

2.  I can spend the whole day with my son.

3.  My husband's work schedule is crazy, but regardless shift, I get to see him for a little while.

4.  I can wear pajamas all day if I want to...

Today's Silly Saturday Lunch is a super easy face.  I took a regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich and added a few of the Wilton's candy eyes, an almond nose, and a "Space adventures" goldfish cracker for a mouth.  A little string cheese made excellent hair and a little star cracker made a nice barrette.  This was really simple to do and only took a few minutes.

Little man's favorite part of this was pulling off the various parts and in a fake voice shouting what was happening.  "No, don't eat my eyes!  My hair - I'm bald! I'm bald! I need my nose to smell! Nooooo!"  It was a little disturbing and hysterical at the same time.  Happy lunching!

Holy Ham Sandwich, Batman!

 I saw a neat idea for making character sandwiches on the Hawaii Bento Box Cookbook blog and decided to give it a try.  Little man got a sneak peak as I was packing his lunch and is very excited for tomorrow.

As you know we are a little "superhero" crazy in this house.  If you read my family blog, you know that we redid little man's bedroom in a superhero theme for his 3rd birthday.  Although the Boy Wonder is his favorite character, I decided to give Batman a try:

To Make "Holy Ham Sandwich, Batman!":

Start by printing out a coloring book page or image from a Google search.

I took two pieces of white bread and cut off the crusts.  I sliced off the bottom right corner for Batman's jawline.  Next, I took the heel of the loaf of bread and used a rolling pin to flatten it down.  I trimmed the "cowl" off of the Batman page with a pair of scissors and placed my pattern over the flattened heel.  With a sharp kitchen knife, I trimmed around the pattern.

Next I made the ham and cheese sandwich and "pasted" on the cowl with a little bit of mayo.  As I was putting it in the lunch container, I decided to secure the cowl with a little toothpick and wrote a little note to the daycare folks that that needed to be pulled out before biting into Batman.  A couple of miniature chocolate chips for eyes and a little bit of fruit roll-up for a mouth and we have a caped crusader sandwich any tiny superhero would be thrilled to have for lunch.

"I do nothing that a man of unlimited funds, superb physical endurance, and maximum scientific knowledge could not do. —Batman."

--Mandy --

(c) copyright text and pictures by Amanda Leahy, 2012