MarloElaine » Activities

Octo-Dog Recipe

Elaine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:11:11 +0000

Are you tired of feeding your kids the same old boring hot dogs? Next time, ask the kids to help you make Octo-Dogs! This is another one of my “5 ingredients or less” recipes.

Marlo got this creative recipe idea from an old friend, so I tested it out on my playgroup this week. The Octo-Dogs were a hit! (Thanks to Kathy W. for the clever name!)

Octo-Dog Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of hot dogs, any kind, preferably one without nitrates
1 package of spaghetti noodles, preferably whole wheat or multi-grain
1 cup of spaghetti sauce, jarred or homemade

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil.
Slice each hot dog into 6 or 8 pieces. If serving to toddlers, first slice the hot dog lengthwise to reduce the risk of choking.
Skewer each hot dog piece with 4 pieces of uncooked spaghetti. Center the hot dog on the pasta strands, as pictured below. Children could help with this step.
When the water is boiling, cook the Octo-Dogs according to the pasta package directions.
Gently warm the spaghetti sauce on the stove top or in the microwave.
Drain and rinse the Octo-Dogs with lukewarm water to prevent sticking.
Serve warm with pasta sauce on the side for dipping.

Variations:

Experiment with different kinds of sausages, pastas, and sauces. Perhaps a chicken sausage with fettuccini noodles and alfredo sauce? Or Italian sausage with angel hair pasta and pizza sauce? The possibilities are endless! Please try this recipe at home and let us know how your family likes it!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Elaine — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:14:52 +0000

I just baked a double batch of Pumpkin Muffins today. I experimented with chocolate chips after seeing a friend’s chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe. They turned out really good! Here’s the revised recipe:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe Summary:
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes for mini-muffins or 35 minutes for regular sized muffins
Yield: 6 dozen mini-muffins or 3 dozen muffins

Dry Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 cups fresh shredded pumpkin
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Prepare the baking pans by either buttering and flouring them, spraying the pans with nonstick cooking spray, or lining them with paper muffin liners or parchment paper.
Sift the dry ingredients together: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla.
Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and chocolate chips.
Once the ingredients are all incorporated, scoop into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 25 minutes for mini-muffins or 35 minutes for regular sized muffins. Since ovens vary, start checking the muffins when your kitchen starts to smell really good. When the muffins are done, a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of a center muffin will come out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack.
Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in broiler or toaster oven for best results.

Variations:
Substitute leftover Halloween candy for the the chocolate chips! Just cut up chocolate bars into bite sized pieces and fold in with the shredded pumpkin. Hershey bars and M&M’s are the obvious choices, but feel free to experiment with Snickers, Almond Joy, etc.!

REVIEW: LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Chicago

Elaine — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:07:36 +0000

We were very excited to learn that the America’s first indoor LEGOLAND was opening up right here in Illinois. LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Chicago opened on July 31, 2008 in the Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg. The official website was very detailed and descriptive, so we knew exactly what to expect. We even knew to plan on about 2 – 2 1/2 hours to work through the whole place.

TICKETS

I found a link to buy tickets online for buy one adult admission, get one child admission free. I purchased 2 adult tickets for $39.90 and my 2 and 4 year old children were admitted for free. Once tickets are purchased online, they can be used any day within 6 months of purchase. Another benefit to purchasing tickets in advance is that we were able to bypass the long lines outside. The link that I used was an introductory promotion that was advertised only in the first week. I just learned that Baskin Robbins has coupons with the same paid adult, free child offer.

Since we saw how many people were outside waiting to get in, we decided to skip around and do the Dragon Ride and the 4D movie first. Those were the two things our son Sammy was most excited about, so we wanted to make sure we fit them in before it got too crowded or before the kids got cranky, sleepy, or hungry.

DRAGON RIDE

Sophie (age 2) was a bit scared of the Dragon Ride because it was dark, but I just sat next to her and hugged her throughout the ride. Sammy (age 4) sat with his daddy and excitedly pointed at all the LEGO animals and LEGO people throughout the ride. The Dragon Ride was the only place we were asked not to take pictures. Good thing we put our cameras away, because as the signs promised: we all got a bit wet.

4D CINEMA

The 4D Cinema was a short, cute movie called ‘Spellbreaker 4D.’ Oddly, there was no talking – just a series of noises and grunts from the Princess, the Hero, the evil Magician, etc. Sophie didn’t like the paper glasses provided, so she just watched a blurry cartoon. Sammy liked the 4D effects and kept reaching out to try to touch the swords and people approaching him. The 4D effects came not only from the movie screen, but from fans, lights, and even a snow machine!

LEGO CAFÉ

The LEGO Café is convenient for lunch or snack time. I’m not sure what they serve or if the prices are reasonable. Their chocolate chip cookies smelled really good, but we brought our own water to drink and then went to lunch at nearby Ikea afterwards.

BUILD AND TEST/MODEL BUILDERS WORKSHOP

Upstairs near the LEGO Café, there were numerous play stations with tons of regular LEGOS, LEGO Duplos, build your own LEGO race cars with lots of ramps. Even though we followed the website FAQ recommendations about going first thing in the morning or late afternoon, these areas were very crowded. We had to bypass the “Build and Test” areas, Model Builders Workshop, and the playground type equipment due to the sheer volume of children. A side note: socks are required for the indoor playground equipment (similar to the climbing tubes at Chuck E. Cheese).

FACTORY TOUR

The “factory tour” consisted of standing in one room and looking at the pretend equipment along the walls. One volunteer was chosen to push about four buttons that made the machines move and make noise. At the end, each child was invited to take a yellow LEGO brick home with them as a free souvenir. Sam and Sophie would have enjoyed this a lot more if there were less people in the room. They were not able to see very much behind the other parents and kids. They were delighted to each have their own LEGO that wasn’t a Duplo block.

BIG BRICK PLAY ZONE

There were a few quiet corners filled with huge, soft LEGO bricks. These were the best! Our kids could have spent hours here. I was hoping the store downstairs carried them, but there were none to be found.

MINILAND

Miniland is the first area most LEGOLAND visitors see, since it is right next to the cashier at the entrance. It is a great place for LEGO enthusiasts, Chicago tourists, and Chicago natives. It’s fascinating to study the details of Chicago icons built into these miniatures made completely out of LEGO bricks. The Sears Tower, Hancock building, Water Tower, Buckingham Fountain, and even the “SeaPup” speed boat are just a few of the amazingly accurate landmarks depicted here.

ADVENTURE TRAIL

After walking through Miniland, we had to wait an unusually long amount of time before we were allowed to enter the Adventure Trail section. We had to endure an unenthusiastic treasure hunting skit, but once we were inside, we walked around at our own pace. There were many LEGO animals and LEGO people that the kids enjoyed touching and posing with for pictures. Sam and Sophie enjoyed the hippo, monkeys, frogs, and alligators the best.

HALL OF FAME

There were several large LEGO sculptures of people and animals scattered throughout LEGOLAND. We particularly enjoyed the Hall of Fame that had huge LEGO characters such as Batman, Darth Vader, R2D2, Harry Potter, and Hagrid. The Hall of Fame also had another area with soft LEGO bricks to play with.

PRIVATE PARTIES

We saw several rooms set aside for private parties. The largest room can accommodate up to 50 people. Private workshops were also offered along with the highest level birthday packages. As of August 2008, party packages range from $19.75 – $29.75 per person.

LEGO STORE

The LEGO store was a bit disappointing. I expected a larger, better stocked shop. Many things my children were interested in were sold out, such as the LEGO Duplo people and the Princess Duplo set. The kids t-shirts were overpriced at $19.99. Loose LEGO bricks were $27.99/lb and sorted by size and color. I have no idea how this price compares to buying a box of assorted pieces. The $7.99 foam swords were a hit with our kids, but weapons aren’t generally allowed in our home. There were several cute key chains available for $3.99, but we did not buy any of those either.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All four of us had a great time at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Chicago. Our only complaints were regarding the staff and the price. The cashiers at the entrance seemed flustered and were not very friendly. The employees who were dressed in costumes (Professor Brick a Brack at the Factory Tour and the Adventure Trail Tour Guide) lacked enthusiasm and weren’t good with crowd control. There were very few employees circulating around to answer questions or direct people to certain attractions or washrooms, etc. Many of the soap dispensers in the washrooms (including the family washroom) ran out of soap. Hopefully these are just temporary issues that will be worked out as the staff familiarizes themselves with their new roles.

The price of admission to LEGOLAND was comparable to an amusement park, but the actual LEGOLAND itself was comparable to a standard children’s museum. Kohl’s Children’s Museum in Glenview charges $7.50 per person and Chicago Children’s Museum in Navy Pier charges $9.00 per person. Those museums can keep kids entertained for 4 hours or even a full day, depending on the child. Kiddie Land Amusement Park in Melrose Park charges $23 for ages 6 and up and $20 for ages 3-5 & 60+

If I didn’t live 45 minutes away, I’d consider buying an Annual pass for unlimited admission during non-holiday weekdays. It’s slightly cheaper than the Premium pass that allows admission on both weekdays and weekends. I believe you have to go at least 3 times in one year to make it worth your while. They do not offer any type of family pass, so each individual has to purchase their own adult, child, or senior pass. Passes are not transferable and not available online.

LEGOLAND is a must see for LEGO enthusiast of all ages. We saw a lot of parents building towers, racing cars, and just enjoying themselves with their children. I even saw a group of teenagers entering as we were leaving. We definitely plan to go back.

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets online in advance using the LEGOLAND Coupon. Be sure to proceed directly to the entrance doors with your printout of the tickets.

How to make your own Spot the Dog puppet

Elaine — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:35:50 +0000

Sammy and Sophie love the Spot the Dog series of books by Eric Hill. Their favorite ones are the lift the flap books like “Where’s Spot?” and “Spot Goes to School.” When our local public library announced that Spot the Dog was coming to visit, they were so excited! Sammy gave Spot a big hug, but Sophie was happy to just wave from across the room.
After reading Spot books, visiting with Spot, and taking lots of pictures, the wonderful librarians helped the kids make Spot puppets.

All you need to make your own Spot the Dog puppet is a square piece of yellow paper, a popsicle stick, tape, and a black or brown crayon to provide hours of fun for the kids!

First, simply fold the square down the middle diagonally to make a triangle. Position the triangle in front of you so that the folded side is on top. Fold the two top corners down to make ears. Draw on a face and color as desired. Finally, tape on the stick to complete the puppet! Enjoy!

2007 Day Out With Thomas

Elaine — Tue, 29 May 2007 06:29:05 +0000

I was browsing the Illinois Railway Museum website when I discovered that the 2007 Day Out With Thomas tickets are already on sale! We had a great time last year and Sammy is already asking about seeing “the HUGE Thomas” again. This year, Sophie will be old enough to enjoy all the activities, too. If you have a toddler who is into trains, this is the must see event of the year.

The Illinois Railway Museum site has this information on the event:

The Ticket price is $16.00 each. All riders of the train with Thomas the Tank Engine™ who have passed their second birthday must have a ticket. Day Out With Thomas tickets include one train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine™ for the trip specified on the Day Out With Thomas ticket, unlimited rides on all other trains and streetcars; all entertainment (puppet shows, live music, magic shows, etc.); and access to all Museum exhibits on the date specified on the ticket. Food, snacks and beverages will be available at several locations around the Museum grounds.

For those of us in the Midwest, there are five days to choose from for the Day Out With Thomas in Union, Illinois:

Friday, August 17th
Saturday, August 18th
Sunday, August 19th
Saturday, August 25th
Sunday, August 26th

Tickets for the IRM location can be purchased at TicketWeb. Day Out With Thomas tickets were sold out quickly last year, so be sure to reserve yours early. Maybe we’ll see you there! Be sure to check back on our blog in late August to see how it went.