*Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM!*

Monday, May 7, 2012

Roadtrip Ready: Let the Kids Research

Planning is half the fun of a vacation...at least it is for me anyway! But planning a roadtrip can be SUPER stressful! There are a lot of things to consider: what route to take, where to stay, where to eat, what attractions to visit, what to pack, and a million more decisions that have to be made before you leave and during your roadtrip. So why not let the kids help out with some of the research and planning. They will learn a little about your destination, and they may even stumble upon something really cool that you had passed over!

I picked up all three of these books at my boys' school book fair this year. They are full of information from the names of all the state capitals to crazy facts like it's illegal to steal an alligator in Louisiana:) These books also have information on lots of fun and interesting places that my boys have asked to visit on our roadtrip. They are helping the boys get a better grasp on US geography and understanding where we live in relation to where we are going this summer. One of the best things about these books is that after the kiddos research and help plan, they can bring the books along in the car and play the games and work the puzzles! I'm sure you could find these books {or similar ones} at a book store or even at Target.

Another great {and inexpensive} book to pick up is an atlas. The kids will love following along on the roadtrip and you could even get them to "help out" by telling you which city is next on your route or which road is your next turn. For younger kids you can start out with your route marked on the map for them, and for older kids you can give them a marker and let them mark the route as you travel. I'm sure your kids' future geography teachers will appreciate the fact that your kids will know how to read a map:)

Another great way to let your kiddos do a little roadtrip research is to pick up some books at the library. Since we are going to be camping, I found a couple of camp themed books along with a few family vacation books too. You can let the kids read the books before your trip to get a feel for how family vacations/roadtrips work, or you can save them for the car during the trip {as long as you won't be gone longer than the loan period for your library!}.

The best thing about letting the kids help with the planning and research is that they will be even more excited about your trip when you finally head out!

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Roadtrip Ready: Two Cookie Recipes

Hello Random Thoughts of a Supermom readers! I'm Paula, from Sweet Pea, and I'm happy to guest post for Kelli while she's getting ready for a road trip with her family in her super-cool airstream. I'm looking forward to hearing all about Kelli's trip once she returns home.

When my husband and I take a road trip, it's usually to the beach. If it's to the beach, I'm sure to make a batch or two of cookies to enjoy both on the road and while we are relaxing in our cottage.

My husband is a real-life cookie monster and chocolate chip cookies ranks as his number one favorite. I know there are thousands of versions of chocolate chip cookie recipes to be found and I’ve tried quite a few of them. The version that I’m sharing today is my favorite and it’s so easy to make. My favorite thing about this recipe is that it calls for melted butter, so there’s no waiting around to make cookies until the butter softens.

Wouldn’t you like to share some of these with your family tonight? This cookie is quick and easy to make and is oh-so-good!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups plus 2 T unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warmed
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
3. Mix butter and sugars until blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Scoop dough onto parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets. Bake 7 minutes or until just brown. Let cool for a few minutes on baking sheets and then transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

I usually make a batch of these prior to our beach trip and freeze them until the day we leave. They thaw in the car are neither their taste nor their texture is compromised by being frozen.

These cookies are always a hit!

A second recipe that frequently travels with us to the beach is my hands-down, all time favorite peanut butter cookie. The ratio of brown sugar to white sugar in this recipe results in a flat, chewy cookie. This recipe is from a cookbook called From Granny's Apron Pocket.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

5 1/2 oz (2/3 cup) butter
6 1/2 oz (3/4 cup) peanut butter
3 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add eggs and continue to beat. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Drop on cookie sheet and flatten with fork. Bake at 350 degrees, six - eight minutes. Do not over bake.

This peanut butter cookie is sweet, chewy, and I'll bet you won't stop be able to stop with just one. This has been a favorite cookie recipe at my house for many years.

Thanks to Kelli for inviting me to guest post today. I love making new blogging friends and invite you to visit my blog, Sweet Pea, where I blog about crafting, decorating, gardening, cooking, and my travels.

Linking up here..

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Roadtrip Ready: Map Covered Cookie Tube

On Tuesday, I share a fun roadtrip snack idea for your kiddos...but us parents need some good roadtrip snacks too! My favorite snack to have on a roadtrip is homemade cookies. The only problem with homemade cookies is that sometimes they are kind of delicate and sticking them in a ziploc bag for a long roadtrip pretty much guarantees that you will end up with crumbly, broken cookies before you get to your final destination. But there is a simple and really cheap solution: a cookie tube!

Start out with a Pringles tube {or three depending on how many cookies you plan on making}. My boys were SUPER excited to see these in the grocery bags, because Pringles are a treat they don't get often...only when I need the tube for a craft project:) After all the chips are gone, clean out the tube with a wet napkin, and get ready to decorate.

I decided to use a couple of old maps to go along with our roadtrip theme. You can use any kind of paper you would like...cute scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or even the funnies would be cute. I had an old atlas that had seen better days that I pulled a few pages from, but those state maps that you get at the welcome centers would be perfect for this too.

Trim your map to the same height and circumference at your Pringles tube, then apply a good coat of spray adhesive to the back side. Stick the paper to the tube making sure to get out any air bubbles or wrinkles.

To seal the paper {and protect it from dirty cookie fingers}, coat it well with a layer of Mod Podge.

After the Mod Podge dries, load your tube up with homemade cookies and snap on the lid. Your yummy homemade cookies will stay in one piece for your whole trip inside this cute cookie tube...as long as you don't eat them all first:)

Come back tomorrow for two great homemade cookie recipes that would be perfect for any roadtrip... especially if they are inside on of these cute Map Covered Cookie Tubes!

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