Your children don’t have to be bored during your Super Bowl party. These three games can make sure they have fun so you can enjoy the Super Bowl without the constant chorus of “I’m BORED” going on in the background.

1. Pin the football – Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, each child has a football. They try to ‘pin the football through the uprights or get it in the receivers hands.
2. Team hats – Have some construction paper or foam, non-toxic glue and a few other art supplies so they can a hat supporting their favorite team.
3. Festive pom poms -Make your own pom-poms using whichever team’s colors you are cheering for by gluing streamers or tissue paper to a large popsicle stick which you can buy at a craft store.

What fun Super Bowl crafts or activities do you have for kids?

                          

What you need:

1. Red Bucket for Elmo
2. Green Bucket for Oscar
3. Pink Bucket for Abby Cadabby
4. Blue Bucket for Grover
5. White Construction Paper
6. Black Construction Paper
7. Various Orange & Yellow Construction Paper
8. Tape
9. Ping Pong Balls

What To Do:

1. Cut white and black paper in circles in the shape of the character’s eye
2. Cut orange & yellow paper for the character’s nose
3. Tape eyes and nose on front of bucket
4. Put buckets in a line one in front of the other (For those who grew up in Chicago, it’s like Bozo buckets.)
5. Have children stand behind a line on the floor & try to throw the ping pong ball into the first bucket, second, etc. Depending how far they get is what prize they receive.

                          

Elmo Face Apple

We had fun making these healthy Elmo treats with our Kolcraft Kids.

What you need:

1. Red Apple
2. Tangerine
3. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
4. Raisins
5. Knife for adult use

What to do:

1. Cut apple in half
2. Cut a little wedge out in middle of apple (red side up) for Elmo’s nose
3. Peel tangerine & put a slice in the cut out wedge
4. Put two dots of cream cheese on apple & put raisin on top of cream cheese for Elmo’s eyes

Enjoy!

                          

These easy steps will help you create a homemade pin the nose on Elmo activity. Have fun!

What You’ll Need:

• Orange, red and white paper
• Non-toxic black marker
• Tape
• Scissors, for adult use only
• Small cup (for tracing)

What To Do:

1. Using the bottom of the cup, trace two white circles. Cut out and color in two black circles for Elmo’s eyes.
2. Using the same cup, trace orange circles and cut out for Elmo’s nose.
3. Write the names of each child attending the birthday party on the bottom of each nose.
4. Cut out Elmo’s face using the red paper and draw a black mouth. If it’s easier, you can always print out a picture of Elmo’s face too!
5. Tape the eyes to Elmo’s face and hang on a wall or door.
6. Place a piece of tape on the back of each nose.

                          

What You’ll Need:

• Fruit
• Sugar Cookies
• 8 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

What To Do:

1. To make the icing, mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. You can use more or less powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you want the icing. For convenience, store bought icing will work just as well!



2. Spread a thin layer of icing onto each individual cookie.
3. Slice up the fruit into small, bite sized pieces. We used pineapples, blueberries and strawberries, but any fruit will do!



4. Put the fruit into bowls or containers, allowing each child to decorate their very own fruit pizza.

For a healthier version, you can also substitute low-fat or fat-free yogurt for the icing or incorporate small bits of fruit into the icing, such as oranges.

                          

We love how this red salsa goes along with our Elmo theme (because it’s red) and it’s healthy too!

What you need to make Cinnamon Chips:

• 4 uncooked tortillas
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Using a pizza cutter or a pastry cutter, slice tortillas into wedges.

2. Place wedges on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush each wedge with melted butter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the tops of all the wedges.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tortilla chips are crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool or serve warm with the salsa.

What you need to make  Fruit Salsa

• 2 peaches, cut and peeled
• 6 cherries, pits and stems removed
• 5 strawberries, leaves and stems removed

What to do

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until all is finely chopped.

We think this would get Elmo’s stamp of approval!

                          

Elmo’s birthday is February 3rd and we are ready to party with moms and dads to celebrate Elmo! Kolcraft & Bella So Savvy Blog will be giving away must-have Elmo and Sesame Street baby products during an Elmo Twitter birthday party. So grab your party hat, your Twitter handle and get ready to win some baby products!

Prizes you can win

1. Sesame Street® Elmo Adventure Potty Chair

The Sesame Street ^® Elmo Adventure Potty Chair with adult seat adapter resembles a real toilet to help your child’s transition to an adult toilet easier.

2. Sesame Street Elmo Tiny Steps 2-in-1 Activity Walker

The Sesame Street Elmo Tiny Steps 2-in-1 Activity Walker is a sit to stand walker that grows with baby. This baby walker features mom and babies’ favorite Sesame Street friends including Elmo & Cookie Monster. As an activity walker & as a walk-behind walker it provides endless enjoyment for your child from infancy through toddlerhood. The Elmo Tiny Steps 2-in-1 Walker keeps interactive learning fun with lights, music and 6 developmental activities.”

And our Elmo Tiny Steps 2 in 1 Walker!

3. Elmo toys, books and DVD’s!

Elmo’s Birthday Bash on Twitter

When: February 2, 2012 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CST

How: Follow @Kolcraft, @MyBellaMia & use #Elmobday on your tweets (This is mandatory to win)

Hope to see you there!

                          

Our friends at Parenting Magazine always come up with fun recipes that will make your Super Bowl party sweet. We loved this football cake that is sure to be a hit for everyone at your party even if they are there just for the commercials.

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 by 5-inch) loaf cake
• 1 to 2 tsp cocoa powder
• Red food coloring
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• 6 vanilla Tootsie Rolls
• 7 white Good & Plenty
• Green food coloring
• Yellow food coloring
• 2 cups flaked coconut
• 1 Tbsp warm water

What you’ll need:

• A serving platter
• A bread knife
• A clean dish towel
• A rolling pin or a clean, heavy bottle
• Scissors or a sharp knife
• A medium bowl

To get the complete recipe, visit Parenting’s website!

What yummy recipes do you have for Super Bowl?

                          

Fact or fiction? If you keep your baby up late at night, they will sleep longer in the morning.

If you guessed fiction, you are right! We recently met up with the Fussy Baby Network during an NPN event. They helped to debunk common myths about infant sleep and crying and provided us with some interesting information and helpful tips:

1. Crying typically peaks between 4-6 weeks of age and is thought to be caused by neurological development. Though most babies still experience a crying curve, babies often cry less in cultures where they are often carried.
2. If your infant cries excessively, you’re not alone. One if every five babies cry excessively.
3. Babies are pattern seekers and a consistent routine during bed time (even naps!) is important for a baby’s sleep. For example, if your child normally falls asleep to the gentle vibrations of the Sealy Tender Vibes, repeating this routine every night can aide in sleep.
4. When sleeping on their back’s, a baby has a strong startling reflex and can wake easily. When nestled in their bassinet, swaddling can help keep your little one’s arms down and help baby to sleep more soundly.
5. Instead of focusing on the amount of sleep your infant gets, focus on how long they are awake. If your baby normally needs to rest every 90 minutes, be sure to watch the clock.
6. Learn your child’s sleep signals. Do their eyes get red when they are tired or do you notice a change in their activity level when sleepy? Pay attention to these sleep signals to know when your little one is ready for bed.

The most important thing to remember is that all babies are different and have unique needs and experiences. If you live in the Chicago area, the Fussy Baby Network is an excellent resource for parents and care givers who have a fussy baby or are experiencing difficulties with sleeping.

What sleep tips for baby do you have?

                          

Kolcraft has had a busy weekend with kid’s parties, family dinners and our children’s sports teams. We met some inspiring fellow moms who sacrifice for their children and don’t think twice about it. We were talking around the coffee pot about the gift of motherhood and how it changes a person to see everything differently and to experience a depth of love beyond words. Someone shared this quote that we felt it was perfect for our Mom Monday.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  ~Tenneva Jordan

What is your favorite mom quote?