Games for 2-5 Year Olds

The hubby and I have been enjoying board games together since our days of playing on the floor of our college dorm rooms. We have always imagined playing games with our kids and decided  that this summer was the perfect time to start our family game night tradition. We have had so much fun exploring games with our kids (currently ages 2 and 5) and wanted to share a few of our favorite games for little ones.

A few of our favorites:

Think Fun Roll & Play

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This was the perfect first game to introduce. No game board – – just a large die to roll and action cards for the color you land on. This game isn’t competitive at all and is a great way to start teaching how to take turns during games.

Pancake PileupPancake Pile Up Game

In all honesty we have not actually played the Pancake Pile-Up game using the instructions. This game has been amazing for our kids though. We usually draw a pancake shortstack card and then have the kids each try to plate their pancakes in the right order.

Matching Games

Classic matching games are always fun for a quick game to boost their memory skills and learn a little patience with taking turns.

Pop the Pig

Pop the Pig Game

Pop the Pig is one of the newest additions to our game collection. A family friend recommended it this summer as a fun game for young kids to play together. Very simple and easy instructions and if you can get past the slightly creepy look of the pig and his ever expanding belly, your kids will have a blast!

Raccoon RumpusRaccoon Rumpus

Absolutely love Raccoon Rumpus! Such a cute game with fun illustrations and easy to follow instructions. At two, kids can easily play with the help of a parent or older sibling. By three our son was excited to play and could handle himself and all of the rules on his own.

Don’t Rock the Boat

Don't Rock the Boat Game

Don’t Rock the Boat was a great game to start understanding balance and consequences. These pirate penguins and their ship have even been snuck into our playroom for play time.

With two littles at home all afternoon each day this school year, we will definitely be incorporating more interactive games into our daily routine.

What games do your little love to play? Let us know in the comments below!

Count the Ways: Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie Chicken Recipes

Our holiday break has ended. It was one for the books. We took a family trip to Disney World with the kids’ Nana and PawPaw, watched so many Christmas movies by the twinkling lights of the tree, took D to see The Grinch (his first movie in theaters), and in general, tried to cram as much holiday fun into the month as possible.

It’s the second week back at school for my little guy (preschool) and the hubby (professor). Things are off to a great start. D loves his teachers and was so excited to see his school friends again…and slide down the playground slide as many times as humanly possible each day. I recently read the Magic Art of Tidying Up and am in full-on purge, declutter and organize mode. I’ve been trying to take on one organization project a day, be it a single drawer or the whole pantry. As long as we’re moving forward and making progress, I’m happy and calling it a win.

Everything is back in motion and the family is trying to settle into this semester’s routine. It’s now just me and baby girl at home during the days again. She’s one and a half now, and at some point, I know that I will need to stop calling her my baby, but I’m going to hold out as long as I can. I am loving the chance to have some sweet one on one time with her again, but I can already tell that it’s going to be challenging to juggle mommy duties, my part-time remote job, Moore Cookin, and keeping the house in order. Going to take things one day at a time, while stepping up my meal planning and home organization game stat.

One of my best not-so-secret tricks for simplifying weeknight dinners that I plan to take advantage of is to utilize the Costco rotisserie chicken to the fullest. Really, any grocery store rotisserie chicken will do the job, but Costco’s $5 rotisserie chicken just can’t be beat for the price.

Here are just a few ways that we like to use rotisserie chicken:

Lunch/Lighter Meals

  • Lettuce Wraps
  • Greek or Chicken Caesar Pita Wraps
  • Ciabatta Sandwiches
  • Chicken Pesto Panini
  • Quesadillas

Enchiladas & Tex Mex

Rice Bowls

  • Chicken Fried Rice or Stir-Fry
  • Chicken Burrito Bowls
  • Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Rice Casserole

Pasta

  • Chicken Alfredo Pasta
  • Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken
  • Risotto

Soup

  • Chicken Tortilla Soup
  • Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
  • Chicken Noodle Soup

With endless possibilities, I’m sure that I’ll be coming back to update this list, so be sure to check back! And let me know in the comments what your favorite recipes using rotisserie chicken are.

Strawberry Banana Bread

Strawberry Banana Bread

As summer comes to a close it’s time to take advantage of the last of those Summer berries. Many of our local grocery stores have had strawberries and blueberries on sale for the last few weeks, so we’re stocking up! Both of our kids go through blueberries like their lives depend on it (I promise we feed them!), and strawberries with a few chocolate chips have been a favorite after-dinner treat this Summer.

We’re big fans of using up those extra ripe bananas by making banana bread, but with all the extra berries on hand, we decided to try a fun twist on the classic banana bread. This strawberry banana bread was easy to throw together and really took our banana bread to the next level. You have to try it!

I think I’ll go buy more strawberries so we can make a few more batches before the pumpkin spice season is officially upon us.

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter (or 1/2 cup), softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1½ cups fresh strawberries chopped
    • mix with a spoonful of flour to prevent the strawberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Strawberry Banana Bread Recipe

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Lightly coat two loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. In a large bowl, (I use my stand mixer), cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  4. Add beaten eggs to sugar mixture and mix until incorporated.
  5. Add mashed bananas to the mixture and stir to combine.
  6. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
  7. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until flour is just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
  8. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake at 375 F for 15 minutes.
  9. Lower oven temp to 350 F and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until slightly golden and cooked through.
  10. Let stand and cool before removing from pans.

Recipe from Recipe Critic