Pack Up Your Cheerios, and Go Have Some Fun

This morning took we took the kids on a surprise picnic.

Daddy got the kiddos dressed while I packed a simple breakfast, Cheerios, raisins, apples, and milk for the kids, coffee for mom and dad.

The house special, Cheerios and raisins.

We loaded into the car, and drove the kids to the nearby park, without telling them what we were doing.

When they figured it out, they were excited!

After a lightening fast breakfast, the kids were ready to play.

They had a blast. I think part of the appeal was the actual park, and the other part was the deviation from the normal routine. Picnics are nothing new for us, but we don't normally have them when it's cold outside, and surely not at breakfast. (I'm not really a morning person.)

This little trip took maybe 15 minutes of prep time, and seriously, it was the most fun we've had in a while.

Sometimes it's fun to just throw out the schedule, and go have some fun.

Disclosure: I'm writing this post as a part of the Cheerios Blogger Circle. I have received several gifts for my participation in the program.

Chocolate Cheerios "Cupcakes"

When Cheerios asked me to come up with a Cheerios related craft or recipe to do with the kids, I decided to sort of do both, in the form of a crafty snack. (A reci-craft? A Craft-ipe?)


I knew you could make marshmallow cereal treats with virtually any kind of cereal, so I opted to substitute Chocolate Cheerios in the recipe on the back of the bag of marshmallows.

I did the cooking part since my kiddos are too young to be around the stove, and then started molding the hot mixture into a muffin tin to make "cupcakes." Messy? Oh yes, it was messy.

In typical "gotta do it now" mode, I dove right in while the mixture was pretty hot, and extremely sticky. (Next time I'd wait for the mixture to cool a few minutes before working with it.) The kids thought it was hysterically funny to see mommy covered in the sticky mess.

After I made the "cupcakes," it was time for the kids to get in on the action.

My son helped me frost some of the "cupcakes," and then it was time to liberally sprinkle each one with lots of tiny ghosts.

After my little sidekicks were done decorating, it was time to eat.

My two year old daughter pronounced them "scrumptious," and my five year old son declared them "delicious."

As far as I'm concerned, they were a hit. Making Cheerios "cupcakes" was a fun, easy way to spend a little time in the kitchen with the kids. We'll be making them again.