Teddy Bear Mix Bags

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of being part of a so very cute Teddy Bear Tea Party!  It was an event for our local Girl Scout Council.  So fun but a lot of work to get ready.   I made little snack bags for each girl in attendance.  They were a big hit and something nice to go home with their patch.

These bags were very easy to put together.  The worst part?  Tying the ribbon at the end.  Just about anyone can do this and if you have a partner, even better!

I started the whole thing by pulling out my Cocoa Puffs, mini marshmallows and Teddy Grahams.  You could do this with any kind of cereal or flavors of grahams.   We chose to stick with a s'mores type of flavor as it was a Girl Scout event!

Now comes the fun part.  Cutting out your tulle.  We used purple and light blue tulle, which looked great with the color scheme going on in the room. I was lucky enough to have my tulle wrapped around the fabric board.  I used that as a guide to make sure all of my pieces were the same size.

I used a heaping tablespoon worth of mix for the inside of the bags.  I found that this amount could be less or more, just depending on your preference.  This amount worked best for us.

Simply twist the tulle to assure the mix will not fall out after bunching the sides together.  Grab the ribbon and tie the bow.   I think next time I'll use a little extra ribbon and curl the ends for effect.  

The girls loved these little bags and I loved how easy they were to make.  Perfect for any kind of party for young and old!  

Ingredients used:

 Cocoa Puffs
Mini Marshallows
Birthday Teddy Grahams
Tulle
Ribbon

What mixture would you use? 

An Astronaut!

Allyson: "Mom, can we go to space when I'm a little older?"

Mom: "I don't think I'll be going to space in my lifetime, but you are more than welcome to. Do you want to be an astronaut?"

Allyson: "Yes, I think so."

Mom: "Okay! You need to study really hard and do your best to learn everything you can about space and planets."

Dad: "Study Math and Science really hard and you'll get there."

Allyson: "Awesome!"

When I was a little girl I wanted to be Reba McIntyre.  It was very weird.  I remember trying to sing like her.  I'd move my mouth to the side as I was trying to achieve the sounds that Reba's amazing talent gave to the world.  I clearly did not turn into Reba McIntyre now that I am 31 years old, but that isn't going to stop me from helping my little girl reach her dreams.  

Being my daughter's Girl Scout Leader has been such a great experience from day 1.  We started the year as a Mother/Daughter Duo who wasn't sure where the year would lead us.  Would I bomb as a leader?  Would Ally ignore everyone and totally hate the experience?  Would she turn into some girl that talks so much you can't get her to be quiet?  The end was unknown..... Until now.  We are a year in and last night my little girl told me she wants to be an Astronaut!  I have no doubt that is because of the confidence she learned over the last year with Kindergarten and Girl Scouts.  Her teacher shared so many great things about our galaxy with her and it has turned into this fascination with space and the unknown.  

While I have never been one to research for fun, I am finding myself more and more interested in the beyond.  What is beyond Earth?  The planets in our solar system are amazing, but what else is out there?    I hope one day my daughter is able to teach the world just a little more about the unknown. 

What kind of dreams did you have as a child?

Learning #HealthyHabits with Girl Scouts and Together Counts

A special Thank You to Girl Scouts Nation's Capital and Together Counts for partnering with Mom It Forward Blogger Network on this campaign.  I received compensation, however all opinions and personal stories are my own. 

As a Girl Scout Leader and Mother, I am worried about getting the right nutrition in our girls, not just my daughter who is the cutest Daisy Scout around, but the other 14 girls in our troop as well.  So many of our children go hungry around the world. It's easy to turn a blind eye and worry about it tomorrow.  Tomorrow's worries turn into next week's and the issue at hand becomes a large problem.

This past year my Daisy Troop did the Between Earth and Sky journey.  We went on a trip with Lupe and her flower friends from Maine to Alaska.  Tying in the Healthy Habits Booklet is really easy to do.  In the booklets, they teach you about Energy in and Energy out.  By adding Energy Balance focuses to our weekly lesson, the girls understand the exchange needed as well as ways to stay healthy!  Many of the girls took this information home to their family!

Healthy Habits Program & Booklets

• In partnership with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, Girl Scouts developed three "healthy habits" booklets to easily incorporate energy balance into meetings, outings, events and adventures. The free booklets help guide girls as they learn to lead active, healthy lifestyles.
• Through the use of these free resources for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors, Girl Scout volunteers and families can guide girls in fun, easy ways to achieve "energy balance."
• The three Healthy Habits booklets available for download include:
• Between Earth and Sky with Healthy Habits - girls learn about the many plants, trees, and animals that flourish in nature, and also build important leadership skills.
• WOW! Wonders of Water with Healthy Habits - girls discover the many forms and paths that water takes and how to protect it. They also learn how to engage in teamwork, speak effectively to convey a message, and inspire others
• Get Moving! with Healthy Habits - girls learn how to use their energy to protect Earth’s energy and build important leadership skills.

Together Counts Program

• The Together Counts program is nationwide and provided by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to inspire active and healthy living via physical activity and nutrition, a fundamental underpinning of efforts to reduce obesity. The principle behind the program is called Energy Balance, which just means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we expend.
• Energy In: the calories you get from eating and drinking.
• Energy Out: the calories you burn from physical activities.

Girl Scouts has been a part of health and fitness have been part of Girl Scouting since girls ran foot races in 1912!  There are so many activities girls can be involved in.  Camping is essential to Girl Scouts mission. It is about the outdoors, and developing a deep appreciation for nature. Girls enjoy camping with their troop or attending a Girl Scout day and evening or resident sleep-away camp. From high adventure with kayaking, archery and rock climbing to traditional camps with crafts, singing, hiking and cooking over an open fire, Girl Scout camps give girls an opportunity to grow, explore, and have fun under the guidance of caring, trained adults. 

Girl Scouts’ leadership program is girl-led. Girl Scouts do a lot with guidance from caring adult mentors! From national badge programs to council-wide events, each council offers a variety of exciting program opportunities for girls of all ages.  Volunteers are supported with program level and subject training courses online and in classroom settings. There is a lot of peer-to-peer support and mentoring, and quality publications to support the delivery of high quality programs.

To locate the council nearest you, see the Girl Scout Council Finder.

Girl Scouts Go Glam Centerpieces

Disclosure:  I received one or all products in this post in exchange of an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

As a Girl Scout Leader, I get to be a part of some really great activities.  Most recently our Service Unit put together a Father/Daughter Dance!  We named it Girl Scouts Go Glam! A great time was had by all.  To help the night's decorations we looked at Oriental Trading Company for picture frames and we hit the jackpot!

Putting this beautiful centerpiece together was quite simple.  Gathering the materials was probably harder than actually putting it together!  I love that!  I know we are resourceful and do our best as Girl Scouts, so check out this How-To for our Girl Scouts Go Glam centerpieces!

Step 1:  Remove all parts from the frame.

Step 2: Spray paint desired color over wood frame.  As you can see, we used a shimmery gold.  The frame itself is smooth already, so no sanding was needed.

Step 3: Print image on vellum or like paper.  Use the glass from the picture frame to achieve the correct size to fit inside the frame after cut.

Step 4: After vellum is cut to proper size, place inside of picture frame.

Step 5: Hot Glue the picture into the frame.  

Step 6: While you have the hot glue gun out and HOT, run a line of glue along the sides of the frames to stick them together.  Do this on 3 frames and put them together to form a triangle.

Step 7:  Add your roses or any flowers you may want plus a battery operated candle.  The pictures will glow and your guests will see the beautiful images shine through!

The picture frames we chose from Oriental Trading Company are a DIY type of frame!  They are made special for a project just like this.  You could decorate them with any color you like and even add an embellishment to show some personality.  

Oriental Trading Company Website

Oriental Trading Company on Facebook

Oriental Trading Company on Twitter

This review is based strictly on my own opinion.  Others may have different opinions or experiences with the products mentioned above.  I was provided samples free of charge by the company or a PR Agency.  I have provided my open and honest opinions.  No other type of compensation was received for this review.