26. Bee Rice Cripsie Treats

More preschool - and this is still all from last week. What is preschool with out a snack and even though there were cuter edible bees out there, this one seemed to me to have less sugar (and less items to buy) (pinned 11 days ago) 
Now, I didn't scour the baked goods section of different stores looking for those cute colored items that were used as eyes. I just thought the same effect could be achieved with the melted chocolate. And with a steady hand, it can.

  But for Little Miss Thunder, this was a glorious exercise in squeezing as hard as you can to watch the chocolate ooze out. (Process -- Not Product!)

I didn't have almond slices or the forethought to save marshmallows to serve as wings (as this pin used - again I felt that the one I picked was at least a little bit less sugary) So I used corn flakes as wings

25. Bee themed unit from Squidoo

This preschool week we worked on the letter B. I didn't have a pre existing unit on Bees so I had to go digging. Found this great link that actually linked me to two teaching mommies - whom I LOVE and they (unbeknownst to me at the time) have a bee unit!(pinned 9 days ago)


One of the things I gleaned from this was a bee picture puzzle. I printed it in color, copied it in black and white, cut up the color version and had the girls match the color pieces to the black and white template

24. Environmental Print for every letter of the alphabet - P

Well, I knew this would happen. I was almost counting on it when I started. But the title of my blog is 365 days of unpinning pinterest, not 365 consecutive days of unpinning pinterest ----------------- so I am just going to keep on keeping on.

And to not sugar coat it any whatsoever, I decided to go ahead and not try to disguise cleverly that a week since my last post hasn't passed and just skip over my letter of the week page.

I am much too desperate for that.

And since the link is right below in the preceding post, I am going to be super lazy and not even put in the widget. But here is my pic:

I replaced pier 1 imports and Paper Jams (maybe some kids would recognize it, but I had no idea what it was, so I just found something I felt was more recognizable) with Pringles and Planters Peanuts

23. Environmental Print for every letter of the alphabet - letter N

One day, I will not need to rely on this, but not this week

I added Netflix and Nature Valley

I should have used Nutella instead of Nature Valley because that was the snack I sent for N week

22. Grilled Romaine Salad

Another titular FAIL as I wasn't willing to grill the romaine, fake grilling on my broiler did NOT work and I was in too much of a hurry to make the homemade ranch they were talking about.

I also forgot to put in boiled egg - but I didn't have time for that anyway. however I did add parsley and baby Portobello mushrooms and black olives and thought it was a rock awesome salad - but really nothing like what I actually pinned (pinned three days ago)

21. Make 8 meals in 1 hour: Cilantro lime Chicken w/ corn and black beans

Yes, yes - another freezer meal that I whipped up today and just dumped in the crockpot. I am not sure I will ever find time to put several meals in bags and freeze all at once. I have only done that one time - all the others have been like tonight where it is prepared the day of.
Well, I guess I need to make goals

Anyway - fabulous pin, fabulous post and I have nearly made every recipe on this post now (except for the ribs one - I may never make that one - I don't mind eating ribs, but buying them scares me) and this one certainly didn't disappoint (pinned 27 weeks ago)



And here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours). 

Serve with tortillas and toppings such as with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.

Recipe adapted from Over the Big Moon. 

We ate it so quickly that I had to take a pic of the leftovers. Hey, it's Monday - and every Monday night is hectic.

Major Changes: I used bottled lemon juice instead of lime (I know, I know - I changed a TITULAR INGREDIENT!!!!! -but I still can't see going to the store just for limes. I also wish I had a Hispanic grocery store near me. Hispanics will NOT overpay for limes---- but they are just so expensive everywhere else.) I KNOW FOR SURE that true lime would have made it better, but I'll just have to be more prepared next time

I did not use a whole bunch of cilantro - I just used about half of my bunch. I thought that a whole bunch of  cilantro would overdo it (not for me, because I could just munch on the stuff raw I love it so much, for the rest of the fam) But after cooking for so long I guess it loses its punch because I could barely taste it. I will use an entire bunch next time

And I shaved about 4 frozen corn cobs - again (A wonderful neighbor gave me about 34 ears of corn earlier and it is one of those gifts that just keeps on giving)

20. A is for Alligator printable

I don't know if I would term this a pinterest fail, but between the time that I pinned and the day of preschool, I realized this particular printable was at a slightly higher level than I wanted for little Miss Thunder. So I went back to the ever fail proof first-school which in my humble opinion is the best preschool site EVER and it always has been (and hopefully always will be) free
Here is the pinterest version with an actual word




But I went for simpler; just the letter and LMT did several a's on her own

19. Sweater Hanging 101

That is not the actual title of the pin, but I thought it was cute.

And yes, when I saw this on pinterest, I thought: what an easy project to complete if I have one of those day that nothing gets unpinned and nothing is waiting in my cache (I have another A is for Alligator post, but it's going to take much longer to write, so I pulled this ace out of my sleeve)(pinned 2 days ago)


So I got out my sweaters and hung them this way. Great for not having notches on your sweaters, but I did notice that it is MUCH more bulky. Personally, I have 5 closets in my bedroom. 1 is the man's, 3 are mine and 1 is for stuff (non clothing items). More bulk is not necessarily a problem for me.

18. A is for Alligator Preschool craft

Friday! Preschool day!!!! And how I love to unpin the preschool stuff. I do have three different pins for one project ----- No, I'm not trying to cheat (this time)

So let me explain:

Here is the first pin that I pinned. I think I picked it because it was a little bit different than what I had done before. (pinned two days ago)


However, at the last minute (i.e. this morning right before Little Miss Thunder arrived) I decided I did not have time to cut out individual squares and went with this project I had done before with the A template I already had [done before?!!!! that is CHEATING ----- wait, wait - hold on there is more]


This worked out pretty well but I did use something I had found on pinterest - just take a white strip, draw touching diagonal lines (so that it looks like triangles) and have THE CHILD cut it out! And, with lots of help, but also some on her own, Little Miss Thunder cut out several "teeth". Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #5 just made cuts on the white strip for the most part, BUT! it's the process not the product!

So we also read books. I have found in the past that I have a hard time working in the books - but this week and last week, I did a pretty good job. And since I didn't find a pin for these books, I'll just put them in this post. Because it's preschool. And I love it.

At the library I found a book called Alligator's Toothache by Diane DeGroat.

It is a pure picture book, with no words. I sometimes really like that in a book so we can go as fast or slow as we need to go.

We also "read" An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni. Leo Lionni is an impeccable illustrator. His stories are also quite excellent - and can be very deep. Sometimes almost too deep for very young children. So I almost treated it the same as the pure picture book - just talking about each picture. Because, really, you just can't say you've read children's picture books until you've picked up a Leo Lionni book.

17. Baked Barley with Mushrooms

Okay, this is almost a cheat: because I just pinned the recipe, but in light of last night's blog post turning into #4's worst day at kindergarten to date, I'm not worried about this cheat.

 But, it isn't something I have done months ago: it was tonight's dinner.

However, because I wasn't planning on posting, I don't have a personal pic.

Now, when I pinned this (just a few minutes ago), pinterest made it clear that yes, this is in fact a pin others have pinned, but I had not had the opportunity to find this pin on pinterest. My neighbor introduced me to this site a few weeks ago.

After deciding to make a menu, I started searching. And I found this beauty. It just might still be the most recent post.

Major changes: Canned mushrooms instead of fresh ----- yeah, I know, but I am trying to avoid needless buying. Even though the pig is just a short walk away, I am really trying to cut down on my instantaneous gratification trips (which happen often - probably because it is so close - and yes, they know me by my first name there) --------
I also forgot add the parsley AND I HAD SOME! FRESH EVEN! And I used a prepacked bullion sauce (yes, sauce --- it is some relatively new product for which I had a coupon)
Wasn't to roll over and die for, but decent and filling -- I probably let it cook too long as well

16. 9 Time Management tips for everyday life

Who says a pin has to be a physical project? While I am producing physical items for this pin (things like a calendar, daily list, and a menu) sometimes a pin can almost be a state of mind.

My state of mind - chaos - so I am trying to remedy that (pinned 1 day ago)


So I found several different very useful tips:
Plan your month - I do have a calendar and I do write things down, but I don't write EVERYTHING down, so I think writing every little thing (each Tuesday and Thursday # 3 and # 1 have band practice, each time we go to swim practice, each football game, each parade, every time I want to take #5 to library time) it fills up fast; but I think that visual reminder might actually help

Make a to do list.
I do this often, but not everyday (kind of a waste of paper) however, every day I do this I am more productive, so maybe it isn't a waste after all

Start a Menu
I am AWFUL at this. Not very often have I ever kept a menu, but it sure does help when I do. And I found a fantastic site today! SayMmmm! AND.
IT'S.
FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You still have to do a lot of the work, but I feel so much better about being so overwhelmed with menus. Not totally positive, but I think you can write in your own recipes in your menu planner

And the very last for tonight (because my timer has already gone off) Set a timer. As the blog says "When I work on the computer I need to set a timer. The internet can suck me into a big black hole if I'm not careful.  It is definitely my #1 thing that wastes my time or wastes me!  I also use a timer when I clean.  I set it and see how much I can get done before the timer goes off.  It's amazing what you can accomplish in just 15 minutes."

My fav timer so far:http://www.timeanddate.com/timer/

15. Environmental Print for every letter of the Alpahbet - T

Yep, I am shamelessly using this same post again.(Pinned 50 weeks ago)



BUT I feel justified in the fact that I am not getting enough sleep and I did have to expend some effort again for today's letter.

And the letter of the Week is T

Our fabulous author included Taco Bueno, which I haven't heard of, so I replaced it with Totino's (pizza products)

Maybe I should have replaced TJ Maxx as well (I'm not sure there is one anywhere near us - but I just ran out of time)

You'll probably see this 23 more times (because I missed the first two weeks - M and S)

14. A is for apple free printable

Today's is kind of lame, but I do really need to get to bed. On preschool day, we used this printable:(pinned 1 year ago)


My thoughts: Very appropriate for the 3 1/2 year old set. Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #5 is almost exactly a year younger than our Visiting Little Miss Thunder (hope her mom doesn't mind that nickname, but I honestly can't see it bothering her).

Little Miss Thunder had a reasonable time coloring it (although she would have rather scooped cotton balls all morning)but MBfH#5 didn't even bother. So final result - 3: yes, 2: not so much

And because today's post is so lame and I can't really put this in a different post because I have never seen it on pinterest:

 If you ever homeschool or host a preschool in your home: Don't forget about the Library of Congress! Read.gov has plenty of books to wander through and I found this very theme appropriate gem!

Read.gov has tons of older books (i.e. ones without copyright restrictions) that you can just read online. While it might take longer for something like A Princess of Mars to download, there are some shorter children's books that work just fine.

13. Pie Counting Activity

So on our preschool day - besides the cooking - we actually did some learning. I saw this awesome post WEEKS ago and couldn't wait to try it (pinned 49 weeks ago)


However, this was a little bit more labor intensive than I thought it was going to be. There was a blog post - and a link to the file - YAY! I just love those links to the file!

But this one was a black and white file. --------- but wait - that picture very obviously had color. Isn't there some clip art (you know, so I can be lazy and not do any work). No, as the dear author explained - she hand drew the pie, copied it onto brown paper and then hand colored red with a magic marker in the pie spaces.
Now ----- I have perused this blog extensively and have to defend her --- she is awesome! And the fact that she provided this template is amazing for I could have never free-handed something like that. (Why she couldn't have scanned the finished project is a question that may never be answered) BUT! I am still super grateful.

I however didn't have brown construction paper on hand (I have used it all) so in effort to not waste money - I colored my own (And WHY I didn't realize that I could have colored ONE and color-copied the rest is another burning question that may never be answered - but not wanting to waste paper after I copied 5 black and white versions - I colored the ones that I printed then made a color copy - one of the colored ones will be my template to copy from if I decide to make the rest)

I did do 0-5 in case you are wondering. 5 is the color copy. However, I realized too late that I had not colored darkly enough to scan and will have to do some touch up.

Coloring hints: When use the brown pencil, I worried about the area right at the pie plate about being within the lines, but since it was being cut out, I didn't worry about the line areas that I knew would be cut off. I also didn't worry about making sure that the red areas remained white. Since I was using pencil (and NOT crayon) I knew the marker would obscure most pencil marks and just colored over the brown pencil (besides, it gives it a more baked look).

This was a hit! They loved playing with the cotton balls. We also got some counting in (which is always great). And since I didn't have a whipped topping container lying around, I made a copy of a cool whip lid (thanks google images) and taped it on the top of a plastic round container