Magical Stories and A Free Bookmark

Recently, I watched the classic Disney film Peter Pan with my boys.  It got me thinking about children's books, storybook heroes, and magical adventures.  

I love the story of Peter Pan.  I think it is a great celebration of childhood and the idea that anything is possible.  There is nothing I love better than cuddling on the couch with my boys and reading them a fantastic story, and with this in mind, I have created a story discussion bookmark that you can print and share with your little ones.

This bookmark is adorable, and it is a great way to prompt some discussion with your children after you have finished reading them a story. You can download this bookmark {for free} here.

J.M. Barrie said, "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it."  I hope my boys believe in magical adventures forever!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

“Disclosure:  I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program andI receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinionson this blog are my own.”

Doc McStuffins Fun

We are huge fans of Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior Canada, and it inspired my boys and I to come up with a Doc McStuffins craft and adorable little snack.

We thought it would be fun to make a "Big Book of Boo Boos". I took an inexpensive journal, and added a heart (that you can download here). Then, my boys added a couple of bandaids. Cute, right?

After we finished our book, we made a cute "Band Aid" Snack. It looks kind of gross, but my three little boys thought they were hilarious.

I just cut up some graham crackers, added some white frosting for gauze, and finished with a smear of red gel icing blood.  Simple but fun! 

Do your little ones like pretending to be a doctor like Doc McStuffins?  Watching my boys "pretend" always makes me happy.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure:  I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

No-Sew Jake Costume

My boys love pirates, and yesterday my son asked if I could help him put together a "Jake" {from Jake and the Neverland Pirates} costume.  Given that I don't know how to work my sewing machine, here is what we came up with:

Pretty cute, right?

Here's how we did it:

To make the headband - I cut a strip of felt 36 inches long and 2 inches wide.  I fit it to my son's head and secured it with a clear elastic.

To make the sword - I drew a sword (like Jake's) on a piece of cardboard and cut it out.  I used the top of a pizza box, but any thick cardboard would work.  You can download a free printable template of the sword I designed here.

To make the shirt - I took an old white shirt, cut a couple of slits in the sleeves, and had my son draw an "X" on the collar.

To make the vest - I bought a plain blue t-shirt for $4.  I cut off the sleeves, and I cut a straight line all the way up the middle of the shirt.  Then, I sewed on four gold buttons.  (I figured I could manage a couple of buttons, but if you really don't want to do any sewing, you can skip this step.)

I hope you enjoy making this simple Jake costume with your little pirates.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I'm part of the Disney Junior Mom program, and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

A {Simple} NEMO Cake

Finding Nemo is one of our family's favorite movies, so last time we watched it on family movie night, we decided to make a special cake to celebrate.  It's always a party if you have a cake... am I right?

It isn't fancy, but it was super-easy to make, and my boys thought it was awesome.  Here's how I made it:

1)  I used a cake mix to make a round cake and some cupcakes.  I allowed them to cool completely, and then I arranged them on the plate (as per the picture above).

2)  I frosted the cake with orange icing, and then used white icing and a piping bag to make some white "clown fish" stripes.

3)  I finished the cake by adding an eye -- a white chocolate wafer, a little icing, and a chocolate chip.

That's it... easy peasy!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure:  I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Disney Cupcakes

My boys and I love having special snacks while we enjoy our favorite shows/movies.  Recently, we came up with two adorable cupcakes designs -- Rapunzel's Chameleon (Pascal) Cupcakes and Mama Hook's Gold Doubloon Cupcakes.

Aren't they cute?  Here are the instructions:

Mama Hook's Gold Doubloon Cupcakes:
1)  Make your favorite white cupcakes.
2)  Cover each cupcake with blue icing (water).
3)  Add some graham cracker crumbs (sand).
4)  Top each cupcake with a Gold Doubloon (chocolate coin).

This is a perfect treat to enjoy while watching the Jack and the Never Land Pirates.  (One of our favorite shows!)

Rapunzel's Chameleon (Pascal) Cupcakes:
1)  Make your favorite white cupcakes.
2)  Cover each cupcake with green icing.
3)  For the eyes - use white chocolate candy melts and chocolate chips (with chocolate icing for the "glue").
4)  Use chocolate icing to draw a simple nose and mouth.
5)  Use green icing to pipe on eyebrows and the protruding part of its head.

Wouldn't this cute cupcake make the perfect movie snack while watching Disney's Tangled?  

My boys were super-excited about the tray of cupcakes they decorated themselves.

Which of the cupcakes is your favorite?

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure:  I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group... but (of course!), the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.

Monster Madness

As a Disney Junior Mom, I was excited to hear that Disney Junior Canada is premiering a new show this month -- Henry Hugglemonster.  My boys and I love monsters {the cute kind}, so I thought this was a great opportunity to share a couple of our favorite monster crafts with you.

Cute, right?  The keys to a successful monster craft are: googly eyes and a little imagination.  Here is what we made:

1)  Monster Bookmarks -  Who doesn't love an adorable bookmark?  We made our "monster bookmarks" out of craft foam, but paper would work too.  After you have finished creating your monster, add a ribbon loop at the top and a googly eye or two, and you'll have an adorable bookmark for all your favorite monster stories.

2)  Monster Magnet Movers - Kids will have a great time moving these adorable pom pom monsters around "like magic".  All you need to do is draw a road on a piece of paper.  Then, take two "attracting magnets" and attach one to a pom pom monster, and one to a folded "handle".  Put the monster on top of the paper and the magnet on the bottom of the paper.  When you move the bottom magnet, the monster will move too.  Fun, right?

3)  Playdough Monsters - Little ones will have a blast making monsters from playdough, googly eyes and pipe cleaners.  Let the kids use their imagination to create a bunch of friendly, monster friends.

I hope you have fun with these monster crafts, and I hope you enjoy the new Disney Junior series - Henry Hugglemonster.

Let me know how you enjoy the monster crafts and the new show.  My boys and I will definitely be watching.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

* You can find me on facebook here.

Disclosure: I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group, but {of course} the opinions on this blog are my own.

{Toy Story} Family Movie Night

Every Friday night is "family movie night" at our house, and last Friday we had a special screening of "Toy Story".  This is one of our all time favorite movies, so today I am sharing some easy and super-fun Toy Story snack ideas with you.

We started the night by having some "Pizza Planet" pizza for supper.  Then, it was on to the snacks.

To create the snack table, I dug out some of our Toy Story toys, purchased some snacks, and added some fun "word bubbles" for the characters to hold.  My boys thought the word bubbles were a lot of fun.  Here is what they said:

1)  Woody had some trail mix, and his sign said, "Howdy Partner!  Try some trail mix."

2)  Mr. Potato Head had some popcorn, and his sign said, "Try some popcorn... it is way better than chips."

3)  Alien had some Reese peanut butter cups, and his sign said, "Take me to your leader... and I will let you eat one of my delicious UFOs."

4)  Bullseye had some water, and his sign said, "Welcome to my watering hole."

5)  Buzz had some Smarties, and his sign said, "This snack is yummy... to infinity and beyond!"

Fun, right?  I think these snacks would be fun at a Toy Story themed birthday party too, don't you?

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure:  I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.