FRiYAY Fun & Sofia the First Princess Dough

This post is sponsored by Disney Junior, regardless my princess and I would still LOVE watching Sofia & playing with Princess Dough so all opinions expressed below are completely my own.

Parenthood is funny, it's carefree and joyful when I'm in the moment playing with my kiddo; yet this joyful, sweet time in my life is also SO complex and confusing, especially when it comes to making BIG decisions for the future. The daily stresses and big decisions can sometimes get in the way of what really matters (I'm sure I'm not the only one). So I'm doing my best to try and embrace the carefree side of parenting lately and highly suggest it. With this carefree attitude comes sitting back, relaxing, playing, and enjoying each and every FRiYAY with my little princess, doing what we do best - having FUN!

Whether we are going for walks, swimming at the beach, crafting up some funky creations, tuning in on our favorite Puppy Dog Pals, or catching up on Sofia the First on Disney Junior, we both love to enjoy the day together everyday, but our goal on FRiYAY is to make it a fun day - always.

On that note, we've been loving some Sofia the First on Friday mornings, we just switch on Disney Channel and start watching all of her silly, good-hearted antics. From solving silly mysteries, to helping her friends find out the truth, to helping others make good decisions - Sofia is always teaching practical life lessons in a fun and appealing way. I think that's why we both like this little princess so much.

Now, I realize we can't watch Sofia all day, every day, but I will say I'm having a lot of fun playing into D's new found love for Princesses! It's so sweet, she loves to dress up now and we have a ton of fun pretending we are princesses lately! So as you can imagine, I'm just over here in girly-girl mama bliss, I feel so blessed to call this little princess my daughter.

While she loves playing dress up, she sadly is still a little too small for bejeweled crowns from the store. So I decided to get creative and make Delainey precious, princess-y pretties she could actually nom-nom-nom on and we both adore the end result!

I guess I should take a moment to say, this princess dough recipe isn't actually made to be eaten in large amounts, but if a kiddo happens to sneak a bite or two or even a handful or two - you don't have to worry. I love that you can let a princess be a princess and enjoy playing, without stressing about what's in this dough. The best part is - whipping up a batch of Princess Dough is easy to do!

Want to make a batch or two of Sofia the First Princess Dough?

You will need:



1 cup water 
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar 
Food coloring
2 Quart Saucepan 


You'll start making this concoction super simply - add all the ingredients, other than the food coloring, in the sauce pan and stir, stir, stir.

Once, the mixture starts to really thicken, mix in food coloring! We used violet and yellow, because those are Sofia the First colors to us. I think next time we'll make pink and blue, just for giggles!

Continue to stir the mixture until it resembles dough. This is where I went wrong the first time - FYI, don't remove from heat too early or you'll have a mess on your hands - quite literally.

Lastly, play, play, play! Your Princess Dough will be warm to the touch but with a little kneading it should cool down and be ready to play within a few minutes!

That's it! Now you are all set to start creating princess crowns or race cars whatever is your thing! That's why dough is so much fun, you can mold it into anything and you really have the chance to be yourself while playing.

So tell me, what ways to do you encourage your kids to get creative and be true to themselves? I'd love to hear your creative ideas in the comments below and don't forget to tune in & catch the premier of new episodes of Sofia the First, Mickey & The Roadster Racers and more on the Disney Channel on FRiYAY mornings or catch up on your favorite shows for the little one's anytime on Disney Junior!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Disney Junior.

Quick Clean for The Holidays & a DIY Little Firecracker Craft

The Fourth is officially here and that means summer is in full swing. Hip, hip, hooray!

With the holiday weekend came lots of fun... and lots of messes. Instead of stressing out about the hooplah and the mess left around our house, I decided to embrace the art of a quick cleaning and got to work first thing this morning.

With my trusty sidekicks - Viva Vantage Paper Towels, Clorox All purpose Cleaner, Delainey, and my hubs, I was about to "unleash the clean squad" and our house is looking sparkling clean!

Within just a few minutes, we had wiped down every surface with Clorox, from counter tops to doorknobs and made sure to mop because little Miss is on the move lately. We used our Viva Vantage paper towels & Clorox to scrub down sticky messes, from the sloppy sauce splattered on our stove top to the sticky fingerprints left on our cabinets, it all cleaned up quickly and easily... and well, with the extra time on our hands, I also decided it was time for us to get a little crafty, especially once the paper towel roll was emptied!

With it being the "Fourth of July eve", it only made sense to try and get crafty with my little firecracker. In the spirit of Independence Day, we decided to make a super simple little firecracker for her to play with... especially because shes fascinated with small pieces of paper lately. 😂

If you have a little one, you'll want to give this craft a try. Watching the curiosity on her face as the pieces of colorful paper came streaming out of our "firework" was seriously the cutest and then the joy she had playing in the "confetti". Plus, you can use the colorful paper as a learning experience, talking about all the colors, the shapes of the paper and the paper towel roll, etc. While she loved the toy and I loved being able to craft and play with her, the best part is, we were able to upcycle our Viva Vantage Paper Towel roll in a fun way!

If you're like us, you probably went through a few rolls of Viva paper towels this weekend with all kinds of fun messes to clean up. If so, this craft is totally easy and you are likely to have everything you need around your house - so get ready to make your own firework - it's going to be a blast!

To make this craft you'll need:

Viva Vantage Paper Towel Roll (empty)
Colorful Paper
Markers
Tape and/or glue
Scissors

This craft is actually fairly simple. I made the video below to show how it all came together but here's a quick summary.

You'll begin by taping/gluing your paper to your paper towel roll. Next, design your firework... I was really sloppy with mine, but you get the idea. After that, stack a few pieces of colorful paper together and cut into small, quarter inch size strips - this will be your confetti.

Last but not least, stuff your firework full of the fun confetti and shake! Get ready for some fun... and bonus, it's easy to pick up all the confetti and "set off" your firework again and again.

As you can tell, we are embracing all the fun the 4th has to offer... while also making sure our house is looking fresh! If you need to #UnleashtheClenaningSquad on your 4th of July weekend mess or if you have some extravagant plans for tomorrow and a pig sty to clean up today, don't forget to call in some back up in the form of Viva Vantage Paper Towels and Clorox... You can grab them both at Walmart and be sure to snag your rebate via Ibotta on BOTH members of your cleaning squad!

So tell me, how are you celebrating the 4th this year? I'd love to hear about your plans in the comments below!

Make Your Own Puppy Dog Pals Puppet & more FriYAY FUN with Disney Junior!

Today's discussion is sponsored by Disney Junior; regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

My baby girl is my side kick, my shadow, my mini me... She seems to love the same things I love and well, that's just heartwarming. While she shares my sassy side, I love already knowing that we also have common interests. From being a total foodie (who loves to occasionally watch cooking shows) to being a little fashionista who loves the camera, she's pretty much my twin - in a tiny, adorable form!

Here's the thing, if my daughter and I have one thing absolutely identical about us, it's our love of animals. She is absolutely gaga over birds and staring at dogs is probably her top favorite activity. I have a feeling she and I will likely surprise her daddy with a little puppy pal in the years to come, but for right now - we are savoring the time with the dog we already have and looking forward to adding to our family, someday! With that said, we have a not-so-little doggy visitor this week and she is loving the extra company!

Her and I are always admiring other doggies, whether it's at the park, on TV, or dog sitting - we love the company of puppies! So after catching an episode of Puppy Dog Pals a few weeks ago on Disney Junior, we are BIG TIME Bingo, Rolly, Hissy, & Bob fans!

And if I'm being frank, I suppose I can be a little bit of a "Bob" at times with my crazy schemes and ideas. Luckily, my little gal pal loves me as much as those puppy dog pals love their owner, so she just goes along with my crazy shenanigans just like Bingo & Rolly do with Bob!   

While we try to limit the amount of TV Delainey watches, I'm pretty sure we can count Puppy Dog Pals as "her show" now... she smiles and laughs when her favorite Puppy Dog Pals are playing and when they get into trouble, you can see her trying to help figure it out! It's just precious... and on that note, I'm fairly certain that D daydreams about the adventures she can get into with our dog. From plotting future mischievous deeds her and Pow can do, to dreaming of riding the visiting bear of a lab, Barkley, around the room - I can see the wonder in her eyes each time she looks at dogs.

Doggies really are her best friends and it's sad but this is the real world and our dog, the dog we are dog sitting, and even Puppy Dog Pals can't come with us all the time. So I decided to get crafty with my sidekick and make us some adorable little canine companions that we can take along with us everywhere from the library to the doctor's office!

It's super easy to make a little puppy puppet and the best part is you can customize them however you want, so your puppy pal will be your very own design and your best friend! While it may just be a piece of paper - I know Delainey loves our new little companions and while it isn't the same as taking our pups on adventures, I think she's pretty happy with her mama made paper pups.

For this project you will need:

Scissors
Printer paper or cardstock in a variety of colors
Markers

Tape (optional)

To start you'll want to fold your paper into a perfectly even square by bending one corner into the paper and making a giant triangle, cutting and removing any excess.

Next, gently fold the triangle into a smaller triangle, creating a mid-line for you to follow. Unfold and lay the "giant triangle" on the table.

After that fold the lower (open mouth) point over onto itself, leaving about a 1cm gap at the top.

Once you've completed that step, unfold and separate, laying the two pieces on top of each other and folding the top piece down slightly, creating what will be the nose area.

Following that step, flip the piece of paper over and fold the two edges in, creating tiny triangles down at the bottom and a "winged" looking piece of paper.

Again, fold those two piece into themselves, creating what will resemble a fox like shape.

Finally, fold the fox ears one more time to make them either more puppy or kitty like, leaving the ears pointy for a kitty like Hissy or folding the ears over and making them less pointy like Bingo and Rolly.

The last but most important step, decorate your pup! Add a nose, eyes, spots, and more with markers! Make a collar out of paper, maybe even a leash or like Bob, you could even try and make an "invention"?! Use your imagination and have fun!

And that's it, you have created the perfect puppy puppet, with your own two hands!

If that was too much to try and follow via photos and text, I decided it'd be easiest to show you how to fold your puppy puppet! Check out the video below and give this super easy origami puppy fold a try!

Once your puppy is completed, I made a super special Puppy Pal Certificate you can personalize and print, making each and every Puppy you create a real member of your pack!

After all that fun, I'm sure a break is on order! Want to catch the next episode of Puppy Dog Pals? Tune into Disney Channel  on FriYAY morning for new episodes... and if you miss those, check out our new favorite show on Disney Junior!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Disney Junior.

Cute & Creative FREE First Father's Day Gift - Simple DIY DAD Photo

It's safe to say I have the best husband, ever... and that obviously means Delainey has the best DAD there ever could be. So celebrating my hubby on his first Father's Day is something Delainey and I plan on doing all month long! On that note, we've been crafting our hearts out lately. Today I want to share a super fun DIY gift idea for your kiddo's dad and the best part is, you can even complete this thoughtful project in just a couple of minutes!

For this project you will need:

a camera

printer paper

something to write with * we used paint *
a printer & a frame *optional*

To start, all you'll need to do is write out the letters D and A on a plain white sheet of paper. We used paint for ours, but any writing utensil will work.

Once your letters are ready, set your kiddo up in a nice, bright spot in your home - nearby a window and get ready to snap some photos quick, especially if you have a little one that'll eat anything and everything.

Hand your kiddo the letters you created and let them get silly, serious, or whatever emotion they are feeling that day. Have fun while taking their photos but make sure each letter is visible.

Now once you have the perfect photos, turn them into a collage using an app like layout for Instagram or Paint (on your computer)! Post this cute, personalized gift for everyone to see or keep things hush and give your other half his gift closer to Father's Day.... either way, I bet he will love this super easy and thoughtful gift!

*This content is completely my own, although it does contain Amazon affiliate links - that just means if you click through and make a purchase on Amazon, you'll be helping my family - nothing more!*