These days, shopping with 2 children under the age of 4 is different.  It can be enjoyable if the kids are rested, fed, and looking forward to the day’s shopping venture (which typically means I’m shopping for them).  The challenge arises when either one or the both of them doesn’t want to indulge my need or desire to shop.  This is typically made evident once we’re already committed to the shopping venture.

Enter the Simon Kidgits Club.  I discovered this fantastic little club when my son was just a baby.  In our local mall (as is typical with most Simon Malls), information about the club (including coming events and current discounts) can be found at Guest Services.  A one year membership is just $5 per child and the fee includes admission to events throughout the year, a Birthday gift, special offers and discounts at your local Simon Mall, a sign-up gift, and the opportunity to spin the prize wheel at any mall visit.  Many of the locations also have a play area where children can get their wiggles out.

These days, going to the mall with my children is something they often look forward to…provided I stop by the prize wheel!

To give you a sense of the types of events Simon Malls and the Simon Kigits Club hosts, I headed to the Spooktacular Halloween event at The Shops at Mission Viejo.  Radio Disney spun tunes and hosted games while children sang and danced. Paradise Bakery & Cafe hosted a cookie decorating station, children decorated mini pumpkins, and a face painter was on hand to transform children anything they imagined.  And as long as your child is a member of the Simon Kidgits Club, events like this are free.

For more information about the Simon Kidgits Club, including events and special offers, visit their website or your local Simon Mall.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. A Simon Kidgits Club Membership was provided by Simon Malls to help facilitate this review and this post does not necessarily represent Simon Property Group’s positions, strategies or opinion.

Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland!

Happy Halloween!

The goal of the hub is to “entertain, enlighten, empower, and educate” children and families through their award-winning children’s educational programming. Some of the content aired includes animated and live-action series, game shows, and family movies.

Since today is Halloween, I thought I’d highlight some of the spooky and not-so-spooky themed programming your children may be interested in.

For younger tots like my own children, The Adventures of Chuck & Friends and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic are more suitable.  Each has it’s own Halloween-themed episode.

Older children might be more interested in The Hub’s spookier programming which includes the following Halloween-themed episodes:  R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series and Goosebumps.

Here are some fun photos from the Haunted Hub!

It's My Little Pony!

The biggest balloon either of us have ever seen!

For the entire list of programming, visit The Hub!

No compensation was received for this post. We attended a media preview of The Hub’s Halloween programming.

This weekend, you may be busy carving pumpkins (it’s a fun family tradition we engage in annually). Rather than taking the traditional eyes/nose/mouth approach, why not carve out one of your child’s favorite characters? There are over 20 templates available including Mickey and his friends, Phineas and Ferb, Disney Princesses, and Kermit the Frog from the Muppets!

Admittedly, I’ve never ventured to make either of my child’s costumes. However, several of the Disney character-inspired homemade costumes look relatively easy to re create. This Belle costume would require some sewing, I imagine.

Disney Family and Disney Interactive recently hosted a spooktacular Halloween Bash to showcase some of the latest in the online and video game world! Along with teaching our children how to draw a Penguin and demonstrating the latest Disney Video Games, they served up some spook-a-licous treats! Check out these Mickey Mummy Cupcakes and Jack Skellington Cupcakes that look relatively easy to make.

Since Halloween is traditionally focused on sweats and treats, why not spend some time crafting with your child? On the site, you’ll find a ton of free printable crafts including Disney Princess masquerade masks, Haunted Mansion Ghost masks, a Vampire Mickey candy box, and Mickey Cutie Bats.

You may remember that I recently talked about the latest season of DisneyFamily.com‘s web series called The Possibility Shop. FamilyFun.com recently introduced Celebrate with Sandra Lee, a brand new web series offering fun, simple ideas for families. At present you’ll find ideas for creating costumes for adults and children, pre-trick-or-treat eats, and cool, creepy crafts. Sandra Lee is a celebrity chef and entertainer and brings her expertise to FamilyFun.com in a series of short, engaging webisodes.

For more Halloween fun, visit Family Fun and Disney Family!

Win It! One of you will win a signed copy of Sandra Lee’s latest cookbook entitled Money Saving Meals and Round 2 Recipes. Simply leave me a comment with one of the crafts, recipes or other ideas you liked on either Family Fun or Disney Family. Comments will close on November 14th, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (or something like it) “ I just entered a #giveaway to win a Sandra Lee Cookbook @rockinmama http://tinyurl.com/3sp7vmb”

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Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a media event to preview the games and activities above. Giveaway supplied by Disney Family.

This Saturday, October 29th, families can visit the Orange County Zoo for a unique trick or treat experience. Zootacular, which is geared towards children 12 and under, will feature activities such as crafts, face painting, a scavenger hunt, and of course, trick or treating. What’s unique about this particular day is the fact that several of the animals will receive treat-filled pumpkins.

Yesterday, we received a sneak peek at the Halloween event. My daughter, in particular, was fascinated by the bears exploring and playing with the pumpkins.

Zootacular activities are free with zoo admission and the first 100 children in costume will receive a free gift. For more information, visit OC Parks. Please note there is a $5 parking fee.

No compensation was received for this post. We attended a media preview of Zootacular.

Supplies:

Orange beverage or luncheon size paper napkins
Assorted HERSHEY’S Candies
Green party streamer crepe paper
Green curling ribbon
Scissors

Instructions:

1.  For each favor, open napkin and lay flat on table or surface. Place selection of candies in center of napkin.

2.  Tear off two lengths (about 4 to 5 inches each) of green party streamer crepe paper and cut an 8-inch length of ribbon.

3.  Pull napkin corners into the center and hold while pulling in remaining edges to the center; twist paper slightly, forming pumpkin stem.

4.  Position one length crepe paper over stem and then from opposite side position second length over stem.

5.  Tie ribbon around stem and using scissors curl ribbon ends to form pumpkin tendrils.

6.  Plump pumpkin and trim “leaves” if desired.

If you’re having a “grown-up” party, this recipe for Witches’ Brew Ice Cream Soda looks delicious!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons HERSHEY’S Syrup
Cold club soda, seltzer or ginger ale
3 scoops (about 3/4 cup) orange sherbet
TWIZZLERS Strawberry Twists

Directions:
1. Combine syrup with small amount of club soda in 16-ounce soda glass.

2. Add sherbet; fill glass with club soda. Garnish with candy. Serve immediately. Makes one 16-oz. serving.

As I mentioned above, Celebrate With Hershey is filled with spooky and not-so-spooky Halloween crafts and recipes. This year, the company has released several new items including Kit Kat Assortment 50 Snack Size Pieces, Pieces and More 50 Snack Size Pieces, Scare n’ Share Mix 50 Snack Size Packages, Jolly Rancher Assortment 120 Snack Size Pieces, Twizzlers Candy Assortment 120 Snack Size Pieces, and Twizzlers Sweet & Sour Filled Twists Snack Size Bag along with seasonal varieties of your Hershey’s favorites.

For more information, visit CelebrateWithHershey.com.

No compensation was received for this post. Product samples provided which helped facilitate this review.

Here is my son dressed as Wilson from the hit Disney Junior show Chuggington!

Regardless of the time of year, my son really enjoys dressing up.  He typically chooses characters that he’s familiar with from books and DVDs.

This year, tots who love the show can dress as one of three characters…Wilson, Brewster, or Koko. Each costume includes a lightweight foam romper and a matching cap.  The costumes are lightweight so be sure to dress your child accordingly if you’re planning to trick or treat outdoors. I also like the fact that they’re bright which makes it a bit easier for people to see a child at night. Despite the costume’s shape, children can still move around easily and the cap actually stays on!

Chuggington costumes are available at Party City stores and online for $24.99.

No compensation was received for this post. I am part of the Chuggington Conductor Program and receive products for review and giveaway.

My first project was to make some festive sugar cookies!  I used Wilton’s simple but delicious Roll-Out Sugar Cookies.  What distinguishes these cookies from traditional sugar cookies is the addition of almond extract! Here is the recipe, courtesy of Wilton:

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon no-color almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F.

2.  In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and extracts; mix well.

3.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do not chill dough.

4.  Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick.

5.  Dip cookie cutter in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

Recipe may be doubled.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

As I mentioned above, the recipe is very easy to make but I have some tips I’d like to share.

1. Don’t cut the recipe in half. I’ve tried it.  The dough is already on the softer side and cutting the recipe in half won’t yield the proper consistency.

2.  While the recipe indicates that the dough should not be chilled, you can refrigerate prior to rolling it out if you find that it’s too soft.

3.  I recommend using a stand mixer to combine all ingredients completely and then using your hands to knead the dough before rolling it out.

4.  You can roll and cut cookies out on parchment paper if you’re finding it difficult to transfer them

While these sugar cookies taste delicious unfrosted, I definitely recommend experimenting with a buttercream or color flow icing, particularly as we enter the holiday season.  You can make your own icing, however, Wilton also offers a Buttercream Icing Mix that tastes incredible.  I also find that I can achieve a much better consistency when I use the mix versus making it from scratch. Here are some of my tips on making this icing:

1. Be prudent when it comes to the liquid. I prefer to err on the side of caution so the icing isn’t too thin. You can always add more liquid to thin it out if you need to.

2. Keep the prepared icing covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out.

3. Again, I recommend using a stand mixer to achieve the right consistency.  As I was decorating, I periodically started the mixer again to prevent the icing from hardening.

4.  To tint the icing, use a toothpick with Wilton’s Icing Colors.  Be sure not to dip the toothpick back into the color after you’ve dipped it into the frosting.  Be sure to mix it well and take note that the colors will deepen a bit.

5. Be sure to allow plenty of time for decorating.  Tinting the icing (particularly if you plan to tint with multiple colors) takes time.

To give your cookies and cupcakes that extra pizazz, try experimenting with Wilton’s sprinkles, sparkle gel, and  cupcake picks. Here are some of the cupcakes I decorated (I took the easy way out and made them from a boxed mix).

What I like about using Wilton’s products is the fact that the company makes it easy for anyone to achieve something that looks amazing.  Walmart offers an entire line of Fall and Halloween baking and decorating products.  You can visit your local store for a more complete selection or check out the products online.

Disclosure: I participate in the Walmart Moms program and am compensated for my time and honest opinions.

When it comes to holiday baking, two things come to mind…spices and color.  This recipe from McCormick includes both!  Interestingly enough, I didn’t adapt this recipe but rather left it as is because it’s perfect.  It isn’t like me to use a boxed cake mix, however, there are several different steps, some of which are time consuming.  Decorating typically takes the most time, particularly if you’re dying the frosting, so using a prepared cake mix with children can help save time and keep them engaged in the baking project.

What’s nice about this recipe is you could really use any type of cake mix (organic, all-natural, gluten-free, etc.) and adapt the recipe accordingly.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

Makes 24 servings.

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix

1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Cinnamon, Ground

1 teaspoon McCormick Cloves, Ground

1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat all ingredients, except Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting, in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping side of bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended.

2. Spoon batter into 24 lightly greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened, 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cloves in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 box (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

These cupcakes are moist and delicious and almost taste like you’re eating pumpkin pie.

You can turn your ordinary recipe into something fabulous, simply by adding spices or extracts. For example, sugar cookies traditionally call for vanilla extract. But why not substitute almond or lemon extract in place of the almond extracts?

Looking for inspiration for your spooky celebration? Visit McCormick for colorful Halloween ideas.

No compensation was received for this post.  Products for review were provided which helped facilitate this review.

With Halloween just about a week away, one of the traditions we started with my son was to carve a pumpkin.  I don’t know why I hadn’t ever noticed it, but Walmart actually has a pumpkin patch, which is where we got our pumpkin this year.  For just $3.88, we obtained a nice-looking pumpkin of pretty decent size.  About a week or so ago, there was still plenty to choose from.  Rather than just simply carving our pumpkin, we decided to try one of the carving kits from Pumpkin Masters.  For less than $6, the kit included 10 carving tools and 16 patterns which make it easy to create something amazing.  While it does take some time to hollow out the pumpkin, trace the design, and carve it out, the results are well worth it. We completed the super spooky look with an LED Lightning Strobe Light (less than $3).

To be honest, we don’t typically outfit our home in Halloween decor, but I couldn’t resist picking up these LED Pumpkin Lights (less than $10) for the outside of our home.  We strung them along the set of bushes that line the front of our house and they actually look quite nice at night.

While we do allow our children a small amount of sweets during this season, we also prefer other types of Halloween treats.  Walmart has an entire Halloween book section for children, so I let my son and daughter each pick out a book for the season.  My son chose It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and my daughter chose Dora’s Spooky Halloween.  What’s nice about purchasing books at Walmart is the savings you’ll receive since the stores discount the books.

The grand total to decorate and prep for Halloween this year? $34.56 plus tax!

Walmart’s Halloween selection is quite expansive and competitively priced.  Stay tuned as I’ll highlight some affordable Halloween baking ideas that you’ll find spooktacularly simple!

Disclosure: I participate in the Walmart Moms program and am compensated for my time and honest opinions.