April 25th - World Penguin Day

Celebrate World Penguin day by moving your cute little happy feet.

The Penguin Strut

Put your arms straight down, your hands out flat

Let your feet just shuffle through

Then waddle, waddle left
Waddle, waddle right

And roll from side to side

Keep your arms at your side

And do the penguin strut

April 24th - Plumber's Day

The plumber deserves a day of celebration for all the nasty work he has to do.
In honor of the plumber use the toilet paper sparingly today and enjoy this funny plumber song by Weird Al.

Weird Al Yankovic’s The Plumbing Song

(to the tune of Milli Vanilli’s song “Baby don't forget my number”)

Baby, I sure wish I could lend you a hand

But plumbing's one thing I don't understand

It's true (Haven't got a clue)

B-b-b-baby, I can tell you've got a big problem

When I flush the john, then your shower goes on(Baby)

Now watcha gonna do?

If Drano's a joke and your plunger is broke

Baby, call the mensch with a monkey wrench(Baby) He'll be there for you

Shower's backing up (up, up)?

Water won't go down (down, down)?

Ba ba-ba-ba, ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Don't forget my Plumber

Ba ba-ba-ba, ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Sink's been stopped up all summer

Ba ba-ba-ba, ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Better call the plumber

He'll know what to do

Pipes been blowing up

Pipes been breaking down

And the carpet's soaked... right through

Ba-ba ba ba ba, ba-ba ba ba ba ba

Ba-ba ba ba ba, kitchen's flooded, too

Ba-ba ba ba ba, ba-ba ba ba ba ba

Ba-ba ba ba ba, girl, you know it's true

B-b-b-betcha this guy makes more than my lawer

If he works for one day, costs you half a year's pay(Baby) He can be here by 2:00

So if you've got cash, he'll be there in a flash

Makin' service calls in his overalls(Baby) He'll do his best for you

Sewer's backing up (up, up)?

Got you feelin' down (down, down)?

Ba ba-ba-ba, ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Don't forget my plumber

Ba ba-ba-ba, ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Leaky pipes are a bummer

Ba ba-ba-ba, ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Time to call the plumber

Maybe call a few

Got a problem with plumbing?Gotta blame it on something

Blame it on the drain it was cloggin', cloggin'

Blame it on the faucet that drips all night

If hairballs, grease and goo

Won't let the water through

Blame it on the drain, yeah, yeah

When I flush the john, now when I flush the john

It turns your shower on(Roto-Rooter 6-5000)Ba ba-ba-ba, baby

Better call my plumber

He'll know what to do(Announcer: Call now. We're in the yellow pages!)

It’s Friday and the weekend is finally here. Cut loose and enjoy a few plumber jokes guaranteed to make you laugh or at least smile.

A good flush beats a full house every time.

A plumber is the only guy I know who can take a leak........and fix it also!

Did you hear that someone broke into our local police station and stole the toilet?
Right now the cops have nothing to go on…

What vegetable needs a plumber? A leek.

April 23 - National Cherry Cheesecake Day

To celebrate this super fabulous day, I am going to share with you a little secret. I stumbled upon the Cheesecake Factory’s Cheesecake Recipe. It is to die for. They usually put glazed strawberries, not cherries on the top of their cakes, but this is a great “starter” recipe. You can do many things with it. Since it is “Cherry” cheesecake day, I highly recommend topping it with cherries and whipped cream (homemade or from the can.) Happy Eating!

Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients: (this recipe makes 1 large or 2 smaller cakes)

Crust:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1 1/2 cup finely chopped vanilla wafers

4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese

1 1/3 cups sugar

5 large eggs

16 ounces sour cream

1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Topping:
1 can Cherry pie filling
1 can whipped cream

Crust Directions:
1. Mix all nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and press into 2 8 inch buttered springform pans, trying to line the sides as much as possible about 1 1/2" up the sides of the pan, set aside.

Cheesecake Directions:
1. All the filling ingredients should be at room temperature.
2. Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy with an electric mixer set on low (keep the setting at low during the entire mixing process).
3. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue beating until creamy.
4. Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg.
5. Add flour, vanilla and lemon juice, mix well.
6. Add the sour cream and beat well.
7. Pour cream cheese mixture into the springform pans.
8. Place on the top rack in the middle of a 325 degrees preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. When time is up turn oven off, prop open oven door and leave in oven for one hour.
10. Remove from oven and let cool then refrigerate for 24 hours.

(Important tip : A really good cheesecake takes time. The wait is well worth it. The flavor grows more enhanced with time.)

Right before you are ready to serve the cheesecake, spread the cherry pie filling on top and decorate with whipped cream.

Today is also Lover’s day, so make sure you tell your loved one you made the cheesecake just for them.

April 22 - National Jelly Bean Day

As many of you know, today is Earth day. I can’t think of a more deserving thing to celebrate than the Earth. It does so many things for us. I feel it is our responsibility to celebrate the Earth in our own little way everyday by trying to be more considerate of our planet. With that said, Earth day is a very big topic in all forms of media. Therefore today I am going to focus on another celebration, the celebration of Jelly Bean day.

The jelly bean had one of it’s biggest debuts during the American Civil War due to William Schrafft who encouraged sending the candy to soldiers in the Union Army. Due to its egg like shape, the jelly bean became a popular Easter treat in the 1930’s. Before the popularity of the jelly bean candy. In the 1910s and early 1920s the word "Jelly bean" was a description of a young man who dressed very stylishly to attract women. Most jelly beans are sold in a variety of about eight fruit flavors consisting of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blueberry, licorice and cotton candy. If you would like a larger selection of bean, you can always check out Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. They have many flavors to chose from. I must mention them because they are my little sister’s favorite candy. (love ya sis!)

What is your color? Game

This is a simple, yet fun game for older children.

What to do:

Place Jelly Beans in a bowl. Make sure there are several of each color. Next tell each person to pick out their favorite color of Jelly Bean. After everyone has selected a color, have them tell you what color they picked and read to them the corresponding information.

Red is the color of strength, health, and vitality. If they picked the red bean, it means they are outgoing, aggressive, vigorous and impulsive

Orange is the color of luxury and pleasure, If they picked the orange bean, it means they tend to be a flamboyant and fun-loving person who likes a lively social crowd around them.

Yellow is the color of happiness, wisdom and imagination, If they picked the yellow bean, it means they are mentally adventurous, searching for novelty and self-fulfillment.

Green is the color of harmony and balance, Green symbolizes hope, renewal and peace. If they picked the green bean, it means they are gentle and sincere.

Blue is the color of deliberation and introspection, conservatism and duty. If they picked the blue bean, it means they like to be admired for their steady character and wisdom.

Black is the color of being dignified and impressive without being showy. If they picked the black bean, it means they want to give the appearance of mystery.

White is the color of purity and innocence. If they picked the white bean, it means they desire simplicity or the simple life.

Pink is the color of the gentler qualities of red, symbolizing love and affection without passion. If they picked the pink bean, it means they tend to be maternal.

Jelly Bean Game by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

What You'll Need:

3 foam egg cartons

Bottle cap

Tape

Red, yellow, and green jelly beans

2 plastic spoons

What to do:

Wash and dry the egg cartons and the bottle cap. Cut the tops and flaps off the egg cartons. Tape the egg cartons together, side by side the long way. When finished, you should have egg cups that are 6 rows across and 6 rows deep. Put a jelly bean in each egg cup -- mix the colors randomly. Mark a starting line on the table with tape -- about 2 feet away. Holding the bottom of the spoon with your right hand on the table (left, if you are left-handed), put the bottle cap into the bowl of the spoon and press down. Try to flip the bottle cap into an egg cup. If it lands in an egg cup, you get to keep the jelly bean from that cup. Red jelly beans are worth 10 points, yellow jelly beans are worth 5 points, and green jelly beans are worth 1 point.When all the jelly beans have been won, count them up, and see who has the most points. If you eat the jelly beans before the game is over, you lose the points!

Jelly Bean Frames

What you need:
Clear acrylic or wooden picture frames
Jelly Beans
Craft glue or Tacky glue

What to do:
Use the glue to attach the candy around the edges of the frame. Then place a favorite snapshot in the frame and enjoy.

Jelly Beans are tasty to eat by themselves, but if you want a creative way to eat them, try these recipes.


Jelly Bean Fudge by Elizabeth LaBau, About.com

Ingredients:
2 cups (12 oz) white chocolate chips
2 cups jelly beans
1 (16 oz) can vanilla frosting
1 tsp rum extract
1 tsp coconut extract

Directions:
Line an 8-inch square cake pan with aluminum foil. Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments until melted, stirring each time. Next stir in the extracts and the vanilla frosting, and mix until well-combined. Allow to sit and cool for several minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of jelly beans. Stir the rest into the fudge, and spread the fudge in the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the reserved beans on top of the fudge, pressing them lightly into the top. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.


BIRD NEST COOKIES

Ingredients:
12 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips

1/3 c. peanut butter

1 (5 oz.) can Chinese chow mien noodles, chopped
Jelly Beans

Directions:
Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments until melted, stirring each time. Mix in the noodles. Roll mixture into something that resembles a ball. Place onto wax paper and use a spoon to press a small hole in the middle of each cookie. Refrigerate until hardened. Keep refrigerated. Before serving place 3 jelly beans in each nest.

April 21- Kindergarten Day

Did you know the word Kindergarten means "children's garden." Kindergarten is education for young children. It serves as a shift from the comforts of home to the beginning of more formal teaching. Kindergarten is a great opportunity for children because it provides them with consistent interaction with other children while encouraging them to learn appropriate social behaviors. It also provides them the chance to develop basic skills such as language, reading, math, science, technology, different forms of art and creative play. The first kindergarten in the United States was founded in Watertown, Wisconsin by Margaret Schurz in 1856. In 1873 Susan Blow established the first publicly financed kindergarten in St. Louis. Kindergarten gives children a chance to play and parents a chance to return to (part time) work if so desires. Remember going to Kindergarten as a child and thinking, “I love school.” To bad that feeling eventually escapes us when school becomes more like work.

Let’s celebrate Kindergarten by sharing with our children the simple joys of creative play.

Homemade Sidewalk chalk

What you need:
A mold such as a toilet paper roll or a small cup
1 cup Plaster of Paris
1 cup water
Powdered tempera paint

What to do:
Mix together the Plaster of Paris and water. Then add tempera paint to the mixture. Blend well and let stand for a few minutes. Next pour your mixture into the molds you chose. Set aside and let dry completely for approximately 24 hours more. Once dry you can remove your chalk from the mold and take it outside to create fun works of art.

Edible Playdough

What you need:
1 box name brand white cake mix
1 stick soft but not melted margarine
3 tbsps water

What to do:
Mix cake mix

and margarine in large bowl. When it is well mixed add 1 teaspoon of water at a time and mix until the desired consistency. You can store it in a plastic ziplock bag if there's any left.

Pudding Paint

What you need:

Instant Vanilla Pudding
Food Coloring

What to do:

Mix pudding according to directions. Add food coloring for desired color. Finger paint on paper plates or large pieces of wax paper. Enjoy eating it while you paint.

Kool-Aid Finger Paint

What you need:

2 cups flour

2 packs unsweetened Kool-Aid

1/2 cup salt

3 cups boiling water

3T. oil

What to do:
Just mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. That’s it!

Jello Finger Paint

What you need:

Any kind of flavored jello

Boiling water

What to do:

Mix jello into boiling water until it is a gooey consistency for finger paint. Use normal finger painting material or glossy paper. Kids love the smell and feel of it.

Oh and don’t forget milk and cookies for snack time. Serve chocolate milk in individual cartons (if you can find them).

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup flour
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a extra large bowl, beat the eggs. Next add the remaining ingredients in order, mixing well. Use an ice cream scoop to put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. These cookies will turn out really big, but if you try to make them smaller they will turn out flat and hard.

April 20 – Look Alike Day

To celebrate “Look-Alike Day” ponder this thought for a moment. No one person looks exactly alike, identical twins may be the exception to that rule, but most species of animals have offspring that appear to be replicas of each other. Some people desire to look like someone else, while others can’t stand the thought of it. In life we often take for granted how much time and effort is put into making identical products. Some factories, for example, hire people to check every item on a production line to make sure each one looks the same. This is a very important process because if you purchased, lets say, a pack of gum, and all the pieces, but one, looked the same, you might question the safety or quality of that piece. Therefore in a lot of ways look a-likes are an important part of our society.

Lets have some fun on “Look Alike Day.” Put together a look a-like contest impersonating your favorite role model or character. Dress alike and take pictures. Another fun game to play on “Look Alike Day” is Concentration or Memory. If you do not have this card game, you can make your own concentration game with a deck of cards. lay cards face down on a flat surface. Turn over two cards each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards.

For dinner tonight you can make these recipes and have a blast as you watch your children discover how their meal looks like one thing, but taste like something else.

Fake Out Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Meatloaf that looks like cake
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 pound ground beef
3 tbsp ketchup

Mashed Potatoes that look like frosting
3 cups mashed potatoes
Red, yellow and blue food coloring

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Line 12 muffin tin cups with foil bake cups.
3. In a large bowl, mix together all of the meat loaf ingredients until well combined.
4. Divide the mixture evenly among the lined cups (the liners should be about three quarters full).
5. Place the filled muffin tins on cookie sheets and bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Divide the mashed potatoes among three small bowls and stir a few drops of food coloring into each batch to create blue, yellow, and pink pastel frostings.
7. Spread a generous dollop on each cupcake.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Sweet Thin Crust Pizza

Ingredients:
2 teaspoon strawberry jam

Flour tortilla, individual size

Black licorice stick

Fruit Roll-Ups, 1 green and 1 red roll

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Cashew halves

Directions:
1. Spread the jam on the tortilla, staying away from the very outer edge so it will resemble a pizza crust.
2. Slice the licorice stick to resemble black olives and cut the fruit rolls into pepper strips.
3. Microwave the white chocolate at half power for 30-second intervals, stirring the candy each time to see if it's melted.
4. Drizzle the melted chocolate on the pizza to look like melted mozzarella. Quickly pile on the olives and peppers, then arrange the cashews to look like mushrooms.

This recipe makes one pizza.

April 19th - Garlic Day

Most of us enjoy a little garlic from time to time, but did you know there is a way to eat garlic without tasting it all day. I have learned a few little secrets to ward off garlic breath. If your breath smells, mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/8 cup water and stir together. Then hold your nose and drink the baking soda. It neutralizes the smell. You can also chew fresh Parsley, Basil, Thyme or Mint leaves to get rid of garlic breath. A more pleasant remedy is to eat grapes becaue they work well to cleanse your palate.

Garlic is a species in the onion family. It has been used for thousands of years as both food and medicine. Garlic is thought to cure the common cold, prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and thin the blood like aspirin. Garlic was used in World War I and World War II as an antiseptic to prevent gangrene. Because of its strong odor, garlic has earned the nickname “stinking rose.” It has been regarded as a force to ward off evil, most notably the vampire. Garlic has many uses and can be savory to eat, but be careful not to give garlic to your cat or dog because like onions, garlic can be toxic.

The best way to celebrate garlic is to eat it. While you chat with your family about the interesting facts of the “stinking rose,” cook up a garlic inspired feast.

Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup olive
1/2 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors.
3. In a separate dish, combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.
4. Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place in a shallow baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
13 ounces butter, room temperature
1 cup Italian cheese, grated
3 tbsps minced garlic
2 tsps salt
2 tsps dried oregano

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 45 minutes; drain. Stir in butter, cheese, garlic, salt and oregano. Mash with a potato masher or with an electric mixer.

Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Ingredients:
8 roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
6 tsps minced garlic
4 tbsps olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the tomato halves side by side in a shallow baking dish. Spoon the garlic over the tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until tomatoes have softened and are sizzling in the pan with the edges slightly charred. Serve while hot.

If your entire family enjoyed the garlic feast you won't have to worry so much about your garlic breath, but if it bothers you, remember the tips I gave you or try this interesting dessert. When I first heard about this recipe, I thought to myself, this doesn't sound very good, but when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised. The juiciness of the grape and the sweet and salty combination of the chocolate and nuts are perfect together.

White Chocolate Grapes

Ingredients:
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
1 pound seedless grapes
1 cup finely chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the grapes.
2. Combine the white chocolate chips and shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
3. Put all of the grapes in the bowl and toss to coat.
4. Spread the grapes onto wax paper and sprinkle with peanuts.

5. Chill for 1 hour before serving.