Movie Popcorn for the Family! Perfect for Oscar food night!

It can be hectic with your neighborhood friends and family over for dinner and to watch the upcoming Oscars this Sunday…so why not make this fun “make-ahead” popcorn recipe that both the adults and children will love? Plus it saves you time on the day of the Oscars to glam up yourself! Make it fun and have your little boy or girl get dressed up too by letting them take clothes from their closet and play “dress-up” for their favorite movie-character…and for the laid-back parent, maybe let your little girl put on a little lipstick and blush for a “special night” of fun! Enjoy the below recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 quarts plain popped popcorn

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make caramel: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup, stirring until melted and combined.
2. Cover; cook 2 minutes to let steam wash down sides of pan.
3. Remove lid; cook until mixture reaches 280 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and salt.
5. Place popcorn in a large bowl.
6. Slowly pour half the caramel over popcorn, stirring to break up clumps.
7. Drizzle in remaining caramel; stir until cooled and no longer sticky.
8. Serve at room temperature.

Note: you can store the popcorn for up to 2 days in an air-tight container. I love a “make-ahead” recipe.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT www.letop-usa.com

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First Night at the Movies – “Toy Story 3”

Over a week ago when we were on a play date with our friends Sacha and  Cooper (her son), they asked if we wanted to go see Pixar’s new “Toy Story 3” with them. We jumped at the chance since we had just watched “Toy Story 2” at their house. This was going to be Lilah’s first movie at the theater. So exciting!

Lilah showing off her cool 3-D glasses (and her rabbit moon fleur-de-lys track suit jacket)

Thursday rolled around and I picked Lilah up from daycare and we headed over to Sacha and Cooper’s house to meet up. Lilah was excited to ride in Sacha’s car and was amazed that she had a second car seat ‘just for her.’ It was off to the movies. We chose to go “Toy Story 3” in all of the hyped up glory – Imax and 3-D (just down the street from where it was made in Emeryville)! I have personally never seen a 3-D movie, so it was both Lilah’s and my first experience. We paid for the tickets and I quickly handed her a ticket of her very own. When I passed mine to the theater attendant she handed me the adult glasses and they were HUGE (think bigger than Elton John’s in the 70s) – big enough to fit over my glasses with room to spare and they didn’t fold. Lilah received a smaller folded pair in a plastic baggy (keepers)…Now onward to the snack counter.

Though normally I try to bypass the snacks, since this was Lilah’s first time to the theater, we had to ‘do it properly.’ We bought a small popcorn (which was actually enormous), some chicken tenders, and a water. Our friends filled in with candy and nachos and we were off to pick our seats. We were set.

The theater was already dark, but we saw the perfect seats on the opposite side. As we crossed the theater Lilah was behind me. My arms were full of snacks. When I checked to see if she was still there, she had stopped and said very loudly, “Mommy, it’s so dark!” The rows near us started laughing. It was adorable. We took our seats and hunkered down. Lilah sat with the popcorn and munched for most of the movie. It was incredible. The 3-D effects truly felt as if they were happening just inches from us. She never got scared or bored, and even sat through the entire movie. I couldn’t be more proud of her. The movie was perfect in every way. What amazes me is how kids nowadays will expect to see everything in 3-D. The number of 3-D movie previews we saw was truly unbelievable. After this experience with her I can guarantee we will be attending more movies at the theater soon.

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Heigh Ho – Heigh Ho…It’s off to Spring Cleaning we go!

Yes, it’s THAT time of year again…time to clean out the accumulated ‘junk’ that has made its way into our life during the winter and have a fresh start for spring.  It can be a daunting task as you survey closets, garages, and storage spaces that cry out to be purged and deep cleaned – especially when all you want to do is play with your kids!  Why not include them in this spring rite?  Make them part of the process – spend some quality time, AND get things accomplished!  No, they can’t do everything – but you can put together a simple list for them to undertake while the adults deal with the big stuff – you can get through the necessary chores a little quicker and even make it fun.  For families with more than one child it can become a spirited competition to see who finishes the fastest or gives away the most. In my household it always seems that when the whole family helps clean, the house stays sparkling longer and there is a tendency to know where things are instead of mom having to ‘find’ everything. Here are some ideas for little one to tackle.

Kids to Do List:

Go through toys and books, separating what is no longer used to give to charity.

Strip or make the beds.

Clean the sink (I remember being assigned this task by my grandmother when I was a child) – there is satisfaction when the fixtures shine.

Dump the small trash cans (or at least place them near the larger one.)

Go through the house and find anything that belongs to you and return it in your room.

Dust the floor/furniture/window sills.

Play some fun music and the time will fly. Praise children for doing a great job and stress how helpful they are (even if they can’t do it as well as you.)  At the end of the project reward yourselves with a fun experience – a movie night with popcorn and ice cream or some time at a park. Happy clean-up!

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