Wednesday, July 29, 2015

A Boy & His Beach

My boy is part fish. I accepted this a long time ago. He has a very special relationship with water. From body surfing in the waves of the Atlantic to spending hours playing in the pool, I know he must have gills I haven't found yet.

I shouldn't be surprised though. He comes by it naturally. His dad and I both love the water too. He gets the part fish DNA from me because I could be by/in the pool all day long. As far as the beach goes, his adoration for it comes from his daddy. I like the beach. I like to gaze at it. Walk on it. Maybe dip my toes in the ocean. But to lay in the sand, having it stick to my skin, and then swimming in the salt water...not so much. I like chlorine. But my boys can spend hours laying on the sand, digging, napping, they don't care as long as they are becoming one with "their" ocean.

So you can imagine how sad it sometimes is that we live in landlocked Indiana. Sure, we have our pool in the backyard, but it will never be as nice as the one in Florida. And yes, we could visit the beach at one of our many lakes...but it's not the same.

So when I want to bring a little beach to my little boy's Hoosier world, I find other ways; and this time it included a snack! Seriously, if you are having kids over for a day at the pool, or lake, or even a kids' birthday party, you've got to include these. They are as cute as they are yummy and they will go nuts for them!!

My boy loves his beach and ocean. Since we can only get him there 2 weeks every summer, I've got 50 other weeks in the year to nurture that love, and keep him as excited as he was when he stuck his toes in the sand for the very first time.

Sand and Surf Pudding Cups
1 (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 c. milk
1 c. vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
1 Fruit Roll Up
Teddy Grahams
Parfait Cups
Mini Umbrellas
Blue Food Coloring
 
In a medium bowl whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. Chill in fridge for 5 minutes to soft set. Remove and add food coloring until you get the desired color of blue you want. Carefully scoop into cups. Top with “sand” or crushed cookies. Cut fruit leather into 4 equal strips. Lay one in each cup. Add with a bear. Add umbrella. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes to finish setting.
*NOTE* Crushing the cookies are a great way for the kids to get involved. Simply put cookies in a Ziploc bag and let them pound away!




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