Fridays are usually family movie night days in our house. We order a pizza or get some form of take-out, and snuggle up with a good family friendly movie. But Sundays are usually bake days. If we don’t have a form of baked goody to have with some tea and milk, then we will whip something up to go with our morning tea. It is a fun way, especially for my daughter and I, to spend quality time together. She especially loves to help out, so it is even more bonus time together to catch up on girl talk. 
Generally the boys are not interested in the tea part, but they love the goodies! Lately our favorite has been homemade baked banana muffins. I found a simple recipe at allrecipes.com and have done a few alterations/additions to make it even more delicious.
Here is the recipe for you to try with your princess.
BANANA MUFFINS RECIPE:
Ingredients (This is for 12 regular sized muffins):
3 large bananas (mashed)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar (I use 50% white sugar and 50% brown sugar)
1 egg
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter (melted)
Additional Optional Ingredients:
A handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
A dash of nutmeg
A dash of cinnamon to your liking
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 175 degrees C). Line your muffin pan with paper liners, or coat with non-stick spray.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) in a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the mashed bananas, sugar, eggs and butter together in a large bowl until well blended (no need to use a mixer, just hand stir). Add in any optional ingredients now and stir.
4. Next add the flour mixture and stir until blended but do not over mix. Just mix enough so that all the dry ingredients are wet and mixed in (about 30 strokes). Scoop the mixture into your muffin pan.
5. Bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven. Muffins should spring back when tapped once they are done.
**Another new addition I have tried that turned out great: One time I forgot to substitute the half cup granulated sugar for brown sugar and I forgot to add cinnamon. So right before putting the muffins in the oven I sprinkled some brown sugar and cinnamon on top of the muffins. They caramelized in the oven and the muffins had a nice sweet topping. Yummy!
Once they cool down, why not have your little girl dress up in a princess dress, put on a tiara, and put a pot of tea on. Pull out some pretty dishes and enjoy a cup of tea together (she can drink milk or juice out of her teacup) and enjoy some quality girly time together. Enjoy!
Do you have a Sunday tradition?
Sunday, April 24, 2012 marked the first day of National Princess Week, started by Walt Disney in collaboration with the gracious Julie Andrews and Target. Although many would think this is a ploy by the major corporations to push their marketing and product agenda, we thing this is the perfect opportunity (and excuse) to celebrate your inner princess as well as celebrate your daughters, nieces and friends and remind them how special they are. We believe that you don’t need a national holiday to celebrate being a princess…you can celebrate any day and every day!
So what are some of the things you can do with your own little girl to celebrate? There is no need to rush out and buy her princess costumes, toys or even spend any money at all. There are many ways to get creative and have fun. This is also a wonderful time to let her know how important it is to be caring, generous and helpful. Talk to her about the importance of courage, grace and kindness. Here are some fun ideas we came up with:
1. Pull out some of your fine china (well maybe not the one that was handed down to you from grandma), and host a tea party – just you and your daughter. What a wonderful way to bond and have some special girly time together! You can also take this opportunity to teach some tea etiquette and table manners.
2. Make a paper tiara and wand using construction paper or cardstock, and decorate it with foam shapes, glitter, paper cutouts – whatever is available in your craft box!
3. Pull out some paper and crayons, colored pencils or markers and draw some pretty pictures. It can be princess themed or whatever her heart desires. Then create a cardboard or paper frame and hang it up on the fridge or in her room – she will feel a sense of pride and confidence!
4. Play dress up! You can use some flowers from the garden and thread some string through them and make a pretty crown, or she can get dressed up in her princess attire if available. This can also take us to the next idea
5. Host a royal meal in honor of your princess! Have your little girl get dressed up and bring in some pretty flowers from the garden, set the table with some china and dress up her meal to make it a grand affair. What a happy memory this will create and bring you closer together. You can even create some pretty placemats and use them to set the table. She will be so excited to see her creations being used at the table!
6. Hold a princess movie marathon – and don’t just include Disney movies! We especially love the movie, “A Little Princess” as it embodies the meaning of being a princess no matter who you are! Other princess movie favorites depending on your little girl’s age are Cinderella, Enchanted, Princess Protection Program, The Princess Diaries, Barbie The Princess and the Pauper and Anastasia.
7. Read her a princess story, or even make up one where she is the star of the story! How lovely would it be for you to sit down together and tell her a story, even make it up as you go.
8. Teach her the importance of charity. Talk to her about the less fortunate and donate some time to help someone in need, or she can pick something like a toy or doll she no longer needs and donate that.
9. Teach her about kindness and do something nice for someone else. Help out an elderly neighbor, or learn to pay someone a nice compliment – as long as it is genuine!
10. Bake something together like pink cupcakes using strawberry cake and pink frosting and of course sprinkles! Or you can bake a cake or cookies. Include her in the process and use this opportunity for more bonding time.
11. Practice social etiquette and princess manners: how to sit like a princess, how to socialize, good posture, and be graceful.
12. For fun practice how to curtsey or learn how to do a royal wave. Dance, sing and listen to princess songs.
Join us on Pinterest for more great ideas for princess foods and treats, crafts boards and more! Whatever you do, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun! What are some ways you will celebrate with your little girl?
Happy Earth Day! The truth is, it’s even better to celebrate this day everyday. Conserving and recycling can easily become a way of life without drastic changes. The most simple acts like turning the lights off when you leave a room, unplugging unused equipment and appliances, designating a bin to toss paper into instead of the regular trash are basic ways to help conserve energy and recycle. You can then expand from there. Group your errands together by location and save gas; it’s not only good for the environment but also great for your pocketbook! We do our part by recycling paper, keeping idle office equipment unplugged and even recycle boxes when possible.
At home I have switched from plastic bags to containers for sandwiches in my kids lunch boxes, switched all of our light bulbs to energy efficient ones, save and reuse grocery store bags as trash bags for our mini garbage cans. I plan my shopping trips ahead of time and take care of errands near places I am already at, like near the kids school, or near the office. Other ways to save around the house is only doing full laundry loads and full dishwasher loads.
You can even take recycling to a new level…upcycling! Upcycling is a creative way to make beautiful things from out of items you have around your house, or a garage sale find. You can turn an old beat up entertainment center into a kids play kitchen; or make a child’s dollhouse out of a two drawer nightstand; or take a plastic milk jug and turn it into a mini toy car garage. Visit our Enchanting DIY & Crafts Pinterest Page for other fun upcycling ideas.
Has your little girl outgrown her princess stage? Donate her princess dresses and costumes to a local women’s shelter or Goodwill. This nice gesture will give other little girls a chance to use their imagination and enjoy the many benefits of dress up play; the result is more creativity and better social, emotional and communication skills.
If you haven’t already started, start with the little things, and before you know it, you will be searching for new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. Check out this interesting Earth Day infographic we came across – happy recycling!
Are you on Pinterest?
If you are come join us and Follow My Fancy Princess on Pinterest!
We are having a ton of fun pinning and sharing everything from princess party ideas, crafts and fun activities to yummy foods and beautiful images! You are welcome to share our links and we always give credit to the source or make sure credit was given before we repin anything. We’ve found so many interesting and inspiring images that we think it is worth you taking a peek at our boards. Beware…it can be very addicting! Below is a sampling of some of our board topics:
& more!
Have fun pinning!
Flip Slip Pettiskirts at My Fancy Princess
With Spring officially upon us, we find ourselves enjoying the smell of fresh air, new spring flowers and pretty new spring clothes! Our collection of Flip Slip Pettiskirts are just in time for warmer weather and look super cute with leggings for dress up. What do we love most about these pettiskirts? A few things really. Firstly they are very soft and fluffy! Secondly, they are reversible, giving you multiple options for different outfits. Lastly, they’re affordable. At $25 it’s like getting two skirts in one. Some of our favorites are the Peacock in a teal and purple color, and Sunset, in a fuchsia and orange color combination. The Grapefruit pettiskirt reminds me of Summer, pink lemonade and popsicles! We think it would look super cute with stretch shorts underneath and a cute tank top. No matter which color combination you choose your little girl will be stylish and look great year round!
