A Picnic!

The other day, I was talking to Kai (the four-year old boy) and he said, "Kiko, do you know what's a picnic?" "What's a picnic, Kai?" I asked. "A picnic is where you get food and a blanket and you put the blanket on a hill and you eat on a hill!" he excitedly answered. So I said, "Well, we need to go on a picnic sometime then, huh?" "Yeah!"

The weather has been so beautiful for the past few days. So when I picked up Kai and Kona from school yesterday, I decided to surprise them with a picnic. Phylicia got home as I was preparing the picnic, so I asked if she'd like to join us. She said yes of course. 2 Nannies! Whoohoo! So Phylicia, Kai, Kona, and I went to a surprise hill for a picnic. Kai was so excited!  I thought I'd share some of the pictures I'd taken on my phone of our somewhat impromptu picnic.

Kai (4) & Kona (2)

2 Nannies & 2 Boys

 Kai posing behind his art

Kai and Kona created this piece of art for our picnic

Have a great day!

♥ K i K O ♥

Kiko & Phylicia Weight Loss Competition

Hello, to the people! Kiko and Phylicia are having a weight loss competition with each other. Curious as to what this means or entails? Check out our "Weight Loss Competition Contract" from Round One. Here's kinda what it looked like (we used "X" and "Y" to represent our weight because really, y'all ain't need to know all that! Haha.)

Weight Loss Competition Contract

Kiko is to do Weight Watchers program starting August 1, 2011

Phylicia is to do Naturally Thin "program/book" starting August 1, 2011

Whoever meets their goal weight first is the winner and is to receive a prize from the other player.

No stopping the program. No changing goal weight, unless changing to a lower goal weight. No unhealthy means of weight loss!

Goal weight and starting weight must be put into writing. Proof of achievement of goal weight must be shown to the other player on the scale.

Prize to be determined by players.

Phylicia's starting weight is X

Phylicia's goal weight is X-30

Kiko's starting weight is Y

Kiko's goal weight is Y-55

Signatures at the bottom

Kiko won Round One. "Whoohoo!" she cheers. However, she realized that she still has a lot more to loose to get to be where she wants to be. Hence, Round Two. Oh, and if you are wondering, we still don't know what the "prize" will be. Silly girls.

This is round two. Round one took place from August 1, 2011 - March 2, 2012, when Kiko reached her goal weight of Y-55 pounds. And here is our revised contract:

Kiko & Phylicia Weight Loss Competition Contract: Round Two

Kiko is to do Weight Watchers program

Phylicia is to do Naturally Thin "program/book"

Whoever meets their goal weight first is the winner and is to receive a prize from the other player.

No stopping the program. No changing goal weight, unless changing to a lower goal weight. No unhealthy means of weight loss!

Goal weight and starting weight must be put into writing. Proof of achievement of goal weight must be shown to the other player on the scale.

Prize to be determined by players.

Phylicia's starting weight is X

Phylicia's goal weight is X-30

Kiko's starting weight is Y

Kiko's goal weight is Y-30

Signatures at the bottom

So stay tuned because we are going to be posting about our progress, along with tips, tricks, and other cool stuff each week. We thank you for stopping by and hope you have a happy day!

♥ K i K O  and  P H Y L i C i A ♥

S'MORES COOKIE BARS

Camping. That was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Spending time with your family. Sleeping in tents. Seeing all of the stars at night. Swimming in the ocean. Sitting next to a cozy campfire. But of course, the thing that I most looked forward to when going camping were the... S'MORES! Graham crackers, chocolate and roasted marshmallows, yes please! Oh how I love to reminisce. Now on to the recipe! I found this recipe for S'mores Cookie Bars on one of my favorite blogs. Definitely go and check out Lovin' From The Oven. She's great and has tons of delicious recipes.


S'mores Cookie Bars

All You Need Is (LOVE):

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 King-sized Hershey's Bars
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff/creme

What to Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combines.
3. Divide the dough in half and press one half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place the two chocolate bars side by side over the dough. Spread the marshmallow fluff on top of the chocolate. Place the rest of the dough on top by flattening it into little pieces and laying it over so that the marshmallow layer is completely covered. Then press the dough together so the top layer of cookie is nicely meshed together.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Before I Go:

These are so delicious so be careful not to eat them all at once. Share some with the kids! These taste best when warm. If they don't completely disappear and actually make it into the refrigerator, just heat it up in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to warm them up before eating. Still so tasty. Please leave any questions or comments below. I'd love to know if you try these and how they tasted to you. Thank you for stopping by!

Have a great day!

♥ K i K O ♥

NO BAKE ENERGY BITES

So I'm definitely cheating on this post in several ways! I'm going to share a recipe with you however, I did not make it for the kids!! Sammy the 5 year old has a severe allergy to peanuts and tree nuts and a most recent allergy to oats! 2 of the main ingredients in this recipe :( However, I have been wanting to try out this recipe forever and never have! Anyway, I want to share this with you because for those without these allergies it makes for an awesome snack. For kids, it's a good after school snack, healthy dessert, or even an "Ah, were late for school" breakfast! Feel free to store away just for you (Hey! A nanny has got to eat!) Speaking of nanny's eating, i shared these with Kiko and she liked them as much as me!! So here is the original recipe for No Bake Energy Bites..I didn't follow this recipe (I don't know why i cant seem to follow recipes!) so here's my yummy yummy version.

Here's the recipe:
1 c uncooked oats
1/2c Peanut Butter
1/3 c honey
1/4 c crushed walnuts
1 TBSof coco powder
1/2 c chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

I first combined the oats, the peanut butter, and the honey and mixed them together. I then combined the walnuts (I just "crushed" them with my hands), coco powder, and the chocolate chips into the oat mixture and mix all together. Lastly , add the vanilla and mix! I took a tablespoon and plopped (very technical cooking term) it into my hand to form a little ball. My batch makes anywhere from 10-16 depending how big I make the balls. Put them into the fridge for just a half and hour and YAY eat up! Love an easy recipe!

Let me know what version you come up with, check the original recipe for all the yummy substitutions you can do also! Questions, concerns, and  comments are always welcome! Thanks and enjoy!
-Phylicia