March is here. The birth month of Spring. This month I jumped right into the fun by creating some leprechaun theme projects for kids: How to Grow a Rainbow, Sensory Activity: Coin Hunt in Green Grass (Rice) & A Surprise Visit from a Leprechaun.

  

Aside from fun ideas to do with kids, I always like to make a list of things of fun things I enjoy each month. Here’s what I came up with for March:

• Bring out the Spring Decor  March is the bridge to Spring. I find it the perfect time to start tucking away all the winter decor. I have been using lots of reds through the winter to add a little cheer and color to the gray days. It’s time to tuck those away until December. In the meantime, I like to bring in greens and other fun pops of color.
• Shamrock Shake  Only one kind will do. A McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. There is something so delicious about the creaminess of the shake and the fluffy whipped cream. I also appreciate the exclusiveness to the season. Yum.
• Make mint chocolate chip ice cream I was browsing Pinterest yesterday and came across the easiest ice cream recipe. All you need is whipping cream, condensed milk, chocolate chips, fresh mint & sugar. The recipe I will be trying is from Wry Toast. I like that the recipe uses fresh mint, and no fancy equipment is needed, just a mixer!

• Pick up Bright Spring Flowers Pick up a bouquet of flowers in cheerful colors: bright yellow carnations or daffodils,  purple tulips, you catch my drift. I went with a warm yellow carnation. I love how long these last.

• Start planting seeds  I look forward to starting my seeds every year. This year I am ready to “go big” with our garden. We have been keeping a small garden in our yard for the past four years. My main objective has been to harvest pumpkins, lots of pumpkins. I wanted to have a small pumpkin patch. This has more to do with my love of fall and Halloween. This past year we yielded 7 large pumpkins, 5 of which that made it (two fell off the vine).  We also had about 20 “Jack Be Littles,” which are baby pumpkins. We had a lot of success with these. So, with a new year, comes a new garden. After a recent trip to Home Depot this weekend we left with about 15 packs of seeds. I have been reading up on how to preserve and get the most out of your harvest. The options are endless: pickeling, jellies, herb infused oils, extracts, syrups, canning… Yes, please.

        

Have a Guinness with some Corned beef Irish beer for an Irish month. Enjoy a cold dark beer with some a corned beef. Corned beef is super easy to make in the crockpot. Just add some potatoes, cabbage and carrots for a side.  Here is a recipe from Food Network. Hint* it pairs well with a dark beer.

Indulge in an afternoon Irish Coffee Enjoy a cup of Irish coffee as an after dinner drink. Or make a mug to enjoy as a  midmorning drink over the weekend.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Make it a family affair…. or not 😉 Wear your green and try to catch a leprechaun. Check out our family friendly ways to celebrate: How to Grow a Rainbow, Sensory Activity: Coin Hunt in Green Grass (Rice) & A Surprise Visit from a Leprechaun.

Happy March!