How Disney Junior Makes Me A Better Mom (And Inspires Us to DIY Dog Treats!)

Summer has arrived and with it, the monotonous daily chorus of "I'm bored's" and "I want a snaaaaaaack!," (s's purposefully elongated to mimic ear-piercing whining). It's a constant battle keeping these complaints to a minimum therefore, I wanted to pop in today to share with you, on behalf of Disney Junior, one of the many ways in which I battle the boredom doldrums.

It may have taken me a few kids to realize this but the first few hours of the day are usually indicative of how the rest of our day will flow. This means if in the hours following waking, I've lost my temper, the boys have lost their minds and everyone is in a tizzy, this behavior does not bode well for the remainder of our day. It's kind of like the tone for our day has already been set by 10am and there's little we can do to turn it around.  

One neat trick that I've found is that I'm a much nicer mommy if I've had a few moments to myself in the mornings, after the kids have been awake, teeth brushed and bellies fed. I'm all about meeting their intrinsic needs before I even think about meeting my own and it's around this time, particularly on Fridays, that the Disney Channel airs a morning block full of premier Disney Junior programming. These brand new, never-before-seen episodes air here first, during the hours between 6am and 10am and it's usually the perfect time to put on a show for the boys while I sit out on the front porch and drink my first cup of coffee piping hot.

What I love most about Disney Junior programming is that I can rest assured knowing it's packed with safe, age-appropriate and educational scenarios that are suitable for my middle and youngest children, ages 3 and 5. This allows me to put on their most favorite show at the moment, Puppy Dog Pals, and step away from the TV for a minute or two to center myself, make plans for the day and prepare for the chaos that lies ahead.

 Bingo and Rolly, the fun-loving stars of Puppy Dog Pals, are a canine duo of brothers who love nothing more than the thrill of a good adventure. Many times it's these adventures that take them on exhilarating escapades both in their neighborhood and around the globe. Most recently the boys enjoyed an episode where their sister-cat Hissy was feeling down in the dumps. They rallied together and brought her to all of her favorite places to try and cheer her up. That got my boys thinking, "what could they do for Sullivan, our Sheepdog, if he was ever feeling sad?" The answer was quickly "bake him one of his most favorite things, TREATS!"

Right click and save this image to use as a label for your own Puppy Pals Dog Biscuits!

That's how one silly episode of Puppy Dog Pals inspired us to create these organic, grain-free DIY dog treats that include some of our pup Sullivan's most favorite things. Not only was it a great bonding experience, the three of us together baking in the kitchen, but it also served as a great activity to pass the time during one of those long, hot summer days. When we realized we'd baked more than enough treats for our own pup, the boys decided to box up the extras and go door-to-door sharing the tasty treats with all of our neighboring canine companions. It was kind of like we had created our own little adventure, one that would surely make Bingo and Rolly very proud!

 To make your own DIY Grain-Free Organic Dog Treats just follow the very simple recipe* below and be sure to tune into Disney Junior on Fridays between 6am and 10am to catch all new programming suitable for toddlers and preschoolers!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup peanut butter or nut butter of your choosing

4 organic eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 1/3 c pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl.

Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper.

Use desired cookie cutters to press-out treat shapes

Transfer using a spatula to a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are hard.

Let cool completely before sharing!

Disney Junior is putting the YAY in FRiYAY all summer long! Tune-in for the #DisneyJuniorFRiYAY new episodes airing all summer on Disney Channel. Remember moms, the days may be long but we can do hard things! (With the help of a little Disney Junior....)

You can also find Disney Junior content (music videos, promos, shorts) on the Disney Junior YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/disneyjunior and on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2rkjqp3.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Disney Junior.

*Recipe adapted from Lexi's Clean Kitchen

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