Leviathan book review~priddymomma

Hello readers!  Welcome to our first book review!  So glad you could make it.  This week, we’re discussing the first book in a trilogy, a book by the name of

LEVIATHAN

By Scott Westerfeld

I read The Uglies series by Westerfeld and adored them all.  Well, maybe not Specials as much, but you get the idea.  He captivated my imagination with his ideas for the dystopian series.  I thought I'd really enjoy another series he had written, so I picked up Leviathan.

I’ll start you off with a quote:

“So Leviathan is as much about possible futures as alternate pasts.  It looks ahead to when machines will look like living creatures, and living creatures can be fabricated like machines.  And yet the setting also recalls an earlier time in which the world was divided into aristocrats and commoners, and women in most countries couldn’t join the armed forces-or even vote.  That’s the nature of steampunk, blending future and past.” ~Scott Westerfeld

That pretty much spells it out for you!  Leviathan is a steampunk novel set at the onslaught of WWI.  There are transformer-esque Clanker machines fighting with Darwinist mutant-hybrid animal fabrications TO THE DEATH!!!  Or whatever.  It’s WWI!  The characters are imagined (for the most part, though some are based on real historical figures), but the basic political motivations are the same as is believed in reality. 

illustration from scottwesterfeld.com

Our story begins in two parts, following young Deryn Sharp as she disguises herself as a boy in order to become a member of the British Air Service, and Aleksandar Ferdinand, whom is on the run for political reasons and just happens to be a prince to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  Naturally, the two near-enemies cross paths and life gets interesting.

Oh.  And there's a thylacine.  Gotta love those thylacines!

 

I rate this book three out of five stars.  It was good, but not fantastic.  I love the historical fiction genre.  It is such a great way to get kids (and adults!) interested in history.  This is also the first steampunk I’ve read.  I spent the first one hundred pages or so trying to visualize the creations I was reading about.  There are illustrations, but I still couldn’t really wrap my head around the concepts of these things.  Transformer-like Clanker machines are one thing; a genetically constructed whale air ship is something completely different!  Once the storyline started moving, I really started to get into it.  I balked a bit at the political lines running throughout (boring!), which is ironic since that was the part with the historical, and therefore educational, context. 

I was exactly the opposite from Tori with regards to favorite characters.  I started out liking Deryn much more than snobbish, pampered Alek, but Alek redeemed himself, and Deryn continued along her show-boatish ways.  I think Alek had the greater moral fiber between the two of them.  I do agree that the characters balance each other out, and as is inevitable with this type of novel, Deryn begins to fall for Alek.  She moons over him a bit.  I actually appreciate the fawning-over-a-boy episode, because she screws up because of it.  Wake up, daydreamers!

I will say the storyline was amazingly creative!  I have no idea how Westerfeld dreamed this up, but it is astonishing.  The way everything works together on the Leviathan air ship, for instance, right down to the bumblebees, is a work of art.

The ending was awful though.  It annoyed me to no end.  I’ve waited to type up this review before picking up the sequel.  Go ahead and give this novel a read!  I enjoyed it, and it was fairly funny at times.  I particularly enjoy the usage of “bumrag” as an insult.  It’s just so eloquent, doncha think? 

I hear a lot of people adore the cover art.  Perhaps I have no eye for art, but I didn’t find it particularly engaging.  What about you guys?  Have you read the book?  What are your thoughts?  Any bumrags out there? 

Leviathan ~ Tori's Review

This week we are doing a book review on a common book that we've all read. This time we are reading:

::From the back of the book::
It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever.

::My thoughts::
I have been waiting to read this book for quite some time. While I did enjoy this book, I was a tad disappointed at the flow. It seemed to take awhile to get off the ground.
The fantasy aspect of this book is truly captivating. It's filled with interesting machines, crazy bizarre animals, etc. Plus it puts a whole new spin on World War I like you could never even imagine in your wildest dreams. Thus we discover Steampunk novels!
The mystery of DNA has been discovered and is being manipulated to create all sorts of crossbred animals that will have your mind reeling.
I enjoyed the two main characters Deryn and Alek, although I admit I liked Deryn better. I found Alek to be annoying, while Deryn was more likable and humble. Deryn hiding that she is a girl also kept me captivated, and you just can't put aside how these two lives intertwine with one another. The fact that they each come from different sides and face so many hardships, yet set aside their differences in the name of true friendship is just amazing. The two characters really balance each other out and I felt that was a wonderful touch for the novel.
By the middle of the book I was just so intrigued to see how it would all end up I could hardly stop reading.
There are illustrations within the book that really help fuel the imagination, and brings the story to life.
I can't wait to read the next book though. The ending left me hanging. Make sure your not in the library where it's quite when finishing this book. I wanted to scream at the ending because of how it left me hanging.

Now I can't give anymore away without spoiling the whole book for you so I will leave you with this last advice:
If you enjoy YA Steampunk fiction where history is twisted into imagination this book is definietely worth checking out.


Stay tuned for Priddymomma & Leslie's thoughts on this book. And as always email us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios (at) gmail (dot) com with any post requests, or comment below. :)

Keeping Children Safe from People Who Target Kids~priddymomma

This week, we’re covering the most important aspect of our lives:  Keeping Children Safe.  Specifically, I’d like to talk a bit about keeping children safe from people who aim to harm them. 

It’s every parent’s nightmare:  your precious child coming to harm.  There are so many things that can happen to kids that we start preparing for their safety before they are even born.  Before they are even conceived!  Every day, we hear on the news about another abduction, bullying episode that went to far, or sexual assault.  Like all animals, human predators tend to pick off the weakest and least capable of a population.  Unfortunately, that often means children.  But our kids don’t have to be unprepared for the realities of life.  We can prepare them to defend and protect themselves without terrifying them, and maybe we’ll even sleep better at night because of it.

Strangers

Parents are constantly telling their kids not to talk to strangers.  Maybe you’ve created that rule in your own household.  It’s very important to have some variation on the rule, but there are some vital pieces missing if all you tell your kids is ‘beware of strangers.’  Firstly, did you define strangers for your kids?  Predators can get around ‘someone you don’t know’.  All they have to do is tell your child their name and they are in.  They are no longer a stranger.  Instead, I like the definition of a stranger being anyone mommy and daddy haven’t met.  Teach your kids to not give personal information to strangers, instead of instructing them to be completely mute.  But make sure they know that secrets aren’t okay.  If an adult asks them to keep a secret from you, they should immediately spill the beans.  Maybe that means you find out what you’re getting for your birthday from your husband or your mother, but that’s a small price to pay for what could happen otherwise.

Secondly, teach them that not all strangers are bad.  What about the sweet old lady standing behind you at the check out counter?  Maybe she’s an axe murderer, sure, but chances are she just misses having babies around to love on.  There’s no reason for your child to scream, “I DON’T KNOW YOU!  GET AWAY FROM ME!”  If your child is with mommy and daddy, it is safe to talk to strangers, but still not okay to give out personal information. 

Thirdly, if your child is ever scared, in danger, or lost, a stranger can help.  Teach your kids that safe strangers can help them.  A safe stranger is somebody like a mommy, a police officer, waitress, mail carrier, store clerk, etc.  Teaching your kids which strangers are okay to talk to creates a less scary scenario for your child should they ever need assistance when you are not immediately at hand.

Possibly most important of all, if your child doesn’t feel right about a person, tell them that instinct is extremely important!  If they get a bad or scary vibe off of someone, they should get away as quickly as they can and find help.  Most times, people instinctively know when danger is at hand.  Most victims report having felt ill at ease prior to being attacked.

Phone Safety

• With young kids, my advice honestly is to not allow them to answer the telephone at all.  If you do allow your kids to answer the telly, teach kids to hang up if the caller makes them uncomfortable and to tell mom and dad about the call.  If he or she is home alone, teach them to call someone like grandma and let her know what just happened.  If asked for mom or dad and the parents aren’t present, the child should say they are busy and ask the caller to call back later.  Kids rarely take good messages anyway.  Same rules for texting.

• Teach kids how to call 911 and what it is used for, and consider getting your child a cell phone that at the very least dials 911 for emergency use.

Phones aren’t the only mediums for predators.  Consider internet chat rooms and social media sites, email, instant messengers, and pretty much any website they have access to.  Predators could be (and most likely are) lurking in all of these places.

Preventing Abduction…or Worse.

• Teach children a family password for after school or practice pick-up times, and change it weekly or monthly.  Practice it even when it’s just mom and dad.  Make sure grandparents and other trusted carpool parents know the password.  Kids love to ask “What’s the password?”  If someone shows up claiming dad sent them to pick Jimmy up, but he doesn’t know the password, Jimmy will know to run to his teacher or coach and let them know what’s going on.

• Kids should know to hold on to their bicycles if someone tries to remove them from it and to scream as loudly as they can.  Kids are easy enough to toss in the back of a vehicle without anyone noticing.  A screaming kid attached to a bike?  Not so much. 

• Kids (and adults, really) should avoid walking or biking anywhere at night.  Have your kid travel with other kids.  Numbers = safety.  KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILD IS AT ALL TIMES!  Also know what route your child takes to and from each location he visits.  Teach him to avoid isolated areas, such as alleys, parking lots, backyards, or wooded areas.  If someone does approach your kid, teach your kid to run around a parked car and yell for help.

• Consider teaching children some basic blocks, strikes, and escapes from grabs.  At the very least, your child should know that if someone is trying to force him to go somewhere with them or do something that doesn’t feel right, he has the right to say no forcefully.  If saying no doesn’t work, he should know that biting, scratching, eye gouging, and groin striking are acceptable ways to get away and find help.  Above all, he should know that making a lot of noise draws attention that could help him get away and be safe.

  
I hope this has given you the courage to prepare your child for the worst while praying for the best.  It's never too early to begin.


For further reading, this is a great website that talks about bullying prevention, abuse prevention, and stranger safety http://www.kidpower.org/library/article/safe-without-scared/

Keeping children safe with Car Seat Safety - Tori

There are many ways we need to factor safety into our children's lives. From teaching them about strangers, baby proofing the house, internet safety, etc., safety topics are unlimited. This week we are each going to be picking a topic to discuss on child safety. My topic will be:

Car Safety

 

Did you know?



Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among children ages 1 to 19.

Children ages 2 to 5 who use safety belts prematurely are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash than those in child safety seats or booster seats.

Of those children ages 8 and under who died in vehicle crashes in 2011, 29 percent were unrestrained.

Children should ride in the back seat until they are at least 13 years old.

 When my first son was born it was only recommended that he sit in a rear facing car seat until he reached a certain weight limit. Once that weight limit was reached forward facing was just fine and dandy. Recently though after a talk with our pediatrician we were informed that it is now recommended to keep your child rear facing for as long as possible, or at least until 2 years of age. Kids who ride in rear-facing seats have the maximum protection for the head, neck and spine.
Here's a video that will show you the difference involving rear facing vs. forward facing in a car accident.

Did you know?
There is an expiration date (usually around six years) on every car seat label?

 Make sure you know when the expiration date is so your child is riding around in a safe car seat that is still safe for today's standards. Pay close attention to the weight, age, and height label on the car seat so your getting the right kind of protection for your child.


Here's some other tips that will make your child safer in a car/car seat:

Never leave your child unattended in a vehicle whether in a booster seat, car seat, or other. This should be common sense but all too often I hear on the news about children suffering heatstroke. There's no sense for this. Don't even leave your child in a running car, take them with you. Could you bare to live with yourself if something happened? It's better to be safe than sorry.

Make sure your child is buckled in his/her seat correctly. Buckling up properly is the number one way you can help save your child's life should you ever be in a crash. Never expect that you won't be in a crash. Even if your the safest driver on the planet there are other drivers/cars who are not. Never take the risk.

Make sure your child's car seat is installed correctly. Don't be embarrassed if you are unsure whether it is or isn't. Again, it's better to be safe than sorry. Your child's life is more important than your pride. There are so many ways to have your child's car seat checked in this day and age. You can go to your local fire department, police department, and even hospital. Not to mention there are all sorts of programs that inspect car seats to make sure your child is safe.
73% of car seats are not used or installed correctly. That's well over half. Before you hit the road have your car seat checked.
Here's some things to check for::

Inch Test. Once your car seat is installed, give it a good tug at the base where the seat belt goes through it. Can you move it more than an inch side to side or front to back? A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.

Pinch Test. Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check your car seat manual). With the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder. If you are unable to pinch any excess webbing, you’re good to go.

For both rear- and forward-facing child safety seats, use either the car’s seat belt or the lower anchors and for forward-facing, the top tether to lock the car seat in place. Don’t use both the lower anchors and seat belt at the same time. They are equally safe- so pick the one that gives you the best fit.

If you are having even the slightest trouble, questions or concerns, certified child passenger safety technicians are able to help or even double check your work. Visit a certified technician to make sure your car seat is properly installed.

Now this one is a biggie:
Don't use a used car seat, and if you have no choice, know the car seat's history. Car seats are expensive yes, but if you don't have the funds for a new car seat check around. There are many programs that will give you a car seat for your child, and you can receive financial assistance in cases. Your hospital's maternity ward, your local fire station, or your local health/family department would be likely to have information to help you along. Make sure to check into them.
If a car seat has been in a car accident it's no longer safe to use. We don't always see the effects that an impact can have on the workings of a car seat. It's best to buy a used one so your child is receiving the maximum protection. Just like if you are in a wreck and your airbags deploy you can't just stuff them back in there. You have to have new ones installed. Be safe and again check around, there are many options available.

Hopefully you've taken something valuable away from this. Just remember when it comes to your kids pride is not an option. If your unsure of something ask someone. And even if you think your sure about something and you've had five kids so your experienced, ask anyway. It won't hurt. Things change all the time, we find new things out everyday. New light is shed constantly on keeping our children safe so you can do your part by keeping up to date with it. Be safe.

Homemade vs. Store Bought~priddymomma

Hello, gorgeous!  How have you been?  Yes, I’m talking to you.  Quit looking over your shoulder, silly!  I missed you since last week!  This week, we’re discussing Homemade vs. Store Bought.

The greatest determining factor deciding whether I am store buying or homemaking something has to do with how much time I have to do it.  As a mother, I am well-learned in the art of not having the time for anything.  Ever.  I made my own baby food, but it was more convenient to buy it with busy days and dishes and not-always-so-fresh produce.

My number two reason for not making something myself is that I am sometimes just that lazy.  I practically never take the time to make cupcakes from scratch, for instance.  It is so much easier for me to just buy the mix.  And for a party?  9 times out of 10 I will just buy those suckers already baked and iced.  I can then spend time on what is more valuable to me.

But sometimes…. sometimes you just can’t justify the store bought product, even if it is relatively cheap and time friendly.  For example, take Jiffy muffin mix.  No thanks.  Sure, it’s only like fifty-two cents a box, but that is crap food.  If you have ever had homemade muffins or cornbread, you know what I mean.  It costs me eight times that just to buy the blueberries for my muffins, sure, but I gladly do it if the alternative is that imposter-muffin.  (Okay.  To be fair I like the corn muffin mix, though I still prefer homemade cornbread)

I have a relatively short shopping list when it comes to cleaning products.  I know that whatever I use to clean my floors, will end up on Princess Cheerio’s hands, inevitably reaching her mouth.  I also don’t like to keep cleaners around, as most of them are poisonous if ingested.  That’s just not something I’d like to have to worry about with kiddos about.  I use vinegar to clean most things in my home.  If vinegar doesn’t cut it, vinegar and baking soda usually does.  It’s great for floors, counter tops, mirrors, windows, toilets, as fabric softener, clogged drains, deep cleaning towels, cooking, hard water stains, you name it.  I’ve read of uses for salt and lemons as well.  Why buy 200 different products?  Outside of vinegar, I buy Lysol spray, because sometimes you just want a surface really disinfected.  As far as laundry detergents go, I have a fabric softener and laundry detergent that I stick to religiously.  I do this because growing up, my mom couldn’t experiment with laundry detergents much.  I always developed a rash if she changed them.  Both my kids are the same way.  I found something that works and I like the smell.  I’m not changing it.  But that’s another thing to consider:  allergies.  I don’t change my detergent because of allergies, but allergies might be a great reason to choose to home make something (especially with food allergies like peanuts).

The last thing that I have to say about homemade vs. store bought is this:  nothing beats a handmade card or gift.  Nothing.  To know that the person thought of you, found a project they thought you would enjoy, invested time and money in collecting the supplies, and made the commitment to spend time on you (sometimes hours!), means so much more than, “oh hey….I saw this (when I was feverishly trying to find you something for your birthday) and I thought of you.”  Especially when it still has the price tag on it, or they didn’t even sign the card.  COME ON!  Also, the hand made things are one-of-a-kind and oftentimes a thousand times more wonderful/beautiful/useful than what is available at the store.

Whether you go homemade or store bought is up to you.  Do what makes you happy and gives you time to do things you enjoy.  If you want to use more homemade products, but don’t have the time for making all of them, maybe trade off.  Have a friend make her patented detergent in bulk to trade some to you in exchange for your amazing homemade baby wipes.  The sky is the limit, and you don’t have to do everything alone.

What are some of your favorite homemade products?  Any non-negotiable store bought things?  By now, you likely know you can reach us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios@gmail.com with any topic suggestions, or drop us a comment below.  Enjoy!  :)

(P.S.  I promise not to start the next post by hitting on you….but you know, if you hadn’t worn that top…you know how it makes me blush.) 

Homemade Products vs. Store Bought Products ~ Tori

 

 

 

This week we're going to be discussing homemade VS store bought products. To figure out which is the right one for you, you need to factor out quality and cost. Asking yourself these questions can help:

 

• Is the quality the same?
• Will I be saving money?
• Which is healthier for my family?
• Do I have all the ingredients and time needed to get into homemade products?

Those are just a few questions you can ponder. To be honest I do dabble in a lot of homemade items. Going to the store for certain things can be so pricey, and such a waste of time if you can make something just as good at home.

One of my favorite things to make is homemade febreeze which calls for some fabric softener, baking soda, and water.

You can also make your own fabric softener (which I haven't tried yet but would like to).

Most generally when making something homemade you get a lot more of it than you would if you go to the store and purchase it. Your also going to save money in the long run even if you do seem to be spending more at first on certain ingredients. Mainly because the ingredients you buy, you will be able to use over and over, as well as use them for other products.

 

Personally I think a lot of homemade products are much better than store bought. The quality is better, and you get a lot more bang for your buck. Problem is the time it takes to make them. For instance, cake mixes. I love making cakes from scratch, but sometimes I'm short on time or energy and find myself using boxed mixes more than anything. I would like to get into making more homemade products for my family and household. There's everything out there right at your fingertips.

Most homemade household cleaners for instance are much better than store bought. Homemade baby food can be much healthier and safer for your child to eat.

 

We all have the ability to go completely homemade, and to be honest I prefer homemade objects. But I still need store bought as well. I need store bought sunscreen, mosquito repellent, etc. But when you take a look around you can find easy to make things that are just as good as store bought (even if they take a bit of time to make) that will save you money.

 

Do you make anything homemade? Which one do you prefer? Homemade or store bought?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Pie Mousse~priddymomma

Hey guys!  Glad you could join us this week.  We're testing out pinterest recipes.  Will they live up to our expectations?  Or will they be horrific pin-tastrophes?  Only one way to find out!  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Pie Mousse

I thought this recipe would be a perfect thing to try out on a date night in.  It only takes two minutes in the microwave to make a mug cake.  It would be super nice to share with your love.  

http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2012/03/chocolate-peanut-butter-mug-cake.html

Cake:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons chocolate chips

Mousse:
1 Tablespoon softened cream cheese
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons whipped cream or cool whip
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar


The Process

Melt butter in a small dish.  Add peanut butter and mix well.  It looks like really oily peanut butter now.

In a mug, mix vanilla, egg, and sugar.  A fork worked well for me.

Combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.  

Add to mug.

Pour in peanut butter/butter mixture and mix together.  

At this point, it smells a bit like brownie mix.

Stir in chocolate chips.  More ended up in my mouth than in the mug, sadly.

Time for mousse!  Mix together cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla.  This was a pain.

Fold in whipped cream.  Sift in powdered sugar and fold that in too, trying not to over stir.  So fussy.

Microwave your mug of cake mix.  1-2 minutes or until done. 

Fairly certain I ultimately overcooked mine, as it turned out a little dry.

Top that cake!  Mousse and hot fudge.  I'm not winning any awards for presentation, but hey!

Oh yeah...the hot fudge is messy.  I ultimately got it on the counter, on my finger, on my shorts, and on the button for the microwave.  I don't even know...

I made a double batch of the mousse and added it to ice cream to share with the hubby along with the cake.

It was a bit dry, so we added it to the ice cream.

I would try this again, so I could avoid overcooking it the second time around.  Overall though, it was only okay.  I wasn't blown out of the water or anything.  It was very dense, which I'm not used to in a cake.  Without the mousse, it would have been very boring.  The mousse makes the cake though.  It tastes just like a Butterfinger candy bar.  Also, unless you are a cake fiend, I don't see you finishing it.  Hubby and I split ice cream and mug cake, and there was still enough for a third person to eat off our leftovers.  Also, the cook time might only be two minutes, but it took 25 minutes to assemble and take pics along the way.  I would prefer just to buy a cake mix.  I might try out one that uses Nutella though.  I love me some Nutella.

I think it would be pretty special to make up for the kiddos' birthdays, especially since they are only a few days apart.  That way, we don't have to bake an entire cake each birthday AND have cake for the party.  That's too much friggin' cake!

 Have you guys tried any pinterest recipes?  How did they turn out?  Which are your favorites?  Don't forget to check back next week for another topic, and until then keep love in your hearts and food in the kitchen, you kinks.  Sheesh.

Pinterest Recipes step by step ~ Tori

This week we are going to be discussing Pinterest recipes! Or rather each of us picking something from Pinterest to make and photograph the process and result.
This post is going up a bit late for me, but let's just pretend it's Tuesday okay? Yesterday turned out to be a tad insane around my house. You moms know those kind of days right? Where nothing seems to go right, your losing your mind and forgetting everything, etc. That was pretty much my day in a nutshell (which seems to be my brain).
Anyway I decided to re-visit an old favorite of mine. Jello Poke Cake! Since we are more of a cupcake family though I was looking at the cupcake versions. Problem is I could not find one recipe that included any of the ingredients I had on hand, and I had already done my grocery shopping for the week. So, I tweaked the recipe below a bit::

Here's what I came up with::

Funfetti Jello Poke Cupcakes

::Ingredients::
1 Box Funfetti Cake Mix
(ingredients required to make the cake - usually eggs, vegetable oil, and water)
1 3oz. box of Jello gelatin (I used berry blue but you can choose your flavor or use multiple ones)
1 cup boiled water
1 container of Funfetti icing (you can also use whipped frosting or cool whip)

 

 

::Directions::
1) Mix cupcakes according the instructions on the back of the box.

 

 

2) Spoon cake mix into cupcake pan, and bake as directed...

 

 

 

3) Allow cupcakes to cool completely...

 

 

4) Poke holes into the cupcakes using a toothpick or fork. (I just used a fork). Poke plenty of holes in the cupcakes. Make sure you go a little deep so the jello mix can really seep down in there.

 

 

5) Boil 1 cup water, add entire 3oz box of jello mix, stir until completely dissolved.

 

 

6) Using a spoon, pour the gelatin over the cupcakes slowly, making sure it seeps into the holes.

 

7) Once the jello mix is poured over all the cupcakes, it's time to slide them into the fridge. They will need to be refrigerated like this for about 3 hours so the jello can set.

 

8) After sitting in the fridge for about 3 hours you are safe to pull out your cupcakes and begin icing them, and adding your toppings.

 

9) If you like your frosting cold you can refrigerate them again if need be, but however you want to do it these cupcakes are now ready to eat and enjoy. :)

 

 

These are fun, festive, and really easy to make. They are a fast treat for any sweet tooth. They require few ingredients, and there are so many ways you can tweak Jello Poke Cupcakes (or jello poke cake) to your own liking. Either way just have fun with it, and ENJOY!  :)