Building a gingerbread house can be a fun project for you and your kids. It’s a great fall and winter family activity, especially around the holidays. You can even get together with some friends and have a gingerbread house making party Build one giant gingerbread house, or several smaller ones to take home.
“How To Build a Gingerbread House” is a great guide to help you along the way. The book contains step-by-step instructions, easy recipes and over 200 color photographs to help you complete your gingerbread house project from start to finish.

The best part is, all you need to get …read more

Cookie parties don’t just have to be for grown ups. Kids would have a blast getting together to decorate Christmas cookies. It makes a great theme for a children’s Christmas party.
Today I have a great recipe for you to use for your party, and some cookie decorating party tips to share from the author of a new cooking with kids book Cindy Mushet. Her new book is called Baking Kids Love.
Send out the invitations a couple weeks ahead of time, letting the children and their parents know what to expect. You can make the dough ahead of time and have …read more

So you just found out you have to make some treats for your child to take to school for their Halloween party. What do you make? Here are a few ideas to help. Your kids will have a blast helping you make treats for their party, then they can tell their friends all about how their special treats came together.

These peanut butter spider cookies from Betty Crocker put a new twist on the peanut butter kiss cookies, and they’re adorable.
The green monster Halloween krispy treats are really cute.
Glittering pumpkin cookies would be a big hit.
These ghost sticks are super easy, …read more

My son has always loved to “help out” in the kitchen. He’s beyond the kids cooking sets these days, and on to cooking his own food in regular pots and pans. When he was younger though we had several kid sized cooking bowls and utensils just for him. The cute little cooking sets from WMF Americas Kid’s World reminds me of those younger cooking days (except no pink princesses here, he would have loved the pirates though).
First up WMF Animals Flatware a child-sized 5-piece stainless steel flatware set designed to stir kid’s imaginations. Each piece suggests an animal figure …read more

My son goes back to school tomorrow morning. I’m excited, but sad at the same time. We’ve had a wonderful summer, and I’m always thankful that my job gives me the flexibility to spend plenty of time with him when he’s out of school.
On the other hand, I get a ton more work done while he’s at school during the day.
He enjoys packing his lunch, and I enjoy trying to find fun things to put in his lunch, so he doesn’t have to eat the same old thing day after day.
Here’s a really cute kid’s lunch idea from Hidden Valley …read more

Denny’s restaurant updated its children’s menu to include several healthy alternatives with their kid’s meals. The healthy changes are part of Denny’s Better For You campaign launched in June of this year.

Denny’s new Better For You choices for kids include Tumbling Vanilla (vanilla yogurt with strawberry topping), “High Diving Veggies” (carrots, celery and cucumber), Apple Dunkers, Jell-O®, “Spaghetti, Set, Go!” (spaghetti with marinara sauce), and pudding.

Denny’s also took several items off their kid’s menu, including Big Dipper French-Toastix™ (French toast sticks), hot dogs, and “D-Fusion™” sugar beverage packets.
Denny’s is trying to be proactive in adding healthy alternatives to their menu, …read more

Today I have a fun idea for your back to school lunch boxes, instead of the usual peanut butter and jelly sandwich, why not let your kids make themselves a peanut butter and jelly roll for their lunchbox?
This fun recipe is courtesy of Loews Hotel’s SushiSKool, a fun school where kids can learn to roll their own sushi. This simple recipe can get children started learning how to roll sushi. Once they learn, they can come up with many creative lunch box combinations and ideas of their own.

Loews Hotels Back to School PBJ Roll
From Chef “Fuji” Fujita and Chef …read more

I enjoy cooking with my son, so whenever a recipe comes along that’s fun and kids can help with I have to share. These mini meatball sandwiches would make a wonderful addition to a children’s party, or just for fun for a Saturday afternoon brunch. The best part is the kids will have a blast helping you make them.
Dinner rolls would be the perfect size to make these little sandwiches. They are the perfect size for little hands and bellies. Add a side of grapes, or apple slices and you have a fun lunch.

Mini Meatball Sliders
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: …read more

We did our back to school shopping today, so I think the reality has set in for my son that he’s heading back to school in a few weeks. It always seems like he’s starving as soon as he hits the door, so I like to have some easy, fun treats ready for him to snack on as soon as he gets home.
One of his favorite after school snacks is Jell-o Jigglers. He likes to help make them, and eat them. If we make them one afternoon we have an after school snack for the whole week. I love recipes …read more

It’s hard to believe school will be back in session in about a month. It seems like summer just began, and now it’s already over halfway over. Today I have a healthy, fun after school snack you can make with your kids.
I know when my son gets home from school he’s usually starving, and ready to eat the refrigerator. I always feel better when I have a healthy snack to feed him. I think these Veggie Critters from Love Your Veggies would be extra fun if you let the kids help you make them.

Getting your children to eat vegetables on …read more