Spooky never tasted so scrumptious. That’s the lesson my second grader has learned by watching Food Network’s seasonal hit “Halloween Wars.” The four-episode series wraps up this Sunday and my daughter is all a twitter wondering which team will come out on top. Teams consist of pumpkin carvers, candy makers and cake designers working together to create elaborately bizarre Halloween themed displays. Interestingly, the show has turned by Halloween scaredy cat into a risk taker in the kitchen. She is dead-set on creating her own freaky Halloween dessert. The problem is I don’t have near the skills as the pros … Continue reading →

Who says you have to go broke prepping for Halloween? If you are terrified by the prospect of draining your wallet on frightful costumes, props and decorations, then consider these budget-saving ideas that will help scare away the money blues: Pun-ny: A little creativity can go a long way on October 31st, especially if you are a fan of puns. For example, you can use a knife and a cereal box to be a “Cereal Killer.” Or, place a loaf of bread in a baseball mitt and goes as the “Catcher in the Rye.” Another affordable option is to dress … Continue reading →

It’s apple harvest time in Northern Wisconsin; time to have some serious family fun with the crunchy fruit that promises to keep the doctor away. Primetime for apple picking varies depending on where you live in North America, though the season typically starts winding down for most areas by the end of October. That gives you several weeks to plan a fun-filled trip to the orchard, so that you can stock up on the kid-friendly fruit. While we haven’t made our annual trip to the u-pick farm, our neighbor has and came back with a whopping 40 pounds of McIntosh, … Continue reading →

My 6-year-old is counting down the days to her first grade class Valentine’s Day party. She’s dying to pass out the all-red treats she chose for all of her classmates and hand her teacher the all-red Love Day card she made with a very red Sharpie. It’s all about red during the countdown to February 14th. Thank goodness her Catholic School uniform is partially red or I’d really be in for it. You’d think the class party would be enough to satisfy my daughter’s obsession with red, but nooooooo, she wants to paint her entire day red, including her meals. … Continue reading →

One my family’s favorite holiday traditions is making at least two or three kid-friendly recipes and allowing the youngest members of the clan to create edible masterpieces with help from mom, dad, grandma or grandpa. Each year my mom, my sister-in-law and I comb through our recipe boxes to find simple yet tasty treats the kids can make with little assistance. I always make sure that we choose at least one dessert and one main or side dish, so they can feel as though they contributed to different aspects of the meal. This year I settled on the following recipes: … Continue reading →

Many of you are probably home with your kids this Presidents’ Day, wondering what to do on this school holiday in a month when the weather tends to be raw. Many kids don’t really understand what a President does. This year, because of all the publicity surrounding a close election and the first African-American president, they may have a greater idea—but still, what the president actually does is likely to be a mystery. The following websites have information and activities geared to kids: lots of learning plus White House tours, information on presidential pets, and more: Social Studies for Kids … Continue reading →