Halloween Time 2013

It's that time of year again. Planning for Halloween can be difficult since it requires decorating, special treats, costumes, crats and perhaps even parties, not to mention the trick or treating on that special night! I have a suggested a few of my favorite books, alongs with two easy crafts that can be done in a short period of time, with a few children or as a party activity. Halloween Books: Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler and SD Schindler Five Little Pumpkins by Dan vaccarino The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony Di Terkizzi Popcorn by Frank Asch Crafts: Mummy Pumpkins- Supplies needed: a small pumpkinm gauze bandages. First I hot glued two large wiggle eyes to a spot where my three year old grandson chose. Next, using gauze bandage I bought at my dolar store, I hot glued one end to the bottom of the pumpkin. He took over, winding the gauze around the pumking, passing around the eyes. We used two rolls of 4.5 yards for a small pumpkin. I hot glued the other end to the top. It looks spooky and was done in a matter of minutes. Monster Making- Supplies needed: glue sticks, construction paper shapes. After cutting many different shapes from various colors of construction paper, I let him make monsters. Since we just read Where the Wild Things Are, it was apparent he was influenced by those illustrations. The possibilities here are endless. He used a glue stick and was happy to work on this project for a half hour. I can't wait to try it with my 5 year old grandaughter. These monsters would also be cute as place setting cards or the fronts of Halloween cards. Have fun and let their imaginatiosn run wild!

Ideas For Lunch

Preparing healthy lunches for kids to take to school is easy. Preparing healthy lunches ofr kids to take to school that they will actually EAT, is a challenge. Here are some tips I recently heard: 1-Use 100% whole grain bread 2-Let them build it. Send is slices of cheese, veggies and chicken with assorted crackers and them them make their own combos. 3- Experiment with different veggies and dips so they can try new tastes. Plus dips imply yummy snacks. 4- Add slices of fruit to their water bottles. It will add flavor but no sugar. 5- Prepeel fruit like oranges to make it easier to eat. Apples can be slices and rubber banded back together to keep pieces from browning. 6-Use fat free Greek style yogurt with honey to make a dip for fruit. 7- Use a peeler on veggies to make interesting ribbons and curls. The kids might think it's more fun that way. 8- Adding some colorful sprinkles to yogurt won't add many calories but will add interest. 9- Use large cookie cutters in fun shapes to cut sandwiches. Don't be square any more! 10- Don't forget good old fat free popcorn for a quick snack, 11- For a fun trail mix, use 2 cups goldfish, 2 1/2 cups cheddar mini-pretzels, 1 cup dried fruit like apples or cherries, and 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts. Bag them up in 1/2 cup portions. 12- Find a great recipe for home made healthy chips here.

Product Safety Recall Sept. 2013

Follow this link to see the list of recalls of children's products for September.