Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in portland, OR

Movie + Homemade Munchies = Stay at home fun

May 25, 2009

Since my husband and I are living the "no-spend" lifestyle right now, a date night for us these days consists of turning on the Xbox and streaming Netflix movies (we made the executive decision that $8.99/month for entertainment was a reasonable cost and well-needed escape/sanity-booster) along with some yummy snacks. It hasn't been that hard to adjust to no movies/dinners out, and actually, watching movies at home, with the lack of teenagers frantically texting on their phones/calling out a continuous summary of the movie's events has been refreshing, not to mention, we can pause the movie to run in the kitchen and make more popcorn!

Here are some of our favorite cool snacks for hot summer nights:

-fruit salad with tangy frozen yogurt from Trader Joe's
-homemade strawberry shortcake made with berries grown in your backyard
-pomegranate vodka coolers
-peach smoothies
-homemade ice cream with grilled fruit (sounds weird, is delicious)
-chips and salsa (char tomatoes, onions, peppers under broiler for extra zip!)
and my new favorite recipe from recipezaar:

Our favorite movies as of late are a mixture of documentaries and odd-ball television series. I'm looking forward to the next season of Project Runway (finally!) and the Top Chef All-Stars competition, but until then, I'll be scoping out more movies about unusual people and their lives. Here are some recent favorites:

-Confessions of a Superhero (wanna-be super heroes and their not so super lives)
-Monster Camp  (role playing games gone way, way wrong)
-American movie (documentary "film-maker" and his journey towards a finished movie)
-Devil and Daniel Johnston (touching movie about a tortured genius)
-Arrested Development (I want to marry Michael Cera)
-Mad Men (ooh-la-la office life + Jon Hamm =fabulous)
-Breaking Bad (the dad from Malcolm in the Middle + Meth Lab=fun times)
-This American Life, Season One (Ira Glass always finds the most interesting people and tells the stories of their lives)


What movies or television series do you like to watch with your significant other?












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Cooking Once, Cooking Twice, These Cookbooks Make Cooking Nice!

April 27, 2009

Favorite Cookbooks for Kids

My daughter went through a phase when she was around 2.5 where she was obsessed with cookbooks. She liked to pour over them constantly, picking out the thing we would cook next, or use the recipes as a jumping-off point for her own concoctions. Instead of looking at picture books before bed, she wanted to take a stack of cookbooks to read under the covers. We picked up a bunch of cookbooks at the Goodwill Bins, yard sales, and on eBay to round out our collection. A few of these books are still getting a lot of use in our house, the rest (like the BettyCrocker Entertaining Manuals from the 1970s) have slowly been snuck out of the house to be re-donated. In fact, we often give copies of these cookbooks as our "go-to" gift for special friend's birthday gifts!

Pretend Soup and other Real Recipes--Mollie Katzen
This cookbook has sweet illustrations that give straight forward directions that are easy for children to read and follow. The numbered pictures present tasks that are easy for children and help to build confidence in the kitchen. It's especially fun to use food that you've grown yourself to cook and bake with, and MollieKatzen makes this process loads of fun! Using simple, healthy foods (no Cool Whip or licorice noses in these recipes) to make Bagel Faces, Carrot Pennies, or Number Salad means your child gains experience cutting, chopping, and measuring. Pretend Soup is thoughtfully written, it doesn't spend a lot of time with zillions of intricate steps (which may lead to your child getting bored and wandering off or Mama weeping when her elaborate marzipan birds don't turn out right) and one cooking project can be completed in a short time.

Look and Cook--Tina Davis
I find myself picking this cookbook up often just to flip through the fun retro illustrations. It claims to be a cookbook for children, but it is a reliable resource for the yummiest chocolate chip cookies EVER! The recipe for strawberry shortcake gets a lot of use in our house too. There is nothing like fresh strawberries and the joy of splattering whipping cream all around the kitchen to satisfy a toddler! Davis' book offers easy, beginner recipes for cooking basics like french toast, blueberry muffins, split pea soup. What I like about this book is that some recipes can be attempted with little adult intervention, and as your child grows, they can move on to the more complicated (and stove-related) tasks. Super whimsical graphics teach table setting and kitchen safety.

Mom and Me Cookbook--Annabel Karmel
DK makes the best in-depth instructional books and this cookbook will keep you and your kiddo busy! Lots of full color photos and step by step instructions make the tasks fail proof. There is a good variety of snacks, main dishes, and desserts (the book is quite heavy on the sweets, but does offer healthy options like smoothies, and freezer pops) Our favorite recipes were the Avocado Fruit Dip and the Fishy Fruit Dip---great projects to incorporate for your turn for snack day at preschool!

22:15:31

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Top 5 Ways to Pack Your Child's Lunch with Extra Love

April 21, 2009

I still remember the brown paper bags that I carried my lunch in (after I graduated from the Super Heroes metal lunchbox and before I was too cool to even bring a lunch and merely existed on....air?) and the drawings my mom did on the front every day. They made me laugh and they helped me carry a little bit of her to school with me every day.

Here are five easy ways to send a virtual hug to school with your child:

1) Involve your child in the preparation and decisions that go into the lunch. Bring your child to the store or farmer's market with you and ask them what they would like to eat this week. Maybe they have an idea based on an educational theme from school or a new treat they want to bake? Have them meal plan with you and prepare the lunch the night before. Children can make sandwiches, chop fruits/vegetables, and package leftovers from family meals. If your child sees that you value their input and are excited about fun, healthy food to fuel their bodies, they will be too!

2) Help your child select components for a zero-waste lunch. Not only can they can pick out reusable drink containers, thermos, and bento boxes that strike their fancy, but you can help them to sew easy cloth napkins or sandwich wraps with fabric they repurpose from around the house. They can use fabric pens to design a Days of the Week set of napkins!

3) Cut out a funny cartoon or picture you download and tuck it in your child's lunch bag. Etsy has a great selection of handmade lunchbox notes or you can write them a note every day telling them something you are proud to see them learn or do. Include a knock-knock joke, or small origami project.

4) We've always tried to stay away from the "sugar as a reward" issue, but a healthy baked goodie that you make with your child is a fun addition to a lunchbox. Let them select a new recipe to try and use the measuring to brush up on math skills. They can count out the cookies into containers for extra numbers practice.

5) Why not pack your own lunch and join your child for a surprise lunch date in the cafeteria if the school allows visitors? I have done this several times this year and my daughter was thrilled to have me squish my adult body onto a narrow bench with twenty-two other kindergarteners!  Whether you are a working parent, stay at home parent, or some combo of the two, you can make time at least once a year to share a meal with your child and see what their world at school is really like!
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