5 ways to get your kids involved in the kitchenBetween the fact that my husband and I both seem to need to eat EVERY SINGLE DAY and the fact that I really enjoy cooking and baking, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. And having a toddler means she spends a lot of time in there with me.
Happily, she seems to really enjoy cooking, and if I suggest that we make something, she's usually very enthusiastic. Of course, she wants to be as involved as possible and I've been surprised how able she really is.
Related: 6 everyday items my baby finds fascinating
Here are some of the things I've learned about having a very small helper in the kitchen.
1. Let them see everything you're doing
Make sure you put your child somewhere they can see. Whether that's on a stool, sitting on the counter, doing most of your prep at the kitchen table, or with their highchair pushed up to the workspace, most children are going to be happiest the closer they are to the action.
Related: 5 meal-planning tips for busy moms
2. Let them push the buttons
My
5 Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in the Kitchen
By Disney Baby | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 2:13 PM EDTAstrology.Com Daily MomScopes -- Tuesday October 23, 2012
By Astrology.com Momscopes | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 1:49 PM EDT
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
You had better get ready to take control of the situation (any situation) today. Your baby may have bitten off more than they can chew with that apple or pumpkin-picking trip. It'll likely be up to you to make it a success.
Today's Aries Reading: Free Sample Extreme Makeover Tarot Reading
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
When your tyke puts on those glasses with the funny nose and mustache, it's funny -- for five minutes. But just when you tire of other folks trying to get a rise out of you by acting strangely, the day eases. Friends come to your aid.
Today's Taurus Reading: Free Sample Career Strengths Reading
Read More »from Astrology.Com Daily MomScopes -- Tuesday October 23, 2012
Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
The day gets off to an active start, with mental pursuits favored. A lunchtime book club might fill the bill or some other chance to exchange views. Someone mayBy GalTime.com Sr Editor Jessica Ashley
photo credit: Jessica Ashley"Why are you so weird?"
It is said with love, I swear, and it is asked nearly every day in our home. Sometimes we laugh that he got a good dose of strangeness from his dad's side of the family. And then we laugh harder and admit my genes delivered all the quirkiness he'd ever need right to him.
Lil E started dressing himself when he was in kindergarten, insisting he hated all "crunchy pants" and was disgusted by shirts with buttons. He proudly paired camouflage tees with striped athletic pants and unrolled his socks so that his feet were never matched up.
One of his friend's moms called his look "urban athletic chic," a kind way to say the kid was swathed daily in pants that swish and t-shirts that touted some vintage Star Wars endeavor or another.
Before the kooky clothes combos, it was his hair that was wild. Every school photo shows off his bedhead, where the cowlicks push his locks straight up, particularly if a trim is
Read More »from Do You Embrace Your Child's Weirdness?Adele Reportedly Target of Cyberbullies Following Birth of Her Son
By GALTime.com | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 11:58 AM EDTBy GalTime Entertainment Diva Andrea Krivelow
Adele's a mom!Adele and boyfriend Simon Konecki have welcomed their first child together, a baby boy. The couple announced they were expecting back in June.
Although her rep has yet to make an official announcement, a family source confirms the British singer is now a mom:
Read More »from Adele Reportedly Target of Cyberbullies Following Birth of Her Son"We are all over the moon."
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But, the news is overshadowed by a frightening trend picked by the Daily Mail that Adele is being bullied by Internet Trolls. The Mail reports that a Twitter user named @perffemale (who goes by the name Vanessa Bieber) tweeted:
Aw Adele gave birth to a baby :,) is it fat and Handicapped lol just murder it already lol
....and that another tweeted: 'I'll go see her in the UK and kill her' while others talked about not being able to tell if she was pregnant because she was overweight.
We looked for @perffemale on Twitter and the account is not there,
Monday Night Football Saved This Woman's Life
By Parenting.com | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 11:26 AM EDTBy: Erin Zammett Ruddy
As I'm sure you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which means a whole lot of stuff that isn't usually pink is now pink (Nick and I actually burned a breast cancer ribbon-wrapped Duraflame log the other night-the flames were pink, I kid you not.) October is also peak season for football and the NFL has been pinked right along with our yogurt containers and fake, chemical-laced logs. The players wear pink cleats, the refs toss pink coins, the goal posts are wrapped in pink pads, and, of course, the cheerleaders shake pink pom poms. There is an ongoing debate over what impact the pinking of America truly has on the epidemic of breast cancer in this country but before you weigh in, read this email, sent to the New York Jets two days ago:Name: Tina A
Subject: Community Relations
Message: Last year October I was watching a Jets game and noticed the pink the team was wearing. I didn't know why and asked my husband. He said it was for
Read More »from Monday Night Football Saved This Woman's LifeWhat a 13-year-old Internet Guru Can Teach Us About Cyberbullying
By Piper Weiss, Shine Staff | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 11:22 AM EDT
Daniel Singer: 13-year-old social networking whiz kid.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg was 20 when he launched his social networking site. Daniel Singer, creator of the new site YouTell, is 13.Zuckerberg's influence has created new opportunities for a generation raised on the Internet. (To wit, Daniel pitched YouTell to a San Francisco start-up veteran from his L.A. bedroom.) On the flip side, those opportunities for self-expression can lead to dangerous, sometimes tragic outcomes.
I first heard about YouTell—a site that lets users request anonymous feedback from a selected group of peers ("Do you like my haircut?" "Am I being a good friend?")—the day after tragic news of bullied teen Amanda Todd's suicide surfaced. The idea of a site designed to provide anonymous criticism seemed like a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.
But because YouTell was developed by a 13 year old (along with Daniel's dad Uri Singer, and four other grown-ups), the site is more attuned to both the desires and concerns of the Facebook generation.
For
Read More »from What a 13-year-old Internet Guru Can Teach Us About CyberbullyingI Let My Kids Hurt Themselves -- for Their Own Good
By The_Stir | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 9:36 AM EDT
baby diving off couchMy boy, before he dived off the couchSo, you know all those things they tell you about toddler boys being really active and wild and mischievous? You know those warnings from Moms of older boys, that usually come with that, "Oh just you wait" smirk? Well, I guess I really should have listened because now that my twins are upright, they've turned into pint-size stuntmen. God help me!
More from The Stir: Hilarious 'Honest' Toddler Spills 8 Secrets Every Mom Wants to Hear
They're climbing on the bookshelves, hanging off the baby gates, walking up slides and racing up playground steps. I want to be cool about it, I do -- not hover, not panic, just let boys be boys. But, dammit, they're my little precious baby boo-boo's and they're going to hurt themselves! Am I really supposed to let them learn the hard way?
Their latest stunt, the one that is really giving me heart palpitations, is their desire to head dive off of the armrest of the couch, onto the hardwood floor. They
Read More »from I Let My Kids Hurt Themselves -- for Their Own GoodMom Gets Kicked Off Bus Because Her Sick Baby's Diaper Stinks
By The_Stir | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 9:32 AM EDT
diaperDo you have a copy of Everyone Poops lying around? Time to pack it up and send it to Seattle! A mom was kicked off a city bus there because her sick baby had a stinky diaper, and it was bothering other passengers.
Oh come on guys, really? You know you did that once too, right?
Come to think of it, just about every mom I know has been in the situation Nichole Hakimian was in this week.
More from The Stir: Little White Lies Moms Tell Their Babysitters
Maybe it wasn't a city bus taking your sick kid to the doctor (oh, did I mention that part? She was taking her poor little man to the doctor when he had diarrhea in his diaper!). Maybe it was a grocery store, and you'd just put the 24th item on your list of 25 into the cart when you smelled something foul coming at you from the general vicinity of the gurgling, grinning pumpkin perched up in the front. Or maybe it was the post office. Or an older child's school.
Point is, kids poop. And they don't always make sure to
Read More »from Mom Gets Kicked Off Bus Because Her Sick Baby's Diaper StinksHilary Duff Makes a Seriously Good Case for Having a Baby when You're Young
By The_Stir | Parenting – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 9:30 AM EDT
hilary duffBeing that she was just 25 when she gave birth, Hilary Duff is thought of as a "young mom" by most. Yes, there are many women who have babies before then, but by today's standards, for the most part, 25 is considered "young" to be a parent. And Hilary likes it that way. Well, mostly. In a recent interview with Parents, she said that sometimes, she feels sort of lonely, being that she doesn't have many friends her age with babies. She's "at a totally different spot than a lot of [her] friends." But there is a very, very specific upside to being a young mom, as she pointed out.
There isn't that mad dash, oh-my-god-let's-hurry-up-and-have-another-kid-soon pressure.
And that must be nice.
In the interview, Duff stated: "I want to have more kids and I'm looking forward to doing that, but I'm not in any rush. I think sometimes maybe if you start a little later you're in a hurry to get all the kids you want, and I have a little time to spread that out."
Yes, Hilary, you
Read More »from Hilary Duff Makes a Seriously Good Case for Having a Baby when You're YoungAstrology.Com MomScopes – Monday, October 22, 2012
By Astrology.com Momscopes | Parenting – Fri, Oct 19, 2012 8:16 PM EDT
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
You will want to have like-minded people around you today. But when it comes to your kiddo, they likely will assert themselves and seek out other kids who are not the ones you expected. Be prepared for a surprise.
Today's Aries Reading: Free Sample Daily Grind Reading
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
You say the peanut butter goes on the bottom, your kiddo insists it goes on top of the jelly. If you're not careful, you can get caught up in pointless power struggles today. Do your best to avoid taking sides unnecessarily.
Today's Taurus Reading: Free Sample Maya-Aztec Reading
Read More »from Astrology.Com MomScopes – Monday, October 22, 2012
Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
This is a great day to spend time deep in thought. Or even just staring off into space and pretending that you are deep in thought. Turns out your little tyke can't tell the difference and might let you get some rest.
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