girl eatingImpress your guests with our creative candy decorations -- all completely doable in less than 30 minutes!

By Amanda Kingloff, Taryn Mohrman, and Erica Clark from Parents Magazine

Mini Smash Cake
A mini layer cake for a first birthday is coated in frosting, edged in colorful sprinkles, and topped with the cutest little "cupcake." To make the topper, pipe a swirl of frosting onto a small peanut-butter cup and decorate with sprinkles and a nonpareil "cherry."

RELATED: Easy Birthday Cakes

Birthday Buzz Cake
Create flowers on a sheet cake in seconds. Use a green food marker to transform the sticks of lollipops and adorn with gummy spearmint leaves. A yellow jelly-bean bee (flanked by two halves of a black jelly bean) gets its stripes from a black food marker and leaves a trail of chocolate sprinkles.

Rainbow Cake
Simply press jelly beans into a frosted layer cake for this showstopping effect.

Confetti Cake
Carefully cut Airheads into strips and twist them around your finger to form streamers. Arrange

Keep sane when sharing a family bathroom.

When my kids were still very little, too young to take baths on their own and still in diapers, I was the proud owner of a lovely home with two bathrooms. Then, as children do, they began to grow. My clever decorating scheme gave way to bathtub crayons, cartoon characters, and toothpaste from floor to ceiling - don't ask how the little darlings managed that last one, because I couldn't tell you.

As a family of five, we've had to make our shared bathroom work for us. In short, I learned all about sharing a bathroom with children. Happily, I discovered a few things along the way to make the entire adventure less painful and more productive (and even kind of fun) for everyone.

A Place for Everything…Including the Duckies

Strictly speaking, the basic bathroom supply list for most kids includes soap, towels, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and little else. I have yet, however, to encounter a parent who hasn't also tried to find room in the bathroom for countless rubber duckies, special

Image: Ben Werdmuller/Creative CommonsToday is one of those days that as soon as I woke up, I already felt completely overwhelmed. I knew my to-do list was already excessively long, I was anxious about the rain that is headed our way because our basement hasn't stopped flooding yet from the last two rain storms we've had this week, and it's my son's seventh birthday. Mom bloggers, and especially ones that double as party planners, are supposed to have balloons ready to burst through the bedroom door when their child opens it the morning of their birthday, aren't they? Instead, last night my son asked me what I was bringing in to his class today and inside my head, I said, "Oh crap. I hadn't planned on that."

Read More: 5 Fast Stress Busters for Instant Relaxation

Doing it All
It's not that I hadn't thought about his birthday at all. We have dinner plans with a friend to celebrate tonight, and I tried to get my super sports fan tickets to the Stanley Cup finals. If I hadn't been distracted by the contractor (our kitchen is

I'm always telling my 5-year-old daughter, Ashby, how important and fun learning is. It's one reason I love my career so much: There's always something new to explore. We all want our kids to have fun, and it's even better when they can learn at the same time. I asked a few celebs to share their fave educational toys.

By Nancy O'Dell, host of Entertainment Tonight from Parents Magazine

Kristin Davis
Sex and the City star, mom of 1-year-old Gemma
"She's recently become very good at the sorting toys. For her birthday, Cindy [Cynthia Nixon] gave her a house that has blocks in different colors and shapes. In two days, she got it! And she knows how to open it, get all the blocks back out, and start again. I'm very impressed."

RELATED: Age-by-Age Guide to Toys!

Ali Larter
Resident Evil: Afterlife actress and mom of 2-year-old Theodore
"He's amazing with the alphabet and with his numbers and all of that. Alphabet flash cards have been incredible. On airplanes, they

Let Astrology Help You Know Your Dad Better This Father's Day!
If you want to grow closer to your dad this Father's Day, it's important to figure out what makes him tick. By exploring his Sun sign, you can discover how to develop a stronger, more satisfying relationship with your dad!

Aries
The Aries dad is at his best when active, so spend time with him while exercising, or perhaps attend a sporting event together. The fiery Aries father is the brave and courageous sort, so listen to him talk about past victories since he loves to share stories of his success.

Taurus
Traditional and stable, the Taurus dad likely always has time for you. Since he enjoys quiet time above conversation, find a sunny day and try doing some gardening or yard work with him. This earthy father also loves to eat, so invite him over for a meal of his favorite comfort food.

Gemini
Mercurial and active, the Gemini father probably has lots of questions for you, so strengthen your relationship by sharing new ideas with him. Since he enjoys learning, take him to a lecture or workshop

Discriminatory, or just smart business? This restaurant doesn't allow kids under 18. (Photo: WUSA-TV)A new sushi restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia, has caused a stir by insisting that it's for adults only. In fact, it's gone so far as to ban kids completely.

Also on Shine: Restaurant Bans Kids Under 6. Discrimination or Smart Move?

"Welcome," reads the black-and-white sign on the door of The Sushi Bar. "This is an adults-only environment. No children under 18 please."

Also on Shine: Is the No-Kids-Allowed Movement Spreading?

Some outraged parents have promised to boycott the upscale eatery, which opened just last weekend in the Del Ray area.

"Great way to keep me out of your spot," griped one commenter on the Sushi Bar's Facebook page. "As a single parent, thanks... we will dine at another sushi bar!"

"In case anyone is wondering, no, I won't be patronizing this establishment if I'm ever again in the area," added another commenter.

But co-owner Bill Blackburn told Yahoo! Shine in a telephone interview that they had always planned to make the eatery a child-free zone.

"We were not expecting

Nothing will entertain your child like her sibling Tomorrow, my second child turns six months old, which means I've now spent half a year as a parent of two little children.

Here's are some truths I've learned:

1. You WILL love your second baby just as much as your first.
I wasn't sure if it was possible, but she's proved me wrong. I love her so much my heart wants to burst wide open.

2. It is a rare night when you aren't woken up at least once.
My baby isn't sleeping through the night yet, but my older child, who has slept through the night since seven weeks old, now often wakes up in the night disoriented or frantically asking if there are tigers in Texas.

Related: 30 nicknames that make great baby names

3. You will feel like the most capable person alive when you go grocery shopping by yourself with two children.
And you will look at people with three or more children and wonder if they have super powers.

4. When your older child sees your snuggly new baby, they might decide to get a little snugglier themselves.
And I'm not complaining about

As her baby enters kindergarten, Johanna goes on a journey of parental emotions, ranging from pride and joy and sadness, to hysteria and self-induced blindness.

Check out Johanna's personal blog.

Related links:
The truth about "mommy brain"
How to guide your future teen
Mommy's hiding places
10 ways to find mommy time
Toddler toilet terror