Easy Skillet ‘Lasagna’

Kid Friendly Pasta Recipe

by Liz Mangelsdorf

If you are like me, you are always hunting for quick and easy dinners that your whole family will actually eat. I’m hearing over and over again “Don’t be short order cooks!” but with a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old around that can be a hard rule to live by. One thing both my kids LOVE is noodles – I think they could eat noodles every night.

Here’s a pasta dish that is easy to prepare and has all the goodness you need for a healthy, filling dinner for the entire family. Add in other vegetable ingredients according to your kids’ likes or dislikes. You could also substitute another wide noodle for the lasagna noodle.

Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 15 min

Amazing Max and the Box of Interesting Things

The Amazing Max and the Box of Interesting Things - Sci Tech Discovery Center

Magic + Science = Mega Fun

for the Whole Family!

 

The Amazing Max and The Box of Interesting Things is thrilled to perform magic shows benefiting Sci-Tech Discovery Center on Saturday, October 6 at Angelika Theater in Plano. Bursting with striking visual magic, laugh-out-loud comedy, amazing juggling and loads of audience participation, The Amazing Max show is up-close, engaging, and designed to keep the entire family on the edge of their seats!

Halloween Party Ideas

Halloween Party Ideas

Planning a Halloween Party for Kids

by Lisa Greene

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. I just love seeing the kids in their costumes and planning a fun, safe party the kids will remember! What kid wouldn’t want to invite their friends over for some pre- trick-or-treating fun! Here are some fun ideas to plan your Halloween party.

Surviving Your First Year as a Stay at Home Mom

Stay at Home Moms - Playdate with Babies

How to be a Stay at Home Mom

 

by Kerrie McLoughlin

Congratulations! You’ve taken the plunge into the zany SAHM (stay at home mom) pool. While expecting your baby, you may have envisioned days of doing exactly what you wanted to do while your baby snoozed away, but you have probably by now realized that your tiny, new — permanent — houseguest is running the show. Now what?

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

September is National Childhood Obesity Month

by Gordon Echtenkamp

Over the past few decades, childhood obesity rates in the United States have skyrocketed, increasing more than fourfold among those ages 6 to 11. More than 23 million children and teenagers in the United States ages 2 to 19 are obese or overweight putting them at early risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even stroke. If America’s trend continues at its current pace, all 50 states could have obesity rates above 44 percent by 2030, according to a new report from Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and according to the same report, at the current rate of weight gain, by 2030, 57.2 percent of Texans will be obese. The good news is we can do something about it.

Make it a family effort. Setting a good example is the best way to reinforce the importance of exercise to your child. For instance, you could take the whole family on a weekend day trip to a state or national park and go hiking. If you don’t feel like going that far, get creative – transform your backyard or a nearby park into an obstacle course and compete in Family Olympics. When your child sees you participating in and enjoying regular exercise, they’ll be more likely to pick up the habit.

How to Teach Children About Money Management

Kids and Money Management

Crafty Ways to Teach Your Children to Save, Spend and Give

 

Teaching children about money management is an amazing gift a parent can give.  Make it fun and creative for a win-win!  Starting around age three, a child can start to grasp the concept of allowance.  This is NOT money we just give them.  They must actually do something to earn it.  The seeds you’re planting are work ethic, responsibility and persistency.  Who wouldn’t want their children to learn those big three lessons?  This is where it all begins.  Let your child know that you’d really love some help around the house and that they can earn some money by helping out.  That money can be set aside in one container for fun things like toys and games.  A portion of it will be put in a container and saved for something they want in the future.  Help them think of ideas as what that may be.  Maybe it’s a more expensive toy or a trip to the Zoo.  The last part will be put into a container to be given to other people who need it.  Just like sharing toys, it’s important to share money with others who need it.  Help them picture the place the money would go.  Maybe it’s a food bank, a religious organization or an animal rescue organization.  By helping your child visualize what the money in each container will be used for, it gives them a clearer motivation for earning the money and saving it.

Should Allowance be Tied to Chores?

Chores for Kids - Girl holding folded towels

Do you expect your kids to do chores to earn allowance?

 

by Kerrie McLoughlin

The word “allowance” might conjure up images of trust-fund kids and seems to hint at getting paid to do nothing. Poll a few of your friends about whether or not kids should get an allowance, and you’ll hear all sorts of answers. I’ve found there are several different camps on this issue, including those who believe kids should:

  1. do chores because they get a place to sleep and food to eat
  2. be paid by the chore to learn the value of working for money
  3. receive a set amount of money every week to do chores as needed or
  4. be paid an allowance to learn how to manage money