If you’ve been trying to cook more meals at home, you may have noticed improvements in your budget, your waistline, and your family together time. But unless you have a Cordon Bleu diploma tacked up on the wall in the family room, you might be encountering a downside to all this cooking—boredom with that same-old rotation of dishes and recipes. Here’s a way to get variety back into your repertoire, and have fun with your friends as a bonus.

A soup swap sounds simple, but it makes people so happy, perhaps because there is something about the nature of soup-making that elevates the experience to a higher level. A salad swap wouldn’t work for reasons that are both practical and more intangible. You can’t lose a salad in the back of the freezer and
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Be prepared with your queries, and you’ll get the answers you need to make the best decision

Had you been really thinking about it last year, you would already have a handle on which camp you were going to send your child to this year. As always, the best way to assess what a camp is going to offer your child is to visit it—which is (of course) when it is in session; typically in the summer months. But we can’t go back to the future, so here we are, stuck in February, trying to make decisions on a place you can’t fully evaluate right now.

Thankfully, Minnesota Parent offers a cool event every year called the Camp Fair at the end of this month. It’s the next best thing to visiting a camp—and it may be actually even more
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It’s never too early to begin talking with your kids about sex. In fact, the earlier you start, the more comfortable you will feel when it’s time to talk about difficult issues. Here are some age-appropriate topics parents should bring up with children now to pave the way for less-stressful conversations about sexual health in the adolescent years.

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Consider these great games for the dark winter days when it’s too cold for outdoor fun

Bejeweled 3

The world’s most popular “match three” game is available on just about every digital device you can name, so it may seem unnecessary to buy another version. Or, it would—if PopCap’s flagship franchise wasn’t so much darn fun. For only $20, the Nintendo DS version includes eight different versions of the game. Our favorite is the addictive quest mode, which challenges players to finish 40 scenarios with specific goals. From matching moving jewels before they reach the top to using jewels to uncover hidden
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“I know that children using their birthday parties to generate donations is something that’s happening all the time,” says Seema Pothini of Savage, Minnesota, “but what I think is different about this story is that Shrey is seeing, at a very early age, the power of using his voice to help others.” What Pothini is referring to is her son’s preference for a very particular type of birthday celebration. For the past two years instead of receiving gifts, Shrey Pothini has asked for new bath towels, with the intent to give them to Avenues for Homeless Youth, a youth homeless shelter in north Minneapolis.

After the hometown venue he had used for his previous parties changed from free usage to fee-based, Shrey got on the phone and spoke with a
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People who affected change, or those who learned how to make a change, are seen through the eyes of children

 

We are America: A Tribute from the Heart
By Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers
Harper Collins, $16.99

The father-son team that created Harlem explore what it is to be an American, taking readers on a moving journey through U.S. history with vivid lyrical free verse and sweeping panorama paintings. This lovely picture book features vivid portraits of political Americans, from Tecumseh to Abraham Lincoln to Jimi Hendrix.



Goyangi Means Cat

By Christine McDonnell
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Tony Carr knows all about bridging the tough issues. Just one look at the Stillwater native’s collection of memorabilia and it’s easy to see why. It’s a part of history that’s tough to view for both kids and adults—and even tougher to talk about.

Carr, a former professional basketball player, and currently a professional diversity speaker, began collecting black memorabilia about 20 years ago. Every piece of Carr’s collection has a story, and he knows every word of it.


What was your first piece of memorabilia?

My first piece was an Aunt Jemima salt and pepper shaker [set]. I bought it down in northern Illinois for [about] 50 cents. After that, I started paying attention and researching
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Where did the romance go? If you’re like most couples, you get home from a planned date night feeling wonderfully upbeat. The next night you can barely remember where you went or what you ate.

Sporadic attempts at romance are just that—temporary and easily forgotten. From date night to a Valentine’s Day weekend getaway, each has tremendous value, while we are doing it. But when we return home to our predictable routine of working and caring for our children, those special one-on-one moments quickly fade.

Does this mean that a marriage with children is in trouble if the couple doesn’t have those heart throbbing romantic highs once shared in the dating phase? Absolutely not. When kids are in the mix, married couples should expect a more
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Keeping it real with products that won’t harm the environment
 

My Belle

Made of soft organic cotton and hemp fabrics, Belle’s stylish organic baby carriers are lightweight, breathable, and have natural antibacterial qualities. All of Belle’s products are manufactured in the U.S. Designed with an independent waist-belt and cross-over shoulder straps, this design transfers the weight off the shoulders and onto the hips, using the same principles as highquality outdoor backpacks designed to carry a large amount of weight.

bellebabycarriers.com; about $100


Watkins wow

Winona, Minnesota-based J.R.
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Moms are notorious for comparing notes—and price tags—when it comes to big kid expenses (strollers, cribs, even breast pumps). But they’re quieter when it comes to everyday lifesavers, those cheap but dependable items that help quash tantrums, clean up spills, and save sanity. Maybe it’s because the stuff is so totally ordinary it seems silly to praise it. Now it’s time for the workhorses to have their day in the spotlight. Here are a few I’ve found cheap and helpful throughout the course of raising three kids.


A time-consuming snack.

Goldfish crackers and other salty snacks anchor many moms’ snack arsenals. But they can be eaten quickly, and one overturned bag can create an embarrassing, dusty mess.
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I’m going to date myself here: I remember when Jolt Cola became popular. I was in college, and people were buzzing—pun intended—about this new drink that contained all the sugar and twice the caffeine of a normal cola. It sounded crazy to me—who would drink such a product?

Many people, it turns out. Twenty-five years later, the production and consumption of energy drinks has exploded, and the contents of the newer drinks make Jolt look quaint by comparison. Energy drink sales in the United States were about $5.4 billion in 2006, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association; that same year, 500 new energy drink products were introduced worldwide. You may not be able to name more than a few, but chances are, your children can, even if they
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Sweets for your sweetie

Be our friend on Facebook by February 10 for a chance to win a six-pint pack of Graeter’s Ice Cream, just in time to delight your favorite valentine. Hand packed and made with 100% cane sugar, no trans fats, and no rBST, it’s a treat you can find locally at Kowalskis, Lunds/Byerlys, Whole Foods, and more as well. Go to Facebook/MNParentMag and hit your “Like” button today!

 

Top baby names of 2011

According to babynames.com, the top names for 2011 are (for boys): Liam, Noah, Aiden, Jackson, Caleb, Oliver, Grayson, Ethan, Alexander, and Owen; and for girls: Charlotte, Sophia, Amelia, Olivia, Ava, Lily, Emma, Scarlett, Audrey, and Harper. Noted names new to the charts a
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There’s a little place near the corner of Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road in Edina that bore witness to my (then) three-year-old daughter’s melt down. I’m not sure what set her off: indecision, fatigue, overwhelmed by the number of kids all taller than she, blocking her view of the tubs of colorful ice cream? In any case, she blew her stack and I carried her out of there, screaming and kicking, under my arm similar to the way a running back carries a football. 
I felt the eyes of many upon my back as we departed.

My mother has related a time when my brother did something so horrific while hiding inside a rack of women’s clothing at Southdale that she could only collect her offspring and get out of there as quickly as possible. Full Article