Today is Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s birthday! With their whimsical illustrations and trademark Seussian silliness, Dr. Seuss’s books have inspired generations of children to become lifelong readers. They’re a staple in my children’s library and were in mine growing up.

Learn more about Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel and find all his books in the Dr. Seuss Amazon Author Store.

Here are some favorites:

The Lorax – Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth’s natural beauty. The Lorax is an ecological warning that still rings true today amidst the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth’s environment.

Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches the Egg – Surely among the most lovable of all Dr. Seuss creations, Horton the Elephant represents kindness, trustworthiness, loyalty and perseverance. Now, the two books that introduced the heroic Horton to the world – Horton Hears A Who! and Horton Hatches the Egg – are available together for the first time in the Dr. Seuss’s Horton Collection Boxed Set.

Green Eggs and Ham – We can’t leave out Sam I Am now, can we?

A great companion of any Dr. Seuss books is the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook with its Seuss-inspired recipes.

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Comment below and let us know!

Disney continues the Little Mermaid franchise with The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Ariel and Eric must hide their precious daughter Melody’s mermaid heritage to protect her from Ursula’s revengeful sister Morgana. But when the lure of the sea proves too strong for Melody, they call upon King Triton and all land and sea creatures to help rescue their daughter.

For once in a Disney film, there’s no princess pining over a prince. Or any dead parents to make you feel sorry for the main character. So in this, The Little Mermaid II is perfect for the younger set who are in love with mermaids like my five-year-old daughter Lucie. She especially loves the songs and doesn’t care that the animation isn’t quite up to Disney standards.

Mermaid snacks and recipes

If you’re looking for some mermaid food to snack on while you watch the movie, check out MermaidMary.com from Lynn E. Hazen. She’s the author of Mermaid Mary Margaret, about a ten-year-old girl who accompanies her recently widowed grandmother on a cruise to the Greek Islands (for ages nine to 12).

Lynn has recipes for Blue Jello Mini Oceans, Octopus and Other Sea Creature Pretzels, and Mermaid Cookies, as well as mermaid activities and projects for teachers, parents and homeschoolers.

If you’re looking for more recipes, check out the The Mermaid Cookbook, which offers ones perfect for mermaid, ocean voyage, treasure island, and pirate parties for kids. (Or just for watching an Arial movie!)

This spiral bound cookbook offers an abundance of fun recipes including Paradise Pineapple Fruit Dip, Sea Foam Floats, Treasure Island Trail Mix, Goldfish Gorp, Mermaid Hair Salad, Sea Turtle Cookies, Little Luau Cakes, Water Fairy Ice Pops, Rainbow Fish Fudge, and more. Includes salads, fruit dishes, and main courses as well as snacks and desserts.

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I reviewed the new children’s cookbook by Paula Deen – Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook – today at CafeMom where I’m guest posting. You can read it at Hot or Not? Paula Deen’s New Cookbook for Kids.

Not only does the book feature food recipes, but it has directions on how to make salt dough, play clay and this one:

Giant Bubbles

What you’ll need:

1. 1 large wire coat hanger
2. Liquid measuring cup
3. Large, flat pan, big enough for the coat hanger circle to fit into (a deep tray would work, too)
4. Whisk
5. 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
6. 4 1/2 cups cold water

What you’ll do:

1. Get an adult to bend the coat hanger into a circle for you, making sure there aren’t any rough ends that could scratch you.
2. Mix the dishwashing liquid and the water in the large flat plan. Whisk the two together.
3. When the rain stops (Paul recommends doing this on a rainy day since the damp air makes the bubbles bigger and last longer before they pop.) go outside with your supplies. Dip the coat hanger into the bubble solution and lift it straight up, then wave it through the air. Giant bubbles should appear.
4. If you have leftovers, keep them in a jar and use them again. They won’t go bad!

Have fun and check out Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook for more terrific recipes and children’s cooking activities.

Here in Colorado it always manages to snow on Halloween. If we’re lucky we don’t get freezing rain instead. But that doesn’t mean your children won’t enjoy some pumpkin popsicles treats from Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castell.

Heck, these would be especially nice for a party. Or if your child were getting their tonsils out around Halloween. If you don’t live in warm sunny Florida, Texas or California, put away a few cans of pumpkin puree and make these next summer. Continue Reading »

Did you know that October 10 is World Egg Day? Well, thank to the folks at the Incredible Edible Egg (the American Egg Board) I do. (Check out their World Egg Day Incredible Egg Designer for some online egg decorating fun.)

So no excuses, let’s indulge in some egg recipes!

Making crepes with the kids

I love typical French egg dishes – quiche, chocolate mousse and crepes. So when I learned to make crepes in home economics class back in seventh grade, my French mother was thrilled to share Julia Child’s Crepe Fines Sucrees recipe from Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One. It’s a bit involved and uses orange liqueur, rum, or brandy. Still, it was the recipe we loved to use.

Since my kids are a bit younger, I wanted something simpler to make, so I picked the crepe recipe from the Disney-Pixar Ratatouille movie cookbook, What’s Cooking?: A Cookbook for Kids. What I like about it is that it’s simple and the cookbook has a pictorial on how to cook and flip a crepe.

Making the batter: We made the batter on Saturday night (you have to refrigerate it overnight) so we’d have crepes for Sunday morning. I pre-measured the ingredients and let the kids pour them into the blender.

Cooking the crepes: Please be forewarned that making crepes is a bit tricky. You have to be generous with the butter, make sure the pan is hot, and throw out the first crepe, which is usually a mess. (Mine magically turned out O.K. But if yours doesn’t, I won’t tell if you decide to scarf it down or feed it to the dog.) This may be something you want to handle instead of the kids.

Also, it takes a lot of time to make 12 crepes. Either start early before everyone’s famished, or get two pans going at once. I kept my kids busy by letting them drink cafe au lait (more lait than cafe), put on music (DEVO, go figure) and having them dance around the house in their underpants. Daddy missed all the fun because he was hunting.

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It’s a great time of year to make homemade popsicles. I was inspired by a recipe from Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella that was in last week’s Denver Post:

Grape Pops

Makes eight 6-ounce pops.

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2   cups seedless red grapes, halved
2. 4 1/2   cups white grape juice

Directions:

1. Divide the grape halves among the pop molds.
2. Pour in the grape juice and insert the sticks. Freeze for at least 6 hours.
3. Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds.

Then I started researching popsicle molds online. Oh. My. Goodness. There are such cool ones out there like the Tovolo Green Shooting Star Pop Molds, the Tovolo Blue Rocket Pop Molds, and the Tovolo Yellow Groovy Pop Molds. They’re only $7.99 each (and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon).

Healthy, refreshing, and fun – what else could you want? Have a blast with some homemade popsicles!

This week Miramax and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Becoming Jane, a modern romantic comedy that looks at how Jane Austen’s real life love affair – and her desire for an independent life – inspired her novels.

I was delighted to receive a review copy from the folks at Click-Comm.com since I think Anne Hathaway from The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition) and The Princess Diaries (Special Edition) is a fantastic actress that teens and young women can relate to. It also stars James McAvoy, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, and Julie Walters.

A synopsis:

When 20-year-old Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) meets up with the roguish Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), sparks begin to fly. Initially repelled by his arrogance, the emerging writer slowly realizes that she has finally found a man who appreciates her intellect as well as her beauty. As her parents (Julie Walters and James Cromwell) arrange a wealthy, aristocratic husband for her, Jane begins a clandestine romance with Lefroy. The young man proposes marriage, but his wealthy guardian, who holds his purse strings, disapproves of Jane’s outspoken manner and ambition to be a writer, and threatens to cut Tom off. In a world where marriage determines a woman’s fate, will they risk everything, including family and friends, for the sake of romance?

Becoming Jane is the true story of how a young Miss Austen dared to hope to marry for love and to support herself through her writing, two very unusual acts in her day. Not only would this movie be a great introduction to Austen’s books, but it would make for a wonderful discussion with your teenage daughter about how a young women’s place in society has changed since Austen’s time.

Becoming Jane is the best kind of chick flick – smart and thought provoking. It’s also funny, romantic, and full of wonderful dialog, gorgeous costuming and handsome men. (James McAvoy – oh my!) All in all, a perfect video rental for an evening of mother-daughter bonding.

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