The holidays are coming and I thought I'd share some great books for "older" kids. I have older in quotations because I mean the 5-7 year old crowd, ones that still believe in all the magic but are old enough to learn some of the deeper meanings. These three books are all great to learn more about each of these holiday traditions. [more]

If there's a gamer in your house, chances are that a game called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is on his Christmas list. Maybe you've even bought it for your young'n already: the game grossed $310 million dollars on its release day, November 10, and earlier this week passed the $550 million mark. But before you wrap it up and put it under the tree, do you know what you're actually buying? [more]

Yesterday I shared our favorite recipe for Dilled Egg Salad, a really tasty and inexpensive recipe. Today I thought I would share another favorite way to stretch a menu on the cheap.

Potatoes are inexpensive, and despite being maligned for years from those in the low-carb camp, are quite healthful. Next time you make baked potatoes and have a few leftover (or just make a few extra to have on hand), try out this easy, delicious and good-for-breakfast-lunch-or-dinner side dish.

Hashed Potatoes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced [more]

In our focus on shapes this week I wanted to do an active game that got my son up and moving. Young children learn in all different ways and exposing them to various experiences will only encourage more learning!

1. Gather your materials, all you need are some pipe cleaners!

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"In there challenging economic times…"

Hardly a day goes by without some store, organization or individual spouting these words to precede some statement of fact. Some local food stores are trying to promote their prices and methods for getting a meal on the table on the cheap. Meanwhile cooking shows also seems to be utilizing our common interest in inexpensive meal preparation. [more]