LilSugar

Lil Tip: Pizza Parlor Privileges

babysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:21 -0700

Italian restaurants are usually family-friendly eateries that cater to children and their marinara-eating ways. Most kids can find something simple to eat while their parents chow down on pasta and sip wine.

Next time you find yourself dining at such an establishment, check with your waiter to see if you can get a few balls of pizza dough for the table. While your family waits for their spaghetti with butter sauce, your kids will get a kick out of tossing, poking, and kneading the yummy pizza fixings at the table!
Source

Lil Tip: Pizza Wheels For Cutting Kiddie Meals

LilSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:00:10 -0800

A fork and knife can only go so far when cutting up your lil one's meals. Once your baby moves beyond pureed food and you find yourself cutting up everything she eats into bite sized pieces, you may notice that forks and knives can really destroy the food you serve. The cheese starts falling off of the crust of the pizza, the breading slides off of the chicken nuggets and in the end you are left with an unappetizing plate of scraps. After experimenting with a few kitchen gadgets, I found that a pizza wheel does wonders for a variety of foods. They create clean cut pieces that keep toppings intact. The Zyliss Pizza Wheel ($10) is small enough to take with me when dining out and easy to stash in the zippered pocket of my diaper bag (far away from prying hands).

Delilicious: New Year's Eve Pizza

LilSugar — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:00:18 -0800

Keep kids out of trouble by putting them to work in the kitchen with a pizza contest. Paired with a fruit salad and beverage, it can be the kids meal and sliced into squares it doubles as an adult hors d' oeuvre.

This child approved recipe is a bit fancier than plain old cheese pizza, but very simple. Make some tomato sauce ahead of time by frying two crushed cloves of garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil before adding a 16-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes. Simmer on low for 20 minutes and then add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and a handful of chiffonade basil.

Aside from that, all you'll need is sliced fresh mozzarella and store bought pizza dough (my kids like the kind from Trader Joe's which comes in three varieties - plain, herb and whole wheat.) Give each child their own dough to stretch and design with the sauce and cheese before popping the finished pizzas in the oven to bake. Once the guests have sampled the pies, tally the votes and declare a winner.

Texts and Tunes: Pete's a Pizza

babysugar — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:00:19 -0800

As leaves fall off the trees, there are less opportunities to go outside and let off steam. Add kids with cabin fever to the mix and the whole house will start to go batty. We always encourage reading but
Pete's a Pizza ($12) is especially useful on a dank day.

The book is a diamond in the rough. One of my former first-grade students gave me this board book as it was her "very favorite book ever!" and it quickly became one of my own.

Pete's plans to play football with pals are wrecked by the rain, leaving him bored at home. Until Pete's clever and funny father tells him it's time to make a pizza. So they make one, but not out of dough and tomato sauce. The family creates one with objects from around the house. This cheers Pete up and becomes a bonding experience for his whole family.

After you read the book to your tot, you can play along by making a pizza out of your kiddo, too.

5 Family Friendly Eateries

babysugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:30:55 -0700

Who wants a greasy pack of minced white meat and a germ-infested ball pit when mama can have a civilized healthy dinner with her tiny diners instead? Ditch the drive thru and go to these fun family hot spots for affordable and easy together time. Other patrons won't mind a lil ruckus, and the menus actually cater to wee ones. Check out the eateries and tell me which one suits your fancy best.

View Slideshow ›

Look Who's Expecting: Tiffani Thiessen and Brady Smith

babysugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:42:13 -0800

It looks like the Peach Pitt clan has another baby to add to the brood. Actress Tiffani Thiessen and hubby Brady Smith are expecting their first baby this Spring. Her rep told People:

We are over the moon! It's something we've wanted for a long time and we are thrilled that it's actually happening.

It wasn't that long ago when the mama-to-be chatted about putting motherhood on hold for her career. She said, "I don’t want to spring a pregnancy on a brand new show that I just got on." Well, apparently her secret has sprung and now we'll have to wait and see how they manage her bump into the White Collars story line. Will they work it into her character or hide it away behind bags and pizza boxes?

Pregnancy Weight by the Pound

LilSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:34 -0800

A pregnant woman is expected to gain anywhere from 11 to 40 pounds, depending on her weight before carrying her child. Unless they're breaking records, most babies aren't tipping the scales past 10 pounds so what is causing all the extra weight? Ice cream and pizza aside, we've detailed where expecting mamas can anticipate the extra baggage to come from during those nine blissful months.

View Slideshow ›

Did You Pig Out in the Final Days of Pregnancy?

LilSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:00:01 -0700

Can the final days of pregnancy be compared to a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where Augustus Gloop is seen gobbling up a buffet of wonderful foods? Maybe. For women who watch their weight throughout their nine months, the final days of pregnancy can be an opportunity to indulge in the tasty treats they deny themselves throughout the rest of the prenatal period.

A friend recently told me about her week of gluttony following her final doctor's appointment. Not a fan of her weekly weigh-ins at her obstetrician's office, my friend left her 39-week appointment pleased with her overall weight gain. Given baby's breech presentation, the doctor had scheduled a c-section for the following week. Knowing that she would not have to get on the scale before her surgery, my friend spent her final days of pregnancy gobbling up the hamburgers, ice cream sundaes and pizza slices she had forgone over the past nine months. Though she said she really wasn't hungry due to the little space left in her stomach, she was enjoying the tastes of her favorite foods before she would have to focus on losing her baby weight.

My friend's week of indulgence got me thinking: did you treat yourself to some special foods before giving birth?

Want to talk pregnancy with other expectant mamas? Join the Pregnancy Posse over in our LilSugar Community!

Would You Tell the School to Spank Your Child?

babysugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0700

A child of the 70s, I clearly recall some of my elementary school teachers using physical means to get some students to behave. Things are much different in the 21st century, or at least one might think. Though only legal in some parts of 21 states, Principal David Nixon of Calhoun Hills, South Carolina, has taken to using his paddle to discipline his pupils. Oddly enough, it was one of the parents who tipped him off to the idea. His first day on the job, a father told him, "I want to give you the authority to whip my son's butt." As the new boss at a severely struggling public school, the 31-year-old head honcho literally started taking matters into his own hands and began spanking mischievous pupils when he deemed necessary.

Fortunately for the youngsters, he didn't find it mandatory all that often, but many teachers and parents credit his practices for putting the school and its students on a better path. Not always the image of doom, the young authoritarian also knows how to celebrate the kids' accomplishments. He throws pizza parties for good test scores and arranges school pageants.

Consistent with the state law, Nixon gives parents the choice to allow or deny corporal punishment by school officials. Since 73 percent of lilsugar readers are admitted spankers, I'm curious to know, would you give your child's school permission to pop your child?

Flickr User crayolarabbit

Bring Some Sexy Back During the Day

babysugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:15 -0700

Parents often use date nights as a way to connect to each other and keep the sparks flying, but let's turn the clocks back a few hours. While dinner and a movie can make for a fun night together, folks can take advantage of the daytime, too. Drop the kids off with grandma or hire a sitter and head for the hills, literally. Take a break from all mom and dad duties and go for a hike!

If dusty trails don't arch the eyebrows, maybe a picnic basket full of crackers, cheese and wine will do the trick. Go to a matinee, play a round of golf, go back to the engagement spot, take a long bike ride or just go sit by the pool and read a book. When the day is gone and the sun is done, the romantically refueled pair can return home in time to tuck the kids in, then let their alone time continue. Dine on pizza by candlelight and pop in a movie as a way to end the perfect date day and night.