The Lily Pad

These were super easy to make and so much fun for my little ones!

• Butter two slices of bread on one side with 1 teaspoon butter (or coat the iron with vegetable cooking spray)
• Place 1 slice of bread in the iron, buttered-side down
• Top with 1 1/2 to 2 slices of cheese (you can also add tomato if you like)
• Cover with the remaining slice of bread, buttered-side up
• Close the lid firmly and cook until golden brown (about 2 to 4 minutes).

**Hey Mom…Are you on Weight Watchers? If you use 2 slices of Nature’s Own Light (40 calories per slice) Wheat Bread, 1 1/2 slices of Kraft 2% American Cheese Singles and Vegetable Cooking Spray instead of butter…you too can eat like a kid! WW Points Value is only 3 points! Yummy!**

EASY CLEAN UP — just leave your waffle iron on and spray with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water and let the cheese burn off.

When it comes to kids, a love of animals almost seems universal. My 21-month old is fascinated with animals and will spend more time sitting still with a “ZOONOOZ” magazine (the monthly publication for San Diego Zoo Members) than with anything else, even Elmo– and that says a lot! Since we're heading out to the San Diego Wild Animal Park this morning, I thought I'd suggest a few fun animal-related activities for you!

Looking for something fun to do in your area this weekend with your family. Have you checked out The Mommies Network? This is a great resource for fun family activities going on in your area. Just click here and see if there is a Mommy Network in your area. Let us know some of the fun things you and your family did that you found out about on your Mommies Network site.

With Christmas just around the corner, now's the perfect time to take your family to the kitchen and do some baking together! Here are some fun resources, links and recipes to get you going!

• Popcorn Balls~ a how-to video!
  

Spend Time Together in the Kitchen~ Cooking as a family

So often, those of us moms are in and out of the kitchen, getting dinner cooked as fast as possible before moving on to the next task at hand. Here's an idea for slowing down a little and enjoying the little things in life together as a family. Why not cook a meal or do some baking together?

Happy Halloween!

I hope you all have a great weekend devouring all that candy goodness.

For those of you readers who are trick-or-treaters, I've compliled a little list of safety tips to keep in mind as you go out tonight!

So, after last week's FFF post, I decided to check out what other fun Halloween-themed crafts were out there to do for or, better yet, with your kids! There's still a week left to relish in the pumpkin-and-candy-themed fun!

Make a Pumpkin Shirt!

This is a fun and easy craft, that you could even do with your children if they are a little older. My neighbor gave me the idea and the page she tore out of Family Fun magazine. The directions come from the magazine article {along with my comments}, but I've inserted my own photos!