Do you have a system for keeping track of cups in your house?

Without fail, at least a couple times a week you can hear the joyful sibling rivalry over who had which color cup that day.  Our kids typically have one cup throughout the day for water.  They can drink as much water as they would like as long as they are not taking a new cup each time.  However as the day goes on it is easy to forget which child started the day with the blue cup.

By the end of the day (usually around low-blood sugar time), you can hear my 3 1/2 year old shouting, “I had the blue cup.”  This is then reciprocated with an even louder reply from my  7 year old, “You had it yesterday!!!”  This can go on for a good 10 minutes if not broken up.

I realize I could get out the masking tape each day and label the cups.  But this seems like a waste of tape.  Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to see an idea in a magazine that will relieve the cup chaos at our house.

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Did your Dr. Seuss birthday cupcakes look like this?

Mine did not.  I am happy to say we did take the time to make cupcakes for Dr. Seuss’s birthday.  However, after I saw this picture from Beau Coup Cupcakes, I thought ours looked rather pathetic.  Oh well, it is the thought that counts.  Plus baking with kids is always fun.

Yes I am the type of mom that lets my children lick the spoon with batter and/or cookie dough on it.  It grosses my husband out.  Knock on wood, no one has ever been sick from the raw eggs, so we continue to do it.

Besides decorating cupcakes, I found a few other Dr. Seuss food and snack ideas to make during our week long Dr. Seuss extravaganza.

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Did you know that today is National Pancake Day?

Yes, Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 is National Pancake Day!

What does this mean?  This means that if you go to IHOP today, you can receive one free short stack (three) of their famous buttermilk pancakes.  In return they ask that you make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network.

For more information on free pancakes, check out their website: IHOP

Tip of the Day:

Go enjoy pancakes at IHOP or make your own at home.

Do your children enjoy eating snow?

At our house, it is a common sight to see the kids playing outside and one of them licking the snow off of his/her mittens.  Are they lacking something in their diet?  Probably.  But most likely they eat snow because it is fun.

Recently I found a recipe for snowflake snacks using tortillas.  Now my children can eat edible snowflakes with their hot chocolate after playing outside.

Will this cut down on the amount of snow my children ingest?  No.  But it is a fun winter cooking activity.

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What type of lunch trays are used in your child’s school?

My son attends an environmental studies school which will be moving to a new site next year due to budget cuts.  At the new site, there is no dishwasher in the kitchen.  This I thought was rather odd.  Just wait, it gets worse.  Since there is no dishwasher all of the students will be using Styrofoam trays.  Yes an environmental studies school filling up the landfill with Styrofoam.

When I emailed the school board about this problem they sent me a message that said not to worry because the district’s trash company burns the Styrofoam to use as an alternative fuel.  Since I have not studied chemistry lately nor reviewed the EPA’s handbook on what can and cannot be burned, I am going to have to take their word on it.

However now I have learned that Styrofoam can leach chemicals into a child’s food.  What?!?!  New York City has taken an initiative to get Styrofoam trays out of their schools due to the environmental and health risks it causes.

Why do schools use these trays?  Is it simply because they are cheap?

Tip of the Day:

Find out what type of trays are used in your child’s school.

- If Styrofoam is used, take time to read the research and studies regarding these trays and its effects on your child.

- Make an effort to reduce or eliminate the amount of Styrofoam used in your home.

- Take time to read the information from the NYC schools:

Styrofoam Food Trays

Styrofoam Out of Schools