Great tips for re-using yogurt cups

There are some good ways to re-use yogurt cups (drinkable yogurt cups too!). Give them a good wash and use them as bathtub toys for your kids. Kids like nothing better than to scoop, dribble and pour water. Why purchase specialty cups when you can give a second life to yogurt containers?...

The vivid colours are attractive to little ones. Since there are no sharp edges parents know they are a safe toy. If the bigger kids play a bit rough with the containers...you can just recycle them -- as you would have anyway.

Also, it's valuable to bring to your attention the recipe by Laura Calder, host of Food network's; "French Food at Home". She has a Yogurt Cake Recipe (yes, click that)which uses yogurt containers as the measuring tools for a homemade cake. What a great way to get kids involved in cooking!

Dear Children,

Dear Children,

May I ask you, with all the love in my heart, to do one small thing for me. From this point forward, for the rest of your lives, do not touch each other - ever again.

If you crawl into my bed - at 6:30 in the morning - on my birthday; please don't touch each other. Refrain from kicking and then whining and then kicking again. Mother doesn't like it.

If you are sitting on the couch together - watching your favourite television show; please keep your feet to yourself. Don't start foot fights or complaining that he is breathing too close to you. Mother doesn't like it.

If we are in the car - driving to a birthday party or grandma's house - keep your hand's out of your sibling's face. It's annoying. And Mother's doesn't like it.

Could you kindly keep yourself to yourself. For the rest of your life. That would be nice.

With my love,

Your Mother

Reader Feedback - Family Day

"It would have been nice if all family members had family day off...my husband was able to either not work by taking lieu time (hours he has to earn by working overtime) or he could go in to work for "training" so although he did not have to "work" he was still unable to be with his family, and now I am not able to take my floater day at a time that is convenient for us to all be together as I was forced to take the day yesterday...not sure I like it!

I heard on the radio this morning it took 45 minutes just to park at the science centre! Crazy!!

Maybe what we need more than family day is something similar to what they do in Sweden...when a couple has a baby dad is forced to take an extra 5 weeks vacation within the childs first 5 years of life...if they have not taken it by close to the end of the fifth year then the governement calls their work and forces them to take the time off...this is good as it really targets "families"

Hope you all had a great "long weekend"".

--Comment on Family Day posting by a reader in the Parent Club.

Family Day - Good or Bad?

Holy Cow! Was the Museum ever busy yesterday for Family Day! Line up travelled around the block. How do you tell your child - "sorry the line up is far too long." I suppose some can - but we didn't. We lined up. The Museum was very smart. They had a membership representative go up and down the line offering parents the chance to jump the line and go straight into the warmth if only they signed up for a membership.

This was actually a good deal because since it is $20/adult admission the $119 membership actually pays for itself in about 2 trips (that is; when you also have school-aged children that also must pay as well, kids under 4 are free). Pay we did and were very happy to jump the line.

We stayed about 2 hours - that was how long we could stand the big crowds and bigger noise level. We didn't even see the kids hands-on centre as it was just far to populated. However, since we now have the membership we were fine leave the building. For those who paid for a one time visit, I'm sure they would have seen every nook and cranny.

We had lunch at a restaurant (big deal for the kids) and then home to watch movies all afternoon. We truly spent family day with the family. Not bad, but also not quite worth having to take a work imposed vacation day.