Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in new orleans, LA

Baking with Kids

by Kelly Leahy

April 27, 2009

First of all, the winner of our gardening giveaway was Reese! Here's to hoping that she has a successful rooftop garden! Thanks to everyone that entered. I hope to have more giveaways in the future.

I have to admit that I spend more time chasing my little ones away from the kitchen than inviting them in to help me cook. I've been baking a lot of bread lately, trying to find the perfect recipe for sandwhich loaves and in doing so, I've slowly been welcoming the girls back.

When it comes to scooping and dumping, kids are naturals. Secure a stool or chair safely against the counter to give them a boost and let them lend a hand. I you have a young child between the ages of two and three, you might want to consider a Kitchen Helper from Guidecraft which will prevent them from falling off the sides of a chair.

A recipe that I tried recently was Good Eats' soft pretzels. The kids can shape the dough into whatever they want (circles, snakes, letters) and then bake them. I was babysitting that day and we all enjoyed watching the bread rise with the help of some yeast. They tasted good too!

For more tips on cooking with kids, visit the national Savvy Source page.

Gardening Giveaway!

by Kelly Leahy

April 20, 2009

The French Quarter Festival completely slipped my mind last weekend (obviously since I said that only thing to do in town on Saturday was a trip to Longue Vue House and Gardens). For those that went, I hope you had a good time. I also wanted to mention that there is a new playground at the corner of Leonidas and Claiborne. It's a great asset for that neighborhood.

Now onto the FUN STUFF!

Gardener's Supply Company was kind enough to send me enough goods to get one lucky reader on their way to growing their own vegetables this summer. Included in this giveaway is one 3' x 3' Grow Bed, three Tomato Ladders and one Potato Bin.

Destressing

by Kelly Leahy

January 07, 2009

I am totally and completely overwhelmed this week by horrific news stories and the State of the City [apparently Baton Rouge has done more with Post-K funds than we have]. Meanwhile, preschool has started after the holiday recess and we are thrown back into a schedule of getting dressed and out the door in the morning [this is something most parents manage but I somehow struggle with]. So,  Read more...

The Big Picture: What really matters

by Kelly Leahy

January 06, 2009

I consider myself a fairly laid back parent ... maybe too laid back at times. The whole preschool thing is freaking me out a bit if only because competition for good public schools in this city is fierce and I don't want to have to pay private tuition for the next twelve or so years. There are times when I have to take a step back and consider whether the points that I am obsessing over really  Read more...