better
FAMILY
NEWS
Family Food Album
Want your kids more involved in dinnertime? Try making a family
cookbook. Inspired by a friend with terminal cancer who wanted to
leave a legacy to her children, Suzanne Beecher, author of
Muffins and
Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life
(Simon & Schuster)
launched Create Your Own Cookbook, an online application in which
families can do just that. At
muffinsandmayhem.com
, parents and kids
can type up their favorite recipes, upload photos, and add personal
stories, all in a cookbook format. The best part? It's free.
rescue me
"ring a
four-legged addition
to the family? Summer
is the perfect time to
give in to vour child’s
desire to adopt a dog
or cat. They’ll have c
time to bond while
your child learns how
to care for the furry
companion. While
giving unconditional
love, a pet also
improves a child’s
self-esteem, cognitive
development, and
even immune system,
says ASPCA of Los
Angeles vet Karen
I lari igan. Visit
petfindcr.com
to learn
more about how to
adopt the right dog or
cat for your family. ®
FARMER FOR A DAY
Maybe you don’t have a garden in your backyard,
but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick your own
fruits and vegetables. Set aside a date this
summer to take your family strawberry
picking, then head home and make jelly. Or
just grab some veggies for a farm-fresh salad.
Pickyourown.org lists which foods are in season,
where the closest farms are, plus a series of
easy-to-follow recipes for when you get home.
Bonus: Your kids just might get the true meaning of
a farmer’s tan.
Songs of
the summer
Mix tapes might be so old-school,
Mom, but the concept is still very
much alive. Spice up those
backyard barbecues with your
family's own summer song playlist.
Enlist your kids to choose their
favorite tunes, then mix in some of
your greatest hits. See how the
Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the
City” stacks up against Miley
Cyrus’“Party in the USA.”
196
AUGUST 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: VEER
