Brussels sprouts have a bad reputation,especially with kids. While they may not be anyone’s favorite (yet) they can be a delicious addition to any meal with just a little bit of work!

When I first tried cooking these little buds I got the smallest ones I could find, boiled them into submission with a healthy dose of butter, and enjoyed them…well enough. The problem was I was the only one willingly eating them. Both my husband and kids didn’t really care for them so I tried a different approach.

There are few vegetables that aren’t spectacularly delicious when roasted…so yummy! Well, the sprouts where yummy to me. Once again, my family would begrudgingly put the required spoonful on their plate and complain the entire time they’d eat that ONE bite. They were fine with the crunchy, spicier outside of the sprout, it was the compacted leaves at the core they just didn’t want.

Well, that can be easily fixed! When you roast Brussels spouts you usually cut off the stems and then half, or quarter them. By adding one extra step to my prep work I had the pickiest eater of the bunch saying, “Those were actually good.” Read the recipe below to find out what I did!

On a day when we celebrate a great American leader, I’m so happy to be bringing you this particular Seuss inspired activity! It’s as much about an oppressed turtle named Mack as it is about Yertle. I hope you enjoy it!





Yertle the Turtle is the title story in a collection by Theodor Geisel and it is by far one of my favorite Seuss tales.* It tells of Yertle, the king of the turtles, who grows unhappy with his modest stone throne and commands all the other turtles to form a stack so that he may sit upon them and be the highest in all the land. I’m sure you can guess what happens. The book ends with this great line,

“And turtles, of course ... all the turtles are free

As turtles, and maybe, all creatures should be.”

For this activity, you will need to read Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, it’s a must! You’ll also need:

• at least 10 stackable stones (try to keep your number even if you're going to be playing with more than one child)
• paintbrushes and spouncers
• green paint in two shades

Use the paint to turn your stones into turtles! You can get as fancy, or simple, as you want. I let the kids do the painting and it took them less than 10 minutes. We divided the turtles in half and made light and dark turtles by using the spouncer to create a body and a brush to paint a head, tail, legs, and arms.


To play all you need to do is start stacking. If you’ve painted two different types of turtles you can see who can stack the fastest or highest. We took turns making one giant stack, like in the story, it’d get pretty high before it’d tip over!

*Can I let you in on a little secret? Over ten years ago I took a single-author course on Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss). It wasn’t as easy a class as you might have imagined, and like most artist profile studies, afterward, I was left with a conflicted view of the man behind the phenomenon. Maybe that’s why I’m just now getting around to creating a Seuss project. Despite the misgivings I may have about his personal life, I still respect his talent, in particular his later works, like Yertle, that spoke to the societal issues of his time that trouble us to this day.

To know me is to know my love for rich, overly sweet, completely delectable desserts. When you go out to eat with friends maybe you say things like, “I just can’t eat another bite of this {insert crazy awesome dessert here}.” I, on the other hand, have not only finished my piece of {insert crazy awesome dessert here} but I’m eyeing yours as well.

Still, after the holidays and all that buttery baking, my body screams for fruit, plus I’m good at convincing myself it’s better for me than dipping a chocolate bar in the peanut butter. So here are a dozen fruity desserts to make this Valentine’s Day (or any day really). Oh, and I lied, a couple don’t have fruit, but we can pretend they do, right?

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake via Simply Stacie. Because you fruit makes cheesecake good for you! I swear.

Every year I convince myself that I’m going to use Christmas break to get caught up on all my little projects so I can start the new year with a clean slate. Instead, I usually get swept away by the hustle and bustle of the season ‘cause it’s just so much fun!

Speaking of fun, this project is a great way to take your favorite phrases, or maybe your word for the year, and turn them into snazzy banners you’ll want to hang throughout the house. These banners require little time or supplies and instead of relying on a dowel for hanging I'm using a straw, yep, a straw!


Supplies Needed

• felt
• scissors
• marker
• straw
• string

Directions

Step 1: Write out your message. You don’t need perfect handwriting but using a ruler will help you to space out your letters.


Step 2: Cut out your letters. Again don’t worry about being perfect, just trim around the outside of your letters so that none of the markings remain.


Step 3: Glue on your straw. Place the straw a couple inches from the top of the banner and glue it down. Then cover the straw by folding over and gluing down the top.


I used standard sized sheets of felt which were the same width as the straws I was using. If yours don’t line up you may have to trim the straw so it doesn’t show.

*UPDATE: Doh! I forgot to mention the next step. Weave the string through the straw, tie up the ends, center your banner, and it's ready for hanging!