Dos and Don'ts When Cooking With Kids

Curious Chef 11-Piece Girl's Chef Kit

The recipe for success or failure when cooking with kids. Check out what to do and what not to do when cooking with children.

What To Do When Cooking With Kids

Recipe for Success. Do........ 

1. Have all the ingredients ready before hand
2. Get proper attire and utensils
3. Get your child's input and participation in choosing the recipe
4. Inspire and talk about your cooking project
5. Keep it Simple
6. Encourage Creativity
7. Praise your Child's Effort in Trying 
8. Encourage Teamwork between kids
9. Remain patient and have your sense of humor intact during cooking. 
10. Encourage cleanliness. Cleaning up along the way also ensures safety

What Not To Do When Cooking With Kids

Recipe for Failure. Don't..........

1. Take over impatiently
2. Yell, shout or sound frustrated over the mess your child has created. Don't spoil your bonding moment. Live with the mess for a while.
3. Say "No! Don't do it this way" Try to reduce the Nos and Don'ts unless it is for safety reasons
4. Cook something complicated that will take hours to prepare and cook
5. Cook when you are not fully prepared or help half heartedly. Choose a time when you are free with no distractions

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10 Reasons Why Kids Should Cook

As a mother, do you encourage your kids to cook with you or do you prefer to keep them out of the kitchen because it creates more mess and you are worried about their safety. While safety is a real concern, if you take the proper safety precautions, there is no reason why your kids should not be bonding with you in the kitchen while you and they cook together. 

Here are 10 Reasons Why Kids Should Cook.

1. Love - Kids love to cook! What better reason could there be? Doing something that your child loves together with them makes them feel even more loved.

2. Bonding through cooking - This gives you a chance to spend quality time with your child as you work together.

3. Team Work while cooking - If you have two or more children. Cooking with all the kids gives them an opportunity to work together as a team.

4. Kids learn about Planning and Project Management in order to cook - Kids learn how to manage a cooking project and get to see the end result of working on something. This is the perfect way to teach kids to manage projects.

5. Kids can discover the importance of Time Management through cooking - Kids will learn the importance of doing something according to a set given time through cooking.

6. Kids will Understand Nutrition when they cook - Teach kids about nutrition by cooking up something nutritious. Kids will be more likely to eat something they helped to cook.

7. Kids can get Creative during a cooking session - Cooking can be very creative, rather like crafting. Cooking is a form of art. When you bake, you can make silly shaped cookies and decorated them anyhow you like.

8. Kids will learn Maths while cooking - Kids learn about Maths and Counting when measuring the ingredients in a recipe. You can teach counting for example counting the number of eggs and measuring the volume of milk or weight of the flour.

9. Kids can learn Science through Cooking - Learning about the different tastes of condiments and the different types of ingredients in a recipe is Science!

10. Kids discover Self Esteem when they complete a cooking project - The delight and joy of seeing a project through from start to completion is something that kids can experience when they cook. Plus they can get to taste their completed 'project' too.

Remember to teach as you cook

Cooking with kids is an excellent time to teach kids about Maths, Science and Living Skills too!

Some Kids Prefer To Bake Rather Than Cooking Something Over The Stove. Baking Can Be A Fun First Cooking Activity

Kids Can Bake!: For Kids and Adults Who Love to Bake Together

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10 Tips For Cooking With Kids

You Should Choose Kids Cookbooks 

That Have Themes And Are Fun And Funny For Kids

Cooking with kids is great for bonding and is very educational for the kids. Here are 10 Tips For Cooking With Kids to make cooking fun and memorable, not stressful. 

Keep In Safe and Make it Fun!

1. Safety First - Keep it safe. Make sure all the utensils kids are using are safe and not sharp and teach kids to keep away from hot surfaces.
2. Cleanliness - Make sure that everyone washes their hands before and after cooking or preparing foods.
3. Simplicity - Keep your projects simple so that kids can complete it on their own or with minimum help from you. Don't end up doing the cooking yourself! This will kill self esteem rather than promote self esteem which is one of the objectives we would really like to achieve when cooking with kids.
4. Patience - Be prepared for some mess. You can teach kids to work as neatly as they can by providing them with large sized bowls, and proper attire but do be prepared for mess and don't yell when floor gets all over the floor and kids start to pour water from container to container when washing vegetables. There is going to be some of that when cooking with kids.
5. Humor - Along with patience, you will need lots of humor when cooking with kids. Make funny shape cookies, make funny faces with your vegetables. This will encourage creativity too!
6. Involvement - You can go through the recipes or children's cookbooks together and decide what to cook then go shopping for the ingredients. All these are part of the fun of planning and bonding.
7. Encourage - Provide lots of encouragement along the way but try to refrain from taking over!
8. Inspire - Look at cookbooks together, choose recipes, watch cooking programs and check out kids cooking websites and magazines on cooking together.
9. Clean up - Teach kids to clean up as this is part of the cooking process. Be prepared to clean up all the time throughout the cooking process too. Wipe up slippery floors etc to keep things safe.
10. Success - Remember to aim for success and praise kids for their effort even if the cookies don't look like cookies...

Remember to provide them with the proper Kids Cooking Utensils. Not only will this make things more fun they are safer too. 

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How To Choose The Right Swimwear For Your Body Shape

Do you know the difference between a tankini, a monokini and a bikini? This hub tells you the difference and shows you how to pick the right swimwear for your body shape.

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Guide To Swimwear Styles - How To Choose The Right Swimwear For Your Body Shape

Every woman thinks that their body is out of shape in some way. Its true. I'm a woman so I know. Your hips are too wide, your shoulders too narrow, your body too long and the list goes on. This makes it hard to go out in our swimsuits in confidence. One way to overcome this is to choose the right swimwear for our body shape. The right swimsuit can enhance your body shape and hide the flaws.

So here is a guide to swimwear styles as well as some quick tips on how to choose the right swimwear for your body shape for those who want to head out to the beach in style and confidence.

Image Credit: Karla Colletto Women's Basic One Piece Swimsuit On Amazon

Guide To Swimwear Styles - How To Choose The Right Swimsuit For Your Body Shape

The Classic Swimsuit Is The Most Traditional And Common Bathing Suit Style - You Can Choose A Swimsuit In Many Styles

Although the swimsuit is the most classic and traditional style of all, these days you can choose a swimsuit in many different styles. A swimsuit is a one piece swimwear that covers both the top and bottom. Swimsuits are very popular since they are comfortable and gives you fluid movement when you swim.

Here is an example of a classic bathing suit or one piece swimsuit. It is black, the best color that swims you down instantly. The halter neck is great for women with nice wide shoulders and the low cut back is also slimming.

Calvin Klein Women's Leopard Halter Maillot One Piece Swimsuit, Leopard, 8

The One Piece Swimsuit Has Been Given A New Twist With A Boyleg Bottom Portion - A Boyleg Swimsuit Is Excellent For Those Who Want To Hide Their Thighs

Many women are very conscious of their thighs. A boyleg swimsuit or boyleg bottom for a bikini can cover up the thighs a little more and remove your self consciousness so you can stride out to the beach or pool in style.

Here is an example of a one piece swimsuit or bathing suit with boyleg style. You can also find boyleg bikini bottoms for the two piece styles. I really like this vintage look. The color blocking at the sides is very slimming and sexy too and the boyleg, well it hides the thighs the way they are supposed to.

You can still look sexy even with more cover up for your thighs. Isn't that great?

Seafolly Women's Goddess Padded Halter Boyleg One Piece Swimsuit, Indigo, 6

One Piece One Shoulder Swimsuits Make You Look Slimmer

This one shoulder suit is in black plus the asymmetrical one shoulder makes the wearer looks slimmer.

Miraclesuit Women's Fashion Figures Jena OTS One-Piece Swimsuit

One Piece Swimsuits Also Popularly Referred To As The Bathing Suit Can Be Found In A Few Other Styles - You Can Opt For Plain Colored, Floral, Stripes, Or Other

You can choose from one shoulder, wide neck, v-neck, halter neck, sexy cuts or spor

ty look. Although they are all one piece swimsuits, the styles are endless and the look limitless.

Choose wide shoulder straps if you have narrow shoulders since the wide shoulder straps gives your shoulder a more balanced look, especially if you have wide hips. You need to balance things up a bit.

Choose floral one piece swimsuits for those with any type of body shape as the floral design and detailing is a nice distraction from any hidden body flaws you may think you have.

You can try the Bandeau Style Floral Swimswuit The bandeau style is extra attractive for women with attractive shoulders.

Many one piece come in sporty styles. Choose interesting fabric designs to keep the sporty look interesting.

A Swimdress Helps To Cover Up Thighs And Hips

Shore Club Palm Cove Plus Size Halter Swimdress Women's Swimsuit - Green - Size:14

A Swimdress Is Like A One Piece Swimsuit But It Has A Skirted Bottom Feature - A Swimdress Offers Feminine Cover Up For The Thighs For Plus Sized Women

For women who prefer to cover up their thighs a little, you can opt for the boyleg swimsuit or if you wish to look more feminine, you can opt for a swimdress instead.

A swimdress is really nice for plus sized women. You can look feminine and stylish at the same time when you step into or out of the pool or when you head to the beach in Summer.

A Monokini Also Called A Unikini Is A One Piece Swimsuit That Looks Like A Two Piece Bikini Connected By A Strip In The Middle - A Monokini Is A Very Sexy Swimw

A monokini is a very sexy swimwear that covers up at just the right places. It looks like a one piece swimsuit with the sides cut off. However, this peek-a-boo fashion that shows a little bit of skin at the sides makes it sexy. It is also very slimming because the cut outs tricks the eye and gives the illusion of a slim shape.

You can find many monokinis that are held together by interesting embellishments. From the back, a monokini looks just like a bikini with a separate top and bottom.

The cut is also slimming and the skin acts like a color block style.

The Monokini Covers The Tummy Area Nicely If You Are Feel Uncomfortable In A Bikini. The Monokini Can Look Like A Bikini From The Back View

Becca by Rebecca Virtue Women's Optical Illusion Monokini Swimsuit (1 Piece)

Quick Tips For Choosing Swimwear For Different Body Shapes

Quick Tips For Choosing Swimwear For Your Bodyshape - Here Are Some Quick Tips For Choosing Swimming Suits According To Your Body Shape

Do you want to hide or enhance? Just check out these tips to pick the swimwear you can wear in confidence and style.

Who Says Plus Size Has To Be Boring?

Jessica Simpson Women's Plus-Size Cut-Out Crochet Flyaway Bandeau Tankini Top

• Shoulders - For narrow shoulders, choose wide straps or straps that sit further away from your neck and closer to your shoulder edge. For wide shoulders, choose bandeau or strapless, v-neck or halter neck. For tanning, wear a bandeau neckline.
• Bust - For fuller women, go for coverage and support. Get bigger cups with underwires for better support. For smaller busted women, go for push ups and padded suits or camouflage with frills, embellishments and ruffles or choose bold and busy prints or asymmetrical styles.
• Tummy - For flat tummy, choose boyshorts or low wasted two piece which is very flattering for you. To hide tummies, choose one piece with tummy control if you prefer, or tankinis or bikinis with high cut bottoms.
• Hips and Thighs - To hide hips and thighs, choose a swimdress or pair bikini or tankini tops with swim shorts or swim skirts.
• Legs - To elongate, wear high cut swimsuits or high cut bottoms for tankinis and bikinis.
• Plus size - Follow the tips for hiding hips and thighs above. In addition, choose dark colors or color block styles.
• For Sexy Styles - Choose strappy lingerie styles, lace, monokinis or those that shows a bit of skin in a peek-a-boo fashion.
• For the serious swimmer - Choose sporty styles or one piece with little embellishments. Create interest in you choice of prints.

Dsquared Women's Bright Blue Beads Decorated Two Piece Bikini Swimsuit US M EU 42

A Bikini Is The Most Popular Two Piece Swimsuit - You Don't Have To Have A Perfect Body To Wear A Bikini

A bikini is a two piece costume, rather like wearing your inner wear in swim suit material. With the many different types of tops and bottoms available, you don't have to have a perfect body to wear a bikini.

You can pair a regular bikini top with a boyleg shorts or swimskirt to cover up your bottom or you can wear a bikini brief with a frilly top for the small busted, a halter neck or bandeau top for the wide shouldered etc. There are plenty of choices and options you can make for that perfect bikini for your body shape.

A Tankini Is Like A Cross Between A Two Piece Bikini And A One Piece Swimsuit - What Is The Difference Between A Bikini And A Tankini

A tankini has a longer top that covers up to the navel. It offers the convenience of a two piece swimming suit while keeping you modest and covering up tummy areas. Just like a bikini, you can mix and match your tankini top with a suitable bottom for your shape or you can buy a complete set of two pieces.

I like this lace style tankini top. It covers up while giving your swimwear a little glamour and style. Lace is very feminine, classic and sexy.

Here Is An Example Of A Tankini

Miraclesuit Women's 2 Piece Tankini Bathing Suit Pink Black Floral Print

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A Poem Is An Inspirational Gift For Mom To Lift Up Her Mood

Mums do get tired from the daily grind every now and then. A little inspiration in the form of Inspirational Books for Mom, a poem for mum along with jewelry with quotes for mums or Relaxing Songs For Mom will lift mum up from her day to day weariness.

I particularly like this "Mom" A Gift For A Mother Poem With Frame for Mothers. The Poem reads...

Mom, for all the times that I forgot to thank-you

For the special, little things you do

For all the words that sometimes go unspoken

I need to say , I love you, Mom, I do

I love you for the way you stop and listen

And for your kind support throughout the years

For teaching me the meaning of compassion

And sharing in my triumphs and my tears

And, if at times, I may have seemed ungrateful

I want to say, I truly hope to see

That nothing you have done has been forgotten

And day by day you just mean more to me

Sometimes moms need to be told "I Love You". It's so simple, yet it means so much to mum. Have you told your mom you love her today?

Touching poems with frames not only tell mom you love her, it is also a nice decoration for the home and reminds her of your love every time she sees it. don't you agree?

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