During the month of August I have been making my way through my children’s favourite books, in celebration of Children’s Book Week (officially this week in Australia). So far we have had:

10 Favourite Children’s Books - Thinker’s Choice (9.5 y.o)
10 Favourite Children’s Books - Little Rascal’s Choice (7 y.o)
10 Favourite Children’s Books - Possum’s Choice (4.5 y.o)

Today we have Babaganouski’s favourite books at the moment. As he is only two (and not overly verbal yet) I have chosen the books that he chooses for me to read the most at story time.

(1). Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd
This is from the Hairy Maclary series by the wonderful New Zealand author. The rhyming is fun and Slinky has loads of personality.

(2). Rascal and Little Flora by Paul Jennings
Another series book, Rascal is a very cute dragon, but the highlight for Babaganouski is the dinosaur in this story.

(3). Hug by Jez Alborough
Such a simple story, told predominantly through the facial expressions of the little monkey.

(4). The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This book really has stood the test of time. For Babaganouski, I think he likes it because he can stick his fingers in the holes!

(5). Wheels on the Bus
This is by far his favourite nursery rhyme at the moment and he loves to do the actions as we read the book. He loves the page with the baby crying.

(6). The Orange Book by Playschool
This is actually two books in one (Red Book and Yellow Book = Orange Book!). There is such a great mix of rhymes, activities, stories and great pictures that it really can keep a little one amused for hours.

(7). Where Is the Green Sheep? (Horn Book Fanfare List (Awards)) by Mem Fox
This was also a favourite of Possums. Even Babaganouski can join in on this one, saying things like bed, bath, moon, star etc. This is a book that definitely did deserve all its awards.

(8). Za-Za’s Baby Brother by Lucy Cousins
Even before I was pregnant, Babaganouski loved this story. Lucy Cousin’s illustrations are so appealing to little ones. He also likes it when I make the loud baby crying sound!

(9). Over in the Grasslands by Anna Wilson and Alison Bartlett
This book is based on a traditional rhyme and is great fun to read. Babaganouski has just started to try and count the animals with me now as well.

(10). Thomas’ Wonderful Word Book (Thomas & Friends)
I have to admit to skipping pages in this book. It is 57 pages long and has no real story but page after page of scenes of Thomas the Tank and friends. In the borders of many pages there are items that the child has to find in that particular scene.

We have been doing this book for months now and Babaganouski still loves it. I think he feels proud of himself when he finds all the required objects. (I think it is quite funny how I have subconsciously put this book last on the list, can you guess that I might be a little bit over it!!)

Technorati Tags: children's books, literature, toddler

• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Possum’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Little Rascal’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Thinker’s Choice
• Children’s Book Council Awards

Image: Ahmed Rabea

This is part 4 in a review of the wonderful book on adolescent boys “He’ll be Ok: Growing gorgeous boys into good men” by Celia Lashlie.

If you would like to read the previous posts, you will find them here:

He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 1)
He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 2)
He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 3)

Men’s Business: Letting It Happen
Lashlie through out the book has been very clear that during adolescence it is very much the time for mothers to move over and allow fathers a more active role. I have to be honest then and admit that I was at first disappointed to read the following in this chapter:

“I have absolutely no intention of telling men what to do”

Instead Lashlie explains:

“My main intention, in straying into the wolrd of fathers when this book is written primarily for mothers, is to honour men - their humour, their intuition, their strength and, above all else, their maleness.”

So in this chapter Lashlie tells stories of how the world looks from the perspective of an adolescent boy and reveals comments from boys on what they would like from their fathers.

After finishing the book, I do have a better appreciation for why the author took this approach and to an extent it is her example that I will have to follow during this period. I will need to trust my partner that he will step up and fill the needs of our adolescent boys, and will do so capably and without the need for my overt influence.

It doesn’t mean that I won’t have a role to play, it just means my role changes.

“Where at all possible raising a boy should be a partnership between his mother and father.”

For dad’s through the stories that Lashlie tells, the following themes become very clear:

“Your sons want you to step up, elbowing their mothers aside if you need to.”

“Your boys don’t want you to be anyone else; they just want you to be their dad.”

“All he wants is your time, even if it’s just five minutes a day>”

Growing a Good Man What It Takes
This book grew out of The Good Man Project which Lashlie ran through schools in New Zealand. An aim of the project was to establish an agreed definition of a good man.

However it was agreed by the school principals involved in the project that what they were looking for was far too fluid to be defined in a phrase or few words. (Out of interest the top three qualities listed by boys to make a good man were trust, loyalty and a sense of humour.)

Lashlie makes a concise summary at the end of the chapter about what are some key issues for adolescent boys and she has this last piece of advice on how to get our boys safely through this challenging period:

“What we have to remember is that we can only do it, mothers and fathers, parents and step parents, paretns and teachers, if we hold hands. We can’t do it alone.”

Technorati Tags: adolecence, fathers, mothers, parenting

• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 3)
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 2).
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 1).
• What To Expect When You Are Expecting An Adolescent

The winners of the Children’s Book Council Awards were announced on Friday. My older two children read with anticipation the winners in Saturday’s morning’s paper. Like most Australian school children they had voted from the short list for their favourite books at school and were keen to see what the judges had selected. Thinker had voted for Lucy Goosey and Little Rascal Cat which both won Honour Awards in the Early Childhood category. The rest of the winners are listed below:

Older Readers - Book of the Year 2008
WINNER: The Ghost’s Child by Sonya Hartnett
HONOUR: Marty’s Shadow by John Heffernan
HONOUR: Black Water by David Metzenthen

Younger Readers - Book of the Year 2008
WINNER: Dragon Moon by Carole Wilkinson
HONOUR: Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not) by Sherryl CLark. Illustrated by Elissa Christian
HONOUR: Amelia Dee and the Peacocl Lamp by Odo Hirsch

Early Childhood - Book of the Year 2008
WINNER: Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey
HONOUR: Cat by Mike Dumbleton. Illustrated by Craig Smith
HONOUR: Lucy Goosey by Margaret Wild. Illustrated by Ann James

Picture Book of the Year 2008
WINNER: Requien for a beast by Matt Ottley
HONOUR: The Peasant Prince by Anne Spudvilas. Text Li Cunxin
HONOUR: Dust by Colin Thompson and 13 other illustrators
NOTE: Some of these books may be for mature readers

Eve Pownall Book of the Year 2008
WINNER: Parsley Rabbit’s book about books by Frances Watts. Illustrated by David Legge
HONOUR: Girl Stuff: Your full on guide to the teen years by Kaz Cooke
HONOUR: Kokoda Track: 101 Days by Peter Macinnis
NOTE: Some of these books may be for mature readers

How did your favourite book go?

Technorati Tags: book awards, children's book

• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Babaganouski’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Possum’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Thinker’s Choice
• 10 Books We Are Enjoying On The Holidays

Image by Manchester Library

During the month of August I have been making my way through my children’s favourite books, in celebration of Children’s Book Week (officially this week in Australia). So far we have had:

10 Favourite Children’s Books - Thinker’s Choice (9.5 y.o)
10 Favourite Children’s Books - Little Rascal’s Choice (7 y.o)

Today we have Possum’s choice who is five years old and at the moment the only girl in the children mix. (Possum said again today that it would be great if the new baby was a girl!)

I had to prompt her a little with why she chose these books, her answers were pretty succinct, so I have added a small note myself as well.

(1). Hunwick’s Egg by Mem Fox
Possum: The egg is a very beautiful colour.
Mum: A very sweet story about having a special friend.

(2). Belinda by Pamela Allen
Possum: The man looks funny in a dress.
Mum: A quirky tale with funny illustrations.

(3). Annie’s Chair by Deborah Niland
Possum: I like how the dog tries to cheer Annie up.
Mum: Shows how compromise can work!

(4). Rascal’s Trick by Paul Jennings
Possum: I like how Rascal’s trick scares the cat.
Mum: The Rascal Series are a fantastic introduction to reading for small children.

(5). Magic Beach by Alison Lester
Possum: I like the rhyming.
Mum: Beautiful examples of how you can use your imagination to have fun.

(6). Friends by Kim Lewis
Possum: It would be fun to collect eggs.
Mum: The story captures the volatility of friendships of young children.

(7). Where Is the Green Sheep? (Horn Book Fanfare List (Awards)) by Mem Fox
Possum: I like it because I can read it.
Mum: When Possum says she can read it, she means the she has read it with me so many times and with the help of the beautiful illustrations she can say all the text by herself!

(8). Snap went Chester by Tania Cox and David Miller
Possum: It is fun to read.
Mum: Children can anticpate what to say on the next page.

(9). Possum Magic by Mem Fox
Possum: I like how they travel around Australia.
Mum: A beautiful story that is a great way to introduce some Australian geography.

(10). Olivia by Ian Falconer
Possum: Olivia is funny.
Mum: You have to love a pig with attitude and style!

Next week we will have Babaganouski’s favourite books (2 y.o), as determined by the rotation in the night time reading schedule!

Technorati Tags: children's books

• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Babaganouski’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Little Rascal’s Choice
• 10 Books We Are Enjoying On The Holidays
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Thinker’s Choice

Image: Leonid Manchenkov

This is part 3 in a review of the wonderful book on adolescent boys “He’ll be Ok: Growing gorgeous boys into good men” by Celia Lashlie.

If you would like to read the previous posts, you will find them here:

He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 1)
He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 2)

Intuition and Wisdom: The Hidden Gifts
If you are the mother of a gorgeous boy in year 9, then this chapter is a must read. It will give you hope that they will indeed grow out of the monosyllabic stage. Lashlie in her conversations with year 12 boys was often

“taken aback by their ability to talk in depth and with amazing insight about hte hard issues.”

Stop Making His Lunch: What Mothers Should Do
This is a very forthright chapter from the author. Lashlie’s own personal experience, coupled with the experience from the Good Man Project showed her that:

Mothers, particularly white middle class mothers, are overly involved in the lives of their adolescence sons.

The need for mothers to take a lesser role in this time of her sons life, is a constant theme through out the book. So what is it that we should be doing then? Lashlie has these tips for us:

In the context if what else is happening in the life of an adolescent boy, does it really matter that there were clothes thrown on the spare bed in his room?

Every bit of information you push into his head before he turns 13 and the testosterone starts to move stays in there and will eventually re-emerge.

The first decision he makes should be nothing more significant than deciding to get out bed to make his own lunch so that he doesn’t spend the day hungry. It shouldn’t and doesn’t need to be deciding to put his foot on the accelerator, running a red light and dying.

The advice that Lashlie gives in this chapter does fit already with my philosophy as a parent. That is, to let children do what they are capable of. I do know though, that I will have to work on leaving some of the “small stuff” alone, like a messy bedroom, messy school bag and propensity to leave things to the last minute.

When His Father Isn’t There: The Single Mother’s Journey
Lashlie herself was a single parent, so is well qualified to talk about this issue. Again she notes that if she had the knowledge that she had now, she would have done many things differently with her own son.

I assumed that to ask for help would be to admit failure in the raising of my son. Asking for help from good men would have made the journey easier.

Next week is the final part of this series on He’ll Be Ok. After having Lashlie tell us how important it is for mothers to move aside and allow fathers to play a bigger part in the life of their adolescent son, we finally get to hear her advice to them. I have to say, it wasn’t what I expected.

Technorati Tags: adole, parenting

• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 4)
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 2).
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 1).
• Ten Things We Should Never Say To Kids.

During August we celebrate Children’s Book Week here in Australia. As I noted last week, each Tuesday in August I will be posting lists of favourite children’s books, as selected by my children.

Last week Thinker gave us his 10 Favourite Children’s Books and today’s selection is by Little Rascal. He is 7 years old, in grade one and is just moving into independent reading.

Little Rascal has chosen a combination of books that I have read to him and those that he can read to himself. In no particular order his favourite 10 books at the moment are and a short comment as to why he likes them:

1. BOYZ RULE Park Soccer by Felice Arena and Phil Kettle
I like it because it is about boys playing soccer like I like to play.

2.
And to think that I saw it on mulberry street - Dr Suess
The rhyming and the crazy story make it fun to read.

3.
Mr McGee and the Biting Flea by Pamela Allen
You get to make funny sounds when you read the book.

4. M Is for Metal the Loudest Alphabet Book on Earth by Paul McNeil and Barry Divola
It is funny and the pictures are really cool.

5. Mighty Bunyips, The by Paul Harvey
It is a great football match and it is very Australian.

6. by William Katzwinkle and Glenn Murray
I like how Walter’s stinky farts can save the day.

7. Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia by Alison Lester
You get to find out about places all over Australia.

8.
TinTin In America by Herge
I like the way TinTin always manages to outsmart the bad guys.

9.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Children can teach adults things if they listen.

10. by J.K. Rowling
The triwizard tournament is exciting and scary.

Thanks for your time Little Rascal!

Technorati Tags: children's book

• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Possum’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Thinker’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Babaganouski’s Choice
• Planning Our Trips To The Library

Last Friday saw Part 1 on my discussion of the wonderful book He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men, by Celia Lashlie.

Today I will look at what Lashlie discusses in chapters 4 - 6.

The Bridge of Adolescence
You could kind of see this coming, but the emphasis in this chapter was still saddening to me. For various reasons, Lashlie advocates that around 11/12 when a boy starts adolescence, it is really time for mum to get of “the bridge of adolescence” and that dad should step up and take lead during this time. Lashlie is not saying that mother’s do not have a role, but that at this critical time in a boy’s life he needs his father more. (I am certainly glad I have some time to prepare my stepping down!)

Lashlie then gives you an insight into what each year level is like from Year 7 - 12. The author confirms here what I had already heard in that Year 9 is a very difficult year. There is hope though as Lashlie speaks so positively of the gorgeous, wise young men she meets and converses with in Year 12, it would seem that the hard work put in earlier really does pay dividends.

External Forces: Alcohol, Drugs, Sport - and Girls
Having grown up with only 3 sisters, this chapter was indeed an eye opener for me. Some important points that I want to remember are:

The legal drinking age of 18 puts adolescent boys at significantly higher levels of risk.

Even at this early age, most boys believe that women are in charge.

Sport is an integral part of the journey to manhood for the vast majority of boys.

Adolescent Pragmatism: Why They Do What They Do
Lashlie feels that to understand an adolescent boy, you really need to understand their pragmatism. That is - “what’s in it for me, what’s the pay-off, why should I do this?”

This pragmatism also shows itself in the way most adolescent boys will do the work when the moment arrives and not before. The nagging, cajoling form parents is unlikely to have any impact.

“When he knows it’s up to him and only him whether something is does or doesn’t get done, when he’s able to link action with consequences, then he’ll begin to make good decisions for himself.”

Lashlie feels that to connect with your adolescent son and

“encourage him in making good decisions, we need to step into his timeframe.”

Although I still learnt significant amounts from the next chapters, these chapters were the core ones for me. Opening up a small window into the world of adolescent boys, a world that I have very little experience with. I am sure that these learnings will help me through what will most certainly be some challenging times.

Technorati Tags: adolesence, boys, dad, mum, parenting

• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 4)
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 3)
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 1).
• Ten Things We Should Never Say To Kids.

During August we celebrate Children’s Book Week. Book Week is the longest running children’s festival in Australia and is in its 63rd year.

Book Week this year runs from August 16th -22nd and theme in 2008 is “Fuel your Mind”. To celebrate Book Week on this blog, each Tuesday in August I will be posting lists of favourite children’s books, as selected by my children.

Today’s selection is by Thinker. He is 9.5 years old, in grade four and is an avid reader. I have to admit that if I were to have chosen on his behalf, I would have chosen quite a different list. But I think this list does reflect his love of diversity in reading materials.

Thinker kindly gave up some of his time, to describe to me why he liked each book and I have included his responses under each title. In no particular order his favourite 10 books at the moment are:

(1). Raven’s Gate - Anthony Horowitz (The Power of Five series)
This book is about magic and find stories about magic interesting.

(2). Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J.K.Rowling (Harry Potter Series)
This is my favourite in the series and it is about war and mystery. The mystery makes me keep wanting to read more so I can find out what is going to happen.

(3). Funniest Stories - Paul Jennings
Book of short stories about funny stuff people do. I like it because they make me laugh and they are a little bit crazy.

(4). The Power Of One (Young Readers’ Edition) - Bryce Courtenay
I like the main character Peekay. He keeps trying no matter how mean people are to him.

(5). Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
It is an adventurous story and the main characters have lots of attitude.

(6). The Twits - Roald Dahl
Mr and Mrs Twit do heaps of disgusting stuff to each other. It is great how the animals out smart them.

(7). The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
It talks about as you get older you tend to play less and less. It teaches you that it is important to give to others.

(8). The Adventures of Tintin - Red Racksham’s Treasure - Herge
Tintin and the crew have to keep trying and trying to find the treasure. Professor Calculus is my favourite character in this story.

(9). Rowdy Revolutions - Terry Deary (Horrible Histories series)
It is about real history and is full of action. It is quite violent and lots of people died in the revolutions.

(10). Once - Morris Gleitzman
It is a very sad story about the holocaust. I enjoyed it because the young children were running away from the Nazis. Not everyone survived.

Technorati Tags: boys, children's books, favourites, nine years old

• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Babaganouski’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Possum’s Choice
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Little Rascal’s Choice
• 10 Books We Are Enjoying On The Holidays

(Photo by DragonDrop)

Back in June I posted about a talk that I went to at my children’s school on What To Expect When Expecting An Adolescent. I found the talk informative and an glimpse as to what I have coming in the next few years.

A good friend then recommended me the book titled He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men, by Celia Lashlie. I am so glad she did recommend it, as I have found it to be an amazing book in terms of giving me an insight into the world of boys (and men!)

The book is easy to read and is only 217 pages long. Lashlie has broken the book down into 11 small chapters and each has a succinct but powerful summary at the end.

The book however challenges some preconceived stereotypes and ideas that I have held. And I am sure that not all would agree with Lashlie, but I respect her willingness to say what may be unpopular or unconventional based on her experiences through The Good Man project.

If you have a gorgeous boy in your house, even if he is a few years away from adolescence, I urge you to take some time and read this book. For me, I am so glad to have read the book now, while I have some years before my son and I reach the “bridge of adolescence”. I have time to digest what I have learnt and think about how I can manage my own behaviour through this stage.

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to post the key learnings for me from the book. Now I have finished it, I will be handing it over to Mr I to read. He has a critical role coming ahead, that I am not sure he is aware of.

Introduction and What Was The Good Man Project
A striking quality of the book is Lashlie’s positive attitude towards boys and men. She values the different qualities that they possess, compared to women and she has hope and respect for the boys that she deals with.

The book is based on the findings from The Good Man Project which she led in New Zealand from Sept 2002 until Mar 2004. During this time Lashlie spent time with 180 classes of boys from 25 schools. The boys spanned the spectrum of secondary school from year 7 to year 12.

From personal experience, Lashlie raised two children, a daughter and son on her own through the times of adolescence.

The Wonderful World Of Boy’s Schools
Whilst the author acknowledges that their is room for improvement, from the time spent in boys schools, she learns the value that they have for boys.

Lashlie concludes from her experience that boys’ schools allow boys the time that they need.

“They need time to think, time to process new-found emotions and time to make decisions about their future. They need time to just be, to move freely between boyhood and manhood, returning several times, in the initial flush of adolescence, to a state of boyhood where they’ll spend time playing while reflecting at a deeper (and often completely invisible) level on the fact that they’re in the process of leaving that boyhood behind.”

In this chapter Lashlie also makes the following observation:

“When we talk about the boys at co-educational schools being more socially adept, more ‘mature’, are we in fact saying that they’ve learnt earlier than boys educated in single-sex schools just what expectations women have of them?”

About A Boy: Inside Their Head
As mentioned earlier, Lashlie made the journey of adolescence with her own son as a single parent. In the book she openly acknowledges that if she had known what she knows now, that she would have done many things differently with her own son, that would have made adolescence easier for her son and for herself.

Knowledge of what goes on inside the head of an adolescent can help parents understand their behaviour better and how they should react to it.

Two key points for me were the following:

Recognise their desire to live in the moment, their inability and/or unwillingness to plan their lives.

Have we made education a series of relatively small steps because we think that’s what works, when what boys actually want and need are fewer, much bigger steps?

Even though my eldest son in 9.5 years old, I can easily see the relevance of these points in his behaviour now. The question for me now is what do I do with this knowledge?

There is a lot for me to think about and all of it relatively minor compared to the issues that will raise their heads in adolescence. But in terms of now, do I let him leave his homework to the last minute? Do I allow the last minute scurry in and out of the door before football training as he remembers to grab his mouth guard, then water bottle? I have tried without much success to get him to prepare and plan these things, but should I let this go? I am thinking yes and handing the responsibility for being organised back to him, which ever way he does this.

What do you think?

NB. On a completely different note, be sure to check in tomorrow as I have some exciting news to share!

Technorati Tags: adolesence, boys, dad, mum, parenting

• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 4)
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 3)
• He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men (Part 2).
• What To Expect When You Are Expecting An Adolescent

(Photo Source: flickr - jslander)

When I planned the menu for the family this week, I had to do son with a different cook in mind. Mr Infrastructure and I are doing something of a role swap this week. The aim of this for me to do some long term planning, complete the preseason for the 30 Day Challenge and work on documenting all my recipes.

Monday: Pumpkin Soup

Baking: White Chocolate Chip Cookies
(I will still do the baking - I think I can only push it so far!)

Tuesday: Chicken Stir Fry With Seasonal Vegetables

Wednesday: Baked Penne With Bacon

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Roast Chicken and Vegetables
(The chicken will be bought cooked, but the veggies cooked at home.)

Saturday: Picklebums Easy Beef and Vegie Triangles
(Using left over meat from the tacos.)

Sunday: Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

Again, I have included the shopping list for this week’s menu plan as an excel file. The below paragraphs explain what is in the attached excel file below.

Shopping List For Family Menu Plan 080721

It contains three separate spreadsheets. The first is named “Complete Grocery’ and it lists by supermarket aisle all the ingredients that are needed to cook the family meals for this week.

The second spreadsheet is named “Ingredient By Meal’ and it lists the ingredients that are required for the family by each individual meal this week. I have also left on the aisle and aisle subsection in this spreadsheet for reference, but if you want to print that out you will need to alter the print area.

The third spreadsheet is named “Menu Plan” and is a modified version of the menu plan that I print and place on the fridge. I have a notes section, that I like to populate with any activities that are likely to impact the evening meal routine.

Want to see what we are having next week? Subscribe to my free email updates via the “subscribe page” or from the RSS Feed icon at the top of the page.

For more menu planning ideas head on over to Laura’s place at “I’m an Organizing Junkie“.

Technorati Tags: child friendly, family food, Menu Planning, Recipes

• Menu Plan Monday - Easy To Cook Family Food
• Menu Plan Monday - Input From The Husband
• Menu Plan Monday - One I Prepared Earlier
• Menu Plan Monday - Cooking In Bulk