DAILY RECIPE: Carrot Cream Soup

1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon margarine

4 large carrots

2 cups water
salt and pepper

Peel, slice and steam carrots until tender. In a medium sized pot melt margarine and add onion until lightly browned. Blend cooked carrots with salt, pepper and half a cup of water. Add to onion and butter stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the water (more if too thick) and check for seasoning. Serve warm with cheese cheetos as croutons.

TIP OF THE DAY

Carry a small box of crayons and a small notebook in your purse. They will come in useful when waiting at a doctor´s office, bank or even during a traffic jam. Toddlers will love for you to make drawings for them. Young children can doodle. Older children can scribble games like tic-tac-toe and hangman.

IDEA: Easy Birthday Parties!

Sometimes a busy schedule leaves us with a child´s birthday next week and no party planned! Stress out no more -- here are some quick solutions to this problem:

• Plan a pizza party - at your local pizza place (Peter Piper Pizza, Chuck. E. Cheese, etc.) They usually have birthday packages complete with pizza, drinks, cake, ice-cream and games, what´s not to love? Plus, you leave the mess there, not at your place! Be sure to ask other moms to chaperone just to be on the safe side, these places can get really crowded.


• Plan a bear party - your local Build a Bear Workshop will be delighted to receive your child and a few friends. Leaving a birthday party with a new plush friend? A happy day for everybody!


• Plan a diva party - Ask your local beauty salon if they can receive 4 girls for a quick hair - do and nails. Then head back home for dress up, photo shoot and cake.


• Plan a piñata party - Have some of your child´s friends over, eat cake and ice - cream and top it off with a piñata filled with candy and favors. Quick and easy!


• Plan a movie party - Take your child and 2 or 3 friends to the movies. A great day complete with popcorn and soda! Simpler version of this party - host your own movie party. Rent a favorite movie, add popcorn and drinks. When the movie is over you can serve birthday cake.

I´m sure you can think of more birthday ideas that can be kept simple. Remember, you don´t need weeks or months of planning, a few phone calls, reservations and invitations and don´t forget to pick out a birthday cake -- and you´re all set for an easy birthday party!

DAILY RECIPE: Easy Party Dip!

1 pkg crackers
1 small cream cheese
3/4 cups salsa

Open cream cheese and make small incisions with a blunt knife. Pour salsa on top, very slowly, until covered. Serve with crackers and spreading knife. Great for Super Bowl Parties!

TIP OF THE DAY

Remove white deodorant stains from sides of shirts by rubbing pantyhose on top.

DAILY RECIPE: Easy Garlic-Chili Shrimp!

1 lb shrimp, washed

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat pan, add oil. Sauteé garlic. Add shrimp, chili powder and salt. Toss well until shrimp is cooked (pink). Serve with white rice.

TIP OF THE DAY

Print out a family picture at least every month and place in an "old-fashioned" photo album. It´s always nice to have one that we can actually flip through!

HELP HAITI

The recent earthquake in Haiti has left countless people homeless, injured and hungry. I urge you to please donate whatever it is you can to your local Red Cross, or any other center that is collecting water, food, medicine, diapers, etc. Many local tv and radio stations are receiving goods. Check for any center in your area in which you can help. If every single person could give just a little, for Haiti it would mean a lot. Take your children with you when you donate, this will help them see that in today´s world we all need to help each other during hard times. Take this opportunity to mark in them the joy of helping others when you can. We have all been touched by tragedy near our homes one time or another, from 9/11 to hurricane Katrina, we have seen disasters up close, now, just take a moment to think that this time, it happened to the poorest country in Latin America. They need our help. Don´t miss this opportunity to lend a helping hand. Donate today. Thank you!

DAILY RECIPE: Ham Spaghetti Rolls

10 thin slices of ham
3 cups cooked spaghetti
1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped
salt and pepper
oil
grated Mozzarella cheese

Pour a tablespoon of oil into heated pan. Sautée onion and bell pepper. Add spaghetti and toss well. Place spaghetti on ham and roll up. Place in a glass oven pan. Continue this with all slices of ham. Top with cheese and heat until cheese is melted, but NOT browned. Serve immediately.

TIP OF THE DAY

Put left over candy from birthday parties in a jar. This way you won´t have candy in unwanted places!