Kids

They're huggable, lovable, extremely cozy and soft, and kids love 'em. The irresistible playful pals I'm referring to are buddy blankets. Unlike regular baby blankets, buddy blankets are a bit smaller, usually come trimmed in satin, and have an adorable plush animal attached to them.

Because of their two-in-one appeal — featuring a blanket and cuddly stuffed animal in one — it's no wonder kids go gaga over them. Most are machine washable and dryable, so they are low maintenance for mama, and because they are smaller than traditional blankets, you don't have to worry about your little one dragging it on the floor or the ground outside.

For the perfect gift, or an addition to your baby's crib, here are some different animals and colors to choose from!

Warm weather has many families fixing things up around the house. Community member Funkytime shared her latest project in CasaSugar's Su Casa group.

We are getting ready to move to the city, and while packing, I found our old bedside tables…not very chic anymore;-) Since the kids did not have any, I decided to convert them into fun kids nightstands.

To see the before photo, click here. Have a DIY kids project you want to share? Join Casa's and share away!

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post by Kimberly Palmer, the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, and personal finance columnist at US News & World Report. Take it away, Kimberly!

Along with the cute outfits, nursery, and rocking chair, there’s one more thing to get ready for baby: Your bank account. Because along with being cuddly and adorable, babies are also insanely expensive. Just how much will one end up costing you? Well, according to the latest estimates from the Agriculture Department, middle-income couples (earning between $57,000 and $98,000) spend around $12,000 a year on their babies.

Luckily, parents don’t need to come up with all that cash at once. In fact, we often don’t even realize when we’re spending it, because it includes the fuzzier costs of moving to a bigger home and buying more groceries in addition to the more obvious ones, such as baby clothes and baby sitters. There are ways, though, to start priming your accounts for an extra family member in advance, so you don’t have to worry about bouncing any checks during your first years together. Whether you’re pregnant or your future baby exists only in your daydreams, here are some ways to start getting ready:

1. Figure out your work (or no work) plan. Babies often make their biggest financial impact on their parents’ earning potential, since new moms (and dads) frequently decide to scale back their work hours in order to spend more time with the new love of their lives. In this country, even a relatively brief maternity leave of three or four months is usually unpaid, which means new parents have to live off savings at a time when they’re also taking on more expenses.

Meanwhile, parents who continue working full-time take on the mega-cost of nannies or daycare, which can average well over $12,000 a year, especially in cities. One way to mitigate the budget shock: Practice living off one salary before the big birth day, and sign up for childcare flex spending accounts if your employer offers them, in order to take advantage of the tax benefits.

For more tips on how to get your bank account ready for a baby, read on.

• The art of the Super Bowl sandwich. — The Atlantic
• The Los Angeles School District refuses to let Jamie Oliver film in any of its schools. — LA Times
• The Starbucks trenta cup can hold an entire bottle of wine. — Eater
• Here's a great vegan chili recipe. — Huffington Post Food
• 12 ways to get kids to eat well. — Culinate
• Chef Jose Garces is distressed by the US immigration policy. — Grub Street Phillie
• Check out the documentary about uber-chef Paul Liebrandt. — A Mouthful
• Homemade vs. store-bought: Which seven-layer dip tastes better? — Serious Eats

While visiting family over the holidays this year, I toted my iPad along, intending to use it to stream movies, read books on the Kindle app, and casually browse the Internet during the lazy days of vacation. I figured my parents would be impressed by it, but I had no idea it would blow my four-year-old niece's mind.

LilSugar found that your opinions are split when it comes to kids and the expensive gadget. And until I witnessed it for myself, I didn't think that iPads were meant for kids, either. Given how expensive the iPad is, I was wary of letting her use it at first, but during a particularly active afternoon, I hoped that a few minutes with the iPad would calm her down. And, it did! I've completely changed my stance on kids and iPads; get the full list of reasons after the break.

• Which Shake Shack makes the best burger? — A Hamburger Today
• How eating at home can save your life. — Huffington Post Food
• Prohibition is the wrong way to improve a child's nutrition. — The Atlantic
• Chef Michael White has officially split with his longtime restaurant partner, Chris Cannon. — Eater NY
• Gael Greene wonders, doesn't anybody care about Craig Claiborne anymore? — Grub Street NY
• Think you have a food allergy? You might want to double check that it's real. — The New York Times
• The oldest winery in the world has been discovered in Armenia. — Wall Street Journal
• Take a virtual tour of Momofuku Milk Bar's new Brooklyn facility. — The Feast
• Pantry find: Martha Stewart's two-in-one parchment paper foil. — The Kitchn

Source: Flickr User Simon Doggett

British chef and healthy-eating-habits advocate, Jamie Oliver, is on the move. He's taking his reality show, Food Revolution, to the West Coast. Oliver and his family will settle into the LA area in January, and filming will start later in 2011. The format of the second season of Food Revolution will differ from the first, although there will be an element that involves schools.

Oliver hoped to film in the cafeterias of the Los Angeles Unified School District, but the superintendent's office has denied his request, "our feeling was that his time would be better spent or invested in other communities," a representative for the schools said. Producers for the show are on the lookout for families with children who need dietary help.

Oliver's other attempts involve Australia; today he launched the "Ministry of Food Australia" campaign in which he'll set up regional centers that teach people how to enjoy nutritious food. The Queensland government will donate $2.5 million over the course of four years to Oliver's agenda. "These cooking classes are fun, produce delicious food from fresh ingredients and really take the fear out of cooking," Oliver said.

At a time when it seems hard for a single individual to make a difference, it's refreshing to see Oliver fight for change. What do you think about his efforts?