1/2 pound bacon
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Cook bacon until crisp and drain, then break into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and soda and stir into butter mixture. Stir in bacon, rolled oats and raisins. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Place them 2 inches apart. Bake 350° for 15-18 minutes. Cool 1 minute and remove from sheets.



Nearly everything around the house can be cleaned with one of three basic cleansers. You need a spray for light-duty cleaning, a spray for heavy-duty cleaning, and a scrubbing powder for stains. These basic three are even listed in some of the major home-cleaning manuals on the market, only they recommend a commercial name-brand. I found that most commercial cleansers have harmful ingredients that irritate my allergies as well as damaging the planet. 


These are the games with pieces that can be lost, including Bingo, Candleland and Memory games. Stringing beads, lacing cards, nesting blocks, and puzzles are better played at the table, so the pieces do not get lost. Table games also include play that may need some adult supervision, like exploring small objects with a magnifying glass. For a very young child, keep these toys out of reach, and set them on the kitchen table when you have to be in the kitchen anyway. The child can play with something new, while being near you, and you can supervise. As your child gets older, you might still keep these toys in the kitchen, but perhaps move them to a low cupboard so the child can help himself.
For the home, art activities are often best done at the kitchen table as well, but they are different from Table Play in one very important distinction. There are no right and wrong ways to do art! There is only one way to do a puzzle. There is only one winner in Candyland. But art is a process. It is self-expression. Never tell your child what to paint, or that he painted something wrong! (Unless he painted the kitchen blue – see
Music should be part of your child’s world, but so should silence. Don’t play a radio all the time, which may teach your child to “tune out” and ignore you! The music area of the playroom could include some toy instruments. Rhythm band toys are very inexpensive, often under $20, and include tambourines, shakers, a drum, bells, triangle, and maybe a swirly scarf to wave in the air while marching to music.

