Father's Day, Crispy Thai Salad, and Crucial Toddler Childproofing

Yes, Father's Day is upon us. And hopefully you've already planned something special to do, or made some little token of your and baby's affection to show daddy how important he is. But if not, you've still got about 24 hours, so don't sweat it. Here are some lovable gift ideas you can get done with time to spare:

Homemade card with baby's scribbling or handprint - you can find free clipart on the web if you're drawing is hard to decifer

Printed and framed photo of daddy and child - you can do both at a Target near you. They have print kiosks, and cute frames

Photo coffee cup or travel mug - a lot of print shops can make you up one of these if you just bring the picture file in on a disc or a flash drive

Recipe:

Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

My mom and I just made this adapted version of the Thai Salad from the classic Moosewood Cookbook, and everyone who ate it gave it praise. It is one of those quintessential healthy recipes—perfect for a summertime lunch or dinner. If you're crunched for time, forget the julienne and go for a quicker chop with the veggies and tofu.

serves 5-6

Ingredients
2 heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped
2-3 organic carrots, julienned
1 organic red bell pepper, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
2 tomatoes, diced
1 10 oz. block of high protein tofu, julienned
2 - 2 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
1/4 cup diced cilantro
1/4 cup diced basil
1/8-1/4 cup diced mint

Dressing
6 Tbs. peanut butter
1 cup boiling water
4 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar or honey
1-1 1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 medium cloves of garlic, pressed
crushed red pepper, to taste
2 tsp. lemon juice

1) Mix all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.

2) Put peanut butter in a small bowl. Whisk in water, until combined. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Project:

Childproofing Heavy Furniture

As your child gets taller and stronger, he or she will begin to climb and pull on things that are much larger and heavier than themselves. Objects like dressers, bookcases, and entertainment centers, pose a significant threat to active children that are not yet wise enough to know the entire large, heavy object could tip over on them.

What You Will Need:

Furniture straps
Power drill
Drywall anchors, if needed

Follow the directions provided with your furniture straps. If you can not drill into a stud, you may need to use drywall anchors.

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. -Author Unknown