On TLC’s Jon and Kate Plus 8, super-mom of eight, Kate Gosselin, shared her edible peanut butter play dough recipe with viewers, as part of their family’s Valentines Day activities. What could be better than play dough you can make together with your children and also eat for a treat, especially if your children are at the age where they‘d rather eat their art!
Equal parts:

• Peanut butter
• Honey
• Powdered milk

In addition to those 3 ingredients, Kate threw in a little flour to help with consistency. This will come in handy if your play dough turns out to be not quite firm enough for sculpting into shapes. You can add a little food coloring if your child is set on a specific color dough. You might want to consider covering the play area with wax paper for easier clean-up. After mixing all the ingredients together thoroughly in a bowl and kneading a bit, have the kids wash up (if they haven’t already) and supply them with several cookie cutters. A few raisins, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, or M&Ms wouldn’t be a bad idea either. This will help your kids experiment with different textures, while having fun and getting creative with snack time! Your preschool-age children are sure to enjoy this special activity/snack. Store the play dough in an airtight plastic bag or container in the refrigerator, that is, if there‘s any left!
The Gosselin family includes busy parents: Jon and Kate, twins girls: Cara and Madelyn “Mady” who will turn 8 in October and sextuplets (3 boys and 3 girls): Aaden, Collin, Joel, Hannah, Leah and Alexis who will turn 4 on May 10^th. And I thought MY life was hectic with close to a half-dozen kids! After watching Jon and Kate Plus 8, my sleep deprivation and terrible two challenges don’t seem nearly so bad afterall. Catch new episodes from season three Monday nights on TLC.

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Pregnancy seems to be quite the epidemic in Hollywood and multiples are no exception. Actress/writer/former model Diane Farr, 38, and husband, entertainment marketing executive Seung Yong Chung, 37, have twins on the way. The couple’s newest additions will join their big brother Beckett Mancuso Chung, named after Irish poet and playwright Samuel Beckett. Beckett was quite possibly conceived during the couple’s honeymoon, after Diane and Seung were married on June 24, 2006. He just celebrated his first birthday on March 16^th. The twins are due to arrive late this summer, not long after the couple’s 2^nd wedding anniversary, although Diane hasn’t shared her exact due date.

Diane has starred as FBI agent Megan Reeves on CBS’s Numb3rs since 2005, although she has no plans for renewing her contract. She will be leaving Numb3rs at the end of the season to prepare for the birth of her babies-on-the-way and work on an up-coming TV series with Rescue Me writer Peter Tolan. Diane played the role of firefighter Laura Miles on Rescue Me from 2004-2005. The search for Diane’s replacement on Numb3rs is already under way, according to reports.

While still in college, Diane became the youngest woman ever to be crowned “Miss New York”. She is well known for co-hosting MTV’s popular relationship advice show Loveline in the 90s with Dr. Drew and Adam Corolla, her role as detective Jan Fendrich on The Job, as well as her recurring roles on The Drew Carey Show and Roswell. On top of everything else, Diane became a published author when her first book, The Girl Code: The Secret Language of Single Women, came out in 2001.

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Not only can flowers beautify a room and fill it with uplifting scents, they also can provide emotional well-being and lessen anxiety. Besides the immediate impact of happiness upon receiving flowers, they have a more long-term effect. According to a recent study by Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D. of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, people are affected dramatically when living with fresh flowers, even for as little as a week. Etcoff says, “Other research has proven that flowers make people happy when they receive them. What we didn’t know is that spending a few days with flowers in the home can affect a wide variety of feelings.” According to the research, people tend to feel more compassion and kindness toward others, have less anxiety and experience less depression when fresh cut flowers are present in their home. Participants also showed increased energy, creativity and heightened enthusiasm when being exposed to flowers. By looking at the study’s outcome, it’s easy to conclude flowers benefit our daily lives. On the other hand, most women don’t need research to convince them of this. We love receiving flowers and we‘ve been aware of these benefits for years!

Flowers and Their Color Meanings

The color of flowers have emotional effects on people, as well. People tend to respond to each color in completely different ways. Some reactions to color are related to different cultures, while others are on a more subconscious level. This list of color meanings may have you thinking more deeply when choosing a gift of flowers from now on.

• Red flowers are thought to increase energy, respiration rates and blood pressure, while heightening passion. Warmest of all colors, red is associated with warmth. Red roses symbolize passionate love, as the color red is very emotionally intense. Red roses say, “I love you” like no other color of rose.
• Yellow flowers such as sunflowers enhance alertness and energy. They convey sunshine, warmth, joy and cheerfulness. Yellow daffodils can symbolize unrequited love.
• Green flowers are thought to be relaxing and restful. Green is known to be the most restful color for the human eye. Green helps to slow breathing and heart rate, while producing a sense of warmth. Green is known to be the color of life, fertility and nature. The color green may also mean peace, hope and luck. Bells of Ireland convey the message of, “Good luck“.
• Blue flowers such as delphiniums help with relaxation, just as green ones do. Blue, being the coolest of all colors, has a soothing effect. It is thought to be a very peaceful, calming color. Blue also conveys confidence, security, wisdom, inspiration, sincerity and is quite possibly the color of tranquility.
• Orange flowers are thought to produce an invigorating effect without raising blood pressure. Orange stimulates creativity, enthusiasm and determination, while being a very thoughtful and sincere color at the same time. Orange can mean encouragement and symbolize endurance and strength.
• Pink flowers are thought to mean beauty, elegance, calmness and contentment. Pink is the combination of red and white. It produces feelings of emotional love, romance, friendship, acceptance and tenderness. A pink carnation symbolizes “a woman’s love”.
• Purple flowers are thought to suggest sophistication, good judgment, luxury, authority and even a touch of romance. Purple is the combination of red and blue, the warmest and coolest colors. It draws stability from the blue and energy from the red. The color violet is associated with inspiration and imagination. Purple is known to be a rare and exotic color in nature. Purple lilacs can symbolize the “first emotions of love”.
• White flowers such as daisies suggest purity, elegance, kindness. White possesses openness as well as truth. White is thought to be the color of new beginnings and perfection, making it just right for births. It can also mean innocence and goodness.
• Black flowers may suggest mystery, the unknown or death. Black can also mean power and elegance. Mostly, black flowers are associated with grief and sorrow.

Whether purchased from the local floral shop, grown in your own backyard or gathered in a meadow full of wildflowers, a bouquet of fresh flowers will surely put a smile on the face of that special mother in your life this Mother’s Day! What type of flowers lifts your spirit on Mother’s Day?

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