Ah, spring is the in the air, the flowers are blooming, and the world looks just a little bit brighter. Why not sweeten things up a little more by bringing some of that loveliness to your dessert as well? These flower pot desserts are as delicious as they are adorable.

Following is a basic recipe from Southern Food that layers cookies and a creamy pudding mixture, but you can really mix it up any way you want, using various cookies, cakes, and ice cream inside the pot. The key is the crushed-up Oreos on top to look like dirt, and the gummy worms for kick. You can use either fake or real flowers, but if you opt to go with real, try inserting them into green straws (they look like stems) to keep them off of the food. Your kids will love to help make them as much as they will love to eat them.

Now that it's spring we're starting to see a trickle of fresh, new spring fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market. My local market ran through the winter mostly with cold-weather staples like apples and squash. And I'm sick of them! I'm so done with potatoes and butternut squash soup. Anyone else?

We're still a few months away from the full farmer's market bounty you get in the summer (except for you lucky people in warmer climates). Spring is more a time for planting than for harvesting. But this is still a fun time to check out what's new and cook with the little gifts of spring. Here are five meal ideas you can make with your kids.

Just yesterday I was analyzing the not so subtle differences between date night before kids and date night after, when it dawned on me that I spend most should be "date nights" with my children anyway.

Yep, my Saturday nights are more Carnival than candlelit, more pizza than pizzazz, more cartoons than concerts. Have you ditched ambiance for arcades? If the Then vs. Now below sounds familiar -- the answer is a resounding yes:

Cheesy? Yes -- but in the best possible way! This story is just what you need to hear during a week that seems filled with depressing news: the wife of a soldier in Afghanistan received a very special birthday surprise on his behalf, totally free of charge.

To celebrate his wife Josephine’s birthday last week, Army National Guard Major Shawn Fulker wanted to send her a gift card to one of her favorite restaurants, Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakery -- along with a pizza, of course! He emailed the chain's headquarters in Fleming Island, Florida, asking if he could place the order to be delivered to his home in Jacksonville and saying he'd call them with his credit card number.

Ramen! Everybody loves those packages of instant ramen noodles. Well, not everybody. I'm sure there's a few picky eaters out there who are blind to the myriad charms of ramen. But for the rest of us, there's just something irresistible about those squiggly little curly noodles in that briny broth.

Sure, you could heat up some water, toss in that flavor pack, and enjoy your ramen straight-up. But consider all the other places you can take that noodle package. Here are 11 tasty twists on instant ramen.

We are smack in the middle of soup season, and there's nothing like a hot, delicious bowl of it on a chilly winter day. It's comforting and hearty, and there are so many delicious varieties with which to fill your bowl. 

This broccoli and cheddar soup from Simply Scratch is one of my favorites. It's so simple, but so flavorful, and it gets in a great serving of vegetables. Kids love it, especially if they taste it BEFORE you tell them there's broccoli in there. I don't even like broccoli (shhh, don't tell my kids), and I like this. It can be a light meal by itself or served with some sandwiches for something heartier. It's a recipe you'll definitely put in your rotation after you make it once.

One of the things I look forward to most about winter is mashed potatoes. Big, soft mountains of warm potato comfort. They're like a cozy blanket for your mouth. Even better, my son loves them. Oh, the praise that is heaped upon me when I cook mashed potatoes! It totally makes up for those times when I cook Brussels sprouts (not popular).

I used to go through the trouble of peeling and cutting and boiling, and it's not really that much work. But then I figured out a mashed potato method that's way faster and easier. And it even tastes better! Here's my recipe.

Before I had my son, I was a healthy eater. A seriously healthy eater. I had been a vegetarian for over a year, stayed away from fried foods, and ate heaping portions of roasted vegetables every day. Of course that diet went out the window once my cravings kicked in. I wanted bacon every single day. Though I didn't worry about it. I figured I would get back to my old way of eating -- eventually. Who was I kidding?! It's only gotten worse because I constantly find myself picking at the nuggets, fries, and mac 'n' cheese my son doesn't finish eating. And I know I'm not alone.