There’s something exciting about dessert in our house — shocking, even. Dessert rarely appears at the table, even though we have no specific rules about sweets. Every now and then one of the children will make a request — usually cookies, a love they inherited from their dad — or I'll feel nostalgic for something like cobbler, vinegar pie, or homemade Magic Shell over ice cream. Dessert is not a required course and we definitely don’t need it to survive. However, because my husband and I come from different cultures (I am all South Carolina, while he is half Serbian and half French) he’s been known to claim his Gallic heritage as the reason he must have dessert. But he comes by his love of dessert honestly...

Kids know how to party! Check out the latest festive celebrations from the Apartment Therapy's Family channel, which posts kids' parties every day. We'll be bringing you a roundup of these inspiring parties every week.

Like every large family, the faces around our holiday table have changed over the years. Faces we loved are gone, and there are new faces that bring us joy. In the last few years, our table has changed a lot, and I'm finally ready to be more organized about it, which is not my strong suit, but you have to grow up some time, right? Easter dinner will be in my dining room — and kitchen, and living room — this year and I'm ready, more or less, thanks to the help of plenty of loved ones. (Okay, I'm not really ready, but I've been eating plenty of Jordan almonds and making lists!)

Sharpen your pencil—it’s time for New Parent Math!

New Parent + Baby = Stress

Stress + Sugar = Less Stress

I can’t think of a time when I needed sweets more than during my son’s infancy. I mean, c’mon, there’s actual science that shows eating sugar can reduce stress. But then consider this equation...

My children have plenty of things. When I travel without the boys, instead of bringing back t-shirts (they have hundreds) or snow globes (one is more than enough), I like to share the experience with them, often by cooking something new I enjoyed away from home. When we vacation as a family, we often return with new favorites to add to our regular menu. Here's how that plays out in our home:

Dinner parties are one of life’s great pleasures: the preparation and planning, the first pop of a cork, the mutual enjoyment of new dishes and old favorites, and the conversation around the table that can last into the wee hours. But what if every night is a dinner party and you have to keep it simple? More often than not, we have extra people around our table, usually aunts, uncles, or grandparents, but we’re happy to welcome friends, as long as they don’t mind eating with children. The meals are simple, served family style, often including recipes from my childhood, and the conversation stays clean. (Little pitchers have big ears and all that.)

Kids know how to party! Check out the latest festive celebrations from the Apartment Therapy's Family channel, which posts kids' parties every day. We'll be bringing you a roundup of these inspiring parties every week.

• Avery's Toy Cats Party
  
• Isaac's Retro Robot Party
  
• Joy's Creative Art Party
  
• Isla's ONEderland Party
  
• Violet's Cinco de Mayo Party
  

I don’t believe in making pretend work in the kitchen for children, the kind of jobs that create more work for me. I’m not that nice. Do it right, or don’t do it at all. But they’ll never learn if I don’t teach them, will they? Finding tasks they can do saves me time. Also? It keeps them nearby, so we can chat and enjoy the work together. Here are eight kitchen tasks that kids can do that will actually help you out. 

Q: I am 32 weeks pregnant, and will very soon be the owner of a chest freezer, which I would like to "feed" before the baby comes so that my husband, our three year old, and I can have some decent meals in the first hazy weeks of life with a newborn. What are some good recipes for this task?