Popsicles are easy to make; and kids can have fun doing it for themselves, too. Consider the Jokari Cool Cones – not only can the kids fill up these traditionally-round molds with their favorite juice, but they also function as non-drip ice-cream cones. Push up on its long handle to expose more ice-cream or frozen juice – brilliant! Would definitely save Mommy a lot of clean-up angst from drippy and the inevitable toppling-over of scoops of ice-cream … And if the kids drop the thing running around the lawn, all they have to do is to wash or remove dirt and grass from the exposed bit … and continue lickin’! (Yes; I do think like a kid at times.)

Here is another fun tip on how to use the Jokari Cool Cones: stick them into whole fruits such as a watermelons … and end up having sticks of fruit that everyone in the house can enjoy without worrying and fussing with peels. Works a treat for quick treats at the park!

Tovolo Freezer Jewel Pops, on the other hand (pun intended), seem to be designed for busy-yet-dehydrated Mommies on the move … Although a simple and common way of making popsicles; The Tovolo Freezer Jewel Pops’ molds are unique in the sense that they have a finger loop in place of the usual popsicle stick. That somewhat allows for Mommy to still have relatively-free hands and fingers to attend to other things at home – as long as the other things do not involve a shower …

Tovolo also makes popsicle molds of other shapes; the Blue Rocket Ice Pop would be the boys’ favorite; shaped like a rocket, and lots more popsicle!

Ok. This I have to check out. Turns out there are stainless steel soap bars for sale. They are just a chunk of stainless steel in the shape of a soap bar.

The women swore this works. So, well next time I need to rid my hands of food odors, I’ll give it a go. Not going to purchase that soap bar though.

However this is all kinda interesting to a geek like me. There’s got to be some scientific explanation right? Sadly there isn’t much of that around even online – surprise. There are theories though but nobody really knows.

Does it work? Yes. But I’m afraid to say it hasn’t been any easier or faster than my home made pods. My home made pods gave me the frothy top like the regular pods did, the Coffeeduck didn’t. It was very minimal. I also found cleaning up after rather messy because there’s a lot of water left in the filter. With my home made pods it was much easier and dry. Filling it also takes practice. You definitely want to make sure the filter is dry before filling because the sides must be 100% free from any coffee crumbs and it’s easier to wipe the crumbs away with a damp cloth if the filter is dry.

Do I regret buying the Coffeeduck? No. Maybe because I’ve had more practice with it by now, and have somewhat mastered filling the filter. Also, I ruined my original two pod filter so the Coffeeduck is a replacement that does two jobs use with coffee beans or regular Senseo pods. I’ve noticed it does give me a stronger cup of coffee – really getting the essence out vs the home made pods and that is always nice when I want a stronger cup.

Overall, if you do not have the problems I did like losing or messing up the original filter, I am not sure this is something I would recommend. Having said that, if you don’t mind practicing and messy clean ups it can be quite handy.

If you’re looking for the same thing, ThinkGeek is where you can find it. Click on Home & Office in the menu on your left, then Kitchen Tech. The clock is about 3 quarters down the page on the right most column.

Right now, they are running Free FedEx Home Delivery for orders $40 or more. Use coupon code DEALNEWS.

I like to start things earlier. The two elder girls are 8 and going on 7 so they are more than capable of cooking. I want them to be able to not only cook full meals for the family, but cook snacks and quick meals for one so they can be independent when they get home from school (and I’m still working at my desk), and also because they will spend many years by themselves real soon. After thinking about it, I believe these 4 kitchen appliances would be a great way for them to cook hot meals with minimal supervision.

George Foreman Grill – My brother-in-law gave us one a couple of years ago. We love it. I’m thinking this would be a great way to heat/cook chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches, panini’s, even hamburgers. It is healthy and super easy to use.

A sandwich maker – these things go all the way back to when I was a kid. This was one of the few kitchen items my mom would let me use when I was their age. Makes awesome grilled cheese sandwiches that the kids love. I also think they can make pizza sandwiches real easily with these too. Spread a little spaghetti sauce on a slice of bread, add couple slices of pepperoni and some shredded cheese, top with another piece of bread and press in the sandwich maker yum! And because the sandwich maker seals the sides of the sandwiches, the sauce stays in – as long as there’s not too much Oh, you can also get those that make waffles as well.

A GT Express 101 – we had this and I loved it! They now have the newer one – Xpress Redi-Set-Go with many improvements. Omelets were especially easy to make with the original GT Express. The little ones also loved turkey tacos so throwing one in this little cooker will give it a nice crunch and also melt the cheese.

A crock pot – best for getting the little ones to make dinner for the family. Just get them to throw everything in and turn on. How kid friendly is that?

The molds are dishwasher safe, they cost $12 for a set of 3.

Hmmm… it says you can make ice cream without electricity. That already sounds great off the bat. Then it says all you need to do is roll it around – literally play with the ball and freeze. You’ll get ice cream. Wow. Sounds too good to be true.

But according to those who reviewed it, they like the product. Some even say it’s great exercise! It’s not really that expensive plus it comes in a variety of cool colors.

Here’s what it’s perfect for:

• Small cup cakes. It’s great for making tiny pop-in-the-mouth sized cup cakes and you make even sized cakes.
• Melon scoop
• Ice cream – duh! Well actually, I find myself enjoying my ice cream a lot more and eating less with the tiny scoops they are such a novelty!
• Tiny bite-sized biscuits. Add cheese into the bisquick, use the ice cream scoop to make mini cheese biscuits oh yum!

So much fun for me and the kids too. They really make perfect sized snacks for little hands.

The 5-in-1 Tasty Baker could change that without much difficulty. Check this out. It bakes cakes, pancakes or any liquid batter type foods into fun shapes which you can take and make even more cute dishes and snacks. There’s a standard one, Mickey Mouse and Disney Princess one.

You know in a few days, I’ll have to bring food for a Girl Scout party. Been wracking my head what to make without spending too much effort. This got me thinking – a lot!

This toaster comes with different design plates that can be changed out. You can get fun designs kids love but also cute text ones that adults will get a kick out of too. I love the “Bite Me” ones. Breakfast is important but a good attitude to go with that also makes for a great start to the day.