The Ultimate Little Kid Christmas Gift Guide (that they'll actually play with!)

Sponsored content. Some of the items in these gift guides have been gifted by the brand but our opinions are entirely our own. #sponsored #gifted 

As a toddler/little kid Mum, I know that toys and gifts can be overwhelming, expensive and also incredibly frustrating (especially when they play with them for 5 minutes and then never again) so this Christmas, I wanted to round up our tried and tested favourites to help you plan your Christmas gifting with ease. 

This list is a mix of brand new toys, old favourites, stocking stuffers and top tier gifts your kiddos will love - and play with all year long. 

So let's get into it! 

How to help your toddler love reading!

How do you get a toddler to love books? Or enjoy looking at them? How do you introduce toddlers to books? Or sit still for longer than 3 seconds? Let's share some easy ways to help your toddler fall in love with reading.

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links

It's no secret that I am a bookworm. Before having Jensen, I'd read over 100 books each and every year without fail (let's not talk about how many i've had time to read post-Jensen) and it seems that perhaps that bookworm trait is genetic because I know have a little bookworm of my own. 

However, every time I post a photo or video of Jensen reading books on Instagram, I get a bunch of messages from other toddler Mums asking how I've gotten him to read/like/be interested in books.... and to be honest, it hasn't ever really been a conscious thing I've taught him, but there are quite a few things we do that have helped that.

So let's chat all things toddlers and books >> 

6 Healthy Halloween Snack Ideas with Real Foods' Corn Thins

These Healthy Halloween Snack Ideas are so easy to make, thanks to Real Foods Corn Thins. Move over rice cakes and boring toppings. Shake up your lunch or afternoon snack with Real Food's Corn This and these 6 delicious topping ideas. From peanut butter and banana to pesto and eggs, cheese, avocado, pretzel sticks and more, create your own cute (or scary!) Halloween characters with mummies, spiders, monsters and more. Gluten free, vegan, dairy free, nut free and clean eating friendly options.

This post is sponsored by Real Foods, however, all recipes and opinions are entirely our own and this is a brand we genuinely love and buy ourselves and confidently recommend to you!

Halloween is less than three weeks away, and whilst there are plenty of sugar-laden treat recipes out there, I wanted to share 6 Healthy Halloween Snack ideas the whole family will love.

These snacks are made with one of my all time favourite gluten free snacks, Corn Thins! Unlike tasteless rice cakes (because let's be honest, rice cakes kind of taste like styrofoam), Corn Thins are made from popped corn and gluten free grains and they're seriously delicious. The original version tastes almost like popcorn, but now Corn Thins have six delicious flavours in their range.

So, with six delicious flavours to choose from, I decided to share six different healthy Halloween snack options with you - three sweet and three savoury, each featuring a different Corn Thins product.

So let me show you what we created! >> 

Recipe: Easy Gluten Free Caramel Slice (Egg Free!)

Easy Gluten Free Caramel Slice Recipe with Condensed Milk - This traditional caramel slice recipe couldn’t be easier to make! With a simple gluten free biscuit base, gooey salted caramel filling and chocolate topping, this is The Best Caramel Slice Recipe and perfect for fetes, bake sales kids birthday parties or anytime you need a dessert!

Click to pin this recipe on Pinterest!

This recipe is not a healthy one, but it is a delicious one - and a gluten free version of a classic Aussie fave. 

This Caramel Slice Recipe is my sister's favourite. Since she moved out, I kind of forgot about it until I was digging through one of the first recipe books I had put together that was filled with my own recipes - and I decided I needed to make some ASAP. 

I'd never before made a gluten free version, but this adapted version is so good you'd never even guess it was gluten free.

Click to pin this recipe on Pinterest!

This Caramel Slice is seriously decadent. It's the kind of recipe where you'll want just a little piece... but then you'll find yourself coming back to the container for more... and more.... and more.

It's also ridiculously easy. You can not mess it up. It might seem complicated or time consuming, but I promise it's one of the easiest and most impressive treats you can make.

Click to pin this recipe on Pinterest!

The hardest part is waiting long enough for the chocolate to set!

So let me share the recipe with you >> 

A Healthier Afternoon Snack - 6 Ways to Eat the New Real Foods Whole Grain Thins™ Sorghum

Move over rice cakes and boring toppings. Shake up your lunch or afternoon snack with Real Food's Whole Grain Thins™ Sorghum and these 6 delicious topping ideas. 

This post is sponsored by Real Foods, however, all recipes and opinions are entirely our own and this is a brand we genuinely love and buy ourselves and confidently recommend to you!

I hated sandwiches as a kid.... so my poor Mum was constantly trying to come up with lunchbox ideas that I'd eat. 

Soggy sandwiches were a no go, but crunchy crackers with different toppings were a hit - and Corn Thins were my favourite. 

When I first found out I had coeliac disease, Corn Thins were one of my favourite foods that stuck. 

They were gluten free and the perfect lunch option for the person that cried over gluten free bread (because it was awful at the time) and so much cheaper too. 

But lately, my old favourite has had a little bit of a makeover - and there's a new favourite in town. Real Food's Whole Grain Thins™ Sorghum combine everything you love about Corn Thins and add the goodness of sorghum - an ancient gluten free grain that's non-GMO and full of protein, fibre and nutrients. 

Click here to pin this post on Pinterest!

It's believed that the consumption of sorghum is associated with a decreased risk of developing cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol - and it's also great for improving digestive health, bone strength, immune function and diabetes management. 

Best of all, unlike many health superfoods, sorghum actually tastes really good. 

It has a mild nutty flavour that works really well with the brown rice, corn, buckwheat and linseed used to make the new Whole Grain Thins™ Sorghum.

Whilst we totally eat these whole grain thins on their own, I thought it would be fun to share some unique topping ideas. 

These are toppings we've experimented with and loved - and I think you'll love them too!

So let me share them with you! >> 

How to Make Your Own Curious Easter Bunny Pots (An Easy DIY Easter Craft!)

If you've been following Southern In Law for a while, you'd know I love a good project - and this Easter, I may have the easiest project of all for you!

These DIY Bunny Pots are perfect for kids, school teachers, friends and family this Easter and are a perfect way to make a little treat just that extra bit special.

Best of all? They take just minutes to make and will only cost a few dollars. Even if you're a crafting newbie, I promise you can make this! 

So let me show you how to make them! >> 

Recipe: Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (Gluten Free & Lightened Up!)

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So, I fully intended to write this recipe post yesterday.... I photographed it on Saturday thinking I'd be all organised and have the photos edited so it would be all ready to go - but then Sunday happened. 

We went to church and hung out with our sunday school kiddos. 

We hung around after church to talk and catch up with our friends. 

We came home to eat lunch and bask in the sunshine.

We started sanding back all of the wood work in my future office.

We danced around to music that had to be turned up way too loud just to hear it over the electric sander.

We rushed out for a quick supply run - including new face masks because we were now sure we were exhaling dust clouds.

We continued sanding and sanding and sanding. 

We took a break to cook and eat dinner. 

And then we divided up the last of these cookies for dessert. 

I never even thought about the post until this morning... and I almost left the recipe to share with you tomorrow.... but I decided this recipe was too good not to share right away.

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These cookies are beyond delicious. 

With melty peanut butter chips and a rich chocolate cookie base, they've become a favourite in our house and we always have some dough in the freezer to make a quick batch of cookies. 

They're lightened up - lower in fat and lower in sugar - but no one will know! 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Easy Cookie Ice Cream Cake (Gluten Free!)

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Soooo, your birthday is coming up and I was thinking....

It's my conversation starter at least 4x a year with my family. 

Some might think that sentence ends with ideas for a magnificent birthday party or perhaps an incredible present... but really? I'm just trying to talk about dessert. 

You see, for me, birthdays are incredible dessert opportunities. No one bats an eye when you suggest pulling together an elaborate dessert creation when someone's birthday is near - so I milk birthdays for all they're worth. 

To the point where, even though I don't love celebrating my own birthday (I'm a lover of giving who is absolutely positively terrible at taking), I'll celebrate it just for cake. 

Or cheesecake... or ice cream... or cookies... or whatever I decide I want to make that year. 

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Just last week was Jesse's birthday and even though he said he didn't want cake (WHAT KIND OF MONSTER DID I MARRY?!?!?), I just pretended like that conversation never happened and instead went on a mission to create the ultimate birthday treat. 

But I did kind of have to tie it back to Jesse because, yaknow, it was his birthday and all and this wasn't all about me wanting to eat dessert (just 99.99999% of it 😉) and so I decided I would combine his favourite treats into one delicious dessert creation. 

If you've been reading SIL for a while, you'd know Jesse is a cookie monster. In fact, the first time he came to Australia he made himself sick after eating an ENTIRE BATCH of my infamous chocolate chip cookies. It was at that moment that I realised either a) I was a really good baker or b) I needed to impose strict cookie rations on this boy or he'd surely die before the two weeks ended. 

I went with b) and have been rationing cookies ever since.. 

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But back to this recipe.... Since Jesse is a cookie fiend who also really really loves ice cream - I decided I'd combine the two to create the ultimate birthday treat; a cookie ice cream cake. 

And ohhhhhhhhhh, my friends - the ultimate birthday treat was created. Whilst it's stupidly simple to make, this cookie ice cream cake is beyond delicious and has become a new favourite of our family. 

In fact, my Mum and Dad tried theirs on Jesse's birthday and then I heard; 

"Krissssssssssstyyyy! When are you opening up your shop?"

I looked at Jesse. "When am I going to hop? Something about hip hop? Electric shock? What did they just say?!"

Apparently they are shop worthy.... but I'm pretty sure we'd eat the profits if I ever opened up a cookie ice cream cake shop... 

Instead, let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Easy DIY Carrot Bubble Wands for Easter

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Easter is fast approaching. I've been making and testing Healthy Carrot Cake Recipes like it's my job (which it should be... because that sounds like a delicious job). 

A few years ago, around this time,  I was nannying and you would have found me madly rushing through Kmart and craft stores for different craft projects to fill in some time during the day with the kids I nannied. 

Whilst I'm not nannying anymore, I love coming up with different projects - and this is one I thought I'd share with you for Easter. These "Carrot" Bubble Wands are a super cute gift idea or party favour - and they are so cheap and easy to make. We made ours for around $1 each - and making them only took a few minutes! 

So let me show you how to make them! >> 

Recipe: Easy Baked Corn Fritter Slice

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I love to cook. 

I love creating recipes, sharing meals, eating delicious food, experimenting with ingredients - but, you know, sometimes I'm just plain lazy. 

Sometimes I want a recipe that can be mixed in five minutes and left to do it's own thing. 

Sometimes I don't feel like standing and watching things on the stove.

Sometimes I just want a recipe that only uses utensils and bowls and equipment that can be thrown in to the dishwasher.

And sometimes? Well, sometimes I REALLY want corn fritters but I don't even want to entertain the idea of flipping them. 

And that, my friends, is the exact situation I was in when I created this recipe. Why flip fritters when you can pour the batter into a baking dish and bake them instead?

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This has all the flavour of corn fritters - without all the hassle and mess - and it's become one of our favourite make ahead lunch options for busy weeks. 

Serve it up with a salad, smother it in guacamole or salsa or even eat it sandwich style with different fillings in between. There's so many different ways you can enjoy them. 

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We also switch up the ingredients inside. Use different cheese or add more for a cheesier slice, add in some chopped jalapenos or different seasonings for a spicy mexican inspired version - it's an easy recipe to make your own. 

But before you can think about switching things up - you need the recipe!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Savoury Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Muffins

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December and January are probably my two favourite months of the whole year - but they seem to whizz by in a flash! 

They're the most social months of the year with kids off school (at least in Australia), Christmas and New Year celebrations, summer barbeques and get togethers and time off work to enjoy. 

With the month whizzing by so fast,  I thought I'd share a make ahead recipe that will help you get through the busy days ahead. Whether you're heading back to work or the kids are going back to school, these savoury muffins are the perfect lunch option and an easy way to get extra veggies in (perfect for Mums looking for ideas for how to get kids to eat more vegetables!)

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There's one problem though... they don't seem to last very long. 

You see, I first made these for myself - only to have my Dad and Jesse spot them as they were baking away in the oven and they then subsequently nagged me until I gave them one to try. 

I thought this was definitely going to be a recipe they turned their noses up at. They're filled with pumpkin, spinach and zucchini and usually vegetable filled recipes are the ones they're most skeptical about. 

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I relented and shared my beloved muffins only to hear my Dad call from upstairs...

"Hey Kristy!"

".... yeah?" (let's be honest, I was expecting criticism...)

"You could make money on these"

"What?"

"You could sell them. They're really, really good"

Okay, so we had one winner... but what about the fussy zucchini hating husband. He came inside and grabbed one and said "These are actually really good... I mean.. bad... I'll just have to have them all so you don't have to suffer". 

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One big batch of muffins disappeared in two days with the boys taking them for work lunches. I opened the fridge the next day to grab some for lunch and huh... 

I really thought there was a container there. I moved things around in the fridge looking for my muffins only to find empty space. I looked on the bench, thinking I must have left them out the last time I got one and nothing. I opened the dishwasher and there was my empty container with not even a crumb remaining. 

They're that good... so you might want to hide them 😉

So let me share the recipe with you! >>