Simple meatloaf recipe and fun kids birthday gift

Mmmm meatloaf the whole family can enjoy
I've always loved meatloaf and have found great joy in experimenting with all sorts of creative ingredient combinations. Since my kids are not the most adventurous eaters, I have settled down to a standard simple recipe that is enjoyed by all. As with any recipe, substitutions can be made according to what's in your pantry that day but I would recommend proactively buying V8 juice so you have that ingredient available. It is a great addition to a lot of recipes and is pretty nutritious. It has a mellower tomato flavor than using ketchup, tomato paste or tomato sauce. And remember this helpful tip for cooking meatloaf. Fill a shallow pan with 1 inch of water and put the meatloaf pan in the shallow pan. That keeps the sides of the meatloaf from overcooking and allows for MUCH easier cleanup.

Meatloaf Recipe -great for novice cooks
1 lb. ground beef
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1 small can V8 juice (about 6 oz.)
2 eggs
1 package oatmeal (the little pouches)
coupla squirts worcesterchire sauce
Mix all ingredients and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Remember to put that meatloaf pan into a shallow pan containing about an inch of water to keep the meatloaf from overcooking around the sides. Super simple recipe with super easy cleanup.

Great girl birthday gift idea
We had a fun time yesterday with little Claudia. For her birthday, my 7 year old had given her a homemade gift certificate that entitled Claudia to a playdate including a manicure and pedicure. The nice part of this gift is that it is the gift of a good time together instead of just more stuff. We wrapped up a couple dollar nail polish set so that she had something to open on her birthday and then called her a week after her big day to set up the date for their mutual pampering. We have a salon nearby that does both the little toesies and hands plus a pretty flower painted on big toes and thumbs for just $15. Ask around near you and I'm sure there's something comparable. An added fun bonus for the girls at this outing was that the salon had a karaoke machine so they were able to sing to their hearts content while waiting for their toes to dry. Fortunately for all involved, the salon was not busy during that time! (I recommend calling ahead to see when their slower times are.) Now when they look at their pretty polish, they'll remember their fun time together.