With the kids home from school for the foreseeable future, keeping them busy while you adjust to working and schooling at home is a necessity — multi-tasking a must. Your best bet? Going “stir crazy” in the kitchen teaching your kids to cook while simultaneously getting dinner on the table.

Cooking is a great family activity that also teaches kids math and science (not to mention a life skill they will need when they grow up).

The first things your kids will need are proper tools. They can use what you have, but small hands do better with smaller cooking implements. Amazon is a great resource offering everything from kid-safe cooking knives to a Master Chef Junior Cooking Essentials Kit. Walmart has adorable aprons and chef hats to get everyone in the mood for fun.

Not every parent is a master chef. If microwaving and take out is your go-to, why not learn to cook together? ChopChop Cooking Club is a great app that offers age-appropriate recipes that will help your kids master their cooking skills. They progress in difficulty as your child gets more experienced in the kitchen. Kids can earn badges and once they have earned enough, they are entered into drawings for great prizes.

Fit for a Feat Chef School offers free videos that focus on preparing kid-tested recipes and cooking techniques. Kids also learn food and kitchen safety, how to turn food into art, and much more.

Once you’re ready, it’s time to find the perfect recipes and what better place to look than the home of Chopped Junior, the Food Network. Among the many recipes kids can make with minimal help from a sous chef, you’ll find Sloppy Joe Sliders, Crunchy Breakfast Tacos, Pizza Skewers and an Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie. You’ll also find helpful tips on getting kids involved in one of their favorite activities – baking.

Now that you have the resources, how do you go about getting kids in the kitchen without going crazy, yourself? Use these tips brought to you by Julie Negrin, a nutritionist and kids’ cooking teacher.

Yep, no matter how you slice it, getting kids into the kitchen is good for you and your family!

Anglia Homes embraces buyers’ wants and needs. Wants that might include a game room the entire family can enjoy or the need for a flex room that can be turned into the ultimate nursery — all of it priced to fit your budget.

Boasting a management team with more than 100 years combined experience, the Houston-based builder strives to provide homebuyers with the best locations, designs, quality, affordability and value.

In Balmoral, that means eight gorgeous designs. Priced from the low $200s, the one- and two-story homes include studies/flex space, spacious family rooms with an optional fireplace, open-concept kitchens and dining areas, secluded downstairs master suites, utility rooms with convenient garage access and upstairs game rooms.

Every living space boasts elegant features such as granite countertops, oversized kitchen cabinets, arched doorways, Whirlpool® black-on-black appliances, ceiling fans and more. All of it is standard.

More importantly, Anglia wants to help families create life-long memories in a home they have helped design. They want homes that grow as families grow. In short, they want happy homebuyers to become happy homeowners.

The builder’s message is simple “Look for Yourself.” Visit the Anglia Homes model home and speak with a sales professional. We think you’ll agree that Anglia has exactly what you are looking for.

Homeownership on a smaller scale doesn’t mean sacrificing the features you want most because if you purchase a Lennar home in Balmoral, Everything’s Included®.

Lennar builds the charming new Bungalow Collection in Balmoral. Priced from the $240,000s, the homes include welcoming front porches, gourmet kitchens, beautiful master suites and generous storage space. They also offer many of the features other builders consider upgrades — standard!

One of America’s leading homebuilders since 1954, Lennar has simplified the home buying experience by including the most desired connectivity, efficiency and luxury features in their homes.

In Balmoral, that means you get granite countertops, 2-inch faux wood blinds on the windows, climate-controlled closets in the master suite and a stainless-steel appliance package that includes the refrigerator.

Smart home packages are also on buyers’ must-have lists these days. Many builders offer smart home packages as an option, but Lennar delivers $7,500 in home automation and connectivity features as standard. Buyers receive smart products including an Amazon Echo Dot, Schlage EncodeTM Wi-Fi Smart Lock, Honeywell Lyric RoundTM Wi-Fi Thermostat and a Ring® Pro Video Doorbell. Not sure how to integrate all of your devices? Don’t worry ­— Lennar has contracted with Amazon to have a service representative come out and activate it all.

Lennar offers six home designs in Balmoral priced from the $240,000s. Visit the Lennar model home to find out how you can make your homeowner dreams come true, then explore our everything’s included community. In addition to our spectacular crystal clear lagoon, you’ll see our gorgeous Amenity Village with an infinity-edge pool, splash pad, fitness center, playground and Hammock’s Row.

Looking for some beach-themed fun in the sun in Houston? Well, it’s pretty much always sunny but it’s not always beachy — except here in Balmoral where you and the family are invited to dive into our Sun’s Out, Fun’s Out Beach Party from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 7.

This don’t-miss party will take place on the shores of our spectacular crystal clear lagoon, 15808 Crystal Terrace Drive. For $10 per person, you can enjoy an entire day of sand, sun and water fun including water volleyball, bounce houses, lawn games, putt-putt golf, swimming and splashing. Don’t forget to enter our sandcastle-building contest. We want to see your creations!

For an extra fee, challenge yourself and others on the Witbit inflatable water obstacle course, try out all manner of non-motorized watercraft and capture the memories in our photo booth. We’ll also have glitter tattoos, food and adult beverages available for purchase.

Come out and celebrate Spring Break the Balmoral way! Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Balmoral again ranked among the top 50 top-selling master-planned communities in the nation, fueled by a 40 percent increase in home sales.

Our community nabbed the No. 26 spot on the esteemed real estate consulting firm Robert Charles Lesser & Co (RCLCO) list that ranks communities by total sales for the previous year. Last year we ranked at No. 42 — a 16-spot climb! Our builders sold 467 homes in 2019 compared to 334 in 2018.

According to the RCLCO report, top-selling communities differentiated themselves by offering more home choices, sizes and prices. Seventeen builders have chosen to make their homes with us, including Anglia Homes, Ashton Woods Homes, CastleRock Communities, Censeo Homes, Colina Homes, D. R. Horton, Empire Communities, Gehan Homes, Highland Homes, HistoryMaker Homes, Lennar, Taylor Morrison, Trendmaker Homes, Shea Homes, Long Lake Homes, William Lyons Homes and Westin Homes.

Each builder offers a range of floor plans and options so you are sure to discover your dream home. Home designs in Balmoral are priced from the $200s.

Another factor in our popularity is our range of amenities. Centered on our tropical crystal clear lagoon, Balmoral offers a number of ways for families to stay fit and have fun. That includes our gorgeous Amenity Village. The expansive eight-acre complex resembles a vacation resort with an infinity pool, club house, fitness center, hammock row, sand volleyball court and more.

We’re also a Land Tejas community. Our developer is one of the most prolific and innovative creators of master-planned communities in the Greater Houston area. In addition to Balmoral, the Land Tejas community Harmony in Spring placed at No. 24 on the RCLCO list.

Want to see what a top-selling community looks like? Visit us today.