Three recipes to make with your kids this week

The background noise — Democrats persecuting their political enemies, throwing a former president in jail, you know, normal things — has never been louder, but as I get older and as I have more children, I can't help but feel that as much as it matters, what's in my immediate purview matters much more. Where was I the day Trump was indicted for some byzantine bulls**t that no one read and everyone knows is a lie? Misbehaving on Twitter during naptime, sure, but otherwise spending time with my precious kids, making a whole lot of baked goods for our journey to Grandmother's house ahead of the Paschal Triduum.

So here you go, friends: something to distract from dystopian American politics and, more importantly, to help you create pleasant memories with your children during the most important week of the year. The following recipes are cute but simple and resilient to the "help" of clumsy little fingers.

These bird nests are so cute, and the nest recipe can be replaced with that of a standard Rice Krispies treat, Cocoa Krispies, or Fruity Pebbles. I often throw a splash of amaretto in the marshmallow mixture, and you can even throw in some Watkins' food coloring made in America, free from artificial colors, derived from pure vegetable juice, turmeric, and spirulina extract.

This bark is one of those holiday treats that are so versatile you really can't go wrong. Let your kids go crazy throwing whatever colorful treats they love most on top, and you'll end up with something so fun and plentiful, you can distribute it as gifts!

Last but not least (in fact, these are easily my favorite and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser), we have carrot cake cupcakes. My mother's recipe used to include walnuts and pineapple, and I've never been able to top that, but the great thing about carrot cake is that you really can wing it with some of the ingredients. Applesauce is a great addition too. My daughter loves mixing the batter, the more random ingredients, the better. Another cute option: I've seen people top their cream cheese frosting with Peeps instead of these high-effort white chocolate carrots.