Care.com is an online service that matches families with caregivers - including babysitters, nannies, pet sitters, dog walkers, tutors, and respite care for seniors.

Families can search Care.com by their zip code or metro area to find listings of caregivers who match their specific needs. Search results include enhanced caregiver profiles - with photos, video interviews, and references - which families can view before contacting a caregiver about a job. Plus, families can request free background checks on any caregiver as part of their monthly membership.

As stationary babies turn into speedy crawlers, it's time to turn the house into a safe zone, complete with babyproof gadgets and parents armed with safety information. That's where Childproofers of St. Louis steps in.

The company provides home safety assessments, babyproofing and child-proofing products - including pool fencing and gator-grip bathmats, and professional installation.

Dinner by Design offers busy families the chance to make their own home-cooked meals without a lot of fuss. After families reserve kitchen time online, the store handles ingredient preparation - from shopping to chopping - so the only thing left to do is follow the simple recipes. In two hours or less, families can prepare up to twelve full meals (or up to 24 half-meals) to take home, and the kitchen provides complete cooking instructions on convenient pre-printed labels.

If time is tight, the Dinner by Design staff can prepare meals for pre-scheduled pickup times for a minimal fee, and the kitchen also offers a to-go freezer for quick dinner fixes any day of the week.

Dinner by Design offers busy families the chance to make their own home-cooked meals without a lot of fuss. After families reserve kitchen time online, the store handles ingredient preparation - from shopping to chopping - so the only thing left to do is follow the simple recipes. In two hours or less, families can prepare up to twelve full meals (or up to 24 half-meals) to take home, and the kitchen provides complete cooking instructions on convenient pre-printed labels.

If time is tight, the Dinner by Design staff can prepare meals for pre-scheduled pickup times for a minimal fee, and the kitchen also offers a to-go freezer for quick dinner fixes any day of the week.

Ah, to have a personal chef. Dream Dinners comes pretty close: Show up at one of its locations, prepare several ready-to-eat meals from a monthly rotating menu, and take them home to the freezer.

Most recipes contain meat, although there are some vegetarian and dessert options. Guests can make as little as three meals or as many as 12. All freezer packaging is provided; side dishes, such as rice or noodles, are often included, too.

Ah, to have a personal chef. Dream Dinners comes pretty close: Show up at one of its locations, prepare several ready-to-eat meals from a monthly rotating menu, and take them home to the freezer.

Most recipes contain meat, although there are some vegetarian and dessert options. Guests can make as little as three meals or as many as 12. All freezer packaging is provided; side dishes, such as rice or noodles, are often included, too.

We despise the early morning scramble to pull together a healthy, nutritious lunch for the kids when we were too busy (or tired) to do it the night before.

Enter Mighty Munch Meals, a selection of ready-to-eat boxed meals for kids. Each meal limits fat, saturated fat, and sugar content, but includes a tasty selection of protein, grains, and fruit servings. Nothing contains trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, or artifical flavors/colors. All food items are individually packaged, and nothing requires refrigeration. A fork and wet wipe is included - just grab a drink and go! It passed the parent test with flying colors.

To keep things interesting for kids, meals are packaged in colorful, game-covered recycled cardboard boxes, and include a (healthy) sweet treat and temporary tattoo. How did it fare with the cafeteria crowd? Kids loved the novelty of a lunch in it's own pre-packaged box (it was likened to a healthy version of an unnamed grocery store boxed lunch brand). The selection of included foods in each package gave enough variety for even the pickiest of eaters, and the games and graphics on the box made for an entertaining lunchtime, for our Mighty Munch diners and companions.

Kosher, Halal, and vegetarian selections are available. Our favorite is the JungleMunch version, which includes pretzel crips, creamy veggie cheese dip, organic applesauce, natural trail mix, and honey grahams for dessert.

We could all use an extra pair of hands when it comes to keeping up with the house. That's where Maid Brigade comes in, and we're particularly fond of the company's green approach to clean.

The only national residential cleaning company going fully green (by the end of 2007, all franchisees will use the proprietary green service in all customers' homes), Maid Brigade uses solutions certified by Green Seal for a safe and thorough cleaning, and equipment and processes follow many Green Seal standards for cleaning services.

Service packages cover a wide variety of needs, from regular weekly or semi-monthly cleanings to that post-birthday-party scrubdown.

For youngsters with an adventurous palette - or a love of anything fried - Sapphire Pan-Asian Café offers crispy spring rolls, julienne vegetable tempura, seared potstickers, pad thai, and fried green beans, to name just a few of its tempting dishes. Kids also love the sticky rice and the sesame udon noodles that can be ordered with any dish.

Desserts are just as delectable: The promise of a mango sundae, cinnamon ice cream with caramel sauce, or an oven-roasted banana with coconut crème anglaise is sure to induce little ones to eat their veggies and clean their plates.

Straub's Market is a specialty grocery store, offering gourmet products from around the world, including artisan cheeses, chocolates and desserts, spices and seasonings, produce, and meats. The store also has an extensive floral department and health and beauty section.

Patrons can enjoy in-store lunch dining - soups, sandwiches, and warm dishes like quiche - and can take advantage of the store's catering program for special events.

Straub's Market is a specialty grocery store, offering gourmet products from around the world, including artisan cheeses, chocolates and desserts, spices and seasonings, produce, and meats. The store also has an extensive floral department and health and beauty section.

Patrons can enjoy in-store lunch dining - soups, sandwiches, and warm dishes like quiche - and can take advantage of the store's catering program for special events.

Straub's Market is a specialty grocery store, offering gourmet products from around the world, including artisan cheeses, chocolates and desserts, spices and seasonings, produce, and meats. The store also has an extensive floral department and health and beauty section.

Patrons can enjoy in-store lunch dining - soups, sandwiches, and warm dishes like quiche - and can take advantage of the store's catering program for special events.

Super Suppers offers Parents Connect Local/GoCityKids readers with a great deal January 5-31, 2009. Buy three regular size entrees, and get one free - a $15 value! Visit our deals page to get the coupon, and save yourself a lot of effort in the kitchen.

Participating Locations:

Alaska


Eagle River

Anchorage


Alabama


Birmingham

Montgomery


Arizona


Gilbert


California


San Jose Almaden

Yorba Linda

Sacramento

Fremont North

Corona

Mission Viejo formerly Laguna Hills

Concord

Brentwood

Millbrae

Culver City

Hawthorne

El Dorado Hills


Colorado


Fort Collins


Delaware


Wilmington


Florida

Jacksonville

Winter Springs

Winter Park

Lake Nona


Georgia


East Cobb

Smyrna

Macon

Iowa


Urbandale


Illinois


Peoria


Kansas


Wichita


Louisiana


Lafayette


Massachusetts


Westborough


Maryland


Crofton

Mount Airy


Michigan


Berkeley

Kalamazoo/Portage

Macomb Township

Midland

Bloomfield Hills

Grosse Pointe


Mississippi


Olive Branch/Southaven


North Carolina


Greensboro

Cary East

Cary South


New Mexico


Albuquerque Uptown

Albuquerque Westside


New York


Perinton

Amherst/Buffalo


Ohio


Avon

New Albany

Concord

Boardman - Canfield

Hilliard

Canal Winchester


Oklahoma


Edmond


Pennsylvania


Harrisburg

Exton

Erie

State College

Scranton


South Carolina


Lexington

Tennessee


Franklin

Bartlett/Wolfchase

Collierville Germantown

Spring Hill


Texas


Plano-East

Rowlett

Ft.Worth-Hulen

Dallas - Lakewood

Amarillo Southwest

San Antonio Stone Oak

San Antonio Huebner Commons

Mansfield

San Antonio Alamo Heights

Austin Anderson Mill

Houston Memorial

SugarLand

Austin/Bee Cave

Allen

Burleson

Tyler

The Woodlands

Coppell


The franchises handle the planning, shopping, chopping, and (if need be) mopping so that families can enjoy chef-designed family meals by ordering in advance or dropping by to pluck something from a Grab 'n' Go freezer.

The menu options vary from month to month. Regular dishes are meant to serve two to three people; full-sized dishes are meant to serve four to six people. Thawing and cooking instructions are included.

Kids under age 12 typically are not allowed to attend regularly-scheduled prep sessions, but some locations offer Kids in the Kitchen programs for ages eight and up, during which children can assemble meals to serve their families. Groups can book private parties to meet their needs.

The Daily Bread Bakery & Cafe likes to claim that it leaves its customers with "a smile on every face and a chocolate chip cookie in every hand." The restaurant draws crowds for its yummy breakfasts, artisan breads, bistro salads, gourmet soups, hearth-baked pizzas, and specialty sandwiches. The kids' menu offers standard youngster fare, including PB&J sandwiches.

The Daily Bread also does a brisk catering business, offering most of its menu in portions for a crowd: fruit platters, salads, gourmet box lunches, dessert trays, and much more.

Whole Foods stores, operated by the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods, are like hybrids, offering the kinds of products usually found in small, local co-ops, but with the wide selection more typical of conventional grocery superstores.

The produce selection is high quality, with prices to match; same for the meat and seafood departments. The 365 and Whole Kids house brands offer some relief, particularly on kid staples like cereal, snack foods, and peanut butter and jelly. Sample stations throughout the store enable parents and kids to graze while they shop; or they can buy something to enjoy in the cafe area after check-out.

Prepared dishes run the gamut from soups to sushi, with vegetarian, vegan, Asian, and Mexican options. Most stores feature in-house kitchens that serve up hot, ready-to-eat meals, as well as in-store dining tables.
Fresh breads, spices, bulk grains, dietary supplements, frozen and canned foods, sumptuous chocolates and baked goods, and designer cheeses are also available. Pet food, bath products, magazines, cut flowers, and paper goods are some of the non-food items for sale.