Today is National Men Make Dinner Day

If you’re like a good friend of mine, you don’t have to worry about your guy making dinner. She’s got a chef for a husband who really knows his way around the kitchen—much better than she does, she’ll even admit.

But if you’re like me and your husband isn’t even home for dinnertime (due to work or any other reason), you know how difficult it can be to whip something up in between working, taking care of the home and kids, and life in general. That’s why this holiday is such a fun one!

And for those of you men who stay at home while your wives work—or who work but do the job of cooking at home—why not use this day as a switcheroo and have your wife make dinner for a change?

Here are some ideas on how to celebrate today’s Men Make Dinner Day:

• Cook with the kids. My daughter loves to cook with her daddy when she gets the chance. They like to bake on the weekends—anything from cookies to breads to cakes to whatever. Whether he’s cooking or I’m the one in the kitchen, we both let her pour ingredients in, stir, and help do the measuring.

• Make it a theme dinner. Impress everyone with your creativity when you serve a traditional Chinese dish before the family watches Ni Hao Kai-Lan, or a delicious Mexican meal followed by an episode of Dora.

• Don’t really make dinner! If you have the funds and not the time, grab it and bring it home. But in order to manage a pass like this, it’s going to have to be good—no KFC or McDonald’s, Dad! Bring home something that will make Mom drool, but that will also end up in Junior’s belly and not the floor.

• Use this as a special occasion to eat something crazy. Maybe Mom doesn’t allow pizza during the week, or she’d never go for breakfast for dinner. Show her that it can be healthy, too—whip up plenty of veggies to go with your unconventional meal.

• Cook to impress. Use the dish you were most famous for in college (hold the beer if applicable!) or the one you know you can’t fail.

• Let the kids plan the menu. See what silly things they come up with and compromise, making something they want as well as something nutritious that you want to make.