If all else fails, make her kids some homemade snack crackers. Really tasty and cheap.
Take two 99 cent bags of oyster crackers, a pkg of original dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, 1/2 cup of oil, and a tablespoon of dill weed. Shake all together in a big paper bag and then lay out on some paper towels to 'dry'.
Anytime I've taken this somewhere, people (and kids) really like it, and it's cheap and easy to do.