xieno

XE advanced recent post widget plugin allows admin to select number of post under multiple categories.
You can define:
<ol>
<li>Widget title.</li>
<li>No. of posts.</li>
<li>Categories.</li>
<li>Show post date? Excerpt? thumbnail?</li>
</ol>
Try it for yourself.
<h3>Short Description</h3>
XE Advanced Recent Posts Widget Plugin displays recent posts across all selected categories.

XE Advanced Recent Posts Widget

XE advanced recent post widget plugin allows admin to select number of post under multiple categories.

MyWebsiteAdvisor

ChrisHurst

Use the [children-excerpt] shortcode where you want to display the excerpts of the child pages. 
Defaults to the first 50 words, can be overridden with length attribute so your excerpts can be set to any length of your choosing.
Developer Website: http://MyWebsiteAdvisor.com
Plugin Page: http://mywebsiteadvisor.com/tools/wordpress-plugins/children-excerpt-shortcode/
Video Tutorial: http://mywebsiteadvisor.com/learning/video-tutorials/children-shortcode-plugins-tutorial/
Requirements:
To-do:

Name: Children Excerpt Shortcode

Use the [children-excerpt] shortcode where you want to display the excerpts of the child pages.

XE Advanced Recent Posts Widget vs Name: Children Excerpt Shortcode