Rhyme Tyme

Looking for a simple, hassle free, after dinner activity for the whole family? Rhyme Tyme is a fun and exciting way to mentally stimulate or challenge every family member from ages 5 and above. Next time your kindergartner comes home with a new set of vocabulary or flash words that she needs help practicing, do not discard after use. Instead, cut up those words individually, fold and toss into a container. You could also come up with your own set of words.

To play this game, you’ll need:

-An egg timer or hour glass
-Note pads
-Pens or Pencils
-Plastic bowl or container

Directions:

Gather everyone around. Sit in front of the fireplace if you like. From the youngest to the oldest(one at a time), each player should pull out a piece of paper from the container; reveal or announce the secret word. After Mom or Dad sets the timer, everyone has one minute to jot down words that rhyme with the selected word. At the end of each round, the player with the highest number of correct rhyme words would become the winner. Play as many rounds as you like and be sure to double check for spelling and accuracy. Wrap up with some home made Frozen Juice Treats-:)

Freeze the Cheese Please

That’s right. Cheddar cheese. Mozzarella cheese. Monterey Jack cheese. Colby cheese. Block, Chunk, or Grated; once exposed, most have a life span of approximately 5-7days before turning rancid.

If your family has a history of flushing unused cheese dollars down the drain, and such wastes make you wince, I’ve got great news. (No, this has nothing to do with that annoying Geico commercial.) After opening a block of cheese, if you do not foresee a short term purpose for any leftover:

1. Cut Up into single serving chunks

2. Wrap individually in aluminum foil

3. Transfer into a Zip lock Freezer bag

4. Label with “use by date” (stamped on wrapper)

5. Freeze for future use

Note: Let thaw at room temperature on counter top (15-20 minutes)before serving. Makes a great after school or road trip snack! Can also be used as an additional source of calcium for home made school lunches-:)

*For shredded cheese, follow steps 3-5. Sprinkle on salads, omelets, home-made pizzas etc.

How to Detach "Picky" From "Eater"

This is a sequel to "Is Your Picky Eater Driving You to Drink?"

As I warmed up some lentil soup for lunch, I heared,"Yummy! That smells delicious.”
Scrawny asked if she could have some, and I was more than happy to share. I invited her to sit with me at the dinning table.

“What the heck is this?” she asked, with a puckered brow. I tried to reassure her that it was the same yummy smelling dish.

“Try some, it is so goooood,” I teased.
“But…Mom, it looks like diarrhea poop.”
I glared at her and could feel the veins in my head throbbing.
“Is there something else for me to eat”? "Nope," I replied (with all the grace and restraint that I could muster). "Go play outside!"

By dinner time, when she asked for pizza, I popped open that bottle of Moet I'd been saving for a very special occasion; worked on my victory dance...not really. But I did phone Daddoo and asked him to pick up a large cheese pizza from Papa John’s, on his way home from work. Later, everyone gathered around in the family room to enjoy our dinner. Everyone, except… yep, you got it!

She was methodically yanking all visible cheese from her piece. I didn’t ask her what she was doing. I didn’t care. I guess as parents of picky eaters, all we can do, is continue to offer nutritious meals (not necessarily Papa John's), to our children. To eat or not to eat, the choice is entirely up to them. So, if your picky eater is driving you round the bend, don’t blow a gasket. Here are a few home grown tips, that should help reduce pickiness or completely detach “picky” from “eater.”

DON’T GIVE OPTIONS – And I’m guilty, I must admit. It’s only recently that I began to realize that I may have very well encouraged Scrawny's picky eating habit. “Would you like eggs and bagel; cheerios or waffles?” used to follow, “Did you sleep well last night?” If you constantly present your children with multiple food choices, you’re sending the message that it’s okay to be picky. Don’t let them think they have a choice. You simply prepare a meal, serve and announce “It’s time to eat!”


SAY NO TO GRAZING LIKE COWS - Try scheduling meal and snack times to control all day long nibbling. This should also give you more control over what they eat and when they eat. Besides, if you allow them to snack freely, they’ll try to regurgitate excuses like, “I’m not hungry" or "I just ate” when it’s time to sit down and enjoy that home cooked meal you spent hours preparing.

TOSS THE 'SHORT ORDER COOK' HAT - I’m still working on this one. Every now and then however, I catch myself sneaking back into the kitchen to whip up bacon and eggs for Mikala at dinner time just because she shunned my Rice, Tuna with Broccoli or whatever everyone else in the family is having.

ASK NOT FOR OPINIONS - Each time you say to a picky eater “What would you like to eat?” chances are, it’ll never be that healthy, nutritious meal that you had in mind in the first place. You are the parent. You get to decide what to feed your children without seeking their input.

CUT BACK ON JUNK – Bear in mind, you are the one who is in charge of the foods that enter your house. Not your kids. By having zero or fewer junk foods around, they'll have no other recourse but to eat what’s available. Hopefully, the choices would be nuts, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products instead of Pringles, Cheeto Puffs or little Debbie snacks.

P.S. Should none of the above steps work for you, Trade in that KID for a PUPPY-;)

If you liked this post, you will love the "Half and Half Rule"

The "Half and Half" Rule

At any given time, most children would opt for that high fat, high sugar, or heavily refined carbohydrate food rather than its healthier alternative. Therefore, one of the toughest challenges that we face daily, just like most parents with young children, is how to get our youngsters to eat more of the nourishing food items.

If you’d like to gradually wean them off the less nutritious stuff, this home grown “Half and Half” concept might very well do the trick! It is simple. It is effective. If it can work for us, I believe that it can work for your family as well. The following is intended to be a general guideline. You can be as creative as you wish. Here's the drill...

FOR BREAKFAST:

• A single serving of Eggo waffles or Pancakes-for example- equals two pieces. Replace one of them with whole wheat, multi-grain or whole grain brand.
  
• *If they want Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, or Captain Crunch, no problem! Be sure to combine in equal proportion, with other whole grain options like Bran Flakes, Quaker Squares, Raisin Bran... etc.
  

FOR LUNCH:

• The top or bottom half of their peanut butter and jelly (PBJ), grilled cheese, ham and cheese or other preferred sandwich, should be made with whole wheat bread.
  
• They want French fries? Fine. So long as they are willing to have an equivalent serving of some fruit or veggie i.e. sliced apples, grapes, banana, baby carrots or other healthy finger food.
  
• As for chips or crackers, most children would not touch the unsalted type with a 10-foot-pole. In the absence of a reduced sodium assortment, simply combine regular(less than 120 mg of sodium per serving), with unsalted variety before dishing out.

FOR DINNER:

• If Rice or Pasta such as (Spaghetti )is on the dinner menu, overall quantity prepared should consist of half (brown rice) or( whole wheat pasta )and half of the usual ‘enriched’ variety.
• Be sure to sneak in a few leaves or a decent portion of baby spinach into their garden salad for added nutrition.

In the event of an occasional fuss or resistance, gently remind them of the only other possible option. The new “100% WHOLE GRAIN, ALL THE TIME” Rule, and watch the magic of compliance unfold-;)

Note: Do not forget to add those whole wheat or whole grain products to your grocery shopping list unless of course your child has an allergy to wheat!

If you like this post, you'll probably find this blog entry useful.

A Special Treat for Juice Junkies

To most parents, grandparents, guardians, or care providers of young children, the following conversation between me and one of my youngsters may sound familiar to you. If not, trust me…at some point, it will!

Kid: Mom, can I have some juice?
Mom: You’ve just had some juice
Kid: Can I have some more?
Mom: Not right now
Kid: Why not?
Mom: Because you’ve had enough
Kid: Can I have a little bit more?
Mom: Nope. Now run along!

This dialogue could go on until you give in just to preserve your sanity from the sniveling that’s bound to ensue or choose to stand your ground like that oak tree in your backyard and still deal with the sniveling that's bound to ensue.

Apple Juice. Grape Juice. Cranapple Juice. Any juice. You name it, they love it. Juice may contain a good amount of vitamin c; nonetheless, it’s also loaded with a greater amount of excessive sugar and has diminutive nutritional value. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Kids who drink large amounts of fruit juice often suffer from diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, and even flatulence. So what’s a parent to do? Become the juice Nazi and yell, “There would be no more juice for you,” whenever a child asks for some? Parents are urged to limit juice intake to 4 - 6 ounces a day for children up to 6 years old, and to no more than 8 to 12 ounces for older children. But, I’ve got a better idea...

If you’d like to cut back even more without having them scream blue murder, below is a cool fix that’ll most certainly pacify every “juice junkie” in your household!

The Scoop...

1.Fill up a plastic ice cube tray with juice of choice

2.Freeze slightly to slushy consistency (20-30 minutes)
3.Remove tray; stick a toothpick into each cube
4.Freeze until solid-about an hour; serve and enjoy 5. Quickly store leftovers in a plastic container or zippy bag and re-freeze

OR

• Pick up a plastic popsicle tray like the one below from walmart or other grocery stores, if you do not have an ice cube tray. Then follow steps 1, 4 and 5.

Wishing You All a Very Merry Christmas-:)

Quell the Smell

Keeping your garbage container free of that infamous “decaying flesh” odor is as easy as A, B,C. Here’s the scoop...

A. Always Toss unwanted pieces of raw meats; poultry and seafood (including fat trimmings and bones) into a Zip lock bag or a grocery store plastic bag

B. Freeze

C. Discard on a Garbage pickup day

That's all folks!