Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sweet-Salty Tooth
I am the daughter of a sweet-toothed mother and a father who would prefer something salty. I got the best of both. I love sweet and I love salty. However, I can only take a pinch of either at a time. So tonight when I was picking my mom's brain about Agave Nectar as a replaced for sugar in recipes, I stumbled upon The Kitchn (no, it's not spelled incorrectly) that gave me not only a great insight to this sweet treat, but other recipes that others had discovered by sheer accident! Have you ever had ice cream made with only ONE ingredient? But not only ONE ingredient, but ONE ingredient that won't go straight to your hips, thighs or butt? Have frozen bananas and a food processor? I was so skeptical when I saw this, but I knew I had frozen a few bananas last week, so I pulled out my Magic Bullet, one frozen banana (just one in case it didn't work) and gave it a try. And would you believe it, it worked! It's fantastic! I added a scoop of peanut butter and a very small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips and I have myself instant HEALTHY ice-cream that is both salty and sweet! I wonder if kids would know the difference (if they like bananas, chocolate and peanut butter that is)??!!??!! Give it a try! It's also so easy that kids can make it themselves, with adult supervision that is. Experiment with different ingredients and tell me what you come up with! I think I'll give strawberries or blackberries a try next time!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
... Anticipation for Summer
With summer quickly approaching, although it is hard to believe as Cumulus Nimbus rides overhead, parents and caregivers are frantically trying to find summer activities for their children who will be out of school within weeks. Whether it be summer camp, horse riding lessons, or the local summer soccer league some of these options are hard to narrow down, or even find, if you're in a big or small town/city.
As a caregiver, and teacher, I understand the need for children to interact with other children, even at the youngest of ages. It teaches them proper social skills and allows them the opportunity to make friends. Even though Baby Boy is only 5 months (and 10 days) old I have also found myself searching for events, classes and outings that he and I can do together when the sun comes out and the warm weather decides to stay longer than a day.
Where to search? The internet was my best bet. So up came Google, curser blinking at me to the beat of the Jeopardy song, as I decided what to type. The easiest thing to do would be to type the city I was in followed by 'kids': Chicago Kids. Up popped 'about 122,000' results. Ugh. Time to start weeding through the sites. (If you don't live in Chicago (this blog post is long) jump down to the bottom to see other city websites I've listed!)
First up, ChicagoKids.com "Guide to Family Fun Events and Activities for Kids and Families in the Chicago Area". That was easy. A very basic yet inviting website presented me with five options: Calendar, Places to Go, Resources, Coupons & Deals, and Join Now! 'Calendar' seemed to be the best of choices, narrowing down my results by looking at a specific day of the week and going from there. It was, in fact! They divided the day by 'Activities', 'Entertainment', 'Kids Eat Free', 'Ongoing Exhibits', 'Performance', 'Storytelling', and 'Theater'. Each event had information on time, place, price and a link to their website. ChicagoKids is a great resource. The only downfall to this website is that you cannot search for events and activities by area (Chicago, Evanston, Lisle, etc.).
The next few results on Google were for parents visiting Chicago with kids, so I skipped those. Then I came upon KidWinks.com. The website is crowded with Buttons, Calendars and News and it seems a bit overwhelming, after taking a deep breath I decided to start at the top and work my way down. Eight buttons with, what I believe is, a car on them provide me with options to better narrow down my needs: Weekly Activities Guide, Summer Camp Guide, Free Museum Days, Birthday Party Guide, Classes Guide, Indoor Areas, Family Dining Guide and Summer Fun Guide. The print on each of these buttons is small, almost forcing me to pull out my reading glasses, but they lead to pages packed with information. It is definitely not as organized at ChicagoKids but it organizes its events by Week and Weekend. Each event is linked to its own page where it describes the event, place, times, day(s) and price, similarly to ChicagoKids. I could go on about this website, but then I would probably be writing a book and not a blog. I would say the best way to learn about this site is to just take a half hour or so out of your day to explore (or maybe 10 minutes a day for a few days)!
Last but not least is Time Out Chicago Kids. I think this is one of my favorite resource websites that Chicago offers for families. Unlike the other two websites you can search for events by age group, times and neighborhood right on the main page. They also have easy-to-read tabs like ChicagoKids.com does directing you to more specific subjects: Things to do, Arts + Entertainment, Eating + Shopping, Guides + Resources. Also on the main page is a daily schedule of events that are happening around the city, the weather and a number of articles related to kid things; music, movies, dining, etc. Overall I would say that this website has the most to offer, but each are great resources. Time Out also has websites for New York and Boston.
Here are some websites for other cities in the U.S.
Pittsburgh:
What are you and your kids planning on doing this summer? Have any websites you recommend? Share them with me!
As a caregiver, and teacher, I understand the need for children to interact with other children, even at the youngest of ages. It teaches them proper social skills and allows them the opportunity to make friends. Even though Baby Boy is only 5 months (and 10 days) old I have also found myself searching for events, classes and outings that he and I can do together when the sun comes out and the warm weather decides to stay longer than a day.Where to search? The internet was my best bet. So up came Google, curser blinking at me to the beat of the Jeopardy song, as I decided what to type. The easiest thing to do would be to type the city I was in followed by 'kids': Chicago Kids. Up popped 'about 122,000' results. Ugh. Time to start weeding through the sites. (If you don't live in Chicago (this blog post is long) jump down to the bottom to see other city websites I've listed!)
First up, ChicagoKids.com "Guide to Family Fun Events and Activities for Kids and Families in the Chicago Area". That was easy. A very basic yet inviting website presented me with five options: Calendar, Places to Go, Resources, Coupons & Deals, and Join Now! 'Calendar' seemed to be the best of choices, narrowing down my results by looking at a specific day of the week and going from there. It was, in fact! They divided the day by 'Activities', 'Entertainment', 'Kids Eat Free', 'Ongoing Exhibits', 'Performance', 'Storytelling', and 'Theater'. Each event had information on time, place, price and a link to their website. ChicagoKids is a great resource. The only downfall to this website is that you cannot search for events and activities by area (Chicago, Evanston, Lisle, etc.).
- Positives: Well organized by date; provides resources beyond events and activities, such as Childcare information; Easy to navigate; Free Membership
- Negatives: Unable to search by area of the city, Print can be small for some links
The next few results on Google were for parents visiting Chicago with kids, so I skipped those. Then I came upon KidWinks.com. The website is crowded with Buttons, Calendars and News and it seems a bit overwhelming, after taking a deep breath I decided to start at the top and work my way down. Eight buttons with, what I believe is, a car on them provide me with options to better narrow down my needs: Weekly Activities Guide, Summer Camp Guide, Free Museum Days, Birthday Party Guide, Classes Guide, Indoor Areas, Family Dining Guide and Summer Fun Guide. The print on each of these buttons is small, almost forcing me to pull out my reading glasses, but they lead to pages packed with information. It is definitely not as organized at ChicagoKids but it organizes its events by Week and Weekend. Each event is linked to its own page where it describes the event, place, times, day(s) and price, similarly to ChicagoKids. I could go on about this website, but then I would probably be writing a book and not a blog. I would say the best way to learn about this site is to just take a half hour or so out of your day to explore (or maybe 10 minutes a day for a few days)!
- Positives: Many options for activities; Free Memberships; Coupons and deals; provides resources beyond events and activities, such as Childcare information
- Negatives: The mass amount of information displayed is distracting and can be frustrating if you don't know exactly what you're looking for or how you need to look for it; lacks specific organization (dividing events by day instead of week); delayed in updating their website weekly/daily.
Last but not least is Time Out Chicago Kids. I think this is one of my favorite resource websites that Chicago offers for families. Unlike the other two websites you can search for events by age group, times and neighborhood right on the main page. They also have easy-to-read tabs like ChicagoKids.com does directing you to more specific subjects: Things to do, Arts + Entertainment, Eating + Shopping, Guides + Resources. Also on the main page is a daily schedule of events that are happening around the city, the weather and a number of articles related to kid things; music, movies, dining, etc. Overall I would say that this website has the most to offer, but each are great resources. Time Out also has websites for New York and Boston.
- Positives: Well organized; Easy to read and navigate; Sortable events by age, time and neighborhood;
- Negatives: No free membership
Here are some websites for other cities in the U.S.
Pittsburgh:
- Visit Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh is Kidsburgh!
- Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
- Ligonier Camp and Conference Center - Shout out to my home town!
What are you and your kids planning on doing this summer? Have any websites you recommend? Share them with me!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Childlike Behavior...
James Tate. Does that name ring a bell? To most it wouldn't, until today. Like most mornings, I turned on the news to catch up on the latest dilemma following the Mississippi River flooding and other such events, only to hear James Tate's story.
With prom approaching, many students are trying to come up with the best way to ask their date to prom. For a Connecticut high school senior, his fun idea landed with with a suspension and a ban from the prom. But what extremity caused this outcome? With the help of a few friends, he taped cardboard letters to the side of the school early one morning before anyone had gotten to school. When school officials saw this, they deemed the act 'dangerous' and accused him of 'trespassing'. His punishment: to remove the letters, one day of out of school suspension (OSS), and being banned from the prom. James Tate apologized for his act, both in person to the school officials and on live tv.
The TODAY SHOW has an ongoing poll where people can vote whether or not they think the punishment was right, and post their comments. Here's one of my favorites. Marianne from Cincinnati wrote "If the stunt was considered so "dangerous" why did the school make him clean it up? Seems to me they canceled that reasoning out." Great question Marianne! On the other hand, here is what Frosty the Snow Man aka Jack Frost wrote agreeing with the given punishment. "Overlooking his behavior is an "ok" for others to pull pranks. This sends a strong msg. He shouldn't attend with those who have character."
Now, I say that the punishment was too severe. He did nothing to harm anyone or the school (the letters were taped on, not spray-painted or chiseled into the brick). The question of trespassing could hold up, but what are the exact rules on trespassing on public school property and isn't the OSS enough punishment? Because most likely, I have trespassed on public school property when I was learning to drive (it was one of the only large parking lots where I grew up) or when playing a pick-up game of soccer or frisbee on the school fields with 20-30 other high school kids. Should I have been suspended from school for utilizing free space that my parents' tax money goes to? I don't think so. But apparently the school officials in Connecticut believe his minor offense is much grander than we all believe. Who's being more childish, the officials or James Tate? What are your thoughts on the decision made by the principle. Is it just or did they go overboard with the punishment?
With prom approaching, many students are trying to come up with the best way to ask their date to prom. For a Connecticut high school senior, his fun idea landed with with a suspension and a ban from the prom. But what extremity caused this outcome? With the help of a few friends, he taped cardboard letters to the side of the school early one morning before anyone had gotten to school. When school officials saw this, they deemed the act 'dangerous' and accused him of 'trespassing'. His punishment: to remove the letters, one day of out of school suspension (OSS), and being banned from the prom. James Tate apologized for his act, both in person to the school officials and on live tv.
Sonali Rodrigues Will you go to Prom with me? HMU (Hit Me Up) ~ Tate
The TODAY SHOW has an ongoing poll where people can vote whether or not they think the punishment was right, and post their comments. Here's one of my favorites. Marianne from Cincinnati wrote "If the stunt was considered so "dangerous" why did the school make him clean it up? Seems to me they canceled that reasoning out." Great question Marianne! On the other hand, here is what Frosty the Snow Man aka Jack Frost wrote agreeing with the given punishment. "Overlooking his behavior is an "ok" for others to pull pranks. This sends a strong msg. He shouldn't attend with those who have character."
Now, I say that the punishment was too severe. He did nothing to harm anyone or the school (the letters were taped on, not spray-painted or chiseled into the brick). The question of trespassing could hold up, but what are the exact rules on trespassing on public school property and isn't the OSS enough punishment? Because most likely, I have trespassed on public school property when I was learning to drive (it was one of the only large parking lots where I grew up) or when playing a pick-up game of soccer or frisbee on the school fields with 20-30 other high school kids. Should I have been suspended from school for utilizing free space that my parents' tax money goes to? I don't think so. But apparently the school officials in Connecticut believe his minor offense is much grander than we all believe. Who's being more childish, the officials or James Tate? What are your thoughts on the decision made by the principle. Is it just or did they go overboard with the punishment?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Strollers... leading to childhood obesity?
So, my title is a bit extreme... okay, it's very extreme. But I got your attention, right? Just the other day, Baby Boy (BB as my sister now calls him) and I went for a walk to the park, then through part of the zoo and the conservatory. It was a beautiful day. Shouts and laughter of children who had taken to the jungle gyms and swings could be heard from blocks away. Across the street you could hear kids say, "Look! A bear!" and "The seals! They're dancing!" while running around, pulling their big people from place to place. But what caught my eye was not the parents rolling their eyes as their children dragged them around the park, but it was the parents/caregiver who was pushing their child around the park. Now, typically this wouldn't cause me to raise an eyebrow (who hasn't seen a child in a stroller?), but it was the size/age of the child that was being pushed around in these strollers that caught my eye. Children, who looked to be around the age of 5-9, were being pushed in strollers! It got me thinking... what are we teaching children if we are willing to push them around when they are very capable of walking themselves? Ironically, when I logged into TODAY online, the top story for Parenting was "Too big for strollers, or too judgy about parents?"
First, I would like to point out that 'judgy' is not a word. Second, this is a great topic. The article on TODAY was addressing a website that posts pictures of parents pushing their too-old children in strollers, blurring out the child's face with a circle and the word 'WALK'. TODAY reports that the act of this blogger is judgmental, even though she denies this accusation stating that she finds it humorous that parents do this. Despite what they say, I am judging, sort of. However, it's not the parents choosing to push their child that I'm judging, because who really knows why they're pushing their too-big-for-the-stroller child in the stroller (as the article points out), but I'm more judging the outcome: What are we teaching children when they do complain or are 'too tired' or just don't want to go? Could we, as parents and caretakers, be relying on the 'easy' too much? Are we allowing children to adopt lazy habits, in turn encouraging them to be more lazy in life, resulting in what has now become a significant problem for 1 in 3 children, obesity? This is a stretch, I know, because I fully understand that there isn't just one factor to childhood obesity, that it is affected by diet, genetics and exercise. What I am saying is that as adults we are role models and must maintain and encourage good habits for ourselves and children if we want them to succeed and be healthy. What I'd like to purpose is this question. What are we encouraging our children to do that might lead to bad habits in the future, and how can we make changes to better the outcome?
First, I would like to point out that 'judgy' is not a word. Second, this is a great topic. The article on TODAY was addressing a website that posts pictures of parents pushing their too-old children in strollers, blurring out the child's face with a circle and the word 'WALK'. TODAY reports that the act of this blogger is judgmental, even though she denies this accusation stating that she finds it humorous that parents do this. Despite what they say, I am judging, sort of. However, it's not the parents choosing to push their child that I'm judging, because who really knows why they're pushing their too-big-for-the-stroller child in the stroller (as the article points out), but I'm more judging the outcome: What are we teaching children when they do complain or are 'too tired' or just don't want to go? Could we, as parents and caretakers, be relying on the 'easy' too much? Are we allowing children to adopt lazy habits, in turn encouraging them to be more lazy in life, resulting in what has now become a significant problem for 1 in 3 children, obesity? This is a stretch, I know, because I fully understand that there isn't just one factor to childhood obesity, that it is affected by diet, genetics and exercise. What I am saying is that as adults we are role models and must maintain and encourage good habits for ourselves and children if we want them to succeed and be healthy. What I'd like to purpose is this question. What are we encouraging our children to do that might lead to bad habits in the future, and how can we make changes to better the outcome?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Nursery Rhymes
One of my first posts [linked in case you missed it] was about how twisted and dark many of the cheery, happy, sweet-sounding poems, songs and rhymes actually were. TODAY wrote an article about Mother Goose's rhymes, just as I had done about songs we typically sing to our children to get them to smile or giggle or stop crying. The article is a wonderful piece on the histories of these stories and I encourage you to read about them. So the next time you sing or say these words to your children, not only will they get a laugh out of them, but so will you, because you know what they actually mean and can laugh at the fact that we use some of the most messed up stories to get our children to chuckle.Once upon a time, even Mother Goose had a dark side
Parents Magazine
I know it's been a while since I last posted, and I wouldn't usually post something along these lines, but this is a fantastic contest for Parents Magazine. My mom posted this picture of her cousin who has been entered (by his mom) into the cover contest and I encourage you to vote for him (or for whomever you think is the cutest)! Parents Magazine is a phenomenal piece of literature for parents and those who work with children. Check out the website and cast your vote!
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