Kids love to make their own trail mix. Fill some small containers with each of the following:
* Raisins
* Carob chips
* Nuts
* Whole wheat pretzels
* Cheerios or other cereal
* Banana chips
* Dried fruits
Then let your kids pack their own snacks from the ingredients above. They get to add whatever they want and you know their snack is nutritious.
My other favorite snack is fruit and cheese kabobs. Cut up cheese and assorted fruits and let the kids make their own kabobs. Depending on the age of the child, you might want to use short sticks so the child only gets 2 pieces of cheese. For older children you can cut larger squares of cheese and larger pieces of fruits.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Organizing Kids' Rooms: Eight Quick Tips for Moms
I found a delightful article on organizing kids rooms that I wanted to share with you today:
I always know that it's time to reorganize my home when I spend more than 20 minutes each day helping my kids to look for puzzle pieces or some other small object just so that they can continue their play. This morning, my son and I combed the carpet in the playroom and searched the toybox for the tiny helmet of his Lego policeman. When you have small children, it can be difficult to keep their things organized and to keep the clutter at bay. But an organized, clutter-free home helps everyone to feel more peaceful and relaxed. And it means you have to spend a lot less time searching for lost toys, too. Here are eight quick tips to help you to help your kids organize their stuff.
1. Get a sense of the big picture, and figure out what needs to be done first. Do a quick walk through of your home and determine where you need to start. And know at the start that this project isn't going to get done in a single day. It's best to get an overall view of the job as a whole and then choose the most pressing task first.
2. Don't go nuts buying containers and bins before you start. Before your job is done, you will likely need shelving and more than a few containers of various sizes, which you can find very inexpensively at discount stores. But don't purchase these things before you know what you'll need. I have wasted money in the past on needless storage bins -- buying two or three, when one would do -- or purchasing containers that were too big to be truly functional. Be patient and discover what you truly need. Then make a list and go to the store for these items just once.
3. Make sure your kids have the proper tools to keep their rooms tidy. If their laundry is all over the place, get them a nice clothes hamper that matches the décor of their room. Or put a golden star on their chore chart for taking their dirty clothes straight to the laundry room.
4. Put things away in logical containers. If there are too many of one item, break it down into yet another box. If you're really organized, you can create a color coding system to make things easier. Or tape a photograph of the bin's contents on the front. We have bins for Star Wars action figures and for Playmobil pirates, as well as separate bins for Playmobil knights and then another for cars and trucks.
5. As you go, you'll want to have two large plastic bags: one for charity and one for trash. I bag things right away because I find that, if I ask my kids whether they want to keep an item or give it away, they can make a decision right away, but if they continue to see that item, they are likely to change their minds. Once the decision is made, it's a lot easier for everyone if it goes out of sight.
6. Don't ask too much of yourself in a single day. For me, tackling my son's toys was one day's project -- and tackling my daughter's closet was another. If I try to do too much in a single day, I'm very likely to get in a hurry halfway through the second or third project, and I end up not being as thorough as I would like.
7. Explain to your kids the value of keeping their room organized. Children don't like to spend a lot of time looking for lost toys either. After you have organized things, make sure to emphasize the benefits of the tidy room each time they are able to successfully find their toys on the first try. You are teaching your children habits that will serve them well for their entire lives.
8. Know that this job is never truly finished. My son and I organized his room recently, meaning that we dumped out everything from his toy box to his storage shelves as well as all of the once-organized bins and started from scratch. No matter how organized you keep things, you'll probably need to do this from time to time.
Now use the time you would have spent looking for lost toys in a different way: put your feet up and relax with a hot cup of tea.
Jamie Jefferson writes for Susies-Coupons.com, where she shares discount store coupons including WalMart coupons
~ ~
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
I always know that it's time to reorganize my home when I spend more than 20 minutes each day helping my kids to look for puzzle pieces or some other small object just so that they can continue their play. This morning, my son and I combed the carpet in the playroom and searched the toybox for the tiny helmet of his Lego policeman. When you have small children, it can be difficult to keep their things organized and to keep the clutter at bay. But an organized, clutter-free home helps everyone to feel more peaceful and relaxed. And it means you have to spend a lot less time searching for lost toys, too. Here are eight quick tips to help you to help your kids organize their stuff.
1. Get a sense of the big picture, and figure out what needs to be done first. Do a quick walk through of your home and determine where you need to start. And know at the start that this project isn't going to get done in a single day. It's best to get an overall view of the job as a whole and then choose the most pressing task first.
2. Don't go nuts buying containers and bins before you start. Before your job is done, you will likely need shelving and more than a few containers of various sizes, which you can find very inexpensively at discount stores. But don't purchase these things before you know what you'll need. I have wasted money in the past on needless storage bins -- buying two or three, when one would do -- or purchasing containers that were too big to be truly functional. Be patient and discover what you truly need. Then make a list and go to the store for these items just once.
3. Make sure your kids have the proper tools to keep their rooms tidy. If their laundry is all over the place, get them a nice clothes hamper that matches the décor of their room. Or put a golden star on their chore chart for taking their dirty clothes straight to the laundry room.
4. Put things away in logical containers. If there are too many of one item, break it down into yet another box. If you're really organized, you can create a color coding system to make things easier. Or tape a photograph of the bin's contents on the front. We have bins for Star Wars action figures and for Playmobil pirates, as well as separate bins for Playmobil knights and then another for cars and trucks.
5. As you go, you'll want to have two large plastic bags: one for charity and one for trash. I bag things right away because I find that, if I ask my kids whether they want to keep an item or give it away, they can make a decision right away, but if they continue to see that item, they are likely to change their minds. Once the decision is made, it's a lot easier for everyone if it goes out of sight.
6. Don't ask too much of yourself in a single day. For me, tackling my son's toys was one day's project -- and tackling my daughter's closet was another. If I try to do too much in a single day, I'm very likely to get in a hurry halfway through the second or third project, and I end up not being as thorough as I would like.
7. Explain to your kids the value of keeping their room organized. Children don't like to spend a lot of time looking for lost toys either. After you have organized things, make sure to emphasize the benefits of the tidy room each time they are able to successfully find their toys on the first try. You are teaching your children habits that will serve them well for their entire lives.
8. Know that this job is never truly finished. My son and I organized his room recently, meaning that we dumped out everything from his toy box to his storage shelves as well as all of the once-organized bins and started from scratch. No matter how organized you keep things, you'll probably need to do this from time to time.
Now use the time you would have spent looking for lost toys in a different way: put your feet up and relax with a hot cup of tea.
Jamie Jefferson writes for Susies-Coupons.com, where she shares discount store coupons including WalMart coupons
~ ~
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fingerpainting with Pudding
If your children love to fingerpaint but you don't want the mess of paint on walls and on clothing, try using pudding instead. You can use chocolate pudding or vanilla pudding with just a touch of food coloring to create several colors of "paint" for the kids to play with.
They can paint on cardboard or any other paper. Clean up is a breeze and if they put their dirty fingers in their mouth, it's just pudding :)
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
They can paint on cardboard or any other paper. Clean up is a breeze and if they put their dirty fingers in their mouth, it's just pudding :)
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Monday, February 16, 2009
Avoiding Comparisons with Siblings
Have you ever heard “oh but mom, so and so has it?” In my role as mom, I’ve heard this phrase when speaking about clothing, privileges and other material items such as bikes or computers.
When your children are comparing themselves to children outside your family, it’s quite common to answer with “things are different in so and so’s home than they are in our home.”
When the comparison is with a sibling, that answer is no longer valid. At one time or another both of my kids have said to me “but you let her do it” or “why doesn’t she have to do it?”
The answer is actually very simple. No two children are the same. Each of our children is unique in many different ways. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. They each have different perceptions and they each have their own unique personality. Each of these will play into our decisions as parents.
While it might not seem fair tonight that one child has to do the dishes while the other child does not, the word “fair” is very open to interpretation. The child doing the dishes might have just returned from a weekend get away that mom and dad helped finance. Or the child not doing the dishes might have cleaned the bathroom the day before. Fair can not happen at equal times for all children.
As a parent, if you don’t want your kids to compare themselves to each other, you also need to refrain from making comparisons between your children. One child might get better grades than the other. One child might be better at sports than the other. One child might have more artistic ability than that other. Each child is unique. Each will have those things they excel at and those things they need some assistance with.
Offer praise to each child on that child’s personal accomplishments and achievements.
When discipline is necessary, don’t share this information with anyone but the child receiving the discipline. When you speak of discipline in front of other children, it can cause bad feelings amongst the siblings.
Remember each of your children is absolutely unique. Remind them of this when they want to compare themselves to their siblings.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
When your children are comparing themselves to children outside your family, it’s quite common to answer with “things are different in so and so’s home than they are in our home.”
When the comparison is with a sibling, that answer is no longer valid. At one time or another both of my kids have said to me “but you let her do it” or “why doesn’t she have to do it?”
The answer is actually very simple. No two children are the same. Each of our children is unique in many different ways. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. They each have different perceptions and they each have their own unique personality. Each of these will play into our decisions as parents.
While it might not seem fair tonight that one child has to do the dishes while the other child does not, the word “fair” is very open to interpretation. The child doing the dishes might have just returned from a weekend get away that mom and dad helped finance. Or the child not doing the dishes might have cleaned the bathroom the day before. Fair can not happen at equal times for all children.
As a parent, if you don’t want your kids to compare themselves to each other, you also need to refrain from making comparisons between your children. One child might get better grades than the other. One child might be better at sports than the other. One child might have more artistic ability than that other. Each child is unique. Each will have those things they excel at and those things they need some assistance with.
Offer praise to each child on that child’s personal accomplishments and achievements.
When discipline is necessary, don’t share this information with anyone but the child receiving the discipline. When you speak of discipline in front of other children, it can cause bad feelings amongst the siblings.
Remember each of your children is absolutely unique. Remind them of this when they want to compare themselves to their siblings.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Young Children Being Told They Need Glasses
I’ll never forget the two days that both of my girls were told they needed glasses. One of my daughters learned she’d need glasses at the age of five and my other daughter learned of this fate at the age of twelve.
Just as adults wish to look nice and take time with clothes, hair and make-up, children are also very self conscious about what they look like. Children want to blend in, be just like everyone else. Wearing glasses take them out of the “norm” and makes them stick out just a bit.
I have a few ideas for helping children learn to love wearing their glasses. If at all possible, allow your children to help pick out their frames. The choice of frames can make a difference in whether a child is happy or not happy to wear the glasses. Choose a store that offers a wide variety of children’s frames. If you live in a small town and don’t have choices, look online. You can order the frames online and then have the lenses made and inserted locally. Often, you can even send the prescription and have the glasses made and shipped via an online order.
If at all possible, get the glasses on a Friday so that the first two and half days the child is wearing the glasses, it’s at home and not at school.
Remind your child that after a few days, no one will even notice. When a child cuts their hair, everyone notices. When a child gets braces, everyone notices. When a child gets glasses, everyone notices. In a day or two it’s no longer new and someone else now has something new going on.
Talk about how wonderful it will be to be able to see. One perk is that now the child can occasionally sit in the back and still be able to see everything going on.
Speak to the doctor about contact lenses only when the child is ready. My twelve year old did not want glasses. She wanted contact lenses. The doctor was not willing to allow them until a few criteria were met. A year later, she was allowed to get contacts and by then she wore them some of the time and her glasses the rest of the time.
It’s very normal for children to react negatively to the news they need glasses. Support for what they’re feeling is essential in helping them get used to their new apparatus.
Shop around and help your child get the best frames for their face and coloring. See if you can turn getting glasses into a fun buying experience for everyone.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Just as adults wish to look nice and take time with clothes, hair and make-up, children are also very self conscious about what they look like. Children want to blend in, be just like everyone else. Wearing glasses take them out of the “norm” and makes them stick out just a bit.
I have a few ideas for helping children learn to love wearing their glasses. If at all possible, allow your children to help pick out their frames. The choice of frames can make a difference in whether a child is happy or not happy to wear the glasses. Choose a store that offers a wide variety of children’s frames. If you live in a small town and don’t have choices, look online. You can order the frames online and then have the lenses made and inserted locally. Often, you can even send the prescription and have the glasses made and shipped via an online order.
If at all possible, get the glasses on a Friday so that the first two and half days the child is wearing the glasses, it’s at home and not at school.
Remind your child that after a few days, no one will even notice. When a child cuts their hair, everyone notices. When a child gets braces, everyone notices. When a child gets glasses, everyone notices. In a day or two it’s no longer new and someone else now has something new going on.
Talk about how wonderful it will be to be able to see. One perk is that now the child can occasionally sit in the back and still be able to see everything going on.
Speak to the doctor about contact lenses only when the child is ready. My twelve year old did not want glasses. She wanted contact lenses. The doctor was not willing to allow them until a few criteria were met. A year later, she was allowed to get contacts and by then she wore them some of the time and her glasses the rest of the time.
It’s very normal for children to react negatively to the news they need glasses. Support for what they’re feeling is essential in helping them get used to their new apparatus.
Shop around and help your child get the best frames for their face and coloring. See if you can turn getting glasses into a fun buying experience for everyone.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Sunday, February 8, 2009
When You’re Not Crazy About Your Child’s Friends
As a parent, it’s bound to happen. Your child will bring home their newest friend so you can meet him or her and you’re at a loss for words. You see immediately that this is not a great friend choice for your own child. So what do you do?
Much will depend on the age of the child. Regardless of age, I never suggest telling your child that you don’t like their friend. I’ve never seen any good come from this strategy.
If your child is in elementary school, you still have quite a bit of control around play dates and whose house your child plays at.
I remember when my own daughter was five years old. She had a friend come over to play. I drove the child home. When we got there at the agreed upon time, the front door was locked. We knocked. No answer. We rang the bell. No answer. The mom’s car was not in the driveway. We heard the baby crying. At this point I was seriously considering calling the police. I was a bit scared for what might be going on. It was probably three to four minutes of knocking, ringing and contemplating my next move when a car sped around the corner and a teenager jumped out. The teenager was babysitting and had gone out for just a quick moment. The teen was the older brother of the five year old.
Of course I would NEVER allow my daughter to play there, EVER. I did not have to say anything to my own five year old other than her friend was welcome at our house but my daughter could not go there. The friendship actually quickly faded.
As your children grow older and enter their pre-teen and teen years, telling them you don’t like someone will only make them cling more to the friendship. Forbidding a friendship puts your child into a situation of probably lying to you. I know parents never want to think their own children will lie to them, but it happens when we create rules such as “you can never hang out with that person.”
Over the years, I’ve engaged my kids in conversation. I want to make sure my kids see what I’m seeing and if they don’t see it, I want to know what they are seeing. For example, my daughter had a friend who always stood her up or cancelled on her. We talked about it. I really wondered why my daughter continued to try and nurture the friendship and why she even wanted this girl as a friend. Through conversation I understood that the girl was very trustworthy and was a wonderful shoulder to cry on when needed.
Both of my kids have been friends with kids who had very troubled lives. They’ve both known kids who have been in various treatment centers. I never forbade friendships. Instead we’d talk about the situation, talk about how they were offering friendship to this troubled person and talk about ways to avoid the troubled behaviors.
It’s guaranteed we will not always like our children’s friends or agree with their choices of friends. How we handle our own relationships with our children is what will make the difference in how those friendships progress.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Much will depend on the age of the child. Regardless of age, I never suggest telling your child that you don’t like their friend. I’ve never seen any good come from this strategy.
If your child is in elementary school, you still have quite a bit of control around play dates and whose house your child plays at.
I remember when my own daughter was five years old. She had a friend come over to play. I drove the child home. When we got there at the agreed upon time, the front door was locked. We knocked. No answer. We rang the bell. No answer. The mom’s car was not in the driveway. We heard the baby crying. At this point I was seriously considering calling the police. I was a bit scared for what might be going on. It was probably three to four minutes of knocking, ringing and contemplating my next move when a car sped around the corner and a teenager jumped out. The teenager was babysitting and had gone out for just a quick moment. The teen was the older brother of the five year old.
Of course I would NEVER allow my daughter to play there, EVER. I did not have to say anything to my own five year old other than her friend was welcome at our house but my daughter could not go there. The friendship actually quickly faded.
As your children grow older and enter their pre-teen and teen years, telling them you don’t like someone will only make them cling more to the friendship. Forbidding a friendship puts your child into a situation of probably lying to you. I know parents never want to think their own children will lie to them, but it happens when we create rules such as “you can never hang out with that person.”
Over the years, I’ve engaged my kids in conversation. I want to make sure my kids see what I’m seeing and if they don’t see it, I want to know what they are seeing. For example, my daughter had a friend who always stood her up or cancelled on her. We talked about it. I really wondered why my daughter continued to try and nurture the friendship and why she even wanted this girl as a friend. Through conversation I understood that the girl was very trustworthy and was a wonderful shoulder to cry on when needed.
Both of my kids have been friends with kids who had very troubled lives. They’ve both known kids who have been in various treatment centers. I never forbade friendships. Instead we’d talk about the situation, talk about how they were offering friendship to this troubled person and talk about ways to avoid the troubled behaviors.
It’s guaranteed we will not always like our children’s friends or agree with their choices of friends. How we handle our own relationships with our children is what will make the difference in how those friendships progress.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables
Have you ever made peas and carrots for dinner and put them on your child’s plate? If you have, then you now know the many ways children will hide these green and orange pieces from their plates. They will lose them on the floor. They will feed them to the dog. They will hide them in their napkin. They will scoot them under another item on their plate. Kids will try just about anything to not eat the peas and carrots sitting in front of them.
Take those same veggies and add them to fried rice or to fettuccine alfredo and all of a sudden kids gobble them down.
We love dips in my house. I make spinach dip, artichoke dip, broccoli dip and a cauliflower dip. Here are a few recipes for dips that my kids have enjoyed over the years:
Cauliflower Dip
1/2 head cauliflower 1 green onion with top, chopped into 1 inch pieces3 tablespoons sour cream (you can also use yogurt or mayonnaise)2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (powder)
Break cauliflower into florets, for cooking. In medium saucepan, bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain well.
In a food processor, puree cauliflower and green onion until smooth. Add the sour cream and dressing mix. Process 1 minute. Put into a serving dish and chill before serving.
Spinach Dip
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed1/2 cup chopped parsley or parsley flakes1/2 cup green onion, chopped1/2 teaspoon dill seed1 teaspoon seasoned salt1 cup mayonnaise1 cup sour cream2 tablespoons lemon juice
Mix all ingredients and chill overnight so flavors can blend.
Note: I use both light sour cream and light mayonnaise and it’s still delicious.
And finally, a very simple artichoke dip:
Artichoke Dip
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack1/2 cup mayonnaise1 can artichoke hearts, drained
Cut artichoke hearts into small pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minutes until melted and lightly browned.
Another favorite way to help kids eat vegetables is to put the vegetables into a marinara sauce. Cut the vegetables up fairly small. They will add a wonderful flavor to the sauce and the sauce will be nutritious for the kids. The sauce can go over any type of noodle. It can also be poured over cooked fish or chicken.
My final suggestion is to start a vegetable garden. Kids love to eat what they themselves have grown. When the child has helped water, weed and cultivate the garden, it is so much fun for them to pick the vegetables and then eat them. They are so proud to eat their own work.
These are just a few alternative to peas and carrots on a plate.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Take those same veggies and add them to fried rice or to fettuccine alfredo and all of a sudden kids gobble them down.
We love dips in my house. I make spinach dip, artichoke dip, broccoli dip and a cauliflower dip. Here are a few recipes for dips that my kids have enjoyed over the years:
Cauliflower Dip
1/2 head cauliflower 1 green onion with top, chopped into 1 inch pieces3 tablespoons sour cream (you can also use yogurt or mayonnaise)2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (powder)
Break cauliflower into florets, for cooking. In medium saucepan, bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain well.
In a food processor, puree cauliflower and green onion until smooth. Add the sour cream and dressing mix. Process 1 minute. Put into a serving dish and chill before serving.
Spinach Dip
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed1/2 cup chopped parsley or parsley flakes1/2 cup green onion, chopped1/2 teaspoon dill seed1 teaspoon seasoned salt1 cup mayonnaise1 cup sour cream2 tablespoons lemon juice
Mix all ingredients and chill overnight so flavors can blend.
Note: I use both light sour cream and light mayonnaise and it’s still delicious.
And finally, a very simple artichoke dip:
Artichoke Dip
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack1/2 cup mayonnaise1 can artichoke hearts, drained
Cut artichoke hearts into small pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minutes until melted and lightly browned.
Another favorite way to help kids eat vegetables is to put the vegetables into a marinara sauce. Cut the vegetables up fairly small. They will add a wonderful flavor to the sauce and the sauce will be nutritious for the kids. The sauce can go over any type of noodle. It can also be poured over cooked fish or chicken.
My final suggestion is to start a vegetable garden. Kids love to eat what they themselves have grown. When the child has helped water, weed and cultivate the garden, it is so much fun for them to pick the vegetables and then eat them. They are so proud to eat their own work.
These are just a few alternative to peas and carrots on a plate.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
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