Category Archives: Kids

Toast Tuesday!

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Vaccinate Your Effing Kids | Jessica Gottlieb A Los Angeles Mom.

Jessica makes an important statement here.

If you are deciding whether to vaccinate or not vaccinate your children, definitely do your homework. Your life and your child’s life could depend upon the decision you make.

It is important to make medical decisions based on solid research that is done by reputable researchers not based on Hollywood personalities or business men like “The Donald”.

So this Tuesday …I am recommending Jessica Gottlieb’s blog.

Preschool Problems…

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I recently read a post which discussed whether we should be teaching our kids to hit back when another child hits them in preschool.

Personally, I think hitting back in school should not encouraged at any age much less in preschool. If a child is being hit at school, it seems to me that the teacher should intervene. If the offending child keeps hitting that calls for parent/teacher discussions.

Our preschool does not tolerate hitting and deals with these issues directly with the offending child’s family. Apologies are expected from the child doing the hitting to the child or children that he/she hit. That is usually the end of it. I am not sure what happens if this type of behavior continues.

It seems that encouraging a child to hit back does nothing to solve the problem…it merely tells another child that hitting is okay in certain instances. To me, preschoolers, do not seem to have the ability to differentiate between when hitting back may in fact be appropriate.

I think preschoolers should defend themselves by telling the teacher and telling their parents.

The parent should then make sure that this is resolved swiftly and appropriately.

What do you think about teaching your preschool child to defend him/herself? Would you encourage hitting back? If so under what circumstances would you think hitting back was okay?

Do dads feel differently about this problem?

 

“Thank You”

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Yo Gabba Gabba Live

“Thank you”.

How many times a day do you actually say ,”Thank you”?

Who do you routinely say , “Thank you” to?

Teaching a child to say “Thank you” is something all of us have done at one time or another…it is usually coupled with learning to also say, “Please”

In fact, as I write this I am reminded of a singalong on Yo Gabba Gabba, the sole purpose of which was to impress on a young one the importance of these words and of being polite.

During any given day there are so many opportunities to say, “Thank you”. I try to take advantage of them. Saying, “Thank you”, helps to validate the other person and it helps me to focus on what that person has done for me. no matter how small or mundane.

It always irritates me if I hold a door open for anyone and they do not acknowledge me with a simple, Thank you”. In fact, I usually snarl at them and say a big “THANK YOU” out loud so that they can hear me as they walk on by ignoring my gesture. I sometimes wish that I could let the door slam on them. Just telling the truth and saying that these moments really piss me off! (I try not to do this in front of a child)

I spend a fair amount of time with my grandchild and am trying to teach her the basics of politeness. Reminding her to say, “Please” and “Thank you” is a daily constant. But these reminders are basically meaningless if I don’t use the words appropriately so that she can mimic me.

Really, we always hear ourselves when little ones are playing in their make believe world. How often do we hear them say, “Thank you”.

How often do these little ones say, “Thank you” without being prompted?

In the link below, Caitlin Kelly writes about, “Thank you” and happens to make an observation about President Obama and his sometimes apparent lack of gratitude. Whether true or not it is not flattering to be perceived as ungrateful no matter how “big” or “small” you are.

(I am not making a political statement here just an observation from another writer. So please do not focus on this as a political statement. It is used just to make a point.)

What do you think about how we teach our children and grandchildren politeness? When do you tell them to say the words, “Thank you”?

Thank you for reading, I appreciate it and I would love to hear from all of you.

Saying “Thank you” « Broadside.

Yo Gabba Gabba

What’s for Lunch?

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School Lunch Dilemma

School is fast approaching and that means school lunches will be back in the kitchen routine. Hmmmm!

I have been reading about healthy ideas for kids lunches and recently had a discussion concerning family food ideas with a dietician colleague. She has the same issues with kids lunches…how do you make the interesting and tasty?

So much time goes into meal planning at my house and always has. Good healthy meals have forever been a priority of mine. It was handed down to me by my own grandmother. She made a delicious dinner every night. My mother was a single mom and worked full-time. Since my grandmother lived with us she took over cooking. Most nights, we all would have dinner together. It was an important time for us to catch up with each other and one that I looked forward to.

This fall, I am going to help prepare daily lunches for pre-school…the challenge begins and I am up to it! I think…

Creativity in lunch preparation has long gone from my food prep repertoire . Personally, I take my own lunch to work…it suits me…although it is far from creative… it is usually healthy.

Recently, on my trips to Whole Foods, I find myself looking at Bento boxes and flipping through Parents Magazine for hints as to how to be creative. I want to fix something healthy and interesting….food that a four-year old will enjoy at lunch time.

Our school is a nut free environment, which is of concern to our family, because our little preschooler has a nut allergy. As you probably know, nut allergies can be life threatening. So along with lunch goes the EpiPen, which is kept at school in case of a severe reaction.

I have decided to try the Bento Box…mainly to keep things interesting and organized for our little one and ourselves. The small containers will allow for a few little snack type foods like veggies, dips and grapes (cut in half) to avoid choking, another concern of mine as a pediatric nurse.

Kids have very small “windpipes 

they can easily be occluded by

a food as tiny as a grape, nut

or a chunk of hot dog.

The larger containers will be great for a sandwich, salad or something like a shish-ka-bob without the stick.

I am also purchasing a lunch bag to carry the bento box… that will make it easier to put some “blue ice” inside, keeping food cool and protected from bacteria growth.

A soup thermos also caught my eye…so, we have that as well. It allows us to change-up the menu and include some favorite soups with noodles and some veggies.

So far the food thing is coming together…now for the drinks. Milk really turns me off…no matter what, milk gets warm and there is nothing more distasteful! Water is really perfect with a squirt of juice or even a little mint. Our little one likes juice so a 50-50 juice-sparkling water is a nice variation. One suggestion from Parents Magazine suggests freezing the juice overnight so that it is slushy by lunchtime…great idea.

Parents Magazine, September 2012 issue has some wonderful top chef choices for the lunch box routine. None of them are too difficult…I give this particular article two thumbs up.

What are some of your suggestions for the lunch box dilemma every morning?

Note: I am a grandmother, whose daughter lets me get involved in the food/lunch dilemma because I really enjoy it… we do all of it together and fortunately we have the same dietary concerns for children. It is my pleasure to share with you as we navigate this together.

Related links:

Upgrade Your Lunch Box: Tips For Packing A Creative Lunch – Parenthood.com.

http://www.genconnect.com/health/top-chef-susan-feniger-ming-tsai-on-healthy-back-to-school-foods/

Toast Tuesday!

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Today, I would like to feature iGameMom, yes this is the second time in a few weeks...a terrific blog and website for parents who want to make use of apps for kids.

iGameMom gives you all the information you need to make informed decisions as to which apps you might want to download for your children.

In addition, this morning’s e-mail taught me how to save my i-Phone battery by shutting down my apps that are always running in the background.

So, if you are using apps and want to be an informed parent or grandparent…run don’t walk to iGameMom.

About:

A place for the busy parents to discover the good educational Apps for kids, and learn what they can do to stay engaged with the kids in the new games world.

via About — iGameMom.

 

Related posts:

Toast Tuesday-IGameMom

Allergies and Kids

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Peanut allergies, children and pregnancy

About 1 percent of children and adults in the United States are allergic to peanuts and peanut products, including peanut butter and any food containing peanuts (1, 2). For reasons that are not well understood, peanut allergy has doubled in the past decade (3). Individuals with a peanut allergy can have a serious (such as difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness) or even fatal reaction if they eat peanuts. This reaction occurs because the immune system of an affected individual reacts abnormally to usually harmless proteins in peanuts. Children and adults who are allergic to peanuts should not eat them at any time. Unfortunately, there is no proven way to prevent peanut allergy in a child.

Peanut allergies are very frightening and very serious.

I learned this first hand when I witnessed my first peanut allergy reaction.

It was a 2 year old child, who had ingested an extremely small amount of granola and within several minutes she was completely covered in hives. Fortunately, she did not have difficulty breathing and was treated promptly.

A few days ago…I received this peanut allergy update from the March of Dimes.

I am passing it along with the hope that it will help in understanding this potentially life threatening allergic reaction and how it can be avoided.

Essentials of a good education in today’s world…

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I have been a fan of Leo Babauta for several years since my husband introduced his blog to me. He is very relaxing to read and he speaks to my inner soul much of the time.

Yesterday…while looking through some of my Facebook updates, I came upon this post of Leo’s that I missed on his feed.

Although, I have never been a fan of homeschooling, I can definitely appreciate Leo’s comments on how we are educating or not educating our children to meet the challenges of the world in which they will live.

I hope that you enjoy this piece from Leo…please read his bio…it is impressive.

Let me know what you think…I would love to hear your feelings about home schooling…would love to have tried homeschooling but do not think I have or ever had the patience to undertake such a challenge.

How then to prepare our kids for a world that is unpredictable, unknown? By teaching them to adapt, to deal with change, to be prepared for anything by not preparing them for anything specific.This requires an entirely different approach to child-rearing and education. It means leaving our old ideas at the door, and reinventing everything.

via 9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn, by Leo Babauta.

Week in Review….ParentingintheLoop!

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Summer Solstice… NYC

 

Healthy Child Healthy World is one of my favorite sites for excellent information…this week has been a long one for me but I would love to share these wonderful articles that as so apropos for summer.

Have a great weekend!

See you all next week…hopefully!

  • The dog days of summer have arrived early at Chez Sorensen and my girls are practically living in the pool. I love that they’re spending oodles of time outdoors, but we’re going through copious amounts of sunscreen and my kids aren’t exactly fond of the laborious effort it takes to slather their bodies repeatedly throughout the day.

via 3 Sunscreen Safety Tips You Probably Don’t Know, But Definitely Should | Healthy Child Healthy World.

  • Dr. Harvey Karp is a legend at Healthy Child Healthy World. Dr. Karp is a founding board member and a driving force behind the work we do every day.

via Dr. Harvey Karp, America’s #1 Pediatrician, Makes a Housecall | Healthy Child Healthy World.

  • Vegetarian PestoFresh and flavorful! Check out this recipe for a versatile and vegetarian pesto that you can use all summer!

via Vegetarian Pesto | Healthy Child Healthy World.

Chicago Bean at Sunrise

Photos of “my two Cities”… via Flickr…

 

“Food for Thought”….Kids Food in a Pouch!

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via Plum Organics on Pinterest

I have been wondering about these “pouches”of organic pureed foods for kids and how parents are using them. When I go to our village grocer or Whole Foods, I am always looking for healthy snacks for my grandchild and have seen these options near the jarred baby food. I even purchased a couple of varieties, but they were not a hit with my little one.

Now, after just reading this NYTimes article, I definitely have “more food for thought” about an organic version of convenience “foods”, that are essentially healthy but allow us to feed our kids on the run. Will these pouches actually help to do away with learning how to sit down and enjoy a meal the way it was meant to be enjoyed?

Sometimes, I feel that sitting down in a McDonalds now and then with a Kids Meal and a salad for myself is far better than pulling out something from my purse that might be healthier but does not permit any “down time”…to just sit, talk and connect.

Seriously…do any of you use these “pouches” to feed your children nourishment on the run?

Have you ever tasted any of them?

What do you think of this whole idea???

Excerpted from the NYTimes:

Watching her jump and eat, I was struck by several thoughts simultaneously. One, kids aren’t supposed to move and eat, are they? Two, if my children don’t sit at the table, how will they ever learn manners? Will they be cast out of polite society, like pirates or hoofed animals? And three, aren’t meals part of the glue that’s supposed to hold a family together? Are we in such a hurry to do things efficiently that we’re expediting the transition to the can-I-have-the-car-keys diaspora?…….

At last, I realized the source of my nagging discomfort. The pouch may help us negotiate the age-old battle of wills at the table, not to mention relieving me of my vaudeville act. But it also creates children in our own frenetic image: energetic, vitamin-fueled, moving frantically from one thing to the next.

I wonder if that’s a good thing.

via Food Pouches Let Little Ones Serve Themselves – NYTimes.com.