Reading for Beads

I recently heard the cutest idea for young readers, and I just had to share it here.  A friend's child has a teacher who buys hundreds of beads at the start of the school year (at her own expense if I know teachers).  She also chooses long lengths of cord (satin?) which, when combined with the beads, makes a great bookmark.  Every time a child reads a chapter book, he or she is allowed to choose a bead as a reward.  Some choose beads that represent the book, such as a dog or a rocket ship, while others choose letters for their name.  Over time, the tail on their bookmark gets longer and longer, and the child gets a physical reminder of their reading success.  I would have been SO thrilled by this idea when I was a young child.  I will certainly be trying this lovely little scheme with the baby when she gets to be a few years older. 

Lunchbox Saftey

In all the furor over getting back in the lunch packing groove, many of us forget about the possible dangers lurking in poorly prepared or stored foods.  This New York Times article has a fairly comprehensive set of tips to help protect your child from getting sick.  Some of it seems fairly obvious, don't keep tuna at room temp for hours, but other things are less clear.  Are you in the habit of washing your melons with soap and hot water before cutting them?  I didn't think so.

Potty Business: Update

Ugh!  As I mentioned recently, I have been on the hunt for the perfect potty.  I don't think we need anything fancy, just a simple, uncomplicated, ahem, chair (if you know what I mean).  However, those who design children's products do not agree with me.  No, no they want everything to be super extra special in every way.  Even the potty.

The first one I found on Amazon has a smiley face where the action takes place, and IT SINGS A STUPID SONG!  Yes, when it detects, urm, motion, it plays one of three uber-happy victory songs.  This is supposed to induce your child to go all the time because they will be so enchanted by the lovely music.  Or they will literally have the pee scared out of them when the things suddenly starts to play.

As if that were not bad enough, the second horror potty is actually Disney princess-themed.  No, no it doesn't have a picture of Snow White perched on another kind of throne (though maybe if it did I'd be more inclined to buy it just for the shock value).  It has a grouping of standing princess clustered together on the lid, but that is not it's real draw.  No, this potty's special magic comes from, you guessed it, magic potty sounds!  As if the victory song were not strange enough, this potty will go "bibitty bobbetty boo" for you when you go.  What kinds of freakish associations might these two terrible potties create in some young minds?

Rock Collecting

Yesterday we were playing in the backyard doing our best to enjoy every last rain-free day. Delphinium was enjoying a tub of warm water filled with toys, when her attention was drawn by a pile of rocks in the corner of the yard. She took her little red bucket out of the water, wandered over to the rocks, and then methodically began to sort through them. She put about one out of every five in her bucket, and I could not tell what her logic was for choosing some and rejecting others, but it looked like she was doing the most serious task of all time.


After the bucket was about one quarter full, she took it over to the tub of warm water, and dumped in all her treasures. A few minutes of swishing, and she popped them back in the bucket one by one. Without a second glance at the water and the other toys, she marched her bucket'o'rocks up the steps and into the house. She plunked the bucket down next to her little table and let out a sigh as if she was saying "well that's done at least."
I know this sounds like a boring blow by blow of a kid playing, but I've never seen her do anything so complicated before. She made a plan, worked through the steps, and did not become distracted along the way. I have no idea why, but I suppose that really isn't the point. Does this mean she'll grow up to be brilliant, focused, and dedicated, or just somebody who really likes rocks?

Back To School: Last Minute Tips

Around here schools starts in just a few short days.  When we were at Trader Joes earlier today, it looked like Friday rush-hour with all the moms and kids doing last minute lunch shopping.  Granola bars, cheese sticks, and little packets of hummus were promenently displayed, and I saw more than one child trying to negotiate their own version of a tasty lunch.  How ever you decide to meet this challenge, here are a few last tips for making the transition from summer to school a huge success:

- Lay EVERYTHING out the night before (clothes, hair and teeth items, lunch supplies, keys, etc)
-No screens (that means no tv, computers, phones, or music players they only waste time)
-Shower the night before (I know this is hard, but showering is such a massive time sink)
-Go to sleep a little earlier every day for a week (you too Mom and Dad!)
-Practice the route (drive or walk to school and/or the bus stop so you know timing)
-Remind kids that school is a welcoming place full of exciting opportunities

Potty Business

The Baby is getting to an age when we are starting to think about considering talking about the possibility of going potty.  I DO NOT want to make the same mistake as my aunt who made such a fuss over the whole thing that her son stopped going altogether rather than deal with the pressure.  I want it to be easy and low-stress at all times.  I've watched one brother, three cousins, two niecs, and six nanny charges learn to use the bathroom, so I know what a challenge it can be.  I'm hoping we can get things to go off smoothly for our little girl.

Dr. Spock started writing about potty business in the 1930's!  At that time he was countering the militaristic approach where children were strapped to potties at a very early age, and then smacked if they had an accident.  He said that children should, instead, be allowed to play with a potty for several weeks before you even introduce the idea that it can have another function.  Then, he recommends just casually mentioning that potties are places where we can do our business too.  I know he's old school now, but it just seems like common sense to me.  The no pressure approach may well backfire on me, but I'm going to give it a shot. 

Vegetarian Back-to-School Lunches

I know, I know, you're starting to sweat.  Your kid is due to head back to class in only a few short days and that means lunches.  Lots and lots of lunches.  If your kid complains that they can't look another PBJ in the face again, then you have come to the right place.  Having worked as a teacher for a decade, I know a thing or two about what to pack and how to keep things healthy and interesting.  When you are a vegetarian (or have one as a son or daughter), there usually aren't that many choices in the lunchroom (who wants their kid to eat that stuff anyway?), so you might as well get to be friends with the good old lunchbox.  First, the basics.  These are the pantry items you might want to consider.  Of course you must read labels to determine which ones are healthy and which ones are schlock:

Category #1: Grains (mostly anyway)

-whole grain crackers
-graham crackers
-pretzel sticks
-muffins
-rice cakes
-rice balls
-cooked grains such as quinoa or barley
-tortillas
-pasta salad
-granola bars
-banana bread, zucchini bread, or pumpkin bread
-bagel chips
-dry cereal
-bagels
-pita bread

Category #2: Proteins (though to be fair, many of the above have protein too)
-cheese (Babybell and stringcheese are great, but be creative!)
-vegetarian deli slices (I like the ones from Turtle Island Foods)
-beans (so many kinds and so many ways to prepare them)
-nut butters (almond, sunflower, cashew)
-tofu (baked, broiled, fried!)
-eggs
-yogurt
-cottage cheese
-cream cheese
-hummus
-avocado

Category #3: Veggies
-peas (in shell or out)
-carrots
-celery
-cucumbers
-bell peppers
-tomatoes (I know, technically a fruit!)
-broccoli (steamed?)
-cauliflower (steamed?)
-greenbeans (steamed?)
-corn

Category #4: Fruit
-berries (mmmm!)
-cherries
-grapes
-oranges (get easy to peel for little kids)
-melons
-pineapple
-apples (only when other things aren't in season)
-applesauce (I use the tubs as an emergency back-up item)

Of course you are not going to buy all of these items at one time, but it does give a person ideas.  Just mix and match these ingredients to keep things fresh and interesting.  You do not have to make a four course dinner to satisfy your hungry child, just give them good quality items, and be sure to take their tastes into account as well.  Getting their input and participation will dramatically increase the percentage of lunches actually consumed.  Do not fear the box!