Finding a Trusted Caretaker

I’ve alternated between being a stay at home mom and a working mom throughout different stages of my son’s life.  For the first five year of his life I was mostly home, working in a restaurant on the weekend nights so I could be home with him the rest of the week.  Then I was a preschool teacher from his kindergarten year until he was about ten years old.  Those hours were perfect because I would work while he was at school and get out right as he got off the bus, if I had to work while he was off of school he could just come to work with me.  Then I was a stay at home mom for two years before returning to work full time this past October.   Although I absolutely love my job, finding care has been very stressful.  I’ve been pretty lucky so far because my son played on his middle school soccer and then basketball team and would have practices and games after school most of the time HOWEVER the days he didn’t have practice I would almost have a nervous breakdown trying to find someone to get him after school.  Plus he’s decided he doesn’t want o play baseball anymore so I now have zero after school care for him.  He is old enough to stay at home sometimes but I really don’t think he’s ready to be home alone after school for three hours every day.  Plus summer is coming up and I have no idea what I’m going to do with him for 60 hours a week (fulltime job plus commute time).  I have literally been PRAYING for an answer. 

Then I lucked out and came across care.com which is basically a website that brings babysitters and parents together.  There are lists of babysitters and nannies so you can browse and look who you think would be right for you.  The part I loved is that you can see background checks as well as recommendations from other parents.  You can also see pictures, ages, experience, education, and hourly pay as well as a little area where they can tell about themselves.  I liked that because I know the mother of a quiet baby girl would be looking for something totally different than a mom like me who is looking for someone to care for her wild sporty older boy.

A few other benefits include being able to see which days and times each babysitter is available, which extra duties they are willing to offer such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, grocery shopping, travel, crafts, swimming supervision, and carpooling.  They also include if they are trained in first aid, CPR, CRN, Doula, Special Needs Care, and Trustline Certified.

I’m going to be reviewing these profiles to find someone parttime now so that my son will be used to his caregiver by the time summer rolls around and they have to spend more time together.  I may even find someone he likes enough to spend a Friday night with so that I can have a date night!  I’ll let you know how it goes!

If you want to check it out for yourself just enter your zip code above to start searching!

Keep Your Kids Safe

One of the things we worry about the most as parents is keep our kids safe. We see so many instances in the news of the kidnappings and killings of children, of serial molesters and rapists, and of the rampant use of child porn.

Here are some scary facts:

· Over 2,100 children go missing every day, that’s one child every 40 seconds.

· 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 16.

· There are 728,345 registered sex offenders in the United State.

· The re-arrest rate of convicted child molesters is 52%

Now I don’t think we need to live in constant fear because that would not allow our children to develop properly but I do think that we, as parents, need to be aware. One great tool to help with that is to sign up at kidslivesafe.com.

If you sign up you will be able to:

1. Search, map, and view complete sex offender profiles.

2. Receive an instant email alert when a sex offender moves into your monitored area.

3. Safely monitor your children online.

4. Use their Emergency Response Profiles if your child is lost or abducted.

5. Learn your city’s true crime rate.

6. Use their learning center to stay up to date with critical child care information and resources.

Empower yourself to protect your children!

*I am a Kids Live Safe affiliate. 

Fun Food

When you have a picky eater you’ll do ANYTHING to get them to try something new. One fun way to get kids interested in unfamiliar foods is by making the presentation exciting. If they are marveling at the creative design you made out of their meal they are more likely to try some, even if it’s just a bite or two. It many cases it’s a breakthrough if they even allow a new food on their plate. The point isn’t to get them to chow down on the new food; it’s just to acquaint them with it. The next time you serve that food it will be a little more familiar. The more familiar and nonthreatening a new food it the more likely your picky eater will take a nibble, or at least let it within arm’s length of their mouths.

Do you ever create designs out of food for your kids?

Award Nominee!

I am so honored that Less Than Perfect Parents is nominated for Babble's "Most Useful" Award!

The person who nominated me wrote:

Enjoy this blog because it is filled with not only wonderful advice from real life experiences but fashion tips and holiday decorating ideas and recipes. The blog also make a parent feel comfortable in that one does not have to be a perfect parent but a real parent with real children with a life filled with ups and downs and yes mistakes. Far better to enjoy our children as multidimentional beings and savour all the experiences in our journey through life together.

What a compliment!

If you like Less Than Perfect Parents click here to vote!  I appreciate it so much!

Something to be Thankful for...

I don’t normally post too many blog articles that are just stories about my family but this one’s a doozy and I need to share my pain. 

The other night my son was asleep and I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.  I noticed the toothpaste was really watery and I rolled my eyes imagining what sort of dumb thing my child had done to it (in my household he does so many random things that if something isn’t on fire I usually don’t question it).  So I brushed my teeth with the watery toothpaste.  I repeat: I BRUSHED MY TEETH WITH IT‼‼‼  I went to bed and had a blissful night’s sleep.

The next morning my son says, “Oh mom, you didn’t use the toothpaste did you?”  His tone of pure disgust and the look of pity made me pay attention.  “Yes I did, why?”  I asked wondering if I even wanted to know.  “That toothpaste fell into the toilet last night,” he says. 

Do you know what that means?  That means I brushed my teeth with toilet water.  I BRUSHED MY FREAKING TEETH WITH TOILET WATER‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼

Why did he put it back?  Why didn’t he tell me what happened?  Why didn’t he throw it away?  He didn’t seem to know the answer to any of these questions.  I told him I can’t believe I have to tell him that when things that belong in our mouths fall into the toilet we throw them away.  Why wouldn’t that be common sense?  Why do I have to tell him that?  Sigh.  He’s so lucky his mother’s love is unconditionalJ

Even though I doubt anyone can top this story I will throw out the gauntlet and issue a challenge to all of you parents.  Have your kids ever done anything that was repulsive enough to top this?  If not, I just gave you something to be thankful for this holiday season!

Judging Moms

I just read an article on mothers judging other mothers.  I remember when I was a preschool teacher I saw a lot in my classroom that was judge-worthy but there were several incidents that taught me some very important lessons that I will never forget. 

I had a little girl in my class who was absolutely adorable.  She was dressed beautiful every day, she was smart as a whip, and so sweet to her peers.  There was only one thing I felt terrible about.  Every day she came to school and had a sandwich of nothing but white bread and fluff along with a jello.  I am a huge advocate of healthy eating and always fed my son whole grains and protein at every meal plus five fruits and vegetables a day.  It wasn’t hard so, in my mind, why wouldn’t a parent feed their kids healthy food unless they were lazy or indifferent?  It really bothered me that this poor child ate food that provided her with zero nutrition.  Years later I went to this child’s house for dinner with a mutual friend.  I ate before I left because I imagined the mother to be a horrible cook.  When I arrived I couldn’t believe my eyes.  She had a gourmet buffet full of mouthwatering foods.  I saw her daughter filling up on delicious and healthy foods.  Later we were talking about the struggles we’ve had parenting our children and she told us how she had to pack her daughter fluff sandwiches and jello because if she didn’t she would eat nothing at school.  She said she just made sure she ate very healthy breakfasts, snacks, and dinners.  Was this mom indifferent to her daughter’s nutritional needs as I had thought?  Absolutely not.  She was just a mom doing whatever it took to do the best she could for her family.  My son would eat anything I put in front of him so I always fed him healthy and could never understand the struggles that some parents go through who have picky eaters. 

I had another little girl who loved to read and had tons of healthy food every day but came to school in old hand me down boy’s clothes and was often dirty.  Her mother on the other hand, was dressed beautifully every single day with perfectly manicured nails and salon ready hair matched with perfectly pressed designer clothes.  I couldn’t understand how a mom could be so selfish as to dress her child so poorly while taking such good care of herself.  I laid out my son’s clothes everyday and he wore them.  It wasn’t hard so why didn’t she take the time unless she was lazy or indifferent?  One day I ran into the mom at a party and she confessed to me how embarrassed she was that her daughter was such a tomboy when she was younger.  She told me how she had to fight her daughter in order to dress her in perfect dresses and practically had to physically wrestle her into the bathtub in order to get her clean.  Finally she decided that she would rather let people judge her as a parent rather than abuse her daughter in order to make her look perfect to the outside world.  What this a mom who didn’t care if her daughter was clean or not?  Absolutely not.  She was just a mom doing whatever it took to do the best she could for her family.  (By the way, the daughter eventually grew out of this stage and is now a very clean, put together young lady).  My son didn’t care about clothes so how could I ever understand what some parents go through who have kids that are adamant about how they dress?

As moms we need to remember that we are all moms doing whatever it takes to do the very best we can for our families.  We all have struggles.  We are all great moms sometimes.  We are all bad moms sometimes.  THERE IS NOT ONE OF US WHO IS THE PERFECT PARENT!  The next time you find yourself judging another mom (or any other person for that matter) just remember, you don’t know her circumstances, you don’t know what she’s going through, and you don’t know how she is in other aspects and situations in her life.  Cut her some slack because the next time you have a bad mom moment maybe she’ll do the same for you.

Why did I judge these moms?  Because they are facing different struggle than my own.  My son eats anything and doesn’t care what he wears so those aspects of parenting are easy for me.  I face completely different issues such as the never ending battles over watching television and video games.  A parent could judge me and think I’m a horrible mother for allowing my son to watch too much television because their child turns it off without a fight whenever the parent asks.  I also had an issue with my son putting his hands on other kids and getting in their face when he was little.  I know other moms thought I was a terrible mom that couldn’t get my son to keep his hands off their kids.  What they didn’t know is that my son is legally blind so he gets up close and uses his hands to see better.  I have a friend now who feels awful because she admitted she judged me for that before she got to know me.  We’re the best of friends now because she understands my issues with my son are drastically different than the ones she’s going through with hers.

These are just a few examples of situations that look a certain way and on closer inspection turned out to be totally different.  I think whenever we judge another person we should remember that we are only seeing a moment in their lives.  It’s not who they are it’s a single clip of their life.  You may see a mom yelling at her small children.  Maybe that’s the only time she ever yelled at them and she usually cuddle with them, reads them stories, never lets them watch television, and feeds them only organic foods.  Should she be labeled a “bad mom” because she had a moment where she wasn’t perfect? 

Ways to Stay Active During the Holiday Season

It’s that time again! The time of year we all struggle with. There’s tons of great food that leaves us exhausted and not wanting to move. We know in our heads we shouldn’t have that extra helping of mashed potatoes or that extra piece of pie but we give into temptation. Then as if we were stuffed turkeys ourselves we go and do the worst thing when you’ve overeaten: we lie there with our pants unbuttoned in a state of exhaustion. According to the New England Journal of Medicine the average person gains one pound over the holidays and never loses it. I know, I know, what’s one pound? Well it’s a lot over the course of years. One pound eventually becomes twenty if we’re not careful.

Now I’m not against all those delicious foods and I’m just as guilty as anyone of indulging on Thanksgiving BUT I do try to keep myself and my family as healthy as possible and I want my family to develop healthy habits as well. So indulge in your favorite foods but try one or two of these activities so you can keep some of the holiday weight off this year:

1.      Help out-I noticed many of the women in my family are very fit while a lot of the men tend to pack on weight. I decided to observe to see why this was. One huge difference I noticed was that after a meal the women begin busily cleaning up after dinner while the men go sit on the couch and watch television. Preparing a Thanksgiving meal is a lot of work so make sure everyone in the family has on chore before the meal and one chore after. This will keep them busy and away from the appetizer table before the meal and the dessert table after the meal. Plus staying them their feet will help them burn some extra calories. You’re helping you family stay fit as well as teaching your kids the importance of helping out. Not only will this benefit everyone by keeping them moving but whoever is hosting Thanksgiving will be grateful as well.

2.      Take a walk-You can take a walk right outside your house or plan a beautiful trail nearby to walk on. Plan a scavenger hunt or play a few games to keep kids occupied during the walk. Another fun idea is to have an imagination walk.

Walking game idea: Everyone tries to find five things that begin with the same letter as their first name. If you have several people with the same first letter you can use middle names.

3.      Dance-This is a fun and easy way to burn a few calories. Just put on some music and let everyone get moving. Make sure you have a wide variety of music for everyone and I would recommend having it on CD’s so you’re not looking through the radio to find something.

4.      Plan a family game-Split the family up into a few teams and have a tournament or just kick the ball around. Either way playing a game of soccer, kickball, or softball is a fun way to get the family working together and keep them off the couch. TIP: Have everything set up before the meal because you probably won’t feel like dragging soccer goals out after eating a big dinner. If it’s already set up it’ll be much easier to motivate yourself and everyone else out to the game.

5.      Try some of these activities geared toward kids.

6.      Schedule some fitness into your own schedule. It’s best to schedule this with someone else so that you won’t skip it when you’re feeling full and tired after celebrating the day before. My gym has a turkey buster class the morning after Thanksgiving that I attend every year. You can do something like that or plan a session with a personal trainer or make a date to play tennis or go for a run. Thanksgiving should be just one day and this will help you get back on track if you’ve over eaten. The best way to teach your family to be fit is to model the behavior yourself.

Easier Mornings

I have had the opportunity to be both a working mother and a stay at home mom.  No matter which role I was in one of the most stressful times of day were always in the mornings getting my son off to school.  Finding outfits, clean underwear, socks, and loose papers needed for school.  So many times he missed the bus, forgot homework or lunch money or lunch and I had to run to the school so he could eat.  The times when everything was actually together were only because I was yelling which is not the kind of mother I want to be.  I finally decided I could no longer send my child off to school stressed and have my day start off with guilt.  I made a list of the things that caused the most stress and panic and worked on ways to eliminate them from our lives.  The basic premise is to do whatever can possibly be done the night before and have your children do whatever they possibly can for themselves.  At first it may be difficult to change old habits but using even a couple of these strategies can turn a crazy morning into an enjoyable one.

1.       Layout your clothes and your child’s clothes for the week.  Include every article of clothing needed even socks and underwear.  I keep my son’s in a weekly organizing closet hanger.  Every night before bed I take out the next day’s clothes and he gets dressed as soon as he gets up in the morning before even coming downstairs.  This eliminates any clothing battles or realizations that there is no clean underwear when the bus is ten minutes from arriving.

2.       Put dinner in a separate container for lunch the next day.  I try to make dinners that can be reheated the next day.  I use a container for my son that keeps his lunch hot all day.  I have to take a minute to heat in up before packing it but it’s nice to know my son is having a nice lunch instead of the gross school lunches or the same sandwich day after day.

3.       Have your child’s homework done and backpack packed the night before.  This is a no brainer but is sometimes hard to put into practice when your child is tired and whiny at night but so worth it.  I make my son a list that includes pictures so he knows exactly what he has to do after school.  Once they get used to doing this it’s so much easier.

4.       Get all of your things together for the next day.  This is where you practice what you preach.  When your child is preparing for the next day you can also set aside everything next to the door or even into your car for the next day.  Hang your keys right next to the door.  There’s nothing worse than searching for keys when you’re running late.

5.       Prepare breakfast for the next day or even the week.  If I know I have limited time for the week and won’t be able to make breakfast I’ll pack cereal into five baggies and then cut up fruit and put milk in a creamer cup so my son can prepare his own cereal breakfast.  You can also make easy items such as hard boiled eggs or egg salad.  Even pancakes made the night before can be reheated.  Setting the coffee pot the night before also cuts down on a few minutes.  Every few minutes you save is a few extra you can spend enjoying your breakfast, coffee, and kids.

Hopefully these ideas will help you!  What are some of your favorite tricks for making the mornings run more smoothly?  Leave your comments below.

Beach Bag Checklist

There is nothing worse than all the work it takes to get on the beach with kids and then realizing you forgot something vitally important.  I put together this handy little checklist of everything I bring to make beach time less stressful and more fun and relaxing.

1.     SUNSCREEN-My son is a fair skinned, blue eyed, red head so it’s extra important.  I usually bring the regular rub on kind but I also pack the spray on kind for two purposes.  First, so I can spray on areas that are difficult to rub lotion onto such as the hairline where there’s hair but where he can still get sunburned.  Second, if he’s being difficult it’s easier to spray while he plays than make him stop and rub it on.

2.     A couple of plastic bags.  Plastic bags are great for putting wet bathing suits into so they don’t get everything else wet.  I also have one in case anything disgusting needs to be put away.  You’d be surprised how often that has happened as a mother.

3.     Wet wipes.  For if the ice cream man comes and for any million of other ways my son could get sticky.  Sand and stickiness do NOT mix well.

4.     A bunch of dollar bills.  Sometimes there’s a vending machine and sometimes the ice cream man comes.  I hate turning down the ice cream man.

5.     Hat.  A hat is good to protect heads from midday sun.  There is no possible way to protect a child’s head from the sun on the beach all day without a hat.  I know there are hats with SPF but my son’s baseball cap seems to work well.

6.       A long sleeved shirt or sweat shirt for if there’s a chill.

7.     A change of clothes.  To change after the beach so there’s no ride home with sand in our pants.

8.     A fresh towel.  I usually wrap this in the plastic bags mentioned above so they’re not sandy.  I only bring a fresh towel if I’m planning to shower at the beach.  There’s nothing worse than taking a shower and having to dry with a sandy towel you’ve had on the beach all day.

9.     A small first aid kit.  I know the lifeguard has one but I bring mine just to have band aids and stuff like that for small cuts.  If anything major happened I’d call for help.

10. Books.  My son brings his own bag of toys but I like him to have a book if he needs to chill out under our umbrella.  This works well if a child is tired, needs a break from the sun, or is not getting along with his friends.

11.   Deodorant.  I hate being smelly.

12. Comb and detangler.  My hair gets so tangled at the beach and this makes it easier to comb through so I don’t look like a total mess.

13.   Lip gloss.  No reason to be totally barefaced on the beach.

14.   Magazines.  For meJ

15. Dry snacks.  The rest of the food such as sandwiches, drinks, watermelon, etc. are kept in the cooler.

What are your must-haves for the beach?

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How To Get Your Kids Inspired To Play Sports

In this day and age there are many kids who would rather sit inside and watch television rather than play outside or do physical activities.  Many parents I know force their kids to play at least one sport just to make sure the child is active.  I don’t completely disagree with telling a child they must pick one activity but I also think that a child should be encouraged and inspired to play.  My son loves playing and these are a few things I’ve done to inspire him to love sports:

1.       Practice together-Kids love spending time with their parents plus if you take time out of your schedule to practice then it shows your child this activity is worthwhile.  I recommend starting with a very minimal amount of time at first based on your child’s age, ability, and interest.  Even setting a timer for 5 or 10 minutes at first will show them they don’t have to spend endless time practicing.  Make it as fun as possible.  I usually have my son practice a skill for a few minutes then play a game that reinforces that skill.  It helps for them to see you laughing and having a great time.  Make sure you keep your patience no matter how annoying your child is being.  It’s so important to teach them that this is fun!

2.       Add a little friendly competition-Schedule a low key game once a week with a few friends.  My son’s friends meet up to play different sports a few times a week.  This enables your child to associate the game with friends and it’s more relaxing to play without a formal practice or game.  You don’t have to make it into a huge play date.  The other parents and I just send a quick text to each other that says something like, “At the basketball courts until about 4 if you guys want to stop over.”  Usually at least one friend will stop over.

3.       Watch professional games-If you can afford it go to a major league game or just watch some on television.  I make special snacks and watch the games with my son.  It’s not just about the game it’s about hanging out, eating awesome food, and developing a love and understanding of baseball.  Our little league sells tickets to go to local minor league games and we all go together.  These games are much cheaper than major’s games.  Even going to high school games can be so much fun.  We meet up with a couple of other families and have a blast supporting our high school soccer, basketball, and baseball teams.  Plus your kids know that someday they’ll be playing for these teams too.

4.       Make it a family thing-Schedule a family competition once a week.  We have “Soccer Sundays” throughout the whole summer.  We barbeque, set up a couple of soccer goals, make up teams, and challenge each other to a pretty competitive game of soccer.  Usually the adults only play once but the kids can usually go at it for hours.  The added bonus is they are EXHAUSTED and ready for bed much earlier than usual.  I always feel like a good mom when I see kids outside, being active, and having fun with their family.  It’s such a great combination.

5.       Consider lessons-I know lessons can be very expensive.  My son likes pretty much every sport but I try to really focus on improving just one per year.  This year he took batting lessons with a professional coach.  The difference in his hitting was unbelievable and he has so much more confidence.  He wasn’t that into baseball because he had a rough year last year and struck out pretty much every single time.  Now he loves playing because he is doing so well.  As with anything in life,  it is so much more fun to do the things you’re good at.  It’s much more fun as a parent to watch your kid hit the ball than strike out too!

What do you do to get your kids excited to play sports?  Let me know if any of these ideas work for your family!

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Encouraging Positive Behavior

 One of the things that I try to teach my son is how our actions affect other people.  When we’re nice to someone it can make their whole day and then they’re nicer to others too.  The same happens when we’re mean to someone.  I tell him just a big, bright smile can put someone in a good mood.   This can often work as a ripple effect and affect the people that person meets and all they people they meet until your happiness is spread through many, many people.

One book that talks about happiness is “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud.  This award winning book tells kids that everyone has an invisible bucket that is meant to be filled with happiness.  When that bucket is filled the person feels wonderful.  When the bucket is empty the person feels sad.  The book then goes on to show what a person can do to fill not only their own bucket but also the buckets of those around them. 

This book can be used for very young children but I also just read it to my eleven year old son who was inspired.  We decided we were going to keep our own buckets.  I bought some small tin buckets and some vase gems and put them on our counter.  Every time we do something nice for someone else or if someone does something nice for us we put a gem in our bucket.  If we do something mean or rude we have to take a gem out.  This way we can see how our actions affect others as well as ourselves.

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Words From My Mother

With Mother's Day only two weeks away I decided to share some of my mother's words of encouragement to me.  My mother has always been an eloquent speaker and writer but this particular letter was to me for my graduation.  She took out an ad in the back of the yearbook with the following words:

     “When you were small I felt there was so much I wanted to teach you of what I had already learned.  I wanted to protect you...to spare you much of the pain in this world but to open your eyes to all the wonders, all the experiences that would deepen and enrich your life.  But instead I became the student...you taught me.

     My vision of the kind of mother I wanted to be and the kind of child I thought you should be was shattered, and out of the ashes was resurrected much more than even I could have imagined.  I began with metered rhyme and we ended with free verse.  I began with choreographed dance composition and you showed me an impromptu dance from the heart.  When the steps are not known one can dance to rhythms that the contrived and controlled may never hear or feel.  The dream I wanted dissolved, and now when I look back I see what I gave up was one dimensional and black and white.  If love were a color then everything was pale before the first hour that I looked upon your face but I had to give it all away in the end to what you believed to be real.  It was your dreams to be realized, not mine.

     I never spared you much of your pain but at times watched you fall, almost crumble, but then pick yourself up and put it all together again, with a smile and more than once.  You made it clear that I couldn't solve your problems but could be a light and a guide along the way.  We grow up in our own way and time.  There are no such things as perfect parents or a perfect child.  We are humans struggling to find meaning in our lives and through the struggle we become something a little more than human.  So spread your wings, the metamorphosis has begun.

     Fly to meet your own dreams.  Find new heights and sometimes new depths but always know there will be a resting place in my heart for you, my child.  Thank you for these things, that without you in my life I would never have learned.  I LOVE YOU!"

     These words have stuck with me for my entire life.  How many of us are trapped in a black and white world, always trying to do the "right" thing rather than what is right for us?  How many people end their lives in their darkest hour, never knowing they can build themselves and their lives back up?  Most importantly, how many have a mother who loves and accepts them enough to let them find their own happiness, dance to their own music, and live a life of brilliant colors?

What's the most valuable piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

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Six Organizational Tips For Parents

1.      Make a list.  Break each task on the list into smaller tasks so they’re easier to accomplish.  This way it doesn’t seem overwhelming and you’ll be crossing things off your list quickly.

2.      Use a color coded master calendar.  The colors will help everyone keep track of which activity belongs to which family member.

3.      Make a bag of things to do for when you’re waiting.  That way while your child is at a lesson or practice and you’re waiting you can get a few things done while you wait.

4.      Coordinate appointments and schedules.  Make all dentist appointments at the same time in the same location and get them all done at once instead of running to several different appointments at different places and dates.

5.      Find the areas where you waste time frequently.  Do you spend a lot of time looking for your keys in the morning?  Make sure you make it a point to put your keys in the same place every night until it becomes a habit.  10 minutes a day equals 2 and a half days per year you could spend doing something else

6.      Have a basket or spot for each child to put the finish school papers, permission slips, communications from school that you need to look at. Be sure to put it in a spot that they can reach. Make this part of their coming home routine.

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Insect Thumbprints

Insect Thumb Prints

This is a cute, easy craft that kids can do on their own after a little instruction. 

First, make a background (this is optional).  Sometimes I paint some flowers or use construction paper to make a meadow scene.  You can also leave the paper blank and use the bug prints for wrapping paper.

Second, using stamping ink, put the child’s finger prints all over the paper.

Third, using colored pens, turn the prints into bugs. 

For older kids you can take this opportunity to teach them about the different body parts of insects.  For example, the ant’s body consists of the head, thorax, and abdomen as well as antenna and six legs.  Once you’re done with instructions, let them use their imagination to create their own bugs. 

I've also turned this into wrapping paper for a cute homemade look for a gift.

 Photography courtesy of DML designs

What are the names of some of the bugs your children created?

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Healthy Snacking and Your Children

I’m so excited to introduce my guest blogger this week:  Kim Corrigan-Oliver is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. She has appeared on Rogers Daytime, is a regular contributor to Lakeridge Kids Magazine and a variety of blogs across Canada, US and UK. She has a passion for health, wellness, real food and cooking and is dedicated to helping parents raise happy healthy babies. 

I love her website and she inspires me to make healthy food choices for myself and my child.  Her ideas are simple and delicious and she makes eating healthy easy, which is not always an uncomplicated feat.  If you’d like to see more of her writing and recipes, this is her website and twitter.

Healthy Snacking and Your Children

Snacking is very important for your children; their busy bodies need a constant supply of nourishment and calories.  Small healthy snacks between meals mean lots of energy, better health and happiness.

So what do you give your children for a snack, my suggestion is always to stay away from the products in the snack aisle, they are processed, have added ingredients your children do not need and usually have too much sugar. I always suggest real food, food with nutrients to support growth and development, food with fibre to support digestive system, food in its natural state, food that has not been processed by man – real, good food.

So here goes a list of healthy snack suggestions for your children:

Blueberries – fresh or frozen, blueberries pack a nutrient punch and are perfect for tiny hands.  If you choose to try the frozen route, be warned it can be very messy J

Banana slices – sliced banana with almond butter or pumpkin seed butter and a sprinkle of chia or hemp seeds is a nutritious snack and lots of fun to eat

Rice crackers or rice cakes – these are a standby in our home.  You can spread anything on a rice cake – we use hummus, black bean hummus, nut butters, seed butters, apple butter, carrot spread, mashed avocado – the ideas are limitless, experiment and see what your children like best.

Carrot spread

Bean dips

Dried fruit – the perfect snack and most provide a good source of much needed iron, and fibre.  Favourites in our home are dates, cranberries and apricots.  I sometimes mix chopped up dried fruit in a bowl with Barbara’s O and Brown Rice Crisp cereal for my take on a toddler trail mix – disappears every time.

Smoothies – you can squeeze a whole lot of goodness in a smoothie.  Throw a banana, strawberries, blueberries, some rice or almond milk into a blender and blend until smooth. 

Any kind of fresh fruit cut up into bite size pieces

Pieces of steamed vegetables with dip (we use hummus) – children love to dip

Rice Crisp Surprise Squares 

Mini Muffins

Popsicles

Spiced Up Crunchy Beans

Little Almond Treats

And here is a brand new recipe for healthy homemade cookies.  These cookies are gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup quinoa flour

½ cup tapioca flour

3 cups oats

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp nutmeg

1tbsp baking powder

1tsp xanthan gum

¼ cup ground flaxseeds

¾ cup coconut oil, melted

½ cup almond or rice milk

1 cup maple syrup

1tsp vanilla

1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour, oats, spices, xanthan gum and baking powder in a large bowl and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla, mix well. Add apple sauce and ground flaxseeds and combine.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix until well combined.

Using a spoon place balls 2 to 3 inches in size on a greased cookie sheet, flatten slightly with back of spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then place on cooling rack.

I hope that gives you some ideas for healthy snack ideas for your children.  Nutritious snacks will not only provide nourishment for your children but will make you feel good about what you are feeding them.

Enjoy!

What is the favourite go to snack in your home?  Please share, I love getting new ideas too!

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