STORYTIME: The Princess and the Witch -- Part 3

...The princess entered her castle with the red ball in her hands. She left it on a chair in her room and got ready for dinner. After dinner, she read some books in the castle´s library and then headed off to her room to get ready for bed. As she was drifiting off to sleep she remembered the red ball and quickly sat up in bed. She looked at the chair and there she saw the red ball, not moving, just as an ordinary ball should be. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. The bouncing sound woke her. It was still night; she turned to the chair and saw that the ball was gone! Her door was open and she raced down the stairs following the sounds. She barely saw the red ball bouncing out the castle door. The princess ran to follow it, the ball quickly bounced into the forest. The princess couldn´t stop following the ball! She entered the dark forest and raced after it. Finally she caught up to it, as it stopped bouncing and rolled, stopping at the old lady´s feet...

(More tomorrow)

DAILY RECIPE: Mango/Apple Juice

Full of fiber. Soothes an upset stomach.

3/4 cup chopped mango
1 cup prepared apple juice

Blend both ingredients. Use a collander and pour to a glass. Drink immediately.

TIP OF THE DAY

Put a few slices of oranges and a cinammon stick in boiling water to fill your kitchen with a fresh summer scent.

STORYTIME: The Princess and the Witch -- Part 2

... The red ball did not stop bouncing. The princess walked towards it. She picked up her own ball and simply stared at the bouncing ball, wondering what was making it bounce all by itself. Suddenly, a strange old lady appeared in the distance. She walked directly to the princess. "Do you like my ball?," she said in a hoarse voice, "It´s a magic ball!" The princess did not answer; there was something about the old lady that she did not like. "Go on, take it back to your castle; it´s my gift, to you, little princess." The old lady handed the princess the ball. The princess took the ball and ran back to the castle. She did not look back, she did not turn around to see the old lady again, she did not hear her laughing.... a soft evil laughter.....

(More tomorrow)

DAILY RECIPE: Pistacchio Salmon

1 cup crushed pistacchio nuts
4 salmon filets
salt
butter or margarine

Lightly season salmon filets. Place in a baking dish. Melt butter and spread over fish. Sprinkle crushed pistacchio nuts on each filet, completely covering each one. Bake in 350°F oven for about 25 minutes or until done.

TIP OF THE DAY

When making pancakes try making different designs like 3 circles to form a Mickey Mouse figure or letters to spell out your child´s name. Make breakfast fun!

STORYTIME: The Princess and the Witch -- Part 1

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess. She lived in a pink castle next to a large forest. Every afternoon she would run out to play in the forest with her pink ball. She would play and play until it was time for dinner, then she would run back to the castle, eat, and go to bed. Every day was exactly the same.

One day, when she was playing in the forest, her ball bounced far away from her. She ran to get it, but the ball kept on bouncing and bouncing, each time getting farther and farther away from her. Finally, she lost sight of the ball. The princess walked further into the forest, looking for it. When she was just about to give up, she saw it, resting under a tree. But, as she got nearer she saw that there was another ball right next to hers. It was a bright red ball, and it was bouncing on its own....

(More tomorrow)

DAILY RECIPE: Potato Salad

4 potatoes
3 carrots
1 medium sized can of peas
light mayo
salt and pepper
2 hard boiled eggs (optional)

Cook peeled potatoes and carrots until tender, but still firm. Cut potatoes into large cubes, carrots into small ones. In a large bowl mix potatoes, carrots and peas. Stir in 1/2 cup of mayo, more if necessary, and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in a salad bowl, cold. You may decorate with slices of the hard boiled eggs.

TIP OF THE DAY

On index cards, write down different topics and questions such as: Favorite movies, What would you do if you had 3 wishes?, Olympic sports, Favorite vacation spot, What super power would you like to have?, etc. Put them in a box and once a week take one out during dinner and have your family talk about it.

ACTIVITY: Decorating Feelings Cookies (the easy way)

You will need:
1 can prepared white frosting
M & M´s, gummy worms and other candy you may have in the pantry
Graham Crackers

Frost the graham crackers and have your children make different faces on them with the candy, M&M´s for the eyes and gummy worms for mouths. Have them make happy, sad, angry, surprised or excited faces. A great way to talk about their feelings or how they felt when this or that happened, plus they´re fun, easy and delicious.