ARTICLE: Kids Flu Prevention Tips

• Always, always have kids wash hands before eating
• If you are out of the house use antibacterial gel
• Remember antibacterial gel is to be used only when you don´t have a sink with soap and water
• Show children the proper way to wash hands (have them wash while they sing a popular song)
• Keep antibacterial gel in purse, diaper bag and car
• Remind children not to share food or drinks with classmates or friends
• If your child is sick, do not take them to crowded places
• Keep fingernails well trimmed
• At the first signs of the disease contact your pediatritian
• You can get infected by the flu virus when you touch mucus membranes : Play a game with your children, whoever touches their mouth, nose or eyes loses a point.
• Talk to them about the flu, how it is a serious disease and that they need to be extra carefull to prevent it

DAILY RECIPE: Basic Cheese Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 large cream cheese
1 can condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Can of fruit topping

Blend cream cheese until softened. Gradually add condensed milk, lemon and vanilla. Pour into pie crust. Chill for three hours. Decorate with fruit topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

TIP OF THE DAY

Take a basic first aid kit in your purse when trick or treating: anti-bacterial gel, desinfectant spray, bandaids... so a small scrape won´t stop the fun!

HALLOWEEN GAME: Trick or Treat

Great for classrooms, parties or family time. Cut small strips of paper. Draw a candy on half, draw a ghost or pumpkin on the others. Fold in half and place inside a plastic jack-o-lantern. Sit children around in a circle. Pass the jack-o-lantern around. Each child, in his/her turn, will take a paper out from the jack-o-lantern. If it´s a candy, they get a treat. If it´s a ghost or pumpkin, that means it´s trick time. They have to perform a stunt such as a song, dance, pretending to be a Halloween character, etc. To make a longer game, pass the jack-o-lantern around with music. When the music stops, the person who has the jack-o-lantern takes out the piece of paper.

ARTICLE: Limits Please!

With the busy lives we live today, mothers working away from home, and media influence, our children are often given what they ask that very minute. It´s hard after a day of work, tired and guilty, to come to your house and forbid your child to eat that candy bar before dinner. Sadly, though, we have to do it. It´s hard not to please your child, especially if you´re only with him or her for a few hours each day. But still, children need limits. It´s our way to show them that we care. Keep in mind that you will never be able to give your child everything, even if money isn´t an issue. If he wants the picture frame on the wall, you can give it to him. But what happens when he wants the nail? Maybe you could give it to him, too. And then, he will ask for the hole the nail left on the wall. What do you do then? Remember, when your child gets angry or throws a fit because he doesn´t get his way, you´re doing your job right!

DAILY RECIPE: Vegetable Chicken Apricot Stir Fry

1 lb. diced chicken breast
garlic salt
butter
2 zuchinnis (cut into long thin strips)
2 carrots (cut into long thin strips)
1/2 cup apricot jelly
1/2 cup lite soy sauce
1 cup chicken broth

Melt butter in a deep saucepan. Add seasoned chicken and cook until lightly browned. Add vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Meanwhile blend jelly, soy sauce and chicken broth. Add to chicken and vegetables and cook till thick and bubbly. Serve over white rice or pasta.

TIP OF THE DAY

When cooking with a little extra time, try doubling the recipe. Freeze half, and use on a hectic day.

HALLOWEEN: Last Minute Costume with a Box

Halloween is this Saturday!!! If you still don´t have a costume for your child here´s an easy way out. Find a large box (check out your garage or your local grocery store). Many costumes can be easily made with paint, paper, glue gun and of course, a cardboard box.

• TV - paint black or gray, add a screen with a cut out from a favorite tv show
• iPOD - paint black, white, pink add an image of a favorite character or singer, or add your child´s own picture
• ROBOT - add buttons, glue spare metallic objects, with a smaller box you can add a head to the robot
• Rubik´s Cube - a step back to the eighties, but still fun, cut out squares from colored paper and glue all around
• Dice - easy! Paint white and add dots with a thick black marker

For all costumes, remember to cut a slit on top of box for head, and two on the sides for arms to come out. Do this carefully with scissors or cutter, with your child far away from you. For the decorating, invite them to join the fun and give their ideas. When you´re done, simply dress your child with clothes matching the costume your chose! Happy Halloween!

DAILY RECIPE: Potato Onion Salad

1/2 onion sliced

1 lb. baby potatoes

vinegar

olive oil

salt and pepper

Cook and peel potatoes. Cool. Mix two parts vinegar with one part oil. Add salt and pepper. Toss with potatoes and onion. Great with a steak dinner.

TIP OF THE DAY

Keep an ordinary planner next to the phone or computer. Whenever an important date or appointment needs to be jotted down, it´s much easier to do it with pen and paper than on any electronical device.

ONLINE ACTIVITY: ScrapColoring!

ScrapColoring is a new website, offering children the opportunity to color using patterns and gradients, textures and colors with a wide variety of pictures. It develops their creativity and it really is lots of fun! They can also enter their name and color it, developing pre-writing skills as well as encouraging artistic development. Visit it with your children and you´ll find hours of free online fun.

http://scrapcoloring.com

HALLOWEEN: Easy Costumes to find around the house!

• WITCH: Make a pointed hat out of black posterboard. Decorate with star stickers. Braid your child´s hair overnight. Let braids loose in the morning so hair will be frizzy. With a black makeup pencil add freckles or a wart. Have your child wear an orange t-shirt, a black skirt and bright colored tights that don´t match.
• PIRATE: Make an eye patch with yarn and a piece of black construction paper. Have your child wear a striped shirt and dark pants or shorts. (Even better? Cut pants that don´t fit anymore just below the knee). Tie a bandanna on your child´s head. Girl pirates? Add a side braid for a final touch.
• GYPSY: Simple! Oversized blouse, long skirt (they can use your own) and lots of necklaces, rings and bracelets. A bandanna or handkerchief on head is a great touch, too.
• VAMPIRE: Have them wear all black. If you have an old black cape, tie it around their back. If not, a black tablecloth, piece of cloth or black sheet will do. Even simpler? One of your black coats or jackets. With a black makeup pencil mark their eyebrows, a little white powder for the face, and even some red lipstick to paint "blood spots" down their chin.
• CLOWN: Clothes that don´t match. Anything they want, as long as it doesn´t match! Add a funny hat, scarf or big bowtie made from tissue paper or cloth. If you have a wig, let them use it. Add funny makeup around the face, eyes and cheeks. (Some ideas, draw lines, hearts, circles, etc.) Paint nose red.
• GHOST: Don´t forget the ever famous ghost in the white sheet. Use one of your old sheets and carefully cut out holes for the eyes.

HAPPY TRICK OR TREATING!

DAILY RECIPE: Easy French Toast

6 slices of white bread

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

butter

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cinammon powder

Mix eggs and milk with a whisk. Combine sugar and cinammon. One slice at a time, soak bread in egg mixture. Melt butter in a small frying pan and cook bread. When brown on both sides coat well with sugar mix. Serve immediately.

TIP OF THE DAY

Limited closet space? Buy a large plastic container that fits under the bed. Put away shorts, sandals or any other items you will definitely not be wearing in winter months. When spring arrives, switch out with winter clothes.

HALLOWEEN TIP: Your very own Haunted House!

Make your home a haunted house for the day with these easy ideas:

• Greet trick or treaters with a CD of spooky noises available at Target or WalMart.
• Buy toy spiderwebs and decorate around your door.
• Cover windows with light yellow tissue paper, for that spooky glow.
• Place jack-o-lantern or other Halloween décor near the door.
• Dress up to get into the Halloween spirit.
• Decorate a glove with different colored paper to make it look like a monster´s. Fill with cotton and place it reaching out from a window, mailbox or door.

DAILY RECIPE: Peach Jello Dessert

1 box peach flavor Jello
1 can peaches

Prepare jello according to package directions. Pour into blender together with can of peaches. Blend well. Pour into pan and refrigerate until set.

TIP OF THE DAY

Give sneakers a quick clean using baby wipes: fast and easy!

ARTICLE: Your children, your biggest reward!

As mothers, we cherish our children, the moments we spend together, their different milestones, their achievements. But, sometimes I wonder: do we actually realize the marvelous position we are in? Here we have one or two or more human beings, depending on us to grow up. From feeding them as babies, to helping them become all they can be, these children are giving us the opportunity to watch them thrive from up close. We are there when they reach their goals, we are there when they need a hug, we are there for advice. If you think about it, we never feel more needed in our lives than when our children call out that special: "Mom!" From the baby who needs a diaper change, the toddler who holds our hand for that big jump, the child who needs more help with that tough project to the teen who needs to have that talk, being a mother makes our whole life have a meaning. With the various stories we hear everyday on the news, such as the balloon boy fiasco, I am left but wondering: are mothers aware that life can´t get more rewarding than having that special child reach out for us to make us a part of their life?

DAILY RECIPE: Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin

1 small pork tenderloin
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 oranges
Salt and pepper

Season pork. Place carefully in slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce and the juice from the two oranges. Cook overnight. Take pork out, place in a deep pan, slice and cover with remaining sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes.

TIP OF THE DAY

Keep classmates emails stored in your computer. Play dates, homework checks or team projects can be easily resolved.

DAILY RECIPE: Banana Mousse Dessert

1 can evaporated milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Knox
1/4 cup water
1 banana


Place can of milk in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile blend banana. Set aside. Blend milk and sugar until double its original volume. Dissolve Knox in hot water and add. Add banana and fold everything together. Pour in cups and refrigerate.

TIP OF THE DAY

Chop 1/2 an onion and keep in an air tight container in the fridge. When in a hurry, it will be ready for cooking.

HALLOWEEN CRAFT: Beware signs!

Old carboard boxes

Colored paper

Glue

Hot glue

Long lawn sticks

Cut wide strips from the carboard boxes. Cover with colored paper. Cut out letters from paper and glue to the sign. Some ideas: BEWARE, DO NOT ENTER, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK, TRICK OR TREAT, HAPPY HALLOWEEN, WATCH OUT FOR GHOSTS, BEWARE OF GOBLINS, etc. Hot glue a lawn stick to each sign and decorate your front yard for trick or treaters.

DAILY RECIPE: Easy tomato noodle soup

1 tomato

4 cups chicken broth

1 small bag noodles

salt

butter

Blend tomato with salt and 1 cup of the chicken stock. In a little butter sauteé noodles in a large pot. Add tomato mixture and mix until all noodles are coated well and liquid has evaporated a bit. Add remaining chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and continue to cook until noodles are tender.

TIP OF THE DAY

When cleaning out your child´s bedroom, take 3 plastic bags with you. In one toss anything that´s trash, in another anything you no longer want and in the third one anything that belongs in another room of the house. When you´re done simply toss one out, donate the second and empty the third one placing any objects in their correct rooms.

DAILY RECIPE: Zuchinni Cream Soup

3 tbsp butter

1.5 tbsp flour

2 tbsp chopped onion

4 zuchinni

1 can evaporated milk

3 cups water

croutons

Sauteé flour and onion in butter. Blend zuchinni, evaporated milk and water. Add to flour and onion and mix well. Stir constantly until thick and bubbly. Check for salt and serve with croutons. Great for chilly weather.

TIP OF THE DAY

In a moment of free time, thread a couple of needles with white and black thread. Save in your dresser drawer. Whenever someone loses a button or rips a hem, you´ll be ready to repair.

HALLOWEEN CRAFT: Jack-o-Lantern Noisemakers

2 jello disposable cups
orange paint
black cardboard
craft leaves or green cardboard leaves
1 green pipe-cleaner
glue
assorted beans or rice

Paint the insides of the jello cups with the orange paint. Let dry. Cut out 2 small triangles( eyes), one medium sized triangle (nose) and one mouth from the black cardboard. Turn one jello cup over and glue eyes and nose. Glue the mouth to the other jello cup, only this cup should be right side up. Fill mouth cup with rice and beans and glue other cup on top. Your jack-o-lantern should be almost ready. Glue leaves and twisted green pipe cleaner on top. You´re done!

DAILY RECIPE: Candy Corn Jello

1 box pineapple jello (yellow)
1 box orange jello (orange)
1 tub Cool Whip
Candy corn
Water
See-thru jello cups or parfait cups

Prepare orange jello according to package directions. Fill cups 1/3 full and refrigerate until set. Prepare yellow jello according to package directions and fill 1/3 more. Refrigerate until set. Before serving top the last third of the cup with Cool Whip and sprinkle 2 or 3 candy corn pieces on each dessert. Great for Halloween parties!

TIP OF THE DAY

Keep a roll of Clorox desinfectant wipes under each sink in each bathroom of your house. When you do not have much time, grab one and give sink and toilet a quick brush.

IDEA: Halloween Decorating Party!

Children are always excited about Halloween. Start the fun early by hosting your very own Halloween Decorating Family Party. There´s no need to prep ahead of time, all you need is your family! Take out last year´s Halloween decorations, and make some new ones of your own. Some easy ideas, that look professional, are:

• Cut out bats from black posterboard
• Cut out ghosts from white posterboard
• Spiders made out of black paper plates and cardboard
• Cut out Halloween coloring pages
• Orange garbage bag filled with recycled paper or leaves and decorated with a jack-o-lantern face

The point is to have fun preparing decorations! Once you have everything you need, start putting everything in place. Get into the mood by playing Halloween music. I like the Nightmare Before Christmas CD, Monster Mash, Trick or Treat and other Halloween favorites. Set out a plate of cookies and grape juice to add to the setting. Most of all remember to do this with your family and have fun!

DAILY RECIPE: Chicken Rolls

4 chicken filets

4 slices of ham

4 kraft cheese singles

salt and pepper

1 egg

bread crumbs

Place a chicken filet on a plate. Add salt and pepper, one slice of ham and one cheese single. Roll up and moist in the beaten egg. Cover with bread crumbs and seal in a hot pan with a little oil. Repeat this with all filets and place in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

TIP OF THE DAY

Get a variety from bedtime stories and do a mini puppet show for your child. With one puppet in each hand tell a short story and make bedtime lots of fun!