TIP OF THE DAY

Is your young child asking for play dates? Try a first one at a neutral place with both mothers present. Examples? A park, playgound or indoor play area.

ARTICLE: Birthdays!

Every child looks forward to his or her birthday. It means parties or presents, cards or special calls. But birthdays, actually, mean a lot more than that. It is a day of special attention, a day of celebrating him or her, and an actual booster of self-esteem.
Sometimes our work, in or outside the house, the economy, other children or whatever factor you may think of, can make us wonder... do I really want to throw this birthday party? Will my child even care? The answer is YES. Celebrating a birthday is a way of celebrating your child. You are having a party to rejoice on the day your child was born. Your child feels important, loved, significant. From year one, birthdays are one day a year where simple actions can be very important in boosting self-esteem.
Now, back to the factors mentioned above. Not every year will you be able to afford a big birthday party. Not every year will you have the time and patience to drive 8 noisy children to the nearest pizza party place. Maybe one year a birthday may overlap with a move or a family event. Still, each and every birthday must be celebrated. How? You don´t need a big party or pizza and games to show your child this is an important day. A simple birthday cake, with family members will do great! Have everyone make cards, tell them to write something special about the birthday boy or girl. Hold party games such as musical chairs, even if it´s just your child and you. The point is to make your child feel special on this special day. Remember to take pictures and show them to your child months later mentioning, "Remember your birthday? That was fun!" If the economy and time permit it, throw a party, choose a theme and have a great day! But don´t feel bad if you don´t, just remember to celebrate the birthday one way or another.
Remember, it was your child, that on this special day, gave you the gift of becoming a mother.

STORYTIME: The Little Cloud -- Part 2

...One day, the little cloud started to feel different. She could not float as well as she used too. She started to feel very heavy. Still she could enjoy the breeze high up in the sky and look at all the little children playing in the meadows. The little cloud looked down to enjoy the view. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of her puffy usually white tummy. It was beginning to turn gray... what was happening to her?
(More tomorrow)

DAILY RECIPE: Mustard Pork Loin

2-3 lb. pork loin
1 medium sized onion
1 cup mustard (regular)
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in a baking dish. Blend onion and mustard and pour over pork. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in 350°F oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until pork is tender. Check with a fork.

TIP OF THE DAY

Use a clothes hanger to organize your daughter´s hair ribbons. They won´t get wrinkled or tangled and you can easily choose the color you want.

NEW STORYTIME! The Little Cloud -- Part 1

A long time ago, there was a little cloud way up in the sky. She was small, white and loved to float around. From up high she would see many wonderful things down on the ground. She loved flowers and trees, meadows with grass and children playing in the sun. Every morning she would wake up and float, feeling the breeze around her... and she was happy...

(More tomorrow)

ARTICLE: The importance of knowing your child´s friends

From the moment they start school, our children start making friends. Some we´ll like, others we would prefer they wouldn´t play with, but in the end, our children will end up spending time with others who may have different opinions, ideas or backgrounds. All these factors may or may not have positive or negative influences in our children. To fully understand any change in behavior due to a friendship it´s important that we know who our child is playing with at school or the playground. Talk to your child about his or her new friends. How they act, what do they play with, what movies they like. Ask your child´s teacher who his or her friends are. Try to meet the mothers of these children. By having this information, you can better guide your child and identify any changes in behavior that may be being caused by another classmate´s influence. In the end we can´t choose who our child will spend time with when they´re not with us. However, by identifying his or her friends, we can be a part of our child´s process of choosing who to play with.

DAILY RECIPE: Broccoli Chicken Pasta

1 large bag fussilli pasta

1 cooked boneless chicken breast

1/2 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, season cooked chicken with salt and pepper and grill in olive oil. Add broccoli florets and stir until tender. Add heavy cream and continue to cook. Season. Add cooked pasta and mix throughly. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

TIP OF THE DAY

Use old dryer sheets to give a quick clean to shower walls. It easily removes soap scum, plus you recycle!

ARTICLE: Sibling Rivalry and Game Night

Brothers and sisters tend to quarrel; a part of growing up. You can help mediate this "tension" by having family game nights. By placing them in a possible discussion environment, but with you present, you can teach them how to resolve conflicts without having to fight. Try to have each child understand the others´ point of view and why they are reacting this way or that. Show them that instead of shouting at each other or storming angrily out of the room there is a calm way to solve the problem. Hopefully, skills learned at these game nights can be applied to other aspects of life and sibling bickering can be one less thing to worry about!