DAILY RECIPE: Potato Salad

1 lb. red potatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup bacon bits

Cook potatoes, drain and let cool. Slice them into bite size pieces. Mix with green onions and add salad dressing until all is well coated. Top with bacon bits and serve.

ARTICLE: What do I do with my child´s art work?

When our children start kindergarden, or even before that, we start "collecting" art work. From drawings to models to projects, they start invading our closets, rooms... our house. What to do with them? Well, you have to consider the space you have, the number of children you have and the quantity of art pieces entering your house. However, always keep in mind that your child worked hard on the project and will not like seeing you toss it into the trash. Here are some tips on what to do with art work!

• Reserve a space in the refrigerator door. Display one project per week. Have your child understand that after that time, it will be another project´s turn. When the week is up, dispose of the project.
• Take pictures of the project. In today´s digital age, we can easily take pictures of everything and save in our computer. Take pictures of all art work, show them to your child and save them on a cd or computer. Label them with date and name. Then, dispose of the projects.
• If the project is really outstanding, frame it and hang in the family room.
• Save one or two pieces of art per month. At the end of the school year, staple them to a folder and save as a book with the name of your child and date.
• Buy a pocket folder and have your child choose the art work that has to be saved. Put in the folder and keep it with your files.

Some extra things to keep in mind:

• If you´re saving clay, remember to coat it with glue first to help preserve it.
• Don´t save anything that has glued pasta, rice, seeds or beans!
• Don´t save anything that has candy, sugar or jell-o!
• Make sure paint or glue are dry before stacking them together.
• Check what you´ve been saving constantly to make sure you´re not keeping too much that it doesn´t fit anymore.

DAILY RECIPE: Tuna Fish Spaghetti

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 chopped clove garlic

2 tomatoes

1 can evaporated milk

1 package spaghetti

1 can of tuna

grated cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Melt butter and sauteé onion and garlic. Blend tomatoes and season to taste. Mix in with onion and garlic. Check for seasoning, use salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the milk, spaghetti and drained tuna. Place in a baking dish and cover with cheese. Before serving, pop in the microwave until cheese melts.

TIP OF THE DAY

Work on a jigsaw puzzle together with your children as they grow older. It can be an ongoing project for several days or weeks. When you´re done, frame it!

TIPS TO PREVENT THE FLU IN CHILDREN

We constantly hear about the coming flu epidemics (seasonal or H1N1). This can make any mother feel worried about how safe her children are. These are a few tips to prevent catching it. Remember, if you suspect your child has the flu take him or her to the doctor immediately:

• Keep a bottle of alcohol gel in your house. Encourage children to use it throughout the day on their hands.
• Keep a bottle of alcohol gel in your car. Have your children clean their hands with it as soon as they hop in from school, day care or sports activities.
• Carry gel in your purse too and put it on your children before eating a snack outside the house and after they finish playing in the park or playground.
• Remind them not to touch their faces, mouth, nose and eyes.
• Teach them to cover their mouths, when they sneeze or cough, with the inside of their elbow.
• If there is an outbreak in your area, don´t take them to the supermarket, mall or other high traffic areas.
• When flu season starts, have your children drink orange juice and carrot juice every morning. This will help their intake of vitamins C and A.
• Ask your doctor if they can take a vitamin A,C,D supplement.
• If your child is sick do not take them out of the house.
• Always see your doctor, do not self-medicate.

ARTICLE: Cooking with your children!

I used to ask my 2 year old to help me with desserts all the time. I would ask him to place the paper liners in the muffin cups or to pour the milk into the cake batter. (Always far away from oven or stove, of course!) We would have a good time but I didn´t realize I was helping him with much more than that.

When you ask your children to cook or bake with you, you are asking them to enter a part of your life that only you or other grownups are responsible for. This makes them feel involved in household chores that are actually fun! They will be happy to share with other members of the family that they "cooked" dinner, even if they only mixed once. Their fine motor skills are developed as they use their hands as precisely as they can. They learn to follow instructions in order. They also learn to be patient, because as much as they want to eat that cookie, it won´t be done until after 8 to 10 minutes! Most of all there is a special bond between you and your child that can actually help you relax after a stressful day.

So, remember next time you´re in the kitchen, ask your children to help out. Maybe there will be a bigger mess afterwards, but the moment will be quite rewarding for both of you. Be safe!

TIP OF THE DAY

Prepare school clothes, uniforms, clean sneakers or polish shoes as needed at night, before going to bed. Set everything they will need in the morning in a chair in their bedrooms. There will be no more: "Mom, have you seen my left sneaker?" in the morning chaos!

DAILY RECIPE: Garlic/Parsley Tuna Steak

6 tuna steaks
parsley
6 garlic cloves
sea salt
lemon

Place tuna in a baking dish. In the food processor, blend parsley, garlic cloves and salt until a coarse paste forms. Squirt lemon juice on tuna steaks and coat with parsley/garlic paste. Bake for about 20 minutes or until done. Serve with white rice.

DAILY RECIPE: Stuffed Zuchinni Boats

6 zuchinnis

butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Cut zuchinnis in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides. Mix with the cheese and a little salt and pepper. Dot each zuchinni "boat" with butter and fill with cheese filling. Place in shallow baking dish in oven until zuchinni is tender and cheese has melted.

TIP OF THE DAY

Toss a wrinkled shirt in the dryer with a damp towel for a few minutes for instant ironing!