Happy Fourth of July!

Have a wonderful time with your children. Enjoy these moments. Go to a parade, watch fireworks, have a sing along or have a barbecue and make the most of it!

DAILY RECIPE: Bacon Lemon Chicken

8 chicken drumsticks
8 strips of bacon
2-3 lemons
salt and pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Wrap each one with the strip of bacon. Place them in a baking pan. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken. Place in oven, covered, for 45 minutes, 350°F.

TIP OF THE DAY

Keep cut carrot sticks or fruit wedges in air tight containers inside your fridge. Easy to grab for afternoon munchies, avoiding the bag of chips.

ACTIVITY: 4th of July Streamer

You will need:
Red tissue paper
Blue tissue paper
White tissue paper
1 long thick craft stick
Glue or tape

Have children cut long streams of tissue paper, four of each color. Tape or glue each one to the end of the stick. Let dry. Grab the stick from the other end and take turns with your child running and holding it high. Lots of fun!

ARTICLE: Working Mothers -- Comments

After writing my last article on working mothers and setting limits, I talked to several people who seemed to agree that it´s common to feel guilty about the time not being spent with our children. This brought me to share with you the opinion of my young son. I recently had to leave my job for medical reasons, and although all is fine now, I haven´t returned to the "working outside the house" work force just yet. The other day I was on the phone and I commented that I was not going back to work yet. My son overheard this conversation. When I was done he came up to me and asked if I was going back to work. "Not just yet," I answered, "don´t worry." He looked disappointed, so I had to ask, "Why?" This was his answer: "Oh, because stay at home mommy is more fun. She doesn´t get mad as often, she never misses a school event, and she has lots of time to play, cook and bake. But working mommy is great too because she works hard, and then we can all go to Disneyland!" I was shocked at the wisdom he displayed. No doubt about it, when life gives children lemons they make lemonade! So next time you feel guilty about leaving for work, remember this: your children love you no matter what, and as long as you show them love and caring, they will understand that if you leave for work is because you have to: to give them what they need, to provide for them and why not, to go to Disneyland! Hang in there!

STORYTIME: The Cat and the Moon -- Part 2

... The cat reached for the white ball, but it was too high. He sat on the highest branch and simply stared at the beautiful ball. How could he play with it? The cat fell asleep on the tree staring at the ball.

The next morning when he woke up, the ball was gone. Maybe it fell and I can play with it if I find it, he thought. All morning long he looked but it was nowhere to be found. Late that afternoon he climbed the tree again and waited for night time to fall. Soon, he found the ball again, shining in the middle of the sky. The cat was very happy to see it again. "How can I play with you?", he sighed. The moon answered, "Climb down the tree and go to the pond. I can play with you there." The cat raced down the tree and to the pond and sure enough the white ball was waiting for him in the water. He jumped over it and splashed, waited for it to appear again, and splashed some more. All night they played together, the cat and the moon, and they were both very happy. And up to this day, they meet at the pond every night. So whenever you stare up at the sky and see only a part of the moon, remember the cat is probably holding on to the other part, playing in the pond.

THE END

DAILY RECIPE: Easy barbecue sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Simmer in a saucepan for about 20 minutes, low heat. Spread over ribs, chicken, steak and sausages or use as a dip. Great for the 4th of July!

TIP OF THE DAY

Set a day of the week for cutting your children´s fingernails and toenails. With the busy life we live it´s easy to forget this, especially if you have more than one child. By setting a day aside, (I like Sunday nights) you´ll never be surprised by long fingernails again.

STORYTIME: The Cat and the Moon

Once upon a time there was a black cat who loved two things in life: to climb trees and to play with balls. Every morning he would play with his favorite white ball. Every afternoon he would crawl up his favorite tree and take a long nap. At night he would curl up in his basket at home, and holding on to his white ball, he would sleep soundly. Every day was exactly the same.

One afternoon, as he was resting in his tree, the sky started to turn gray. The sun could not be seen anymore and strange thundering noises could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, water started to fall from the sky. It was a storm! The cat had never been in one before and he was not about to miss it, even if he had to get wet, even if he could not sleep in his basket with his ball at night. When the storm finally ended the sun was not in the sky anymore. Everything was black, but high in the sky, the cat could see some light coming in through the branches. He climbed higher, almost to the top of the tree and there he saw it: the most beautiful white ball he had ever seen...

(MORE TOMORROW)

DAILY RECIPE: Tomato Pork Chops

6 pork chops
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup diced onion
fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

Season pork chops. Brown in vegetable oil. Remove from pan. Add onion, tomato and cilantro. Add a couple of cups of water and season to make a light broth. Return pork chops to pan and cook on low heat until tender. Remove cilantro before serving.