Parenting Under the Stars

My kids are not that fussy but they will get bored with the same things just like anyone else. A few tricks I have found to make the meals more exciting and sometimes make them think they’re getting something new are:

• Change up the noodle shape. Instead of plain spaghetti noodles try bows, spirals, shells or penne. I do this all the time and I also make up new names so I don’t have to listen to them say, spaghetti again!? My younger son is actually acquiring a more delicate palate so I have to actually toss in some new ingredients as well. He will ask me, “What’s that new flavor?” Sometimes it’s chili, garlic or cumin. Sometimes it’s the leftover zucchinis chopped up so small they will never know what it is.

• Give them gravy. I don’t know why but they eat a lot things better with gravy. Perhaps because I previously dried things out too much but with gravy they can’t tell this. My quick and cheap gravy that they go nuts over is made with a simple chicken or beef bouillon cube, a cup or more of water, a couple spoons of flour (mixed with equal amounts of oil or butter before adding).

• Give them dip. They eat their fruit and vegetables better with it. A nutritious dip for fruit is yogurt and for vegetables we have used salad dressing, humus and chutney.

• Draw smiley faces on everything. This works better with smaller children. Raisins on top of a muffin. A smiley face made with dip is more attractive when offered with their vegetables. Jam on peanut butter, funny faces with bits of vegetables on pitas, pizzas, sandwiches etc.

• Make up new names. When I was learning how to cook, Betty Crocker was my favorite, she had all sorts of fun names for food, and I was so proud to serve my parents “mad hatter meatballs”.

• Let them help. Some will be more interested than others and it depends on their ages but meals that are fun for most to help with are things like tacos and kebabs. My youngest daughter has helped me make cookies so many times she has the recipe memorized and does everything but put it in the oven now. I frequently sneak things like wheat germ into oatmeal cookies too.

For more ideas see: 5 Ways to Sneak More Nutrition into Your Family’s Diet and Fun Food for Kids: Same Healthy Food Different Presentation.

Lonnie and Jacqueline show us how to make pulp to create new paper by recycling the old. Any craft that you can get your hands dirty seems to be a hit here anyway.

Thankfully, I just got the twins new coats and boots because today we had our first snow. I don’t mind the snow but I prefer it being completely covered, pretty and white rather than that dirty slush that just sort of lurks there but is not good enough for tobogganing on. I guess it will take several weeks for the snow to stick.

In the winter walking is a major work out because there are several sidewalks that are not shoveled regularly. If you’re lucky someone has walked before you and you can follow their footprint hole trails. Last year someone’s broken down car actually was buried in the driveway because the plow just started piling snow on top of it as if it didn’t exist.

We have a couple decent hills here to toboggan on but unfortunately one happens to be on an apartment building’s property and if this one woman spots you, she starts hollering. This year we may have to hike a little further to find a friendlier higher hill.

I’m in Canada and we get lots of snow for a few months but I have no clue how to make an igloo. We have made a few over the last several years but they’re usually missing a roof. I found this video of a couple guys building an igloo using this ICEBOX igloo building tool, which would save a lot of time. Any large square plastic container would probably work for a mold. It is a fun way to spend time outside together anyway but we’ll probably have to wait at least another month for the snow to pile up.

If you’re looking for more immediate ideas, Aaron wrote a wonderful post called 10 Fun Things to do With Your Kids This Week.

We’re attempting to get organized here and although I never claimed to be Martha Stewart we do have somewhat of a system. When I see company coming, my system is run around like a mad woman sweeping everything off counters and tables and throwing it into a basket.

My children have a similar system with their clothes except sometimes they miss the basket.

Most parents I’m sure know the pain of stepping on a lego block. It is seriously not safe though especially if one is dropped on the stairs. Speaking of safety and stairs, Crocs and Escalators are Dangerous Together according to the U.S. Product Safety Commission and Erinn from Parenting Children. One of my most recent injuries was a slippery sock on the stairs. I grabbed it and quickly put it into the wash line up because they’re hard to come by.

Delegate

A good way to delegate is with chore charts. You can find free charts that you can customize at Chart Jungle. They work out well and when they don’t it’s usually because I haven’t kept up with enforcing them. I tried rewarding with money but that soon became annoying. One of my daughters didn’t want to do anything unless she was paid and my son wasn’t motivated by money at all. Anyway, I think it confused the point that they should be helping regardless because they are part of the family. My husband is still catching onto that one.

Motivate

Telling them that it simply isn’t safe isn’t sufficient to motivate them either and I don’t like to bribe with food. Rewards that have been successful include movie rentals and books. They are good kids though and although they sometimes need to be ordered to do things they will often clean up without any prompting.

If you want help motivating kids to wash their hands more, see this post about Squid Soap.

Do you have an organizational system that works for you? If so, please share because mine still needs fine tuning.

What a great way to spend time together with your family, get exercise and enjoy nature. Check out Geocaching in the News.

It’s a PD day here today which means all the kids are home from school. We have a bit of a full house and they are beginning to turn on each other. Our twins are 11 and they get along alright but when you throw into the mix their three year old niece, it starts getting hairy. To top that off, my eldest daughter recently had a baby boy so the three year old is acting up to get attention. She seems to be on a seek and destroy mission so we all have to have eyes in the backs of our heads.

Luckily, the sun is shining and although it’s a little cool outside, with a jacket on it’s bearable. I think Mom is Teaching’s post about getting kids moving to get them learning is onto something.

Because of the kids age gaps, they are into different things and sometimes need to be segregated. In fact, just recently locks have been installed on the 11 year olds doors because they deserve to have their own things intact.

Even our cats have felt the squeeze and they frequently sneak down to the basement to hide. Cleo, my pretty orange long haired cat gets very uptight about the baby crying and runs down the hall and glares us down if we do not silence the baby’s crying immediately.

Anyway, on the family education site I found tons of free printables. There’s coloring pages, puzzles and games, skill builders, arts, music and more. It kept the older ones busy for a bit and I will be better prepared for the next PD day. I also found several pages for parents including “mom’s coffee break”. There’s a lunch box love notes printable page for when they return to school. In the meantime, I’m gearing up for the weekend and aiming to make tomorrow a little more structured.

Even if you do not celebrate this holiday, many of these craft projects would be fun any time of year.

Cookie Cutter Candles

This is a fun project from Howtomakecandles.info that in this example uses star shapes, but the possibilities are endless. You could also use beeswax. They’re advised as being more for décor but if you must burn them put them in heat resistant container.

Birdhouse:

I found this recycled birdhouse craft thanks to Michelle at Creative Mom Café. What a great way to recycle those milk cartons and a very cool gift idea. The kids would love wandering around collecting sticks too. My kids do that even when there’s no purpose for it.

Family Photo Book

This project uses some colorful paper, ribbon and of course favorite family photos. I know I would treasure any gift that included family photos especially one that a child helped make. See more on this family photo book project at Getting Crafty.

Alter a Paint Can

At All Paper Crafts you can check out Lori’s altered paint can. She used some pretty paisley paper and some ribbons but you could decoupage magazine pics onto a paint can, paint it, add sparkles and more.

Decoupage Collage:

Here’s an example of how to use up those old magazines. At Paper Crafts Kari shares how she dressed up a bottle in this “altered art” project.

Pine Cone Christmas Tree:

This is so pretty! You’ll need:

• a large pine cone
• Glitter
• A few cotton balls
• White glue
• Dental floss and a needle
• Small beads
• A small bow or star to top off your little tree

To see the completed project picture and instructions go to Enchanted Learning Pine Cone Christmas Tree Project page.

We’ll continue sharing holiday family projects as Xmas gets closer. Have any craft ideas for kids? Feel free to share them!