Guest Authors: January 2009 Archives

Written by guest author Debbie Yocum on the weekly topic "The Chore Battle":

Chores! It doesn't bring the kids running to the kitchen like the word ice cream does but it is a necessary word in our household. With a house full of kids there is bound to be a house full of chores. When it comes to picking up the mess that is made by one or more of the kids I stop to wonder if I have two more kids than the six that live here...one has the name "Not Me" and the other has a name of "I don't know".

Those are the names that get mentioned when I find a room that looks like a tornado went through it. "Who did this?" I ask and the response is always the same "I don't know" and "Not me."

Debbie Yocum
Guest Author

To make matters a little more complicated, I have two step-children that live with us 50 percent of the time. Most of the time it is great and everyone gets along. Some of the time we have a little conflict because the rules in one house is a little different than the rules in the other home that they live in the other 50 percent of the time.

It is hard on everyone when you are raising children from a blended family and not all the parents are on the same page. I love my stepkids more than they know and I am lucky to have them but I also know that there could be a lot of trouble when it comes to assigning chores in a blended family. It is a place where conflict could happen really easily.

Personally I think that you are being selfish when you don't make your kids do chores. It might be easier to just do it for them but what is that teaching them? I was told once that in our children's life is a window and that window is completely open when they are born. The window closes a little more each year until the year that they move out on their own and by then, the window is closed. It is really hard to go back and try to open that window so we might as well do our best while we still can and while that window is still open.

Assigning chores and following through with them is a part of that. It is great to be good in school and in sports but it is a part of life to be good at chores too because they don't go away, ever. They will always be a part of our life because they are a part of what makes us a responsible adult.

Written by Guest Author Alyson Foote on the weekly topic, The Chore Battle:

How do they do it? How is it possible that a three-year-old and a one-year-old can empty an entire cupboard of plastic storage containers, dump out a whole box of cereal, and tip over the cat's water dish all in the amount of time it takes me to put three towels and a bath mat in the linen closet? It never ceases to amaze me.

Alyson Foote

Guest Author

Then comes the dilemma, should I just take care of it myself or try and get the three-year-old to at least throw the containers in the cupboard and slam the door before they all fall out again? It is all part and parcel of parenthood, as we all know.

As frustrating as it may be sometimes, even at this age I am trying to teach my kids about the importance of taking care of what they own and being responsible. We sing the fun clean up songs and make tidying up the playroom the last thing we do before settling down at night to read books before bed (although some nights we find it easier to just close the door!). And we always make sure to help put everything back in order after a play date at a friend's house.

Luckily for me, my kids are still small enough to believe most everything I tell them. I'm sure as they get older, I will have to change my tactics. I just can't see a 12-year-old singing along with my version of "Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up......"

Written by guest author Maura Ammendheuser on the topic of The Chore Battle:

Maura Ammenheuser
Guest Author

Ah, yes -- you get one mess cleaned up only to discover another one somewhere else. I'll bet all moms live this problem all the time.

I've tried to teach my kids to take care of basic daily chores for several years now. There are certain things they need to do every day (make their beds, clear their places after a meal, do a reasonable amount of toy pick-up at some point during the day, etc.).

It is frustrating having to follow them around to constantly remind them to do it (because then I feel like I'm still stuck doing the chore myself). However, the lesson I've learned is that the constant repetition, multiplied by YEARS, eventually pays off. My 9-year-old now makes his bed automatically every morning without me saying anything. (It's not the most perfect bed-making job in the world, but at least he no longer leaves blankets and pillows strewn all over the bed and the room).

Both kids have at least a basic understanding of how to do certain tasks (wiping down the table and kitchen counters after meals, for example -- again, they don't do the job to the degree of perfection I fantasize about, but they're making progress).

For a long time a major problem was that if I sent them to tackle a chore, they spent more energy bickering and dawdling over it than actually taking care of business. Now we have an even day/odd day system. The 9-year-old (who was born on an even day) has to set the table, help empty the dishwasher and do other oddball little requests on even days; his 6-year-old sister, born on an odd day, gets these responsibilities on her days. The up side is that if there's something they want, the kid whose day it is gets first pick (of what DVD to watch, which slice of cake they get, etc.).

The 9-year-old even-day kid quickly pointed out that on many months, there are two odd days in a row -- the 31st, then the 1st -- and he had issues with that! I had to explain to him that while that sometimes meant his sister got extra perks, that it also meant she was stuck with extra chores. That seemed to satisfy him, phew! We also alternate weeks for bringing all the household trash out to the big cans on the day they have to be set out for collection. This has cut down on a lot of the infuriating drama.

I don't know why it takes literally years of repetition to get kids to learn specific routines but apparently it does. For five years now I've had to tell my son, DAILY, that when he gets home from school, he needs to wash his hands, put his jacket/school stuff away, place his shoes in a cubby near our garage so he can find them when we leave the house again, etc. It's the exact same routine, day after day after day, but if I don't nag him he blows it all off, flops on the couch with a book and would happily stay there for three straight days without ever noticing he'd skipped a few steps!

However he's finally gotten good at the morning routines and being ready for school on time, so I guess there's hope. And yes, my kids actually like cleaning the toilet, too -- they fight over who gets to swish the brush around in the water. I guess anything involving water is good. I hope that lasts!

Written by Tina Schumacher on the weekly topic "Kids choose vegetarian diet":

Tina Schumacher

Guest Author

I think it is great that some kids think outside themselves and want to protect the animals. I have a hard time driving past chicken/egg farms. I do believe that they are treated badly. But I feel that my body still needs the protein it gets when I eat eggs. I have waivered with this for many years. There are times when I feel I can eat eggs and chicken and other periods of time that I can't. And I think that is OK to.

As an adult, I can make my own choices, but as a child I was told I had to clean my plate, I had to eat all of my veggies and all of my meat. I was miserable at dinner time. I hated to be forced to eat. My parents even set a timer and If I wasn't finished in a certian number of minutes I would get in trouble. Every evening the kitchen table became a battle ground. My sister, my brother and I vs. our Mom. It was crazy.

Now that I have three beautiful, wonderful and bright children of my own I know how we made my mom feel every night. It is a battle, and I cringed the first time my husband threatened a timer. I try not to stress out over what they eat or don't eat throughout the day. Somedays they want a hamburger and other days they want mac and cheese with broccoli. Having a child with food intolerances and another one fed by g-tube puts our family in a whole other place. It a challenge to say the least.

I think if one of my kids became a vegetarian I would support them, and help them figure out how to make it work for their body and life. I think the most important thing to do is to support them while they are finding their way and being there for them as much as possible.

I think that the body craves what it needs (mine is always craving chocolate), and I think that as long as you eat in moderation and with some responsibility your body will get what it needs. If a child is bright enough to think about where his food is coming from, then more than likely they would be able to recongize the need for the nutrients they are craving.

Written by guest author Debbie Yocum on the weekly topic "Kids choose a meat-free diet":

Dan Buettner wrote a book called "The Blue Zones" which is based on "Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest." His book was discussed on the Oprah Winfrey show and the Blue Zones are the places where people have the longest life expectancies or highest centenarian rate.

Debbie Yocum
Guest Author

One of the 5 Blue Zone locations is Loma Linda and it is the only one located in North America. Many of the people that live in Loma Linda are Seventh Day Adventists and many are vegetarians. They tend to eat nuts at least five times a week and have about half the risk of heart disease. They eat soy products which may help protect the heart and guard against breast cancer plus it contributes to a healthy intestinal ecology. They also eat a lot of whole grain breads and lots of local fruits and vegetables and they are usually not overweight.

I grew up a Seventh Day Adventist and we were surrounded by my aunts and uncles and a great-grandmother that lived to be in their 90's or older. My great aunt Alma passed away last year and she lived to be a couple months short of 102. The diet that we were raised on was oatmeal with brown sugar and cream and fresh orange juice in the mornings. At lunch we ate cheese, whole grain breads, beans, nuts and fruits and a glass of milk. At night we ate whole grain bread with butter and a bowl of vegetable soup.

Last night my husband had a BBQ beef sandwich with whole grain bread made by a company called Lightlife which is meat free. It is shredded vegetable protein in BBQ sauce. It sounds horrible but it is really good. He normally is not a vegetarian but he is on a diet to eat healthier so he picked it up at the local Vons grocery store. It doesn't have any fat but it has 12 percent of your daily value of protein, carbs are 4 percent and it has 70 calories.

I loved growing up around my great grandmother and my older aunts and uncles. They handed their lifestyle down to my family and although I still do eat meat on occasion, I could easily be a vegetarian. It takes a little more time and effort but I think that it is worth it especially when you think about how much more you gain from it. I know that it sounds strange but a baked bean sandwich on whole grain bread is really healthy and really good. My teenage stepdaughter even has one every now and then so it can't be all bad.

Written by guest author Maura Ammenheuser in response to the weekly topic, "Talking safety":

Maura Ammenheuser
Guest Author

We have not had nearly enough conversations with our kids about emergencies generally and quakes in particular. However, last week's rattler offered a good opportunity to introduce them to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site that tracks earthquakes in California and Nevada. If you're not familiar with it, the link is: http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.htm

Within a few minutes of a quake you can find out from this site the location of the epicenter and the strength of the quake (and more information, too, but those are the obvious questions).

Both our kids, but especially our 9-year-old, were fascinated by the site. It color-codes the quakes according to magnitude and the maps are easy to understand for a kid who's at least 7 or 8 years old. Pulling up the web site to find out what it said about Thursday night's rattler changed the experience from something a bit scary (or at least, something that makes Mom noticeably nervous!) into something that's fun to learn about.

Written by guest author Debbie Yocum in response to the weekly topic, "Talking safety":

"Earthquake!" yelled the kids all at the same time. My husband and I looked at each other, both at the same time. Together we were thinking "Could this be the big one that we have been waiting for?" Of course your mind runs a million miles a minute thinking about what would happen if a big earthquake were to happen.

Debbie Yocum
Guest Author

The first thought of course is, "Where is everyone? Will they be safe? Are the supplies in order, like food, water, matches and first aid supplies? Do we have a working flashlight? (which is almost impossible to find in a house full of kids)" Then the shaking stops and life goes on.

These smaller quakes should be wake up call to prepare ourselves, just like the kids have the emergency drills at school to make sure that they are prepared. Last week after the quake our family talked about what a strong earthquake could do to our house and we walked around looking for things that could fall. My daughter came out of her room and told us that she had a shelf that she wanted us to move because it and everything on the shelf could fall down on her while she was sleeping. She was right, but we didn't think about that when we put it up there.

We didn't want to scare the kids but they need to know that they have a role in a disaster. Someone needs to know where to shut off the gas and someone else needs to make sure that everyone is accounted for. Wouldn't you rather have the supplies (and a plan of action) and not need them instead of not having the supplies and needing them?

You take it for granted that everything is going to be okay but it is like wearing your seatbelt in an accident. You never think that you are going to get in an accident but you still put the seatbelt on, just in case.

Written by guest author Maura Ammenheuser on the topic of Healthy Recipes:

Maura Ammenheuser
Guest Author

One of my favorite healthy things to make at home is salsa. I am the world's laziest cook and despise a lot of prep work, so eventually I figured out how to make this nearly instant salsa:

In a food processor, pulse together a large handful of fresh cilantro (I use a whole bunch!) with chopped jalapeno peppers from a jar. (Use as many or as few peppers as you like, depending on how spicy you like your salsa.) Add the juice freshly squeezed from one lime.

Then fill the food processor about halfway with grape tomatoes and pulse until the tomatoes reach the consistency you like. I use grape tomatoes from Costco, putting about half the 2-lb. container into a single batch of salsa. The advantage of the grape tomatoes is that they're small enough that the food processor can do all the chopping so you don't have to do it by hand, and they're firm enough that they don't instantly turn to liquidy mush in the machine.

Sometimes I add a sprinkle of dried coriander to the salsa. If you're really ambitious, you can chop some sweet onion to add, but I usually skip this step (because I'm lazy and hate chopping onions).

Salsa of course goes with nacho chips, but to avoid empty calories, use it as a dip for baby carrots, celery or strips of bell peppers. It's also great topping a plain baked potato, or on leftover grilled chicken with some canned black beans and a little bit of shredded cheese. Yum!

Written by Guest Author Alyson Foote on the topic Eating Right:

Let's see-2 weeks of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, lasagna, cookies, cakes, apple pie, ice cream, hot chocolate, I guess I can see where these extra pounds came from after all!

Alyson Foote

Guest Author

But it's back to the healthy way again, and time to walk my talk considering I am a Nutritionist! I truly enjoy preparing delicious, healthy foods for my family. It also helps me stick to my game plan for healthy eating when I know the meals I make will taste great.

I have collected quite a few recipes over the years, here are a couple of my favorites. These pack a nutritious punch and are yummy enough to make a successful transition from those high fat, high sugar holiday foods I over-indulged in this year!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup minced green onions
1 egg white
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
6 whole wheat hamburger rolls

Combine turkey, oats, onions, and egg white in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Add 3 tbsp of this mixture to the turkey mixture and mix well. Reserve the remaining sauce to baste the burgers while grilling. Shape the meat mixture into 6 patties. Grill over med-high heat until well done. Baste with reserved sauce. Serve on rolls with your favorite burger toppings.

Breakfast Muesli
3 cups quick cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups low fat strawberry yogurt
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp honey
3 cups fresh berries (your favorite kind)
2 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated
Combine oats, yogurt, orange juice, and honey in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently fold in fresh fruit. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you like a little crunch, sprinkle with some chopped nuts or low fat granola just before serving.

Written by guest author Bonnie Woodrome in response to the Weekly Topic "Resolution to get fit:"

I plan to keep my resolution to lose those extra baby pounds - ugh! - by playing with my kids and using them in my exercise routine.

Bonnie Woodrome
Guest Author

I do leg lifts with my 2 year old -- I have her latch on to the front of my legs and I lift her up and down. She thinks it's a "ride," I think it's a little something extra to add to my workout.

I do something similar with my 6 month old. I lift him up with my arms while I lie on the ground and push him up and down, up and down. Watch out for the drool! He enjoys it and it's a little something for arm strengthening.

I really enjoy the fact that I am able to spend time with my little ones and still have time to take care of me.