Weekly Topic: 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......"

I came up for air after wrapping up some work at the keyboard and really focused on the damage done by my five- and seven-year old during that short span of time. There was a pile of Matchbox cars in one corner, a bobble headed community of Pet Shop toys in another and in the bathroom I stumbled through something the kids had affectionately christened "bubble city." I can't even begin to describe the tent city full of glassy-eyed stuffed animals that had sprouted in the bedroom.

I'm sure every parent experiences this. I've learned that if I simply clean it myself to get the job done right and quickly, this is sabotaged by flash-fire messes that spring up behind me as soon as I complete a room. So now I must have the kids clean their own messes. This, of course, is always easier said than done. I help - mostly so when they say, "I didn't make this mess!" I can then reply, "Well, I'm cleaning and I didn't make ANY of this mess."

In addition to the "bubble kingdoms" and Petshop communities I try to have the kids do simple chores each week. They are pretty young still, but they can still set the table, clean the windows and fold laundry. Strangely the boy always wants to clean the litterbox or toilet. Why would anyone volunteer for such a thing?

As parents we often find ourselves begging, bribing or threatening our kids to do even the simplest chores and that's saying nothing about getting it done well. So how do you get them to complete them on a regular basis? (hopefully without all the drama)

Parents want their children to do chores to get the job done and to help them grow, said John Covey, director of home and family for Franklin Covey Company and co-author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families: A Proactive Family Guide Book."

"If children don't do chores, how do they learn? How do they build personal responsibility?" Covey asked.

According to Covey there are four things that can motivate children to do more chores:

1. Parents should model doing housework themselves.
2. Parents must have a caring relationship with each child in the family.
3. The culture in the home must be cooperative. Do you do things together? Do you help them?
4. Parents must see chores as an opportunity to teach their children important life skills and values.

So it all comes down to this: Just keep at it.

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.

The Centers for Disease Control recently released a study - the first of its kind - that estimated how many children are vegetarian. The findings showed roughly 1 in 200 avoid eating meat and most kids cited animal welfare as the reason.

The term vegetarian is somewhat loosely defined since some people still eat fish or chicken, whereas those that eat a vegan diet avoid any animal products, including eggs and dairy products.

While many kids may choose a vegetarian diet due to worries about animal cruelty, their parents might be making the choice for health reasons.

National Geographic writer Dan Buettner highlighted Loma Linda as one of several healthy locations in his book, "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest."

During his research Buettner found the life expectancy for devout Adventist females was nine years longer than other American women, and for men, 11 years.

"There were common lifestyle, diet and spirituality denominators found among each of the blue zones, Buettner said. Many of these habits are integral parts of the Adventist religion, such as the vegetarian diet, religious community and quiet times of meditation.

Of course, eating a vegetarian diet doesn't necessarily mean instant health. Doctors recommend plenty of fruits and vegetables. Children need to be sure to eat sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium and other important nutrients that most people get in meat, eggs and dairy.

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.

Since Michelle Obama's cobbler keeps making headlines, I thought I should put the recipe up on the site. It doesn't exactly fit the "healthy recipe" weekly topic, but if you decide to splurge on night here's the dish:

Michelle Obama: "I've been making this cobbler for a long time, so I usually just eyeball how much needs to go in. People might want more or less sugar, but this is how our family and friends like it. This recipe makes one cobbler, which is like a double pie."

Filling
8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced (or a bag of frozen peeled apples)
1 1/2 to 2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c white flour

Directions
Mix these ingredients together in a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight so the spice goes all the way through the apples.

Crust
3 sheets refrigerated pie crust
3/4 stick of butter plus 1/4 stick melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour the bottom of a large baking dish. Roll out three pie crusts real thin - as thin as possible. Layer the bottom of the pan with 1 1/2 of the pie crusts and prick a few holes in it. Pour the apples and the juice that has accumulated into the pie pan. Dot 3/4 of a stick of butter around the apples. Use the final 1 1/2 pie crusts to cover the apple mixture entirely (let the pie crust overlap the pan). Pinch the edges of the dough around the sides of the pan so the mixture is completely covered. Prick a few holes in the top to let the steam escape. Brush the 1/4 stick of melted butter over the top of crust.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake at 300 for up to 3 hours - that's what makes the crust flaky - as Barack likes it according to Michelle.
Serve anytime.

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!

First 5 California has come out with a cookbook for toddlers and preschoolers full of fun, healthy recipes. The agency partnered with nutritionist and TV personality, Chef LaLa, to put together the booklet of food and safety tips.

Here's a sample of one of the recipes:

Fruity French Toast
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbl milk
6 slices whole wheat bread
3 tsp thinly sliced fruit, berries or low-sugar fruit preserves
6 oz. skim milk cheese or goat cheese, thinly sliced
1 c fresh fruit sliced or diced
Cooking spray

Directions
Makes 6 servings
In a bowl large enough to dip the bread, whisk the eggs, cinnamon and milk together. Cut each piece of bread into 4 pieces with a knife or cookie cutter. Dip the bread in the egg mixture, moistening both sides.

Heat a non-stick pan and coat with cooking spray. Cook the bread for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Spread fruit on one side of each slice of bread. Place cheese on top of the fruit. Cover with a second piece of bread. Repeat with remaining bread, cheese and fruit. Serve with fruit.

Watch a YouTube video about the cookbook here or visit the California First 5 Web site, www.ccfc.ca.gov for more information or call 800-KIDS-025. The booklet is free and available in English and Spanish.

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.

Pediatrician and author Dr. William Sears and exercise physiologist Sean Foy have developed a new series of nutrition workshops for parents and children. The original concept, L.E.A.N. Programs (Lifestyle. Exercise. Attitude. Nutrition) was a series of workshops that began in 2003 with several Boys & Girls Clubs.

Now it has expanded to the L.E.A.N. Start Program, which educates parents and children, integrating much of the information in the book, "LEAN Kids" written by Sears and Foy and "The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood," written by the Sears family of doctors.

Temecula is one of the first cities in California to offer this program, said Amy Quinn, nutritionist. "I will begin teaching these courses for Parks and Recreation in February."

The workshops will teach healthy habits for the entire family, Quinn said. Course topics include: How foods impact behavior, learning, moods and sleep; assessing ingredients in our food; great grocery shopping strategies; creating tasty, healthy meals and snacks and the best way to incorporate these into hectic lifestyles.

Visit www.cityoftemecula.org for the Temecula workshop details or www.discoverlean.com for more information on the programs.

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.