After teaching for 6 years, I have met many children who have security objects. Many have blankets or animals that they are attached to. I never really understood this attachment until my 3 year old developed one. My oldest daughter never had an object to sooth her. I was her security object. I would have to lay with her for her to go to sleep or when she was sad or scared, she would come to me. Before Maya was born, she was given a lamb blanket. It has the head and arms of a stuffed animal and the body is a blanket.   This blanket animal later earned the name of BaaBaa. BaaBaa was in Maya's crib from the day she was born. Her attachment did not develop until she was 16months old when she started day care. For the last 2 years Baa Baa has become Maya's best friend. BaaBaa has also become part of our family. BaaBaa goes everywhere with us and Maya often refers to him as her best friend. He makes going to bed so much easier and makes the scary events so much less scary. BaaBaa has received so much love from Maya even though he now only has one eye as the result of too many baths int he washer and one ears as the result of an amputation from our dog who later threw the ear back up which now is in a safe spot but not sewn back on. We have misplaced BaaBaa before always to find him under a couch or pillow. We have gone one night without him when he was left at daycare and not found until the next day but that was in the early days when the attachment was just developing. We have even left BaaBaa at a store every now and again but have always gone right back to find him waiting for us. We thought BaaBaa was gone forever last night. We retraced our days events and searched high and low for BaaBaa. Maya feel asleep with tears in her eyes snuggled up to her big sister. Maya joined me in bed at some point in the night and she woke up a few times calling for BaaBaa. I searched every nook and cranny in our house, tore our car apart, sent Daddy on a mission and called all the places we had visited yesterday. BaaBaa was no where to be found. I fell asleep wishing and praying that BaaBaa would appear in the morning. Maya woke up with a smile on her face and didn't instantly ask about BaaBaa. Ella woke up and instantly asked if I found BaaBaa. I realized at this point that losing BaaBaa was traumatic for the entire family. BaaBaa has become part of our family and not Maya would not have it when she gets older and he all of a sudden is no longer a a part of our life. There is a sadness to it. I have always envisioned BaaBaa on Maya's college bed and then in a box with all of her fond childhood keepsakes. Now we just have stories. 

Remembering we saw BaaBaas twin this summer, I called Grandpa to send him to get another one. Maya thought it would be ok to have a new sparkly two eared two eyed BaaBaa. It wouldn't be the same but close enough. Maya got so excited at the mission we put Grandpa boo up to. 

This morning we got a knock on our door and the real BaaBaa came home. He spent the night in our neighbors garage. While looking last night, he was scanned over but was spotted this morning. The best friends have been reunited and all is good in our house. That was the longest night and our whole family felt the impact. I now completely understand the significance of security objects and impact that BaaBaa has on our entire family! 

Lunch Time

Now that we are back in school, it's time to think about school lunches again. This is always an interesting topic to me. Kids love to buy school lunch, much of it gets thrown away, most aren't very healthy, there is so little tome to eat lunch during lunch time, it's expensive to but but it is also expensive to bring. As a mom and a morning kindergarten teacher, I am spared of the lunch dilemma for another year. Today, my class went on a tour of the school and we went through the cafeteria. I have no idea what was for lunch but it did smell good! Everyday when we leave school, Ella proclaims that she is starving as we walk by the cafeteria and wishes she could be in full day to have lunch at school. I know I avoided the dilemma of buying or bringing for this year but will have to face it next year. I have always been dead set against school lunch for many reasons. I don't have fond memories of eating it as a child. I remember throwing much of it out. As a teacher, I have never bought school lunch. Seeing the nutritional information of the containers behind the scenes has always turned me off. School lunch has a really bad rap for its nutritional value these days. I know there are always healthier options provided if your child decides to choose them but that decision without a parent can be very hard to make. I already know this will be a battle next year. Ella will want to buy hot lunch and everything inside of me will tell me not to let her. She is a picky eater but it seems that many school lunches are "kid friendly." Nuggets with several names like patty and popcorn and bites and fries and strips- all chicken nuggets though. And Dominoes pizza. Lots of pasta too. I truly think I could pack a better lunch for less money too. However, there is some fun and sense of freedom to carry a tray and tell the lunch clerk your name as you stand at the register. And to do this with friends.
I remember the days of buying lunch being the cool thing to do and also the years of bringing lunch being the cool thing.
I am excited about some schools taking the initiative to provide healthier school lunches. I found this article from our local news station. It is very interesting. I taught at a school that looked at Revolution Foods and opted not to use them because it was too much work. As a parent, I would love the option to buy a healthier lunch and know that my child is getting something with nutritional value. I would pay a little more for this. Would you pay more for a healthier lunch?
As a teacher, I always think that for many kids, a school lunch may be the best meal they get on any given day. I see many kids come to school without breakfast or eating junk for breakfast. I truly do believe it effects their academic ability and behavior. Many times packed lunches are full of empty calories as well. Maybe the hot lunch choice could be a better option.


http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=122184

Half or Full?

I have decided to give you my 2 cents on half day kindergarten vs. full day kindergarten. It is great that we have a choice today. Sometimes I think we have too many choices which make things difficult though. We can choose what school our children can attend and can even change schools every year if we are not happy or just feel like it. As parents we think we know what is best for our children and sometimes we do. But we are also influenced by our society and peers with these decisions. Our educational system may seem a little scary right now. So much energy is spent on standardized test scores, money is being taken away from schools, and all the focus is on the negative.
With all that in mind, us kindergarten parents have the decision to make about putting our child in full day or half day kindergarten. Is there a right answer? Not necessarily. I have perspectives on this topic from a teacher's stand point and also from a  mom's stand point. Ella entered the magical world of kindergarten this year. She was originally signed up for full day kindergarten and more than ready for it. At the last minute, we put her in the half day program. It was  a hard decision to make because of all the expectations and pressures. We chose half day at the end because it was more convenient for us and made sense.  Full day is a great option. It is the cheapest day care in town for working parents. If students are older and are able to be in a structured setting for an entire day it works well. Full day kindergarten is not so time crammed and has more flexibility with projects and fun stuff. Although, some people cringe when you tell them your child is in half day, half day students are required to meet the same academic standards as full day. I have taught full day kindergarten and half day kindergarten. At the end of the year, full day kindergarten may know a little bit more but not a significant amount. All standards are met and students are ready for first grade no matter the program. I have also taught first grade. At the beginning of the year in first, you can tell the half day kids from the full day kids. The half day kids are not used to the long day. Academically there may be some differences but usually in a month they are all leveled out- always by January.
I am a strong believer in kids being kids. They have to spend so much time in school and we don't have the choice after kindergarten. It is great to give them the freedom to play and be kids outside of school after spending their mornings there.
So which is better. Neither. The answer really depends on your child and you. They are both great options and what is right for me may not work for you. My daughter was more than ready for a full day being older and having a passion for everything about school. However, she is extremely happy to come home for lunch and still have down time. I see many kids that thrive in the full day program and it is wonderful for working parents. When making the decision, I just ask that you think of your own personal needs and your child and pick what is best for you not what you are pressured into. Also, make sure you give it a fair chance. If full day was chosen and you are second guessing yourself because your child is so tired and cranky. Give it a fair amount of time for them to adjust and get used to it. They will adjust and thrive. The greatest thing about kindergartners is they are adaptable and sponges. THey will do well when given a fair opportunity and exposure!

Extreme Couponing for the healthy?

We get the Sunday newspaper every week. I always look through the coupons and will find a couple of things that are actually healthy that we can buy. The majority of the time, it seems like the same items week after week have coupons and not too many of them are healthy. Lots of canned and processed foods. I know there are ways to get coupons from companies and different websites but it seems like coupons are hard to come by for healthy and non-processed foods.
This afternoon, I watched a bit of Extreme Couponing for the first time. I was amazed! How can you buy $3000 worth of food for $100? What was even more amazing was what she was buying and the time it must take. I can see how watching this can motivate someone to use more coupons and play this game. But as a mother of 30 who takes all 3 children to the grocery store 90% of the time, it just seems like too much work. It also seems like you just start buying things because they are a good deal. Sure I like free things and items on sale but do I really need to turn my garage into a pantry with 5 years worth of laundry detergent?
I am impressed by the hard work and time that these people put into getting the best deals. We all know that the price of food has sky rocketed and takes up the majority of our budget. After watching this, I will strive to find a few more deals and maybe actively look for coupons from manufacturers for healthy foods. However, I will not buy 60 cans of spaghettios because they only cost one cent.
Might I add, while watching this show, Morgan went to the grocery store. I was feeling pretty good because I gave him a handful of coupons and one was even for a free cliff bar. When he got home I looked at the receipt and he spent $55 and save $8. I guess we still have a lot of work to do!

Fair Time

Earlier this week, we visited our local county fair. Fairs and summer go hand and hand and I have many fond memories of visiting fairs as a child. It is so much fun to see all the animals, look at the exhibits and then of course the ride and the food. I think it is important that children get agricultural exposure that fairs provide. It has always been a dream of mine to have a little farm. I know my daughters have the same hope and dream. We are very lucky to live in an area surrounded by farms and fields and know many people who live on these farms. Although we don't have a farm, we can at least visit them. We are very fortunate for that.
The favorite part of the fair for us is looking at all the different animals. We think they are adorable especially when they are freshly bathed and squeaky clean. Even the pigs.
When I was growing up, a fair trip was not complete without getting some fried dough. I remember when they came out with the fried Twinkie but I have not ever tried one. This year we had a discussion that we were not going to get anything to eat because we had just eaten. It was great taking in all the smells and to my surprise, we didn't even get asked for a treat or hear any I'm hungry's.
We did find a Stonyfield Farm stand. This was one of my favorite spots. There were giving away yogurt tubes, greek yogurt, baby yogurt, and yogurt shakes. The girls were happy to have some yogurt and Tate even drank a shake. This stand was fabulous, The girls got to plant seeds, make a flip book featuring themselves, and eat yogurt. They were also giving away many coupons and freebies.
I grabbed a magazine called Chop Chop which features "kid recipes." I have not heard of this magazine before but absolutely love some of the recipes and want to share.

Lemon Honey Sparkle
1 cup club soda or sparkling water
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pour ingredients into sparkling water- stir and drink

Twice Baked Potato
potatoes
ricotta cheese
milk
shredded cheddar cheese
Bake Potatoes
Cool and cut in half
Scoop out insides of potato
Mix potato insides with ricotta cheese milk and cheddar cheese
Scoop back into potatoes
Bake another 20 mins

Bolder Tuna
2 cans tuna
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup minced celery
1 apple cored and chopped
2 teaspoons chopped pickles
3 tbsp greek plain yogurt
1/2 tsp mustard.
Mix all together. can be served as sandwich, with crackers, or on lettuce.

Cream of the Crop

This is one of my favorite times of year. All the goodies in the garden are popping up like crazy. If you don't have a garden, the farmer's markets are a great back up plan. There is something about fresh vegetables. They just smell and taste so much better than the store bought ones. This year, when we were planting our garden, we gave the girls their own area where they could plant what they wanted and take care of it. Now that the veggies are growing, I often find the girls outside picking them and eating them straight from the garden. Maya absolutely loves the carrots straight from the ground. Ella doesn't care much for them. She thinks they taste different which I agree they do and have explained they taste fresh and crisp. Peas are like candy to the girls. We also have lots and lots of strawberries and raspberries that I dream about making things out of, however, they never enter the house. The girls have made it part of their daily morning routine to check for berries and eat them. We have so many squashes and zucchini. I find myself experimenting with different recipes for zucchini bread and try to find creative ways to use the squash. Spaghetti squash seems so be a symbol of summer. It always surprises me how filling and tasty it is. We use it just like we would use pasta and the girls gobble it up.
Fresh veggies are delicious. I think the process of growing them and picking them is just as great as eating them. My goal this summer is to try to find creative ways to use all the vegetables we get. We have a decent size garden but did not grow everything we wanted to . So we do visit the farmer's market to supplement.
I encourage everyone to buy local this time of year and enjoy all of the freshness! I would love to hear some creative ways to use the veggies as well!

WHITE HOUSE HEALTHY MENU FOR KIDS

Last week while I was at the gym working out, I caught a clip on the Today Show featuring the chef from the White House. She was challenged to make a healthy picnic lunch for children. I really liked some of her ideas. I have tried some and also made my own versions of some things.

Here is the segment form the today show-http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43845364/ns/today-food/t/white-house-chef-shares-healthy-salad-pie-recipes/from/toolbar

I really liked the idea of putting the grapes into the green salad. I think kids generally like foods better if they can find a subtle sweetness in them. I really love the fruit pocket pies. What a simple healthy version of a junk food. We have always made sweet potato fries and have never really fried them-we just bake them and do not bread them at all. We just slice up sweet potatoes, season them and then bake them.
After being inspired about eating right from the garden, I realized we had a surplus of zucchini and decided to make zucchini fries. It was a total experiment. I soaked the zucchini slices in egg, then in spelt flour, sauteed them and then baked them. They were good when dipped in marinara sauce. I have not tried the carrot drink yet but really want to.

I love the direction the first lady is going in with the emphasis on healthy eating and childhood obesity. I hope it makes an impact on our nation and more and more people have a desire to eat healthier.