Explaining my disappearance from the blog:
Malverne music school partners with Tuney Tots - Malverne - LIHerald.com - Nassau County's source for local news, breaking news, sports, entertainment & shopping
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Great Blend
There are lots of baby products on the market, touting the easiest or fastest way to make your own baby food at home.
I find them all to be fine, but mostly gimmick.
The real deal? An immersion blender (aka immersion wand) is all you need. You can steam what you'd like in your own pot, or just blend raw veggies or fruits using any bowl. The only 2 catches:
1. be careful using while foods are hot - allow to cool first, since holding at a slight angle can send food flying across your kitchen.
2. it only works with "wet" (or moist) materials, so if you're blending raws, you'll need to add water, formula, or milk to successfully blend.
Try it out - voila, you'll have great baby food AND you can use leftovers to make your own soups or dips. Here are a few ideas that work great for me:
-homemade hummus (SO easy - just whizz a can of chickpeas for baby, and for adults add whatever spices you enjoy)
-steamed squash (use leftovers to make creamy squash soups - just add onion or garlic & salt)
-steamed broccoli & cauliflower
-yogurt/berry smoothies (need I say more?)
Healthy food for baby AND mom. What a treat!
I find them all to be fine, but mostly gimmick.
The real deal? An immersion blender (aka immersion wand) is all you need. You can steam what you'd like in your own pot, or just blend raw veggies or fruits using any bowl. The only 2 catches:
1. be careful using while foods are hot - allow to cool first, since holding at a slight angle can send food flying across your kitchen.
2. it only works with "wet" (or moist) materials, so if you're blending raws, you'll need to add water, formula, or milk to successfully blend.
Try it out - voila, you'll have great baby food AND you can use leftovers to make your own soups or dips. Here are a few ideas that work great for me:
-homemade hummus (SO easy - just whizz a can of chickpeas for baby, and for adults add whatever spices you enjoy)
-steamed squash (use leftovers to make creamy squash soups - just add onion or garlic & salt)
-steamed broccoli & cauliflower
-yogurt/berry smoothies (need I say more?)
Healthy food for baby AND mom. What a treat!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Getting in the Fight
There are many opinions about and approaches to children fighting with each other. There are some parents who completely let the children work it out, offering neither advice nor guidance, and believe that they must learn how to deal with obstacles on their own. Then, there are others who get 100% involved themselves: negotiating, pleading, bribing, and often taking sides and punishing when they deem fit.
Parents on all sides of the spectrum will get defensive that their approach is best. On the one hand, getting overly involved can become a crutch and children may never learn to work out their differences on their own. On the other hand, by completely ignoring the tiff, parents are giving a message that they don't care, and also they allow for injustice and bullying where it could otherwise be prevented.
I believe that neither approach is ideal. Instead, I advocate "teaching your child to fish"... referring to the old adage that if you give a man a fish he will eat today, but if you teach a man to fish, he will have food for his lifetime. Having been trained in mediation, I see how little we ADULTS are aware of our conflict communication & behaviors, all the more so children. We will do the next generation a great service by teaching them how to deal with conflicts, empowering them with specific guidelines regarding justice (aka "fairness"). We should listen attentively to their petitions for help, and while we may not take action FOR them, we can ask pointed questions that guide them to mature tactics, along with self-confidence to handle the dispute.
The likelihood that children, working out their own conflicts, will end in a peaceful and just resolution is slim. At best, someone's feelings will be hurt, and at worst, children will end up hating siblings or peers, or worse: themselves. The investment in teaching children how to deal with conflicts, how to speak their minds clearly, and how to approach injustice pays off in infinite reward - empowering children so they not only deal with the immediate issue but also learn how to face future conflicts on their own. While it may take more time and effort to listen to your child, process with him/her the dispute, and guide to some possible resolutions, this is by far the superior approach.
Parents on all sides of the spectrum will get defensive that their approach is best. On the one hand, getting overly involved can become a crutch and children may never learn to work out their differences on their own. On the other hand, by completely ignoring the tiff, parents are giving a message that they don't care, and also they allow for injustice and bullying where it could otherwise be prevented.
I believe that neither approach is ideal. Instead, I advocate "teaching your child to fish"... referring to the old adage that if you give a man a fish he will eat today, but if you teach a man to fish, he will have food for his lifetime. Having been trained in mediation, I see how little we ADULTS are aware of our conflict communication & behaviors, all the more so children. We will do the next generation a great service by teaching them how to deal with conflicts, empowering them with specific guidelines regarding justice (aka "fairness"). We should listen attentively to their petitions for help, and while we may not take action FOR them, we can ask pointed questions that guide them to mature tactics, along with self-confidence to handle the dispute.
The likelihood that children, working out their own conflicts, will end in a peaceful and just resolution is slim. At best, someone's feelings will be hurt, and at worst, children will end up hating siblings or peers, or worse: themselves. The investment in teaching children how to deal with conflicts, how to speak their minds clearly, and how to approach injustice pays off in infinite reward - empowering children so they not only deal with the immediate issue but also learn how to face future conflicts on their own. While it may take more time and effort to listen to your child, process with him/her the dispute, and guide to some possible resolutions, this is by far the superior approach.
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