Thursday, September 29, 2011

a mid week chuckle....

I came across this on Pinterest and had to share....
ps I lurve pinterest....


Monday, September 26, 2011

out of the mouths of babes



My daughter came home from preschool today with three drawings addressed to her. A little guy in her class drew her these pieces of art at home and presented them to her today. They are really cute!!! Since we live in a small community, the chance of these two spending their childhood/adolescents together is quite likely. As I mused about the future the following conversation took place.....

Me: I am going to save these pictures.

My girl: They are very nice. Henry drew them for me.

Me: I know. I am going to keep them - just in case.

My girl: Why mama, in case of what?

Me: Oh I dunno, maybe one day he will be your boyfriend.

My girl: - bursts into a fit of giggles - Oh mommy. He is just my friend.

Me: That is what they all say....

My girl: I don't need a boyfriend mommy.

Me: Oh...okay.

My girl: I already have a little guy to take care of (she is referring to her little brother) and I DO NOT need another.



I think I peed my pants a little.......

Thursday, September 22, 2011

stranger danger

A shocking and brazen attempt at an abduction just occurred only 30 minutes from our seemingly safe neighbourhood. A man entered the fenced backyard and tried to grab two young girls (age 3 and 6). Thankfully the 6 year old when running for help, but the 3 year old was walking away hand in hand with the evil man as their mother came to see what was going on. He took off, leaving the children behind (there is a God (s)).
Scary stuff.

A second abduction occurred a few months later. This time the napper was successful and managed to steal a 3 year old from his bed in the middle of the night...you read that right. He was abducted from his own bed. Again - the Gods stepped in, and the little boy was returned to his home (in the middle of the night) and deposited on his couch. The abductor called 911 and told them he had returned him unharmed. The suspect was unknown and unrelated to the boy. Thankfully the police have nabbed the obviously sick man and he is in custody.

These scary events have prompted me to have a "stranger danger" chat with my 4 year old. I was really hoping to avoid telling her about the evils in the world. Keep her in that bubble for as looooong as I can. But I couldn't ignore that mommy instinct telling me that now was the time. I quickly researched the topic and would like to share with you what I found. Of course you need to keep it developmentally and age appropriate, so what I am sharing is appropriate for a 4-5 year old!
  • First off, defining stranger. I told my kiddo that a stranger is someone that you and mommy and daddy don't know. Even if they are nice they are a stranger unless mommy and daddy know them.
  • I also stressed that she is never ever ever ever to go with any stranger at anytime. Even if they say they know me or daddy, or want to show her something, or give her something.
  • I told her that if a stranger asks her to come with them, or worse (ie grabs her) to scream "STRANGER STRANGER NO NO" etc. I told her to scream, kick, fight and run to a safe place (store, cafe, home, trusted neighbour, etc). I told her to scream and make a HUGE fuss. I don't really care if this happens by accident one day.....I would rather her have a freak out unnecessarily instead of not doing it when it mattered.....It has been shown that attempted abductions fail when the kids freak out. No abductor wants a handful.
  • Rehearse with your child what they will do if a stranger were to bother them. This includes not talking to them, running away, kicking and screaming, biting and running to safety. Just like with any other action, when it is a habit by doing it over and over, it will become reaction. This reaction as second nature will be the key.

here is an idea of what I said....I gave some context to my little speech and told her about the man who tried to nab those sisters.
"There are bad people in this world. Those bad people take little children away from their mommies and daddies. That is what a stranger can do to you. They would take you and you could never come back. So I want you to listen very carefully to me. If a stranger tries to talk to you, and that is someone mommy or daddy does not know, then you need to get away from them. You need to scream loud if they try to grab you. Yell "STRANGER STRANGER STRANGER". You also need to kick and scream and bite if they try to take you.”
We then had some fun practicing running away and yelling (inside the house....I didn't want to freak out my neighbours!).

I am hoping that this little speech and practice empowered my daughter, not scared her. I haven't noticed any signs of her being scared - but I do ask her occasionally what a stranger is and what to do. She still remembers.... I hope she never has to actually do it.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

  



 


LOVE.
I am keeping this handy for the days when they are beating the crap out each other....
"look, look! you DO love each other!!"

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tasty Tuesdays - Lunchtime!!


Okay...so we are back in the thick of it...lunches being made for three different folks everyday! I have been experimenting with some great go-tos* and would like to share a couple of them....now these are not groundbreaking recipes, they are just good ole lunchbox favourites that you may or may not have in your lunch repertoire. I know as a busy mom, I sometimes forget about how easy this can be!

*Recipes get "go-to" status when they meet all my needs - yummy, easy, fast, healthy!

First off.....kid friendly recipes/lunch inspiration.
Let's face it, kids come first in the lunch lineup - I have the luxury of popping into a local cafe for my lunch...lol.

Roll ups
Can't get easier than this.  Take a wrap/tortilla of your choice. Add some kind of spread (cream cheese, peanut or sun butter, guacamole, hummus). Spread it all around to the edges of the wrap. Add a veggie or two. Roll it up in a tube-like fashion. Done.
Here are a few combos that both my kids like:
  • cream cheese and diced cucumber and/or red pepper
  • nut butter and banana (a wrap the banana whole)
  • hummus and diced red pepper
  • guacamole and diced cherry tomatoes
Pesto Pasta Salad
I like it because I just make some extra noodles the night before as part of dinner and then add some pesto and veggies and yer done! Our fave veggies are roasted zucchini and peppers and fresh tomatoes. But you can add whatever is lurking at the bottom of that veggie drawer in the fridge!


Rice balls ~ Japanese Style
My husband used to eat these a lot growing up. Basically make a lot of rice for dinner. Set some aside and drizzle with rice vinegar (optional:use if going authentic Japanese) and pop into fridge. When you are done dinner and ready to make lunches, the rice should be cool enough. Wet your hands...(biggest secret revealed!!) grab about 1/3 cup of rice in palm of hand. Push in a tasty tidbit into the middle (we like salmon the absolute best) - you can put in things like tuna, avocado, pickled radish, carrot-whatever your kid likes with rice. Then roll into a ball or shape into a triangle. You can roll in sesame seeds and add some nori if you are doing the Japanese lunch thing.

Chickpeas
Can't get easier than this. Open a can of chickpeas - rinse - serve.
I accompany them with some veggie sticks and dip and pita bread triangles.

For a more varied palate ~
Now we can get a bit fancier...but not too much...still want this doable.

Quinoa Salad
Make lots of quinoa for dinner. Set some aside to cool. Add chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and parsley to taste. Crumble in some feta. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Avocado, Tomato and Cream Cheese Sandwiches
hmmm...if you need more explanation than the title, then you need more help than I can offer :)

Curried Tuna and Apples on Pita
Add powdered curry to taste to a tuna/mayo mix. Throw in some diced granny smith apples and serve open face on pita or stuffed into a pita pocket.

Monday, September 12, 2011

blatent neglect

I apologize to my readers for the lack of random thoughts, cool finds, and giveaways these days (I like to think people actually read my blog...lol).

We have had a lot go on the past couple weeks including - I returned to work full time, and my son was hospitalized for a random seizure which we still don't know why it happened! Not to mention all the other craziness that back to school brings to every family!

But have no fear, I am back in a groove now, which means I can find a couple minutes to write on here more regularly.

Tomorrow look for a lunch box special - a couple no fail and super quick lunch ideas for you and the kids!

I am also lining up some more giveaways in the near future!! Yay for giveaways!

Thanks for your patience and readership. I do appreciate it.

Cat aka Yippiemomma