Saturday, April 30, 2011
Fast Apple Dessert
Simple, fast Apple Dessert. Cut apples in halves. Put halves, skins facing downward, on broiler pan. Put in broiler. When lightly brown on the outside and soft on the inside take out. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Let cool before serving. You can also do the same with pears. Some people like to sprinkle their pear with a touch of fresh lemon as well as using sugar and cinnamon.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Find how to Shop and Save for your Family
Here are some ways to shop and save!
1- Get a Costco card. The card costs money to get, but you can buy in bulk and save. (Find out what day(s) your area's Costco gives out free samples of foods.) Get grocery store savings cards as well. They should be FREE. Also, ask at other stores if they have savings cards. The more money you save the better.
2- See if your city's Sunday newspaper carries coupons. If they do, buy one. Cut coupons and save.
3- Sign up for store newsletters if they give you store discounts. But make sure they don't share you're email with other businesses.
4- When you shop online look for coupons, coupon codes, discounted items, the clearance section and for free shipping. This goes for retail stores as well. Look for bargains. Sometimes if a piece of clothing or a product is slightly damaged (a tear in the seam you can sew or a hardly noticeable scratch on a lamp) you can get a price break. Also, find out if your insurance company or other businesses will give you a discount if you sign up online.
5- When you shop ask the cashier if they have any coupons you can use (I have gotten free coupons this way).
6- At antique stores, flea markets, consignment stores, and garages sales ask for a lower price on an item. (I frequently get discounts this way too)
7- Paying by cash sometimes can get you a lower price. You can get price breaks at certain gas stations and other places by doing this. DO ASK if you can get a break on a price by paying cash at antique places and other mom and pop businesses. Stop using credit cards if you can. This will help you stay within your budget. And you won't have to pay the outrageous interest rates.
8- See if your grocery store has a policy of giving customers 5 cents back for every paper shopping bag that is reused.
9- Wait before you shop. You could save. Call a store and see if they have a sale coming up and what kind. See if they have weekly or monthly days were you can save a percentage (10%, 15%, etc.) on a purchase. And find out if there are days where they give out free samples/trials of products. Try free trials first to see if you like a company's product or service.
10- If you plan to buy an expensive item, furniture, or you intend to have work done on your house, get more than one price comparison. If you like the more expensive company, tell them so. Then say you got a lower price from another company and would they lower their price. It's worth a shot. It's worked for me.
1- Get a Costco card. The card costs money to get, but you can buy in bulk and save. (Find out what day(s) your area's Costco gives out free samples of foods.) Get grocery store savings cards as well. They should be FREE. Also, ask at other stores if they have savings cards. The more money you save the better.
2- See if your city's Sunday newspaper carries coupons. If they do, buy one. Cut coupons and save.
3- Sign up for store newsletters if they give you store discounts. But make sure they don't share you're email with other businesses.
4- When you shop online look for coupons, coupon codes, discounted items, the clearance section and for free shipping. This goes for retail stores as well. Look for bargains. Sometimes if a piece of clothing or a product is slightly damaged (a tear in the seam you can sew or a hardly noticeable scratch on a lamp) you can get a price break. Also, find out if your insurance company or other businesses will give you a discount if you sign up online.
5- When you shop ask the cashier if they have any coupons you can use (I have gotten free coupons this way).
6- At antique stores, flea markets, consignment stores, and garages sales ask for a lower price on an item. (I frequently get discounts this way too)
7- Paying by cash sometimes can get you a lower price. You can get price breaks at certain gas stations and other places by doing this. DO ASK if you can get a break on a price by paying cash at antique places and other mom and pop businesses. Stop using credit cards if you can. This will help you stay within your budget. And you won't have to pay the outrageous interest rates.
8- See if your grocery store has a policy of giving customers 5 cents back for every paper shopping bag that is reused.
9- Wait before you shop. You could save. Call a store and see if they have a sale coming up and what kind. See if they have weekly or monthly days were you can save a percentage (10%, 15%, etc.) on a purchase. And find out if there are days where they give out free samples/trials of products. Try free trials first to see if you like a company's product or service.
10- If you plan to buy an expensive item, furniture, or you intend to have work done on your house, get more than one price comparison. If you like the more expensive company, tell them so. Then say you got a lower price from another company and would they lower their price. It's worth a shot. It's worked for me.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tip for cleaning fruits and vegetables
To clean fruit and vegetables that you buy at the store. Put drain stopper in your sink. Fill sink with water, then add some white vinegar. A cup of vinegar to a sink filled half way. Don't use too much vinegar because you don't want your fruit to smell. Get a scrubber and lightly scrub fruit and vegetables in this solution. Don't bruise fruit while brushing. When done, let water out of sink and rewash fruit and vegetables with plain cold water. Dry food well before putting in frig.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Picture Book Review
“Henry the Dog with No Tail,” by Kate Feiffer. Pictures by Jules Feiffer. A cute tale about a tail. The pictures are simplistic but do the job. Henry the dog has no tail. He wants a tail so he goes to a tailor. The tailor makes him a tail. Having a man made tail ends up not being so terrific after all.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Movie Review- Nims Island
Movie Title- Nims Island. Adventure. Rated PG. Movie based on a book. This is a fun movie, but I found it rather disturbing that a father would leave his eleven year old daughter alone on a deserted island for two nights. What happened if an earthquake occurred or she got hurt? Basic plot- A widower and his daughter, Nim, live on an island nobody knows about. The father is a scientist. He has to go away to find an eco-specimen for two nights. His daughter is left by herself with some pets. There is a big storm and she needs help. Her father can’t help because he’s on a boat which is wreaked in the storm. All communication is lost with his daughter. Nim emails someone her father knows, an author of a book she likes. I’ll leave it there in case you want to watch the movie. Jodie Foster does a nice job as the writer who has border line agoraphobia.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Make an Erupting Volcano
Make an Aluminum Foil Volcano which really Erupts!
I’ve done this science experiment with kids at least three times for school projects. It’s always a hit because kids like seeing the volcano erupt. Simple explanation for how it works: Baking soda is a base substance whereas vinegar is an acidic substance. When the two are added together it causes a reaction. In this case an erupting volcano.
To make a volcano fit for a science fair you might want to make it more life like, like painting it brown. Or making your volcano out of Paper Mache or clay. To make this basic volcano you need: Two paper cups, paper plate, aluminum foil, pen, masking tape, scissors, two tablespoons of vinegar, tablespoon of baking soda, one and half tablespoons of warm water, old cookie sheet.
This experiment should be done with an adult present.
1)Place cup side up on middle of plate. Keep it place with masking tape. Now totally cover cup and plate with aluminum foil. Tape extra foil under plate.
2)Using your pen, poke hole through aluminum foil in very middle of cup. Using scissors inside cup, cut four slits in aluminum foil from poked hole to edge of cup. Fold aluminum foil down inside cup and tape securely.
3)Place your newly made volcano on the cookie sheet. Put one tablespoon of baking soda in middle of volcano (cup). Add one and half tablespoons of warm water to this. Mix gently. In another cup put in two tablespoons of vinegar. (If you were taking this volcano to school you should carry needed vinegar amount in a small container or leave in bottle. Every time I’ve done this project kids like to see the volcano erupt over and over, so bring enough ingredients to erupt volcano at least three times.)
4)Get ready for an eruption! Pour vinegar into middle of volcano cup. Up comes the lava.
I’ve done this science experiment with kids at least three times for school projects. It’s always a hit because kids like seeing the volcano erupt. Simple explanation for how it works: Baking soda is a base substance whereas vinegar is an acidic substance. When the two are added together it causes a reaction. In this case an erupting volcano.
To make a volcano fit for a science fair you might want to make it more life like, like painting it brown. Or making your volcano out of Paper Mache or clay. To make this basic volcano you need: Two paper cups, paper plate, aluminum foil, pen, masking tape, scissors, two tablespoons of vinegar, tablespoon of baking soda, one and half tablespoons of warm water, old cookie sheet.
This experiment should be done with an adult present.
1)Place cup side up on middle of plate. Keep it place with masking tape. Now totally cover cup and plate with aluminum foil. Tape extra foil under plate.
2)Using your pen, poke hole through aluminum foil in very middle of cup. Using scissors inside cup, cut four slits in aluminum foil from poked hole to edge of cup. Fold aluminum foil down inside cup and tape securely.
3)Place your newly made volcano on the cookie sheet. Put one tablespoon of baking soda in middle of volcano (cup). Add one and half tablespoons of warm water to this. Mix gently. In another cup put in two tablespoons of vinegar. (If you were taking this volcano to school you should carry needed vinegar amount in a small container or leave in bottle. Every time I’ve done this project kids like to see the volcano erupt over and over, so bring enough ingredients to erupt volcano at least three times.)
4)Get ready for an eruption! Pour vinegar into middle of volcano cup. Up comes the lava.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sand Box Tip for parents
Before letting your wee one play in a park's sand box make sure there isn't any cigarette butts, cat poop or broken glass in it. Note: Cigarette butts are dangerous for dogs. Don't let your dogs eat them.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Movie Review: Tangled
Movie Title: Tangled. Rated PG. Animation. Disney film. Some songs. But they are only just okay. A twist on the fair tale Rapunzel. In this tale a princess is stolen by a witch to keep her young looking. As the princess sings you touch her hair then you become younger. The witch keeps the girl locked away in a very tall tower. She has no idea she is a princess. Every year on the princess’s birthday the king and queen and the villagers light lanterns. They let them up in the air hoping she sees them and comes home. This young girl with very long hair wants to see the lanterns lit and released but her pretend mother says she can’t leave the tower. A thief ends up the tower and the girl persuades him to take her to see the lanterns released. The witch finds out the girl is gone and searches her out. Funny dialogue. Great animation.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Over Generalizing and Kids
Why Kids Over Generalize- Stop the Power Play
Why, oh why do kids over generalize?
1) To get their way now.
2) To get their way in the future.
3) As a way of justifying what they want or what occurred.
4) To gain sympathy.
All these reasons have one thing in common. They are a Power Play. A child will use power play to maneuver you to where they want you. Their mission: To get you to agree with them. That they should have such and such, or what they did or did not do was acceptable.
I am sure if you have children you might have heard something like this at some point, "Why can't I do __________ (fill in the blank)? You let me do it yesterday." To a child this is a sound argument. And it might be, except for five years now you have never let your child have a soda and a piece of pie right before dinner. Yesterday was an exception. Your sister that you have not seen for six years was in town with her daughter. But now your child is trying to make out like having pie and soda before dinner should be the standard. This is over generalizing something. Doing something once does not mean it is going to happen every day.
Stop a power play before if can occur. Before you make an exception to a rule you should explain to your child that this is an EXCEPTION, a special treat. It is not going to be a normal occurrence. This goes for staying at a friend's house later usual, staying up two hours after bedtime, not doing a certain chore, the list goes on. Do not think, "Oh but they will understand." Even the best of kids try over generalizing. Hey it might work they figure. Do not buy into it. Or they will try it again. And again. And why not if it worked before? To avoid any misunderstanding or an argument later tell your child upfront X is an exception. I highly recommend you do this if you have a child who argues.
Kids can also use the words "always" and "never" to over generalize a point. Have you ever heard this from your child, "But Dad always lets me do it!" or "Mom never makes me do that." With divorced parents having kids over generalize can be particularly aggravating. Let's say you make your ten-year-old son wear a helmet when he rides his bike. But he does not want to this time so he firmly states, "But Dad never makes me!" Instead of bad mouthing your Ex. in front of your son by saying, "Well your father has no sense," stop and think. Maybe only once did your Ex not make your son wear his helmet and that was because he forgot it somewhere. Calmly tell your child just because their father lets them do something at his house does not mean they can do it at yours. Then at another time ask your Ex. what is the norm at his house about riding a bike and wearing a helmet or whatever the issue is about. It is great when both parents agree upon rules, but I understand that is not always possible when parents live apart. But think of this, if you do agree upon rules there will be less power play by your child against the both of you. Divorced or not, do not let your child get away with pitting one parent against the other.
Let's take another scenario. John wails to his mother, "Tommy hit me! He always hits me!" Just because Tommy hit his brother, John, once or even four times during their life together does not mean Tommy always does it. But John wants sympathy. He is making a power play. He thinks he can control the situation if he can enlist your support. He thinks by saying this he can influence your reaction. Dodge the power play. John is making a sweeping generalization which is not based on true evidence. Yes, you should give Tommy a consequence for hitting his brother, but you should also tell John that Tommy does not hit him all the time. And if he makes untrue statements like this people will not believe him when it counts.
Why, oh why do kids over generalize?
1) To get their way now.
2) To get their way in the future.
3) As a way of justifying what they want or what occurred.
4) To gain sympathy.
All these reasons have one thing in common. They are a Power Play. A child will use power play to maneuver you to where they want you. Their mission: To get you to agree with them. That they should have such and such, or what they did or did not do was acceptable.
I am sure if you have children you might have heard something like this at some point, "Why can't I do __________ (fill in the blank)? You let me do it yesterday." To a child this is a sound argument. And it might be, except for five years now you have never let your child have a soda and a piece of pie right before dinner. Yesterday was an exception. Your sister that you have not seen for six years was in town with her daughter. But now your child is trying to make out like having pie and soda before dinner should be the standard. This is over generalizing something. Doing something once does not mean it is going to happen every day.
Stop a power play before if can occur. Before you make an exception to a rule you should explain to your child that this is an EXCEPTION, a special treat. It is not going to be a normal occurrence. This goes for staying at a friend's house later usual, staying up two hours after bedtime, not doing a certain chore, the list goes on. Do not think, "Oh but they will understand." Even the best of kids try over generalizing. Hey it might work they figure. Do not buy into it. Or they will try it again. And again. And why not if it worked before? To avoid any misunderstanding or an argument later tell your child upfront X is an exception. I highly recommend you do this if you have a child who argues.
Kids can also use the words "always" and "never" to over generalize a point. Have you ever heard this from your child, "But Dad always lets me do it!" or "Mom never makes me do that." With divorced parents having kids over generalize can be particularly aggravating. Let's say you make your ten-year-old son wear a helmet when he rides his bike. But he does not want to this time so he firmly states, "But Dad never makes me!" Instead of bad mouthing your Ex. in front of your son by saying, "Well your father has no sense," stop and think. Maybe only once did your Ex not make your son wear his helmet and that was because he forgot it somewhere. Calmly tell your child just because their father lets them do something at his house does not mean they can do it at yours. Then at another time ask your Ex. what is the norm at his house about riding a bike and wearing a helmet or whatever the issue is about. It is great when both parents agree upon rules, but I understand that is not always possible when parents live apart. But think of this, if you do agree upon rules there will be less power play by your child against the both of you. Divorced or not, do not let your child get away with pitting one parent against the other.
Let's take another scenario. John wails to his mother, "Tommy hit me! He always hits me!" Just because Tommy hit his brother, John, once or even four times during their life together does not mean Tommy always does it. But John wants sympathy. He is making a power play. He thinks he can control the situation if he can enlist your support. He thinks by saying this he can influence your reaction. Dodge the power play. John is making a sweeping generalization which is not based on true evidence. Yes, you should give Tommy a consequence for hitting his brother, but you should also tell John that Tommy does not hit him all the time. And if he makes untrue statements like this people will not believe him when it counts.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
To get rid of oil spots on driveway.
I've tried this remedy myself many times. For fresh oil spots on asphalt driveways.
1- Get to oil spot as soon as possible.
2- Pour liquid dish washing soap on the oil spot.
3- Use an old toothbrush and scrub spot.
4- Wash with spray hose.
5- Clean spot again with liquid soap.
6- Scrub.
7- Rewash.
1- Get to oil spot as soon as possible.
2- Pour liquid dish washing soap on the oil spot.
3- Use an old toothbrush and scrub spot.
4- Wash with spray hose.
5- Clean spot again with liquid soap.
6- Scrub.
7- Rewash.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Movie Review: National Treasure
Movie Title: National Treasure. Adventure. Rated PG. Nicolas Cage plays Ben Gates, a treasure hunter. With a group of other treasure hunters he sets out to find the Treasure of the Knights Templar. Ben discovers that a map to the treasure could be on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Some of the treasure hunters want to steal the document, but Ben won't do it, so he's betrayed. Ben and his friend Riley try to warn officials that the Declaration of Independence will be stolen. They aren't believed. In order to keep it safe Ben hatches a plan to steal it himself. With a cute museum employee in tow Ben and Riley dodge bullets and bad guys to preserve our founding father's document from getting into the wrong hands. Good plot. Nice adventure flick. Worth renting.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Parenting Article: Fight Back Against Nightmares
Sometimes children have nightmares. But if your child is losing sleep by frequently waking up with them you need to find out the root of the problem. And do something about it. Death. Divorce. Parents who frequently argue. Instability in the home. School bullies. All can cause stress. Stress can manifest itself in nightmares. If your child has serious stress I urge you to see your family doctor.
Simple help for night frights. If your child wakes up with a bad dream go to them. Reassure them you're there and they are safe. Do not ever yell at your child because they woke you up. Try this: Give your child a reassuring hug and ask them what's wrong. Their answer might or might not make sense. Either way you can say something like, "Boy, that seems to have upset you." You are giving them comfort by understanding they are upset. Even if the dream doesn't seem scary to you it was to them so you need to empathize. You can say, "That does seem like a scary dream." After you comfort them, get your child to focus on something else. Ask them if they would like to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom. If your child keeps crying you can tell them a funny story that happened that day; Or something funny the dog did last week. The intention is to get them to stop thinking about the nightmare so they can go back to sleep. You can talk more about their nightmare the next day when they are more awake and have gotten some sleep.
Reoccurring bad dreams. During a quiet moment, at breakfast or after school, ask your child questions about their latest nightmare. If they say a big hairy gorilla ran up to them, picked them up and yelled "Scram!" think about this. Did you child watch a gorilla movie on T.V. two days ago? It might have been too scary for them. This gives you the heads up on what your child can deal with. Monitor what they watch. No more scary movies. And be proactive. Ask, "How do you think you can stop having bad dreams?" They might not know. Or they might know. Deep down inside they might know they shouldn't be watching scary movies. Or they might give you a revelation. "The gorilla looked like dad." Does your husband scream at your child for not doing his homework, or for being late for dinner? This could be scaring your child.
To combat bad dreams. When your child goes to bed get them to think happy thoughts. Anything from vacations, their dog, making a triple hitter, etc. The sky's the limit. Also, let them read a funny story before going to sleep so that's the last thing they remember. If your child is young tell them, or read to them, a happy or funny story. Also try this: During the day, get your child to think of ways to stop a dream if it starts going bad. If a gorilla runs after them again in a dream, they should firmly think, "He can't hurt me!" Have them see in their mind's eye a big feather. With this feather they should tickle the gorilla to make it laugh. As the gorilla laughs he grows smaller and smaller until he disappears. Now your child is safe.
Please be proactive. Some parents tend to think, less said soonest mended. I believe this is not true with reoccurring nightmares. Acknowledge there is a problem and set out to try to solve it. If you don't teach your children how to solve a problem, how will they ever learn to solve problems? Ignoring a problem doesn't make it magically disappear. And I believe it can cause further problems down the road.
The case of Mr. Boney. One little three-year-old I knew kept having nightmares of a boney man who would lean over her bed and scare her. This happened about a week after Halloween. Her parent and I were inclined to think it started due to seeing a child dressed up as a skeleton on Halloween night. The three-year-old was asked what might help make Mr. Boney go away. She wasn't sure. It was suggested that putting up many signs around her room saying, "Mr. Boney STAY AWAY!" might help. This was done and it helped. The nightmares lessened and gradually went away. Lesson to be learned: Try to find the cause. Then take action against the nightmare.
Simple help for night frights. If your child wakes up with a bad dream go to them. Reassure them you're there and they are safe. Do not ever yell at your child because they woke you up. Try this: Give your child a reassuring hug and ask them what's wrong. Their answer might or might not make sense. Either way you can say something like, "Boy, that seems to have upset you." You are giving them comfort by understanding they are upset. Even if the dream doesn't seem scary to you it was to them so you need to empathize. You can say, "That does seem like a scary dream." After you comfort them, get your child to focus on something else. Ask them if they would like to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom. If your child keeps crying you can tell them a funny story that happened that day; Or something funny the dog did last week. The intention is to get them to stop thinking about the nightmare so they can go back to sleep. You can talk more about their nightmare the next day when they are more awake and have gotten some sleep.
Reoccurring bad dreams. During a quiet moment, at breakfast or after school, ask your child questions about their latest nightmare. If they say a big hairy gorilla ran up to them, picked them up and yelled "Scram!" think about this. Did you child watch a gorilla movie on T.V. two days ago? It might have been too scary for them. This gives you the heads up on what your child can deal with. Monitor what they watch. No more scary movies. And be proactive. Ask, "How do you think you can stop having bad dreams?" They might not know. Or they might know. Deep down inside they might know they shouldn't be watching scary movies. Or they might give you a revelation. "The gorilla looked like dad." Does your husband scream at your child for not doing his homework, or for being late for dinner? This could be scaring your child.
To combat bad dreams. When your child goes to bed get them to think happy thoughts. Anything from vacations, their dog, making a triple hitter, etc. The sky's the limit. Also, let them read a funny story before going to sleep so that's the last thing they remember. If your child is young tell them, or read to them, a happy or funny story. Also try this: During the day, get your child to think of ways to stop a dream if it starts going bad. If a gorilla runs after them again in a dream, they should firmly think, "He can't hurt me!" Have them see in their mind's eye a big feather. With this feather they should tickle the gorilla to make it laugh. As the gorilla laughs he grows smaller and smaller until he disappears. Now your child is safe.
Please be proactive. Some parents tend to think, less said soonest mended. I believe this is not true with reoccurring nightmares. Acknowledge there is a problem and set out to try to solve it. If you don't teach your children how to solve a problem, how will they ever learn to solve problems? Ignoring a problem doesn't make it magically disappear. And I believe it can cause further problems down the road.
The case of Mr. Boney. One little three-year-old I knew kept having nightmares of a boney man who would lean over her bed and scare her. This happened about a week after Halloween. Her parent and I were inclined to think it started due to seeing a child dressed up as a skeleton on Halloween night. The three-year-old was asked what might help make Mr. Boney go away. She wasn't sure. It was suggested that putting up many signs around her room saying, "Mr. Boney STAY AWAY!" might help. This was done and it helped. The nightmares lessened and gradually went away. Lesson to be learned: Try to find the cause. Then take action against the nightmare.
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