Book Review: Emma Dilemma, Big Sister Poems

Emma Dilemma, Big Sister Poems by Kristine O’Connell George. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Great gift idea for a little girl who has a younger sister. Book is a collection of poems about a little sister with pictures that match. Poems are easy to read, and are about everyday situations dealing with a little sister.

Part 2- Sugar and Kids

During the no sugar policy, the child from Part 1 was allowed juice. Everyday. More than once a day. Her mother didn't think juice counted as a treat. A tall glass of apple juice was even tried for a substitute for wanting a sugary solid treat. I explained to the mother juices contain high amounts of sugar so she was actually defeating her no sugar purpose. She stated her juices weren't from concentrate. Just look on a bottle of juice not made from concentrate and you'll see it still has a high sugar content. Talk to your pediatrician. Having tall glasses of juice, whether it be orange, apple, grape juice, etc. everyday, more than once a day, is the way of the past for young kids. The small orange juice glasses you see served at restaurants are the new juice glass for kids. Talk to you family doctor but I was informed four ounces a day of juice is okay. Also, you might already know this but babies and toddlers shouldn't fall asleep with juice or milk bottles in their mouth. It's bad for their teeth. If your child absolutely loves juice try this, do half water half juice. I find juices so sugary tasting that mixing it with water actually makes it taste better. Start doing this when your child is young so they don't get use to the really sugary taste of 100% juice. You can try even less than half juice to the mixture of water if you want.

Movie Review: Escape to Witch Mountain

Movie Title: Escape to Witch Mountain. Disney Film. Rated G. As a child this movie was a favorite of a friend of mine. She saw it over and over and over. Two orphan siblings have special powers. (They can move objects, ESP…) The little girl knows a man will get hurt if he gets in a car. The man believes her. His car is hit. The man tells his rich employer, Mr. Bolt, about the psychic little girl. Mr. Bolt invites the brother and sister to live with him. He wants to harness their powers for his own gain. The kids run away. They hitch a ride with a cranky old man. They get him to take them to where they think they came from. It ends up the kids are from another planet. And that's why they have special powers. This is a cute film. Kids will like the sibling's special powers. My favorite part: When Mr. Bolt's helicopter flies upside down.

Part 1 of 5 Part Article on Sugar and Kids

The first time I remember tasting ice cream was when I was five. I fell in love with it and we've been going steady ever since. But as a child I didn't see it every night, and before me and my true love could be together I had to eat a healthy meal.

There are some new parents who have grand plans. They intend to be militant about their children's sugar intake. Other parents go to the far left with the attitude, "What's the point, my kids will see lots of sugary foods in the real world." I had a friend whose parents believed this. Their house was like a mini candy store. It was a kid's paradise. My friend didn't have a sweet tooth, preferring salty foods instead like pickles and nuts (Which also should be monitored with kids. Because too much salt isn't a good thing either.). So she wasn't tempted by the sweets she said. However, with her sister it was a different matter. She had a sweet tooth and ate and ate sweets. While my friend stayed thin and never had a cavity until she was an adult, her sister became obese and had many cavities. I do believe some children crave sweets more than others. So what is a parent to do?

As a former nanny this is my take. Unless your child has a medical condition where they shouldn't have sweets, I personally don't believe in totally denying your child of sweets. Case in point: There was a mother who had a rule her children couldn't have any brown or white sugar sweets. Her children would see other kids eat sweets in school, at birthday parties and other places. Her kids saw relatives eating sweets with delight at get-togethers. One of her children desperately wanted to try sweets. At a family gathering, behind their mother's back, this child consumed a very large amount of sugary treats. The child got a belly ache. But there was no going back. The more this child's mother wouldn't let her have treats the more she wanted it. Even if she had to steal it at family functions. It got worse. The child felt bad for having a small sliver of cake at birthday parties. When the child would come home her mother would ask, "Did you have any cake at the party?" The child would purposely lie, knowing if she said yes her mother would be very disappointed. All this because she was denied something other kids in her circle got. This child was a very loving, honest child except when it came to sweets. Horrible tantrums were soon happening over sugary treats. Since things weren't working out the child's mother, thankfully, got rid of her absolutely "no sugar" policy. The child felt a lot better not having to lie to her mother about having a small amount of treats at parties and at friends' houses.

Emergency tip: Flashlights

Keep a flashlight near your bed in case of an emergency. Have flashlights in strategic places around the house, like the kitchen, bathroom, garage, etc. Remember to check batteries every so often. If there is a blackout and your child is in the bathroom, having a flashlight there will let them see, and thus they'll feel a little safer.

How to make stone magnet pictures

Arts and Craft Project: Refrigerator magnets.
What you need: Old magnets, clear stones used in vases (about an inch big and comes in netted bags), tiny face photos of family pet or person, or draw a tiny picture of heart, star, etc., and clear glue.
What to do: Cut photo or tiny picture to size of bottom of see through stone. Glue picture, upwards, to flat bottom of stone so you can see it when you look down at stone. Once glue has dried, glue magnet under the picture. Once magnet dries, cut to size of stone.

Movie Review: Lady and the Tramp

Movie Title: Lady and the Tramp. Disney movie. Animation. Rated G. I've seen this movie at least five times. It's a cute film so I don't mind watching it with kids. It's a classic dogs are good, cats are a pain movie. Lady is a pampered pooch. Until her mistress has a baby that is. A family member with two cats comes to help out and treats Lady like a dog. Her two sly cats make things difficult for Lady. Lady meets a free spirited mutt, Tramp. Together they have adventures and fun. They fall in love. A timeless scene is when the two dogs share a plate of spaghetti. In the end Lady ends up a pampered pooch again. And Tramp comes to live with her humans. Little kids should like this movie. It's got dogs and more dogs.