Healthy Food Choices and Storage

You are beginning to feel claustrophobic inside a fully packed vehicle on what seems like the longest road trip of your life when your youngest yells "I'm hungry!" You see the golden arches but know that your claustrophobia will only turn into diuretic revenge and multiple pit stops on the next lag of your travels so you keep looking...and looking. But let's face it - when it comes to family restaurants, healthy choices are few and hard to find.  

We all know that the healthier option would be to stop at a family restaurant that offers salads, fruits & vegetables, and fresh meat, but more often than not they are hard to find. Applebees and places like Ruby Tuesday with a build your own salad bar are not exactly on major checkpoints along the interstate and not everyone can afford a meal for 4 (or more) PLUS tip. For one reason or another, we almost always opt to stop at - YES - McDonald's because it is convenient.  But do not fret - I have done the research for you and I am here to share some healthy food choices at those family friendly fast food restaurants.

Side note: My favorite at Mickey-D's is the Grilled Chicken Asian Salad.

Don't forget to pin these to your Pinterest board for easy access!

http://www.eatthis.com/

http://www.eatthis.com/mcdonalds-menu-items-ranked

What about when you are home and you have spent the entire day cleaning, folding, or dusting? You

haven't gone grocery shopping in over a week and you forget to make dinner plans. At the last minute you scramble to find something in your fridge that does not have a furry green coating all over it or filmy curdles inside the container. You start tossing "out-dated" foods and you are left with zero options for dinner.  Instead of ordering Take-Out, take a step back.  More often than not, we are throwing away perfectly good food. Allow me to provide some great cheat sheets that will help explain what those curious USE BY and SELL BY dates really mean.

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-ozs-ultimate-shelf-life-cheat-sheet

Lights, Camera, Action!

This is me at age 17 on the front page of our 

local newspaper performing as Dorothy from

The Wizard of Oz.

Many of my friends today don't know this about me but when I was a little girl I dreamed of becoming a MOVIE STAR. I dreamed of walking down the red carpet wearing couture Jean Paul Gaultier gowns and speaking to members of the press.  I was a dreamer, a drama-filled child with my head in the clouds and a giant horizon in front of me. From the time I was 3 years old I was singing duets and solos in public. I started acting in musicals when I was 8 and by the time I was 10 I was competing in music competitions.  My whole life revolved around drama and music so it came as no surprise to my family when I declared Theater as my minor in college. I would have declared it as my major at the time but something was telling me that I should have a good back-up plan.  

I was naturally an introvert but on stage I could be someone different. I could be loud! I could be crazy! I could be a lawyer, a doctor, or a scientist! I could block out the world and be bold and confident. It was a great escape for me.

As the years past, I lost more and more of that confidence on stage, but my daughter found it. This girl does not only exude confidence on the stage but off the stage as well.  She has been speaking eloquently since her first spoken word and her determination is motivational.  What I  lacked as a naturally introverted thespian, my daughter radiates.

Last week, my 9 year old performed as the Aquaduck in her first real musical production, Alladin. She was anxious about delivering her lines on cue but showed no signs of nervousness. She was determined to make this character her own. She lit up the stage and instead of waving at her family in the audience, she stayed in character and refused to break that fourth wall, a skill many kids are unable to achieve. Music and the theater may be in her blood but it is her confidence that will take her places, and ...

"Oh The Places {she} Will Go!"

Looking for ways to build your child's confidence? Here are some fun techniques to get your child's playful imagination going while building speech and improvisation skills...

        

Are These Really Dinosaur Remains?

I was about eighteen when I visited Drumheller, Alberta for the first time.  It was an experience I will never forget.  For a moment, I was stepping back into the Cretaceous period staring at the splendor of ancient Hoodoo pillars cut from dry land and sifting through sand to catch a glimpse of prehistoric dinosaur fossils. For a moment, I was stepping into a scene from The Flintstones walking on hand-scraped earth and skirting the world's largest T-Rex. For a moment, I was a wide-eyed kid again searching for answers to the most complex palaeontological questions. 

My friends and I were visiting a local church when we were invited to tour the backyard of a man from the congregation. Most men would be embarrassed to have visitors see an uprooted yard, but this man was excited!  And he had every reason to be. After all, this man was standing on a gold mine. Not literally, of course, but close enough.  What he had found was not unheard of in Drumheller, but it took him by surprise. One day, while doing yard-work, he had found what appeared to be fossilized remains of ancient dinosaurs. Too good to be true?  Maybe, but the professionals were called in and proved his theory correct.  So, being the innocent teenager that I was, I took the man aside and asked, "Can I take some of these fossils home with me?"  He reached down and picked-up a handful of bone-like remains and said, "This is what they are letting me keep, but you can have a few pieces."  I jumped at the opportunity - because - well....not everyone can say they own a piece of history like this....right?!

Are These Really Dinosaur Remains?

As it turns out, I am not sure if these pieces hold any historic value, but it's still fun to tell the story.  I have held onto these "remains" for 20 years but still I am no closer to the truth.  Maybe you can tell me if they are, indeed, thousands of years old.  According to my eight year old son, they belong to a Velociraptor or maybe a Pterodactyl. Or maybe, just maybe, they belong to the Albertosaurus, discovered in 1884 and appropriately named after Alberta became a province in 1905.

Like a lot of kids, I wanted to be an archaeologist.  I wanted to travel the world and dust away layers of sediment until I found the one.  That was until I was 15 years old and saw Jurassic Park and was scared away from any and all things dinosaur!

 

But my little man is different.  He loves the Jurassic movies and he loves learning about different species of dinosaurs. He may be little, but like his daddy, he is a scientist.  He knows more about animals than any of us and if you try to pull the wool over his eyes he will correct you.  I love that about him.  I love that he loves science!

Final Homework for 2nd Grade: WRITE A STORY ABOUT ANYTHING

And here is my plug.  If you are wondering where to go for your summer vacation, head to Alberta.  Yes, I may be a little bias seeing it is my homeland, but there is so much to experience in and around the major cities.  From The World Waterpark in the famous West Edmonton Mall, to the world's richest tournament style rodeo The Calgary Stampede, to the dinosaur capital of the world, Drumheller, there is so much to see and learn.  So get out there, explore and have fun!

Much to Learn

I did some crazy things when I was pregnant with my firstborn. I put my keys in the freezer, stored plates in the microwave (instead of the cupboard), burnt our Formica countertops with a hot cookie sheet, ate a bowl of Fruitloops every day, and dipped French Fries in my Wendy's Frosty.  You would think this would be a fairly normal occurrence for a right-brained person like myself but when it comes to organizing and planning I am extremely left-brained.

My husband is an Engineer who loves strategy and details (left-brain) and I am a Writer who loves creativity and imagination (right-brain).  There has been an ongoing theory that opposites attract which may indicate why my husband and I work well together.

But, what about kids? My husband and I have 2 children and even though they lean more to one side, they both have an almost equal balance between right and left brain. This may be what causes conflict between them sometimes.  This may be why they are doing well in ALL subjects in school. Or maybe it is completely unexplainable and their personalities will modify over time.

Science is interesting! 

{To find out if you are right or left brained, click here to take a short quiz.}

In our family, we don't do cable TV.  We do, however, watch a lot of Netflix and Sling. If we are not eating popcorn and watching movies, we are cuddling up on the couch watching science shows.  I mean, who doesn't like experiments - right?!

So, I have compiled a list of 5 family friendly science shows for you to consider as you surf through the sea of binge-worthy Netflix shows. They are listed in order of our family's preference, but keep in mind that our kids are 8 and 9 years old so if you have younger ones you may want to search Netflix for shows that are more age appropriate (ie. Bill Ney The Science Guy or Wild Kratts).

And in the words of Yoda, "Much to learn, you still have!"

1. Street Genius

Synopsis: Host Tim Shaw creates interesting experiments and challenges {street} guests to guess their outcomes.
Rating: TV-PG
Year: 2013-2014
Topics: Physics, Chemistry, Engineering
Episodes Available: 21 Episodes

2. Brain Games

Synopsis: An examination of the nature of human perception and how it can be fooled.
Rating: TV-G
Year: 2011-
Topics: Optical Illusions, Perception, Motor Skills, Neurology
Episodes Available: 59 Episodes






3. The Blue Planet

Synopsis: The first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world’s oceans.
Rating: TV-G
Year: 2001
Topics: Ocean/Aquatic Life
Episodes Available: 8 Episodes




4. Expedition Unknown

Synopsis: An archeologist travels around the world in search of the unknown and missing ancient artifacts.
Rating: TV-PG
Year: 2015-
Topics: Archaeology, Geology, History
Episodes Available: 36 Episodes


5. The Big Picture

Synopsis: Host and producer Kal Penn shows how things like money, food, sports and crime influence our daily lives.
Rating: TV-PG
Year: 2015-
Topics: Geography, Anthropology, Economy
Episodes Available: 11 Episodes

We Are Not Getting Any Younger

Did you know that some women cry?  It's true!  I am not lying to you!  Some women cry and not just a tear here or a tear there.  They all-out CRY - the ugly cry - for no good reason!

For years, I was not that woman.  I was the type that would bottle up my emotions and, as strange as it may sound, I took pride in my inability to cry.  Maybe it was the result of always trying to be the rock for others and, at times, the peacemaker.

But then came parenthood.

I cried the day my first child was born. I'm sure the lack of sleep and more than 24 hours of laboring played a tiny factor in the tears, but I cried and I haven't stopped since.  Every time I see my child win a race or do something nice for someone else I get overwhelmed with emotions and I just have to turn my head and cry a little. Today was no different...

I started my morning off with a trip to the dermatologist where she explained to me that the new brown spots on my skin were of no concern and that I was just "getting older."  Wait, WHAT?!  Surely they were not age spots and surely I did not just use the words "when I was in my twenties" to a doctor who was obviously younger than me.  Didn't I just turn 25 yesterday?  And that's when it hit me....in just a few short weeks I will be turning 38!

When I got back to the car, I may or may not have cried a little.

Next stop?  The clothing store - because nothing cures a broken heart like a little bit of bargain hunting.  I grabbed a mountain of garments that looked super cute on the mannequins and headed straight for the dressing room. Nope! Too tight!  Nope! Too short!  Nope! Too trashy!  I felt like Goldilocks searching for the perfect fit.  After a half hour in the dressing room, I walked away with two pairs of shorts that will look good on me when I lose 5 pounds and a one-size-fits-all bra that will never give the girls that boost of confidence they deserve.

I hopped in the car, turned the corner and convinced myself I'd have better luck searching for kids clothes for my 8 & 9 year olds.

And that's when I got slapped in the face! Not literally, of course, but I may as well have been. I walked through the doors of this really trendy juniors store and immediately came face-to-face with a rack full of cut-off tank-tops and booty shorts.  If you don't know what booty shorts are, they are the kind of shorts that barely cover your butt.  The kind of shorts that are definitely not in the school dress code.  The kind of shorts that would likely get me arrested if I ever attempted to wear them around town so why would I buy them for my 9 year old daughter?  But I decided to give the store a try anyway. I inched my way further and further into the store and within 5 minutes I had tears in my eyes AGAIN.  I stood there in a daze, probably from the trance-like music playing on the loud speaker, and wondered how my kids got to the age where I was buying clothes at this kind of store.  How did I go from crying over my baby's ear aches and tumbles off the monkey bars to crying over them growing-up?  But there I was, in the middle of a skater store with tears in my eyes {and a headache from the loud music}.

I understand that not every woman is the same. Some have kids - some don't. Some look like super models - most of us don't.  Some cry - some don't.  But in the end we are all women - a species so complex we are unlike any other. We know who we are, we embrace who we've become, and we hold on for dear life that the best is yet to come. 

Because My Son Has Been Bullied

My son was only about 4 years old when he was bullied for the first time.  It took place at our neighborhood park where a couple of kids twice his age were playing a game of chase. They ran over and under and through the play structure several times as they ignored my two little kids who were playing on the kiddie slide.  My daughter has always been a brick - a tough cookie with thick skin and a personality to boot.  My son, on the other hand, is naturally shy with tendencies to curl-up and cry if he is scared or mistreated in any way. Yes, he's a mama's boy and I am ok with that....most of the time.

Back to this bully.  My son was minding his business, climbing the structure when one of the older boys came plowing past him putting the entire force of his body on my little boy's forearm.  Had this kid put any more pressure on my son's arm it would have been broken, but thankfully it was {likely} just a sprain and the pain went away within a few days.  The kid did not stop to say sorry.  He didn't even stop to help him up.  He just kept running and pushing everyone out of his way. Unfortunately, I did not say anything.  I did not stand up for my son.  I did not scold the kid for hurting him.  I just scooped up my teary-eyed boy and walked behind my daughter's bike as we made our way back to our house.

I was present again when my son was bullied the second time.  Again, it was at our neighborhood park and my daughter was playing tag with an older boy. He tried to get my son to play as well by yelling "Hey, what's your name?" to which my son replied "It's Declan." They proceeded to play tag for twenty minutes as the kid kept making Declan be IT. My boy was tired and sweating from the hot summer sun. He rested at the bottom of the slide and then heard the kid yell again. "Ducklan! Here Ducky! Duck Duck Goose!  Goosey!  Goosey, come and get me!" That was when Declan lost it.  He threw bark dust at the kid and ran over to me crying.  I have to admit, I don't blame him. I know he was wrong to throw bark dust but his feelings were hurt and so were mine.  I declared it GAME OVER, walked over to that kid and simply said "My son's name is Declan!" and left it at that.  We gathered our things and headed for home.

These are just two instances of bullying that I have witnessed but I know it happens way more when I am not around.  I have heard stories about things happening at school.  I have heard stories about things happening at birthday parties and on the soccer field.  Bullies are everywhere - in the schoolyard, online, in our own family - and all we can do is stand up for the ones we love and say NO to bullies.  Say NO to name-calling, to rumors, and tears! 

When your child does not have words - be his voice.  When your child does not have the guts - be his strength. When the rest of the world is shutting him out - be his friend.

Together we can end bullying.


If you are looking for a way to speak to your child about bullying, please download my latest book:
Billy Barlow and the Bacon Lovin' Bully.

10 Kid Friendly Pranks

My family loves to celebrate every holiday including April Fools Day. While I do not like being on the receiving end of practical jokes, I believe it is my duty as a wife and a mother to pull one over on my kids and husband every year.  That's fair, right?!

I am here to make your day just as special as ours.  I have compiled a list of my favorite April Fools Day pranks that are not only easy but kid friendly too.

Healthy Treat!

Use a small cake-pop stick to poke into a fruit or vegetable and wrap it using a lollipop wrapper.  Place it into your child's school lunch bag so they find it at lunch time.

Toothpaste Oreos!

Remove the frosting from inside the Oreos and fill them with toothpaste.  Offer them as an after-school snack and watch your kids squirm when they take their first bite.

Sunny Side-up?

What could be better than a delicious egg in the morning? How about a peach atop a flattened spread of Greek yogurt?!  Your hubby (or kids) will think they are eating an egg, until he takes that first bite!  Watch as his face begins to pucker!

TV Trouble!

Before the kids attempt to turn on the television, place a piece of clear tape across the area that sends the signal to the TV.  You can also place a piece of tape across the TV's receiver.  Watch as the kids go crazy over a broken remote.  They may even try changing the batteries without even noticing the tape and BAM!  "Mom! Our TV remote is broken!"

Solid Juice!

While the kids are sleeping the night before, make Jello inside a clear glass and stick a straw in it.  When the Jello hardens it will look like juice. That first sip will be a doozie!

Brownies Anyone?

Ask the kids if they want a brownie and when they say yes offer them a plate full of brown E's.

Balloon Pillow!

Before the kids go to bed, remove their pillows from their pillow cases. Partially inflate a few balloons and insert them inside the cases for one last HOORAH! before they end their fun-filled April Fools Day.

Spilled Milk!

You may need to prepare this one ahead of time. Squeeze some Elmers Glue onto a non-stick surface.  When it is set, peel the glue off the surface and place it on your child's (or husband's) computer.  You may just see them cry over spilled milk!

Chocolate Grapes?

Replace old Easter chocolates with grapes. Give them as an afterschool treat or place them in the kids' lunchbox for a fun lunchtime prank.

Balloon Avalanche!

While your child is sleeping, inflate a dozen or so balloons. Cut open two large garbage sacks and tape them across your child's bedroom door.  Start dropping the balloons down through the opening in the top until all balloons are inside the sacks.  The next morning when your child opens his door he will be caught in the middle of a balloon avalanche. HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!