I decided to put my idea to the test. Now that my 2 children away at university, my compose pile is bigger. I am realized I was still cooking for four and not all leftovers are consumed (can you believe my dogs don’t eat salmon). I decided to be scientific about it and put together the measuring can and tried each week to get a read on what goes to waste. I was able to reduce significantly.

Has your child ever finished a full sandwich and if so, you could always prepare the second half if requested. PJ was the only student I ever saw eat an entire sandwich (and actually ate two) and KCH will be 20 years old in June 2012. Raw carrots are a great snack but have you ever eaten 10 at one sitting? A ½ sandwich and 2 raw carrots may be perfect. Even a full apple gets a few bites and off to the trash.

Money, saving the environment, teaching good eating habits, helping our children learn proper serving sizes, saving of our time, reduce packaging waist, could be some of the benefits to this challenge. PJ was the only student I ever saw eat an entire sandwich (and actually ate two) and KCH will be 20 years old in June 2012.

Serving Sizes for Lunch or Dinner by Age
According to the USDA Child and Adult Food Program guidelines, the following serving sizes are recommended for children ages 3 -5: Ages 3-5
1 serving of milk

¾ cup fluid milk

2 servings of fruit or vegetables

½ cup of juice, fruit and/or vegetables

1 serving of meat or meat alternative

1.5 ounces meat, poultry, fish, or meat alternative or

1.5 ounces of cheese or

¾ cup egg or

3/8 cup beans or

3/4 ounce nuts

1 serving of grains:

½ slice of bread or

1/3 cup cereal or

¼ cup pasta or

½ serving of biscuit, roll, or muffin

Sample Serving Sizes for Two Year Olds
Sue Adair, Senior Manager of Quality Assurance at The Goddard School recommends the following examples of meals with appropriate serving sizes for two year olds:

Breakfast sample:

½ cup of milk

¼ cup juice, fruit or vegetable

½ slice of bread or ¼ cup of cereal

Snack sample (select 2 of the 4 components)

½ cup of milk

½ ounce of meat or meat alternate (see below)

½ cup of juice, fruit or vegetable

½ slice of bread or ¼ cup of cereal

Lunch or Dinner sample:

1 ounce meat or meat alternate (meat, poultry or fish, cooked)

1 ounce cheese

2 ounces or ¼ cup of cottage cheese or cheese spread

1 egg

¼ cup dry beans or peas

2 Tbsp. of peanut butter or other nut/seed butters

4 ounces or ½ cup of yogurt

¼ cup of vegetable and/or fruit

½ slice of bread

http://www.childcaresoftwarestore.com/foods-and-serving-sizes-for-children.html

We all know the feeling that could trigger a tantrum: Losing a call after 100 prompts, 15 minutes of waiting and never talking to a person is one of mine!  Fortunately, we all learn over time that although it may give us some release, a tantrum isn’t an option-well, most of us know that!

Recently I overheard Ms Maria ask our PC moms for a topic they’d like to discuss.  Dealing with “tantrums” was brought up with a unanimous voice of agreement. Dealing with tantrums is something we all encounter at one point in our parenting career.

I have good news; we CAN control the frequency or repetition of the behavior by controlling OUR RESPONSE. I know, is easy to say, but hard to do.  Well, here are four simple steps to help:

#1 Acknowledge the feeling. “I see you are very upset.”

#2 Let your child know you are in support of them. “I would like to help you.”

#3 Labels the behavior. “You are having a tantrum and that is unacceptable”

#4 DO NOT respond to the tantrum behavior. “Come to me when you are done with your tantrum so I can help you.” WALK AWAY

CONSISTANTLY! CONSISTANTLY! CONSISTANTLY! DID I MENTION CONSISTANTLY!

Keep your voice friendly so your child will want to approach you for comfort and help. Remember, something is disappointing them.

I am NOT a big proponent of TIME OUTS. I would rather call it a FEEL BETTER chair (corner etc.). Some parents have relayed that their child has actually placed themselves in their ‘feel better chair’ when they are upset. You want your child to know you’re on their side, but they also need to learn ways to calm themselves when they are disappointed. We often tell our children what NOT to do but neglect to tell what they CAN do instead. Do tell your child what he CAN do. The results will be amazing.

Another tip is to teach them acceptable options when the behavior isn’t happening. When your child and you are in a happy situation, bring up the behavior and ask them what they could do differently next time. I suggest this communication for all ages. Even a 1 year old is learning to communicate and understand and will process much more then you may imagine.

Remember, discipline is not anger; Discipline is teaching with love and support. ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

As always, thank you for your constant support. Ms.Carol

Reduce Stress with a smile

One interesting research on the benefits of smiling discovered it has the same effect as eating 2000 chocolate bars. (Now that’s got to be good for you!)

I have worked with children for over twenty-five years, and my dealings with them continue to evolve.  Helping children interact with each other in a way that brings satisfaction to all parties is one of my most important and frequented tasks.  Although each child arrives with unique and sometimes perplexing attitudes towards their peers, my techniques for teaching them to interact appropriately remain the same.

Sharing is one primary skill that can be extremely challenging in the early years, and we can probably all think of some adult who still has not mastered it!  At the Kids Club House we have a language we give the children to help them cope with these sharing issues. For example, if a child would like what another has, he is to ask, “May I have a turn?” The child with the toy may answer “Yes.” or “I am not done yet; I’ll give it to you when I’m done.” When the child is done playing, we help him find the child waiting for a turn and share the toy while stating, “I’m done now. You can have a turn.”  Even after a heated tug of war, most children will happily hand over the requested toy when using the above model. Recently, however, I added an additional step in my coaching, which has made huge difference in getting a “Yes” response.  I tell the child wanting the toy to SMILE at their friend while asking for it.  Just adding the smile makes the “yes” rate go up tremendously.

I thought we could apply this ‘happy face attitude’ to our parenting as well. We often approach our children in anger when we have not been able to get them to comply with our initial request(s!). I wonder if our results would change if we tried requesting with a smile, down at they’re level, right in their face. Often time’s parent’s resort to yelling because they say their children simply won’t listen.  I believe yelling is a stress release for the parent and encourages continued non- listening by the child.  A physical smile can also release stress and staying positive may lead to a quicker reduction of the conflict.

Ron Gutman adds more on the subject of a SMILE on this Ted Lecture:

www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling.html

I’ll demonstrate:  Time to hit the grocery store. I am faced with the option of taking all four kids with me or passing the responsibility to my husband who takes total advantage of the situation and is unlikely to return until well after dinner.  Determined to make it out of the door within the hour, I decide to forego coupons (side story:  I have three weeks’ worth to look at and clip.  Some have probably even expired by now, but the very sight of scissors whips the kids up into a “craft frenzy”.  Let’s face it:  glue, sparkles and construction paper are not going to help me get the Q-tips that we ran out of two weeks ago and frankly I’m beginning to wonder if the wax buildup really is the reason they don’t listen.  Plus, the ten dollar savings just isn’t worth the tears and gut wrenching near misses of vital organs with sharp blades.)  I shoehorn the baby into her infant carrier – she does every conceivable thing she can to make this an arduous endeavor, including (but not limited to):  arching her back, kicking her feet, and turning blueish from severe crying and screaming.  Lately, she’s even tried to bite me.  I lug her out to the car and begin union-style negotiations with the 2 year old over which shoes to wear (she wants her father’s lawn cutting shoes, I am pushing for sensible sneakers…. we settle on rain boots). Now, I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, but clearly there is some subversive mission in effect here.  Evidence #1 :  The two year old distracts me with requests for milk, pacifiers, crayons and dolls.  Evidence #2 :  One boy hops on his bike (helmetless) and takes off down the driveway with peals of maniacal laughter.  Evidence #3:  The other boy beelines for the sandbox, glancing over his shoulder as he runs.

This is not an isolated incident; it’s one of many… per day.  And I love it.  Don’t mistake my enthusiasm for change with exasperation.  But getting to compare prices in the grocery store would be preferable to the 15 minute aisle dash (not including a bathroom run and a slight incident with a mint display) like I’m on some crazy game show where the goal is to fill up the cart as fast as I can. Having a shower where my daughter doesn’t bust in (sometimes fully clothed) and pee on my foot is something I secretly look forward to.  Personal growth has taken a backseat to the vigilance in wiping, teaching, unteaching, packing, unpacking and repacking.  It’s not that I disagree with Carol’s point about nurturing self-interests, but as the sole provider for almost every single need my four children have, I’m not really in a position to do much soul searching.  On the contrary:  My kids have redefined me. They’ve given me patience, direction and a sense of humor (it’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you have poop on your hands a few times a day).   Frankly, I’m happy being a wife and mother.  Immersing myself in my family and my children gives me a personal completeness that I haven’t found anywhere else.  At this stage, I don’t need to seek out happiness or growth because I’m satisfied with my place in this world.  The changes that come my way are not sought out – they are more like adaptations out of necessity.

So, yes, I will miss my son when he goes off to kindergarten in the fall.  But I don’t have the luxury of dwelling on it because as soon as he steps on the bus, I will be picking the younger toddler out of the poison ivy and making the mad sprint back to the house to put the older toddler on the potty.  These big changes are part of letting go.  Like my dad always gently reminds me:  Letting go is part of the deal.

– Laurie Arias

Change is something we sometimes fear, especially when it relates to the growth and development of our children.  It is so fun to hold onto these sweet years, but here is the message: No matter how hard you find ways to hold on, you just can’t stop the change! Continuing to take off their coat when they are perfectly capable of doing it on their own, speaking for them when they can speak for themselves, taking charge of decisions they can make on their own will only compromise their healthy independence vs. stopping their “growth”.

We need to remember that change is constant, and that includes our need to continually redefine our roll in our children’s life.  Our own growth outside of being a parent must stay constant as well. As your parental roll changes, be prepared to nurture your outside interests and love relationships to maintain a balance; by doing so, as the wings on your little one grow, the empty nest feels more roomy for your own spreading wings rather than the feeling of an empty nest.

http://www.clicker.com/web/ted-talks/ric-elias–3-things-i-learned-while-my-plane-crashed-1639391/

According to The Green Hour’s Web page, children who regularly spend unstructured time outside:

•   Play more creatively

•   Have lower stress levels

•   Have more active imaginations

•   Become fitter and leaner

•   Develop stronger immune systems

•   Experience fewer symptoms of ADD and ADHD

•   Have greater respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment

It doesn’t have to be a chore but a break from our chores.  An important break that would feed your child’s mind, body and spirit. Taken from the “The Green Hour” web site:

~Body~

•   Outdoor play increases fitness levels and builds active, healthy bodies, an important strategy in helping the one in three American kids who are obese get fit.

•   Spending time outside raises levels of Vitamin D, helping protect children from future bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other health issues.

•   Being out there improves distance vision and lowers the chance of nearsightedness.

~Mind~

•   Exposure to natural settings may be widely effective in reducing ADHD symptoms.

•   Schools with environmental education programs score higher on standardized tests in math, reading, writing, and listening.

•   Exposure to environment-based education significantly increases student performance on tests of their critical thinking skills.

~Spirit ~

•   Children’s stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces.

•   Play protects children’s emotional development whereas loss of free time and a hurried lifestyle can contribute to anxiety and depression.

Nature makes you nicer, enhancing social interactions, value for community and close relationships.

Join us on FACEBOOK! We are looking forward to the benefits of communicating with our families on Facebook. Go to our Homepage. Look for the FACEBOOK Icon at the top. Click it. When our Facebook Business Page appears click the “like” at the top of the page to become one of our “followers”. You’ll get the latest breaking Kids Club House News! (Please note: Business Pages do not accept “friends” only “followers”)

Dear Friends,