Great Finds Online

Homemade Pop Tarts! I've been itching to try these and fill them with real jams instead of the painfully sweet stuff they use now.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/homemade-pop-tarts/

Teaching is a way of life for some. This is a news article about a 12 year old girl living in an Indian slum who goes to school and in her spare time teaches everything she knows to the children who can't attend.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7100868.ece

The BEST way to find a serious nanny or babysitter (also pet sitters and home care). With craigslist being what it is I recommend this free site.

http://www.sittercity.com/

Who doesn't love shoes? These comfy shoes are amazingly light on your feel and form fit to everyone. Also they won't break the bank and you're doing a good deed by buying a pair. For every pair purchased, another pair is donated to a child in need.

http://www.toms.com/

A new kind of book, these funny stories aim to teach manners and polite behavior to kids. In a society where opening the door for someone is becoming a thing of the past, I think these are great for any parent to share with their child.

How To Behave and Why and Manners Can Be Fun

Adorable little aprons for young ladies. I have to admit...I kind of want one for myself.

Cupcake Apron Polka Dot Apron Stripe Apron

Blog Comments

Apparently there is an issue going on with blog comments. I "moderate" mine so I am notified when there is a new one. I always publish them (with the exception of a few that were downright rude) but they still don't seem to show up when I go to the blog comments to respond to them.

I assure you I am not deleting or ignoring your comments...blogspot just seems to have a very annoying glitch.

Kid Recipe Reviews: Veggie Pasta&Cheese

Right off the bat I have a problem with this recipe. Its basically a light macaroni and cheese with little bits of broccoli and cauliflower mixed in. The name "veggie pasta and cheese" implies that the pasta itself is made from vegetables, when really it's pasta with veggies and cheese.

Sorry that's just one of my biggest pet peeves...

Anyways, the picture looks really good so I decided to try this one next. I had most of the ingredients the only thing I bought out of the ordinary was the tiny bowtie pasta...but honestly I was itching for an excuse to buy the piccolino pasta by Barilla.



I don't normally put my ingredients in plastic baggies, that was just the easiest way to transport everything from one town to another.

So here are the ingredients and my inevitable alterations:

4 florets of broccoli, cut into smaller florets (I buy the organic frozen mini florets because that's what I like)
4 florets of cauliflower, cut into smaller florets (Again, just bought the mini florets)
1 cup small penne or farfalle pasta (Bowtie=farfalle)
1 1/2 tbsp. sweet butter or margarine (I used salted stick butter because that's what was in the fridge)
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
3/4 cup of whole milk
1/2 tsp. dried oregano (Didn't have that...whoops)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (Had a bag of 4 cheese Italian I didn't want to waste)

Once again I was forced to deviate from the original preparation directions because frankly I found them to be very strange at parts.

Directions:

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower for 8-10 minutes until tender. (I just dumped them in a bowl with some water and nuked them in the microwave for 5 minutes)

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, then drain.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed pan over low heat. Gradually add the flour, beating well to form a smooth paste. (Mine didn't make a paste...just a thicker buttery liquid) Cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Add the milk, a little at a time, whisking well to prevent any lumps from forming, then stir in the oregano. Simmer for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy, then mix in the cheese.

I stood there whisking and stirring because the last thing I wanted to do was burn the cheese sauce, this is not a realistic goal with hungry children at your feet. I've made a lot of home made mac and cheese in my day and I don't really think making a roux is necessary for a dish so simple. I always just toss bits of whatever cheese is in the fridge, half a babybell gouda, a laughing cow wedge of spreadable swiss, some sandwich cheese and a little butter and milk...its not rocket science.



The next step was to add the pasta, broccoli and cauliflower to the cheese sauce...but they told me to use a small pan so I used a small pan. There wouldn't have been enough room for all that. I read the rest of the directions and it says...

"Add the cooked cauliflower, broccoli, and pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well. Finely chop or mash the mixture."

What? You want me to mash up miniature pasta? What was the point of buying mini pasta that a baby can pick up and eat if I'm going to mash it like potatoes on Thanksgiving?

Once again...I went AWOL. I drained the steamed veggies and tossed them onto a the cutting board where I took a few whacks with the largest knife I could find (very carefully of course...) I finely chopped the mixture so that it would be easily stirred into a pasta sauce.



It looked delicious to me once I stirred it up, almost like a really thick broccoli and cheese soup.



I added the sauce to the pasta and got a surprise. The cheese I used contained Mozzarella...which didn't seem to want to blend and melt as well as I thought it should. the cheese sauce was stringy and not really coating the noodles. I pushed some of the globs of cheese aside and served up the pasta, which was now more of a butter and veggie dealio. The kids absolutely love it though, I'm not sure if it was the excitement over the little bowties or just hungry but both had second helpings and didn't even seem to notice the veggies.

I scooped out a little bowl for myself (with the cheese) and found it a little...lumpy.



I wound up fishing out all the mozz before I put the leftovers in the fridge. What I got was a large ball of messed up cheese that I was afraid to even put down the garbage disposal. This one was all my fault, the recipe clearly said cheddar cheese but the prospect of buying those expensive bags of grated cheese when I had the perfect amount leftover in the fridge from earlier in the week was too tempting.

Learn from my mistake...mozz doesn't make good mac and cheese.

Potty Training

There are so many tricks and tips for helping kids potty train, I'm sure anyone who has been through the situation has heard them all, stickers, m&m's, presents, making the bathroom a "happy place" blah blah blabbity blah.

Truth is you can move the moon and stars for a child, it won't make them potty train if they aren't ready. The normal age I've seen is exactly 2 and a half. When I worked in a toddler room we did a large amount of potty training (8 kids at a time). We did our best to follow whatever method the parents were doing, but when you have to do this for 8 kids it can get difficult. If a parent uses bribes at home the child may not be able to get his or her treat while they are there. Stickers are also rarely used in a daycare because they don't stay on clothes...ever.

If a child is older than 2 and a half and still resisting potty training it may be a simple matter of "they-don't-want-to-ism". Diapers now wick away so much moisture wearing a diaper is barely uncomfortable. Besides the fact diapers are all they know and sometimes they see no reason to change. My favorite method is the "sit-in-it". Seems a touch mean but the trick is to switch things up and to make not being potty trained uncomfortable and a little embarrassing. The idea is to keep them out of diapers all day long and to make a big deal about the underwear, favorite character/color whatever, so when they inevitably have an accident they are upset about it. Eventually they'll hate the idea of being wet/messy and see the potty as the wonderful alternative.

My dad's favorite story is about my youngest brother who wouldn't potty train, so one day he took him out for ice cream and he pooped his pants. He was mortified, he wanted to be home and clean and cried the whole car ride. He never had another accident.

I guess what my point is, don't be afraid to make a drastic move (and a lot more laundry) if you feel it's warranted.

YOGURT!

Can I just say I hate yogurt? I never developed a taste for it, I remember eating yogurt as a kid and not liking it, I even remember when gogurt came onto the scene and I still didn't like it. My mother tried in vain to help me like it, we added granola, fresh fruit, dried fruit, frozen fruit, nuts, even candy...I still didn't like yogurt. The texture is slimy to me and usually tart in flavor which reminds me of spoiled dairy for some reason.

Until today.

For years I have happily shoveled yogurt into the mouths of babies, I know how healthy it is and how much growing children need the calcium and vitamin D. Today I cracked open a cup of baby banana yogurt from Trader Joe's (my new favorite store) and saw the smear of yogurt on the foil lid. The parents had mentioned a few times it was really, really good...so I licked it.

I've gotta tell you I'm in love...I really enjoy the flavor of bananas but I seem to have a mild allergic reaction when I eat real bananas that causes my mouth and throat to itch in a very annyoing way. I took a full bite to check the texture and it was very much like custard, not the gloopy stuff.

So here's what's in this magic yogurt: Pasturized Grade A Milk, Sugar, Cream, Banana Puree, Modified Corn Starch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, Natural Flavors, Kosher Gelatin, Turmeric and Annatto (for color), Citric Acid, and Active Cultures.

The second ingredient is sugar...that's kind of shocking considering I didn't find it to be overly sweet, but when you think about it yogurt is probably 90% milk and then whatever else. I like that it's made with real banana puree and natural flavoring and coloring. The fact that I know what all of these things are is pretty cool, no mystery preservatives and fillers. And the kosher gelatin...I forget that gelatin is actually an animal product, kosher gelatin is still made from "animals" (I won't get into it because frankly it's kind of a gross thought). But I'm glad they make the effort to include people who follow the kosher lifestyle. To me that shows responsible manufacturing.

Side note: All of Trader Joe's products are made by companies that follow strict manufacturing guidelines. So ANYTHING with an allergen is only made on equipment that is used for other foods containing allergens. You will never see the warning message "Made on equipment that may have handled tree nuts, eggs, whatever." Unless of course the food itself containins these things.

Here are some more nutritional facts about this heavenly yogurt.

Serving size: 4oz.
Calories: 140
Fat cal.: 50
Total fat: 6g
Sat. fat: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 55mg
Total carb: 19g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 16g
Protein: 4g

Ok so this isn't a low cal yogurt, but considering it's for growing kids and not me on a diet I'm ok with that. Although I am kind of always watching what I eat calorie and carb-wise I will sacrifice more calories for something I know is healthy, like cheese or nuts. I'd rather have 140 calories of this yogurt than 100 calories of ice cream or a packet of minature cookies.

The amount of sugar also surprises me since it's such a little container, and like I said it's not really sweet (and I know sweet). A tube of gogurt is 2.25oz and has 10g of sugar, a Trix yogurt cup is the same 4oz and has 14g of sugar...and I've tasted those and they taste much sweeter than this stuff. My only theory is that since they use real banana, that boosts up the calories and sugar content because a banana itself has a lot of natural sugars and is one of the more calorie-rich pieces of fruit.

Not that it matters to me, I'm still going to go buy a pack this weekend and make it part of my everyday diet. Maybe now I can replace those Kellogs shakes with actual food.

(By the way...have you seen the list of ingredients for those things? Scary.)

The Great TV Debate

This is a topic I'm sort of mixed on. My generation was raised on tv, we were sort of the pioneers of Nicktoons and Disney during the day then Simpsons at night, and I have to admit I'm pretty addicted to tv. I have a nightly line up every night and before I was blessed with a DVR the thought of missing a tv show stressed me out. During the day I'm not really concerned with whats on and I struggle to keep it that way so it won't affect my work. I refuse to be the nanny that watches tv while the kids play because the parents are paying me to interact with their children.

Children's programming is a whole other ballgame. I am thoroughly impressed with the tv being produced for children these days because I can see the learning outcomes. In my classes where I learn to write lesson plans we break down activities into what we are teaching, for example, cleaning out a pumpkin is sensory exploration, fine motor muscle control, science, and cause and effect. Other activities that day may represent math, reading, cognitive, sequence, large motor...etc, so the day is educationally rounded. A lot of planning goes into executing this correctly. When I watch a show like Dora the Explorer, I can pick out things that really are educational in a subconscious way, like how they lay out their trip and repeat it several times (BRIDGE! GOOEY GEYSER! DORA'S HOUSE!) then revisit the sequence once they need to go to the next location. Other things like problem solving, the little games where the have to pick out whats big and whats small...all extremely beneficial to a child. Don't get me wrong, the map song grates my nerves like no tomorrow, but shows like Dora are engineered so perfectly it would be a shame not to expose a child to them. I don't condone hours of tv watching at all, but a half an hour show here and there can be an educational tool.

When I am with my 2 youngest kiddos (1 and 2) I break up the tv time so they're not couch potatoes. Our typical day is something like this:

8:00- Wake up/breakfast
8:30-9:00- TV/cuddle time
9:00-10:00- Nap for the baby and play time for the toddler
10:00-12:00- More play time, outside if possible
12:00-12:30- Lunch
12:30-1:30- TV and relaxing
1:30-3:30- Nap time (I'm really lucky...they actually sleep that long or later)
3:30-5:00- Walk around the block and play time
5:00-5:30- Dinner
5:30-6:30- Play time or TV if they're cranky

Usually after dinner they start getting really crabby and wanting their parents, I can relate, so I do whatever needs to be done to make that last hour a peaceful one. Sometimes they really want to be in their playroom and sometimes they just want to watch some tv. As long as it's age appropriate children's programming I have no problem with that and neither do their parents. At the MOST they would have 3 hours of broken up tv time a day. Being still for 3 hours really isn't a healthy behavior for young children, but a half hour or hour at a time can help them re-energize and learn to focus. In a classroom environment kids are expected to be still for that amount of time when they're in pre-k, so I would see that as a little bit of preparation.

Sometimes I like to keep the tv on while we're playing in another room, the sound of clear speaking and conversations can benefit a child's language development. You can essentially talk to a child all day but it would be difficult to not be repetitive. In my opinion having it as background noise on occasion is a good thing.

Diaper Woes

I'm not a fan of diapers, not because of poop or anything, but because of some interesting facts I have picked up along the way.

It all started in preschool, my aunt ran a home daycare (it runs in the family) and I can remember the staggering amounts of trash, most of it diapers. It was disgusting, and since it was a private residence and not a daycare with a dumpster the trash would be in the can outside for an entire week. Quite the smell let me tell you.

With the impending recall of Pampers due to the chemical burns this topic has been on my mind over the past few days. Its really a frightening thought that a diaper is in contact with some seriously sensitive skin for at least 2 years of a child's life. Day and night every single day this product is used and yet we know very little about them.

I found these facts online that may be quite shocking.

Environmental:

In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.

No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.

Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.

Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.

The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.

Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.

Chemical effects on babies:

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.

Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbancy tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.

In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.

Certainly was an eye opener for me. Considering everyone is so "ecofriendly" and "green" lately...why isn't more being said about cloth diapering?

What if some of the horrible things happening to humans like autism, cancer, fertility problems and SIDS are actually caused by prolonged disposable diaper use?

Impromptu Interview

As I write this I am sitting at my kitchen table helping my favorite 4th grader with his math homework. This is a fairly new arrangement, he is a neighbor of mine so I cover the overlapping hours between pick up at the elementary school (which is in view of my front door) and when their mother gets home. I really like this gig because it allows me chill out on my days off from my other nanny job and still have a little income.

So after getting the kids situated with their homework I ask them what I should blog about today. Unfortunately the stress of allergies, homework, the mean teacher and other kid issues have them distracted. However, their conversations with each other intrigue me, my brother and I never spoke unless we were fighting so to see civil polite conversation coming from a 9 and 10 year old is nothing short of fascinating.

I decided to ask them some questions.

Do you remember the first time I babysat you?

Nathan: -nods-
Hannah: I do!
Me: You couldn't you were just a baby.
Hannah: I was?
Me: Yeah you were still in a diapers, I remember because you screamed the whole time.
Nathan: She's a crier, that one.

What's you're favorite thing to do when you're with a babysitter?

Nathan: Ummm finish my homework?
Hannah: Play in the yard.

-They start talking about how babysitting is 'sitting on babies' which leads to fart jokes-

What are good qualities of a babysitter?

Hannah:...that you know what you're doing.
Nathan: Respectful, kind, helps with homework...
Hannah: Plays with you after homework.

What are some bad qualities of a babysitter?

Hannah: -mouthful of crackers- fjneridfner-you
Me: Cheating on you?
Hannah: SITTING!
Nathan: Lying to the parents about us being bad when we were good.
Me: Have you had babysitters that lied to your mom before?
Nathan: Not that I know of...

The "Clean Fifteen" and the "Dirty Dozen"

This list of the 15 cleanest and 12 dirtiest produce items in regards to pesticides has been released for 2010 and I was absolutely shocked by how many of these items I feed kids (and eat myself) on a daily basis. Fresh fruit does not come without its challenges and unfortunately the people who put together this list say they do so with the assumption you have thoroughly washed your produce.

We've all been running fruit under the tap and wiping it with a paper towel, but apparently this is not enough anymore. Even organic fruit may contain "organic pesticides" that we don't want to be eating. Not to mention the journey from farm to store is hardly a clean one. I've seen the bottles of cleaning solution meant for foods in the produce section of my store, but I don't know anyone who has ever actually used them. I've heard that keeping a solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and cleaning fruit with that is also a good and cost effective option, I will definitely be doing that from now on.

Here is the list in all it's glory.

Clean Fifteen:

onion
avocado
sweet corn
pineapple
mango
sweet peas
kiwi
eggplant
papaya
watermelon
asparagus
cabbage
broccoli
tomato
sweet potato

Since these are the "cleaner" foods the Environmental Working Group says you can skip the organic versions of these foods to save money.

The Dirty Dozen:

peach
apple
bell pepper
celery
nectarine
strawberries
cherries
kale
lettuce
imported grapes
carrots
pears

Apples I have always felt I cleaned particularly well since I heard that the well on top of the apple where the stem is is also where the pesticides pool and sit and create that grimy circle. That part of the apple is also where most people begin to slice which ends up contaminating the inside of the fruit as well.

I absolutely hate becoming paranoid about things like this, I resisted the urge to freak out about swine flu, but the prospect of growing kids eating up to 10 pesticides a day makes me cringe.

A Day for Mothers

So today was Mother's Day, my own mother spent half the day returning from a nice little weekend trip to Ocean City, Baltimore with my dad. She returned to a clean house and a bubbling pot of 15 bean soup on the stove. The mom of a little boy I cared for at my last job made it once and sent it in for her son, he refused it like he does with most foods (she always provided many options and leftovers were sent home) but it smelled soooo good I had to have a little bite. Well...a little bite turned into 4 bites, and then I actually had to stop myself from finishing it. Normally this is something I would never do at a daycare, its pretty much forbidden to eat the kid's food, but some moms are more casual than others and this one in particular I knew would be completely fine with me eating her baby's dinner.

Anyways, I wound up asking her for the recipe and she said it was the one on the back of the bag of 15 beans. I got all excited and went to the store to buy said bag and realized the recipe called for ham hocks, sausage or ham on a bone. I looked for a small spiral ham but most were just far too big and I didn't want to be wasteful and I'm not a huge fan of sausage 'in' things like soups...so I went looking for ham hocks.

Unfortunately, not many places around here sell ham hocks. I didn't exactly know what they were (I imagined a chunk of fatty ham that would disintegrate in a soup and provide delicious stringy chunks like what I saw) I was quite wrong. I asked my local grocery meat counter and they didn't carry it, I called the only specialty butcher in the area but they were closed that day, and though I was disappointed, the soup was temporarily forgotten.

That is until I was at BJ's Wholesale Club with my mom a few weekends later, she pointed to the ham hocks and asked if that's what I had been looking for. I excitedly went to where she was pointing and immediately recoiled. They looked like pig's feet...it was explained to me that its actually more of the knuckle, but I couldn't get past my initial shock of how unappealing it looked in the package. I called my vegetarian aunt to see if she had any ideas for a substitution and she absolutely gushed at the idea of cooking with ham hocks. She said that inside there are the most delicious bits of meat and that my grandmother often made soups with them. This was more than enough to change my opinion. I had already eaten it unknowingly and loved it, my vegetarian aunt gave it 2 thumbs up, my mom was on board and my own grandmother (famous in our family for her legendary cooking) had used them. Decision made, I was going to do it.

I held off since it has been unseasonably hot this spring and I knew eventually it would bounce back and we'd get one last chill. My prediction wasn't just right, it came with perfect timing. I decided to make the soup for Mother's Day when I knew I would be home all day to stir and check on it. I put a lot of effort into my soup and was extremely bummed out when it did not come out anything like the soup I had tried before. I had trouble getting all the chunks of fat and bone out of the soup and in the process of my digging and straining the beans got a little too mushed and blobby. The taste was pretty good, but all in all a major let down.

If anyone has any suggestions I would love to know a different way of making this soup.

And Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

Awesome Lunch Foods

It appears that out of all the things I have discussed it was a criticism that received the most attention. This is extremely unfortunate because I feel like I have more positive things to say than negative. So here is a short list of some things I have given to children for lunch, and have seen in lunch boxes that are really great and easy.

Hard boiled eggs
Raisins
Dried apricots
Sweet potato fries
Carrot sticks
Hummus
Cucumber slices
Chick peas
Pita
Grape tomatoes
Triscuits or other whole wheat crackers
Soy "peanut" butter
Small bagels
Dry cereal (many are now made with whole grains and a lot less sugar)
Popcorn (for older kids)
Trail mix
Granola and yogurt

There are some food brands I have come to love:

Fruit2day: 2 servings of fruit, made up of small chunks of fruit and fruit puree, no added sugar and no weirdo preservatives. A little expensive...but great in a pinch.



Chicken strips: as opposed to chicken nuggets, taste delicious and are far less processed (my favorite are Nature's Promise)



Mild salsa: perfect for dipping anything, including chicken strips. An alternative to ketchup or ranch dressing. (Amy's organic is known for being very high quality and is delicious)



Amy's organic soups: Equally delicious, many options are gluten free as well as organic, vegetarian and all natural.



Apple and Eve juice boxes: biodegradable paper juice boxes, they also have a line that includes a serving of vegetable. Low in sugar and has recognizable ingredients.




Babybel cheeses: the wax packaging is great and children love, love, love peeling and eating them...and playing with the wax lol.



And my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE...

Back to Nature macaroni and cheese: I actually eat these at home when I'm having a mac and cheese craving. Super delicious, organic, but is only marginally better in calories than regular mac and cheese.

My problem with fruit cups

After reading the comments in my guest post at Fed Up With School Lunch I feel I should explain myself a little better.

Many fruit cups are packed with syrup or "light syrup", even rinsed they still hold more sugar and preservatives than a piece of fresh fruit. However, there are fruit cups packed in natural juices which are a better alternative but still do not compare to fresh fruit or even frozen, dried or freeze dried fruit.

My main "beef" is that eating is a learning experience. If you saw the episode of Jamie Oliver Food Revolution where an entire classroom of kids could not correctly identify the most basic of fruits and vegetables, you know what I'm talking about. Food is so processed and prepackaged now that we are almost completely removed from it's original state. I don't want to be partially responsible for a generation of kids who could not survive without the convenience items the world of consumerism has forced on us.

My other issue is the waste factor. One preschool I worked in started saving the plastic fruit cup part to recycle and use as paint cups for kids, in a few weeks with only 20 kids we had half a shelf of stacked cups. Normally this plastic goes without being recycled or re-purposed, I may not be one of those people who is obsessed with "being green", but I am repulsed by the amount of trash a daycare can generate. Many parts of a typical kids lunch end up in the trash, the juice box, the plastic baggies, the fruit and pudding cups and go-gurt tubes...but cutting back on one thing like substituting a fresh fruit for the cup can make an impact.

Kid Recipe Reviews: Chicken&Apple Bites

We've all seen those cookbooks that feature delicious and easy meals that are nutritionally sound for babies and toddlers. While I am a huge fan of providing kids with real awesome, home cooked food...some of these recipes are a tad unrealistic.

So I am going to cook some of them, with a 14 month old and a 28 month old under my feet. With the permission of their very brave mother, she has agreed to test this food, not only on her poor unsuspecting kitchen, but her kiddos too. I'm not the best cook in the world, but I get credit for trying. More often than not I follow the recipe exact and screw it up terribly, but if I throw together some leftovers in the fridge I make magic happen. There's no rhyme or reason. But this time I will be recreating the nightmarish condition of the time of day many parents dread.

This recipe is for "Chicken and Apple Bites" from the book 'Wholesome Meals for Babies and Toddlers: Healthy food your kids will love to eat' The book is broken down into age groups so I skipped right over the homemade baby foods (throw stuff in blender and puree, there, now we're all caught up) This meatball type meal actually looks pretty good in the picture the book provided so we gave it a whirl.

Note: I changed some things to make it more realistic for the typical mom.

Ingredients:

1 apple, peeled, cored and grated (I used green because that's what was in the fruit bowl)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks (I trimmed the fat)
1/2 red onion chopped (Maybe you keep onions laying around, but I used the dried minced onion that comes in the spice jar dealy)
"scant" 1 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs (I just used a cup of Italian bread crumbs so I could skip the parsley)
1 tbsp. fresh parsley (I actually do keep fresh parsley in the freezer but the Italian bread crumbs seemed easier)
1 tbsp. concentrated chicken stock (I used bouillon cubes because I like the taste, guilty as charged)
whole-wheat flour for coating (Used normal flour)
oil for pan frying.



I'm not a fan of cleaning cheese graters, I always wind up taking skin off my knuckles, so I peeled them into shavings. Its going in the food processor anyways.

Directions:

Spread the apple out on a clean dish towel or paper towels and press out all of the excess moisture. (I take offense that a book has to tell someone to use a clean towel, seriously)

Put the chicken, apple, onion, parsley, bread crumbs and stock into a food processor and pulse briefly until well combined. (For the record I would just use ground chicken and avoid this entire step, but I can see why they would want to do it this way)



I got quite the blob, but a very good smelling blob, almost like real stuffing on Thanksgiving. It was very "wet" the first time so I added a little bit of the flour and ran it through again. Perhaps I didn't blot the apples long enough. (The kids were getting pretty antsy and all the crayons in the world were not making a difference)

Spread the flour onto a plate. Divide the mixture into 20 or more mini portions, shape each portion into a ball and roll in flour. (I just made them the size of a little Swedish meatball and however many it made is however many it made)


*This is where I went AWOL. I'm not a huge fan of frying stuff, I've also made a lot of meatballs in my days and never once coated them in flour. I've coated chicken breasts in flour before frying...but never a meatball. Also, at the suggestion of the mother I simply boiled them. I dumped in the extra bouillon in some water and plopped half the meatballs in for about 12-15 minutes.

Since I deviated from the recipe I used a meat thermometer to check and make sure they were cooked through.



The correct temperature for poultry is 165, the meatballs were a touch overcooked at almost 200. Can't be too careful.

Once the meatballs were cooled off I served them to the kids and it was a huge success. Both kids gobbled them up.

While they were occupied with dinner I turned to the other half of the meatballs and resigned myself to pan frying. In the future I think I would just bake them.

I rolled the meatballs in flour and they looked like powdered cookies.



I unceremoniously dumped them into the pan with some oil and put the heat on medium-high. I turn around for 2 seconds to serve up some corn for the kids and this is what I come back to:



...Whoops. I warned you I'm not the best cook. I'm not sure if it was the flour or what but these suckers burned in all of a minute. I've pan fried quite a bit of chicken marsala in my life and this was definitely not normal. I don't recommend this method if you've got hungry kids and are easily distracted in the kitchen. Baking or boiling seems to be a far better solution...not to mention healthier.

Regardless of the burnt side (that was trimmed off with some skillful butter knife work on my part) I thought they were good. I tried a piece of the boiled and the pan fried. The boiled had a more spongey texture but not in an unattractive way and the fried were a tad oily for me. The kids also liked the pan fried ones, the 1 year old actually preferred it.

All in all I would give this recipe 3/10. Not easy or simple enough for the typical busy mom or nanny and while they tasted ok, I would recommend a little more flavoring. Even for a baby food this was a bit bland.

Parent Groupie

I have to confess something, I am a parental groupie. Being back full swing into my nanny way of life has reaffirmed my weird obsession. As a 23 year old woman with aspirations of marriage and children I am constantly watching the dynamics of young families around me and in a sense, taking notes for when I have my own children. I have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars of my parents money learning about how to teach and guide young children, everything from discipline to lesson plans to potty training. My work "in the field" has helped me recognize diaper rashes, yeast infections, RSV, asthma and allergic reactions. All of this education has not taught me how to parent. Sure I feel like I will be more prepared for motherhood, but there are some things you just can't learn from books.

Most of what I learn now is taken and helped me form opinions on products and methods. I do plan on breastfeeding for 6 months if possible, mostly because I have seen the price of formula. Society makes it seem like there are HUGE differences between the children who were breastfed more, but I really couldn't tell. The 2 most verbal children I have ever met were not breastfed extensively, 2 others who are also above average weren't breastfed at all. So don't feel so guilty parents, formula is engineered so perfectly that using a bottle is hardly going to prevent your child from getting into college.

I have some pretty solid opinions on diapers. I've seen just how much trash a family with a baby can accumulate, and recently learned that the inside of a disposable diaper contains chlorine. Because of this I am completely dedicated to the idea of using cloth diapers. I haven't decided if I'll spend the money on a service or wash them myself, probably a combination.

I often wonder if other girls my age pay attention so closely to how parents talk to children in order to see what's effective and what isn't.

The times are a changin'

The camel's back finally broke and I quit my job at the daycare I was working at. I had only been there a few weeks because nanny jobs are scarce right now. Seeing as how the first daycare/preschool I worked at was top notch, there was absolutely nothing wrong about the center, it was ideal for both children and teachers, I find it impossible to work in a place that isn't up to the standards I have experienced. Fortunately I have a handful of small babysitting and nanny gigs so I am not completely without income, but I would rather be happy and give up my 2 latte a day habit and Old Navy addiction than be stressed out.

The owners of a daycare should treat their staff with respect and I will not be treated poorly in exchange for a paycheck.

Things to consider if you chose daycare

While the daycare/preschool option is an affordable and attractive choice (multiple qualified adults in a controlled setting), there are things a parent needs to understand. I take it upon myself to lay out this information in black and white because the school director who ropes the parents in and makes the initial introductions will neglect to tell the parent anything useful and will assume that they will read the lengthy paperwork and memorize all the ground rules.

This is bullshit.

I can only speak for the centers I have worked in, which have varied from small and homey to large and corporate, so keep in mind that while the practices I am about to describe don't happen everywhere, it's very likely that at least some of it is going down in your local daycare.

Labels: Everything, absolutely everything needs to be labeled. Ryan's blanket with the train on it didn't come home at the end of the week? You want us to find it? Good luck. Aside from looking in the most obvious spaces and asking whatever other teacher works in that room, we're not going to do much more than sit and wait for it to turn up. For older kids its easy enough to ask them who any given object belongs to. If I find myself covering for a teacher in another room I will typically rely on the oldest and most vocal child in the class to tell me where things go if there is no obvious label. In a baby room, everything down to the nipple of the bottle should be labeled. If you don't want to deal with all of that then pre-make the bottles and send them in. When we have to wash things they get taken apart and mixed in with everyone else's, and "whose Dr. Brown bottle straw is this?" is not a fun game. Its easy to take for granted that everything in your house belongs to your children, but imagine the bottle parts for 8 babies floating around in a dishwasher...20 sippy cups all featuring Dora, Diego or what have you, 30 tupperware pieces and a slew of other things. 15 seconds with a shaprie before leaving the house goes a long way in insuring that your own belongings make their way back home.

Art work: If a teacher puts a piece of your child's art in your bag, cubby, art folder or wherever it happens to be stored when we're done admiring it...please take it home. We don't care what you do with it once it gets there...just please take it away. Every inch of a classroom is valuable real estate and we can't be battling with a store of artwork ranging from Halloween to Easter in the cubby area.

"The Bag": Whether its the diaper bag or the backpack each child should have one. In this bag there needs to be a change of clothes, hopefully multiple changes of clothes, all seasonally appropriate and well fitting. Callie got pudding all down her shirt, but the only clothes in her diaper bag are pants and a tank top...and it's November...that's a problem. Amanda pooped through her outfit today and didn't have any clothes at all? This doesn't reflect well on the parents. Babies have diaper leaking incidents, kids get messy and a daycare has a limited supply of clothing (usually the contents of the lost and found from years past). Not bringing a child in with a spare set of clothes is like bringing them in without a lunch.

Sounds harsh, and I know parents are busy and rushed, but so are teachers. To be honest, we don't have time to go hunting for something appropriate for your child to wear for the rest of the day. It is stressful enough trying to take care of my allotted amount of children without the extra responsibility of trying to find a needle in a haystack, or a 6 month sized outfit in a daycare.

Pick-up: In most daycares a parent pays for either full time or part time, not hourly. This causes most parents to think that if they get out of work at 3pm, they don't have to pick their child up from work until later because they're paying for them to be there anyways. I understand this, I really do, but there needs to be a scheduled drop off and pick up time. Teachers need to know this so we can make sure there are enough people to cover ratio. If I have 4 babies scheduled to be dropped off before 8am when the other teacher is scheduled to come in that's perfect timing. If a parent drops their child off an hour early and throws off the ratio timing, there's a problem that could potentially lead to your child's class not being in ratio and being unsafe.

So the rule of thumb is, if you need to drop off early or pick up late, please let the daycare know ahead of time so the appropriate staff can be provided. A daycare can't pay a teacher just to hang around in case a classroom accidentally goes over, it is a business after all.

Sickness: If your child goes home sick there needs to be 24 hours symptom free before they can come back. This is a pretty standard policy to insure that as few children as possible come into contact with illness. And please don't medicate them and drop them off anyways, we can tell. If they're teething or have allergies and not contagious don't assume it's ok to bring them in anyways. If it's bad and they need extra love and attention than they really need to be home or with a relative. A school environment can be stressful on a child that doesn't feel well.

Parent-Teacher Communication: We work for your child, true they don't sign our paychecks but everything we do is in their interest. If something comes up, vaccinations, family issues, a bump on the head from the night before, anything that would alter their behavior that day, the teachers need to be aware. I once had a little girl in a 4's classroom who was being medicated at home for her asthma. Since she did not need medication while in school we had no idea that the medication she was on is one that is known to cause irritability. So for over a week we thought she was going through a tough spell and testing her limits, we responded by being extremely firm and correcting every poor behavior. After hearing about the 5th "rough day" in a row the mother casually mentioned the medication. Well jeez...if we had known she was on such strong meds that affect her mood and behavior so much we would have gone a little easier on her. A child who has a tantrum because she's on medications should be held and talked to with soothing words, not sent to time out. Another older child from the after school program began acting out and it eventually escalated to the point where he had to be put in an empty classroom and left to throw around spare furniture because the safety of other children and teachers were at risk, after many frustrating days with the child the mother was finally "made" to sit down and discuss her child's actions and she confessed it was due to a divorce in the works. While this is generally a private matter parents should always be open with the child's teacher. Whatever is said is kept private and only shared with teachers so they can be aware of the problem and try to help the child by giving one on one attention and a healthy outlet for his feelings. Honesty is always best, it may be embarrassing to tell a practical stranger about problems at home but that is one thing we will not judge you on.

Do you dread going to work?

Every night before I go to sleep I mentally plan out the next day, wake up, have coffee, do laundry, this piece of homework, that piece of homework...and get ready for work. About 30 minutes before I leave I get hit with anxiety. I think about the colicky baby with the overbearing mother that will be in today, I wonder what grunt work I'll be told to do 20 minutes before close, I wonder if the owner who doesn't care about his center will stop in to make harsh comments and demoralize the staff. All of these things lead to an unhappy work experience. The center I'm working at now is less than ideal for me, only myself and 2 other employees even have teaching degrees. While other employees are good with kids and do get the job done, they are not there to be teachers, they are there for the paycheck. I want a job where I can write lesson plans and come up with theme weeks and fun things to do, not a job where the lesson plans are thrown on our counter at the beginning of each month.

I absolutely dread going to work. The 2 days a week I nanny for a family with 2 young children are my breaks. I have the luxury of being able to bring my laptop and do school work, I can have a bite to eat whenever I want, I can sit on the couch and not worry if someone thinks I'm sitting too long. I dislike having a boss breathing down my neck. I've been lucky that all the nanny jobs I have had have been good ones with parents who trust me and respect my education by occasionally asking for my opinions on subjects. Unfortunately in this economy the nanny jobs are few and far between, and I am competing with about 40/50 people for each job that comes along.

The first daycare I ever worked at was relaxed enough to where I didn't have any kind of anxiety. In fact I showed up to work 10 minutes early everyday because I wanted to be there. I wanted to see my kids, I wanted to see my co-workers, I wanted to talk books and school with my boss. While I regret quitting that job I understand it was necessary for me to be able to further my education and save up some money. Hopefully one day I can go back with my degree in hand and stake out a career in a school where I felt I was treated like a human being and not just an employee.

For now I will just have to wade through, and hope more small nanny jobs come up so I can quit the school I'm at now completely...and regain my sanity. If I stay there I know I will start to hate teaching entirely and after all my hard work I can't let that happen.

What are some qualities of a "good" preschool?

Strictly referring to child care centers that focus on education and not just care and entertainment. A preschool's intended purpose is to provide children with the proper building blocks to prepare them for school. Even the infant room isn't exempt, babies as young as 8 weeks old can learn patience and how to occupy the same space as other children. I've babysat many little ones who woke up as the slightest noise, but in a preschool you can have 4 babies screaming at the top of their lungs and the other 4 will be sound asleep the entire time.

While I doubt that putting a baby in a preschool gives them an academic edge there is something to say about being more adjusted and comfortable in a school environment. If they've gone to school as far back as their memory goes than they may resist it less in later years. Needless to say, if you are comfortable with letting strangers take care of your baby, an accredited preschool is a decent option. There is a level of insurance, a parent can expect that the building is up to code with state regulations and that all staff are properly trained. However, some centers do flirt with the edge of the law and are constantly being warned by the state about certain code violations and burnt out staff members. The key is finding a good one.

Some things to look for:

Ratio: The laws in each state vary, but the typical numbers are a 1 to 4 teacher to child ratio for children under the age of 3. For children over 3 the ratio jumps to 1 to 10. That's right...imagine 1 teacher with 10 3 year olds. Personally that's where I draw the line, I tried, I really did. I completed my 220 hours of student teaching in a HELLISH preschool doing a 3 and a half year old classroom. Never again.

Never again.

Ever.

So parents, stop and count the kids in the room, if they don't add up...walk right out because that is a SERIOUS violation of the law.

Classroom Size: The law states there can only be so many children per square foot, a typical room is designed to hold either 8 (for the under 3's) or 20 (over 3's) but all buildings are different and some are awkwardly retro-fitted. Don't be afraid to ask how many kids can legally be in each room at a time...then count.

Don't be fooled by cubbies, if you see 12 cubbies in a classroom that should only hold 8, its probably because some kids are part timers. Preschools make their money by filling up as many time slots as possible. If a classroom has 8 kids all day but loses 1 at 1:30pm, you can bet they will try to find someone who needs child care from 1:35 to close.

Safety: This should be a #1 concern for a center, all outlets should be plugged, nothing should be in disrepair, no loose cords, etc. Take a look around and see if you can spot anything that you would deem a hazard. Chances are if the teacher is not constantly looking around for possible harm than they're not going to be on their A game for your child.

Teacher Behavior: If you walk in and hear a teacher yelling, that's probably not a good sign. Unless of course there is something chaotic going on and the teacher needs to shout to be heard, but is still managing to have a child-appropriate tone of voice. If you walk into a classroom and a teacher is yelling, that's a horrible sign. If they're going to yell in front of an "in-take" then they clearly don't give a rat's ass anymore and are frankly a danger to your child. Run in the opposite direction.

Artwork: A large part of childhood is art, unfortunately there are many teachers who focus more on the product and not on the process. They want a cute decoration for the wall and to give to parents when the idea of art is to let a child be creative and express themselves...and get messy. Look on the walls, if every child's project looks the same...that's bad, if nothing on the walls looks like it was messy...that's bad. A child should go home with paint under their fingernails and a sense of pride.

Of course there are more things parents should look for on an "in-take" but these are the major ones. I will cover more little secrets and things to search for and ask about in another post.

But parents, please ask questions. Ask lots and lots of tough questions. Assume every school is a hellhole until proven otherwise. A good school will enjoy the challenge of answering your questions, they'll want to showcase their high standards. Want to know how many of the staff are CPR certified? They'll smile and tell you it is a REQUIREMENT for their staff, hell they may even pick up the bill for the CPR classes to ensure their staff have it. A bad school? The director will break eye contact...talk in circles, kind of like a bad politician. If you feel like they're a used car salesman, then its probably not such a great joint.

I've had parents ask me if I would bring "my child" to certain centers and I've always said if they have to ask that then they shouldn't being their child there. You'll know when it's right. There's a vibe happy kids, teachers who don't yell, and it doesn't feel like they're putting on a dog-and-pony show for you.

Don't forget that they are providing you a service, as the parent, you are in charge, and a good preschool will embrace that.

Babysitter vs. Nanny

When thinking about child care there are options to consider, if you chose to hire an experienced individual to care for your child than you are among about 5% of Americans. The stereotype is a wealthy mother and father who hire someone to do their child rearing for them. This is of course completely ridiculous, many people hire in-home help because for whatever reason they do not wish to put their children in daycare. Mother's helpers were becoming increasingly popular before the recession hit.

But for the sake of discussion, who do you have working for you? A babysitter or a nanny? Typically a nanny is an employee, she works 30 or more hours a week and it is her main source of income. Technically a nanny should be declared on your taxes...but no one actually does that. A nanny should be a professional in the sense that she has certifications in CRP, first aid and epi pen, she should also hold some kind of education in the field of child development or many years experience. A babysitter is usually a young woman looking for some extra money, she probably doesn't have much experience but comes with excellent recommendations or is a family friend. Even if she works on a regular basis she is not a nanny without some kind of professional qualifications. There is a difference in terminology and I know I wouldn't want to be called a babysitter.

There are a few other child-care professionals out there that work for individual families. In this economy I am seeing a lot more than just your run of the mill nanny.

1)The Unemployed Teacher- breaking into the nanny-field in an effort to stay within their comfort zone while still pulling in some cash.
2)The Stay-At-Home-Mom or (SAHM), you'll find these on craigslist, desperately seeking children to watch so they can be home with their own child and make money while out of work.
3)The Summer Nanny, usually a college student, prepared to work long days in exchange for cash from June-August. (cough-BEER MONEY-cough)
4)The Doula, a non-medical midwife who assists during labor, may also be a postpartum doula that helps with the care of older children and emotional support for the new baby and mother. Has special training and "special" pricing.
5)The Mother's Helper, could be anyone who is physically able to do tasks for a mother while she is home, kind of like a maid that plays with the kids once and a while.
6)The Mommy-Friend, another mother you can exchange child care with, no money involved. (Very hard to compete with.)

While I do not resent the fact that the field of child care is also a dumping ground for anyone with boobs, it's very hard to stand out as a professional nanny when so many people chose this as a back-up career. Daycares and homes are filled with women who couldn't do anything else so they chose to do child care. Since this is something I feel strongly about and wish to dedicate my life to, I am understandably frustrated with the situation.

Like all things in life we must take the good with the bad. I may have to fight 40 people for a job I know I am qualified for, but it helps that the parents I do work for appreciate me and treat me as family. Whether babysitter or nanny, the person you trust to be alone in your house should be someone you truly want to have in your life.

An Introduction

I am a 23 year old college student in "small-town New England". I am currently working on my B.A. in Early Childhood Education yet I am bouncing around doing a mixture of part time nannying and work in a daycare. I have seen a lot of things that have made my skin crawl and swear up and down I will never work in a daycare ever again. Granted some are great, the rare combination of an experienced owner, knowledgeable staff, and small groups of children. They exist! I've seen it with my own eyes, and one day I hope to operate my very own school to the high standards I have witnessed.

I should also say that I do not think poorly of parents who chose to put their children in daycare, it is a very reasonable option. What I do have a problem with are poorly run daycares and preschools that charge an arm and a leg without delivering the quality service that a paying parent deserves. I don't plan on this becoming an expose like Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project, which if you haven't checked out yet you really should. Instead I want this to be more of an unseen perspective into a world that almost every parent interacts with but never sees. Child care: the good the bad and the ugly.

Future posts will include some basic and unknown information about both daycares and nannying, things you wish you knew about what goes on when you're at work, horror stories from myself and other nannies and teachers I know, some cute true stories about some of the children "my kind" has experienced, the reasons we love the job and I will even be trying to make regular "recipe" posts that are quick and nutritious.

So stay tuned...