Lets get Sneaky with VEGGIES and FRUIT

Okay, I will be the first to admit it... I'm one of those mommy's who tries to sneak extra fruit 

and veggies into my kids any way I can! My middle child is one of the pickiest eaters around, 

and if its not Kraft Dinner and hot dogs, she doesn't want it (will for the most part).  So I have

been doing alot of searching on how to get some vegetables into to her and my other children with 

out a big fight. 
  
Here are some great ideas I have been trying that seem to work and a few that I will be trying

to get my children and the ones in my care to eat more veggies and fruit.

 
We all know by now that we should be eating five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables each day 

according to Canada's Food Guide. But knowing and doing are two different things, aren’t they?

Sometimes it is just not easy to get them all in there. We are constantly tempted to fill up on convenience

and junk food. If your family is anything like mine, they’d much rather fill up on crackers or a bowl of 

pasta instead of trying a plate of steamed broccoli.    
 
Start the day with a breakfast smoothie. All you have to do is throw some fruits, low-fat yogurt and 

ice in a blender. You may also want to add a scoop of protein powder in there for good measure. 

Just blend for a few seconds and you have the perfect breakfast ready to go. To make it even more 

appealing for your kids, use some frozen yogurt or a scoop of ice cream in the smoothie. They won’t 

believe that you are letting them have ice cream for breakfast. To make this even more fulfilling for you 

to know they are getting all the vitamins they need, toss some spinage in there too.  I don't know to 

many children that will eat half a cup of raw spinage or even cooked but when putting it into a smoothy 

it doesn't change the taste of the drink (it will make it bright Green though) but gives you all the great 

nutrients you want you family to have.
 
Dried fruit makes an excellent snack any time of the day. Add some small cartons of raisins to

your child’s lunch box, pack some yogurt-covered raisins in your hubby's briefcase and keep some trail

mix sitting around for snacking. You can also add dried fruit to oatmeal and cereal in the morning. 
 
Add some fruits and vegetables to your family’s sandwiches. You can add some banana, sliced 

apples or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich. Top a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, 

cucumber and anything else they will eat. You can even make a sub shop style vegetable sandwich by 

combining several different vegetables with some mayonnaise and cheese on bread. 
 
Have a salad bar at dinner. Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, some cheese and croutons

as well as several choices of salad dressing along with the lettuce and let everybody create their 

own perfect salad. 
 
Let them drink their fruits and vegetables. Keep an assortment of fruit and vegetable juices in the

fridge and encourage everyone to drink them as a snack. Get creative. You could start “family cocktail

hour” by pouring everybody a glass of his or her favorite juice over ice. Add some straws, cocktail 

umbrellas and sit together to talk about how everybody’s day went. 
 
Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt in a bowl and top it with lots 

of fresh or frozen fruit. 
 
Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks. You can cut apples into slices and top them with peanut butter 

or cheese. Cube cheese and serve with grapes. Cut up some fresh veggies and serve them with ranch 

dip. And of course there’s ants on a log. Spread some cream cheese, cheez whiz, or peanut butter on 

the inside of a stick of celery and sprinkle raisins on it (wow, fruit and vegetable in one snack). 
 
Try some new fruits and vegetables. Pick something exotic to get your family’s curiosity. With a little 

luck their curiosity will outweigh their initial apprehension to trying something new. You could try 

artichokes, plantains, papaya, mango, star fruit, or anything else you can find in the produce department 

of your local store. 
 
Start “My Veggie Day”. Each family member gets to pick a vegetable one day of the week. They 

qualify to pick a vegetable as long as they tried each vegetable the week before, otherwise they loose 

a turn and Mom gets to pick. 
 
Incorporate a few of these ideas and you will have everyone in your family eating more fruits and 

vegetables in no time. 
 
Here is another couple of tips:  Now that everyone in the family has gotten a taste for it, make sure 

you always have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies available and ready to snack on. When you buy your 

groceries and wash your fruit and veggies take some extra time and cut them up right away.  This way

they are ready to offer at the moment your little one says “I'm hungry...” or the instant they walk in the 

door from school.  This way its easy for both you and your children to grab them and hand them out

 instead of waiting till the cut up for them. You can even go one step further and place them in snack 

size baggies right after you cut them up.  This way your family can help them self's and it often makes 

younger children feel good about themselves that they can grab something with out having to ask and 

you once again get the satisfaction of knowing its healthy for them!
 
 

Chompers

I mentioned in my previous post quickly about teething.  Its another step in growth for our babies, another step to independence too.  Yep, that means as they get more teeth they are growing up and soon will want to feed themselves and eat from the table not that yummy baby food (that was said in sarcasm, in case you didn't know).  My youngest son is 10 and a half months old right now and wow, time is flying that's for sure.  Some days its doesn't seem to go fast enough either for the both of us, with these darn teeth trying to come in and there isn't alot that I can do to make them come in, all that is possible for me to do is comfort him and try the best to sooth his pain.

Children usually start teething around the age of 3 months, some younger, some older, and some are even born with a tooth or two (Wow, I couldn't imagine that, but its true), and teething usually last till the age of two or so.  That's along span of time but remember that they aren't teething 24-7 for those two years, its on and off.  I remember when I had my first son, I had heard so many horror stories from parents and teething infants.  I think teething was the one things I worried about from the time I was 6 months pregnant until I realized my boy was now 4 years old and it was already over (he is 6 now and I can hardly remember the days he was teething).  For many children cutting teeth is horrible for them, they have all the side effects that go along with teething, yet for the next child you don't realize they have cut a tooth till one day they decide to take a chomp outta your finger!  Some teeth come in in a matter of a day while others seem to move up and down for what seems likes weeks, before they break their way through the gum line and show that pearly white off to all who can see it.

Most (and I must point out this out, MOST) children's teeth come in the same.  All is a pattern which usually follows something like this:  the two lower middle teeth; next, the four upper middle teeth arrive, and after that come incisors, the furthest forward molars and finally the back molars. The first teeth may be the easiest for many babies because the teeth are sharp and thin, so they make it through the gum tissue with less trouble than the broad molars do.  Now I must admit not all children's teeth come in this way, like some youngest son for instance, he cut is left top front tooth first out of the 4 front middle ones.  I must say he did look a little funny for a few weeks until he got the bottom ones and then followed the other top three.  A tooth to the side all by itself?!?!? 

Some signs of teething are obvious; drooling, wakefulness, crankiness, crying, biting, chewing and tender gums are a few. Other signs of cutting teeth may be a little less obvious: they refuse food or may not be drinking milk; he or she may have a rash around the mouth; saliva irritates the delicate skin. There may be a runny nose, the mechanics of which escape me, but if you've ever eaten a hot chili, you know that your mouth floods with saliva, your eyes tear up and your nose starts to run. Because the baby is drooling and swallowing more drool than you ever thought possible, you may notice loose stools in the diaper. Loose bowel movements may be a part of teething, but if there's anything more than an extra-poopy diaper, if there is fever, mucous or blood in the stools, or if the diarrhea is violent, you should take your baby to the doctor for help because the diarrhea probably isn't related to teething. And if your child is experiencing even the mild diarrhea associated with teething, there may be diaper rash, too. And you thought this couldn't be more fun!

The pain of teething is normal, and often not bothersome enough to disturb your baby's good mood or even sleeping habits. But, many parents discover that cutting teeth causes their infants to become restless and irritable, interfering with sleep as well as eating. When your baby can't sleep because of teething pain, there are several methods you can use to help comfort her. You can use topical medicines to anesthetize the sore gums; internal pain medications in pill or liquid form can reduce the pain perception at the level of the brain, homeopathic remedies can stimulate the body to produce its own pain relief and home remedies like cold foods, massage and things to bite on can either numb the gums or reduce the pain from pressure. You have a lot of options, and when your child is having a tough time with teething, you may want to try them all! Start with the simple things first: they often work best..

You can soothe sore gums by letting your child chew or suck on chilled teething rings, frozen baby bagels or popsicles, but when teething pain causes your child trouble sleeping, you may decide to turn to medicine to help you and your baby get some rest. Baby versions of both Motrin and Tylenol are available, and you can get your child's correct dosage of Ibuprofen you’re your pharmacist. Some parents find that their infants do better with one medicine than with another, so you may want to try one first and then compare their effects.

binkies in the fridge so you can swap for a cool one once in awhile. Lots of parents say that letting their child suck on a cold, wet washcloth helps, and even thought it's a homely sort of remedy, enough people swear by it that it would be wrong to ignore the advice. The other bonus is that the washcloth can absorb some of the drool that can otherwise drench an infant from head to toe. Pain gel is another option for daytime, deadening sensation in the gums and mouth for a relatively short period of time. But if it helps relieve the pain even for a little while, it may make the difference between sleeping babies and screaming ones. When your child is in pain, you want to do whatever possible to make it better: stockpiling medicine, oral gels, teething aids and tips from your friends may be able to help you through the worst of teething.

In conclusion, teething maybe a sinch for some infants while others can go through hell.  Remember that it will be over soon and then you get to move on to the next stage of growing up..... the potty training!!!! Take every moment, experience, and situation at a time and remember it cause all to soon they will be grown up and having to experience these things themselves with their own children.

Baking up a storm!

Wow, its been a while since I have blogged last.  Things have been crazy here, with Christmas activities in full gear along with a lot of life challenges putting some hick-ups in there too.

Well today I decided that I needed to get some Christmas baking done.  I am running outta time.......  With only having one extra little one with me today, I thought it might be a good day to do some.  We started out with the good old sugar cookies.  We will be using these next week for our Christmas party.  Then on to the many, many other new and creative goodies I have decided to make this year.  I have been trying to make healthier food choice for my family and the kids in my care.  So with that, I did some (OK alot) of research on healthy Christmas baking, along with the research I also did a number of tweaks to many of my recipes.  These tweaks come from a good friend of mine that has showed me that you can make a everyday recipe a little healthier by exchanging some ingredients for others.  With all this the kids and I ended up making 8 different baking goodies through out the day.  We were tired, a mess, but had such a blast doing it.  With my little man crawling on the floor eating as much of the batter droppings as he could get, to my daughter feeding the other boy icing while I am taking cookies out of the oven and have my back turned to them.  Hehehe, they don't think I know!!! MOMMY has eyes in the back of her head, she can see and hear everything!  (I remember my mom saying this to me and number of times when I was young).  So in the end it is so much fun cooking and baking with little ones, and ya its a mess but hey, they get to learn new things and well make that mess.  What are kinds for!?!?!?  A decoration? Nope, surely not (at least not mine, they can't sit still for more then 2 minutes at a time).  After 10 hours of baking for me, I thought that is it, no more!  Well then I look at my kitchen, ummmm ya there is more! Not baking now but doing the dishes, putting away all the baking ingredients, and sweeping the floor.  It was much needed that's for sure, I think what the little one didn't get the dog did, but after a while, they both were a little to full to eat much more, so that leaves me with the job of sweeping up too, I don't like sweeping!!  So all is made now just to let them set over night and cut them all up and package them tomorrow.  Yummy, that means taste testing!

Keeping it clean

I have two wee ones in my care one of whom is my own and one that comes in for care.  These two little ones seem to always be sick.  If its not one its the other.  We have had so much go around the daycare since I have open in the beginning of September.  I have dealt with the cold, flu, teething, ear infections, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and a whole lotta pink eye (both of them have had it twice now).  I clean, clean, and clean and they still pass it around.  As a caregiver and love children it breaks my heart to see one sick.  My oldest son is 6 and between him and my daughter I don't think the two of them together have been as sick as my youngest have and he is only 8 months.  Its been such a task to keep these kidlets healthy.  I thought of not taking sick ones, but I know as a working mom for a few years its hard to always take time off, you need the money, you need the job, but you don't know what to do with your poor little one who is sick and just wants to be held or sleep.  I love the fact that my parents know they can trust their children in my care when they are sick.  I use Lysol almost nightly to try and clean the toys they use, I don't know if I can even count the number of cans I have gone through the last few months just trying to keep up with illnesses.  I thought it might be a good idea to let others know of a few good cleaning tips also.

Choose toys carefully. Look for washable toys and throw out items that won't come clean, Where possible, avoid porous, stuffed or otherwise difficult-to-scrub items.


Wash 'em regularly. You don't need to scrub toys weekly, as many day cares do, but perhaps once a month or at least when toys are visibly dirty. Throw toys into the top rack of a dishwasher or the washing machine, or hand wash them in dish soap and water or if plastic you can use bleach and water. Not all toys indicate whether they're dishwasher safe, so use your judgment. If you're concerned that something might melt, wash it by hand.


Blast germs when required. Disinfect toys and other surfaces (say, toy boxes or crib rails) if you, your child or a visiting playmate has been ill. A bleach-water solution or non-aerosol disinfectant such as Lysol should do the trick (Be sure to read ingredients and labels carefully.) Note that if your dishwasher or laundry machine uses 130-degree water, disinfectant is unnecessary, but if you feel the need to use it, go ahead, its not going to hurt anything but those bad old germs.


Give stuffed toys the deep freeze. If your child has tested positive for dust-mite allergy, put their stuffed toys in a plastic covering and freeze them for three to five hours once a week. "This kills most living dust mites," These microscopic, spider-like mites are one of the most common allergy and asthma triggers. To find out if your child has a dust-mite allergy, ask your family doctor for a blood- or skin-prick allergy test.


Ditch bath toys with holes. Sure, you can and should squeeze water out of tub toys, hang them to dry in a netting bag and wash and disinfect them as above. But bath toys with holes can become a breeding ground for mold, so why not avoid them altogether? I don't always agree with this right away, but once I notice any toys getting that lovely black guck in them then I toss them at that time.  I do know people that will not allow any such things to be used by their child because of the mold, but I also find my children enjoy the good old plastic sour cream contains or the used up bubble bath containers just as much as the actual bath toys themselves.


Keep washing those hands. This is important especially after school or visits to the playground. A recent University of Arizona study found that children's playground equipment and daycare centers were the most frequently contaminated public places of over 1,000 surfaces tested. Washing hands before kids play with their home toys can keep them from spreading bacteria around. "The average child has up to six colds a year, but regular hand washing can cut that in half".  Good news though is that we are more aware of illnesses these days and most people do proper cleaning and hygiene to keep them away.

I have all children in my care wash their hands before and after every meal, after we come inside and of course after they use the bathroom.  I don't always agree on being 100% clean because then your child doesn't get immune to anything and will get sick when out in the public, but at the same time, I do believe in a safe and healthy environment for all.  Kids will be kids and you can't blame any one person on your child getting sick, it just isn't right.  Its not fun to deal with a sick or icky child but take the right measures and most are able to recover with in a few days and are back to their normal busy selves.

Why they cry.... it breaks my heart....

So this morning I got a call from a friendly mom from around town that had asked before if I would be interested in take her child from a while during the days she works.  Of course I was happy to say yes, and the call came this morning asking if she could have a "trail" with her little one coming here for a few hours to see how he would react.  After all was said and done, the little man was great, no whine, cry or tear from him.  After talking with his mom for a while about how children can sometimes get very upset with going to daycare, I thought it would be a great topic to blog about a bit.  I know personally that taking your child to daycare for the first time, tenth time, or one hundredth time, can be as hard as ever.  And if they cry, it just makes it even worse on you.  I remember dropping my two oldest children off at daycare and my little girl crying when I left, as I walked to the car I would cry along with her, it just breaks your heart.  I knew she was in good hands because the lady look after my children was a good long time friend of ours, the children knew her well but that didn't matter when it came to leaving and my daughter crying.  Now that I am on the other side of the fence somewhat, I find it just as hard.  I am there with them as they are crying for mommy or daddy, but at the same time, I know how mommy or daddy are feeling too.  When taking on a new child for care its just as hard for me as it is for the parents and the child themselves.  I worry about the fact is this child going to lose it when the parent leaves, I am going to be able to calm them down if so.  What if they don't like it in my care, will I be looked down on as a bad care giver?  There are many different things I worry about the first few days, even up to a week with a new child.  You have to teach them the rules, guide lines, and do's and don'ts of my own house and business, but at the same time you don't want to totally change a young ones life so fast that they aren't sure what is up from down.  So you have to take the time to incorporate both lifestyles for the child for some time, until they are comfortable with you and their new surroundings.

I remember reading over some information on separation anxiety while doing some of my studying for an online child care course.  I went looking through my books to refresh my memory and I thought I would share some in site on why children do this as their parents leave after dropping them off at daycare.

      It is totally normal for a infant or young children to cry when separated from their parents, they simply are unable to understand that their parents will return for them later on.  The reason they don't want you to leave is that you are the one they trust, the person whom knows them and understands their unique style of emotions and communication.  They don't know and understand at first that some one else will also be able to keep them safe and respond to their needs. This is why adjusting to child care can take some time.  Children need to learn through experience that you will come back for them and that the people/person taking care of them are safe, responsive to their needs and nurturing.
     Other reasons a child might cry when being dropped off at daycare my be that the childcare situation is not a good match for them.  This may simply be that the program is to busy and stimulating for your child if he or she is a quieter temperament person or even that the style of the caregiver is not comfortable for your child.  There are times even good programs or day cares aren't a good fit for every child.  This could be reversed too and that maybe the program isn't stimulating enough for you child either, and its not meeting their needs.  The needs and comforting of a child might not be met if there are too many children, not enough teachers/care givers for the amount of children, too small of a space, to large of a space, inappropriate or inadequate materials for your own child's needs.
      The schedule of the day may not be tailored to your child's needs if younger or older then the planned activities are set for.  a program that is so structured that the individual needs of children for food, sleep, play, care giving, and interaction aren't being met is not a healthy place for children to spend their time, and often this frustrates your child and they learn for that feel and get upset when having to be left for any length of time.

Some tips on helping you child adjust to a daycare:

• carefully check-out and child-care situation before you enroll you child.   You are the one whom knows your child the best, so if you know the daycare program you might be able to view whether it may be to stimulating or not stimulating enough for your child.
• help your child make the adjustment gradually.  You may want to go with your child once or twice and stay there for a bit with them.  Once they get to know the place, try taking them for short periods of time (1 to 3 hours) by themselves to see how the react while you are gone.  Once your child has been in the care of another person for a few times, it will make dropping the off a little easier sometimes when you are gone for a full day.
• work towards consistency in a schedule.  This isn't just in the daycare but the routine before going to daycare can help set your child for the day.  Try to keep the routine as predictable as possible, infants and young children can't actually tell time, but if they stay with a routine the learn to know when they are dropped off at day-care that mom or dad will be back to pick them up later.
• build a strong relationship with the child's caregiver.  Often the caregiver happens to be with your child more hours of a waking day then you might be.  Take the time to talk to your child's caregiver, ask questions on how your child is doing and any problems or success the child has had.

You must remember that your child is not the same as the child sitting 10 feet away.  Every person, infant and child has their own needs, personalities, and comforts.  Even if you take your child to the best, most known daycare around; it doesn't mean its going to be the best for your child.  If crying continues for a long time you might want to try another daycare and see if it might be more comforting and needing for your child.  It doesn't mean that the person looking after you own child wasn't a good caregiver, it just means that both child and care giver's personalities, interests, or the program aren't a match.