Living in the moment

Posted on July 15, 2010 by viviankirkfield

They say we should live in the moment.

I think this is true…but it is certainly hard to do.

Especially when you are raising children.

When your newborn baby is lying in his crib, you wonder…when will he start to smile at me?

As your baby girl kicks her feet in the air, you think…when will she turn over?

When will he crawl, stand up, walk on his own?

When will she talk, write her name, ride a bike?

Perhaps this is part of the human condition…this almost constant quest for the next stage of development. Maybe this characteristic of ours is what drives civilization to newer technologies and what causes yesterday’s inventions to become obsolete.

Take a breath…look around you…this moment will never be experienced again.

Be in this moment with your child…share a story and participate together in an activity…you will be creating a life-long bond.

Here’s a suggestion for a story to read to your preschooler (but any story will do):

I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU: written by Lisa Baker, illustrated by David McPhail: Story summary:

Mother Fox tells her son that she loves him when he is happy as well as when he is angry, when he is sick in bed as well as when he is running around, when he is shouting as well as when he is quiet. Little Fox is very comforted by the fact that his mother loves him just as he is.

LOVE COLLAGE CRAFT PROJECT: You will need: A piece of construction paper, old magazines, scissors, paste and crayons.

Talk to your child about the things she loves…her family, pets, playing ball, eating ice cream, the color blue, etc.
Look through the magazines and help your child cut out pictures that illustrate what she loves.
Paste the pictures onto the paper…let your child use the crayons to draw additional things (or people) she loves that she couldn’t find pictures of, such as herself and you!
Hang the picture up in a place of honor in your home…what a boost to your child’s self-esteem!

Bad day? Bake some bread!

Posted on July 12, 2010 by viviankirkfield

We all have bad days…alarm fails to go off and everyone is late, coffeemaker filter had a hole in it and your mouth is full of coffee grounds, you’ve just finished buttoning and zipping your toddler’s outfit and he spills his breakfast all over it…and these are the little things. Health, relationships, finances…we won’t even go there!

Life can definitely be frustrating. I’ve found that baking bread, especially with young children, can lift your spirits, help lessen anxiety and get rid of negative feelings (all that kneading and punching down the dough…I think bakers must be among the most peaceful people in the world). It also provides a wonderful activity (with science and math concepts) for you and your preschooler AND everyone gets to enjoy delicious homemade bread!

When my children were young, we baked bread at least twice a week. They had fun. The house smelled like heaven. Here is a recipe for their favorite bread.

CHILD-FRIENDLY SWEET WHEAT BREAD

You will need: 2 cups warm milk, 2 packages of yeast, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup honey, 1 egg beaten, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup wheat germ (optional), 5 cups (or a little more) flour, 1 Tb milk, 1 Tb honey, large bowl and 2 lightly greased loaf pans.

Combine milk and yeast in large bowl and mix well. Then beat in 1 cup flour.
Add canola oil, honey, egg, salt, vanilla and wheat germ and beat well.
Add enough flour (about 4 cups) gradually, mixing till you can knead the dough.
Knead 5-10 minutes (you can give your child a small piece of his own to work on), keeping a little flour nearby for your hands if the dough is too sticky.
Put kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean cloth (dish towel is fine) and let rise for about an hour. Then punch down(YES! Get rid of all those negative feelings…you and your child will be laughing by the time you finish punching the dough) and shape into loaves and let rise till a finger mark remains when you press a finger into the dough (about 1/2 hour).
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake about 25 minutes. Brush tops with milk and honey, if desired, and bake 5 more minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Makes 2 regular-size loaves or 4 or 5 mini-loaves.

The new parenting book I’ve just written has quite a few delicious, child-friendly bread recipes that have been favorites in our home for decades. Encourage your young children to help with the planning and preparation of family meals. It will provide a GREAT boost to their self-esteem. Positive parental participation develops a life-long parent-child bond.

So, make it a GOOD day…bake some bread!

Have any healthy, child-friendly recipes to share? I’m going to be setting up a contest to solicit recipes for my next book…winners get a free copy of the book (SHOW ME HOW! CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING) and their recipe will appear in the book with credit given to them.

Best job: work from home or not?

Posted on July 11, 2010 by viviankirkfield

I was going through the fridge and freezer this morning, chucking “out-of-date half-eaten yogurt containers and planning next week’s meals based on stuff that needs to be used up.

It hit me how much less time I have, working outside the home as compared to when I worked from my home.

Years ago when my own children were young, instead of returning to my position as a kindergarten teacher, I had decided to operate a home daycare.

I guess I had a well-ordered schedule with established routines for the children as well as for myself. In addition to my own 3 children (1 was in 3rd grade, 1 starting kindergarten and my youngest was only 10 months old), I took care of 5 teacher’s children (ages 8 months to 4 years) every day. I also had a lovely kitchen garden in season and shelves of canned and preserved fruits, veggies and jams. I baked bread with the children at least twice a week (they each got their own piece of dough to knead, bake and take home to share with their families…in tomorrow’s blog I’ll include the BEST bread recipe ever…at least my children always thought so). I never bought a Christmas or birthday gift…I crafted everything.

Now, although I only work 3 days a week outside my house, my children are grown with families of their own, and I’ve traded my hat as daycare provider for that of writer of parenting and children’s picture books, I find I have LESS time than before. Is it that I am older and have less energy? Am I less organized than I was before? Or does life become more complicated even though it seems it should be more simple.

I know it is different for everyone…each person’s situation and personality dictate how they feel about working from home or outside the home.

What is your experience? Better to work at home? Or better to work outside the home?