Saturday Ramblings: Building a Life-Long Bond With Your Children

Posted on April 2, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Today I am going fly-fishing with my husband and one of our grown sons. Peter flew in yesterday from Chicago to spend the weekend with us. I know we will have an awesome time…Eleven Mile Canyon is a magical spot and we are blessed to live only an hour away.

I picked Peter up at the airport…the hug he gave me was straight from the heart. We drove to a little Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs because Peter knows I love to try new foods and had never had Vietnamese food before. Dinner was DELICIOUS…and my dinner companion was all a mother could ask for.

In order to be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you need to be in their life today.

Believe me…I know what it is like to be a mom of several children with a home, husband and job. It truly gets overwhelming at times. But spending time with your young children is so very important.

Just 15 minutes a day is enough time to read a picture book.

Just 15 minutes a day is enough time to do a simple craft project together.

Just 15 minutes a day is enough time to participate together in the kitchen.

Parents are busy today…that’s why I wrote SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING. This unique resource is a shortcut for parents and teachers and provides story summaries of 100 picture books every young child should hear along with an easy craft project and a simple recipe for each recommended title. And right now, until April 9^th, the book is on sale for 50% off the cover price! Please visit my website to purchase and for details on the prize you can win for your preschooler.

Attention anyone local to Monument, CO…The Covered Treasures Bookstore is hosting a Book Fair to benefit the Tri-Lakes Community Preschool Tuition Assistance Program on Sunday, April 10th at 12-4pm…come on out for a wonderful day in Monument and get to meet and greet three local authors who will be signing their books. I’ll be there from 2-3:30pm. A portion of all proceeds will go to Tri-Lakes Community Preschool and I’m offering several raffle prizes. For more information: www.coveredtreasures.com

Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by viviankirkfield

: Image via Wikipedia

When I introduced the SHOW ME HOW Story-time Program to District 11, I had no idea how popular it would be.

But I guess when you combine picture books and young children and craft activities, you are bound to get positive results!

Yesterday morning found me at Edison School…just three minutes from my house. It was easy to find because I’d been there before…not to read or craft, but to vote. 🙂

The kindergarten children in Ms. Gustafson’s class were eager to hear about Frederick, the little mouse whose family is preparing for the winter by collecting corn, straw, wheat and nuts. Although it looks like Frederick is sleeping most of the time, he tells his family that he is busy…gathering the sun’s rays, colors and words. When winter comes and the mice have eaten most of the food and are cold and hungry, Frederick offers up the supplies he brought and warms his family with his words about the sun’s golden rays and brightens the gray winter day by talking about the colors of the flowers in the spring.

I was so impressed with the children’s level of attention…smiling faces and raised hands greeted every question I asked as we discussed the difference between the supplies Frederick gathered and those his family brought. They understood that even though food and shelter were important, the beauty that Frederick supplied was necessary for life also.

After the story and discussion, the children moved to their tables where they worked on creating a colorful flower picture. Many of the children added their own touches…some drew Frederick and his family…one boy raised the edges of the construction paper flowers so that they had depth, just like real flowers do.

I was touched when one student wanted to give me his picture to take home with me…what an honor! However, the teacher was going to hang all of the pictures on the wall outside the classroom, so I thanked him and told him that I would be able to enjoy seeing it again the next time I visited Edison School.

As the children put the finishing touches on their pictures, I thanked them for having me, said goodbye and walked down the hall to the other kindergarten where 15 smiling children waited to greet me and hear all about Frederick.

Based on my book for parents of preschoolers, the SHOW ME HOW Story-time Program helps encourage young children in school to become readers and lovers of books. If you’d like to have this unique resource available to you and your child, please visit my website where you can purchase a copy at 50% off the cover price. For just $22.50, you will have 100 story summaries, 100 simple craft projects and 100 easy healthful cooking activities right at your fingertips! And you can enter to win a selection of craft supplies for your preschooler.

I’m looking forward to April 12^th when this blog will be a stop on the book blog tour of Max the Dog Who Works. He is also in the People Telly Awards competition and the following is a message from him about a youtube video he made:

This competition and the People Telly Awards are chosen specifically by online voters. We are seeking your help to share and gain as many votes as possible to show support for Leader Dogs for the Blind. To vote, please visit the Link provided below and rate it using the ever famous thumbs up system. Videos that earn the most thumbs up win!

The more people you share this link with, the greater the chance of earning recognition for Leader Dogs.

Visit: http://www.youtube.com/tellyawards?x=TNRiC8lMBoU to cast your vote

Hugs and Licks:Max!

Leader Dogs for the Blind…a very worthwhile organization…please give your support by watching the video and voting for Max!

Healthy Habit Thursday: The Importance of Vitamins!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

I can still remember the ENORMOUS vitamin pill my sister and I had to take every morning. It was all but impossible to swallow…and often left us feeling that it was still stuck in our throats, long after breakfast was over.

These days, children have chewable vitamins with fruity flavors, shaped like favorite cartoon characters.

But the underlying premise is still the same…supplementing your daily diet with vitamins and minerals is probably a smart move…especially these days when the nutritional value of processed foods is questionable.

So why are vitamins important and how does each one help?

Today’s post will concentrate on Vitamin B…a complex vitamin made up of eight essential nutrients. And then, every Thursday in the month of April, we’ll take a look at various other vitamins.

The B-complex vitamins are essential for life and good health. They help make and regulate our genes, produce energy, regulate blood sugar, enhance mood and cognitive abilities and maintain cardiovascular health. Since the 1940’s, they’ve been known as anti-stress vitamins because they help strengthen our resistance to the physical and mental consequences of chronic stress.

Eight B vitamins make up this family of essential nutrients.

Vitamin B1: Also known as thiamin, this vitamin helps cells produce the right amounts of energy and gives you the power to get through day-to-day life. If you consume large amounts of sugars and simple carbohydrates like pizza, breads, pastas, bagels and cereals, your supply of B1 will be depleted.
Vitamin B2: Also known as riboflavin, this vitamin is at the heart of energy production and thought to be helpful to decrease the frequency of migraine headaches.
Vitamin B3: Also known as niacin, this vitamin helps cells produce an enzyme that repairs DNA damage from toxins and it also can significantly lower blood cholesterol levels.
Vitamin B6: Also known as pyridoxine and pyridoxyl-5-phosphate, this vitamin works together with other elements to promote a variety of chemical reactions involved in the production of serotonin and other mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. It’s been used in studies to decrease PMS symptoms and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Vitamin B12: Low levels of this vitamin can accelerate aging and the risk of cancer and may mimic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Folic Acid: This vitamin is the main contributor to making new DNA which is needed to make new cells for growth and healing. Studies show that this vitamin can enhance the benefits of anti-depressant drugs and cut hearing loss in middle-age and older people.
Biotin: This vitamin activates some of the genes involved in metabolizing blood sugar, protein and fat…it’s especially important for people with pre-diabetes and type-2 diabetes. It also can help lower triglycerides and it improves nail health.
Choline: This vitamin is found in all cell membranes where it helps communicate external information to the cell nucleus. It is needed for normal brain development and function.

This is a photo from my recent trip to visit my daughter and her family. 2 1/2 year-old Jeremy had a wonderful time whisking the eggs and mashing the bananas (both GREAT sources of Vitamin B) for the banana muffins we made. As parents, we are responsible for providing healthful foods for our children…and ourselves. Do you find yourself dragging before the day is half over? Maybe you need to eat some foods rich in B vitamins.

1. Dark leafy green vegetables

2. Fresh fruits

3. Fresh dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese

4. Meat

Two important tips to remember:

Most processed foods these days are “enriched” with vitamin B…but we should all strive to eat foods that are naturally rich in B.
The nutritional value of a food can decline when frozen, overcooked or combined with various additives.

If you are looking for some simple child-friendly healthful recipes…please visit my website where you can purchase a copy of SHOW ME HOW, a unique resource for parents and teachers of preschoolers that provides 100 cooking activities your child will LOVE to help with…most take just 15 minutes to prepare and will contribute to your child’s positive self-image. The half-price sale continues until April 9^th…so please don’t miss out if you were thinking of getting a copy. You can also enter to win a selection of craft supplies for your preschooler.

Please stop by tomorrow for Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian and find out how much fun I had this morning at Edison School! And don’t forget about the Book Blog Tour for Max the Dog. You can click on my sidebar to find out more.