Mom and Dad’s computer is a favorite thing for the whole family. JDaniel has a little laptop that he enjoys, but not as much as his parent computer. The screen is in color and the keyboard is bigger. Maybe that is why he loves it. I am not sure. I just know he makes a bee line to it now.
Mommyhood Moment-The Tale of Two Haircuts
I have been trimming JDaniel’s hair for months. I just cut his curls off the collar of his pajamas, his bangs and the little wisps of hair that hang over his ears after he has a bath. Today I decided to take him for his first haircut to a hair salon for kids. They advertise that the first haircut is only one penny. He loved waiting for his turn while sitting in a motorcycle chair and looking around at the toys in the waiting area. When it was his turn, I was asked if a pair of scissors had ever touched his head. Yes, I admitted. He has had a trim now and then but, he has never had a haircut. Well, then he isn’t eligible for the 1 cent cut. His haircut will be seventeen dollars I was told. I am a cheap as they come as you will read in the next paragraph, but I did splurge. JDaniel had his hair cut in the racecar chair where he could watch a movie on a monitor. He was so good about the whole thing. That is until the stylist took out the trimmer to go around his ears. The sound really bothered him. JDaniel is going to be going to a family wedding in two weeks and now he looks amazingly cute.
The second hair cut is the frugal one. It isn’t as frugal as it could have been. On the way back from JDaniel’s haircut I saw a sign in front of the vocational high school in town. The sign advertised haircuts for four dollars. I have to admit I seriously thought about it. I just need to have my hair trimmed about an inch. Instead I went and paid eight dollars and fifty cents to a local hairstyling franchise in town. Their haircuts are usually I little more than that, but I had a coupon on the back of my Bi-Lo grocery store receipt for a discounted haircut. Honestly I don’t look nearly as amazingly cute as JDaniel, but it was the right price for what I had done.
Online Video for Children About Chat Room Dangers- Links 4 Kids
Disney has a great video about chat rooms called “Whose Afraid of the Little Sweet Sheep.” I am not advocating children ever use chat rooms. I am saying I used to show this to my students to explain the dangers of chat rooms.
Tekmom- Links 4 Moms
I have used this site for years with children. She has how to cite a web resource, an interactive listing of search tools for kids, a glossary of technology buzzwords and the ten commandments of computer ethics. This is a great resource for children.
Mommyhood Tip- Bring Your Own Headphones to Use at the Library
I was reminded of another computer related Mommyhood Tip today. JDaniel likes to hop from computer to computer and loves to have the headphones on. In my previous life as a technology resource teacher we cleaned the headphones in the computer lab often. I am not sure how often they get a chance to clean the headphones in the library. JDaniel is going to be getting a cheap pair of headphones from the dollar store to use at the library. With flu season here and lots of children with colds it will be a good investment.
Mommyhood Tips- Timing Computer Usage
We discussed the internet and computer usage at the Mentor Moms group I attend at my church. One thing that kept coming up was the amount of time both parents and children spend on the computer. A suggestion was to set a kitchen timer for the amount of time you want to be on the computer and to stop working on the computer when it goes off. I know easier said than done.
Soup Recipes from Playgroup at Leila’s House
My friend Leila hosted playgroup today. She had the best soups. I asked for recipes so I could pass them on to you.
Chicken and Barley Soup
Ingredients
• 2 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 lb / 455 g), cubed
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch / 1/2 cm coins
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped into 1/4-inch / 1/2 cm pieces
• 1 large tomato, chopped into 1/4-inch / 1/2 cm pieces
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried thyme
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried celery seed
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml pearled barley
• 2 qt./2L of low-sodium organic chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml sea salt
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml fresh ground black pepper
Preparation
Place barley in bowl with just enough water to cover it.
Heat olive oil on medium heat in an 8-quart stockpot.
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the olive oil, cooking for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken to stockpot, along with the salt and black pepper. Brown for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, vegetables, and spices to the pot.
Drain the water from the barley. Add the barley to the soup.
Let the soup boil for 30 minutes on medium heat.
Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
• 2-3 sweet potatoes, sliced length-wise
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, cut into large chunks
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml of rice bran oil*
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml of canned pumpkin puree
• 2-3 cups / 480 – 700 ml of low-sodium, low-fat chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml of fresh lime juice
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Ground nutmeg
*If you can’t find rice bran oil, olive oil will do
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a large roasting pan by pouring the olive oil into it, letting it coat the bottom. Cut the sweet potato in half and place in the roasting pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the top of the garlic bulb off and drizzle with rice bran oil. Place in the roasting pan with the other vegetables. Bake for 40 minutes or until tender. Remove and let stand.
Remove sweet potato from the pan and place in a large stock pot. Add the roasted onion and squeeze the roasted garlic flesh in as well. Add the canned pumpkin, 2 cups of chicken stock and lime juice and bring to a boil. Add more chicken stock to make the soup less thick. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Using a hand blender, puree the soup until it is evenly smooth. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg.
Mommyhood Moment- I have a digital native!
JDaniel is a digital native. He loves computers. It maybe because he sees his parent working on their computers. My husband and I are both geeks. He has a laptop of his own but can’t wait to get on his parents or the computers in the children’s section at the library. On Wednesday he sat at the library clicking away at the key with fingers on both hands flying. He was typing just like his mom. I better watch out he may start his own blog.
Mommyhood Moment-I’ve got to go the Bathroom! It’s an Emergency!
Have you ever heard this while traveling in the car with your children? Have you ever heard yourself saying it? Yesterday on my way home from visiting my sister about a half a hour from home I found myself saying this. I said it in my head and began to pray. I prayed that my nineteen month old would wake up from his two hour nap so that I would be able to exit off the highway and go to the bathroom. I couldn’t stop and leave him in the car. I prayed that when he did wake up there would be an exit. There are long stretches on my way home without exits. I prayed that the exit would have a place with a clean bathroom. I prayed that I would stop thinking about going to the bathroom. I prayed that I would have the wisdom to never get a 32 ounce sweet tea while traveling along again. (Even if it is only $1.)
God is good. JDaniel woke up about ten minutes later and we were able to stop at a fast food restaurant. I wish could say it was a clean bathroom. I quickly picked the stall with the least amount of toilet paper on the floor, placed JDaniel in a clean corner of the stall and praised God for giving JDaniel a good rest and me a good rest stop. (Even with the toilet paper on the floor)
Handwashing Activity Sites- Links 4 Moms
Sink Those Germs and Wash Your Hands Game http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/sinkgerms.htm
NSF Scrub club– Great online quiz on handwashing, fun games that teach about germs, and videos that teach about handwashing. I really like Stop Fluin’ Around and Big E’s Grossest Hits.
University of Nebraska Lincoln- Handwashing PDF posters
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