Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

Earlier this summer I wrote about helping your child to cope with home-sickness when heading off to summer camp.

As I told you in that post, I struggled with separating anxiety as a child and so being away from home was incredibly difficult for me.

But, when my teen years came and my desire to be with friends took over, my favorite place in the world was camp.

As a teenager, I would not only attend camp as a camper, but I would spend weeks volunteering for the younger-aged camps. Camp was my life. (In fact, I actually met my husband at camp when we were teenagers!)

So each summer, when camp ended and it was time to come home, coming back to reality was depressing.

I remember sitting in the back seat of my parents’ car on the way home from the boat, staring out at the streets which had suddenly become foreign to me. The city looked harsh, cold and dirty compared to life on the small island where I attended camp. I hated how fast it all moved, and how meaningless it felt compared to the warmth, fun and friendships I had just left.

When I stepped into my house, the comfort of my own bed didn’t make up for the loneliness. I wanted to be with my friends again. I wanted life to be all about fun. I wanted to be back at camp.

I coped by staying in close contact with my camp friends. We had lots of reunions and got together on weekends. To this day, many of my close friends are people I met at summer camp.

If your child or teenager is enduring the “end of camp” blues, they are not alone. The American Camp Association® (ACA) says, “The blues are not uncommon — causing some children to be tired, moody, and quieter than usual, or even irritable or grumpy.”

Here are some tips from the American Camp Association® for families to help ease the transition from camp to home:

• Help them relax and adjust to the slower pace of non-camp life. Suggest they take a warm shower and get plenty of rest. Plan to have an "old favorite" for dinner.

• Encourage reconnecting with friends from home. Volunteer to set up play dates and get-togethers to help re-establish a sense of belonging with friends they haven't seen in a long time.

• Allow your child to write, email, or call camp friends. Many camps encourage campers to exchange e-mail and IM addresses with one another. Parents should make sure to oversee their child's online activities, and make sure that all camp policies are being followed.

• Be open and available to talk about camp. Allow your children to reflect on their friends, their favorite moment at camp, and what they miss most about camp. Sharing experiences and feelings will help them feel connected to you, and will make the transition easier.

• Organize a small "reunion." Getting together with local camp friends can help reassure your child that though his or her friends are out of sight, they are not out of mind!

The ACA reminds parents that it is normal for them to miss their camp family the same way they missed their home family at camp. “If your child gets the blues, remember that they miss camp because they had fun — and they enjoyed taking healthy risks in a safe and nurturing environment... By being supportive and understanding, families can ease the sadness and help campers adjust to life at home. And, families can help campers remember that next summer is not that far away.”

For more information on camping visit http://www.campparents.org/.

My children are in perpetual motion.

My eight year old son slides down the stairs on his stomach, hits the bottom floor, grabs a ball and begins bouncing if off the walls. My two year old daughter climbs every surface she can find and wiggles off every chair I put her on.

Watching them, reminds me that children are designed to move.

But put on the television, or hand my son a video game, and they come to a complete stop – a dangerously, sedated stop. (I have to admit; sometimes it is a delicious stop for a tired mom!)

This generation of children is facing a new challenge – while life speeds up, our bodies are slowing down. We are sitting still, while technology moves for us.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not hating on technology. As I write this post, I am sitting in Starbucks, connected via Wi-Fi and typing on my laptop. I work online. I love technology. But I know its inherent dangers. And I know I have to work to counteract them.

With physical education programs cut back at schools across the country, homework loads increasing, and the constant temptation of video games, television and computers haunting our children as soon as the school dismissal bell rings, children are losing their natural state of activity and play. They simply aren’t moving enough.

And it isn’t hard to see the results. According to the American Heart Association, one-third of America’s children and teens are overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. The increase in childhood obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects. Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. (www.heart.org)

So what should parents do? The world of computer screens, commuting, and long work days is the new reality. It is life in the 21^st century.

But we can’t give up. If we don’t want our children to be the first generation to have a shorter life span than their parents, we have to help our kids, and ourselves, get moving!

Don’t get overwhelmed though. We can do it -- even if we have to do it in baby steps.

7 Tips to Keep Kids Active

1. “Walk” to School – My son’s school started “Walk to School Wednesday.” Families are encouraged to walk to school and children get recognition in class for doing so. For those of us who live too far to walk, we simply park a few blocks from school and walk. The morning exercise helps get our children’s mind and body ready to face the long school day ahead of them.

2. Sign Them Up! – It drives me crazy that I have to taxi children to organized sports and it definitely is a strain on the family budget, but a regular schedule of after-school sports activities ensures that your children get the much needed physical activity they are missing during their school day.

3. Get a Dog – A dog is an additional member of the family and brings along extra stress and costs. But if a dog fits well in your family, it is a great way to encourage regular physical activity.

4. Family Walks – After dinner is a great time to relax and enjoy some much need family time. Establishing a regular evening walk time with your children will not only improve everyone’s health, but it helps build stronger relationships.

5. Activity Breaks – Most kids want to enjoy video games or TV at some points during the week. Encouraging short activity/exercise breaks during their screen time can refresh their bodies and minds.

6. Get Equipment – Put up a basketball hoop, buy a hockey net, get everyone baseball mitts and then PLAY with your kids!

7. Go Online for Resources – There are countless programs and ideas online to encourage healthier lifestyles. Check out the American Heart Association for tips on activities with kids, weight and stress management, nutrition and more. www.heart.org

Photos by Janice Croze

I don’t like bugs.

In fact, while my older sister encouraged her boys’ interest in insects and bought bug collecting kits, I did not. I steered my son away from insects and silently hoped he wouldn’t develop an appetite for bug hunting.

And to be honest, my aversion to insects sometimes impedes my enjoyment of the outdoors. There are a lot of bugs on a wilderness adventure!

But as long as I don’t have to be the one picking up the insects, (be proud of me though – on a preschool bug hunt, I picked up bugs with my bare hands for my troop!) I do try to spray on the natural bug repellent and get outdoors with my children.

Our family is fortunate to spend a week every year at summer camp and we get away a few times during the year to my family’s wilderness cabin where my kids have plenty of time to get down and dirty with nature.

And when we are at home, we have a wonderful green space behind our house that we play in every day with our dog. There are short trails through the brush where the kids climb through twigs and sticks and play “fort.”

But sometimes it can be a challenge to find quick, creative ways to get our kids out enjoying nature. We want to build an appreciation for the earth in our children and spending time exploring is often the best way!

As a working mother, I don’t have a lot of time for extensive preparation or day-long activities, so most days I have to work with what I have got – a dog, a small backyard and a green space.

We play in the dirt – I am not a big gardener, (remember I’m not fond of bugs,) but my two year old daughter loves to dig in the garden, fill and empty her water can, rake, etc, pretending to “garden.”

We picnic, play sports, and have lots of dog-play dates where neighbourhood dogs come and play with our dog.

We pick flowers and gather leaves. And we collect rocks – lots of rocks. (For some reason, kids love rocks!)

Recently I found a site called Nature Rocks that has a free summer activity guide and even an activity tool where you type in your time available, your location, (i.e. backyard, community or regional,) and the age of your children. It then offers you a list of creative ideas for you to get out into nature with your kids.

I am thrilled to have found Nature Rocks and I will be using it regularly to add some variation and creativity to our family’s playtime. And I bet as I do, I will get more comfortable with those bugs!

How do you incorporate nature exploration and appreciation into your children’s lives?

Photo by Janice Croze

The Do’s and Don’ts for dealing with homesickness

My first trip to “camp” was when I was only a few weeks old. My father was the speaker and my parents’ friend flew my mom with her brand new twin babies up to the island. Yes, for our family, camp was a part of life – and we loved it!

My father was a minister and he loved to speak to youth – even long after his days of “youth ministry” were over. So, every summer my parents volunteered for a week at senior teens’ Bible camp.

My dad was the camp director and my mom worked in the kitchen. My siblings and I were “worker’s kids” roaming the camp, hanging out with campers and having fun. It was the highlight of our year.

As I grew older, I became a camper, then a dish crew worker, and then a counselor.

I even met my husband at camp! And we have carried on the tradition of volunteering every summer at this same camp that has been so important to us. In fact, this summer will be my eight year old son’s ninth year going to camp.

My son loves it and counts the months until July when we get on the boat and head to the island.

And he can’t wait until he can attend camp on his own, as a camper at Junior Boys camp.

But, when I first attended camp without my parents it was not the fun, carefree experience I had going to camp with my family.

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Like all moms I’m always agonizing over what is best for my baby. Now that he is starting to eat solid foods, I can’t help but think I should be preparing him fresh cooked, organic meals. Store bought organic baby food will be a part of his diet (and I am grateful that there are so many great options) but I feel that the making my own baby food would be ideal. The only problem is: where do I start? And how much time is it going to take?

Well I found a great resource to help answer all those (and the many other) questions I have! Wholesome Baby Food gives you the low-down on everything you need to know to make your own baby food. From the basic steps of cooking and pureeing fruits and veggies to the best ways to store what you’ve made, this site has it all. I had always been under the impression that it was more complicated or that you needed a fancy “baby food maker” like the Beaba Babycook. And while it would be convenient to have on machine that steams, blends, warms and defrosts all in one – it’s not necessary. You can simply steam, bake or even microwave (although I wouldn’t) the fruits and veggies as you would for yourself and puree them in a blender, using hand or stick mixer or a food processor. Steaming is the preferred method because it preserves the most nutrients.

The most exciting part about preparing fresh baby food for your baby is that you get to create all types of yummy combinations using organic, local, in-season ingredients! The possibilities are endless…How about Banana ‘Cado or a Peachy Yam Bake? Keep in mind that you should consult your doctor before introducing new foods and to discuss which are appropriate at what age / stage. Every baby is different, but these are great guidelines based on age: Solid Food Charts.

Do you prepare your own baby food? What have your experiences been? I’ll share mine in a future post.

I am all about playing. I think our kids have too much homework, too many activities and too little play. So I always take advantage of the sunshine and let my son play before homework or piano practice. If the kids are playing a neighborhood game of street hockey, I let my son drop his pencil and grab his stick. The opportunity for exercise can't be passed up!

Having said that, homework still needs to get done and on days when my son has a play date after school - or even worse a play date and then a lacrosse game in the evening! - homework is left until bedtime. Sometimes we get it done in time, but often he is too tired and cranky. So today I tried a tip I heard in the schoolyard, (yes we moms gather there too.) Have your kids do their homework together during their play date.

Yes, I got my son and his buddy to do their homework together! They did it three times as fast as they would have on their own and got right back to their playing. How did I manage to coral two eight year old boys to the table to do their homework, you ask? Well, it was actually easier than I expected.

1. I led with the benefits – always a good approach for a tough sell. I asked the boys if they wanted to get their homework done together so they wouldn’t have to do it after the play date, highlighting the fact that it was much more fun to do it together than by themselves.
2. Second, I fed them. I always need to give my son an energy boost after school. He is mentally exhausted and needs a break before he can refocus.
3. Third, I gave them a play break before we started. For most parents, moving right into the homework works best. My neighbor has her daughter and friends do their homework during snack time. But my son has ADHD and is “done” after school. He needs a break to refresh his weary mind.
4. Finally, with satisfied stomachs and recharged minds, I called the boys to the table. They quickly did their work and then returned to their play.

What a relief it was to have homework finished and the rest of the night for play and family time. All my son had left to do after dinner was practice the piano. This idea may not go over with every play date. But I am definitely going to do it as often as I can. It worked like a charm and we all played better when it was done.

What about you? What homework tips do you have?

Shortly after the Vancouver Olympics, viewers turned off their TVs, the crowds dispersed and visitors flocked to the airport. While most of the world moved on with their lives, for Vancouver residents, the Paralympic Games offered the chance for us to see more Games at an affordable price!

My husband and I took turns taking our son Jackson to see different Ice Sledge Hockey games. He was thrilled to see Team Canada beat Sweden 10-1. (It helped take the sting out of not being able to afford to see Team Canada play in the Olympics.)

I took Jackson to see Italy vs Sweden – and I was blown away by the strength, physically and emotionally, of these inspiring athletes. During intermissions, they played video interviews with some of the Canadian athletes. As the players told their stories, I watched my son learn about true bravery and hope.

I am so grateful that we got a chance to witness this remarkable sport and these incredible athletes in action. Canadian television aired the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies and I hope in the future that trend will continue and more of the Paralympics Games will be available to television audiences.

There are inspiring stories just waiting to be told in the athletes of the Paralympics. They have truly overcome their challenges and focused on what they CAN do in life, not what they CAN’T do.

Yes, I would say these athletes really are heroes – and their stories need to be told.

I was not a co-sleeper. When my first baby was a newborn, I was terrified to smother him in his sleep. So I made sure he slept safely in a crib, without a blanket, stuffie or bumper pad anywhere near!

I didn’t get much sleep.

When he was nine months old, he learned to stand up – in his sleep – and would scream for me to nurse him back to sleep at 2am. I decided to try to train him to sleep through the night. For two months, I walked the floor every single night for two hours, refusing to give in. Finally it worked and he slept through the night. But then I went back to work and when he occasionally woke up I didn’t have it in me to fight him. I gave him a bottle and rocked him back to sleep. By eighteen months, he was finding his way into our bed every single night. And there he slept until he was four.

But I never really considered myself a co-sleeper. My twin sister, on the other hand, is a true, hard-core, co-sleeper. They have a “family bed” – a king size mattress on the floor in case the little ones fall out. Both her girls sleep with them and she swears she doesn’t regret it for a minute. So when my daughter started to wake at nine months, my sister encouraged me to just co-sleep with her. “This is such a short time in her life. And co-sleeping is the greatest thing next to nursing. Trust me – just do it. You will all be so much happier.” I decided to become a co-sleeper.

Since my son, who was then six, still liked to crawl into bed with us and we only had room for a queen sized bed, I had to find a different solution than all four of us in one bed. I put a twin mattress on the floor in my daughter’s room and she and I co-sleep there. Yes, it seems kind of crazy at times – I am sleeping on the floor in my daughter’s room and my son is taking my spot in my bed many nights. But you know what? I don’t mind a bit.

In fact, I love co-sleeping with my daughter so much I don’t regret the decision at all. After a long day of work and household craziness, it is so nice to snuggle up and bond with her. It is no wonder our kids want to sleep next to us at night! It is such a stress reliever and such a comfort to feel each other’s presence, to breathe the same air.

Sure I wish we could fit a king size bed in our house where both of our kids could join us at night. But that isn’t an option for us. So for this short window of time in our children’s lives, we are making do with what we have. And I am refusing to apologize or feel like I failed by sleep sharing.  No, I am embracing co-sleeping and enjoying every last second of it.

When bath time comes at my house, my daughter doesn’t squeal for bubbles – she calls for “sprinkles!”

Everyone loves a luxurious bubble bath – especially kids. But for children with sensitive skin or issues like diaper rashes, UTI’s, etc., bubble baths may not be an option. My two year old daughter struggles with eczema and severe diaper rashes. Many days, I can’t even use a mild soap on her skin, let alone have her soak in a bubble bath. So, I tickle her fingers and toes with baking soda “sprinkles” and she is thrilled!

It all started when she was an infant and I was at a loss of how to soothe her inflamed bottom. Olivia’s diaper rashes can flare up in minutes and turn into open wounds. Along with treating her rashes with a wide assortment of creams, I started soaking her in a baking soda bath to ease her discomfort.

The baking soda neutralizes the acidity and balances the pH levels on her skin helping to heal her diaper rashes. At two, Olivia still endures painful rashes and I always use baking soda to treat them. But whether she has an active rash or not, at bath time I still reach for the baking soda.

When my sister’s daughters are here for bath time, they too cry for “sprinkles!” They all think it is such a riot to be dusted with the soft, silky powder. And, since baking soda is inexpensive, I can sprinkle away for a cost effective, natural, bath time solution.

Cooking with kids can be fantastic fun, but it can also be stressful on parents.

Here are a few hints from moms who've survived cooking with young children.

Tip 1. Keep it Age Appropriate

Think about the ages of your child(ren) and come to terms with the realities before you begin. 

Toddlers love to get involved, but their attention spans are short and they're likely to make a mess.

Have a few simple steps ready for them to perform -- like adding and mixing a few dry ingredients. You may consider having an extra mixing bowl and spoon with possibly a few extra ingredients so that nothing too important gets lost.

Tip 2. Create a safe, fun cooking environment.

The challenge of enabling children to reach counter level in order to assist with cooking has gotten easier these days. Instead of letting your child stand on a chair to reach the counter or sink, you can get a Kitchen Helper Safety Stool that allows your child to safely stand at the right height to help.

My twin sister Susan bought one of these from our online store a few years ago (in addition to blogging, we also have an online store with fun, safe & educational toys). Julia who is almost five has been enjoying the Kitchen Helper stand for years and now her two year old sister Sophia uses it daily too. 

One of Julia and Sophia's favorite activity is actually "helping wash dishes" and they both stand in the stool together and play at the sink endlessly.

Tip 3. Let them choose.

Have your children help choose and prepare a simple recipe for dinner. When kids are involved in selecting and preparing dinner, it's more likely they'll actually eat their dinner -- even the vegetables.

One way to make this work easily is to create your own family cookbook with your family's favorite recipes (that you're able to prepare with your kids) and show pictures of the different recipes. Then let your children browse through the cookbook and choose what they want to make.

You'll know that the recipes are healthy and easy to prepare and they'll be empowered and excited to make and EAT dinner.