Bringing Home Baby
When it’s finally time to take your little bundle of joy home...
Life Skills for Can-Do Kids
All kids, no matter their age, want to be independent...
Handling Your Child's...GULP...FIRST CRUSH
Learn how to navigate your child’s heart strings when Cupid strikes...
Sweet Delights!
Think outside of the heart-shaped box this Valentine's Day...
Tooth Talk
Don’t be blasé about your child’s teeth...
19th Annual Our Kids Soup Sunday
Soup Sunday Serves Our Kids...
Dinner 2 Night
Serves 6. Recipe courtesy of Rob Shar.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
6 hamburger buns, split
Directions
Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir frequently, and break into pieces. Drain off grease.
Add onion, celery, and green pepper to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Spoon onto buns, and serve.
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Get Crafty
A Valentine's Day Special: Craft 2
Here's a craft for kids that will require some help from Mom or Dad. Wrap Suckers with Love turns ordinary suckers into a special Valentine's Day treat.
What You NeedRed or Pink FeltMarkerScissorsHot GlueValentine's Day Stick-on SayingsThin White RibbonSuckers
What You Do
Take a sucker and lay it on the felt and mark two dots on the felt on both sides of the sucker's widest width and straight across from one another. Then put a mark at the top of the sucker to let you know how far upward to draw your heart.
From one dot, draw your heart upwards and connect to the other dot — you will not have a pointed end — and be sure to go above the top dot.
From one dot, draw a skirt like design downward and connect to the other dot — this acts as the wrappers opening. Now, cut the heart design out.
With your scissors, cut a 1/8" vertical line about 1/4" in from the point where the heart and skirt connect — where the dots were. Do this to both sides.
Now, take this heart and lay it on another piece of felt, trace and cut that one out.
Then, repeat step 4 to that heart. This will leave you with two identical heart pieces; one for the front and one for the back.
Take your hot glue and glue around the edges of the heart side, not the skirt end. Set aside to dry.
Once dry, slide your sucker in.
Cut a piece of ribbon, slide it through the little vertical slots that you made on one side, loop it around the back, slide it through the vertical slots on the other side and tie in the front.
Pick out one of your stick-on Valentine's Day sayings and stick it on. I got a package of 85 stickers for $1 at Target in the dollar section. Or, you can use fabric puff paint and write whatever you like on them.
These special little treats are great for school Valentine's Day hand-outs, or just to make for your own family.
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One-Minute Parent
Yelling at your kids never fails to turn them off so why do so many parents do it? Because sometimes they just lose it. If you're one of those parents who gives way to stress and anger and explodes on your children, here are some quick tips that can help you simmer down when you start to feel a boil coming on:
1) BE AWARE OF WHEN YOU ARE STARTING TO RAISE YOUR VOICE. This may be the best time to actually leave the scene and cool down in another private place.
2) FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO GET YOUR POINTS ACROSS Maybe you can stand on a chair to get your kids' attention instead of yelling at them. Maybe your can start singing or something ... find out what ELSE you can do in a heated moment. This requires that you think of what you can do BEFORE an incident occurs.
3) MAKE AN ANGER COPING KIT JUST FOR YOU: Discover different calming methods that work for you. Count to ten, do some deep breathing. Perhaps some kind of destressing activity will make you better prepared for your family stresses. Yoga, pilates, dance ... there are many outlets that parents can employ.
4) EXAMINE WHY YOU GET ANGRY: Ultimately you need to decide why it's happening and confront it so you can either deal with it or let it go.
Learning how to stop yelling at your children is difficult but it will be better for your entire family if you can stop.
SOURCE: Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids By Keeping Your Cool by Hal Edward Runkel.
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Well Child Tips
Approximately 144,000 kids ages 18 and younger are treated each year in a U.S. hospital for a
concussion, according to recent analysis in the Journal of Pediatrics. Nearly a third of these
injuries occur while kids are playing organized sports with forty percent of pediatric
concussions involving high school students and 42 percent involving younger children injured
while playing football, ice hockey, soccer, wrestling and other sports.
Scientists don't have a full understanding of what happens to a child’s brain when it's slammed up against the inside of the skull during a blow to the head ... and how it affects neurological development, but one thing is clear: As participation in sports continues to grow (1.5 million youngsters now play on football teams in the U.S.), more head injuries are inevitable, making pediatric concussions an emerging public health crisis. Doctors, parents and just about everyone involved in sports are concerned about the effect of repeat concussions on an athlete, especially if a repeat occurs before the brain has had a chance to heal from a prior impact.
More research on how concussions affect younger brains is urgently needed. In addition, coaches, parents and school officials need to pay closer attention to what is already known about the hazards of concussions and how best to prevent permanent damage. (Visit www.cdc.gov/concussion for comprehensive information, including videos, on the topic.)
Most people assume, for instance, that loss of consciousness is the defining feature of all concussions. Yet “seeing stars,” headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, irritability, and an inability to remember events before or after the injury are the most common symptoms. Because people don’t recognize these warning signs, however, youngsters may continue to play when they should not.
Similarly, because the most obvious symptoms usually disappear within a few minutes to hours, children often return to normal activities too quickly, which overtaxes their injured brain. Depending on age and symptoms, children should not take part in intense physical activity for several weeks to months after a concussion. Even the added neural exertion from mental activities like reading and video games can interfere with the cerebrum’s ability to heal—particularly in the first 24 hours after injury.
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Hot Products
 It's time to eat and your toddler is hungry ... NOW! Have you ever had this problem? An impatient, hungry little one that is crying at your heels becuase your are just not fast enough getting food prepared for him.
Well, with The Dog Dicer, you can cut prep time in half ... or more. This handy little slicer cuts hot dogs into just the right size for little mouths and even helps prevent choking. But, what if your toddler is not into hot dogs? Don't worry, it also slices cooked carrots, bananas (that are not too ripe), grapes or anything else that is soft and fits into the crevice.
We tried it out on the hot dog first, of course, and it worked like a charm. Then it came time to try it on carrots, because my little guy absolutely loves them! We cooked several whole carrots and diced them up to just the right size for him.
Bananas, now there's another option, but be sure you don't have over-ripe ones. The ones that are just ripe enough to eat and still have more firmness are just right for this slicer. It gets a little messy, but it works just fine. Grapes are messy, too, but now you don't have to worry about him choking on them if he decides to toss a whole one into his mouth.
It's also dishwasher safe! Which is great because sometimes the food gets stuck between the edges and it difficult to get out.
For a limited time, you can get TWO for $19.95 at getdogdicer.com.
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Don't Miss Events
Best bet events for your family this week:
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Tuesdays for Tots: Mini Masters Preschoolers and their parents can view the Scholastic Art Exhibition then create a mini masterpiee of their own. Cheekwood, 1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville; 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.; free with gate admission ($12 adults, free ages 5 and younger); 356-8000 or cheekwood.org.
Wednesday, Feb. 1FREE Kids Hour Ages 1 - 10 can join the Groove Club for music and movement. Whole Foods, 1566 McEwen Drive, Franklin; 9:30 a.m.; 567-3687 or grooveclubkids.com.Thursday, Feb. 2Bank of America Pops Series: Marvin Hamlisch Conductor and infamous songwriter Marvin Hamlisch joins the Nashville Symphony for an evening of music from stage and screen. Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 1 Symphony Place, Nashville; Thu 7 p.m., Fri - Sat 8 p.m.; $44 - $129; 687-6400 or nashvillesymphony.org.Dierks Bentley Enjoy a night of country music starring Dierks Bentley with Will Hoge. Ryman Auditorium, 116 Fifth Ave. N., Nashville; 7:30 p.m.; $35; 800-745-3000 or ryman.com.Thursday Crafternoon All ages can make Danish heart baskets. Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, 502 S.E. Broad St., Murfreesboro; 3 - 4:30 p.m.; $6 ages 2 and older; 890-2300 or discoverycenteronline.org.Friday, Feb. 3Bank of America Pops Series: Marvin Hamlisch Please see Thursday, Feb. 2 listing.FREE Chinese New Year Ring in the Year of the Dragon by participating in the traditional Lion Dance, creating a Chinese New Year craft, learning about Chinese culture and sampling Asian food. Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, 502 S.E. Broad St., Murfreesboro; 4 - 7 p.m.; 890-2300 or discoverycenteronline.org.Saturday, Feb. 4FREE Aesop’s Fables The Nashville Ballet presents a children’s ballet featuring four popular Aesop stories. Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., Nashville; 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.; 297-2966 or nashvilleballet.com.Bank of America Pops Series: Marvin Hamlisch Please see Thursday, Feb. 2 listing.FREE Family Program: Musical Petting Zoo All ages can try new and familiar instruments with instructors present to offer guidance. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 222 Fifth Ave. S., Nashville; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.; 416-2001 or countrymusichalloffame.org.Predators Hockey Cheer for the Nashville Predators when they challenge the St. Louis Blues. Bridgestone Arena, 501 Broadway, Nashville; 7 p.m.; $30 - $205; 770-7825 or http://predators.nhl.com.FREE Summer Camp Adventure Fair Find a plethora of summertime activities, near and far, for your kids at Nashville Parent’s Summer Camp Adventure Fair on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Cool Springs Galleria. More than 100 local day and residential camps will be there to give you and your kids a peek into programs for ages 8 - 16, ranging from athletics and outdoor activities to arts and science. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., and admission is free. Cool Springs Galleria is located at 1800 Galleria Blvd., Franklin. For more info, call 256-2158 or visit summercampadventurefair.com.
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Get Crafty
 A Valentine's Day Special: Craft 1
Here's a craft for kids of the older set. It may also require some help from Mom or Dad, but the ending result is cute and fun! These COLORful Hearts are great to add a special touch to Valentine's Day cards.
What You NeedOld crayons (without the paper on them)Old sauce pan that you would no longer useHeart Shaped ice cube trays (I found mine at Target in the $1 section)Sealable baggieHammer
What You Do
Make sure that all the crayons are free from their paper wrapping and break them up a little. Try to use colors that are similar, or you will have a brownish colored ending result.
Put all your broken pieces into the sealable baggie and tap them with the hammer to crumble them.
Put all the crumbles into the sauce pan.
Heat on medium high on the stove for about a minute. You can see them melt almost instantly when the heat warms the bottom of the pan.
Let all the crumbles melt.
Quickly pour into the heart-shaped ice cube tray.
Stick them in the freezer.
Once solid, then pop them out.
You can hand them out at school or just tape them to each Valentine's Day card. Even the boys will like them because you can color with them.
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Snack Attack
This is a simple, yummy frozen treat that your kids are sure to enjoy. All you need is just a few things: Scissors, Hi-C drink box (unopened) and popsicle sticks.
First, you want to lift up the side flaps of the juice box and then lift the fold over the top up.
Then, Mom or Dad, you need to take your scissors and cut off the fold that is now standing up straight across the top, leaving ony a little crack in the juice box.
Stick your popsicle stick in and gently fold the side flaps back down. They will not stay completely down, but it will help hold the popsicle stick in place.
Pop it into the freezer.
Once frozen, open the top up all the way and slide your yummy, 100% Vitamin C popsicle out.
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Hot Products
Looking for something to nourish your little one's skin? Dolphin Organics has a fragrance free line that will leave Baby squeaky clean. With their labels very clearly marked with the ingredients, it's easy to see that the product is made with organic or natural elements. You will not see anything listed under the artificial ingredients column.This hypoallergenic line includes baby lotion, as well as tear free baby shampoo & bodywash, baby bubble bath and hair conditioner.So, if you're looking for something that will leave baby smelling all pretty like fruit and flowers, you might as well find the ones that have the artificial ingredients and that are most likely not truly organic.I was a little skeptical about it at first, because I like all the smells, but I know it's not good for my little ones. This product leaves them clean and smelling ... well, clean.You can purchase the products online at dolphinorganics.com or locally at Riverside Village Pharmacy1406 McGavock Pike, Nashville650-4444 • riversidevillagepharmacy.comBaby Shampoo & Bodywash (8 fl.oz) — $11.49Hair Conditioner (8 fl.oz) — $11.49Baby Lotion (8 fl.oz) — $11.49Baby Bubble Bath (12 fl.oz) — $12.99Travel Set — $16.49
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