The Mom Crowd

Youth is a time of exploring passions and figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life. This leads young people down a variety of roads before they truly find their calling and passion in life.  As parents, we want to support them  not squander their curiosity. This often means learning how to support your child’s passion even when you know nothing about it.

I’m not a golfer, but my oldest son adores it.  It’s been a challenge but slowly I am learning the game and why he loves it so much.  It does require a lot of patience on my part, and so on his part as we both try and figure out what he needs to be successful.

Figuring Out What they Need vs. What they Want

If they need supplies, that’s one thing, most of the time you will need buy them. If they need equipment, make sure they have the right equipment for their age. As a parent, you’re the breadwinner for your kids. However with so many cool gadgets, you’ll want to insure that you spend money where it is going to be best spent.  This also does not mean you have to break the bank to get gear.

For example, if they’re learning how to play hockey you’ll want to invest in good protective equipment.  You can find cheap deals on hockey equipment locally and online and still get great gear. The most important is that they are the right equipment or tools for the area that you teen is trying to pursue.  Whether it’s hockey or painting, passions need certain materials. Do what you can to get it for your child.

Be There for Them 

It’s not enough to just make sure they have everything they need, you need to find ways to be there for them as well. If they love painting, then you are going to need to be open to visiting art shows and museums. If your kid loves soccer then grab your lawn chair and head to the field.  You may not know what’s going on, but you can still be there to cheer and although they may not say it, they will love having someone there for them. It means the world to a child when he knows he has his parents there supporting him on the sidelines.

Encourage the Passion

Sometimes kids explore passions simply out of rebellion. If you’re worried about this aspect of their lives, simply continue to support them. If it truly is a rebellious streak, then your support will make it completely uninteresting to continue. In other instances, children truly are just exploring their options. You need to know how to encourage them to move forward in it even when you don’t understand it.

When you effectively learn how to support their passion, they will find their way. Children do not need you to force their path. They need to figure out much of it on their own. You can guide them and even respectfully express your opinion, but at the end of the day you must support them through it all. If you want your children to respect you during this time, you must respect them as well. Showing your support is the best way to do that.

Choosing a meal our child will eat sometimes feels like a gamble.  I can hardly predict the days my child will have a healthy appetite and which days he will turn his nose up at any offering.  Over the year he has been on solid foods we have tried a variety of meals for our tot with mixed results.  Though it sort of hurts my feelings when my little guy snubs my cooking, I have to remind myself that his appetite swings don’t necessarily have to do with my stove-top skills, other factors might influence his desire to eat or not eat, like teething or a growth spur. I try to keep positive about the whole thing and make sure I offer him a variety of healthy meals and snacks throughout the day.  It’s all I can do to ensure that he is getting steady diet of fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, and grains.

The following is a list of some of our winning breakfast combinations.

Proteins and Veggies

Egg Scrambles can be a great start.  This meal provides an opportunity to introduce some delicious super foods to your child’s diet.  I often use spinach, kale, or baby bok choy.  Diced mushrooms also make a good addition to this dish.

I warm a small amount of olive oil first and add my greens and mushrooms.  I stir them frequently until they are cooked.  While the veggies are cooking, I crack and scramble the eggs adding a little milk for a fluffier consistency when cooked.  Once my veggies are cooked I add the eggs to the pan.  Once in a while I will also add a small amount of ham for flavor and an additional source of protein.  I stir the mix until it starts to harden and then add some shredded cheese, because who doesn’t like a little cheese?! Once the cheese melts I remove the pan from the heat and allow the eggs to cool before serving.

Dairy

Yogurt is a great choice  You’d be hard pressed to find a child who does not like yogurt and my toddler is no exception.  There is an array of yogurts out there to choose from and I change it up, usually selecting ones that have fruit mixed in and whatever is on sale.  If my child refuses to eat everything else on his plate, he will most likely still be interested in yogurt so it it a breakfast staple at our house.

Grains

Oatmeal can be a hit or miss but it is a great start. This was not an immediate hit with our guy.  I had to offer it to him several times before her took the bait, but he finally went for it and now enjoys it a few times a week.  There are all sorts of flavors you can find at the market, our little guy prefers the type with brown sugar added.

Toast can also be a great whole grain. This is a simple addition to any breaskfast plate. Make sure you choose whole grain breads that are not enriched.  My child enjoys toast and my hopes are that he never develops a taste for plain white bread!

Fruit

Fresh fruit is a great choice but you have to find the right one.  It seems my toddler goes through phases of liking or disliking certain fruits, so I go through a rotation of melon, bananas, apples, pears, cuties, strawberries, and grapes.  This might be the first thing he goes for the last thing on earth he wants on his breakfast tray but I offer it always anyway.

As you can see, variety is the secret to my success.  If my son doesn’t eat his fresh fruit, I snuck a little in with the yogurt.  If he doesn’t end up eating all of his yogurt, he gets some dairy in his eggs.

Feeding a toddler can feel discouraging some days, but with a little creativity and consistency, you can make sure your child is getting the nutrients he needs to thrive.  Still trying to get the most out of your child’s meal times?  Here is a great guide to your child’s overall nutrition:

What to feed

• Low-fat milk (It’s okay to switch to low-fat or nonfat milk once your child is older than 2, but check with your child’s doctor if you have questions.)
• Other dairy like diced or grated cheese; low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding.
• Iron-fortified cereals like rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals.
• Other grains whole wheat bread and crackers, cut-up bagels, rice cakes, ready-to-eat cereal, pasta, rice.
• Fruits, sliced fresh or canned, avoid those in excessive sugar.
• Dried fruit, soaked until soft so it won’t pose a choking hazard most kids like apples, apricots, peaches, pears, dates, pitted prunes.
• Vegetables, cooked and cut up into pieces they won’t choke on.
• Proteins like eggs; cut-up or ground meat like turkey meat or poultry; boneless fish; tofu; beans; smooth peanut butter)
• Combo foods like macaroni and cheese, casseroles
• Fruit and vegetable juices (100% juice)

How much per day

One serving for a child this age is about a quarter the size of an adult serving.

• 2 cups dairy (1 cup milk or yogurt; 1 cup = 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese or 2 ounces processed cheese)
• 4-5 ounces grains (1 ounce = 1 slice of bread; 1/3 cup ready-to-eat cereal, or 1/4 cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups fruit (fresh, frozen, canned, dried and/or 100 percent juice) Emphasize whole fruits rather than juice.
• 1 1/2 cups vegetables
• 3 to 4 ounces protein (1 ounce of meat, poultry, or fish; 1/4 cup cooked dry beans; or 1 egg)

Have a favorite that is sure to please? Share it in our comments section!

Finding the Right Cleats for Young Children

Everyone knows that kids grow quickly and having the right shoes is instrumental in not only protecting their feet, but in allowing them the ability to play their sport of choice to the best of their ability.  Here are a few tips for keeping them safe and finding the right equipment.

Tennis Shoes

Many kids choose a sport and lose interest after a few short games. This makes many parents skeptical because they don’t want to invest a lot of money into something the child may not enjoy doing. Luckily, kids can play the sport in tennis shoes until you decide that they are dedicated enough to invest a bit of money into the sport. You should purchase a pair of tennis shoes for them to use specifically for soccer, though. These shoes will get grass stains and dirty, so they shouldn’t use their good pair of tennis shoes for it.

Turf Cleats

Soccer is a popular game throughout the world. In the past decade, the sport has gained much popularity within the states, and many young people are choosing this as the sport of choice over others. Soccer turf cleats are a bit of a hybrid between traditional cleats and tennis shoes. There are no prongs on the bottom, which brings a disadvantage when playing outside but for young children, this is often the only type of cleats they are allowed to use.

These cleats are specifically designed for playing indoor soccer on turf. Classic cleats are not allowed in this type of environment, so players must use turf cleats. They are more sturdy and not as bulky as tennis shoes, which means they’ll hold up longer. Plus, the lack of prongs on the bottom make them safer for younger children to play in.

Classic Cleats

These cleats are used by the majority of soccer players around the world. They are cleats in every sense of the word. You will find prongs on the bottom of these shoes that help you get traction when running across the field. These classic soccer cleats make it easy to change directions quickly because the prongs dig into the ground.

It also makes playing in wet conditions a whole lot easier. If you were running around in turf cleats or tennis shoes, the lack of prongs on the bottom would leave you slipping and sliding all over the place.

If you’re worried that you child may not enjoy the sport, regardless of your encouragement, it’s wise to let them play a few seasons using tennis shoes. As young kids, you may find it safer for them to play in turf cleats until they really learn the game to avoid injury from the prongs on the bottom of the classic cleats.

If you’re anything like me, getting the kids moving before school is exhausting. From the moment the alarm goes off, I feel like a drill sergeant telling them to stop talking, quit day dreaming, or hurry up and finish eating. It’s a true nightmare just to get them to school on-time and for me to face my morning commute to work.

Although not fool-proof, recently I’ve found some things that have helped our family come closer to an overall successful track record (with less yelling on my part ).

• Verify the next days weather and lay out clothes the night before. My pre-teen daughter is notorious for last minute wardrobe changes, so she prepares two outfits to choose from.
• For breakfast, I actually have the bowls and spoons out/ready to go, along with oatmeal packets or their preferred brand of cold cereal. That way, when they come downstairs, they can choose which they’d like, and I simply heat some water up or grab the refrigerated milk (along with their gummy vitamin).
• Backpacks are now neatly placed by the door to just grab on the way out to the car. They used to be scattered wherever homework was completed just yesterday.
• Another trick is to set their bedroom clocks for 5-10 minutes earlier than the actual time. This helps settle them into bed earlier the night before and those “extra” minutes can be spent perfecting their hairstyle of the day, swapping out matching accessories, or getting that tank of gas you were too tired to stop for after work the other day.

I hope some of these tips allow you to maximize your morning routine (if not be a lesson to your children on organization and structure). What are some of the things you do to get out the door faster in the morning?

It’s coming! It’s coming! The most romantic day of the year! You know? Valentine’s Day? The time of year when the greens and reds of Christmas are yanked off the shelf, thrown in a cart marked 75% off, only to welcome the pinks, whites, and more reds, celebrating all that is Cupid? Of course you do!

Now if you’re married, in a committed relationship, or just plain dating, the romantic notion of dining out in a fancy restaurant, receiving the well-written Hallmark card, box of chocolate or delicate roses is quite possibly the way to your heart. Never mind the fact that the wait times to eat are approximately 2 hours and the last minute card he picked up simply reads, “Love, Tom” inside. Or that the chocolate just destroyed your New Year’s Resolution diet and those flowers…..just..…die. Still, it’s the thought that counts. So what then is it going to be like for the single woman you say?

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