More Homemade Granola Bars

I've modified this recipe slightly, and it's even better!

1) I removed the brown sugar. Honestly, it's sweet enough with all the honey. With the brown sugar it was too sweet.

2) I've added (drum roll) - cocoa powder!!!! This meant removing other spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) to avoid flavour clashes.

3) I've added sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and chopped walnuts.


Next I'm going to try replacing the oil with peanut butter, to create a chocolate/peanut butter flavour. The only problem with this (and the chopped walnuts) is that I couldn't send that version to school in September because of the rules against nuts (allergies).

Still, why not have a peanut butter version for the summer? I'll let you know how they turn out :)

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Homemade Granola Bars

So I thought I'd try making some. Just because, well, why not? The cereal bars that you buy in the store are pretty expensive, and not really that nutritious.

Here's the recipe I followed:

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup each of flax, coconut, quinoa, wheat germ, raisins, chocolate chips
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar

Basically you mix everything together, pack it all into a 9x13 inch greased pan, bake it at about 325F for about 18-22 minutes.

Easy, right? Let me tell you, they were delicious, but they fell apart even after they were cooled. Now all I have to do is figure out where I went wrong (or figure out how to send sticky granola cereal to school with a five and seven year old ;)
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What Healthy Lunches?

Aaaand it's stopped.

Alyssa no longer eats the healthy part of her lunch - just the yummy carbs (oh and the cheese string, which I suppose I can't totally complain about). Should I skip the carbs so she'll be forced to eat the fruit and veggies? I suppose I could, but she's pretty darn lean. I don't need and "feedback" about her being underfed.

Instead I've stuck with carbs (along with the fruits, veggies, grains, and dairy), but with a twist: I'm back to making homemade treats with extra nutrients snuck in them. Jam filled bars with bran, flax and oats; chocolate chip cookies made with wheat germ, almonds and quinoa (which is high in protein, having all essential amino acids - did you know that? I just found this out recently). She gobbles down her "treats" with gusto, and reaps the nutritional benefits.

I still packed apple slices and carrots for her this morning though, because hey, you never know...
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Video Game Addiction In Kids

I was at parenthacks.com (love that website :) and came across this post and video...

http://www.momversation.com/episodes/video-games-violent

...where three moms discuss their boys' video games habits. I myself also know several moms who have sons who can't get enough of this electronic entertainment, and who are fixated on it to the point where nothing else matters to them.

I worried about lil' J for awhile because he adores the computer (which is good in many ways) and Wii. Every day it was: computer, Wii, computer, Wii.

He started in on it all fairly young (3 1/2 yrs) when he didn't really have a busy schedule. Because of this, I let him indulge in gaming, in the back of my mind thinking I'd have to start setting limits when he starts Kindergarten (which he did this year). I wondered how difficult this would be, and often thought that I should start cutting him back gradually, and getting him used to limits. However the early computer skills that he was acquiring appealed to me and so I just let it continue.

Then one day he he didn't play as much, and then the next even less, and before I knew it he was chasing a soccer ball around in the back yard.

I am convinced that because I let him immerse himself in gaming, he's had his fill, and played to the point of boredom.

Whereas if I had set limits, say with a timer each day or something similar to that, he would have been stopped before he was ready, and possibly left wanting more?

If you were given a slice of chocolate cake and while you were eating it someone intercepted the fork on its way to your mouth and took away the plate with half the slice still on it, wouldn't you be thinking about cake for the rest of the day? (I know I would!!) On the other hand, if you were allowed to finish the piece, and then were given as much more as you could eat, wouldn't you eventually feel tired enough of it to maybe not want cake for a few days? There might be a parallel here.

In any case, it's worked for us (so far :)

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School!!!

So far so good!! Lil' J is loving Kindergarten and A is happy in Grade 2. Meanwhile I am happy for another reason:

I have no idea why, but Alyssa is eating all of the healthy food I've been putting in her lunches. Who is this child? What have they done with my daughter? They look the same, but...

I've struggled with her from day one of her school career to eat healthy food at lunch. No matter what I did, the carrots, grapes, and anything else remotely beneficial would always come back untouched. She'd beg me for cookies and crap like "ALL the other kids get, Mommy!" (which I somehow doubt, but anyway...), and I'd finally give in, and include a small sweet something, which of course would get eaten.

That was before this year. The subject of treats in her lunch has yet to come up, and yesterday she even ate her apple slices that had turned slightly brown.

(Now I just have to hope that blogging about it hasn't jinxed it ;)
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Omega 3 Problem Solved!

...thanks to "Ironkids Gummies". They're like little ju-jubes, each one containing 50mg of Omega 3 fatty acids. My daughter LOVES them. I don't blame her - every time I open the bottle and smell them I want to devour a handful myself. They're like little tropical flavoured chewy candies. (Fyi - I found them at Superstore).

I'm a little skeptical because at least with the Smart Squirts (which my son still likes) you could taste the fish oil under the orange flavouring, whereas the Ironkids Gummies just taste like candy. Mind you, a friend of mine gives her daughter the gummies and notices a big difference in her behaviour (she's more focused, listens better, etc.) so I'm sure they deliver the Omega 3's that they claim.
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Bedtime Takes An Hour

At LEAST an hour, by the time we do snacks, teeth brushing and flossing, stories, pyjamas, and on and on. Is it me, or is that nuts?

It helps to know the time, though. I've been trying to move back their bedtimes in preparation for the impending arrival of the return to school (yes, I'm proactive about these things ;) and am mystified every time when I miss my mark. However when I think in terms of a full hour, it works. It seems odd to bring the kids in the house a full 60 minutes before head-on-pillow time, but that's just what it takes in our house.

What about you? How long is your kids' bedtime routine?

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Awwww... He Tried, At Least!!

Summer = time outside = dirty kid feet. My two have spent a lot of time lately on the bathroom counter with their feet in the sink, cleaning up a bit before they come inside to play.

Today they were outside riding their bikes, which meant they had shoes on. Shortly after we came inside, I noticed Lil' J walking around with bare feet, the bottom of his pant legs soaking wet (yes, he put long pants on. don't ask 'cause I have no answer for that one).

Me: "Buddy, why are your pant legs wet?"

J: "It's from da water."

Me: "Um... what water?"

J: "From when I washed my feet."

Aw, what a big boy he is. (Too bad his feet were in shoes and didn't need to be washed ;)

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DHA And Mom's Persistence

Ahhh!! The "monkey see monkey do" phenomenom worked for me today with the DHA and Lil' J.

I was taking a gel cap myself, and he wanted it. He wanted the adult sized, must swallow whole if you don't want to chew on fish oil, capsule. He insisted he could swallow it. He begged me for one! Hmmm. I actually briefly contemplated letting him have it but reconsidered, since it's been awhile since my husband and I took that parents' first aid course that covered, among other things, choking rescue.

Must take refresher course.

Anyway, I remembered the orange flavoured Smart Squirts that I had in the cupboard, and opened the bottle to take a look. Hmmm. NOPE, you're not swallowing that either.

"Here, Bud, chew on it, ok? It's yummy!"

He did it. I mean he actually chewed the whole thing and swallowed it, and asked for another one! (The first time he tried them he didn't like them AT ALL).

I promised him another one after dinner. Fingers crossed that he keeps liking them...
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Magic Age

THIS is why you have more than one child. Right now, I'm finally seeing it.

I had this (and other reasons too) in mind back when we were trying for our second pregnancy, but now it's coming to fruition. Finally (just when I thought it was never gonna happen!!!), my two kids play nicely together more often than they fight with each other.

They have fun together, help each other, co-operate, you name it - all those things I've dreamt of but never really seen until now!!! Yippee!! (See? It wasn't all just wishful thinking!). My readers with younger kids who haven't reached this blissful time can take heart in knowing that it is, in fact, coming!

As I conclude this post, they are yet again giggling together, this time because one of them made a "play do booger!!". Hey, as long as no one eats it, we're good...
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I Guess I Don't Think Like A Kid

I'm always looking for goodie bag ideas, so any time my kids come home with one, I'm eager to see the contents. Candies, toys, hair ties, pencils, gum, lip gloss - you name it, it's been there.

My daughter brought home a goodie bag today from a party, so as usual I peered over her shoulder as she inspected the contents. There were things you could eat, wear, write with, and so on.

And then there was... what is that thing? A rubber worm? Good grief. What would you do with something like that anyway? Sheesh. I would SO not have bought those to put in any goodie bag I made - what could you use it for?

It was her favourite item, even ranking over the Dubble Bubble gum.

Hmmm... maybe next time I need to make goodie bags, she can help me shop ;)




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My DHA Triumph

Back to the fish oil, and my thus far failed attempts to get it in my kids. Neither one of them are fond of Smart Squirts - the chewable orange flavoured gel caps made especially for kids. Nope, not my kids.

I came up with somewhat of a solution yesterday, if you can live with the idea of orange flavoured powdered Gatorade. My husband buys it for drinks for his lunches at work. I had said no to a trip to 7 Eleven for a Slurpee, and he suggested I make homemade Slurpees with "that Gatorade powder and some ice".

(sigh)

Um, OR... (here's a thought) I could use real orange juice!!! (But where's the fun in that?) Sure enough, my two started jumping up and down, excitedly chanting "Gatorade! Gatorade!". Oh for Pete's sake. I'm stuck now, or I'm the Mom who ALWAYS SAYS NO.

But wait... The Smart Squirts!!! I could add some of those. They'll either drink up the DHA with the Gatorade, or they'll think Gatorade tastes fishy and won't ask for it anymore.

(heh heh)

So I whipped out the Magic Bullet and went to work. Some Gatorade powder, fish oil, water, real orange juice, frozen cranberries, mango, and ice later, I had an orange flavoured slushy concoction that I could live with.

Guess what...

They drank it!!


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Learning To Ride A Bike

A and J have new bikes. I'm shaking my head wondering where they'll ride them, since we live close to some very busy roads, neither my husband and I have bikes of our own at the moment, and they're too young to use the bikes on their own as transportation.

Still, it's a life skill - gotta learn how to ride! Once you do, you never forget. Right now they're both very dependent on training wheels and parental assistance, so that means the only time they can take them out is when my husband is off work (one parent per kid).

We did this yesterday, with much success! We took the bikes to a nearby park with a big enough paved area (walkways and parking lot) so that they could ride continuously on a level surface (unlike on our hilly driveway, or the teeny patio in our back yard). The park was the ticket! We spent about an hour there, and although A still needs her training wheels, by the time we left she was braking and turning (and enjoying the speed bumps :) with much greater ease than when we arrived. J, on the other hand, spent most of the hour running beside his bike pushing it. Hey, that's ok - it was another form of exercise, and he clearly loves his new bike.

We're going to try and do this at least once a week. When the kids have enough solid skill, I'll then be able to take them out without my husband, and jog while they ride. This is still a bit far off, though, because the area we live in has too many hills and too much traffic for my liking. I'll have to see how it goes, I guess.

Meanwhile, so far so good :)



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The Dog Got The DHA

He finished the kids` toast this morning, which I had sneakily spiked with fish oil. Now before you get visions of gutted salmon hanging in my kitchen, let me explain further...

I bought some fish oil softgel caps to increase our Omega 3 & DHA intake. The adult variety cost about $6 for 120 caps containing 1000 MG each. According to the dosage recommendations on the label, this is enough for one adult for one month. Six dollars - not too bad.

The Smart Squirts, however, cost twice that amount for 30 x 211 MG caps. According to their label, this is enough for 2 weeks per child. So I would need to spend... $48 per month.

Ouch.

Why the price difference... I`m assuming it has to do with the orange flavouring in the Smart Squirts. They taste bearable, and are therefor feedable to kids. Not the like adult variety, which is meant to be swallowed without being tasted. Ugh.

So why not, you say, slice open the gel caps and spike food with the adult (cheaper ;) oil! This is precisely what I`ve been trying, with limited success.

This morning, I dripped about three drops each on the kids` toast (they have peanut butter and jam). You could still taste it. My daughter, surprisingly, ate half of hers. My son took one bite and then passed on the rest. The dog got the leftovers, hence the title of this post.

Last night I tried putting some in spaghetti sauce. I managed to hide the flavour, but that was because I only put one adult capsule in an entire pot of sauce. Sigh.

I`ve also tried adding some to my daughter`s OJ in her lunch kit, but it clumps. You guessed it - she won`t drink it.

I`m trying to come up with other ideas, and will keep you posted on my progess. Meanwhile, if anyone has any suggestions, I`d love to hear them!


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DON'T Take This Test

I'm referring to the kid's IQ test on this page:

http://www.funeducation.com/Tests/

My 6 year old is into tests and games (it's her Mommy nerd DNA - I'm so proud!!) and we had some fun with it. It takes about an hour, depending on the age of your child and the number of interruptions, etc.

Luckily I didn't say anything to her about "results", because they don't tell you (until you've spent an hour doing it with your child) that it costs $12.95 to get your child's IQ (or their version of it).

Pffft.

I don't mind paying for testing (Mensa tests aren't free), but don't trick or bullshit me. Needless to say I didn't pay (and I don't need a test to know my girl's smart :)

Just thought I'd share, and save you the trouble...
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Ahhh... One Of The Things I've Been Waiting For :)

At the moment, my six year old is reading to my five year old. My son's relentless queries of "What does that spell? What does that spell?" are being answered by his sister, while I sit in (relative ;) peace and type this.

They're even laughing together! Reading and laughing, and having fun. (Is there a full moon?). Oh my goodness... A just told J to go get another book to read!

w00000000t !!!! (happy mommy dance).

Off to start dinner... post ya later :)
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My Denial

What happened to Grade One?

Seriously! Didn't it just begin? What do you mean there's only four weeks left? That can't be right!! What about... Christmas and Valentine's Day and Easter and Mother's Day, and... (oh). OMG.

Hang on, though... my son was JUST BORN. What do you mean he starts Kindergarten in 102 DAYS???!!!

(And yet... I'm not getting any older ;) Heh heh
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Hannah Montana And YouTube

... or should I say my daughter, Hannah Montana, and YouTube. At the moment, I'm being assulted by a strange and unpalatable blend of "Best of Both Worlds" (Alyssa) and the Wii Fit tightrope music (Joseph). Ahhhh. (sigh)

We've spent a lot of time outdoors lately, so that's good at least. As the spring and then summer establish themselves and the weather gets better and better, hopefully Alyssa will be distracted enough from her latest kick: "Mommy, can you tape me singing and then put it on YouTube?"

Um, NO. (Are you kidding me? I don't even put pictures of you on my blog - you think I'm going to put vids on YouTube??).

I admit I may be a little more privacy oriented than some, but she's SIX, and she doesn't comprehend the far reaches of the internet. When she's TWENTY six, if she still wants to video tape herself singing and broadcast it for the world to see, she'll have my full support (although it won't be nearly at cute then ;)

Meanwhile I get to listen as she belts out Hannah Montana songs along with the video. Over and over and over and... oh wait. I used to do the same thing. As my Mom would say, it's payback time ;)
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Sunny Movie Afternoon

Can you believe that we've had so much sun lately that my six year old, when I picked her up from school today, informed me that she didn't feel like having a playdate - all she wanted to do was "watch Wall*E, and can you make popcorn? And spread out a blanket on the floor so we can have a picnic? With pillows?"

At the moment it's actually cooler in our house than it is outside, and since the kids have been outdoor dust monsters for almost a week, I agreed.

Right now it's her younger brother who's watching the movie, though, while she wanders the house in search of the cat. The cat who, exactly one minute before we had to leave for school this morning, finally jumped up on her lap without being called or captured.

Now the search for the elusive cat has led Alyssa on to the balcony, where she is sitting in the sun. Back in the sun - she couldn't resist it's appeal for long after all :)




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Bad Mommy

Aw, lookit that Gerber Graduates commercial mom playing dragon slayer with her little boy!!!

I suck.

OK I'm not that bad, but I'm definitely not the FUN parent. No Barbies or Hot Wheels for me. If it doesn't have some kind of educational component to it, then I'm not interested. Hmmph. So there.

Whaaat? I feed you, don't I? I teach you stuff, read to you, hug you ALL the time, clothe and bath you, find your bedroom floors when you cannot, would give life and limb for you, wipe your snot and poop, tickle you, brush your hair, floss and brush your teeth, among half a million other things. MUST I play with you too?

Of COURSE I love you, but I honestly don't feel the same way about Polly Pocket. And no, brushing Rainbow Dash's mane is NOT fun for me.

(Nor is playing Wii tanks for the 10,000th time - are you listening too, lil' bro?)

But... Huh.

Hmmm... last night we played Disney Princess Bingo, and tonight we played Trouble!! And I did Wii Table Tilt so you could watch.

I DO play after all!! I'M OK!!!

(Guess I didn't need to write this post ;)

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