.png){kind=logo}
Recently, Sean took his son to grab dinner at a Chinese restaurant. He couldn’t help but notice that there was something oddly familiar about their unassuming waitress. “Over small talk and water refills, I got the sense that this single mom didn’t want to be there, but had to be there and she was doing her best to smile,” Sean wrote on Facebook. “It tore my heart out.”
When our little ones are sleeping, their brains are busy building connections. Read about the benefits of sleep in early childhood.
The fact of the matter is this: moms are the best.
Of the products EWG reviewed, they had “serious concerns” about 750 of them. That’s way more than a CVS aisle-worth.
These are so lusciously creamy, sinfully rich-tasting – the kind of thing you put in your mouth and kind of can’t believe what’s happening. Vegan, almost raw, and full of whole food ingredients, they are also downright filling!
5-Ingredient Vegan Magical Fudgesicles
Makes 4 cups / 1 Liter / 10 fudgesicles
Ingredients:
1) ½ cup / 75g unroasted, unsalted cashews
2) 1 14-oz can / 400ml full-fat coconut milk
3) 1 large, ripe avocado
4) 1 cup / 250g pitted, packed soft dates
5) ½ cup / 55g raw cacao powder (cocoa powder will also work)
Optional add-ins:
1) a few pinches sea salt
2) vanilla (seeds from 1 pod, powder, or extract)
3) a few drops of food-grade essential oils (peppermint, orange, almond etc.)
4) finely diced fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango etc.)
5) a pinch of cayenne pepper
6) espresso powder
7) finely chopped toasted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.)
Optional toppings:
1) melted raw chocolate (recipe here) or melted dark chocolate
2) cacao nibs
3) finely chopped toasted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.)
4) dried fruit (I used raspberry on the ones pictured)
5) citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime)
Directions:
1. Place cashews in lightly salted water and let soak for 4-8 hours (overnight is fine).
2. Drain the cashews and rinse well. Add to a blender (a high-speed blender is highly recommended) with the remaining ingredients (and any flavourings, if using) and blend on high until as smooth as possible. Add water only if necessary – you want to mixture to remain quite thick.
3. Spoon mixture in popsicle molds. Firmly knock the molds on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Insert a popsicle stick into each mold and place in the freezer until set – at least 6 hours. To remove popsicles, run the mold under hot water until you can easily pull a fudgesicle out.
4. If you want to decorate your fudgesicles, dip or drizzle them with melted chocolate and sprinkle with desired toppings. Eat immediately, or place back in the freezer to set until ready to enjoy.
This post was originally titled 'Notes to Self' but I'm thinking we could all do with some reminders. Here are some notes for all Montessori parents.
Toddlers are a unique species all of their own, complete with their own rules, commandments, and (a very flighty) moral code. Mothering a toddler is not for the faint of heart. One minute I feel like Mary Poppins, and the next minute I’m the chick from Game of Thrones — and frankly, neither are a good look for me.
Most school field trips are to places the students might never go on their own: a museum, a play, a nature preserve. The idea is to open kids wide to the wonderful world. This past spring one grammar school in Silicon Valley started sending kids to a very different, but equally mind-blowing place: their own neighborhood.
On their own. Without an adult.
Here's what happens if you don’t “baby talk” to your baby and instead speak like a regular adult.
It’s June Holidays! While it’s a great time to kick back and relax, it’s also an excellent period to explore your kid’s interest and take advantage of the multitude of holiday programmes and activities. We’ve shortlisted 13 must-check-out-programs for you!
Kids put together the strangest outfits. You’d think this is because kids can’t be bothered with style (so many more important things to do!), but that’s not the case. Kids care very much about what they wear.
Parenting a toddler while I was pregnant was not as simple as I thought it would be.
I imagined in that last trimester as my stomach housed a whole human, that I'd be able to sit on the couch and rest while instructing my two-year-old how to engineer towers with blocks.
Laugh on.
Back when my now 8-year-old daughter was a toddler, I had a fantastic pediatrician who actually sat down with my to evaluate my daughter’s physical and emotional development. Rather than being rushed out the door so he can see the next patient, he took his time to talk to me and ask me questions about my child’s well-being, her milestones and our home environment.
Raising a strong-willed child can be a challenge when he or she is young. They might seem overly difficult, stubborn and opinionated. But strong-willed children are also spirited, fun and courageous. They simply want to learn things for themselves instead of accepting what others tell them. They may have a habit of testing boundaries and limits, but it’s because they are strong, passionate and they live life to the fullest. So how can a parent raise a strong-willed child without discouraging the child’s high energy, persistence and spunk? Here are ten tips for parenting a strong-willed, free-spirited child:
Here are some common literacy practices in US schools (and everywhere) that research suggests are NOT OPTIMAL use of instructional time:
Between school drop-offs and pickups, dance classes and hockey practices, it’s hard to imagine any parent has enough time to fit in an effective workout. But guess what? You can do it if you break up the exercises throughout the day...
Parenting young children (really children of any age) is an intensely emotional experience. There is the pure pleasure of cuddling, playing, laughing, exploring, and delighting in your baby’s daily growth and discoveries. And then there are the challenges—the moments of stress, anger, frustration, and resentment—at not knowing what a baby’s cry means and how to calm her, at the totally irrational demands of a toddler, or at the aggressive behavior of an older child toward a new baby...
A dad in Indiana is cracking up a lot of parents online after he sent his baby daughter to daycare in a very interesting outfit -- yes, you saw it right.
The only disadvantage children of single parents face is the knowledge that their mum is being judged.
I took this picture because initially I thought it was funny. I was going to send it to my husband to show what our mischievous little three-year-old was up to. However, The moment she told me what she was doing I broke down. She was practicing for a lockdown drill at her preschool and what you should do if you are stuck in a bathroom. At that moment all innocense of what I thought my three-year-old possessed was gone.
It can be so hard when your child’s friend is not a good influence. Here are some good advice from parents of what you can do:
All parents know that sleep is important to growing kids, especially now that kids don’t seem to be getting enough of it, thanks (or no thanks) to tablets and smartphones. Where it gets quite confusing, however, is how many hours of it children really need as different health institutions and experts seem to be giving inconsistent info.
As parents, it’s understandable that we want only the best for our kids. Because of that, it’s easy to end up spending more money than we ought to. A way to start is to be aware of what are the items that are a total waste of money. So here they are!
What if he is gay? Will he need to be afraid every time he goes out with friends? What if he is targeted for being part Jewish? What if someone chooses to hate him for his profession, his looks, his interests, or his lifestyle?
You're a working mom. That very likely means you've left the house nearly every day feeling guilty about your decision to be a working mom. "Am I selfish for abandoning my child?" "Is it cruel to put my baby in day care every day of the week?" "Are all the stay-at-home moms right?" But in honor of Working Parents Day tomorrow, stop the second-guessing and pat yourself on the back for making a decision that you very likely already know is best for your family.
Motherhood is a balancing act, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Silence in kids often arouses worries to the parents. But don't. Their reservation appears not because they are incapable of what other kids do, but because they communicate with the world differently. Here are a few things you might want to know:
Real voices, real lanterns, and they are just mesmerising.
Kids who understand gratitude have better grades and are less likely to get depressed. This was the conclusion of a recent story in the Wall Street Journal that struck a chord with both my husband and me.
This girl, like many others, is facing being bullied at school. When her Dad, Khari, heard about it & fought back with this song.
It’s the increasingly fashionable approach, with an emphasis on baby-wearing, co-sleeping and long-term breastfeeding. But does it make for happier, better children?
“Children feel under pressure to have this perfect life that it looks like everyone else is having according to Instagram and that’s really hard to deal with”
Society puts a lot of pressure on growing boys — we know this. They're labeled as "tough guys" and "macho" even before they've learned to tie their shoes. They're praised for aggression and told to shake it off when the tears flow.
As it turns out, our boys, with the weight of the testosterone-driven world on their shoulders, start out at a deficit. In his most recent article, Dr. Allan Schore, a clinical psychologist at UCLA explains how baby boys come into the world less capable to deal with stressors.
To mark the end of Nutrition Month, stories on the importance of healthy eating habits and taking care of one’s body were the focus of Saturday morning’s Inquirer Read-Along session held at the newspaper’s main office in Makati
Do people treat lost rich kids differently to poor children? A heartbreaking video filmed for Unicef found the answer is most definitely yes.
Some kids take the philosophy of being wrong and strong very seriously, and it often leads to amazing results. Here are some of the moments kids had no clue what to do with their homework or exams, but didn't let that keep them from going down in a fireball of glory.
Since I aim to do most of the housework while he is in school, it is little surprise he does not see much of the work involved in running a household.
When we decided to do without live-in help four years ago after our maid left, the plan was for the kids to be more independent.
After all, getting kids involved in daily chores during school break leads to fulfilling time for all.
Biles, a 19-year-old gymnast for Team U.S.A., is already the most decorated gold medalist in world championship gymnastics history. In Rio, she is on the fast track to becoming the best in the world, again, being an odds-on favorite to bring home as many as five gold medals.
It’s so exciting when your chubby little baby begins to walk, or ‘toddle’ their way into a toddler. But with that comes the challenges of feeding and introducing all sorts of wonderful foods to this little person. A lot of times, it seems they are barely eating enough to sustain a bird, let alone a body who is constantly on the move! How do you know how much to feed them?
When faced with child's tantrum, we know we have to keep it cool and calm. But how exactly? If you're struggling to find out what to say to your exploding child, check out this article.
Research has found that the closer a child is to their father, the less likely they are to have behavioral problems in the future, Independent reports.
After examining data from parents of 10,440 children, the researchers found that fathers who were emotionally involved with their child and who felt confident in their role as a parent had kids who were 28% less likely to suffer behavioral problems.
The researchers concluded that the psychological and emotional aspects of fatherhood are more powerful in influencing child behavior—not the amount of time fathers help in childcare or domestic tasks.
While it may seem like such a small gesture, it can truly mean the world to feel included.
This sweet video of little boy sneaking into neighbor's garage to hug dog went viral as the owner went on searching for "the sweet little kid" 😍😍
We all know that besides looking after you, stealing the last bar of chocolate from the fridge and sending you jokes only they find funny, it’s a dad’s main purpose in life to relentlessly mock the hell out of you.
Understanding what they are feeling is crucial for children to grow healthy. Here is the card game that will make your child talk about their experiences of a range of emotions, their body’s physical reactions to emotions and strategies for overcoming overwhelming emotions. It’s a great resource for home and school, and it’s available as a free printable.
We've somehow decided that little kids can't understand these complex topics, or we want to delay exposing them to injustices as long as possible (even though not all children have the luxury of being shielded from injustice).
However, young children have a keen awareness of and passion for fairness. They demand right over wrong, just over unjust. And they notice differences without apology or discomfort.
Racial identity and attitudes begin to develop in children at a young age. Two- and three-year-olds become aware of the differences between boys and girls, may begin noticing obvious physical disabilities, become curious about skin color and hair color/texture, and may also be aware of ethnic identity.
5 Elementary Strategies
1. Use children's literature: There's a wealth of children's books (check out here: http://www.adl.org/education-outreach/books-matter/#.VwQW3_krLcs) that can be read aloud and independently to approach the topic of bias, diversity, and social justice.
2. Use the news media: Find topics and news stories that bring forth these themes and discuss them in the classroom -- like the nine-year-old boy who was banned from bringing his My Little Pony backpack to school because it was the source of bullying.
3. Teach anti-bias lessons: Social and emotional skill development lessons are the foundation, and then teachers can move to lessons on identity, differences, bias, and how bias and bullying can be addressed individually and institutionally.
4. Give familiar examples.
Take advantage of children's interest in books, TV shows, toys, and video games, and use them as opportunities to explore diversity, bias, and social justice.
5. Explore solutions: Re-think the concept of "helping others" to include discussions about the inequities that contribute to the problem and consider actions that can address it. For example, while it's useful to provide food to homeless people, we want to deepen the conversation to convey a social justice perspective and a wider lens with children. Therefore, discuss the stigma and stereotypes of homeless people, learn about unfair housing policies, and reflect on solutions that will reverse the problem in a lasting way and encourage students to take action.
I have a secret. It is something I don’t really talk about, especially to other parents. If the topic ever comes up, I try my best to find ways to spin the situation to avoid judgmental glares. I downplay it and laugh it off. My secret: I still co-sleep with my 5-year-old daughter.
Maybe you didn’t hear me. I really, really, really want it.
