Help for Homework Hassles

by Mom Meets Blog

Now that the holiday season is officially underway, homework is probably the last thing on any kid’s mind! But with the first quarter of the school year over and report cards distributed, this might be a good time to check in with your child and review how he or she is handling the workload. Are they feeling overwhelmed? How are they doing prioritizing tasks and juggling projects? And the homework – do they need help in organizing assignments or just getting down to work? The task of completing homework can sometimes be a battleground that affects both a child’s self-esteem and your relationship with your child. Here are some tips from a piece I wrote for FamilyCorner.com about developing a homework routine for your child that can help take the hassle out of homework:

Expectations: Examine the school’s homework expectations and guidelines, then discuss them and your own expectations with your child regarding how long to spend on homework each evening and/or any goals for the upcoming semester. Make sure the two of you are on the same page regarding these expectations.

Set up a calendar: A visual aide like this can help with long-term planning and setting priorities. Make note of assignment and project due dates as well as test dates. Advise your child to get the phone numbers of his ‘homework buddies’ – two other students in his classes whom he can call in case of missed assignments or notes – and write these numbers on the calendar.

Concentration takes energy: No one works well on an empty stomach. Offer a healthy snack before they sit down to begin homework.

Set up a time and space for homework to happen: For some kids, that means starting homework right after school; others may need a little time to unwind. Agree on a start time and stick to it. Set up a space that’s conducive for work, be it the desk in his room or the kitchen or dining room table. This space should be away from distractions like the television or computer (unless it’s necessary to complete homework). Stock the space with the necessary supplies (paper, pencils, pens, rulers, etc.) to complete homework with minimal interruptions.

Be the fly on the wall: You don’t want to do their homework for them, but let them know you’re there if they need help (or a little encouragement!).

Packing up: At the end of the homework session have your child neatly put away all papers, binders/folders and supplies into their backpack. It’s better to do this the night before than the following morning when it’s more likely that something might be forgotten.

If they need extra help: There is often a ‘homework help’ period available after school with a teacher or a peer tutor. Check if this is available at your school or if something can be arranged if your child is having trouble managing the homework load.

Will your child be writing a book report over the school break? Check out Tips to Help Your Child Write A Successful Book Report for some ideas to organize the process.

20Nov2013

No More Chicken! Crispy Oven-Fried Scrod with Mixed-Vegetable Mash and Sauteed Spinach

by Mom Meets Blog

“Chicken. . . again?” my son groaned as I laid out some options for Sunday dinner one morning. I’ll admit we do eat a lot of chicken, and although it’s prepared in a variety of creative and tasty ways (if I do say so myself), I agreed that it was time for something different. So I figured I’d change it up and serve something my son would probably complain about anyway.

Fish.

But not just any fish. I used scrod (a young cod or firm, white-fleshed fish), a mild tasting fish, in this easy recipe that’s first pan-fried and then finished in the oven. Served with a little tartar sauce or ketchup on the side for dipping, it’s crunchy enough to make your finicky eater forget he’s eating fish. I served it with sautéed spinach and a yam/turnip/butternut squash mash (happily my son likes veggies and my husband will eat just about anything).

Ingredients for fish recipe:

3-4 scrod fillets

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

6 tbs. canola oil

Adobo or salt and pepper for seasoning

Season fish with adobo or salt and pepper on both sides, and preheat oven to 500 degrees

Dip seasoned fish in breadcrumbs, egg, then breadcrumbs again to coat. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet until hot and then fry fish until undersides are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over, add remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, and cook one minute more. Place fish in a baking dish and bake until fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

For the yam/turnip/butternut squash mash, I used a fresh pre-cut vegetable mixture (weight 24oz.). Place vegetables in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Once tender, place veggies in a mixing bowl and mash with 3 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (or maple syrup if you prefer) and salt and pepper to taste.

I love spinach – so easy to prepare and serve with any meal! I sautéed some spinach in olive oil, 2 cubes of Dorot crushed garlic and a pinch of sea salt

Here’s the finished product, with the fish served over the yam/turnip/butternut squash mash and sautéed spinach – a delicious alternative when the family nixes the usual chicken dishes!

20Sep2013

In Memory of Tater Tots

by Mom Meets Blog

When my 12-year-old son gets home from school, we always have a little chat about his day. As he gets older, those chats seem to get shorter, sprinkled with generous helpings of “nothing much” or “same as yesterday”, but I usually wrangle out the details about the social studies test, or the funny thing his science teacher said, or any cafeteria antics. When we get to that part, I always ask what he ate for lunch that day. I normally expect to hear his standard menu of tater tots (‘potatoes are a vegetable, mom!’) and a carton of milk. At a lanky 85 lbs., I always encourage him to eat more at lunch, citing that he needs the energy to finish out the rest of the school day.

Apparently, he was listening. Today’s menu went something like this:

Him: For lunch I had. . .

A cheeseburger,

and a taco;

two fudge chip cookies,

and some green beans (!?!?!);

a pretzel,

and some milk.

Me: Wow – you ate all that?

Him: Well, I couldn’t finish the pretzel.

Me: What. . .

no tater tots?

Him: Mom (cue eye roll), nobody eats tater tots anymore. Are we done now? I’m hungry – can I have a snack? And when’s dinner?

No more tater tots?!?! It’s a sad day for the folks at Ore-Ida, to be sure. But what’s with the snarky attitude and appetite spike? A hormonal shift must be causing this disturbance in the force. Now what will I do with the 3 bags of Crispy Crowns in my freezer?

Photos courtesy of Google Images

15Sep2013

Mini Apple Pies – Quick & Delicious!

by Mom Meets Blog

Looking for a quick dessert or after-school snack idea? Now that fall is nearly here look no further than the bountiful selection of apples available at your local market – they were the inspiration for these tasty and quick little hand pies. Crisp, tart apples seasoned with pumpkin pie spice – a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice – are a delicious combination. I used Granny Smith apples in this recipe, but I posted this picture of some Honeycrisp apples I also bought today because they’re one of my favorites and look (and taste) scrumptious!

Ingredients – makes 8

1 refrigerated pie pastry

2 medium Granny Smith apples

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set the pie pastry out at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften slightly. Peel, core and dice the apples, and place in a bowl. Toss the apples with lemon juice, then stir in the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Roll the pie pastry dough into a 16×8-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface; cut into 8 4-inch squares. Spoon 2 scant tablespoons of the apple mixture onto the center of each dough square. Top the filling of each pie with a piece of the butter. Brush the edges of the dough with some of the beaten egg. Fold the corners of the dough toward the middle, covering the filling and pinch the edges to seal.

Place the filled squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the pies with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the pies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Or, if you’re like my 12-year old, plate ’em up and eat them warm!

What’s your favorite apple recipe?

Photos courtesy of Mom Meets Blog

30Aug2013

Six Pumpkin Crafts for Labor Day. . . I Mean, Halloween!

by Mom Meets Blog

With Labor Day weekend officially underway, folks are still trying to hang on to those last precious bits of summer with cook outs, lazy days at the beach, and last-minute getaways. But even on this sunny, decidedly summer day, I see signs of the coming fall all around, especially at the supermarket – most notably in the massive displays of Halloween candy already on the shelves. Move over, s’mores, make way for the candy corn and pumpkin Peeps! I’m actually ready to bid goodbye to summer, as fall is my favorite season – the amazing foliage, apple picking (and baking!) and of course, Halloween. My son is getting a little old for trick-or-treating, but we still indulge in the decorating. We’re going to mix it up this year and try out these alternatives to the traditional jack-o-lantern carving!

Dripping melting crayon wax onto pumpkins turns them into festive Halloween decor (and makes use of all those little crayon stubs):

Does glitter flow through your veins? It does through mine; I’m going to get my fix with these quick and easy glittered pumpkins:

Colorful tissue paper squares and googly eyes make this embellished pumpkin craft project fun for the whole family!

This decoupage lace pumpkin craft lends a lovely vintage look to your decorating project:

Love all things bling? Jewel-studded pumpkins and a sparkly spider make a bold statement:

Try wrapping your pumpkins in black tulle and tying some seasonal ribbons on the stem for this sophisticated look:

What are your favorite decorating traditions for Halloween? Let me know in the comments!

12Aug2013

Plugging in when your middle-schooler wants to cut the cord

by Mom Meets Blog

I’m always looking for opportunities to stay involved in my son’s educational experience, which has gotten a little trickier since he moved up to middle school. In elementary school, there were more ways for me to feel plugged in to his experience, as well as to engage with teachers and staff. Now there are no more apple picking trips, family dance nights or in-class birthday/ Halloween/ Valentine’s Day/Thanksgiving celebrations (that I’m allowed to attend, anyway). The elementary school felt like an extension of home – my son would run up to me and give me a hug if he saw me in the hallway while dropping off books for the book fair or volunteering in the cafeteria on pizza Fridays. Although I have a wonderful relationship with his teacher and staff at the middle school, sometimes I feel like an interloper; kids I’ve known since they were in kindergarten look at me like an alien life form if they see me anywhere in the vicinity of the middle school. I feel as though they think that the anti-bacterial dispensers stationed in the hallways should contain parent repellent instead of Purell. And (sniffle) I’ve seen my son do a double-take if I show up unexpectedly in the hallway, like “uh, what’s she doing here?”

I found some great suggestions for staying actively involved in your child’s school while he or she is trying mightily to pretend that you don’t exist in 10 Tips for Middle School Parents via SchoolFamily.com:

Get to know the teachers. It’s a good idea to meet each of your child’s teachers. Ask about their expectations. Find out how much time your child should spend on homework each night. Find out whether there will be regularly scheduled tests and if so, when. Ask about the best way to get in touch if you have questions. If the teachers use email, be sure to get their addresses.
Find a niche for yourself at your child’s school. Unlike in the lower grades, middle school classrooms don’t need extra adults on hand. But you can volunteer in other ways. Serve as an adviser for an extracurricular activity such as the school paper, chess club, or science fair. Help out in the computer lab. Being in the school is a great way to get a feel for what goes on there.
Do behind-the-scenes work. If you can’t be in school during the day, ask teachers and other school personnel to pass along some work that you can do on your own. Photocopy homework assignments; collect recyclables for a science or art project; serve on a parent-school advisory council; join your middle school PTO or PTA.
Volunteer to chaperone school dances and drive kids to school sports competitions. You’ll meet other parents, school staff, and your child’s classmates.
Go to school meetings and events. Attending concerts, plays, assemblies, meetings, and other activities is a good way to become familiar with your child’s school community.
Find out about homework assignments and school tests. If your school has a website where teachers list homework assignments, get in the habit of checking it regularly. If not, contact your child’s teachers and ask them to alert you when there’s an important project or test coming up.
Talk to your child about school. Ask specific questions to draw out your child. Ask “How do you think you did on the math test?” “Did Mr. Phipps say anything funny today?” “What games did you play in PE?”
Give your child a quiet place to study and do homework. Find an area in your home that is free of distraction where your middle schooler can concentrate on homework. Be available to help if your child has a question.
Check your child’s homework, but don’t do it for her. Offer to check math problems, proofread written papers, and look over spelling words. If you find a mistake, point it out to your child and help her figure out the correct answer.
Post a family calendar in a central place. Write down important school dates, including parent meetings, due dates for projects, and tests. Encourage your middle schooler to add to the calendar and to check it daily.

Middle school can be a confusing time for everyone, so I’m all in favor of anything that keeps me in the loop in the most unobtrusive way possible. I know it’s healthy and inevitable for our middle-schoolers to start asserting some independence but, whether they realize it or not, they need us now more than ever, right? Someone validate me, please (I don’t think my middle-schooler is going to)!

plug in!

How do you check in with your middle-schooler and stay involved in the school scene? All suggestions are welcome!

Photo courtesy of Mom Meets Blog

8Aug2013

Tips for Playroom Organization

by Mom Meets Blog

Many happy hours have been whiled away in my son’s playroom, imagining and dreaming with little trains, planes and automobiles strewn in every corner. It’s also been the site of a few mishaps – as cute as that little Mini Cooper is, stepping on it with a bare foot is a painful encounter! After some trial and error, here are the organizing solutions that have worked best for me:

Before you embark on any organizing mission, if there is a closet in the playroom, clean it out. That closet will become command central for your kids and their toys, and if they see it organized nicely and can find their toys easily, chances are (maybe) they’ll try to keep it that way.
Clear plastic shoe organizers hung on the back of a door or inside a closet door are great “garages” for little cars and other small toys.
For instant de-cluttering, make use of plastic storage bins or baskets that can be stored in the closet or under a bed. Check out The Container Store or even dollar stores for colorful baskets in many sizes and shapes at reasonable prices.
Make use of the vertical space in a room with wall shelves. For a decorator look, paint the wall a funky accent color before you put up shelves. I once painted a wall in the playroom fire-engine red and put up elfa shelves like these – they put the fun in functional.
Save those shoeboxes and the planet! Have your kids color and decorate them for creative, homemade storage that can also be used to grace the shelves you just installed. Nothing says “playroom” like a storage box with a big pair of jiggling googly eyes staring out at you.

Make use of double duty furniture. When buying my son’s big boy bed, I made sure it was both comfy and had drawers for storage (his favorite place for stowing away Legos). And that good old-fashioned toy chest? Put a decorative pillow or cushion on the lid for extra seating.
Don’t overlook Ziploc plastic bags for labeling and organizing puzzle pieces and doll accessories (and more Legos).
Book cases are great for mixed use storage. Add some baskets filled with toys alongside the books for a neat, organized look.
Repurpose what you have at home by thinking outside the box – in this case, tool boxes, old Tupperware, anything that’s not being used for its original purpose but still has storage capacity can be used to store dolls, action figures, whatever needs a home.

The idea is to mix and match the solutions that work for you. Pay attention to how and when your kids play with and use their toys, and match your organizing solution to their usage. If some toys are used every day, maybe an open basket on the floor where the toys are easily accessible (and can be put in a closet or rolled under the bed at the end of the day) is the right fit. Perhaps other toys that are used more infrequently can go up on a shelf or in a closet. And toys that aren’t used any longer and still in good condition can be donated to charity or, if your kids are older, check and see if their old preschool can make use of them.

Everyone is going to have a different take on organizing, but I’ve found that whatever works for you is the right solution. Be creative, have fun, and happy organizing!

23Jul2013

Christmas (Cookies) in July

by Mom Meets Blog

Last week, in the midst of the summer scorcher that gripped most of the nation, the most popular place in town was the pool. Kids and adults alike jockeyed for position in its cooling waters, swimming laps, playing Marco Polo, or just chatting while trying to beat the heat. As the thermometer flirted with triple-digit temperatures and we took bets on when the heat wave would break, my friend pointed out that in just a few short months we could possibly be dealing with single-digit temperatures and double-digit snowfall.

That just made me think of cookies.

Not just any cookies, but my family’s favorite recipe, Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss cookies, which I start baking at Thanksgiving and continue baking right through Christmas. They’ve become a holiday staple at my home – when my son sees them come out of the oven he knows it’s the official start of the holiday season. Friends and family have come to expect them and they are perfect for gift giving (and leaving out for Santa on Christmas Eve). I found the original recipe here but substituted Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses for the pastel cream mint kisses. The dough in this recipe also freezes up nicely so you can make it ahead of time and pull it out when you need it.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon water

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan or double boiler, combine brown sugar, butter, and water. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate; cook and stir until chocolate is melted. Pour mixture into a large bowl; cool for 10 minutes.

2. Using a wooden spoon, stir the egg into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough is easy to handle.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Depending on the size you roll the dough, makes about 30-36 cookies.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and gently press a Kiss into center of each cookie. Transfer to wire rack and cool until melting mints are firm (I put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up the Kisses).

5. Store at room temperature in an airtight container separated by layers of waxed paper for up to three days (if they last that long) or freeze for up to 3 months.

How do you beat the heat? Keep in mind that younger children have greater needs in the summer sun. Check out my post Helping Baby Beat the Summer Heat at FamilyCorner.com!

Photos courtesy of Google Images and mommeetsblog.com

21Jul2013

Steak and Potatoes, Salad Style

by Mom Meets Blog

The extreme heat of the past week put a damper on my family’s appetite (and my desire to cook) but when I came across this recipe I just couldn’t resist. Light and satisfying, and served with some fresh, sweet corn on the cob, it certainly fit the bill during these dog days of summer.

My inspiration for this recipe came from Jonathan Waxman’s Steak Salad. Along with my addition of roasted potatoes, I swapped out the poblano peppers and serrano chilis in the original recipe for yellow bell peppers, and used my own marinade for the steaks.

Marinade:

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. sesame seed oil

2 tbsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning

Adobo or salt & pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, sesame seed oil, and Montreal Steak seasoning. Lightly sprinkle the steaks with adobo or salt & pepper; place steaks in a zipper seal plastic bag and pour marinade over it. Close bag and evenly distribute marinade mixture over steaks; place in refrigerator.

Steak and Potato Salad ingredients:

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

4-5 red potatoes, quartered

10 whole shallots, cut lengthwise

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. tomato paste

4 tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 (16-oz. each) NY strip steaks

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 (4-oz.) bag baby arugula

Salt & pepper

Extra olive oil

Toss potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil and roast at 400 degrees until tender. Set aside to cool.

Turn oven up to 450 degrees and roast bell pepper until charred, 10 to 15 minutes.

Toss shallots with olive oil and roast until tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Combine peppers, tomato paste, 2 tbsp. olive oil and vinegar. Add shallots.

Turn oven down to 400 degrees, and roast steaks until medium rare, about 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Let rest for 5 minutes then thinly slice and toss with pepper-shallot mixture, tomatoes, arugula and potatoes.

I almost didn’t get a chance to photograph the final product, my family started serving as soon as the finished dish hit the table! I hope your family enjoys this dish as much as mine did. 🙂

This dish is also great at picnics; check out my 10 Tips for a Successful Family Picnic at FamilyCorner.com!

Photos courtesy of mommeetsblog.com

18Mar2013

If You Smell Something, Say Something

by Mom Meets Blog

As moms we know that sometimes parenthood is no bed of roses, and we’ve all had our share of less than fragrant close encounters: dirty diapers, baby vomit, getting stuck in a conversation with someone at the PTA breakfast who was a little overzealous with the onion cream cheese from the bagel platter. These situations are usually easily resolved – something we can clean up or excuse ourselves from.

But what happens when the offensive odor makes its way into your home in the form of your son’s pubescent best friend? Most of my son’s friends are at some point on the puberty spectrum: a little peach fuzz here, some voice-changing there, but this poor kid needs help for his B.O. problem, stat! But what do you say to the little kid you’ve known since the first grade now sitting at your table scarfing down Mallomars and imbuing your upholstered dining room chair with his big kid stank? If you smell something, should you say something?

On this particular afternoon, another of my son’s friends provided me the opportunity to broach the subject:

“Dude, get your feet away from me! Gross!” one of the kids exclaimed as the three of them were bouncing around in the living room.

“What. Is. That. Smell?” said kid proclaimed loudly.

I knew what that smell was – puberty. What should I do? If it was my son, would I want someone to say something to him? How would my son feel? And would I be offended? Mortified? Embarrassed? Mortified, perhaps, but not offended. And embarrassment never killed anyone, but that stench might prove to be social suicide for this kid.

Perhaps I’d be grateful? Yeah, I’m going with grateful, and eager to rectify the situation as soon as possible. After all, who wants to be the smelly kid in school? Furthermore, who wants to be friends with the smelly kid in school? The boys just called him out on it – if they can smell it so can everyone else. Yes, I was doing him and his friends a solid by saying something.

Stifling my sensitive gag reflex, and armed with a bottle of Febreze, I called him over to the laundry room, out of earshot of the other boys. . .

“Sometimes I forget to put on clean socks and they start to smell,” he explained.

One whiff of him and I knew this went way beyond smelly socks. This kid was pungent – a mix of sweaty gym bag and stinky armpits, I tried to hold my breath as I smilingly asked him to hold out one foot and then the other so I could spray each sock. While I was at it I took the liberty of just casually crop dusting spraying his pants and shirt too. He didn’t seem to mind. Or be surprised. Has this happened to him before?

I gathered my mom wits about me and went for it:

“You know sweetie, you guys are growing up, and now when you run around and start to sweat, your bodies can get a little stinky, and not just your feet. Um, do you wear any deodorant?”

“Nah, I don’t use any of that stuff,” he laughed.

Obviously.

“Well, maybe it might be a good idea to have a talk with your mom about wearing some, okay? I’m sure there are kids in your class using it already. Because you don’t want other kids telling you smell funny, right? That’s not cool,” I said as nonchalantly as possible.

He thought about this for a fraction of a second, looking a little confused. Oh no, have I overstepped?

“Yeah, okay!” he shrugged, bounding brightly away from me and back to play with the other kids.

In that moment I realized that my tween was hurtling toward teen right along with his friends and there is nothing I can do to stop it; my only option is to just go along for the ride. And be there to guide his hygiene choices.

Will my son’s friend take my advice and stock up on the Axe products? Will he go home and tell his mom that I said her son stinks? I don’t know, but I’m keeping a keen nose out for my kid. And a bottle of Febreze handy.

Because puberty takes its time, and I can’t hold my breath that long.

Image courtesy of Google Images