Kids and Fruit

Fruit that is fresh, ripe, and in season will appeal to kids.

     We all know we're supposed to get our children to eat more fruits and vegetables, but it's easier said than done.  Today we'll concentrate on teaching kids to like fruit and save vegetables for later.

1.  Be an example.  If you tell your kids to eat fruit, and they never see you eat fruit yourself, they're not going to do it.  Stop the lectures and start eating fruit.

If dad eats fruit, kids will follow.

2.  Actually buy fruit.  One reason kids don't eat fruit is because there's not any fruit in the house.  I've always loved fruit, and when I was a TV reporter, I would usually take some with me for lunch.  This led to good-natured teasing about my "nuts and berries" diet from some of my videographer friends (they were eating Big Macs and Whoppers), but they were usually impressed.  One thing many of them said was, "I'd like to eat fruit, but I can't afford it!"
     The truth is, while all food is expensive these days, most fruit is actually a bargain.  A ten-pound watermelon for five dollars?  That's fifty cents a pound.  What other healthy food can you get for fifty cents a pound?  Bananas are another fruit bargain that are available year-round at between fifty and seventy cents a pound. 
     Sure, other kinds of fruit cost more, but try this exercise to see whether you can afford them.  The next time you do your grocery shopping, put everything you normally buy into the basket.  Then park in a quiet corner of the store and remove the following:  all chips and snack foods, all pastries, all soda and alcoholic beverages, all candy, all ice cream, all frozen pizzas, Buffalo wings, etc.  Now you have room--and money--for fruit. Head straight to the produce section and stock up.

The ideal shopping cart.

3.  Change kids' perceptions.  A final reason kids don't eat fruit is that they've only experienced canned, poor quality and/or unripe fruit in the past. This includes canned fruit cocktail with those soggy, eye-ball-like grapes, restaurant garnishes like cantaloupe and honeydew melon that are harder than hockey pucks, greenish supermarket strawberries more acidic than lemons, and mealy apples that have been in cold storage for more than a year.
     Since fresh fruit is generally at its peak for no more than a day or so, it's important to learn how to choose it and serve it at its best.  Here are a few ideas:

Watermelon:  if it's not good, take it back!

     Watermelon:  I've done several stories on how to pick a good watermelon in the course of my broadcast journalism career.  While produce department managers' methods differ, you generally can't go wrong with a melon that sounds hollow when thumped, has a large yellow area on its underside, and has a hard outer rind.  If, after passing these three tests, the melon still turns out to be bad, take it back--most stores will give you another one. 
     Better yet, when buying watermelons, always buy two--that way, if one turns out to be bad, you can use the other one and return the bad one later.

Grapes:  ask to sample

     Grapes:  Sticky plastic bags are a good sign, because it means the grapes have a high sugar content.  Otherwise, the only way to know if they're sweet is to try one.  Look around for a produce employee and ask permission before you do this--they'll generally grant it.

Strawberries:  almost moldy means full of flavor

     Strawberries:  Look for deep red berries that are just on the verge of spoiling--these will have the most flavor.  (Just make sure there's no mold growing on them).  Smell them--if they don't have the aroma of some corner of heaven, you will need to let them sit a few days at home before they're ripe. 

Cantaloupe:  unless it smells like heaven, don't cut into it

     Cantaloupe:  Smell the end that was once connected to the vine.  If it doesn't "wow" you, then it's not ripe.  Either choose another or plan to let the melon sit a few days before eating it.

Selecting good produce takes time--and experience.

     I could go on, but the point is, be prepared to spend some time in the produce department.  Once you learn to buy ripe, good quality fruit, your kids will gobble it down without the need for lectures.

Laundry

Overwhelmed by laundry:  follow these tips.

     Laundry may be one of the most difficult tasks for the new stay-at-home dad.  Sure, we all did laundry in college, but that consisted of throwing everything we owned into one huge batch every two weeks or so and then promptly throwing it back on the dorm room floor.  Ironing?  What was that?
     Surprisingly, the old college approach holds the secret to successful laundry for the stay-at-home dad.  Here's what I've learned:

College laundry:  good prep for stay-at-home dads.

1.  Don't worry about separating laundry into whites, brights and darks.  Your detergent box won't agree with you (nor will your mother), but as we know from college, whites and colors can generally be washed together without a problem.  Sure, the whites may gray a bit, but you've got better things to worry about.  The only things you DON'T want to throw into the general mix are nice dress shirts (especially white ones) and new cotton items that are dark red, green or blue, since they are likely to "bleed" color.  This is especially true for new jeans that have not been pre-washed. 

It all comes out in the wash:  don't worry about doing separate batches.

2.  Do the laundry before you have to.  Joan Rivers tells the story that one of Johnny Carson's wives once gave her some good advice on plastic surgery.  "Get it before you need it," she said.  The same goes for laundry:  do it before it needs to be done.  Nothing is more depressing than a laundry room so full of clothes that you can't even open the door.
     Since you're washing everything together--and not waiting around to make complete "batches" of whites, brights, and darks--simply throw clothes into the washer as you and the kids take them off, and turn it on when it's full.  That way you'll always have clean clothes, and you'll never feel overwhelmed with laundry.

If this is the laundry scene at your house, you've waited too long.

3.  Dry everything on "medium."  That way you won't end up shrinking anything.  Sure, each batch will take a little longer, but you won't have to separate the clothes into different batches for drying.  And you won't destroy that $500 dress your daughter just talked you into buying. 

Keep dryer set to "medium heat."

4.  Fold and put away laundry as soon as you take it out of the dryer.  Next to having a laundry room overflowing with dirty clothes, there is nothing worse than an entire house overflowing with clean clothes.  I've seen houses (I'm not going to mention any one in particular) where clean clothes, towels, and sheets were stacked on every couch, counter, and coffee table--everywhere but the bedrooms. 
     Promise yourself that as soon as you take the clothes out of the dryer, you will immediately fold them or put them on hangers.  (That way you won't have to iron them later.)  Then rush the items to the appropriate closets and dressers.  Don't wait for the kids to do it--they won't.

This laundry may be clean, but try locating Tommy's boxer shorts.

5.  Don't iron.  You don't have time.  Buy wrinkle-free shirts for yourself.  If you catch the kids' clothes just as they come out of the dryer (as mentioned above) you shouldn't need to iron them.

You don't have time for this.

6.  Don't buy fancy stain-removers.  No need to waste money on those products.  Rub heavy stains with a little dish soap or liquid hand soap and let the items sit a few minutes before washing.  Another way to avoid stains:  don't buy kids white cothing. 

No need for this

or this.

                             

7.  Don't buy expensive detergents.  The cheap ones work just fine.  I buy the big purple jugs of Sun at discount stores.  They last forever, and the detergent cleans just as well as the national brands.

Expensive detergents:  just say "no."