Kids and Vegetables

Kids will eat vegetables that are fresh, crisp, and colorful.

     Getting kids to eat vegetables is an age-old problem that won't be solved in a blog entry, but here are a few ideas that have worked for me:

1.  Buy or grow your vegetables fresh.  
     There's nothing worse than canned peas, which in no way resemble the wonderful fresh peas you pick from your own garden and serve over new potatoes in a cream sauce.  My kids love fresh peas--but they gag over canned peas.  
     Canned asparagus is another product that will permanently turn kids against vegetables.  Canned green beans aren't as bad as canned peas or asparagus, but they still don't compare to fresh beans.  Corn actually tastes okay canned, but it's much better, of course, on the cob--especially if it's from your own garden.  
     Some vegetables are fine frozen--peas and corn come to mind--but most others turn out soggy and inedible, like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.  Give kids fresh vegetables and they are much more likely to eat them.

Fresh or frozen peas are more appealing than canned.

2.  Serve vegetables raw.
     Serve baby carrots, broccoli florets, cucumber slices, pepper slices, and grape tomatoes with a dip made from fat-free sour cream and watch the vegetables disappear.  This is a great after-school and summer-afternoon snack.

Raw vegetables are full of crunch and flavor.

3.  Steam or grill vegetables, rather than boil them.  
     If you must cook vegetables, don't dump them into a pot of boiling water.  Boiling most fresh vegetables turns them the consistency of canned vegetables--plus it destroys most of the vitamins they originally contained.  
     Steaming vegetables for very short periods of time keeps them crisp, colorful, and appetizing.  Grilling vegetables--like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and mushrooms--is another way to cook them while preserving their flavor and texture.

Steamed vegetables maintain texture and flavor.

4.  Take vegetables as snacks on car trips.  
     If you're traveling, the kids are hungry, and all you have to offer are vegetables, they will eat them.  
     I had proof of this a few days ago when we were driving  home from a hiking trip.  Instead of chips, cookies and candy for snacks, I took along baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and broccoli.  The kids complained at first, but the vegetables disappeared pretty quickly.

Grape tomatoes are great for car trips.

What to Do with Kids During the Summer?

     This is a question many parents ask with horror as school comes to an end.

Kids can have fun while learning during the summer.

     Some are so afraid of the prospect of having kids at home (and with time on their hands) that they rush out and buy the latest electronic gadgets (even though their kids just got all the latest installments for Christmas), stock up on the latest games and apps for these gadgets (many of which have violent and otherwise questionable content), make sure Netflix is installed on every one of these gadgets and every TV in the house (content also very questionable), double the number of cable channels the kids can watch (content, again), and then sit back and hope the kids will entertain themselves.
     What's wrong with this picture?
     Everything.
     The last things kids need today are more electronic gadgetry and more media exposure.  What do they really need?  Books, art supplies, opportunities for exercise (preferably outdoors), opportunities for learning new things, and a parent willing (and excited) to spend time with them and oversee what they're doing.

Stop the insanity:  the last thing kids need during
summer break is more electronic stimulation.

     So, to get my kids off the couch this summer, and to minimize their use of electronic media, I've instituted what I call the "Summer Safari" program.  Yes, my 12-year-old laughs at the whole idea, and my 10-year-old makes sure we hide any evidence of the program when friends come over, but secretly, THEY LIKE IT.  Especially my 4-year-old.
     And I love being with them.  Instead of being scared of having them home all day, I'm excited to get up each day and do our activities.  It's good for all of us to have a general structure in place, although we frequently modify it.
     Here's how it works.  Each weekday (we take a break from Safari on weekends), we follow a schedule that includes the following:

Kids will go along if you replace video games with books.



Summer Learning Safari Schedule

     1.  breakfast together (I try to make it healthy)
     2.  aerobic exercise (jumping on trampoline, biking, hiking, etc.), at least 30 minutes
     3.  art projects (painting, drawing, sculpting with clay, etc.), at least 30 minutes
     4.  free reading (I make my kids read in Spanish, since their mother is Guatemalan), 30 minutes
     5.  piano practice (30 minutes for the older kids)
     6.  field trip (usually around 2 hours)
     7.  learning expeditions (about an hour), which I will explain below

     We finish all this by about 1:30 in the afternoon, and the kids have the rest of the day free--although I limit TV and electronic devices during these free hours.
     I do let the kids watch a couple of hours of Disney Channel throughout the day (thankfully, that's the only channel they really want to watch), but I also put on educational videos (okay, DVDs--I'm showing my age here) to quench their thirst for the cursed box (which now, due to HD, is actually a rectangle).

DVDs on travel destinations like Tuscany are good alternatives to regular TV.

     My kids especially like travel DVDs:, like Rudy Maxa's Molto Italiano, as well as National Geographic programs on the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas.  Most public libraries have these, but you can also get a lot of good non-fiction DVDs on Netflix.
     The field trips are what the kids like most, and so far we've been hiking several times, visited a copper mine, toured several model homes in a new development (my 10-year-old is interested in becoming an architect), explored several museums, scoped out a kitchen design showroom (when we got back, I had each of the kids design their dream kitchen), and gone shopping as dad points out how to get the best value for our money (or as my older daughter puts it, "how to be cheap").

Kids enjoy museums in small doses.

     As for the learning expeditions, these are power point presentations I have made on various topics (and continue to make, as the summer goes on), but so far I've completed units on Tuscany and Provence.
     These presentations take a region and explore its geography, history, art, architecture, music, and literature.  They include slide shows, concert videos, excerpts from literary works, maps, and yes, POP QUIZZES!
     Since my kids are as crazy about electronic devices as everyone else, I've tried to do as the Romans do by making these presentations as fun and interactive as possible.
     For example, the kids click on links to reach items like concert videos and maps, and I've embedded music that plays automatically while they're reading the various slides.   I've even added some surprise "gong" and "applause" sounds to various slides to keep them awake.

My kids do the Learning Expeditions I put together on their Nooks.

     So, how is all this working?  Believe it or not, my kids wake up each morning and ask what we're going to do for our "Safari."
     Try it with your own kids and you won't be disappointed.  Boredom will cease, inter-sibling violence will diminish, and you'll get to know your kids, rather then fear them.

Swedish Pancakes

Swedish pancakes can break up breakfast monotony.

     If your kids are like mine, they like pancakes.  But the same Aunt Jemima flapjacks get boring day after day, and they don't provide much nutrition.
     Swedish pancakes are heavy on eggs, which will give your kids more protein than regular pancakes, and they'll have fun rolling them up with different toppings.  I've modified the traditional recipe to leave out most of the cholesterol by eliminating two egg yolks and substituting canola oil for melted butter.
     Here's a breakfast item your kids will want to get up for:

Healthy (okay, Healthier) Swedish Pancakes

1 egg
3 egg whites
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
11/2 c milk
3 T canola oil
3/4 c flour

Place all ingredients except milk in large bowl.  Whisk until batter is smooth.  Gradually add milk and whisk until mixture is free of lumps.  Pour onto hot griddle or pre-heated frying pan sprayed with fine layer of canola oil.  Cook until browned on both sides.  Serve with syrup, jam or jelly, powdered sugar, or brown sugar and sour cream.

Eating Out With Kids

Don't be afraid to take kids to nice restaurants.

     A few nights ago, the kids and I took my wife to dinner at a nice restaurant for her birthday.  There was valet parking, the tablecloth was starched white linen, the servers and bus people wore uniforms, and yes, it was a bit pricey.  But I think kids need the experience of eating out at a nice place every now and then.  Sooner than we hope, they'll be dating, going out to eat for business reasons, and attending formal social events, so it's important to teach them how to behave in these situations.

     Here are a few things I've learned about fine dining with kids:

     1.  Take the money you would otherwise spend on fast food and save it for a nice restaurant.  If you avoid three or four visits to the Golden Arches and their ilk, you'll have enough for a lunch or dinner of real food.

Stay away from these for two weeks and use the money you've saved  at a nice restaurant.

     2.  Go to nice restaurants when they're not busy.  There are several reasons for this.  If the kids act up, fewer people will notice.  If the staff isn't harried with large crowds, you'll get better service.  And since young kids are not going to eat an entire $35 main course, your server will be less resentful (and hopefully more attentive) if you go when you're not taking a table that he or she was counting on for a huge tip.

An empty restaurant is a kid-friendly restaurant.

     3.  Don't be afraid to share main courses, to order salads or appetizers instead of main courses, or to ask for items not listed on the menu.  As I mentioned above, some servers make their disapproval known--through scowls and/or poor service--when one or more members of a party fail to order an expensive main course.  Because of this, many people--myself included--often feel pressured into ordering a main course that we don't really want and don't end up eating.
     However, if you go to a restaurant when you're surrounded by empty tables, you won't be taking up what servers see as valuable real estate, and they will probably be thankful for your business--whatever you choose to order.  At my wife's birthday dinner, for instance, I didn't want a big-slab-of-meat main course, so I ordered a salad and a side order of asparagus (which was not listed on the menu).  My vegetarian daughter Sophia didn't like anything on the menu, so we asked the server if the kitchen could make her up a fruit plate (which turned out to be fantastic) as well as a side order of mashed potatoes.
     My wife and son Andy shared a large New York steak with haystack potatoes, and four-year-old Stella circled the table, eating a little bit of everything.  We were happy, our server was happy (I think), and my debit card was happy.

Share a main course with kids:  you shouldn't eat it all anyway.

     4.  If money is an issue, skip drinks and dessert.  Brief the kids on this beforehand, to avoid surprises.  At any rate, water is better with food than those high-fructose-corn-syrup sodas.  Have dessert at home if you still want it.  If you do decide on dessert at the restaurant, get one and share it.  All you really want is a taste, anyway.

Skipping dessert makes restaurant forays more reasonable.

     4.  Go to nice restaurants for lunch, rather than dinner.   Lunch menus are almost always less expensive, and portions are usually smaller, so lunch is often a good option for kids.  Lunch is also less formal, and since people are trying to get in and out in a hurry, noisy kids aren't as noticeable.  Try for an early or late lunch--when the restaurant is less busy--in order to get better service.

     5.  Look for restaurants with ambiance.   Long after you forget what you ate, you'll remember the light breeze blowing on the outdoor terrace, the view of the ski slopes out the huge window walls, or the huge marble columns and the Tiffany glass ceiling.  One of the best dinners my family ever had--and we bring it up all the time--was at a simple sidewalk cafe next to a gurgling fountain in Watercolor, Florida.  It was around ten o'clock at night, seventy degrees, the streetlights glowed, and everything seemed right with the world.  Oh, yeah, and there was food.

Food is only part of the experience:  choose restaurants with ambiance.

     6.  Brief kids on proper dining etiquette on the way to the restaurant.  We rarely have a problem with our  kids at nice restaurants, since we've been taking them since they were babies (and don't be afraid to take babies to nice restaurants--servers have almost always been very nice about it), but I still give out a few reminders in the car, like the need to keep their voices low and to avoid provoking each other to anger. They were pretty well behaved for my wife's birthday except for the fact that Sophia smuggled in her Nook.
     Next time I'll do an airport-style bag inspection as the kids leave the car.

Have the "manners" talk in the car on the way to the restaurant.

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."