Why Ratios Matter- From a Parent's Point of View

To contact us Click HERE

I remember people telling me that kids don't come with instructions.  Still, I read book after book to find something, some answer as to how I was going to handle being a father.  I learned how to tend my daughter's needs when she was hungry, gassy, sleepy, or just needed a diaper change--pretty straight-forward stuff I thought, no problem, I've got this! I even became quite adept at packing her diaper bag!  As time passed by, we settled into a routine, and knew how to handle the day to day part of raising a child.  We came to love her more and more each day as our lives began to take shape around hers.  Well, those days became years very quickly and now it was time to trust her care to someone else.We looked around feverishly to find the right preschool program for her; the due diligence must be done!  I could pull into the parking lot of some of these places and just know that it wasn't right. I scrutinized every last detail of the school from the first second I walked in, to the second I walked out.  How clean was it?  How long has this teacher been doing this?  Is that what you call a playground?!? What will my child be learning? What do they serve for lunch? Can we get a hair sample from everyone employed at this school?  We exhausted our fair share of teachers before we finally figured out what we really wanted to know.  Will our child be safe?  Were these teachers equipped physically, emotionally, and with all the support that they needed to ensure my child's safety?

Overwhelmingly, it came down to this--how many kids will one teacher be responsible for?  Look, I've hosted a few children's birthday parties, and I've seen my home in the aftermath after just a couple of hours of just trying to keep the damage to a minimum!  That was with the help of my wife, and the few brave parents that didn't bolt out of the door as soon as kid party drop off etiquette allowed it!  I couldn't fathom how any one person could handle that, and I wanted to know exactly how they intended to do it.That's when I learned about the teacher to child ratio.  That became just about the first thing I wanted to know.  As important as it is that my child begin to build a strong foundation in mathematics, literacy, and science, knowing that her teacher had some back up was every bit as critical.  Having as many eyes on my child as possible put me at ease.  I knew full well how she got into everything, I mean, let's face it, my kid was unruly at my house---I'm a man, we have a high threshold when it comes to letting our kids run amok before we actually do something about it!  So, how many teachers would be there to look after my one child wrecking crew now that she has joined forces with a whole battalion of kids with the same appetite for destruction?!?That's exactly why the ratio was a major point of concern, and ultimately, the school that we chose had one that was quite favorable.  After three children, I am now a decorated veteran-parent and I've seen things that would have made a first time parent want to ball up in a corner and cry---and maybe someday we'll get back to those--but for now, let's just hold the fort and make sure our teachers have plenty of reinforcements!

Chris Derrick is a father, an author,
and a blogger. You can find his
musings on life, parenting and living
in the South at:
http://myunregrettablelife.blogspot.com/

Adam and Maxine's Famous Latkes

To contact us Click HERE

Celebrate Hanukkah with some delicious traditional dishes! Latkes can be served with sour cream or applesauce and are a great way to usher in the holidays!

Adam and Maxine's Famous Latkes

3 pounds large russet potatoes (4-6)
1 pound medium Vidalia, yellow, or brown onions (about 2)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fine plain dried breadcrumbs
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (or more) schmaltz (chicken fat; optional)
2-4 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
Applesauce
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 325°F. Peel potatoes. Using the large holes of a box grater or the grater disk on a food processor, grate potatoes and onions. Transfer to a large kitchen towel. Gather ends of towel; twist over sink and squeeze firmly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Open towel; toss mixture to loosen. Gather towel; wring out once more.

Whisk eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, baking powder, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Add potato mixture. Using your fingers, mix until well coated. (Latke mixture should be wet and thick, not soupy.)

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Set a wire rack inside another large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons schmaltz, if using, and 2 tablespoons oil (or 4 tablespoons oil if not using schmaltz; fat should measure about 1/8") in a 12" nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Drop a small amount of latke mixture into pan. If the fat sizzles around the edges, it's ready. (Do not let fat smoke.)

Working in batches and adding more schmaltz and oil to skillet as needed to maintain 1/8" fat, drop large spoonfuls of mixture into pan, pressing gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to flatten slightly. (If mixture becomes watery between batches, mix to incorporate; do not drain.)

Cook latkes, occasionally rotating pan for even browning, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 1/2-3 minutes per side. (If small pieces of potato floating in the oil start to burn, carefully strain out.)

Transfer latkes to paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain, then transfer to prepared wire rack. Place sheet with latkes in oven to keep warm and crisp while cooking remaining latkes.

Serve warm latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

Thanks to Adam Rapoport for this amazing recipe!

Handwashing for Healthy Kids!

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Easiest Way to Stay Healthy This Winter!

With the worst flu season in ten years upon us, and cold and viruses around every corner, it seems like there is a new product on the market every few days that guarantees to keep you cold and flu free this season.
But, the easiest and simplest way to stay healthy is already, literally, in the palm of your hands.
Handwashing is the simplest and quickest way to rid your little one's bodies of all the germs they pick up at the playground, grocery store, preschool...the list goes on and on. And there actually is a process to proper handwashing that can be learned by even the smallest toddler. Adults counting to twenty while little guys scrub is also a quick learning moment too!

Sunflower Playhouse

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Sunflower Play House for Spring!

Spring is right around the corner and here is a neat project for backyard play that lasts all summer long! A sunflower playhouse can be an awesome, eco-friendly addition to any backyard!
Sunflower Playhouse:  
You will need:
Tall sunflowers seeds (the taller the better-read the package)
Morning Glory seeds (the taller the better)
Black plastic or mulching fabric (optional)
Mark out an area for your playhouse, square or rectangle
Plant a sunflower and morning glory seed together.  Leave an opening for a door.  Keep well watered.  Weed around your plants being careful to not pull up the new plants.  If you have some seeds that don’t come up, you can just put more seeds in that place.
As the plants grow the morning glories will climb up the sunflowers.  When they are reaching near the tops of the sunflowers, run a string back and forth from one side to the other and from corner to corner.  The morning glories will continue to grow along the strings and form a roof.
If you want a grassy floor in your playhouse you can choose an area on the lawn.  You will need to lay down strips of black plastic or fabric mulch around the perimeter of your playhouse so the grass doesn't over take the baby sunflower and morning glory plants.  Secure the plastic or mulch to the ground.  Plant directly into the plastic or mulch by cutting holes in it and plant your seeds in the dirt.
When everything is blooming and your playhouse is complete, you can put a small table and chairs in the playhouse for summer tea parties!

Smoothie Recipes for Kids

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Smoothies for Kids

We all know kiddos need those fruits and vegetables but sometimes convincing them that they do is an entirely different story.
Smoothies are a super way to get more veggies in your kids' diets simply because the sweetness of the fruit masks the taste of the veggies! Here are a few delicious and nutritious recipes to try at home!

Berry-Cado Smoothie
vegan, makes 2 servings1 1/4 cups orange juice
1/2 avocado
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries (or strawberries)
1 kiwi, peeled
1/2 – 1 banana, frozen pref’d
1/2 cup icegarnish: avocado sliceBlend. Pour. Sip. Smile.
Easy Energy Almond Shake
vegan, serves 22 cups almond milk or soymilk, vanilla flavor or cow's milk
2 large frozen bananas, ripe
2 Tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup ice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
garnish: roasted almondsDirections:1. Place all ingredients in a high power blender. Blend on high until smooth and thick.2. Pour into glasses and garnish with roasted almonds.


Green Smoothies1 cup plain or vanilla almond milk (go with vanilla if you have more of a sweet tooth) or cow's milk
1-2 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
1/2 ripe frozen banana (if your banana is not frozen, add 2-3 ice cubes)
tiny bit of honey or agave, optional
1-2 tablespoons ground flaxmeal, optionalCombine ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute.Serve in a fun glass and enjoy.

Why Ratios Matter- From a Parent's Point of View

To contact us Click HERE

I remember people telling me that kids don't come with instructions.  Still, I read book after book to find something, some answer as to how I was going to handle being a father.  I learned how to tend my daughter's needs when she was hungry, gassy, sleepy, or just needed a diaper change--pretty straight-forward stuff I thought, no problem, I've got this! I even became quite adept at packing her diaper bag!  As time passed by, we settled into a routine, and knew how to handle the day to day part of raising a child.  We came to love her more and more each day as our lives began to take shape around hers.  Well, those days became years very quickly and now it was time to trust her care to someone else.We looked around feverishly to find the right preschool program for her; the due diligence must be done!  I could pull into the parking lot of some of these places and just know that it wasn't right. I scrutinized every last detail of the school from the first second I walked in, to the second I walked out.  How clean was it?  How long has this teacher been doing this?  Is that what you call a playground?!? What will my child be learning? What do they serve for lunch? Can we get a hair sample from everyone employed at this school?  We exhausted our fair share of teachers before we finally figured out what we really wanted to know.  Will our child be safe?  Were these teachers equipped physically, emotionally, and with all the support that they needed to ensure my child's safety?

Overwhelmingly, it came down to this--how many kids will one teacher be responsible for?  Look, I've hosted a few children's birthday parties, and I've seen my home in the aftermath after just a couple of hours of just trying to keep the damage to a minimum!  That was with the help of my wife, and the few brave parents that didn't bolt out of the door as soon as kid party drop off etiquette allowed it!  I couldn't fathom how any one person could handle that, and I wanted to know exactly how they intended to do it.That's when I learned about the teacher to child ratio.  That became just about the first thing I wanted to know.  As important as it is that my child begin to build a strong foundation in mathematics, literacy, and science, knowing that her teacher had some back up was every bit as critical.  Having as many eyes on my child as possible put me at ease.  I knew full well how she got into everything, I mean, let's face it, my kid was unruly at my house---I'm a man, we have a high threshold when it comes to letting our kids run amok before we actually do something about it!  So, how many teachers would be there to look after my one child wrecking crew now that she has joined forces with a whole battalion of kids with the same appetite for destruction?!?That's exactly why the ratio was a major point of concern, and ultimately, the school that we chose had one that was quite favorable.  After three children, I am now a decorated veteran-parent and I've seen things that would have made a first time parent want to ball up in a corner and cry---and maybe someday we'll get back to those--but for now, let's just hold the fort and make sure our teachers have plenty of reinforcements!

Chris Derrick is a father, an author,
and a blogger. You can find his
musings on life, parenting and living
in the South at:
http://myunregrettablelife.blogspot.com/

Adam and Maxine's Famous Latkes

To contact us Click HERE

Celebrate Hanukkah with some delicious traditional dishes! Latkes can be served with sour cream or applesauce and are a great way to usher in the holidays!

Adam and Maxine's Famous Latkes

3 pounds large russet potatoes (4-6)
1 pound medium Vidalia, yellow, or brown onions (about 2)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fine plain dried breadcrumbs
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (or more) schmaltz (chicken fat; optional)
2-4 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
Applesauce
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 325°F. Peel potatoes. Using the large holes of a box grater or the grater disk on a food processor, grate potatoes and onions. Transfer to a large kitchen towel. Gather ends of towel; twist over sink and squeeze firmly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Open towel; toss mixture to loosen. Gather towel; wring out once more.

Whisk eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, baking powder, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Add potato mixture. Using your fingers, mix until well coated. (Latke mixture should be wet and thick, not soupy.)

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Set a wire rack inside another large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons schmaltz, if using, and 2 tablespoons oil (or 4 tablespoons oil if not using schmaltz; fat should measure about 1/8") in a 12" nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Drop a small amount of latke mixture into pan. If the fat sizzles around the edges, it's ready. (Do not let fat smoke.)

Working in batches and adding more schmaltz and oil to skillet as needed to maintain 1/8" fat, drop large spoonfuls of mixture into pan, pressing gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to flatten slightly. (If mixture becomes watery between batches, mix to incorporate; do not drain.)

Cook latkes, occasionally rotating pan for even browning, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 1/2-3 minutes per side. (If small pieces of potato floating in the oil start to burn, carefully strain out.)

Transfer latkes to paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain, then transfer to prepared wire rack. Place sheet with latkes in oven to keep warm and crisp while cooking remaining latkes.

Serve warm latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

Thanks to Adam Rapoport for this amazing recipe!