The Mom I Want to Be

Children learn about manners by being introduced to them as soon as they are able to grasp the concept. Teaching and expecting good manners early on will ensure that behaving politely comes naturally to your child as he or she gets older.

Thank you notes are a great hands-on project in politeness, and encourage creativity, too. Ask your child to create a thank you note for someone who has recently done something great for him or her. It can be a painted, colored, or even a scribbled note. Tell them how great the recipient will feel when they receive their special “thank you” from your child.

 

Fill a tub full of bubbles and become a master of disguise. Give your child a bubble bath beard or a funny hairdo made of soap bubbles. Let him or her transform you, too. Be sure to have a hand mirror at the ready so your child can see how silly he or she looks-and don’t forget to snap some photos, too!

Read “If You Find a Rock” by Peggy Christian.

Go on rock-finding expedition with your little one today, then bring your treasures inside and wash them off. Now you are ready to use your finds for any number of crafts. Transform a large rock into a paperweight with paint; glue small rocks onto a piece of cardboard to create a geological mosaic; or glue different-size rocks together in the shape of an animal and complete with paint, pom-poms, and novelty eyes.

Later, take a trip to your local nature store to see some of the beautifully colored gemstones on display.

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Play “Little Archaeologists“.

Turn your child into a bean counter! Put dried beans into a cup. Now ask your child to take them out of the cup, counting as he or she goes. When the cup is empty, fill again, this time with another amount. Repeat as many times as you like. For added fun, glue the beans on a piece of construction paper to form the numbers counted. NOTE: Be extra-vigilant with supervision when using beans. They are small and can be a choking hazard.

 

Bean Mosaics

 

glue

paintbrushes

cardboard or any sturdy backing

dry beans (kidney, black beans, peas, lentils etc.) of different colors and sizes

pencils

 

Draw a simple shape or figure on the cardboard. Keep the details down to a minimum. Simple is good for this project.  Paint glue in a small portion of the design. Note: Do not use too much glue if your cardboard is not sturdy. It will curl.  Place beans of different colors in the portion with glue.  Repeat for the entire picture. The result is quite beautiful.

 

 

Bean Chowder

 

1 1/3 cup Split Green Peas

1 cup Navy Beans

2 Bouillon Cubes

7 cups Water

4 stalks Celery (chopped)

3 Carrots (chopped)

2 Onions (chopped)

1/2 Cabbage (small, chopped)

3 tablespoons Oil

1 teaspoon Salt

1 can Tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 teaspoon Ground Pepper

2 cloves Garlic

 

Cook the beans and the lentils in the water in a large pot for about 1 1/2 hours. Towards the end, add the bouillon cubes. Sauté all the vegetables in the oil for a few minutes, then chopped tomatoes along with the juice and simmer for 20 minutes. When the beans are very tender, add the vegetables, simmer for a bit, adjust taste with salt and pepper.

Celebrate National Bird Day!

 

In cold climates, the ground is hard in winter, making it difficult for birds to get enough food. Why not assist our fine, feathered friends by making a simple cereal necklace? String any cereal with a hole in the middle (preferably one without a lot of sugar) on about two feet of yarn. Tie ends together and loop over the branch of a tree. If you hang it on a tree outside one of your windows, you’ll have the chance to observe your “guests” as they peck away at the treat.

 

More love for the birds?  Check out additional feeders. Or this one.

Do a bird themed craft like these Love Birds,

Have a caged bird at home?

10 Things You Can Do to Make Your Bird Happy

National Bird Day recognizes that birds are non-domesticated animals that belong in the wild where they can fly free and express their natural behaviors. However, due to the large number of birds living in captivity which cannot be returned to the wild and the limited space available in avian sanctuaries, optimizing care of birds held in private hands can go far in reducing suffering and improving the welfare of captive birds. We provide the following suggestions for those with birds in their care.

1. Provide a healthy and varied diet — not just seeds, but grains, beans, vegetables (cooked and raw) formulated pellets, and some fruit. (Harmful foods include chocolate, avocado, highly processed or overly salted foods, human junk food, and caffeine.)
2. Give your bird the largest enclosure possible — no space is too big for a creature adapted to flying through jungles and across savannas.
3. Provide daily exercise and ample out-of-cage time, preferably to include free flying in a safe, supervised environment. (Bird-proofing a room for out-of-cage time includes keeping birds away from items containing lead and zinc, and from paint chips, ceiling fans, electrical cords, cats and dogs, and open windows.)
4. Offer a variety of toys and enrichment activities. (Buy toys from “Out of this World Bird Toys” and help support bird rescue.)
5. Provide plenty of socialization with other birds and/or human caretakers.
6. Give access to unfiltered sunlight and/or full-spectrum lighting. Birds need exposure to UVA and UVB rays from direct sunlight (windows block necessary UV rays) or full-spectrum lighting to synthesize vitamin D necessary for bone health.
7. Offer daily or weekly misting with a clean spray bottle of water to promote feather and skin health and for fun! Some birds prefer to bathe in a small container (like their water dish); others enjoy being misted with water. It is important to allow the birds to air-dry in a warm room or in the sunshine.
8. Develop games and teach your bird skills (“jobs”) like foraging or treasure hunts (this can be done in the house or with creative toys in the cage), cleaning up toys by putting them in a basket.
9. Provide a secure enclosure, carrier, or harness so your bird can enjoy the outdoors with you.
10. Place multiple perches/stands throughout the house so that your bird can benefit from ambient “flock time” while being included in family activities like watching TV or movies, preparing meals, playing cards or games.

Of course, spaghetti is great for eating, but did you know it’s terrific for painting with, too? Let your little one dip cooked, cooled spaghetti in paint, then drag the pasta across a piece of paper for some squiggly modern art fun. While your child is painting, teach him, or her, the silly song “On Top Of Spaghetti”!

 

Easy Peasy Kid Pleasin’ Spaghetti

1 pound hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
3 small cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup Parmesan

Brown hamburger and onions. Pour off fat. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 2-3 hours. Serve over spaghetti noodles

In 1888, Marvin Stone patented the spiral winding process to manufacture the first paper drinking straws. Stone was already a manufacturer of paper cigarette holders. His idea was to make paper drinking straws. Before his straws, beverage drinkers were using the natural rye grass straws.

Stone made his prototype straw by winding strips of paper around a pencil and gluing it together. He then experimented with paraffin-coated manila paper, so the straws would not become soggy while someone was drinking. Marvin Stone decided the ideal straw was 8 1/2-inches long with a diameter just wide enough to prevent things like lemon seeds from being lodged in the tube.

The product was patented on January the 3rd, 1888. By 1890, his  factory was producing more straws than cigarette holders. In 1906, the first machine was invented by the Stone’s “Stone Straw Corporation” to machine-wind straws, ending the hand-winding process. Later other kinds of spiral-wound paper and non-paper products were made.

In 1928, electrical engineers began to use spiral-wound tubes in the first mass produced radios. All made by the same process invented by Stone. Spiral-wound tubing is now found everywhere — in electric motors, electrical apparatus, electronic devices, electronic components, aerospace, textile, automotive, fuses, batteries, transformers, pyrotechnics, medical packaging, product protection, and packaging applications.

 

 

Felines, ever above mere humans in the great chain of being, have a day unto themselves to celebrate the “mewness” of a new time.

It’s easy for your child to make a cute and cuddly paper kitten in the blink of eye. Provide your child with a picture of a kitten from a magazine or coloring book, and then let him or her glue on “fur” using cotton balls, pom-poms, fleece, or any fuzzy material. Children are fascinated by the way cats purr. When your little one asks you how kitties do that, you can tell him or her that the cat doesn’t make the sound with its voice. The sound is made by the vibration of the larynx resonating down to the windpipe and into the diaphragm.