MomReviews

One of my biggest fears as a parent is that my kids will hide things from me. As a teenager, I felt like my parents were so wrapped up in their own lives that they just didn’t have time to learn anything about mine. I lied to my parents all the time, about where I was, who I was with, and what we were doing. And it terrifies me beyond belief that my kids will lie to me too. All I can hope is that with the right communication, my kids will know how important they are to me and their Dad, that they will understand why it’s important for them to make safe choices, that they won’t ever feel like we don’t care about them.

Parent Bloggers Network sent me “The Teen Whisperer”, by cattle rancher and counselor Mike Linderman. That’s right, he’s a real-life cowboy who raises cattle on a working ranch, and then goes to a job at the Spring Creek Lodge in Montana. Spring Creek is a place where teens whose parents have tried everything to keep their kids away from drugs, alcohol, and other unsafe behaviors can go to learn the reasons behind their behavior, and how to live different lives. Mike Linderman has a no-nonsense approach to counseling these kids that works. What does he do? He treats them with respect, he is honest with them, he challenges them. And it works.

In “The Teen Whisperer“, not only will you learn how to talk to your teens, but you will also get a unique inside look at what teens are really thinking and feeling. By using examples from his counseling sessions, Linderman gives us a glimpse inside the minds of some really troubled kids. It turns out that the corpus callosum, the set of nerves that connect all the parts of the brain, is not yet fully developed in teens. Which means that teens can’t make the connections that adults can make-cause and effect, actions and consequences, etc.

I can hear myself, saying to my 11 year old, “didn’t you understand that if you did THIS, THAT could happen?” The answer is, no, he probably couldn’t. Not that it lets me off the hook, but it shows me that I need to ease up on the expectations.

The book is broken down into four separate sections-Part One is an introduction to Linderman, his philosophy, his method of counseling which is called “reality therapy”, and his experiences working with kids.

Part Two is a discussion of our five primary needs, which shape all of the choices we make. Those needs are Survival, Love and Belonging, Power, Freedom, and Fun.

Part Three gets into specific acting-out behaviors that teens use when one of those needs isn’t being met.

Part Four combines all of that knowledge with an understanding of how teens communicate so that you can develop your own approach to communicating with your teen.

Even if your children are not yet teens, I recommend reading this book. By incorporating some of these methods into how we communicate with our kids now, maybe we can avoid problems in the future. If our kids know that we understand that they are different than us, but that we are here to help guide the choices they are going to make, we can hopefully prevent breakdowns in communication at a later date. I am so grateful to Parent Bloggers Network for sending me this book, it might make the difference between having troubled teens and having, well, less troubled teens.

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I’ve been using Oxiclean since practically the first time I saw the commercial, with Billy Mays yelling about how it gets stains out and makes whites whiter. I was skeptical at first, because of a bad experience with “Brand Name Laundry Detergent” Plus Bleach, which left white bleach spots in some of our dark clothes. I thought Oxiclean was bleaching the whites to make them whiter, so I was afraid to add it to the dark clothes. I’ve been proved wrong.

The developers of Oxiclean Versatile Stain Remover have determined that it works to counteract fade-causing chemicals found in tap water, to significantly protect clothes from fading. Adding a scoop of Oxiclean to every load of wash actually helps keep colors from fading, keeping clothes looking brighter, longer. Genius! Parent Bloggers Network sent me a can of Oxiclean for this review, and it came with three fabric swatches, each were washed eight times. There’s a control swatch, one washed without Oxiclean, and one washed with it. I hope you can tell from this photo, the swatch washed without Oxiclean changed to a completely different shade of blue:

(the dark spot on the lower left swatch is a piece of fabric fuzz that I didn’t see until after I took, cropped, and uploaded the photo.)

Since receiving the can of Oxiclean from PBN, I’ve been adding a scoop to every wash load, not just the whites and the stained stuff. I’ve noticed that the clothes smell better when they come out of the dryer, and I’m wondering if that’s because the Oxiclean is really getting out all the dirt and sweat and other stinky stuff. I plan to keep adding Oxiclean to our wash, because I want our clothes to smell good and to look great for as long as they fit!

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Although my kids probably don’t eat a wide enough variety of vegetables, we serve a veggie every night for dinner. Our standards are steamed frozen green peas or green beans, steamed carrots, or canned corn. Occasionally I steam broccoli, but not often. My boys have never eaten beets, or squash, and neither has eaten a sweet potato since they were infants eating the baby food variety (they don’t know what they are missing, either. Mmm, sweet potatoes). So when Parent Bloggers Network asked for volunteers to review Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, I was interested both because I love cookbooks and because I like the idea of sneaking a few extra bites of veggies into their food when I can.

I have a confession to make. I knew this review was today, I knew I wanted to make a few of the recipes in it for the review. But, I didn’t. I got flattened by the Bronchitis truck almost two weeks ago, and I have been SICK SICK SICK ever since. I barely make it through each day before handing the kids off to Chris pretty much the second he walks through the door. We’ve been living on…gasp…takeout and frozen food. The last thing I want to do is pass this on to anyone else by handling their food.

Please accept my apologies, I promise I will be making some of the recipes soon. I don’t plan on telling either of my boys that the Blueberry muffins have pureed yellow squash in them, or that the chocolate chip cookies contain pureed white beans. I’ll know I’m sneaking extra bites of fruit and veggies into their food, and they will be none the wiser. In the meantime, here are a few recipes you can try, taken from Oprah.com, created by the lovely Jessica Seinfeld, wife of Jerry, mother of three, and author of this gorgeous-to-look-at cookbook.

Macaroni and Cheese 1 (with Butternut Squash or Cauliflower)

Created by Jessica Seinfeld

From the book Deceptively Delicious
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat (skim) milk
• 1/2 cup butternut or cauliflower puree
• 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 oz.)
• 4 oz. (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.

While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Chicken Nuggets (with Broccoli or Spinach or Sweet Potato or Beet)

Created by Jessica Seinfeld

From the book Deceptively Delicious
Serves 4

I don’t know any kid who doesn’t like chicken nuggets. Just don’t tell them what’s hidden inside!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole-wheat, white or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried and cut into small chunks
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder on the paper or foil and mix well with your fingers.

In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.

Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut through a piece to check that it’s cooked through.) Serve warm.

helpful information: Who doesn’t love food.
All different
types of food from spanish food
to great tasting italian
food. And who doesn’t love holiday food
during the holidays!

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When I was in elementary school, my favorite book was a personalized story about “my” trip to the zoo. In the story, the little girl who looked like me and had my name went to the zoo with her family, and if I remember correctly, either met a giraffe or possibly rode on one, I can’t remember for sure. I have searched and searched both my Dad’s house and my boxes of childhood books, and I can’t find the book, but I’m going to keep looking, because I loved that book!

Which is why, when Parent Bloggers Network asked me if I was interested in getting a Personalized book for one of my kids to review, I jumped at the chance. I had my choice of six stories, and for my son Nathan, I chose “The Robots of Sedna”. Personalizing the book was easy. I chose from five different skin tones, five eye colors, six hair colors, and three hair styles, until I had a character that resembled Nathan. I was asked to pick two family members to star in the book with him, and based on the sample from the story, I picked Chris and me. With other stories, I could have also put Ryan and Kaitlyn in as well.

The story included three friends, so I put in the names of Nathan’s three best friends as well. The interesting thing about these books is that the STAR of the book is your child. So in the illustrations, parents, other family members, and friends, are always partially hidden, or wearing masks, goggles, helmets-the only fully visible character is your child. He or she is the MAIN character! I think that is really cool.

Printakid books are 9×11, with a laminated, washable hardcover, and full-color illustrations. $29.99 might seem like a high price for one book, but if “The Robots of Sedna” lasts as long as my personalized book about going to the zoo has, then that means the amortized cost is less than one dollar per year, for a unique and fun story that your child will love to read and show off to his family and friends. That’s a pretty darn good value for a book, if you ask me. There is also a CD available to go with each story. Oh, and the books come in two reading levels; preschool and elementary. And, there is a huge range of relationships available for the book-would you like to have a character be mentioned as being a half-brother, a Godmother, a cousin? Printakid gives you lots of great choices so your child’s special family members can be included.

Personalized books for children make terrific gifts! Shipping takes two to three weeks, and there’s a Christmas story available, so order a Printakid Personalized Book now for a unique Christmas gift!

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I took French in seventh and eighth grade, and I learned it quickly and easily. When I went to college and learned that Freshmen were required to take a foreign language, I thought I would try Spanish, so I enrolled in the Beginning Spanish class. Who else was in Beginning Spanish? People who had taken FOUR YEARS of High School Spanish; apparently, the professor wasn’t too picky, and for them, it was an easy A. For me? An easy C minus.

So when Parent Bloggers Network was looking for reviewers for a set of DVDs called Kids Love Spanish, I thought that maybe it would help my kids not be so far behind by the time they have foreign language requirements in school. We received the colorful set of seven DVDs, which start with Basic Words and then cover Basic Phrases, Family, Food, Animals, Colors & Shapes, and Alphabet & Numbers.

The DVDs were created and produced by sisters Krisse Brock Kelly and Julie Brock Campbell, who grew up speaking Spanish at home. Unfortunately, the self-production is evident. My kids cringed when each DVD got to the part near the end where Krisse and Julie sing and dance-they don’t even sing in Spanish, and it seems like the only reason for that part of the DVD is to either a. have enough material to fill the whole running time of the DVD or b. let them show off their singing and “dancing” skills. I have to keep my finger on the fast-forward button on the remote so we can skip that part! My son Ryan asked me why they didn’t at least sing in Spanish so kids watching could hear Spanish songs. Excellent point!

I will say, however, that the scenes of different children saying the word in Spanish is helpful because it shows how the same word can sound different depending on the pronounciation of the speaker. And, even several weeks later, when I ask my boys what the Spanish word is for food, they immediately say “Comida”, and they remember that water is “agua”. So, the repetition is reinforcing the word.

I’ll keep popping in the DVDs once in a while, especially now that Nathan tells me he is taking Spanish once a week at school-his elementary school has a Spanish teacher this year. Maybe he can even help me learn the Spanish I couldn’t learn in college.

This post has been brought to you by Parent Bloggers Network.

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