Frozen Meals

Since bringing our 3rd little bundle of joy into the world a few months ago, we are doing everything possible to stay organized and prepare as best we can.  I think our biggest struggle is having a decent dinner on the table every night.  I'm not saying we eat junk, but my day is just so much better when I know I don't have to prepare dinner.  Cooking dinner is my least favorite part of the day.  I'd much rather be playing!!!  My husband and I try to prepare as many meals as we can on his days off.

I thought I would start a thread on frozen meals.  I am not sure how I am going to organize this on the blog yet but I will figure something out.  In the meantime I am going to pin the meals on Pinterest.  

"Rules:"

1.  Please only give us meals that can be frozen

2.  Email your recipe to pahmmeals@gmail.com  **Please do not comment on post**

3.  Your recipe can also be a link if it's something off the internet

4.  Only send recipes that you LOVE and had tried yourself. 

5.  If your recipe is taken from somewhere, please source it
6.  When emailing your recipe write it in a form we can easily copy and paste into a blog post.

Submitted Recipes can be seen here PAHM MEALS

I hope this helps you spend less time in the kitchen and more time playing!!  

I will start with the first recipe.... my mom's stuffed shells.  Yum!  

RL  

STUFFED SHELLS

INGREDIENTS:

1 PACKAGE OF JUMBO SHELLS

MIXTURE:

1 CONTAINER OF RICOTTA CHEESE (32oz whole milk)

1 CUP GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE

2 EGGS

6 TABLESPOONS OF PARSLEY

1 1/2 CUPS MOZZARELLA

DASH OF PEPPER

¼ TEASPOON NUTMEG

6 TABLESPOONS SUGAR

YOU ALSO NEED AN ADDITIONAL ½ CUP MOZZARELLA FOR SPRINKLING ON TOP.

SAUCE

DIRECTIONS:

1.     COOK SHELLS (AL DENTE… THEY WILL FINISH COOKING IN THE OVEN). 

2.     COMBINE MIXTURE INGREDIENTS

3.     FILL SHELLS

4.     SPREAD SAUCE ON THE BOTTOM OF 9 X 13 PAN (YOU CAN REALLY USE ANYTHING… SOMETIMES WE USE 2 SMALLER PANS AND USE THIS FOR 2 MEALS.  IT MAKES A LOT OF SHELLS.  3-4 SHELLS IS PLENTY FOR 1 PERSON.)

5.     COVER WITH TINFOIL AND FREEZE

6.     TAKE SHELLS OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE

7.     COVER WITH SAUCE AND BAKE COVERED AT 350 FOR 45 MIN

8.     TOP WITH MOZZARELLA AND BAKE AN ADDITIONAL 15 MINUTES UNCOVERED. 

You have read this article Food Recipes / Frozen Meals / Siblings with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/frozen-meals.html. Thanks!

In Her Own Time

I know the value of following a child's interests. I've witnessed it, the full engagement, curiosity, hypothesis building and rebuilding, cognitive restructuring...yada, yada yada. But that doesn't mean it's always easy; afterall, adults have interests too! I'd been wanting to make birdfeeders since...October? Not Addi. I set up the invitation (twice) and she ignored it. She wasn't interested, or maybe she wasn't ready or she didn't feel connected to the idea. It doesn't really matter. She didn't want to make bird feeders. So we continued to explore her interests...of which there are always plenty. We painted, played hide-and-seek, painted some more, and one day she asked for water beads. As nature would have it, the bowl we left outside the previous day filled with rainwater and had a thick layer of ice on top; Addi decided it would be a perfect place for the beads to "grow."  Later she checked on them and discovered the ice was gone, which led to a discussion on the different properties of water and several trips to the freezer for ice cubes, which we watched melt in the sun. I love watching how she thinks and problem solves and develops her own hypotheses.



Yes, you can smell the water beads

 And then one day (several MONTHS later) it happened..."mom, the birds are eating worms. Hey, can we make bird feeders?" YES! I grabbed my camera ready to document the project, and then she said, "Mom, can you not take pictures, please?" Clearly she had enough picture taking and wanted my undivided attention. Sure.

Because she made birdfeeders at her preschool's Winter Festival she knew the "how to" basics. We went outside to gather pinecones, discussing their different sizes, shapes, and prickly properties: "Ouch! Mom, can you pick them up when I find them?" Sure. "Or how about we use gloves?" That sounds like an idea worth trying.

Then we went back inside where we poured, measured, squished, and ran our fingers through everything while building our birdfeeders. I am not exagerating when I say we spent over an hour exploring and talking about how everything felt, smelled and looked; their differences and similarities, what we liked and disliked about everything, and why, why why ("do you have any ideas, Addi?"). We made a gigantic mess and decided not to clean it up until after we sprinted outside to find the perfect place to hang them...and right before we went outside she said, "you can take some pictures now if you want." Ahhh, thanks little pumpkin spice!

How's this face, mom? Perfect.

We scoped out the trees in our backyard to hang our 9 birdfeeders. Eye level seemed just right!

Yes you can be sure it's hanging securely

I love making and hanging birdfeeders! The mess? Well, it waited until after snack, reading books, bedtime, and until she woke up the next day ready for another action-packed day...after breakfast, that is. Clean-up, like making birdfeeders, was also done in her own time.

Note: I have to admit, sometimes I'm more flexible than other times. Yet I always find that the more flexible I am, the better I am able to connect more deeply with my daughter, which means fewer power struggles & frustrations, and more fun & laughter; and sometimes even better sleep for us all. Of course, it's always easier to feel more flexible when my own curiosities and interests are also satisfied. But when they're not I try to remember it's an opportunity to stretch my mama muscles (coping skills, patience, curiosity about my daughter, etc.).

You have read this article Connection / EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE THROUGH PLAY / Instilling CapabilityWe / Outdoor Play / Sensory Activities with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-her-own-time.html. Thanks!

Food Document

For more information on the creation and function of these documents, please click on the links below:

Language Magnets

Fostering Independence and Empowering our Children

RL's Routine

   

INCLUDED:

• Benefits to your child (infant, toddler, beyond toddler)
• Directions for both magnets and velcro (for those of you without magnetic refrigerator)
• 2 pages of fruit
• 1 1/2 pages of veggies
• 1 page of common foods
• 2 types of grocery lists

Click on button below for an instant download
Total Cost is $3.50

You have read this article Documents with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/food-document.html. Thanks!

Water Bead Document

A few weeks ago we blogged about creating documents from our activities.  You can see the original post HERE.  We received some wonderful feedback.  Thank you all for taking the time to give us your thoughts and suggestions.  

The first document is complete!  We thought we would start with one of our favorites... WATER BEADS!!!!  The document is a compilation of our blog posts on water beads, answers to questions that were asked frequently, and the benefits to your child.  It is broken down into 3 sections: Infant, Toddler, and Beyond Toddler.  It is formatted for easy printing to put in a binder with full pages, as well as by section.  It is 22 pages in length.  Total cost is $3.00.  You can download it and print what works for you.

For those of you who chose to purchase, we would LOVE your feedback.  We are really hoping you enjoy this and it makes your lives a little easier... leaving more time for play!

PREVIEW

Water Beads PDF document 

   

You have read this article Documents / Water Beads with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/water-bead-document.html. Thanks!

Sand Storm

 My son has been really in love with outer space for a while now.  His favorite planet is Saturn and he is fascinated by the sand storms on Mars.  Just before bed we were exploring sand on the light panel - drawing with our fingers, making tracks with airplanes, etc.  I gave him the "five more minutes and its time for books and bed", and then he sucked me into some fun that lasted way more than 5 minutes (its a good thing he really has no concept of time - LOL).  He went into the closet, brought out a straw, and started blowing the sand.  "Its a sand storm, Mommy!!" 

blown sand art - great for oral motor development

"I made two planets, Mommy."

"That round one looks like a crater!  That's cool!"

Apparently it was bright in the room....sunglasses?  LOL

This activity was F-U-N!!

 

- AK (MESE, MECD)

You have read this article Imagination / Playing with Light / Rainy Day Play with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/sand-storm.html. Thanks!

Fostering Independence and Empowering Our Children (A compilation)

We have written several posts about ways to instill capability in our children.  When we provide an environment where they can succeed independently, we send so many wonderful underlying messages to them - you are capable, you are worthy, etc.  Giving children choices and power over their world translates in to happy, confident toddlers as well as less power struggles and challenging behaviors.  Here is a compilation of ideas we implement for our children - ranging from ages 7 months to 3 years old.

Accessible and organized clothes....

We hung an extra bar low in my son's closet for easy access to shirts

My son's platform bed has drawers - organized for easy access.

My husband built a shoe rack in our garage where we organize our shoes.  My son's shoes are kept at his height - easy to find, easy to access.

We added hooks low in the entry hall closet for easy access to his jackets

Organized living.....

(Organized, clutter-free spaces lead to organized minds)

My son has his plates, bowls, and utensils in a low drawer where he can access them himself.

We do all of our laundry together - there is no reason to separate anything except into colors, whites, and towels.  I have two baskets in the bottom of the linen closet - one for colors, one for whites - my son puts his dirty clothes in the baskets and has been known to pull them down to the washer to do a load on his own - he's 3.

In another linen closet I have a basket for towels

Glue a CD sleeve inside the book to hold its Audio CD

I don't use this (I did in my classroom when I was teaching, though), but a great way to organize books on tape/CD is by using Ziploc bags.  Easily accessible to the child.

OR

My son has full  access to a CD player and his CDs.  To help him be successful I print the images on sticker paper and stick them to the CDs.

Here is a closer look

Put books on child's level

We installed an extendable shower head so my son can wash his hair independently.

Provide them with stools and such so they can make their own meals.

Tie yarn around doors to allow them to open them.

Make language magnets of food to give them choices.

Give them rhythm charts to allow them some control over planning their day.

Organize snack and have them at child level to give them power over their own eating.

Lastly, and mostly because we just love it, we installed kid friendly toilet seats to offer comfort......





Im sure looking at this some people are thinking - wow, that's so anal - poor kids.  However, its not like we run a boot camp here.  Our children appreciate these opportunities to be independent and we are always there to lend a hand on days where they are feeling less than confident about their abilities.  Imagine living in a home where you can't touch or reach a thing and cant do anything for yourself.  Our homes belong to our children just as much as they do to us.  We are a team and we all help each other.  :)

- AK (MESE, MECD)

You have read this article Connection / Independence / Instilling Capability with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/fostering-independence-and-empowering.html. Thanks!

SUPPLIES (art, toys)

MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN ASKING WHERE WE GET OUR EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, ETC. FROM. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON WHAT TO GET FOR PRESENTS. WE HOPE THIS PROVIDES SOME ANSWERS FOR YOU. WE WILL ALSO UPDATE WITH OTHER WEBPAGES AND COMPANIES THAT WE LOVE! WE WILL ADD TO THIS AS WE REMEMBER. :-)







PAINTS


TEMPERA PAINT




FINGER PAINT




FOAM PAINT




LIQUID WATERCOLORS




FLUORESCENT PAINT (GLOWS IN THE DARK UNDER A BLACK LIGHT! AWESOME VIBRANT COLORS)




PAINT DABBERS




FACE PAINTING



PAINT ACCESSORIES



PAINT BRUSHES




PAINT CUPS




SPRAY BOTTLES (GREAT WITH LIQUID WATERCOLORS)




BINGO BOTTLES (GREAT WITH LIQUID WATERCOLORS)




PAINT BOTTLES




DROPPERS




PAINT A DOT




SPONGES




SCRAPERS







PAPER



EASEL ROLL



DIFFUSING PAPER (GREAT WITH LIQUID WATERCOLORS AND PAINT DABBERS)




BUTCHER PAPER




BLEEDING TISSUE PAPER




CLEAR CONTACT (STICKY WINDOW/STICKY BOX/SUN CATCHERS)




SUNPRINT PAPER




CONSTRUCTION PAPER





CRAFTS

NUUDLES



DUSTLESS CHALK (GREAT FOR INDOOR CHALK BOARDS)



STAMP PADS


UPPERCASE STAMPERS (THEY ALSO HAVE LOWERCASE)


ANOTHER GREAT OPTION FOR SMALLER HANDS (THEY ALSO HAVE UPPERCASE)


SEA LIFE STAMPERS (THIS IS ONE SET OF MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS!)





RUBBING PLATES



COLORED SAND



COLORED MATCHSTICKS



WIKKI STIX




GLUE




Assorted Shapes Ceramic Tiles




GREAT ON THE LIGHT PANEL/PROJECTOR BUT NOT LIMITED TO JUST LIGHT PLAY


WATERBEADS




TRANSLUCENT LETTERS






NEST AND STACK BLOCKS




MAGNA TILES (32 PIECE SET)




MAGNA TILES (100 PIECE SET)




TRANSLUCENT TILES






COLOR PADDLES




COOL TUBES




PONY BEADS


X-RAYS

TOYS

MEMORY BOX



INSTA SNOW (AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME IN THE SENSORY BIN!)




PEG NUMBER BOARDS




TALL STACKER PEGS




MAGNETIC DOLL



ROLLER BOARD




MINI HOPPER (THEY ALSO HAVE AN 18 INCH ONE FOR OLDER CHILDREN)




FANTACOLOR




WINDOW BLOCKS






FOAM MAGNETIC LETTERS AND SHAPES



FELT SHAPES



FELT LETTERS




MAGNET KIT




HOP AROUND STEPS



HAMMER AND NAIL DESIGN



MARBLE RUN



TWEEZERS




SENSORY BALLS




ALPHABET SOUP




COOKWARE



TEA SET



Clear plastic ornaments.  Great for our post on I-Spy ornaments.



CLAY/PLAYDOUGH


HAMMERS




Dough cutters



CLAY



TOOL SET




MUSIC


TRIANGLE






JINGLE WRAP



EGG SHAKERS



CYMBOLS



MUSICAL SCARVES





RHYTHM STICKS





EQUIPMENT



ACRYLIC EASEL




SENSORY TABLE (THIS IS THE ONE WE HAVE BUT THEY DO HAVE DIFFERENT OPTIONS)




ART/CRAFT TABLE (AGAIN... MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS/PRICE RANGES)



CHAIRS




SELF PORTRAIT MIRROR




ACRYLIC MIRRORS



LIGHT BOX (WE HAVE NOT TRIED THIS BUT IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN CONSTRUCTIVE PLAYTHINGS. IF ANYONE TRIES IT LET US KNOW!)



LIGHT PANEL

You have read this article Art/Toys/Equipment We Love / Discount supplies with the title January 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/01/supplies-art-toys.html. Thanks!