Crafts

Instead of throwing discarded newspapers or old crayons into the trash, recycle these items into different crafts. Old newspapers are perfect for papier-mâché and crayons can be melted down and reformed into a new shape. While explaining the craft, it’s important to highlight to your kids how you’re recycling different items and why doing so makes an impact on the planet.  Take a look at these nine blog posts to gather ideas for Earth Day crafts.

• Earth Day Treasures Take the kids on a hike and let them collect items from nature to create an Earth Day board.
• Paper Mache Light-Up Globes Kids will love getting their hands dirty with papier-mâché while they make this craft.
• Earth Day Activities: How to Make Crayons & Play Dough Don’t toss the crayons you get from restaurants, use them to make something fun!
• Stained Glass Planet Earth Gather up some used tissue paper that your kids can create a globe with and then hang the finished product in a window.
• Simple Earth Day Craft for Toddlers Make sure you are saving those cardboard tubes, you’ll need them for this project.
• Earth Day DIY Tie together some tin cans for a functional this tin can tote.
• Polka Dot Box Craft Challenge—The Greatest Show on Earth Day Learn how to recycle a box and turn it into something new to play with.
• Nature Collage Take things you can find in your own backyard and make a collage to hang on the wall.
• Bug Home Recycle that empty oatmeal box into a home for a little bug.

Activities

Any activity that encourages kids to think about their environment is perfect for Earth Day.  You can plant a garden and talk to your kids about eating the food that will come from the garden, or take the kids to a farmer’s market and buy from local farmers.  These and other Earth day activities can be found in the nine blog entries below.

• 15 Top Ways to Celebrate Earth Day with Simple Activities and Crafts This Earth Day plant some herbs with your kids or create a fun outdoor play area with tents.
• 22 Earth Day Activities for Kids Earth Day activities doesn’t have to take up the entire day. Your Earth Day celebrations can be as easy as taking a walk outside together or baking cookies.
• Summer Nature Crafts at Rhythm of the Home Create a birdfeeder out of an empty milk carton to feed the birds and keep the carton out of the landfill.
• Earth Day Activities Recycle Styrofoam blocks into tall structures.
• Picnic in the Park Find a list with all of the important things to take along on a family picnic on this blog post.
• Egg Carton Caterpillar Use up those egg cartons by making a fun caterpillar to play with.
• 10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day All Year Long On this post you’ll find a bunch of things you can do to reduce the waste that goes into the landfill and the pollution that fills the air.
• Soup Can Bowling  Try out this challenging game using items that can be found around the house.
• Earth Day Poetry Activities Inspire the kids by reading this blog post on Earth Day poetry.

Service Projects

Over a billion people take part in Earth Day service projects around the world.  The one thing that every person on the planet has in common is that we all live on this planet, and if we want to keep living on it then everyone needs to do their part in taking care of it.  Take a look around your community to see what service projects you can do, then get a group of people together to do it. For inspiration, look at these nine blog articles about various service projects.

• An Earth Day Project This post has directions for making water bottle covers that kids can make for service dogs to play with.
• Pear Tree Earth Day Cleanup Find a local park like this one that the kids can help clean up anytime of the year.
• Trout Program Educates Kids for Earth Day Look for a nature preserve project like this one that allows kids to get involved with releasing fish.
• Earth Day Activities for Kids For a simple Earth Day project, encourage kids to turn out lights to reduce the amount of electricity.
• Earth Day Lessons Learn about all of the things that adults and kids are doing around the world to take care of the planet in this post.
• Earth Day: 22 Ways to Honor the Planet Take a look at these 22 ways that people can help the planet, then pick something to do.
• Kids in Quincy use Earth Day to Beautify Their School Grounds Watch this video and select something that can be done at a local school.
• 19 Ways to Honor Earth Day Donate books to a library or collect books in the neighborhood to be donated.
• WVU Extension has Tips for Earth Day Tree Planting Learn how to go about planting trees to replace the ones that are cut down each year.

1. Nori – This vegetable is usually the wrapping around sushi. Nori is dark, purplish-black in color and comes in sheets. It is edible seaweed of the red alga species, and has been used as food in Japan since ancient times. Originally, it was made in a paste form; however, with the rise of paper making, nori began to be made into sheets. It is shredded, formed into sheets and left to dry before culinary use.
2. Kelp – This seaweed is rather popular in health food stores. It can be light brown to dark green in color, and is most often used in flake form. Some people have been known to use kelp to alleviate arthritis problems, lower cholesterol and boost the immune system. It can be found in toothpastes, dairy products, cakes, salad dressings and even in some shampoos due to the algin it contains, which is an emulsifier and bonding agent.
3. Agar Agar – This Japanese gelatin usually comes in flakes and is comprised of a combination of sea vegetables for use as a thickener in desserts such as pies, puddings and jellies. It is colorless and tasteless, and is often used as an alternative to other gelatins.
4. Arame – Often used in such foods as quiches, salads, stir-fried food and omelets, these little shreds have a very mild, rather sweet flavor with a thin, wiry appearance. They are also full of healthy nutrients like calcium, iodine, potassium, vitamin A and contain a healthy measure of dietary fiber.
5. Wakame – This sea vegetable can be eaten raw as a snack, added to soups or stir-fried foods or sprinkled on salads or stews. Wakame is one of the more tender sea vegetables available. When re-hydrated, it expands to about seven times its original size and the long, silky strands are grayish-green in color.
6. Kombu – Found in many bean dishes, this dark purple sea vegetable actually makes beans easier to digest. Nutrient-wise, kombu introduces many vital minerals into the diet, including magnesium, iron, iodine and calcium. Dried kombu soaks up lots of liquid, and actually doubles in size when added to broths or stock.
7. Sea Palm – Used in soups and salads, the sea palm is also known as American arame. It is found off the Pacific coast of America and looks much like a little palm tree. It has a sweet and salty taste and is brownish green in color. It can also be eaten raw, and is sometimes added to trail mix.
8. Dulse – The texture of this vegetable is chewy and it has somewhat of a salty taste. Unlike some of the other sea vegetables, this one is reddish brown in color as compared to the various green shades of others. It is often served in sandwiches or salads, however, it also comes in whole leaves or in powder form to be served as a condiment. Some people eat dulse straight out of the package like jerky.
9. Hijiki – This high-nutrient sea vegetable is full of minerals, including calcium, iron, copper, manganese and  protein. It is another of the sea vegetables that expands greatly when soaked, and is often used in noodle dishes as well as stir-fried entrees. It is also a common ingredient in fried bean curd.
10. Laver – With less sodium than many other sea vegetables, laver is a good source of vitamin B-12, as well as many of the trace minerals like iron and iodine. It has a tangy, salty taste and when cooked in liquid may have more of a nutty taste. It comes in flakes that are usually purplish in color. When hydrated, the flakes can hold about four times their dry weight. Most often, laver flakes are used in stir-fries, seafood chowders and some dips. They can also be used in salads or salad dressings for flavor.

Sea vegetables are gaining more popularity because they are so dense in nutrient value and seem to have properties that help protect the body from cancer and help ward off inflammation. The Japanese have the lowest level of chronic disease on the planet, and they are culturally the largest consumers of sea vegetables in the world.

1. “Let’s Trade!” – Rather than snatching an object out of your child’s hand with a stern reprimand to assert ownership, try handing her an acceptable item with the proposal of trading. You’re still removing the initial item from her grasp, but you aren’t as likely to become embroiled in a power struggle with a headstrong child.
2. “That’s Dangerous.” – Your toddler needs to know why she’s not allowed to touch certain items, rather than simply being commanded to ignore them. Instead of making a dangerous item even more alluring because it’s mysteriously forbidden, explain to your little one that she’s not allowed to touch the stove because it’s dangerous.
3. “Let’s Look at This!” – Sometimes, the most effective way to get a determined child to abandon a forbidden activity is to redirect her attention altogether. Rather than continually separating her from a bad situation and telling her “no,” try to find an acceptable alternative that will hold her attention.
4. “Why Don’t We…” – You can tell your child that he’s not allowed to do something with no further explanation or offer alternative suggestions, but you’ll probably find that he’s much more susceptible to redirection techniques than outright refusal. Offer reasonable, attractive alternatives when he asks for permission to do something you’d rather him avoid.
5. “Yes, Later.” – Sometimes, all a child needs to know is that she will eventually be allowed to do the thing she’s asking about or to have the item she’s seeking. Instead of telling her that she can’t watch a video, let her know that she can watch it at a later time.
6. “That Hurts People and Makes Them Sad.” – Hitting and biting are par for the course with a toddler, and they’re generally not receptive to the same negative reprimands they hear all day. Explaining the consequences of aggression, like hurting people and making them sad, gives your child a clear understanding of why it’s not okay.
7. “I Know You Love Candy, But You Won’t Feel Well if You Eat Too Much.” – When a child is begging for a second chocolate bar or trying to gorge herself on a big Halloween haul, explaining to her that overeating has negative repercussions is usually more effective than just telling her she’s not allowed to have more.
8. “Use Your Words.” – Temper tantrum are a fairly effective method of expressing displeasure, but they’re usually filled with wails and shouts rather than actual words. Letting your child know that he must use his words to elicit a response from you can nip a tantrum in the bud much faster than threats or reprimands.
9. “I’m Sorry, I Can’t Understand You When You Speak That Way. Let’s Use our Big-Girl Voice.” – Whining is a fairly natural response when your child is tired, hungry or not feeling well, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to hear. Try telling your child that you can’t understand her properly when she whines and that a “big-girl” voice will help her make the point more clearly. It’s much more effective than, “no whining!”
10. “I’m Coming to Get You!” – Sometimes, all a little one needs to distract her from problem behavior is a good belly laugh. Assuming the mantle of a tickle-monster that’s coming to get her or instigating a fun game of chase can help her forget all about a forbidden activity, instead focusing on the good time at hand.

Avoiding overuse of “no” doesn’t mean that you should forgo limits in favor of giving your little one free reign. In fact, using positive language to offer a negative response can still establish strong boundaries without diminishing the effectiveness of the word “no.” Breaking the habit will require a bit of patience and effort, but the results you’ll see will almost certainly be well worth the effort.

1. Try to Make the Best of the Situation – You can approach an overnight layover from the perspective of the situation being a terrible one, or you can simply accept it for what it is and attempt to make the most of your experience. A positive attitude can make all the difference, and you may even find that you’re actually enjoying yourself before the night is over.
2. Make Late-Night Snack Arrangements Early – Most food outlets in airports will close at some point in the evening, leaving you without a way to soothe any late-night cravings. Be prepared for hunger pangs in the small hours by stocking up on the healthiest snacks you can find before closing time arrives.
3. Check On Amenities Offered By Some Airports – In the event of a flight cancellation or overnight delay, some airports will offer cots and other amenities to stranded passengers. Be sure to see what, if any, amenities are offered by the airport you’re stranded in before resigning yourself to a miserable evening.
4. Catch Up On Your Reading – If you’ve ever wanted a few hours to dedicate to your reading, consider your wish granted. Cell phone, tablet and laptop batteries may have relatively short lives, but most eReaders are designed to maintain a charge for weeks. Settle in with a good book or even a paperback you snagged in a gift shop, and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a bit of uninterrupted reading.
5. Be Friendly – From employees of the airport to fellow travelers, everyone is more likely to respond positively when you treat them with friendly respect. It’s easy to lose your temper when you’re frustrated by the circumstances that left you stranded for hours in an airport, but anger and rudeness will not improve the situation.
6. Raid Your Carry-On – If you packed a change of clothes, toiletries or diversions in your carry-on bag, your overnight delay is an iron-clad excuse for a raid. You’ll be grateful for a toothbrush, book or MP3 player at some point, and an overnight stay offers you plenty of time to repack the bag.
7. Find an Airport Lounge – There are lounges in most airports, but they may only be accessible to first-class passengers or those willing to pay an admittance fee. Overnight layovers can be much more easily managed when you’re in relative comfort, so find a lounge and find room in the budget to cover an admittance fee.
8. Take Advantage of Free WiFi – Almost any major airport will have some sort of free WiFi in place for travelers to take advantage of during long delays. Whip out your smartphone, tablet or laptop and catch up on your favorite shows, chat with loved ones or just play games to pass the time.
9. Resist the Urge to Imbibe – Being stuck in an airport overnight might feel like absolute justification for a drink or two, but it’s wise to keep the effects of alcohol in mind before you belly up to the bar. The last thing you’ll want is to be hungover in the airport or wandering through it with compromised judgment.
10. Keep Your Wallet On Your Person – Even if you’ve made a few new friends throughout your ordeal, you’ll still want to make sure that your wallet is on your person at all times. Pickpockets and thieves are less likely to target you if your belongings are secured and your wallet isn’t within easy reach, so resist the urge to throw it in your carry-on.

While you’ll want to make friends with those around you, it’s important that you keep airport safety in mind. Maintaining a reasonable level of cautiousness and vigilance over your belongings can help to avert unfortunate situations.

Sports Minded Gifts

How about making a gift with a sports theme? Whether dad plays sports or just likes to watch it on TV, a sports themed gift might be perfect for him.  Maybe it’s a pasta trophy for being the best dad ever or a baseball cap note holder; no matter what you choose, dad will get a kick out of these Father’s Day presents.  You might even recycle one of his old ties and make it into a unique camera strap that he can use to shoot pictures at his favorite sporting events.  Take a look at these seven blog entries to see if any of these sporty crafts inspire you and the kids.

• Dad Baseball Cap Note Holder
• Golf Pen Craft
• Father’s Day Trophies
• Recycle a Necktie Into a Camera Strap (DIY Tutorial)
• Make Bookends and Hit a Home Run
• Homemade Father’s Day Gifts: Sports Rear-View Mirror Charm
• Tasty Tackle Box

Budget-Friendly Gifts

Often, dads will say that they don’t need anything for Father’s Day or that they don’t want you to spend any money on them.  Well, there’s a solution for the budget conscious dad.  These crafts are not only cool and creative, they also won’t break the bank with the cost of supplies.  Using supplies you likely already have at home you can create an endless array of gifts perfect for dad.  These seven blogs are full of budget conscious gifts.

• Gifts for Guys Guest Tutorial—Cubicle Snacks by I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar
• For Father’s Day
• [Free Download] A Book for Dad
• DIY Soda Can Coasters
• How to Make a Luggage Handle Cover
• DIY Father’s Day Gift: Make Your Dad a New Clock Out of an Old Record
• Cute and Easy Father’s Day Gift

Easy to Make Gifts

Don’t worry if you aren’t particularly crafty, because these crafts are easy enough for the kids to do and only require a little supervision from mom or another adult helper.  Let your kids customize a notepad cube for dad to keep on his desk.  Glue some candy bars on sticks and poke them into a vase to create a candy bouquet for dad.  Whatever the craft is, dad will love it because it came from the kids.  Look through these seven blog posts and get your kids excited about making something for dad for Father’s Day that he will not only be proud of, but he will brag about it.

• Simple Gifts Kids Can Make for Father’s Day
• Easy Father’s Day Gift Ideas
• Make Father’s Day Gifts from Kids, Not Mom
• Craftastic: A Simple DIY Father’s Day Gift
• Father’s Day Gift
• {Sweet} Father’s Day Bouquet
• Father’s Day Notepad

Prescription Glasses

When selecting the right pair of glasses, you will want to make sure that they are comfortable to wear.  While you want to pick a pair that will function as a stylish accessory as well as a necessary tool, if they aren’t comfortable you won’t be happy with them.  You also need to take into consideration your budget and your face shape.  These seven blog posts will explain how to decide what shape face you have and what shape of glasses you should choose.

• It’s All About Choosing the Right Eyeglasses Check out the chart that shows a face shape and suggests frame shapes that are right for you.
• Eyeglasses—Fascinating Hints to Pick the Right One Learn where your frames should rest on your face in respect to your eyebrows.
• 10 Things to Consider When Buying Eyeglasses Online The suggestion to buy several pairs of glasses to suit your changing moods is made on this blog entry.
• The Better to See You With – Choosing the Right Eyeglass Frames Both shape and color are discussed in this blog article.
• Choosing the Right Hairstyle and Glasses for Your Face Shape This blogger takes things a step further by not only considering face shape for your eyeglass frames, but also hairstyles that will also flatter.
• Choosing Eyeglasses for Your Face Shape: Learn How to Pick the Most Flattering Frames  Many tips on choosing the best frames for your face can be found on this blog post.
• Finding Eyeglass Frames that Flatter Your Face A more detailed look into frame shape, color, and trends are discussed in this article.

Sunglasses

While many of the same rules hold for sunglasses as they do for eyeglasses, there are some differences.  You can go bigger and bolder with sunglasses because you’ll just be wearing them outside, versus regular glasses that you’ll be wearing all day.  Have fun with your sunglasses, but make sure they make you look good.

• How to Pick the Right Sunglasses Based on your face shape, this blog post will help you determine the right style of sunglasses to choose.
• Fashion: Choose the Right Sunglasses for Your Face Take into account your face shape when picking sunglasses; this article will give you do’s and don’ts.
• How to Choose the Right Sunglasses for Your Face Watch this video to learn how to choose the best frames.
• Choose the Right Sunglasses for Summer This blog article takes into account durability, budget, color, UV protection and shape when picking the right glasses.
•  How to Choose Sunglasses for Your Face Shape This post gives you pictures of real people so you can see what the different face shapes actually look like, which is often more helpful than just a sketch.
• How to Choose the Right Sunglasses for Your Face Shape Read through this post to get suggestions on which frames would flatter you.
• Summer Shades for Your Face Shape Photos showing celebrities that got it right with their sunglasses are available in this post, plus a handy tool you can use to try sunglasses on virtually.

Trends

Like clothes, shoes and accessories, there are trends for eyeglasses too.  Think back to the 60’s when everyone had to wear the cat eye frames because that’s pretty much all that was available.  Now that trend is back and people are picking it on purpose.  To learn more trends check out these seven blog articles.

• How to Choose the Right Glasses Thicker frames is one of the trends that is in this year for eyeglass frames.
• How to Choose the Right Sunglasses for Your Face Shape and How to Find the Right Swimwear for Your Body Type You get double the information in this article and you can learn the sunglass trends for the season.
• Face the World in Style: Choose Trendy 2013 Sunglasses for Your Face Type Take a look at the sunglass trends for this year and then find your face shape to learn which of this year’s trends you can wear.
• Love Spring’s Trendy Sunglasses? Here’s the Best Option for Your Face Shape Enjoy looking at the pictures on this post of all of this spring’s trends and who should be wearing them.
• Men’s Eyeglass Trends for 2013 If your man needs a new pair of glasses, this is the blog post for you.
• What’s the New Trend for Eyeglasses in 2013? One big trend this season is oversized frames. For more trends, check out this blog entry.
• Hottest Spring 2013 Eyewear Trends One trend pointed out in this article is round-shaped frames. To find out if they are right for you, read this post.

For You

Sometimes, treatment for allergies seems straight forward. If you are allergic to pet dander, then stay away from pets, and if you are allergic to nuts, don’t eat them.  However, sometimes it’s not possible to avoid a pet if someone in your family has an animal.  The good news is that there are certain things you can do to live your life normally and not in a sterile bubble.  On windy days when pollen counts are high you should wear your hair tied back so that the pollen doesn’t catch in your hair, and you should wash your hair every night before you go to bed so that you don’t transfer pollen to your pillow case.  Learn some homeopathic treatments for allergies in the following seven blog posts. Be sure to discuss any homeopathic treatment plans with your doctor before trying them out.

• Eight Natural Remedies for Spring Allergies Watch what you eat and you may be able to reduce or eliminate your allergies.
• Homeopathic Treatment of Allergies (Including Hay Fever) Get rid of the pollen as soon as you can after you’ve been exposed to it by washing out your eyes and nose.
• 9 Home Remedies for Allergic Rhinitis  Simple remedies such as removing dust, maintaining humidity and purifying the air are discussed in this blog article.
• Allergies Getting You Down?  Try These Tips! Increase your consumption of vitamin C and keep pets outside to limit the exposure to pet dander are among the tips given in this blog post.
• Natural Remedies for Allergies Ease your allergy symptoms by eating properly and by taking the right supplements.
• Natural Ways to Help Treat Allergy Symptoms Avoid eating certain foods like gluten and sugar and instead eat foods like yogurt that contains probiotics.
• Effective Home Remedies for Allergies Eat local raw honey to decrease your allergy symptoms.

For Kids

Kids suffer with allergies just like adults do, and as parents you are often told not to give your child over the counter treatments. So what can you do?  There are several natural or homeopathic remedies you can give your child to help them build up their ability to fight off the allergens, as well as treat the symptoms of allergies that they have now.  Check out these seven blog posts for more information, and always check with your child’s doctor before trying any natural or homeopathic remedy.

• First Day of Spring, Snow on the Ground, Allergies Around the Corner Histaminum 30C comes in pellet form and can be taken under the tongue by kids every 15 minutes to get rid of allergy symptoms.
• Holistic Allergy Treatment Both kids and adults can treat allergies by taking or eating probiotics.
• Natural Relief for Allergy Symptoms Show your child how to use saline to rinse his nose out to help clear the pollen out every day. This should reduce his suffering.
• Opting Out Part 2: The Doctor of the Future is You and Your Healthcare Team Acupuncture is recommended for treatment of allergies in kids.
• Top Picks for Allergy Relief Licorice root, onion and more are prepared in a tablet, liquid or nasal spray that is safe for children as well as adults.
• Benefits and Uses of Essential Oils for Allergy Relief Lavender and Tea Tree oil are recommended topically for allergies and should be safe for kids, but if you are concerned ask your pediatrician.
• Recognizing Unique Symptoms of Hayfever Two different homeopathic drops that are made for kids are referenced.

For Pets

It may sound odd, but animals have allergic reactions to food and environmental issues just like humans do.  While your dog or cat can’t verbalize what they are feeling, you can see the symptoms, such as when the dog scratches all of the time or is constantly licking his paw and making a sore.  To learn more about homeopathic treatments for pets, read these seven blog articles and check with your vet should you be interested in trying them.

• Homeopathic Remedies for Allergies in Dogs Find a list of homeopathic treatments for your dog in this blog article.
• Dog Allergies and the Nature of Natural Treatments You can treat allergies in dogs by changing their food, giving them a bath and washing their bedding.
• DIY Natural, Herbal Treatments for Dog’s with Environmental Allergies Raw local honey is recommended for dogs, plus much more.
• Natural Cat Allergy Remedies Examined Introducing foods one by one to a cat’s diet can determine if your cat is allergic to a type of food.
• Home Remedies and Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats with Allergies Tons of information in this article, starting with allergy symptoms and potential problems followed by potential solutions.
• Allergy Remedies for Cats This article is based around allergic reactions to food.
• Homeopathic Remedies for Allergies in Dogs Several remedies are listed and an explanation is given as to why each remedy should work to help your pet’s allergies.

Determine the Scope of His Abilities

Before you start putting pressure on your child to try harder when it comes to schoolwork, you may want to consider having him tested by an academic specialist or seen by an expert to determine the scope of his abilities. He may be suffering from an undiagnosed learning disorder or having difficulty processing information, which means that he could very well be working his hardest to achieve the mediocre grades he’s getting. Keep in mind that being diagnosed with a learning disorder is far from the end of the world for your child; in fact, once you’re able to determine the best ways of teaching him, you may find that his academic performance increases dramatically. Either way, it’s still important to know where he rests on the spectrum before you berate him about a lackadaisical attitude when he’s actually working as hard as he can to impress you.

Cut the Criticism

If you’ve determined that your child has no learning disorders or processing difficulties, there’s a good chance that he’s struggling in school simply because he’s not motivated to work any harder than he is now. Frustration at his apathetic attitude and refusal to work can make you itch to lash out a bit, but you should keep in mind that criticism isn’t likely to make the situation any better. In fact, it may very well make things worse by damaging your relationship with your child and making him even more sullen and disinterested in school.

Avoid Comparisons

Even if you mean well, comparing your child to a sibling or his classmates will almost certainly backfire. Your child is not his brother or his classmate, and it’s important for you to realize that. Setting these standards that your child feels are unrealistic and unattainable will only discourage him more. If he knows that he’ll never live up to the people you’re comparing him to, then he may feel like there’s no point in trying at all. Asking your child why he can’t perform as well as his sister or best friend is downright insulting, and ultimately counterproductive.

Think Before You Bribe

When you know that your child is capable of better grades and you’re desperate to find a means of motivating him to do his very best, it’s easy to reach for your wallet. Before you bribe your kids to bring up their grades, think about the message that you’re sending. Knowing that there’s a cash prize hanging in the balance may entice your child to cheat in order to reach the goals you’ve set for him. It also makes him look forward to getting a good grade for the sake of earning a reward, not taking pride in the feeling of earning good grades themselves.

Praise Strong Efforts

It’s essential that you know just how much your child is capable of, and that you place an emphasis on praising his efforts over praising his accomplishments. When you offer your child encouragement and positive affirmation for trying his best, he learns that the value lies within making his best effort, not just reaching the goal by any means necessary. Help your child learn to be proud of how hard he works, even if he’s not always reaching the brass ring. The value is in the determination, and your child needs to know that.

If your child’s performance simply isn’t reaching the level that you know he’s capable of, it may be time to discuss the matter with his teachers. They will almost certainly have more insight into his classroom habits than you will because they’re observing him directly, and may be able to give you some valuable tips for motivation and encouragement that will work with the unique needs of your individual child.

Vegetarian

For vegetarians, wok cooking is a perfect way to change things up.  By stir frying your vegetables and tossing them in a delicious sauce you can really shake up your normal menus.  Find a post below with several sauce recipes you can use with vegetables of your choice.  You can prep your vegetables in the morning and when you get home you can start cooking and be sitting down to dinner in no time.  Tofu is a high protein staple in both vegetarian cooking and wok cooking because once cooked in a wok with other vegetables and a sauce the tofu will take on a whole different flavor.  These five blog posts will give you several new ideas to add to your weekly menu.

• Wok a Better Stir Fry This vegan dish is sure to satisfy the vegetarians in your life.
• Cooking Bean Sprouts (Wok Recipe) Eat your greens a new way by cooking them in your wok instead of eating them on a salad or sandwich.
• My Easy Macro Vegetarian Recipes for You Try a veggie and avocado burger recipes on this post or a tasty stir-fry.
• Coriander & Nori ‘Pesto’ Soba w/ Wok Seared Greens If you like pasta with pesto you will love this Asian spin on it.
• Water Spinach Wok- Tossed with Tofu Recipe  A cook time of only five minutes makes this dish a real go-to on weeknights.

Beef

Asian cooking doesn’t tend to be heavy on beef.  When you see stir fry the meat is cut into small pieces in order to cook quickly and feed more people.  It’s very uncommon to see Asian people sit down to a 16 oz. steak.  The meat just isn’t available to the average family.  Many wok dishes are made with meat that is relatively tough and so it is marinated to make the meat tenderer.  To try some of these beef recipes just take a look at these five blog articles.

• Chinese Beef Broccoli Recipe (Video) Create this common take-out dish at home and enjoy eating it so fast that a take-out order wouldn’t have even been delivered yet.
• Monday Munchies: Making Mongolian Beef Did you ever think you’d be able to make Mongolian beef at home?  Now you can.
• Orange Beef Marinate the meat overnight and then the rest of the meal comes together in a snap.
• Wok-Seared “Shaking” Beef Recipe (Thit Bo Luc Lac) Learn some interesting background on this recipe by reading this article.
•  Ginger Scallion (Green Onions) Beef Noodles Recipe This recipe is considered a classic comfort meal for the Chinese.

Chicken

Chicken is fairly common in Asian and wok cooking since it’s simple and quick to cook.  Boneless and skinless chicken thigh is used more often because not only is it cheaper, but it’s got more flavor than breast meat.  However, when making these recipes you can interchange breast meat or thigh meat based on your preference and what you have on hand.  That’s another thing about wok cooking, you can use up what you have in the fridge.

• Chinese Fried Rice Recipe This recipe can be made using chicken or pork, but it should be a staple in your recipe box if you love fried rice when you eat out.
• Cashew Chicken Recipe Make your own cashew chicken at home and feel good about what you are putting in it.
• Stir Fried Chicken with Carrots and Mushrooms Get your kids to eat carrots with this tasty recipe.
• Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe Enjoy this lighter version of a classic dish as this chicken is not battered and fried.
• Pineapple Chicken—30 Minute Recipe If you like pineapple you will love this quick dish.

Layered Desserts

Layered desserts are created by layering different ready-to-eat ingredients into jars of various sizes.  Everything is already cooked and can be eaten at room temperature.  One example of a layered dessert might be a cupcake divided up with frosting between the cake layers, making a cupcake taste more like a layered cake.  That’s not all you can do though; there are many other options, as you can see when you take a look at these five blog posts.

• S’Mores in Jars If you’ve had s’mores before then you know how yummy they are.  These S’mores in a Jar are layered and baked a little to get the melty toasted goodness of the real s’more.  It can be eaten right away or served at room temperature.
• Apple and Gingerbread Layer Dessert Jars Cooked apples are layered with gingerbread for this dessert in a jar.
• Adorable Jars for Easy Eating and Giving Layered Nutella mousse and Oreo cookies take this dessert-in-a-jar over the top!
• Layered Pumpkin Pie in a Jar Creamy layers of pumpkin pudding, whipped cream and graham crackers take this Thanksgiving treat to the next level.
• Banana Caramel Cream Dessert If you like banana pudding desserts, you will love this concoction of pastry cream, bananas, whipped cream and caramel sauce.

Baked Desserts

Baked desserts are desserts that are built inside the jar and then baked.  You can bake pie, cake, or bread right in the jar.  The dessert can be enjoyed fresh from the oven or at room temperature on a picnic.  These desserts can even be frozen and baked off a few at a time.  They also make a special treat for guests.  Bake them off and tie a ribbon around the jar to give them away as gifts.  For some baked in a jar goodness, check out the following five blog articles.

• Molten Orange Chocolate Lava Cake in a Jar {Desserts in Jars} Molten cakes have a soft melty spot in the middle, which you can achieve with this dessert if you eat it straight from the oven or if you heat it up in the microwave at work for a midday treat.
• I’m Sorry I Yelled at You Lady Berry Crisp Fruit crisps are simple to make and tasty to eat.  Once baked, you can let these beauties cool and slap a lid on them and take them on the road.
• Easy Desserts in Jars and Making Sugary Recipes a Little Healthier Baked cheesecake in a jar is a decadent dessert, but by using a sugar substitute you can make it a little healthier.
• Tres Leches Cake Bake the cake in the jar and then add the milks after it’s cooked for a luscious dessert on the go.
• Pumpkin Pecan Dessert in a Jar Bake this yummy fall dessert in a jar and allow it to cool before adding the lid.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Frozen Desserts

Create a frozen layered dessert, ice cream or other type of frozen treat in a jar after you take a look at these five blog posts.  By keeping these desserts packed in ice you can take almost any dessert on the road with you.  What could be tastier than a frozen treat on a warm summer day?  People love how cute and quaint desserts-in-a-jar are and they keep the mess to a minimum because you can screw the lid back onto the jar and then take it home and toss the jars into the dishwasher.

• Frozen Mudslide Pies & Turning 40 Keep these beauties frozen so you can enjoy the lusciousness of the ganache and fluffiness of the whipped cream layer.
• Homemade Frozen Desserts: Pies Baked in Jars These little pies are made in the jar and then frozen and baked off later.
• TCBY Strawberry Cupcake Delight in a Jar Layers of strawberry cupcake and vanilla frozen yogurt topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream make these jars a frozen strawberry shortcake-like dessert.
• Frozen Lemonade Pie in a Jar {And Mother’s Day Printable} You seriously can’t get much easier than this one.  You just need a graham cracker crust topped with thawed lemonade concentrate, cool whip and condensed milk that’s been folded together. Fill up the jars and freeze.
• Basil Strawberry Lemonade Granitas in a Jar  This dessert would be a tasty treat after a hot soccer practice. Another plus? It needs very few ingredients to make this frozen treat.