A new school year has kicked off and new assignments are just waiting to be sent home in backpacks and folders. Here are several tips on how to help your child with homework from the U.S. Department of Education: Read More »

Last year, a friend gave me a container of delicious Bread and Butter pickles that she made with her aunt. All winter long, I waited for spring – just to plant cucumbers for this recipe. Now I have cucumbers coming out of my ears and I’m ready to go. These are super easy to pickle and taste delicious on sandwiches.

You will need a gallon container for these and use a sturdy plastic one if not glass Read More »

Berries, Berries, Berries! Today, my family is picking raspberries. My mind is full of all the different ways to enjoy eating them – baked in muffins, fresh with yogurt, topping icecream, etc. Besides the delicious taste, picking raspberries is a fun activity to do with children. Mine love to eat as they go and play in the berry patches.

There are usually Pick-your-own farms in most communities where berries can grow. Here is a great resource to help identify nearby farms in your community. They even list international locations.

If you live in the Northwest, this is also Huckleberry season. I know families who are very secretive about their picking spots and won’t tell anyone where they go each year. My son and I are going to scavenge our own spot tomorrow and hope to fill a little bucket. Huckleberries are tiny, but taste so good in pancakes. Here are a few tips and a delicious recipe: Read More »

Why preserve your own food when the grocery store is down the street?

This is a fair question and a good one to ask. Especially if new to the idea of preserving food or growing a garden. As the summer is peaking and fresh food is abundant, here are a few reasons why preserving home grown food through dehydration, canning, or pickling, is a healthy and economic idea.

-          Home preserved foods usually have more vitamins because they are processed at the peak of their freshness.

-          That healthy soil in your back yard has the highest levels of vitamins and minerals, which preserving will protect.  Because it will not have as much processing, the food will be more wholesome.

-          Dehydrating foods is one of the most simple and effective ways to insure nutrient rich food.

-          Now a word for pickling – pickled at home leads to many unique tastes and textures, which are completely different than commercial pickling.

-          Your home canned food will last for years stored in a cool, dry area. Just look at your storage and feel good about the money saved.

It can be intimidating to venture into the home food preservation world, whether your starting with dehydrating, canning or pickling. I’ve been able to leech information and tips from kind niehbors and family members. However, if there isn’t anyone to speak with then check out a few sources on the internet. One of my new favorites being the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

This last month we’ve been sharing great ideas for babysitters. Continuing on in that theme, here are several online resources with more information and ideas for new and experienced sitters. If you are a parent looking for a sitter in your neighborhood, visit ldshelp4hire.com.

Red Cross First Aid Training – The Red Cross’s web site for babysitters lists information on their training courses as well as printable information to help sitters be more prepared for a variety of situations.

A How-to Article on Babysitting Infants – An informative article addressing teenagers caring for infants when they are babysiting. It discusses holding babies, feeding them, changing diapers, and putting them to sleep. This would be a great article to read before helping someone else watch an infant.

A Guide to the Business of Babysitting - This fun, bright web site created by the University of Illinois talks about ways babysitters can get their own business going. Besides posting a profile online, like at ldshelp4hire, this site talks about creating flyers, building a posistive business practice, and learning more about different ages and stages of children.

What’s your favorite place to look online for more babysitting ideas and information?

Red Rover, Hide and Seek, Mother May I, and Red Light Green Light are a few summer game hits with most kids. When those games lose their appeal, here are a few more fun activities babysitters can have up their sleeves:

Outdoor Fun Kits:

-          Colorful Chalk (can be purchased from Walmart for $1): Play hopscotch, draw trails, or encourage children to sketch their favorite things.

-          Small water guns (These can be found at the dollar store): Water guns can also be used to play tag or capture the flag.

-          Bubbles (Make your own solution and wands. See recipe below): All ages can enjoy bubbles. Encourage older children to try making their own wands for bigger bubbles.

-          Wrapped treats: Take turns hiding treats for a treasure hunt.

Even if the children already have chalk or any of the items in the sitter’s activities kit, they will enjoy using someone else’s more.

Here are some simple and fun bubble solution recipes from babyparenting.about.com:

Best Homemade Bubble Solution

1 cup water
2 tablespoons light karo syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid

Mix together and have fun!

Homemade Colored Bubbles

1 cup granulated soap or soap powder
1 quart warm water
Liquid food coloring
Plastic straws
Small juice cans

Dissolve soap in warm water. Stir in food coloring until desired color is attained. Give each child a can about 1/3 full of mix and a plastic straw to blow the bubbles.

Fancy Homemade Bubbles

1 cup water
2 tablespoons liquid detergent
1 tablespoon glycerin
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolves. Enjoy!

Source: http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/activities/a/bubbles.htm

When I was 15, a toddler I babysat regularly had deadly allergic reaction to a bee sting and was taken to the emergency room. Luckily, I wasn’t babysitting when it happened. However, the mother realized everyone in the family and all her sitters needed to be prepared for another sting. She had me come over for a little training and I learned all about using an EpiPen.

Being prepared for accidents, injuries and other emergencies is important for all babysitters. Here are a few common summer injuries that a sitter should be prepared to deal with. Read More »

My toddler and I just traveled 830 miles to make strawberry freezer jam. Before leaving on this crazy adventure, a few friends attempted to convince me that it wasn’t necessary to travel so far – Strawberry freezer jam is one of the more simple jams to learn how to make.

My response was that they have obviously had never tasted my mom and dad’s.

Read More »

Summer jobs. There are more than mall and fast food jobs, if we think outside the box. Besides filling a bank account, summer jobs are an opportunity to explore potential career paths and gain more experience. Here are a few tips and resources to turn a summer job opportunity into a great, career-building experience.

Have a job-seeking question? Leave it in a comment and we will be happy to answer. We’d also love to hear about your favorite summer jobs. Read More »

Here is a copy of the “Food storage for unexpected moments” granola recipe that my friend Leslie gave me. She originally gave it to me during our attempt at a 20 day sugar fast, but we’ve continued to make it. It’s just so yummy!

Homemade Granola

6 Cups Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut (sweetened coconut is great too!)
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1 Cup Nuts-any kind. I sometimes use cashews, pecans or almonds
1/2 Cup Safflower Oil
1 Cup Honey
1 TBLS Vanilla
1 Cup raisins or dried fruit-these can be added after baking or when eaten if you have different tastes in your family

Mix grains, nuts, seeds and coconut together thoroughly. Mix and pour oil, honey and vanilla over grain mixture and stir well. Spread on lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown. Stir occasionally while baking. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy!