Tuesday 9 September 2014

Large Family Logistics - How To Get Kids To Love Reading (And Strengthen Your Family At The Same Time)


 
How To Get Kids To Love Reading
(And Strengthen Your Family At The Same Time)
 



Parenting has gotten tricky lately for those of us who want to avoid the mediocrity (and degradation) of today's pop culture.  My husband and I decided to get aggressive against negative influences on our kids, -not to isolate them entirely-, but to fill their minds with the best this world has to offer while they develop.  Quality entertainment is out there, but filtering the bad is a must. 

My concern about today's entertainment is not only that the majority of it is amoral, but also anti-intellectual.  The video culture has trumped the print culture, creating a dumbing down of society.  People are reading less, losing the ability to concentrate for short periods of time, and make rational, educated decisions. 

In my opinion, success in school and life can be boosted by reading often, and loving it! 

Here's what we've done to create a house of reading:

How To Get Kids To Read

1.  Digitally Disconnect -  To really encourage kids to read more, reading needs to become the most appealing activity in the home. We removed cable TV and limited movies early in the learning-to-read process, around the time our oldest child was 5 years old and filled each room with books.  Our kid's video games are also limited to strategy or educational games, weekends only, for our 5-12 year olds.  As the children grow into teenagers and have established a love for reading, we allow socially interactive games so kids can hang out with their friends online.

EXCEPTION:  E-books can be wonderful, especially for large families!  We find the children who are just learning to read prefer holding a real book, so I would wait on buying your kiddo a tablet or e-reader until you know if your child will take to reading on it.  But generally, I would say the e-readers have allowed our bigger kids age 10 and up to read MORE books because of the convenience factor.  Having a family Kindle account is the best!

image courtesy of www.favim.com
 
2.  Read to you children - Read chapter books that you genuinely enjoy to the children, one chapter a night.... from birth then even when they already know how to read.  Reading aloud has many advantages like expanding the vocabulary for challenging books.  We can give quality time to several kids simultaneously, and we all have something to talk about when we are together.  Kids walk away with the knowledge that their parents consider reading important, and usually follow suit. 

image courtesy of www.youthlitreviews.com

3.  Find the right book series for each child- Kids who hate reading may have just not found a book they like yet.  Great starting series for boys and girls are Magic Tree House, Goosebumps, Captain Underpants, and Junie B. Jones.  Don't give up!  There is a book out there for everyone.

image courtesy of www.laughinggiraffebooks.com
 

4.  Subscribe to magazines -  Even stubborn readers can't resist a bright magazine, and there are some fantastic publications available for kids.  Appleseeds, Weekly Reader, National Geographic for Kids, Highlights, Kids Discover, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and Ranger Rick are fun to have on the coffee table.  The kids think we're alleviating their boredom, but we've just tricked them into reading.

image courtesy of www.nytimes.com
 
5.  Watch the movie when they've finished the book - Back when Harry Potter was new, we started a habit of reading books, then seeing the movie.  We found ourselves (and our kids) racing to finish books and wanting everyone else to finish it so we can finally talk about it.  We discuss the morality of the book, what makes a character likeable, motives, and how the author inserted foreshadowing, irony, comic relief or climaxes.  When the movie does come out, we make a huge event of it.  Now we look for upcoming movies based on books that will be appropriate for all of us, or we hunt down older film versions of a classic story and determine our favourite.


image courtesy of www.momtastic.com


As a parent, I feel an obligation to my children to fill their little minds with general knowledge and give them the best chance at life.  My plan is to create a home of reading and taking the time to learn with them to build strong relationships and guide them to the best books.

How do you get your kids to read?

Do you agree that society is growing increasingly amoral and anti-intellectual? 

Do you see a dumbing down society, or has technology made us smarter?

Monday 8 September 2014

Clean Dinners Under $12 - Spanish Rice

 
 
Spanish Rice
 
image courtesy of www.tasteofhome.com
 

We've been having Spanish Rice for as long as I can remember.  Our version is fairly plain so it is highly flexible and super cheap.  Use any leftovers for a second meal stuffing burritos, a side dish to tacos, or a layer for nachos.

Spanish Rice

WARNING: Serves 10-12, this recipe can be halved

1 TBSP olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced ($.25)
1 green capsicum, diced or 1 cup frozen ($.75 frozen price)
1/2 kg beef mince ($6)
4 cups cooking tomato sauce (we use Benedict's Passata cooking sauce, 2 -680g jars) ($4)
5-6 cups beef bouillon or water to cut costs
5 cups long grain white rice ($1)
Tabasco sauce or similar, to taste
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Optional add ins: 
chopped garlic
sliced olives, green or black
pinto, red, or black beans
canned corn
canned tomatoes
canned diced chillies
shredded cheese
1 cup salsa
fresh chopped cilantro
sour cream

In a huge stock pot with a lid, heat the olive oil on medium high heat.  Add onions and capsicum and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes.  Remove the onions and capsicum and set aside.

Add the beef mince to the pot and brown, about 5 minutes.  Return the onions and capsicum to the pot.  Now add the cooking tomato sauce, the beef bouillon, the seasonings, and bring to a boil.  Once its boiling, stir in the 5 cups of rice.  Reduce the heat to medium low and put a cover on the pot. 

Let the liquid simmer with the rice for approximately 20 - 25 minutes.  Stir occasionally to make sure the bottom of the pot is not burning, and reduce the heat further if necessary to avoid it.  You may have to go the other direction and increase the heat if there's still a lot of liquid and crunchy rice.  With every stove we have and every brand of rice, the cooking time and liquid to rice ratio is slightly different, so be patient, adding liquid and heat if necessary.

Once the rice is soft and liquid fully absorbed, keep the lid on but remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

Sunday 7 September 2014

Clean Dinners Under $12 - Roasted Kielbasa and Rosemary Potatoes

 
 
Roasted Kielbasa and Rosemary Potatoes
 
image courtesy of www.cooking-in-college.com
 
 
I hesitate to call this recipe clean, since sausage by definition is processed.  However, meat processing varies, and there are some fantastic, high quality sausages on our grocery shelves.  With the right brand selection, this meal can be a healthy option for the family.
 
We have been off this recipe for a while because we were having it too frequently.  I don't know if it was the chilly winter rains or the fact that red potatoes are really cheap right now, but it's made a come back.  We love the heartiness, full flavour, and ease of this dish.
 
Roasted Kielbasa and Rosemary Potatoes
 
WARNING: Serves 10-12, recipe can be halved
 
1 kielbasa, sliced into coins (variations:  3-4 chorizo or pre-cooked sausage links) ($5)
10 fist sized red potatoes, chopped into large dices unpeeled ($2.50)
1/2 cup olive oil ($.50 for this and remaining items)
1/4 cup fresh or dried parsley
1 TBSP dried rosemary, chopped
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
 
Preheat the oven to 220 C or 375 F. 
 
Line a very large roasting pan with aluminium foil.  I use the broiler pan from my oven because it is the largest thing I can find.  Toss all the ingredients together and stir until the oil and seasonings are evenly distributed.  Try your best to create a single layer. 
 
Bake for 45-55 minutes, stirring twice during baking.  Your meal is done when the potatoes and sausages are crispy and brown but soft all the way through. 
 
Serve with beautiful vegetables you find at the market (brussel sprouts and carrot medley $2) and a baguette of crusty bread. ($2)
 



Wednesday 3 September 2014

Clean Dinners Under $12 - Hawaiian Haystacks

Hawaiian Haystacks



Toppings

1/2 package raw spinach, chopped  ($2)
1/2 a celery head, diced ($1.50)
2 cups shredded carrot (.50)
1 cup sliced black olives (.75)
1 can diced pineapple (.85)
1 diced tomato ($1)
Crispy Chinese Noodles ($1.25)
shredded coconut, optional
slivered almonds, optional

Other topping ideas....kidney or garbanzo beans, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, daikon, corn, shredded cheese, maraschino cherries, and mandarin oranges.  I like to use what is on hand.  Arrange toppings in a buffet style so everyone can build their own haystacks.

 
 

For the Chicken and Sauce 
(Teriyaki sauce instead of a white sauce is good, too)

1 chicken breast, cut into small dices ($3)
4 tbsp. butter ($1.15 for the remaining items)
1 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 + cup milk
salt, pepper, cayenne, and parsley flakes, to taste

In a hot skillet, melt a small pat of butter.  Add the diced chicken and sauté until brown on the outside and no longer pink in the middle, about 7 minutes.  Remove from the skillet.  Melt the remaining butter in the skillet, and add the flour and mix until combined.  Cook for 1 minute until the raw flour taste is gone.  Add hot chicken broth and simmer, stirring constantly until its a consistency of thick gravy.  Add the milk and seasonings, stirring until smooth.  Add more milk until you find the desired thickness.  Return the cooked chicken to the sauce, and remove from heat.

For the Rice

5 cups short or medium grain rice ($1)
7 cups water

Wash the rice thoroughly.  Add rice and water to the rice cooker and press cook.  Let sit for 5 minutes after it's done, then fluff with a fork.


Start each plate with a cup of rice and create a well in the centre for catching sauce, then allow everyone to build their own haystack. 

Enjoy!