"Safely Gathered In" Blog

Being prepared is something that we're all concerned about. The "Safely Gathered In" blog is another great resource to help us all get the food storage and other essentials that we need to be prepared. The writers are especially conscious of those living on a tight budget. They include recipes that can be made with dry storage ingredients and weekly assignments to keep us on track.

Week 1: Birds

The theme for our first week of summer is "Birds". My kids and I are excited about this week because we love birds and have been looking for an excuse to study more about them.

BOOKS:

We'll start out the week by doing a search of our own book shelves for books about birds. Here are a few classic stories that we found on ours:

Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen

I highly recommend reading this book. The language is pure poetry. Each word falls easily from the tongue, wrapping the listener in a warm blanket to protect them from the cold night. The illustrations are secondary and only enhance the image in the reader's mind created by the words.

The story portrays a real-life situation, that shows the relationship between the father and child. Together they experience the thrill of nature, specifically the great horned owl. This story also teaches the rewards of patience, anticipation and hope.

Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey

Another classic, "Make Way for Ducklings" tells the delightful story of a family of ducks in Boston, Massachusetts. It's a sweet story that shows the thoughtful and considerate actions of the community to help the family reunite in the "perfect" place to raise ducklings. Surely, you've read this book before, but it's one to enjoy and savor often. If you haven't read it yet, you're in for a wonderful treat.

Next, we'll take a trip to our local library to see what other books on birds we can find. This is a great opportunity to teach younger children how to search the library database for books on a certain subject. Please let us know what great bird books you find.

Some books to look for:

Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song by Les Beletsky and Jon L. Dunn

The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens by Robert Burton and Stephen Kress

Birds, Nests & Eggs (Take-Along Guides) by Mel Boring

There Is a Bird On Your Head! (Elephant and Piggie) by Mo Willems

ONLINE LEARNING AND ACTIVITIES:

Yahoo Kids has a section on birds that answers qestions about birds such as "how does a bird fly?" and "why do birds sing?". It also includes lists of birds with pictures and information.

Watch a video of a hummingbird on the San Diego Zoo website.

Get to know more about a penguin or soar with a Golden Eagle on the Animal Planet website.

Find a wealth of information, games and activities, including print-out coloring sheets on the National Aviary website.

Learn to identify birds by their songs and find cool facts about birds on the BBC website.

MOVIES:

Planet Earth: the Complete BBC Series features several sections on birds. Be especially sure to check out Disk 3: Jungles: Chapter 1 which shows tropical birds of paradise engaged in dances to attract a mate.

March of the Penguins is a beautiful documentary that follows the struggles and life of the emperor penguin in Antartica.

The Life of Birds is a multi-disc series produced by BBC that focuses on bird behavior.

PROJECTS:

Build a bird house together. If you don't have a lot of tools on hand, kits can often be purchased at hobby stores.

Consider building a nesting box to attract a barn owl. Did you know that a family of barn owls can consume over 3000 rodents a season? Check out sites like http://www.barnowlbox.com/ to learn more.

Hang a bird feeder in your yard. A hummingbird feeder can attract beautiful birds to see and enjoy.

Keep a list of birds that you see. Birds are everywhere and watching for them can be very enjoyable and rewarding. Just the other day my children enjoyed watching a common European Starling search for food in a dumpster while we waited in the drive-thru line.

Consider purchasing a book to help in identifying the birds that you see. Our family has two. "Birds of North America" published by DK has beautiful full-page pictures of the birds in North America and detailed information about each bird. It also weighs ten pounds and is difficult to take with us when we go bird watching. We have a second bird guide that is smaller and easy to pack. A good pair of binoculars are nice but not necessary for the casual bird watcher.

Keep your eyes open and you will be amazed at how many different species you can see. On a fishing trip last week to Strawberry Reservoir, the fish weren't biting but we did enjoy seeing many American White Pelicans, four Great Blue Heron, Western Grebes, a Golden Eagle, two Red Tailed Hawks, California Gulls and a pair of nesting Canadian Geese.

Utah Wildlife Resources has a great website to help in the identification of birds. It lists the species found in Utah and includes maps to show the area where each species lives.

FIELD TRIPS:

The Tracy Aviary is located in Liberty Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tracy Aviary is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm every day and features bird shows at 11 am and 1 pm. The rates are: adults - $5, children 4-12 - $3, and children under 4 - free.

Feed the ducks and geese. Most ponds at parks have ducks and geese. Children love to feed them. Bring the old bread and enjoy.

The Hogle Zoo hosts a bird show each day. It features many different species including tropical birds and birds of prey. Enjoy the other animals while you're there. The zoo is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. The rates are: adults - $8, children 3-12 - $6, and children under 3 - free.

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is in Northern Utah. The auto route is open during day light hours each day and the James V. Hansen Wildlife Education Center offers interactive exhibits from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm week days and from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays.

Ideas for Summer Fun

It's summertime. The kids are out of school. Yay! Wait a minute. What are we supposed to do with them now?

Each Monday on Utah Mom's Life, I'll present ideas for great books to read, activities, projects and field trips based on a specific theme. It'll be a great way to keep the kids entertained. They'll definitely have fun and maybe they'll even learn something.

Below are the links to the weekly posts:

Week #1 : Birds
Week #2 : Dinosaurs
Week #3 : Farms
Week #4 : Art
Week #5 : Trains
Week #6 : The Great Outdoors
Week #7 : Heritage

Favorite Read Out Loud Books

I love books. I collect books. There are books in every room of our house. A lot of books. I especially enjoy children's books. Before our first child was born seven years ago, we owned two children's books (two copies of Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You'll Go", that we had been given as graduation gifts). Seven years later our shelves are full of children's literature (over 850 books--don't ask why I know this. I should have been a librarian).

My criteria for a good "out loud" picture book is:

1) various character voices (yes, I love to read in different goofy voices)
2) humor
3) engaging illustrations
4) clever use of language
5) and of course, a good story

Here is a quick list of a few of my favorite read aloud books.

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon

Practice your goofy reading voices with some pirate talk. "Argh!" This story is funny, clever and has great illustrations. I've also used it as a casual way to talk about stranger danger. "Would you go off with pirates without telling your parents?"


The Seven Silly Eaters

by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by Marla Frazee

This is one of the first children's books we bought and it remains one of my favorites. It is written in rhyme and there are not different voices, but it is clever and funny. The illustrations tell so much more of the story. Check out other books illustrated by Frazee. She is wonderful.

A note about reading rhyme out loud: Please, please, PLEASE pay attention to the punctuation and don't just read it sing-song style. You and your children will get so much more of the intended meaning in the story.

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

I enjoy David Shannon's books. His illustrations are bright and colorful. I especially love to read this book out loud because all the different farm animals speak--your opportunity to give the animals various accents. As a plus, this story is pretty short so it comes in handy when your kids want you to read them a story before bedtime and it's already late.

Jackalope by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

Warning: this story is long! But I love it. It makes me laugh. I like to use a southern drawl for the characters. I also like it because we have jack rabbits, prong horn antelope and coyotes living in our back yard.

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

I don't love all of the Skippyjon sequels, but I really enjoy the first one. I get to use a Spanish accent for the voices in this story.

Head to the library or the book store (obviously, I prefer the book store) this summer and find some great read aloud books to read to the kids. And please post a comment and share your favorites.

Twilight T-shirts

I have to admit that I didn't love "Twilight". I know, I know. I'm in the minority. And that is why I am letting everyone else know about my friend Jen's blog. She has designed and printed some cute T-shirts with the Twilight theme. Check them out at http://everything-twilight.blogspot.com/ She has even designed a shirt for your husbands!

Hey! We're having a Twilight T-shirt Give Away. Click here.

About this Blog

Spring Break Activities for Kids

Spring Break is coming up, April 14-18. I am flying my sister, Kat, out from Arizona to spend the week with my kids and I. Since I will be the entertainer, I have put together some of the activities we will be doing during the week. Who says you can't be on vacation in your own city....
The Lehi Legacy Center features an inside pool perfect for small children. And is also very entertaining for kids of all ages, even grandparents.

Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Ut has beautiful gardens the kids can run around, it has a Farm Country with lots of farm animals that you can feed along with a pony ride. It also has a Dinosaur Museum and Movie Theater.

Discovery Park (Malila Park) in Pleasant Grove, Ut is a fun way to get out have a picinic and sit back while the kids enjoy climbing and running around wooden sculptures.

Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City is a fun activity that will keep the attention of your children for several hours.

The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, Ut. This place is a definite crowd pleaser. There are several activities to do and plenty of things to see.

We will also be taking a trip to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The flowers are beautiful this time of year. Don't forget your camera.

Aprons

Check out this website http://www.epicureanstyle.com/index.php for the cutest aprons I have ever seen. Now you can cook and clean in style.

Mongolian Beef

I know, I always post recipes. It's just that I love food so much! :) I especially love Chinese food but I hate the cost and the distance of Chinese take-out. I was excited to find this recipe last night and it was delicious.

1 teaspoon sesame seeds (I left them out b/c I didn't have any)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound beef round steak, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the seeds begin to turn golden brown; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and minced garlic. Stir in beef strips. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together water, 2 tablepoons soy sauce, 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, sugar, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes; set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Cook and stir beef in hot oil for 1 minutes; remove, and set aside. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Saute carrots and white part of green onions for 2 minutes. Stir in green parts of the green onion, and saute for 1 minute. Stir in sesame seed mixture and beef. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.

Potty Training Queen

So, I don't want to brag, but there is some reason that children respond to me when it comes time for them to potty train. I have potty trained well over 30 kids. My (3) boys have been potty trained by age two and some think that is insane. So, I'm here to post about how to make your lives easier when it comes to potty training.
1. Teach them how to pull on and off their underwear. (very important skill for them to learn)
2. Always set your child on the toliet backwards(facing the wall). They will not be as afraid of falling in or off the toliet.
3. Myth Busted- Your child IS ready to potty train when you are willing to put forth the time and effort it will take.
4. Never get mad over an accident, they will happen, even at age five. Keep encouraging.
5. Watch your child closely, especially when they are playing. You can see it in their faces and movements when they have to use the bathroom. (usually they will be playing and will stop, just for a second because the urge just hit them).
6. Usually when you ask a child to use the bathroom, they will not. Don't fret, watch the clock and take them in there a few minutes later.
7. If you notice the URGE in their face to use the bathroom, tell them, but don't make them go because you just scared the pee back! Take them a few minutes later (or you will have an accident.)
8. Show them how it is done. They copy everything else we do, why not this.
9. There is no need for a little potty. You can get a step stool so they can climb up themselves onto the toliet.
10. Pooing on the toliet will be harder to control. Most children you can tell when they need to go. If your child is 2 1/2 and under, watch carefully the red face, noises. Try to catch them in the act. You may scare it back in but now you know they have to go. 2 1/2 and older, also watch carefully, they will hide whenever they need to go. Whether it be just around the corner or behind a chair. They are old enough to know what they are doing and it now embaresses them.

If you are still having trouble, leave a question in comments and I'll fill you in to more of BrookesMusings.

Movies

We love Netflix. It is definitely in my top ten list right now. Since we don't watch television and we rarely get out for a date, we've enjoyed getting DVDs delivered right to our mailbox. (This is actually not an advertisement for Netflix.) I thought I would include a list of some of the movies that we have enjoyed recently (in no particular order). They are [mostly] clean movies. We've especially enjoyed watching foreign and independent films. Add a few to your list and enjoy.

Vitus
Children of Heaven
Mother Theresa
One Night with the King (story of Queen Esther)
Sweet Land
Flyboys
The Fastest Indian in the World
The Ultimate Gift
Gracie
The Last Sin Eater
On a Clear Day
The Snow Walker
Amazing Grace
Merry Christmas
Dear Frankie
I am David
Raise the Red Lantern
Millions
Saving Sarah Cain
The King of Masks

Yay for swimsuits!

My friend told me about a brand of modest swimming suits that she sells called Modbe. They have a website where you can check them out. http://www.modbeclothing.com/
I guess if anyone is interested you can order them online, or she does parties where you can actually try them on first to make sure they fit just perfect! Just let me know!

Salmon

We were so excited to go to the grocery store (Smith's) and discover a sale on fresh salmon filets. Salmon is one of our family's favorite meals--even my picky 6 year old loves it.

Here is our favorite recipe for salmon. We discovered it in a BHG grilling cook book but we usually end up broiling it.

Caramelized Salmon with Citrus Salsa

Rub:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix ingredients together

1. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Place fish, skin side down, in a baking dish (I line it with tin foil and poke a few holes for the juices to run out).
2. Sprinkle rub evenly over the fish and rub in with your fingers. Cover and marinate for 8 to 12 hours. (We never leave it to marinate.)
3. Broil on high for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
4. To serve, cut fish into serving-size peices, cutting to but not through the skin. Carefully separate the fish from the skin. Serve with salsa.

The salsa is good, but we don't make it every time.

Salsa:
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned, and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped pineapple, drained
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped.

We love this meal with rice and vegetables. It's yummy and disappears quickly.

Politics

We talk politics a lot at our house. Anyone who knows my husband can testify that this is true. We loved living in New Hampshire and participating in the 2000 Primary. But this year, Mitt Romney's campaign for the Republican nomination has really intensified the political conversation in our home.

My six year old son has been listening to the almost constant commentary and over the past few months he has asked several questions about the process and Mitt Romney. I took him with me to vote last Tuesday in the Utah Primary. He was bored standing in a really long line but I wanted him to see the real process and not just the parties and conventions that he has been seeing in the news.

Yesterday, we heard the news that Mitt Romney (our favorite candidate) had suspended his campaign. When I told my six year old, he got a sad look on his face and asked, "Why did he give up?" I'm sure there are dozens of reasons-- some of which will make sense to the grown-ups--but how do you answer that question for a kid?

So, a few questions for discussion: Assuming that you were as excited as we were, were we excited about Romney because his political views most closely aligned with our own, or because of our shared religion? In your opinion, what are the main reasons that Romney did not do as well as hoped in the primaries? Is there another candidate that you can get excited about or at least be willing to vote for? Should Romney consider running again in four years?

Quick Quiche

We love breakfast for dinner. It's one of the only meals that everyone in the house enjoys. I'm always looking for new ways to serve eggs and bacon. We found a recipe for a crustless quiche and we've adapted it to make it our own. It's quick, easy and yummy! Enjoy.

Quick Quiche

8 slices of bacon
4 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk

1. Cook, drain and crumle bacon. Set aside
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
3. Line bottom of pie plate with cheese and crumbled bacon. Combine eggs, better, onion, salt, flour and milk; whisk together until smooth; pour into pie pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until set. Serve hot or cold.

Homemade Playdough

This recipe is the BEST! I've tried many playdough recipes and this one is almost the same consistency as the real thing. And it's definitely more convenient and fun to make your own (it also doesn't bother me so much when the colors get mixed!), and the kids enjoy helping. I know that I found this somewhere online, but I can't remember where!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1 tbs. oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Food coloring

Directions:
1. Combine the ingredients in a pot and mix well(if you want more than one color you can leave out the food coloring on this step and add it when you knead the dough.....or, I personally like to do 1/4 of the recipe for each color, it is easier to add color while it's still wet rather than kneading it in... either way!)

2. Stir constantly over medium heat. The mixture will stay liquid at first and then, all of a sudden, it will come together into a mass. Keep stirring until all the dough comes together. Remove from heat immediately.

3. Turn the dough out onto the counter. When it is cool enough to handle, knead it for a few minutes.

4. Once it has a nice, silky texture, your play dough is ready to use. Store in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Will save up to 4 wks.

Carseat and potty training...

I am just curious what you may have done to potty train your kids.... What realy works? My son will be three in March and has gone on the potty many times, but won't commit to it every time. :) Also, at what point do you move your child from a forward facing car seat to a booster? Just curious! :) Any comments would be helpful. --- Jen Johnson

Welcome!

The other night I couldn't sleep. The kids were all sleeping and I really should have been taking advantage of the rare chance to get some good sleep for myself. Unfortunately all these crazy ideas kept popping into my head. One of the ideas, was to open this blog to additional authors and create a sort of community for moms--a place to share the crazy things that happen to us because we have children. I hope it can also be a place where we can share great recipes; ideas for places to go or things to do with our kids; books and movies that we love; etc. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I cooked the entire Thanksgiving dinner this year (except for the pies--thanks, Marie Callendar). We had an extremely traditional menu: turkey, stuffed with carrots and onions; mashed potatoes and gravy; Awesome Sausage Stuffing (not as big a hit with my husband's family as it was with mine last year); green bean casserole; layered raspberry Jell-o; crescent rolls; corn; sweet potatoes (oops! should have had yams); cranberry sauce and creme brulee. Overall, it was a successful Thanksgiving dinner.

Pumpkin Cookies

Yesterday, I actually took one of the pumpkins off the front porch; cut it up; baked it; and then turned it into puree in the blender. I baked a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Yum.

Totally impressed with myself.