Avoiding the Summer Brain Drain By Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman The summer is here! That long awaited school break has arrived. Your children are now enjoying their much deserved time away from the daily grind of spelling tests, math worksheets, book reports, geography lessons, science projects and homework. It is time for them to play in the sun, swim in the pool, go camp, walk the beach, shoot hoops, ride bikes, sleep in, relax, and lose three months of reading and math gains that they worked so hard to attain this past school year. Yes, many children fall almost three months behind in math and reading skills over the summer. This phenomenon is so well known that educators even have a special name for it. They call it the "the summer slide". Because of the summer slide teachers often invest the first two months of every school year focusing on lesson plans that help students regain skills they lost over the summer. But this doesn't have to be the case. The summer slide does not need to occur in your family. Creating a summer that is totally void of learning is not what children need. You can provide high-quality learning opportunities for your children during the summer months that are different from those activities children are exposed to during the school year. This gives them a break from traditional school work and yet prevents important skills from slowing draining away. Below are a few tips you can use to create a different look and feel to the learning opportunities you offer your children this summer. Math skills deteriorate rapidly in the summer. Use your environment to help them use math skills. When you put chemicals in the pool take the time to figure out the area, diameter, or volume of your pool. At approximately 9 pounds per gallon of water, how much does all that water weigh? Taking a road trip? Calculate the mileage by using a map and adding up the distance as indicated on the map. What does miles-per-hour mean and how do you compute it? How many miles-per-gallon are you getting? What is the difference in gas prices in different locations? Sit together with your eleven year old and balance the check book and compare it to the family budget. Help your teenager create a budget plan or pick a stock to invest in and track its progress through the summer. Have your children handle money. Take pop bottles back and have them estimate how much money they will receive. Allow them to make change at your garage sale. Have them count the money you have in the family charity jar. Keep it fun. Play games that require the use of skills learned in school. Remember the card game called "war". It's now called "Top it". Turn over a card and see if you have a card that is higher. For first and second graders turn over two cards, add them together and see which sum is higher. For fourth, fifth and sixth graders turn over two (or three) cards and multiply them and see which product is higher. Play Monopoly, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Rummikub, Boggle, Sequence, or Word Up. A brief stop at the department store game section and your list of options easily multiplies. Keep lots of reading material around your home. Read to and with your children. Create a family book club. Pick a book with your child and both read it. Just the two of you sit down together over a pop or ice cream cone once a week and discuss the plot development or characters. Model learning. Turn off the TV and get away from the video games. Let your kids catch you reading this summer. Learn a new computer program Start that book you've been wanting to write. Expand your horizons this summer with a wood carving class, parenting workshop, pottery or painting class. Get help. Every community has learning activities for kids. Libraries have reading programs. Recreation centers and churches have day camps. Schools have inventor's camps. Art Institutes have drawing, painting, pottery and drama classes for children. Sign your kids up. Create a summer that balances rest, relaxation, and fun with learning. Use the many opportunities that summer offers to help your children grow their brain. If you do you will help your children begin the new school year right where they left off when school ended this year and the only summer slide they experience will be the one at the recreation center or water park. Thomas Haller and chick Moorman are the authors of The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose. They are two of the world's foremost authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. They publish a free monthly e-zine for parents. To sign up for it or obtain more information about how they can help you or your group meet your parenting needs, visit their website today: www.personalpowerpress.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

Food-Both Important and Unimportant By Linda Spangle, RN, MA www.FoodisEasy.com The day is filled with questions! Shall we have lunch at that snazzy new restaurant? What's your secret for that delectable salmon on the grill? Who made that wonderful carrot cake? Do you think I can I get the recipe? Just picture it-succulent crab cakes, fresh asparagus with hollandaise and a piece of chocolate swirl cheesecake. Food is so wonderful! In our society, it's the king of entertaining, celebrating and connecting. It gives you a way to display your fabulous kitchen or to show off your culinary skills. But what about your diet? Somehow, you need a way to enjoy and appreciate food without sabotaging your weight or your health. And you can, by simply putting food in its proper place. Let food be unimportant When you get into your car, you don't expect every trip to be inspiring or memorable. Sometimes you just need to go to the store or visit your mother. In the same way, eating doesn't always have to be fun or exciting. Lots of times, food will be quite mundane, but since it's providing fuel, you eat it anyway. Instead of fretting about boring food, just label it as "unimportant." Now picture a vacation where you catch a phenomenal sunset or discover a new road with beautiful mountain scenery. On this kind of trip, your drive takes on more status and importance. In the same way, a surprise birthday party or an exotic new restaurant can suddenly change your view of food. When this happens, you simply choose to let food be "important." Just like the drive where you slow down and appreciate the scenery, you can do the same thing with food. Go ahead and give it your full attention and allow yourself to enjoy it. Appreciate the taste, delight in the eating experience and ask for the recipe. Get picky about when it's important You can't make food special all the time, so before you label it as important, think carefully about your goals. Are you enjoying the exquisite creations of a new chef? Or are you hoping to connect and communicate better with someone? In that case, focus on having a meaningful conversation and on showing love and appreciation. In your day-to-day life, food doesn't always have to be the center of attention. So just like getting into your car, decide when you want to make food important and when to let it be routine. Linda Spangle, RN, MA, is a weight-loss coach specializing in emotional eating, and the author of 100 Days of Weight Loss , a book of daily lessons that helps people stay committed to their diet and exercise plans. Her website is www.FoodisEasy.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

5 Ways to Kick Start the Dieter in You By Kenneth Schwarz, Ph.D. and Julie North Schwarz www.mariaslastdiet.com Do you need to lose weight, but you aren't really doing anything about it? Boy, you tell yourself, I really need to go on a diet. Maybe you say that all the time, but you keep putting it off. This is easy to understand, especially if you've been on diets before and you found them difficult or unpleasant and just plain too hard. Maybe at this point you doubt yourself and your ability. Maybe you are too afraid of failing again. So even though you want to lose weight, maybe in self-defense you've put the dieter in you to sleep. No more procrastinating. Here are 5 effective ways to get yourself to go ahead and do it, and not one of them is too hard for you. Tap into your displeasure Admit how your weight is affecting your life. Admit how it makes you feel. Acknowledge your feelings about yourself when you look in the mirror. Let yourself become more conscious of how displeased you are with your present weight in however many different ways. This admission will help tip the scales from passively living with it to going forward and changing it. Visualize the fantasy-you Define what you want to look like. In your mind's eye create a lifelike, specific, excellent, body-shape you. When you visualize your goal in this way, you are priming your brain to work in the direction of that goal. Imagine this fantasy-you several times a day. One of the things you need in order to become it, is to be able to visualize it. Once you are able to see it, it reinforces your desire to get there. Set sub-goals A great big distant goal can seem unattainable. If you tell yourself you must lose thirty pounds, it may seem like an impossible task. Who wants to start something that seems impossible? The answer is to break up the path to your goal into smaller, more easily reachable sub-goals. Each sub-goal will be an important step along your path to the ultimate goal. For example, smaller diet steps might be losing the first five pounds, anticipating a high risk situation; cheating and going right back on. Since these are smaller steps, you'll be able to see them as being very possible and within your capability. This will give you the confidence and hope you need to jump right in. Take the mind journey Make a mental movie of yourself as if you are actually proceeding on this small-step path to your goal. As you imagine yourself doing it, you will begin to have new and creative ideas about how you might actually take these steps. You will begin to think of what can be most helpful to you as you go. Imagining yourself accumulating small successes is a great way to feel prepared. Feeling as though you are prepared is essential. It gives you the courage to start a serious weight-loss effort. Go public Go public with your decision to diet and it will help you keep your commitment in place. Don't keep it a secret, don't be hush-hush about it. If you keep the idea to yourself, it is much easier to go back on your word. If you decide to start your diet on Monday and you don't do it, no one knows but you. If you tell someone, you have more than yourself to answer to. Telling someone about your plans, or even several people for that matter, makes it a much more solid decision. You are less likely to procrastinate if you make a public declaration to go ahead and do it. This will also help the people around you to be on your side, which will give you a nice push in the direction of getting started. Don't assume that a good dieter is just born that way, because then it can seem like you won't be able to lose weight no matter what you do. This mindset will sabotage your chances of going ahead. There is a let's-get-going dieter in you, waiting to stand up and be counted. She just needs a little kick start - a little more hope at the beginning, a little more encouragement, a little more planning and preparation, a little more faith in herself and in her ability to do it. Dr. Kenneth Schwarz, a psychologist and psychoanalyst practicing in Connecticut, and his wife Julie are the founders of www.mariaslastdiet.com , a website offering strategies and support for diet success. Dr. Schwarz provides tools to help women succeed regardless of which diet they choose. Sign up for their free newsletter and receive ongoing support for total diet success. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

Elder Abuse: a Deepening Current Social Issue Preventing Elder Abuse Is a Question of Education, Ethics and Morality By Rebecca Sweat www.vision.org According to a survey in the mid nineties, roughly 19 million adults (just over 10 percent) report at least some functional difficulty. Almost 6 million adults (3 percent) report either being completely unable to walk three blocks, climb 10 stairs, or stand 20 minutes. How do we care for these people? In an earlier, perhaps more gracious time, it was not a problem. The young, the old, the strong and the weak were absorbed into the fabric of the extended family. In our fast culture is there a place for those who can no longer cope? No one knows exactly how many elderly people are mistreated, but the National Research Council's Panel to Review Prevalence and Risk of Elder Abuse and Neglect estimated in a 2003 report that between one and two million Americans, aged 65 or older, have been injured, exploited, neglected or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depend for care or protection. In September 2005, a frail 87 year old woman living in an expensive care facility was unhappy. It was suspected that she was being physically abused. The supplemental caregivers placed a hidden camera in her room and the results were horrifying. Their camera showed that day after day Norma was being thrown into her bed, threatened with fists, hit with a slipper and screamed at. The camera showed nurses helping themselves to Norma's money and food. Armed with the tapes, they went to the police and the nurses and the home were charged with assault and theft. To persons of good will it is hard to understand what kind of person would abuse the elderly. Bullies actively seek out vulnerability and gains gratification provoking arguments and increasing hostility. Some even take pleasure in inflicting physical harm. There are signs you can watch for: Physical Abuse: This includes beating, hurting or harming the patient. It often includes unnecessary restraint. You should look for: Caregiver's refusal to allow you to see your parent alone. Look for bruises, broken bones, or broken eyeglasses. Look for cuts, open wounds, and wounds in various stages of healing Look for inexplicable sprains, dislocations, and internal injuries Mental Abuse: This includes threats, verbal abuse, name calling, humiliation or efforts to punish or make the patient feel helpless. You should look for: Sudden changes in behavior Agitation or anger Withdrawal Depression Confusion Elder Neglect: Elder neglect is any failure to fulfill care-giving duties or obligations. You should look for: Dehydration or malnutrition Untreated bedsores Unsanitary living conditions Harmful living conditions People are living longer and longer lives; many requiring ongoing, long-term care. Current events show that more elder abuse cases are being reported than in years past, and many experts believe that the actual number of cases will increase in the years ahead as older Americans constitute a larger proportion of the U.S. population than ever before. This is one of the pressing social issues of our time. Many baby boomers, currently the age group ranging from 40 to 60 years old, can expect to live well into their 80s and 90s. Elder care often falls to the grown children of seniors, who now are baby boomers and busy with their own children and careers. Can anything be done? Gaining a comprehensive overview of this current social problem is helpful. Senior citizens, too, should educate themselves. They need to know what resources are available in their community, which they can use to protect themselves. Children need to be educated and taught that old age is not a bad time. See Prescription for Elder Abuse on the Vision.org website. If the younger generation truly understands and respects the older generation, they will be included rather than excluded. The golden years are a fascinating time and older people have much wisdom to impart to the next generation. This gets down to what is actually the more fundamental issue: ultimately the solution doesn't lie in acknowledging the issues and teaching people how the elderly should be cared for, helpful as those may be. Education can't fix the problem if people don't reassess their values. In order to eliminate this growing social issue we need to become one another's keeper. Vision offers in-depth coverage of current social issues, insights into the philosophical, moral and ethical values in society today - health care, science and environmental news and articles. For more information visit www.vision.org . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

Bust the Old Habits That Ruin Your Diet By Linda Spangle, RN, MA www.foodiseasy.com "Once I lose this weight, I'll never gain it back!" Sound familiar? Unfortunately, these are famous last words for many dieters. It takes more than determination and willpower to make that declaration stick. In fact, when a group of dieters were asked what contributed to them re-gaining weight, their answers had a common theme. Nearly all of them said, "I slipped back into my old habits." Think about your own weight loss history. What are some "old habits" that easily get you into trouble? Is it buying chips or ice cream again after you've avoided them for months? Perhaps a couple of glasses of wine before dinner? Maybe you spend more time in the break room where you can't resist the doughnuts and other goodies. Or you slide back into using food to cope with stress or depression. Identify your old habits Take out a piece of paper and make a list of all the old habits that you know cause problems with your maintenance goals. Once you complete the list, keep it around to remind yourself of these danger areas. Then create a few strategies to protect yourself from letting these old habits sneak back into your life. Now you have a good system for recognizing and preventing old patterns from causing the scale to go back up. But here's a funny thing-in the same way that it's easy to slip back into OLD habits, you can also slip AWAY from your healthy ones. For example, how many times have you resolved to floss your teeth every day? Have you been able to make that into a habit? Personally, I have to re-create that one every couple of months! Once you build new habits, you need to make them so strong that you can't imagine life without them. One of the best ways to do this is through repetition-doing the habit over and over until it feels permanent. Replace old with new On the piece of paper where you described old habits to avoid, create a list called "New Habits in My Life." Include some of the things you're already doing such as eating breakfast every day, not skipping meals and carrying a water bottle with you. In your daily routines, look for ways to shake things up. For example, instead of heading straight for the refrigerator when you get home from work, try reading the mail over a cup of hot tea. Break up problem rituals by entering your driveway from the opposite side or using the back door of your home instead of your usual entrance. When you're sitting down to watch TV football games, switch from drinking beer to having a diet soda. If you always search for something to eat before you get ready for to bed, consider relaxing with a warm bath. Besides your routine, daily patterns, create habits that you can use year after year to manage holidays, birthdays or vacations. For example, if your family rituals include making huge meals or eating ice cream together, figure out how to stop yourself from automatically joining in. You might need to invent new ways to feel connected to others, even if you're the only person in the group who changes. Old habits will get you in trouble every time. So instead of proclaiming you'll never gain your weight back, build a set of new habits and healthy patterns that will guarantee you can make this a reality. Linda Spangle, RN, MA, is a weight-loss coach specializing in emotional eating, and the author of 100 Days of Weight Loss , a book of daily lessons that helps people stay committed to their diet and exercise plans. Her website is www.foodiseasy.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

Spring Cleaning For Parents By Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller Rake the yard. Clean out the garage. Go through closets. Donate unused items to charitable organizations. Wash windows. You know the drill. It's called SPRING CLEANING. But what if Spring Cleaning took on a new twist this year, one that would benefit your children greatly? What if you cleaned the cobwebs out of your mind? What if you wiped away all the limiting beliefs that keep you from becoming the parent you always wanted to be? What if you cleaned up a broken relationship, mended a mental fence, or re-minded yourself about the importance of you role in your child's life? This spring might just be the ideal time for cleaning up your responsibility as a parent. Consider the ideas below. Reawaken your curiosity. Clean out your present expectations and your knowing of why your children do things. Return to wonder. Be fascinated by what they do. Let yourself be awed. Allow your curiosity to bloom this spring. Eliminate judgment. Judgment keeps you from seeing your children clearly. If you judge a child as lazy, you are less likely to see ambitious behavior. If you judge her as uncaring, you will have difficulty noticing her benevolent acts. Clean the lens in your eyes by reducing the number of judgments through which you perceive you children. Be out of your mind. Use silent times to wash old and useless thoughts from your mind. Resist the urge to over-analyze parenting issues. Stop thinking and cluttering your mind with incessant chatter. Listen to your heart. Follow your intuition. Pick parenting strategies that have your heart in them. Appreciate the moment. The best present to give your children is to be fully present when you are with them. Throw out thoughts about the future and the past when you interact with your children. There is only one moment to see, feel, express, learn, grow, or heal with your children. This is it. Pitch the rest. Clean up your schedule. Every child in the world spells love, TIME. Adjust your priorities. Pick through your list of social and business activities. Get rid of old obligations and habits that prevent you from investing time with your children. Apologize and begin again. Spring is the time of new beginnings. Do you need to begin again with one of your children? Do you need to make amends? If so, tell your children what you learned and what you intend to do differently from now on. Then follow through. Cut down on talking. Reduce your need to explain, lecture, moralize, rationalize, and convince. The first step towards love is to listen. Give your children the gift of your presence by hearing rather that telling, by acknowledging instead of convincing, by understanding rather that jumping to conclusions. Rework truth. Cleanse you mind of the notion that there is ONE truth. You know your truth. Allow your children to find theirs. Model for your children how you live your truth. Support them in their efforts to find their own truth and encourage them to trust it. Fix it up. What parenting concerns need to be fixed in your home? Do you need to fix a relationship, the use of the TV and the internet, or a reoccurring stress? Fix your mind first so you are tuned into fixing problems rather than fixing blame. Maintain a solution-seeking mindset as you fix it up this spring. Give yourself a perception check. Remember, you can choose to see any parenting situation differently from the way you are presently seeing it. Perception is always a choice. Clean up your mind by asking yourself, "Is this way of seeing this problem the one that brings the most light and love to the situation?" Use springtime to enlighten your parenting perceptions and actions. A thorough spring cleaning of your parenting style could make your home sparkle. It could be like a fresh coat of paint that brightens the exterior and the interior of you and your children. It might work like the cleansing combination of adding energy and love to a bucket of soap and water. Brighter, cleaner, healthier family relationships could well be the result of your spring cleaning this year. Happy cleaning. Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller are the authors of The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose . They are two of the world's foremost authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. They publish a free monthly e-zine for parents. To sign up for it or obtain more information about how they can help you or your group meet your parenting needs, visit their website today: www.personalpowerpress.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

The Sneaky Chef says: Hide Slow-Burning Foods in Kids' Meals to Avoid Blood Sugar "Spike and Crash" By Missy Lapine www.thesneakychef.com Kids love roller coasters. Moms don't - well, at least not the ones that take place inside our homes! I'm talking about the "spike and crash" syndrome that describes the rapid ups and downs of children's blood sugar levels when they eat too much sugar and overly processed carbs, especially on an empty stomach. Foods that are especially high in sugar - even natural sugar and honey - are known to cause a very quick rise in blood-sugar levels. They are rated high on the " glycemic index" (GI) - a measurement of the effect a food has on one's blood sugar level. The higher the rating on the index, the more rapid the increase in blood sugar level. The spike doesn't last very long and is followed by a corresponding fast drop in blood-sugar level. (often it drops even lower than it was before we ate). This is commonly referred to as the "spike and crash syndrome." Children seem especially susceptible to this phenomenon. After they eat the kid-favorite jelly beans (the ultimate sugar spike), particularly when it's on an empty stomach, parents notice them acting as if they've had four cups of coffee. They're bouncing off the walls and then, in a predictable amount of time, they crash - growing sleepy, lethargic, and cranky. The reason is that refined sugars (or carbs) raise blood-glucose levels too quickly, causing a surge of insulin, which soon removes even more sugar than when the person started; the loss of sugar is what makes him feel lethargic. For people who are particularly sensitive, the crash may be accompanied by shakiness, irritability, fogginess, and a feeling of intense hunger even though they just ate an hour ago. Almost all packaged snack foods and cereals that are marketed to kids today have this effect on them. Examples of slower-burning carbs (those with a low GI) are high-fiber foods such as whole grain breads and crackers, vegetables, beans, legumes, brown rice, oats, and whole grain pasta. These high-fiber foods not only add nutrients, but they also contribute to the feeling of being full, which prevents children from overeating. Including low-GI foods in recipes keeps the blood sugar levels balanced, reduces subsequent cravings for more sugar and the snacks that contain it, helps manage weight, and has a positive influence on moods and concentration, among other things. We need to get kids to eat these low GI, slow-burning foods more often, and at the right times (along with the high GI snacks, for example). That's just what the recipes below do, yet none of these sneaky additions are obvious. When your kids eat a Sneaky Chef Corn Muffin (below), all they know is that it's delicious. They stay satisfied longer than if they'd eaten a donut or candy bar, have more sustained energy, feel happier overall, and don't crave as much junk food. Your little muffins won't realize that the muffins they ate had enough fiber from the hidden vegetables, wheat germ and stone ground flour to stabilize their blood-sugar levels. They have no idea why the Sneaky Chef Chocolate Chip Cookie was so gratifying to eat. After all, it tasted just like any other chocolate chip cookie, so they couldn't possibly guess that it contained pureed white beans, whole grains, and half the sugar. The only one who knows these little secrets is you (and their healthier bodies). As "The Sneaky Chef," I'm known for coming up with simple solutions that we can use right now, without radically changing our lives, but that make families healthier without a struggle. I live in the real world where kids eat sugar, junk food, and pizza, but I've found ways to boost all their foods with extra nutrition and help offset any ill effects of a less-than-ideal diet. So here are 7 simple ways to prevent the sugar "spike and crash" syndrome and give your child lasting energy: Sneak vegetables into high-carb foods -- these low-GI veggies add not only important nutrients, but lots of fiber that helps slow down the sugar rush. For example, hide pureed cauliflower and zucchini in corn muffins (see muffin recipe below). Sneak whole grains into high-carb foods -- the high fiber grains not only slow the sugar rush, but help make kids feel satisfied so they won't be as likely to overeat. For example, mix wheat germ and whole wheat flour with white flour for homemade baked goods (see cookie recipes below). Sneak beans into high-carb foods - low GI beans add not only important nutrients, but lots of fiber that helps slow down the sugar rush. For example, hide pureed white beans in homemade chocolate chip cookies (see recipe below). Make snacks into "mini-meals" - instead of giving kids a "snack" of high-GI carbs alone (like potato chips, most cereal bars, even most fruits), make it a "mini-meal" and pair that fast-burning carb with some good fat and protein like a cheese stick, slice of turkey breast, or a handful of almonds to help slow the sugar rush. Avoid high sugar foods before going to bed - this can cause the child to wake-up already in a sugar low and on the way to a downward spiral. If you're going to have the classic bedtime cookies and milk, make it the Sneaky Chef's high-fiber, low-sugar cookies below. Start the day with fiber and protein - this is far more important than a glass of juice which has too high a sugar count. A whole grain breakfast of old-fashioned oatmeal with almonds (grind them up to hide them, if necessary) will hold a kid way longer than orange juice and a bagel. So will a slice of cheese melted on a whole grain English muffin. For a fast, "grab and go" breakfast loaded with whole grains and protein, try the recipe for Breakfast Cookies and Milk below. Sprinkle cinnamon on cereal, desserts, and juice -- One of the easiest ways to balance your blood sugar for the day is to add a sprinkling of cinnamon in oatmeal, hot cocoa, chocolate milk, apple juice, or cereal. Cinnamon has been found to be one of the most effective ways to balance blood sugar levels and prevent the "spike and crash." copy; Missy Chase Lapine, all rights reserved. Missy Chase Lapine is the author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals . She is the former publisher of Eating Well magazine and the founder of a natural baby product line Baby Spareg;. Missy is currently on the Culinary Arts faculty of The New School, in New York City, and conducts workshops that teach families how to eat healthier. She is available to individuals, groups and businesses for private cooking instruction, workshops and personal coaching. Missy lives with her family in Westchester, New York. For more information visit www.TheSneakyChef.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. Recipes Below: Breakfast Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookies Corn Muffins SNEAKY CHEF'S BREAKFAST COOKIES: Makes 16 to 18 large cookies 2 cups whole grain cereal flakes (such as Wheaties or Total) 3/4 cup Flour Blend (1/4 cup white flour, 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/4 cup wheat germ) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 large egg 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup canola oil 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese Cinnamon sugar for dusting Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with oil). Using a rolling pin, gently crush the cereal (in a sealed plastic bag) into coarsely crushed flakes. Alternatively, you can quickly pulse the cereal in a food processor. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together Flour Blend, crushed cereal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, and ricotta cheese. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Drop single tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch between cookies. Flatten cookies with the back of a fork and then sprinkle tops generously with cinnamon sugar (or just sugar if your kids don't like the cinnamon flavor). Bake about 18 to 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and crispy around the edges. SNEAKY CHEF'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: Makes about 50 two-bite cookies 1 cup Flour Blend (1/3 cup white flour, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/3 cup wheat germ) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup rolled oats, finely ground in a food processor 2 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds, finely ground in a food processor (omit if allergic) 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup White Bean Puree* (see Make-Ahead Recipe below) 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove butter from refrigerator to let soften.In a large bowl, whisk together Flour Blend, baking soda, salt, ground oats, and ground almonds (optional). Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and White Bean Puree. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Stir in chocolate chips. Make two-bite cookies by dropping rounded half-teaspoonfuls , spaced 2 inches apart, onto nonstick or parchment- lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a metal rack. Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature. *Sneaky Chef's Make Ahead Recipe-White Bean Puree: 1 15-ounce can white beans (great northern, navy, butter or cannellini) 1 to 2 tablespoons water Rinse and drain the beans and put in the bowl of your food processor. Pulsing in on/off turns, puree the drained beans with just 1 tablespoon of water in processor until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. The goal is a smooth, but not wet , puree. (You are aiming for the consistency of peanut butter.) If necessary, thin with a little more water by one teaspoonful at a time until there are no flecks of whole beans visible. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers. Makes about 1 cup of puree. Double this recipe if you want to store another cup of puree. SNEAKY CHEF'S CORN MUFFINS: Makes 6 large muffins (or 12 mini-muffins) 1/2 cup Flour Blend (3 tablespoons white flour, 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour, and 2 tablespoons wheat germ) 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup canola oil 1/2 cup White Puree* (See Make-Ahead Recipe below) 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, pureed Optional toppings: 1/4 cup chocolate chips or 1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Flour Blend, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined, then whisk in the oil, White Puree, and pureed corn. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until flour is just moistened (don't over-mix or the muffins will be dense). Scoop the batter into muffin tins, filling just over the top. If you're using mini muffin cups, scale back quantities to fit into the smaller sized cups. Top with a few chocolate chips, or sprinkle with shredded cheese, and bake for 22 to 24 minutes until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *Sneaky Chef's Make-Ahead Recipe -- White Puree: 2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets 2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl , cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender. While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree. Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or the small plastic containers. copy; Missy Chase Lapine, all rights reserved. Missy Chase Lapine is the author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals . She is the former publisher of Eating Well magazine and the founder of a natural baby product line Baby Spareg;. Missy is currently on the Culinary Arts faculty of The New School, in New York City, and conducts workshops that teach families how to eat healthier. She is available to individuals, groups and businesses for private cooking instruction, workshops and personal coaching. Missy lives with her family in Westchester, New York. For more information visit www.TheSneakyChef.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

The Popularity Game: Teaching Kids How To Cope By Sally Sacks www.sallysacks.com As a mother and a professional therapist, my heart has been broken many times listening to the tales of life in the fast lane of 5th and 6th grade girls. I have likened the experiences to that of prisoners trying to get through their day unharmed, by knowing the right people and keeping their mouths shut. Apparently there is and will always be a social order, of who is best and who is not, and the who is not will always suffer. The 'popular kids' are always the same. I was in school 40 years ago, and it was the same as kids describe now. The kids that wear the expensive clothes, Abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister are the big ones now, and play sports, and can do school well, be cheery and outgoing , (and a big huge home helps), become popular. The kids who are not the straight cookie cutter variety, often are left out, misunderstood, or considered weird . The popular kids either deliberately or inadvertently make life hell for the others. As a parent, watching kids go through this is very difficult, sad and anger provoking. Kids will come to me in counseling and tell me that they sit all day in fear of a girl dissing them, embarrassing them or rolling their eyes at another girl about them. These kids are terrified to speak up because then their reputation will be ruined. They can't tell a teacher because going for outside help is a sign of weakness. And most assured, going for help will cause reason for retaliation. Kids, due to this stressful experience, get stomach aches, anxiety, and all kinds of medical ailments, that are stress, turned inward to the body.The kids need tools to deal with this problem. As a parent careful thought is needed because it is easy to say the wrong thing and anger your child, or render them feeling more helpless. Here are some wrong ways to handle it. The following are comments that DO NOT work. Do not tell your child that she is prettier than that girl that thinks she is all that, and the girl is just jealous. This isn't believable to your child and isn't the point, therefore doesn't offer a tool to solve the problem. The child will have a come back for you about how not helpful you are. Do not tell your child not to let it bother them, and that they are fine the way they are. The child will tell you how you don't get it, and that this is their life. How dare you make light of a huge problem, and tell them they are fine the way they are, when clearly they aren't or the others would like them more. Do not tell your child how much smarter and interesting they are than the others. Don't criticize the others for their emphasis on Abercrombie and other trendy stores, saying that you find them stupid and unnecessary. Children want to fit in. They don't have that level of reasoning capacity. Kids need to know what to do when they are in this situation. Here are examples of what to do to actually help your child. The first thing to do is: Listen to your child's story of what is going on for them without making judgment. Hear them out. Empathize with their difficulty without overreacting, or under reacting. They need someone they can trust and talk to. After they tell their story, ask them non judgmental questions, trying to understand what they would like to see happen in their situation. For example, I had a child who was upset because 12 kids in her class planned on going to the park together. She and her 4 friends were not invited. She felt unpopular, hurt and left out. I asked her what she wanted, and she said to be able to go with them. She felt she couldn't just invite herself, she'd look too desperate. I asked her why she thought she might be left out. Without judgment, this question helped her to think at a higher level than she had been. Explain kid's behavior to your kids. Sometimes kids leave people out because they don't see you all the time, or feel if they ask you, they have to ask all your friends. Sometimes they need to know you better. Sometimes it may not be deliberate. In the case of the girl above, I gave her an example of how she might ask to go without being intrusive or too needy. Sometimes asking is a good thing. Sometimes you have to be assertive to be included. Take your child's lead and ask what they think about this. What would be hard about this for them, or not so hard about asking to join in? Listen again without judgment. Gather facts and work with them. Try to help your child make more choices and expand their thinking by widening the idea of, "They don't like me; I'm not cool", to maybe they overlooked it, or they couldn't have more kids and had to pick their closest friends. Teach them how they might be noticed more or become a closer friend. Let them know that believing in themselves and creating what they want for themselves is possible and necessary. Let them know how fortunate they are to have the close friends that they have and how to even meet more friends if their group is getting thinner, which it does. Help them to get involved in activities that connect them to new friends and new ideas and options in their lives. Go for the take action strategy to change the things you don't like in your life, and waste less energy feeling bad about things. This is a lesson everyone must learn to get ahead in their lives. Share examples with them about you, and overcoming those painful social school experiences. Sally Sacks, M.Ed is a licensed psychotherapist, with 20 years of experience, counseling individuals, children, families and couples. Sally is the author of How to Raise the Next President , a groundbreaking parents' guide to teaching and instilling in their kids the qualities they'll need to be happy, successful and productive, no matter which path they choose in life. Sally offers personal and group coaching and can be reached through her website at www.sallysacks.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

Ten Ways to Create Sibling Rivalry By Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman The Wilson's two children don't like each other. The Archer girls publicly put each other down. The Gonzalez boys pout if they aren't first, don't win, or don't do better than the other. This condition is called sibling rivalry and in each of these cases it was unconsciously created by the parents. Do you want to make sure you don't inadvertently encourage sibling rivalry in your family? Do you want to avoid the ways many parents promote tension among their children? If so, read on and consider the top ten ways parents promote sibling rivalry without even knowing it. Then, if you decide sibling rivalry in not something you want to encourage in your family, do the opposite. Compare your children to one another and let them know you are doing it. Say things like, "Your brother never acts that way," and "If your sister can do it, why can't you?" Holding one child up as the model and using that model to encourage better behavior on the part of the sibling is a sure way to create resentment and divisiveness among your children. Put one child in charge of the other. Having to watch a younger brother while the parent runs out to the mail box or convenience store can create resentment. Making the older child baby sit during the summer while you are working is asking for sibling conflict. The older one will resent the fact that he has to do the sitting and the younger one will resent that he has to be watched, in his view, by a peer. Allow humorous teasing or gentle and loving putdowns. There is no such thing as a loving or gentle putdown. Teasing is not funny! Making fun of someone or having a laugh at someone else's expense no matter how small still hurts. Teasing is never appropriate in loving families. A joke is not a joke if it is not a joke. When teasing occurs, someone ends up the recipient. That person often finds themselves in a defensive position and feels as if he has to attack back to create balance and save face. Always give the younger child hand-me-downs. This ritual, if done often, can create a feeling of being a second-hand person or less-than the other child who gets the new things. When this occurs the younger one often strives to be first or get more attention. Yes, the economics in some families make hand-me-downs a necessity. In these cases make sure the younger child gets something new occasionally and the older one gets some passed on clothing as well. Reward tattling. When children tattle, follow up by punishing those that were tattled on. This is a sure way to promote sibling rivalry. Refuse to listen to both sides of the story to further increase sibling rivalry. Create an atmosphere where the first person to get his story out is in the "right". If you want sibling rivalry growing in your home, do not invest time teaching your children when it is important to tell (health and safety issues) and when and how they can handle the situation on their own. Ask your kids to spy. Tell your son, "I want to know if your sister uses the phone while I am gone." Inform your younger one, "If he splashes you again let me know." Tell one child, "The computer is off limits while I am gone. Your sister is going to be watching you to see if you follow the rules." Buy and play many competitive games that require one winner and many losers. Focus strongly on the importance of winning and downplay the process of playing, learning, and having fun. This way your children who have lost can fight back in other ways being the only ones who know a new game is being played. The new game is called getting even . Create even more competition in your family. Design artificial competition to manipulate a desired behavior such as seeing who can get ready for bed first. Use lots of competitive parent talk including, "The last one up the stares is a rotten egg," or "The first one with their coat on gets to pick where they want to sit." Attempt to be fair. Make sure everyone has the same amount of orange drink in their cup or the same number of French fries on their plate. Did you cut equal amounts of cake? Even when you do children don't always see it that way. An effort to be consistently fair will create an atmosphere where the children are constantly checking to make sure they have the same or slightly more than the other child. Run your house like a democracy. Put every decision to a vote. If two of the three kids always like to eat out at a pizza place and the third one likes Mexican food, the one who likes Mexican food will get out voted every time. Refuse to protect interests of a minority voting family member by voting to resolve disputes at all times. Put these ideas to work in your family today and it won't be long before sibling rivalry will be firmly present in your home. Once you have it thriving, call up your brother or sister and brag about how competitive your children are. Challenge your own sibling to a contest. See who can create the best rivalry among your children. You just might win, but don't be surprised if your sister gets mad and pouts or attempts to get even. Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman are the authors of The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose . They are two of the world's foremost authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. They publish a free monthly e-zine for parents. To sign up for it or obtain more information about how they can help you or your group meet your parenting needs, visit their website today: www.personalpowerpress.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. 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How to Outsmart Your Picky Eater By Missy Chase Lapine www.TheSneakyChef.com One day, my youngest daughter had strep throat, and in the time-honored tradition of mothers everywhere, I hid her foul-tasting medicine in some chocolate pudding. As I watched her swallow it without protest, I couldn't help thinking about all the wars I had fought to get my kids to eat a fabulous grilled salmon or delicious carrot soup for dinner. Like other American children, mine had learned to run in horror from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish and legumes. It dawned on me that if I wanted them to grow up healthy and fit, I would have to take this "hiding" idea a step further. If it worked for healthy medicine, I reasoned, why couldn't it work for healthy food? And as I looked at the bigger picture, I knew there had to be a way to rescue dinner hour from being a battlefield, but without giving up on getting my kids to eat nutritiously. As a mother, this was a battle I couldn't afford to lose. Thus was born The Sneaky Chef. I compiled a list of kids' favorite foods, the ones they would eat without resistance. I then came up with List B -- "superfoods," the world's healthiest ingredients. And finally: How could I hide the items on List B inside List A? How could I conceal the foods they should eat inside the foods they would eat? After trying out hundreds of ideas in my own test kitchen, I came up with the secret: As long as they couldn't see, smell or taste anything too different, they would eat what was placed in front of them without a fight. Through careful testing, I eventually perfected the art of 13 hiding methods such as pureeing, using foods that hide well, and using visual and taste "decoys" to give food irresistible kid appeal. In the "make-aheads"- the recipe within a recipe that I worked into almost every dish - I made sure I used superfoods, which are ingredients that pack the most nutritious punch. Among them are spinach, which contains iron, calcium, folic acid and vitamins A and C; blueberries, which contain antioxidants, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium; cauliflower, which is packed with vitamin C, folate and fiber, and which fights disease and enhances immunity; and sweet potatoes, which stabilize blood sugar levels and contain vitamin B and folates. The basic principle was that if I wanted to eat smart, I had to buy smart, so I kept as many of the superfoods in my kitchen as possible all the time. The way I looked at this endeavor was that I was a warrior going toe to toe with the food giants, companies that threw millions of dollars into seducing my kids into eating refined sugars and transfats and empty carbs. If they could "package" their products in a way that enticed little ones into craving soda instead of milk, salty snacks, deep-fried vegetables and ultra-sweet junk foods of every conceivable variety, why shouldn't I entice them right back? Except that I would fool my kids, not with the goal of making a profit, but with the intention that they grow up strong and healthy. Now I had my mission. All the sneaky methods I used in my signature "make-aheads" were designed to present the healthiest ingredients in great tasting, good looking "packaging." I realized that the success of any recipe depends on the kids' willingness to eat it. Any time doubt reared its head, I simply did more homework. Thousands of scientific articles pointed to the benefits of eating better, aside from the obvious point that it makes your body feel better. Add to that fewer illnesses, increased brain power, enhanced qualities of attention, strengthened immunity, better mood, and more energy. The following make-ahead is an Orange Puree that blends excellently in pizza (and pasta) sauce, to bring a big nutritional boost to meals that usually aren't thought of as health foods. ORANGE PUREE 1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and rough chopped 3 med-to-large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks 2-3 tablespoons water In medium pot, cover carrots and potatoes with cold water. Boil 20 minutes until tender. (Thoroughly cook carrots or they'll leave telltale nuggets -- a gigantic no-no for the Sneaky Chef). Drain vegetables. Puree on high in food processor with two tablespoons water, until completely smooth. Use rest of water to make a smooth puree. Makes about 2 cups of puree. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze frac14; cup portions in plastic containers. POWER PIZZA My kids have never noticed that I'm sneaking carrots and yams into their sauce! I mix the healthy puree right into the bottled tomato sauce, then I let the kids add the toppings. You can even prepare this pizza ahead of time without cooking it, and then refrigerate for a day or two. Simply bake when you're ready to eat. Makes 1 large pizza or 4 smaller pizzas: 1 store-bought pizza dough or 4 " Greek style" pocketless pitas (whole wheat preferred) frac34; cup store-bought tomato sauce frac14; cup Orange Puree (see recipe above) 1 to 2 cups low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees and preheat a pizza stone or spray a baking sheet with oil.Stretch pizza dough, or roll out with floured rolling pin on floured surface, to form a pie. Transfer to stone or baking sheet. If using pocketless pitas, place them on the prepared baking sheet. Combine tomato sauce with Orange Puree. Mix well. Spread frac12; to 1 cup of the sauce mixture across the large pizza dough (frac14; cup for each pita), then top with 1 cup of mozzarella (frac12; cup per pita). Cover and refrigerate at this point, or bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. Allow to cool a few minutes, then cut into triangles and serve. copy; Missy Chase Lapine, all rights reserved. Missy Chase Lapine is the author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals (Running Press, March 2007). She is the former publisher of Eating Well magazine and the founder of a natural baby product line Baby Spareg; Missy is currently on the Culinary Arts faculty of The New School, in New York City, and conducts workshops that teach families how to eat healthier. She is available to individuals, groups and businesses for private cooking instruction, workshops and personal coaching. Missy lives with her family in Westchester, New York. For more information visit www.TheSneakyChef.com . Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>