Parents Want to Know 101

Welcome to Parents Want to Know 101. Parents Want to Know 101 was created for parents and those interested in parenting issues and trends, from birth to college, and beyond. It provides exposure to important and current information, relevant to raising a healthy, happy, independent, successful child. What should we, as adults, contribute to our families, the community, and our country to make this happen? The children are our future. Parents need one another; it does take a village.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

My Favorite Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe: Picadillo-Stuffed Turkey with Orange-Tamarind Sauce

By Sharon Rose

Picadillo-Stuffed Turkey with Orange-Tamarind Sauce

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Day is just a few days away! I feel so joyful and grateful to be able to share a meal of Thanksgiving, prepared with love, with my extended family on Thanksgiving Day. I want to share with you, this Picadillo-Stuffed Turkey with Orange-Tamarind Sauce Recipe. This is my TURKEY RECIPE choice for my family Thanksgiving Day meal. You may want to try it! Families will soon gather at their dinner tables, with gratitude; the turkey, the center of attraction. Whatever your turkey recipe choice for your family, I wish you many blessings and, Bon Appetite!! Make it a special family day filled with gratitude and love!

"For many families, Thanksgiving means coming together with extended
family to celebrate the many blessings they have been given."

Picadillo-Stuffed Turkey with Orange-Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 lb. ground pork

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup PLANTERS Slivered Almonds, toasted

5 large navel oranges, divided

1 frozen turkey (15 lb.), thawed

1 pkg. (14 oz.) frozen tamarind pulp, thawed

1/2 cup sugar

4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. butter

How to Prepare:

HEAT oven to 325ºF.

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 3 min. Add pork; cook 5 min. or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce; cook 2 min. Add stuffing mix, raisins, nuts and the juice of 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup); mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Cool 15 min. before stuffing the turkey.

REMOVE and discard neck and giblets from turkey cavities. Rinse turkey; drain well. Free legs from tucked position, but do not cut band of skin. Place turkey, breast-side up, in roasting pan. Spoon stuffing into neck and body cavities, being careful to not pack stuffing into turkey too tightly. Return legs to tucked position; turn wings back to hold neck skin in place. Cut 1 orange into 8 slices; arrange over turkey. Cover breast loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.

BAKE 3 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices. Meanwhile, combine tamarind pulp, sugar and juice from remaining 2 oranges in saucepan. Remove foil; bake turkey 45 min. to 1 hour or until done (165ºF), brushing with 1/4 cup of the tamarind mixture for the last 15 min.

REMOVE turkey from oven; let stand 15 min. before carving. Meanwhile, stir cornstarch into remaining tamarind mixture until completely dissolved. Bring to boil; cook and stir 1 min. or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Serve warm with turkey.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with sides, such as more stuffing/dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato yams, corn-on-the-cob, and your favorite hot steamed vegetables.

Food Facts: A 12- to 14- lb. frozen turkey needs 3 to 3-1/2 days of thawing time in the refrigerator. The cooking time will range between 3 to 3-3/4 hours until the turkey is done (165ºF).

Keep it Safe: Do not stuff turkey until ready to roast.

Helping Mom in the kitchen at Thanksgiving makes wonderful childhood memories.

The turkey is the center-piece of the Thanksgiving Day table. We are sharing recipes
for families to enjoy. Add your favorite side dishes to complete your meal.

"We are grateful for each other." "Happy Thanksgiving!"

FREE RECIPES, Our Source: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/thanksgiving/turkey-recipes.aspx

Friday, November 21, 2014

Travel Guide for the Well-Traveled Family, Part 5: Traveling with Children

By Sharon Rose

I love to travel! This is going to be fun!!

Holiday time is here and families with children will travel during this time to visit family, friends, and to festive entertainment venues. Since it is the most challenging, we are going to talk traveling on an airplane with children. I have heard some travel advisers strongly suggest traveling with children at nighttime so they will sleep and therefore not be a problem. I believe children should have the opportunity to travel anywhere and be wide awake so they can learn through the experience. The best way for children to learn is through exposure to the world they live in. Issues that come up while traveling with children, such as, flight delays, fidgety or boisterous behavior, cabin pressure, or a fellow passenger that has a low tolerance for children can be managed. Let’s get started sorting it out.

Safety

A few days before you depart for vacation, take some time to go over basic safety rules and strategies with your kids, some of which may already be in place in your home. A good way to approach this would be to remind them that these are rules that they are already familiar with because many are the same rules we have at home. The reminder is needed; after-all, the excitement of new places and experiences can be overwhelming, and curiosity may cause kids to set their rules aside. Go over home phone number, address, and the proper use of the 911 emergency number. Since you are away from home it is vital that your child memorize your cell phone number, as well. There is also the option of creating a safety card, and have your child keep it with him, for example, in his pocket. The card should have all vital information on it, to include, the name of the hotel where you are staying, your cell phone number, and your first name. If you don't mind writing on your child you can write your phone number on your child's arm. There is even a company that has introduced information temporary-tatoos for children with a space for the parents' phone number. This, your child would not be able to loose, as with a card. Remind young ones what to do if they get separated from you, who they can trust and about safety in numbers. Also, this is a good time to remind them of stranger-danger that you have, most likely, gone over many times. To further insure the safety of your children, if two parents are traveling with more than one child, before you leave home choose teams, with each parent as a team captain. Have each parent be responsible for their team. Divide the responsibility up. Making it a game gets the trip off to a fun start.

Young, First-Time Fliers

Prepare children who are first-time fliers for what it is like going through the security checkpoint at the airport. Everyone, including the children, should wear shoes that are easy to take on and off. Removing your shoes is just one of the strict safety measures in place at airports for all passengers, who are required to go through a security check-point. Role play with your child the way in which travelers are required to go through the metal checkpoint door frame, the way it may "buzz," and why, how the wand is used to wave over the travelers body, and a "touching" body check done by the security agents. Try to put your child at ease. Although much of the extra security check actions may not happen, you would want to prepare your child just in case it does. TSA officers will work with parents to resolve any alarms at the checkpoint. TSA has modified screening procedures for children 12 and under that reduces the likelihood of a pat-down. Taking the fear out of traveling for your child will make for a traveling experience filled with fun from beginning to end. Get all the current facts of going through the security checkpoint beforehand, in order to share them with your child. Once you board the plane, secure your child’s seat-belt and prepare to help him have an enjoyable flight. Make it fun!

Where's the Entertainment?

There may be in-flight entertainment, but don't rely on it alone. Many larger airlines have in-flight entertainment such as films, music, and even children's channels. However, there are times when it might be broken or not appropriate for your child’s age group. Also, wearing the headphones might irritate your child, in some way, because they are sized for adults. Best bet, bring your own assortment of entertaining activities for your child.

Bring along your child's very own earphones. They will fit him better than the
adult-sized earphones provided by the airline.

Some suggestions are: (Choose a few of these from the list.)

1.   Portable video game consoles.
2.   MP3 player, plus music and audio books.
3.   An electronic book that can be played softly.
4.   Coloring books, activity books, blank drawing paper – Don’t forget the pencils and crayons!
5.   Stickers - These are useful for making designs on blank pages while drawing.
6.   Magnetic games - Buy the travel-size game kits.

7.   Books to read together.
8.   Flash-cards:
9.   Kid's puzzle books - Sudoku, crosswords, find-a-word, mad-libs, jokes, etc. (One of my favorites.)
10. Print off some games to play on paper, such as tic-tac-toe, mazes or dot-to-dots. There are many such print-outs available on kids' websites online.
11. A favorite stuffed animal or doll.

Don’t forget to bring along some snacks in your carry-on bag. Choose foods that are not packed with sugar and won’t melt or crumble apart and make a mess. Licorice, apples, pretzels, cereal, and granola bars are good options. Try preparing these snacks in unique ways to keep it fun. Young kids will love cereal, like Cheerios or Fruit Loops, strung onto yarn to form an edible necklace. You can also make up your own bags of trail mix with your child’s favorite combo'.

.....and More

Reward your child for good behavior. Surprise and reward your child for his patience on long journeys. Wrap up a new toy and present him with it after he has proven that he has been well-behaved enough. Nothing big or expensive; check the dollar store in your area. He will feel that you appreciate his cooperation.

Have the kids become vacation planners right along with you, when age appropriate. Contact the tourism board or local chamber of commerce of your destination before leaving for your trip. Request travel brochures and tourist information. Arrange these in a folder for ease of viewing during the flight. Let the kids flip through the fliers and magazines while in flight to further prepare them and boost their enthusiasm

A small challenge of flying with children is cabin pressure. Rapid changes in cabin pressure can make little ears pop, so keep drinks, baby bottle, or pacifiers available for take-offs and landings (sucking helps reduce ear sensitivity). If your child is old enough to chew gum, try that. Chewing gum to combat the uncomfortable, sometimes painful feeling of cabin pressure is something that helps me.

Then, airplanes present unique challenges for parents with young children. Kids under age two are not required by law to be restrained on airplanes, so it's up to every parent to decide how to travel. If you decide to ride with baby on your lap, consider a flight vest that secures your child to your lap belt. These vests are not designed for use during takeoff and landing, but for cruising, when turbulence most often occurs. If your child's small size does not allow the seat belt to fit properly, you can use a child safety harness to secure your child in the seat. *Check with the airline to be sure of what harnesses are allowed.

The Federal Aviation Administration recommends that small children be seated in a car seat. However, this is not the law as in traveling in a car. The only way to guarantee that your child can use a car seat is to purchase a ticket. Some airlines offer discounted fares for kids under two. If that isn't a possibility, select a non-peak flight time that's more likely to have empty seats.

Car seats manufactured in the United States after February 26, 1985 must be US FMVSS #213 or FAA certified, with a red sticker labeled, “This restraint is certified for us in Motor Vehicles and Aircraft,” and “This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.” This includes booster seats and any types of harnesses.

For parents with infants, each time that you take a trip on an airplane, and for various airlines that you use, make a call to customer service to verify if a carry-on bag with diaper and feeding needs will be counted as an extra bag. Baby's needs may have to be incorporated into your carry-on, if needed.

Finally, ask questions when in doubt. You’re ready for take off! Enjoy your flight!

Ready for take off! Enjoy your flight!

Friday, October 31, 2014

How to Carve Pumpkins for Kids, with Parents Want to Know 101

By Sharon Rose

It’s pumpkin carving time! Carving pumpkins is a fun activity for toddlers and up. They make festive home decoration at Halloween and throughout the fall season. With supervision, kids of all ages can turn a pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern, with many design choices. Carving a pumpkin can become a family tradition that creates great memories, year after year.

1. Start by picking out a pumpkin on your visit to a pumpkin patch, the supermarket, or a local farmer’s market. Select a smooth pumpkin with a strong stem. These are the healthiest and easiest to carve. Make it a fun trip for the family!

2. When you’re ready to start carving, gather your pumpkins, carving tools, and a spoon, bowl, patterns, plastic table cloth, candle or battery operated light. Patterns can been purchased at the supermarket, variety store, or even found free on the internet.

3. Take some time with the kids to pick out the patterns you are going to use to carve your pumpkins. You can turn this into a family fun time, with snacks for everyone as you make your choices. Choices can be the traditional Jack-O-Lantern face, a cat face, witch on a broom, or the latest trend in pumpkin carving, celebrity faces. Once you start looking there will be so many choices, it could slow the process. However, help the kids to pick a few favorites and move on.

4. While the kids are gathered to pick out designs, this is a good time to, also, talk about being safe with sharp objects that will be used. Even if the kids are older, teens and teens, don’t skip talking about safety.

5. Carving your pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern can get pretty messy and wet, so, cover your work area with a plastic tablecloth before starting to carve.

6. With a black permanent marker, draw a circle around the top of the pumpkin, away from the stem, to create a lid. Cut out the lid. According to age, supervise the kids, appropriately. Again, sharp objects are used for this activity, so be safe.

7. Scoop out all the seeds and fibrous insides of the pumpkin. Use your bowl to collect this. Later, the kids can help separate and pick out the pumpkin seeds for roasting. Pumpkin seeds can be a delicious and healthy snack.

8. Make sure you have an extra copy of the pattern you will use. Tape the pattern to the face of the pumpkin. Next, poke holes along the lines of the pattern with the appropriate tool. This may be harder to do for a toddler or small child, so Mom and Dad can help.

9. Take the sharp cutting tool and cut out along the pumpkin design, exactly where you have poked holes. Remove the cut out pieces as you go.

10. Last, place a candle or a battery operated light inside to light up the pumpkin. Watch the excitement, listen to the squeals! Happy Halloween and a festive time throughout the fall season!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Parents Want to Know 101: Family Fall Outdoor Activities - Bucket List

By Sharon Rose

During the fall season, our family has made picking out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch a tradition.

The fall season is here! Time to make out a fall family outdoor activities bucket list. The autumnal equinox brought the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, September 23, 2015, at 4:21 A.M., EST. The crisp fall weather and beauty of the colorful foliage is the perfect reward to lure families out to play. You may not be able to do all of the activities on our list, but choose your favorites or, better still, something you’ve been yearning to do. Here is our Family Fall Outdoor Activities Bucket List to get you going! Make great memories this fall!

1. Raking Leaves - Raking leaves is a great way to introduce children to fall fun. They can enjoy this activity without leaving home. The whole family can get involved with cleaning up the yard with the bonus of playing and jumping in the pile of leaves they rake up. Collect leaves to take indoors for fall arts and crafts activities.

2. Backyard Camping – Camping, sleeping under the stars, is a childhood memory no one should be denied. Camping in your backyard is convenient, because you don’t have to pack up anything and leave home. Make a soft pile of leaves for comfort in your sleeping bag. Grill a delicious meal, and roast marshmallows to make s’mores. Be sure to check your local laws for building bonfires or recreational fires. Some types of fires need a permit. Safety first!

3. Pumpkin Patch – Visiting a pumpkin patch is a fall tradition with many families. Some families like to visit the same one each year, and others like to change it up. Either way, it is fun for the whole family! The children enjoy picking out their own pumpkin to take home for carving into a jack-o-lantern or to decorate the home.

Many families make an annual fall visit to a pumpkin patch. The children love picking out their very own!

4. Apple Picking – What fun to pick apples and eat what you pick! Locate an apple orchard near you and make it a family outing to introduce the children to farm to table healthy eating. Tip: You may need a ladder. Parents can continue this learning experience at local farmer markets, likely, closer to home, picking apples from baskets and talking to the farmers on how they grow and care for their apple orchard.

Mother and daughter are enjoying apple picking. Could a fresh apple pie be in their future?

A barrel of delicious red apples add to the beauty of the fall season!

5. Corn Maze – Showing their generosity, some farmers transform their cornfields into corn mazes. Some are even made to be spooky around Halloween time. Both adults and children have lots of fun getting lost and trying to find their way out of the complicated mazes, designed intricately, to add to the fascination. You can hear squeals, shouts, and laughter in the cornfield, all evidence of the fun that goes on.

6. Hay Ride – Another tradition that started long ago, when farm life was a bigger part of the landscape in America, hay rides are still a favorite fall activity. A tractor or horse pulling a wagon of bales of hay and riders who sing songs and chatter, makes for a celebratory atmosphere. Many hay rides are taken in the moonlight for romantics and during Halloween to scare up enjoyment, as well.

A hay ride is a memorable way to enjoy the beauty of the fall foliage.

7. Hiking – Hiking is a great exercise that can be done year-round, but is so much more enjoyable when the weather is crisp and cool, and fall is showing off its colorful foliage. It’s an activity that allows families to enjoy exploring local, state, and national parks. Take a back pack with water, and snacks or picnic lunch; depending on your hiking plan. A sturdy shoe should be worn for your safety.

8. Nature Walk – A nature walk is much like hiking, but with a twist. Nature walking involves walking, exploring, and searching for living things of interest, such as: birds, bugs, butterflies, and types of trees and leaves.

9. Scavenger Hunt – Scavenger hunts can be created by making a list of things to collect while on a nature walk. Often set up as a competition, a scavenger hunt is a fun way to learn about nature. This is an activity that can be incorporated into a fall birthday party for a child in the family.

10. River Boating and Tubing – The beautiful foliage and serene atmosphere of the river and river bank, in fall, makes this activity so relaxing. As well, the areas of the river that are turbulent can make this activity daring and adventurous, and thrilling. Some of the various river activities are: canoeing, kayaking, tubing, whitewater rafting, pontoon boat fishing, stand-up paddle board, rafting, and riverboat ride. The family will want to go back again and again!

11. Fishing – Fishing is a great group activity for the family, as well as, one that is enjoyable when done alone. It takes patience, quiet, and often, getting over a fear of worms used for bait, to succeed. Some people get a thrill out of taking their catch home, prepping it and having a fresh fish dinner. Yet many, just enjoy the hunt; so, catch-and-release is the kind of fishing they enjoy. A valued childhood memory for many children is their first catch.

Families can enjoy the fall scenery while fishing together. Don't miss the photo-op when you reel in a catch!

12. Bird Watching – Fall is a time of birds migrating south. With migration, local bird watching becomes more interesting and exciting with new species to identify every day. August through October are peak months, with migration continuing through December for some species. Basic bird watching allows you to learn about bird migration, species, territories, behavior, nesting, and courtship. Bird watching is a fun and educational hobby for children and adults, and one the entire family can share in. Start a bird watching journal to record what you learn.

13. Rock/Wall Climbing – Rock or wall climbing is an indoor/outdoor sport. Fall is a great season to take it outdoors. State and national parks are great places to rock or wall climb, but with man-made materials being used, these sporting activities can be done in the middle of an urban area. Rock climbing can appear intimidating to first-timers due to the gear and special terms that are used, and the assumption that a lot of strength will be needed. This is an amateur sporting activity that men, women, and children can have fun doing, so don’t be discouraged. Outdoor rock or wall climbing is a mental and physical work out. You will need the appropriate gear and instructions. This is a sporting activity you should do with a partner or a group, especially if you are a first-timer.

A state or national park to rock climb is a wonderful place to climb to high places to enjoy the fall scenery.

Working their way to the top, is a group doing a teambuilding activity. Would your family like to try this?

14. Bike Riding - Bike riding can get the family out for a scenic view of the neighborhood, suburban bike trail, or local, state, and national parks. Its great exercise and an activity many families have as a hobby. You will need safety equipment, such: helmet, knee, and elbow pads.

15. Playing in a leaf pile - This activity deserved separate attention of its own. Such a simple play activity, but one of the most fun and anticipated ones of the fall season. Being able to jump into the middle of a pile of leaves and throw the leaves in the air, watching them fall to earth like golden brown raindrops, is the best encouragement for children to rake leaves.

We're so happy the fall season is here! Aren't you?! It's raining leaves!

16. Cranberry Bog Tour - Cranberries grow in bogs and a trip to a cranberry bog can be an adventure. The cranberries are harvested from mid-September to the end of October. Cranberry bogs can be found all over New England and the East coast of the United States. There are several in the state of Massachusetts. The cranberry harvesting method involves flooding the bogs then collecting the loose fruit. Combined with the brilliant fall foliage, the bright red berries are a beautiful fall sight. There are many delicious recipes for cranberries!

Cranberry bogs are flooded with water and then the cranberries are harvested. Some farms who give tours have small boats and knee-highs available for tourists to use to gather cranberries.

When you have made out your fall bucket list, we would love for you to share it in our comment section. Enjoy the fall season!

Copyright, Parents Want to Know 101: Family Fall Outdoor Activities - Bucket List, Sharon Rose, Parents Want to Know 101, October 9, 2014. Updated, October 5, 2015. All rights reserved.