Grocery Shopping with the Family (with FREEBIE)

Have you ever felt very frustrated or anxious while shopping with the family at the grocery store? Are your kids very antsy and you always feel unaccomplished after the event? Are you always forgetting things and have to go back to the store to buy things you forgot? Don't worry, in this blog post, I will be sharing my family tips with you, to make your life as busy parents, a little bit easier ;)

© Everything Family Guide

Here are some tips for effective grocery shopping for busy moms and dads:

1. You know all about the "Grocery List". It is very important for families that go grocery shopping to make a list before heading out. It allows you easily plan healthy meals and reduce the stress of shopping with your family. You are probably wondering about how it only takes a few minutes to make a list, but it is equally important to make an effective one. As busy parents, our schedules, time constraints and responsibilities, don't allow us to revisit shopping stores. This is an added stress and makes you feel helpless at times! To avoid that stressful scenario, make a list when your kids are napping or sleeping at night. I go around each room of the house (i.e. kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, powder room, closet, etc) and make a simple list of things that are gone or in dire need of replacing. For some weird reason, when I go to a particular room in the house I remember what I need much better than composing a list on my couch or while I'm doing housework.
2. I have a magnetic shopping list on the fridge that I fill in whenever I run out of items in the kitchen or around the house. For example, if we run out of dishwasher liquid, I fill it in, so that if I didn't get a chance to make a list I have what I really need. This list is the most important list, as it has all the items that we ran out of and use on a day-to-day basis.
3. Buy your foods in bulk. Buy bulk chicken from the meat shop by ordering a box of chicken thighs or legs cut up and evenly divided into freezer bags (I know I'm spoiled; our butcher is a God-sent!) Anyhow, we freeze the chicken and pull it out in the morning for the day's meal. I let my meat thaw in the fridge overnight or in a basin of warm water (only if I'm cooking right away). We also love Costco! We buy our snacks, breads, and other household/grocery items in bulk. We have a stand-alone deep freezer that we bought last year and we place our bulk grocery in there. Bulk shopping reduces the stress of buying everyday use things. I also buy dry items like healthy snack mixes, nuts, beans, or lentils in bulk. Lentils are a great source of protein and very budget friendly. We make lentils a few times per week. Also, snack mixes and nuts are much healthier and cost-effective than unhealthy snacks like chips, candies, juices/fizzy drinks, ready-made or packaged desserts or cookies.
4. The main stress of grocery shopping aside from 'tantrums' is the COST. That's why making a grocery list is key! You can browse through online or hard-copy flyers to pick and choose items that are in season and/or on sale. This will save you money and help you stay on top of your budget. I know its sounds mean but please refrain from impulsive buying as you will overspend. Only buy what is needed. No matter what the family income (high, medium, or low), it is important to avoid costly grocery store bills of food that might just get stale or rot in the pantry. All that money wasted can go into your child's college fund! You can always give yourself an occasional treat but not every time, if you know what I mean.
5. Park the car near the grocery side of the store, so that you can be in and out in no time. If you park on the pharmacy or clothing side, then you will stop to look and waste your time before the 'Untimely Tantrum' strikes (hehe..).
6. Sadly, the days of leisurely strolling in the grocery store are over! Well not exactly, you just have to wait till your kids are going to school and a little more independent to stay at home with an adult. Anyways, you need to make a time limit or set an alarm on your cell phone so that you don't waste time, before any of your kids decide to act up. I go with a set mind frame of what I need to buy and come out with the things I need in the same amount of time that was set in my timer. I know it seems like "Amazing Race" or "Grocery Games" but trust me, you don't want to be halfway through the grocery shopping experience and have your little one throw a major tantrum. Previously, I have had to leave everything as is and leave the store because my little one was very, very noisy and fidgety.
7. I am sad to say this but I have to resort to the Candy/treat technique for those high anxiety moments when my child is screaming his head off and I feel so embarrassed and helpless. I have little candies (like chocolate kisses, mints, gum, etc) and if a tantrum strikes, I tell them to settle down in the cart to earn a treat. This is very rare and only happens when I'm alone and REALLY need those groceries!
8. Let your kids take the responsibility of holding items, reading off the grocery list and putting safe/light items on the conveyor belt at the cashiers'. Little preschooler or toddlers love to help out and you can use that to your benefit. Let them pick out the apples or hold something (light) so that they feel valuable and stay busy.

So, now you know the tips and tricks I use for effective grocery shopping as busy parents. What are some strategies that you apply to your grocery shopping experience?

Annie
Here is the FREEBIE as promised (I have coordinated the checklist with the food guide).

Series of Themed Play - Firetrucks & Fire Safety

Hi there! We are back with our Themed Play Series. So far, we have looked at pets (puppies) and construction trucks. Now we will be playing with our fire fighter toys. These toys are accompanied with a Little Fire Engine story book. I have decided to accompany reading resources to go along with our Themed Series Play, after all it is mainly focused on language and speech development. Here we go...

© Everything Family Guide

• Sit with your child to push and pull the firetruck towards each other. Say: "Push" or "Pull".
• Ask him/her to call the emergency service using a toy phone. Say: "Dial 911". Now ask him/her to be the 911 operator, while you report the fire. Say: "There is a fire at my place. Please help me".
• Teach him/her to say their name and street address (i.e. "Sara Parker, 21 Jump Street, my house is on fire"). Now pretend to call 911 again and say his name, address and state the emergency.
• Pretend that something is on fire in the house. Tell your child to drive the fire truck to the burning spot by making siren noises. Say: "Nee-nah, Nee-nah!" and drive the truck fast. This sound is called a "Siren" and it alerts everyone that a fire engine is coming.
• Upon arrival at the scene of the pretend fire, put out the fire by making spraying noises. Say: "Splash, Splash, Splatter, Splatter".
• Rescue a plush cat, or other toy things like animals or people.
• Talk about volunteering and how most firefighters are volunteers. Say: "Helping the community", "volunteer". A volunteer is someone who helps others out of kindness and an act of good will.
• Talk about a fire fighter's job and what they do? A firefighters job is a job of Honor: he or she is the "rescuer". They are brave and kind people who help others in need by putting out the fire, giving medical attention to victims, and saving people from dangerous locations.
• Visit a fire station by calling them in advance to see if you can book a visit on "International Firefighter Day" or any regular day when they accept visits from outsiders.
• Talk about a fire emergency truck and some of the parts that are used during an emergency. Point to the parts of the truck as you say: "hose", "ladder", "water pump", "foam", "tools' box", "traffic cones", "water tank", "walkie-talkies", "fire blankets", "first aid kits", and "gas masks with an oxygen tanks".
• Talk about the use of a fire hydrant and how firetrucks rely on them to put out the fire. Visit the nearest fire hydrant on your street. Say: "Fire hydrant", "Connect the hose to the fire hydrant".
• Talk about a firefighters' uniform and what does it consist of? Say: "helmet", "boots", "gloves", "pants" and "coat". These things are fire-proof and they help keep a fire fighter safe from heat or fire.
• Talk about Smoke Alarms in the home and their important role of informing you with a loud beeping sound that there may be a fire or smoke. Check to see if your alarm had a new battery and do a smoke alarm test to see that it works.
• Talk about safety when exiting the home, if there is a large visible fire in your home. Talk about escaping from the nearest exit like a door. Talk about toxic smoke and how it can make people unconscious. Say: Walk as far away from the building as you can to stay safe and NEVER go back inside. Say: "Escape", "Exit", "Go outside and Stay outside".
• Teach and practise the actions: "Stop, Drop and Roll". Demonatrate: stop what you are doing, drop on the floor and roll from side to side. Tell your child that this is what you do if your clothes catch on fire.
• Ask: "What is fire?" Say words like "Smoke", "Fire", "Flames", "Toxic", "Burn", "Hot", "Dangerous", "Heat".
• Go online and learn more about fire and fire safety with Sparky the Fire Dog.
• Read about firefighters, fire safety:
1. Stop, Drop, and Roll: A Jessica Worries Book: Fire Safety by Margery Cuyler 
2. The Firefighters by Sue Whiting
3. Miss Mingo and the Fire Drill by Jamie Harper
4. Arthur's Fire Drill by Marc Brown
5. My Mom is a Firefighter by Lois G. Grambling

Fire Safety is a very important topic for your child to know and learn. You can teach your child about this topic through play and repeat over a period of time for effectiveness learning.

Have fun playing,

Annie

Preschool Reading Readiness

© Everything Family Guide

We are currently reading levelled readers together to get my preschooler ready for school. Levelled readers are a series of books that have age appropriate vocabulary and content. Most levelled readers are marked according to reading levels expected at the end of each grade at school. For example, a "K" levelled book is what may be expected from students in a Kindergarten classroom to master at the end of the school year. On the other hand, some levelled readers are based on reading ability. There is a lot of research that goes into the publishing of such levelled readers. The child is matched to the right level of books at the right time (aka reading readiness).

Levelled readers are the perfect opportunity for parents and educators to spend one-on-one time reading with the child. This can build into reading and recognising certain words or simple sentences. After reading, you can delve into questioning, analysing, summarising or retelling the story. This type of reading exercise using levelled readers is called "Guided Reading". It is also the perfect opportunity for beginning readers.

Remember when choosing a book for your preschooler use a text that has simple sentences, large or bold print, and accompanying parent teaching tips. In the beginning you will be doing most of the reading, while your child follows along. In the course of time, your child will start recognising commonly used words such as I, the, me, my, he, she, is, it, etc. Believe it or not, that's a big milestone for your preschooler! 

© Everything Family Guide

Reading is all about practise; the more you read, the more you will learn. Nowadays, we are reading K levelled readers that allows the parents to read the text on the left hand side and the child to read the large print text on the right side by looking at picture for clues. My son loves it and is able to get it right most of the time. As an elementary teacher, my experience with levelled readers in my classroom has always been beneficial to the students. I highly recommend age and ability appropriate levelled readers along with picture books, for a pre or beginning reader! The best part is that you can find lots of levelled reader series and levelled reader brands/publishers in your local library.

What are some reading strategies that you use with your kids?

Annie

Homemade Yogurt

There is nothing more delicious and easy to make than homemade yogurt. All you need is a good bacterial culture starter, milk and a warm/room temperature spot in the house. My family has been making yogurt for generations and the recipe with specific techniques are passed down generation to generation. Homemade yogurt is fresh, healthy, easy-to-make in large batches and cheaper than the store-bought alternative. Are you ready to uncover the secret of making yogurt at home and getting it right each and every time? Here it is (shhhh... ;)

© Everything Family Guide

Materials

• A container with a fitted lid (plastic, stainless steel or glass; they all work).
• 1 cup Milk (preferably 2% and up; I use higher fat content for my growing kids but you can also keep it light for a healthier version)
• 2 Tbsp thick fatty yogurt (Greek yogurt is the best!)
• A pot for warming the milk

Procedure

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the container. 
2. Spoon 2 tbsp yogurt in the container and place the lid. Now shake the yogurt very well so that it coats all the corners of the container (hence the fitted container; to avoid messy spills).
3. Now take the lid off, make sure the yogurt is coated in all corners of the container (if not, then repeat step 2).
4. In the meantime, pour the milk in the pot and bring to medium low heat. When you start to see little bubbles form on the top edges of the pot, then turn off the heat.
5. Now, COMPLETELY cool the milk (I emphasize the word "completely" because if you don't then you won't get yogurt but runny goop..hehe). Check the temperature of the milk with your pinky finger; if it is at room temperature or just slightly warm, then the milk is ready).
6. The most important step is this one. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE THE CONTAINER WHILE OR AFTER POURING THE MILK! So place the container before pouring, in a safe, unreachable or unmovable spot (like the inside of a turned off oven or in the corner of the counter close to the stove). Milk needs a warm environment to begin the fermentation process of making yogurt. If you move it, then you won't make yogurt. 
7. Carefully pour the room temperature milk in the container and cover with the lid.
8. Finally, cover the container with a cheese cloth without moving the container and leave it as is for 1 whole night (around 12 hours).
9. Now the hardest part begins...waiting. I know you are tempted to see if your yogurt is ready but don't open it or it will be wasted and there will be no yogurt. This happened to one of my friends, but she got it right once she followed all my steps.
10. The next morning, carefully remove the cheese cloth and open the lid. Touch and taste from the corner of the container and if it is thick and acidic, then your yogurt is ready. (If the yogurt is not ready, place the lid and cheese cloth back on (w/out moving the container) and leave it for another 12 hours.) You are ready to serve homemade yogurt. Note: It is best to keep homemade yogurt refrigerated.

Enjoy! Tell me how it turned out...
Annie

Questions, Questions, and Questions!

Do you have a toddler, preschooler or a big kid that asks you non-stop questions? Always, every time and about everything?

© Everything Family Guide

That's good news! It tells you that your little person is very inquisitive and wants to be on top of his or her game. Never ever squash their questions! Take the time to really listen and provide open-ended answers (Minus the yes or no questions and give ones that will lead to more questions). Huh?! More questions? YES! Sometimes you may be too tired to answer him/her back or you may just want some peace or quiet. But that is where parents go wrong. By taking the time to answer those questions, you are helping your child's mind and imagination grow in leaps and bounds. This will help them in the later years of their lives (i.e. schooling, work,...). 

How should you answer the questions that your pre-schooler asks?

- Close-Ended Answers: when you give a 'yes' or 'no' or one word answers to a question, you put up an invisible barrier that says "this is the end" of questions. These kinds of answers are limited in vocabulary and provide very little insight on the topic at hand.  This signals the questioner that there is nothing left to learn about the topic or you create a frustrating road block for them. An example of a close-ended question and answer:

Q: What do whales eat?

Close-Ended A: Food

- Open-Ended Answers: when you give an answer with a sentence full of details, then you are opening a channel to further communication. This leads the questioner to believe that 'there's more to the story than meets the eye.' Which further leads to more questions in consent of more knowledge. Usually the 5W's & H (who, what, when, where, why, and how) questions are the ones that helps you create a link to the ideas of the topic. An example of an open-ended question and answer:

Q: What do whales eat?

Open-ended A: Other animals that live under water (this answer will definitely prompt more questions about the names of the prey, eating habits of whales, food chain, etc.)

What are some of the advantages of questioning?

1. It opens up your critical thinking processes where one thought leads to another, forming a new question(s). This keeps on going in the head, once our mind fully understands the concept.

2. Questions help you with forming new ideas or thoughts in your head. This is great for researching/learning about something new or going in-depth to understand more about something.

3. Asking questions will build your curiosity making you eager to learn more.

Remember to encourage questioning in your child. You can do that by modelling the questioning technique. Some great opportunities to try asking questions or to model the questioning technique are:

- During book read aloud or book sharing

- Discovering something new

- Learning a new fact

- Researching for facts 

- Brainstorming for ideas

- Interviewing someone for facts or research, and

- Many more

Remember you have the key to unlock that door....so share your wisdom generously!

Annie