President Barack Obama is in Baltimore today, but it's his wife's last pronouncement on her campaign against childhood obesity that's caught my attention. As the president did several months ago in an education speech, First Lady Michelle Obama has taken a personal tack -- divulging some private information about her children -- to drive home her point about early intervention in kids' health.

In remarks at a YMCA in Virginia, Obama said her daughters' pediatrician warned her -- some time ago, apparently -- that the girls were getting "off track" in terms of body-mass index, according to this story. After the family made some simple changes -- making sure Sasha and Malia got enough exercise, offering vegetables and fruit at meals, limiting TV -- the change in the children's health was dramatic, she said.

In many ways, the First Lady is pointing a finger at herself with this story. She's saying she didn't notice that her children needed to eat better because she saw them as "perfect," as many parents do.

Any busy mom can relate. When we're told our children aren't measuring up to some standard, our first instinct is to feel enormously guilty. The personal aspect brings the story home and helps us remember how important the message is.

On the other hand, I do wonder about the kids' privacy factor here, and how disclosures like these could open the door to unwanted scrutiny for the first daughters. (In a poll here about the education speech, the majority of you felt grade information, for example, should be shared only with the child's permission or not at all, period.)

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Health
        

If you read the initial version of my weekly Things to Do post this week, you may have noticed there was no listing for Sunday events. That's because I apparently cut it out, along with a listing for a body-image workshop, in a late-night frenzy to fix some errant code. Please read the corrected version here.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Things to Do
        

It's Sarah K.K., back with another installment of Toddler Thursday ...

This morning when I got to work, I had two plastic balls in my jacket pocket. Monday I showed up with two jingle bells -- and a miniature remote control.

I'm not a hoarder or a kleptomaniac, I swear. I'm just acting in my new role as The Confiscator. Every morning, not long before time to head out the door, my toddler Isaac becomes fixated on some random toy or book. I made the mistake a couple of times of taking the items away after we got to daycare. Dealing with The Confiscator and The Dropper-Offer at the same time was too much for him to handle at once, I quickly learned.

So now I ease the items out of his hands before we leave the house or before we get out of the car -- but somehow they keep ending up in my coat pockets. Or my purse. I just switched bags and haven't cleaned out my old purse yet, but I'm quite sure there are a couple of Little People, a block or two and a magnet shaped like the back half of a pig in there. (My car? Let's not even go there.)

I'm not the only one with this problem, right? Make me feel better: Tell me about the random items you've found on your person. Bonus points if you just found it today.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Toddler Thursday
        

UPDATE: Due to a cutting and pasting error by me, the date listing for Sunday and the body image workshop at Sheppard Pratt were left off the original version of this post. The body-image workshop, Chizuk Amuno concert, and model train display are all happening on Sunday, as you'll see in the corrected version below. My apologies for the error.

A birthday party for Sesame Street characters, a positive body-image program, a visit with a wildlife rehabilitator who inspired a book, and lots of cute pets are on tap this weekend. Of course, the snow may disrupt things, so it's good to check on your event before you go.

Thanks to Shruti Rastogi for pulling together the list:

Thursday, Jan. 28:

 Happy Birthday, Ernie & Elmo! Rubber duckies, saxophone sheet music and anything red are gift ideas for the birthday celebration of Sesame Street’s Ernie and Elmo (although, Elmo’s birthday isn’t until Feb. 3) at the Glenwood branch of the Howard County Library. The 30-minute celebrations, which include stories, songs, crafts and refreshments, are for kids ages 2- 6 and will start at 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., or 2 p.m. Registration required; register online or call (410) 313-5579.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears Winter Puppet Show: Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the North Carroll branch of the Carroll County Public Library at 10 a.m. 

Pump it Up in Owings Mills is holding their “School is Out Jump” event where kids can jump from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. for $6.

Oregon Ridge Nature Center will teach participants about how animals find food in winter and lead participants on a hike around the park. The night ends “sweetly” as participants make s’mores around a campfire. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $3 a person.

Friday, Jan. 29:

World of Pets Expo: The Annual World of Pets Expo is being held at Maryland State Fairgrounds from Jan. 29 – 31. On Friday it will be open from 2 p.m. -8 p.m., on Saturday 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. and on Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kids under 5 free, kids 5-12 $5, and those over 12 $9. Tickets must be bought at the door using cash.

Native American Fun: Kids will learn about how Native American kids live at the Irvine Nature Center. They will play and make the same games and a craft that Native American kids play and make. If the weather is good, the fun will continue outside at the wigwam located on the grounds. The activity is intended for kids ages 7-10 and goes from 1 p.m. -2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $6 for members and $10 for non-members. Pre-registration is required and ends today; call (443) 738-9220.

Saturday, Jan. 30

Oh, Ethiopia! This Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 30-31) are the last days to participate in the free Ethiopian-inspired drop-in art activity at The Walters Art Museum. Kids can drop in from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to make Gunda Gunde Parade Fans.

Owl Open House: Meet Wildlife Rehabilitator Kathy Woods, who inspired the book, Baby Owl’s Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis, at the Eden Mill Nature Center for free from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Donuts and hot chocolate will be served. Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling (410) 836-3050.

Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage: The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Classical Kids LIVE!, a company combining theater with music, will perform the story of Mozart’s life as seen through the eyes of his son. The show starts at 11 a.m. at the Joesph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. A ticket also grants access to the “Family Fun Zone,” which starts at 10 a.m. and includes the Port Discovery Children’s Museum’s interactive World Rhythm Drum Circus, the Maryland Zoo’s ZOOmobile (cute animals for kids to pet), an instrument petting zoo (so kids can see how they work) and face painting. Tickets are between $12 and $20 a seat.

Sunday, Jan. 31:

Promoting Positive Self-Esteem and Body Image: This free program for all ages is being offered from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt. Registration required; call 410-938-3157.

Joanie Leeds in Concert: Joanie Leeds will be performing Hebrew and English songs from her Parents’ Choice-winning album “City Kid” as well as her new album at the Chizuk Amuno Congregation from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The concert is intended for pre-schoolers. Tickets are required and can be ordered at (410) 486-8642 and cost $5 per person or $18 for a family of 4 or more.

BSME Open House: See operating model trains at the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers from 1-5 p.m. Admission is by donation. *Note: they are located on the third floor of their building and do not have elevator access.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Things to Do
        

Oh, snap! It's National Chocolate Cake Day.

From our recipe archives, may I suggest celebrating with: Chocolate Angel-Food Cake, or the deliciously simple Wacky Cake, loved by kids and vegan to boot in some forms (i.e., if you leave off that whipped cream).

(Photo of angel food cake from "A Year In Chocolate," by Jacques Torres. Photo of Wacky Cake, right, by me)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Food and Recipes
        

OK, this isn't the most beautiful picture I have ever taken. But it depicts a certain beauty to me in a dinner together -- the beauty of ease.

The beauty of, we have chicken thighs but absolutely nothing jazzy to put on them. And no fresh spices because it is the dead of winter.

On nights like this, the extremely simple recipe my husband spotted on chowhound will get you through...and your kids, like mine did, might even like it.

Blink and you'll miss these directions...

Super-easy Baked Chicken Thighs

Serves 6-8

8 chicken thighs, skin on
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried rosemary

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Set chicken thighs on a sturdy baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 for another 35-40 min until done. (Check with an instant-read thermometer -- the thighs should reach an internal temperature of about 175 degrees.)

Posted by kparke30 on chowhound.com

Per serving (based on 8): 154 calories, 10 grams fat, 16 grams protein, 3 grams saturated fat 0 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 58 milligrams cholesterol, 634 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dinner Together, Food and Recipes
        

Michael and Monica Simonsen, the Baltimore couple who have been trying to adopt a Haitian orphan toddler nearly all his life, have happy news -- if all goes well, they're bringing the boy home tonight.

Joe Burris spoke with the couple by phone earlier today and filed this report:

Michael Simonsen traveled to Haiti hoping to bring home Stanley Hermane, a 21-month-old who had been at an orphanage for most of his life. He and a couple of other adoptive fathers were able to bring seven Haitian orphans -- far fewer than they expected -- to the U.S. from Port au Prince early Monday morning. The Simonsens spoke about reuniting with Stanley this afternoon at Orlando International Airport, while awaiting a flight to Baltimore.

The joy of finally bringing Stanley come did not come without its struggles, the Simonsens said.
The couple flew to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and joined several other families and adoption agency personnel before the fathers flew to Port-au-Prince via private jet, arriving in a small airport on Saturday afternoon. They pitched tents in a small village at the airport for the night, then went to the U.S. Embassy on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. to get the adoption procedures in motion.

Michael said he saw Stanley at about 2 p.m., along with six other children who had been cleared for adoption and were brought to the embassy for photos.

“When they brought him over for his pictures, it was a little bit surreal,” said Michael. “I was excited but it felt bittersweet. Lots of kids were expecting to see their parents and they were not allowed to leave.”

Michael said that the agency he and Monica have been working with to bring Stanley home initially expected more than a dozen orphans to be cleared for adoption, with dozens more to follow.

Michael and the other fathers brought the seven orphans back to the U.S. on a midnight flight that carried about 80 other orphans. The flight had been scheduled to arrive in Miami (about half an hour from Fort Lauderdale) but instead arrived in Orlando -- more than four hours away -- at 3 a.m.

They didn’t get out of customs until 8 p.m.

Monica Simonsen drove to Orlando and met up with her family.

“By the time I got to see him, we were just so tired,” said Monica. “Stanley was sleeping. We had just seen him months ago, so it felt normal. The next day, I woke up and realized that I didn’t have to say goodbye to him anymore.”

She said that Stanley was congested but added, “He’s doing great.”

Michael Simonsen said that it seemed ironic that he would touch down in the U.S. with Stanley in Orlando. “We were joking that maybe we should just go ahead and take them all to Disney World,” he said.

(Photo of the Simonsens with Stanley courtesy of the Simonsens)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Adoption
        

Update: The Guttmacher Institute is the correct name of the group involved in this report -- it changed its name in 2005. I've made the change below.

Speaking of "The Pregnancy Pact," a new report based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Guttmacher Institute says teen pregnancy is on the rise again. According to this story about the report in the Washington Post, teen pregnancy in the U.S. rose 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 -- the first jump since 1990.

The numbers are renewing debate over the best way to keep teens from getting pregnant -- programs that teach contraception, abstinence, or some mixture of the two.

How will you talk to your daughters and sons about this?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Teens
        

Liz Atwood talks TV this Tween Tuesday:

OMG! Did you see iCarly last week? Nickelodeon scored a tween blockbuster with the episode "iSaved Your Life." More than 11 million viewers watched Carly kiss the sweet and long-suffering Freddie. It was the popular series' most-watched telecast ever with kids 2-11, kids 6-11, and tweens 9-14. We've already seen the episode twice in my house.

Fans will know this isn't the first time characters have locked lips on the show. Last year Carly kissed her bad-boy boyfriend and Freddie and Sam shared a secret kiss in an earlier episode. But this time, it was different. The romantic tension between these two characters has been building since the show began -- and Carly and Freddie didn't kiss just once but several times. Now I'm no prude, and these kisses were about as chaste as they come. Let it be noted that Freddie was injured and one arm was in a cast so there was absolutely no contact beyond the lips.

Still, I wonder is this marks a turning point for the No. 1 tween show. The actors in the series are growing up. How will the show's creators keep the characters real without offending their core tween audience (or, more likely, the audience's parents)? I hope Miranda Cosgrove will manage to avoid the pitfalls of her tween idol predecessors Britney and Miley. But now that the kissing has begun, it's going to be interesting to see where all this leads.

Stay tuned.

(PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

President Obama today outlined a series of proposals to make life easier on middle class families, including a plan to double the child care tax credit for families making less than $85,000.

There's also a proposal to spend $1.6 billion more on federal funding for child care programs.

What do you think? Will these plans, if they become reality, help you take care of your kids on a day-to-basis?

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Today's Consult comes from a new report on "Chasing the College Acceptance Letter" published by the Center for Public Education, an initiative of the National School Boards Association. It has some interesting tidbits and tips for parents and students:

The good news it reports is that students today actually have the same chance of getting into college today that they did a decade ago, and top applicants have a slightly better chance than they did of getting into a highly competitive college.

Here are a few pieces of advice from the report:

•"Having the right credentials to get into college doesn’t necessarily mean straight A’s. It just means students should earn decent grades, take college-preparatory courses, and perform well on their college entrance exams. Students who fulfill the above credentials should be able to get into a competitive, four-year college, even if it isn’t their dream college."

•"Taking more rigorous courses, especially in math and science, gives an applicant a better chance of getting into a competitive college than does raising his or her GPA. For instance, lower-achieving students could increase their chances by over 10 percent if they simply took trigonometry instead of stopping math at algebra II. Higher college entrance exam scores also increase a student’s chances."

•"In general, all applicants had slightly higher grades in 2004 than in 1992, but the higher GPAs did not increase their chances of getting into college; more rigorous courses and better scores on college entrance exams did."

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: The Monday Consult
        

A made-for-TV movie called "The Pregnancy Pact," about a group of high school girls who made a pact to get pregnant, will air tomorrow night. Columnist and Garden Variety blogger Susan Reimer watched a preview and brings us this guest post:

In the summer of 2008, "Time" magazine reported that 17 high school girls in a struggling Massachusetts fishing town made a pact to get pregnant, and the news rocked the nation.

The nurse at the high school in Gloucester said she administered more than 100 pregnancy tests and some of the girls, none older than 16, showed disappointment when the test came out negative and others high-fived their friends when the test was positive.

The TV trucks arrived and turned the crisis into a circus.

For the national media, it was an irresistible story line, and it quickly became a "Law & Order" episode, a novel and now, the movie, which will air at 9 p.m. Saturday night on Lifetime.

The movie takes the line that such a pregnancy pact did exist, although that would come into serious doubt after the "Time" magazine story appeared. But that is the only question the movie answers for its viewers.

The why - why did these girls get pregnant at 15 and 16? - is never clear. But the consequences of those pregnancies is on vivid display in the movie, as are the trials of teen parenthood.

"The Pregnancy Pact" is not a public service announcement. The complexity of the characters and the dialogue do not have that hollow sound of a script trying too hard to make a point. And the confused thinking of these teens is real.

The producers had some help with that.

Marisa Nightingale, from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies, was on hand to bring some resonance to the story of these girls. And some facts to the debate the movie chronicles.

"It isn't two hours of trying to find out was there or was there not a pact," said Nightingale. "It is about how do you get to a point where one girl, let alone, 18, wants to get pregnant as a teen."

Nightingale said she had more access during the production of this movie, which stars Nancy Travis as a conservative mom and Camryn Manheim as the school nurse, than she has had during all of her 13 years of helping television and movie people tell accurate stories about teens and sex.

"They didn't want it to be cartoonish," she said. "They wanted it to be complicated and complex and have different points of view."

There are moments when you can hear the voice of the National Campaign. Video blogger Sidney Bloom, played by Thora Birch, who returns to her old high school to chronicle the epidemic of pregnancies, can sound like she is testifying before Congress sometimes.

But there is a drama arc in the movie and there are secrets that are revealed. If there is a bad guy, it is the media. (Ouch.) The girls who conspire to get pregnant are not sinister. One girl gets pregnant and she is scared enough to want her friends to go along with her. Another is hoping to keep a boyfriend from leaving for college. Another wants something to love her back.

But all their heads are filled with magical thinking about raising their children together, about matching outfits and playdates and home-cooked meals.

And the parents, if stressed by the poor economy of their town, are guilty of what so many of us are guilty of: telling our children to wait for sex without telling them how to wait; telling our children to wait without telling them why - that they have a future that is worth postponing pregnancy for.

The movie is a teachable moment for parents and teens - in a very real sense.

"The abstinence only mom thinks she is really clear about things with her daughter and then her daughter gets pregnant on purpose," said Nightingale. "It shows that you have to do more, talk more. That this is a very complicated issue."

You can learn more about the movie and get resources for talking with teens about pregnancy here.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Movies
        

In light of John Edwards' admission that he fathered a daughter, now 2, out of wedlock, Joe Burris looks at another famous figure whose daughter was denied far longer.

When former presidential candidate John Edwards admitted this week that he had fathered a child during an extramarital affair, he joined a list of prominent figures whose infidelity ultimately led to similar embarrassing confessions. One in particular stands out -- basketball legend Julius Erving, who tried to hide the existence of his daughter from public view until she became a star athlete herself.

Erving finally acknowledged that former tennis standout Alexandra Stevenson was his daughter as she rose to stardom while advancing to the Wimbledon semifinals in 1999. But it was years before they finally really met. Here's an amazing story from ESPN.com about their journey to mutual acceptance.

(Associated Press photo)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Father's Day Tuesday
        

Sometimes the generation gap seems more like a chasm, as Guest Dad Joe Burris observes on this Father's Day Friday:

One day, I repeated something to my 13-year-old older daughter that I had mentioned before and I said, “I hope I don’t sound like a broken record.”

She looked at me puzzled.

“I mean, a stuck CD,” I said, and she got it.

I thought to myself, “I wonder what I’ll say when my 3-year-old gets old enough for such conversations. Do iTunes skip? But by then they will be obsolete, too.”

The old adage says, “You’re as old as you feel.” Lately the generation gap between me and my daughters has left me feeling as if I need to start reading Modern Maturity magazine. I look at my children’s ever-changing world and often I can’t help but think back to the old days.

To wit, remember when:

The only thing you did with a phone was talk?

You were actually surprised to hear curse words on television?

“Laugh out loud” and “be right back” were spelled as “laugh out loud” and “be right back”?

Bowling was done in an alley and not on a console?

The only undergarments you ever saw were your own?

I like progress, but sometimes it feels like a 33 rpm playing on 45 rpm.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Father's Day Tuesday
        

At nearly 2 years old, Frances Quinn Hunter isn't "new," of course. But for the first time, former presidential candidate John Edwards has admitted he fathered the child during an affair with videographer Rielle Hunter.

According to the Associated Press story, it appears that Frances -- known as "Quinn" -- was conceived "during the middle of 2007." That would be close to July 2007, when Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, renewed their wedding vows in honor of their 30th anniversary.

But the most interesting thing about today's story, to me at least, was this quote from Elizabeth Edwards, who reportedly urged her husband to acknowledge his paternity of the child. She has said that whether or not he fathered the child didn't matter to her..."that would be a part of John's life, but not a part of mine."

Wow. Would you see it that way?

(Associated Press photo)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Parenting in general
        

It's National Pie Day this weekend! Celebrate at the Westminster branch of the Carroll County Public Library on Friday. And there's more on tap for families this weekend:

Thursday, Jan. 21:

Nature Storytime: Listen to a story and make a craft about nature at 11 a.m. at Eden Mill Nature Center. Free, but a donation toward the craft is requested. Reservation required; call 410-836-3050.

Starry, Starry Night Kids 7-11 can learn about what Galileo saw in the sky and what we can see today through stories and activities at the Glenwood branch of the Howard County Library. At 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 22:

Celebrate National Pie Day by hearing pie stories, making a craft, and -- oh yes -- eating "a tasty treat" (what would that be?) at 1 p.m. at the Westminster branch of the Carroll County Public Library. For all ages; under 5 must be accompanied by an adult.

Books Are a Blast: Beowulf T. Wonderbunny and Tom Lilly do magic, juggling and balloon tricks at 10:30 a.m. at the Rosedale branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Plus, meet bookworms Pinky and Floyd, and see Beowulf’s bookmobile.

Saturday, Jan. 23:

Orioles Fanfest 2010: It's officially time to switch your local sports fanaticism from the Ravens to the Orioles, and the best place to get in the spirit is at FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Current and former Orioles players and coaches will be on hand to sign autographs and lead discussions. The day-long baseball celebration also includes clinics, exhibits and interactive games. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 to $10. Go to ticketmaster.com.

Baltimore Dance Crews Project holds a free community dance workshop from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Baltimore Freedom Academy, 1601 E. Lombard St. Check-in starts at 1:50 p.m. The workshop is limited to students from four local schools, who must register onlie and return a parent/guardian permission form; details here. Participants should dress in sweats or gym shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers.

Teen Night at the Walters:Teens can submit entries to a touchable art exhibit, learn about artists from the past who "broke the rules," and participate in some “rule breaking” art activities from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. a the Walters Art Museum. There will also be music and food. Free.

Sunday, Jan. 24:

Shira Kline at Bolton Street Synagogue: Kline and her band Shirlala will perform "outrageously hip Jewish kiddie rock" at 3 p.m. at the Bolton Street Synagogue. $5; tickets can be purchased online.

The Festival of Trees: Celebrate Tu B'Shevat (the Festival of Trees) with crafts, a mitzvah project, playtime, stories and a sing-a long at 10 a.m. at the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Jewish Community Center of Baltimore. $10 per family.

(Photo by Baltimore Sun photographer Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Things to Do
        

We proclaimed kid product recalls one of the top family stories of 2009, and they don't seem to be slowing down in 2010. Consuming Interests has the details on a voluntary recall of 1.5 million Graco strollers because of fingertip injuries to children -- the same kind of problem that prompted a recall of Maclaren strollers last year.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Every mom has to have a great chocolate chip cookie in her repertoire. This is my all-time favorite, courtesy of the great Dorie Greenspan. I like it because it's an exceptionally tidy, beautiful chocolate chip cookie -- beloved by kids, but decidedly grown up.

First of all, it uses not chocolate chips but chocolate chunks, which allows the baker to indulge in better chocolate than you might typically find in chip form. (I made this recipe recently because I needed to use up some good-quality milk chocolate bars -- not normally so great for baking -- and I found they were great mixed in with bittersweet chunks.) Secondly, the well-creamed dough turns out a nice, thin cookie that's in great control of itself, as you can see from how easily the cookies stacked up for the picture. I like to make them without nuts, to keep the lines prettier, but they'd be good with nuts as well.

Here's the recipe:

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 45 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 teaspoons if you really like salt)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks (a mixture of bittersweet and milk chocolate works surprisingly well, I found)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts, if using.
Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden at the center; they may still be a little soft in the middle, and that's just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for one minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

From "Baking: From My Home to Yours," by Dorie Greenspan

Per cookie: 126 calories, 8 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 1 gram protein, 16 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 77 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Liz Atwood is in Ravens withdrawal this Tween Tuesday:

The Ravens are out of the playoffs, but football season hasn't ended yet at our house. We're still watching the games and speculating on the final Super Bowl match up. We're debating which team has the best quarterback, defensive line and offensive receivers. But when the season does finally end with Super Bowl Sunday, I'll be sorry.

I've never been a football fanatic, but with two tween boys I've learned to enjoy the game. Football gives us something in common--something to talk about and do together for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. Moms of tween daughters might enjoy shopping with their girls or watching "So You Think You Can Dance" on TV. But football is the tie that binds in our home. And it bridges the generational divide between my 78-year-old father and my sons.

My boys don't often get to see their grandfather, who lives in Virginia. And when they do, they sometimes complain that they get bored because they have nothing to do in the small town where he lives. But a few weeks ago when we went to see him, we were all glued to the TV watching the football playoffs. And when I talk to my Dad on the phone these days, we talk about football. It's a nice diversion from the usual topics of weather and work.

So Ravens or not, I'm looking forward to spending the next few Sundays watching football with my boys.

What activities do you do to bond with your kids? Is it different for boys and girls?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

There's one more Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event to tell you about -- courtesy of the Forge Flyer, I've learned that the American Visionary Art Museum is offering free admission today, with special performances and events for the holiday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Things to Do
        

For today's Monday Consult, Daniel Waldman asked for advice in dealing with 3-year-old daughter's tantrums. "How can we encourage her to communicate more constructively without negating her emotions?" he wrote.

Dr. Joyce Harrison, director of preschool clinical programs at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, responded with these thoughts:

“Recognizing that this is a phase is a good first step. Tantrums are an important part of a preschooler's development, and most, if not all, parents have likely experienced firsthand some embarrassment, frustration and even anger during their child's tantrum in a public place.

"Tantrums may be more about a child's growing autonomy and desire to take control than expressing emotions. Tantrums generally are an expression of frustration, usually in response to something you won't give or can't do, something you choose for them to eat or wear. Your 3-year-old wants to be more independent but she may not yet have the skills to make decisions, understand her own limits or express herself with words.

"The best way to manage this behavior and ensure that it will not continue or get worse is to remember that tantrums are more about testing boundaries than expressing emotions. You will help your child most by remaining calm and not rewarding the behavior by giving it too much attention or by giving in to demands to stop the behavior. It helps to be consistent with your limit setting. If your child sees that whining and tantrums don't get her what she wants, she will eventually find more appropriate ways to get her needs met. You can help her by reminding her to use her words, or telling her it's hard to hear or understand her when she's whining. You can also help her by labeling her feelings and giving her suggestions about how to appropriately express what she's feeling and manage her frustration.

"Tantrums should become less frequent and less intense by age 4. If tantrums persist after 4 1/2 or if your child engages in destructive or dangerous behaviors during tantrums, then you should consult your pediatrician.”

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As more devastating images and stories emerge from the Haiti earthquake, children -- even those under, say, 10 -- are learning about the catastrophic loss of life. That naturally leads to hard questions for parents. How much should we tell them? Where is the line between honesty and too much information for children that young?

Take the poll, and then if you're inclined, share the story that's had me smiling all day -- of the Maryland aid workers pulled alive from the wreckage of the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince.

Unfortunately, it's one of the few bits of good news in this tragedy.

Loucene Bichotte, 6, is fed by his mother while recovering from a head wound caused by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Parenting in general
        

Here's Guest Dad Joe Burris with Father's Day Friday:

Late last year I wrote a post about driving in the HOV-2 lane with my 3-year-old daughter. I received a few responses from readers who said that though I had another passenger in the car, I should not have been driving in the lane.

They said that the purpose of high-occupancy-vehicles lanes is to reduce the number of cars on the road by making drivers share rides, and since my 3-year old can’t drive, we were not fulfilling that purpose.

I was taken aback by the comments, so much so that I decided to research the topic on the Web -- and I found out that it is indeed a hot one.

Motorists who share the same sentiments as those who wrote me go so far as to say that they should be able to count their pets as HOV passengers, since dogs and cats are no less occupants than children.

Others, meanwhile, say that while the purpose of the lanes is to reduce cars on the road, the requirements are only that at least two persons be present in the vehicle. They say that traffic would bog down if law enforcement checked to see whether everyone in the car had a license.

I then posed the question on Facebook, and a former colleague at the Nashville Tennessean became incensed that I would even bring it up.

“You've obviously never driven with 3 children before!” she said. “It's definitely a high [volume] occupancy vehicle. It probably is against the spirit of the HOV lane, but not against the law.”

What’s your opinion?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Parenting in general
        

It's Sarah K.K., back with another installment of Toddler Thursday ...except that Kate didn't post this until Friday. But it's still operative!

My husband called me at work the other afternoon. When I answered, he said, "And the Worst Parent of the Year goes to ... both of us."

Gulp.

I asked what had happened. Turned out our son's daycare had been trying to get a hold of us for three and a half hours.

WHAT?

My first worry was that Isaac was ill or injured. Thankfully, neither was the case. They'd had a power outage, and the facility was closing at 3 due to lack of heat. Well, they were trying to. It was a little after 3 when my husband glanced at his phone and noticed all the missed calls.

My next thought was: How?

I'd been away from my desk for most of the day working on an unexpected project. My husband's cell phone clip had broken, so he wasn't wearing it, and it turned out that his new case was so protective that it absorbed the sound when it vibrated to signal a call. Plus, he's changed jobs, and daycare didn't have his updated work number. Great.

I felt so terrible. My husband felt worse since he was the one who picked up Isaac, the last kid left there, wearing a sweat shirt and his jacket. (It wasn't that cold, but they weren't taking any chances, of course.)

I still feel so bad. It was such a fluke that we both missed all the calls. The next morning, I apologized to the director, and she said they knew there would be a couple of people they would have trouble getting in touch with, "but we never thought it would be you guys!" That made me feel a little better. Until Isaac started crying when I tried to leave. Worst Mommy ever!

But lessons learned, right? My cell phone goes with me everywhere now, and when daycare called earlier today, I picked it up in half a ring, so fast Isaac's teacher wasn't quite ready to talk yet.

And my techie husband came up with another solution, too. He signed us up for a Google Voice number that people can use in case of emergency, and it will ring to both our cells, both our desks and home, and voice mails will get emailed to us. That will hopefully prevent any of those flukes in the future. And it makes me feel a tiny bit better. But the Mommy guilt almost always wins.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This weekend has an extra day for family fun with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday. (And, of course, there's the Ravens game Saturday.)

Several museums have King-themed events on the weekend and on Monday. Our events database has more MLK events here.

Thursday, Jan. 14:

Jammie Movie Night: Families can watch a movie in their pajamas at 7 p.m. at the Linthicum branch of the Anne Arundel County Public Library. Popcorn will be served. 410-222-6265.

Winter Wonderland Storytime and Craft: Kids 3-12 can make a winter-themed craft and hear a story at 4 p.m. at the Govans branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. 410-396-6098.

Friday, Jan. 15:

Dig Those Dinosaurs: Beale Street Puppets will perform "Dig those Dinosaurs" at 11 a.m. at Slayton House for Rainbow Theatre. $5 in advance, $6 at the door.

Target $2 Family Fun Night: Admission to Port Discovery is $2 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 16:

Dragon Appreciation Day Who knew dragons needed an appreciation day? Activities for kids 6-12 start at 2 p.m. at the Central branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

"I Have a Dream" Weekend: Port Discovery observes Martin Luther King Jr., day with events Saturday and Sunday.

E-Bird Workshop: Kids 8 and up (with adult) can learn how to apply their own bird observationsto research being done by the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Irvine Nature Center. Learn to use Cornell’s free “eBird” website for your own birding benefits, as well as learning
about how your data helps researchers. $6 members, $10 non-members.

Sunday, Jan. 17:

New Year, New Perspectives: Abstract Expressionism is the theme of Free Family Sunday activities from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Art. For kids 6-14.

Monday, Jan. 18 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day):

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Day Parade: The 10th annual parade starts at noon at Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Eutaw Street, heads south on Martin Luther King Boulevard and ends at Baltimore Street. The reviewing stand will be at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Franklin Street.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday celebration: Celebrate the holiday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture. Activities will include a book discussion, musical entertainment, crafts and films. $5.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Festival: Activities, art projects and performances will be geared for the whole family from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Walters Art Museum.

(Photo by Baltimore Sun photographer Christopher Assaf)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Things to Do
        

Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover -- now with the Indianapolis Colts -- is the subject of a nice piece by our Ken Murray today. In it, Stover talks about his dual life -- kicking for the Colts while still living in the Baltimore area, where he tries to carve out family time with his wife and children who are 14, 13, and 6.

The mention of the 6-year old made me smile, because in 2003, the Stovers were in a childbirth class with us at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

It was one of those "refresher" courses -- all of us had had at least one child already -- so the class was as much about helping siblings deal with a new arrival as it was about the mechanics of childbirth.

What struck me about the Stovers, and what still strikes me, is how they didn't call attention to themselves. I remember that when we went around the room to talk about ourselves, Stover said something about "not working right now." Well, it wasn't football season, so I guess that was right.

It wasn't until the second or third session of the class that my husband figured out who Stover was. "That's Matt Stover," he whispered urgently to me as we took our seats that day.

Of course, not being a huge football fan, I was clueless. My husband had to explain to me who this was.

"Go get his autograph," I said. (I know. Stupid. Now, I plead pregnant.)

My husband took umbrage at this. "No way," he said. "We're gonna be cool."

So we treated the Stovers like all the other parents in our class, and didn't say a word. Neither, apparently, did anyone else. And then we went our separate ways to give birth to our babies.

So I'm glad for any news about 6-year-old Joe. I'm sure my 6-year-old Sam wishes his dad well on Saturday, even though he's playing for another team.

(Photo by Baltimore Sun photographer Kenneth Lam)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Babies and Toddlers, Expecting, Sports
        

I've been having a hankering for beef stroganoff, something my mother made often when I was a child. And since the girl likes egg noodles, and both kids like steak, I thought it might have a chance of success.

Both kids were put off by the idea of a sauce (even though it is a thick, creamy sauce flavored subtly with dill), but Leah finally ate it and acknowledged that it wasn't too bad. The boy was in no mood for an experiment, as it turned out...

The original recipe for this, which I adapted from a post on an Epicurious message board, was made with ground beef.

Beef Stroganoff

Serves 4-6

1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips

1 onion white or yellow, chopped and diced

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

½ teaspoon dried dill weed

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½ cups light sour cream

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound medium wide egg noodles

1/4 teaspoon salt

Coat an extra large skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium high. Add steak and brown. Add onions and saute until onions are tender and beef is cooked through. Drain fat from the pan. Add beef broth; stir and mix thoroughly. Add dill weed and black pepper; stir and mix thoroughly. Cook beef mixture, uncovered, on medium, until the liquid is reduced by half, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. While waiting for the liquid to reduce by half, in a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour into the sour cream and combine. Set aside. Cook the egg noodles according to package and drain when done, then place in a large bowl.

When the beef broth is reduced by half, add sour cream mixture and salt to the beef mixture, and mix thoroughly. Turn off the stove. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken. Add a few ladle spoonfuls of beef stroganoff to drained egg noodles, to prevent noodles from sticking. (If beef seems too dry, add a little more beef broth.) Put the rest of the beef mixture on a plate full of the egg noodles and serve.

Adapted from dianncy64's recipe on an Epicurious forum

Per serving (based on 6): 481 calories, 16 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 26 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrate, 112 milligrams cholesterol, 215 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Should you take your kid to school when he says he's sick? That's what Liz Atwood wonders this Tween Tuesday: 

Has this ever happened to you? Monday morning I'm driving my 8-year-old to school and he starts to complain that his stomach hurts and he feels dizzy. "I think I'm going to throw up," he says.

On Friday, he really was sick. He had spent all the night before throwing up and was still throwing up in the morning. Of course he didn't go to school that day. On Saturday he was well enough to play basketball in the afternoon, but after the game, he was feeling sick again, he said. Thinking he had overdone it in on the court, I excused him from a Cub Scout trip. On Sunday morning, he still not well enough to go to church. He spent all Sunday watching football games, although he ate very little and said he still didn't feel well. Meanwhile, his older brother came down with the same bug.

On Monday, the 13-year-old, still not feeling 100 percent, goes off to school. But younger brother is too sick, he says. Is he sick or faking? How is a parent to know?

The doctors tell us we know our kids best. I suspect he doesn't feel 100 percent, but I think he could have survived the school day if he had wanted. When I suggested this to him, he said I didn't believe him. So here's what I did. I went to the school and got all the in-class and homework assignments the teachers would let me have and I gave them to him. I was lucky that his grandmother could watch him for the day, so I said he could stay home. But I also said he was not to watch TV, play video games or play on the computer. He was to sleep, rest, and if he felt well enough, do his school work and read. He seemed satisfied with that arrangement.

I don't want my son to go to school when he's sick just like I don't want to have to go to work if I'm really sick. But at the same time, I don't want him to learn he can stay home every time he has a sniffle.

How have you dealt with the same situations?

Posted by Liz Atwood at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Monday Consult is back! Tigress asked:

How do you make sure kids are helping around the house doing age appropriate chores? What's reasonable? Kiddo is quick to tell me what others do or don't do. I respond "they don't have the privilege to live under this roof," but I really do wonder.

I asked Dianne DeSantis to think about this one. She is a parent coach who runs parenting classes for MindCare in Baltimore:

"Basically parents should differentiate between chores and responsibilities.

"Chores are tasks that children do like a job in order to earn additional privileges (i.e. allowance, special outings, etc.).

"Responsibilities are the tasks required to be done as part of caring for their own things and living as a member in the household. Everyone has responsibilities as a family and home member.

"Families need to determine what is fair and reasonable for each family by way of discussion. Discussion of each person's expectations is imperative in any family. Everyone needs to understand all the factors and then divide up appropriately.

"As far as making children be more responsible (never have a problem with chores as described above), parents need to learn how to inform and implement. What this means is that children have privileges as a result of being responsible. Children must lose privileges when they are not responsible. Parents must be consistent with implementation or else they are teaching confusing lessons about how to be responsible and about how natural consequences occur as a result of irresponsible behavior."

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: The Monday Consult
        

A new book called "The Happiness Project" is getting lots of traction today after its author, Gretchen Rubin, appeared on the Today Show. The book chronicles a yearlong investigation by Rubin, a New York City mom, into what it takes to be happy. She tested all sorts of theories and described on a blog what worked for her.

Now the book is already a bestseller. All this prompted me to look back at Rubin's blog today, which I have periodically followed during her project. (Full disclosure: Rubin and I overlapped at Yale Law School, but we don't know each other well.)

One of her video tips surprised me:

"Make your bed."

She said she was surprised, too, to learn from many people she talked to for the book that making the bed every morning actually helped them be happier. It signaled an orderly start to the day that set the tone for everything to come.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Guest Dad Joe Burris wonders what would happen if some couples couldn't get divorced...

On Thursday someone sent me a copy of a story about an Oklahoma lawmaker who has proposed a bill that would make it difficult for Oklahomans to get a divorce.

State representative Sally Kern's bill would virtually prohibit divorces if there are minor children in the marriage, if the couple has been married for at least 10 years or if either party objects to the divorce in writing. Kern has been quoted as saying that the purpose of the bill is to protect children's interests.

While such a bill might be well intended -- and I'm sure that some children wish that their parents hadn't divorced -- I shudder at the idea of a government telling a couple that they have no choice but to stay together.

I know that years ago couples who knew they were likely better off apart hung in there, most often for the sake of the children.

But nowadays, with studies showing that a dysfunctional married couple can be just as damaging to a child's emotional development as parents who divorce, does such a law really protect kids' interest? What about instances where there is emotional abuse or infidelity?

I sure hope that such a bill never becomes law where I live, in Virginia. Forcing couples to stay together may create more problems than it solves.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Father's Day Tuesday
        

It's Sarah K.K., back with another installment of Toddler Thursday ...

This past Tuesday marked a year since my return to work after maternity leave, which left me rather reflective, as you can imagine. One of the things that I was thinking about, regretting, feeling guilty about and therefore avoiding was that my personal blog, which had been serving as a digital baby book of sorts for my son Isaac, had gone pretty much ignored for about eight months.

In fact, after I came back to work, the only time the blog got much action at all was a two-week stretch when Isaac was in the hospital and we used the blog to communicate updates with our family and friends. For a little while, I had month-by-month updates (inspired by Dooce's monthly letters to Leta), but that fell apart pretty quickly.

But instead of dwelling on it for too long, I realized that I had been posting frequently on Facebook and that my posts were about Isaac on a fairly regular basis. So this past Sunday night, I made a project of forcing my Facebook page to load older and older status updates and I compiled them into one big blog post ranging from September 2008 through the end of 2009.

It was fun (except when the blog software ate the post and I had to start all over), it was interesting (to me, at least), it was revealing. First off, I noticed that I tended to post the cuter things as photo or video links and that the status updates were sometimes kind of whiny, usually about sleep, or lack thereof. Secondly, I realized that Isaac and I had both been sick a lot more often than I remembered. (I blame the lack of sleep for that one. And teething.) But it was fun to re-create the record in a more permanent way. It seems like Facebook saves everything forever, but sometimes it's really hard to get to it. And who knows what Facebook will look like in a few years?

My goal this year is to keep up better with the blog. I take a ton of photos, and it's easy to post them with a few sentences every so often than to think I have to write up some wondrous literary masterpiece about the past few weeks of his life every few weeks. I recognize that I don't have time for that. 

Here's an excerpt of some of those Facebook updates through the months, a little snapshot of the past 15 months:

Sarah is feeling guilty after scaring Isaac while playing peekaboo
September 8, 2008 at 5:13pm

Sarah hopes it isn't mean to laugh at a disgruntled baby
September 26, 2008 at 7:57pm

Sarah can't believe how close Isaac is to rolling over. SOOOO CLOOOOOSE!
October 2, 2008 at 9:52pm

Sarah looked up just in time to see Isaac roll over on the activity mat
October 4, 2008 at 10:44am

Sarah wonders why Isaac has decided that sleeping through the night is for chumps
October 12, 2008 at 6:36pm

Sarah is singing songs to Isaac in the voice of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. Just thought you'd like to know.
December 1, 2008 at 12:14pm

Sarah thinks that sleep training bites and would like a bye week now
December 21, 2008 at 9:00pm

Sarah's next status update will be about something much less controversial. ;)
December 21, 2008 at 10:53pm

Sarah is telling Isaac pleasestayasleeppleaseOMGIamsotired.
December 31, 2008 at 12:00am

Sarah just realized that a year ago today (Sunday), I felt Isaac move for the first time.
January 12, 2009 at 12:30am

Sarah just realized that the reason everyone slept so badly last night was that Isaac was cutting his first tooth
January 19, 2009 at 5:10pm

Sarah has her fingers crossed that it was just at 24-hour bug that the boy had
January 25, 2009 at 5:00pm

Sarah is either it is a 72-hour-plus bug, or he's on round 2.
January 26, 2009 at 10:32am

Sarah is this is the bug that never ends, it just goes on and on, my friends ...
January 27, 2009 at 1:32am

Sarah is home with both her guys, and order is restored to the universe
February 9, 2009 at 9:20pm

Sarah a 75-minute walk in 65-degree weather wasn't literally what the doctor ordered, but it did us both a world of good
February 11, 2009 at 12:23pm

Sarah hearts the baby food mill
February 15, 2009 at 4:46pm

Sarah's kidlet learned to clap this morning. YAYYYYYYYYY!
March 3, 2009 at 12:08pm

Sarah has a date with the boys, Fatburger, Trader Joe's and a sunny day.
March 22, 2009 at 12:06pm

Sarah a call from daycare that includes the words "projectile vomit" is never a good thing.
April 8, 2009 at 2:54pm

Sarah thinks we may have just inadvertently taught Isaac to raise the roof.
May 10, 2009 at 4:59pm

Sarah is watching Isaac push Judah's laundry basket around the basement. Can't decide if that means he does need or doesn't need a push-toy.
May 31, 2009 at 7:52am

Sarah It's me, myself and Isaac for two weeks. I told him it will be an adventure! He said: "Da da da da da da da."
June 16, 2009 at 9:27pm

Sarah News flash: Isaac just walked a few steps to me five times in a row. It might have been a fluke, but I don't think so.
June 25, 2009 at 7:00pm

Sarah is a pout-pout fish with a pout-pout face and she spreads the dreary-wearies all over the place.
June 27, 2009 at 9:58pm

Sarah ran Isaac to school in the stroller to get a little mileage. Running with an empty stroller is a good way to get funny looks.
July 6, 2009 at 8:38am

Sarah  just dropped her not-so-baby boy off in the toddler room for the first time. *sniffle*
July 15, 2009 at 10:02am

Sarah votes "strongly disapprove" on the question: Should toddlers willfully skip afternoon naptime?
August 8, 2009 at 6:27pm

Sarah Isaac votes "strongly approve" on the question: Should toddlers willingly skip afternoon naptime?
August 9, 2009 at 3:47pm

Sarah is amused that Isaac got a survey from the insurance company. Perhaps I shall fill it out with crayons.
August 20, 2009 at 9:30pm

Sarah pulled some ninja-mommy moves and got Isaac from asleep in the car to asleep in the crib without him waking up. That has worked exactly one other time.
September 6, 2009 at 3:31pm

Sarah Only my child could injure himself with a book. And here I was, hoping he hadn't inherited my flaily ways ...
September 24, 2009 at 11:52am

Sarah Isaac's been asleep for three hours, with nary a peep, then suddenly over the monitor, we hear: "Hiiiii-iiiiiii!" Then, nothing. We haven't laughed that hard in a while.
October 7, 2009 at 10:03pm

Sarah thinks it was pretty funny that Isaac and I knew two-thirds of the people in the waiting room at the pediatrician's office.
October 13, 2009 at 1:32pm

Sarah gets home from the gym and from outside the house can hear Isaac screaming. Get inside, and it turns out he is laughing hysterically. Biggest. Whew. Ever.
November 3, 2009 at 8:04pm

Sarah is thankful for an awful lot of things.
November 25, 2009 at 11:23am

Sarah bought Isaac a toy with no off switch. My bad.
November 27, 2009 at 5:52pm

Sarah just watched Isaac turn around in circles until he got dizzy and fell down laughing.
December 12, 2009 at 4:14pm

Sarah is the mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old! Holy moly!
December 20, 2009 at 10:28am

Sarah left work, party at the neighbor's, boy's in bed in polar bear PJs, time to wrap a couple last gifts and watch White Christmas. YAY!
December 24, 2009 at 8:27pm

Sarah is thinking we're entering that stage of not dining out with the kidlet. So who wants to babysit? ;)
December 26, 2009 at 2:15pm

Sarah got home in time to play blocks *and* eat dinner with the boys. Here's to more of that in 2010!
December 31, 2009 at 7:54pm 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Toddler Thursday
        

Miley Cyrus, who got plenty of criticism last year for possible pole dancing and other antics at odds with her Disney image, is speaking out about "negativity" toward her.

She tells Harper's Bazaar that while it is her job to be a role model, "my job isn't to be a parent." She says it is unfair for people to expect her to tell kids how to act, because she is still figuring that out for herself.

Hmm. I thought showing (maybe not telling) kids how to act would be the job of....a role model.

(Getty Images photo)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Teens
        

Now that the holidays are over, we can go back to normal family fun, like taking part in great free activities at local libraries. This week you can watch a puppet show in Elkridge, make a wallet out of duct tape in Arbutus, and read with the Karma Dogs in Randallstown.

Thursday, Jan. 7:

Goldilocks & the Three Bears Winter Puppet Show: The show will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Friday at the Eldersburg branch of the Carroll County Public Library. Reservations required; call 410-386-4488 or sign up online.

Make a Duct Tape Wallet or Clutch: Tweens and teens 11-17 can make an accessory out of duct tape at 7 p.m. at the Arbutus branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Call 410-887-1451.

Friday, Jan. 8:

Make a Unity Dove Wreath: Kids 6-12 can take part in a peace-oriented story time, then create a Unity Dove wreath at 3 p.m. at the Cherry Hill branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Registration required; call 410-396-1168.

Fridays After Five Admission to the Maryland Science Center is reduced to $8 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays through March 26, including access to exhibit halls, planetarium, and IMAX Theater. Touring exhibits are excluded.

Saturday, Jan. 9:

Karma Dogs School-age readers can show off their skills with Karma Dogs from the HEARTS program from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Randallstown branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Reservations required; call 410-887-0770.

Young People's Concert: The Columbia Orchestra hosts narrated concerts at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. to teach children about the instruments of the orchestra. Before or after the concert, from 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m., kids can try out instruments in the orchestra's "petting zoo." Free for kids under 12; adults $12. Call 410-465-8777.

Sunday, Jan. 10:

Winter Survival Methods: Learn how animals and people survive in winter from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Irvine Nature Center. For ages 6 and up with an adult. $6 members, $10 non-members. Reservations required; call 443-738-9200.

Holiday Festival of Trains: Train gardens are a great seasonal diversion, but today is the last day to see the one at the B&O Railroad Museum before it pulls out of the station. See Baltimore’s largest holiday celebration of toy trains and model railroading layouts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 to $14.

(Photo of Chloe the Karma Dog by Baltimore Sun photographer Tasha Treadwell)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Things to Do
        

Greater Baltimore Medical Center has released its list of most popular names for babies born at the hospital in 2009.

It's topped by William for boys and Mary for girls.

Other popular names among the 4,274 babies born at the hospital last year:

For girls: Madison, Olivia, Grace, Deborah, Sarah, Emily, Patricia.

For boys: Michael, Robert, John, James, Matthew, Thomas, David.

Check out the complete list for more.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Babies and Toddlers, Expecting
        

Here's an easy family dinner from our recipe archive. My family has not tried these Mini-Cuban sandwiches, which is a shame because my husband loves a good, authentic Cuban sandwich. But my kids go back and forth on whether they'll accept the mixing of meat and cheese, and I know they would draw the line at the dressing.

UPDATE: The dressing recipe has now been added! Sorry for the earlier omission.

Here's how to make them:

Mini-Cuban Sandwiches
Makes 2 to 4 servings

8 slices (1/3-inch thick) from a long Italian bread loaf
8 teaspoons Mexican Adobo Dressing (see recipe)

pickle slices

2 ounces imported Swiss cheese, shredded (divided use)

1/2 cup (packed) thinly sliced or pulled roast pork

4 thin slices boiled or baked ham

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat (or heat a panini grill or waffle iron). Meanwhile, lay the bread in 4 pairs on a work surface. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the dressing on each slice of bread; place pickles on 4 of the slices, then top with half of the cheese. Divide the pork among the 4 bread slices with cheese; place the ham and remaining cheese on top. Cover with the remaining bread slices.

Place the sandwiches in the hot, dry skillet; place another skillet on top of the sandwiches to compress them. Cook until the sandwiches are golden underneath, about 3 minutes. Flip; place skillet on top again. Cook until sandwiches are nicely golden and cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

Note: The authors suggest using leftover pork shoulder or buying thinly sliced roast pork from the deli. You could use cooking spray in the skillet and on the outside of the sandwiches to enhance browning.

Mexican Adobo Dressing
Makes about 3/4 cup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon each: distilled white vinegar, yellow or Dijon mustard, chopped chipotle chile (plus more chile to taste, optional)

Combine ingredients in a small bowl; stir to blend. Add more chipotle to taste, if you like. The unused portion will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Per sandwich: 236 calories, 13 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 51 milligrams cholesterol, 11 grams carbohydrate, 17 grams protein, 585 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber Recipe analysis courtesy of the Chicago Tribune
-- Adapted from "Real Food for Healthy Kids," by Tracey Seaman and Tanya Wenman Steel

(Photo by Bonnie Trafelet/Chicago Tribune)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dinner Together, Food and Recipes
        

 Here's Liz Atwood with Tween Tuesday:

This year my kids got most of what they wanted for Christmas, with the exception of a Playstation 3 video game system. Our thought was they already have a Wii, an Xbox, a computer and NintendoDS devices. Why do we need yet another gaming system in the house?

Now my kids have the idea to pool their Christmas money from Granddad to buy the system themselves. It pains me to see them blow $300 – all of their holiday money plus some of their savings. I’ve tried to point out that they will also need to buy new games for the new system. So far, we’re at a standstill. I know the experts say parents should give kids their allowances or gift money, then stand back and let them make their own mistakes. But a $300 mistake? That’s a lot of money in our family.

What do you think? Should I let them do it? Are you having your own battles over the Christmas loot?

Posted by Liz Atwood at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Happy New Year!

We went to Port Discovery the other day for the first time in a long while. In the coat room/lunch room, I was intrigued by this:

It's a vending machine for the desperate parent! $2.50 for a diaper, anyone?

(Frankly, I'm surprised it's not $5. 'Cause when you need one, you really need one.)

According to its Web site, the machines by Nanny Caddy -- founded by a mom, of course -- are only in a few states around the country so far. The Port Discovery machine appears to be the only one in Maryland, but there are several at destinations in Pennsylvania.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Babies and Toddlers