Keeping Your Kids Busy in the Vacation
One of the biggest hurdles that any working mother has to face is what to do with the kids during vacation time. Whether you work from home or at an office, your schedule is going to be affected, especially during the very long summer break. If you work at an office, you will need to find somewhere for your children to go, take some leave, or try to work from home during this time. And if you work from home, you are not totally free either, as it is very hard to concentrate on your work when little people are constantly interrupting you and telling you that they are bored. The main advantage here, however, is that at least you are at home.
The other problem with vacation is that there will also be a lot more housework to do, as when your children are at home during the day there is more mess to clear up, whether in the form of toys and games left around, more laundry to do, and general cleaning.
So how do you cope with vacation?
First of all, you can find general tasks for your children that can actually help you with taking care of the house. For example, they could be given the task of decorating and tidying their own bedrooms. Find them some fun stickers to put on the walls, and let them choose nice accessories, such as an area rug. A tropical rug or any other kind of kids’ rug is not too expensive and may fire their imagination. Let them play around with the design of their rooms – they could move the bed to a different place or change the color scheme of the bedding and curtains. You don’t need to repaint the walls, but you could give them a lot of latitude in what they decide to do.
Similarly, how about letting the children set up their own playroom or den? Choose a new toy box and let them sort out their own toys. You would be surprised by the efficiency that even young children may show. This is a task you could either help them with, or they could be trusted to do it themselves. They can choose their own decorations. If you want to be really radical, you could even let them draw their own pictures on the walls. Kids can be really creative, and if you consider your children’s drawings to be a form of art, you may enjoy the results very much.
You can also use the vacation as a time to instill positive organizational habits within your children. When they have finished playing a game, tell them that they can only go on to the next thing once they have picked up of all the pieces and put everything away. If they are doing messy arts and crafts, show them how to clean up as they go. This will give them positive habits that will last them for the rest of their lives.
By doing a few simple activities, vacation does not need to be a drag.
Raisin Waldorf Salad
1/2 cup Sun-Maid Natural California Raisins
4 ounces diced lean ham
2 apples, diced
1/3 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts, optional
4 small (6-inch) flour tortillas, optional
Instructions: Combine salad ingredients. Serve as a salad or make into sandwich rollups. For rollups, divide filling equally among tortillas and roll up, folding in the ends. Wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil until ready to eat.
Serves: 4
Nutrition Information per Serving: calories:188, total fat:5.7g, saturated fat:2.0g, % of calories from fat:27%, % of calories from saturated fat:10%, protein:9g, carbohydrates:28g, cholesterol:28mg, dietary fiber:3g, sodium:148mg
Recipe is courtesy of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. All PBH endorsed recipes meet the nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as a healthy food.
Carrot Tuna Vegetable Dip
Fresh vegetables and dip arranged on a tray makes a beautiful presentation.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
4 cups assorted snacking vegetables* such as: baby carrots, celery, cucumbers, cauliflower and/or broccoli flowerets, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ cup chopped carrots
6 oz. can water-packed tuna, drained
¼ cup nonfat mayonnaise or creamy-style salad dressing
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons basil, crushed if dried, chopped if fresh
1 large egg, hard-boiled and chopped
Select desired vegetables, wash, prepare,* and place in groups on serving platter, surrounding a small serving bowl. Cover all with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. To prepare dip: place chopped celery and carrots in blender container and, using the pulse setting, chop until very fine.
Add drained tuna, mayonnaise, horseradish, salt and pepper, and hot pepper sauce and blend on MEDIUM and then HIGH speed until smooth. Stop blender and scrape sides if needed. Remove to serving bowl and stir in basil and chopped hard-boiled egg. Adjust seasonings if desired. Chill for 15 minutes and serve.
*Chef’s Note: Most raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery, broccoli, zucchini, and cauliflower, slowly dry out on vegetable trays. Tomatoes, mushrooms, and cucumbers are a few that need no special attention. To enhance color and help prevent drying during service, try blanching the firmer vegetables. Simply place each color group, working light to dark, in active boiling water for 5 to 15 seconds, being careful not to cook the vegetables, and then plunge directly into cold, icy water. When fully cooled, drain well and arrange on serving platter. The blanched vegetables will remain crisp and brilliant in color.
Serves: 4
1 Cup of Vegetables per Serving
Fruit and/or Veggie Colors: Orange, Green, White, Red
Nutrition Information per Serving: calories:118, total fat:2.5g, saturated fat:0.7g, % of calories from fat:19%, % of calories from saturated fat:5%, protein:14g, carbohydrates:10g, cholesterol:67mg, dietary fiber:3g, sodium:438mg
Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamins A and C, and a good source of folate, potassium and fiber
Recipe was developed for Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) by Chef Carmen I. Jones, CCP. This recipe meets PBH and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.
