Snacking with Kids

The relationship between toddlers and food is definitely a love, hate type of thing; wouldn't you agree? It's a difficult age for a multitude of reasons, but food is a big struggle for many toddlers and parents of toddlers. I have made an effort to involve my kiddos in the kitchen since they were young. It started with things like cookies, and cupcakes and has evolved into pizzas and slicing veggies. Sounds scary right? It was at first, but these are life skills that all self sufficient, independent, healthy individuals need to learn.

I didn't just magically come up with the idea that my kids needed to learn about their food and how to prepare it, I just knew it was fun for them and that they always wanted to "help". It all started at the kids' preschool. Snack at our preschool is a learning experience, and it is so awesome to see in action. The school emphasizes the importance of teaching young children all about food, where it comes from, how it's made AND how to eat it. It is so beneficial, in my opinion, to start teaching children about nutrition, what foods are good for your body, how to make healthy choices. This practice helps to encourage children to expand their palette by trying new foods and learning how to prepare them. 

The best way to teach your children about food is to involve them in the process. It can be intimidating at first, and messy, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Here is a compilation of some of my favorite, interactive, healthy snacks for kids.

Fruit & Veggie Kabobs

Ingredients & Supplies

Grape Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Bell Peppers

Grapes

Strawberries

Honeydew Melon

Apples

Bananas

Yogurt

Ranch

Hummus

Wood Skewers

Any fruits or vegetables that can be easily poked and threaded onto a skewer will work great. 

Skills/Benefits: Fine motor skills, boosts confidence (they made it their own way), pride in their skills, creativity, patterning. 

This is pretty self explanatory. All you need to to is wash and cut the fruits and vegetables, set them all out and let the kids create their own Kabobs. Picking colorful fruits and vegetables helps keep the kids interested. Be sure to tell the kids that the end of the skewer is sharp before they begin. Because of time constraints in the classroom, my daughter and I prepared all the fruits and veggies at home the night before. She is 7 and helped me wash, cut and find containers for them. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chips

Shredded Zucchini

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Baking Soda

Coconut Oil, melted and cooled

Honey or Agave Nectar

Vanilla

Egg

Banana, mashed OR Unsweetened Apple Sauce

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Here is the link to the full recipe on Pinterest!

Skills/Benefits: Measuring, counting, following directions, small muscle control, hand eye coordination, pride, physical science (changing forms from a liquid to a solid). 

Let them measure out the ingredients with you, gather the ingredients and supplies, mix, stir and pour! Mashing the banana is a great job for a child of any age! Kids love mashing and squishing things. If they don't like getting their hands dirty they can always use a potato masher! This recipe is also a great way to get your children to see that hidden veggies can be delicious, too. 

Smoothie Bar

Ingredients:

Spinach

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Strawberries

Blueberries

Bananas

Cinnamon

Yogurt

Ice

Blender

Any fruits or vegetables will work! Let your child pick them out at the store and see what they come up with. Seasonal is best, but frozen works too.

Skills/Benefits: Learning how to use a blender safely, creativity, self direction & independence, problem solving (too thin or too thick, taste) hand eye coordination (pouring ingredients and pouring smoothie into their cup), physical science (changing forms from a solid to a liquid). 

You can let the kids use whatever ingredients they would like, or you can provide them with a few simple recipes for them to follow. This may be easier for children 4 and up. If you provide pictures of the ingredients on the recipe card, younger children may be able to follow the recipes as well with some help from an adult. 

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour

Salt

Sugar

Yeast

Warm Water

Baking Soda

Baking sheet

Parchment Paper

Dips or condiments of your choice

Skills/Benefits: Fine motor, creativity, pride & confidence, how to handle dough, small muscle control, independence, following directions, how to use the oven safely with adult supervision. 

This is super fun for all ages! I have done this in toddler class at our preschool all the way up to pre-K and they have all enjoyed it. Due to time constraints I made the dough and let it rise ahead of time. Once we arrived to class, I separated the dough into sections; one for each child. I also made sure each child had a section of parchment paper for under their pretzel. Then they were able to roll out their dough into "snakes" & twist it into whatever shapes their little creative hearts desired. After they are finished, they can use the pastry brush to apply the soda wash, it's like painting and they love it! Lastly, I place them in the oven to cook, the kids love watching the process through the glass on the oven door. When they are all finished the kids are able to enjoy their creation with a variety of dipping sauces or just plain. Some I have used in the past are melted cheese, melted butter with cinnamon, mustards ect. 

Here is the link to the full recipe on Pinterest.

Fruit & Yogurt Cups

Ingredients:

Waffle Cone Bowls

Different Flavors of Yogurt

Fruits - We used, Strawberries, Blueberries & Raspberries.

Granola 

Chocolate Chips

Sprinkles

Almonds (Obviously be careful of allergies! Omit nuts and granola if necessary)

Skills/Benefits: Creativity, fine motor skills (scooping & using tongs to pick up fruits), self direction, independence, confidence, measurements, pride. 

Give each child their own waffle bowl, let them pick their ingredients and toppings. That's it! Easy, healthy, fun and delicious. 

Ways Kids Can Help in the Kitchen:

Pouring

Mixing

Shaking

Kneading

Washing Fruits and Veggies

Setting the Table

Measuring

Peeling

Spreading

Cutting (Kids plastic knives work for fruits & other soft foods. A butter knife works as well!) 

Mashing

Beating Eggs

Cleaning Up

Gathering Ingredients

As you make these snacks with your kids, talk to them and ask them questions about the ingredients and the process! Explain where and how fruits and veggies grow. Asking them open ended questions is a great way to get the conversation started about food & nutrition. Asking them things like, "What do you think will happen when we do ________?" can spark all kinds of conversations; it can even start teaching them about the scientific process by merely making predictions and observations. Let them wash, measure, cut, mix and pour all the things. It may be messy, but it will be worth it and so much fun for you and your kids. The opportunities for learning in the kitchen are ENDLESS! 

I sure hope you have enjoyed these snack ideas and recipes, thanks so much for taking the time to read. What are your kids' favorite snacks? Please share your ideas with me! I am always looking for new ideas. 

Kaci

PS: When I wrote this, my computer was being a butt head and my daughter wanted me to "color" with her; so I originally wrote this post out by hand in multi color, sparkly gel pens. It was beautiful! HaHa!

Spring Cleaning with Kids

Well guys, Spring has finally sprung. There is just something about the sunshine and birds chirping that is so refreshing, especially after a long, cold winter. A clean home is just as refreshing. That spring cleaning checklist can be overwhelming though, am I right? To lighten the load, and just as a general rule, I try to get the kids involved. They seriously love to "help". Don't get me wrong, they definitely don't enjoy helping with everything on my spring cleaning list; but there are some things the kids seem to find exciting. Teaching my kids what it takes to take good care of a home is something I strive to do. Spring cleaning is a great opportunity to teach them things they may not see you do on the day to day basis. Sometimes  it's the simple things that are the most fun! Here are some easy things the kids can help you with this spring.

Washing Windows

We love to use this recipe to wash windows:

1 Cup Vinegar

1/4 Cup Dawn Dish Soap

1 Liter (ish) Warm Water 

 All you need is this mixture, a bucket, a washcloth, a towel, & a squeegee. Our kids love to scrub the windows with the soapy washcloth, and using the squeegee is their fave! They can also help measure the washing mixture & pour it into the bucket. 

Cleaning Mattresses

Sprinkle some baking soda on the mattress and get that vacuum out! The kids think its super fun vacuuming the mattress. Not sure why, but I think it is because vacuuming a mattress just seems silly, and out of the norm. 

Shower and Bath 

We have super hard water here in Eastern Washington, its awful! On our glass shower doors we use vinegar mixed with Dawn Dish Soap, heated up and sprayed on to be left overnight. The kids love spraying ANYTHING, and I let them put their bathing suits on and get in while the water is running to help scrub it all off. Don't forget the squeegee at the end! 

Baseboards/walls

Our baseboards, as well as the majority of our walls are white. We use a Magic Eraser to get all the scuffs and spots off. Honestly, I think the only reason my kiddos love this is because they get to use a "MAGIC" Eraser. Hey, if they're helping I'll call it a win! I just give them one and we tackle each room together. Before we use the eraser I usually use a microfiber cloth and some dusting spray. PRO TIP: Don't get the knock off brand Magic Eraser! They don't work and you will end up using twice as many! 

Dusting 

This one is pretty self explanatory. In the spring I usually take down all of my home decor on my shelving and dust those hard to reach places. The kids love to spray the dusting spray as well as help to wipe it off. One thing I let my daughter do this year, is take a picture of how the shelf was arranged before we took everything off. She loves to take pictures, and enjoyed telling me where to put everything back when we were done.

Hope this helps to get you into the spring cleaning mood. Thank you so much for reading! I'll be posting my favorite spring cleaning playlist soon on my insta page so keep an eye out! Happy cleaning! 

-Kaci

Living Without a Dream

Living without a dream.

This is something that is not easy for me to write, something I would only talk about during those late night cry sessions with my husband, or mid day calls while the kids were at school to my besties. When I sat down to write this, my intention was to write about being unmotivated at work and how to see past it and get through it, but when I sat down and wrote the title, for some reason my fingers typed "Living without a dream". Even typing it seems sad, let alone saying it outloud. Sadly, this is how I sometimes find myself feeling. Going through the motions, day after day, week after week. Wearing the same hats, "Mom", "Wife"....and? "Starbucks Shift Supervisor". Not that it's a bad thing.

I love being "Mom", I love being "Wife"; but "Starbucks Shift Supervisor" wore out it's welcome years ago. This is my SIXTH year. Whenever I would bring this up to my husband, family or friends, they always say, "Well why not try something new?". I would always have the same answer; "It's a great company, and the flexible hours give me the ability to work around my husband and my kiddos schedules. Childcare is avoided and it is my time to get out of the house, while still feeling like I am contributing". All of these things are still true. I was Ok with this; because I knew it isn't my career. It wasn't my passion, it worked (and still works) best for my family. I think I always told myself it was temporary.

Well, here I am 7 years later. All of a sudden I'm 30 years old, working with mostly "20 somethings", and YOUNGER. I felt inadequate all of a sudden. Like my working part time and "mommin' it" just wasn't cutting it anymore. I voiced this concern to my husband one day before heading in to work. Being the most supportive person I know, he tells me, "Kaci, just quit. Do whatever else you want to do. I will support you 100% in whatever job or dream you chose". Heartthrob, right? I know I am pretty lucky.

I went to work that night pondering my options. I browsed the job listings on my lunch break; nothing desirable there. I thought about what I used to want to do, before I left college; Event Coordinator. Then I thought about my recent healthy meal prep adventure. Two things I felt passionate about. That night, I came home from work, and started researching how to write a business plan. I ended up writing two; one for Event Coordinator, and one for the healthy meal prep business. After writing them, I felt accomplished, but not compelled to follow either path.

I live in a small town. I felt I was limited. I was scared I wouldn't be able to make enough, all while having to spend pretty much every waking moment working; away from my children, away from my husband. Would it be worth the trouble? The mom guilt set in. The fear of failing set in. The fear of putting my family in a bad situation financially, as I would need to take out a loan in order to start either of these businesses. I could never. The passion I had tried to "rekindle" for a career in events, or in meal prep, quickly faded.

 I spent some time thinking about going back to school, and trying to figure out what  I would go for, but nothing stuck out. I felt like I was back in high school. Maybe you know the feeling. You know the one where everyone is asking you what college your going to go to and what you want to be when you grow up? Except I was the one putting the pressure on myself, and I couldn't come up with an answer.

Then, one night, laying in bed. It just came to me, like a slap in the face. It was like someone just said to to me, "Kaci, you don't have a dream". BOOM. Talk about a crappy feeling. I sobbed to my poor husband. Explaining to him that even if I had the chance to do whatever I wanted, I had absolutely no clue what that would even be. There was nothing he could do to make me feel better. I cried myself to sleep that night, wallowing in my own little pity party.

After coming to this conclusion, a multitude of emotions went running through me. Initially I felt sad, then I felt angry. Then, a few days later,  the envy set in, and it didn't leave for quite a while, (As if it was his fault..) My husband had recently received a promotion at work, and was really excelling in his new role. I was so proud of him, I really was (and still am). Not only that, he had also recently lost around 50 pounds. He had a new dress code for his new job, so he went out and bought a whole new snazzy wardrobe. His new favorite store was "Jos. A. Bank". He looked good. He felt good. He was just killing it at life. I feel like you might be able to see where this is going. It was during all of his success, that I (selfishly) started to think about my own. He left for his dream job every day, looking amazing and feeling great; while I went to mine, in my same regular work clothes, doing the same regular job I had been doing for what seemed like eternity. Cue the violins people. I truly felt so sorry for myself. I felt jealous. I felt insecure. Why would someone like him want to stay with someone like me? I labeled myself; fat, ugly, unsuccessful, jealous, uninspired, lazy...the list went on. I told myself daily that he would soon grow tired of being around someone like me. I told myself I was bringing him down, and I believed it. I was really in a funk.

Guess what? I am none of those things, but I started to become those things. I was so down on myself that I spoke those words out loud and in my head daily. I started up old, bad habits. Those ones I thought I had left far behind me. Eating badly, procrastinating, showing up late for things, not exercising...the list goes on. It sucked. Not only did it suck for me, but it sucked for my husband. Finally, after this went on for a while, I realized enough was enough. Time to put my big girl panties on, as they say, and get this figured out.

 The thing about happiness is, that it looks very different for each individual. Seems obvious right? What makes my husband happy, is not necessarily what will make me happy. My husband has worked for this "dream job" of his, his whole entire adult life. He joined the Air Force to learn the job, even. He knows this is what he wants to do, and he has super awesome, fulfilling goals he wants to accomplish within that career path. 

I started reading some "personal development" books, and listening to some uplifting podcasts. I learned quite a bit and I felt my mindset start to shift. I did some inventory on the things I follow on social media, and in real life, & said bye bye to all the negativity. I started to see all the positive things I had in my life, and realized what truly makes me happy. I am happiest when I am with my family. My job did not define my happiness. This life we have created together was definitely not what I had planned. It looks nothing like I ever imagined it would.

It looks better.

 I have two beautiful, healthy children and a husband who loves me. He loves us enough, to put in the work to become the very best version of himself for us every day. I see my daughter and my son every morning when they wake up, and watch them fall asleep almost every night before I go to bed. I get to spend the majority of my day in our home, playing with my children, and teaching them things. I get to help mold them into their best selves, and help them follow their dreams. I get to plan adventures and trips for our family, and I get to go on them too, instead of being stuck working days on end. I get to spend time with my husband. The best part of all these things, is that they all make me happy. Like fill my heart up type of happy. It has taken me a long time to realize that it is OK for me to be happy with simply being the best mom I can be for my children. My career isn't where my happiness is found (currently), it is at home. 

Yes, I sometimes wish I would have moved to San Diego and became a super cool, fancy pants event planner. But I have a whole lot of other things that make me happy; none of which I would trade for a career, not in a million years, because that is not my path. Not if it meant not having my sweet family, exactly the way it is. Maybe one day I will find happiness in a "dream" career, when my kids are in school, or when they are out of school and out of the house; or maybe I'll find it next week, maybe I won't. But for now, I feel thankful I have found my happiness somewhere else. Somewhere unexpected, and unplanned, maybe, but found, nonetheless. Found in the little moments, in between those day to day things, that I sometimes tire of. 

I am living without a dream, because I am living in a place of happiness I had never dreamt was possible.

I'm going to end this with a quote I recently saw that seems very fitting.

"I don't want my children

 to grow up feeling 

pressured to believe 

that there is only 

one "right" path in life. 

I want them to know 

there are many "right" paths,

 including those 

made of dirt."

Thanks for reading!

-Kaci