Your kids hit the front door after school and what is the first thing out of their mouths? “I’m starving!” And it’s said with enough enthusiasm that you would think they hadn’t eaten all day. They want food and they want it fast. As tempting as it might be to shove a cookie in their direction, it’s much better if we plan on having some healthier afternoon snacks ready for our little students. Even our older students will benefit from healthier snacks. I have kids that range from elementary to college age at home and what’s good for one is good for the other.

Since kids come home so hungry, this is a good time to get them to eat healthier snacks. They are more willing to eat it. Need some ideas for healthy snacks that won’t ruin their dinner? Here are some great ideas.

• Air popped popcorn (no butter and low salt) is a great snack. You can add a little spice to it by sprinkling a little cayenne or cinnamon on it.
• Greek yogurt with cheese slices or fruit
• Apple slices with cheese slices
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Cottage cheese with fruit
• Frozen bananas with peanut butter
• Green yogurt mixed with peanut butter. Use apple slices for dipping. (This is a favorite of mine)
• Hard boiled eggs

The list is really endless. Just get creative but keep it easy and simple. Much of this can be prepared ahead of time so snacks are ready when your kids are. Keeping ourselves and our families healthy is a wonderful gift we give ourselves and them.

What kind of healthy snacks do you and your kids like? We’d love you to share your ideas with us.

If you have school age children, then you probably know all about the smashed banana or sandwich in the bottom of the lunch sack. It doesn’t take long before kids start to get tired of the same old thing. Not to mention, if you were to take a peek into many children’s lunch bags, you would find they were packed with not so healthy items. So, what’s a parent to do? Here are some great ideas for getting your kids healthy, easy lunches that will keep them excited about “what’s for lunch today.”

• Keep it fun. Kids love to dunk there food. Carrot sticks with some ranch is always a good thing. They also love to scoop their food. A tuna or chicken salad scooped up with Fritos works great. Cut their food into fun shapes with cookie cutters.

 

• Use as little processed food as possible. Lunch isn’t a time for a high carb meal. Try to balance it out with high protein and other nutrients kids need. Avoid all the store bought snacks such as cake snacks (Ding Dongs and Twinkies), fruit roll ups, cookies, etc. There’s way to much sugar in these. Instead opt for fresh fruits and vegetables, or your own homemade low-sugar treats.

 

• Leftovers- Invest in a lunch box that will let you keep food cool or warm. Leftovers is an easy, healthy and yummy lunch that can be a far cry from the same old sandwich.

 

• Is your child a pasta lover? Try a fun pasta salad (even easier if it’s leftover from a meal the night before) in their lunch box.

 

• Use a thermos to pack healthy soups and stews. Once the temps start dropping, your kiddos will really appreciate some warm soup or stew at lunch time.

 

• Really think out of the box. Hard boiled eggs (already peeled) with slices of apples and cheese, healthy popcorn makes a great snack, yogurt parfaits, baked potato with toppings, leftover pizza.

So basically, anything your child could eat for lunch at home, he could eat for lunch at school. No reason for the same old peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. Unless of course, they happen to like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day.

What kind of lunches do your kids like to eat at school? Do you have any ideas you’d like to share with us? Bring them on!

We all know they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Then why are approximately 8-12 percent of school age children skipping breakfast? By the time kids hit their teens, as many as 20-30 percent are skipping breakfast.

Why exactly is it so important that kids (and adults as well) eat a good breakfast before school? Well, for starters, how about these reasons?

• Eating breakfast can help improve math, reading, and standardized test scores.
• Children who eat breakfast are more likely to behave better in school than those who don’t.
• Breakfast helps children pay attention, perform problem-solving tasks, and improves memory.
• Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast on a regular basis are less likely to be overweight.
• Eating breakfast as a child is important for establishing healthy habits for later in life.
• More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity

So, what kind of breakfast is the best for our kids and what can we fix them that is fast and easy as well as nutritious? Anything high in protein and fiber will keep hunger at bay and give them the energy they need to make it to lunch. Here’s some healthy (and simple) breakfast ideas that you can quickly make.

Scrambled eggs w/ cheese –Fast, simple and high in protein.
A bowl of oatmeal- Not the instant, it’s loaded in sugar.
Oatmeal Cups to Go- Make them ahead of time and you’ve got breakfast ready in the morning.
Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie- Throw it all in the blender and you’ve got a healthy breakfast.
Greek yogurt topped with fruit- No cooking required here at all.
Hardboiled egg and yogurt-You can even boil the eggs the night before.
Homemade Trail Mix-Make some up over the weekend and you’ll have it ready during the week.

What breakfast do you and your kids like to eat on a busy school morning? We’d love you to share your ideas!

Back to school season can be a struggle for many parents. Trying to make sure that our kids get healthy meals and snacks throughout the day can seem almost overwhelming. Why is it so important? Well, what our kids are taking into their bodies has a direct effect on their school performance. Studies show that kids who eat a balanced breakfast have higher test scores and can concentrate better and solve problems more easily in class. They can also have fewer behavioral problems. A hungry child can be a cranky child. So, what can we do to make sure our kids are getting what they need?

For starters, avoid feeding kids a breakfast low in fiber and protein, like sugary toaster pastries, sugar laden cereals, etc. I know these are easy to fix but it doesn’t do the body any good. These can lead to a midmorning energy crash. This happens when the carbs are digested and absorbed quickly, causing blood sugar levels to dive after a spike. Kids can also get headaches and cranky. Make sure you provide your children with a high-protein, high-fiber meal like eggs with whole wheat toast. This kind of meal digests more slowly, preventing hunger and keeping blood sugar levels even. This goes for adults as well. I can always tell when I’ve eaten a breakfast too high in carbs. I’m crashing by midmorning. Not a pretty site.

Here are some true but sad facts:

• American children ages 2-18 are eating 40% of their daily calories from “empty calories,” like
  sugar sweetened beverages and desserts.
• 92% of girls ages 9-18 do not get enough calcium from what they eat and drink.
• 75% of children 6-19 do not eat enough fruit every day.
• Only 13.8% of high school students eat enough vegetables every day.
• 65% of high school students skipped breakfast at least one day a week.

We as parents can make some simple changes to ensure that our kids are getting the nutrients they need to succeed in school. When you plan your weekly meal plan, go ahead and include plans for breakfast, lunches and snacks. It doesn’t take much longer and you’ll know have a game plan. If you need help, there are online menu planning services that can help you plan your breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.

Tell us some of your favorite healthy breakfast, lunch or snack ideas you make for your kids. We’d love to hear about them!

For most of us, school has either started back up again or will be starting in the next few days. That means evening homework, sports activities, band activities, etc. You know, all the things that go along with school starting back that can make our lives so hectic.

How do we maintain some sort of control over one of the most important events of the evening? That would be dinner by the way.

Here are 5 easy tips to help you put healthy dinners on the table even during the hectic school year.

1. Plan! You must plan. It really only takes a short amount of time but can save you so much time and money during the week. Without a plan, you’ll be running to the store several times a week to “just pick something up”. You’ll spend twice as much money on groceries as you would with a plan. You’ll also find yourself eating out more. Again, lots of money not to mention how unhealthy it is. If you really want to make it easy on yourself, use a meal planning service. Build A Menu, an online menu planning service, lets you plan your weekly menus, prices the ingredients for you, and gives you the recipes and a shopping list. It takes all of 5 minute to prepare a menu with a week of meals. Or, if you prefer, just sit down and make the menu plan yourself. Either way, you have to plan.

 

2. Use that slow cooker! You and your slow cooker need to become friends during the week. I’m talking real pals. Throw your meal in the slow cooker in the morning and come home in the evening to a meal. You can even put your chicken breast in the slow cooker frozen. Seriously, use that slow cooker!

 

3. Prep for meals during the week. Look at the meals you have planned and see how many call for cooked ground beef. Same goes for chicken. Go ahead and cook it all up and divide it out. If you’re using it up that week then there’s no need to freeze it. It’s ready in the fridge when you need it. Do any of your meals call for onions or bell peppers? Chop up the required amounts on the weekend so you have all the prep work done already. Basically, prepare anything ahead of time that can be. This one little tip can be such a time saver. If you have older children who can handle a knife, then this is a good job for them.

 

4. Plan a leftover night toward the end of the week. Have one night where you don’t cook. Lay out all the left overs (it’s ok if it’s a hodge podge) and let everyone fend for themselves. Or you might find you have enough to make a great stew or soup.

 

5. Check your calendar. Before you start your meal planning for the week, check and see what activities you have going on in the evenings. If you have a PTA meeting or your child has soccer practice on Monday evenings, you might want to make sure you have something quick (this is where they slow cooker comes in) to prepare on that evening. Nothing can run a good meal plan faster than finding out you don’t have time to cook what you had planned.

So, it really comes down to taking just a few minutes to plan. Make your life easier, your evenings calmer and your family healthier. You’re worth it!

Do you have any tips to share with us about meal planning now that school has started? We’d love to hear from you!

What is transracial or transcultural adoption? In a nutshell, it’s the placement of a child from one culture or ethnic group with adoptive parents of a differing culture or ethnic group. My family and I know first-hand what this experience is like. For us, it’s a wonderful and enriching experience.

Of our six children, our two youngest are adopted and both are from Mexican heritage. While one has light hair and hazel eyes, the other is obviously Mexican American. Yes, I get looks when we go out and people hear him call me mom. I’ve had checkers at Walmart ask me if I’m babysitting. I’ve had folks ask me “where he came from.” I’ve had people ask me if they are part something (to which my reply before has been, “No, they are 100% human”). I’ve had strangers ask me if my husband is Mexican. My husband had a stranger at a park be quite perplexed at how our boys could possibly be brothers. Quite often, this is all done in ear shot of my children.

Frankly, none of this really bothers me. People are curious and sometimes ignorant and quite often speak without thinking. We as a family are very open about our children’s race and heritage. They, just like my biological children, have a very rich heritage that they should be proud of and deserve to know about. We don’t hide the fact that our race is different just like we don’t hide from the adoption topic.

How being in a transracial family will affect your child’s self-esteem will greatly depend on you and your extended family. There have been some studies done on how transracial adoption affects the adopted child, but few large scale studies. The results are mixed. Some studies seem to show no difference in self-esteem between kids who are adopted transracially compared to those who are adopted within their ethnic background. Other studies seem to show that self-esteem is an issue for these kids, and that they will struggle with their racial identity later in life.

How does my family handle it? We are very open about it. We talk about our skin colors. I tell my darker skin son how much I love his skin. He tells me when I sunburn due to my very light colored skin, that he wishes he could give me some of his tan. Sweet boy. Because we homeschool, I’m able to spend time teaching them more about their heritage. We attend Cinco de Mayo festivals in our home town. Because neither of our boys came to us knowing Spanish, we are currently having them take Spanish lessons. To my children, biological as well as adopted, adoption and transracial families are a common thing. My sister and her husband also have three adopted children. Two are from Russia and one is from China. Our “cousins” family pictures are a wonderful mixed portrait of different heritages. And you know what? It’s an amazingly beautiful portrait.

Have you adopted a child of another ethnicity or culture? We’d love to hear about your experience!

Have you heard the saying “parenting isn’t for wimps?” Well, that’s especially true for parenting a child that you’ve adopted as an older child. Older child adoption brings on a whole set of challenges that infant adoption doesn’t. Older children come with a history, personalities, anger and hurt over what has happened to them and what they have lost. They might have attachment issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obstinate defiance disorder, among other issues. They might grieve their past even when it was a traumatic past. After all, it’s all they know and it’s familiar to them. You are not familiar to them.

After the age of two years old, a child is considered hard to adopt. Everyone wants to adopt the infants. Not so with the other children. The older the child is, the more unlikely they are to find a forever family.

We adopted our two youngest boys at the age of 5 (they are 8 months apart) and they had both already been in multiple homes. With our first adopted son, I or my husband use to spend hours the first two years he was home with us holding him securely and rocking him while he threw raging angry fits. He was angry. He was hurt. At one point during a rage when he had just turned 5 and we had only had him a month, he looked up at me and sobbed, “my bones are angry.” That is how angry this child was. All the way to his little bones. Now, at the age of 10, the angry fits are few and far between. It takes time to heal. This is the same child who today had a deep sense of compassion.

So, why if older children come with all these issues would anyone want to adopt an older child? Because they also come with much joy and love (don’t expect them to love you at first) and laughter. At the end of a rough day, when I’m asking myself the question, what have I done, one of my boys will come up to me and say, “I’m so glad you’re my mom.” There’s my answer.

Adopting an older child isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes tough skin, a willing heart, a for better or worse attitude, a good sense of humor (or warped sense of humor) and commitment to your child/children. Nothing less. If you decide to adopt an older child expect hard times and storms. However, look for the rainbow after the storm. You’ll find it!

Have you adopted an older child? We’d love to hear from you and love you to share your experience with us.

Parents who want to adopt have to make choices. Infant or older child, domestic or international, private or foster care are among many decisions they have to make and each is a very personal decision. My husband and I decided to adopt domestically through the foster care system. Since then, I’ve heard lots of reasons couples say they can’t adopt through foster care. Here’s some of those reasons and why they just aren’t always true.

1. It’s too expensive: Not so. Most adoptions from foster care cost an average of $1500-$2500, and most states reimburse parents up to $1500 toward their cost of the attorney fees. Some adoption attorneys only charge what they know your state will reimburse you. That way, it is actually costing you nothing to adopt. On top of that, most states will provide financial support up until your child turns 18, and your child will be eligible for Medicaid even if you already have an insurance plan (you’ll use one as a secondary insurance) and most states will cover college expenses for students who have been adopted through foster care if they attend a state college/university.
2. Children from foster care come with all sorts of problems and baggage. Well, sometimes they do. That’s something you need to be aware of before adopting. However, whether you adopt internationally or domestically, you need to know that your child is going to have issues that you will have to deal with. Possible attachment issues, anger issues, etc. These issues are the result of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. Unless you are planning on adopting an newborn, you are most likely going to have to deal with some of these issues regardless of the route you take to adopt.
3. I’d rather adopt internationally so the parents can’t try to take back my child: Once a parent of a child in foster care has had their parental rights terminated, they can no longer “come back for” their child. They have no legal rights to the child at all. It’s completely up to you as their adopted parent whether you want to allow the birth parents to know where your child is or to communicate with your child.
4. It takes too long to adopt through foster care. Really, that depends on what your goal is. My husband and I decided that we wanted a boy (we already had all boys at home at the time so it just made it easier) between ages of 8-10 and that race didn’t matter. We actually ended up with a precious little boy who was just 2 weeks short of his 5th birthday and was a quarter Mexican American. It took us exactly 9 months from beginning the process until we brought him home. That is exactly how long I carried my biological children. With our second son we said we’d like to adopt a boy, around 5-6 years old and race didn’t matter. It took us 6 months to bring home our beautiful Mexican American little boy who had just turned 5. So, I guess time is a matter of opinion.
5. I don’t want people to judge my children because they are from the foster care system. If you don’t’ judge them, then it’s less likely that others will. Just because a child has been in the foster system does not make them a juvenile delinquent. It doesn’t take long for people to realize that all my kids, both biological and adoptive, are great kids.

There’s on average 400, 00 children in the US in foster care needing forever homes. That number alone is a good reason to look toward the foster care system if you are looking at adopting. Regardless of what route you go to adopt, you’ll find yourself on an amazing and powerful journey.

Have you adopted through the foster care system? We’d love to hear about your journey.

Have you heard of the “honeymoon period” that often comes along with adopting an older child? It’s the time when the child is first placed in the new home and things can seem “good” and peaceful. For each family, the honeymoon period is different and can last for different lengths of time.

For my family, with both of our adopted children (they were adopted at the age of 5) the “honeymoon” lasted about two weeks. With our first adopted child I was actually relived when it was over. He was so determined to make us want to keep him. He would try to do everything for me. I would find him on his hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor or trying to scrub windows for me. He would try to take everyone’s dinner dishes to the sink as soon as they were done eating. I knew the moment the honeymoon period was over.

What can you expect when the honeymoon period comes to an end? It’s different for each family. Often times, children will regress several years soon after they are brought into a new home. They might not have ever had a mommy figure in their lives. They have probably never been “babied” before. Both my boys did this in their own ways. One of mine took to crawling on the floor and babbling like a baby while reaching his hands out to me to pick him up. To give him the “babying” that he had missed, I actually spoon fed him for a couple of weeks, carried him around (as much as my back would allow me) and would rock him to sleep while singing to him. I allowed him to be that baby as long as he needed to. He needed to see that I could and would be his mommy.

They will also fully expect you to decide to send them away and will test you repeatedly to prove this point. We would continuously reassure our boys that we were going to be their parents forever no matter what they did and that they never had to be in another home. It never dawned on me that they didn’t have a clue what forever really was until one day one of my boys asked me what forever meant.

So, how can you make this transition time easier? For starters, don’t overwhelm your child. They need to bond with you and their new family. For us (and I would highly recommend it for others) it meant no outside visitors, including extended family, for several weeks. Children, no matter the age, need to get use to their new home. We took ours to church, to the store, maybe an occasional restaurant, but other than that, we just stayed at home getting to know each other and starting the bonding process.

Above all, providing your child with unconditional love and acceptance will help you both survive the honeymoon transition. Entering into the adoption with complete commitment will also ensure that you as the parent will outlast the honeymoon period and live to see another day.

Have you adopted and gone through the “honeymoon period”? We’d love for you to share your experience with us.

You’re thinking about adopting but not sure if you are really ready.  First, I’d advise you to ask yourself why you want to adopt. There are many different reasons that parents decide they want to adopt and couples looking at adopting need to really take a good look at why THEY want to adopt.  As an adoptive parent of 2 children I’ve heard many parents tell me that they would like to adopt as well.  Here are some reasons they give.

1. You feel obligated to take care of orphans. Many cultures emphasize the importance of taking care of disenfranchised people.  The Bible (James 1:27) says we need to take care of orphans. However, it doesn’t say that we must adopt.  Adoption isn’t for everyone and there are so many different ways to help children in need.  Besides adopting, my sister (who has three adopted children) and I started a business that contributes a portion of our proceeds to orphan care charities.  There are other businesses that do the same thing.  CASA (court appointed advocates) are always looking for people who want to help and advocate for children.  My point is — that shouldn’t be the only reason you want to adopt.
2. You think adopting will make a struggling marriage stronger. Nope, it won’t.  It will just put more strain on your already strained marriage.  Please don’t adopt for that reason.
3. To save a child. Believe it or not, not all children want to be saved regardless of what they have been through and not all are grateful.  It’s all they knew and you’re taking them away from it.  This of course applies to adopting older children and not infants.
4. We have lots of money and can give lots of things to a child.  That alone isn’t a reason to adopt. Children don’t want your money.
5. I can love any child placed in my home. I’m betting I can find a few that would make you change your mind.  Children have been put up for adoption for a reason.  They have been through trauma (some for years) and aren’t always ready to except your love.
6. Along the same line: Children just need love. I wish it were that easy.  However, that’s not all they need. It’s so much more complicated than that. 

I’ve heard all the above reasons for parents wanting to adopt and these reasons alone aren’t good enough.  I’m not in any way trying to talk anyone out of adopting or saying that children shouldn’t be saved.  I have two adopted children that I love fiercely.  However, the rate for disrupted adoptions is climbing and I believe it’s because couples are not educated properly when it comes to adoption and they are adopting for the wrong reasons.

So, why then would anyone want to adopt?  Because you want to be a parent.  You want to parent unconditionally.  Either a parent for the first time or a parent again.  You have to want to parent!   Adoption is like marriage.  It’s for better or worse.  If you decide adoption is the right thing for you, then I applaud you and the journey your family will find yourself on.  And what a journey it will be!  My husband and I wouldn’t change our journey for the world.  Start that journey for the right reasons and educate yourself about what that journey is going to look like and you’ll also be in for the journey of your life.

Are you and your family on the adoption journey?  We’d love to hear from you and have you share your thoughts with us.