Hit the Books

8 Steps to a Clean Bedroom

2009-11-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

This week's book is:

Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention: A Book for Kids About ADHD

By Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D. and Ellen B. Dixon, Ph. D

There's is a special treat this week! I have one copy of the book to give away. Be the first to email me and I'll give you this week's book!

When you hear ADHD - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder - you probably think of someone with lots of energy, who is busy all the time and maybe a little disorganized. These things can be true, there are lots of different people with ADHD and they all act a little bit different. One thing they have in common is that there is a part of their brains that is sleepy. You probably remember that different areas of the brain do different jobs. The jobs that this sleepy area does are to help you think before you act, to help you sit still and pay attention and to help you remember and be organized.

Even if you don’t have ADHD, you can use this plan for 8 steps to a clean room. These steps are from pages 44 to 47 of Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention.

You will need:

Garbage bag
Four boxes labelled toys, shoes, books, school
Clothes hamper
Two hooks in your closet (or two hangers)
Dresser (or another place to put clean clothes)

Here’s What You Do:

Put all the dirty clothes in the hamper and all the clean clothes in your dresser.
Put all the toys in the box labelled toys.
Put all the books in the box labelled books.
Put all the school stuff in the box labelled school stuff.
Put all the shoes in the box labelled shoes.
Put all the trash and throw-away stuff in the garbage bag. Take the garbage bag out to the trash can.
Make your bed.
Hang your pyjamas and your coat in the closet.

Wow! I bet you can see your floor again!

Remember, I'm giving away this week's book to the first person to email me!

Want to read more? Buy the book. Or take it out of the library.

Babycakes: Gluten-free Yummies

2009-11-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Celiac Disease? My husband and daughter have it. They can't eat gluten. Unfortunately, anything made out of wheat has gluten in it. White flour is made from wheat, so they can no longer eat yummy foods like fried bread. The good news, is that there are lots of other types of flours that they can eat. This week's book review includes gluten-free recipes for Pumpkin Spice Muffins, Banana Bread and Chocolate Cupcakes.

Babycakes: Vegan, gluten-free, and (mostly) sugar-free recipes from New York’s most talked-about bakery by Erin McKenna (New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2009)

Here's a list of special ingredients used in these recipes:

Pumpkin-spice muffins (Babycakes, p30)

Makes 12

Ingredients:

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Ground Ginger
½ cup Coconut Oil, plus more for the pan
2/3 cup Agave Nectar
2/3 cup Rice Milk
2 tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 ½ cups Canned Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
½ cup Hot Water

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and ginger.
Add the oil, agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla to the dry ingredients.
Stir until the batter is smooth and thick.
Using a plastic spatula fold in the pumpkin and hot water until both are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it.
Bake the muffins on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the tin 180 degrees after 10 minutes. The finished muffins will be soft to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Let the muffins stand in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Banana Bread / Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (Babycakes, p. 57)

Makes 10 slices

Ingredients:

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ cup Coconut Oil, plus more for the pan
2/3 cup Agave Nectar
2/3 cup Rice Milk
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
6 medium Bananas, peeled and mashed
Optional: 1 cup Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 7 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pan with oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon.
Add ½ cup oil and the agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth.
Using a plastic spatula, gently fold in the bananas (and chocolate chips, if using) until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the banana bread on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 20 minutes. The finished loaf will bounce back slightly when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Let the banana bread stand in the pan for 20 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake, cover the top of the pan with a cutting board and invert the loaf onto the board. Carefully lift the pan away and re-invert the bread onto another cutting board.
Either cut and serve warm, or wait until completely cool before storing. Cover the uncut banana bread with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Cupcakes (Babycakes, p. 87)

Makes 24

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups Garbanzo-Fava Bean Flour
½ cup Potato Starch
1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¼ cup Arrowroot
1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 teaspoons Salt
1 cup Coconut Oil
1 1/3 cups Agave Nectar
¾ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
3 tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Hot Water or Hot Coffee

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.
Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla and hot water to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth.
Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it. Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 15 minutes. The finished cupcakes will bounce back when pressure is applied gently to the center.
Let the cupcakes stand in the tins for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.
Using a frosting knife, gently spread 1 tablespoon chocolate frosting over each cupcake. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Frosting / Chocolate Sauce (Babycakes, p. 93)

Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Unsweetened Soy Milk
½ cup Dry Soy Milk Powder
¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tablespoon Coconut Flour
¼ cup Agave Nectar
1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Instructions:

In a blender or food processor, combine the soy milk, soy powder, cocoa powder, coconut flour, agave nectar and vanilla.
Blend the ingredients for 2 minutes. With the machine running, slowly add the oil and lemon juice, alternating between the two until both are fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for 6 hours or for up to 1 month.
To use as a sauce: store the mixture at room temperature for up to 1 week.

I'm looking forward to giving these recipes a try. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Want more information? Buy the book. Or take it out of the library like I did.

$even $teps for a Money Makeover

2009-11-06T15:05:00.001-08:00

loving the coldhardcash, originally uploaded by The Hadfields.

This week I read, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by David Ramsey. Here are his seven “baby-steps.”

1. Start by saving $1000 for a rainy day. Hide it! It’s for an emergency, not for pizza when you’re too tired to cook. Use the money in an emergency then replace it as soon as possible.

2. Next, build your “debt snowball.” Make a list of all your debts. List them in order from smallest to largest. Put this list on your fridge. Every month make the minimum payment on all the debts except the smallest. Put everything you can into paying off that debt first. When you pay it off, cross it off the list and focus on paying off the next one. Don’t include your mortgage that’s for a later step.

3. After you are debt-free...imagine debt-free...build up your emergency savings. You’ve already saved $1000. Now, you want to build that up to cover 3-6 months of expenses. This money needs to be available in an emergency, but not so easily available that you spend it on non-emergencies.

4. Now that you have an emergency fund and no pesky credit card debts, it’s time to save for retirement. Each month save 15% of your gross income. Put this money in mutual funds with good track records.

5. After you’ve established a retirement fund, start a college fund for your children. Don’t stick them with student loans, but don’t feel you have to pay for their entire education.

6. Now it’s time to pay off that mortgage. When you get to this step, you have to be careful to stay focused. It’s easy to settle for mediocrity. Don’t! Persevere, and become completely debt-free.

7. Have fun, invest and give. You’ve earned it!

Want more information? Buy the book. Or take it out of the library like I did.

Ten Tips To Make Smart Kids

2009-09-27T17:24:00.001-07:00

her nose in a good book, originally uploaded by The Hadfields.

This weekend I read Intelligence and How to Get It by Richard E. Nisbett (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009). I enjoyed it -- it was readable and as an educator I found it encouraging. If you don't have time to read the whole book, you could flip to Chapter Ten and read "Raising Your Child's Intelligence...and Your Own." Or I could read the chapter and summarize it for you. Here is my synthesis of Nisbett's suggestions:

1. Talk to your child

Involve your child in conversations: talk to your child about issues, ideas and your interests. You don't need to dumb things down for them, but you do want to interest them. Reading to them is important too.

2. Keep it positive

Stress is bad for the brain and bad for learning. Encourage often and try to avoid yelling and scolding.

3. Categorize

Help your child to sort objects and events into groups by looking for similarities and differences. Chores are great way to teach sorting -- whether it's matching socks as they come out of the dryer, sorting the recycling or creating the family's grocery list.

4. Exercise

Everyone benefits from exercise - expectant moms, their babies-to-be, children, parents, elders. Healthy brains need healthy bodies.

5. Solving problems requires fluid intelligence

Fluid intelligence is the type of intelligence that helps us to use creativity to solve problems. You can improve fluid intelligence by doing exercises that help strengthen memory and attention. See: Top 10 Websites and Games for Brain Exercise for ideas.

6. Breathe well

Meditation-type exercises, like yoga, focus on breathing, posture and body awareness to improve fluid intelligence.

7. Control yourself

Studying instead of partying requires self-control. Kids with greater self-control do better at school. How do we teach self-control? Model it. Kids copy the behaviours they see. Reward yourself regardless of your performance, your kids will do the same. How to improve your own self-control? Try to put the "reward" out of sight and mind to help yourself wait until you've earned it before you enjoy it.

8. Hard work: the road to success

Everyone can get smarter. We need to understand this message and relay this message. To get smarter takes hard work. By praising kids for their hard work we give them control over what it takes to get smarter. When we praise them for being smart, we place them in a mine field - one false move and they'll no longer look smart. Click here for more tips on how to praise your child.

9. The five Cs

Encourage a sense of control
Challenge your child
Instill confidence
Foster curiousity
Contextualize: relate activities to the real world or the virtual world (Internet, movies, TV)

10. Improve your child's school

What makes a better school? According to Nisbitt, better teachers and better programs. Hire teachers that connect with students and make a difference in their lives. Check out the US Dept of Education What Works Clearninghouse for information about research studies showing the effectiveness of programs and take steps to become more involved in your child's school.

Want more information? Buy the book. Or take it out of the library like I did.