Kids and Television

I was putting my seven your old daughter to bed the other night; she hugs me with a sigh and says, "Mom, I'm the only one in my school who's not allowed to watch the Family Channel". How sad.....not that she's missing out....that all the other kids are allowed to watch it. We did have it on for a while....until she started acting like a teenager....and started driving me crazy.....so i sat and watched some of her favourite shows.....they are addictive and so wrong! Is this what our children are growing up with? Are these characters their role models? It's no wonder we're raising a generation of spoiled, disrespectful children....If you sit and watch those "family" shows, you'll notice that the adults are all stupid and clueless. There is absolutely no respect for adults in these shows. The men....especially....What happened to the dependable DAD who's supportive and responsible.....someone a child can go to for answers....? When DAD talks, you listen, because he's right....when MOM talks, you listen, because she's right....and mom and dad don't dishonour, or belittle, or go against each other. The "children" in these shows, who look older than they are suppose to look, are all cool and have EVERYTHING. No one ever does housework or homework.....if they do, it's HORRIBLE!

I know there is enough evidence proving that screen time negatively affects brain development....but my kids are getting "Little house on the Prairie" for christmas....and I'm forcing them to watch it!

Fig-Arugula Slices

Figs are in season...but I just can't sit and eat figs.....I wanted to do something with them that didn't require going out to get more supplies....everyone else wanted pizza and I'm not doing the tomatoes sauce/pepperoni heartburn thing, so we decided on "make your own pizza night" on pita bread. And here is mine....

It was awesome!

I sliced a garlic in half and rubbed the cut side on the pita. Then, I slapped some butter on the pita; (I can't eat olive oil....the horror!) otherwise, I would have used olive oil. Topped the butter with a bunch of arugula, sprinkled some grated mozzarella and parmesan, carefully arranged sliced figs on the cheese, and toped it off with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Bake in 375 oven

A bite.... with the sweetness of the fig and the salty crunch of the sea salt.....umm!

Zucchini Muffins

Back to school....back to figuring out what to put in the kids lunches.....deciding what to feed them after school (when they come home with the predictable words, "I'm hungry!")....taking into account their food sensitivities....their preferences....nutrition....it also means shopping with a two year old that HATES shopping....
So forget shopping today; I can fill out the requirements with these zucchini muffins....and my two year old loves them too!