What a Woman Means to a Home

I lost my temper the other day and made everyone miserable. My kids, my mum, my husband, even the neighbour's dog was upset. My kids asked what was wrong with me. And mum said something really poignant and needs to be remembered ...

I was home from work. All happy and calm. But when I saw my kids playing and watching TV and the games, it suddenly irked me that they were not studying or at least reading (which is a story for another time) something!

I snapped. I yelled and bellowed and said some awful words.  I found fault with everything.

I could hear my boys saying 'what is wrong with mummy'? all we were doing was playing

And then my mother said ... a woman, the mum, means the world to the home. if you are calm, all will be calm. the woman is the glue to place things and family together. there is solace. there will be solutions to every probelm. but when the woman of the house is chaotic, upset, or is ill, there is unrest.

I realise that I am upset, my husband gets uncomfortable and he becomes moody.

The mum sets the tone, the mood...

We lead and we maketh a home.

Stay calm fellow mums. And keep healthy. We mean the world to our children and family.

Happy teaching!

Pomegranate for Children - It Works

The pomegranate fruit is lovely and great fruit for children. My kids eat the seeds or sacs as it is or we juice it. Pomegranate is quickly becoming popular as a superfood because of  high antioxidant content.

 

Its round and reddish-pink, leathery and hard skin with  hundreds of small translucent sacs, which are also called seeds, filled with red, or sometimes pink, juice. These sacs are the only edible part of the pomegranate.

Children are usually attracted by the bright color of the seeds and enjoy their sweet  taste.

 

 

Pomegranate seeds are a great source of fiber, and the juice contains, vitamin C, potassium, iron, and polyphenol antioxidants, of which 3 types are particularly high which are  tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid.

 

Eating Pomegranate

1.     Eat the fruit -  my children love the seeds

 

2.     Juice the seeds

 

3.    Buy pomegranate juice from the store – if possible with low sugar or no sugar – this is the easiest way and most enjoyable to quench your thirst.

Try this.  Click to find out more.  

4.     Sprinkle the seeds in yoghurt or salads or ice creams

 

5.     Marinate chicken and meat

 

Benefits

Research has shown that the antioxidants in pomegranates may help prevent a variety of diseases and illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and high blood pressure. In addition, the B-vitamin folate in pomegranates aids the healthy growth of red blood cells and promotes good blood circulation. Also, the high content of fiber is extremely helpful.

A small reminder, the juice from the seeds can stain clothes. But its easily removable.

Like everything else, although there are lot of health beneifts, its always safe to consult a medical doctor before taking any execissive amount of pomegranate products, particularly if you are taking any prescription medication to avoid drug/food interactions.

 

How to Remove the Seeds

1.     slice the fruit into sections,

2.     submerge the sections in a bowl of water.

3.     with your fingers, roll the seeds from the fleshy interior.

4.     Scoop up the seeds with a strainer

 

Happy Teaching!

 

Coffee, Tea and Kids

Coffee

Depending on how strong it's brewed,

Black tea contains about 50 mg of caffeine per cup.
In comparison, green tea contains 8 to 30 mg per cup, while coffee contains 100 to 350 mg.

My kids drink tea with milk and sugar. Some of my friends think I am crazy.

Can we give our kids Tea And Coffee ?

In short – Yes – but ....

A lot of people generally view coffee as unhealthy – especially for those who drink a lot of it. But scientists and researchers have found that coffee may actually be good for our health.

Should kids be drinking coffee for health reasons, too?

Researchers think that six cups of coffee a day had a much reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to those who consumed no coffee each day. Coffee may also reduce the risk for Parkinson’s disease, liver cirrhosis, colon cancer, gallstones, and Alzheimer’s disease. But, at the same time, it may INCREASE the risk of heart disease.

Caffeine can also increase or be bad for heart problems or nervous disorders, and can produce symptoms like jitters, irritability and hyperactivity. Caffeine can be addictive, cause restlessness for those who are hooked and miss their daily dose.

Coffee is such a complex brew of chemicals, many of which are created and brought out in the process of roasting and brewing coffee. (For adults, have a look at www.coffeecraft.com for good brew of coffees)

Is Coffee Good for Kids?

As parents, we tend to keep our kids away from coffee although some doctors say that it can help improve concentration and may help children do a little better on tests for this reason. On the other hand, there are negative effects of drinking coffee, especially for kids, where even 1 cup of coffee could have negative effects.

What About Tea?

Black Tea is made from the same plant as green tea and white tea. Black tea doesn't mean tea without milk, and white tea doesn't mean tea with milk. The difference is the way the tea leaves are processed after picking.

Green and white teas are hardly processed at all, whereas black tea is fully oxidized.

Drinking just 3-5 cups of black tea daily can bring about all health benefits. Here are 5 main benefits of black tea. The benefits of black tea are lessened when milk and sugar are added.

1. Weight Loss Management – black tea burns fat and speed up metabolism.

2. Reduced Glucose levels for Diabetics

3. Prevent tooth decay

4. Delays the ageing process – have you noticed that many ageing products contain tea extracts?

5. Combats and reduces diseases because of the antioxidants that it contains

Should Kids Drink Tea and Coffee?

Tea tends to have lesser amount of caffeine compared to coffee.

As kids, there are probably already consuming other products that have caffeine in them, like soft drinks and chocolate. Having coffee may add up the caffeine intact to unhealthy levels.

The National Institute of Health says even though caffeine is safe to consume in moderation, it may have a negative effect on overall health and nutrition.Caffeine can affect appetite. The Institute says caffeine can be completely restricted in a child’s diet since there is no nutritional requirement for it.

Source information: http://www.drlisawatson.com/tea-for-tots - useful information about tea and how much to give our kids.

www.coffeecraft.com – information on the best coffee around the world.

 

20% off for the World’s Best Coffee – For the Next Two Weeks Only

It’s coming to the end of the year. Great time for a break! Parents, readers of Teaching Kids, I am giving away a 20% discount on any coffee purchased from www.coffeecraft.com. This is a wonderful opportunity, as the promoters of coffeecraft.com are highly experienced and only pick the best roasts.

Coffeecraft.com distributes the best coffee from around the world without us searching for it. Many coffee lovers would spend lots of money just to have the right roast. You would typically need to buy a bag full.

Just like a fine wine, each coffee is different. Coffees change from year to year. And just because a roaster is good, it doesn't mean that every coffee it sells is the best coffee available right now.





What this company does can be quite amazing. Sometimes the roasters with the best reputation have the best brews, and sometimes they don't. www.coffeecraft.com tends to feature coffees from tiny upstarts as well as more established artisan roasters. They are blind to packaging and branding.  The emphasis is about the quality of the coffee.

Parents and readers,

Have a cup of coffee. Good coffee with friends and family for a fraction of the cost.


Ask for the discount code by emailing 1teachingkids@gmail.com to receive the 20% discount for any variety of coffee offered at www.coffeecraft.com.    We will email you the code, which you can use to purchase your first month of Craft Coffee at 20% off your first month.




Happy Teaching and Cooking!

"You have dirtied the whole floor again! Why do you always do that?"

As parents, arent we sometimes frustrated and have daily struggles to get our children to behave in a certain way ... the way society expects. Children and adults have conflicting needs.  Adults want cleanliness, order, courtesy while children are not too bothered about those things. They are busy being children!


I have to say, my husband constantly are up and arms with my boys on cleanliness and courtesy. The 2 Big Cs in my household.  The kids don't understand why he goes on about it. They abide by the requirements to prevent their father from getting ruffled and cross with them.

I set out to look for some reading material. And this is probably the best to described what is happening and what to do.

I love to hear parents give their views on this.


Have you heard parents speak to their kids this way:

Name calling - "you are a slob. what a dirty room. can't you clean it."

Threats - "If you don't do your homework, I am going to speak to the principal"

Commands - " Do your homework now"

Comparison - Lisa/Bob is so much clever/hardworking/pretier than you.  She/he has so much better manners

Lecturing - "Do you think it is a nice thing to do? You dont seem to realise the importance of manners"

Warnings - "Careful, what is wrong with you" You will be hit.

Prohecy - " Keep doing what you are doing. You will not get anywhere with that attitude"

These is actually verbal violence and abuse. It breaks their self esteem and creates bad feelings.

These are 5 ways to work with kids - pick the ones that work for you:

(i) Describe what you see or the problem.

e.g. There is a wet towel on the bed

It is easier to deal with a problem then with an accusation.

(ii) Give information

Give information that the child can work with. e.g. the towel is making my bed wet

(iii) Saying it to the point
Children dont like lectures and sermons. Shorter the better.

(iv) Talk about your feelings
Dont comment about the child's character or personality. e.g. I dont like slepping on a wet bed

(v) Write a note
My older son is into writing his feelings. I get him to write and i sometimes write him back.

I confess I am guilty of some of things. But sharing experiences help and and I tell my children to remind me or even tell me if my actions are unkind and hurtful. This, I hope shows that I respect them as being intelligent, sensitive and have their own character and feelings.

Interestingly, these are also good reminders for the work place!

I look forward to hearing your views on this topic in particular.

Happy teaching and cooking!

Remedies from the Kitchen

There are lots of home remedies, which are right in our kitchen Spices, olive oil, garlic, lemon, honey, vinegar, the list goes on .... Here are a few i use with my children. My mother is a great proponate of home remedies. Its natural. But of course, nothing replaces the doctor and proper medical care. Natural remedies can nevertheless help.


1.    Cuts and wounds, including paper cuts

(i)  Tumeric powder

Wash the wound first. Mix a little tumeric powder and water and rub over the wounds. It should provide quick relieve. Tumeric is a natural antibiotic.

(ii) Tea tree oil

Stir a teaspoon or so tea tree oil into a cup of warm water and rinse the cut. Do it a couple of times.


2.  Coughs

(i) Honey and ginger
Honey has antibacterial properties and works wonders for coughs and sour throats. Crush some ginger and include some honey with warm water.

(ii) Eucalyptus oil
This oil is wonderful to clear sinuses and the coughs caused by excessive flame. Place some in hot water and breathe in the vapours. Dont forget to place a towel over the child's head. This is better for older children - above 7 because of the strong vapours.


3.   Body Odour

(i) Try wipping vinegar or lemon juice under the arm pits. These will kill the bacteria in the area

(ii) Dusting bicarbonate of soda and corn flour powder is another remedy


4. Motion Sickness

(i) Chew fresh slices of ginger, drink ginger tea or nibble on ginger biscuits



Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Which is a Good Cooking Oil?

Do you sometimes wonder which cooking oil is best? Olive oil? Coconut oil? Canola oil? Sunflower oil? I did some research and this is what I found.

Cooking oil is fat and can be from plant or animal.

Types of cooking oil include:

- Ghee

- Olive oil

- Palm oil

- Soybean oil

- Canola oil

- Pumpkin seed oil

- Corn oil

- Sunflower oil

- Safflower oil

- Grape seed oil

- Peanut oil

- Sesame oil


First understanding the different kinds of fats

Oils differ from one another and are categorized by their degree of "saturation."

Generally saturated fats has heart health risks, which generally come from animal sources. Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils are the 3 plant-based exceptions to this rule, and should generally be avoided.

1. Monounsaturated oils are liquid at room temperature but cloud and thicken when chilled - Olive, canola, peanut and hazelnut oils, safflower and sunflower oils.

Consuming monounsaturated oils seems to reduce total blood cholesterol and the "bad" (low density lipoproteins [LDL]) cholesterol levels without affecting the "good" (high density lipoproteins [HDL]) cholesterol levels.

Olive oil and canola oil have been recommended as the safest sources of fat in a heart-healthy diet.


2. Polyunsaturated oils – regular safflower and sunflower, walnut, corn and soybean oils, remain liquid whether in or out of the refrigerator. Sesame oil contains approximately half monounsaturated and half polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated oils are healthy because they too reduce total cholesterol and LDL, but they also decrease HDL's positive effects.

Polyunsaturated oils are chemically unstable, especially when exposed to heat and can change in content that contribute to cancer and other chronic diseases. Notice, there is more smoke with these kinds of oils especially sesame oil.

Have you noticed that some advertisements boasts an oil containing no cholesterol. It is true because vegetable oils contain no cholesterol as only animals have cholesterol.


Cooking with oil

Heating an oil changes its characteristics.

The cooking oil we choose depends on the cooking method.

Polyunsaturated oils - degrade easily to toxic compounds when heated. Prolonged consumption of burnt oils can lead to inflammatory joint disease, and development of birth defects.

Saturated fats – such as palm oil and coconut oil can withstand the high heat of deep frying and is resistant to oxidation compared to highly unsaturated vegetable oils. It remains stable in deep frying or in baking at very high temperatures.

Never fry at high heats with corn oil, it's notorious for foaming and smoking.

So, which oil is healthy?

There is no real answer because the fat content between the oils differ and they have their different characteristics. All cooking oils are 100 percent fat and thus the best way is to use oils is with thought and sparingly.

Canola oil is lowest in the saturated fat that clogs our arteries, while olive oil is highest in monounsaturates.

The dietary difference in cooking oils lies in the proportions each contains of the three basic types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Regardless of the type of oil, we should used no more than 10 percent of total calories intake.  Try reading this book for more information on cooking oils.




Happy Cooking and Teaching!