“Raspberry Sherbet Explosion”
November 15, 2007 at 10:09 pm | Posted in Food, Health, Kids, Smoothies, Snacks | Leave a commentHey guys! I know you loved that last smoothie recipe I gave you all. If you didn’t, then you have some messed up taste buds, dude! So I’ve blended up another one for you. Its my “Raspberry Sherbet Explosion”! If you love raspberries, sherbet, or have a tongue at all you’ll go crazy over this new concoction of mine.
Get the stuff
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A small bag of frozen raspberries (anybody know why it’s spelled this way!?!?)
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Orange juice
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Raspberry sherbet ice cream
Puttin’ it together
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Dump just about half of the raspberries into the blender container
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Plop a couple of scoops of sherbet on top.
Warning: more sherbet will make a more powerful taste, but it’s fattening and you don’t want to lose the benefit of all those crunches do you?
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Pour some of that orange juice into the mix.
Lets get it started
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Turn your blender on (remember the lid!)
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Daydream for a minute or two as you watch those berries getting chomped up real good.
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Cut of the power and check the thickness. If its too thick add some more orange juice, if its too liquidy then add a few more berries.
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Finish blending, and have fun drinkin’ this awesome smoothie!!
OH, and be sure to thank your parents for letting you use the blender 
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
Homework Hassles
November 9, 2007 at 2:39 am | Posted in Children, Grades, Homework, Kids, School, Schoolwork | Leave a commentHomework, domework! But ya gotta do it, right? Either that or pay the price for not. So as long as doing it is the only good option, how about I show you some ways to get it done faster, easier, and learn something at the same time. I mean that’s supposedly the reason we have homework in the first place – to learn something.
Tip #1 is amazingly simple, but you gotta do it first, and every day!
WRITE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS DOWN
I know, that seems so lame doesn’t it? But if a kid doesn’t know exactly what he’s supposed to do for the homework, it’s like playing wii blindfolded.
SO, if the teacher gives you a printed homework sheet, make sure you get it in your backpack and home. If you get verbal instructions, write, write, write. And if you’re not absolutely sure what the assignments is, ask for a repeat.
Hint: asking a teacher to repeat an assignment not only gets you the info you need, but you get bonus points with the teacher for showing how diligent you are. Just make sure the dog doesn’t eat your homework before you get on the bus the next morning, or you lose the bonus points 
I’ll have more homework success tips in upcoming blog posts. Let me know what you think!
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
Easy Exercises 1: Crunch Crazy
November 1, 2007 at 10:57 pm | Posted in Children, Exercise, Health, Kids | Leave a commentLike that Pangapple Persuasion smoothie?! Yeah, buddy! Good tastin’ and healthy, too.
I’m working up a 21 Things Special Report on exercises for kids. The kind of exercises that anybody can do, without special equipment, even while you’re watching TV.
Here’s one of the simplest – CRUNCHES – and I love them. You can do a number on those tummy muscles with just a few minutes of this! And it really pays off to have strong abs – good for posture, good for breathing and energy. But it pays off even more to have the exercise habit as we grow toward being adults.
Here’s how you do it:
1) Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Bending your knees different angles changes how your abs work, so mix it up from one time to the next. Keep your feet flat on the ground. You can stick your toes under a sofa or something if that helps you stay put.
2) Now what to do with your arms. Again, lots of choices. You can put your hands against your ears, elbows in tight. You can cross your arms across your chest. You can lay your hands on your stomach. You can hold your arms up over your head. Each different arm position changes which muscles are working and how hard they are working. Just mix it up and you’ll see.
3) Ready? Let’s go! Lift your shoulders up off the floor just a few inches, until you feel your abs contract good and hard. Then back down. Don’t cheat with your arms or your head. Make your tummy muscles do the work. Keep doing crunches until you feel your abs start to burn. Then stop and rest for 20 or 30 seconds. Then burn ‘em again. Do this 3X and you’ve had a good ab crunch workout. Remember to experiment with the angle your legs are bent, and with where your arms are.
4) Warning: it can hurt your back if you lift your body way up off the floor, like the old fashioned “sit up”. Just lift high enough for your abs to tighten, no higher!
Feelin’ good now aren’t you!
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
PANGAPPLE PERSUASION!
October 24, 2007 at 12:24 am | Posted in Food, Health, Home, Smoothies, Snacks | Leave a commentYes, I’ve been on Fall Break from school. And, YES, I did go to the beach! Wish you could have been there with me. The surf was awesome!
But I wasn’t just playing in the ocean the whole time. My brain was quite busy thinking of more things I wanted to put on this blog. Afterall this blog IS all about useful info for kids – but who said it all had to be serious info?
Maybe you didn’t know that I’m a smoothie freak. Since I was old enough to dump stuff into the container, and flip the switch, I’ve been creating one fabulous smoothie concoction after another. I’ve practically single handedly worn out our Vita Mix 5000!
So today I’m going to share with you my brand new fruit smoothie recipe. I call it the Pangapple Persuasion! And, kids, you are going to love this one. It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s healthy, and it tastes great. But then that’s the whole thing about smoothies anyway isn’t it!!! Ready??
Get the stuff
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1 can of pineapple chunks (make sure it’s soaking in it’s own natural juice, not that sugary yuck)
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2 handfuls of frozen mangos (don’t hold them too long though or just your hands will be frozen)
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2 fresh peaches (if it’s the middle of the winter and you can’t fly to Mexico, then canned peaches will have to do)
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8oz of peach yogurt (vanilla will work, too, just for a little taste twist)
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A cup of ice
Puttin’ it together
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Dump about half of the pineapple, and all of the juice into your blender
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Toss in the 2 peaches, but make sure you take the pits out first. Peach pits are tough on blender blades! You can even peal the peaches if you want, but lazy is okay
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Plop in the yogurt
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Just for effect, and especially if you’re a guy, pretend you’re on a bombing mission with the mango chunks. Don’t worry about the mess on the counter – we’ll clean that all up in just a minute
Let’s get it started
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Turn on the blender (hopefully you put the lid on first…)
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Watch all that tasty stuff get whacked around real good
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When the blender gets to purring, and the smoothie is starting to look like a smoothie, pop the top and pour in the ice
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Let the whole brew churn another 30 seconds and you’ve got yourself a Pangapple Persuasion!!! Yum!
If you’re lucky, you may even be able to persuade your sister or brother to pay you for a glass of this. Double cool )
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
Moving Targets Are Hard to Hit
October 3, 2007 at 2:32 am | Posted in Children, Family, Home, Kids, Life, Parenting, Parents | Leave a commentParents, one of the nicest things you can possibly do to make your kids’ lives comfortable, actually has nothing to do with how much stuff you give them or how much TV they can watch or how much you let them snack – or anything like this.
What I’m talking about is keeping your behavior expectations consistent.
We need to know what to expect. We need to know what behavior targets you expect us to hit. But we also need those targets to stay put – to stay the same day in and day out. It drives us crazy if they keep moving around. We get discouraged fast if the rules and expectations keep changing.
If a certain behavior is barely noticed one day, and then seems like the crime of the century the next day, that makes life pretty tough and unpredictable for kids.
We kids may complain about our parents expectations, but bottom line, if these targets stay the same all the time, then we have a much better chance of being successful, don’t you think?
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
Money and Work
September 22, 2007 at 8:20 pm | Posted in Children, Family, Home, Kids, Life, Money, Parenting, Parents | 1 CommentHere’s a comment from a concerned parent:
“I give my kids money all the time, how come they never have any?”
Good comment. Why is it that some kids seem to spend their money so fast? Could it be that those kids don’t really understand what money is all about?
Truth is, most of us grow up thinking money magically appears from our parents’ pockets. And way too many of us think that the main point of money is to spend it as soon as possible at the nearest mall. What we don’t get is the connection between money and work.
But I think kids really need to realize that every time they sit down at the table to eat, or every time they put on their clothes, or every time they go to a movie or are given a gift, that somebody (parents, grandparents, friends) had to work to get the money to pay for those things.
How do us kids lock onto the connection between doing work and getting money? Well, I’ve written an brand new Special Report all about kids and money. It’s called “21 Money Magic Tricks For Kids”; and it gives kids of all ages the basic tools they need to understand money, to get money, to wisely use money. It will be available on my website before long.
Meanwhile, kids, let me give you a couple of freebies right now:
1) Ask your parents to talk to you about money. Have them tell you about their job, how much they get paid; how much they spend each month for food, for electricity, for the house payment and so on. Get ready to be surprised!
2) Ask if you can do some chores around the house for money. Not only will that help your family, but also it will help you make the connection between work and money. Trust me, if you have to work for it, money will stay in your pocket a lot longer when you go to the mall next time
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
What I see, is what you get!
September 16, 2007 at 8:28 pm | Posted in Children, Family, Friends, Home, Kids, Life, Parenting, Parents | 1 CommentI’ve heard that saying, “Do what I say, not what I do” – but it just doesn’t fly when it comes to parents and kids. Long before we kids have a clue what our parents are saying to us, we are watching what you do, your facial expressions and body language, how you act in certain situations, and so on.
All parents want their kids to be polite and sweet and wonderful in every way all the time:) And we kids want you to be happy with us.
So it just figures that the easiest way to have kids who are polite and sweet and wonderful, is for the kids to grow up seeing their parents being like that. Parents who set a good example, are, well, setting a good example. Kids are copycats of whatever behavior they see while they’re growing up. Guess you could say: “what WE see, is what YOU get!”
May I suggest this, parents?
1) Over the next week or two, watch your kids’ behavior extra closely to see all the different ways your child mimics you. It will be enlightening, and probably humorous sometimes, too:)
2) Watch yourself, too. Are you doing what you want your kids to do? If you expect them to say “please”, are you? And what do you do when you goof up? Do you admit you made a mistake and say you’re sorry?
3) And don’t panic if you don’t like everything you see. Sometimes getting your kids’ behavior to change starts with your behavior changing.
We kids like to please you parents, but it sure is a lot easier when we can see you doing the same things you ask us to do. I should know – I’m a full-time kid
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
Saying: “I’m Sorry”
September 3, 2007 at 12:26 am | Posted in Children, Family, Kids, Life, Parenting, Parents | Leave a commentBeing honest and asking for forgiveness when you make a mistake is essential in any relationship, including the one we kids share with our parents. We kids all make mistakes and lots of em’ . The same is true for our parents, well they may not make quite as many, but they’re still human.
What do you do when you’ve made a mistake? Just follow my 3 step technique!
Step 1) Go to your parent (or your kid if your a parent) and tell them you’ve made a mistake
Step 2) Tell them what you wish you would have done
Step 3) Say “I’m sorry” and mean it
(Hugs may also be good at this point)
Its sounds simple but sometimes its not. A lot of people have trouble saying they’re sorry, I do sometimes. But when you do say “I’m sorry” after you’ve made a mistake, it really strengthens the relationship.
And I know that some parents sometimes may think that telling their kids they made a mistake, will make their kids think less of them. But I think it sets a good example and makes us kids respect you MORE.
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
No Yelling
August 21, 2007 at 12:39 am | Posted in Children, Family, Home, Kids, Life, Parenting, Parents | Leave a commentI hear from my readers a lot about parents yelling at their kids. Some parents say their kids won’t listen until they yell at them. The kids say they don’t like being yelled at. Who does?!
Hey, parents are human, too (no, wisecracks kids!!). They get stressed and frustrated; and speaking from experience, we kids might just sometimes do little innocent (ha ha) things that contribute to this.
And when it comes to kids listening, well that’s a skill that takes time to learn – I mean especially with all the different audio stuff that comes at us every day! I think it’s easier to just tune everything out than to try to listen to all of it. The bummer is that tuning out what our parents say is not a good option.
My Dad wrote a children’s book about listening. It’s called “Mickey McGuffin’s Ear”, and it’s all about a kid’s dilemma when he can’t remember what his mother told him to do. But that story is not just for kids – in fact the message may be more for grown ups! If you haven’t read it, you should zip over to Amazon.com and order a copy
No matter what, yelling isn’t cool – and I don’t think it’s necessary either. Here are some alternatives that might just help parents and kids both, if you’ll just give them a try.
1) When your feeling bad, let your kids know. Give them a fair warning that you’re stressed out or feeling impatient.
2) Also try taking a time out to relax. After a few minutes I bet you’ll feel a much more relaxed.
3) We kids need a time out sometimes, too. And remember, a time out doesn’t have to be a form of punishment – it can simply be a way for us to relax until our behavior catches up.
4) Take time to talk to each other. Find out how each other is feeling. Sure can help clear the air a lot of times, and is much better than yelling.
5) And if you do slip up and yell, be quick to say you’re sorry. It’s good medicine
When you put some of these things into action, you’ll be amazed at how smooth the communication can be between you and your parents – and without yelling. And after all, isn’t that what everybody wants?
Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.
Life Skills Checklist
August 7, 2007 at 4:08 pm | Posted in Children, Family, Home, Homework, Kids, Life, Parenting, Parents | Leave a comment“Life Skills Checklist” is a term I learned from my Dad. It means all the things he wants me to know about life – from putting on my own socks on to knowing how to be careful around strangers. No, it’s not really a list on paper (though it could be if that’s what a parent wanted to do). A Life Skills Checklist represents all the things a parent wants their child to know by the time they leave home. And,yes, I’m pretty sure every parent has one whether they call it this or not.
How to read; how to cross the street safely; how to be nice to siblings; how to brush my teeth; how to say please and thank you; how to go potty by myself; how to take my muddy shoes off at the door; how to tell the truth; how to eat right; and on and on and on. From little things to huge, a Life Skills Checklist represents everything that parents think their kids need to be successful in life.
When Dad says, “Good job! We can check that one off the list”, I know what he means is that I’ve been successful in a particular area – that I’ve learned what to do and how to do it, and in most cases also that I have remembered to do it without being reminded. It feels good when I hear him say this
My Dad’s goal is to have as many things from my Life Skills Checklist in place long before I turn 18. With the exception of driving and a few other things, there is no law that says kids have to be a certain age to master a certain life skill. If a kid is only 5 years old and knows how to look people in the eye and be polite, then they’ve got it! And who says an 8 year old can’t do the laundry, or a 10 year old start a business, or a 13 year old say “no” to drugs.
Every one of us kids is different. We learn different things in different ways at different times. And different parents will have different Life Skills that they want their kids to learn.
But when parents and kids are working together on this, the outcome can be awesome. That’s what a “Life Skills Checklist” is all about!
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