Everybody, especially rabbits, like carrots.
Emili the carrot dosen’t know it yet, but she is being admired by the hungry bunny, carrots and bunnies are of course, natural enemies. As I was needle felting the carrot hat, I had a vision of the carrot being chased by a rabbit, is that wrong?
The carrot notices an unwanted admirer.
I think my warped sense of humor took over during this photo shoot of my Waldorf inspired costumes. Elli really got into role of the over enthusiastic rabbit; I love the leering look the rabbit gives the carrot. Of course you don’t have to promote the predatory idea like I did, but it made me laugh. Carrots should be hanging out with their fruit and veggie friends, it’s much more wholesome!
Emili the carrot and her fruity friends, Lili the strawberry and Helen the apple.
Egg and tomato mushroom centerpiece
I‘m always looking for child friendly projects that my girls can make; this one takes place in the kitchen. These cute little mushrooms are made from eggs and tomatoes! It’s an easy thing to make with a little adult supervision, adorable and the kids can eat them when they’re finished. The deviled egg version can be served at dinner parties as a festive appetizer.
Egg and Tomato Mushroom Recipe
4 boiled eggs
4 medium sized tomatoes
mayonnaise
mustard (optional)
salt and pepper (optional)
toothpick
wheat grass or lettuce leaves (optional)
Simple version
1. Boil and peel the eggs, cut off the tip of the widest part so they’ll stand up.
2. Cut off the rounded ends of the tomato and hollow them out.
3. Position the eggs in the wheat grass or a platter and put the tomato halves on top.
4. Dot mayonnaise onto the tomatos with a toothpick.
Deviled egg version
1. Boil and peel the eggs, cut off the tip of the widest part so they’ll stand up-put cooked egg yolks into a bowl.
2. Cut off the rounded ends of the tomato and hollow them out.
3. Mix the cooked egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons of mayo, 2 Tablespoons of mustard, a dash of salt and a dash of pepper together. Fill the eggs with this mixture.
3. Position the eggs in the wheat grass or a platter and put the tomato halves on top.
4. Dot mayonnaise onto the tomatoes with a toothpick.
It's an egg, it's a tomato, it's a mushroom!
Putting small cherry tomato halves on top of a cheese sticks also make tall, skinny edible mushrooms.
Eggs and tomatoes that look like a mushroom are a simple, healthy kids' snack
I’d like to thank Neroli, the natural food market on Shabazi street in Neve Tzedek for giving me the remains of their wheat grass. I used the square of wheat grass as a prop for my mushrooms, but after the photo shoot, I planted it outside in a big planter. I think the planted wheat grass looks like a mini lawn. If you put the wheat grass square upside down in your garden or planter, it will serve as a great compost for the soil.
By the way, these (real) red spotted mushrooms in the wild can be poisonous to eat, but they are a delight to see.
Edible mushrooms (eggs and tomatoes) on a spring day.
Children, to Facebook or not to Facebook
Many people have Facebook these days and some people don’t feel that Facebook is for them. I enjoy it, I think it helps keep me connected, seeing as how I live so far away from my family and friends. One day about a year ago, my oldest daughter (14 years old) decided that I should have a Facebook account and she set one up for me (she is much more computer savvy than I am)! I check in every day to see what my friends and family are up to, what new recipes are up on my friend Eileen’s cooking site and what cool crafts have been posted on my favorite craft site or my other favorite craftsite. I also have a business Facebook fan page called Laura Lee Burch Studio to promote my artwork; I post my artwork and photography every day on my Studio site.
I post my photography on my Laura Lee Burch Studio Facebook site
The girls know that they must not “friend” anyone they don’t know and that they need to tell me if someone is ”bothering” them. I go over the friends with my younger daughter to make sure she really knows the people in her group of friends and how she knows them. My oldest daughter has a Facebook account and almost 400 friends from all over the world. (who knows that many people?) She chats with many people at the same time, in 4 different languages; when this happens, she has 3, 4, 5 chat boxes up simultaneously, she’s an advanced user. Now that is too much for me. I feel like the kid who sits at the back of the class and rarely participates compared to her.
Facebook for kids?
I think all people using Facebook should imagine that all their Facebook friends are sitting around a big table at a dinner party and act as such. To help my children determine what is appropriate or inappropriate to say, to help them stay out of trouble, I tell them to ”pretend all your Facebook friends are sitting around a big picnic table together”. What is appropriate to tell others about yourself, your family or about your friends? Would you gossip about others in front of their face or should you be gossiping at all? Would you risk insulting a friend by saying something insulting or mean? I often need to discuss with my children examples of something they might feel like saying but others might deem insulting. One of my daughters has forgotten her manners once or twice and suffered the social consequences, I think she’s learned her lesson now. I have to keep a close eye on my children and their Facebook accounts: I watch that they don’t post inappropriate photos or links and if they do, they need to take them down. I insist on being a Facebook ”friend” to my kids so that I can see what they post. My oldest daughter sometimes accuses me of “stalking” her if I comment on something she posted on Facebook (choosing my battles, I keep my comments to a minimum), but I tell my kids that as their mother, this is how it will be if they are allowed to have an account-no discussion.
Children's computer activities should be closely monitored.
My youngest daughter is definitely not old enough to have a Facebook account even though many of her friends have one (8years old). How do I know this? I know she’s not ready for Facebook because she says things to people (face to face) that she shouldn’t. I know because she regularly gets thrown out of Fairy World (a kid’s computer game) for inappropriate behavior such as calling other fairies names! (Those fairies are mean, I much prefer that she plays with the penguins). No matter what age, I limit all the girls’ time on the computer, if I don’t it takes over their lives. I stress diversity in their daily activities because the computer and Facebook especially (many are attracted to the games offered on Facebook) will turn them into computer zombies.
NOTE: What I deem appropriate for my children, may not be what is best for your children.
Needle felted heart necklace for Valentine's day
Emili is modeling a needle felted heart necklace, trimmed in cotton lace. This needle felted heart is fast and easy to make, it makes a great activity to do with your children. You can sew beads and sequins to the heart or embroider designs on the front; I’ve opted to keep this one simple, red and white.
Red hearts say 'Love' for Valentine's day.
Together, my girls and I made needle felted heart necklaces as gifts for their grandmother, friends and teachers. The simplicity of this project made it a fun activity and the girls were happy to have made a unique and personal gift for their classmates. Read More
Friends are important.
School is about learning, discovering, making friends and learning how to get along with others. Sometimes our kids have to learn to deal with a bully and it’s not fun, for you or your kid. My children have had to deal with bullies a few times already.
It's hard to confront a bully
I sought out advice from several teachers, mothers and a psychologist about the best way to deal with a bully situation. From my own children’s experiences, I believe communication is of the utmost importance, an adult should be informed to help the child deal with the problem. With one of my children, I had no idea she and several others in her class were being bullied for two years till another class mother told me. I was upset that I hadn’t known and I asked my daughter why she hadn’t told me about the abuses she suffered at school. At 7 years old her response was “oh mama, it’s so embarrassing!” She had dealt with the bullies on her own by fighting back, she’s a tough cookie.
Kids can be very mean to one another.
Children often don’t want anyone to know that they are being bullied for fear of being made fun of, shame or reprisal. The parent of the bullied child should not initially confront the parents of the bully; this takes power away from the bullied child which can further distress the him/her. The teacher is usually the most important problem solver in a case of bullying. I went to the class teacher in all situations and I informed the teacher as to what was happening outside of the class room, but on school grounds. Teachers often opt to talk with the class about what’s going on and sometimes a weekly class discussion time is implemented to talk about problems, thoughts or concerns of the students. I found that these discussion times were helpful for the children. Teachers often have no idea bullying is occurring and they should be told. If the problem can’t be solved by the teacher talking to the bully, the teacher should have a meeting with the bully and their parents.
One of my children reacted with tears, the other one reacted with her fists.
If a child’s teacher does not step in and deal with the problem for whatever reason, seek the help of another teacher, counselor or principal at the school. If no one at the child’s school takes a bullying situation seriously and fails to act upon the best interests of a child, you may consider changing schools. Just because a teacher intervenes and parents have been informed doesn’t mean that the problem will always go away. Children often need outside help to learn to deal with aggression, talking to a therapist is a good way for a child to learn social coping techniques. I told my children that they need to stand up for themselves; this seems obvious to me, but not always obvious to some children. Learning to deal with a bully is a skill that one will use their entire lives; I’ve run into plenty of bullies as an adult. Bullies are not always peers, teachers can also bully students, we have encountered this problem as well. After my husband and I learned that our child didn’t want to go to school and was very stressed out because of what went on in the class room, we set up a meeting with the principal and the teacher to inform them that our child felt intimidated by the teacher’s yelling in the class and from insulting comments that the teacher made to the children. Sometimes just telling the teacher how you feel about his/her actions in class is enough to get them to stop or at least tone it down a little. I’ve found that many parents are afraid to speak up.
childhood friends
For a parent, knowing that your child is suffering at the hands of another is frustrating and at these times I think most of us would like to step in and “do something” about it to help our children. Stepping in (for example, informing the teacher) is one thing, but acting for our children (for example, speaking to, yelling at, threatening) the child or children tormenting our children is unacceptable. Parents are offended (rightfully so) when other parents reprimand their children. I’ve seen parents become hostile about a bullying situation, screaming at the offending child, the child’s parents and even the teachers for not being able to control the situation; these people were later banned from the school grounds. Each case is different and should be dealt with as so. Parents are not always open minded (sometimes downright blind) to the idea or fact that their “little darling” is bullying another child and they become defensive (sometimes nasty) when told so, this is why letting the school authorities handle the situation is a better idea for everyone. I am happy to announce that my children have come through all their challenging social situations and we’re working our way through the new ones that come up. The best piece of advice I can give is, when “a situation” arises, take a deep breath before you proceed.
