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parenting tips

The models who inspired your kid’s fave Disney characters

Have you ever wanted to see the real life reference models that Disney’s animation team used to create some of the physical appearances, facial expressions and mannerisms of some of your favorite Disney characters?
Zimbo put together a pictorial with background insight into the women who helped bring these characters to life, including Maleficent from Snow White above:
Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

Tinkerbell

See the complete list and read the back story HERE!

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15 Memorial Day Cookout Grilling Tips

If you are grilling for Memorial Day next week and need some grilling tips, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 10 of our fave tips we spotted from various sources and around the web and assembled into top 15 tips:

1. Gas vs. Charcoal? – The age-old debate over which grilling method is “better” involves multiple variables, from flavor to cost to convenience. While no studies prove that either is healthier, gas does burn cleaner. Charcoal grills emit more carbon monoxide, particulate matter and soot into the atmosphere, contributing to increased pollution and higher concentrations of ground-level ozone. From a taste perspective, on the other hand, many people prefer the smokier, richer taste of food cooked on a charcoal grill.
2. Get It Hot!– Preheat your grill 15 to 25 minutes before you start cooking to make sure it reaches the right temperature (and to kill any bacteria). Your grill should be 400-450°F for high, 350-400°F for medium-high, 300-350°F for medium and 250-300°F for low heat. A properly heated grill sears foods on contact, keeps the insides moist and helps prevent sticking. While searing doesn’t “seal in” the juices (contrary to popular belief ), it does create improved flavors through caramelization.
3. Brush It Off – It’s easier to remove debris when the grill is hot, so after preheating, use a long-handled wire grill brush on your grill rack to clean off charred debris from prior meals. Scrape again immediately after use.
4. Oil It Up– Even on a clean grill, lean foods may stick when placed directly on the rack. Reduce sticking by oiling your hot grill rack with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel: hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)
5. Marinate Your Meat -Marinating does more than infuse food with flavor; it also inhibits the formation of potentially carcinogenic HCAs (heterocyclic amines), which form when grilling “muscle meats” like poultry, red meat and fish. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), marinating can reduce HCA formation by as much as 92 to 99 percent.
6. Is It Done?The best way to know if protein is fully cooked is to check its internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
7. The Hand Test- To gauge the temperature of a grill without a thermometer, place your open palm about 5 inches above the grill rack; the fire is high if you have to move your hand in 2 seconds, medium if you have to move your hand in 5 seconds and low if you have to move your hand in 10 seconds.
8. Tame The Flames- Flare-ups happen when fat drips onto the heat source and catches fire. This causes carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to form and accumulate on your food. Meat licked by flames also tastes “off” and flames may char the outside of food before the inside has thoroughly cooked. To reduce flare-ups, select lean cuts of meat, trim excess fat and remove poultry skin. And, keep a squirt bottle of water near the grill to quickly douse any unexpected flare-ups.
9. Give It A Rest – Let finished meats rest on a clean platter, tented with foil, for about 10 minutes before carving so juices can redistribute evenly.
10. Veggies Lift –  Keep the lid up for Veggies so they don’t become too limp and are crisp not soggy
11. Fishy Fish – For fish, slice lemon and make a bed of them and lay the fish on top to grill.
12. Ribs Boil – Boil ribs for 10 to 15 minutes before grilling to make sure you kill all bacteria from them. 


13. Get Saucy – Add the sauce during the last 15 minutes of grilling. 


14. Keep it Juicy – Don’t flatten your burgers and cause all the succulent juice to run out. Instead poke them with a fork. 


15. Portion control – To avoid overcooking or undercooking, grill smaller pieces of meat at a time. 

Enjoy!

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Memorial Day: 5 Recipes for Kids

This Memorial Day weekend, as with previous years, many families will be gathering to honor fallen soldiers and vets. Here are 5 fun recipes to consider making this weekend while grilling, picnicing and hanging out with family and friends.
Mom’s Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

2 liter Sprite

1 can frozen lemonade

3 cans water

1 package kool-aid lemonade

1 cup sugar

fresh or frozen berries

lemon slices

lots of ice
Directions: Mix everything together in a large drink container. This punch is super sweet, but always a hit at a party.

Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients

    12 ounces rotini pasta

    1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into strips

    1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

    4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

    4 roma (plum) tomato, diced

    1/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing

Directions

 

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, season chicken strips with lemon pepper and garlic powder. Broil in oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cool chicken. Cut into bite size pieces.
In a large bowl, mix together the cooked pasta, chicken, quartered tomatoes, and feta cheese.
Serve with Italian dressing poured over top of pasta.  

Deviled Egg Boats By Rebecca Milanski

 
Ingredients

    12 hard boiled egg, cooled and peeled

    1/2 cup mayonnaise

    2 teaspoon dijon mustard

    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

    1 pinch sugar

    1 red bell pepper

    1 yellow bell pepper

    1 green bell pepper

    1/2 teaspoon paprika, for garnish

Directions

1. Slice the eggs in half from top to bottom. Scoop the yolks into a medium mixing bowl and lay the whites aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper and sugar using a fork; stir to thoroughly combine.

3. Place the yolk mixture into a zip-top plastic bag and cut a small hole at one of the corners. Pipe the mixture into each of the white halves.

4. For the boat sails, cut each bell pepper into 1-inch wide strips. Cut each strip into 1-inch squares and slice each square diagonally to make a triangle. Stick each sail upright into yolk mixture and sprinkle with paprika.

5. Chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Kid’s Macaroni
Ingredients

    1 (8 ounce) package uncooked elbow macaroni

    3/4 cup mayonnaise

    2 tablespoons cider vinegar

    1 teaspoon sugar

    1 teaspoon kosher salt

    1/4 teaspoon white pepper

    1/4 cup green onions, sliced

    2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

Directions

 

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold running water.
In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions and jalapeno peppers. Stir in the macaroni. Refrigerate until chilled before serving, at least 30 minutes.
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    3/4 cup all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon baking powder

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

    1 cup sugar

    3 large eggs

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1/2 cup sour cream

    Easy White Icing

    Sprinkles (optional)

Martha Stewart

Flag Cup Cakes

Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

    Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.

    Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

    Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Easy White Icing using a table knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Decorate patriotic cupcakes in July with stars piped in blue buttercream and stripes cut from red licorice laces.

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Divorce Parents Problems: The issue with the ‘Visitation’ parent

When parents separate, divorce or never marry, they often have to split custody of the child. Normally, if a cordial agreement is reached, the child spends the week with one parent and may visit the other parent on weekends or twice a month. For the visitation parent, they may be in another relationship or it may be more convenient to not have full time custody of their child.  If the split is contentious, a mediator or court may settle the visitation and child support payments to the custodial parent who keeps the kid most of the time.
Parents that do not have a court ordered payment plan may feel the need to compensate for not having to make  regular support payments  by spoiling the kids rotten and showering them with gifts on the days they have them. This means taking them on trips, fun play parks and of course buying them tons and tons of toys and other goodies to take home.  By showering their kids with gifts on the weekends they have them, these parents may feel like they are buying affection or forgiveness for not being there regularly. The kids love it!
Note that on the first visit with Tom Cruise, he took daughter Suri to Disney world, spurring a bunch of tabloids to speculate that Suri prefers to stay with him.
But the custodial parent isn’t always happy with the “spoilation.”
In real world among regular non-celebrity parents, what happens when the “visitation” parent returns the kids to their custodial parents until the next visit? I’ll tell you what: They create little entitlement kids who expect gifts and toys all the time. The kids also can become jealous of other kids when they receive gifts because they are used to being the subject of material affection. It can make birthday parties when other children are celebrated difficult.
Also, it grows a child who has a sense of entitlement and who expects rewards without hard work.
How to curb this problem? If you are the custodial parent, press upon the visitation parent to NOT give the child a gift at each visit. Instead, give the monetary value of a gift to you to use on the child later. The custodial parent, especially if they do not receive regular child support payment, can use that money for child care so mom/or dad can go out. They can use it to buy a toy when earned.
It’s one of many challenges and struggles that parents and children have to deal with when they are not being parented in the same home by their birth parents. 
Have you had to deal with this challenge? How have you reacted? What have been the response of the kids? What would you suggest other parents’ do to cope or deal?

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20 Websites to Prepare & Celebrate for Kindergarten Graduation

Bellyitch Rewind


It’s that time again for many families with young children: Kindergarten Graduation!!!  In preparation, please check out this lit of 20 blogs becomingananny’s compiled to inspire you and your friends with different ways that you can make your children’s kindergarten graduation an exceptional experience.  These blog entries cover the ceremony, how to make the cap, recipes for some tasty graduation treats and of course some gift ideas.
The Ceremony
If you are wondering what kind of ceremony to have for your kindergartener and his classmates, these five blog posts will help you come up with some ideas.  The kids are young, so their attention span isn’t incredibly long. This makes it’s important to keep the ceremony short and to the point.  Many times the ceremony can be held during the school day so as to not add any additional budgetary concerns by having the event at night and requiring additional staff.
  • Kindergarten Graduation Ideas
  • Ideas for your Kindergarten or Preschool Graduation Ceremony
  • Cute Kindergarten Graduation Ideas
  • Kindergarten Graduation Songs, Poems, Speech, and Ideas
  • Kindergarten Graduation Songs
The Cap
One of the cutest things you can make for your child to wear on their graduation day is a cap and gown.  Some schools choose to rent the gowns and some own them.  Many schools skip the gowns altogether, but stick with the cap and tassel.  These five blog articles will give you some ideas on how to create caps for the kids to wear that aren’t very expensive.  You can get a group of parents together and make them for every student.
The Treats
It wouldn’t be a celebration without treats.  For food, think of different yummy kid friendly snacks, such as finger foods.  While you are considering what snacks to make, try to come up with some that look like a diploma or graduation cap so that the snacks can tie into the event.  The next five blog posts will give you some tasty ideas to make for your little graduates.  Remember, these treats don’t have to be difficult or expensive to feed the guests at your kindergarten graduation.
The Gift
The graduation gift can be anything from favor bags for all of the graduates to something special from mom and dad to commemorate the day.  These bloggers have ideas for both options.  Whatever the present, make sure you take plenty of pictures of the big day so that you can create a mini brag book or some scrapbook pages to remember this milestone event.  The next five blog entries can help you figure out what gift you want to give the graduate in your life.
One of the best gifts you can give your child is your time.  These blog entries have given you lots of ideas on how to celebrate this milestone in your child’s life, but even if your school doesn’t opt to do a big ceremony you can make the day special for your graduate just by being there.  Remember, before you know it you will be celebrating your child’s high school graduation, so make sure not to miss a minute of this ride of a lifetime.

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DC’s infant mortality rate is among highest and lowest worldwide depending on zipcode

During the uprisings in Baltimore in recent days, those from the wealthy parts of that city said they could not relate to the struggles of Baltimore City residents protesting in the streets.

They live in different worlds though their located minutes apart.

Similarly, down the street in Washington, DC, children born in its poorest section, Ward 8, are about 10 times more likely to die than those born in the wealthiest area.

Those findings can be found in Save the Children’s 16th annual Mothers’ Index assesses the well-being of mothers and children in 179 countries showing where they fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.

When comparing world capitals, Washington DC ranked among the highest in infant mortality rate compared to other capital cities in wealthy countries, mainly because there is a high birth rate in the poorest parts of the city and a high infant mortality rate.

But the richest Wards  rank among the world cities with the lowest infant mortality rate.

Ward 3 had just 1.2 deaths per 1,000 in 2012, ranked among cities like Tokyo and Stockholm, Meanwhile, the birth rate in Ward 8 is 24 babies died in 2012 compared to only one in Ward 8.

This shocking conclusion is why this video released by Save The Children to bring awareness to the disparity even locally is on point. WATCH!





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All about the 101st Mother’s Day, A Global Holiday (INFOGRAPHIC)

The 101st Mother’s Day is about to come to a close. That’s right 101! Have you ever wondered about the history of the day dedicated to celebrate mothers and how it is celebrated in various countries around the world? If you have, check out Afterschool.ae‘s Infographic that runs it all down:

Mothers Day Facts

Mother’s Day Facts (Infographic) by Afterschool.ae, the #1 Source of Kids Activities in UAE.

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Teacher Appreciation Week is this week: 15 Last Minute Ideas Sites

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. If you haven’t already figured out what to get for your child’s teacher yet, here are 15 websites and links with ideas and suggestions to get you started!  But first, do check out the ideas we shared with you in our Holiday gift guide post as many of those were under $10!
Gifts to Make for Teachers
When you make gifts for your child’s teachers you will be putting a little bit of yourself into each gift.  It will be personalized for her and not something that she will receive from 10 other students.  Try to make the gifts useful, like making her a grocery bag.  She would think of you every time she used the bag to carry home groceries.  Think how many years it would last.  Now that many teachers are getting an iPad and other types of tablets, they might need to have a sleeve to protect it.  These ideas and others can be found in these five blog posts.
Gifts to Buy for Teachers
Sometimes teachers receive a lot of gifts that they can’t really use.  How many candles do you really need?  When asked, teachers will most likely say that it’s the thought that counts, but if they are honest they would tell you that gift cards are always appreciated.  These five blog entries share ideas for gifts using store bought items put together in a creative way.
Ideas on a Budget In this economy, the budget to celebrate might be on the small side.  You can find things to do for the teachers that will pamper them without breaking the bank.  Instead of catering a lunch in, see if you can get parents to bring in a covered dish.  For other ideas on how to celebrate teacher appreciation week on budget check out these five blog articles.
Good Luck!

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