Late reply from Cagliari - 1

Dear Elem, fourty-five years have gone past since you wrote me from Cornwall.

I've been surely answering you, in some way, somewhen. But I'm sure my reply have been cast in the phobias and contradictions of my juvenescence.

How are you, anyway?

We are both quite old ones now, aren't we? While adolescence is such a wonderful age, isn't it?

What I wanted to tell you is that you are also so handsome to me!!! And that Cornwall is so beatiful, and I will be soon coming to see you, with or without a friend for Carol!!!

But our teens are so silly and shy, my dear friend!!!

It does n't really matter what you might be doing now, but I'm going to come to see you over there!

Can you imagine it, Elem?

Oh, probably you wont recognize the handsome boy you wrote I was.

Now I'm an old, slightlyfat and almost  hairless man...

Don't worry, elem, I would send you a picture of me before leaving...though I realize you might not be there anymore... in theRock at Wadebridgre...

Let's say that. if you answer this letter, it will mean that you still there... Oh that would be fantastic!!!

'See you seen my dear Elem. Love form Cagliari, Sardinia. Reply soon if you can. George 

15 Ways to Make Boring Foods Fun

Convincing kids to eat healthy foods when they’re constantly bombarded with marketing tactics promoting preservative-laden novelty items isn’t easy, but it can be done. There are a variety of ways to make healthier fare more fun, encouraging kids to eat better while still allowing them to enjoy their food. Childhood is the time when eating habits are established, so helping kids make healthier choices on their own is one of the best things you can do for them. These 15 tactics can add some visual spice to run of the mill foods, saving the long-term health of your kids and your pocketbook in the process.

1. Cookie Cutters Aren’t Just for Cookies – Turning an ordinary, wholesome sandwich into something exciting can be as easy as making fun shapes with a cookie cutter.
2. Buy Baby Varieties – There’s something inherently fun about miniature food. As an added bonus, the strong flavors that can cause kids to turn up their noses with foods such as veggies may not be as pronounced in baby varieties because they’re often harvested before the taste profile fully matures.
3. Learn Food Origami – Turning radishes into roses and boiled egg slices into daisies are just two examples of ways that creative knife work turns ordinary food into a treat.
4. Dress Up Lunch Bags – Who says that lunch bags have to be brown? Decorate them together with stamps or drawings to make the contents within seem more special.
5. Make Faces – Making a face out of a food item is a whimsical way to encourage kids to eat things they might ordinarily refuse.
6. Create Animal Shapes – When in doubt, make food look like an animal. With a bit of imagination and some creative prep, you can turn an ordinary snack into something exceptional.
7. Play With Your Food – Your mother may have forbidden the idea of playing with your food, but that doesn’t mean you have to. An inverted apple slice with toothpicks through the bottom and a single grape on each end of the toothpick turns ordinary fruits into a car kids can enjoy playing with before they chow down.
8. Sweet Sushi – Fruit leathers are healthier than rolled up gummy fruit treats and can make adorable wrappings for “sushi” made of crushed rice cereal.
9. Freeze! – Frozen foods are just more fun than those at room temperature! Before serving foods that are frozen solid, make sure that all of your pint-sized diners are able to chew them without difficulty to prevent choking.
10. Get Experimental – You can draw inspiration from a variety of sources, but there’s nothing like coming up with your own innovative food design. If cooking is a hobby of yours, you may even find that the process is fun and soothing.
11. Splashes of Color – The primary draw of many processed foods marketed to kids is the bright coloring. Unfortunately, those attractive hues are almost always the result of chemical dyes and additives. Take a cue from the food manufacturers and make your kids meals colorful. Steamed vegetables tend to hold their color when they’ve been blanched, so work with the natural colors of the veggies and come up with a fun arrangement.
12. Take a Dip – Even the most pedestrian foods become fun when dipping is part of the eating process. You don’t have to opt for fat and preservative filled processed dips, either. Organic offerings and hummus are great choices.
13. Creative Containers – Kids love things that are just their size, so buying small containers or ones with a unique twist can make mealtime more fun. Small ramekins, re-purposed containers and other innovative methods of plating can make an everyday snack seem new and exciting.
14. Toppings are Tops! – If it can be squirted, shaken, sprinkled or dusted over food, kids will almost always love it. Sometimes the addition of a few fun toppings alone can be enough to convince kids that a run-of-the-mill meal is something special.
15. Group Prep – When kids have a hand in preparing their food, they’re automatically more invested in it and less likely to think that it’s boring. Letting little ones assist with assembly may create more work when it’s time for clean-up, but it keeps them engaged and involved with the preparation of their food. It’s also a great way to spend quality time together, passing on basic food prep skills and tricks.

If you’re running low on inspiration, there’s no shortage of kid-centric recipes and plating ideas on the Internet. Entire blogs are dedicated to the idea of fun kid-cuisine and are filled with techniques for every skill level.

This post was proposed to me for  publication by Sophie Leake. If you want to know more about it please go to the underlined sight:

http://www.aupaircare.net/blog/15-ways-to-make-boring-foods-fun/ 

5 Ways to Make Your Own Bubble Solution

It’s no secret that little kids love blowing bubbles. But why would you buy the bubble solution from the store when you can make twice as much for half the price at home? Making your own bubble solution is a fun project to do with the kids and most of the products necessary are ones that you probably already have at home.  Each of the following solutions will yield a different quality and type of bubbles; try out all five recipes and see which you like best.

1. You probably have all of these ingredients at home.  This simple solution can be made at the spur of the moment for some bubble fun, and the recipe uses all household ingredients.  Just mix together ½ cup of dishwashing liquid (Dawn or Joy work best), 2 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of sugar, then prepare to have hours of fun-filled family time spent blowing bubbles. 
2. Colorful homemade bubble solution can be yours.  Take 2/3 cup of Joy dishwashing liquid, 1 gallon of water, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin and mix it all together.  Leave the bubble solution uncovered overnight and it will be ready to use the next day.  The bubble solution will work the first day you make it, but it works a lot better when you let it set overnight. You can also divide the solution up into a couple of different bottles or trays and add food coloring to the solution to make multicolored bubbles.  For a fun party craft you can lay out sheets of white paper on the ground and blow colorful bubbles over the top of them.  The bubbles will land and pop on the paper, resulting in some amazing artwork.
3. This is one “sweet” recipe, but don’t drink it.  The secret ingredient to this bubble solution? Corn syrup. It may seem like a strange addition, but something in corn syrup helps this bubble mixture to last longer than others.  Mix together 6 cups of water, 2 cups of Joy dishwashing liquid, and ¾ cup of corn syrup.  It’s important to store this solution in a covered container so as to not attract bugs.  Make your own bubble wands using pipe cleaners, paper towel tubes, plastic lids with the center cut out, cookie cutters and even string.  Put the bubble solution into a shallow tray and dip the end of a paper towel tube into it, then blow.  Work quickly because the cardboard does get soggy after using it for a little while.  With the string you can form it into a loop by tying the ends together.  Spread the loop into a rough circle and dip it into the bubble solution.  While in the solution grab the edges and lift up.  The bubble should form right from the tray of bubble solution.
4. Bouncing bubbles can entertain your kids for hours.  This inexpensive bubble solution creates some tough bubbles.  Start this recipe the day before because it will have to sit over night to gain its strength.  Stir together 1 cup of distilled water (the purer the water the better the solution), 2 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid, and 1 tablespoon of glycerin.  Allow the solution to sit overnight.  The next day you will need a pipette and a pair of inexpensive gloves.  The pipette is the straight part of a bubble pipe.  If you don’t have a pipette you can use an eye dropper by cutting off the bulb part of the dropper, forming a makeshift pipette.  Dip the pipette into the solution and blow a bubble that is about the size of a baseball.  Release it from the pipette and you should be able to bounce it gently in your gloved hands.  You can even try bouncing it off your shirt. 
5. Make giant bubbles and enclose your kids inside of them.  This makes a great party activity.  The day before the party fill a plastic baby pool with 5 gallons of distilled water, 10 cups of Dawn dishwashing liquid, and 1 cup of glycerin (or corn syrup).  If you leave it outside to set you’ll need to loosely cover the baby pool to keep things from blowing into it. It will need 24 hours to fully set.  Now put a hula hoop into the baby pool.  Have the child step into the pool and stand inside the hula hoop.  Shake the hula hoop around a little and then slowly draw it up over the child.  The bubble will come up, encompassing the kids inside of it along the way. The kids will love this good, clean fun. 

P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by Paul Taylor,  I'm therefore publishing it by his invitation and under his permission. See also the link below fore more information:  
http://www.babysittingjobs.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-your-own-bubble-solution/

How to Plan a Kid Friendly Picnic

There’s something magical about having a picnic outside.  Everyone seems hungrier and food seems to taste better.  The kids are able to run around freely and burn off energy, and eating with your hands is perfectly acceptable.
So you’ve decided to go on a picnic, now what?
Get the kids involved
Sit down with the kids and plan the picnic menu.  Instead of leaving the food options wide open, only give them a few choices.  For instance, let them choose between chicken wraps or chicken kabobs for their main dish.  Instead of chips and dip, offer them pita chips and hummus or salsa.  Take along some frozen fruit.  By freezing the fruit it helps to keep the rest of the picnic cold and it will thaw by the time you are ready to eat it and it will be a cold, refreshing treat.  Ask them to choose between a couscous salad and a spinach salad.  Take vinaigrette dressing to go on the salad so that it’s safe to eat if it gets warm.  Make up a batch of healthy muffins for dessert.  These can be made any time and will last a long time in the freezer.  Freeze some bottles of water to have for drinks and to help keep the lunch cold.  If the kids have a hand in planning the menu they are less likely to complain about the food.
Now that the menu is decided on talk about what activities they want to do on the picnic.  Decide if you want to bring a Frisbee, soccer ball, kite, baby toys, or something else.  Pack up the toys in a washable tote bag.  It’s comfortable to carry and it’s quick to clean up should something get on it.
The day of the picnic grab the family and give everyone something to be in charge of.  Down to the smallest toddler, everyone can help.  Send the littlest one to grab the picnic blanket.  Ask another child to grab the toys and pack them up in the tote bag.  Have someone grab the cooler or the picnic basket and start gathering up the food and drinks.  Gather up paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils and bring a trash bag to clean up after yourselves.  Make sure to include some wipes for washing little hands and quick clean ups.
If everyone has a part in planning the big event they will enjoy themselves all the more.  The pride that comes from helping and doing something well will stay with your children.
Once your supplies are gathered, pack up the car and head out to your picnic destination. Find your spot, spread out, and have fun!
 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by Maryanne Williams.  I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:

 http://www.shareananny.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-kid-friendly-picnic/