Dear Liam: My Three Year Old Won’t Eat!

Dear Liam,

I am a mother of three children and my youngest, who is three years old, just won’t eat. He is always the last to finish no matter what I make. He’s very hesitant in trying different foods and with every meal its just a struggle for me. I end up sitting with him at the t.v. watching his favourite show and spoon feeding him. I just wish he would eat with his siblings.

-Tired of Spoon Feeding Mom

Dear Tired of Spoon Feeding,

Being a mother of three myself I can completely relate to what your going through. Its important that you get your child eating at the table because you don’t want him to end up on the couch and eating until he’s 10! Sounds to me that your giving in.  It may be hard at first but you need to make sure that your little one understands that meal time is only at the table. When he’s done, he can watch his favourite show. Also perhaps while he eats, read him a book instead of the t.v.. Most kids like just the comfort of mom or dad  sitting at the table and talking to them while they eat (I know that’s a task..but at least until he gets used to catching up with his siblings!) Try to talk to your 3 years old about healthy eating habits and how trying different things will make them BIG AND STRONG like Superman (or their favourite movie character for example). Relate to what he may like: for example if your son likes to build mention that to be a big and strong builder you need to eat good food like this! Also remember to praise! praise! praise with each bite: kids love it! Being a mother has its challenges every day, but at the end of the day…a happy child with a full belly will be worth it. Best of luck!

“Liam” is a mother of three, B.A. (Econ),  B.Ed. (Hons.),Ontario Certified Teacher winning two teacher awards and taugh in 4 different countries including Toronto Canada. “Liam” has also taught grades levels KG-grade 12. She is a director and business owner of Golden Goose Learning Centre: www.goldengooselearning.com . Her passion is working with kids, Emotional Intelligence and Personal Develpment to allow every child to see their inner beauty in today’s busy world. Please write to Liamgoose with your mom, educational, or child(ren) questions: info@goldengooselearning.com  with SUBJECT: Dear Liam

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Turmeric Milk Recipe for Cough and Sore Throat

My poor daughter has had a cough for one week now. Really dry. Been to the doctor, tried inhaling steam, cough syrup…yet still: no change. I heard from a friend once that tumeric is an amazing herb,especially for inflamation. She told me about mixing it with milk and honey so I looked up the recipe and Voila! It wasn’t the easiest thing for my daughter to swallow (she ended up plugging her nose most of the way) BUT we were both very impressed with the results.The coughing just stopped. She was able to fall asleep and the next day the cough was back, but not as severe. Trying the formula again tonight so lets see what happens! So far its been pretty coughless this evening. Isn’t it  great what we can use from mother nature to feel better. So I thought I’d share:

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Turmeric milk is an ancient but still popular Ayurvedic remedy for cough, sore throat and colds.

The health benefits of turmeric and ginger combined with the sleep-promoting properties of milk are what make this a tried and true home remedy that will heal the body and soothe the soul.

Don’t omit the black peppercorns from the recipe. Research has found that black pepper increases the bioavailablity of turmeric and helps it heal the body. In fact, one study found that turmeric and black pepper eliminated breast cancer cells when consumed together.

Ingredients
2 cups organic milk
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
4 black peppercorns, crushed
dash of cinnamon (optional)
honey or other sweetener (optional)

Directions
Place all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes, stirring frequently. Sweeten to taste, preferably with a healthy sweetener like honey or erythritol. Pour into a mug and drink hot.

This drink is great on cold winter evenings before bed.

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/turmeric-milk-recipe-for-cough-and-sore-throat.html

Great Christmas,Holiday and New Years Card Greetings

Yes, I know I’m a BIT late but I still have some cards to give away to teachers, friends (delivered by  me!) and such and I ran out of greetings to put in my cards. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year all sound great, but something a bit more perhaps? I thought I’d share some good ones I found here. Send me a note letting me know which ones you liked or even better, used! 🙂

• Wishing you a bright and delightful holiday season.
• May the holidays refresh your spirit and bring you new inspiration and happiness.
• Your friendship is a glowing ember Through the year; and each December
• A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!
• May the timeless message of Christmas fill your heart and home with joy today and throughout the coming year.
• Christmas, ‘my child, is love in action. Every time we, love ~ every time we give, it’s Christmas.
• Be filled with wonder Be touched by peace Believe in the miracle
• Wishing you all the happiness of the season and peace and prosperity in the new year.
• May the holidays refresh your spirit and bring you new inspiration and happiness.
• Wishing you a bright and delightful holiday season.
• May your holidays sparkle and shine

More:

• I am dreaming of white Christmas , With every christmas card i write, May your days be merry and bright, And May all your christmases be white. Marry Christmas.
• Lets welcome the year which is fresh Lets welcome the year which is fresh and new, Lets cherish each moment it beholds, Lets celebrate this blissful New year. Merry X-mas
• May all the sweet magic of Christmas conspire To gladden your hearts and fill every desire
• May this Christmas end the present year On a cheerful note and make way For a fresh and bright new year. Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• From home to home and heart to heart, From one place to another, The warmth and joy of Christmas, Brings us closer to each other.

While we’re here, please click on About Us to read more about…well… US! at Golden Goose Learning Centre. January 3-6th we have an amazing Holiday Camp for only $45 per day (9am-6pm) and your child chooses sports, dance or drama! Super! www.goldengooselearning.com/camps

Reminder: I am Blessed

Today I woke up so tired. I thought the day was going to be me at home in my big red 80’s cozy sweater sipping a warm drink with honey with lemon. As the day progressed it slowly turned around though. We didn’t get our Christmas tree yet and with only one week to go…I decided that today is the day! Off to the tree farm we go for a great adventure! My mom is visiting from overseas for the Holidays and so we took a drive out to Stouffville to Horton’s Tree Farm. On the way we even stopped for some fresh farm eggs! Yum! Although there hasn’t been snow this December in Toronto and everyone I meet is groaning about how: ‘I wish it would snow!’ the spirit of Christmas at the farm was certainly alive. The bonfire spread the smell of burning wood (I love that smell), decorations made from pine and cedar all around, Christmas carols playing, people walking and talking while sipping on apple cider and hot chocolate and everyone just happy to be there with their friends and family. And there we were with a saw in hand: my mom, my daughter and I (the men were busy at home working on our basement renos). The three musketeers looking for the perfect tree. We walked through the blue spruce, pine trees and all the other types that I haven’t yet memorized. It was so cool though..we had a couple of arguments around: ‘no this is the one!’ but we finally found it. We took turns sawing away and in no time our tree was wrapped and ready to go. I was so excited and proud when we got it down as it was the first time I had ever experienced cutting down a Christmas tree. We had been to Tree Farms before but always choose the pre-cut trees lined up at the door. This was a whole other experience and my daughter was just ‘laughing all the way!” With all the excitement I didn’t realize that I had parked so close to a pile of rocks so on our way out of the parking lot I heard a horrible sound under my car. I looked infront of me and a man was standing there with his hands on his ears shaking his head. I didn’t know what to do so I moved forward and then backed out again. Oh no! That sounded terrible!! I got out of my car and only heard the man say: ” you just ripped out your entire fender!” Oh man. Just great! The end to a perfect day had to be me wrecking my car. So now what? Of course its going to cost me at least $60000000 to fix (JUST what I need), I’m stuck out in Stoufville should I call my husband to come out and get me, should I call Toyota?? A family approached me to help lift the vender a bit higher so I could at least drive home. On the way home it wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was an adventure, supposed to be fun and now my mood has switched 180 degrees. This stinks! Where am I going to take the car to be fixed now? How much is this going to cost? When am I going to find the time between my work, school for the kids and everything else? I was so annoyed.

I got home and decided to go to Walmart to find some new indoor tree lights so we could at least start the decorating. Maybe that would get me out of my mood. I heard my car scratch the road on the way there: Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! While shopping I still couldn’t get myself out of my grumbling and mumbling: still mad, still upset and just not accepting how things went. But then something did happen. In my usual hurry to get out of the crowded store, I noticed a young boy sitting  in a wheel chair. He could barely sit up with his head tilted to one side, his limp hands dangled over the chair handles and his eyes looked down to the ground. I don’t even remember seeing his mother or anyone around him. But I remember his face, not sad, nor happy.  Funny how life shows you things and when you pay attention it really makes all the difference. Outside in the cold parking lot on my way to my broken car, I looked up at the sky and said: Thank you. Thank you rock for smashing my vendor, thank you to the mechanic who will fix it tomorrow and thank you for all the  blessings in my life.

A True Story of Inspiration from our Kids Emotional Intelligence Circle

A Story straight from our Kids Emotional Intelligence Circle today: One of our new Golden Goose students in grade 3 who just moved into the neighbourhood with a disability shared about his recess time at his local school:”Today I’m a 1 (not feeling good) because I can’t find anyone to play with at recess. When I ask to play with other kids they say ‘no’ and when I ask if they would be my friend th…ey say ‘no way!’ They say bad words to me and when I tell the teacher, nothing happens. I feel so sad because it is a new school and I want to play with someone.” After he shared,there was such a silence in the room. We all sat listening and thinking about the feeling of being alone, sad, afraid and not good enough. Another one of our students in grade 5 raised his hand “Why don’t you bring a ball or something to play with and then other kids will come play with you?” The young boy answered: “my parents don’t have much money and really only  buy  food. I don’t want to ask them to buy me toys”. Our group slowly began raising their hands working together to help this boy with his problem. Here were some of their suggestions: “When I am lonely I look to find someone else who is lonely too and then talk to them”-age 7. “I bring along a chapter book sometimes” -age 9. “I make a plan to make a new friend, like a new game or something” – age 8. “I wait until a group game is finished and them ask:now can I play?”-age 10. “I bring along a black and white soccer ball”-age 7. “I smile!”-age 6.  The boy listened to all the comments with beaming eyes. We all felt the energy in the room uplifted and happy. Then the boy in grade 5 asked if he could be excused to get something from his bag. He came back  to his new friend and handed him his used tennis ball: “this is really fun for wall ball” he said. The new student took the ball and smiled. The teacher asked “So what is your plan tomorrow?” “To make a new friend” he said. We are all looking forward to the rest of his story tomorrow.

Something to learn from selling chocolates today

A true story from a parent who learned something from selling chocolates for a school fundraiser. So great! Please share..

Interesting. Today was a nice sunny day in Toronto. I know there are not too many warmer ones coming so I took it upon myself to take my two kids out to sell their last two boxes of chocolates for our school fundraiser. I must admit these days I’m not really in a selling mood…more not so much in a rejection mood. Our local school is raising funds for enrichment programs. Some argue that school council’s fundraisers are enabling government decreasing school budgets each year as we help subsidize the Ministry of Education’s budget. As an immigrant to Canada 8 years ago, I never really understood that however being an active member of our parent council for 5 years now, I’m slowly understanding where angry parents come from…NEVER-THE-LESS there is something positive out of this story. So my 9 year old daughter and 7 year old son wanted to finish selling their boxes. They really wanted to win a prize. I decided to take them to the mall and sell as people were leaving. After 5 minutes my daughter came back to the car looking angry. “I don’t want to sell” she pouted. “Why not?” I asked. “It’s NOT working! Everyone is saying no and some people are ignoring us!” The life changing moments eh? Here it comes: that window of opportunity to make it or break it. My mother bear heart sank…I wanted to yell at those rude people who don’t even have the decency to say “no thank you” to a child trying to raise money for her school. Yes its subsidizing for the government, but what does she know? She’s only 9! My son was still standing and trying to sell at the door of the mall…without asking though, just standing there. So as a mom I asked myself…NOW what do I do? Go home? A part of me felt like saying: ‘just get in the car” and writing a cheque for $60 worth of chocolates just not to go through with this and see her frustration. But then I stopped and thought: is that how it works? Someone bailing me out when times get tough? Don’t I wish!!! What can I teach my daughter at this very moment right now? So I took a deep breath, looked at her and said: “Lu, don’t give up..keep trying and see what happens” Now THAT was scarey! As she turned around to go back to sell the chocolates I was thinking: Oh God! Now what if everyone is busy shopping for Christmas and no one will buy from her? Am I going to make the poor kids stand there all night?? Then what?? All these thoughts…but then oh wait…someone stopped, their looking…AH HA! Sold! Whew! One less heart broken today I thouht. Okay maybe just one guy feeling sorry from them..oh no wait…there goes another chocolate bar! Yay! I looked at her from the side of the road sitting in my car watching as she turned to me and gave me her thumbs up. From there, they sold the rest of the $60 worth of chocolates in 35 minutes. Her energy had changed from hopeless to hopeful..and it worked. She accepted that it’s not easy..but DON’T GIVE UP. So proud. Thanks to the chocolate sales…:)