Favorite books for children (so far this October)

Here are my favorite books for children this October, in no particular order and with no particular reason (except that my kids and I agree that we love them):

1. Bravery Soup by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
2. Let's Be Thankful by P.K. Hallinan
3. I Want Your Moo by Marcella Bakur Weiner & Jill Neimark
4. Proud of Our Feelings by Lindsay Leghorn
5. Courage by Bernard Waber
6. Swim, Little Wombat, Swim by Charles Fuge
7. If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
8. Yes We Can! by Sam Mcbratney
9. Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! by Rosetta Stone
10. Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC by June Sobel

How about you? Any favorites so far?

Please visit my parenting blog, Something About Parenting.

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Helping kids learn left from right

My 4-year old loves to navigate when I drive the family van. But he sometimes gets confused with his left and right.

So I try to help him.

I drive. My wife sits in the front passenger seat. My 4-year old sits behind me while my 2-year old sits behind my wife.

“Daddy is on the left,” I tell my 4-year old. “Mommy is always right.”

Do you have a tip or question about parenting? Let me know. I might not be able to answer it, but other parents will.

Also, please visit my parenting blog, Something About Parenting.

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Sans Rival, anyone?

Overwhelmed With Joy is sponsoring the second edition of her Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style. Here’s one of my favorite desserts—Sans Rival (also known as Napoleon Layered Cake).

Wafers

5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
11/2 cup chopped cashew nuts (unsalted)
½ teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease and flour three 18 x 15 inch cookie sheet. Do so heavily.
3. On a separate bowl, beat egg whites until thick.
4. Add sugar gradually and continue beating.
5. Mix in chopped cashews and vanilla.
6. Spread mix in cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. After baking, place resulting wafers in a flat surface and let it cool off. You should have three layers of wafers.
9. Prepare filling.

Filling

¼ cup water
2/3 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 cup butter
½ cup chopped cashew nuts

1. Boil water and sugar until if forms a syrup.
2. On a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until thick.
3. Add syrup to the mixture and continue beating.
4. Place the mixture inside the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Cream butter and blend into cold egg yolk.
6. Spread mixture in-between the wafers.
7. Add chopped cashew nuts on top.
8. Freeze and serve chilled.

If you have a question, please note that I have eaten tons of sans rival but have yet to bake one. I share this recipe with the hope that someone will read it, bake a sans rival and send me a slice.

Please visit my parenting blog, Something About Parenting.

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Choosing a watermelon

My 4-year old loves watermelons. Unfortunately, I seem to pick the unripe one each time I buy one. So, I searched for information about how to pick a ripe and tasty watermelon.

Here’s what I found out:

• To pick a ripe and tasty watermelon, do what grandmothers do—tap it. If it sounds hallow, the watermelon is ripe. If not, forget about it.

• If the watermelon looks good, it must be good. A ripe and tasty watermelon is symmetrical. It should not be bruised or gashed. Neither should it have soft or shriveled spots.

TIP: What to do with a slightly unripe watermelon? Place it in a paper bag with an apple. Store it at room temperature. The apple releases ethylene gas, which helps encourage the ripening process.

Have a question about parenting? Let me know. I might not be able to answer it, but other parents will.