2009 August | Value Bookshop's Reading Notes

School is starting soon. For many families, that means early morning scrambles, after-school tizzies and ragged nerves at dinnertime. It’s still possible to have pleasant family mealtimes even after school has begun. Check out these back-to-school dinner tips for busy Moms:

1. Have a meal plan.
The most important key to having relaxed family dinners even on school nights is having a meal plan. This will simplify both food shopping and meal preparation, and help you save money to boot.

If you need help, check out Dine Without Whine’s meal and grocery planning service.

2. Try freezer meals.
Cut down on cooking time by cooking large batches and then freezing them for future use.

3. Simplify your schedule.
With school comes extracurricular activities that could have you running – or driving around – like a headless chicken. Keep things to a minimum. Overloading children with too many after-school activities is not good for them. They need downtime too.

4. Get the kids involved in cooking.
Get some help by mobilizing your own troops – your husband and children – as your kitchen helpers. Cooking is an important life skill and now it’s bonding time as well.

5. Have an emergency plan.
No matter how well you plan in advance, something always comes up. Plan for that as well. Always have emergency supplies in the pantry so you can throw together a home-cooked meal at a moment’s notice. It could be a frozen dinner you prepared during the weekend. An example would be pasta, a can of tomato sauce and whatever vegetables are in the refrigerator.

6. Post your family schedule.
Keep a large calendar on the wall where you can see every family member’s schedule at a glance. It will also help you plan activities around your family dinner times.

7. Set a routine.
Decide on an earlier dinner time, bedtime and wake up time and start following them a few days before school officially begins. This way, everybody’s adjusted when the real thing comes.

8. Stay flexible.
Sometimes you just can’t afford disruptions to your meal times. An occasional missed family dinner is no big deal – when you know you’ll have more throughout the week.

9. Consider school schedules.
Take note of school events and other activities in your family calendar – so you can plan your family dinners with them in mind.

10. Cook once, eat twice.
Every so often, cook a double batch of meals that can easily be transformed into another entree or side dish. For example, roast 2 chickens. Have one for tonight’s dinner. Chop up the other for chicken salad for later in the week.

11. Organize your kitchen.
If you haven’t done so yet, now’s the time to take stock of your kitchen. Make sure the items you use most often are accessible from your food prep area. Replace the tools that are broken, and get those gadgets that will help you get dinner ready faster.

12. Have a special meal.
Make Friday night Teen’s night – which means they plan and prepare the meal. That is, if you have teens or any child old enough to prepare meals. They’ll learn how to cook, you get the night off (from cooking), and everybody has fun. The only condition is: everybody has to eat what’s prepared.

13. Make it educational.
This idea is for preschool-age kids. Make or buy a special placemat with letter or numbers. Laminate it with Con-Tact paper so it becomes a wipe-off board. Use it only for dinner times.

14. More mealtime learning opportunities.
Plan some meals to coincide with specific topics your child is studying in school. For example, on the night after a field trip to a pioneer town, have a pioneer-style meal.

15. Celebrate school successes at dinner.
Celebrate school successes with a special family meal. Prepare the child’s favorite meal and prepare a nice dessert. It’s more important to have a meal that’s relaxed and delicious, than one that tool hours to prepare.

16. Nurture school relationships.
Get to know your children’s closest school friends by inviting them to dinner once in a while.

Follow these tips to make family mealtimes simpler, easier and more fun. For meal planning and grocery shopping help, go to Dine Without Whine.

Your monthly subscription includes a weekly meal plan with recipes for main dishes, side dishes, 2 desserts and 2 brunches.

You’ll also get a weekly grocery shopping list of everything you need to create the recipes. The list is categorized according to grocery sections, so your shopping will be easier and faster.

For a limited time, you can try Dine Without Whine for a penny. Click here to find out how.

Yesterday, my 2 1/2 year old son excitedly came to me with a book and said “I read to you?” He also likes to draw vertical zig-zag lines which he describes as writing “W”s. All children are alike in that they all want to become readers and spellers, eager to open that important door to independent learning. Children are different when it comes to the when, why, how, and what works best when it comes to reading and spelling. By understanding and knowing how to work with these differences, you can prepare the proper and most direct road to reading and spelling proficiency and ensure that your child has a lifelong enjoyment of the skills.

Is It Time?

Your six month-old baby didn’t show any signs of possessing the preliminary skills necessary to put on their shoes, so you didn’t waste time and energy trying to teach them how. Instead, you patiently helped them gain the coordination and waited until they had a good chance to succeed before showing them how to do this themselves, right?

Well, the same principle applies when determining if your child is ready to start learning to read and spell. The age at which a child is ready to read and spell can vary dramatically. Children can start from the age of three years old on up to eleven years old and beyond, but generally reading and spelling occurs between the age of four and ten years old.

The age of readiness or desire to read and spell can be easily determined by paying attention to the clues that children freely provide. Here are some signs of reading and spelling readiness:

Your child pretends to read
Your child maintains phonemic awareness or knows the sounds that letters make.
You notice your child takes interest in the environments written words on street signs, cereal boxes, TV, magazines, flyers, books, etc.
Your child looks at pictures and tells a story or repeats a known story in her own words
If your child can add the missing word to an incomplete sentence presented orally
If they can define or give the meaning of simple words
If they use left to-right progression
If they can pronounce their own first and last names
If they can print their name

If you feel your child is ready to read and spell, you will want to know about two truly amazing programs that incorporate all aspects necessary to get your child reading and spelling:

These online beginning reading and spelling programs are designed for children as young as 4 years old. ClickN READ teaches the complete K-3rd grade phonics curriculum taught at USA public schools and ClickN SPELL teaches 800 of the most commonly used words in the English language. They are great for children who are learning to read and spell for the first time, those who are struggling with reading as well as children with learning disabilities.

The program is used online just like viewing standard web pages your child can use it at home, at Grandma’s, at the office or while on vacation. There is no software to install and no waiting for shipping. You just complete your purchase and immediately begin using the products.

The results are proven and the testimonies are so incredible that the company offers a 60-day guaranteed refund if you’re not satisfied with the results simply get your money back!

Here’s just one more incentive: Save 5% off With Coupon Code: Phonics10
Interested to know more? Click on the banner below.