Breakfast Choices for Tweens

When kids hit their tweens, it’s normal for them to start asserting their own personalities and wanting to make their own choices, including what they are going to eat and when they are going to eat it. Often, this is the time kids drop the habit of eating breakfast before they leave the house. Because breakfast is so important, it's up to us to make sure there's something easy, quick and great tasting available. Kids who have had something to eat in the morning are more active, alert and perform better in school, than those who haven't eaten.

Here are some simple ways to get kids involved and eating breakfast:

• Have portable foods available such as breakfast wraps, quesadillas or cereal bars.
• Place items within easy reach. Store cereal boxes and pop-top cans of fruit on shelves that
kids can reach. Make sure there are cereal bowls and small plates nearby.
• Don’t “force”children to eat a certain food for breakfast, preteen power struggles aren’t limited to clothing, friends and curfews!

Here are two quick and easy breakfast recipes from Kraft Healthy Living:

Gotta Split! Breakfast

Prep: 5 minutes

1 small ripe banana, peeled, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup POST GRAPE-NUTS O’s.
1/2 cup each fresh blueberries and raspberries
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

PLACE banana in cereal or sundae bowl.
TOP with yogurt, cereal, berries and cinnamon.

Makes 1 serving.

Rise 'N Shine Quesadilla

Prep: 5 minutes Microwave: 45 seconds

1 whole wheat flour tortilla (10”)
1/2 of a medium apple, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese

PLACE tortilla on microwavable plate. Place apple slices over half of the
tortilla.
SPRINKLE with sugar, cinnamon and cheese. Fold tortilla over filling.
MICROWAVE on HIGH 45 seconds or until tortilla is warmed and cheese
is melted. Cool slightly before serving.

Makes 1 serving.

Tweens and the Arts

With so much emphasis put on sports for kids, I thought it was worth mentioning the importance of the arts in our children's lives. We are fortunate that our school district has a very strong arts program (music, band and art) and we have wonderful teachers who encourage our students to explore their talents. Participating in the arts is a great way to build self confidence and self esteem. It has also been shown to improve academic performance. To find out more about promoting fine arts programs in your schools, check out the National Arts Education Foundation.

Is Your Tween a Good Leader?

My son is almost done with his second season of inline hockey and I have to say what a great group of kids are on his team. Some of them have been together for a couple of years and the new players are always welcomed and there is a feeling of teamwork and friendship. Of course, I think credit goes to the parents and the coaches, who encourage fairness and comraderie and instill the importance of having fun over winning.


There is one child on the team, in particular, who I think sets a particularly high standard of team leadership and good sportsmanship. I made a point to tell his mom about it after last week's game because I wanted her to know that his actions do not go unnoticed. Whenever any player makes a goal or attempts a really great play, he skates over and gives a high five. He always skates over to the goalie for a high five if a save is made or for a pat on the back if a block is missed. He does his best to offer advice if a play doesn't go well and offers encouragement. At 11 years old, this child shows excellent leadership skills and sets a good example of sportsmanship for his team. He has obviously learned these skills from example; his parents are a constant source of encouragement to every child on the team, as well as the opposing teams. He could easily take all the "glory" for himself because he also is one of the top skills players on the team. But, he choses to help his team. This child is an excellent role model for what a real team player is!

Hacky Sack Is Back!

Wasn't hacky sack popular back in the 80's? Well, it's made it's way back into 21st century culture. But if you want to be one of the "cool" kids, ya' might want to call it "footbag""! (I think I like hacky sack better!) Actually, hacky sack was the registered trademark name used by Wham-O, footbag refers to the sport. Footbag is finding it's way back onto the middle school play yards with recess circles and two-on-two competitions.

So, you better grab your favoritefootbag today and brush up on your skills!

Does Your Tween Get Enough H2O?

We all know how important it is to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. But, do you pay attention to how much water you kids are drinking? With all the other sugary beverages available, it's important to make sure they are drinking lots of water. Make sure they have bottles of water with them at school, available throughout the day. If your children are in sports, you can't stress hydration enough.

My kids love Poland Spring's Aquapods. They love the cool shape of the bottle (my 8 year old daughter calls them "chubby" bottles). Poland Spring has a great website called Aquapod Moms. I checked it out the other day and there are all kinds of cool things there: expert advice and blog, the AquaSlider interactive tool, and coupons.

Boys & Body Sprays

If you have a tweenage son you know what I'm talking about! You are just as likely to have the scent of Axe or Tag wafting through your home as you are Febreeze! I tell my son he reminds me of the character PigPen from the Peanuts cartoons with the "cloud" surrounding him, except it isn't dust....it's body spray!

Overuse of these body sprays can also be a problem for kids with allergies and/or asthma. Last year, my son told me that one day there was such a haze of body spray in the boys' locker room that one poor little boy had a terrible asthma attack and had to be sent home. I can only imagine that all of the scents could mean problems for teachers with allergies as well. Will body sprays be against school policy soon?

Is anyone else smelling "big profits" here? I did a research paper many moons ago in college about the media and how heavily marketing is aimed at children. But just how young can the deodorant/body spray manufacturers go? Well, Disney jumps on the bandwagon, with their new fragrance line marketed at boys from 4 - 11 years old. I found this article, from Shaping Youth, particularly interesting.

Braces ???

I was pretty shocked when my tween didn't balk about getting braces last year. He was actually almost excited! Apparently, braces are now considered pretty cool among preteens. You can get the bands in different colors now so it really is quite a fashion statement. My tween has had fuschia (it's the "new black", you know, even for boys!), his hockey team colors, and assorted other color combos.

The most difficult part of having braces has been the extensive brushing and flossing routine. It's difficult to get a tween boy to understand that it takes upwards of 5 - 10 minutes, 3 times a day to do the whole brushing routine properly. He's also been known to sneak an occasional forbidden snack (Skittles, gum....yikes!). He's been a trooper when he's had to have expanders. They can be uncomfortable the first day or two and his speech tends to be slurred for about a week until he adjusts to the appliance.

We are almost near the end of his experience with braces, though. Here are some tips if your tween has braces.

Tween Idol, Hannah Montana

My 8 1/2 and 6 year old girls idolize Hannah Montana. If she is on the Disney Channel, they are watching it. They know the words to her songs and dance around the livingroom. "Life's What You Make It" is even my daughter's cheer squad's dance routine song!
I actually am a fan of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana. I think the show is funny and the content is always appropriate. I also think that Miley is a good role model for young girls. She seems to be well adjusted, is very "girl next door", and her clothes are always age appropriate (vital, because you know your daughter is going to want to dress like her!).
It's no wonder her concerts tickets are selling like wildfire. It's amazing that a 14 year old girl's ticket sales are topping those of Bruce Springsteen and Justin Timberlake! But, on that same note, it is also unfortunate that the phenomenon is making those very tickets out of reach for her biggest fans - young girls.

Check out Miley's new CD at Amazon.com!

Tween Decorating 101

Your tween needs to express himself/herself...with fashion, music, and their space! The interior design market is huge right now and there are endless options out there in every price range for your tween to decorate his or her room with. Keep in mind functionality, versatility, quality and comfort. Don't underestimate the power of paint! It's an inexpensive way to completely redefine a space. Try to steer your tween away from themes and fads...what's cool today may not be so cool tomorrow! Talk to your tween about what they like and dislike so that EVERYONE is happy with the final product.
I am a huge fan of HGTV and there are some great tips to be found there for decorating your preteen's space!

Shop for teens at YourKidsDirect

Tweens, Crushes, and Dating

I thought tweens were too busy with homework, sports, music lessons and dance classes to be interested in dating ! As much as I hoped this was all just a myth, it does happen. The mom of one of my tween's friends lamented with me, "NOOOO, not yet.....I haven't read that book yet!!!"
When my tween told me that a couple kids were "going out" in 5th grade last year, I asked him "So what does 'going out' involve, exactly?"
"I don't know, you sit together at lunch."
Innocent enough.
So, I guess we need to fasten our seatbelts and get ready for another adventure in our tween's lives! Check out this article for some guidance!