ARTICLES on NKids
10 Ways to Help Your Family Stay Healthy During the Holidays
The month of December is a wonderful time to reconnect as a family and have some fun! With all of the excitement and stress of the holidays, family gatherings, and parties, people are likely to eat more and exercise less. How can you prevent this from happening to you and your family? Here are some tips to help lessen the stress and save your waistline.
Goal: This week, sit down as a family and plan out your holiday vacation. Plan to make healthy food and time choices over the holidays.
- As a family sit down and plan out your holiday vacation on your family calendar. What obligations does each person have and what are some things you would like to do as a family?
- On your calendar, plan a few active family activities using ideas from www.neighborhood-kids.com
- If you are buying gifts for the holidays, have each person make a list of the gifts he/she wants to buy, and then set a goal date by which to have all shopping finished.
- Write down the times each person will exercise.
- Plan for, shop for, and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Eat healthy portion sizes by using smaller plates at meals.
- Drink water and fat-free milk as your beverages.
- Eat only fruits and vegetables as snacks before dinner.
- Take a family walk each day and look at the holiday decorations in your neighborhood.
- Plan what you will eat. Before going to a party or family gathering, plan what size portions and what kinds of food you will eat. You may even want to eat a variety of fresh vegetables before attending. Remember to think about what you are eating and how much. Now that you have a plan (even if your plan includes gravy and holiday cookies), enjoy what you are eating!
Now, after the holiday season, sit down as a family and talk about how the plan worked. Were you less stressed during the holiday vacation? Do you feel healthier? Hopefully, because you did some planning, your family had more time to have fun together.
Carol Frazey is the author of The Fit School Newsletter, a 36-week newsletter with the goal of educating you and your family about nutrition and exercise.
leave a comment!Mad Science Presents Star Trek Live
BELLINGHAM – The Mount Baker Theatre is proud to present Mad Science Productions performance of Star Trek Live, an out of this world, interactive adventure based on the most popular science fiction franchise of all time. This lively production will take place on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 6:30pm. Tickets are only $10.00.
Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before!Photo by Mad Science
Audience members join Starfleet Academy only to be unexpectedly whisked into an adventure steeped in the grand tradition of Star Trek itself. Star Trek Live, combines cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction, and cool science to create an exhilarating and unforgettable theatrical experience
Eager to learn from Starfleet’s best and brightest, Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan science officer Spock, our cadets assemble, anxious to prepare for their first day at the Academy and an exploration of the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise. As we are introduced to the proud legacy of the most powerful and most advanced ship in the fleet, the Enterprise and Earth itself come under attack from alien forces, leaving the fate of the Federation in the hands of our cadets. Our cadets will have to quickly learn the intricacies of living and working in space, modern space travel and the latest in communication and technology as they draw on the achievements of science in the 21st century. It will require all our knowledge, ingenuity, logic and an exploration of science to discover what is happening and how to set things right before it’s too late!
Star Trek Live, is a thrilling, 60-minute journey for audiences of all ages! Awesome special effects, unrivaled audience interaction and an exploration of real space-age technology takes everyone on an unforgettable journey through the Star Trek universe.
Join Star Trek Live, and boldly go where no one has gone before! Call 360-734-6080 for tickets or information.
This program is part of the Wade Bennett King Education Series sponsored by the Wade King Family. The Mount Baker Theatre receives support from a Tourism Facilities Grant from the City of Bellingham. The Mount Baker Theatre is also supported, in part, by grants from Whatcom County, the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
leave a comment!Get Creative with Your Pumpkins This Fall
Now that you’ve made your trek to a Whatcom County farm for a u-pick pumpkin, what are you going to do with your bountiful harvest? If you’re looking for ideas, here are a few creative suggestions of pumpkin uses for your Halloween celebrations!
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
What creative plans do you have your pumpkins?Photo by Theresa Carpine
Pie, bread, muffins, cookies, scones, soup—there are limitless tasty treats to enjoy with the yummy flesh of America’s favorite autumn squash. Halve pumpkins, scoop out the seeds and pulp, roast (cut side down) at 350˚ F in an ¼ inch of water for at least 60 minutes, scoop out pumpkin from shells, mash in a food processer, strain excess liquid, and use the result for all your baking needs this fall.
Pumpkin Painting
Carving jack-o-lanterns can be a lackluster activity for little kids who can’t yet wield a knife. Instead of carving pumpkins, get a few small pumpkins and use acrylic paint to make fun faces and designs on the pumpkins. Make sure the pumpkin’s surface is clean, but don’t let the blossom end get wet or the pumpkin will rot quickly. Another idea is to use a black Sharpie, after the paint has dried, to outline your faces for a cartoon-like look.
Jack-o-Lantern Man
Building a man out of pumpkins might not be quite as fun as rolling snow, but a Jack-o-Lantern Man will make your Halloween porch display a little more memorable. You’ll need a large, a medium, and a small pumpkin to stack; cut holes in the top and bottom of the large and medium pumpkins and secure them together by putting them over a stake in a bale of straw. You can just carve the face on the top pumpkin and dress the rest of the pumpkins like a scarecrow, or carve clothes and shoes on the lower pumpkins too. Use a strand of white holiday lights in each pumpkin, rather than a candle, to light it up.
What are your plans for pumpkins this fall? Leave a comment and let us know?
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