If you know me you’ll know that I don’t like to cook. The problem is that I’m running a child care and the kiddos like to be fed - three times a day! Over the years I’ve found some recipes that are quick and easy enough that they don’t take much time or attention away from the children.

Pizza Casserole is basically a mixed up pizza with noodles instead of crust. It’s one of my favorite recipes because not only is it quick and easy, the kiddos love it and we usually have all the ingredients on hand. Best of all, it’s adaptable enough that if you don’t have all the ingredients you can make substitutions, and you can add your own favorite pizza toppings to make it just the way you like it.

I’m not big into measuring when I make this so bear with me; I’ll guesstimate measurements as well as I can. Here’s the ingredients:
1 can Spaghetti sauce, your favorite type
1 package Rotini pasta, or any other shape you have on hand
1 lb Hamburger
1-2 C Mozzerella cheese
Your favorite pizza toppings like:
Sliced pepperoni
Peppers
Tomatoes
Olives
Mushrooms
Sardines I won’t eat ‘em but if you like them, go for it.
Etc.

Put water on to boil as you brown the hamburger. If you’re using veggies you should cook them now too. When the water is boiling add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. When the hamburger is brown, drain the grease and stir in the can of spaghetti sauce.

Add a handful or two of sliced pepperoni, but be sure to peel the slices apart or you’ll end up with a huge pepperoni chunk in your casserole. If you want to include any other toppings, now’s the time to toss them in. Turn the heat down to simmer to keep this mixture warm until the pasta is done.

When the pasta is done and drained, add about half of it to the meat and sauce mixture. Stir well and take a look at the casserole. If it’s too saucy or there doesn’t seem to be enough for the number of people you’re feeding add more pasta. If there’s not enough sauce you can add a little water, tomato juice or tomato sauce. When you done messing with it you can either stir in about 1 cup of cheese and serve, or pour the casserole into a 9″ x 13″ pan and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Bake in a 350 oven until the cheese melts and serve. Since I’m usually rushing to get lunch done I just stir in the cheese and serve right away. The cheese melts and the casserole has usually cooled to the perfect temperature for the kiddos.

Enjoy!

I recently attended a Shaken Baby Training for my child care program, and would like to share what I learned.

Do have a plan to protect your child from Shaken Baby Syndrome?

If you’re a parent you need one, because in as little as five seconds your child’s life can be changed forever.

Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs when a baby or young child is violently shaken. As little as five seconds of shaking can cause irreversible brain damage or death. Some of the permanent effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome include:

• impaired motor skills
• impaired cognitive skills
• blindness
• cerebral palsy
• hearing loss
• spinal cord injury
• paralysis
• seizures

When an infant or young child is shaken the brain bounces back and forth inside the skull, causing blood vessels to tear and causing damage to the brain. Imagine a covered plastic container filled with gelatin. Mild shaking will cause the gelatin to separate from the sides of the container, harder shaking will cause the gelatin to break up, and prolonged severe shaking will cause the gelatin to liquify until it can be poured out of the container.

Violent shaking causes immediate damage to the brain, so symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome will usually appear right away. Symptoms may vary, and often appear to be a minor illness. Some of these minor symptoms are:

• Trouble sucking or swallowing
• Decreased appetite
• Trouble sleeping
• Fussiness or irritability
• Vomiting

Severe shaking causes more brain damage and obvious symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing or turning blue
• Lethargy or unresponsiveness
• Convulsions
• Unconsciousness

If you suspect your child is a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome call 911 or take your child to the emergency room right away! Immediate medical attention may save your child from permanent problems and may even save your baby’s life.

As serious as Shaken Baby Syndrome is, it CAN be prevented! No one wakes up in the morning and thinks “I think I’ll shake a baby today.” Most Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs when a parent, babysitter or other caregiver becomes frustrated and loses control. The most common trigger for Shaken Baby Syndrome is inconsolable crying, but toilet training and feeding problems are other major triggers.

Everyone knows that it’s normal for babies to cry, but that doesn’t make it easy. Babies cry for many reasons and what matters most is how you deal with the crying. Some of the reasons that babies cry are:

• Hunger
• Tired
• Bored
• Scared
• Overstimulated
• Understimulated
• Too hot
• Too cold
• Wet
• Dirty diaper
• Anxious
• Sick
• Uncomfortable
• Want Mom/Dad/Other caregiver
• Just want to

When a baby is crying our instinct is to try to comfort the baby. Many times the baby can be comforted, but sometimes the baby is going to cry no matter what you do. Here are some ideas you can try to help soothe a crying baby:

• Check for illness or pain
• Feed slowly, burp frequently
• Change baby’s diaper
• Take baby for a walk outside
• Swaddle or cuddle baby in a blanket
• Play quiet music
• Run a vacuum or hair dryer away from baby
• Gently rub baby’s tummy, back or bottom
• Pat baby’s bottom gently and rhythmically
• Snuggle baby against your chest
• Rock
• Sing, read a book, talk softly
• Put baby in a baby swing
• Give baby a warm bath
• Reduce light, noise and movement
• Put baby in a vibrating infant seat
• Encourage baby to suck a pacifier or your pinkie finger
• Put baby in a sling or other baby carrier
• Try TV to distract baby
• Nurse baby if you’re breastfeeding

Having a plan for dealing with frustration is the key in preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome. Sometimes babies cry and can’t be soothed, no matter what you do. When you feel yourself getting upset remember that it’s more important to stay calm than to stop the crying. Some ways to keep your cool are:

• Gently place baby in a safe place, like a crib, and leave the room for ten minutes
• Imagine yourself in a relaxing place, like a beach
• Listen to music
• Call a friend or relative
• Take a shower or bath
• Exercise
• Read a book or magazine
• Close your eyes and take deep breaths
• Ask friends or relatives for help
• Count to 100
• Write down 5 best things about yourself
• Write down 5 best things about your child
• Do housework, like vacuuming
• Use positive self-talk such as “I am a good parent” “I can stay calm” “Baby knows I love him”
• Do something that makes you laugh
• Rip up a telephone book or newspater
• Beat on pillows, cushions or a mattresses
• Join a parenting group for support and encouragement
• Yell in your head, into a pillow or in a room away from others
• Call the baby’s doctor or a nurse helpline
• Whatever else it takes to keep yourself calm and your baby safe

Babies cry, but if you have a plan to soothe baby, to keep yourself calm and where to get help you can keep your baby safe from Shaken Baby Syndrome. Remember that it’s more important to keep yourself calm than to stop the crying, and NEVER shake a baby or young child!

There’s a new baby at our house! Isn’t she a doll? Baby Gemma joined our child care group just a little while ago and we all love her already. The older children love to talk to her, make her smile, tickle her toes, and pet her hair. She loves watching them play, smiling and cooing to them. It’s wonderful having a little one to cuddle again!

Last Saturday I spent most of the day at the Valley AEYC mini-conference. I’m co-chair with Nicole - she’s a family child care provider too, and one of my best friends.

This is Nicole making announcements at the beginning of the conference - doesn’t she look official?

We had Professor Gizmo as keynote speaker and he was SO funny! He told us how to make one of these floaty balloon things with the guts of a Diaper Champ. (New guts of course!)

These lovely ladies volunteered to help with a demonstration on sound waves - look how dry they are! For now… Professor Gizmo struck a tuning fork to make it vibrate, then had the volunteers look closely as he lowered it into a cup of water. When the tuning fork hit the water the vibrations made the water shoot out all over!

Here’s their reaction, hee hee!

Besides Professor Gizmo we had other great workshops, like:
Puppets in the Classroom - I went to this one, Mickey and Cassie were really goofy and made us laugh a LOT.

Creating Classroom Books - I went to this one too and got some great ideas of books to do in my child care.

Infant Sensory Experiences - I didn’t get to go to this one, but it looks like they had a ton of ideas.

Stepping Stones - I went to this one several years ago and made stepping stones as a Mother’s Day gift. All the moms loved them! (I’ll post a “How to” after I find the concrete recipe)

Gardening with Children - Nicole walked her kids to her mom’s house to garden all summer, then they put together this workshop. It sounded like a lot of fun so I may try it next summer.

During the breaks between sessions we gave away a ton of cool door prizes. I won a winter theme book! (The blue one in the back row, next to the dog…)

If that wasn’t enough, we had a delicious lunch - taco bar and BROWNIES!!!

I don’t do field trips. Yes, I know they’re an important (and fun) part of the child care experience, but I’m just not meant to do field trips.

Several years ago I planned a trip to a pumpkin patch. For $6 you took a hayride to a field where you could pick out your own pumpkin plus 2 ears of maize, 2 mini-pumpkins, and 2 gourds. I had parents lined up to help chaperone and drive, the permission slips were signed and the money was collected. The morning of the field trip it was sprinkling a little, and by the time we got to the field it was sleeting heavily. Two families decided to skip the field trip and bring their children to my house after we got home. The rest of us went anyway, but the weather was so bad it wasn’t much fun. Trying to pick up wet slippery pumpkins and gourds from a field of mud with cold-numbed fingers was quite the challenge.

In May I thought it would be fun to go to the zoo. Again, I had parents signed up to chaperone and drive, the money was collected early. After a week of sunny warm weather the morning of our field trip dawned dark and rainy. It sprinkled or rained the entire time we were at the zoo. The animals were hiding from the rain inside their shelters, peering at us crazy humans walking in the rain while they were dry in their homes. We spent more time looking at the photos and descriptions of the animals than the animals themselves. At the end of the path there was a large petting area where the children could pet chickens, goats, a baby tiger, and other animals. The children had fun even though the animals were wet, and I chose not to think about what “organic” matter was probably mixed in the mud we were sloshing through. We got a coupon for a free trip back, due to the weather but I didn’t risk it and we haven’t been back since.

The following fall I decided to try the pumpkin patch again - after all, what are the chances of being rained out 2 years in a row? Yeah well, whatever the chances were, it rained again. This time we were prepared with umbrellas and blankets, but it was still a cold, wet and miserable trip again. I decided at this point to swear off field trips forever.

Well, now it’s been several years and I started getting the field trip itch again. I’d taken my children to the local Children’s Museum and they had so much fun I thought I’d make it a field trip. I thought I was pretty smart, it was an indoor trip so the weather didn’t matter. Since I only have 1 child care child on Monday mornings I decided that Monday would be the perfect day to go, I wouldn’t have to get another chaperone and could easily fit her car seat in my van. Monday morning I packed my 2 yr old, 8 yr old and 11 yr old children in the car with the 4 yr old and took off for a morning of fun. How was I to know they’d scheduled a maintenance day and were closed! We must have looked pretty funny standing outside the doors staring at the CLOSED sign dumbfounded. Since the permission slip was specific to the Children’s Museum I didn’t have any choice but to take 4 very disappointed children home.

I consoled them with a plan to reschedule for the following Tuesday, when in addition to the 4 yr old I also have an 18 month old. I was a little concerned about adding the 18 mo old, to the group because I was afraid the children would want to go separate ways, and I didn’t have enough room in my van for 3 car seats and the other children. So I arranged for a parent to come along to help drive and chaperone. The night before the field trip I got a message saying the parent was ill and couldn’t come. Oh no, now what do I do?! I decided to go anyway and have my older children help with the younger ones. The morning of the trip dawned clear and sunny, the 18 mo old arrived first and everything seemed fine. Then I realized her dad had forgotten to leave her car seat, the fee, and the permission slip. So much for this field trip!

The new plan is to go back to my No Field Trip policy. We’ll take walks around the block instead.