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April 2008 Newsletter |
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President's Letter April is going to be a busy month. Even if you intend to relax and take it easy, there’s just so much to do…..from the mundane like spring cleaning and taxes to the more exciting like celebrating Earth Day and just enjoying Spring. As in nature, I hope this month proves to be a month of new beginnings and personal growth for all of us. We have a number of interesting things on the calendar this month—I’m going to highlight a few that are new or of special interest: 1) Gail M. has kindly arranged for a friend of hers, and registered car seat technician, to come and do a car seat check for us. The technician will check infant car seats through boosters for proper installation and fit and will give advice and tips specific to different models; 2) Moms' Night Out this month will feature one (or two) of our members, who will show us how to decorate a cake. This should be both educational and tasty!; 3) Our consignment sale is mid-month—come on out and sell your unneeded items to benefit your own piggy bank and our group’s charity as well; 4) Celebrate Earth Day with a picnic with your MOMS Club friends; 5) Our second family fun event will take place at the end of the month. Carrie D. has (bravely) opened up her home to us and our families for some baseball watching, food, games and fun; and 6) April’s general meeting will feature an infant/child CPR demo by Beth M., a member and RN. At this point in the year I feel the need to send out some love to the group. Although this is coming from me, I feel that these words echo the sentiments many of you have expressed. So, thanks to all of you who make this club great, just by being you, being willing to host activities from time to time, by showing up, by helping others simply by saying “we’ve all been there” at just the right moment. Thank you. This is the second month in a row that I have featured a poem, but my excuse is that April is National Poetry Month. In “Two Tramps in Mud Time”, Robert Frost wrote: The sun was warm but the wind was chill. Happy April! Chrissie A. MOMS Club Says "Thank You" to Kirkwood Church Age Group Coordinators Consignment Sale Elections Family Fun Events & Speakers Newsletter Advertising Children Abby H. turns 4 Moms Susan W.
Congratulations to Kelly L. and family on the arrival of Elena! Congratulations to Liz A. and family on the arrival of Annabelle! We’d like to welcome the following new members: Maria Elena B. and her children Eric and Luis We’d like to bid a fond farewell and send best wishes to the following members: Beverly H. and her children Regan, Jake, Sydney and Ashton Tips for Tots Question of the Month: How do you help your playful, talkative child who clams up around other children or adults come out of his/her shell and feel comfortable in his/her surroundings? Advice: I have first-hand experience with this type of behavior with both of my boys. A lot of times they will not stray from my side in large social settings, especially if it is a new place or situation. One thing that is really important is to keep going out and experiencing other children and adults in social situations. If you tend to avoid situations where your child is around other children this will encourage the anxiety your child has. Also, give your children a break…don’t force them to interact. They can be there and not social and eventually may warm up to the situation. It may take several times of visiting the same place or being in the same situation for them to get comfortable. My older child is very "slow to warm up" to new situations. It’s just in his make up….and I think there are some children that are just like this naturally. Once we realized that he is just like this it helped us tremendously. Advice: My daughter always asks about the other kids, their names, ages and such, so I answer that I don't know and that maybe we should go ask. I introduce her to the other child/children and ask them their names and tell her their names. I have found other kids that tend to be shy also and don't speak up to her so she can't hear their names. My introducing her lets me be certain that she knows their names. She has gotten to the point that she now introduces herself. I also sometimes let her take her little doll. It gives her something to do a show and tell with and it breaks the ice. Advice: I practice having my son say “My name is _____”. I then ask him how old he is and he responds with his age. Since most people ask these two questions, practicing these at home gives him experience answering and helps him feel more comfortable. Advice: I don't classify my daughter as shy--I think her temperament is just more cautious and "observing before jumping in", which are useful traits to have and shouldn't be out-rightly discouraged. I have found that the most important thing is to make the child feel comfortable and don't force him/her to do anything he/she doesn't want to. For us, if that meant letting her sit in my lap for the entire meeting/playdate, that's what I did. I found that the more I gently encouraged her to branch out (all the while maintaining the physical closeness she seemed to need), the more and more she would explore, talk a bit, interact, etc.... Because my daughter was slow to warm up to people and relatively clingy with me in social situations, we were worried about how she would react to going to preschool alone, without me. But, preschool has been such a great experience for her; it was exactly what she needed. She's in a small enough class where her individuality is not lost and she feels safe enough to, baby step by baby step, come out of her shell. She's come a long way since she started last fall, partially because she's now almost three (!) and partially because she's gained a bit of independence through her preschool experience. We also found that it helped to have some activities that were consistent and where she saw the same group of adults and children week to week (e.g. classes, MOMs club age playgroups, etc...).
My husband and I purchased the Le Creuset Dutch Oven from Williams-Sonoma this past Christmas. We have made several one-pot meals in it this winter but this BREAD recipe caught my eye and I plan to try it this month! I love bread and this one looks pretty simple. Rosemary-Lemon No-Knead Bread Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour Directions: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, rosemary and zest. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and very sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at warm room temperature (about 70°F) until the surface is dotted with bubbles, 12 to 18 hours. Past Newsletters: |