From Babyfit

Comment: This article is a good incentive for parents who get bogged down in ordinary things every day and don’t look into the future to what could and can be. Children are our most valuable reasons to succeed at everything we do. And that, more than anything else gives children the idea that they can do anything they set out to do.

Shoot for the Moon!

Harnessing a Child’s Enthusiasm to Achieve your Goals
— By Sue Dickinson, Mom and Author

Whoooosh! As I relaxed in a lawn chair, my six-year-old sank yet another basket. Watching his skill develop, I couldn’t help but dream about him becoming an NBA star some day. I could just picture it…I, his proud mama in the stands adorned in the appropriate team sweatshirt. After the game – a big hug and kiss for his mom while fans surround him and scream “We’re Number One!” And (of course), I could clearly see the big house he’d buy me to live out my old age (come on, if a girl’s gonna dream she may as well dream)!

When my husband and I first recognized my son’s passion for basketball, we did everything we could to help nurture his interest into the talent he so desperately wanted. I found a basketball camp in the area that would teach him the proper way to shoot and handle the basketball. My husband spent night after night watching basketball games with him (what a sacrifice…), explaining the rules and pointing out the techniques of the game.

It’s easy to recognize our children’s gifts and get excited and involved in developing them. Since it is so much fun to see the progress our kids can make, isn’t it strange that the same optimism about developing a new skill or finding a gift doesn’t always spill over to us?

Maybe one reason is that when we look at a child, we see nothing but a blank slate, ready to be filled with whatever outrageous and exaggerated dreams they can think up. Anything is possible! As we get older, though, our slate is no longer clean – we have “responsibilities” and “obligations” that leave no room for larger-than-life dreams. We foster the belief that if we can’t have it all, it’s not worth trying.

What a shame and a waste! If we were limited to the gifts and talents we develop as a child, many of us would never discover the wonderful things in store for us. Anna Mary Robertson (also known as Grandma Moses) never even picked up a paintbrush until she was in her mid seventies. The year before she died, at 101 years old, she painted 25 pictures. What a loss it would have been if she had decided she had too many things preventing her from fulfilling her dream!

Sadly, that’s what many people much younger than Grandma Moses believe… when in reality, the possibilities for them are limited only by their own self-made barriers.

During the next few weeks I challenge you break that pattern of self-destruction. You have built-in role models in your kids to observe and emulate – really watch how their excitement and zest for life and their built in desire to excel propels them to unlimited possibilities. Then, try to harness even a little of that enthusiasm into your own quest to achieve your goals and dreams. True, with your busy life you may not attain everything you desire immediately. But the results are bound to be better than the status quo! After all, as Les Brown reminds us, it’s always better to “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars!”

Comment: We’re harvesting cucumbers every day from our garden. They are really delicious!

Cucumbers

To be “cool as a cucumber” add them to your menus during the warm summer months when they are in season. Although slicing cucumbers are available year round, they are at their best from May through July.

Cucumbers are scientifically known as Cucumis sativus and belong to the same family as watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, and other types of squash. Varieties of cucumber are grown either to be eaten fresh or to be pickled. Those that are to be eaten fresh are commonly called slicing cucumbers. Cucumbers such as gherkins that are specially cultivated to make pickles are oftentimes much smaller than slicing cucumbers.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Safety
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

The flesh of cucumbers is primarily composed of water but also contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling. Cucumbers’hard skin is rich in fiber and contains a variety of beneficial minerals including silica, potassium and magnesium.

A Radiant Complexion

The silica in cucumber is an essential component of healthy connective tissue, which includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bone. Cucumber juice is often recommended as a source of silica to improve the complexion and health of the skin, plus cucumber’s high water content makes it naturally hydrating—a must for glowing skin. Cucumbers are also used topically for various types of skin problems, including swelling under the eyes and sunburn. Two compounds in cucumbers, ascorbic acid and caffeic acid, prevent water retention, which may explain why cucumbers applied topically are often helpful for swollen eyes, burns and dermatitis.

An Easy Way to Increase Your Consumption of Both Fiber and Water

Trying to get adequate dietary fiber on a daily basis is a challenge for many Americans. Adding a crunchy cool cucumber to your salads is an especially good way to increase your fiber intake because cucumber comes naturally prepackaged with the extra fluid you need when consuming more fiber. Plus, you get the added bonus of vitamin C, silica, potassium and magnesium.

High Blood Pressure? Cucumber Can Help You Cool Down

When people who participated in the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Study added foods high in potassium, magnesium and fiber, their blood pressure dropped to healthier levels. Those people in the study who ate a diet rich in these compounds in addition to the other foods on this diet (low fat dairy foods, seafood, lean meat and poultry) lowered their blood pressure by 5.5 points (systolic) over 3.0 points (diastolic).

Description

The phrase “cool as a cucumber” is not without merit. This vegetable’s high water content gives it a very unique moist and cooling taste.

Cucumbers, scientifically known as Cucumis sativus, are grown to either be eaten fresh or to be pickled. Those that are to be eaten fresh are commonly called slicing cucumbers. They are cylindrical in shape and commonly range in length from about six to nine inches, although they can smaller or much larger. Their skin, which ranges in color from green to white, may either be smoothed or ridged depending upon the variety. Inside a cucumber is a very pale green flesh that is dense yet aqueous and crunchy at the same time, as well as numerous edible fleshy seeds. Some varieties, which are grown in greenhouses, are seedless, have thinner skins and are longer in length, usually between 12 and 20 inches. These varieties are often referred to as “burpless” cucumbers since people find them easier to digest than the other varieties of cucumbers.

Cucumbers that are cultivated to make pickles are oftentimes much smaller than slicing cucumbers. Gherkins are one variety of cucumbers cultivated for this purpose.

History

Cucumbers were thought to originate over 10,000 years ago in southern Asia. Early explorers and travelers introduced this vegetable to India and other parts of Asia. It was very popular in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome, whose people used it not only as a food but also for its beneficial skin healing properties. Greenhouse cultivation of cucumbers was originally invented during the time of Louis XIV, who greatly appreciated this delightful vegetable. The early colonists introduced cucumbers to the United States.

While it is unknown when the pickling process was developed, researchers speculate that the gherkin variety of cucumber was developed from a plant native to Africa. During ancient times, Spain was one of the countries that was pickling cucumbers since Roman emperors were said to have imported them from this Mediterranean country.

How to Select and Store

As cucumbers are very sensitive to heat, choose ones that are displayed in refrigerated cases in the market. They should be firm, rounded at their edges, and their color should be a bright medium to dark green. Avoid cucumbers that are yellow, puffy, have sunken water-soaked areas, or are wrinkled at their tips. Thinner cucumbers will generally have less seeds than those that are thicker. While many people are used to purchasing cucumbers that have a waxed coating, it is highly recommended to choose those that are unwaxed, so the nutrient-rich skin can be eaten without consuming the wax and any chemicals trapped in it.

Cucumbers should be stored in the refrigerator where they will keep for several days. If you do not use the entire cucumber during one meal, wrap the remainder tightly in plastic or place it in a sealed container so that it does not become dried out. For maximum quality, cucumber should be used within one or two days. Cucumbers should not be left out at room temperature for too long as this will cause them to wilt and become limp.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

Tips for Preparing Cucumbers:

Unwaxed cucumbers do not need to be peeled but should be washed before cutting. Waxed cucumbers should always be peeled first. Cucumbers can be sliced, diced or cut into sticks. While the seeds are edible and nutritious, some people prefer not to eat them. To easily remove them, cut the cucumber lengthwise and use the tip of a spoon to gently scoop them out.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Use half-inch thick cucumber slices as petite serving “dishes” for chopped vegetable salads.

Mix diced cucumbers with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine vinaigrette.

For refreshing cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Add diced cucumber to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes.

Safety

Cucumbers and Wax Coatings

Conventionally grown cucumbers, like other fragile vegetables, may be waxed to protect them from bruising during shipping. Plant, insect, animal or petroleum-based waxes may be used. Carnauba palm is the most common plant-source wax. Other compounds, such as ethyl alcohol or ethanol, are added to the waxes for consistency, milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) for “film formers” and soaps for flowing agents. Since you may not be able to determine the source of these waxes, this is another good reason to choose organically grown cucumbers.

Nutritional Profile

Cucumbers are a very good source of the vitamins C and the mineral molybdenum. They are also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium and contain the important mineral silica.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Cucumber.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth nutritional profile for Cucumbers is also available. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good or good source. Next to the nutrient name you will find the following information: the amount of the nutrient that is included in the noted serving of this food; the %Daily Value (DV) that that amount represents; the nutrient density rating; and the food’s World’s Healthiest Foods Rating. Underneath the chart is a table that summarizes how the ratings were devised. Read detailed information on our Food and Recipe Rating System.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Cucumbers

I got this from Susie E and am delighted to say that this piece that follows is very near working with some kids. You can do just about anything, and the result is still zip. Then there’s the breakthrough, and the pill goes down. Read for fun:

HOW TO GIVE YOUR CAT A PILL

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding
a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth
and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As
cat opens mouth; pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and
swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left
arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws
tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth
with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call
spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and
rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head
firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down
ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make
note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered
figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just
visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth
open with pencil, and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans. Drink 1 beer to
take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood
from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another
beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on to neck, to leave head
showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with
elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges.
Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress
to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey
compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt
away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the stupid cat from across the road.
Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid
cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little #%*%%#@ front paws to rear paws with garden twine and
bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from
shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak Be
rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down
throat to wash pill down

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the
emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm
and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home
to order new table.

15. Post flyers: Sweet cat, in good health, free to good home.

HOW TO GIVE A DOG A PILL?

1. Wrap it in bacon.

Full-day kindergarten attracts majority of eligible youngsters

By MERANDA WATLING
mwatling@journalandcourier.com

July 16, 2007

Although both of Allison Martin’s older sisters went through half-day kindergarten, this fall she’ll be joining the majority of her Tippecanoe School Corp. peers in full-day kindergarten.

It was that fact that prompted her parents to put her in the full-day program at Klondike Elementary School, her mom, Melissa Martin, said.

“I just felt it was important for her to not be in the minority of students going into the first grade,” Martin said. “It just gives her exposure to more things and makes the transition into first grade a little bit easier.”

The Indiana General Assembly passed a budget this year that includes $33.5 million for full-day kindergarten this school year. Another $58.5 million has been set aside for the 2008-09 school year.

As a result, full-day programs have grown in most districts. Of the 293 districts in Indiana, 263 applied for the grants, which the Indiana Department of Education projects will amount to about $665 per student.

TSC superintendent Richard Wood said that this fall the nine TSC elementary schools will go from offering 20 full-day sections to 33 full-day and only 10 half-day sections.

Some schools will not even have a separate half-day class because there are too few students to support it, Wood said. Those students would spend the morning in the same class as the full-day students and then leave before lunch.

“This fall will be the first time the majority of our students will be in full-day kindergarten,” Wood said. “We hope as the state increases the grant the participation grows.”

The district will use the grant to offer free full-day kindergarten first to students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, a population considered most at-risk. Other parents will pay the $1,800 tuition, which could go down if the $665 projection ends up being more, Wood said.

Lafayette School Corp. will continue to offer a full-day program similar to the Primary Accelerated Learning (PAL) program it had in place, superintendent Ed Eiler said.

“We have one section at each of the elementaries,” Eiler said, “for the children who, when we do our assessments at the beginning of the year, we identify as the children farthest away from those who will be ready for first grade.”

Additionally, Eiler said three other sections will be offered where there’s the greatest limited-English population.

Eiler said the district looked into offering additional full-day programs, but the only school with enough parent interest was Earhart Elementary School, where an extended-day program will be offered for a fee.

In West Lafayette Community School Corp., the district will have three sections of full-day and three sections of half-day available at Cumberland Elementary School, superintendent Rocky Killion said.

Killion said the district will put the grant money first toward students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches. Other parents who enroll their students in full-day will pay tuition, which last year was about $2,500.

Charlotte Harrington, whose son Konrad will be in full-day at Cumberland, said she doesn’t mind picking up the tab because full-day “will give him a chance to really excel.”

Harrington said her son really enjoys school, so much that when pre-school ended and he realized that kindergarten didn’t start up that next Monday he was upset.

“If he seemed like he’d be uncomfortable or shy or gave me any indication he wasn’t ready to be away from me that long, I’d have put him in half-day,” Harrington said.

“We had decided if he was ready, we’d pay for it. If you’re going to spend your money on something, your child’s education is not a bad place to spend it.”

Just for fun, here’s a world clock to look at. Lots of interesting stuff here.

For school tomorrow, we leave at 9:00 for Garden of the Gods and then off to Pounds Hollow Lake. Kids should wear swim suits with shorts and t-shirts for girls, and just t-shirts for boys with swim trunks.

We had the best day swimming yesterday. Today should be even better. As we begin to realize that summer swim days are beginning to be few, the children are really beginning to really swim. We had so many graduates yesterday: Logan, Giovanni, Addie, Delissa all joined the swimmers in the deep end. This is our first step toward swimming. When a child can swim underwater, can paddle and keep themselves afloat, we encourage them to jump into the deeper end and then paddle back to the side of the pool. The become more and more relaxed doing this, and then they are suddenly ready to swim the length it takes to go off the board.

Yesterday, Eli, Jackson, Matthew all went off the board. That means these little guys have gone from floundering around worrying about getting water in their faces to really swimming.

Today I have great things in store for Giovanni.