Friday, October 2, 2009

The Four Parenting Styles

The Four Parenting Styles

Are you a parent like me? If you are, I think it’s best you know what type of parenting style you are using to your kid. Could you be effective in what you do or not? I suggest you read this blog for I have just recently stumbled upon these parenting styles and was able to reflect about the way I bring up my children.

Every grandmother and grandfather will tell you hilarious stories of their children when they were first born. And for every funny and touching story they have, they will be able to tell you another for every hardship they encountered. Parenting is something that is done in many different ways by each parent. The following are four general styles employed by parents.

Authority: Authoritarian parents rule on just that: authority. Commands are given to children that they must follow regardless of the circumstances. If these commands are not followed, harsh punishment will ensue. These parents do not welcome feedback from their children. In fact, it is met with severe punishment. The children tend to be quiet and unhappy. They have more of a fear than a love for their parents. Male children have trouble dealing with anger and female children have trouble facing adversity due to their heavily structured life where nothing ever changes.

Indulgent: Indulgent parents tend to be described as lenient. They allow immature and childish behavior. These parents expect the children to learn from their mistakes and to fend for themselves in most times of need. These parents tend to be democratic and allow for feedback from there children on issues. They will hear both sides of an argument and usually make a compromise. Indulgent parents usually avoid confrontation with their children by all means, but do tend to be more involved and emotionally closer to their children.

Authoritative: Authoritative parents are a combination of the two styles previously mentioned. They are the happy medium. While expecting proper behavior from their children, they welcome feedback and questioning on certain issues. They’re able to demand things of their children but are also able to respond to what they’re child says, questions and requests. These children tend to be the happiest, most confident and self assured of all the mentioned parenting styles. It is very difficult to be a purely authoritative parent.

Passive: Passive parenting is being completely uninvolved. These parents may never be home due to immaturity, work or the like. These children are usually raised by grandparents, older siblings, babysitters or themselves. There is no parental involvement at all.

We wish you many happy stories!

Tips for Food and Wine

Isn’t it obvious that I am a food lover? I have always made sure that my family eats only the best and that eating at home is a good way for us to bond.

Alright the holidays have passed and needless to say you’re tired of turkey, ham or roast beef or what ever and now you maybe watching your diet after indulging yourself. So here are some quick and easy food ideas that keeps calories in mind but are still good and are a nice change of pace.  If you’re really trying to watch your calories then try to keep the wine to only one glass a day and not too late at night the reason for this is that wine contains alcohol which will slow your body’s ability to burn calories. Of course you can always forget the wine but just remember you might not enjoy your meal as much.

We hope that you enjoy these recipes and they give a nice change to your meal ideas and nice change of pace. There can be many befits to adding wine to your meal it can enhance your dining experience with the proper wine food matching.

Tuna Salad Sandwich Recipe

1 can of tuna fish usually packed water or oil
1/3 cup of cottage cheese
2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise
1/4 purple onion, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped finely
1 Tablespoon of capers
Juice of half of a lemon
Pinch or two of dill
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Mix all of the ingredients. Be sure not to drain the water or oil from the can of tuna. Use it instead in the tuna salad mixture. I like to serve on toast, either open faced, or in a regular sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes and pickles. For a low carb option, serve on sliced lettuce. You can server this along with vegetables or cottage cheese.  For wine Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc other wine that you might like.

Shrimp with Avocado Salad

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
1/4 cup grape-seeds oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and de-veined
2 ripe avocados
Lettuce - preferably butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce
Lemon slices for garnish
As and Option - 2 Tbsp chopped roasted walnuts or pistachios
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine oil, vinegar, and garlic in a bowl. Chop shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces and add to oil mixture. Arrange leaves of lettuce on individual plates. Cut avocados in half and remove pits. Remove some of the avocado around the pit area and mix in with the shrimp. With a spoon, carefully scoop out avocado halves from their skins in one piece. Place avocado half on plate with lettuce, spoon shrimp mixture on to avocado. Sprinkle with walnuts and cilantro (optional). Serve with lemon slices for garnish. You can server this along with vegetables or cottage cheese. For wine Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc or you choice of wine.

Spanish rice with Chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock if vegetarian
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds of chicken which can be grilled or fried and cut in to slices or chucks and added along side the rice or mix with rice as it simmers. This is a nice addition along with the rice and can be mixed in once the rice has been cooked as well.

In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium-high heat the add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, or until onions are softened.
In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package and let sit for 5 minutes. For wine Chenin Blanc or maybe Gewürztraminer again depending on your taste for wines.

The complete these recipes but there are many more avail so if you enjoy food wine as much as most people then stop by and visit our site listed below. Till the next time enjoy good food good wine and life.

Barbecue for A Family Event

My family loves a good barbecue. Every first or second Sunday of the month, my wife and I would usually organize a barbecue with our relatives. It’s one way for us to relax and have a good meal with those people that we love.

Since Americans in the South began roasting pigs publicly, Barbecues have been a staple of North American living. For many, grilling becomes a routine mealtime activity, while for the most devoted grillers, summer is ruled by massive barbecue parties. But grillers do not have to choose between boring repetition and outrageous get-togethers: every barbecue can and should be an exciting family event. Here are 5 ways to make your routine evening barbecue a more unique experience:

1) Who said you have to stick to meat? Much can be done with bread and fruits over an open flame. To make this into a fun activity with your kids, use cookie cutters to make the bread and fruit into shapes. You can decide on themes like “animals” and “letters” or ask that each shape be different from the others! Then, let your kids decide which toppings they would like to put on. Add cheese, onion and various spices to bread and cinnamon and honey to fruit.

2) Try foil-wrapped surprise meals. Place different combinations of chicken, fish and vegetables with sauces and spices in foil packets. These cook in less than 20 minutes and lead to no-mess, lip-smacking results. Children will love the surprise element and can easily switch packets. You can even ask your family for combo suggestions before the barbecue, or draw ingredient names out of a hat to create new meal ideas. 

3) A little variety goes a long way. If you tend to stick to the same old beef burgers and pork wieners, why not try grilled pizza or salmon steaks? Similarly, try to mix it up with condiments and seasoning. Sick of ketchup? Try salsa instead. Look online where you’ll find hundreds of easy recipes for barbecue rubs. These give your food that extra pizzazz and prevent the mess and drip that comes with barbecue sauces.

4) Barbecues don’t have to be rushed. In fact, barbecue devotees will tell you that today’s quick broiling is an insult to the term, which should represent a process of slow cooking on low heat. You can find many slow cooker recipes online, and the wait is a great opportunity to pass some quality time with your family and friends. Entertaining backyard activities include creating an outdoor canvas to paint on or playing backyard bowling with household items. 

5) Mom said not to play with your food, but there’s always an exception! Barbecue games are great fun and tasty at the same time. In the game Glutton, each player gets a certain amount of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese or any other side dish. Various kitchen equipment are put in a box and the players blindly pick a few. On the go, they begin to eat their dish with the items that they took out. The first to finish his or her food wins the prize!

Finally, don’t fret! Far too many people get lost in the details of planning the perfect barbecue party and forget to enjoy the social atmosphere and delicious food. So kick back, bask in the relaxing sun and prepare for a summer of unforgettable barbecues!