Before you become pregnant, be sure you have been immunized against rubella (German measles).
Source: Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies
For more parenting information, go to the Tucson nonprofit New Parents Network’s Web site, www.npn.org.
Question: My 8-year-old daughter has been making comments lately that she is “too fat.” Her weight is just fine, and her pediatrician and I have told her that. But she makes comments about needing to lose weight and how she shouldn’t eat anything that would make her “fatter.”
So many girls do end up with eating disorders and I am worried. How should I handle this?
Answer: Isn’t it too bad that little girls – or boys, for that matter – worry about being too fat at the tender age of 8?
Talk about social pressure. That pressure is primarily geared toward young women.
The best response that a mom or dad can make to an 8-year-old is, “Honey, you look fine to me, but it’s your call.”
You’re putting the proverbial tennis ball of life on her court.
What you can’t do is run the risk of overreacting to it. Most parents would come up with something like, “Melissa, why would you say something like that? You have a lovely, cute little shape.”
Don’t do that. Don’t deny the child’s self-perception, but don’t pay it off, either.
In other words, “Honey, if you want to feel that way, you go right ahead. But I have to tell you the truth. It doesn’t look like that to me.”
That has a sense of balance in the response. If you tend to overreact, you’re going to make that situation worse.
If your child continues to feel this way, it is worth a call to the pediatrician.
We see a plethora of cases of anorexia nervosa, where kids have myopic views.
The theme in that tragic disorder is perfectionism.
Don’t be a flaw picker, parents. When kids do well, tell them they did well. Say, “I’ll bet you’re proud of your effort.”
But don’t overdo things. Don’t be like most parents and hold that carrot out there, hoping they’ll jump a little higher.
If you create that scenario in your home, you will regret it.
Just a quick note about general nutrition. Kids do get obese. Kids are among the most out-of-shape generation in our history.
A reminder to every parent: You’re the one that brings the junk home, so be careful about what you bring home from the store.
If you have nutritious snacks around that aren’t laden with sugar and calories, chances are your child will do just fine.
Dr. Kevin Leman is a Tucson psychologist and author of more than 30 best-selling books, including “Have a New Kid by Friday.” E-mail questions to him at whatsupdoc@tucsoncitizen.com. Photo by Tom Spitz Photography
Is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” your thing?
The Arizona Theatre Company is accepting applications for its Teen Critic Program. Selected students will learn how to write a professional-caliber theater review. They are invited to free opening night performances, where they will receive a press packet and get preferred press seating. They can participate in workshops and have their work professionally reviewed.
Students will write reviews to be published either in a school newspaper or online. Students who apply must be available to attend:
• “The Kite Runner,” Sept. 17
• “George is Dead,” Oct. 23
• “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” Dec. 4
• “[title of show]” (yes, this really is the title), Jan. 29
• “The Glass Menagerie,” March 5
• “The Second City Does Arizona, or Close But No Saguaro,” April 9
Applications received by May 30 will receive priority consideration. Applications are accepted through Aug. 24. To apply, go to www.aztheatreco.org/index.html? education_teencritic.html&1 or call 884-8210.
Firebirds, 2985 E. Skyline Drive in La Encantada Shopping Center, has rolled out nine seasonal lunch selections for Tucson for $7.95.
The Spring Lunch Features are: • Soup and Salad • Salad with Wood Grilled Chicken • Sliders and Fries • Grilled Shrimp and Strawberry Salad • Penne Pasta with Mixed Greens • Colorado Chicken Salad • Wood Grilled Cheeseburger • Firebirds Double BLT • Bleu Cheese Sirloin
They’re available 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, but not on takeout orders.
Goldie Breeding, 86, tends a rose bush in her yard that produces magnificent pink blooms. It was an 80th birthday present from her family, and she gives roses to friends at church and people who are ill.
She survived the Great Depression, the deaths of two husbands and breast cancer.
Goldie Breeding, 86, is one self-sufficient woman.
But the economy has Breeding fearing for her independence. While she is able to manage her expenses by clipping coupons and hunting for bargains, Breeding worries that a new prescription for her spinal arthritis or any other expense might prohibit her from living on her own.
“Food is my big concern,” says Breeding, who lives on Social Security and a small pension. “It’s gotten so expensive. And if I have to go on medication, I don’t know what I would do. I’d probably have to sell and move in with someone.”
Breeding is lucky. She knows any of her six children would be happy for her to move in.
But she doesn’t want to leave the mobile home where she has lived since she retired in 1999 at age 75.
“I eat what I want to, I watch what I want to,” says the retired home health care nurse. “I want to remain independent as long as possible. My family needs privacy, and so do I.”
She worries about how the economy is hurting her older friends who have no one to turn to.
In recent years, Breeding, a Tucson resident since 1947, has received help with unexpected expenses from Pima Council on Aging.
After a knee replacement in 2003, the agency installed a ramp, so she would not have to walk the eight steps up to her mobile home.
PCOA built a new roof four years ago after a storm ripped off a portion. “My insurance wouldn’t cover the roof, and it’s so expensive to fix these old mobile homes,” she said.
The agency helped her get a bracelet that she can use to alert authorities if she falls and needs assistance. The spinal arthritis causes Breeding to easily lose her balance.
Each time, her family has made a donation to the agency, she said.
Breeding relies on Van Tran or her children for rides to the doctor, church or shopping. She shops at four grocery stores, looking for the best value.
Breeding, who was born in 1922, was one of nine children, seven who survived past childhood.
Her father developed typhoid fever in Missouri, and the family moved to Phoenix in 1926 when Goldie was 4. She has vivid memories of the Depression.
“We were fortunate to live on a dairy farm, so we had milk and vegetables,” she said.
She recalls a time when her family had no butter, having sold all the cream from the farm.
“Daddy was selling everything he could. Mama said we had to go downtown and sign up to get margarine. I didn’t know what that was.”
Her parents always managed.
“We were young and we didn’t realize how tough times were,” Breeding said. “Mama always had a pot of stew. She made good bread and we always had a pot of beans.”
Goldie married in 1939 at age 17. She and husband James had two children. But James died, leaving her a widow at age 22.
She remarried, and she and husband Herschell had four children. At age 50, Goldie was again widowed when Herschell died from a heart attack in 1971.
It was then she went to work for the first time, and loved the years she spent caring for others.
Breeding has six children, 14 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. “I’m so rich,” she said.
She predicts the economy will get worse before it gets better.
“I call it a depression,” she said. “I lived through one and that’s what it feels like to me.”
She turns to her faith in hard times, and hopes her prayers will be answered.
“I’m praying that this new president can turn things around, but he has a lot on his shoulders,” she said.
“Every night I pray for the United States to be back to where it was when I was raising children. I want Tucson to be back to the way it was.”
Breeding walks down a ramp for which the Pima Council on Aging helped find a builder when her right knee was replaced six years ago.
The Pima Council on Aging helped Breeding get a medical alert device that notifies authorities if she falls and needs assistance.
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Pima Council on Aging provides services to seniors and their caregivers. It is the designated Area Agency on Aging and acts as a conduit, coordinating services for older adults through other local agencies.
Among the services provided are meal delivery and congregate meals; personal budgeting assistance; employment services; transportation; home repair and housekeeping; and personal care services.
For more information, call 790-7262 or go to pcoa.org.
Rebozos, the colorful, woven scarves that date back to the 1500s and have been featured in songs and poetry, are a symbol of Mexican culture.
Among the most famous aficionados of rebozos was Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
The Tucson Museum of Art will celebrate the history of these eye-catching accessories at the “Festival de Rebozos, The Beautiful Shawls of Mexico,” from May 5-10.
The Latin American Art Patrons who support the museum will present the festival. Included is an educational program for schools, with presentations by Armandina Cruz, director of the Casa del Rebozo of Guadalajara, Mexico.
The week will culminate with two public events:
• A Gala Celebration of Music and Dance, 6 p.m. May 9, featuring Mexican appetizers and a program on the history of rebozos in music, poetry and dance. Mariachi Luz de Luna and Folklorico San Juan will perform. A fashion show demonstrating the ways to wear rebozos will be included. Tickets are $30 per person.
• Mother’s Day/Dia de las Madres family celebration, noon to 4 p.m. p.m. May 10. Families can bring in rebozos for evaluation and watch a master weaver demonstrate her craft.
There will be booths selling aguas frescas, churros and paletas, and a photo booth for a family portraits. Admission is free.
Both events will be at the museum, 140 N. Main Ave.
Rebozos can be woven in cotton, silk, cotton and silk or artisela rayon. Their long, narrow rectangular ends are knotted and fringed. The scarve can be worn as an everyday wrap or as a fashion accessory for evening wear.
Handmade rebozos will be for sale, with proceeds to benefit Latin American Art programs, exhibits and acquisitions at the museum.
For more information, call 624-2333.
What do you think is the substance abused most often by teens? Pot? Meth? . . . Try alcohol.
Did you know that 40 percent to 60 percent of teen auto deaths during prom and graduation are alcohol related? Or that 47 percent of high school seniors reported drinking in the last 30 days?
Now that you do, you need to do your part. Make sure your teens have safe, alcohol-free prom and graduation parties.
This message is from the New Parents Network and the Pima County Community Prevention Coalition. Visit befreepima.com to learn how to prevent underage drinking.
For more parenting information, go to the Tucson nonprofit New Parents Network’s Web site, www.npn.org.
Help Stamp Out Hunger by leaving a bag of nonperishible food by the mailbox Saturday.
The nation’s largest single-day food drive is organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers.
Food collected here will go to the Tucson Community Food Bank, which received more than 334,000 pounds of food from last year’s event.
Simply leave a bag of nonperishable food, such as canned meats, vegetables or soups; cereal; peanut butter; canned fruit; or canned tomato products next to the mailbox Saturday before the regular mail delivery time. Food should be in nonbreakable containers. Local letter carriers will collect donations and deliver them to the Community Food Bank.
The Food Bank also needs volunteers to help transfer collected food from the mail trucks to vans or to cover some routes and pick up donated food. For more information, call 622-0525 Ext. 204 or go online to communityfoodbank.com.
Farmer Stewart Loew, co-owner of Agua Linda Farm, has local produce at farmer's markets and at the farm in Amado.
If you’re dedicated to seeking locally sourced food when possible, your market basket will be decidedly green this week.
Get your fill of local mixed greens now, because the onset of triple-digit temperatures will see their demise, said Laurel Loew, co-owner of Agua Linda Farm in Amado.
“We still have them, but when the temperatures get to 100 degrees, they start bolting and get bitter,” Loew said.
Agua Linda sells every Sunday at the Tucson Farmers’ Market at St. Philip’s Plaza, 4280 N. Campbell Ave., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Farm Store in Amado. Currently available are lettuce, cabbage, kale, swiss chard, Asian greens, turnips, snow peas and sugar snap peas.
A trek the other direction from Tucson to Our Garden in Catalina will have you choosing from radicchio, kale, chard, spinach, bok choi, turnips, radishes (white and red), lettuce, onion thinnings and asparagus. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, Our Garden is about 10 miles north of Tucson at 16500 N. Stallion Place.
In another month, Our Garden will be harvesting onions, garlic and 40 rows of corn, said Jesse Petty, whose family owns and farms Our Garden.
Back in town, the Food Conspiracy Co-op, 412 N. Fourth Ave., features produce from a variety of local farmers, including Leo Mercado of Tanque Verde Gardens, whose location allows him to stretch his harvest of fragile greens, said Torey Ligon, outreach coordinator for Food Conspiracy.
“He’s way out in this little bowl in the Tanque Verde Wash, so he gets cooler temperatures,” Ligon said. “Last year, he was growing lettuce into June.”
Four different farmers are still bringing greens to the co-op, with grapefruits and some oranges and lemons also still available, Ligon said.
“We’re kind of right at the change point where the seasons start shifting,” she said. “We’ll be getting carrots, turnips, beets and radishes, and once you get into June, that’s when you start to see onions and garlic.”
Roasted Kale with Sea Salt
Tougher than most greens, kale is usually stir fried or boiled. This easy recipe, comprised of just three ingredients, yields kale with a crispy texture and salty flavor.
4 cups firmly packed kale
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon good-quality sea salt, such as Maldon or Cyprus Flake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and trim the kale: Peel off the tough stems by folding the kale leaves in half like a book and stripping the stems off. Toss with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for five minutes. Turn kale over. Roast another 7 to 10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings.
Source: healthycookingsuite101.com
Sauteed Swiss Chard
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
2 large bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chard; stir to coat. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Source: Epicurious.com
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• Agua Linda Farm, I-19, Exit 42, south on East Frontage Road in Amado, 520-398-3218, agualindafarm.net
• Our Garden, 16500 N. Stallion Place, Catalina, 825-3861, ourgardencatalina.com
• Community Food Bank Farmers’ Market, 3003 S. Country Club Road, 622-0525, Tuesdays 8 a.m. to noon.
• Farmers’ Market at the University of Arizona, Main Gate Square on University Boulevard between Park and Euclid, 319-9868, Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market, 1352 W. Speedway Blvd., 622-0525, Thursdays 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Tucson Farmers’ Market, St. Philip’s Plaza, 4280 N. Campbell Ave., 918-9811, Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Food Conspiracy Co-op, 412 N. Fourth Ave., 624-4821, foodconspiracy.org, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The CareGiver Training Institute will be this year’s recipient of the eegee’s 17th Annual Coupon Card.
During June, eegee’s customers can donate $5 to CareGiver and receive a coupon card good for 50 percent off purchases for the next 12 months, a potential savings of $72 over the course of the year. The promotion, started by eegee’s in 1992, has raised more than $1 million for local charities.
The not-for-profit institute educates compassionate, quality, certified caregivers and certified nursing assistants to work in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, hospice centers and private homes.
All expenses for the promotion are underwritten by eegee’s so that all funds raised this year, including change collected in coin canisters at eegee’s 21 locations, will go to the institute’s programs and services.
A young inspired author, Dylan Blankenship of Desert Willow Elementary, wrote a story about "My Friend the Magic Box."
If doughnuts and Pop-Tarts had a smackdown, who would win? How about pizza and spaghetti?
Stories that Soar, a local theater program featuring snippets of plays written by schoolkids, will answer those questions when it offers two performances at the University of Arizona on May 9 showcasing the best of its work this school year.
“When adults write about kids, it’s very different from when kids write themselves. It’s very entertaining for everyone, and it offers a great glimpse into the world of kids,” said Sharon O’Brien, artistic director for Stories that Soar.
The stories are collected over a period of several weeks at elementary and intermediate schools, then developed into plays with live actors, music and sound effects. The actors then return to the schools for assemblies featuring the submitted plays. The group has performed in 10 local schools and three in Phoenix this year.
Actors come from a variety of backgrounds and range in age from 19 to 50, O’Brien said.
Darby Blaker, who graduated in December with a UA bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing sciences, joined the group at the suggestion of a friend. She was quickly hooked, she said.
The plays are a great way to bring out kids’ feelings and thoughts, which are basically the same feelings and thoughts adults have, Blaker said.
“I think it’s every kid’s dream to see something they created brought to life,” she said.
The UA performances will offer two or three stories from each of the schools the group worked with this past year, O’Brien said.
Topics range from the serious – war and immigration – to the whimsical – a fight between spaghetti and pizza.
A reception with balloons, face painting, raffles and a silent auction to benefit Stories that Soar begins an hour before showtime.
Stories that Soar has been active for eight years. The group has a stable of about 20 actors, though only about 10 will be in the UA shows.
The food fights became part of the program after several kids submitted plays based on fights between their favorite foods, O’Brien said.
“It’s a three-round favorite food smackdown. Doughnuts and Pop-Tarts decide to be friends; it’s too hard to fight,” she said.
To find out the winner in the pizza-spaghetti matchup, head to UA on May 9.
Timothy Jones of Soleng Tom Elementary wrote about a mail carrier who gets lost in space.
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What: “Best of Stories that Soar!”
When: 2 and 7 p.m. May 9
Where: University of Arizona Marroney Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Road.
Price: $8 for adults, $5 for kids ages 12 and younger. Available at Mrs. Tiggywinkle’s Toys, 4811 E. Grant Road; Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave. or at the door May 9.
Info: 975-9970, www.storiesthatsoar.org
It’s time to think about summer programs for kids.
Summer school can be used as an enrichment program, and not just a makeup for classes that didn’t go so well the previous school year.
Alta Vista High School offers a variety of classes, from math and science courses to government and English. The session runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays June 1-18.
And the cost is only $5.
For more details, call 294-4922 or visit leonagroup.com/altavistahs.
For more parenting information, go to the Tucson nonprofit New Parents Network’s Web site, www.npn.org.
Question: I saw you speak in Ohio recently. My best friend and I have been reading “Have a New Kid by Friday.” I have learned quite a bit. I am waiting for one of my kids to “mess up,” so I can try something new.
My friend and her kids lived with us last year for a couple of months. My husband and I asked her to leave, mostly because her kids are out of control. I suggest that she try your methods, but she refuses. I think she worries it will make her look like a bad mom.
We spent some time together the other day, and she asked her 9-year-old son to put on his shoes five times. By the fifth time, she was screaming at him.
Then her 2-year-old son threw himself on the floor and started screaming because they were out of yogurt. Her reply was, “Let’s get something else to eat.” She said this repeatedly. He couldn’t even hear her over his own screaming fit.
And this was a good day for her and the kids.
Is there anything I can do? When I am with her kids, and she is not with us, I never have any problems.
I am at the point where I don’t want to be around her or her four kids when they are together. Should I just tell her that? Or should I continue nagging at her to try your suggestions?
Answer: The question is, do you want to keep her as a friend?
You could sit her down, and say, “I was thinking about your kids and how they do this or how they do that and how you respond. I wonder if you ever think you should handle it differently? This Leman guy has a take that when this happens, then that should happen.”
You could walk her through that scenario, but I think the bigger question is do you want a friend?
If you really want a friend, and you tell this woman her kids are out of control, she may not be your friend anymore. It’s like saying, “Hey, your kid is ugly.”
It sounds like you’ve had it anyway. I always say if all else fails, why not try telling the truth. Sometimes, the truth hurts.
So there is the direct approach: “When your kids come over, it’s just too much. Maybe it’s a weakness on my part, but I can’t handle it.” Then give her an example, perhaps the yogurt incident.
The other way is to limit the time you spend with her, Distance yourself. Sooner or later, she will ask what is wrong, and you can let her know.
But understand that if you tell her you cannot handle her and her kids, your friendship may be over.
Dr. Kevin Leman is a Tucson psychologist and author of more than 30 best-selling books, including “Have a New Kid by Friday.” E-mail questions to him at whatsupdoc@tucsoncitizen.com. Photo by Tom Spitz Photography.
Margaret Conway, a senior at Catalina Magnet High School, is this year’s winner of the Gary P. Durrenberger Memorial Scholarship.
The four-year scholarship is worth $2,000 per year.
An honor roll recipient, Conway competed at the 2008 Arizona Interscholastic Association’s state swimming and diving championships. She has been active in basketball and water polo, and was a student athletic trainer. A National Honor Society member, Conway is also active in her church, teaching Sunday school.
The Fifth Annual Gary P. Durrenberger Memorial Golf Tournament is set for May 15 at El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Club. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund, which was founded by Charles and Laura Durrenberger after their son died in a car accident in 2004 at age 18, two weeks after graduating from Canyon del Oro High School.
Five scholarships have been awarded.
For more information, go to www.GolfForGary.org.
The new online-only Food2 is desiged to appeal to a younger audience, with youung chefs sharing tips, blogs and other site-specific content.
The parent company of the Food Network is dishing up a hip second helping of the popular cooking channel.
The online-only Food2 (food2.com) from Scripps Networks will be a video-driven rethinking of the 16-year-old cable food channel. Combining traditional how-to content with blogging, Twittering and other social networking elements, the new network will target 21- to 34-year-olds.
But Deanna Brown, president of Scripps Networks Digital, says Food2 won’t be just a digital knockoff. Because young consumers view and use content differently than their older peers, the format, content and even hosts will be different.
“This is not Food Network light,” she said in a recent telephone interview. “It’s not a farm team. This is intended from start to finish to be a real offering for this audience.”
The videos, for example, will have a casual vibe and stick closer to 2 to 3 minutes, rather than the more traditional 30-minute format. Users will be invited to participate in various challenges and to submit content, and the content itself won’t live solely on the Food2 site.
Much of the content and activity will live on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, Brown said.
Because of that, Scripps isn’t concerned about siphoning viewers from Food2′s older sibling. “This is a different audience. While this audience may be spending time at FoodNetwork.com, it’s probably not in volume,” she said.
Among the new shows being launched on Food2 is “Kelsey and Spike Cook,” which features Kelsey Nixon, 24, of “The Next Food Network Star” and Spike Mendelsohn, 28, of “Top Chef” offering different takes on the same dish.
“What we’re trying to do is break down cooking, make it a little more fun,” Mendelsohn, a former contestant on the Bravo cooking show, said of Food2. “Sometimes on these food shows it’s taken a little too seriously.”
