Parenting

Fun Family Dinners at Skinny Pete’s in Pittsburgh

Join us for the first of many fun family dinners at Skinny Pete’s (click on Events) in Pittsburgh on Monday evening, September 16, 2013 starting at 5:30pm. Parents get to enjoy a peaceful meal while their children are happily engaged in creating a  a self-portrait flatbread from healthy, fresh, local ingredients! We know the more that children encounter… Read more »

Fun Food for Your Picky Preschooler

I know it’s tough to to the parent of a picky preschooler. They are not at the age when you can reason with them and their tastes change so quickly, it can feel so frustrating. But there’s another way to approach the challenge: make it fun. I was so lucky to visit a Bright Horizons… Read more »

Recipe for Success: Best Brain Food for College Success

Understanding the importance of brain food is not rocket science. Enough research has proven the value of breakfast and a balanced diet not just for kids but for adults, too. I do believe what we eat can impact our total well-being. If you want your kids to do well in school and if you want… Read more »

How Can We Raise Healthy Kids if Parents are the Problem?

I attended a fantastic meeting yesterday discussing ways to support healthy kids hosted by Let’s Move Pittsburgh. Any event at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens puts me in a good mood, but this topic is dear to my heart. I not a perfect parent but I do value resources that help me and my community… Read more »

Is my child eating right?

As a parent, I often wonder, ‘is my child eating right?’ Is my 8 year-old getting enough calcium? Is my 5 year-old getting enough fruits and vegetables? Is my 3 year-old getting enough protein? In our house, I’m not exactly worried about the amount of food they eat. They eat a lot. But are they… Read more »

Piano Practice

One of my children loves piano practice. My middle child often whines when I mention it. But when my middle child has played a particular song very well, he relishes the feeling of success. To help my children practice piano more, and get that great feeling, I often use behavior charts to encourage them to… Read more »

Choosing the Right Format (For Picky Eaters!)

  There are lots of ways to help picky eaters try new foods. One trick is to introduce food in a different format. My youngest thinks he likes yogurt but he never eats it out of the container. He insists I buy it, but when I serve it in the yogurt cup he takes one bite… Read more »

Gardens: Great Idea for Picky Eaters

                    Even if you live in an apartment with no yard at all, you can grow food in containers and help your picky eater learn to try new foods. I loved reading about a study from Australia that showed school children who participated in gardening and… Read more »

Stick it to Picky Eaters

At the Farm to Table Conference in Pittsburgh last month, I spoke with many parents looking for ways to encourage their children to try new foods. So at my workshop, “Kids’ Tasting Party” I introduced a concept that works wonders for us: serve food on a stick. I taught kids and parents how to make… Read more »

Picky Eaters by Nature?

Is your child genetically a picky eater? At the Farm to Table Conference in Pittsburgh on March 22 and 23, I talked with a lot of parents about their little picky eaters and how My Food Notebook worked for us. We discussed many strategies that help kids try new foods and a big one that… Read more »