Merry Christmas from my family to yours. 

Hope Santa was good to you too. 

Now that my son is getting older, he has become more and more interested in watching movies and different shows than just watching some clips of shows here and there.  While used to get away with watching what was available on the PBS Kids, Disney, Nick Jr, etc apps, my son has developed more definitive interests in not just certain characters, but also certain episodes or movies.

That becomes an issue when a episodes is taken off of the app, or your so sees something on TV that never makes its way onto the app in the first place.

When I was a child that usually meant my parents would have to go to the video store (remember those?), or they would have to breakdown and go to the store and buy the movie.  At different points in my youth, I remember having G.I. Joe, Gumby, He-Man, and Transformers VHS tapes.  My brother and I would watch them over and over and over again.  Harking back to that time, I actually thought of purchasing some videos to have for my son.

Because everyone first checks there for stuff nowadays, I first went to Amazon to look for the videos.  During my search, I began to notice many of the videos I was looking for were available for rent or purchase as a digital download.  At a minimum, I was intrigued.

One thing I noticed early on is renting the videos made little to no sense.  Let’s take Finding Dory as an example.  Right now to rent this movie, it will cost $5.99.  For only $14.00 more, you can buy the video.  In essence, the cost of buying the video is three rentals.  If you have a child, you realize that if your child likes the movie, you are renting it three times or more.  More importantly, if your child does like the video and you now have to purchase it, the cost is going to be $25.98 to you instead of the $19.99.  If you know your child well, and I assume that you do, you will know what your child likes.  If that is the case, just buy the video.

Now, the reason why buying the video for $19.99 is superior to purchasing the Blu Ray for the same price or the DVD for $2 less for a few reasons. First, with the download, you don’t have a Blu Ray/DVD that can be lost and damaged.  Second, with the digital download, you can access the movie anywhere you want.

My family has a Roku stick which is transportable.  I can use that Roku stick to watch Finding Dory in my house, my son’s grandparent’s houses, or really anywhere we go that has an internet connection and a television.  There are also apps for your phone or tablet that will permit you to watch the video no matter where you go.  And with that, you will always have the movie with you so long as you can get an internet connection.

Another advantage with Amazon is the daily specials they have.  For example, I was able to purchase The Peanuts Movie for $4.99 when now it costs $14.99 (assuming you don’t have Prime or HBO).  I was also able to get Finding Dory for $9.99.  Fact is, there are always specials like this.  You just have to keep your eyes out for them.  Of course, with the Roku, you can create a “Watch List” which will alert you to the price changes.

Overall, if you are looking to get a video for your child, it is better to get it on Amazon Video and watch it on a mobile device or a Roku.  If you are giving it to your child for Christmas, just give them a coloring book or something and tell them Santa also got the video.  Trust me, they are not going to care if they get to play with the DVD or watch it on the TV.

Happy Birthday to the smartest, handsomest, and just overall best person I know.

I can’t wait to see what year four has in store. 

This Thanksgiving, I wanted to make something with my son that was fairly quick and easy and something he could practically do on his own. The solution was a S’mores Pie. 

The ingredient list is easy. First, you need a graham cracker crust. There are several easy recipes to make it from scratch, or you can just buy the premade crust. 

Next, you need some type of chocolate pudding. If you’re making it with a two year old, I suggest instant pudding. 

Last, you’ll need marshmallows. The mini-marshmallows work best. 

Once you have these ingredients, it’s easy to make. 

First, if you dare, have your child measure out the milk to mix with the pudding:

I recommend using a measuring cup that uses the precise amount of milk needed. I used a two cup measuring cup as the instant pudding required two cups of milk. As you can see from his focus, his eyes are fixated on the “2” on the measuring cup. 

Once measured out, pour the milk right into the bowl with the instant pudding . . .

. . . and then mix:

Once fully mixed, you’ll probably need to help a bit here, it’s time to add the pudding to the graham cracker crust:

You’ll need a spatula to scrape all the pudding out and to even out the pudding in the pie crust. 

Once that is done, it’s time to add the marshmallows:

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have given him the bag. Fortunately, I had a second bag. With that second bag, I put them in a bowl, and I had my son cover the rest of the top. 

From there, it’s time to stick it in the fridge until it is time to serve:

As it was also grandma’s birthday, the pie also served as a “birthday cake.”

In theory, you could use a torch or something else to melt down the marshmallows before serving. 

Overall, this was a fun and easy way to let your toddler make a dessert. It’s also a versatile recipe. 

For Christmas, use broken up candy canes to top. 

For Easter, maybe use vanilla pudding and top with Peeps. 

You could even do a more traditional shortbread crust with banana pudding and whipped cream. 

Really, anything is possible even if you just want to do any type of pudding covered with whipped cream. 

You can’t go wrong with it. Everyone is going to love it, and your child will have the pride of having made a dessert everyone loves. 

To paraphrase the late great Ralph Kiner, I wish everyone on this blessed Thanksgiving a Happy Birthday!

My little guy was born the day before Thanksgiving, and for our first meal as a family, we had pizza and pasta (what the hospital offered). 

His first birthday was on Thanksgiving. 

As a result, each Thanksgiving is special. It’s a reminder that the holiday was the first full day our family was a family. It’s also a milestone on how much my little guy has grown.

Happy Thanksgiving. 

Much of the societal blames that goes around now is the fact that there is a generation of children who grew up receiving a trophy or medal no matter what they do.  This isn’t completely hyperbole.  Do a quick Google search, and you will find different articles espousing the theory.

It is a concept that is strange for me because I remember in my local Little League only the top three teams received a trophy.  I also remember the size of the trophy depended upon your standing.  I remember in CYO trophies were only awarded for first place and for the team that displayed the best sportsmanship.  In soccer, you only received medals for winning the season or tournaments.  Personally, I never received or really even saw a participation trophy.

That changed when my son finished his first stint in soccer.

Now, my son did not play on a team.  Realistically, there is no way you can form a team of two and three year olds.  It is an impossible task.  Getting them to sit is an accomplishment.  Making sure they don’t use their hands to stop the ball before kicking makes you Vince Lombardi.  The whole concept of toddler soccer is to provide an environment where you can introduce some of the basics of the game while making it fun for them.  It is part of the reason why I was shocked that my son received a medal at his last session.

The medals were handed out by the coach after each of the kids scored a goal.  To that end, the kids actually had to accomplish something in order to receive the medal.  Still, it’s not like it was a hard fought season where they overcome all comers to become champions.  No, these were little kids who were frankly just goofing around.  In the moment, I was a bit surprised the medals were handed out.  When I saw the look on my son’s face when he got his medal, I understood why:

My son was beaming as were most of his friends.  They were all excited because they felt like they accomplished something.  And you know what?  They did.  They learned how to play soccer.  Remember with kids this age, we heap praise on them for anything positive thing they do.  Giving them a medal for learning how to play soccer and scoring a goal is no different.

So yes, at two years of age, medals are appropriate.  It gives a child a sense of accomplishment, and it gets them more interested in sports.  Since that day, he has been more interested in playing soccer and baseball because he wants to earn another medal.  Instilling a sense of drive and purpose is a good thing.

Overall, medals are appropriate for two and three year olds.  Now, when they start playing organized games, the need for medals goes by the wayside.  At that point, medals are only for the victors.

As a kid, I remember my father teaching me to use chopsticks.  As he told me, he learned first in Vietnam, and then he mastered it when he worked in the city after the war.  He would go to Chinatown for lunch, and they would provide you with chopsticks to eat your lunch.  It was a sink or swim situation (unless you wanted to use your hands).

It didn’t take much time for me to master using chopsticks.  I was able to eat my beef with broccoli using them.  I was also able to eat my rice with them.  As I become more and more adept, I began to pass egg rolls, the soy sauce container, and various other items on the kitchen table using them.  I’m very thankful that I learned how to use them at a young age.

At some point in your life, you are going to go to a sushi restaurant, or your job is going to provide sushi at one of its functions.  In either scenario, you do not want to be the person who is asking for the fork and knife to eat your food.  It’s embarrassing, especially when you consider that by the time you reach adulthood you are almost expected to be able to use chopsticks.

It is one of the many reasons I have been teaching my son to use chopsticks.  When he was an infant, I got him his own pair of chopsticks.  As it turns out, it is really not necessary to get them because sushi and Chinese restaurants routinely carry chopsticks for children.  Still, it is not a bad idea to get your own so your child can learn with their own pair, and you can make sure the chopsticks your child eats with is absolutely clean.

Once my son was able to eat solid foods, we put the chopsticks in his hand when we ate sushi (sweet potato roll for him) just like we put the spoon in his hand when he would eat eggs or sweet potatoes.  The idea was to get him accustomed to using them:

As time progressed, he has become more and more adept at using them.  Now he is at the point where he is able to feed himself just as well as he can with a knife and a fork if we give him a pair of chopsticks:

Other than the sheer amazement we see from people as a two year old is able to eat his dinner using a pair of chopsticks, and the great picture opportunities, there are a number of reasons why using the chopsticks has been good for own son’s development.

First, it helps your child improve his hand-eye coordination as well as their hand strength.  Additionally, at an age where most children struggle to show more two or three fingers at once, the chopsticks help with a child’s finger manipulation.  This is a long way of saying the use of chopsticks will help your child’s fine motor skills.  Also, keep in mind, that when the time comes, the very same skills that are honed using chopsticks are going to be the very same skills needed when it comes time to learn how to write (which really isn’t that far away).

With my son, we noticed two immediate things when he started to use chopsticks.  First, he showed a clear hand dominance.  Routinely, he would go to the right hand to use the chopsticks.  Second, and most importantly, we began to see him grip and use crayons differently.  Instead of grabbing the crayon in a fist, he was able to grip the crayon like you would a pencil.  He was able to do it with ease, and when he started drawing, there was more of a purposeful direction in what he was doing (not that the results looked much different).  Generally speaking, we his fine motor skills develop at a more rapid pace than they were before he used chopsticks.

Another added benefit is he finds using chopsticks to be fun.  With that, he is more eager to sit down and eat at times when we are using chopsticks.  As parents know, sometimes getting your child to sit down to eat is a seemingly unnecessary fight.  Anything that prevents that fight is a win.

Overall, there are many benefits to your toddler learning to use chopsticks, and on occasion, the use of chopsticks to eat (or play games) should be encouraged.