Idaho Family Jan/Feb 2023

Jeremy Felkel and his son Elijah walk along the tracks at Boise Train Depot on December 11, 2022

Idaho Family Magazine, published monthly by Gem Production Co., LLC, is committed to providing readers with informative and entertaining information to help them in maintaining healthy families and positive lifestyles. It is distributed throughout the valley as a free publication. Idaho Family Magazine does not assume responsibility for statements or opinions expressed by editorial contributors or advertisers. The acceptance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products, services or information. Idaho Family Magazine does not knowingly present any product or service which is fraudulent or misleading in nature. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without express written consent of the publisher. Reader correspondence and editorial submissions are welcome. Idaho Family Magazine reserves the right to edit or reject all materials submitted. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 by Gem Production Co., LLC.

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Children’s Photos Wanted

Idaho Family Magazine would love to put your child or children on our cover. All photos should be high quality, sharp and clear, and high resolution of around 300 ppi. Color photos are preferred, and all photos need to be vertical not horizontal. Please identify the children in the photos, the children’s ages, and what Treasure Valley community they reside in. (If chosen for the cover, their last names will not be used without permission.) Send the photos to editorgaye@gmail.com.

POINTS OF VIEW

What does successful parenting look like?

By Gaye Bunderson

Here’s a revelation: I was raised by two flawed human beings. And guess what? So were you! Looking back over the course of my life, I’d have to say that the number of perfect people I’ve met – including parents – has been, uh...none. And that includes me. I decided for this issue to ask some of my current and former writers (for this and another publication) to give their opinion about what makes for a successful parent. I mean, as flawed as we all are, we can still be pretty darn good sometimes, right?

While I certainly don’t consider myself an expert in parenting, I do have a lot of street skills in this area since I have four little ones. The first ingredient to being a good parent is to LIKE being a parent. I don’t think being a parent is for everyone. And there are certainly times when I envy my “non-parent” friends. But there are also those sweet moments when my daughters smile at me, or give me hugs, or when my teenage son does something kind for someone else without me asking, and those moments light up my life like the first rays of sunshine in the morning and make all my cares and worries go away. There are really no comparisons to other sources of pride and happiness that I have experienced.

The next ingredient to being a good parent is to actually spend some time parenting. This not only includes the functional stuff like feeding them and getting them ready for school, etc. Kids spell love as T-I-M-E. Spend time with them, lots of it, doing things they like. Be quick to drop something more important to play a board game where the rules are bent in favor of the kid, to jump on the trampoline with them, to go on bike rides, to go to the park, to listen to stories about their friends. What I’ve found is a lot of times you can respond to invitations for time with about 5 or 10 minutes and they’ve filled their canteen and are ready to move on to something else, and you can get back to whatever you were doing that you felt was more important.

Last, be real. Admit when you make mistakes. Teach them it’s okay to be imperfect as long as you learn from your imperfections. Like anything in life, if you’re going to do it, you might as well have a little fun doing it. Parenting is no exception!

Luke Erickson, Ph.D. Associate professor of personal finance for UI

What makes a successful parent?

Being brave enough to hold the mirror to yourself to determine the aspects of yourself and your history you want to pass forward, and strong enough to heal the trauma and patterns you want to leave in the past. Also, forgiving yourself for being a flawed human, and giving your children permission to do the same. And never being too cool to answer the pretend phone your toddler hands you.

Macaile

Hutt

Occupational therapist for children in Star

Play with your children, especially in the out-of-doors.

Mary Ann Wilcox Owner of Mary Ann’s Cupboards

A successful parent is one that treats their child as just that, their child, and does not try to be their friend.

A successful parent is one that raises a child to be a contributing part of society, not a taker.

Successful parents disciple their children day and night, as Scripture says, so they will grow to know, love, and obey the Lord.

Successful parents know that it is okay to say no to their child and allow their child to experience consequences (if not harmful) for irresponsible actions.

Successful parenting means sometimes allowing a child to learn from their mistakes, but being there to guide and direct after the fact.

Roxanne Drury

Retired preschool teacher with a teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education

Starting with the end result, a successful parent is one who produces a reliable, responsible, respectful, resilient, loving human being. This person

creates boundaries and serves reasonable consequences in order to teach a child to use their power appropriately. Such parents encourage a child to be their own person rather than a reflection of them. Listening to a child and honoring that their feelings might be different from yours assists a child in feeling valued. Ultimately the most valuable thing a parent can give a child is connection. Children who feel connected also feel loved. Children who feel loved are more likely to trust themselves, and therefore make better choices for their lives.

Sandy McDaniel

Author of 5 books, founder of ParentingSOS.com

Raising children is a complicated journey of challenges and delights. There’s no one recipe for doing it right. Still, certain ingredients are vital to being a successful parent. They include:

1. Providing unconditional love.

2. Being a good listener.

3. Serving as a strong role model for children.

4. Making time for fun.

5. Setting limits.

6. Helping children develop independence.

7. Teaching children responsibility.

8. Providing support and guidance as needed.

These eight ingredients are a recipe for a successful parent.

Cara Johnson-Bader

V.P. of Marketing & Parent Experiences at New Horizon Academy

A successful parent is one who relies completely on the Lord for guidance – through prayer, a reliance on His Word, and by His power. If we raise our kids to be successful in this world alone, we have failed. Their souls are eternal and only their

REAL MONEY, REAL FAMILIES

Personal finance vs. household finance

By Luke Erickson

One time my daughter gave me a can of Pringles for my birthday.

She knows that I try to eat healthy but that chips are my kryptonite. I opened the gift, gave her a hug, and then she immediately said, “Dad, can I have some?”

There’s a clear lesson here. Six-year-olds are adorable and get whatever they want from their daddies. The other lesson is that in a typical household, many things that we think of as “our own,” in reality belong to the household.

Personal finance is no different. The term “personal finance” is a catchy term, but “household finance” is a much more accurate term. Spouses, partners, children, roommates, all have an influence on how the money you earn ultimately gets spent. Sometimes a lot.

And the truth is most of us prefer it this way. We could live on a remote Pacific island somewhere, but Tom Hanks already tried that out. And while the gnarly beard and unlimited supply of crab were impressive, not many of us want to spend our lives sharing our innermost thoughts and life experiences with a volleyball.

Instead, most of us choose a household that is filled with people. It can be chaotic to share our lives with others, but it can also be very fulfilling and rewarding.

Of course, when sharing things like Pringles or our household finances, effective communication is at the heart of keeping household relationships healthy. One of the often overlooked and misunderstood pieces of good financial communication is the act of validation.

Validation does not mean that you have to agree with a person, but it does mean that you have attempted to understand an issue from their point of view and that you feel some empathy for this person and their views. Whether life in general, or shared finances, this principle of communication is the same.

No two people will ever view the same event or experience the same. This has to do with the powerful effect that our formative years have on the way we view and value the world around us. The unique experiences we have in our formative years – primarily ages 0-8 but with strong influence through middle childhood as well as teen years – strongly shape the way we make sense of the world, and our expectations of how things “should be.” When we are young, we see behaviors and expectations modeled by those around us and believe that this limited experience is the way the entire world should operate so that we can continue to make sense of it as we go through life.

Of course, every person who lives on this earth has had

different experiences in their formative years. Sometimes wildly different, and thus our expectations, and values and desires are different. Our paradigms are strongly shaped by our geographic location, our generational culture, the broader national culture as well as local culture, and are very strongly shaped by our neighbors and family and the behaviors, choices, and beliefs that they model for us.

The differences we each experience and the associated differences in worldviews and personal values mean that inevitably two people in a relationship will have a difference in opinion on how money should be spent, managed, saved, and valued.

Communication around these differences is essential when finances are shared. As you might imagine, it is unrealistic to expect a total consensus at all times on what money should be spent on. Instead, it is important to learn to communicate these differences clearly and validate differences in our financial needs, wants, goals, and expectations.

Popular personal financial advice often disregards individual wants and needs of a person and instead skips to making ends meet through one-size-fits-all budgeting templates. While short-term this can be exactly what a person might need to buckle down and get out of debt, in the long run this can be very limiting because it disregards the individuality of the person and the overall goal of personal financial management, which is to make our lives happier and healthier.

Validation of your financial goals, values, wants and needs can only happen if you are open and honest with yourself and your partner about what you really want in life. This takes courage to open up and be vulnerable, and to stand up for what matters to you. Because only when you do this will your partner be able to offer any sort of validation or support. If you are timid or trying to “keep the peace” by sacrificing your own wants and needs for your partner, you are essentially agreeing to live in an unhealthy state, which can only last so long before something gives, be it the relationship, the budget, or both.

And the other side of this is to be quick to offer validation when your partner expresses financial needs and wants. For example:

Husband: I’ve thought a lot about this, honey, and I want to buy a pet moose.

Wife: That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! (End of conversation and the end of the husband’s dreams, and maybe the beginning of the end for the marriage).

Second possible response:

Luke Erickson

Wife: OK, it seems that you’ve put a lot of thought into this and that it’s very important to you; let’s talk about why you want a pet moose, how much it will cost and how it might fit in our other financial goals and life priorities.

Note that the wife didn’t agree with her husband. To agree or disagree later is fine, but up front this conversation needs to start with validation of the want and exploration about why the husband’s worldview includes a strong desire for a pet moose. Of course, at this point in the story we all know that it’s a therapy moose to deal with the fact that his daughter takes his Pringles…

After the initial validation of the want, additional communication and financial tools are always needed, such as compromise and the step-down principle (see https://personal-finance. extension.org/what-is-the-step-downprinciple-as-applied-to-householdspending/). But it always needs to begin with validation of the need or want.

In my six-year-old daughter’s case, I acknowledged that she had a worldview that included a need for the very Pringles that she just gifted to me. In response, she just shrugged her shoulders and chomped away. I didn’t get many Pringles that day, but at least I modeled good validation. She’ll thank me someday, right?

(Dad joke alert) And at least I know that we both share the same worldview on Pringles: She’s a chip off the old block! (You were warned!)

Luke Erickson, Ph.D., AFC®, is an associate professor of personal finance for the University of Idaho. He works and lives in the Treasure Valley. @drlukeerickson (Instagram), erickson@uidaho.edu

“The term ‘personal finance’ is a catchy term, but ‘household finance’ is a much more accurate term. Spouses, partners, children, roommates, all have an influence on how the money you earn ultimately gets spent.”

How can you help kids and your community at the same time?

When saying ‘no’ means saying ‘yes’

By Macaile Hutt

Irecently had a conversation with a coworker about how difficult it is for him to say “no.” He noted that even in the moments he is strong enough to say no, he ends up ruminating over the fact that he might have disappointed someone or should have just said yes in order to smooth things over. “Is it even worth it to say ‘no’ if I punish myself for days after?” he wondered aloud.

I remember reading a book years ago that talked about the notion that everything we say “yes” to actually requires saying “no” to something else. Alternatively, everything we say “no” to ultimately means we are saying “yes” to prioritizing something else rather than taking on another responsibility. This simple reframe has made it so much easier for me to say “no” without even thinking twice. When I am able to prioritize a “yes” in my life that equates to more peace, precious time, or engaging in something important to me or someone I love, it often doesn’t come with so much remorse or regret. Over time, this practice has become second nature and I find it so liberating

to be able to unapologetically say, “I don’t have time for that this week” or “Thanks for thinking of me, but I won’t be able to make it” without thinking twice.

Times such as the past holidays can create so much added stress and expectation. Our normal lives often remain untouched, filled with all the same pressures, events, deadlines, and responsibilities, and somehow we are supposed to find time for dinners, gift exchanges, family functions, work events... the list goes on and on. While this can be overwhelming and often impossible to navigate, I also think it gives us a wonderful opportunity to practice setting boundaries and pause before we automatically say “yes” to adding another thing to our plate, and to ask ourselves what that “yes” says “no” to in return. It can be applied to post-holiday situations, too.

If we say no to an event, we can say yes to alone time to recharge and rest.

If we say no to adding another task at work when our bandwidth is already full, we can say yes to completing our current tasks on time and with our full attention.

If we say no to seeing an acquaintance, we can say yes to seeing someone in our inner circle.

If we say no to a financial obligation we don’t currently have the funds for, we can say yes to reaching the financial goals we’ve set more quickly and with less unnecessary roadblocks.

Noticing a trend? When you put it as I have above, it feels so much less uncomfortable. It becomes less about the person or people we might disappoint and more about the first person we should worry about disappointing – ourselves.

I have used this quick reframe so many times over the past few years and I hope it’ll be useful to you, as well. Here’s to saying yes to everything we need, even if that means saying no in order to do it.

Macaile Hutt is the Director of Occupational Therapy for Star Speech and Occupational Therapy located in Star, Idaho. Her therapy style takes a holistic and child-directed approach, with the goal of children succeeding across multiple environments. She holds a master’s degree in occupational therapy from A.T. Still University and has received continuing education as a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional for Children and Adolescents (CCATP-CA), Handwriting Without Tears, pediatric kinesiotaping, Interactive Metronome, and Beckman Oral Motor. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, backpacking, and traveling.

Macaile Hutt

“If we say no to an event, we can say yes to alone time to recharge and rest.”

LACK OF CONNECTION

The effect of media on children

By Sandy McDaniel

If you want to learn something, you repeat it several times so your brain will store that information. If that is true, what do you think might be the result of a child watching violence repeatedly? Of grave concern to me because a major part of my life is to care about other people, is the fact that a child who watches endless violence becomes impervious to harm done to other people; that child becomes non-empathetic to results of harm done to fellow humans.

Intuition, which to me means to listen to the greater wisdom inside of me, is dulled by the consistent consumption of violent actions. Hyped up by the excitement of endless pursuit and destruction, a child is less likely to calmly ask themselves to select a good choice.

From my standpoint, the lack of connection – between children, between adults, between adults and children – is a primary cause of our current social chaos. Social connection is absolutely essential for personal growth and a sense of well-being. We are designed to be interactive, socially and

emotionally connected beings.

The COVID-19 crisis invited us to be afraid of each other and has kept children apart during essential periods of social and emotional growth. Due to this enforced isolation, children are using social media more than ever. Families, especially those who work in the service industries, often work two jobs, leaving their children with free rein of the internet. Other parents simply don’t know how to contain the use of media with their children.

The news too often reveals horror stories of a child conned by someone on the internet. Drugs are available on the internet, as are weapons and instructions on how to enhance life or destroy it. As an 81-year-old parent/woman, I am continually befuddled and amazed at the extent of knowledge, positive and negative, that is available to our youth – and adults. What I am concerned about is the influence of this expansive informational network on our society as a whole.

Sandy McDaniel

CHALLENGE

This will be easy – except it wasn’t

By Dennis Lopez

If you are a writer, you know that the foundation for any story is people, place and a problem.

If you are someone familiar with the art of smoking meat, no doubt you are familiar with the hundreds of YouTube clips out there to give you limitless advice on how to prepare and serve everything from crawdads to caviar using nothing more than some smoldering eucalyptus leaves and sawdust for seasoning.

And if you know much about cooking meat, you probably understand a brisket is considered a true challenge because… well...it’s a huge hunk of meat that today costs more than the gross national product of some Third World countries and is tricky to prepare to the standards of the meat-smoking moguls of the internet.

So when my wife suggested we cook a 17-pound brisket for dinner with my kids and granddaughter, I thought...”Hey, how hard can it be? I’ll just check with YouTube.” And off I go to the computer for surefire advice from the YouTube community.

“Hmm…this looks interesting,” I say to myself.

“Texas-style brisket. It’s got to be the one,” I say, looking at a Volkswagen-sized piece of cyrovac-wrapped former cow on

my counter. I carefully write notes detailing the steps, time and hints for cooking this beef behemoth. “Hey, how hard can it be? You don’t even have to trim it.”

I soon would find out.

Like good post-accident investigators, we need to look at events before the disaster. So, let’s rewind to about three days prior to the brisket debacle. It all began when my wife got a deal on brisket. And not just one, oh no. The price was so good we had to have FOUR! Most likely you could assemble an entire steer from this much beef. Freezer space meant something had to go and that was the genesis of my problem. Smoke one of the briskets. Or was it?

The root of the problem actually is two-fold. Part one began on a longdistant Father’s Day when my “Big Gift” turned out to be a smoker. In a big box. In pieces. With a million look-alike screws, nuts and bolts. If memory serves me, it seems assembly of the black beast was completed shortly before Father’s Day the next year.

The second-fold is my neighbor and good friend to whom I refer as “The Anti-Dennis” as we share the same first name. He is neat. I am messy at best. He never lets his food on his plate touch. Me? In the army I was okay eating food that blended on my tin tray like an Andrew Wyeth painting. At work, he was known as “smart Dennis.” Me: the “other Dennis.”

It was he who brought candied smoked bacon or smoked stuffed jalapeno peppers to my house to entice me to start using my smoker. And Dennis is the guy who said, “Once you put something on the smoker, you don’t have to do anything until it’s done.” So how is this relevant to my story? Allow me to explain.

About nine hours before my family and their appetites were due, I put the massive slab of beef on my smoker as per the YouTube guru’s instructions and with “set it and forget it” foremost on my mind. A list of errands in hand, including one “pick up your granddaughter” highlighted, I set off, confident that the star of our dinner was on its way to smoky goodness.

Back home around 12:30 and our granddaughter napping comfortably, I went out to check the reserve of pellets on the smoker. Odd, I thought, no smoke? Nope. Not even a small whiff. In fact, the thermometer on the smoker showed no activity at all. And the brisket? Stone cold.

I began my limited checklist seeking the answer. Pellets? Yep. Plugged in? You bet. As a forlorn hope, I punched the ignition switch and, voila, smoke.

And then more smoke. And then even more smoke now was pouring from every gap and opening in my smoker. No cause for alarm, I say to myself. It IS a smoker after all. Yes, but the flames that erupted from this steel terror weren’t part of the deal. And there were plenty of them. And spreading. Quickly. Seems the mammoth brisket was larger than the fat recovery tray beneath it. Remember the “don’t need to trim it” part of YouTube guy’s instructions? Only good advice IF you have a smoker as big as a Buick. Mine? The size of a Buick’s glove box. Fat had run into the bottom of the smoker. Poof. Fire in the hole.

All I could think of was a high dollar roast going up in flame and having to spring for pizza for dinner and having to explain why to my family. What to do before the brisket became food fit only for the gods…a burnt offering.

Start the gas BBQ! That’s it. So how to transfer the nowsmoldering hunk of cow the 15 feet to the grill? The snow shovel! That’s the answer. Zip into the garage, grab my reasonably clean snow shovel and a big pair of insulated leather welding gloves. No doubt my rescue of the brisket looked a bit like a scene from a steel mill where a worker uses a shovel-like tool to move a vat of flaming, spattering, molten steel from one area to another. I lacked only protective goggles and an asbestos apron.

I shovel the brisket onto the gas grill and hope for the best.

The rest is a sort of wood smoke haze. Wearing the welding gloves, I disassembled the hot smoker and cleaned it top to bottom and rebuilt it, added fresh pellets and, fingers crossed, pushed the go button…and smoke…again, but this time it was controlled. So, hey, why not try again? Back to the snow shovel and welding gloves, hoping that by some miracle, I had beaten the odds and my brisket was YouTube quality. A hasty aluminum foil drip tray now in place, I was hopeful I had discovered a new way to make the world’s best smoked brisket.

Nope. Hours later, I was back in front of my computer looking for ways to carve a leather-tough smoked brisket. And then, to look up the phone number of the closest pizza place.

More and more children are hypnotized by the speed, accurate and inaccurate data, and are dependent upon their sense of well-being through their interactions on the web. There is not an easy fix to this disconcerting problem – especially since adults are experiencing the same effects and harm – but there are things a parent can do:

1. Cut 4 equal pieces out of a circle of paper. Label one piece homework, one piece is chores completed, one piece is bathed/own clothes washed/self-care, and one is spend 15 minutes with each family member.

2. When the pie is complete (verified by each person or a parent), the child can have 1-2 hours of video game, YouTube, TV use.

• Know what games your children are playing.

• Know who they are playing with.

• Random phone message checks may annoy your child, but you might save a life.

• Talk to each child. Listen to them. Help them understand that ideas on social media are rarely sound or reliable, and that there are many millions of dollars spent to con them into believing some ad found on their media device.

• Have dinner together. Have a chat with each child before bedtime.

• Take a walk. Go get an ice cream. Do a project together.

It is an incomprehensibly lonely road to feel you are invisible to your family. You can’t as a parent fill the disconnect gap, but you can make it smaller. You are the architect of a child’s life. Even if you cannot give them the time you want to give to them, you can connect in the time you have.

For more than 60 years, Sandy McDaniel has been an international speaker and recognized authority on families and children. Author of five books, columnist, founder of parentingsos.com, she is a resident of Meridian and loves spending time with her three Idaho grandchicks. She may be reached at sandy@parentingsos.com; or go to YouTube:Sandy Spurgeon McDaniel to see videos on specific parenting issues.

J A N U A R Y

Idaho IceWorld

Idaho IceWorld has many public skate days scheduled throughout the coming months for everyone in the family. Go to idahoiceworld.com for more information on family-friendly programs.

Family Storytime

Family Storytime at Boise Public Library is for children 5 and under and their caregivers, and includes stories, music, movement, and play. The first storytime in 2023 will be held from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, January 7, in the William F. Hayes Memorial Auditorium in the main library on Capitol Boulevard. Go to boisepubliclibrary.com for more information.

Great Train Show

The Great Train Show is a coast-to-coast model train event and is open to the general public, families, modelers and hobbyists. The local event –with activities for kids – is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, January 7, at Expo Idaho. Visit expoidaho. com for more information.

3rd Annual Single Parent Bowling

This third annual event for single parents and children is set for 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, January 8, at Westys Garden Lanes, 5504 Alworth St. in Boise. Cost is $3 pre-paid for the whole family, with a sixfamily limit. Learn more on Meetup at https://www. meetup.com/idaho-single-parents-meetup-group/?_ cookie-check=kMABeDGBR_HjIamL.

CALENDAR

Preschool Zoo classes

Zoo Boise offers a series of four Preschool Zoo programs beginning January 10 and running through April 29. All the programs highlight the amazing world of animals, such as tigers, frogs, giraffes, sea eagles, and more. To register for any of the classes, go to cityofboise.org/parks. Also, visit zooboise.org.

Used Book Sale:

Friends of Meridian Library District

Stock up on bargain books from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, January 14, at the Meridian library branch at 1326 W. Cherry Ln. The public is welcome. Go to mld.org.

Peking Acrobats

The Peking Acrobats will perform displays of contortion, flexibility, and control beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 19, at the Morrison Center. For tickets or more information, go to morrisoncenter.com. Masks are recommended inside the Morrison Center.

Field-to-Fork Festival

FARE Idaho’s 1st Annual Field-to-Fork Festival is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 19, at Jack’s Urban Meeting Place, 1000 W. Myrtle St. in Boise. For more information, go to https:// downtownboise.org/do/fare-idahos-field-to-forkfestival-an-interactive-trade-fair.

Winter Wonderland

The Library! at Collister in Boise will host a celebration of all things winter – for free and everyone welcomed – from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, January 20, at the library’s location at 4724 W. State St. There will be a selection of “wintry” treats on hand. Go to boisepubliclibrary.com for more information.

WaterShed Weekends

Join the Boise WaterShed every third Saturday of the month for nature and art activities the whole family can enjoy. Activities take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free, and no pre-registration is needed. On January 21, the topic will be “Resolution Solutions.” On February 18, the topic will be “Wonders of Winter.” For more information, go to boisewatershed.org.

McCall Winter Carnival

Dates for the 2023 McCall Winter Carnival are January 27 – February 5. The theme is Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales. For more information, go to https://visitmccall.org/events/winter-carnival/.

Canyon County Kids Expo

This year’s Canyon County Kids Expo is set for Saturday, January 28, at Ford Idaho Center. Parents and kids will be able to engage with more than 100 interactive booths, jump toys and slides, clowns, magicians, and much more. For further details, go to canyoncountykidsexpo.com.

Idaho Remodeling & Design Show

The 23rd Annual Idaho Remodeling & Design Show is coming up January 28-29 at the Boise Centre to provide homeowners the resources they need to bring a whole new look to their homes. For tickets and more information, go to https://www. eventbrite.com/e/idaho-remodeling-design-show-

Kids are invited to put on their pajamas, grab their stuffed toys, and head to the main branch of Boise Public Library to read, dance, and have fun from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 1. Go to

Daddy Daughter Date Night

Dads and their daughters age 3-13 are welcome to the Harward Recreation Center in Nampa from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, February 11, for a special night of fun together. For costs and other information, go to nampaparksandrecreation.org.

of Events

Candy Science Fun

A variety of engaging science experiments will be covered during Candy Science Fun for youth ages 6-11 from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 14, in the multipurpose room in the Library! at Bown Crossing, 2153 E. Riverwalk Dr. in Boise. Go to boisepubliclibrary.com.

“Bluey’s Big Play”

See puppets perform at the Morrison Center for “Bluey’s Big Play” – especially appropriate for children – Wednesday and Thursday, February 1516, at 6 p.m. both days at the Morrison Center. For tickets or more information, go to morrisoncenter. com. Masks are recommended inside the Morrison Center.

Spring Dream Wedding Expo

The Idaho Dream Wedding Expo helps bridesto-be prepare for the big day. This year’s expo is planned for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 18, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, February 19, at Expo Idaho. Tickets and more information are available at idahodreamwedding.com.

Children’s Theatre

“The Midnight Garden” Caldwell Fine Arts will present a Children’s Theatre production of “The Midnight Garden” at 7 p.m. Friday, February 24, and at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 25, at Caldwell High School both nights. A promo for the production reads: “It’s midnight and the clock strikes…13?! Come visit “The Midnight Garden,” where dreams are reality, and time stands still.” For tickets or more information, go to caldwellfinearts.org.

M A R C H

Spring Sports Madnes

Spring Sports Madness for moms and their sons ages 3-13 is set for 7:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 4. There will be games, pizza, a photo booth, and lots of fun for moms and sons to enjoy together. For costs and other information, go to nampaparksandrecreation.org.

SWEET WINTER TREAT

Try delicious homemade donut balls

By Mary Ann Wilcox

This recipe is definitely a family favorite of ours, in so many ways. Everyone else loves them because they’re delicious and I love them because they’re easy. The donut ball mix recipe below is from my Mixing It Up with Grains book. SO easy to make up in advance and quick to put together – just add water.

BASIC DOUGHNUT BALL RECIPE

8 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cornstarch

¼ c. non-instant powdered milk

2 tsp. baking soda

2 c. sugar

¼ tsp. True Lemon

(Blend together in large bowl with wire whisk and store in airtight container.)

TO MAKE THE DONUTS

• Get your oil heating as it will take a few minutes. I don’t have a fryer so I do it the old-fashioned way: fill my pot halfway up with canola oil, clip my little candy/frying thermometer to the side of the pot with the tip fully submerged in the oil (but not touching the bottom of the pot), and let it heat up to between 350-375 degrees. I usually like mine about 375 best. If you have a fryer, set it to doughnut or just 350 degrees or just heat ‘er up! If you are using the classic pot method, make sure you are keeping an eye on your temperature, adjusting it occasionally to keep it at the appropriate temperature.

• To make the doughnuts, mix 2¼ c. mix with 1 c. water. The batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. After the oil is heated to the proper temperature, drop your batter into the oil using a mini cookie scoop. This is the easiest method.

• As the doughnuts cook they will turn a lovely golden brown and should flip over halfway through. If they don’t flip over, feel free to just use your slotted spoon and encourage them a little. In 4-5 minutes they will be a nice, crispy golden brown on all sides. Take them out using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let cool for a couple minutes then roll/shake in powdered sugar, regular sugar, cinnamon and sugar, or just eat them plain. They are a huge hit with our family and a great weekly (at least) tradition we love. We hope you do too.

Now that you realize how fun and easy homemade doughnut balls can be, let me blow your mind. There are even more exciting ways to make yummy doughnut balls. Such as:

Berries ‘n’ Cream

• Use 2½ c. doughnut mix and do not add water yet.

• Take 4 Tbsp. of cream cheese and cut into small cubes. (I would slice my cream cheese rectangle into Tbsp. slices, then cut that in half lengthwise, then cut each of those strips into 4-5 cubes. As you cut these, drop them into the dry mix to coat the cubes. This keeps the cream cheese from just turning into a big blob when you stir it, and disperses it evenly through your doughnuts.

• Now add the 1 c. water.

• Add ½-1 c. (depending on taste) of pureed berries and stir to combine. Our favorite is strawberries but get creative with what your family likes. (We like to freeze our strawberries beforehand so when we thaw them they are extra juicy and then puree them.)

• Follow frying instructions above. We like to let the kiddos shake these in powdered sugar.

Banana Nut

• Mix 2½ c. mix to 1 c. water. Stir to combine.

• In chopper/mixer put 1 banana and ½ c. walnuts and blend till combined. (You are welcome to just puree your banana and chop your nuts and then combine – this just saves me a step.)

• Add to batter. Follow frying directions.

• We roll these in cinnamon and sugar (½ c. sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon).

Dough-NUTS

• Just add ½ c. chopped nuts to the recipe and enjoy – it really does make them go up a notch!

Chocolate*

• Add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp. water to the mix. (Taste test to decide how chocolatey your family likes it.)

Double Dark*

• Add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp. water, and ¼ c. chocolate chips to batter.

German Chocolate*

• Add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder, ¼ c. chopped nuts, ¼ c. shredded coconut to batter.

*Note: Make sure you cook these last three recipes long enough because the batter will already be dark, and if you don’t fry them long enough they will still be runny on the inside.

For more information, go to www.maryannscupboards.com.

Never be without a scoop in the kitchen

I recommend having in your kitchen the scoop! I have four and use all of them regularly. I’d recommend a metal one just for durability’s sake. It really does make a difference. Also, I recommend the squeeze handle ones with the trigger swiper release mechanism. I love them and they make my portioning in the kitchen go so much faster.

Ice Cream Scoop (1/3 or 1/2 cup)

• Muffin/cupcake batter that goes very nicely in the muffin papers; for regularsized muffins and/or cupcakes use the 1/3 cup scoop; for mini muffins and/or mini cupcakes use the 2 Tbsp. scoop. This is the best way to make sure you actually get the 24 regular-size or 48 mini-size out of a cake mix.

• Pancake/waffle batter – Use your 1/3 cup for regular pancakes, and 2 Tbsp. for baby ones. Waffles will take more than one scoop (maybe one per section).

• Mashed potatoes – Pretty little potato hills.

• Sandwich fillings – Chicken salad, tuna, etc. – just plop and go.

• Enchilada/burrito fillings – Good equal amounts in all your tortillas.

• Ice cream – Make sure you have a good strong scoop; hard ice cream will put it to the test.

• Portioning rice – Did you know that 1 adult serving is only 1/2 cup?

• Biscuit batter – Works great for drop biscuits on a cookie sheet.

Cookie

Scoop (2 Tbsp.)

• Cookies – Obviously this is a great option for easy cookies. Kids can keep them the same size and so can you.

• Melon balling – They just pop right out.

• Dumplings – Drop biscuit batter into boiling chicken soup and let cook. So good!

• Peanut butter – Works so well for getting nice little mounds of dipping PB while watching portions for the kiddos.

• Meatballs – Even sizing every time. Cook and freeze to use whenever!

• Dollops of frosting on cupcakes – Keeps them nice and even.

Note: When I make regular-size cupcakes with the large scoop, I use the medium scoop for the frosting. When I make mini cupcakes with the medium scoop, I use the mini scoop for the frosting.

By Mary Ann Wilcox

Note: This is the best way I’ve found to get the amount of frosting in the can to match the amount of cupcakes. Works like a charm every time. Guacamole/sour cream dollops for taco salads, etc. –Looks so pretty!

Mini Scoop (2 tsp.)

• Truffles - Just make your truffles, mold/ scoop, release and roll in cocoa.

• And whenever a recipe calls for a “rounded tablespoon” or “rounded teaspoon,” here’s a way to do it easily and accurately.

Can you think of anything else? There are tons of different-sized scoops out there; but if you don’t have any scoops at all yet, I’d start with the 1/3 cup and the 2 Tbsp. scoops. They are both super versatile and will cover you for just about anything. So go make your food in less time with your handy scoops!

For more gear and gadget ideas, go to www.MaryAnnsCupboards.com.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE.

THREE CAMPUSES, ONE COMMUNITY

Classical Christian education is a time-tested method that uses scripture as the basis of all Truth, instills the wisdom of history, hones critical thinking and communication skills, and produces a joy of learning for life.

Our three campuses offer a classical Christian education in slightly differing models to fit the needs of Treasure Valley families.

Our new North Campus offers PreK-6th (growing to 8th grade over the next two years) with smaller class sizes. Learn more today at

THEAMBROSESCHOOL.ORG

WEDNESDAY’S CHILD

Savannah, 15, loves a good ‘dad joke’

The following information is provided by Wednesday’s Child, an organization that helps Idaho foster children find permanent homes.

Calling all “foodies” and artists! We’d like to introduce you to 15-year-old Savannah, who is currently taking a culinary class and hopes to continue a lifetime of cooking. She’s a big fan of sushi, especially because she recently learned to make it herself and can add her own artistic flair to it.

An artist at heart, Savannah loves to spend time drawing, beading, crocheting, creating origami, and writing poetry that helps her to heal from her difficult past. Music is another creative outlet for her, and she hopes to be able to take lessons to learn to play the guitar and the ukulele sometime soon.

Savannah is a caring and empathetic girl who loves “dad jokes” and has a myriad of other interests as well. Outdoor pursuits she enjoys include horseback riding, paddle-boarding, hiking and camping. She has been on the track team at school and also loves watching volleyball games and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys.

If bad weather keeps her inside, don’t worry about Savannah getting bored. She’s always up for playing board games like Uno, Speed, Clue or Monopoly, or watching anything from Disney favorites to the scariest of scary movies. She is on track educationally and always tries to give her best in school. A bit of

an old soul, she loves reading the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries.

Savannah aspires to become either a social worker or a probation officer someday, so that she can help kids like herself who have come from hard places.

When it comes to activities she would love to do as a family, Savannah dreams of everything from the simple things, like spending time volunteering as a family at a soup kitchen or an animal shelter, to grand adventures such as traveling together. She loves flying, as well as traveling by car, and has a wish list of places to visit, including a beach, a Renaissance fair, ComicCon, and a trip to Italy to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa and eat gelato.

This resilient young woman describes qualities in the right family for her as any type of parental make up, as long as she has caregivers who are stable, kind, goofy, funny, caring and who won’t give up on her if things get hard. Savannah prefers a family who attends church and has pets in their home.

Savannah’s Permanency Team describes the best for her as a family where she will be the oldest child in the home, as she does great with younger children. A family with a strong understanding of trauma would be a great match for her.

Savannah and her team are open to hearing from interested Idaho families, as well as families who reside in other states.

Are you ready to make memories that will last a lifetime with an amazing teen? If the answer is a resounding “yes,” inquire today to find out more about Savannah. (See below.)

For more information on the Idaho Wednesday’s Child Program, visit www.idahowednesdayschild.org, or contact Specialized Recruitment Services Administrator Shawn White at swhite52@ewu.edu or cell (208) 488-8989.

HANDY TIPS

Ease your child’s transition into childcare

By Cara Johnson-Bader

The first day of childcare is a big milestone for both you and your child. You may feel excited and nervous, and so may your little one. Preparation is the key to a smooth transition for both of you. Here are a few tips from the teachers at New Horizon Academy to help you ease into a new routine.

Before Your Child’s First Day

Determine what to bring. Connect with your childcare provider to help determine what to bring for your child’s first day. They will have a detailed list to help you and your child have a successful first day.

Label everything. We recommend labeling everything: clothing, pacifier, toothbrush, and any other items you bring for your child. This will help ensure your child’s items are not misplaced.

Talk about the new routine. Take a moment to talk about and explain the new routine for you and your child. Keep your conversation light and happy, answer questions, and help your child understand the new routine. The more prepared you are, the better the first day will go.

On Your Child’s First Day

Allow extra time. This is new for both you and your child, so allowing a little extra time will help reduce the need to rush, and drop-off may take a little longer than usual on the first day. Planning for extra time will help create a smoother transition. Communicate a plan. Even though your child may not be able to tell time, it is important to let your him know exactly when you will pick him up. This will help create a smooth transition, too.

Hug and go. It is natural to want to spend extra time during drop-off, but lingering in the classroom may cause it to take more time for your child to adjust to her new environment. Childcare teachers are well prepared to comfort, support, and help your child adjust to her new routine.

During Your Child’s First Day

Stay connected. Call throughout the day and check in during drop-off and pick-up. Feel free to reach out and ask questions, too. Teachers and directors want to create a smooth transition for both you and your child.

This transition milestone is just the first of many in your child’s life. With a little preparation, you will create a smooth experience for both of you, as you navigate this new journey.

Cara Johnson-Bader is the Vice President of Marketing and Parent Experiences at New Horizon Academy and mother of two young boys. Learn more about New Horizon Academy at newhorizonacademy.net.

understanding of the gospel will matter when all is said and done. Bethany Riehl Writer and parent in Meridian

Here are 5 tenets of successful parenting aimed at adolescents, and ones I have regularly referred to over the past 35 years.

1. Set consistent guidelines/boundaries and adhere to them. Your “no” means “no.”

2. Respect their curiosity, opinions and quest to understand the world and their place in it.

3. We always say parents should “track” their teens. Meaning the parent knows the kid – who his friends are, their interests, how they are doing in school etc. “Track” means the parent is showing genuine interest in the kid without being intrusive.

4. Make time for the teen but recognize that the kid needs privacy and that the peer group increasingly becomes most important. Still, invite the kid to dinner but understand that 9 out of 10 times the answer will be no. But they love and appreciate all 10 invites.

5. Allow the kid to stumble and have faith that they will learn from their mistakes. This encourages independence and prepares the kid for the adult world.

Robert Rhodes, LCSW Adolescent & family counselor in Boise BoiseTeenCounseling.com

Join us in spreading kindness.

Find other ways to improve youth mental health in your community at

communitiesforyouth.org