WW4K at the Hearts Alike of the Hudson Valley Fundraiser at Gymboree

www.whatandwhen4kids.com recently attended a fundraiser for Hearts Alike of the Hudson Valley at Gymboree in Jefferson Valley. These great pictures were taking by Margaret Rizzuto Photography www.margaretrizzuto.com

Check out http://heartsalikehv.org/

Discount tickets for the Bronx Zoo Holiday Event

www.whatandwhen4kids.com and the Bronx Zoo have partnered!

Holiday Happenings at the Bronx Zoo!

You can do your part to help spread holiday cheer this year, all while having a great time at the Bronx Zoo! During your next visit to the zoo, donate a gently used coat or unwrapped toy and benefit New York Cares and the Bronx Borough President's Annual Toy Drive! While you're there, be sure to catch our enchanting herd of reindeer or take a nostalgic wagon ride pulled by Clydesdale horses. On December 27, don't miss our first ever Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Competition! Fifteen expert ice carvers will transform blocks of ice into glistening animal sculptures during an exciting competition with a cash prize! Visit the Bronx Zoo any time throughout this winter - it's guaranteed you'll have a wildly good time. For more information go to www.bronxzoo.com.

Get $3 off of child's general admission ticket with the purchase of a full priced adult admission! Over a 25% SAVINGS! Click here to redeem.

Our visit to see Santa at the Mahopac Chamber Park

We took the kids this weekend to see Santa arrive on a firetruck at the Mahopac Chamber Park. The kids had a great time! There are so many events like this coming up in the next week, be sure to check out www.whatandwhen4kids.com for a complete list in our events section.

What are you doing this weekend with your family

Published Articles - While You Wait Magazine

http://www.wywmagazine.com/attachments/File/wywsummr09.pdf

Family, Food and Fun on the Fourth!
By Jamie Imperati

The 4th of July is a great time to celebrate our independence and spend valuable time with family and friends. Whether you go to a local beach or lake for the day or have a get together at your house with family and friends, you should try to incorporate activities that will provide fun for all.

-Use an online invitation website such as www.evite.com to notify guests about your party, everyone uses the web and this site will allow you to keep track of who is coming.

-Go online and google some recipes and have a theme for your menu. Instead of your basics like hamburgers and hot dogs, grill some chicken, cut it up and add fajitas to your menu.

-Make some fun desserts that are red, white and blue. A little food coloring and icing can go a long way and add that special touch to your party.

-Create a “drink of the day” one for adults and one for children of course. Kids can never have enough maraschino cherries in their beverage! This and a drink umbrella will make them feel special.

-Visit your local craft store to create your own festive shirts for the day

Every year we celebrate the 4th at our house by throwing a huge party with family and friends. If you are going to be the host of this years 4th of July party, ask each of your guests to bring something and don't be afraid to delegate. I always provide the meat and beverages and ask my guests to bring the sides dishes and desserts. Make a list of what you need so you are prepared to let your guests know what to bring to the get together. Don't be shy when someone asks what they should bring; your guests would rather come with something unique then show up with the same item as someone else.


You don't have to spend a lot of money for your party as you can go to your local dollar store and buy theme plates, cups and decorations. You can also purchase games for the children to play; a frisbee, a ball and a bat can keep the kids occupied for quite some time. If you don't have a pool, you can use a sprinkler and the children will be entertained for hours. Be safe and have fun this July 4th.


Jamie Imperati is President of www.whatandwhen4kids.com, and online calendar of events and activities for children of all ages in the Hudson Valley Region.

Published Articles - While You Wait Magazine

We have had several articles published in While You Wait magazine. Be sure to pick up their next issue! They are available at your local supermarkets, nail salons, auto repair shops and more!
Check out http://www.wywmagazine.com/attachments/File/WYWspring09.pdf


A 6 Letter Word We Should All Know
By Jamie Imperati

The most important word we should all know and take pride in is F-A-M-I-L-Y. When I was a little girl, my parents would make family time very special for me and my sister. We would take rides upstate on Sunday mornings and my father would drive through different towns. We would either pack a lunch or stop and grab a burger. The day was so much fun. My sister and I would giggle in the backseat, acting very playful, while we enjoyed our adventure. My parents didn’t have the financial means to take us to shows, ball games or expensive outings, and that is why I say it is “quality not quantity” when it comes to family time. Now I have 2 small boys, and I try to instill in them the same family time values that my parents did for me.


Our local towns offer so many things you can do with your families and most of them don’t cost any money! You can picnic at a local farm and see some animals, take in an inexpensive minor league baseball game, walk on a trail, or visit a local park. These activities provide a great setting to communicate and talk about family time and the importance of it with your children. Spending time together with your family is the most important thing because you provide each other with love, respect, support and security. My family is my rock and support system.

Your children learn from you, and family time is a great way for them to acquire new skills i.e. I am very good with directions, and I attribute this to our Sunday rides and learning the back roads through towns from my Dad. To this day, he can still navigate his way around most places without getting lost.

It can be difficult to set aside family time because we have such busy schedules but it is imperative that we do this. Try to plan at least one special “family fun” event for your family each weekend as it will give your children something to look forward to and will become part of their weekly routine and yours. Not only will it be something they enjoy, but you will too!


Jamie Imperati is President of www.whatandwhen4kids.com, and online calendar of events and activities for children of all ages in Westchester, Putnam and the Hudson Valley.

Ask Alli - Nutrition Column

Q: Dear Alli, I am out of suggestions- My daughter is 5 years old - she used to eat all veggies and fruit and since she turned 3 food is flying off her list of things she will eat. The only veggie I am left with is peas and lentils- and all pasta has to be butter or olive oil only as she calls it "BLONDE PASTA". Let me not get started on packing her lunch for school- I am down to putting a granola bar and ritz crakers and an apple and hope she eats that.
I try to be as nutriutious as possible - but lately what to do- does it get better? Do you have any other suggestions that I have not thought of.

Thanks,
Anna

A: Hello Anna,
Thank you for your question! I am sure many parents and caregivers relate! Believe it or not we need to try some foods up to ten times before we know we like it! (Unfortunately Oreos are not one of those foods!) Your daughter may need a little more encouragement to try something new. Please just keep offering foods that she has refused in the past and modeling good behavior by eating them yourself. If she likes to dance, do gymnastics or any other activity then remind her that a variety of foods- and especially our proteins- are our "big and strong" foods to make us better at the things we love to do.
Here are a few other suggestions....
-Start a taste chart...all she has to do is take a taste- not finish- a food that she is refusing and she will earn a sticker. You can decide how many stickers earn her a prize and what that prize should be (just not sweets or any other food!)

-Color Menu...sit with her and make a list of some starches, vegetables, and proteins and then color code each group (ie. Starches= blue, veggies= green, protein= red) and tell her that her meal has to have a food from each color.

-Hannaford Store Tour...sometimes kids just don't want to listen to mom (don't worry, it happens to me too and my daughter is only Bring her in to see me at Carmel Hannaford (Putnam Plaza, Route Six) and I can introduce her to different foods, tour her around the store and try to make eating new foods exciting...and it is free!

I hope these ideas help! Please stay in touch and let us know!


Do you have a question for Alli? Email her at AskAlli@whatandwhen4kids.com




Allison J Stowell MS, RD, CDN
www.Beyond-Health.com

Great day at the Bronx Zoo with the boys

I took my boys to the Bronx Zoo yesterday, they had so much fun! It was the perfect fall day; crisp air and so many beautiful colored leaves on the ground (which the boys loved playing with!). The Bronx Zoo has some great upcoming events for the holiday season, stay tuned to www.whatandwhen4kids.com for more details!

Contests

Our winner was chosen for the Aida tickets! Stay tuned to this weeks newsletter for the announcement. Our next contest will start this week. A complimentary session with Margaret Rizzuto Photography www.margaretrizzuto.com, includes an 8 x 10 photo. Email contest@whatandwhen4kids.com to enter to win!

Great time at Touch a Truck Day

My family had such a great time at the Touch a Truck day in Mt. Kisco. Did any other www.whatandwhen4kids.com subscribers go? Check out our pics! Looking forward to the next one!

Holiday Traditions with your Family

What are some holiday traditions that you do with your family?

Ask Alli - Nutrition Column

Ask Alli...

What and When 4 Kids is proud to welcome nutrition expert Allison J Stowell MS, RD, CDN. Registered Dietitian and mother of two, Allison specializes in balanced nutrition for women, adolescents and children. We are pleased to offer you a new column, "Ask Alli"! Whether it is a question of what to pack for your child's lunch, how to manage food allergies or how to make time for you to meet your diet goals, Alli will be addressing your nutrition concerns each week! Check out our weekly newsletter to see answers to your diet questions and other tips for healthy living from Alli! If you have a question for Alli, please email it to askalli@whatandwhen4kids.com

Allison graduated Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelors' in Nutritional Science. She completed her Dietetic Internship and Masters in Nutrition Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been in private practice with offices in Mahopac, Bedford Hills and Danbury since 2003 and specializes in eating disorders, family dietary makeovers, medical nutrition therapy for heart disease and diabetes and a non-diet approach to weight loss. Since 2007 she has been the Nutrition Coordinator for Carmel Hannaford, where she provides complementary nutrition classes and tours, community workshops and one-on-one shopping experiences.

Q: Help! There is so much Halloween candy in my house. My kids keep asking for it and I am picking at it too. Any strategies for getting it away from me and my kids? Suzanne, Fishkill, NY

A: I am sure there are many reading this that are having the same problem this week! To begin- separate what you want to keep and make a plan to get rid of the rest. While it is acceptable to keep some of it plan to give up most. Of the portion that you keep, put some of it in the freezer (a frozen candy bar is delicious!) and put the rest in a hard-to-reach location that is not in view. Do not let your kids keep it in their room. To get the rest out of your home consider either finding someone that can take it to work. Better yet, try to locate a box that is collecting candy to send to away to our troops. I know that Dr. Benjamin Dancygier of Valley Pediatric Dentistry is accepting candy to donate as well as the New York Sports Club in Danbury and the Melrose School in Brewster.
As we manage the Halloween aftermath and head into the holiday season we need to be careful not to turn our "sometimes" foods into an everyday occurrence. If Halloween was more of a struggle for you then you may want to make a plan for the rest of this holiday season. Begin by monitoring the sweets that come into the house and other "extras". That being said, please remember that at the end of the day it is calories that matter most. That "fun size" Milky Way is probably fewer calories than you think. Try not to beat yourself up over it! Just do your best to make the rest of your day as balanced as possible.

Do you have a question for Alli? Email her at AskAlli@whatandwhen4kids.com

Allison J Stowell MS, RD, CDN
www.Beyond-Health.com

Welcome to our new blog! www.whatandwhen4kids.com will provide a place for parents to chat, discuss upcoming events and past events they have attended ,current events, as well as be able to read our Nutrition column "Ask Alli". Spread the word to your friends and family and be sure to sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter. We look forward to blogging with you!