Wish List

With tough economic times this is the perfect opportunity to teach our children some valuable life lessons. We all know how hard it is to sway our begging children. By always caving we send a message that instant gratification is a reasonable life expectation. With my daughter I started the "wish list". She then began to understand that great things are worth the wait. I was able to gauge how badly she wanted the toy. When she would stop mentioning the toy I would know that it must not have been as urgent. When buying things I try to get things that I know will get a lot of mileage. The number of toys that collect dust is astounding. I try to encourage Grandparents to find non toy items for gifts. My dad has bought DVDs in the past and my mom has bought art supplies and magazine subscriptions. I have recently talked with my husband and friends about their thoughts concerning these issues. I posed the question, what do you remember most about your childhood... your experiences or materials? Most often the answer is the experiences.

Knock out the Winter Duldrums

Looking for a perfect way to lift the "spirits"? What better way than to have a Caribbean inspired evening. My favorite recipe is from food network. The recipe is by Emeril and is derived from the Bob Marley restaurant in Universal Studios. The meal is jerk marinated chicken breast skewers chargrilled and served with creamy cucumber dipping sauce and yucca fries. The recipe page highlights a 5 star review. We have made it several times and also give it a 5 star. Before making it do not forget to soak your skewers in water for a few hours. We have not tried to make the marinade. I have always bought the already prepared variety. I recommend two wonderful cocktails to top off the evening. My favorite is pussers jamaican me crazy and my husbands favorite is pussers painkiller. To fully set the tone I would suggest "Bob Marley Legend" which you can purchase at amazon Enjoy the warm up!