It seems Sesame Street has realized a great point to getting kids to watch educational tv. It is much more likely if the parents can find entertainment or humor in it. (Once again a NerdDad find.)
****Updated with the right YouTube. Sorry, there was a cut and paste snafu.
The Nerd Family gathered around the tv last night to watched the new Food Network show Food Detectives. The kids loved it, NerdDad and I though? Blah! Normally I love Ted Allen on Iron Chef America but what did they do to him for this show? He seems weird and oddly scripted. The facts, well while they are true they definitely are not all that shocking or sophisticated. Anyone who has watched Good Eats, Mr. Wizard or Myth Busters knew just about everything in that show. Also the “tests” were not complete nor logical in the data collected or in the analysis. I hope it gets better but this may be a show for my kids while I am doing other things. Then again my 7 year old knew about the Scoville scale so maybe this isn’t the fun science resource I and other homeschoolers were looking forward too.
NerdDad found this. Isn’t it precious?
Here is the fort birthday cake for the Nerdling’s 3rd birthday Tuesday! I will post instructions later (but it was really easy).
The other night NerdDad came downstairs after putting the kids to bed with a wondrous yet mystifying tale. Nerdling has a kitchen set in his room that all the kids play with around bedtime. So NerdDad returns to Nerdling’s room where he had left the NerdPud (now 13 months old) and it appears she was feeding Skeebo with the spoon. NerdDad he saw her go from her mouth to Skeebo’s mouth 3 or 4 times. So what she was feeding Skeebo, EWWW. But could she really have been trying to feed him? Could she really understand? Children, they are a mystery.
Well, I am somewhat sad to say that Aaron McCargo Jr. won the Next Food Network Star this season.
All 3 contestants did 4 minute shows and I loved both Adam and Lisa’s. Aaron is the person I will probably watch the least. 2nd year in a row that I haven’t agreed with them. I didn’t really care for the Gourmet Next Door last year and I feel a bit vindicated that her show didn’t take off. Not that I am happy that the show did poorly just a bit vindicated in my judgment. It is obvious to me that the channel is looking for a new audience share. I hope it works out for Aaron and Food Network.
Separately, I tivo’ed Food Detectives and I have high hopes!
Here we meet again for the food. So let me jump right into the plan.
Monday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine, Squash
Tuesday: Cube Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Wednesday: Tilapia, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Broccoli, Squash
Thursday: Chicken Kiev, Brocooli Mac and Cheese
Friday: Corned Beef Hash, Scrambled Eggs
See you next week!
So I wanted to get some admissions and predictions out before tonight’s finale of The Next Food Network Star. I have been slowly becoming a Lisa Garza fan. The icy exterior has seemed to melt a lot and I am happy that her base of knowledge goes beyond the fruffy. Now the question remains, will she win? Well that I am not sure of but I think she should.
The question for the judge in this situation is what audience are you looking for? Adam is entertaining (usually) but he has very limited food knowledge. I personally am only so interested in smoking meat. He has other food knowledge but I don’t think he is confident enough to be able to put a show together with it. Aaron’s presentation is so hit and miss that I am not sure what food knowledge he does have. He also seems to not make real flavorful food (according to everyone who seemed to taste it). It wouldn’t take to many people trying some not so good recipes without Aaron losing all credibility. But both of the guys are a little more marketable to those who don’t really cook yet. I am a faithful network watcher and I would be most likely to watch a show with Lisa. I am already a bit of a foodie but being home taught I always need hints and tips.
So I am not sure who will win but I hope it is Lisa!
Ok, so that may be a broad statement but I think it may be true. One of the most common reasons I hear parents say they couldn’t homeschool is that their kids would drive them crazy (I even heard this from public school teachers). I smile and say that I must be lucky.
Well, I realized what they are referring to is a societal problem. Silicon Valley Moms had an article, G’Head, Hurl those Insults, Doesn’t Bother Me, that talked about learning to ignore what your kids say when they are venting. Then it hit me, parents are trained to accept their kids treating them like dirt. Well, most homeschooling parents I know don’t! Now I have a few strong willed kids and we go head to head, don’t get me wrong. But, they don’t yell at me (without a severe punishment), don’t hit and don’t disregard my instructions with regularity. These things have been known to happen but they are dealt with and it definitely isn’t the norm.
What is the secret? Raise you kids to be people that you would care to be around. Set expectations and consequences for when those expectations aren’t met (and that will happen). Many parents demand that their kids respect their teachers and friends in ways they don’t expect their kids to respect them or their siblings. The truth is that those kids may tow the line a bit but they may not really respect anyone and then they grow up to be parents who have to vent to each other and on their kids.
But, then I wonder in the words of Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for you”. Then I here disturbing thing like this (from the same article),
And in fact an added bonus is after we have an episode, which with Donovan often culminates in a punch to the gut (he punching me, don’t get your panties in a wad), I get spontaneous hugs and kisses, proclamations of love and “I’m speaking to you mommy” and “I’m your friend mommy,” a lot of love thrown my way.
So it is just me or does that sound like Battered Wife Syndrome? The other thing is, haven’t we settled the matter that venting on someone isn’t a healthy way to deal with anger? So maybe you should teach your kids how to handle their anger instead of you learning how to handle their anger.
I guess this is just the basis of why I can homeschool my kids with out losing my mind (though some days 6 hours alone sounds great to me too).
So here we all are and let us be honest it is all about the food! Life is finally starting to calm down so I can plan on doing just a little more actual cooking. I love doing these meal plans because they bring peace to my life. If you don’t like these recipes you can always look at some more of my recipes at my food blog, Nerd Family Food.
Monday: Quick and Easy Throw Together with leftover steak and broccoli
Tuesday: Chicken Kiev, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Wednesday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine
Thursday: Pork Loin Chops, Broccoli, Beer Bread
Friday: Tilapia, Broccoli Mac and Cheese