Mom as Teacher, Fiesta Potato Salad, and the Cutest Ladybug Bouncy Ball

Activity classes for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers can no doubt offer many wonderful things, including new skills, socialization, and new scenery, but I've been getting the impression that moms are beginning to believe that without these classes their child will suffer.

I beg to differ.

If mom's are willing to do a little leg work and tap into their own creativity, which is tremendously fun to do anyway, they will no doubt create a better music, art, or dance class than any teacher can. And that brings up another thing: when we become mothers, we also become teachers, so the sooner we start playing the role of creative educator, the better we'll be at it, which will play a huge part in ensuring that our children grow up to be intelligent and thoughtful human beings.

Recipe:

Mexican Fiesta Potato Salad

If you love a great potato salad, but don't care much for mayonnaise, this is a wonderful alternative that offers abundant color and flavor. It is adapted from The Potato Harvest Cookbook. The most important change I made was the call for organic potatoes and bell peppers, as they are both on the dirty dozen.

Ingredients
4 medium organic potatoes

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1-2 Anaheim chiles, minced

½ medium organic red bell pepper, diced

½ medium organic green bell pepper, diced

½ cup finely chopped red onions

2-4 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lime Juice Vinaigrette

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup olive oil

½ tsp. ground coriander seeds

½ tsp. ground cumin

1) In a large pot, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, make vinaigrette by
 whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl.

2) When potatoes are tender, drain and cool. Then peel and cut them into ½ inch to ¾ inch cubes.

3) Cook the corn 2-3 minutes, drain, and refresh under cold running water. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and corn, then mix in the vinaigrette. Add the chiles, peppers, onions, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Product:

Crocodile Creek Playground Ball

Balls are one of the simple toys and joys of life. Bounce them, kick them, throw them. No matter what you do it's all good! Now you can make it even more fun with a cheery print to join in on the mayhem. Along with the ladybug print, Crocodile Creek also offers hearts, dots, flowers, robots, and more.


"Nothing speaks more loudly to a child than a good parent's quiet example" -Life's Little Treasure Book On Parenting