Easy Peasy Sufganyiyot for Chanukah

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah, the 8-day Jewish Festival of lights.  Chanukah commemorates the victory of a small band of Jews called Maccabees over the pagan Syrian-Greeks who ruled over Israel. After regaining control of their temple, the Jews went inside to find it dirty and destroyed so the began to to clean it and rededicate it to G-d (in Hebrew, Chanukah means to dedicate). In the Temple, there was an eternal flame that had to stay lit all the time. But when the Jews came into the Temple to light the flame, there was only enough oil to keep it burning for one day. After they lit it, however, a second miracle occurred — the lamp remained lit for eight days until the new oil arrived. This is how Hanukkah became known as the "Festival of Lights." To commemorate this miracle, during Hanukkah Jews light the menorah. We light one candle each night of Hanukkah and give thanks for the miracle of the oil. And we also eat lots of stuff fried in oil.

One of my favorite things to eat are little fried donuts called Sufganyiot. They're yummy to eat but can be tricky to make. I found an easy recipe that's great to do with kids.

Ingredients

• One roll of store-bought biscuit dough
• Canola oil for frying
• A small bowl of sugar, white or powdered
• About 1/2 cup of any red jam 

Step-by-step:

1. Let dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes so that it's easy to roll out.
2. On a floured surface, roll out dough until it's 1/2-inch thick. Cut out 2 1/2- or 3-inch circles.
3. Fill a pot with 2 inches of oil and heat it to 360-375 degrees so it's nice and hot.
4. Fry the dough until each side is a deep brown. test one to make sure they're not doughy in the middle.
5. Transfer donuts to a paper towel, pat off any excess grease, and then coat with sugar.
6. Fill with jam using a squeeze bottle. If the jam is being difficult, warm it for 30 seconds in the microwave.

That's it. Eat up and Happy Chanukah!

Talking to Your Kids About Death

This past week was a tough one for my family. Just after we celebrated her 90th birthday, my grandmother passed away. While she was elderly, it was a bit unexpected to loose her so fast. and of course, as with any similar situation, there were lots of arrangements that had to be made in a short time. This was the first time that my girls had experienced the death of  a close relative. I'm not sure what they expected but they did have lots of questions. At 11 and 13, they were able to understand the concept of death and they were both affected in different ways and had lots of questions. My niece and nephew are younger, 3 and 6, and while they also had lots of questions, I'm not sure they fully understood what was going on.

After the initial shock, there was the question of the funeral. My family had decided on a small graveside service. Then there was the question of having the kids at the service. Both my girls wanted to be there to say good-bye and after much discussion,  it was decided that my nice and nephew would attend too.

In the course of the discussions, I did a bit of research about the different ways young kids understand death. Here's what I found out:

• Young kids are very literal in their understanding of death so it's important to talk about death in very concrete terms, like the body wasn't working anymore and the doctors couldn't fix it.
• Kids may need lots of reminders that death is permanent and that the person won't be coming back.
• Avoid using euphemisms like passed away or "lost" - kids won't understand and may fear getting "lost" themselves.
• Remember that kids have magical thinking and may need lots or reminders that the death wasn't their fault.
• Children process grief in bite-sized chunks, not all at once. And many delay grieving until they feel it's safe to let those feelings out — a process that could take months or even years, depending on how close they were to the one who died.
• Reassure your child that they are safe and talk about ways to stay safe.
• The best way to answer questions to give accurate, simple, clear, and honest explanations about what happened.

In the end, it was helpful, both for the kids in our family and for my parents to have all the kids at the graveside, both young and old. It was a good reminder of the circle of life and it was helpful for my girls to be able to say good-bye. And while my nice and nephew didn't fully understand everything that was going on, they were able to be their typical joyful selves and help those in mourning grieve.

Have you talked to your kids about death? What helped them understand what was going on?

Letters to Santa

By Kamerine I know it's still November but I've been thinking about Christmas. I'm thinking of great gift ideas for friends and family, and making a wish list of my own.

The kids are thinking about Christmas too - as soon as they saw snow falling, they started asking about Christmas. Is it Christmas yet? It's going to be a long month.

A fun tradition is writing a letter to Santa, one that I may start this year with my kids. We've done Christmas lists, where we sit down and ask the kids what they would like for Christmas. We get a mix of things they do actually want, and things that they see when they look around.

But back to letters... I'm happy to tell you that Canada Post has a deal with Santa. Write up your letter to Santa and drop it in any red mailbox around the city, no stamp required. Santa's elves will get your letter to the North Pole.

Use the address below, include your return address, and keep the Christmas spirit alive! To get a response in time, make sure to mail your letter by December 17th.

SANTA CLAUS

NORTH POLE H0H 0H0

CANADA

The Santa letter-writing program is an employee-led volunteer program where current and past employees volunteer their time. It encourages children to read and write letters, and helps teach them about the postal system. For more information visit the Canada Post website or contact Media Relations at 613 734-8888 or email medias@canadapost.ca.

Setting Social Media Limits for Older Kids

Teaching your kids to navigate in today’s digital world is getting tougher and tougher. Kids, at least my kids, are becoming more and more tech savvy. While it was easy when my kids were little to completely monitor their online usage – how often they were online and where they went, as my girls grow into teenagers, I must admit it’s getting harder and harder. We have rules in our house about using social media. I know the passwords to every account they have. The computers are in a main area of the house and we talk about online safety all the time. It’s still hard to know where they go. My eldest doesn't need her computer to go online, she now has her phone. And it isn't really a matter of policing their accounts all the time – social platforms like SnapChat immediately delete their messages. In fact, I could delete my daughter’s email account and it wouldn't phase her at all. There are so many ways to connect with her friends.

The main things I try to stress is that what goes online, stays online. Forever. And Ever. And even longer than that. But even this is tricky because while my daughter always needs her friends’ permission to post a picture of them online, sometimes pictures of her with her friends are posted without her consent. That becomes a problem sometimes.

I definitely don’t believe in banning social media use. If I do, she’ll likely go online elsewhere and besides, I think that if she becomes knowledgeable of all the consequences, both positive and negative, it will help her as she grows to learn to use the Internet responsibly.

I try to keep the lines of communications open. I ask lots of questions and try to answer all of hers. I try to keep an open mind and be very calm and non-judgmental because I always want her to be able to come to me with questions or concern. I try but it is hard sometimes.

What are your house rules about using social media? Is it changing as your kids get older?

211: Helping You Find the Answers You Need!

Did you know that in Ottawa, there is a number parents can call to find out about the different community resources that are out there? Until it was pointed out to me, I had no idea. In order to access it, you just call 211. With information on more than 56,000 agencies and services, 211 Ontario can help you find the answers you need, quickly and easily. Their phone service is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and is available in more than 150 languages. When you dial the 211 hotline, you are connected with a Certified Information and Referral Specialist who has been trained to assess your needs, answer your questions accurately, and advise you about the services and programs that are best for you and your loved ones.

Here's some info about 211 - an amazing community resource too few people know about.

• 211 is the 911 for people's every day quiet emergencies.
• 211 has been in place for 5 years in Ottawa.
• 200,000 calls answered since then.
• Expanded to Eastern Ontario in 2011.
• Now available across all of Ontario, 24/7/365 in 150 languages!
• For families and moms, it's the place to call to get connected to breastfeeding support, daycare options, chess clubs, day camps, March Break camps, special needs activities, and so much more.
• For women in the sandwich generation, it's the place to call to get help for a parent who may have Alzheimer, a senior who may need non-emergency medical transportation, home care help, etc.
• You name it, they will connect you to it.

Have you ever called 211? We'd love to hear your experiences!