by Dalia Guerra

    Holiday dinners should not be full of stress, but instead should be a happy time to spend with family and sharing moments to create memories.  I will share a few tips on how to have a not so stressful holiday dinner.  To prepare for my Thanksgiving dinner I had to come up with a plan and make that plan work for me.   I had to plan for ‘surprises’, for example a burnt casserole and make a schedule for the preparation days.  Three weeks before my dinner I made a list of every ingredient I would need for every dish I was serving and if I was doubling the recipe I would double the count of what I needed.  The second thing I did was split that list and make another two lists.  One was for the ingredients I needed that I could buy ahead of time, the nonperishable foods, and the other one was of the ingredients I had to buy fresh.  I checked to see if I had any of the nonperishable foods in my pantry and checked off what I had.  Next, I bought all the foods on the nonperishable list.  If anything was out of stock I would put it on the other list to get later.  The good thing about making a holiday dinner 5 days earlier is that you are more than likely to find everything you need than if you waited until 1 or 2 days before to buy what you need.  I also bought the foil pans for the side dishes and casseroles ahead of time.

      One week before the dinner I made a schedule of the times I would need to cook every dish and also made a schedule for the day before.  I estimated the cooking time of the dish and cooked the foods that took the longest first of course, i.e. the turkey.  The day before the dinner I bought the things I needed on the list and then I decided that the desserts I was making could be prepared a day before so I made those.  I also cut up the vegetables I was putting in the stuffing and baked the corn bread.  I put everything in the fridge until the next day.  That was pretty much it for that day.  

      On the day of the dinner I sautéed the cut up mixture of vegetables and made the stuffing.  I put the turkey in at 8:30 am.  I made breakfast for the kids and the prepared for the day.  I had the whole day to prepare for the 7 pm dinner time.  I made the two casseroles and placed them in the refrigerator along with the ham until it was time to bake them.  I cut up the potatoes and put them in the pot of water on the stove but didn’t boil them until about 40 minutes before dinner time.  The two casseroles and ham took 45 minutes to bake so I baked them an hour and a half before dinner time and by then the turkey was done.   Last but not least, I baked the dinner rolls 10 minutes before sitting down to eat so they were hot and fresh.  By being this prepared it worked out perfectly.  I was able to spend time with the kids and even rest up a bit.  My mother always made a Thanksgiving lunch and we are 10 in the family, plus the children so it was a big gathering.  It was stressful for my mother, even though we helped her prepare the food and made sure to have everything done by noon.  My mom would start at 3 or 4 in the morning of Thanksgiving Day.  She stood back and watched me prepare Thanksgiving dinner this year and said she doesn’t know why she didn’t think of ever doing a dinner rather than a lunch. 

    Holiday Blues is something almost everyone goes through during the holiday season and we don’t look forward to the planning and preparation for meals, shopping, traveling, making sure everything is in place up to the last detail.  We don’t have to dread the holidays if we are prepared for it.   I have learned every year different ways on how to simplify and lower the stress during the holidays when it comes to the meal planning and preparation.  First and foremost, family is the most important thing during the holidays and being with family makes the holidays more special so it doesn’t matter what you eat.  The second thing I learned is to buy the groceries in advance, about 3 weeks for nonperishable foods.  You will avoid long lines at the checkout and will not run into the problem of the store being out of stock.  The last thing I learned about the holidays is to prepare dishes ahead of time so that there is not a time crunch on trying to get everything done at the same time.  Desserts can usually be prepared the day before.  You can make side dishes ahead of time, maybe a day before too, and put them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.   I will host my second Thanksgiving dinner this year and have decided to do a dinner and not a lunch.  This will help lessen the stress of having everything ready by noon.   The holiday blues can make us forget about the important things during the holiday.  Family is what really matters so don’t stress about getting the perfect gift for a 2 year old, or if the center piece on the table matches the table cloth.  Holidays shouldn’t be stressful.  Eat, laugh, and love this holiday season.

    All parents want their children to be awesome and learn the most they can and be the smartest baby ever.  They also want to be the person who teaches them these awesome things.  Many parents work and worry about leaving their child with a stranger to watch over their bundle of joy.  I have come across many child care centers during my time as a parent and all I can say is there is not a better child care center I have seen than the Marc Cisneros Center for Young Children (MCCYC) in my town. 
    “The Marc Cisneros Center for Young Children (MCCYC) is the laboratory in which students observe and gain practical experience in working with young children and their parents. It is located on the Texas A&M University-Kingsville campus and was established in 1941. It meets the needs of 54 children aged three months through five years. Two fenced playgrounds provide a large assortment of play structures and equipment, shade and sun areas, and open play space. Learning centers are provided in each room to stimulate and encourage exploration and discovery. The philosophy that young children learn through creative play is evident in planned activities that enhance the children's emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development”.(http://www.tamuk.edu/cyc/index.html) 
    “Marc Cisneros Center for Young Children Philosophy is that it provides a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, emotional, and cognitive development of young children while responding to the needs of their families. The program is designed to be developmentally appropriate. The concept, developmental appropriateness, includes both age and individual appropriateness. Teachers use knowledge about age appropriateness to identify the range of behaviors, activities, and materials for a specific age group. This knowledge is used in conjunction with the understanding about individual children's growth patterns, strengths, interests, and experiences (individual appropriateness) to design the most appropriate learning environment. Children's play is essential for growth. Play serves important functions in cognitive development, as well as in children's physical, emotional, and social development. Child-initiated, child-directed, teacher-supported play is an essential part of the MCCYC program”. (http://www.tamuk.edu/cyc/index.html)

    The center is divided into 4 classrooms and are named after sea animals.  The Guppies, ages 3-24 months, are called guppies because of the obvious; they are babies that require help for their basic needs. The sharks, ages 2-3 years, are called sharks because at this age they tend to bite.  The dolphin room, potty trained 3 & 4 year olds, are dolphins because they are not quite big kids.  The Whale Room, ages 4-6 years old, are the preschool children and are the oldest.  Each room was designed with an observation room so that students can complete their required observation lab hours for their courses and for parents to go in and observe their little one and the interaction between teacher and child and their daily surroundings. The teacher doesn’t have to know you are there which is important to us parents.  There are 6 master teachers, 19 student workers, Director Lisa Turcotte who has served as director for 31 years, a training coordinator, a receptionist, and a cook. The student workers have 4 hour shifts that accommodate their school schedules.  All master teachers and student workers are required to have numerous hours of training and they attend training conferences all over Texas.

    The ‘CYC’ hosts annual events to raise money to purchase what they need to continue to help make an awesome learning experience.  They host an Annual Fajita Fundraiser on the centers grounds and is held in the Spring semester.  People who purchase a ticket enjoy a fajita plate, kids moonwalk, mariachi, pony ride, face painting, silent auction of the artwork, and access to the two playgrounds. On September 29, 2012 the CYC hosted their 1st Annual Walking Feet, Healthy Hearts 5K Walk/Run.  Its' founders are Sharks Master Teacher Brenda Aceves and Master Teacher Monica Garcia. The photo to the right is of all contestants in attendance.  CYC also hosts an Annual Play Day (free) and invites all child care centers in town to come out and enjoy a day full of fun at the Javelina football field.   
    I have done observations required for some of my courses and have seen the interaction between teachers and children and the children with each other.  All the rooms are filled with bright colors, educational and age appropriate tools and activities that help them self explore and learn. This is an amazing center for young children.  My experience with the center is personal because my two children attended CYC.  My daughter attended until she was 5 and my son is currently attending. My son is 4 years old and came home the other day counting by 2’s and 3’s.  It is amazing to me the things he and my daughter have learned.  You want to get on the list as soon as possible because the typical waiting period is two years! Don’t hesitate to do so the moment you know you are pregnant.