Sunday, January 9, 2011

How to make Indian Chapati Recipe

-: Given below Ingredients of Indian Chapati Recipe :-



  • 2 cups Wheat Flour (Gehun ka Atta)
  • Water as per requirement


Indian Chapati

-: Given below Information to make Indian Chapati Recipe :-



  • Knead soft dough with above ingredients.
  • Leave it for atleast 30 minutes.
  • Break off to a table tennis - ball sized (even smaller) bit of dough.
  • Roll with help of dry flour to a thin round.
  • Roll as thin as possible.
  • Heat tawa and place phulka on it.
  • When dry on one side, turn it.
  • When brown spots appear on second side, turn again.
  • Use a kitchen towel and lightly press the phulka, rotating at same time, it will puff.
  • Make as crisp as desired.
  • Serve hot


-: Given below Video to make Indian Chapati Recipe :-



How to make Indian Chapati Recipe

-: Given below Ingredients of Indian Chapati Recipe :-



  • 2 cups Wheat Flour (Gehun ka Atta)
  • Water as per requirement


Indian Chapati

-: Given below Information to make Indian Chapati Recipe :-



  • Knead soft dough with above ingredients.
  • Leave it for atleast 30 minutes.
  • Break off to a table tennis - ball sized (even smaller) bit of dough.
  • Roll with help of dry flour to a thin round.
  • Roll as thin as possible.
  • Heat tawa and place phulka on it.
  • When dry on one side, turn it.
  • When brown spots appear on second side, turn again.
  • Use a kitchen towel and lightly press the phulka, rotating at same time, it will puff.
  • Make as crisp as desired.
  • Serve hot


-: Given below Video to make Indian Chapati Recipe :-



Make Cabbage Soup Recipe yourself

-: Cabbage Soup Recipe :-



=> 6 large green onions
=> 2 green peppers
=> 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
=> 3 Carrots
=> 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
=> 1 bunch of celery
=> 1 half a head of cabbage
=> 1 package Lipton soup mix
=> 1 or 2 cubs of bouillon (optional)
=> 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
=> Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Cabbage Soup Diet

-: Directions :-



Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.
Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.
Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.
Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.
Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot.
If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.
You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need.
Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time - two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cabbage Soup Diet

-: Important Information about Health :-



The Cabbage Soup Diet is packed with nutritious vegetables and fruit, and is extremely low in fat. Many people say it's the best rapid weight-loss program around.

However, you should only go on this diet for one week at a time, then resume your normal eating for at least two weeks. The cabbage soup diet is too low in complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals to continue for longer than this.

Furthermore, this diet is only recommended for adults. The Cabbage Soup Diet is definitely not suitable for children and adolescents.


-: Given below Directions of Cabbage Soup Diet video :-



Make Cabbage Soup Recipe yourself

-: Cabbage Soup Recipe :-



=> 6 large green onions
=> 2 green peppers
=> 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
=> 3 Carrots
=> 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
=> 1 bunch of celery
=> 1 half a head of cabbage
=> 1 package Lipton soup mix
=> 1 or 2 cubs of bouillon (optional)
=> 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
=> Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Cabbage Soup Diet

-: Directions :-



Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.
Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.
Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.
Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.
Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot.
If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.
You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need.
Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time - two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cabbage Soup Diet

-: Important Information about Health :-



The Cabbage Soup Diet is packed with nutritious vegetables and fruit, and is extremely low in fat. Many people say it's the best rapid weight-loss program around.

However, you should only go on this diet for one week at a time, then resume your normal eating for at least two weeks. The cabbage soup diet is too low in complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals to continue for longer than this.

Furthermore, this diet is only recommended for adults. The Cabbage Soup Diet is definitely not suitable for children and adolescents.


-: Given below Directions of Cabbage Soup Diet video :-



Healthy Option Cheeseburger and Fries


The concept of a cheeseburger and fries is hardly something which generally inspires thoughts of healthy eating. It is, in fact, usually one of the first things which those who promote healthy eating will encourage you to avoid. This recipe for a cheeseburger and fries is, however, very different from the conventional. The burger is made of pure beef, the cheese is cottage cheese, the roll is fresh bread and not a burger bun and the fries are prepared from scratch in a very simple fashion. Try this recipe out on your family to allow them to enjoy all the taste of burgers and fries in a healthy and nourishing form.

Ingredients for Four People

1lb minced (ground) beef
4 soft bread rolls
2 large potatoes
2 tbsp low fat cottage cheese
4 slices of beef tomato
8 small lettuce leaves
2" cucumber
Salt and black pepper

Method

The first step is to start on the fries, as they are prepared in three stages. Although it is not necessary to follow this method, the results are more than worth the effort, where time permits.

The potatoes should be peeled, sliced and chopped in to the shape of French fries. They should then be placed in to a pan of cold water and placed on to a high heat until the water starts to boil. The heat should be reduced and the fries simmered for five minutes only. They should then be very carefully drained - so as not to break them - and returned to the pot with more cold water in order to cool them. When they are cool, they should be drained again, placed in a plastic dish with a lid and in to the refrigerator for at least an hour.


The cucumber cheese can then be prepared. The cucumber piece should be halved down through the centre. The seeds should be scooped out with a teaspoon before the cucumber is finely diced and stirred through the cottage cheese in a bowl. Clingfilm should be placed over the bowl and it should be placed in the refrigerator until it is needed.


The fries require to be fried twice. It is imperative, however, that when they are removed from the refrigerator prior to their first fry that they be dried in a clean tea towel. This should be done carefully and they should be patted dry rather than rubbed. They should then be fried at a medium heat for around five minutes until they only just begin to colour. They should be drained on kitchen paper, covered and allowed to cool before being returned to the refrigerator for a further hour.


This is probably the simplest recipe you will ever find for beefburgers. It is pure minced (ground) beef and nothing more, other than salt and black pepper for seasoning. The beef should be placed in to a bowl, seasoned and mixed thoroughly by hand to ensure even distribution of the seasoning. The mixture should then be split in to four even portions and rolled in to balls. They should be patted between the palms of the hands to form burger patties. A little sunflower oil should be heated in a non-stick frying pan and the patties added to fry on a medium heat for eight to ten minutes each side.

Note that it is vital to leave the patties alone as they are frying. Do not press them down with a spatula as is so often depicted in cookery. What you are doing, essentially, is pressing the juice out of the burgers and causing them to be dry and tough when cooked.


The lettuce leaves should be washed and dried. The tomato should be sliced to about the thickness of 1/4". The bread rolls should be sliced in half and the lettuce added, followed by the tomato.



When the burgers have been turned, the fries can be given their second and final fry. They should at this stage be fried at a fairly high temperature, for around five minutes, until beautifully golden brown. They should then be drained on fresh kitchen towel before being added to the plates.

The burgers should be placed on the bread rolls and topped off with the cucumber cottage cheese.

Apple Walnut Jumble

Here is a fast and tasty snack/dessert.

Core a good organic apple..apples should be crisp and have a bright taste. Slice and cut up into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon break into it 3 walnut halves..that is 6 grams of fat!! good fat though loaded with Omega 3's
finally add 3 tablespoons of multigrain cheerios. Sometimes I mix in a teaspoon of ground flax seed to add more omega's and make it even better for lowering cholesterol.

Mix all together and enjoy!

Apple Walnut Jumble

Here is a fast and tasty snack/dessert.

Core a good organic apple..apples should be crisp and have a bright taste. Slice and cut up into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon break into it 3 walnut halves..that is 6 grams of fat!! good fat though loaded with Omega 3's
finally add 3 tablespoons of multigrain cheerios. Sometimes I mix in a teaspoon of ground flax seed to add more omega's and make it even better for lowering cholesterol.

Mix all together and enjoy!

Pan Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

This a quick and delicious idea. With a damp mushroom brush, a soft bristle brush somewhat like a complexion brush, brush off the surfaces of the mushrooms..Don't soak in water..just wipe ..you can use a dampened kitchen towel too. Then put a little olive oil on your hands and rub over the surfaces top and bottom. Next, find a cast iron pan with a cover and  that will hold the portobellos in one layer. Wipe the pan with a little oil..a paper towel will do the trick to wipe oil on the surface yet sop up excess so it is not in the food. Chop a large clove of garlic and sprinkle on the surface of the pan and over the tops of the mushrooms which should be placed in the pan, add a pinch of salt. Cover and cook low heat, turning every now and again. The mushrooms are done when there is mushroom juice in the pan and it looks cooked thru..you can cut one if you are uncertain. One Mushroom Cap will be a good starter or alternatively can be put into other dishes as a side or an ingredient. The cooking time is about 15 minutes or a bit more.

Pan Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

This a quick and delicious idea. With a damp mushroom brush, a soft bristle brush somewhat like a complexion brush, brush off the surfaces of the mushrooms..Don't soak in water..just wipe ..you can use a dampened kitchen towel too. Then put a little olive oil on your hands and rub over the surfaces top and bottom. Next, find a cast iron pan with a cover and  that will hold the portobellos in one layer. Wipe the pan with a little oil..a paper towel will do the trick to wipe oil on the surface yet sop up excess so it is not in the food. Chop a large clove of garlic and sprinkle on the surface of the pan and over the tops of the mushrooms which should be placed in the pan, add a pinch of salt. Cover and cook low heat, turning every now and again. The mushrooms are done when there is mushroom juice in the pan and it looks cooked thru..you can cut one if you are uncertain. One Mushroom Cap will be a good starter or alternatively can be put into other dishes as a side or an ingredient. The cooking time is about 15 minutes or a bit more.

Quick Tomato Sauce for Pasta or Spaghetti Squash

In a small pot combine one cup of (sugar free) tomato sauce, 3 or more smashed garlic cloves, one teaspoon olive oil, scant salt and some ground pepper. Cook low simmer. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste. This sauce is best without the addition of cheese as the spicy quality is dumbed down by the addition of cheese.

Quick Tomato Sauce for Pasta or Spaghetti Squash

In a small pot combine one cup of (sugar free) tomato sauce, 3 or more smashed garlic cloves, one teaspoon olive oil, scant salt and some ground pepper. Cook low simmer. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste. This sauce is best without the addition of cheese as the spicy quality is dumbed down by the addition of cheese.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is very good and a low calorie substitute for pasta. It  can be sauced just the same as pasta. It is easy to cook and at 42 calories a cup vrey diet friendly.
Here is the rest of the nutritional data on spaghetti squash:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2655/2

To prepare:

Slice a squash in half. You will need a big heavy knife and some muscle power..they are hard on the exterior..I actually used a rubber mallet to get my knife through it today.


With a spoon scrape out the seeds. Then in a cast iron pan large enough or casserole grease lightly the pan and the cut surface with a small quantity of olive oil...just to keep it from sticking. Then place cut side down in the bottom of the pan and cover. Put into a pre-heated oven 350 degrees. It is done when the shell is pierced with a large cooking fork and the flesh is tender and soft. Using tongs or a fork take the squash from the pan..Holding with oven mitts you can then scrape out the strings of squash with a dinner fork into a bowl. I use a quarter of a small squash for a serving..about a cup and today made a simple tomato sauce which will appear in the next post.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is very good and a low calorie substitute for pasta. It  can be sauced just the same as pasta. It is easy to cook and at 42 calories a cup vrey diet friendly.
Here is the rest of the nutritional data on spaghetti squash:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2655/2

To prepare:

Slice a squash in half. You will need a big heavy knife and some muscle power..they are hard on the exterior..I actually used a rubber mallet to get my knife through it today.


With a spoon scrape out the seeds. Then in a cast iron pan large enough or casserole grease lightly the pan and the cut surface with a small quantity of olive oil...just to keep it from sticking. Then place cut side down in the bottom of the pan and cover. Put into a pre-heated oven 350 degrees. It is done when the shell is pierced with a large cooking fork and the flesh is tender and soft. Using tongs or a fork take the squash from the pan..Holding with oven mitts you can then scrape out the strings of squash with a dinner fork into a bowl. I use a quarter of a small squash for a serving..about a cup and today made a simple tomato sauce which will appear in the next post.

Random Photos

Here are a couple random photos uploaded with my phone, you can tell because the quality totally blows.


Cuddles with my best friend. Apparently her best friend is her stuffed flea.


Pissed.


This is the most AMAZING jewelry holder thing I've ever found. It was at ROSS for $14!
It's about 3ft tall and can hold a butt-load of earrings. Most that you see are earrings that I've made myself. I hung the figure right above my dresser so now its a functional piece of art!


A close up. I dressed her up with a belt, and fringe on her dress with my earrings. Oh and my hair clip flower for her broach, she's so hot.

Unwinding...




When I get into bed it is such an experience!  Wow.  
That could be really mis-interpreted.  
What I mean is, I love everything about cozying up for the night and unwinding from the day's grueling work.  
I do pay special attention to my sheets and bedding.  I am overly fond of my pillows.  If the bed hasn't been made in the morning, it just isn't the same experience getting into it at night.  
Undoing a made bed is filled with mysterious pleasure for me.  A pleasure my husband will just never understand as he watches me fuss over every detail when he helps to make the bed.


I do recall that I had this bedtime cozying, arranging and fussing over the bedding ever since childhood.  
I vividly recall crawling into my childhood bed, carefully arranging my bedding just right, and then strategically placing each one of my MANY stuffed animals all around me.  
Even around my head.  
After this ritual experience, I was relaxed and ready for sweet dreams.


This bedtime fetish extends to what is on my bedside table as well.  
Everything on the bedside table must represent mind altering relaxation activities.  
No school papers, no financial papers, no must-do items of any sort.  


Right now, I have several of these "unwinding" objects right by my bedside.  
For Christmas, I received two wonderful cookbooks.  
"The French Country Table" by Laura Washburn and "Artisan Breads Every Day" by Peter Reinhart".  
Even if I don't have the time to gently shuffle through the pages of scrumptious recipes, just a mere longing glance at them resting beside me can unwind the pace of the day.  


I wonder how many of us out there have such routine happenings throughout the day that are often subconscious almost but missed when traveling or skipped.

2010 --- friends, buddies, dudes.

assalamualaikum. hye selamat malam, sakit mental aku baru pas tgk AJL. cett. cam hampeh je semuanye. i mean like, semuanye lah. cam hambar, but yar, i know everyone did a hard work. eceh, cam aku producer je. pftt. so malam ni, overall rewind balik ttg 2010.

2010, aku paling touching open house aku la. ramai gileeee datang, and yg aku touching terharu sbb kawan2 aku ramai dtg. selalunye muke kwn2 mama abah je. ni kwn2 aku pun ramai gile, mmg pergh, tak terlayan n serba salah ak rase. tp aku happy gle die org dtg. those yg cam ak ingt ta dtg, pun dtg. mmg thank you sesgt sgtlahhh korang! :)

friends, buddies, dudes. korang je la aku ade. dah sape lg instead of fmly, bf, enemies? haha. so sape2 yg gedik2, pastu rase x nak kwn dgn aku, nk kate ak poyo, kampung or bajet bandar, blh blahhh. sbb ble ko bla x de la aku sakit hati pk. ramai lg kawan aku ade. alhamdulilah ;')




family BFF aku pun dtg rumah buat pertame kalinye. dah 9 tahun kawan, baru dtg!
balik2 aku gi rumah die. nasib bek lah kawan bek, kalu tak, merajuk da. HAHA
and aku happy adek die skeee mkn muffin aku :) thank you awak!


auntie as ni jiran lame aku. time aku duk sarawak, skola rendah. die jmpe aku dkt FB.
then die add aku, aku pun cam over excited n ajak die dtg rumah. dulu aku besar anak die.
sekarang aku da besar drpd die. cuma aku tak kawin lg. haha. :)


ini lagi la aku terharu gak. abg kodok + abg chot. die org ni STAFF BERNAMA. perghh.
aku budak praktikal je an, so ble studio director + production assistant dtg, mmg terharu la.
die org ni la antare yg friendly and ta de buli korang kejam2, anggap cam member je :)


kengkawan kolej aku termasuk lecturer + tutor okayyy!!! gile ah. excited aku :)
walaupun cam sedih jgk nora, salghee, ta dpt dtg. tskk.


kawan Melawati pun ade. huaaaaaaa. syiok2 banyak sekolah ni. thee.


ini kawan-kawan yg aku baru kenal tahun 2010. ni kumpulan gf-gf la. haha.
walaupun jarang jmpe, tp kte org kepoh je dkt FB as - PBB (persatuan bini-bini) HAHA
yg kiri skali ni da nak kawin weyh bulan 2 nih! alhamdulilah :)


kawan MRSM. pergh yg ni lg aku ta sangke dtg esp ainaa & ili!!!! skeee gleee.
walaupun geng d12 aku sorang pun ta de. tskkk. ta pe. ape pun thank you korang!


haha. ni nora. kte org jmpe ni pun pas bape lame x jmpe kot.
name je 1 kolej. tp masing2 lain2 bidang, so bz & timing tak same la. thank u 4 eberything!


ha ni lah geng d12 MRSM tuh tp mmg kte org tak penah cukup gather sume 12 org.
sorang dkt Russia, NZ, aussie, Tganu, Penang, Perak, JB, Seremban. tskk.
but die org je lah sebab aku bertahan dkt hostel dlu :)


naiya & finaz. naiya dgn rumah aku dkt je, tapi pun jarang jmpe. tskkk.
finaz lagi jarang so ble die blk mlysia mesti aku tdow umah die! :)
die org ni paling baik dlm d12. cam untung gle if korang dpt bini cam die org!


kolej plak, aku happy sbb geng RED WHITE STUDIO aku nih bolot 9 dr 10 piala time FYP.
FYP -final year project. bape kte org habis? ade lah lebih 5K tak silap utk short film.
tapi, korang tak tahu ssh payah kte org papa kedane. hahahaha. tp tu semua suwettt :)


ni plak time VIVA memule awal tahun 2010 utk short film jgk. 1st time aku pakai dress.
and ade jgk shit happened that night, but skrng aku happy dgn shit tuh. ade hikmahnye~


bowling college. - DONT RABA RABA group. cam hape je bunyi kan, hahahahahaha.
tp menang gak. wakakaka. happy :)


and kawan aku yg cute-mute ni kawin, aku happy gileeee utk die.
die org sesame belajar dkt aussie :)


well banyak lagi actually. kawan-kawan aku. mmg sume gegile. ingat muke aku innocent, aku kawan dgn org bebaik je ke? haha. aku kawan dgn sume org yg hati baik, tak kisahlah luaran or perangai die camne. lain org lain care.

open minded, nasihat ape yg patut, contohi ape yg elok. relax sudeh. just, i really wanna thank you for everyone yg sudi jd kawan aku & terima aku seadanya & tlg ingatkan aku bile aku salah, bile aku lupe, bile aku riak, bile aku tak waras. thank you soooooooo much.

may all of u have a good life, this year and all ur life. take care. i love you!


p/s: 77 - 1st time tgk dkt FB, terus suke tgk berkali-kali senyap senyap. "cantiknye die". gf kpd bf pnye friend. hah. and then cam kenal2, ske bace blog die, and die gile2 tp gune rasional. plg best die pun sempoi, and pelik cam aku. baik, then, die cam think before u talk, a lil bit matured, and selalu ingtkan aku dekat tuhan. nice to know u. :)

Recipe of the Week

Time to share your favorite recipe with us this week! Please be sure to include a Recipe of the Week button in your post! Also make sure you link up your recipe below. This is not a regular blog hop, your post must include a recipe and be linked back to Golden Reflections. All other links will be deleted from the list. The link up will be open until Tuesday night at 11:59pm.

I am sharing a new recipe that I tried last week, which was given to me by a friend at church. It is a vegetarian meatloaf, my hubby actually said he liked this one the best of all the vegetarian meatloaf recipes I have tried.

Meatless Loaf

12 oz. bag of Morningstar Farms beef style Crumbles
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tb. dried parsley flakes (I had fresh, so I used fresh ones)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped
1/2 chopped celery
1 Tb cooking oil
1/2 cup ketchup

In a mixing bowl, combine Morningstar Farms Crumbles, eggs, parsley, Italian seasoning, and bread crumbs.
In a small saucepan cook onions and celery in oil until tender. Add to the crumble mixture, mixing until thoroughly combined. Press into an 8 x 4 x 2 - inch loaf pan, generously coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Spread ketchup over loaf. Bake another 15 minutes or until set.



Spicy Saute Shrimp (Udang Bumbu Pedas)

Spicy Saute Shrimp

2 lbs medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium red chilies (sliced)
1 medium shallot (sliced)
1 garlic clove (sliced)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (dissolved in water)
1/4 cup water
1/2 inch gingerroot (sliced)
1 teaspoon salt
1 small tomato (chopped)
steamed rice (to serve)

Saute shrimp in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat for 2 minutes, then set aside.

In small food processor, blend shallot, garlic, chiles, sugar, tamarind liquid, ginger, salt and tomato to form a paste.

Heat remaining oil in pan, then stir-fry paste over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add shrimp, cook 2 minutes more.

Serve warm.

Spicy Saute Shrimp (Udang Bumbu Pedas)

Spicy Saute Shrimp

2 lbs medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium red chilies (sliced)
1 medium shallot (sliced)
1 garlic clove (sliced)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (dissolved in water)
1/4 cup water
1/2 inch gingerroot (sliced)
1 teaspoon salt
1 small tomato (chopped)
steamed rice (to serve)

Saute shrimp in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat for 2 minutes, then set aside.

In small food processor, blend shallot, garlic, chiles, sugar, tamarind liquid, ginger, salt and tomato to form a paste.

Heat remaining oil in pan, then stir-fry paste over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add shrimp, cook 2 minutes more.

Serve warm.

On Chinese Parenting

Amy Chua has a very provocative article today in the WSJ posting that Chinese parents are superior to Western parents. To me, there are some good parts...
What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence.
... and some not-so-good parts.
A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
  • attend a sleepover
  • have a playdate
  • be in a school play
  • complain about not being in a school play
  • watch TV or play computer games
  • choose their own extracurricular activities
  • get any grade less than an A
  • not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
  • play any instrument other than the piano or violin
  • not play the piano or violin
My daughter is just now starting to turn the corner in soccer. When we work out, she understands why she needs to work on a particular part of her game and she works harder and wants to stay at it longer than I do. She's showing the attitude and tenacity she needs to reach her goal which is to play on a high school team. However, she chose soccer, not me. I let her choose her passion, but I'm not letting her be mediocre at it and not letting her quit. I'm particularly happy that she chose something that helps her have a better social life - one where she does something as a group with other girls her own age.

Pushing her to do well in soccer has been difficult enough. I've had to drive home the concept that Amy Chua makes above about success leading to fun, but I tried to do it so she would get to the point where she chose to practice. I can't imagine how hard this task would be if I had forced her into something she didn't want to do or didn't have the talent to do.

Screw this. I'm going to Vegas with my daughter's soccer team to watch them in the Silver State Tournament. Party on!

In the end, I want her to know how to make her own choices, do what she loves, but not accept mediocrity. I'm not sure I can get there with Amy Chua's techniques.

The Pampered Chef Recipe Collection Giveaway Winner

And the winner is....

#7 via random.org


Mommy D said...7 
Follow via google Friend Connect dinellh(@)comcast.net 
January 4, 2011 11:03 PM