The Innovative Dad
A psychologist’s blog about raising and educating children through the lens innovation.
Happy, Happy Birthday!: Menu Plan – Week of 11/7
We had a birthday in the house for one of my kids and part of our family tradition is getting to pick the menu for Shabbat dinner. Naturally, I forgot about this when planning last week, so Friday night dinner quickly became Shabbat lunch. On the flip side, I'm...
Put on Your Oxygen Mask: Calming Yourself to Calm Your Child
When I flew for the first time with my oldest, I remember hearing the flight attendant give his shpiel and reminding those of us traveling with young children to put on our oxygen masks first before our child. This struck me as odd. I did everything for my daughter...
Pizza Quiche
This is an old family favorite. It's a yummy mixture of eggs, cheese, and tomato sauce. The bonus is that you can prep it in advance and freeze it. 1 cooked pie shell 1 cup Italian Sauce 3 eggs 2 T white wine 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese ¾ cup milk pinch sugar,...
Trick or Treat: Menu Plan – Week of 10/31
I wish I could tell you that I had an amazing trick-or-treat-oriented menu but I just don't. Mostly because the theme of dessert for the rest of the week is going to be dolling out pieces of candy collected during trick or treat on Sunday evening. There, of course,...
7 Cooperative Board Games to Try for Family Game Night
I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think that I can ever play another round of Candy Land. The game has its merits, like being a great way to introduce your preschooler to taking turns and gameplay, but at its core, it is a pure game of chance involving...
Themes for Dinner: Menu Plan – Week of 10/24
When I get stuck putting the menu together each week, I'll often start thinking about themes. Just like themes help writing (shout out to my English teacher friends out there), themes for your menu can help you find a central idea or cuisine to help you wrap your menu...
Book Review: I Have a Question about Cancer
Cancer is the hardest thing that I have ever needed to explain to my kids. Probably because we struggle to understand it ourselves. The truth is that I have a hard time understanding it myself. Despite a million amazing advances in cancer care and treatment (which I...
Kids in the Kitchen: Menu Plan – Week of 10/17
My best cooking weeks (from a parenting perspective) is when I can get the kids in the kitchen to help out. For me, this has always been tricky. I like cooking and it creates an escape for me from the other areas of life where I have less control and instant...
Lessons Learned: More on Hacking and Packing the School Lunch
With the school year underway, it's time to talk about the school lunch again. One unanticipated benefit of virtual learning was the reduction of stress around lunch. Generally, the kids had enough time to heat something up in the microwave, make a sandwich, or even...