February 2017 Volume 10 Issue 2

Welcome to the month of love! This is a perfect time to send new families our way as

we have five new Home Visitors ready to enroll prenatal to age three families. Lilliana,

Sarah, Sheree, Lauren, and Lori have been trained by the Parents As Teachers program

and have lots of love and support to share. If you are wondering how to make your

Home Visitor's Valentine's Day special, leave me a message on my phone at 815-927-

5492 telling me what you love about working with them. I would enjoy giving them

some amazing feedback! Sending hugs to you all in February.

Christine Says...

All About Your Heart

Knowledge about your heart rate can help you monitor your overall health.

Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute.

Normal heart rates can vary from person to person.

The best places to find your pulse are: the wrists, inside of your elbow, side of your

neck, or top of the foot.

To get the most accurate reading of your heart rate, put your finger over your pulse and

count the number of beats in 60 seconds.

Your resting heart rate (when you are calm & relaxed) will likely be somewhere be-

tween 60 to 100 beats per minute. That means that your heart beats 100,000 times each

day, pumping around five quarts of blood through a system of blood vessels that’s over

60,000 miles long.

Take good care of your heart! You only have one!

Health and Safety

Food Fun

Let’s celebrate National Heart Month with some yummy recipes that you and your family with L-O-V-E! Try this delicious

heart-healthy meal to get started!

Oven-Fried Chicken Breast with Roasted Potato Wedges

Nutritional Analysis Per serving:

Calories Per Serving: 461 Total Fat: 7.5g Saturated Fat: 2.0 g Trans Fat: 0.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.0 g Monoun-

saturated Fat: 2.0g Cholesterol: 167 mg Sodium: 209 mg Potassium: 1418 mg Carbohydrates: 43 g Fiber: 4 g Sugars:

2.0 g Added Sugars: 0 g Protein: 55 g Calcium: 73 mg Price Per Serving: $2.04

Oven-Fried Chicken

non-stick cooking spray

1 whole, skinless chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 cup fat-free buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and place over a baking sheet.

Cut chicken in to 8 pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks).

In a shallow dish, combine buttermilk and egg, whisk well.

In separate shallow dish combine flour, paprika and pepper, stir well.

One piece at a time, dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, then coat with flour and place on baking wrack.

6. Lightly spray chicken with cooking spray and bake 30 minutes, turn chicken and bake 20 minutes more until center reaches a

safe temperature of 165 degrees. (Optional: If you prefer darker brown/crispy chicken, turn on the oven broiler for the last 2 min-

utes but keep an eye on the tenders so they don’t burn!)

Oven Roasted Potatoes:

After chicken is done, keep oven at 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Arrange potato wedges on cookie sheet so none overlap and coat lightly with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder,

pepper and parsley.

Sprinkle herb mixture over potatoes and bake for 15 minutes

Stir and bake 15 minutes more until wedges pierce easily with a fork.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

nonstick cooking spray

2 large potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into

1/4-inch-wide strips

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Children’s Books to Read in February

The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris

Tomas & the Library Lady by Pat Mora

100 Days of School by Anne Rockwell

How Do Dinosaurs Eat their Food? By Jane Yolen

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham

Papa, Do You Love Me? By Barbara M. Jossee

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

The Tortoise and the Hare by Jerry Pinkney

Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty

We are in a Book! By Mo Williams

How to Eat Your ABC’s by Theresa A. McKeown

“The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the farther you go.”

Children’s Books to Read in February

Breakfast Banana Pops

Breakfast Banana Pops

Ingredients:

1 Banana

½ cup of Yogurt or Nutella

¼ cup of Granola or Cereal (like Rice Krispies or Fruity Pebbles)

Directions:

Peel a banana and cut into two halves.

Insert a craft stick or fork into each cut end of the banana.

Slather the banana with vanilla yogurt or nutella using a craft stick or small spoon.

Roll the banana in Granola or small cereal. (like Rice Krispies or Fruity Pebbles)

During their first year, your love, affection and positive encouragement help your baby’s brain start to under-

stand and express emotions. That’s why happy smiles, loving words and cozy cuddles are even more important

than toys and technology.

Health and Safety

Fun Fact

The average woman uses her height in lipstick every 5 years.

Parenting Tip of the Month!

Self-Care

12 Ideas for Well Being Every Mom Needs

1. Drink enough water each day.

2. Get off the couch and play.

3. Take your vitamins.

4. Keep up the scheduled maintenance for your body. (lady parts, teeth, eyes, etc.)

5. Find a simple de-stress trigger that works.

6. Have healthy friendships. Nurture them.

7. Be authentic and real.

8. Create a small space each day to think, to pray, and to dream.

9. Choose joy.

10. Sleep well.

11. Be thankful.

12. Laugh.

Creative Corner

Marshmallow Dough Recipe (per color)

6 large marshmallows

3+ tbsp of corn starch

2 tsp coconut oil (Other oils will also work)

Food coloring (Several drops)

Note: You will also need a microwave

Combine all of the ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl

and heat until the marshmallows expand (roughly 30 seconds)

Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave, and combine the

ingredients as much as you can using a spoon. Then, once the

ingredients are cool enough finish mixing and kneading the

dough together with your hands. Add more cornstarch as needed.

After a bit of mixing you will have the most delightfully squishy

and stretchy play dough! If the dough is at all sticky simply add

more corn starch and mix it in. I needed to use quite a bit of corn-

starch to get rid of the stickiness from a few of the batches I

made. Repeat the above steps for each color of play dough you

wish to make

Valentine’s Day Craft

Cut up pieces of different colored paper

or tissue paper

Glue to your heart picture

Zumba!

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 11th & 25th at 9:30am - 10:30am

All ages welcome with adult.. No Registration required Come

to this free, high energy aerobics class that will make you

sweat while you dance!

Craft Together

Joliet Black Road Branch Library (BRB)

February 5, 2017 at 2:00-4:00 pm

(Children of all ages with adult) Work together to make a sim-

ple drop-in craft while you enjoy some time with your family.

No registration is required.

Friends Speed Dating

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 4th 1:00pm - 4:00pm

1-2pm - ages 18-30

2-3pm - ages 31-40

3-4pm - ages 41 and up.

Ages 18 and over are welcome. Registration required,

and will start on Dec 26th. Free to attend.

Interested in meeting new people and maybe your new

BFF? Try our Friends Speed Dating! You'll spend 2

minutes talking with each person in your age bracket

while you enjoy yummy snacks and laughs!

Limited to a max of 20 people per session

Zumba Toning

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 6th ,20th,& 27th at 11:00am - 11:45am

Adults only, no registration required. Bring your own 1lb

weights or purchase them at the door for $15. Ready to

party? We take traditional Zumba but focus on toning to

define your muscles.

National Campaign for Financial Literacy: How To Save,

Manage, and Protect Your Money

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 7th 4:00pm - 8:30pm Adults Only

Registration opens Jan 10th. Take this free class to learn how

to budget, save, and plan for your financial fu-

ture. Presentation will be in Spanish.

Valentine's Day Bingo and Craft

Joliet Black Road Branch Library (BRB)

February 11, 2017 at 2:00-3:00 pm

(Children of all ages with adult) Win some great prizes and make

crafts with your sweetie! Registration opens January 30, 2017

DIY Valentine's Day Cards

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 12th at 2:00-4:00 pm

(Children of all ages) Wow your classmates with original cards!

We’ll supply paper, stickers, stamps, and hearts galore. You do the

cutting, gluing, and decorating. Registration is not required.

Parachute Play Day

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 13th at 10:30-11:30 am

(Ages 2-5) Children and their caregivers are invited to

join us as we sing, dance, and play with parachutes. Reg-

istration is not required.

Family Fest 2017

Minooka Junior High 333 McEvilly Rd, Minooka, IL

February 11 9am-1pm

Free family fun for everyone! The show will feature several

exhibits on display for families to browse. Families will be

able to find information on youth organizations, businesses

featuring services and products for families, local sports or-

ganizations, and much more. Kids will also be able to partici-

pate in “hands on” activities!

Barbie™ Club

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 13th at 4:30 - 5:30 pm

(Children of all ages) Come play with our Barbies™ and

their dream house and have some fun! Dolls and acces-

sories will be provided. No registration required.

Harry Potter Photo Booth

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 25th at 2:00pm - 3:30pm

All ages welcome with adult, no registration required.

Come one, come all and dress up with our Harry Potter props,

pose with cutouts, and post to win! Submit your photo to the

Joliet Public Library for posting on our Facebook Page, and be

entered to win a $25 gift card!

Movie Poster Matching Contest for all ages

Joliet Black Road Branch Library (BRB)

February 18th at 9:00am - 4:15pm

All ages, no registration required, family event A film art enthu-

siast will showcase his collection of upcoming feature films and

those now showing. Visitors are invited to match clues and de-

scriptions on a game sheet with the appropriate movie poster on

display. Entries submitted will be placed in a drawing for a

chance to win a Visa gift card!

Cookies and Milk Storytime (Panera)

Panera Louis Joliet Mall

February 10, 2017 at 9:30 am-10:15 am

(Ages 3-5) Join us for songs and stories at Panera Bread,

located in the Westfield Louis Joliet Mall, and get a free

cookie. Registration with Joliet Library opens January 23,

2017.

Start Your Engines

Joliet Main Library (OSB)

February 18, 2017 at 1:00-3:00 pm

(Ages 2-8) Bring your favorite fast car (Matchbox size) to race

down ramps, through tubes, around tracks, and across town! Sort

yourselves out in our color graphing garage, or drive around our

geometric road shapes. We will have extra cars available. Regis-

tration is not required.

Story- Thyme at Fresh Thyme

Fresh Thyme 2700 Plainfield Road, Joliet, IL 60435

February 24th at 11:00-11:45 am(Ages 3 and up) Join us

for stories and songs at Fresh Thyme on Plainfield Road

in Joliet. Registration is not required.

Chanooka Wish Open House

February 7th 5-8pm

23157 Thomas Dillon Dr, Channahon

Opening our doors to welcome our supporters and community as we

have assisted local families over the past 10 years. This is our chance

to say thank you. As well as explore our options for the next 10 years

Snow Happy!

Oswego Public Library, Montgomery Campus

Friday, February 3rd, 10:30-11:30 am

Ages 16 months-3 year olds - Drop in for some snow-

themed fun with baby!

Drop-In English and Reading Help

Coal City Public Library

Thursdays at 10:00 am or 6:30 pm

Help with reading English for adults (17 and older)

Nature Play Day

February 1st 10 AM - 11:30 AM

Four Rivers Environmental Education Center

25055 W Walnut Ln, Channahon, Illinois 60410

Parents with young children are invited to come out for a "Nature Play

Day."You and your child may participate in a hike, story, game, dancing or

playing. This is an opportunity for parents of young children to meet other

parents. Registration is required by calling 815.722.9470 the Friday before

each program. Be prepared for indoor and outdoor activities. Indoor fa-

cilities are accessible; outdoor activities may take place on natural surfaces

across uneven terrain. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service to

participate in this program should mention their request when registering.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Your Local Public Library

Just stop by the Children’s Library Desk to register and

get your reading log. 1,000 books may seem like a lot,

but if you read 1 book a night together, you’ll meet

your goal in less than three years. If you read 3 books

a night, you’ll reach your goal in just one year!

Remember, it’s never too early to begin reading to

your child!

Introduction to Breastfeeding

Family Birthing Suites, Morris Hospital

Monday, February 6th at 9:00-10:00 am

Take this free class which focuses on the benefits of breastfeeding,

pumping, and going back to work. Breastfeeding moms will also get

advice to help solve problems related to breastfeeding. Nursing mothers

are welcome to bring their infants. Pre-register, 815-942-3012

“Sweet Night Out”

Downtown Morris

Thursday, February 9th at 4:00-8:00 pm

Complimentary sweet treats and beverages will be served

while you enjoy special savings at your favorite down-

town stores!

Trolls Movie Night

Morris Public Library

Tuesday, February 21st at 4:00-5:30 pm

Come and watch the movie Trolls! with your infant-5th

grade child. Snacks will be served.

We Care Food Pantry

We Care of Grundy County, Inc., 530 Bedford Road,

Morris, 815-942-6389

Wednesday, February 8th at 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Shake, Move & Sing Together

Oswego Public Library

Tuesday, February 14th at 6:30 pm

Babies to 5 years old with adult. Help your little ones

learn to love music. Registration begins 2/4/17.

Valentine’s Day Party

Morris Public Library

Tuesday, February 14th at 4:00-5:00 pm

A family event for infants-5th graders with their caregiv-

ers/parents! Come celebrate Valentine’s Day with a fun

craft, games, music, and refreshments.

Family Bingo Night

Morris Public Library

Thursday, February 16th at 6:00-7:00 pm

A family event for infants-5th graders, stay warm while

having fun playing Bingo for great prizes! Refreshments

will be served.

Drop-In Job Search and Resume Help

Plano Community Library, Study Room B

Tuesday, February 16th at 2:30-4:30 pm

Need assistance exploring job opportunities online or does your

resume need enhancing? Come to the library for one on one assis-

tance. An IL NetWork Rep will be available to answer your job

search questions and provide resume assistance.

Women’s Winter Warmth Day

New Beginnings, 306 East High Street, Morris, 815-513-

3964

Tuesday, February 21st at 5:00-7:00 pm

We will be giving out free warmth kits and introducing

our non-profit services to any woman, age 18-90+, who

is in need.

Developmental Screening

Morris Public Library

Tuesday, February 21st at 9:45-11:30 am

Wednesday, February 22nd at 10:00 am-12:00 noon

For children, age birth-3 years old, free developmental

screening for children.

Build with Legos

Morris Public Library

Thursday, February 23rd at 6:00-7:00 pm

For families with infants-5th graders, come and build with

Legos and Lego Duplos! Creations will be displayed in the

Children’s Department.

Joliet Public Library-Main

Toddler Time (18m-3yrs) every Thurs at 9:45am

Curious Little Monkeys Playgroup (birth-36m) every Thurs 10:15am

Joliet Public Library-Black Road

Toddler Time (18m-3 yrs) every Mon 9:45 10:45, and 11:45

Lapsit (birth-24m) every Tues, Wed, Thurs 9:15, 10:15 and 11:15am

Family Storytime (birth-6yrs) Tues 6:30pm and Saturdays 10:15am

Shorewood Library

Tiny Tots Time (birth to 30m) Every Mon at 10am and Tues at 9:30am

Early Morning Explorers (2 1/2-6yr) every Tues at 11am Registration is required.

Afternoon Adventurers (2 1/2-6yr) every Fri 1:30pm

White Oak Library, Romeoville

Bilingual Storytime (all ages) Mondays 6:30-7:15pm Registration required

Family Storytime (7rs and youger) Registration required. Tuesdays 6:30-7:15pm

Minooka Library

Babygarten (0-24m) Registration required. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Mondays 10:30-11:15am

Toddler Time (2-3yrs) 2nd, 3rd, 4th Thursdays 10:30-11:15am

Curious Monkeys (all ages) Registration required. 2nd, 3rd, 4th Wednesdays 10:30-11:15am

Morris Area Public Library

Lapsits (Infants and Toddlers with caregivers) Tuesdays at 9:30 or 10:30 Registration required.

Wiggle Worms (infant - 5 yrs) Wednesdays, 11:00 am-1:00 pm

Oswego Public Library

Baby Goose (3 months - 18 months) Mondays at 1:30 pm

Read & Play Baby (6 months - 23 months) Tuesdays at 10:00 am. Drop-In Class

Totally Twos (24 months - 35 months) Thursdays at 10:00 am

Plano Community Library District

Rhyme Time (babies-3yrs) Wednesdays 10:30am, 11:15am or 6pm or Thursdays 10:30 am Registration re-

quired

Yorkville Library

Lapsit (birth to 2 yrs) 3rd Wednesday at 10:30 am

Tots & Toddlers (toddler to 3 yrs) 2nd Thursday at 10:30 am; or 4th Friday at 10:30 am

Lego Duplos (2 yrs & up) - 2nd Monday; or 4th Tuesday, 10:30 am

Library Playgroups

Library Playgroups

White Oak-Crest Hill Branch

Toddler Time (3-35 months) Registration required. Wednesdays 10:30am

White Oak- Lockport Branch

Toddler Time (3 months-3 yrs) Registration required. Tuesdays 10:30am

Thursday Morning Toddler Time (3 months-3 yrs) Registration required. Thursdays 10:30am

Thursday Evening Toddler Time (3 months-3 yrs) Registration required. Thursdays 6pm

Tiny Tots in Motion ( 3 months-18 months) Registration required. Fridays 10:30am

Channahon Library

Babygarten (0-24 months) 2nd, 3rd, 4th Tuesdays at 10:30 am

Toddler Time (2yrs & 3yrs) 2nd, 3rd, 4th Thursdays at 10:30 am

Coal City Public Library District

Family Lapsit (0-23 months) Mondays at 6:00 pm; Wednesdays at 10:00 am

Terrific Tots (2 yrs & 3 yrs) Mondays at 10:00 am or Thursdays at 10:00am or 6:00 pm

Wilmington Public Library

Story time for Littles (birth-5yrs) Wednesdays at 10:30am

Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District

Baby Time (newborn-18 mons) Tuesdays at 10:30 am

Tot Time (18 mons-3yrs) Wednesdays at 10:00 or 10:30 am