I first met Tony Lo Bianco at a party for John Catsimatidis, he was warm, friendly and extremely charismatic. Shortly thereafter a mutual friend of ours invited my husband and I to see Tony’s performance in “The Little Flower.” He was absolutely amazing, completely brilliant….in this one man show he wrote about Fiorello H. La Guardia on his final day as a three term Mayor of New York City in 1945.

Some people can do it all, and Tony falls into this category. He is an award winning Actor, (he has been in over 102 films ) Writer, Producer, Director, Father of three beautiful daughters, National Spokesperson for the Order Sons of Italy in America, and a true Humanitarian. He cares deeply for our Country and is a proud and noted supporter of our Military. A true American devoted to making the world a better place.

We here at Old Fashioned Mom are proud to introduce Tony Lo Bianco as our Second Celebrity Father!

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1. How would you describe yourself?

I would describe myself as a fellow who never forgot where he came from. Someone who has been influenced by family life. I have been influenced by my uncles, my mother, my father, and the close relationship I have with my two brothers, John and Joseph. I think I’m influenced greatly by family and uncles. I had eight uncles, my mother had eight brothers. All of the great stories that have been told about their hardship, it is so dramatic. I think I’ve kept that going in my life. Maybe that’s why I’m an actor and love the theatre so much. When I was in acting school, Josh Logan was my directing teacher. He used to always say that he goes around and “fixes the hits.” I always think of that. I look at shows or performances and think about how I can make them better. When I see an actor or an actress or a director, I always think, “What is he or she missing?” That is where my mind goes. How I can get to the depth of what is being said or being told? That is part of the artistic side of my life, and I think it transfers into me as a human. I care very much about people. I care very much about our country and the direction that we’re going in. At the moment I’m not very happy about that, so I’m active in trying to get us back on the right track. Fixing the hits.

2. Can you tell us about your children?

I have three daughters. Miriamne, we call her Yummy. The middle daughter is Nina, and my baby is Anna. Unfortunately, I lost my youngest daughter to breast cancer some eight years ago. She was quite a young lady. She was very very strong in her beliefs, and she never took anything from anybody. If she believed in something, she went after it. She worked in the education system, always helping out in the schools with poorer kids. I have two grandchildren by her, Ruby and Darielle, who are doing very well. Her husband remarried to a very nice lady, and they had a baby themselves. So everything is good. Now, my daughter Anna. I remember when I was in Hawaii with her when she was just a little one.
I said, “Hey Anna, want to climb that mountain?”
And she said, “Sure, pop.” We started climbing the mountain, and we got quite a bit up there.
I said, “Oh look. Why don’t we go up there, too?”
And she said, “Okay, pa.” We went up there, and there was a fence in the distance.
I said, “Let’s go up there.”
She said, “Hey, pa. I’m just a little kid.”
She was always a fighter. She was a big protestor, too much to my chagrin, but I admired her. The best thing about Anna was that I could always make her laugh. We went to baseball games and basketball games. She was a big Knicks fan, and we were able to sit at the floor at the Garden. Her favorite player was John Starks, number three. My daughter Nina, the middle daughter, she went to Yale. First she went to Columbia and graduated there with 4.0 average, then she went on to Yale for another three years and graduated with all kinds of honors there, and then she went on to LAMDA to study acting. God help us all. She became a Shakespearean scholar, and now she’s not an actress. But she was always a great, great writer. She wrote a play, and she was looking for a director and asked me to read it. Not for me to direct it, but just because she wanted someone to read it. I couldn’t even understand it. Then she wound up directing it herself, and it was very clear. She really knew her stuff. In fact, I rely on her now every time I write something, I generally send it to her. She’s very smart. She has two boys herself. Lucien and Twilo. Brilliant kids. Then my daughter Yummy, or Miriamne. She has two daughters, Maggie and Annie. Maggie is ready to go to college, and Miriamne is a very efficient mom. I think she’s the voice of the family, basically. She has common sense and logic, you can take a situation or a problem to Yummy and she will solve it. She has a wonderful home that her husband built in Westchester, and we’re all as close as we can be. My daughter Nina lives in Oregon, unfortunately, so she is very far away, but we do get to see them now and then. We certainly see them on Christmas, and we always have a party here for the family. They’re quite wonderful kids.

3. Your humanitarian efforts have earned multiple awards. Can you please tell us about them?

That, again, is common sense and logic. As a person who is interested in communicating with an audience about issues and about life itself, the more communication help that you can give to worthy causes the better. It only makes sense. To tell you the truth, you’re only doing it for yourself. You’re the one who feels great about doing it. Everything that you do for somebody else makes you feel good. It’s almost a selfish act. I do my one man show The Little Flower, about the life and times of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. We do it for everybody, but my ideal audience is students, college kids, the military, and then the politicians. I want them to understand what is needed to get people back on the right track. As I said before, our country needs to be fixed. The biggest honor I have ever received was when they allowed me to put the wreath on the tomb of the unknown in Washington. They asked me to do that and I was stunned. I am now going off to Rome and Aviano on May 9th to do a show for the air force and military base. I am going again to Vicenza to perform the show again for the military base, and then I return to Rome and perform it again at the theater below the Spanish Steps. Again, that will be for students, for politicians, for the military, for police officers, you know, for the people. When I did the show in Russia back in 1989 when they were first getting their freedom, the American ambassador said to me, “You have done more for our country in these two hours than I have done in two years.” That’s pretty heavy stuff. I have been getting invites from the council general of Egypt to do my show in Cairo, and we have been talking to the council general of Israel to do the show there. My objective is to get the word out. Foreign countries who have seen this show realize that this show is not just for America. This is for the world. I am trying to fulfill that opinion.

4. How important is it for you to share this with your children?

I try to instill that not only in my children, but in everybody. It is very important to me that they see what I’m doing and understand what I am doing it for. Everybody has got their own life, and their own way, and their own thinking, and you hope that you can penetrate that and influence them. It is extremely important that they see what I’m doing and they listen to me about what I am trying to do in this world. Again, maybe it is a selfish act, but doing something for somebody else fulfills me. I don’t like to receive presents, I like to give presents.

5. You were absolutely brilliant in The Little Flower. What inspired you to write this one man show?

Doing The Little Flower is like a life’s work for me. When I first came to it in 1983, somebody had asked me to do it. Patricia Schneider and Paul Shyre asked me to do it in Albany at The Egg for WNET, channel 13. So we were doing the play, and we filmed it. It was more of a pleasant look at this man than having some true understanding of what this man was about andDoing The Little Flower is like a life’s work for me. When I first came to it in 1983, somebody had asked me to do it. Patricia Schneider and Paul Shyre asked me to do it in Albany at The Egg for WNET, channel 13. So we were doing the play, and we filmed it. It was more of a pleasant look at this man than having some true understanding of what this man was about and what he accomplished. Now I’ve taken the play and rewritten the whole thing, I do it without an intermission and it’s funny, and it’s poignant, and it has a lot of parallels to what is going on now in our country. That to me is key. Then all of these revelations come. “Oh, gee, that’s a lot like what’s happening now.” That’s my point. That’s why I do the play, to give the audience that revelation. So that we can fix this country and see where we’re going wrong. To me, history is a very important aspect of that. We should be the smartest people ever, because we have all of the history behind us. You know, we’re not inventing the wheel. We have history in everything. You name it, we have it. We see where other countries have made mistakes, in going this way, in socialism, and so on and so forth. Why are we going downhill? I don’t get it. We are heading downhill. All of that inspired me to keep this alive and keep these parallels in front of an audience so that it will make a difference. I have had many politicians who have seen this show say to me, “This is the way the country should be run.” That’s politicians on both sides of the aisle, which is rather remarkable in this political climate. John Catsimatidis, who is a dear friend, he was running for mayor and he bought quite a few shows out because he wanted to run the city the way my show is written. With the messages of LaGuardia. John invited many people to the performances and he attended every one, and he told the audience exactly that. “This is why I’m running for mayor. This is the way I want to run this city.” what he accomplished. Now I’ve taken the play and rewritten the whole thing, I do it without an intermission and it’s funny, and it’s poignant, and it has a lot of parallels to what is going on now in our country. That to me is key. Then all of these revelations come. “Oh, gee, that’s a lot like what’s happening now.” That’s my point. That’s why I do the play, to give the audience that revelation. So that we can fix this country and see where we’re going wrong. To me, history is a very important aspect of that. We should be the smartest people ever, because we have all of the history behind us. You know, we’re not inventing the wheel. We have history in everything. You name it, we have it. We see where other countries have made mistakes, in going this way, in socialism, and so on and so forth. Why are we going downhill? I don’t get it. We are heading downhill. All of that inspired me to keep this alive and keep these parallels in front of an audience so that it will make a difference. I have had many politicians who have seen this show say to me, “This is the way the country should be run.” That’s politicians on both sides of the aisle, which is rather remarkable in this political climate. John Catsimatidis, who is a dear friend, he was running for mayor and he bought quite a few shows out because he wanted to run the city the way my show is written. With the messages of LaGuardia. John invited many people to the performances and he attended every one, and he told the audience exactly that. “This is why I’m running for mayor. This is the way I want to run this city.”

6. What old fashioned traditions did your parents pass down to you that you then passed down to your children?

When I was younger, every Sunday everybody would come over my mother and father’s house for dinner, like a traditional Italian family. Eating in an Italian family goes on forever, you know. We just keep eating, sleeping, getting up and playing the guitar, kids running all over the place, it’s really a joy. I’ve always tried to keep that going as best I can. I have my annual Christmas party both for my family and then for my friends, and I enjoy tremendously cooking for people and making them feel at home. Making them feel like a part of a family. Talking about the traditions of all of the things that I believe in, trying to be an example of that, I hope that my children will pick up on that and they will not throw away the past.

7. What advice would you give to today’s generation of fathers?

You know, this is a tough time to say the least. The best advice one can only give to a father, it’s cliché to say, but you need to keep loving them and keep showing them how much you love them. Give them incentive to earn. We have a habit of spoiling our kids today, with television advertising this game and that game and so on and so forth. All of this independence without understanding of what it costs to get those things. We’re all guilty of it, certainly I am, just giving our kids things or money or whatever it is. I would say, in this particular stage of life to only give an allowance that they earn, that they are not entitled to. In this country we have 51% or so people who are getting entitlements, and that is not an incentive to work. When you can get something for free, you don’t work. I say, help those who really cannot help themselves, but there are a lot of people on that list that can work and don’t. It’s more convenient for them to not work because they’re making the same amount of money as if they were working. They can figure that out. It’s the same thing with kids, you need to teach them what it takes to earn something. That’s the key. That and to keep loving them.

“Make time each day to listen to your children without distractions. Pay attention when your child speaks, respect their feelings and watch your tone of voice.”

See the book “Ten Powerful Things to Say to Your Kids” by Paul Axtell

Quote from Catherine M. Wallace

The basics

Like so many other things, talking and listening can be done badly, just OK, or really well. And like any other skills, you get better with practice.

Good communication with children is about:

• encouraging them to talk to you – and listening so they can tell you how they feel
• being able to really listen and responding in a sensitive way to all kinds of things – not just nice things or good news, but also anger, embarrassment, sadness or fear
• focusing on body language and actions as well as words, and interpreting nonverbal forms of communication.

Some children need a lot of encouragement and positive feedback to get talking. Others will be desperate to talk to you when you’re busy doing something else. This might mean stopping what you’re doing and listening.

Top tips for talking and listening

• Set aside time for talking and listening to each other.
• Listen to your children when they want to talk, have strong feelings or have a problem.
• Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings, including anger, joy, frustration, fear and anxiety. Talking about feeling angry is different from getting angry, though. Learning the difference is an important step for a child learning to communicate.
• When talking to your child, try to remember how it was when you were a child and how you were generally attracted to those people who really listened to you. After all, children think differently from grown-ups. There are a lot of things they don’t know and a lot of things they don’t have the words to talk about.
• Let your child finish talking and then respond. When listening, try not to jump in, cut your child off, or put words in your child’s mouth – even when your child says something ridiculous or wrong or is having trouble finding the words. Children appreciate this as much as grown-ups!
• Use language that your children will understand. Sometimes we forget that children don’t ‘get’ everything.
• Watch your child’s facial expression and body language. Listening isn’t just about hearing words, but also trying to understand what’s behind those words.
• To let your child know you’re listening, and make sure you’ve really understood, repeat back what your child has said and make lots of eye contact.
• Show your interest by saying such things as, ‘Tell me more about …’, ‘Really!’ and ‘Go on …’. Ask children what they feel about the things they’re telling you about.
• Avoid criticism and blame. If you’re angry about something your children done, try and explain why you want them not to do it again. Appeal to their sense of empathy.
• Work together to solve problems and conflicts.
• Be honest with each other.

There’s plenty of St. Patrick’s Day kid-friendly fun to be had in these cities, from festivals to parades to dancing and food — shepard’s pie, anyone?
See Family Fun Spots for St. Patrick’s Day at familyvacationcritic.com

Chicago

The Windy City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade always occurs the Saturday before the holiday (if the holiday isn’t already on a Saturday, that is). It begins at the corner of Columbus Drive and Balbo, and continues north to Monroe, entertaining families with music, floats and step dancers for three hours straight, rain or shine. The city’s biggest spectacle, however, takes place when the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers dye the Chicago River green, drawing thousands of spectators. For the best views of this annual tradition, head to the intersection of Michigan Avenue, Wacker Drive and the Chicago River, or the west side of Columbus Drive Bridge.

San Francisco

One of San Francisco’s most popular events is its annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade. Hundreds of lively floats, dance troupes and marching bands begin their journey at the corner of Market and Second street and continue on to Civic Center, where a family-friendly festival awaits. Here, they get a true taste of Irish culture, including everything from food to history. Additionally, many of the city’s pubs and restaurants start the holiday festivities a few days in advance by hosting block parties, and the city hosts an Irish-American Crossroads Festival, as well.

Boston

Boston hosts not one, but two St. Patrick’s Day parades each year. Its traditional holiday parade begins in the early afternoon, and is followed by the St. Patrick’s Peace Parade, organized by the Veterans for Peace. The city also provides alcohol-free Family Zones, which are often held at The Action Center, Old Colony and The Laboure. Each venue has a theme and offers snacks and children’s activities, such as arts and crafts, plus a prime spot to watch the parade.

Washington, D.C.

For St. Patrick’s Day, Washington, D.C. hosts the National ShamrockFest with something for all ages, including carnival rides, games, food, an Irish Village and over 40 bands and DJs on nine stages. Constitution Avenue also comes to life with a two-and-a-half hour themed parade of floats, dancers, marching and pipe bands, military, police and fire departments. After the parade, take the kids to a local Irish pub where you’ll listen to Celtic music as you eat authentic favorites like Irish beef stew.

Savannah, GA

For nearly two centuries, Savannah has celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with an electrifying parade, which happens to be the second largest in the United States. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations actually begin two weeks before the parade, however, with events like the Greening of the Fountain in Forsyth Park and the Celtic Cross Mass and Ceremony. On the day of the parade, mass is held at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, and the parade follows, offering the perfect mix of Irish culture and southern charm.

Martha Stewart is the quintessential Old Fashioned Mom. Having achieved enormous success through merchandising, broadcasting, publishing, and electronic commerce her name is synonymous with quality and affordability with Mothers everywhere.

She has written numerous best selling books and is the publisher of the Martha Stewart Living magazine, and hosted two long running syndicated television shows. So much success….however, it is Alexis, her only daughter and grandchildren that she speaks of whenever we see one another. Her eyes light up with pride when telling stories of what they are doing currently, or where they are going…as they spend a lot of time together as a family.

Recently they were in Palm Beach, as was my family….and Martha and I ran into one another at a fabulous tea shop, it was so delightful to hear her enthusiasm as she discussed the beach and fun adventures they all were having. I love Martha as she is a true Mother and Grandmother 100 percent of the time!

We here at Old Fashioned Mom are proud to introduce Martha Stewart as our sixth Celebrity Mother!

Michelle-Marie Heinemann and Martha Stewart

As I walked into Martha Stewart’s headquarters for Living Omnimedia Inc. I was immediately greeted with the warmth of the sunshine and light spilling in from the walls of windows that surround the gigantic space. The light is unbelievable and the building overlooks the Hudson River which is quite inspirational for the media and merchandising empire that Martha has created.

Her office is down a long sunlit hallway and there we discussed her role as a Mother and now Grandmother. Martha has one daughter and her name is Alexis Stewart, she is a television host and radio personality that graduated from Barnard College. She is also a Mother with two adorable children, Jude who is 4, and Truman who is 3.

Of all the stories Martha told, I love the one most of her sewing for her daughter when she was little. Making little play dresses and clothes she could wear to school. I find this so endearing, as my Mother sewed for me and my sisters as well and there is a tremendous amount of love that goes into creating something by hand.

Traveling together and spending as much time as possible are top priorities for Martha. Recently Alexis took second place in the annual Will Cotton cake baking contest. She made an amazing Valentine cake that had light fluffy layers of banana and coconut cream cheese frosting, topped with home colored organic coconut. Yum!! Clearly the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Recently Martha purchased a pony for her grandchildren as they are beginning to ride…my children ride as well, so comparing notes on instructors, barns and the latest horse show is an ongoing conversation. There are so many wonderful activities for children to do today…we are very fortunate.

As I was leaving Martha showed me an exquisite black and white photo of her Mother, she was a great beauty with kind eyes. Exactly like Martha.

A principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Irina Dvorovenko was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and began her ballet training at the Kiev Ballet School at the age of ten. She joined the National Opera Ballet of Kiev in 1990 as a soloist, rising to the rank of principle dancer in 1992. Just some of her leading roles of the great classics include: Gamzatti in La Bayadere; Kitri the Queen of the Driads and Mercedes in Don Quixote; Giselle and Myrta in Giselle; Princess Aurora and Princess Florine in He Sleeping Beauty and Odette-Odile in Swan Lake.

Irina usually dances in tandem with her husband, our first Celebrity Father, Maxim Beloserkovsky. She is also an actress having appeared on Broadway and Spokes-model for several leading brands as well as creator of her own line of dance wear and footwear.

Most importantly she is a Mother….she is warm and inviting with lots of hugs and air kisses, I adore her as she is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out. Irina Dvorovenko is a true star, a role model that young ballerinas can embrace and look up to.

We here at Old Fashioned Mom are proud to introduce Irina Dvorovenko as our fifth Celebrity Mother!

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1. How would you describe yourself?

I am a strong, independent and loving person. At times I love others more than I love myself. I am so happy when something wonderful happens to people I know, I care deeply for mankind and find it my responsibility to help others.

I am also grounded and know the importance of my family who I adore.

2. Please tell us about your daughter?

Emma is a bright, emotional and artistic young lady. She is an unbelievable negotiator and I could easily see her becoming an attorney, however recently she has expressed interest in becoming a ballerina. We will see, of course I will support her in her decision. She recently performed on stage in a musical and I was so impressed with her enthusiasm and delivery. I was very proud.

Emma Beloserkovsky – photo by Vital Agibalow

3. When you were four months pregnant you and your husband, Maxim Beloserkovsky, performed the pas de deux from the second act of Swan Lake. I love that you were quoted as saying that while dancing this dance, you were thinking that the baby would enjoy it as well. Did you dance/perform throughout your entire pregnancy?

No, after four months I stopped. My first priority was my baby and making sure she was safe. I also wanted my attention on my pregnancy so I could enjoy every part of it fully.

4. What Old Fashioned advice does your Mother give you with respect to raising your daughter?

My Mother prefers Emma to read, play chess with my Father…do things like this, and not be on the IPad so much. Today is very different, children are so knowledgeable about computers and social media. They are on their phone texting and talking to one another…in order to keep up we have to know how to do all this. My Mother of course does, but enjoys the simpler times as well.

5. Do you dance as a Family?

Yes, we have been known to on occasion have “living room” performances. My husband will dance with Emma and this is so beautiful to watch…then the costumes will be brought out. It is great fun and I am happy that I can share my love of dancing with my daughter.

6. You are such a role model for so many future ballerinas. Now that you are a Mother, what age would you recommend beginning ballet?

This should be around nine or ten. There are pre-ballet classes for the little ones, however dancing takes a lot of focus and strength and to start to young could ruin the desire to continue on.

7. What are your favorite things to do as a family?

We enjoy cooking and baking, there is always something special about gathering around a meal and talking…especially one that you have made! Drawing is something we enjoy as well. I think just being together and being in the moment, realizing how fortunate we are to have one another.

Ballet Royalty and Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Maxim Beloserkovsky, is one of the greatest male dancers of all time. His repertoire is so long I don’t dare even to attempt….but I will say that when he and his wife, our Celebrity Mother, Irina Dvorovenko, performed leading roles in Swan Lake I was so moved I wept. Max is a brilliant combination of discipline and hard work, he is serious yet relaxed and extremely funny…a quick wit. A wonderful Father with a beautiful wife and daughter, a true family man….this is Maxim Beloserkovsky.

We here at Old Fashioned Mom are proud to introduce Maxim Beloserkovsky as our First Celebrity Father!

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1. How would you describe yourself?

Well, this is hard for me as I prefer to be modest about what I do and who I am, however my friends would say I have a sense of humor…I am funny. I consider myself a happy person and try to find good in all situations. I think it is important to project positive energy in everything we do. Sometimes we can get caught up in small matters that are really quite pointless at the end of the day. I am outspoken and passionate about the things I believe in.

2. Has becoming a Father changed the way you dance?

I don’t think as a dancer, but as a person…yes, most definitely. I am now responsible for another person and she is constantly on my mind. I am also more grounded now and less selfish. My thoughts are always about my family and how I can be instrumental in helping them in any capacity that I can.

3. What activities do you and your daughter enjoy together?

You know I travel often …Tokyo, Singapore and Africa, just this month. So when I am home my undivided attention is given to Emma. We enjoy swimming together, she is a great swimmer and we have a pool in our building which makes it very convenient. We swim laps and play games in the pool.
We also enjoy going to the gym together, lifting weights and especially running on the treadmill. It’s amazing how fast she can run and she really loves this. Movie nights are big at our house as well and of course doing homework together. I am learning with her at times and this is a great feeling, to grow together…understanding a new concept or theory as well as discovering new philosophies about life.

Emma Beloserkovsky – photo by Vital Agibalow

4. What old fashioned traditions do you have as a family?

Spending as much time together as possible, really respecting the family as a unit and enjoying every second of it.

5. Please tell us what a typical day is for you?

When I am not traveling I usually awake by 7:00 a.m., spend breakfast with my daughter, then take her to School. I then have another cup of coffee and head off to class….which is very important. I may give a private lesson if time allows then join the nanny at 3:00 to pick up my daughter….this of course all depends on my daughters after school schedule. Once we are home we will do her homework together and anything else she needs to do.

6. What do you love most about being a Father?

Seeing my daughter grow daily. I see her beauty from my wife, I see myself with respect to her character. When she brings me her report card and I see A, A, A…..I feel so proud, I feel like I have accomplished something great knowing my daughter is thriving and doing well. When my daughter runs into my arms and says ” I love you Dad, I missed you ” after a long trip, my heart is full and filled with the greatest amount of love.

If you’ve hung out on a pool deck recently, it’s no secret that cruising has become hugely popular with families. The number of children onboard is growing steadily, and more than 2 million kids younger than 15 sailed on cruise lines in 2013, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Yet, despite the great strides made by cruise lines in accommodating children onboard, choosing the best cruise for your family is still complicated. Where once it was a struggle to find ships that were kid-friendly, the challenge now is wading through the bevy of activities, kids clubs, and child-themed bells and whistles many of the newer ships offer to determine which cruise ships are best for your youngsters.

See the Best Cruise Ships for Families – Best Family Cruises – from CruiseCritic.com

Visit the Spring Art Colony Day Camp

Looking to fill your child’s spring break? Find a truly collaborative art making experience in CMA’s Art Colony Day Camp. Art Colony allows students to immerse themselves in innovative arts courses taught by professional teaching artists. Classes run from 10 AM-4 PM, with supervised play from 9-10 AM and 4-5 PM included. Explore the wide variety of class offerings for ages 6-15.

Learn How to Cook Brigadeiros!!

You will need:

• 1 can of Leite Moça (sweet condensed milk)
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (You can use more cocoa, some recipes call for 4 spoons. You can also use chocolate powder in which case you need 7 spoons, but the Brigadeiros will be intensely sweet. With practice, you will find your own perfect recipe)
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• chocolate sprinkles
• a non-stick pan
• a wooden spoon
• mini baking cups

Cooking Instructions:

• put roughly 2 tablespoons of butter to melt in the pan
• set the stove top to medium-low
• once the butter is melted, add a whole can of condensed milk
• now you will add the chocolate; but wait, if you are using cocoa powder here is Betânia’s personal trick: get a glass with a bit of water and slowly add the cocoa while mixing it with the water; this is because cocoa powder does not dissolve very well in the condensed milk, so you want to totally dissolve it with a bit of water and then add the mixture to the condensed milk in the pan
• stir with the wooden spoon; you will need to stir for at least 20 minutes and it can take as long as 40 minutes; stir in circular movements and make sure you get the Brigadeiro from the sides so it does not stick there and burn
• the Brigadeiro will get thicker and thicker and will reduce in volume
• you know it is ready when a) you divide it in half with the spoon and it stays parted for a few seconds and b) you scoop some Brigadeiro with the wooden spoon, turn the spoon upside down, and it holds there for an instant before falling back into the pan; the video will show this!
• when your Brigadeiro is ready, spread the content of the pan on a plate and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes; you want it nice and firm before you roll it in balls
• to make the little balls, spread a little bit of butter in your hands and make sure to get your fingers; using a small spoon, scoop some Brigadeiro, put it in your hands, and roll it in a little ball
• roll the ball on the chocolate sprinkles to cover it completely
• place your Brigadeiro in a baking cup
• repeat–should yield about 25 Brigadeiros
• put Brigadeiros in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes to make them firmer

Read about brigadeiros and see the recipe at StreetSmart Brazil

“There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time as a family….I love listening to what my children have to say and seeing their milestones as they grow. They make me laugh and teach me so much. I am a better person because of them and I cherish their individuality. Spend time as a family…the memories you are creating will last a lifetime and be forever remembered in your child’s mind.”

Spending time as a family is a wise investment. Children in families that participate in religious activities together are more likely to report having parents who show affection, and those with involved parents tend to fare better in school and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

• Spending time in everyday family leisure activities is associated with greater emotional bonding within the family. A family’s “core” leisure activities (those that are typically everyday, low-cost, home-based activities such as playing board games, playing in the yard, gardening and watching television together) were related to the family’s cohesion (“the emotional bonding that family members have toward one another”). Both a family’s “core” activities and their “balance” activities (those that are novel experiences and require a greater investment of time, effort, planning and money–such as vacations, special events, and sports activities) were related to the family’s ability to adapt.₁
• Children in families that participate in religious activities together are more likely to report seeing expressions of love and affection between their parents. Two dimensions of family religious involvement–family participation in religious activities at least once per week and parental prayer more than once per day—were associated with greater expression of love or affection between the parents, as reported by their children.₂
• Parents of families in which both the parents and children attend religious services are more likely to know their children’s social networks.  They are more likely to know their children’s friends, those friends’ parents, and their children’s teachers, than parents of families in which only the parents or only the children, or neither, participated in religious activities.₃
• Children’s academic success is associated with having mothers who frequently communicated with them. This entailed talking with the children, listening to them, and answering their questions.₄
• Children whose fathers spend time with them doing activities tend to have better academic performance. Preteens whose fathers spent leisure time away from the home (picnics, movies, sports, etc.) with them, shared meals with them, helped with homework or reading, and engaged in other home activities with them earned better grades in school, on average, than peers whose fathers spent less time with them. Similarly, teens whose fathers engaged in activities in the home and outdoors, spent leisure time, and talked with them earned better grades, on average, than teens whose fathers spent less time with them.₅
• Adolescents whose parents are involved in their lives tend to exhibit fewer behavioral problems. Parent involvement was assessed by how often the parent or parental figure asked about their children’s lives, encouraged their interests, gave good advice, and spent free time with them in school activities.₆
• Youths who communicate, do activities and have close relationships with their parents are less likely to engage in violence. Family integration through bonds with a parent (in particular, with a mother who was living in the home) was associated with a decrease in the likelihood that an adolescent will commit an act of violence. (Parent-child bonds were measured by adolescents’ reports of feeling close to their parents, being involved in family activities, and communicating with their parents.) Youths in twoparent families whose bond with their resident mothers was just one standard deviation higher than the mean level were 18 percent less likely to commit an act of violence than peers with average maternal bonds. Among youths living in single parent families, a bond with that parent that was one standard deviation above the mean was associated with a 17 percent decrease in violence, while a one-unit increase in bonding with a nonresident parent was associated with a 5 percent decrease in violent behavior.₇
• Teens who frequently have dinner with their families are at a lower risk for substance abuse. Compared with teens who frequently had dinner five times or more per week with their families, those who had dinner with their families only two nights per week or less were twice as likely to be involved in substance abuse. They were 2.5 times as likely to smoke cigarettes, more than 1.5 times as likely to drink alcohol, and nearly three times as likely to try marijuana.₈
• Teens whose parents are home with them after school and in the evening are less likely to experience emotional distress. Other parental factors included having parents who engaged in activities with the teens and parents who had high expectations regarding teens’ academic performance.₉