December 2009Volume 1
Ballet For our Little Girls
by Catherine Batcheller - Artistic Director
Ballet Conservatory of South Texas is the perfect ballet school for your little ballerina or the ballerina at heart! BCSTX is a ballet school that provides excellent instruction for ages 3 and up, in a nurturing and supportive environment. We invite you to come see for yourselves! The first class is free!! There are performance opportunities and friends to be made here at BCSTX and we look forward to welcoming you to our ballet family!
Fathers will love seeing their little ballerina’s face light up during her ballet lesson, and is an opportunity to share in their special moments. We also offer boys classes; an excellent opportunity for your sons to develop better flexibility, agility and coordination to help them
excel in their sports. Please call (210 820 3400) or visit our website www.balletsouthtexas.org for more information on classes. Thank you! Catherine Batcheller; Artistic Director
On Behalf of myself and my daughter, I would like to thank everyone who has subscribed to our newsletter.  As a single father I designed www.awesomedads.net and the newsletter to better inform fathers how to communicate with our children and raise strong, independent responsible adults.  In the coming editions we will be discussing eating healthy, fun menu
Welcome to our First Newsletter for Awesomedads.net
by Gregory Ian Berlanga - Father/Founder
ideas for the kids, arts and crafts, activity ideas for the family and kids and much more.  I always welcome ideas and suggestions to help communicate awesome dads to everyone.

If you are a non profit who would like to let everyone know about a event or program that would help dads, by all means let us know so we can get the word out to our subscribers.


Sincerely,

Gregory Ian Berlanga
Father/Founder
www.awesomedads.net
gregoryberlanga@awesomedads.net

Awesome Dads.net
13515 W. Avenue Suite 217
San Antonio, Texas 78216
210.837.4601
gregoryberlanga@awesomedads.net
www.awesomedads.net

How to make Quality time for our Marriage/Relationships
by Gregory Ian Berlanga - Father/Founder
Hey Guys, Don't let our kids, jobs or volunteer work interfere with your marriage. 

Many couples in todays busy enviornment find that being married does not guarantee that they will have quality time with one another.  If both of you are busy, you ahve to plan to spend time together to enjoy quality time together.

Here are some ideas for that special time together.

Here's How:
1.Schedule a weekend just for the two of you. Write it on your calendar, put it on your computer planner, etc. Don't change it for any other event. You don't have to go anywhere.
2.Have lunch together once a week. On nice days, meet in a park.
3.Let your children know that you two need time alone together. Tell them they can knock on your closed bedroom door only if there is blood.
4.Walk around the block together.
5.Do chores together like the dishes or weeding. It may not sound like quality time, but it can be.
6.When you are running errands together, turn off the radio or CD player in the car and talk with one another.
7.Take showers together.
8.Spend 20 minutes a day in daily dialogue.


9.Arrange for a quiet evening at home alone once a month.
10.Hire a babysitter to watch the kids for a couple hours even though you are home. This works wonders!
11.Work out a deal with another couple to have them watch your kids overnight so you can have a romantic evening alone ... then you watch their children for them.
12.Schedule dates with one another. Having an evening or afternoon out together twice a month is a good beginning.
13.Volunteer to be a presenting couple on Marriage Encounter, Retrouvaille or Engaged Encounter weekends.
14.When you travel together, don't take work on the plane or road trip. Spend that time talking with each other.
15.Have a one night stand with each other.
Tips:
Bottom line: if you don't schedule time for one another, you won't have the time.
What You Need:
•Commitment
•A Calendar


Google
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How to make Weight Loss Easier
by Gregory Ian Berlanga - Father/Founder
Two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese and that needs to change. Being overweight or obese increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. However just a few pounds of weight loss will improve those risks. I am not talking about being super-skinny, but achieving a healthy weight, which is a Body Mass Index between 20 to 25. Do you know your BMI? If not, you can use an online BMI calculator. If your BMI is over 25, you need to bring that number down. Here's some help to make weight loss easier.
If you are overweight, you are taking in more calories than your body needs every day, so you need to eat less to lose weight. You probably already know that, and you already know that eating less just isn’t any fun —- you don't want to feel hungry all day. So you do you stay full without eating too many calories?
The key is to eat plenty of fiber with every meal, but most people don't do that. Fiber keeps you feeling full longer, and of course, fiber is also really important for a healthy digestive system. Eating foods high in fiber makes weight loss easier because it keeps you feeling full longer. Where do you get dietary fiber? From whole grains and from fruits and vegetables. Aim for 3 servings of 100% whole grains and 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday.

Here is some simple advice for easier weight loss. Starting with your next meal, eat more fiber. Is it breakfast? Choose a cup of a whole grain cereal with half a cup of non-fat milk topped with a half cup of strawberries. Lunch time? Make a sandwich with 100% whole grain bread, one small slice of turkey and plenty of tomato slices, avocados, sprouts, lettuce and mustard instead of high-calorie mayo. And no potato chips. Serve your sandwich with a small salad.

For dinner, cut that big steak in half (that's all you need) and serve it with two cups of your favorite green vegetables. Still hungry? Eat more of the vegetables, not the steak. What about dessert? Have a bowl of fresh berries with a dollop of light whipped topping.

More Easy Weight Loss Tips
Watch the sugary beverages. Instead, drink water, non-fat milk and zero-calorie beverages.
Slow down -- when you eat too fast you will eat too much.
When you go out to eat, take half of your meal home.
Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter instead of a jar of cookies.
Don't skip meals -- you will just get too hungry and eat too much at the next meal.
Add one cup of chopped vegetables to your favorite soup or pasta meal.
Don't keep high-calorie snacks in the house -- buy fresh vegetables and fruits, low-fat yogurt, and enjoy air-popped or light popcorn.
Keep track of calories -- join Calorie Count.
Get moving -- walk or run every day to burn calories.
Source:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005." 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005.

Recipe of the Month

BBQ Ribs a la Joe   
   
    
  Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds, pork back ribs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brewed Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey, preferably wildflower
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or more to taste


Place the ribs in a large two-quart saucepan, and cover them completely with water. Boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan partially and simmer for an hour or until the ribs are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove the pan, discard the water, and set the ribs aside on a plate.


In a one-quart saucepan, prepare the marinade with all the remaining Ingredients, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring frequently, for about ten minutes or until the sauce thickens and coats a wooden spoon.


Heat your BBQ grill to medium and lightly oil the cooking surface. Brush the ribs with the sauce and cook, turning them frequently with tongs until the ribs are hot and shining with glaze, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with coleslaw, fresh corn, and sliced tomatoes.



Holiday Traditions between Fathers and Their Families
by Gregory Ian Berlanga - Father/Founder
One of the things that make the Holidays special is our committment to family traditions I spoke with a number of fathers whose families feel the same way about holiday traditions, and I asked them to tell me about the unique things they do with their families. If your family might enjoy some fun family traditions that dad can be involved with, then maybe this list is for you.

Decorating Traditions. A number of the dads I spoke with have a great time with the kids decorating. It seems that the trend of these dads is that the fathers take responsibility for the outside decorations and the mom focus inside. So, if you have some outside decorations, consider involving the kids.

Christmas Trees. One thing my daughter and I love to do is shop for the traditional Christmas Tree.  I think in searching for the perfect Tree as adults have to throw out any expectation on what we consider the "perfect" tree.  If your kiddo picks a Charlie Brown tree ask  them why and you will be suprised on the answer.

We pick out a new ornament every year as father and daughter to commemorate that particular Christmas.  It's a wonderful way to connect with your child as they get older, sharing the memories of that Christmas.





Reading Traditions

For my daughter and Myself, reading is important all year long.  But during the Holidays, we read a lot.  We sit down together and read the stories aloud and then enjoy treats. And there are some books we read every year, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas (complete with my famous Grinch-impression) and The Little Shepherd Boy. On Christmas Eve, before going to bed, we also read the Christmas story from The Bible.

Traditions are important to children. When I asked dads why they had holiday traditions in their families, the answers were varied. Some said it was just fun. Others said it gave them something to do with the children. Others thought the traditions helped them look beyond themselves during the holidays. One dad reminded me of the sentiment expressed by Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof—that traditions define who we are and help us understand our place in the world. As dads, we can find traditions that establish that kind of identity in our children if we work at it.