mamasnap

2009-10-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween mamas!
Besides the obvious, watch out for these dangerous "ingredients" in your kids candy!
Saturated fats
Artifical coloring
Artifical flavors
High Fructose Corn Syrup
;)

Poor kidlets would be left with nothing...sniff

Why Kids Should not be Left Alone

2009-10-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

- LT

(Thanks to reader Deb in Seattle!)

Antibacterial Soap Warning...

2009-10-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

With all the Swine Flu "stuff" going on, I have been keeping Purell and Antibacterial Soap accessible for everyone coming in the door. Because I have decided against getting them vaccinated, I have been slightly psycho about my kids washing their hands every time they come in the front door, or in the car, after shopping, etc.. I was a little alarmed when I came across an article about antibacterial soap in the June 2006 issue of Parents magazine.
There is an ingredient in some antibacterial soaps called benzalkonium chloride that can cause burns on senisitive skin if left on too long. A little girl had rubbed antibacterial foam soap onto her face and not rinsed it off. The soap dried and stayed on overnight. The next morning her skin was bright red and had broken out in blisters.
She was treated with burn cream and ibuprofen and, luckily, has healed completely.

Because of this article I went straight to the web and googled about antibacterial soaps. What an eye opener! By using these "agents" we not only kill the bad bacterias but the good as well. We are helping the super antibodies to gain strength. It is important for our young ones to build the strongest immune system they can so perhaps we shold let up on the various antibacterial washes, cremes and strong soaps.
Washing with clear running water and REGULAR soap, scrubbing and rinsing for a count of 10, will kill off the bad bacteria and keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.

You can use a natural anti-bacterial soap such as
Essential Oils Products
• Dr. Bronner Castile Soaps (you can actually get this on amazon.com...weird huh?)

Check out this article for more info (and some interesting reading)

http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/antibacterial.htm

Wishing you all good health!!!

-SBH

Bad Parenting

2009-10-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Watch your duckies!

Ken Wants Barbie Back!!!!!!!

2009-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and Brad, J-Lo and Ben, Barbie and Ken. These are the break ups that really shook us to our very soul. Brace yourself…Ken wants Barbie back!

Ken and Barbie split up a couple years ago and apparently Ken has been longing to win back his plastic paramour ever since. Barbie probably got sick of listening to Madonna and watching old Judy Garland movies.….Apparently Ken has been going to the gym and got a new stylist- so instead of looking like a gay man of the 70’s. 80’s, 90’s and early millennium he looks like a gay man for 2006 and Barbie will hopefully swoon.

His new look is supposed to be edgy. Ken has two personalities to choose from…
One is the “rugged bad boy” vibe. The other is surfer dude look- who will be a hit with the boys of Ptown.

Look at how Ken has evolved over the years. In the 70’s he was a cross between gay Elvis and gay Starsky. In the 80’s he looked like a gay frat boy. In the 90’s..well he scares me. What straight guy would wear that? 2000’s..see the 90’s comment. A mesh shirt?????
Come on Mattel…Ken is SO gay. Just make him and his alternate personality hook up. That would be so new millennium of you. Ken should realize that his parents will love him no matter what and just come out of the closet.
What is wrong with him being gay anyway?????

Stranger Danger...Revisited

2009-10-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

The idea of warning kids about 'stranger danger' has become out of favor in recent years, so I may be quoting a bit of old school thought here, but nonetheless I feel it's good to teach the kids that strangers can be dangerous. Fact is many kids are taken by people that they know and there is concern that kids aren't very good at recognizing strangers anyway.

There was a story for example about two years ago about a lost boy scout avoiding searchers because he was worried that they were strangers, which just illustrates another potential stranger danger problem.

According to Vincent Iannelli, M.D. in Pediatrics - a well thought out safety plan in situations when you might get separated from your kids seems a smart way to go. One plan would making sure your kids have some kind of ID (my kids found the current ID bracelets annoying though) with information on how to contact you (we rehearsed our address, phone number and knowing your parents names) having a current picture of your child, a designated meeting place if you become separated, and a discussion of safe places that your child might go if he becomes lost in a crowd (we discussed WHO to go to if lost in a store for instance - ie. a uniformed security guard or someone who works at the store.)

It's somewhat hard to go over ALL this with small kids as they just don't quite get that the world can be a dangerous place, in my experience. So we are adapting our plan as the kids grow older.

Nonetheless - here's a revisit to recognizing strangers with Desi (our 4 1/2 yr. old) as he's quite a friendly kid:

Mom: What do you do if you are outside and someone you don't know says Hey little boy do you want some candy?
Desi: You say please.
Mom: No, this is someone you don't know, so you say NO, I DON'T KNOW YOU and you run back in the house, ok?
Desi: Ok.

So we rehearse this several times. Next we move on to strangers knocking at the door.

Knock Knock.
Mom: What do you say when someone knocks at the door and you don't know who it is?
Desi: I open it up to say hello.
Mom: No, you say WHO IS IT? If it's someone you know, you can answer the door. If it's someone you don't know - you go get Mommy and Daddy.
Desi: OK.

Knock Knock.
Desi: WHO IS IT?
Mom: It's Fedex with a package.
Desi: Is it for me?
Mom: Desi, no, you're supposed to say - just a minute, let me get my Mom & Dad.
Desi: OK

We rehearse this several times as well complete with knock on the door.
We rehearse what you do if there's an emergency - to call 911. He's got this down pretty good. 911 is to get the police, fireman or ambulance. He knows his address, his phone number and his whole name to tell the 911 person on the phone.

Then Desi revisits the man with the candy outside.
Desi: Do you think he would feel bad if I don't take the candy? (and Desi LOVES candy).
Mom: Oh dear.

So we go over it again.
Such a cute conversation - but problematic with raising friendly, thoughtful kids.

Here's a link to keeping your kids safe.

I also really liked this

Quiz

for your kids to see if they can recognize what is a stranger.

- LT

I've Got Rhythm!

2009-10-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Bouncing your baby on your knee while singing a song is a great calming mechanism, but did you know that it also happens to be how babies learn to dance to the beat for the rest of their lives? Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario have found that music rhythm perception - the ability to hear the beat in music and move in time with it - is developed through experience during the first year of life.

In their study, they focused on how movement influences auditory development. The first experiment was a 'training session' for a group of 7 mo. old babies in which they listened to a two minute repetition of a rhythm pattern without accented beats. Half the infants were bounced on every second beat and half on every third beat. After the session, the rhythm pattern was played again, this time with accentuated beats. Each baby turned to the song of the rhythm pattern they had just experienced - the second or the third. Researchers concluded that the rhythm of the bouncing they experienced determined which musical pattern they later preferred.

A second experiment examined whether babies would watch another person bouncing to the beat and develop a preference of their own based on that observation. They did not, which indicates their own body movement was essential for the development of their listening preferences - they had to 'experience' it rather than watch. These studies reveal that there is a strong multisensory connection between our ability to hear rhythms and to move our bodies in time to those rhythms. Integrating these senses - learning to use both the experience of movement and hearing it simultaneously and to let each inform the other - is one of the many essential developmental achievements of the first year of life.

Your baby's delight in being bounced and hearing music is not only fun, but yet another expeience that encourages healthy development!

Source: Science 308 (2005): 1430 (b.a.b.y. magazine)

Snotty boy, snotty girl

2009-10-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

A runny nose might be the result of a cold, allergies, or even spicy foods. Regardless of the cause, a runny nose is usually pretty annoying, if not inconvenient. I came across some home remedies that can be used to treat a runny nose or at least make you fel like maybe you are curing it. Placebo affect? The important thing to remember is that a runny nose is different than nasal congestion and should not be treated with a decongestant unless a doctor recommends it.
A runny nose is the result of increased mucus production in the sinus and nasal passages. In layman’s terms, a runny nose happens when there is a lot of snot in your nose and it is clearing out of your nasal passages. The increased production of mucus is usually the result of the body attempting to clear cold or flu viruses or irritants and allergens from the body. A normal amount of mucus is always present, lubricating the lining of the nasal passageways and keeping germs out. An increased production typically results in runny, snotty noses and even postnasal drip, both of which can be irritating and cause you to blow your child’d nose anywhere from 5 to 473 times during the course of a day.

The best relief for a runny nose is to help the body by gently blowing the nose at regular intervals. Trying to get a kid to do this or do it TO your kid can be problematic. AND excessive blowing can irritate the outside of the nose and make it tender and sore. I am a big advocate of Puffs or even the puffs WITH calming Aloe or some other mysterious softening lotion that is somehow in the fibers of tissue. For an excessively runny nose caused by seasonal or environmental allergies, you can try an over the counter antihistamine- but it is always best to check with your pediatrition first. For runny noses caused by cold or flu, an antihistamine may help alleviate the symptom, but because they slow the production of mucus they can cause germs to linger in the nasal “cavity” longer. What I am really focusing on though, is where do I get one of those contraptions that lady has on her head? I want one! It could be useful in so many many situations. Need a wipey? Oh can't get to your bag? Hold on..I have one on my head. Need to pee on the side of the road? Oh, no toilet paper? Well, it just so happens that my hat......And then of course. Shopping with the 2 year old with the oozing nose? No worries! They can help themselves from the comfort of the cart. Moving on.

Give a salty squirt. Over-the-counter saline (saltwater) drops and sprays, such as Ocean, can help flush out irritants that may be causing the nose to run. Some docs say to put the drops in your child's nose, have him lie on his back on the bed, with his head over the edge. Place two drops in each nostril and let them seep in for two to three minutes. Sounds easy huh? Unfortunately there aren’t many kids who are going to let you squirt water up their nose. I would be hard pressed at the ripe age of 40 to let someone squirt anything up my nose...But follow the details of the diagram VERY carefully because who nose what kid of trouble you could get into?It seems the kitchen table could be an EXCELLENT place to administer up the nose basting.

Suction away those secretions. A baby may have so much excess mucus that it interferes with his breathing and he can't drink or eat comfortably. In this case- time to clear their nose! The fastest way to do this is with a rubber ear bulb, purchased from the drugstore.
Place the baby on his back. Squeeze the bulb, then insert the long, tapered tip in one nostril, and gently release the bulb to suction up the mucus. Withdraw the tip and squeeze the secretions out in a tissue. Repeat with the other nostril. When you're done with the ear bulb, boil it before you use it again. Not only does this work but it is a GREAT way to thoroughly piss off your little one. Make sure you cut their fingernails first.

Use a cool mist humidifier. We use this one a lot at our house and it actually does help. In general, a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier is preferred over a warm mist one because of the risk of your child getting accidentally burned. A cool mist humidifier can be especially helpful for kids that have croup.
Just make sure you keep the machine clean as humidifiers can disperse germs into the air. To minimize this from happening, be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions, and clean your humidifier regularly. Humidifiers can also increase dust mites and mold in your house, and should be avoided if your child has an allergy to dust mites or mold. From experience I would NOT recommend the humidifiers that look like an animal such as an elephant or penguin. My children seem to think it is a fun toy. Ooooo, look at the elephant spew wet smoke everywhere! And it comes apart? Fun!

An easy fix: Prop up the head of the bed. Tuck a strong support under the head of the bed, to elevate it. I have taken books and raised the whole bed. In addition, you can use extra pillows to prop up the child's body even more. The prop should be about 18 inches high. That way, you enlist gravity's help so mucus can drain better. You also help prevent seepage down the back of the throat, which can lead to coughing fits. Telephone books are good.

Fend off cold air with a scarf. If your child's nose drips when she's in cold, windy air, she probably has nonallergic rhinitis, says Lee D. Eisenberg, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. This is a harmless, common condition that can be remedied by wearing a scarf over the nose to warm the incoming air, he says. My daughter has this and seems to have a runny nose on sunny days occasionally. A fix for this? I have NO idea.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Another natural cure and home remedy for sinus infection is to use Apple Cider Vinegar, which contains potassium. This helps decrease mucus production and have shown to be beneficial as a natural home remedy of sinus infection, runny nose and the common cold. Mix 2 teaspoonfuls of organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a full glass of warm water and drink it up. Do this 3 times a day. I am still trying to figure out how to get my kids to drink this…any ideas?

And then there is the “well duh” solution:
You should also set a goal of drinking around 10 glasses of water everyday. This helps to thin out the mucus which is naturally produced by the body and allows easy drainage through the nasal passages. Besides, if your system is well hydrated it can also help prevent ill health since the body's immune system deteriorates if there is insufficient water in the body. I like to cut up cucumbers and lemons to make a sort of spa water- Healthy and refreshing! Woohoo.

Is a runny nose serious?
A runny nose is usually just annoying. But it can be a sign of a more serious problem. See your doctor if:
*Your symptoms last more than two weeks, or you have a fever lasting more than a few days along with your runny nose.
*Your nasal discharge is green in color, and accompanied by sinus pain or fever. This may be a sign of a bacterial infection.
*Your child's nose is persistently runny on one side only. This might be a sign that a small object is lodged in that nostril. Peas, nuts, small action figures…..
*You have blood in your nasal discharge or a persistent clear discharge after a head injury.
*You have asthma or emphysema, or you're taking immune-suppressing medications.

So remember...Puffs...and letssssnot be snotty!.. get it... lets not...let snot...harhar.
But yes, YOU go ahead and be naughty. You probably deserve it.

-SBH

Bath Toy Scum...blagh

2009-10-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

Whose children like to drink the water out of their rubber bath toys? Ah a show of hands….My kids do…Have you ever squirt the water out and seen the disgustingness that comes out? Gooey grey chunks, slimy scum. Just the kinds of things we want our children to ingest. Yes, bathtub toys DO make bath time go more smoothly, but they also pose a problem. The stuff, which looks like it should be coming from a petri dish instead of a toy your child sucks on, is probably mold. Bath toys are a perfect breeding ground for it. "You have an enclosed space where a few organisms can get in and they don't get out," explains Dr. Lyuba Konopasek, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weil Cornell Medical Center and mother of two. "It's almost like standing water."
Don’t freak out….Dr. Paul Williams of Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Allergy and Immunology says, "[Parents] don't need to be worried in the sense that their child's health may be harmed by ordinary quantities of mold in the environment. There are thousands of mold spores in the air that we breathe every day. So, in a lot of ways, molds are just a part of our everyday environment and our system handles it quite nicely."
I know my kids have slurped down plenty of watery yuck despite my repeated warnings to cease and desist. "The likelihood of a child getting sick from this is close to zero," notes Dr. Konopasek. She compares ingesting mold from a bath toy to accidentally giving your child a piece of moldy bread to eat. It's just going to come out when the child goes to the bathroom. Dr. Konopasek adds that the only kids who could potentially be at risk are those who have immune problems, or those younger than three months old.

So while the dampness of the bathroom encourages the growth of mold and mildew, and the use of harsh chemicals can pose risks for your little ones. It's important to clean the toys off in a safe, environmentally friendly way.

SAFE INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups apple cider vinegar (can substitute white vinegar if needed)
* .5L Warm water (filtered is best)
* 2 Foaming denture cleansing tablets- available at drug stores or grandma’s medicine cabinet.

1. Mix vinegar and water in a plastic bucket.
2. Add toys. If they are not covered, add more vinegar and warm water.
3. Weight down floating toys if possible.
4. Soak toys overnight.
5. After toys have soaked, scrub with a bristle cleaning brush.
6. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
7. If the vinegar soak does not remove all the mold, use another step.
8. Put the toys in another bucket, and cover with warm water.
9. Add denture tablets. Allow to soak overnight.

Most parents would prefer that their children avoid playing with toys that look as if they've been soaking in a cesspool. Dr. Konopasek offers the following tips for cleaning your child's bath time buddies:

* "Try washing plastic toys in a mild dish soap with warm water," suggests Dr. Konopasek. "If it's good enough for my dishes, then it's fine for my kids' toys because they're all going to go in their mouths." Dr. Konopasek is hesitant to advise parents to stick bath toys in the dishwasher. In addition to running the risk of the toys melting, she says, "I'm not a fan of getting hot fluid in there and then possibly squirting out and burning your kid." I have yet to run them through my dishwasher but I do have some in at the moment that I thought I would try. I am REALLY hoping they don’t melt.

* What if you have a toy like a rubber duck with a hole and there's mold growing inside? "You need to throw it out. Once that mold is there, it's time to get a new duck," says Dr. Konopasek. Next time, you might want to stay away from toys with holes. Some people seal up the holes using a glue gun. Smart huh? I’ll have to try it. NOTE: If your toy has a "squeak" mechanism, sealing the hole will also prevent it from squeaking. If you'd prefer not to do that, you will just need to clean the toy again in the future. If you do have the toys with holes try the above “technique” If that doesn’t work then its time to junk them and spend another $9-$16 on new toys. Drag.

* Wash items such as washcloths and terry cloth hand puppets along with your regular laundry at least once a week. If you aren’t doing that anyway………um…….

* Store bath toys where they can drain, such as inside a mesh bag. Avoid keeping toys in buckets or other receptacles where water can collect. Always drain toys between baths. You can make it a game with the kids, a sort of getting out of the bath, cleaning up your toys ritual.

If you want to go the unfriendly way. (Which I am guilty of…I know, hypocrite, but the grody black goo freaks me out) then you can do the following:
*Mix a solution of bleach water with 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
*Add toys to the cleaning solution and allow to sit for 15 minutes. If toys have a hole and the mold is inside the toy, make sure to suck cleaning solution into the toy.
Squeeze the water out of the toys and rinse with clear water (inside and out). When squeezing out the toy, make sure the hole is AWAY from you. I ruined a shirt this morning. Waa.
Allow to dry completely.

Hopefully, we can all conquer the sludge.
Good luck!

-SBH

Disciplining Your Toddler

2009-09-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

As parents we are filling many shoes- teacher, cook, maid, referee, comforter and chauffeur just to name a few. I think the hardest role is that of the disciplinarian.
I can’t stand it but, unfortunately, it is something we all have to do.
Apparently, children NEED to be disciplined because they don’t really have the skills to control themselves. They aren’t TRYING to make us crazy- they are just experiencing the world and how they fit into it. They are defining their identity and also seeing what the boundaries are. It is up to us to help them with those boundaries.
There are several methods of discipline that parents use.
#1. Spanking
Spanking doesn’t teach self-control but rather teaches that reacting with violence to things they don’t approve of is okay. I think Spanking is a last resort- when it is perhaps the only way to make the importance of a situation understood.
#2. Time-Outs
I found this very effective with my daughter. I removed her from the situation, told her why she was getting a time out and she had to sit until she quieted down. A time-out isn't really a punishment. It's an opportunity for your child to learn how to cope with frustration and modify his behavior.
#3 Reward method
This is more about complimenting your child when they do good things. Learning through positive feedback. They like praise so it is believed that they will repeat behavior that gets them positive attention. Rewarding the child for good behavior with candy, toys etc.,makes them work for the rewards rather then being motivated from within. This doesn’t actually teach self-control but contributes to wanting the reward. I find the bribery method really effective when I am trying to shop at Target or something. Oh you want this $3 Barbie? Well- if you behave…..worth every penny in my opinion.
#4 Diversion
Getting your kid to focus on something else is sometimes the best way to deal with a situation. Apparently this works best with kids under 3. You don’t have to get angry or act like a police man…you just have to redirect them. Example: your toddler and a friend are fighting over the same toy. You get another one and offer it a and say “Ohh this one looks like fun” or whatever… This sssssort of works with my 3 year old son.....

Whatever methods you use just remember that your child is NOT trying to be a big pain in the butt. They just really don’t know better. There are times when I feel I might explode with frustration and I always try to remind myself of this…

Unconditional Parenting

2009-09-15T11:22:00.001-07:00

Interesting article posted in the New York Times today about unconditional parenting. After reading it I see that I do often fall into the category of conditional parenting, meaning that my demonstration of love towards them can be measured by whether they are good or bad. when your child behaves well or does well in school I think that alot of us probably praise and maybe pay more attention- whereas when they behave badly and do poorly in school or a sport, our attitude is different. There are some interesting points made in this article, though I find it hard to figure out just HOW to become an unconditional parent. Yes, I will love my kids no matter what but reacting to negative behavior.....well.....what is one to do? Listen to Enya and meditate together to remove the "bad"or "weak" energy???? I do my best to let them know that even when they aren't the best or fall short of their own expectations I still love them. I want them to be secure in who they are. The article says to "explain reasons for requests, maximizing opportunities for the child to participate in making decisions, being encouraging without manipulating, and actively imagining how things look from the child’s point of view." I always try to see it from their point of view and give them an element of control. I just don't understand how one can NOT be conditional about some things sometimes. I am having a hell of a time getting my daughter to do her homework. It's like puling teeth and I end up losing my patience after a while. HOW can this be solved without some kind of balance of some sort? Your teacher will not be happy if, It makes me angry when.....Unconditional parenting? I WISH I was that evolved! Check it out-

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15mind.html?emc=eta1
New York Times HEALTH | September 15, 2009
Mind: When a Parent's 'I Love You' Means 'Do as I Say'
By ALFIE KOHN
Evidence is now available about the mainstream thinking on the disciplining of children.

-SBH

Eat it or Toss it???

2009-09-10T09:22:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's easy to tell when things are past their prime. Socks smell, flowers wilt and movie stars look more stretched than sexy.

But what about the spaghetti leftovers from last week, or that days-past-its-sell-by-date container of yogurt in the fridge? Do you dare dive in?

StillTasty.com, the ultimate shelf-life guide, has the answers. (No and probably, respectively.)

Type the name of the food into the Keep It or Toss It search engine and you'll find out how long it can be kept in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. The site also provides tips for the best ways to store each type of food.

While you're online, browse through StillTasty's article and Q&A archives, or submit a question of your own.

It's a quick way to be safe, not sorry.

Get the scoop at www.StillTasty.com.

Courtesy of Food Now!
-SBH

Sunscreen

2009-07-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing. The sun is shining high in the sky, pools and beaches are calling to us to come out and play. But Susan Bayliss, MD, director of pediatric dermatology at St. Louis Children's Hospital, reminds parents that there is one essential item for every family to have nearby for the summer months: sunscreen. "Because 80 percent of sun damage to the skin occurs before 18 years of age, it is very important to protect our children from harmful ultraviolet rays," she says.

We all need some sun exposure; it's our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. But it doesn't take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need, and unprotected exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and even cancer. Even people in their 20s can develop skin cancer.

Most children rack up between 50% and 80% of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, so it's important that parents teach their children how to enjoy fun in the sun safely. With the right precautions, you can greatly reduce your child's chance of developing skin cancer.

A good start is avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun between the peak hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. That doesn't mean you have to keep children indoors — but take breaks from sun exposure during those hours, and make sure children wear sun protection when they are in the sun.

Slather it On
Sunscreens that block both UVA and UVB light with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 should be applied liberally, especially to the face, ears, neck and backs of the hands. "People with fair skin, light eyes and blond or red hair should wear sunscreen year-round," Dr. Bayliss says. Sunscreen should be reapplied every three to four hours.

Parents who choose waterproof sunscreen for their kids should remember that it only lasts for 30 minutes in the water, so it needs to be reapplied more often. Zinc oxide can be used on sensitive areas like the nose and shoulders to provide a complete sun block.

Check Expiration Dates
Before you rely on any type of sunscreen, remember that it does expire, especially after being exposed to the heat of the sun or the high temperatures of the car. "I suggest parents buy sunscreens fresh each summer," Dr. Bayliss says.

Keep the Very Little Ones Out of the Sun
"Sunscreens have not been tested on babies under 6 months," Dr. Bayliss says. "Babies need to be in the shade and covered with clothing." Dr. Bayliss advises parents to use sunscreen on babies only if sun exposure is unavoidable and only in addition to clothing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics now states that sunscreen is probably safe to use on younger children, as young as six months, especially if you just use it on small areas of your baby's skin that is exposed to the sun and not protected by clothing, such as the infant's hands and face.
But babies, especially those with fair skin, should not be out in the sun that long. “Parents should definitely avoid putting their babies to sleep in the sun," Bayliss says.

Still, younger children should be kept out of direct sunlight because they can burn easily and may not be able to handle getting overheated as well as older children. So even though it is likely safe to use sunscreen on kids less than six months old, it is safer to keep them out of the sun.

Don’t Let the Clouds Fool You
Dr. Bayliss also reminds parents to be just as cautious on cloudy days. Because as much as 80 percent of the sun's ultraviolet radiation can get through the clouds, they offer little protection for sunburn. Plus, beachcombers must remember that sand and water reflect sunlight and can contribute to sunburn. In addition to sunscreen, children should wear hats and sunglasses.

And, before you head off to that sunny vacation, Dr. Bayliss tells parents to check with their pediatrician to determine whether any medicines their child takes can increase sensitivity to the sun.

Other tips to keep your kids safe from the sun:
When buying sunscreen look for:
the the highest SPF you can find, typically 50+, though some experts believe that they don't provide that much extra protection. Some experts go as far as to say the SPF rating should be capped at 30.

a kids' brand (Banana Boat Kids, Coppertone Kids, Coppertone Waterbabies, etc.)
While it is fine to use these, they are really not that much different from those that are made for adults, so you don't really have to buy a separate sunscreen just for your kids.Apply enough sunscreen to protect your child. Most experts estimate that many parents only use about half of the recommended amount of sunscreen on their children, providing less protection than they think.

a sunscreen that is water resistant. Even if you aren't going swimming, if your child is outside, he will likely be sweating, so a water resistant might provide better protection than a regular sunscreen. Be sure to reapply sunscreen regularly and at least every 2 hours, or more often if your child is swimming or sweating.

hypoallergenic and fragrance free, especially if your child has sensitive skin.

a form that is easy to use on your child, whether that means it is a gel, lotion, spray, continuous spray, etc.

Remember to apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before your child will be exposed to the sun.

Use sunscreen even if it is cloudy outside. Clouds don't absorb all of the UV radiation that may harm your child.

Avoid sun exposure when the effects of the sun are the strongest, which is usually from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Use physical protection, including clothing, such a hat with a 3-inch brim, lightweight long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and/or a stroller, tent, umbrella or tree.

Encourage your children to wear sunglasses that protect against ultraviolet rays.

Remember that a sunscreen isn't better just because it is more expensive. Saying this, I buy La Roche Posay Anthelios SX sunscreen for my children's faces. Overpriced and available at CVS. BUT, it IS a french product and I really do trust those Euro brands. It is a daily moisturizer containing Mexoryl™ SX, a unique organic UV filter that is highly protective against short UVA waves, provides comprehensive UVA/UVB protection*. Anthelios SX features the first new sun filter in a sunscreen approved by the FDA in 18 years.
For more information about Anthelios SX, Mexoryl SX and UV rays, please visit Anthelios.com.

Broad Spectrum Sunscreens
Unfortunately, many sunscreens that say that they are broad spectrum really aren't or don't block rays from the full UVA spectrum. To get good protection from UVA rays, look for sunscreens that list avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide as ingredients.

Sunscreen Ingredients
If your child gets a rash from his sunscreen, you might review the ingredient's list and choose a different one next time. Make sure to choose one that is PABA free. You might also look for one that gets its UVA protection from a sunblock, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, since they can be less irritating than avobenzone, a common sunscreen ingredient.
Be sure to apply it to just a small area of your child's skin if you think he might have a reaction to the new sunscreen too.

Unprotected sun exposure is even more dangerous for kids with:
moles on their skin (or whose parents have a tendency to develop moles)
very fair skin and hair
a family history of skin cancer, including melanoma
You should be especially careful about sun protection if your child has one or more of these high-risk characteristics.

So before you send your kids outside to play in the sun- just make sure you take the necessary precautions when it comes to sun exposure! AND don't forget to slather YOURSELF- everywhere I missed a spot the other day and the burn STILL hurts. Don'y you hate it when that happens??

-SBH

Music is good for the soul

2009-07-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Who would've guessed that reggae or Brahms could be good for your baby's soul? Music that soothes you or makes you happy just might have the same effect on your baby. Although there's evidence that music has cognitive benefits for preschoolers and older children, no one has studied this in infants. Still, you may find that music plays a useful role in your baby's life now in other ways:

Music as a soother. Works for you, doesn't it? When your baby is fussy or crying, try singing lullabies softly into her ear, like "Hush Little Baby" or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." The repetitive sounds and your familiar voice may help her to feel more secure and relaxed.

Music as calming background noise. Instead of keeping the TV or radio on all day, consider switching to an all-music radio station you like. Or, if you have one, program your iPod with tunes that please both you and your baby.

Music as a source of strength. A study at Brigham Young University found that premature infants who were exposed to music gained more weight, had lower blood pressure, and had a stronger heartbeat than a comparable group of babies who weren't.

There's no evidence that any one kind of music is more effective than another, so pick what you like. Exception: Animal and plant studies show that the discordant notes and chaotic pace of rap, grunge, and head-banger rock seem to interfere with growth in both plants and animals and with brain structure in animals.

courtesy of Babycenter.com

The Eight Foods You NEED To Eat

2009-07-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

8 Superfoods
By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

Blueberries
These amazing berries are on anyone's list of super foods. Recent research shows that they're brain food -- feeding blueberries to rats actually slows their age-related mental decline. Blueberries contain pterostilbene, a plant compound recently shown to have cholesterol-lowering properties. Their ORAC value (antioxidant rating) is the highest of any fruit. And blueberries are rich in fiber. Tip: Try them frozen. They taste like sherbet!

Guava
Among the super foods of the world, guava is a sleeper. With a taste that's been described as "part strawberry and part pear," one low-calorie cup of this vitamin rich fruit contains a whopping 8 grams of fiber. And in one widely used test of antioxidant power, guava scored only second to blueberries, right behind kale. Guava also contains cancer-fighting lycopene.

Kale
Kale is a member of the brassica family -- vegetable royalty that boasts cabbage and broccoli among its relatives. It's rich in potent cancer-fighting substances called indoles, and loaded with bone-building vitamin K. Kale has the highest antioxidant rating of any vegetable and is ridiculously low in calories. Try it tossed with olive oil, a few dried cranberries and some pine nuts.

Sardines
The best kept secret in the world when it comes to health foods and the secret weapon of travelers looking for a cheap, portable, easily available source of protein. Sardines are rich in omega-3 fats, and one of the least contaminated of any seafood since they rank so low on the food chain. Eat them out of the can or throw them on some salad.

Apples
The juicy red or green apple's reputation for keeping you out of the doctor's office is well deserved. Loaded with pectin (an important fiber), apples are one of the best sources of boron, a little known nutrient that helps support strong and healthy bones. An apple with a glass of water is a great natural appetite suppressant. Highest antioxidant value: Red Delicious.

Coconut Oil
This superb oil has been long neglected as a healthy oil because it contains saturated fat. But not to worry: the saturated fat in coconut is a very healthy kind called MCT (medium chain triglyecerides) which is easily burned by the body for energy. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, a natural anti-viral and anti-microbal. And today's excellent virgin coconut oil -- unlike the inferior products of a few decades ago -- doesn't contain trans fats.

Green Tea
A superstar beverage if there ever was one, green tea helps with weight loss and helps fight against cancer. It contains EGCG, a catechin (plant compound) which stimulates metabolism and has anti-cancer properties to boot. Green tea also contains theanine, a natural relaxant which helps explain why the caffeine in green tea doesn't make you nearly as jittery as coffee.

Flaxseeds
Flaxseed oil is one of the only plant sources of omega-3 fats, but the flaxseeds themselves provide the added benefit of fiber along with omega-3. Flaxseeds can be thrown on salads, tossed into smoothies, or sprinkled on vegetables. They also contain lignans, a group of plant nutrients that have been studied by the National Cancer Institute for their cancer preventive properties.

-SBH

Raynaud's Syndrome

2009-07-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

As if my pregancy wasn't bad enough... I had a really awful time breast feeding. It at one point was incredibly painful. My nipples were cracked and bled. I felt a sense of dread and anxiety everytime I had to feed my baby but was determined to breast feed for the first year of his life. THEN, when I was done feeding him, I would get a searing pain that moved across my chest that would last for up to an hour.

One day after a good cry, I decided to consult a lactation specialist. I saw her learned that #1. My baby had a bad latch and #2 I had Raynaud's Syndrome.

Oh great, something else to worry about....but actually it wasn't that bad and seems to be very treatable. I was just relieved that there was a reason for my pain and that I was not a TOTAL failure as a breastfeeder.

So what is Reynaud's?

Here is part of a great article I found about it.
"Raynaud's phenomenon is due to spasm of blood vessels preventing blood from getting to a particular area of the body. It occurs in response to a drop in temperature. Most commonly, Raynaud's phenomenon will occur in the fingers, typically when someone goes outside from a warm house on a cool day. The fingers will turn white and the lack of blood getting to the tips of the fingers will cause pain. Raynaud's phenomenon occurs more commonly in women than men, and is often associated with illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Raynaud's phenomenon can also occur in nipples. In fact, it is much more common than generally believed. It can occur along with any cause of sore nipples, is, in fact, probably a result of damage, but it may also, on occasion, occur without any other kind of nipple pain at all.

Typically, Raynaud's phenomenon occurs after the feeding is over, once the baby is already off the breast. Presumably, the outside air is cooler than the inside of the baby's mouth. When the baby comes off the breast, the nipple is its usual colour, but soon, within minutes or even seconds, the nipple will start to turn white. Mothers generally describe a burning pain when the nipple turns white. After turning white for a while, the nipple may actually turn back to its normal colour (as blood starts to flow back to the nipple), and the mother will notice a throbbing pain. The nipple may go back and forth between colours (and types of pain) for several minutes or even an hour or two."

For more go to :
http://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/raynaud.html

The loss of color in the nipple is called "blanching". When you first feel the pain in your breast look and see if the nipple looses its color. It seems that everytime the pain gets bad this happens- from MY own experience. Poor positioning and poor attachment or latch may cause blanching of the nipple and pain during breastfeeding. I also read that because the breast pain associated with Raynaud's phenomenon is so severe and throbbing, it is often mistaken for Candida albicans infection.

Hopefully, no one will go for as long as I did. I spent almost 7 weeks in just the WORST pain. So I hope this helps some of you!!!! Thankfully, I made it to 14 months of breastfeeding!

-SBH

Childproof Those Pretty Pills

2009-07-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how your kid puts everything, or least almost everything, they find into their mouths? Curious 2-4 year olds can get themselves into big trouble with medications, especially because they come in such pretty colors and can be shiny or even have TWO colors. Beware of the dangers lurking in your cabinets and the dark recesses of your purse. Try to make every effort to store all medications away from those little prying explorers.
Here is the CDC's advice on the safe storage of medicines and vitamins:

* Post the national phone number for the poison control center on or near every home phone. That phone number is 800-222-1222.
* Store all medicines in secured cabinets out of reach of children.
* Use child-resistant caps and always close medication lids tightly after use.
* Remember, child-resistant containers aren't childproof. Store them in a secured cabinet.
* Whenever possible, store medicines in their original containers.
* If you transfer medication to a pill box or other container that isn't childproof, take extra precautions to keep them away from kids.
* Get rid of leftover or expired medicines by flushing them down a toilet.
* Avoid taking medicines in front of children, who tend to imitate adults.
* Never call medicine "candy."
* Be aware of any medicines visitors bring into the home. Keep visitors' drugs secure and away from kids. Don't leave those medicines in an unattended purse or suitcase.

SOURCES: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Jan. 13, 2006; vol 55: pp 1-5. News release, CDC.

-SBH

Interesting children's medications from the past

2009-07-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

A bottle of Bayer's heroin. Between 1890 and 1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine. It was also used to treat children with strong cough.

Very popular for children in 1885. Not only they relieved the pain, they made the children happy!

-SBH

Temper tantrums.......

2009-06-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

WE ALL have problems with our kids and hopefully we can share a tidbit or two with each other. The best ones seem to come from the kids themselves though they may not be particularly helpful....or maybe?
So here is a typical conversation that took place this morning between Mamasnaps Lisa and Susanna. Lisa has a 3 year old daughter, Kate. Susanna has a almost 6 year old daughter, Lulu

Lisa: Are you avail to talk in this afternoonish today? Wanted to ask you some kid behavior questions. I think it's a girl thing

Susanna: shurrrrr. everything ok?

Lisa: yes

Susanna: it is a little early to talk aboout her period. hahaha

Lisa: Kate has been just way OFF the past week in a very noticeable way.

Susanna: going into her f#ck you fours after sailing through the tyrannical threes?

Lisa: yeah i guess so- lots of tantrums and don't touch me and i want nothing and all kinds of sh*t

Susanna: Lulu went from totally easy to impossible

Lisa: Desi (Lisa's almost 6 year old)was ALWAYS able to be soothed by talking and hugging.

Susanna: Kate is actually alot like Lulu

Lisa: but Kate is a different child altogether on that - have to take more masterful approach.

Susanna: is she getting enough sleep?

Lisa: well she's old enough to remember what actions get her to get her way. yes on the sleep

Lisa: i prefer her to take a nap - but sometimes she skips

Susanna: she is asserting herself

Lisa: yes indeedy

Susanna: testing

Lisa: and I'm not liking much so far

Susanna: and she is more independant then Desi

Lisa: she's pulling a lot of tantrums and victim crap. well I"m not buying- this is unacceptable behavior to me. and Billy's (Husband) about had it

Susanna: timeouts?

Lisa: timeouts yes

Susanna: welcome to my world

Lisa: but she will NOT let it go Desi can easily move on

Susanna: again.welcome to my world

Lisa: so we are working on 'moving on'. she's a grudge holder

Susanna: andddd again

Lisa: interesting - what has been working for you lately?

Susanna: from my experience..
do not label- dont say you are being bad, bad girl, naughty, brat etc
you have to help her express her feelings.
"I know this makes you upset"

Lisa: Jason Schwartzman just walked by my window at work

(we DO live in LA......)

Susanna: I know it is frustrating when. She needs to know that you understand her feelings. tantrums are just frustration.

Lisa: yes I do say that. good about the labeling tho

Susanna: yeah I dropped the ball on that one

Lisa: UGH - sometimes I do say - stop being a brat tho. parenting takes the patience of a saint.

Susanna: no sh*t

Lisa: what I want to say is STOP F#CKING YELLING

Susanna: You CAn say that you dont hear her when she talks that way

Lisa: it's maddening. Billy is good when he's had enough sleep but if he is tired - he has hard time dealing - like all of us.

Susanna: and tell her she needs to calm down and if she doesn't send her to her room to cool it.

Susanna: ahhhhhhh FINALLY someone gets it!

Lisa: yis - cooling it ....boy she drags it on though - augh

Susanna: Lulu holds on too
Lulu says if you play with her everything will be better.
or buy her a little cake or treat
INterestinggggggggggg
can you give me an example that I can discuss with lulu......that could help BOTH of us!
SHe seems to think that when someone acts like that that people won't like you. She says to tell them that you still love them and will play with them- it is important to her that she knows that she is still accepted. all about who will play with her and saying its ok. So I am guessing that it is about letting them know it is ok to express their feelings and then it is up to us to guide them in a more productive way???????
Lisa: cute on the cake. tell Lulu that Kate is having a hard time when she does not get her way - like get to wear a certain article of clothing that is dirty, like her white skirt this morning - sent her into a tizzy. she refused to wear the purple one
but the white one was dirty

Susanna: Lulu says if you give her a purple necklace to wear with it and maybe be a purple fairy and wear your wings

Lisa: good god - advice from an angel

Susanna: isnt this SO helpful?

Lisa: v. sweet
yes let me put on my fairy godmother costume so I can flit around and grant all the children's wishes - how could I not know that? how silly of me

Susanna: with sitution like that it is basically: Your skirt is dirty- I am going to wash it today and you can wear it tomorrow

Lisa: yeah i'm a realist - that''s what i said and that does not compute today with this certain 3 yr old

Susanna:and when she has a tizzy has to sit somewhere until she cools it

Lisa: so i laid out the purple skirt before I left and she was in her underwear and a shirt eating a cheese blintz when i left

Susanna: and there HAS to be consequences. and reward the GOOD behavior. go to 99 cent store and fill a bag with crap.

Lisa: Im not playing her game. but boy does it take patience - like i said earlier

Susanna: just you wait

Lisa: yis let me take this day by day

Susanna: you will start giving in just to shut her up

Lisa: oh i'm guilty already- we're human

Susanna: but taking away things like a bedtime story or TV helps

Lisa: it really just started to be intolerable in the past week and i've really noticed this phase

Susanna: Let her decide the consequences with you
1 strike= no bedtime book
2nd= no TV
3rd= take away what she sleeps with

Lisa: (am hoping for a 'phase') can i wish : )

Susanna: well the f#ck YOU fours turn into the F#ck off (and leave me the hell alone)fives.

Lisa: lol

Susanna: Six I have no idea

Lisa: maybe six is peace

Susanna: satanic sixes
psycho six?
please let it be the snuggly six.
So you can see...we ALL have problems with our kids. Have any advice????? ;)
Things to keep in mind:

What is a temper tantrum?
An immature way to express anger, peaks between the ages of 12-36 months and no matter how gentle of a parent you are, your child will probably have a temper tantrum.

What should I do if my child has a temper tantrum?
Support and help children having frustration or fatigue related tantrums.
Your child needs encouragement and understanding most at this time.
Tantrums tend to occur most frequently during periods of tiredness, and hunger.

Ignore Ignore, Ignore (and did I say Ignore?) If your child does not get positive reinforcement (example: the candy bar) or negative reinforcement (example: your full attention when you are getting angry), then the tantrum will be shorter and will be less likely to recur in the future.attention seeking or demanding type tantrums. Includes whining, crying, pounding or hitting the floor, and breath holding, if possible and safe, leave the room so your child will not have an audience.
Do not give into your child’s demands.

Physically move children having refusal type or avoidance type tantrums.
* If the refusal is unimportant, like drinking all his milk, let it go.
* If the refusal is important, like attending daycare or preschool, the child should not be able to avoid the issue by having a tantrum.
* Try giving your child a five minute warning prior to stopping his/her activity, if a tantrum occurs, let it for a few minutes, acknowledge the child’s feelings, but state what needs to be done, like go to bed.

Use timeouts for disruptive type tantrums.
* Disruptive tantrums include: clinging to you as they have a tantrum, hitting you, scream or yelling so it may get on your nerves, having temper tantrum in a public place, and throwing or damaging property during the tantrum.
If timeouts don't work try having consequences for bad behavior such as lsing bedtime books or nighttime videos.
Reward the good behavior at random times. Kids want attention and need to know that they get noticed for their GOOD behavior as well.

This is also an interesting little clip:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/21450672#21450672
-SBH

School Bus Safety?

2009-05-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a question I bet has been wieghing heavily on your mind.
WHAT is up with the seatbelt/carseat/lack of seatbelt on schoolbuses? Why don't the same rules apply to them as it does to us? If I drove around with 3 kids climbing on the seats I'd get a ticket.... huh? Are they safe?
These are all questions I was asking myself as I realized that my daughter would be going on a schoolbus for her first fieldtrip. Was I supposed to bring a carseat??? Of course, the thought didn't occur to me until late last night and the fieldtrip is today. I imagine children climbing over the seats, runnung up and down the aisles , as the bus zooms down the highway at 65 mles an hour...I mean isn't thatwhat we kinda did when WE were youngsters?
Anyway...here is the deal.
Apparently there is no safer way to transport a child than in a school bus. Fatal crashes involving school bus occupants are extremely rare events, even though school buses serve daily in every community—a remarkable 8.8 billion student "to-and-from school" trips annually. Every school day, some 450,000 yellow school buses transport more than 24 million children to and from schools and school-related activities. Said another way to give perspective to the huge magnitude of pupil transportation, the equivalent of the populations of Florida, Massachusetts and Oregon ride on a school bus twice every day—almost always without a serious incident.
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences estimates that every year more than 800 school-aged children are killed as occupants in other motor vehicles or as pedestrians or bicyclists during “normal school transport hours.” Most of these deaths could be prevented if children rode in school buses. Parents need to know that driving a child to school—or allowing them to ride to school with other teenagers--is not a safety smart decision—hands down, the school bus is the safest way to and from school. Even worse, allowing a child to drive themselves to school, or riding with other teenagers to school, increases the risk of fatality by 10 percent.
Occupant Fatalities
Last year, 5 children were killed as passengers in school buses (one each in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Texas). 45 states did not have a single child killed as a school bus passenger—an incredibly good national safety record. Between 1990 and 2000, an average of just six children each year died as school bus passengers. These tragedies typically involved unavoidable, severe circumstances.
Pedestrian fatalities
Last year, 26 children were killed as pedestrians getting on or off a school bus, or while waiting at the school bus stop. Other motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus remain a problem in every community and the school bus industry urges strict police and judicial enforcement against violators. Over the past 10 years, an average of 29 children were killed in school bus-related pedestrian accidents - struck while getting on or off a school bus
Modern school buses (those manufactured after April 1, 1977) are equipped with more safety equipment than any other vehicle on the road. This is by design because safety regulators and state pupil transportation officials always err on the side of providing an extra margin of safety. The size of the school bus alone gives it an important advantage in all but the most catastrophic circumstances.
Key federal safety requirements include:
Special passenger crash protection: Well-padded, high-back, energy-absorbing seats, as well as special requirements for wheelchair restraint systems. These seating systems provide “automatic protection” for young passengers. Additionally, school bus interiors are designed to reduce the chances of injury caused by sharp edges or body panels that may tear loose in a crash.
Better brakes: Brake systems that enable the school bus to stop in a shorter distance than other large vehicles.
Warning lights: Lights and reflective devices that indicate when the bus is loading and unloading passengers.
Special mirrors: Additional mirrors that allow the driver to see all critical areas directly in front of and along both sides of the school bus.
Swing out stop arms: A stop arm that extends out to the left side of the bus to warn motorists when the bus is loading or unloading passengers.
Emergency exits: Several emergency exits, based on the capacity of the school bus.
Rollover protection: Rollover protection that reduces the likelihood of a roof collapse and allows for operable emergency exits even after the roof is subject to extreme forces.
Fuel system protection: Protected fuel tanks, and fuel pump, fuel delivery system, emissions control lines and connections to protect against fuel spills in severe crashes.

Ok and now the big question...
Q: Why don’t school buses have seat belts?
A: School buses are the safest way to transport your children to and from school. The color and size of school buses make them easily visible and identifiable, their height provides good driver visibility and raises the bus passenger compartment above car impact height; and emergency vehicles are the only other vehicle on the road that can stop traffic like a school bus can.
School buses are carefully designed on a different transportation and protection model than the average passenger car. The children are protected like eggs in an egg carton – compartmentalized, and surrounded with padding and structural integrity to secure the entire container. The seat backs are raised and the shell is reinforced for protection against impact.
There are other differences to consider between your car and your child’s school bus. In your car, you can supervise your child and ensure that your child’s belt remains properly secured. School buses use what is called “passive restraint,” meaning all a child must do to be protected is simply sit down in a seat. School buses also must be designed to be multi-purpose, fitting everything from a six year-old to an 18 year-old senior on the high school football team in full uniform. Sometimes it’s two to a seat, other times three. Because of this, emphasis is placed on protecting the entire valuable cargo.

For twenty-three million students nationwide, the school day begins and ends with a trip on a school bus. The greatest risk is not riding the bus, but approaching or leaving the bus. Before children go back to school or start school for the first time, it is obviously important that parents/adults and children know school bus safety rules.
Every school bus is surrounded by a "danger zone." A danger zone consists of ten feet in front of the bus and on all other sides of the bus that are used for loading and unloading the bus. The precautions one can take are to:
Try to get to the bus stop early to avoid running at the moving bus.
Stand about 6 feet from the curb as the bus approaches.
When crossing in front of the bus wait for the driver to signal
Never walk behind the bus.

So I feel a little better...how about you?

For more info this is a great, easy to understand website: http://www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org

-SBH

Safety in the Kitchen

2009-05-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of remodeling my kitchen and felt I needed to look into childproofing it from my curious little one.
A few good tips-
• Keep in mind that child-safety locks are most useful between the ages of 6 and 25 months.
• Make sure you keep all hazardous materials/chemicals in a high cabinet. Products with child resistant caps are a good extra precaution.
• Store knives and other sharp kitchen tools in a locked drawer.
• Use the back burners on the stove when possible and keep the pan handles away from the edge.
• In general it is wise to keep china and glass in a high cabinet. Grandmother’s china is so pretty and so much fun to break…
• Beware of what is near the edge of the counter-i.e. hot items, breakables, choking hazards, things that spill (ugh- HOW many times have you made THAT mistake? Nothing like pancake batter everywhere.)
• Trash should be inaccessible.
• Have one cabinet that is just for them to explore…Fill it with fun, safe stuff like Tupperware, wooden spoons, tins, and anything else that makes annoying noises.
• Children love helping out in the kitchen so always supervise them.

I came across a cool little picture that was published in Parenting magazine in February of 2005. It has a few pointers we may not of thought of...Who fills the soap dispenser before they are ready to use the dishwasher anyway? It gets all cruddy and spills otherwise doesn’t it? Anyway- this is a good reference diagram….Check it out.
http://www.parenting.com/parenting/whitepage/magazine_pullouts/pdfs/0205_Childproofing_Kitchen.pdf

-SBH

Is It a Boy or a Girl? 10 fun myths

2009-05-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Oh you MUST be having a girl – your belly is so high! There are countless myths on determining the sex of your child- none of which have any scientific proof. Nonetheless, it can be a fun game to play- at least until you are about 7.5 months pregnant and everyone in line at the supermarket (and their grandmother) seems to know what you are having.

Here are 10 good ones
1) Belly high and round it’s a girl, belly low and sideways it’s a boy. Or the opposite depending on theperson’s beleif making the remark.
2) Baby’s heartrate is over 140 it’s a girl, under 140- it’s a boy
3) Ring test: take a piece of thread and tie it to your wedding ring- hold it over your belly and watch the motion- circle-it’s a boy, side to side- it’s a girl. I have heard the opposite as well. AND apparently because you need your wedding band to do this test, you have to be married…..
4) If Daddy is gaining weight then you are carrying a boy. If he is losing weight, it is a girl.
5) Drano test- mix urine and Drano and the color will determine what sex it is. Green,blue or black it’s a boy. If it turns red, yellow or brown it’s a girl.
6) There is a SECOND Drano test as well…If your pee and the Drano bubbles- it’s a boy. If it does nothing, it’s a girl. Who knew one could have so much fun with Drano?
7) A baby who is very active, kicks, and moves a great deal in the womb is far more likely to be a girl than a boy. According to one delivery-room nurse, "Boys are lazier, even before they are born."
8) If the unborn kicks on the right side of the mother's womb, he's a boy; if on the left, she's a girl
9) A woman who craves sweets is bearing a boy; a desire for sour foods indicates she's carrying a girl.
10) If the unborn baby's female sibling becomes especially clingy towards her mom throughout her mom's pregnancy, a boy is on the way.

Taking the "lovey" outside?

2009-05-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked about what to do when a child wants to take their special toy/lovey everywhere with them. I feel well versed in this because my now almost 6 year old, Lulu, has her special friend "Woody" who is essentially her favorite thing in the whole world. Lulu's "lovey" is a japanese toy called Totoro and is virtually impossible to find in the green color that she likes. I managed to buy a few extras over the years but that was not an easy task and she knows the difference between these- which she calls Woody Two- and her own mangy Woody. Woody is basically a small round green beanbag with eyes. She has slept with it every night since she was born...She is NOT allowed to bring him outside the house. I set this rule from the beginning because I know she will be devastated if she loses him. So now, when she loses him for the 48th time each day, I know he is in the house somewhere.(It doesn't help that he is the size of a tennis ball and camoflauges into everything. bad Woody...bad bad Woody!
My recommendation to all mamas out there is try to get your kid attached to something replacable! I live in fear that Woody will disappear. He really is my Lulu's best friend. So I do everything I can to make sure he doesnt get lost and that means he stays IN THE HOUSE! When I travel I put him in a ziplock bag in my purse and he re-emerges when we get to our destination. I don't risk putting him in the luggage. OK..I sound crazy...:)
Then there is the "lets put him in a box or a bag and leave him there and then ask mommy to find him". I recommend leaving a few boxes around that your kids can put things in so when you have to find the lovey you know where to look. My daughter once put Woody in a cookie box and he lived in our pantry for a couple weeks before he was found.. HORRIBLE but funny. For two weeks I was searching endlessly- looking and relooking in drawers, under cushions, in cabinets, pots, EVEN digging in the bushes outside just in case she happened to chuck him out the door. I thought I would make myself crazy but I couldn't bear the "where's Woody" question. She was so sad and SO excited when SHE found him!
I spend SO much time looking for him. So I'll say it again...DO NOT take the "friend" out of the house!

Infant stimulation graphics

2009-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Researchers have discovered that infants not only prefer to look at high contrast graphics, but that such images can help:

*
increase concentration skills
*
stimulate the creation of synapses (brain cell connections)
*
increase an infant's attention span
*
calm a baby (when she is bored)
*
enhance curiosity

Download images for free here:
http://www.envisagedesign.com/ohbaby/infstim/graphics.html

Top 3 Choices for Foods That Stay Down During Pregnancy

2009-05-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Forget those damn crackers. I couldn’t stand the sight of them. The doctors are always telling us to eat crackers. They did little for me. As I have said in a previous blog, I have suffered from severe morning sickness (Hyperemisis)- so I feel like I have a little knowledge about these things. I know it is different for everyone but I will offer my advice anyway.
Choice #1
Smoothies. Any flavor just as long as it is cold and icy.. Packed with vitamins it is a great way to get some nutrition. My favorite was/is the Malibu Peach from Robek’s. I have soy protein added for that extra added nutrition. Other “boosts” are not recommended for pregnant women.
Something about things being REALLY cold seems to help. I have recommended this to many friends who have enjoyed keeping them down.
Choice #2
French Toast- It’s bready, its got eggy protein and yummy. I actually preferred it with very little syrup so that it was dry but I know that most people like their bread swimming.
It is particularly good with Brioche bread.
Ingredients for about 4 pieces. (If you have never made it before)- 2 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, dash of allspice.

Choice #3
Granny Apples- An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well not really in this case but… Apples have less sugar content then most fruit and it good for you. Each apple is about 80 calories and has about 16 grams of sugar has about 3 grams of fiber, 8 grams of vitamin C and 7 grams of vitamin K. It is also high in antioxidants.
I like Granny Apples because they are crisp and tart. Sour always tastes good to me when I am feeling queasy and green. In my opinion there is nothing worse then a mealy apple- but hey, that’s me.
A favorite snack or breakfast is a sliced granny apple with Almond Butter (Creamy Whole Foods Brand) on a rice cake. Dry rice cake- good, almond butter- protein, with apple- super yummy.

And here is an extra-but without a picture because, well, a picture of Matzo Ball soup looks icky
Choice #4
Matzo Ball Soup- On those days where you have just vomited so much that you think you are gonna die, it is best to keep to the liquids and minimal other stuff. So pick one that has lots of nutritional value. Matzo Ball is great because it has the chicken stock, some soft veggies and that mushy matzo ball that feels a little comforting to eat. I only managed to eat a little at a time but I felt better knowing that the baby was getting something healthy. It also isn’t so bad when it comes back up. Gross but definitely a consideration.

The US' Approach to Maternity Leave

2009-05-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

The United States stands apart from other nations when it comes to Maternity leave and this is NOT a good thing. With little public debate, the United States has chosen a radically different approach to maternity leave than the rest of the developed world. The United States and Australia are the only industrialized countries that don't provide paid leave for new mothers nationally, though there are exceptions in some U.S. states.
Australian mothers have it better, however, with one year of job-protected leave. The U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act provides for 12 weeks of job-protected leave, but it only covers those who work for larger companies.
To put it another way, out of 168 nations in a Harvard University study last year, 163 had some form of paid maternity leave, leaving the United States in the company of Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.

How did it end up this way?

According to Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, a professor of child development and education at Columbia University, some countries, like France, expanded maternity leave after World War II to fight falling fertility and encourage childbearing. That argument has been missing in the United States, where immigration has ensured population growth.

Jane Waldfogel, also a professor at Columbia, says another part of the puzzle is that the European and American feminist movements had differing goals.
In Europe, feminists emphasized special treatment for mothers, including maternity leave and child care.
"The American feminist movement didn't want to hear anything about mothers," Waldfogel says. "They wanted equal rights for women and didn't emphasize special treatment."
The U.S. feminist movement has moved away from this viewpoint, but that hasn't led to a change in maternity rules. One reason is that U.S. women are used to having about three months off and consider it the norm, Waldfogel says.

There have been several attempts at introducing paid maternity leave in the United States. The Clinton administration wanted to allow states to use unemployment funds for maternity leaves, but that was shot down by the Bush administration after opposition from business groups concerned with increased contribution to state unemployment funds.
A bill introduced in the House by Reps. Pete Stark and George Miller, both D-Calif., would establish a fund that would replace 55% of pay for workers on FMLA leave. Contributions to the fund would come from employers.
U.S. employers already pay $21 billion a year in direct costs related to the FMLA, Eastman says, in addition to indirect costs like additional overtime for those who fill in for workers on leave.

Not only is the US short on Maternity leave but also benefits for mothers- such as in the UK there exists a tax-free benefit to help parents with the cost of caring for their children. It is payable for each child from birth until at least age 16. They are given approx. $30 a week for each child.

Maternity leave at a glance:

Americans - 6-8 weeks paid leave
Canada- 54 weeks paid leave
In Sweden- 96 weeks
Norway- 52 weeks
Denmark- 50 weeks paid leave
France (for first and second child), the Netherlands and Spain are entitled to 16 weeks leave.
Germany- 14 weeks paid leave.

In Eastern Europe, women in the Czech Republic get 28 weeks’ leave, while those in Hungary are entitled to 24 weeks. In Poland, women are allowed 16 weeks’ leave (for first child).

This doesn’t even included facts about PATERNITY leave…For example in Sweden-, Daddy gets 16 months at 80% pay.

Food for thought?

-SBH

Only in America

2009-05-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ....

.. ..Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

.....Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

------------------

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread this blog!
- LT

Homemade Ice Cream....YUM!

2009-05-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I'm on a homemade kick at the moment?
Your kids will enjoy making, and eating, this ice cream made in a ziplock bag.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
• 6 tablespoons salt

PREPARATION:
Put milk, vanilla and sugar into a pint or quart-sized freezer bag. Seal well.
Fill a large, gallon-sized freezer bag with ice. Add the salt. (We used rock salt.)
Put the smaller bag into the larger bag and seal.
Shake and mix until the ice cream thickens, about 10 minutes. You can also let the kids gently throw the bag back and forth to help mix the ice cream. The bag gets very cold, so you might want to use towels to hold it. Makes 1 serving.

From Barbara Whiting, a stay-at-home parent with three sons. She runs a

website

that has some great ideas called Homeparents.

Courtesy USA Today.

- LT

Rumsfeld + Tamiflu

2009-04-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting side note to this whole Swine Flu thing: Tamiflu is recommended for treatment and prevention of this influenza virus. The company which gets the drug's royalties (Gilead) has as a major stockholder--previously Chairman--one Donald Rumsfeld.

Local pharmacies are already running low on Tamiflu.

Discuss.

- LT

8 Ways to Help Prevent Swine Flu

2009-04-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Take the following with a grain of salt and please by all means correct me and/or do your own research, but these particular recommendations appear to be a lot of common sense. This is a combination of articles from HuffingtonPost.com and InfoWars.com:

A single sneeze propels 100,000 droplets into the air at around 90 mph, landing on door knobs, ATM keypads, elevator buttons, escalator railings, and grocery cart handles. In a subway station at rush hour, according to British researchers, as many as 10 percent of all commuters can come in contact with the spray and residue from just one sneeze (or sternutation). That means as many as 150 commuters can be sickened by one uncovered achoo.

No wonder health officials are extremely concerned about the new strain of swine flu that has infected at least 20 Americans in five states, killed some 80 people in Mexico, and has traveled to the other side of the world in New Zealand (these numbers are somewhat higher now and keep climbing per the just reported news on the net). Understandably, US authorities - following the lead of the World Health Organization (WHO) - have declared a "public health emergency."

CDC recommends:
1. SANTIZE -- i.e. Wash Your Hands Frequently. It may sound obvious, but hand-washing with soap and water for around 20 seconds is the single best thing you can do (if you're going to go out into the world and interact with other human beings). The CDC estimates that 80 percent of all infections are spread by hands. If you can't wash your hands regularly, try hand-sanitizers with 60 percent alcohol content.

2. AVOID -- i.e. Engage in "Social Distancing." That's the fancy term for reducing unnecessary social contact, staying away from crowds, and avoiding people if you're sick or if you're concerned that they may be infected. It may not be especially practical when you have to go to, say, work, but experts believe it's worth repeating: Isolation and avoidance reduce your chances of getting infected or infecting others.

(Researchers in the UK - mentioned above and sponsored by a cold remedy company - found that 99 percent of commuters suffer at least one cold per winter. By contrast, 58 percent of people who work from home and 88 per cent of those who walk to work caught a cold last winter).

If you need to go someplace crowded, the CDC says, try to spend as little time as possible and try to stay six feet away from potentially infected people. Wearing a surgical or dental facemask - cleared by the FDA as a medical device - "can help prevent some exposures," the CDC says, but they're not foolproof.

3. BE ALERT -- i.e. Recognize the Symptoms and Get Help. Swine flu symptoms are similar to regular flu: Fever, body aches, sore throat, cough, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. If you don't feel well, seek medical attention. So far, it's important to note, this swine flu is treatable (and absolutely survivable).

Dr. TennyPenny recommends:
4. GOOD HYDRATION WITH ALKALINE WATER
If you don’t have access to an alkaline water machine, be sure to eat large amounts of alkalinizing, fresh vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, carrots, sprouts, avocados and berries. Here is a site with a great list: http://athma-pure.com/alkaline.aspx

5. SLEEP
Get at least 8.5 hours per night, every night. Sleep is often overlooked at the key to health. This is simple to do and best of all, it is free.

6. VITAMIN D
Much has been written on the importance of adequate vitamin D for resisting viral infections. Have your blood tested for 25-OH-vitamin D. Your doctor can order it or you can order it yourself through sites such as www.DirectLabs.com and www.LabSafe.com Your vitamin D level should be at least 50 ng/ml. It is safe to take at least 2000 IU of vitamin D3 per day. With summer coming, you can get your dose of D naturally from sunshine.

7. VITAMIN C
Humans don’t store vitamin C and under stress, much more is required. Vitamin C is important for fighting viral infections. Take in at least 2000 mg/day for overall immune health.

8. VITAMIN A
This vitamin is one of the best supporters you can have in your cabinet. Mycel A drops given in juice are easy to take for children and adults of all ages. By taking 5,000 IU/day for 5 days is safe for everyone and will give your immune system a protective boost against all types of viral infections.

While these suggestions are not meant to be all encompassing, these are some simple solutions for you and your family.
- LT

Swine Flu - Excuse to Vaccinate Worldwide?

2009-04-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

OKOK - I must admit - I was sufficiently freaked this morning after our Elementary school principal kept the parents after assembly to address Swine Flu concerns? All I could think about was getting on Google to do my own proper research as the media is often fed FEAR to motivate the public to do anything government / corporations want. (A relative used to work for a PR firm in Chicago...you wouldn't believe the beliefs they 'created' in the minds of the public for certain products, perceptions of people and events etc.) It kills me to say this about the Obama government as I am still very hopeful he can turn the country around - but there are still some bad apples in there.

After reading several reports on the Swine Flu news - I think this article from InfoWars.com was quite informative. All too often the media does NOT report the entire story and the background. Panic and Fear to sell the news - you know how it goes. There was an outbreak of SF in 1976 with dire consequences - read below for what happened when there was a rush for 'countrywide vaccinations.' It's interesting to note this morning that drug stocks are all way UP this morning on news of the Flu. Be informed. Read ON...

Sherri Tenpenny, D.O.
DrTennyPenny
April 27, 2009

We knew this was coming. Even though the bird flu hype was removed years ago from the nightly news, planning for the global pandemic and the development of pandemic flu vaccines has continued with little notice. Our government has instructed FEMA, made checklists for Homeland Security, given action plans to State and local authorities. These plans include methods and drills for global inoculation with a vaccine that will no doubt have the same deadly consequences as the Swine Flu vaccine in 1976.

My book, FOWL!, published in 2006, foretold the events that are now happening in Mexico. Reported death rates are skyrocketing, from 20 to 60 to 86, in a matter of hours. More than 1,300 others have supposedly become ill with "suspected" cases of the infection and reports are coming in from various States and Canada of swine flu. There are no sources or references given with these numbers; we have to take the word of CNN. A short look back at plans that were put in place several years ago will confirm this is not a spontaneous eruption and the solution – global vaccination – has been in the works for quite some time.

History Repeating
Even though April 30, 1975 marked the end of the U.S. presence in Vietnam, young men across the country continued to sign up for the all-volunteer army. Just after the Christmas holiday in 1975, thousands of enthusiastic new army recruits reported to the barracks at Fort Dix, New Jersey, to begin basic training. However, by mid-January, many were complaining of flulike symptoms; a few had even been hospitalized.

One recruit reported to his drill instructor that he felt tired and weak. Given the option to rest, he opted instead to participate in a five-mile training march on a cold February night. Twenty-four hours later, on February 6, 1975, the 19-year-old Pvt. David Lewis of Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, was dead. Word arrived the following week from the CDC laboratory that his death was caused by an unusual influenza type A virus. Particularly worrisome was that four other samples taken from ill recruits at Fort Dix had also tested positive for influenza A virus—a type that had previously been detected only in pigs.

Within three weeks of Lewis’ death – the only person ever confirmed to have died from swine flu on the entire military base – researchers and public health officials converged in Washington to persuade members of Congress to implement a costly new program to vaccinate the country. A nationwide campaign, launched with the urgency of a five-alarm fire, was started by the CDC which ramped up the vaccine production with millions of government dollars allocated to develop of a novel vaccine for mass vaccination. The same five-alarm fire is happening today. This morning, April 26, 2009, the federal government declared a public health emergency, as the number of cases of swine flu in the U.S. rises to a mere 20, announcing the arrival of the long-planned for and awaited pandemic.

Pharma Protected
In 1976, the Federal Insurance Company advised Merck that all liability, indemnity, and defense costs associated with claims arising from the new swine flu vaccine would not be covered by its insurance plan. Having absorbed the embarrassment and the economic losses caused by the polio vaccine in 1955, the pharmaceutical industry and their insurance providers were determined that would not happen again.
This time, there are no worries. Drug companies have completely covered their tracks, and when reports of adverse event and deaths from the new swine flu vaccine start to roll in, they will be smiling all the way to the bank.

Flu shots were added to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Table in 2003, meaning, if anyone is injured, a claim needs to be filed through the Federal Court of Claims and it will be years before it is adjudicated. And that is just the basic layer of protection. All the drug companies have to do is whisper that this may be a "terrorist attack" and they are home free.
Before he was voted out of office in 2006, then-senator Bill Frist (R-TN), a physician, drove through a bill that gave drug companies more immunity than any bill ever passed by Congress. The legislation, referred to as "Division-E" was tacked on to a Defense appropriations bill in the final minutes of the Congressional sessions before the Christmas recess. This bill provides at least four sweeping provisions:

1. Immunity from liability for all drugs, vaccines, or biological products deemed as a covered countermeasure against bioterrorism in the event of an outbreak of any kind. The proposal is not only limited to new drugs or vaccines developed under the umbrella of "bioterrorism" or "pandemic" protection. The proposal is so broad that it could include drugs like Tylenol, Advil…and would have applied to Vioxx.
2. Immunity for any product used for any public health emergency declared by the secretary of HHS. The authority to declare an emergency now rests completely in the hands of the secretary of HHS— an appointed, non-medical person who has no accountability to the general public. The president’s hand-picked person that is part of his inner circle will have the power to mandate vaccines and other medications given to the American people.
3. Immunity from accountability. No matter what a drug company do wrong in this arena, they are protected. Even if the company’s dirty facility created a batch of contaminated vaccines that resulted in death or injury to thousands of people, the drug company will not be held accountable.
4. Immunity from law suits. A person who suffers any type of loss will be prohibited from suing the drug companies. Vaccine manufacturers have immunity from almost everything, perhaps even murder. The bill provisions provide a mechanism for filing a lawsuit, but the language explicitly prevents frivolous suits by setting a standard for liability more rigid than any known standard of negligence.

In simple terms, if a claim is filed by a plaintiff it can only go forward if the injured party can prove that the company performed an act of "willful misconduct" resulting in an injury or a death. In other words, the injured party would have to prove the vaccine maker intentionally caused him harm.
Division-E goes even one step further. Unbelievably, even if a pharmaceutical company knowingly harms people, the company will be immune from legal prosecution unless the U.S. attorney general initiates "enforcement action" against the drug company in the name of the claimant. This means the U.S. government would have to go to bat for the injured party for the lawsuit to move forward, as unlikely as the current swine flu fiasco being an unplanned pandemic.

New Vaccines Ready to Roll Out
The swine flu outbreak is going to benefit one of the most prolific and successful venture capital firms in the United States: Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. Share prices have already risen for two of eight public traded companies in the firm’s portfolio of Pandemic and Bio Defense investments. BioCryst, up more than 26 percent, to $2.21 per share, and Novavax, maker of viral vaccines, escalated 75 percent to $1.42 per share on the first announcement of the swine flu outbreak in Mexico.

Novavax uses genetic information and "recombinant, virus-like particle technology" to rapidly engineer a vaccine. Its technology has only been through Phase II clinical trials but might be released prematurely. Novavax’s CEO, Rahul Singhvi announced Friday, "There is an emergency authorization avenue that is available that would allow us to use the vaccine in an emergency without further testing." The Division-E provisions would protect the company from all liability. In the fine print of the Division-E legislation, (available for download at www.DrTenpenny.com so you can read it for yourself), there is a suggestion that a massive, bioterrorist vaccination program could be "voluntary." Will the media make everyone aware of the one-line provision that potentially gives us the right to refuse?

Will government mandates override State exemption laws? The future is unclear but this has been suggested. Your personal rights in this area are growing very thin and activism has never been more important. A quote by U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) says it all: "When we give government the power to make medical decisions for us, we, in essence, accept that the state owns our bodies."

Let's discuss before rushing to anything. I post this article with that intent.
Here's the entire article wth links referenced above: http://www.infowars.com/swine-flu-in-mexico-the-new-bird-flu/

- LT

Working Mom Time Management

2009-04-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

I took this quiz the other day about HOW much of my typical workday I spend on certain activities. Quite an interesting comparison with the average CNNer. Clearly I'm not a cook and my commute is too long. And my small slice of personal time often gets taken up by my workday slice and my kid slice. My sleep slice also gets reduced quite a bit - I'd like to keep it at that (7 hours). Luckily on some days my kid pie slice is larger than it is on the typical day....AUGH....guilt! MMM - time to work on some thing....!

- LT

Kids View of Earth Day

2009-04-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

I particularly loved these drawings by schoolchildren in Japan. No need to make this complicated. Simply put...
- LT

19 Movies for Earth Day

2009-04-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

I got this off Huffington Post (I LOVE HuffPo). But thought it was a GREAT way to spend Earth Day aside from the planting a tree, planning a garden and researching if you need a permit in LA to keep your own chickens (yes I did that today!). So turn off everything in your home except the TV and watch a movie about the environment.

Here is a varied selection of movies in which the environment plays a role. The author of the article (Dave Burdick) noted when movies are available on Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature, which is just about the greenest way to rent a movie. No shipping, no driving!

If you have favorites that aren't on this list - let us know! (feel free to add your movie review)

One last thing -- if you are in the mood to see something environmental on the big screen today, Disney is planting a tree for every ticket bought to "Earth." (Which I think looks like a great movie - for the whole family)!

COMEDY
Idiocracy
 Biodome (if you can stomach Pauly Shore)

WITH THE KIDS
Hoot 
Wall-E  (Love)
Ferngully

DRAMA
Quantum Of Solace - (James Bond + Earth Day = Divine) 
Waterworld
 A Civil Action 
Erin Brockovich - on Netflix Watch Instantly (Love)

OLDIES
Silent Running - on Netflix Watch Instantly
 The Day The Earth Caught Fire 
The China Syndrome - on Netflix Watch Instantly 
Never Cry Wolf

DOCUMENTARY
King Corn - on Netflix Watch Instantly 
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
 An Inconvenient Truth 
March of the Penguins - on Netflix Watch Instantly
 Who Killed The Electric Car?
 Koyaanisqatsi

Click here for links to the movie trailers: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-burdick/8-movies-featuring-the-en_b_136201.html

- LT

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

More posts to come...we are busy doing many ecological things today.
- LT

Zig Zag Street Painting

2009-04-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

LOVE this. The first thing I though of - why not more than just zig zags? I'd farm this out to a number of artists - make some swirls and art out of it. That would really slow people down...

The Virginia Department of Transportation says it's part of a safety campaign to get drivers to slow down in a high pedestrian and bicycle area. The 500 feet of zig-zagging lines are painted on the ground on Belmont Ridge Road, where it intersects with the Washington and Old Dominion trail in Loudoun County.

"It is a low cost strategy to get motorists to slow down as they approach the bike trail and pedestrian path," says VDOT's Mike Salmon. "While at first motorists may be a little disoriented, the main point is to get them to pay attention and slow down through that area."

- LT

Love that Bo - bama

2009-04-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's nice to actually have an inspiring President that speaks with common sense.
His speech was good today btw. Check it on YouTube.
Love this picture of Barack and Bo - bama!

- LT

Magnificent Monday

2009-04-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

Someone sent me this last week for some random day, but I liked it, so I'm posting...

Today's Message of the Day is:
Life is short,
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.
- LT

Too Much Time?

2009-04-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Clearly...here are some photos of creations by people with too much time on their hands.
Although, my kids would love it if I carved up their food...
- LT

Obesity in 4 yr. olds - 1 in every 5

2009-04-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

SHOCKING STATISTIC.
THAT'S 20% OF THE 4 YR. OLDS IN THE THIS NATION!
Recently the government came out with a revised food pyramid which I've just started examining as I've been speaking with my 5 yr. old a lot about nutrition and what are good healthy choices to make. Let me know if you've got any feedback on this new pyramid...

CHICAGO (AP) - A striking new study says almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese, and the rate is alarmingly higher among American Indian children, with nearly a third of them obese. Researchers were surprised to see differences by race at so early an age. Overall, more than half a million 4-year-olds are obese, the study suggests.
Obesity is more common in Hispanic and black youngsters, too, but the disparity is most startling in American Indians, whose rate is almost double that of whites.

The lead author said that rate is worrisome among children so young, even in a population at higher risk for obesity because of other health problems and economic disadvantages.

"The magnitude of these differences was larger than we expected, and it is surprising to see differences by racial groups present so early in childhood," said Sarah Anderson, an Ohio State University public health researcher. She conducted the research with Temple University's Dr. Robert Whitaker.

Dr. Glenn Flores, a pediatrics and public health professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, said the research is an important contribution to studies documenting racial and ethnic disparities in children's weight.

"The cumulative evidence is alarming because within just a few decades, America will become a 'minority majority' nation," he said. Without interventions, the next generation "will be at very high risk" for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancers, joint diseases and other problems connected with obesity, said Flores, who was not involved in the new research.

The study is an analysis of nationally representative height and weight data on 8,550 preschoolers born in 2001. Children were measured in their homes and were part of a study conducted by the government's National Center on Educational Statistics. The results appear in Monday's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Almost 13 percent of Asian children were obese, along with 16 percent of whites, almost 21 percent of blacks, 22 percent of Hispanics, and 31 percent of American Indians.

Some previous studies of young children did not distinguish between kids who were merely overweight versus obese, or they examined fewer racial groups.

The current study looked only at obesity and a specific age group. Anderson called it the first analysis of national obesity rates in preschool kids in the five ethnic or racial groups.

The researchers did not examine reasons for the disparities, but others offered several theories.

Flores cited higher rates of diabetes in American Indians, and also Hispanics, which scientists believe may be due to genetic differences.

Also, other factors that can increase obesity risks tend to be more common among minorities, including poverty, less educated parents, and diets high in fat and calories, Flores said.

Jessica Burger, a member of the Little River Ottawa tribe and health director of a tribal clinic in Manistee, Mich., said many children at her clinic are overweight or obese, including preschoolers.

Burger, a nurse, said one culprit is gestational diabetes, which occurs during a mother's pregnancy. That increases children's chances of becoming overweight and is almost twice as common in American Indian women, compared with whites.

She also blamed the federal commodity program for low-income people that many American Indian families receive. The offerings include lots of pastas, rice and other high-carbohydrate foods that contribute to what Burger said is often called a "commod bod."

"When that's the predominant dietary base in a household without access to fresh fruits and vegetables, that really creates a better chance of a person becoming obese," she said.

Also, Burger noted that exercise is not a priority in many American Indian families struggling to make ends meet, with parents feeling stressed just to provide basic necessities.

To address the problem, her clinic has created activities for young Indian children, including summer camps and a winter break "outdoor day" that had kids braving 8-degree temperatures to play games including "snowsnake." That's a traditional American Indian contest in which players throw long, carved wooden "snakes" along a snow or ice trail to see whose lands the farthest.

The hope is that giving kids used to modern sedentary ways a taste of a more active traditional American Indian lifestyle will help them adopt healthier habits, she said.

- LT

Always Check Your Children's Homework

2009-04-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day ... )

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely, Mrs. Smith

- LT

iPod for the Queen

2009-04-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

Is it me or did the Queen turn into a Hobbit? The Obama's are giants! (both literally and figuratively!)

I got a kick about the Obama's giving the Queen of England and iPod. What could possibly be on that iPod I thought?

SHOWTUNES!

Can't you just see Elizabeth belting out Oklahoma while getting ready in the morning? LOL.

Here is an entire list of the songs they uploaded.
The Royal Mix if you will:

"Oklahoma!"
"If I Loved You," Jan Clayton, "Carousel"
"You'll Never Walk Alone," Jan Clayton, "Carousel"
"There's No Business Like Show Business," Ethel Merman, "Annie Get Your Gun"
"Once in Love with Amy (Where's Charley?)," Ray Bolger
"Some Enchanted Evening," "South Pacific"
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," Carol Channing, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
"Getting to Know You," Gertrude Lawrence, "The King and I"
"Shall We Dance?" Gertrude Lawrence, "The King and I"
"I Could Have Danced All Night," Julie Andrews, "My Fair Lady"
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," Rex Harrison, "My Fair Lady"
"The Party's Over (Bells Are Ringing)," Judy Holliday
"Maria," "West Side Story"
"Tonight," "West Side Story"
"Seventy Six Trombones," "The Music Man"
"Everything's Coming up Roses," Ethel Merman, "Gypsy"
"The Sound of Music"
"Try to Remember," Jerry Orbach, "The Fantasticks"
"Camelot," Richard Burton
"If Ever I Would Leave You," Robert Goulet, "Camelot"
"Hello, Dolly!" Carol Channing
"If I Were a Rich Man," Zero Mostel, "Fiddler on the Roof"
"People," Barbra Streisand, "Funny Girl"
"On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," John Cullum
"The Impossible Dream," Richard Kiley, "Man of La Mancha"
"Mame," Charles Braswell
"Cabaret," Liza Minnelli
"Aquarius, Ronald Dyson, "Hair'
"Send in the Clowns," Judy Collins, "A Little Night Music"
"All That Jazz," Chita Rivera, "Chicago"
"One," "A Chorus Line"
"Tomorrow," Andrea McArdle, "Annie"
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina," Patti LuPone, "Evita"
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," Jennifer Holliday, "Dreamgirls"
"Memory," Elaine Paige, "Cats"
"The Best of Times," George Hearn, "La Cage Aux Folles"
"I Dreamed a Dream," Aretha Franklin, "Les Miserables"
"The Music of the Night," Michael Crawford, "The Phantom of the Opera"
"As If We Never Said Goodbye," Elaine Paige, "Sunset Blvd."
"Seasons of Love," "Rent"

- LT

Six Figure Salary for Being a Mom

2009-03-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice to be compensated for raising healthy, productive children which in and of itself is an invaluable contribution to society! Came upon this interesting tidbit today from salary.com. They do an annual market valuation of a mother's work that asks how much a mother would be paid if she did all of these things we do in the world of real paychecks.

They surveyed 400 stay-at-home and working mothers and broke it out into 10 major categories of work: Housekeeper, Cook, Day Care Center Teacher, Laundry Machine Operator, CEO, Facility Manager, Van Driver, Psychologist, Computer Operator and Janitor. Then they determined the competitive market value that an employer would pay for a blend of those 10 jobs seven days a week and came up with a salary on the high end of $132,121 a year! (that was for the the stay-at-home mothers who clocked in a whopping 92 hours a week performing those jobs...!) WOW. The actual salary range was from $85k - $134k depending on where you live and how many hours you work outside the home. Working mothers reported working an average of 44 hours a week at their jobs away from home.

If you want to find out how much a mother might get paid in different parts of the country, go to the Mom Salard Wizard.

Pregnancy and Your Plumbing Problems

2009-03-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ugh...Pregnancy and dreaded constipation. At 6 1/2 months I am just about at my wits end over this "plumbing problem". I know this is an uncomfortable topic but, hey, we all deal with stuff like this and by the end of pregnancy I think we all pretty much have no pride left anyway. Constipation is just another side effect of pregnancy for some of us and I know I find comfort in knowing a little more about the "situation".

Here are a few reasons for constipation during pregnancy.
The number one reason-as sited by MOST doctors and books, is usually due to the higher levels of hormones such as progesterone which slows down intestinal function. And- gross fact- the longer the stool sits in the large intestine, the harder and drier it gets.
2. Your prenatals can stop you up. Iron is a good reason to wish you could drink Draino.
3. As your uterus grows it can press on the bowels slowing down the passage of the stools (among other things...)
4. Medications. I am taking Zofran (anti-vomit med) which is incredibly constipating. I am sure there are plenty of other medications that have this side effect.. Talk to your OB about it.

Here are some ways of dealing...
1. Drink LOTS of fluids. One can drown the opponent with liquids. Drinking fluids- especially water, veggie and fruit juices, will help move things along. Then there is always prune juice. Yuck.
2. Exercise- an active body encourages active bowels. Just make sure that the activity is suited to and safe for your pregnancy.
3. Increase your fiber intake. Fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and dried fruits are all great choices. Avoid refined foods (basically anything white- white bread, white rice, etc)
4. Over the counter remedies- Metamucil, which now comes in a capsule form...hooray, is safe. Milk of Magnesia can also help. DO NOT take stimulant laxatives-according to the American Pregnancy Association they can make you have uterine contractions . As with any medication- it is always best to discuss these things with your OB first though....
4.There are days when my desire to pass something, anything is higher then my desire not to vomit..So I occasionally take a day off from my meds and it actually really helps even though I feel nauseous and icky.

And a little end note....I was feeling so desperate at one point that I asked my doctor if I could get a colonic. This is not an option during preganacy as it can cause contractions. Bummer.

Banana- superfruit?

2009-02-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout which probably equals 22 minutes of cleaning after and chasing your child. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. Bananas are like a superhero of fruit. Though they don't leap over a building in a single bound they CAN help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS-Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. If that doesn't work, then take the pills!

Anemia- High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams in 2006 by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert. Does this mean that if you pack a banana in your kid's lunch that they will end up smarter? Beats me, but may be worth a shot if your child is...well....slow.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the plumbing problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers- Apparently, one of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. And if it doesn't work you might just forget about the itching because you will have wierd banana goo on you.

Nerves & Stress- Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. So does Ativan, but bananas are WAY better for you.

Overweight- Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and potato chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. I think if this study was done in the US they might not have quite the same findings since people here gorge on pretty much everything no matter what. BUT, if you are going to gorge, maybe a banana is better then a tube of Pringles or a roll of cookie dough.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control- Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)- Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use- Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Strokes- According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts- Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! AND if there happens to be a mosquito bite next to it, why, you are killing two birds with one peel!

So, a banana really is a surprisingly super dooper natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. Maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

-SBH

No Tears Splinter Removal

2009-02-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

So how many of you have tried to pull a splinter out of your tots finger or toe and they are JUST freaking out? It is more then I can bear to put my little one through the agony of squeezing and pinching her finger. Not that she has ever had more then one or two splinters but...I came across this great way to remove splinters in the March issue of Parenting magazine and thought I'd share it with you.

1. Wash the area with soap and water
2. Apply a little white glue over the part of the splinter that is poking out.
3. When you peel off the dried glue, the splinter should come right out. Presto!
4. Dab on an antibiotic ointment and cover with a festive bandage of choice.

If the splinter is really deep, or if the area is red and swollen, you will probably need a doctors help to get it out.

Lavender and Pregnancy

2009-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

When I was uncomfortable pregnant vomit queen, I always looked for things to help me relax. I would slather on the lavender oils, the lavender creams, spray the lavender spritz and pick lavender from my backyard. Imagine my surprise when I went to an essential oils soap store and they told me NOT to use lavender because I was poisoning my unborn baby. I was quite alarmed by this so I did a search on the Internet JUST to make sure….

Lavender has been used for many purposes including loss of appetite, nervousness, insomnia, acne, headaches, diabetes, rheumatic pain, nerve pain, and colds. Lavender is the most versatile of essential oils. It is relaxing and refreshing, uplifts the spirits, and helps to relieve the distress of muscle pain. Lavender is balancing for the mind and calming for the body.
It hasn’t been tested enough to know if there are effects on an unborn child. This is also true of many other “herbal remedies” such as chamomile and rose.
According to one website the following oils should not be used during pregnancy:
Basil, Birch, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Cypress, Geranium, Hyssop, Jasmine, Juniper, Marjoram, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Peppermint, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme.
It continues with-
The following oils should not be used during the first trimester of pregnancy, and used with caution during the remainder of the pregnancy. Use in small amounts and well diluted (1-2 % for massage: 3-4 drops added to carrier oil for baths. If you have a history of miscarriage DONT USE AT ALL: Chamomile, Geranium, Lavender, Rose

Well I used 3 out of four of those my child is normal enough. Oh the horror.

There are so many contradictions out there…for example: Mothernature.com says, “Lavender is most fitting in an oil for pregnancy. A muscle relaxant, lavender flowers were traditionally heated and pounded into a poultice, then placed on the woman's lower back to ease tension and loosen tight muscles during childbirth. As one of the first things the baby smelled, lavender also became a bonding fragrance. European mothers made lavender pillows for their children to sleep with as a reminder that they would always be loved.” Sounds good to me.
I am not sure WHY we can’t use some of these herbs or if I actually believe that these things are bad for you. I can’t find any strong evidence that it is or isn’t…but if you are worried I would consult with your Dr. or aromatherapist- if you are fancy enough to have one. Can I still roast chicken with Tarragon or Rosemary? Hmmm…
It seems that MOST of the information out there supports the use of lavender so I continued to slather, spritz and hoped that junior wasn't born with one eye. Thankfully, he was born with two beautiful blues....
But don't take my word for it...do your research!

hot diggity

2009-02-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

Is it me or is this just a weird thing to have as a play structure for kids? Wouldn't a pedophile just LOVE to see a bunch of little girls straddling this daddy?
ewww

Good Waffles!

2009-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

If you are anything like me you will search the internet, cookbooks and magazines for THE perfect recipe. Well, I thought I’d share a really great recipe for Waffles because they are JUST the thing to make when your 2.5 year old wakes you up, says “FOOD” and it is SIX friggin clock in the morning. The smell wafting through the house is enough to cheer anyone up.
Obviously to make waffles you need a waffle iron. If you don’t have one then I guess you are shit out of luck and frozen ones will have to do! Boohoo. Not QUITE the same but maybe better at 6am? Waffle irons come in all sorts of fun shapes such as- hearts, Mickey Mouse, and the good ol'squares which I have.

Basic Waffles:
Preheat your waffle iron
Whisk together in a large bowl :
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour- I have also used whole wheat flour-
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Whisk together in another bowl (or 4 cup pyrex works)
3 large eggs, well beaten
4 to 16 tablespoons UNSALTED butter This is ¼ to 2 sticks) 4 tablespoons is the “reduced fat” version, 8 is for the classic and 16 is for super crunchy, gout inducing deliciousness. I use 6 tablespoons and find them good…..
1 ½ cups milk- You can also use buttermilk but you will need to add ¼ teaspoon of Baking Soda. If you don’t have buttermilk at home it is really easy to make. For each cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. (Apple cider or white), quickly and gently stir it in let it sit for about 5 minutes. Et voila…

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently whisk together. I have a tendancy to over stir because somehow the lumps never look right- you do what is comfortable to you. I think it is probably fluffier if you don’t over stir…I am not a chemist so I don’t know… Anyway, moving on.
Spoon about ½ cup batter onto the hot waffle iron, spreading the batter to about ¼ inch of the edge (otherwise you get oozing mess down the sides. Close and bake until waffle is golden or until iron dings if you have that kind. The longer you keep it in there the crispier it will get.
Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until the masses have assembled.

If you wish you can add things like raisins, berries, banana, shredded coconut, chocolate, bacon, cheese, etc. I wouldn’t add more then a ½ cup of any of it…
I, myself, leave them as is and serve with maple syrup.

You can also add fresh fruit, whip cream or whatever after they have been cooked.

And if you are feeling very Martha Stewart you can put powdered sugar on them and garnish the plate with edible flowers and mint.

Have a good morning!

-SBH

En Garde! Fencing 5 year olds!

2009-02-13T11:39:00.001-08:00

OMG! Is that the cutest thing you ever saw? Wait a second.....A five year old fencing? Yikes, right? I have to admit that I too was wondering who in the hell would give a 5 year old a sword. But, nonetheless, when I saw it offered in Lulu's school’s enrichment program I thought, “How cool…Lulu can be a sword fighting princess!” My little swashbuckler loves it. She is the only girl in her class and I think that’s pretty awesome. While she is the princess, there is also Luke Skywalker, Anakin (Darth Vader BEFORE he was bad.explained to me VERY clearly) and a Jack Sparrow.
With the appropriate gear fencing is actually pretty safe. Once you see your child doing it the concerns vanish- at least they did for me. They learn the dangers and respect the foil. (Foil being the fancy word for the sword)
Children need to be able to concentrate and tolerate the repetition of it. Added to this, they must be physically coordinated, have good balance and have some sense of timing and depth perception. Fencing may also cultivate these attributes, but it doesn't create them.
I am continually amazed at how much these little ones pay attention and DO concentrate. They do their little exercises, then suit up and “En Grade” there they go. So my point? Fencing is really fun and exciting exercise for kids and they feel really kind of cool doing it. Lulu is always very excited for her Friday “sword fighting” class. And if anything makes me smile, it is seeing Lulu in the fencing gear. It kills me! So friggin cute. And the Uggs...

-SBH

Listen to me dammit!

2009-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

I am constantly repeating myself over and over again with my daughter, Lulu, who NEVER seems to listen to me. She is good at holding my hand before crossing the street, good at cleaning her room if I bribe her, good at many things but listening...she is TERRIBLE. I found this on the web today and thought I would share it. I will try some of these "methods" and see if maybe her "hearing" will improve. Right now it makes me nuts! Come to think of it..my 38 year old sister has selective hearing too....

They Don't Listen to Me!
By Elizabeth Pantley,
Author of Perfect Parenting and Kid Cooperation

Question: My kid doesn't listen to me! I have to repeat myself over and over. Even then he doesn't do what I've asked. When I remind him, he looks at me with that befuddled look that says, "Huh? You were talking to ME?" How do I get him to listen to me?

Think about it: Sounds like your child has what is commonly known as "Selective Hearing." (In other words, you can shout at him to take out the trash, and it's as if he has cotton in his ears, but if you whisper that you'll take him out for ice cream, his hearing becomes incredibly sharp!) The good news is that this malady is easily cured when you use the following solutions.

Eyeball-to-Eyeball: When you make a request, be certain you have your child's attention by touching his arm or hand, and making eye contact. Make a clear, simple statement. As an example, do not call from three rooms away, "Time to go!" A better choice is to go to your child, look him eyeball to eyeball and make a very specific request, "Fester, please put on your shoes and coat and get in the car."

Please repeat it: If your child doesn't respond to your request, ask that he repeat back to you what you said, "Fester, what is it I want you to do?" Once the child has repeated your request, you know that he's heard you, (and he knows that you know that he heard you) and he's more likely to follow through.

Are you training them? Make sure you are not encouraging the behavior by nagging or making requests that you don't follow through on. If you typically repeat yourself three or four or twelve times before you take action, your child will learn that he can ignore you the first few times, because all he'll suffer is having to listen to the drone of your voice.

Don't lecture: Keep your requests brief and to the point. As an example, say you want your child to get ready for bed. Don't launch into a ten-minute lecture on the value of sleep, the importance of getting up on time, the fact that Tuesday is a school night, and why you are sick-and-tired-of-going-through-this-every-night, etc. Limit yourself to a few important words, such as, "9:00. Bedtime."

Act: Use action instead of words. Instead of complaining about the pile of dirty socks in the family room, simply pick them up and hand them to your child. Kids are remarkably perceptive when handed a wad of dirty laundry. Instead of calling your child to you over and over and over, go to him, take him by the hand, look him in the eye, and say, "When I call you I expect you to come."

Important Note: Have a doctor check your child's hearing to be sure there is not a physical problem preventing your child from hearing to you.

(Excerpted by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group Inc. from Perfect Parenting, The Dictionary of 1,000 Parenting Tips by Elizabeth Pantley, copyright 1999)

-SBH

Sweet Things

2009-02-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

It's funny how when something happens to you that rocks your world, you are moved by the smallest kindness that someone puts forth. Previously, I might have been too busy to really give it a second thought...

SLOW DOWN. Look around at the sweet things in life that you have right now.

- LT

Stomach Bug Attacks!

2009-02-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

I write this because here at my house we are in the throws of family style vomiting and general feelings of ickiness all around. It was like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Some stomach flu virus went through the whole family, one by one, the last few days. Is the saying, " family that pukes together...."?

Norovirus on the rise.

Norovirus is an acute stomach illness sometimes called the stomach flu, also known as Norwalk virus- named for Norwalk, Ohio, the site of a severe outbreak of vomiting, nausea and diarrhea among schoolchildren in the late 1960s. It is also possibly known as an effective pre-awards show diet for some Hollywood characters.

Typical symptoms:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach Cramps
• Diarrhea
• Dehydration (in some cases)
• Fever, chills
• Creepy crawly skin
• Aches
• Fatigue

Norovirus infection usually clears up after two or three days, but medical epidemiologist Marc-Alain Widdowson, a norovirus expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the misery of those days shouldn't be dismissed.
"When you're ill, you're really ill," he says. "People (can) vomit 20 times a day."

People can become sick with this stomach virus in several ways, including:
* Eating food or drinking liquids that have been contaminated by a person who is sick.
* Coming into contact with vomit from an infected person or a recently contaminated surface.
* Having direct contact with another person who is sick.
* Sharing foods or eating utensils with someone who is sick.
* Changing a diaper of a sick child.

About half of food-borne diseases are thought to be caused by norovirus, the CDC says.
But this winter, it is spreading mainly from person to person through communities, and experts believe the majority of cases are unreported. In recent years we have all heard about these outbreaks- cruise ships have become famous norovirus carriers, with several large outbreaks grabbing headlines.

Once it's in the house, experts say, it's tough to wipe out. It can linger for days on surfaces such as children's toys, keyboards, telephones and doorknobs, and both vomit and stool are highly infectious. It is present in the stool up to three weeks after the patient recovers, so health officials stress the importance of hand washing, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing food. So once baby has puked, might as well give him/her a big yummy kiss, cuz Mama (or Papa), you're next. I know, sounds SO negative but unfortunately it is usually true. Unless of course you have the immunity of my dad who never gets sick.

The virus causes illness year-round, though like many, it is more common in colder months. Why it's so widespread this winter is not known, Widdowson says. "Some years, it does seem to be a lot worse than others, and this is one of those.

The “24-Hour Bug” Is a Myth
Some children may feel nauseated for 2-3 days, and then have diarrhea for another week, which sort of throws hot water on the 24 hour theory. This is no reason to panic. How long each bout lasts depends on the particular virus and on how your child’s intestines react to it. But when your child is vomiting, there is a concern about dehydration.

Signs of dehydration in babies can include tearless crying, dark urine and sunken eyes, says William Cochran, vice chairman of pediatrics at the Geisinger Clinic in Danville, Pa. “A small infant with profuse diarrhea and vomiting could become dehydrated in six to 12 hours” without otherwise appearing dramatically ill, he says. “When an infant starts to look really sick, you are late in the game.”

A baby or toddler vomiting green bile should be seen immediately, he adds. And, in anyone, sudden bruising and broken blood vessels (except in the face, where the strain of vomiting may be to blame) could signal a breakdown in blood platelets, seen in infections with the dangerous E. coli 0157:H7 strain. (www.usatoday.com)
Other Causes for Concern
If vomiting lasts more than three days, diarrhea lasts more than seven days, or if fever lasts more than two days, then go see a health specialist. Vomiting and diarrhea combined, or a prolonged fever may cause severe dehydration with various symptoms:

* excessive thirst
* dry mouth
* little or no urine or dark yellow urine
* decreased tears
* severe weakness or lethargy
* dizziness or lightheadedness
* markedly sunken fontanelles (the soft spot on the top of the head) in an infant
Source: www.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment:
* Plenty of fluids
* Rest
* Take a high quality probiotic every 30 to 60 minutes until you feel better.
* Try adding raw honey (to calm the inflammation) if the symptoms persist more than a few hours after starting the probiotics.
* Allow your gastrointestinal tract to settle by not eating for a few hours.
* Sip small amounts of clear liquids or suck on ice chips if vomiting is still a problem.
* Give infants and children oral rehydration solutions to replace fluids and lost electrolytes- A teaspoonful of electrolyte solution every twenty minutes or so to replace the nutrients they’ve lost. It contains a proper mixture of sugars and minerals to help their delicate intestines absorb liquid. Bigger children should take an ounce of electrolyte solution in the same time period. If that stays down for fifteen minutes, then give another ounce, rehydrating the child over hours. At this point, don’t worry about getting them to eat anything.
* If you are still breastfeeding a baby, continue to nurse right through the illness, because mother’s milk has protective antibodies. With bigger children, other liquids can be substituted. (Surprising Facts About Stomach Flu, Sarah McCraw Crow, December 2002 issue of Parents Magazine)
* Gradually reintroduce food, starting with bland, easy-to-digest food, like toast, broth, apples, bananas, and rice.
* Avoid dairy products, caffeine, and alcohol until recovery is complete.

Washing your hands regularly with soap and water will help tremendously. Since the virus can spread through body fluids, it’s especially important to wash your hands after changing the diaper of a sick baby.
Avoiding sharing food, drinks, and/or utensils with an infected person, or coming into contact with any of his or her bodily fluids, will also help.

It may be tempting at this point to reach for over-the-counter anti-diarrhea or upset-stomach remedies. I advise against them because they don’t actually cure anything, they just slow things down in the intestines, leading to an overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria. As well, Pepto-Bismol contains salicylates, an aspirin-like compound that can lead to a serious condition called Reye’s syndrome in younger children.

Antibiotics won’t do much to treat a stomach flu. If anything, they will make it worse because they kill the good bacteria in your intestinal tract, making you more susceptible to severe abdominal cramps.

I know I have brought up hand washing several times…Don’t count on hand sanitizers as a substitute for washing your hands. The state says waterless hand sanitizers have been shown to be ineffective against the norovirus.

Here is to hoping you are not "blessed" with the barf bug. Good Luck!
-SBH

Stinky Kiddie Feet

2009-01-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

So here is a weird one.

STINKY FEET.

My adorable little pixie of a daughter has the stinkiest feet ever. I have a sensitive nose and these are BAD. Three feet away and I still need a clothespin on my nose. SO, I'm thinking "how on earth does a FIVE year old have such smelly feet? and WHAT can I do about that awful stench?"

Seems that it is actually not abnormal for kids to get smelly feet. Not a big problem, of course. But an odoriferous one--that every child seems to have sometimes.

Feet smell because we wear shoes, keeping our feet in a closed space that will get hot and cause sweat. The bacteria that normally live in and around your feet love damp places, such as sweaty shoes and socks. As those bacteria grow, they release their own waste, and that's what causes the bad smell. I am sure that bacteria loves those little pink shoes that she runs around in everyday. (they are her favorite) Bacteria...pink shoes...bacteria...pink shoes.. hmmm...still not computing?

''Frequently, children's feet will sweat more than adults' feet,'' says Rosario Labarbera, D.P.M., chief of podiatry at The General Hospital Center at Passaic and at Saint Mary's Hospital in Passaic, New Jersey, and board member of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. Often that perspiration is foul-smelling--a condition doctors refer to as bromhidrosis. The odor is very similar to that of rotten cheese. Enough to jar anyone or me anyway.

Bromhidrosis in kids is mainly caused by the presence of fetid bacteria on the foot, according to Morton Walker, D.P.M., formerly a podiatrist in private practice in Stamford, Connecticut, and author of The Complete Foot Book. If a whiff of your child's feet is enough to disturb the peaceful life of your family, listen to what doctors have to say about sweetening the air at floor level.

To reduce the amount of sweat, encourage your children to wear well-ventilated shoes instead of constrictive ones. Choose shoes made from materials that breathe, such as canvas or leather. These are less likely to encourage moisture buildup. Avoid shoes made of plastic or other synthetic, nonporous materials that trap odor inside. I don't about you, but my son is obsessed with rain boots. Probably not the BEST choice of everyday shoe... especially on those hot days.
If the shoes' insoles are washable, wash them. My daughter's little pinks (made of leather and some shiny meshy stuff) were so distressing to me that I actually threw the whole shoe in and washed them in on the hand wash cycle. I am now washing the insoles JUST to make sure that they are clean and bacteria free. And no, I did not put them in the dryer.
Avoid tight fitting shoes-they can increase the amount of heat, sweat, and moisture in the feet. My daughter gets very attached to her shoes and wears them way longer then any podiatrist would be comfortable with. Obviously, a great thing to do is to go barefoot as much as possible, further drying out the feet and reducing the odor.

Your children can reduce the amount of bacteria on their feet or the amount of sweat that collects on their feet in a number of ways:
First, have them bathe or you bathe their feet in lukewarm water for several minutes each day, and then clean them with soap. Make sure they dry their feet when they're done.

Putting on clean socks every day is also critical; cotton and most wool absorb sweat and make the feet "breathe" more easily.

Your children can also consider switching shoes every few days, so the shoes get a chance to dry out, which in turn makes them less smelly. Feet are more likely to sweat and get kissed by the stanky bacteria monster. If your child refuses to have socks on like mine, or wear different shoes, you don't have much chance of preventing the problem and will just have to treat the foot odor when it occurs.

Smooth on a deodorizer. Marc A. Brenner, D.P.M., a podiatrist on the medical staff of the Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, both in New York, recommends an over-the-counter deodorant cream called Lavilin. ''It's made in Israel and you can buy it in health food stores. It's perfectly natural and harmless for kids,'' he says. Read the directions carefully before applying the cream.

Try dropping in inserts. Shoe inserts, especially brands that contain activated charcoal, absorb perspiration, notes Dr. Brenner, who has found them to help some youngsters with smelly ''sneaker feet.'' Although these inserts usually come in only one size, you can trim them to fit your child's shoes.

Cool those tootsies. ''Dip a cotton ball in some rubbing alcohol and dab it on the child's feet to help dry them and cool them off,'' says Dr. Labarbera. Don't use alcohol if the child has any breaks in the skin, though. That would burn, he warns. Instead, use an antiseptic like Betadine Solution, which soothes, dries and cools without burning.

Look for sources of stress. Mental tension is another common cause of foot odor, according to Dr. Walker. In fact, the odor of perspiration that results from stress is considered more offensive than the exercise-generated kind. If your child's feet have suddenly become smellier lately, talk with him about stresses at school, at home or in his friendships. If you can help him deal with tension caused by change and uncertainty, the smelly-foot condition might get better.

Soak Away Trouble. Nothing like a good long soak to freshen up stinky feet. Each of the following foot soaks can help stop bacteria from growing, according to Dr. Brenner.
In each case, have your child soak his feet in the mixture for five to ten minutes. Soaking can be as frequent as twice a day or as seldom as twice a week, depending on the extent of the problem and your child's ability to stay put.
Epsom salts: Dilute two tablespoons in two quarts of warm water. ( This not only cleans the feet but also makes them drier afterward, according to Dr. Brenner.)
Vinegar: Dilute two tablespoons in two quarts of cool water for an acidic footbath.
Domeboro Astringent Solution: This pharmacy product comes in tablets or powder packets. Just dissolve it in water, following directions on the package, for a refreshing soak. Dry thoroughly, especially between the toes.
Betadine Solution: Dilute a teaspoon of this over-the-counter antibacterial agent in two quarts of cool water.

If all else fails, take your child to a podiatrist. You may need a prescription antibiotic salve or antifungal liquid to start the healing process. Then you will be able to smell deeply again......unless of course you have a two year old's diaper to change.....

-SBH

I Love this Photo

2009-01-29T06:07:00.000-08:00

I keep this photo on my desktop to click on when I'm having a particularly trying day...(that seems to be today!)

- LT

FDA KNEW ABOUT MERCURY IN HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

2009-01-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

DO YOU realize that the United States is taking part in the biggest human experiment on the planet by our food NOT being labeled as Genetically Modified (GM)? It's true. Then I read this headline today on Huffington Post and I think WHO EXACTLY IS PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN'S DIET IF NOT THE FDA? So perhaps Jeremy Piven DIDN'T get the mercury poison from fish...maybe he got it from chain drinking Pepsi or Coke or perhaps he ate one too many pop tarts that tipped him over the edge?

HERE ARE SOME EXCERPTS FROM HUFFPO:
According to the results of a new study released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trace Policy

(IATP),

the actor may well have been sickened by soda or candy or anything that contains high fructose corn syrup, which, if you eat processed food in this country means, well, just about ANYTHING.

Foodies and nutritionists alike have been griping about high fructose corn syrup for years, and the industry has responded with an "astroturf" campaign http://www.hfcsfacts.com/ and a level of secrecy generally reserved for military officials or secret societies (see Corn Refiners' Association president Audrae Erickson's stonewalling performance in

King Corn).

Of course, I wouldn't want to show my hand either, if the making of my product could be described as the undertaking of a

"small Manhattan project."

But as it turns out, the HFCS industry has been hiding some major skeletons in its closet -- according to the IATP study (pdf), over 30% of products containing the substance tested positive for mercury. 30%!

What makes this news truly shocking is not just that the manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup would put consumers' health at risk, but that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) KNEW ABOUT THE MERCURY in the syrup, and has been sitting on this information since 2005.

Here's the connection, according to the IATP press release

(pdf):

The IATP study comes on the heels of another study, conducted in 2005 but only recently published by the scientific journal, Environmental Health, which revealed that nearly 50 PERCENT of commercial HFCS samples tested positive for the heavy metal. Renee Dufault, who was working for the FDA at the time, was among the 2005 study's authors. In spite of Dufault's involvement in the study, the FDA SAT SILENT on this one for three years, and in fact last August, allowed manufacturers to call the sweetener

"natural."

Which is complete BS as it turns out!! WOOPS.

How did the heavy metal get in there? According to

Janet at the Ethicurian,

in making HFCS -- that "natural" sweetener, as the Corn Refiners Associaton likes to call it -- caustic soda is one ingredient used to separate corn starch from the corn kernel. Apparently most caustic soda for years has been produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants, where it can be contaminated with mercury that it passes on to the HFCS, and then to consumers.

AND ON WHY THIS MATTERS:
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms," said IATP's David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. "Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply."

It is appalling that people aren't being arrested at the FDA just like the Chinese did to the milk producers in China over Melanine contamination. Another case of 'looking the other way' and allowing corporations to grease a few more government palms, that I expect the Obama Administration to correct.

MAMAS - Check your labels religiously and please write to President Obama

President Obama's administration

psst - he seems to be listening!) and your

congresspersons

and your

senators.

It's important to speak up!!
- LT

Originally posted on

The Green Fork

Only in SoCal

2009-01-23T07:32:00.000-08:00

"Mama look!" she said. "RAIN!"

Which prompted the attached rain gear photo in her attempt to explore the backyard and this mysterious thing called RAIN.

- LT

Obama Nation

2009-01-20T09:45:00.001-08:00

We live in exciting times indeed! A future for our children is to be had after all...

Let's get busy and get involved!! More posts on this to come..

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.
William Arthur Ward

- LT

Happy Inauguration Day!

2009-01-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

Kids Celebrate Obama at Concert

2009-01-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

(AP) Michelle Obama challenged the audience at a "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" concert to serve their country.

She got a response from the audience at the Verizon Center on Monday night that surpassed even the appearance of teen star Miley Cyrus.

"You kids are the future of this great nation," Obama said to the crowd largely made up of military families and their charged-up children. "We need every American to serve their community, including our young people."

What can kids do? she wondered aloud: Volunteer in a homeless shelter, visit an elderly person or write letters to U.S. troops.

"For many of you, they're you're moms and dads, right?" Obama said. "Barack, Malia, Sasha and I are so grateful for the service and sacrifice all our military families make to help keep this nation safe."

Miley Cyrus performed. Then the Jonas Brothers got Obama - wearing a sparkly blue dress and mustard-yellow cardigan - on her feet dancing, and Malia and Sasha to come up on stage to jump around like the schoolgirls that they are.

Jamie Foxx, meanwhile, led a sing-along of "America the Beautiful."

A poignant moment came when Queen Latifah invited on stage family members of the Army National Guard 261st Signal Brigade serving in Iraq. Their loved ones unexpectedly appeared on a screen via satellite.

Basketball great Shaquille O'Neal, who was raised on overseas military bases, then was beamed in from Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado.

"I am hoping that kids and families will be inspired by tonight's show to become an active part of our democracy. While we certainly live in challenging times, who better than an energized effort by kids and their families to create a better future," said Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels Worldwide, which was broadcasting the concert, which also included headliners the Jonas Brothers, Bow Wow and Corbin Bleu.

A young, aspiring singer, Elijah Lawrence, dedicated his performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to Michelle Obama as the concert's kickoff.

We actually missed this concert, but watched a bit on You Tube. It cracks me up that Malia is taking pictures of every single event like a tourist. I would post some video of this event, but pretty much everyone who performed annoys me and I don't allow my children to watch anything on the Disney channel (too many commercials and the shows are just too sassy for my taste.) It's all on You Tube...

- LT

U2 for Dr. King & Obama

2009-01-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

This performance blew my mind. Best one of the concert. Dr. King is smiling today. Can you feel the love?

- LT

Obama HBO Concert Speech 1/18/09

2009-01-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

A great speech AND an amazing concert!!! Variety Magazine reports that there was no budget for the show, all the performers paid for their own travel and accommodations and performed for free. As they should...

- LT

Violinist in the Metro

2009-01-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, HOW MANY OTHER THINGS ARE WE MISSING?

Vow to stop and hear the music in 2009!

Happy New Year from Mamasnap!

2009-01-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

What will you do this year to make a difference in your life and the life of your kids?

We are pretty excited about the direction that the US is headed.
Things can only go up from here right?
LESS stuff. LESS clutter. We're down with this idea.

It's stressful coming up with resolutions for the New Year.
Four out of five people who make New Year’s resolutions tonight will eventually break them. In fact, a third won’t even make it to the end of January.

That’s what time management firm FranklinCovey found when it polled more than 15,000 customers about their planned New Year’s resolutions. The top resolutions are the old standbys — get out of debt and save more, lose weight and exercise. Getting organized and spending more time with family also top the list.

Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they simply aren’t committed to the resolutions they set. But experts say the real problem is that people make the wrong resolutions. The typical resolution often reflects a general desire, rather than a specific goal.

Mamasnap's advice: Keep it simple. One thing at a time. Don't get overwhelmed. Enjoy the small, sweet moments with the kids because they grow up pretty fast. Those are our goals for the year. (Oh and of course...to lose that extra 10 lbs. from the holidays! AUGH!)

- LT

Hollywood mom

2008-12-02T18:29:00.001-08:00

Today I was a Hollywood mom. Despite the fact that right after Oliver's audition yesterday, he flipped out of a shopping cart and gave himself a bit of a black eye. (am I the worst mom ever?) and this is on top of the huge bruise on his forehead from leaping off the couch into the coffee table....different story.
My son spent the day out in Malibu on a photoshoot for Oshgosh/Carters and woohoo we get to put some money in an account for him for college! I am not a mom who drags him around to auditions so don't hate me. I go if it's convenient, not too far away and worthwhile.
Hollywood moms scare me. With my supersonic hearing (not really) I picked up snippets of conversations. "We nnnnnnever have to wait this long.uh!" "We drove in from Las Vegas" my thought-WHAT? you drove 5 hours plus for THIS? "We drove up from San Diego" my thought again..."WHAT, you drove 2+ hours for this?" and not only that they drove up for the audition yesterday as well and got the call this morning at 9am and drove up again. Ummmmmmmmm. yyyeah. And there I was with my shiny happy little boy- among the scary moms all talking about "Oh my daughter does ALL the Land's End catalogs. They took us to Florida and in March we may be going to Hawaii" "I'm so lucky I have twins because if one can't do it the other can." All this is going on and I am wondering what craft service is going to give us for lunch.
I DO wish I could put make up on myself that would take away MY dark rings under my eyes. Oliver's black eye magically disappeared with the magic of the makeup artist.
My favorite "thing" of the day was this bag one of the moms had.
Sparkely and studded in gold with the word "supermodel". Inside was all her daughters papers etc... Scared of that. if I ever somehow get to that please kick me.

-SBH

More Playtime for Kids!!!

2008-11-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Here's some soothing medicine for stressed-out parents and overscheduled kids: The American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is more good, old-fashioned playtime. Well hurray for that!! Many parents load their children's schedules with get-smart videos, enrichment activities and lots of classes in a drive to help them excel. The efforts often begin as early as infancy.

Spontaneous, free play -- whether it's chasing butterflies, playing with "true toys" such as blocks and dolls, or just romping on the floor with mom and dad -- often is sacrificed in the shuffle, a new academy report says. Numerous studies have shown that unstructured play has many benefits. It can help children become creative, discover their own passions, develop problem-solving skills, relate to others and adjust to school settings, the academy report says. "Perhaps above all, play is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood," says the report, prepared by two academy committees for release Monday at the group's annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

A lack of spontaneous playtime can create stress for children and parents alike. If it occurs because young children are plopped in front of get-smart videos or older children lose school recess time, it can increase risks for obesity. It may even contribute to depression for many children, the report says. Social pressures and marketing pitches about creating "super children" contribute to a lack of playtime for many families. But so does living in low-income, violence-prone neighborhoods where safe places to play are scarce, the report says.

It says enrichment tools and organized activities can be beneficial but should not be viewed as a requirement for creating successful children. Above all, they must be balanced with plenty of free play time, the report says. "In the current environment where so many parents feel pressure to be super parents, I believe this message is an important one," said Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, the report's lead author and a pediatrician at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Noted pediatrician and author Dr. T. Berry Brazelton praised the academy's report. "I hope it will have some effect," Brazelton said. Children overscheduled with structured activities "are missing the chance they have to dream, to fantasize, to make their own world work the way they want it. That to me is a very important part of childhood," Brazelton said.

This was reported on CNN and it's too good - NOT to reprint.
- LT

A Mother's wisdom

2008-11-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

I thought this was funny even if some of it is a little abusive...MY mother NEVER ever said any of these things to me! And I can't imagine saying most of them myself...but it is humorous nonetheless!

I OWE MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

6. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

7. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

8. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

9. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

10. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

11. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

12. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

13. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

14. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

15. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

16. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

17. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

18. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

19. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

20. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

21. My mother taught me GENETICS .
"You're just like your father."

22. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

23. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

24. My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Mean Moms!

2008-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

I got this email today and thought it was really cute...enjoy!

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough. . to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.

She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

Heating up Baby's bottle

2008-11-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

Never Heat Your Baby's Bottle In a Microwave Oven.
Yes, microwaves are convenient. But they have a nasty habit of heating food unevenly. Your baby could burn her tongue, throat or stomach. Have you ever been surprised by a hot spot in your food? That's something you don't want to happen to your baby's tender mouth. It is much safer to take the chill off your baby's bottle with warm water.

What Does Your Baby Like?
Some like it warm, some like it cool. How does your baby like her formula and breast milk? You can feed her with bottles of formula or breast mild straight from the refrigerator, at room temperature, or slightly warm. Remember, bottles should never be hot. Try a few feedings at different temperatures to see what she likes best.

Warming Your Baby's Bottle.
If your baby prefers warm formula or breast milk, then follow these steps, and never use a microwave oven. Place baby's bottle in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water or swirl it under warm tap water for a few minutes. Gently shake the bottle to warm the formula or expressed breast milk evenly. Shake a few drops onto your wrist to check the temperature. If it isn't too hot for you, it is probably just right for your baby.

NO MICROWAVES FOR BABY'S BOTTLES

Why microwaves should never be used to prepare bottles:

-Control the temperature of the bottle. It is very easy to overheat a bottle in a microwave oven. The bottle may feel cool to the touch while the liquid inside is much too hot for your baby to drink. Sometimes it can also create steam that can burn your baby or you.

-Preserve the protective properties of breast milk. Breast milk can lose its natural protective properties if a microwave causes overheating.

-Avoid serious accidents. Because the bottle is closed tightly, a pressure build-up from steam can cause it to explode in a microwave oven. This won't happen when you heat bottles with warm water.

The Grinch Who Rocked Christmas

2008-11-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

I know I'm early - but I do love Christmas! As a Kid I loved the Grinch. Here's a fresh soundtrack with some great favorite scenes edited together. It's just not the same having the DVD to play for the kids. I used to watch the TV listings for it to air on television, and still watch it when it's on.

Children say the darndest things

2008-11-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Though written by little ones this is for mature audiences! These are some funny things that children wrote about the sea....Enjoy a little Monday giggle!

1) This is a picture of an octopus It has eight testicles. (Kelly age 6)

2) Oysters' balls are called pearls. (James age 6)

3) If you are surrounded by sea you are an Island. If you don't have sea all round you, you are in continent. (Wayne age 7)

4) Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend no more. (Kylie age 6)

5) My uncle goes out in his boat with pots, and comes back with crabs. (Millie age 6)

6) When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes, when the wind didn't blow, the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would be better off eating beans. (William age 7)

7) I like mermaids. They are beautiful, and I like their shiny tails. How do mermaids get pregnant? (Helen age 6)

8) Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher age 7)

9) When you go swimming in the sea, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin age 6)

10) Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Two divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky age 8)

11) On holiday my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast. She says she won't do it again because water shot up her fanny. (Julie age 7)

Ah, the wisdom of children!!

Snail Mail's a kid's hit!

2008-10-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Courtesy USA Today.

I really do love Snail Mail these days. It's a novelty to just get a card or a letter! My toddler recently had a big project at school where they made a big deal of going to the preschool post office and mailing his Mommy and Daddy a card. It was really sweet. It's still the best priced thing to do in this country these days - send a card - 39 cents - BARGAIN! I make cards out of my kid's artwork as there's a large volume of it and it's a nice personal touch these days.

- LT

Sex Offenders Don't Make Good Neighbors

2008-10-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I used to love Mr. Rogers who sings the nice, happy tune called "Who are the people in your neighborhood?"
But make no mistake, with the arrival of the internet and the office of public information, we neighbors can arm ourself with the right knowledge to protect our kids.

http://www12.familywatchdog.us/

Go to this link and near the bottom left, it has a "Click Here" button. Click on it and enter your address.
It will show a "house" that's yours.
All the little colored boxes are Sex Offenders.
Click on them and you get a name and mug shot of the person along with his crime.
To my surprise there are 267 sex offenders in my 'safe' neighborhood!! (that's what the real estate lady said...)
Pretty amazing and scary.

After you've seen this for yourself, consider forwarding our blog to people you care about with kids - and come to think of it everyone you know w/o kids too.
I sure want to know who's in my neighborhood...

(Thanks to Sonja in Nashville and the good folks at Family Watchdog for this tip...)

5 Items for the First Wk of Life

2008-10-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Now that you're a parent, you've probably purchased or been given WAY too much advice, gear and clothing.
Here's the reality - when you have a newborn, you really only need the following 5 things to start out:

1. Carseat - that's a given - you can't take your child home without one.
3. Feeding source - breast or the bottle - whichever you're opting for.
4. Selection of onesies - long sleeve for winter babies and short sleeve for summer babies.
5. A few blankets for swaddling.
5. Somewhere for the baby to sleep whether that be a crib, cradle or vibraty chair (mamasnap loves these!).

I was dumbfounded as a new parent going to Babies R Us and being handed a sheet of over 50 things I needed to purchase - half of which are completely useless and will be used once or not at all.

Want to go Back to Work? Read this...

2008-10-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

If you have taken a break from the workforce to be home with your kids, prepare for a possible change when you go back. According to a recent study by the Forte Foundation and the Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management:

44%
of moms who returned to work after a break accepted a lower-level job.

61%
switched industries.

54%
took a different job in their industry or in a new industry.

Toddler's Creed

2008-10-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Ran across this gem from Love Unlimited while attmepting to reason with my toddler:

TODDLER'S CREED
If I want it, it's mine!
If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine!
If I can take it away from you, it's mine!
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine!
If it's mine, it will never belong to anybody else, not matter what!
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine!
If it looks just like mine, it's mine!

"On Being Mom" by Anna Quindlen

2008-10-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing they
ever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of dark bangs and the
blackbutton eyes of a Raggedy Andy doll. The placid baby with the
yellow ringlets and the high piping voice. The sturdy toddler with
the lower lip that curled into an apostrophe above her chin. ALL MY
BABIES are gone now.

I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction
in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one
closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have
learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of
them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I
choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who
want to keep their doors closed more than I like.

Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move
food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I
bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby
is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the
unreliable haze of the past.

Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now.
Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling
rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education,
all grown obsolete

Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are
battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the
pages dust would rise like memories.

What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the
playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations -- what they
taught me was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.
Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then
becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that
it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds
well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a
stern voice and a timeout. One boy is toilet trained at 3, his
brother at 2.

When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on
his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time
my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of
research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-
shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing.

Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research
will follow.

I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful
books on child development, in which he describes three different
sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-
quiet codicil for an 18-month-old who did not walk. Was there
something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong
with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically
challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he
goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk,too.

Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes
were made. They have all been enshrined in the Remember-When-Mom-Did
Hall of Fame The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language,
mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I
arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The
horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of
the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, What
did you get wrong? (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered
food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away
without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include
that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two
seasons.

What was I thinking?
But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while
doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly
clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs.
There is one picture of the three of them sitting in the grass on a
quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and
1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about,
and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night.
I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing:
dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little
more and the getting it done a little less.

Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and
what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought
someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now
I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they
demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.

The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact
and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I
wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have
done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what
the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the
experts.

It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.

3 Yummy Foods for Babies

2008-10-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's really easy to get into the habit of feeding your little one the same foods day after day. These nutritious picks are a nice break from rice cereal or mashed bananas:
1. Couscous. These tiny grains make it the perfect first pasta for baby. Choose a plain variety and use some chicken broth vegetable broth in place of some of the water for added flavor. It cooks up in just 5 minutes.
2. Avocado. It's smooth and cramy, with a mild flavor. Plus, this fruit is loaded with vitamin C, folate and potassium, as well as healthy monounsaturated fat. Just mash it with a fork - no cooking required!
3. Hummus. This spread made from chickpeas and olive oil contains protein, fiber and heart-healthy fat. Spread it on bread or toast for an older baby to snack on.

Funny for the Day....

2008-09-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Job Available - Mommy

2008-09-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, no one would have taken the job!!!

POSITION :
Mother, Mom, Mama, Mummy, Ma, etc.

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs a couple of bucks. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain the same for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and FREE HUGS for life if you play your cards right!

21 Memos From Your Child

2008-09-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

Here's one to put up on the ole' refrigerator. I don't know who wrote it, but the advice is solid. It's callled 21 Memos From Your Child:

1. Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not have all I ask for. I am only testing you.
2. Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it, it makes me feel secure.
3. Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detec them in the early stages.
4. Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only make me behave stupidly 'big.'
5. Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice if you talk quietly with me in private.
6. Don't make me feel all of my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.
7. don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way, sometimes.
8. Don't be upset when I say 'I Hate You.' It isn't you I hate, but your power to thwart me.
9. Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I need.
10. Don't nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.
11. Don't forget that I can't explain myself as well as I should like. This is why I'm not always very accurate.
12. Don't make rash promises. Remember that I feel badlly let down when promises are broken.
13. Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.
14. Don't be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.
15. Don't tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real to me and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.
16. Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.
17. Don't ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It give me too great a shock when I discover that you are neither.
18. Don't ever think it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm toward you.
19. Don't forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult to keep pace with me, but please try.
20. Don't forget I love experimenting. I couldn't do without it, so please be patien with it.
21. Don't forget that I can't thrive without lots of understanding and unconditional love, but I don't need to tell you that do I?

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

2008-09-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about.

Southwest Airlines Kicks Mom & 4 kids off Flight

2008-07-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

Now I've flown a lot with kids and granted they are somewhat hard to control on the plane - but come on! If you're kids have never flown before - you have to prepare them - and come well armed with tools for the plane.

Am I right or am I right? No one wants to travel with screaming kids. Kate once threw a fit for 1/2 an hour on the plane to Seattle because I forgot her bottle and she did NOT want that sippy cup.

I calmly held her in the back of the plane BY THE BATHROOMS while she wailed uncontrollably and I sweated it out. When she finally fell asleep - the flight attendant served me a complimentary glass of wine!

Southwest is going to get sued though for sure.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/07/dnt.family.off.plane.kiro

- LT

Ha Ha Pregnancy Clothing

2008-06-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

- LT

Mini Me Clothing by Beyonce

2008-05-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

Why can't kids be kids in real kid's clothing? Why the make up and high heels and attitude? No thanks. I'd rather my kids in playclothes and be outside in the dirt. Thoughts?
- LT

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

Relax, it's supposed to be funny. Seriously - Happy Mother's Day everyone. What a great day!!!
- LT

Canada to Ban Plastic Baby Bottles

2008-05-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

From Reuters this week - Canada intends to become the first country to ban the import and sale of some types of plastic baby bottles because they contain a chemical that the government says could harm infants and toddlers. WAY TO GO CANADA!!!

Health Minister Tony Clement said on Friday he would bring in rules to outlaw plastic polycarbonate baby bottles, perhaps within the next year. These bottles are made with bisphenol A, which is also used in food and water containers. Clement said bisphenol A could hinder child development and cited a study which he said showed that overexposure at an early age could cause behavioral and neurological symptoms later in life. "We have concluded that early development is sensitive to the effects of bisphenol A," he told a news conference.

"Although our science tells us that exposure levels to newborns and infants are below the levels that cause effects, we believe that the current safety margin needs to be higher... It is better to be safe than sorry." The U.S. government said on Tuesday that bisphenol A could be tied to early puberty, and to prostate and breast cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the chemical safe in products for use by infants and children.

Canadian scientists also found low levels of the chemical could over time harm fish and other organisms. Clement said bisphenol A could migrate into food, especially when heated, and he warned parents never to pour boiling water into bottles made with the chemical.

Officials had initially said Ottawa might ban all drink and food containers that contained bisphenol A. But Clement said Ottawa was focusing on products for children.

"Most Canadians need not be concerned ... because in most instances, negative health effects occur at levels much greater that those we are exposed to," he said. Major Canadian retail chains have already started removing bottles and containers containing bisphenol A, citing public concerns about possible health risks.

U.S. firm Nalgene, a major producer of baby bottles, said on Friday it would phase out the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, although it also said the products were safe. "We continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use. However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns," Steven Silverman, the firm's general manager said in a statement.

Bisphenol A is also used in the lining of infant formula cans, and Clement said Ottawa would work with industry to reduce the use of the chemical. Rick Smith, executive director of the Environmental Defence group, said Clement's announcement marked the beginning of the end for the chemical. "This sends a clear message to the plastics industry that it needs to do better," he told Reuters.

The American Chemistry Council -- based in Arlington, VA -- said the proposed ban was not supported by science and noted that Canadian studies showed infants were not exposed to harmful levels of bisphenol A. IT'S ALL THE GOOD 'OLE USDA THAT SAYS THAT EVERYTHING IS SAFE AND THEN YEARS LATER THERE ARE LAWSUITS GALORE SAYING OTHERWISE. WE JUST THREW AWAY ALL OUR PLASTIC LABELED A, B AND P.

Bisphenol A is also a building block of the durable light plastics used in consumer products ranging from baby bottles to coffee makers to laptop computers to toys, CDs to dental sealants to food can liners. It's a key ingredient of car parts, water filters, textiles, paper and a widely used flame retardant. "Everyone is exposed to it," says Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, reproductive endocrinologist at Yale University School of Medicine, who is studying the impact of the chemical on female reproductive health.

The official bisphenol A industry group Web site maintains its products "pose no known risks to human health." A growing number of scientists disagree, and bisphenol A, which appears to produce adverse impacts at low levels of exposure, is now at the center of a controversy challenging established methods of determining chemical safety. (http://www.bisphenol-a.org/) YES ALL THEIR PRODUCTS ARE SAFE. UM, OK.

In the past year, legislators in several states have introduced bills that would restrict local sale of infants' and children's products containing bisphenol A. In March, a class action lawsuit -- the first of its kind -- was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against manufacturers and retailers of affected baby bottles and cups. OF COURSE THIS WAS FILED IN LOS ANGELES, LAND OF THE LAWSUIT.

ENRIVONMENTAL CALIFORNIA.ORG - Found that the bottles tested from all five brands leached bisphenol A at levels found to cause harm in numerous laboratory studies, including:
• Avent
• Dr. Brown’s
• Evenflo
• Gerber
• Playtex

Parents have the right to know about chemicals in the products they purchase for their children. In the absence of good government regulations, but armed with the knowledge that some chemicals are a cause for concern, parents can take a few simple actions to limit their child’s exposure to these and other toxic chemicals. At the store, parents should select baby bottles that are made from glass or a safer non-polycarbonate plastic. At home, parents should avoid washing plastic dishware with harsh dishwashing soap and hot water, which may allow chemicals to leach out of the plastic.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/recommendations-for-parents

FOR TOYS AND DISHES - LOOK FOR pvc free label or choose plastics 1, 2, 5.
- LT

Pregnancy, Sunblock and Being Skinny

2008-04-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

I occasionally like to peruse USA today's surveys. You know, see what my fellow Americans are saying on different topics. Here's a few interesting ones from today:

I'm thinking I got gipped on my pregnancy bill from UCLA. Now granted I got a C section 2x - but I do recall my first bill was just over $30,000 (in 2004)! So where do they get THIS average? I know they sent an awful lot of doctors my way for a 'consult' and you should've seen the delivery room! Word gets out when you're in the hospital and have decent insurance. I'm just saying....

Honestly you'd think with ALL the articles on sun damage this and skin cancer that that 100% of America would be using 30 spf or over. I use 50 I'm so fair. This survey was surprising to me. Although I am a huge fan of sunscreen, I read a study recently that said we sunblock users were now Vitamin D deficient (ie. much Vitamin D comes from exposure to the sun). There's always a positive with a negative or vice versa in the media is seems.

Well let's see, if I could remain my own smart self as is now, then I'd go with the skinny too. But if I were born dumb as a stick, I might go with the brains...but then would I even know I was dumb as a stick?

- LT

Pregnancy and Chocolate

2008-04-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Now THIS is good news!!!!!

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Indulging in chocolate during pregnancy
could help ward off a serious complication known as preeclampsia, new
research suggests.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is rich in a chemical called
theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle and
dilates blood vessels, and has been used to treat chest pain, high
blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries, Dr. Elizabeth W.
Triche of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and colleagues
write.

Preeclampsia, in which blood pressure spikes during pregnancy while
excess protein is released into the urine, has many features in
common with heart disease, the researchers add.

To investigate whether chocolate's possible cardiovascular benefits
also might help prevent preeclampsia, the researchers looked at 2,291
women who delivered a single infant, and asked them about how much
chocolate they consumed in their first and third trimesters. The
researchers also tested levels of theobromine in infants' umbilical
cord blood.

Women who consumed the most chocolate and those whose infants had the
highest concentration of theobromine in their cord blood were the
least likely to develop preeclampsia. Women in the highest quarter
for cord blood theobromine were 69 percent less likely to develop the
complication than those in the lowest quarter.

Women who ate five or more servings of chocolate each week in their
third trimester of pregnancy were 40 percent less likely to develop
preeclampsia than those who ate chocolate less than once a week.

A similar, but weaker, relationship between chocolate consumption and
preeclampsia risk was seen in the first trimester, with women eating
five or more servings of chocolate each week at 19 percent lower risk
than those who ate chocolate less than once a week.

Theobromine could improve circulation within the placenta while
blocking oxidative stress, or it could also be a stand-in for other
beneficial chemicals found in chocolate, Triche and her team note in
the May issue of Epidemiology.

"Our results raise the possibility that chocolate consumption by
pregnant women may reduce the occurrence of preeclampsia," they
write. "Because of the importance of preeclampsia as a major
complication of pregnancy, replication of these results in other
large prospective studies with a detailed assessment of chocolate
consumption is warranted."

SOURCE: Epidemiology, May 2008.

-SBH

BPA and Our kids

2008-04-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Moms everywhere are outraged about the use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups. What can be hard is figuring out what products are safe and what aren't. So here is the skinny-
What is Bisphenol A?
Bisphenol A is a harmful chemical found in polycarbonate plastic which is used to make many popular baby bottles and sippy cups, among other things. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that mimics the action of the human hormone estrogen, which alters our body’s natural pattern. BPA can leach from polycarbonate plastic, usually a hard, clear plastic that is common of many products we use everyday. Effects at even low BPA exposure include prostate cancer, breast cancer, early puberty onset, alterations in gender-specific behavior, decreased sperm count, affects on fertility, behavioral effects including hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, impaired learning and other changes in behavior, and other problems.
Many companies use this chemical in their packaging including cans, soda cans, and plastic food containers. There is a risk of absorbing this chemical through the use of containing foods and liquids but can also leech into our water systems through landfills.
Many leading experts argue that the use of Bisphenol is safe to the human public but research may begin to further prove otherwise. No level of BPA has been deemed as safe by independent research.

What To Look For:
Most plastic baby bottles are made with polycarbonate, a rigid durable plastic that has the potential to leach bisphenol A into your baby's drinks. Bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to a number of health concerns, including hormone disruption and some cancers, and the National Toxicology Program recently concluded that there is "some concern for neural and behavioral effects" in infants and children, given current exposure rates to BPA. Fortunately, preventing exposure is easy if you choose glass or safer plastic (#2, #4 or #5) bottles.

Safer Materials
Glass
Glass baby bottles are a time-tested alternative to polycarbonate plastic, which is can leach hormone-disrupting bisphenol A into your baby's food. Glass is a renewable resource, easily recyclable and does not leach toxic chemicals. Glass bottles are, of course, subject to breakage, and there are risks of serious cuts to your child. Additionally, glass can chip or crack and can break when sterilized, allowing glass splinters to end up in baby's beverage. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents not to let babies go to sleep with a bottle, and toddlers should not be allowed to walk around with a bottle. These precautions help prevent tooth decay and mouth injuries; they also help prevent breakage and injuries from glass bottles. As with plastic, careful and regular inspections of the bottle allow parents to detect any flaws in the glass. Recycle any scratched, cracked, or chipped glass bottle.

Plastics: #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP
Although polycarbonate bottles containing bisphenol A are the most common kind of baby bottle on the market, there are other plastic baby bottles available that do not contain bisphenol A. These opaque bottles are made of either polypropylene or polyethylene, which are not known to leach carcinogens or endocrine disruptors. Recycling symbols can provide some information about the plastic: polyethylene has #2 (high-density polyethylene, HDPE) or #4 (low-density polyethylene, LDPE) on the underside, and polypropylene (PP) has #5. Polycarbonate bottles are #7. Because many bottles are not labeled with a recycling number, the surest way to know whether a bottle is made of polycarbonate is to call the manufacturer. Keep in mind, though, that all plastic bottles are petroleum products, requiring the use of non-renewable resources.

PES Plastics
New to the baby bottle market is a plastic called polyether sulphone, or PES. Although PES hasn't been studied as thoroughly as #2, #4 and #5 plastics, lab studies have found that it does not leach BPA or phthalates (a hormone-disrupting plasticizer commonly used in #3 PVC plastics). Fredrick vom Saal, a lead researcher on BPA, has said that because PES doesn't react as readily as polycarbonate to heat, acidic liquids or dishwashing detergents, it doesn't break down as quickly and is therefore less likely to leach chemicals into a bottle's contents.

Silicone Nipples
Replace standard rubber nipples (amber-colored) with clear, silicone nipples. Not only are silicone nipples free of cancer-causing nitrosamines, but they last longer. Inspect nipples regularly and discard any with cracks or tears, which can harbor bacteria and also pose a choking hazard.

This is a great “cheat sheet” that was compiled by SafeMama. It’s a very extensive list, so I wanted to share. If you are aware of a BPA-free bottle or sippy that is not on the list, please let me know and I will add it. That said, this may not be a comprehensive list as new products are released all the time. Additionally, please be aware that Avent, Dr. Brown’s, Nuby and others do have products made of polycarbonate plastics, so please choose wisely. I hope this relieves some concerns or helps you select products that are considered safe.

BPA Free Bottle Products
Adiri Natural Nursers
Avent “Via” disposable bottles
BornFree - All bottles and cups BPA free *see note
EvenFlo Glass bottles
Playtex Opaque Soft Bottle, Playtex Drop in liners
Gerber: Gerber Clearview, Fashion Tints (also called “Plastic Pastels”), Gerber GentleFlow
Medela: All bottles
Sassy MAM bottles (UltiVent), Baby Food Nurser Kit
Green to Grow Bottles **see note
Sassy Baby Food Nurser Kit
ThinkBaby Bottles
Momo Glass Bottles
Nuby: Standard Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, Standard Neck Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, 3-Stage Wide Neck Easy Grip Feeding System with Non-Drip Nipple.
Nuture Pure Glass bottles
Babisil Silbottles
Weego Glass Bottles
Siliskin Glass Bottles
Dr Brown’s: Glass Bottles (all vent system pieces BPA Free), Dr. Browns Polypropylene bottles (due in store’s April 15th)
*If you are currently using Dr. Browns polycarbonate bottles and would like to switch, the Dr. brown’s venting system (the internal pieces) are BPA Free and are made of polypropylene plastic. Also, they FIT and work with BornFree bottles which could be a little bit of a money saver.
** Dr Browns bottle nipples fit with Green to Grow bottles. As we know once a baby is comfy with something it’s sometimes a pain to change so it’s good to know we don’t have to change everything if we don’t have to.

/>BPA Free Sippy Cups
Avent Magic Cups
Playtex: Coolster Tumbler, Insulator, Einstein Training Cup, Sipster, Create My Own, Quick Straw, Insulator Sport, Sip and Discover, First Sipster
Gerber: Sip & Smile Spill-proof Cup, Easy Grip Insulated Soft Straw Cup, Insulated Cool Cup, Fun Grips Color Change Spill-proof Cup, Grins & Giggles Spill-proof Cup (source)
BornFree sippy/drinking cups
Kleen Kanteen
Thermos Foogo Sippy Cups, and drinking bottle with straw
SIGG Toddler Water Bottles
Kid Basix The Safe Sippy
Boon Sippy
GrowPure Multi-Stage Feeder and Sippy Cup
iPlay Aqua Bottle
ThinkBaby Training Cup
Sassy Snack Time Infa-Trainer Cup
Munchkin: Cupsicle, Cupsicle Straw Cup, Big Kid Sippy Cup, Mighty Grip Flip Straw Cup, Mighty Grip Trainer Cup, licensed character Sports Bottles, Re-usable Straw Cups, Re-usable Spill-proof Cups
Nuby: No-Spill Sports Sipper, Insulated Soft Silicone Spout Cup, Soft Spout Easy Grip Cup, Gripper Cup with Soft Silicone Spout, 2-Handle Cup, Tinted Mega Sipper
The First Years: Take & Toss, Spill-proof Cup, Insulated Cup, Licensed character sippy cups, Insulated Spill-proof Cup, 2 Handled Cups

BPA Free Milkand Food Storage
Avent Via 8-oz. Nurser Kit
Avent Snack Cup / Formula Dispenser
Mother’s Milkmate Storage bottles
Medela Milk Storage bottles and breastpump accessories
Playtex Breastmilk storage kit
Lansinoh® Breastmilk Storage Bags
Lansinoh® Breastmilk Storage Bottles
Gerber Breastmilk Storage Bags
So Easy Fresh Baby Food Kit
Baby Cubes
Laptop Lunch System

Visit Z Recommends for product reviews on many of these BPA-free products. They have done an outstanding job of researching and reviewing these products.

-SBH

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

Rejoice, we still have a planet!

What can you do today that's different from yesterday to take green action? I packed my kid's lunch in reusable containers instead of baggies!

Here are 50 other green things you can do - they're not for everyone - it's got to be a personal choice for you and your family - but this is a pretty comprehensive list: (Revised from source: Santa Fe Green Realtors (2006)

1 - Change your lightbulbs- use compact fluorescent bulbs (just 3 CFL bulbs will save 300 lbs of carbon dioxide; approx: $80.00 per year.)
2 - Adjust your thermostat down, 2 in winter up 2 in summer. (Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide; approx. $98 to $200 a year.)
3 - Check your waterheater; set it no higher than 120 degrees (Save 550 lbs of carbon dioxide and $30.)
4 - Take shorter showers, avoid full tub baths (350 lbs of carbon dioxide and save $99 a year).
5 - Install a low flow shower head; (700 lbs carbon dioxide; save $150 a year).
6 - Buy home products locally. (big savings on transportation costs; helps the local economy rather than sending profits away to mega-corporations)
7 - When you buy new appliances, try to buy Energy Star qualified models.
8 - Plant a tree... trees suck up carbon dioxide save 2,000 lbs of carbon dioxide.
9 - Insulate your water heater and save approx $40 a year.
10 - Unplug unused electronics (up to 1000 lbs; save approx $256 a year.)

11 - Turn off your computer when not in use.
12 - Air dry your clothes.... and save approx. $75 a year.
13 - Change out single pane to double pane windows (save 10,000 lbs of carbon dioxide; approx $436 a year.)
14 - Switch to a tankless water heater.(save approx $390 a year)
15 - Insulate your walls and ceilings (save 2,000 lbs; approx $245 a year).
16 - Replace old appliances… save hundreds of lbs of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars.
17 - Buy minimally packaged goods could reduce your garbage by 10%. (Save 1200 lbs of carbon dioxide a year and $1000.)
18 - Fill the dishwasher before running (fight water waste and save approx $40 a year.)
19 - Install a programmable thermostat. (700 lbs carbon dioxide; save $150 a year).
20 - Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner… saving 350 lbs of carbon dioxide a year; about $70 savings).

21 - Get a home energy audit… (save about 30% of energy bills; over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide a year depending on home size.)
22 - Recycle…. (one of the top performing environmental options! save 2400 lbs of carbon dioxide a year.)
23 - Recycle your organic waste (compost).
24 - Buy recycled paper products.
25 - Eat less red meat… methane is the 2nd most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale when they breathe.
26 - Support and buy at your local farmer’s market.
27 - Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car… this can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 10%.
28 - Keep your tires inflated; improves gas mileage by 3%.
29 - Plant a bamboo fence.
30 - Use bamboo for floors, bowls, cutting boards, etc.

31 - Unplug your electronics when you are not using them.
32 - Install drip irrigation in your landscaping.
33 - Use a lap top rather than a desktop it uses much less power.
34 - Buy shade grown coffee, and gold reusable filters.
35 - Install a ceiling fan to improve heat and cooling circulation.
36 - Repair your leaky indoor and outdoor faucets.
37 - Upgrade your toilet to a low flush model. (save about 1,200 gallons of water per year per toilet)
38 - Collect rainwater and use it for gardening.
39 - Buy low-VOC paint and donate the leftovers.
40 - Wash clothes in cold water; use biodegradable detergents that are manufactured for this use.

41 - Carpool when possible. Bike when possible. Walk when possible.
42 - Plant flowers and shrubs that are Xeric (avoid need for irrigation).
43 - Teach kids to be green by making them responsible for the recycling and match whatever they make in deposit.
44 - Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the household. Maximize efficiency by keeping the freezer at 0F. Replace with Energy Star models
45 - When its time for a new car choose a more fuel efficient vehicle. Many new cars now offer greater than 30 MPG ratings.
46 - Bring cloth bags to market. Avoid plastic shopping bags.
47 - Join The Stop Global Warming Virtual March. This is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice.
48 - Fly less if possible or offset your travel by investing in renewable energy projects.
49 - Buy fresh instead of frozen… frozen food takes 10 times more energy to produce!
50 - Share this list, do as many things as you are able to do, and talk to everyone about our environment. Let’s make a better world for current and future generations together, one household at a time.

- LT

Banned from Kmart

2008-04-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Seriously funny. This was going around yesterday on the internet. Watch your husbands ladies.
LOL.
- LT

Yemeni girl 8, granted a Divorce

2008-04-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

I feel ill after reading this.
Can things get so desperate that you force your small child into a marriage at the age of 8? Apparently so on the other side of the world. This should be stopped and Yemen should be placed on an embargo list until they protect the rights of their children.

Here's the story:
A Yemeni court on Tuesday granted a divorce to an eight-year-old girl whose unemployed father forced her into an arranged marriage this year, saying he feared she might be kidnapped. "I am happy that I am divorced now. I will be able to go back to school," Nojud Mohammed Ali said, after a public hearing in Sanaa's court of first instance.

Her former husband, 28-year-old Faez Ali Thameur, said he married the child "with her consent and that of her parents" but that he did not object to her divorce petition. In response to a question from Judge Mohammed al-Qadhi, he acknowledged that the "marriage was consummated, but I did not beat her." Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, has no law governing the minimum age of marriage. Nojud was a second grader in primary school when the marriage took place two and a half months ago.

"They asked me to sign the marriage contract and remain in my father's house until I was 18. But a week after signing, my father and my mother forced me to go live with him." Nojud's father, Mohammad Ali Al-Ahdal, said he had felt obliged to marry off his daughter, an act he claims she consented to.

He said he was frightened after his oldest daughter had been kidnapped several years ago and later married to her abductor. He said the same man then kidnapped another of his daughters who was already married and had four children, resulting in him being jailed. Dressed in traditional black, Nojud said she would now go to live in the home of her maternal uncle and did not want to see her father.

The girl's lawyer, Shadha Nasser, said Nojud's case was not unique. "I believe there are thousands of similar cases," she said, adding that civil society groups are pressing parliament to set the minimum age for marriage at 18.

- LT

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

2008-04-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Thought this was so interesting on how the 'men' saw the 'women' workforce in 1943. I hope a lot of these views are still NOT around - but who am I to say?

The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II. "Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage. Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy."

- LT

Have an Extra Hug Day!

2008-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's refreshing in this day and age to have a four year old boy yell out to his Mom as I dropped him off at preschool - "Mom, wait a minute. I need some extra hugs for today!"

So simple, yet so needed! I hope you can have an extra hugs day too!

We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth
— Virginia Satir, family therapist.

Go Outside and Play Immediately

2008-03-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO ARTICLE ON PLAY - worth the long read...On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on television. As we all now know, the show quickly became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that helped define an era.

What is less remembered but equally, if not more, important, is that another transformative cultural event happened that day: The Mattel toy company began advertising a gun called the "Thunder Burp."

I know - who's ever heard of the Thunder Burp?
Well, no one.

The reason the advertisement is significant is because it marked the first time that any toy company had attempted to peddle merchandise on television outside of the Christmas season. Until 1955, ad budgets at toy companies were minuscule, so the only time they could afford to hawk their wares on TV was during Christmas. But then came Mattel and the Thunder Burp, which, according to Howard Chudacoff, a cultural historian at Brown University, was a kind of historical watershed. Almost overnight, children's play became focused, as never before, on things - the toys themselves.

"It's interesting to me that when we talk about play today, the first thing that comes to mind are toys," says Chudacoff. "Whereas when I would think of play in the 19th century, I would think of activity rather than an object."

Chudacoff's recently published history of child's play argues that for most of human history what children did when they played was roam in packs large or small, more or less unsupervised, and engage in freewheeling imaginative play. They were pirates and princesses, aristocrats and action heroes. Basically, says Chudacoff, they spent most of their time doing what looked like nothing much at all.

"They improvised play, whether it was in the outdoors... or whether it was on a street corner or somebody's back yard," Chudacoff says. "They improvised their own play; they regulated their play; they made up their own rules."

But during the second half of the 20th century, Chudacoff argues, play changed radically. Instead of spending their time in autonomous shifting make-believe, children were supplied with ever more specific toys for play and predetermined scripts. Essentially, instead of playing pirate with a tree branch they played Star Wars with a toy light saber.

Chudacoff calls this the commercialization and co-optation of child's play - a trend which begins to shrink the size of children's imaginative space.

But commercialization isn't the only reason imagination comes under siege. In the second half of the 20th century, Chudacoff says, parents became increasingly concerned about safety, and were driven to create play environments that were secure and could not be penetrated by threats of the outside world. Karate classes, gymnastics, summer camps - these create safe environments for children, Chudacoff says. And they also do something more: for middle-class parents increasingly worried about achievement, they offer to enrich a child's mind.

CHANGE IN PLAY, CHANGE IN KIDS
Clearly the way that children spend their time has changed. Here's the issue: A growing number of psychologists believe that these changes in what children do has also changed kids' cognitive and emotional development.

It turns out that all that time spent playing make-believe actually helped children develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function. Executive function has a number of different elements, but a central one is the ability to self-regulate. Kids with good self-regulation are able to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline.

We know that children's capacity for self-regulation has diminished. A recent study replicated a study of self-regulation first done in the late 1940s, in which psychological researchers asked kids ages 3, 5 and 7 to do a number of exercises. One of those exercises included standing perfectly still without moving. The 3-year-olds couldn't stand still at all, the 5-year-olds could do it for about three minutes, and the 7-year-olds could stand pretty much as long as the researchers asked. In
2001, researchers repeated this experiment. But, psychologist Elena Bodrova at the National Institute for Early Education Research says, the results were very different.

"Today's 5-year-olds were acting at the level of 3-year-olds 60 years ago, and today's 7-year-olds were barely approaching the level of a 5-year-old 60 years ago," Bodrova explains. "So the results were very sad."

Sad because self-regulation is incredibly important. Poor executive function is associated with high dropout rates, drug use and crime. In fact, good executive function is a better predictor of success in school than a child's IQ. Children who are able to manage their feelings and pay attention are better able to learn. As executive function researcher Laura Berk explains, "Self-regulation predicts effective development in virtually every domain."

THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-REGULATION
According to Berk, one reason make-believe is such a powerful tool for building self-discipline is because during make-believe, children engage in what's called private speech: They talk to themselves about what they are going to do and how they are going to do it.

"In fact, if we compare preschoolers' activities and the amount of private speech that occurs across them, we find that this self-regulating language is highest during make-believe play," Berk says. "And this type of self-regulating language... has been shown in many studies to be predictive of executive functions."

And it's not just children who use private speech to control themselves. If we look at adult use of private speech, Berk says, "we're often using it to surmount obstacles, to master cognitive and social skills, and to manage our emotions."

Unfortunately, the more structured the play, the more children's private speech declines. Essentially, because children's play is so focused on lessons and leagues, and because kids' toys increasingly inhibit imaginative play, kids aren't getting a chance to practice policing themselves. When they have that opportunity, says Berk, the results are clear: Self-regulation improves.

"One index that researchers, including myself, have used... is the
extent to which a child, for example, cleans up independently after a free-choice period in preschool," Berk says. "We find that children who are most effective at complex make-believe play take on that responsibility with... greater willingness, and even will assist others in doing so without teacher prompting."

Despite the evidence of the benefits of imaginative play, however, even in the context of preschool young children's play is in decline. According to Yale psychological researcher Dorothy Singer, teachers and school administrators just don't see the value.

"Because of the testing, and the emphasis now that you have to really pass these tests, teachers are starting earlier and earlier to drill the kids in their basic fundamentals. Play is viewed as unnecessary, a waste of time," Singer says. "I have so many articles that have documented the shortening of free play for children, where the teachers in these schools are using the time for cognitive skills."

It seems that in the rush to give children every advantage - to protect them, to stimulate them, to enrich them - our culture has unwittingly compromised one of the activities that helped children most. All that wasted time was not such a waste after all.

One Ocean Cooler on the Rocks Please

2008-03-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are fascinated by scientific news - I also like to keep the kids involved in their world so they will grow up to take care of the planet. I am also sick of politics and the daily depressing fare on the nightly news. Not that this is exactly GOOD news - but fascinating all the same - a huge chunk of Antarctic ice about 7x THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN collapsed this week, with an even bigger piece ready to go. It was on the Wilkins Ice Shelf - ice that was there for up to 1,500 years, according to scientists.

British Antarctic Survey scientist David Vaughan attributed the melting to rising sea temperature due to global warming. Scientists said that while they were not concerned about a rise in sea level from the latest event, it was a sign of worsening global warming. It's got to be pretty hard for our administration to ignore global warming at this point - they refute it every time some cataclismic event happens. But one has to wonder - WHERE is this ice going to go? Eventually it just melts.

Such occurrences are "more indicative of a tipping point or trigger in the climate system," said Sarah B. Das, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. WHEN is the tipping point I keep wondering - the thing is - no one knows. Everytime something like this happens - there is much scientific arguing and revision of thought. It's hard to get a handle on it from my googling and research.

"These are things that are not re-forming," Das said. "So once they're gone, they're gone."

The rest of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, which is about the size of Connecticut, is holding on by a narrow beam of thin ice. Scientists worry that it too may collapse. Larger, more dramatic ice collapses occurred in 1995 and 2002.

Vaughan had predicted that the Wilkins shelf would collapse about 15 years from now. The part that recently gave way made up about 4% of the overall shelf, but it was an important part that can trigger further collapse. It's astounding the think of the SIZE of ice on Antarctic isn't it? Maybe there is some merit to our life existing on a speck in the universe much like the premise in Horton Hears a Who (we just saw the movie - which is great btw). Maybe Dr. Seuss was a visionary after all.

- LT

Pregnant Man in Oregon

2008-03-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

Not sure WHAT to think about this story today in the Post that an Oregan man says he's is pregnant with a baby girl. So REALLY, he's not a man, just dressing as a man, but he was born a woman and kept the female parts, but dresses as a man and lives as a man. I can tell you now that the title of the article alone is getting millions of internet hits.

Here's the story:
Thomas Beatie's first-person story appears in the April issue of The Advocate, a Los Angeles-based newsmagazine for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people.

According to the story, Mr. Beatie was born a woman but decided to become a transgender male and legally changed his sex to male. He had his breasts surgically removed and started bimonthly testosterone injections, but kept his vagina.

Now identifying as male, Mr. Beatie legally married Nancy Beatie, the story says. The pair wanted a biological baby but Ms. Beatie was unable to carry a child. So they decided Mr. Beatie would carry the child.

"How does it feel to be a pregnant man," Mr. Beatie writes in the article. "Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am. In a technical sense I see myself as my own surrogate, though my gender identity as male is constant. To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child ... I will be my daughter's father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family."

Before getting pregnant he stopped injecting testosterone, and his body "regulated itself after about four months," he writes in the Advocate piece.

One year and nine doctors later, the couple got access to a cryogenic sperm bank and purchased anonymous donor vials for a home insemination. Without the aid of fertility drugs, progesterone or exogenous estrogen, Mr. Beatie got pregnant, he says. But the pregnancy was ectopic, and rarer still, with triplets. After surgery, Mr. Beatie lost all his embryos and his right fallopian tube.

But the second pregnancy has been a success, writes Mr. Beatie: "We are happily awaiting her birth, with an estimated due date of July 3, 2008."

The National Post could not independently confirm the story. But Michelle Garcia, an editorial assistant at the magazine, said The Advocate verified the pregnancy with Mr. Beatie's gynecologist. She said a photo on the site of a shirtless, heavily pregnant man sprouting facial hair is indeed Mr. Beatie.

Yesterday, the couple-- who run a T-shirt printing company called Define Normal -- refused to tell their story, citing U.S. deals with TV and print media outlets.

"It's a big deal and we want to be able to tell our story," Ms. Beatie told the National Post. "We'd love everybody on board as long as they're understanding and are going to tell our story and not their own."

Mr. Beatie writes in The Advocate that "wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire, but a human desire.

"Our situation ultimately will ask everyone to embrace the gamut of human possibility and to define for themselves what is normal."

Ethicist Margaret Somerville says Mr. Beatie's story speaks to the uprooting of the biologically natural family, a process that began with same-sex marriage.

"Once you take away that fundamental biological reality, once you say that family is what you define it as ... then you can do this sort of thing," said Ms. Somerville, founding director of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law.

"Where I would do a reversal on this is to say, 'You've artificially made yourself a man. You're not a man, you're a woman and you're having a baby and you're actually having your own baby. Just because you put on a clown suit, doesn't mean that you don't still exist underneath.' "

She added: "It's a very touchy thing, this deconstruction of our biological reality and the institutions that have existed across all kinds of societies over thousands and thousands of years to establish stability, respect and certainty. I think we're just playing with fire."

It sure was different in the Schwarzenegger movie. A pregnant man would certainly turn heads on the street. Thoughts?
- LT

Happy Easter Monday.

2008-03-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

It concerns me that this is what OUR President was doing on Easter rather than sit his butt in a church and pray for a way to get us out of the Iraq War.

While the military continues to claim that 'compared to other wars, the casualties are very low'; those 4,000 deaths are someone's mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, son, daughter, niece or nephew. Take a good look at your kids. My baby is eligible for the draft in 14 more years and one presidential candidate wants us to be in Iraq for 100 more years if needed. Can you imagine? There's something to think about today.

Want to take action? Please write your Congressperson or Senator today. It's easy to do online.

- LT

period blues?

2008-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

THIS is priceless.
This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph.
It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Dear Mr. Thatcher:

I have been a loyal user of your “Always” maxi-pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the Leak-Guard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts.

But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flex-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi-pads be aerodynamic. I can’ t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from “the curse”? I’m guessing you haven’t. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I’ll be transformed into what my husband likes to call “an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.” Isn’t the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you’ve no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers’ monthly visits from “Aunt Flo.” Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it’s a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend’s testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey’s Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants…which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words, “Have a Happy Period.”

Are you fu**ing kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness — actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well…did it, James?

FYI, unless you’re some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything “happy” about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don’t march down to the local Walgreen’s armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi-pad, wouldn’t it make more sense to say something that’s actually pertinent, like “Put Down the Hammer” or “Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong,” or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bull sh*t. And that’s a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin, TX