Parenting Squad

Make "Back to School" Easier for Your College Freshman

Lela Davidson — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:00:20 +0000

Now that your student is done celebrating high school graduation and enjoying summer, it's the best time to gather important information from high school before it gets forgotten in the bustle of back-to-school excitement.

Grab a folder — or a flash drive for the computer — and save the following items your college freshman may need come fall:

Previous college credit

Before registering for fall classes, students must provide the university with all college and dual credit information. Save paperwork from previous credits or AP classes, and contact the university to see what they need. Most schools need an official transcript if your student completed credits at another school, and if he/she received an AP credit by exam, those results must also be sent to the university. Have your student contact the high school to request official transcripts, and request unofficial transcripts for your own records. If the official transcripts come to you, be sure not to open the envelopes, and forward them to the university.

High school work

Hopefully, your student didn't throw his senior year's work in the air, singing, "School's out for summer!" and leave it behind, never to look back. Important papers, tests and notes can come in handy — especially for overwhelmed freshmen taking college courses, possibly learning how to study for the first time. Professors don't take valuable class time to review what students learned in high school, so students should do that on their own.

Scholarship donor contact information

If your student received a scholarship or grant to attend college, a big "thank you" is in order. Donors, alumnae, philanthropists and even corporations that provide college scholarships love to hear how their money is used. Sending a formal letter after the first semester is a great way to thank them for their contribution and explain how the first semester went. Cultivating those relationships can be the best tactic to ensure more scholarship money if they make ongoing gifts.

Teacher and coach contact information

Many high school seniors leave a small pond feeling like a big fish, and the first few weeks in college can be overwhelming. If your student had a special relationship with a teacher, coach or mentor, that doesn't have to end when he/she moves on to different waters. An e-mail or phone call from your student to a trusted adult can be encouraging and provide them with support beyond their parents, and thank you notes go a long way to show appreciation for teachers who have made an impact. Keeping up with these relationships is important because past teachers can be a good reference for students looking for on-campus jobs or internships.

Thanks for this guest post to Sarah Schupp, founder and CEO of University Parent Media in Boulder, Colo. UPM publishes print and online guides for parents of students at universities and colleges in 38 states. Online at www.universityparent.com.

Permalink | Comments | Lela Davidson's blog | Channel: High School, Higher Education

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Shop And Save Now: Taking Advantage Of Summer Sales Flyers

Rhonda Franz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:00:05 +0000

By Rhonda Franz

We're barely halfway through the summer, and the hot-weather savings are still in full swing. Take advantage of these discounts for your household while they last.

Non-foods

Office supplies

There's nothing like a back-to-school sale to stock up on rulers, pens, and folders. Fierce competition means that many of these items are on sale for mere pennies. Don't forget to use ad matches for stores that honor competitor's prices on the same product, and cut coupons for those stores that allow you to use both a store coupon and a vendor coupon.

Christmas in July

While you're shopping for school items, companies love to keep you moving to other departments. Check to see if the store's ad flyer has certain toys on sale. Unless you want to wait until the fantastic-but-last-minute-savings-craze at the end of November, this might be the best chance to save before Thanksgiving.

Food: It's not just chips and soda

Yes, there are lots of junk food on sale from May to September, but there are several healthy options in grocery stores and supercenters that parents can store in the freezer or pantry for the coming months.

Fresh produce

Summer is a great time, nutritionally and economically, to stock up on produce that's in season. It won't last without preservation, but most fruits are easy to freeze and require only a little preparation before their trip to the freezer. Check out this two-page guide to freezing fruits and vegetables by Cooks Illustrated.

Another alternative is to dry your produce, including herbs Check out this informative guide about drying produce. It includes answers to common questions and concerns about drying foods, and offers a variety of methods. No dehydrator required!

Pantry staples

In addition to toys and gifts, pantry staples are often included in summertime ads this time of year. Taco shells, rice, beans, and crackers are all making an appearance in current store flyers. For additional information on what to keep on hand for winter months, consult this article on the top foods you should keep in case of an emergency.

Meat

Purchasing meat, especially steaks and hamburger patties, in the summer can add up to big savings. Wrapped properly, raw meat can be stored in a freezer for 4-12 months. Pull out of the freezer and put in the refrigerator in time to thaw for those fall camping trips and grilling get-togethers when the weather isn't so hot.

Take note...

Sometimes, there are big drops in prices. Other times, the stores just want you to think that. Back-to-school discounts and summer holiday flyers offer some of the best prices, but as the consumer, be on guard. Be vigilant in checking prices. Tape a couple of receipts from winter months to the inside of your kitchen cabinet and compare in the summer with what flyers are calling "savings."

Resources for the frugal shopper

Don't get the Sunday paper? Or missed out because of vacation? No problem. SundaySaver leads you to the correct page on a number of store sites where you can access the weekly flyer.

Sites like mygrocerydeals.com help shoppers compare prices in local grocery stores, as well as offering printable coupons. These sites generally require membership, so read the fine print.

Permalink | Comments | Rhonda Franz's blog | Channel: Home Life, Finances, Shopping, Nutrition, Wellness

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Making Your Money Work For You: 8 Financial Tips For New Families

Rhonda Franz — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:00:05 +0000

By Rhonda Franz

The current economy has been an eye-opener for many families. In the last two years, thousands of families have experienced the consequences of poor financial planning. Others have seen first-hand how difficult it is to keep afloat when the breadwinner has been laid off, and is unable to find employment for an extended period of time.

Start when your family is new, and don't wait until it's too late to take advantage of what your money can do for you.

1. Save for the proverbial rainy day.

Regardless of the state of the economy, this advice is timeless. Many families have lost significant income, and have realized the importance having several months' worth of living expenses on hand.

2. Live beneath your means.

This is hard, and it takes starting — and sticking to — good habits, but it is the best way to make the habit of putting money aside. And if you have children, suddenly living right up to — or above — your means immediately sets you behind.

Don't buy the most expensive house and car you can afford (the big things), and wait for sales, discounts, or coupons on things like clothing and electronics (the little things).

3. Put aside money each month for retirement.

According to an article by Stacey L. Bradford of SmartMoney.com, The Six Mistakes Young Families Make, budgeting for retirement early is a wise financial decision:

"Couples need to understand that the longer they wait to start saving for retirement, the more they'll need to stash away later on."

4. Start saving now — even if just a little — for your child's college tuition.

The projected college tuition in the next two decades is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Check the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's An Introduction to 529 Plans for an explanation of how college savings plans work. One of the great things about these plans is that parents can use the money for education-related expenses such as college fees and books, as well as tuition.

5. Find the financial system that works best for your family.

Sticking to a strict budget works well for some, while others operate better on a more flexible system. Some couples survive financially by using separate checking accounts, while others put all the money together. Do what works best for you and your spouse.

6. Teach the children about money.

The team at Schwab Moneywise (a website partnership with investment company Charles Schwab) gives practical tips for raising "money-smart" kids. They advise parents to talk about money in various everyday situations to make children aware of finances. They also encourage parents to help their children make saving a habit:

"Teaching them that saving should be as automatic as brushing their teeth. Consider providing them an incentive by matching the money they put into savings themselves with some amount."

7. Don't forget to let your health insurance provider know when you've had a baby.

Many insurance companies, despite the fact they've been paying for nine months' worth of prenatal care, have to be officially notified of the birth of a child. Denial of claims for medical care of a non-covered member of the family can ruin the finances of young parents.

8. Review your health insurance coverage when expecting children.

Babies and young children are guaranteed to cost more, especially when it comes to medical expenses. Most insurance plans have different options to choose from that will determine deductibles and covered expenses. Be sure you look over all the information to determine what your family needs.

Though it may not seem like the thing you want to do most in your "honeymoon" period shortly after coming together, or in the overwhelming days and weeks after the birth of a child, getting finances on track will pay off — literally — in the long run.

Permalink | Comments | Rhonda Franz's blog | Channel: Family Planning, Planning, Home Life, Finances, Education, Shopping, Pregnancy, Birth, Adoption, New Parents

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Probiotic Milk for Moms Helps Reduce Infant Eczema

Fred Lee — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:00:05 +0000

By Fred Lee

Researchers have found that feeding babies probiotic bacteria by way of their mother's milk helped to reduce the incidence of eczema by as much as one half.

Not All Bacteria Are Bad

Most of us have been raised with the idea that bacteria are our enemies, and we often go to great lengths (fed by marketers and the media, of course) to remove and kill of any kind of bacteria that might be lingering on every imaginable surface.

However, scientists are beginning to realize that this approach to cleanliness may be misguided, if not downright detrimental. Make no mistake, some bacteria, especially E. coli, are dangerous and can cause human illness, but there are many types of bacteria that are essential to the proper functioning of our bodies. In fact, without them, our very survival would be all but impossible.

One type of bacteria that has been in the news lately are probiotic bacteria (PB). Also known as commensal bacteria, they make up part of our intestinal flora and are believed to confer numerous health benefits, including the prevention of autoimmune disorders, allergies, and intestinal problems.

Using a Mother's Milk

While the benefits of consuming PB have been acknowledged in normal, healthy people, most parents would be reluctant to feed them to their newborn child, even though this is an ideal time to help establish beneficial flora in their intestinal tract.

One way around this is by way of a mother's milk. A baby's intestinal flora is established and maintained by what they are exposed to early in life, especially what they eat. When babies are breastfed, their gastrointestinal tract is colonized by the organisms that are present in the breast milk.

Reduction in Eczema

Using this fact, scientists hoped to give babies a health advantage with PB. They enrolled 415 pregnant women and divided them into two groups. One group consumed probiotic milk and the other group consumed a placebo. Neither group was aware of what type of milk they were drinking.

What researchers observed was that when breastfeeding mother's drank probiotic milk 36 weeks into their pregnancy and up to three months after the birth of their child, the incidence of eczema in the children was reduced by 40% up until the age of two. The children in the probiotic group who did have eczema appeared to have less severe cases.

The findings, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, open the door for further research, including any effects of probiotics on other allergic conditions, including asthma.

If you have questions or concerns about eczema and your children, speak with your pediatrician. For more information, visit the website for the National Eczema Association. To learn more about probiotics, visit the website for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Permalink | 1 comment | Fred Lee's blog | Channel: Conceiving, Health, Pregnancy, Birth, Allergies

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6 Ways to Get The Student In Your Home To Read

Rhonda Franz — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:00:04 +0000

By Rhonda Franz

Hopefully, getting your children to read isn't as hard as getting them to write, but it isn't a favorite activity for every child — or every adult. From toddlers to teenagers, here are some ideas for motivating the students in your home.

1. Start young

The best time to get children turning pages is to do it when they're most likely to listen, and are still craving your attention — a decade before they'd like you to mind your own business. Every day after lunch, every afternoon after school or daycare, or in the evening before bed: choose the time that works best for you and your family.

Early on, keep a special stash of books aside for the rainy day, and the long road trip. It's helpful to have new material to pull out when they'll be reading more than usual.

2. Let them read to you.

This can begin in the toddler years; it just looks different than when they get older. Young children love repetition, and often enjoy the accomplishment of "reading" a familiar book to an adult. They may not have every word correct, but using their memory, as well as the pictures on the page, is a great pre-reading skill.

When your child is old enough to read chapter books to you, include this in your family's home life: one chapter a day, or a certain number of pages. Use it as some great quality time one-on-one, during dinner preparations, or as part of the evening routine.

3. Supply them with a variety of great books, but go with their preferences, too.

Of course, most parents are likely to censor reading material in the household, in one way or another. That said, it's probably not necessary to micromanage every single title. Having good literature readily available will help encourage a variety of titles (many of which they'll eventually need to read for school).

If you don't know where to start, the Association for Library Service to Children has the Caldecott Winners and honor books listed for the last 70 years. The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year "to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children."

The Association also lists present and past Newbery Medal winners. The Newbery Medal award is given "to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

For teenagers, especially those headed to college, check out these reading lists:

College Bound Reading List
Outstanding Books for the College Bound from the American Library Association

Sometimes the price of books can be daunting. To stock your own home, take advantage of library book sales, garage sales, used book bookstores, and rummage sales.

4. Set goals and provide motivation.

In other words, you may have to use a little bribery, but that doesn't necessarily mean tossing your child a treat for every page they read. In some informal, Facebook-based research, several seasoned parents mentioned using incentives such as electronics play and computer games as rewards for reading a certain number of books.

Others made it more of a goal-setting adventure: using reading charts with rewards like special meals or family outings, and taking advantage of library programs that reward reading with books and other prizes.

In her article, Promote Summer Reading For Your Kids, Sarah Winfrey points out that using incentives may be the only way to get some children to read.

5. Occasionally plan activities to go along with a book, or a book's theme

For young children:

Have them use crayons or paint to create a picture of their favorite part of the story.
Help them create the book's characters out of modeling clay or play dough.
Set out "story props" for them to retell the story on their own (using bowls and chairs for Goldilocks and the Three Bears, or photos/magazine pictures of the various foods in The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

For tweens and teens:

Visit a history museum following the completion of historical fiction novel.
If appropriate, let them watch the movie after reading the book. They may even want to invite friends and make it a party. Just look what Harry Potter books and the Twilight series have done for reading.

6. Let your children see you reading.

It's important for reluctant readers to see adults reading — for information and for pleasure.

Additional resources for parents:

The National Institute for Literacy has publications for parents of young children to help guide them in teaching reading skills to their children. These are free, and can be printed or read online.
Getting Tweens and Teens to Read

Permalink | 1 comment | Rhonda Franz's blog | Channel: Home Life, Education, Learning Tools, Home School, Pre School, K-8, High School, Higher Education

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3 Reasons to Introduce Your Child to Friends with Special Needs

Sarah Winfrey — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:00:05 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

The thought of a special needs child probably brings vivid pictures to your mind. Whether they're of the autistic boy next door, the girl with Down Syndrome who was in your 2nd grade class, or the wheelchair sports team you saw practicing last week, these are the sort of images and thoughts that tend to stay with us long after the initial experience is over.

It's precisely because people with special needs stand out to us so much that you should help child make friends with them. The lessons your child will learn from such friendships will stay with him, and the relationship itself has the potential to be one he treasures for years to come.

1. Teach Compassion

In a world where anyone who struggles with anything will sometimes face persecution because of their struggle, you have a unique opportunity to teach your children compassion. Many parents want to help their child understand that they don't need to tease or make fun of people with special needs, nor should they ignore them or pretend they don't see someone struggling.

Having a relationship with a child who struggles is an ideal way to help your child feel appropriate compassion, and also how to interact and aid when that is necessary and desired. It will also give them a chance to encounter these struggles firsthand, instead of just watching them from afar.

2. Expand Their Definition of "Normal"

As an adult, you know that "normal" can encompass just about anything, but your children may not have learned this lesson yet. Introducing them to special needs kids will help them start to think differently about what it means to be human and what they can expect from other people.

Kids tend to think of themselves and their friends as normal. If they are only friends with kids whose lives are much like their own, they'll never learn about the diversity that exists in the real world. When they learn that some kids have trouble reading, and others have trouble running or playing and others struggle in other ways, they will be more likely to accept those kids and their struggles as something to expect in life, rather than staring and feeling confused when they see someone having a hard time.

3. Help Them Understand Another Perspective

It's one thing to see a special needs child struggling and another to understand those struggles. While your child won't experience his friend's struggles as his own, he will feel them much more deeply when they pertain to someone he knows and cares about.

Teaching your child to actively help a special needs child will enhance this process. It's good for your child to see exactly what it takes for his friend to learn to read, or feel some of what it's like to never be able to play basketball. There's no need to torture your child, but helping him understand why people are the way they are will go far as he develops more interpersonal skills in life.

Dos and Don'ts of Making the Introduction and Fostering a Friendship

Do:

Seek out the parents of special needs children to help foster the relationship.
Go with your child the first time, particularly if she's nervous.
Talk to your child about what to expect before she meets her new friend.
Give your child some ideas about what to say, how to act, etc.
Process your child's experience with her. Ask questions and give her time to answer.

Don't:

Force the relationship. You can insist on a meeting or two, but don't make it go beyond that.
Make your child do anything she's truly uncomfortable with.
Be condescending the the special needs child.
Do or say anything about a special needs child that you wouldn't want your child to do or say.
Push the lessons too hard. Let your child learn for herself.

Permalink | 4 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Learning Tools

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Encourage Your Kids to Get Outside this Summer

Sarah Winfrey — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:00:06 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

If you're at all like me, you remember childhood summers spent mostly outside. We played outside, ate lunch outside, swam outside and worked with our parents outside. Summer was almost synonymous with spending as much time as possible in the fresh air and sunlight. It was like we were storing it up against the day when we had to go back to school.

Our children live very different lives. To a lot of kids, summer now means the chance to catch up on TV programs, beat the latest video game, or sleep in as much as possible. If you'd rather your kids spend at least some of their summer outdoors, here are some suggestions for getting them out of their rooms.

1. Go Outside as a Family

Instead of shooing your kids out the door, go outside with them. Take walks, kick a soccer ball, shoot some hoops, or just enjoy what the backyard has to offer. Some kids don't want to be outside alone or aren't sure what to do once they're there, but will have a blast if you take the lead and start an activity. And the bonus is, you get some outside time, too!

2. Sign Up for Sports

Find a summer league of your child's favorite sport and sign them up. If their favorite sport is indoors, challenge them to try something else, just for the out-of-school months. Most sports have "built-in" outdoors time, for practices and games. And you may find that your child wants to stay outside longer, playing with her new friends.

3. Find Something they Love

Different kids like different activities. If you have a swimmer, don't force him to play tennis. And if you have a reader, don't force her to play any sports at all (just let her take her book out with a blanket). Your kids will soak in some outdoor goodness whatever they're doing, so they might as well enjoy it.

4. Limit Screen Time

While your kids won't necessarily go outside when you set limits on their screen time, it will give them more opportunity to do so. When they can't access the things that distract them, most kids will eventually give the outdoors a shot. Imagine their surprise when they find out that they actually like it out there.

5. Walk Instead of Drive

Show your kids how to appreciate the outdoors by walking to do nearby errands instead of driving. While this won't always be practical, set up some times when it is. Even if a store is farther away than you would normally walk, take half a day and make it into a field trip. This gives you a chance to teach young children the rules of being a pedestrian, too.

6. Get Kids Together

While one kid may not want to play outside by herself and even two might entertain themselves indoors, getting several of them together means a good chance that they'll eventually end up outside. Even if they only venture out because you can't stand having them in your hair anymore, they're more likely to start a game when they're part of a larger group.

7. Have a Picnic

Most kids like to eat, and taking their food outside can be a great way to motivate them to follow. You can make this as complicated as you like, but it can also be as easy as setting down a blanket in your backyard and serving lunch outside. You can do this once or twice or make it a habit, and it might even motivate your kids to help you make lunch.

However you get them out there, remember to help your kids enjoy their outdoors time. If you have a child with allergies or sun sensitivity, make sure you compensate for that before you shoo them out the door. Sunscreen should be a given, and will help ensure that your kids continue to enjoy themselves outside.

Permalink | Comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Entertainment

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6 Simple Rules for Water Park Safety

Julie Rains — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:00:07 +0000

By Julie Rains

As a former lifeguard and water safety instructor, I am impressed with the safety practices of the mega-water-park in my area. Still, I wouldn't rely completely on a well-trained stranger to protect my children. Here are simple rules to keep kids safe when they are supposed to be having fun.

1. Take your kids to swimming lessons.

Whether your kids actually learn to swim is beside the point. Lessons can instill a healthy fear of water. Ideally, before traveling to a water park, your children should know how to:

float, which I consider the true survival skill and just as valuable to know as swimming;
propel themselves forward, which is what most people refer to as swimming;
blow bubbles underwater, which can help kids to expel water rather than breathe in (or take in) water
jump off the diving board in deep water and rise to the top, rather than sinking down.

Even if they don't learn swimming basics during lessons (or a few visits to your local pool), your children should get a basic understanding of their capabilities. As a result, they'll be much less likely to take risks on attractions that are well beyond their swimming levels.

2. Plan your day at the park with safety in mind.

Visit the park's website to learn about attractions and view a map. Find rides that you think will be suitable and fun for your children. Make up your mind to avoid rides that seem well beyond their reach.

During your visit, check out the rides that seem scary on paper (or in digital form) but are doable. These might include rafting down steep inclines (requiring effort to get to the starting point but no actual swimming ability) or traveling high speeds down a watery slide and being dumped into a shallow pool of water (where expelling water is a valuable skill).

3. Take a responsible adult with you.

Let your companion watch your children when you can't supervise them. Unless you have totally cooperative children who follow you everywhere, standard scenarios that will require you to leave your children for just a moment include waiting in line for ice cream or a drink, visiting the restroom, fetching a PFD (personal flotation device, formerly known as a life preserver), and asking for directions.

Besides, some of the rides (slides in particular) require that parkgoers travel solo. It's possible that one child will disappear down a slide, land forcefully in a pool of water, and be alone for a while unless you station an adult at the bottom of the slide.

Plan ahead for separation. Walk the park or look at the map together, and set a meeting time and place to reunite if you get separated.

4. Have your child wear a PFD.

I thought it would be impossible to get my youngest child (and then non-swimmer) to wear a PFD to jump off a make-believe pirate's ship into deep water on his first trip to the water park. But the lure of sure-fire fun, a ready supply, and the presence of tons of kids and even adults with PFDs, apparently convinced him of his need. There was no argument and no prolonged discussion about safety: he just grabbed a PFD and started playing in the water.

As a parent, though, make sure that the PFD fits properly and is tightened (ask if you need help) so that it won't slip off.

5. Drink plenty of water and take breaks.

You'll want to avoid heat stress and dehydration, so don't forget to relax in the shade and drink some water sometime during the day.

6. Follow the rules.

Get your thrills from enjoying the rides, not breaking the rules. The water park owners and their legal counsel have figured out what's dangerous, so pay attention to posted regulations and instructions from lifeguards.

The most obvious rules to avoid head injury are 1) no running, and 2) no diving.

Personally, I am fearful of the wave pool. Standing in a concreted area with a crowd of unknown people, waiting for indeterminate amounts of water to arrive seems unwise and not entertaining. Instead, I'd rather take a fast trip down the super-ultra-twister slide for its cool sensation and relative predictability. For fun in a natural setting, I'd opt for a day on the river.

Permalink | Comments | Julie Rains's blog | Channel: Safety, Entertainment

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The Hollywood Baby Food Diet: What, Who, And Why?

Rhonda Franz — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:00:04 +0000

By Rhonda Franz

The Hollywood baby food diet is yet another diet of desperation. This quirky meal plan requires little more than a trip to the baby food aisle of your local grocery. From a glance at the magazine covers by the checkout stand, it's quite believable that half of Hollywood is on a diet of this type.

And what is it, exactly?

Shape magazine's website, Shape.com describes the diet as consisting of eating several jars of baby food throughout the day, then eating a healthy dinner. Marie Claire, the fashion magazine, gives credit to a designer for using baby foods to maintain his "slimline figure."

According to the popular Huffington Post, Jennifer Aniston was recently put on the diet by her trainer, an accusation she denies.

Is it possible that consuming tiny portions of baby food could help a person lose weight? Sure. It's also reasonable that eating such small portions of food for several days — or weeks — is one way to learn how to stop the stuffing and gorging to which much of America has become accustomed.

But baby food?

While spooning up pureed fruits and vegetables may be a better alternative to junk food, eating foods like squashed peas and carrots for days on end could give someone, well, a real dislike for fresh peas and carrots — fabulous additions to a healthy summer salad. Additionally, eating a constant diet of mostly soft foods deprives folks of the palate-pleasing textures of nuts and apples, the healthy grains of wild rice, and the fresh, sweet juices from a whole peach.

And it's no secret that fad diets are famous for creating a gorging binge when the diet is abandoned, often leading to a net weight gain.

Dr. Andrew Weil, a physician who specializes in integrative medicine, highlights specific problems presented by fad diets. He believes that cutting out a large portion of complex carbohydrates, or relying on one type of food or one food group isn't healthy, and is likely to be a poor choice for long-term use. Though it's the same information heard from nutritionists and doctors over and over again, he advocates eating less food and getting more physical activity:

"Despite the popularity of these [fad] diets, the best way to achieve and maintain weight is to eat less and exercise more. Eat the right amounts of the right kinds of foods, and re-learn what it means to be physically active for healthy weight loss."

If you're tempted to eat more than you should, consider preparing fruits and vegetables in portion sizes and storing them in the refrigerator for the week. They'll be ready to toss in a travel cooler, or a lunch bag for the office. Do the same with other snacks like nuts, whole-grain crackers, and popcorn.

And if you're tempted to go for some rapid weight-loss with a spoon and a four-ounce jar of pureed beans. Here are some better ideas of easy foods to eat (and travel with):

One banana. It's quite soft in its natural state, and portion-controlled in its own yellow package. Additionally, you'll avoid additives or preservatives found in some baby foods.
One avocado. This slightly-firm food will give you a dose of healthy fats, enough to help satisfy the stomach and help with hunger.
A couple of carrots, or a handful of baby carrots. If you like crunchy foods, these are a great vegetable. They contain dietary fiber, which helps fill the stomach, and several nutrients.
An apple. Whether and apple a day will actually keep the doctor away may or may not be true, but these red fruits are full of crunch, loaded with fiber and provide a variety of vitamins.

I've educated myself on healthy eating, but I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, or a dietitian. Before embarking on any diet or meal plan, check with your physician.

Permalink | Comments | Rhonda Franz's blog | Channel: Health, Culture, Nutrition, Healthcare, Wellness

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Dangers of Household Spoons

Fred Lee — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:00:06 +0000

By Fred Lee

Warning To Parents

Parents should be aware that not all spoons are created equally, especially when it comes to dispensing drugs to their children. In fact, experts are warning parents to avoid using household spoons when giving children their medication.

The reason for this is because the wide range of volumes that they hold. This, in turn, can lead to significant inaccuracies in the dosages given, ranging from too little to, in some cases, overdoses by as much as 100%.

Doctors had previously issued warnings concerning the use of household spoons, some of which can hold twice or even triple the volume of others. This wide variability increases any issues with dosing.

A Common Problem

Researchers recently took a closer look at this problem by comparing spoons from numerous households. What they found was the amount of liquid each spoon could hold varied considerably, with a range of anywhere between 2.5ml to 7.3ml (average volume 4.4ml) for teaspoons and 6.7ml to 13.4ml for tablespoons (average volume 10.4ml).

Not only were there big differences between spoons in different households, but the situation existed even within the same household, with an average person involved in the study in possession of one to three different spoons. Some have as many five or six.

Needless to say, these numbers increase the chances of dosing errors. The problem is of particular concern for children, where dosing needs to be adjusted according to the child's age and weight. Consequently, children are more vulnerable to dosage problems than adults.

What To Do

The findings, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, have led experts to strongly urge parents to:

avoid using household spoons when giving medicine to children
use the calibrated measuring spoons or cups included with the medicine
use a calibrated medicine syringe

A syringe is the best method to dispense medicine. Not only will it ensure accurate measurement of the drug, but it cannot be pushed away or spilled like a spoon. They are also effective in helping parents in situations where the kids are very young or are resistant to taking their medication.

These syringes can easily be obtained from your pediatrician or pharmacist. They are inexpensive and give parents the peace of mind that they are giving an accurate amount of medicine to their children.

If you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to voice them to your pediatrician or pharmacist.

This post was included in the Everything Home Blog Carnival and The Homesteading Carnival.

Permalink | Comments | Fred Lee's blog | Channel: Safety, Home Life, Health

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