This post has a little bit of everything

Hello dear Friends!
Once again I was M.I.A. I barely have time, as you know (your a parent yourself). And the time I do have to go online, is not the time to sit, think, and type. But I have been keeping myself informed and educated! Its  really amazing the things that we have yet to learn.
So today I want to talk a little bit about my recent discoveries: strange ingredients. What do you mean, Deb? Well have you ever looked at the ingredients on packaged food? At first I just thought, "Ok, so what? They need to add this stuff to make this stuff." Now looking at that I don't really know how I wasn't alarmed at the fact that all I was consuming or giving my kid was chemicals! No wonder people are getting sick! Really think about. Our bodies are still the same bodies people had from years and years ago. Yet our food is not the same from years ago. All the chemical stuff is forcing our livers to work overtime! People don't need to take vitamins, I believe, if they are feeding themselves properly. Nor do I believe people need to see doctors because food, yes WHOLE FOOD, can cure. But of course don't take my advice because I'm no one to lead your life. I just believe this for myself. For example, cancer is on the rise and seems like something that you're bound to get in the future. No! Cancer is formed because these chemicals, harmful man-made things, and stress are forcing our organs to fight. Eventually these poisons win because our bodies were not meant to take so much crap! Sugars feed this cancer, and whole foods such as organic veggies kill it.
We live in a society/culture where we are taught or brought up to be lazy. Yep, I said it! "Oh, I have a headache." Take a Tylenol. "Oh, I have diarrhea." Take Pepto. Listen to your body. Its not just feeling terrible to screw you over. Its screaming for your help. "Oh, I'm to tried to cook." Microwave some fake food. "Oh, I've worked all day. I don't have time to play with my kid(s)." Sit them in front of the TV. When in fact, we seem to always have time to walk our dogs at 6am, but wouldn't take our kids to the park for an hour. Then we wonder why kids are so violent or so passive. That's what we teach them; how to hate (because some parents don't care to show love). Its not that we hate them, but we aren't showing love either. I'm not saying let your kid do what he wants. But disciple with love (you may be firm when needed) and give them some of your time, because sometimes that's what we need as adults too; someone to give us time to just care or listen to us (hence why so many pay a great deal for a therapist).
Back to food. My toddler hates soup. The good thing is that last week when my husband made chicken soup she ate it! How did I do it? You guessed it. I just took out the broth. Even though that's the most nutritious part. So she ate the carrots, pasta, and chicken. Later she had some dessert: almond milk cookies and cream ice cream. Make sure it doesn't have carrageenan; its carcinogenic.
Here's something important I've learned. Sodium benzoate is of course bad, especially worse when mixed with ascorbic acid (synthetic vitamin C) and/or vitamin D. So read labels! I really hate that most kids juice boxes contain synthetic vitamin C. I found one that is organic and has no blah blah acids. It's called R.W. Knudsen Sensible Sippers http://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/sensible-sippers

  It does contain "natural flavors" so you're going to have to do a little research or call them up and ask what "natural flavors" means. Sometimes it could be an issue if you're kid has a gluten intolerance.

Kids Can Have An Anxiety Disorder?

Hello there!
I haven't been here in a hot minute. lol I'm trying to be current with my vocabulary. Actually I wanted to know if there was a list of the acronyms young people use nowadays. I used to be young :( I don't remember getting too old to use "tubular" language. haha. Anyway, I read this article in Parents Magazine about shy kids. Which is so funny, because I used to work with children, before having one of my own. There was a little girl who never spoke and played by herself or with one other girl. The moment she actually spoke I began clapping and saying, "Good job; using your words!" I was so excited I told her mom that she used her words to express her feelings, and her mom said, "Oh yeah, she's a bladder mouth at home. She's always talking." I just thought to myself that maybe she's just not comfortable with me or the amount of students in the room. Well according to this article she could have a socializing problem.
So if you want to read the article its in the November 2011 issue of Parents on page 38. I'm not sure, but maybe you can find it on their website. Now why am I writing about this? You might have a child who's like this and never knew it might be an issue. I, on the other hand, have a child who socializes with all whether it's nicely or evilly. lol!
The proper name for this anxiety disorder is Selective Mutism (SM). It affects "1 in 140 early-school-age kids." Don't worry! It's not like you can't do anything about it, you can! If you don't do anything about it, it might "lead to broader social anxiety." The Child Mind Institute in NYC recommends that you help your kid by practicing a few things that might will help in this "freeze-up" situation. An example they gave in the article was this: If you plan on going out to the ice-cream store, for example, you might want to practice what you want your child to say. Rehearse asking for vanilla on a cone with sprinkles. Then do it a few more times before going to the ice-cream shoppe. After she completed the task, tell her she's a big girl for speaking up and for using her words, and that is wasn't so scary to ask for what she wanted. If you want more information on this check out childmind.org

Discipline

Ok about discipline.. This is a difficult subject because different things work for different kids. You definitely have to be consistent though. For example, cleaning up baby's toys. My little girl was used to me picking up her toys. I would tell her to help me, but she would just stare or run off and do something else. Then I decided that I have to enforce this rule, because we're civilized people and we need to organize our things. So I would constantly ask her to clean up and bring her arm down to pick up a toy and bring her to the toy basket to drop it off. It worked! Patience is a big part of being a mom and that's what toddlerism requires. Now when its time to clean up she'll do it, especially in the bathtub. She won't leave the tub without pointing at the toy mesh bag and placing her bath toys in there. I know that sometimes it's easier to give up on your rules, but just think of the importance of it in the long run.
Next, if your child made a mess in the kitchen, instead of putting him/her in time-out have him/her help you clean it up. At least that way they're learning that you have to clean up after yourself. Tell him/her what you guys are doing and why. Because if you answer the why's now, you won' have to deal with "But why? But why?" later on. No I'm just kidding. That will still happen. lol
One thing I find important is praising your pumpkin when they do something good. Think about it. If chubby cheeks is always getting your attention when he/she is doing something wrong, they'll probably continue. Now, if you say great job when you catch them cleaning up (without you asking) they'll find a great accomplishment. This helps a lot when you're trying to be consistent. It goes hand in hand with the first thing I was talking about.
Also try to keep your explosiveness to a minimum. It's hard, I know. But think, the way you react when you're stressed is what you're teaching your kid. They learn everything from you. Pressure! So if you have to relax for a minute, just do it. Sometimes I'm cleaning and my daughter is crying and wants to be picked up and I'm trying to go as fast as I can; it'll just stress me out. So at that moment I just stop. I take off my gloves, pick up my pumpkin and go play a little bit. Sometimes she just wants a little attention, just to make sure mommy didn't forget about her. About 2 minutes later she's fine and I just go back to continue my work and let her play alone. Maybe if you make a schedule for yourself, in the morning, it'll help your day run smoother. Make sure you plan a moment to relax. Like, at nap time you can sit and read and drink some coffee, check your email, call a friend, do your hair or your nails, or even try to finish up your chores so that you'll have more time to be with baby when he/she wakes up.
These are just some ideas I've tried that worked for me.

10 Meals Under $2

10 Meals Under $2
That's right! Click on the link and see how making your own food, instead of buying it made, can save you dollars. Not only is it cheaper to make food at home, it's healthier and you know what's going in your meal.