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Earth Day 2010

April 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

I thought March flew by, and it seems April is doing just the same.  I can’t believe that tomorrow is already Earth Day.  I kept thinking I had another week until it came around!

To be honest, last year was really the first time I seriously thought about Earth Day and the way my life was impacting our planet.  In the past, I had randomly thought about ways I could improve my stewardship of the Earth, but last year was the first time I actually set some goals on Earth Day.  Next year I hope to include environmental stewardship as a category in my New Years Goals, which I review at the beginning of every month, in order to keep them more fresh in my mind.

So how did I do with some of the goals that I set last year?

1. I definitely switched to using more natural cleaning products.  Although I am not fully converted, I used a lot more baking soda and white vinegar (even when my kids complained about the smell!)  I made some small changes using a reusable microfiber cloth on my Swiffer sticker, in lieu of buying the disposable wet cloths.  I also cut way back on my paper towel usage.  When we got to Italy in September, Joe had purchased a big pack of rolls, and I never purchased any more in the time we were there.  Once again, not a huge change, but a good small step for me.

2. I did a bit better at using my cloth shopping bags.  I really love the Baggu bags and really just need to purchase some more to have on hand.

3. On the other hand, I don’t know how clear our sockets have stayed.  I wanted to keep less things plugged in, but that habit has not kicked in too well yet.

One change I had not planned on making, but did during the year was the switch to cutting back on the personal products I use and the amount of chemicals in each product.  This really kicked in when I found out I was pregnant with our 4th child and was really convicted about how I had always been careful about what I ate, drank and breathed while pregnant, but not so much about what went on my skin.  I am still a product junkie and am in search of my perfect product combination, but I am using much less now and have definitely noticed a beneficial difference.

I also made the switch to using reusable dryer sheets, whcih I really love.  I purchased the Static Eliminator Re-Usable Dryer Sheets and they will be coming with me overseas from now on as well!  I always missed having dryer sheets due to the static our clothes would retain, and now I can save space by just packing reusable ones.

One other way we are celebrating Earth Day this year is by taking a pledge to go fast food free for 2 weeks.  Honestly, this isn’t a huge step for us as we don’t eat out very often, but the pledge was started by a student in the Connections Academy system of schools that Abby attends.  So it was a neat way to see what other kids are doing for Earth Day and for her and I to talk about the impact even our eating has on the Earth.  Check it out and join the pledge!

And if you are interested, my friend Maria is once again running a contest for Earth Day on her blog.  Go check her out and enter!

Filed Under: Contests, Green Living, Health, Our Family

FAQ: How Do Your Kids Sleep So Much?

March 31, 2010 By 5 Comments

A lot of people find it surprising to hear how much our kids sleep.  In reality, I think they are are in the normal ranges of what most doctors would recommend.  But in this day in age a large majority of children do not get the amount of sleep that they need, so I think that is why sometimes parents find it surprising to hear when our children go to bed and when they get up.  Recently, a fellow basket wife who would like to start trying for their second child asked me to write down my tips for good sleep.  So here is what I came up with:

1. Start with a consistent wake-up time.  I think having a consistent wake-up time is the key to getting children to sleep in a natural rhythm.  Anywhere from 6am-8am is a good wake-up time for a child.  Most parents don’t like seeing their child at 6am, but some are just early risers.  If they are waking up before 6am though, I would try to encourage them to go back to sleep.  In the early days of a newborn, I try to figure out what wake-up time might work well with when the rest of the family is getting up.  So for example, when Isaiah comes along in a few weeks, Lord-willing, mostly likely I will try and establish a 7am wake-up time with him.  Since the other 3 kids sleep until about 8am, this will give me 45 minutes of breastfeeding time with him, as well as time for diaper and clothes changes.

2. Keep stimulation low for newborns and babies. I think the biggest mistake we made with Abby early on was keeping her awake too long and providing too much stimulation during her wake times.  Imagine coming from an environment like a baby does where the womb was warm, dark and relatively quiet.  Then they come out and meet the cold air, loud sounds and flashes of cameras every two minutes.  I would be kind of cranky too!  They don’t need to be introduced to hundreds of toys, be played classical music and shown finger plays all at the same time!  I think as parents we feel like we have to be teaching them or doing something with them at all times or we are bad parents.  A newborn learns so much just by gazing at our face or watching a ceiling fan.  With newborns, we try and keep their stimulation to one activity per wake time and keep the wake time to about 1-1.5 hours (this includes feeding time).  We also try to look for signs of tiredness (for example, rubbing their eyes, avoiding eye contact, smaller pupils, etc.).  By the time they are yawning, you have already missed the window of opportunity in leading them into a smooth transition to sleep (as Dr. Weissbluth recommends, it should be like a gentle wave rolling into shore).

3. Keep day and night times distinctly different. Babies have to learn to figure out when day and night is so they know which time they are supposed to have long stretches of sleep.  When I go to wake a baby up during the day time, I use a cheerful voice, open up the blinds and interact with the baby.  When I go in for a night feeding (or am putting baby to bed) the lights are low, sounds are quiet and I try to avoid interacting at that time.

4. Eat, Awake, Sleep. I follow the cycle of the baby eating, having awake time and then being put to sleep (except for bedtime and night time feedings).  I do my best especially at the newborn stage to keep the baby awake during the feeding so that they can have a nice full tummy and get the hindmilk during the nursing.  I think this helps the baby not to be hungry again quickly (except during those growth spurt times) so that a full nap can be achieved.

5. Aim for a full nap. Anything 45 minutes or less I don’t consider a full nap.  I know a lot of people want to say they have cat nappers, but from what I have seen in my own children, it is usually a sign of being awake too long (as an early wake-up time in the morning is usually a sign of a too late bedtime).  If the baby wakes up before an hour, we usually wait a bit of time to see if they will fall back asleep.  Then we will try and sooth them back to sleep and give them some more time to fall asleep.  If they still will not sleep, we get them up and try to get back on track with the next nap.  Sometimes a whole day is off though and then you just wait to try again the next day!

6. Find soothing techniques for baby. There are a lot of different ways you can teach your baby to soothe himself/herself.  For both Elijah and Naomi after seeing them suck their thumbs during ultrasounds, I encouraged them to find that digit to offer comfort.  And yes, I know we will have to break that habit at some point.  We also use things like swaddling, white noise machines and rocking and cuddling.  Each child is different in what they find soothing though, just like adults are different.

7. Establish a good bedtime and routine. We go with bed times that many people find way too early, but have made for much better night’s sleep.  As Dr. Weissbluth recommends in his book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child“, we aim for a bed time between 5-7pm for babies.  I know a lot of parents either feel trapped at home or won’t do this because a working parent can’t see the baby as much, but it is a sacrifice we have found well worth it.  Having a good routine at bed time has helped to signal that it is time for that nice long sleep as well.  For us, that includes rocking/cuddling, singing, reading a book and praying.

I realize children are all very different.  I think some are better sleepers than others.  Our three children have been relatively good sleepers, but some better/easier than others.  While I do consider it a gift of God’s grace that they are such good sleepers, I also consider it God’s grace in granting wisdom in good sleep training.  We pray very much for each child’s sleep well before they are born and seek to find ways to help each child get the rest that they need to be healthy.  Who knows how our fourth child may be as a sleeper.  I certainly learn as I go with each child!

Filed Under: FAQ, Health, Parenting, The Kids

FAQ: What is Your Family’s Diet Like?

March 29, 2010 By 4 Comments

Overall, I would say we eat relatively healthy.  Could we eat healthier?  Definitely!  Part of the struggle is that living overseas offers less healthy alternatives in terms of choices and substitutions when you live in smaller cities than what you find in the U.S.  We are continually aiming to improve our eating, but right now, here are a few of the principles we try and live by.

1. No trans fats. This is one that even our kids know to ask about.  If they receive a candy bar or something from someone, they know we are going to check!  This is also one of the reasons that I cook with very few mixes (such as for brownies, cakes, etc.).  Those things can be made rather easily from scratch and you miss out on the trans fats and all the other chemicals that you really don’t need.  I always check ingredient labels and never trust something that says “no trans fats”.  That just means it is less than 1 gram or they have fully hydrogenated the fat.

2. Purchase as few processed foods as possible.  I can’t say we stay away from all processed foods.  We still eat things like pretzels, tortilla chips and breakfast cereals.  But when we can, we try and stick with more natural things like homemade popcorn, oatmeal made on the stove or baked pita chips.  If we are going to have sweets, we try and make sure that it is a treat I make (I usually bake some sort of goodie once a week), instead of buying cookies and things from the store.  We are working on cutting more sugar out of our diet, but our whole family has a serious sweet tooth!

3. Evaluate the kind of meat we eat. Our goal is to keep our red meat consumption to once a week (trying to buy the trimmest available and drain/cut the fat, and when in the U.S. buying grass fed instead of grain fed beef).  We eat chicken and turkey as well.  We are trying to move the majority of our meat consumption to fish that are high in omega fatty acids.  At least once a week our goal is to eat meat free.

4. Choosing good fats. Our goal is to use more monosaturated oils in cooking, less saturated fats and eat good fats in foods like nuts.  We try and avoid high fat meats and dairy products.

5. Focusing on fruits and vegetables. We want fresh fruits and vegetables to be a main source of energy in our meals and our days.  This means more grocery shopping for me and trying to keep them cut up and available, whcih I admit I am not always good on!

6. Choosing whole grains and trying to avoid refined flours and sugars. I do my best to try and cook with whole wheat flour whenever possible and buy breads that are as least processed as possible.  I really like when we are home in the states and I can buy sprouted breads!

7. Water, water and more water. We are big water drinkers and it is about the only beverage we have in the house.  The kids do get about 6 ounces of juice in the morning, which is less and in smoothie form when we are home.  They also have about 4-6 ounces of soy milk occasionally at lunch.  But for the most part our liquids are water.  We each have a water bottle we keep filled for drinking from throughout the day.

Overall, I would say we try to follow the Healthy Eating Pyramid that Harvard’s Public School of Health promotes.  I enjoyed “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy” and is where the goal of our eating lines up the closest.

The current goals we are working towards with eating is to eat less white flour and dairy (we don’t drink cow’s milk, but do still eat other dairy products while overseas) and increasing our consumption of dark green vegetables.  Any tips on getting that done overseas or in the U.S. are welcome!

Filed Under: FAQ, Health

Every Country Has Its Phobia

February 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Living overseas has taught me that each culture believes different things about certain issues.  One issue that I encounter often is the issue of children’s health.  Living in 5 different European countries over the past 5 years has taught me that Europeans strongly believe that children needed to be bundled up at all times.  If a child is not dressed warmly enough they are going to get sick (and by warmly enough, I mean that really only their eyes should be showing once the temperature hits 50 degrees)!  We tend to go with the American mentality that if we are comfortable dressed in a certain type of clothing, than our children are as well.  And if they are a young child (baby-toddler age) and are not crying, than they must be relatively comfortable.  I have been scolded in just about every country though for my children not being dressed warmly enough.  Thankfully, I have learned to just laugh it off.  I do try and prevent Abby from taking her coat off when we are out and she tells me she is hot though. To her 60 degrees feels warm.

It always makes me wonder what we as Americans have a phobia of.  I don’t think we think cold water or cold temperatures are going to make children sick (or ourselves), but I am sure we have something else we always blame sickness on.  One ex-pat told me that one of his friends visiting the U.S. said that we as Americans seem to think everything is allergies.  I could definitely see that one!  I can count numerous times I have had a runny nose when another American has wanted to diagnose me with allergies.

For myself, I know any time the kids get sick, I blame it on not enough sleep.  That is part of the reason I think you see so many cranky and/or sick kids over here in Europe.  I still haven’t figured out how they handle such late bed times!

Any other ideas of what we Americans like to blame bad health on?

Filed Under: Health, Living Abroad

Girls in Sports

February 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

My Dad sent me this article yesterday about the long term effect of girls in high school ports.  Title IX has been around for almost 4 decades now, but very few studies have been able to really show the direct relation between sports involvement and benefits to girls’ lives.  Being a girl who played high school (and college) sports, I can point to many benefits in my own life.  And I will encourage my daughters to be involved in some sort of team activity to promote qualities such as teamwork, diligence, perseverance, and health.

07-14-2005-030918pm

Me as a High School Junior Playing Soccer

Filed Under: Health, The Basket Wife

Real Age

February 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I know many of us have seen the real age type tests floating around out there on the internet.  But I came across one this morning that I thought was pretty decent at Real Age.  It did a good job of taking into account a variety of areas of life such as family history, relationships, stress, lifestyle, nutrition and exercise.

My results were:
Calendar Age: 30.1 years
Real Age: 23.7 years

I would encourage you to check it out and then take one of their suggestions to make a habit change for the month of February to live healthier.  Building one new healthy habit at a time can make a big difference!

Filed Under: Health

Cloth Diapers

January 28, 2010 By 6 Comments
Abby at 23 months when we first began using cloth diapers

Abby at 23 months when we first started using cloth diapers

I have mentioned in my writings before that I am a cloth diaper user (both in regards to my favorite items and in working to be a better steward of the earth).  I think the subject of cloth diapers is one that I hear from other women on almost more than anything, especially from those women who live abroad and want to know how it works.  So I thought I would dedicate one post to cloth diapering so that in the future when asked, I can just refer to this post.

First of all, this is simply what I do. There is tons of information out there about different kinds of cloth diapers and ways to care for them.  I certainly don’t do everything by the rules that the manufacturers of the cloth diapers recommend, but I have had to make the necessary adjustments due to living overseas.  Anyone else who would like to share their own experiences, tips or recommendations is welcome to in the comments section.

First of all, why did I start cloth diapering?  When Abby was about 20 months old I started toying around with the idea due to a number of factors:

1. I first started thinking about it because Abby had really bad diaper rash at that age.  I was reading a book by a pediatrician at that time (it had nothing to do with cloth diapers), but in a Q&A section, he was asked what one recommendation would he make to the parents of his patients.  He said “Use cloth diapers.”  At that time (and still today) I found that a very strange answer.  He went on to explain how cloth diapers help facilitate earlier potty- training (hasn’t always held true for us) and how most diaper rashes are cleared up instantly with cloth diapers.  He said he found it a very unnatural part of the westernized world to allow children to sit for hours in soiled, wet diapers that simply absorb it away from their skin.  So that got me thinking and I mentioned it casually to Joe.

2.  A little while later, Joe went to the grocery store where we lived in Italy one time to pick up a pack of diapers when I had run out.  He came back and said “Do diapers always cost that much?”  I said that they did and he said I might want to look a little more closely into the whole cloth diapering thing.  He was really amazed at the amount of money we were putting towards diapers.

3. Joe brought up cloth diapering again later when he was taking the trash out.  Bag after bag would be filled with dirty diapers.  He said he was feeling uncomfortable thinking about these diapers sitting around in a landfill for hundreds of years before decomposing.

So when Abby was 23 months old, I started her on cloth diapers.  I was due to give birth with Elijah in about 2 months, so I wanted to try it on her first before I decided to do it for a newborn as well.  After some research I decided to go with the Fuzzi Bunz brand of diapers.  Abby’s diaper rash cleared up almost immediately and never really returned.  Plus she loved learning all her different colors (like turquoise) through what we put on her.

So here are some of the basics to get started with cloth diapering if that is the route you would want to go:

1. There are tons of brands out there, but different types of diapers.  I have only used pocket diapers, which are basically a diaper cover where you can stuff inserts in.  The more inserts you put in, the more absorbent they are.  The two brands of pocket diapers I have used are Fuzzi Bunz and Happy Heiny’s.  Both brands I have been pleased with.

2. I started out buying 12 pocket diapers for my almost 2 year old.  That gave me enough diapers so that I was doing an extra load about every other day.  When we decided to go with them for Elijah as well, I got 24 diapers for him.  At that time there were no one size pocket diapers as there are now.  So we had diapers in two different sizes.  Those two size diapers have lasted through 2 and 3 children (the smaller size Abby never used) and will hopefully make it through our next child.

3. As far as inserts, there are lots of brands out there as well and different materials.  I have heard the hemp has excellent absorbency, but have never used anything but the microterry.  I got the basic Microterry Soaker from Nurtured Family as part of my original purchase of each pocket diaper.  I then purchased 6 extra Microterry Doublers for night times and extended times when they would be in the diaper.  You can just as easily add a second insert, but it tends to become a little bulky then (and cloth diapers are already pretty bulky!)  I have been pleased with both inserts and the originals are still being used.

4. I also purchased cloth wipes.  These are simply pieces of cloth that can be used and then washed with your cloth diapers.  I cannot even remember which brand I bought now, but I have the original ones that have held up over almost 4 years of constant use.  To use these, all I do is get a airtight plastic container, fill it with water and some mild soap and then put the cloth wipes in there to soak up the mixture.  Then you place the top on the container and they are ready to be used.  Sometimes it takes a few tries to figure out how much water you need or they are either too wet or too dry.  I have never bought the solution specific for cloth wipes, but I do add some tea tree oil drops in at times for a disinfectant quality.

Ok, so now that I had my supplies I had to figure out what to do with the diapers once they were worn and dirty (the actual process of putting them on is very easy, just like a regular diaper with snaps).

1. We keep a simple dry pail for the diapers.  I think some cloth diapers require a wet pail filled with a solution of some type, but the ones I have can simply be thrown in a bin with a top (unless you want to smell the mess) and wait until they get thrown in the washer.  If the diaper has feces in it, all you do is shake off what you can in the toilet before putting it in the bin.  One thing we discovered later on that was a great help were flushable liners.  We use the Kushies brand, but again there are various types out there.  With these, you lay a liner in the diaper before putting it on and then if there is a bowel movement it catches much of it so that you can simply put the liner in the toilet and flush it all down at once.  It makes for a much easier clean-up process.

2. Once it is time to wash them, I make sure the inserts are out of the pocket diaper and everything gets thrown in the washer.  I try to keep the load small but if I can set the load size (you usually can’t with European washers) I keep it at a higher setting.  Then  I run the diapers through a rinse cycle.

3. Once the diapers have been rinsed, then they need to be washed in a hot water cycle.  The biggest challenge with living overseas has been to find an appropriate detergent to use with the diapers.  I guess you could have the detergent shipped over, but that might cancel out the money you are saving in using cloth diapers!  So I simply use baking soda on my diapers.  I try to avoid anything that is a baby detergent or anything with bleach or extra whitening agents.  When we are home, I use Allens Naturally Detergent.

4. Once they have been washed, now it is time for the dryer.  If the weather is decent, there are times I will hang the diapers up and just put the inserts in the dryer (this can also help to bleach out some of the stains the diapers will get).  But most of the time, everything just gets thrown in the dryer on a low setting.  When we first started doing cloth diapers, I hung everything up because we didn’t have a dryer where we were in Italy.  But now it is a priority for us to have a dryer in the contract with whatever team Joe is playing with.  I am doing laundry for 5 people as it is, so a dryer is considered a necessity by me!

5. Every once and awhile I do some extra washing of the diapers.  After I have washed them, I will run them through a hot water cycle 2-3 more times until I no longer see any foam in the water.  Detergent will build up on the diapers which will make them less absorbent.  So the extra washing with plain water will have a “stripping” effect to get much of the build-up off the diapers.  I will also do a wash with baking soda and vinegar every once and awhile to work a little harder to get some of the stubborn smell out.  Overall, they don’t really smell too much.  But after having been through 2-3 kids, they certainly don’t smell as fresh!

So I think that is pretty much the basics of what I do.  At this stage in life, I am doing a load of cloth diapers/pull-ups every day.  I tend to do it after my 1-2 two loads of regular laundry, so that I can throw the diapers in the dryer before bed and then get them out in the morning.  In general, it is really not that much extra work.  I can’t tell you the exact amount of money we have saved, but some sites can give you an estimate of how much you might save.  If you have any additional questions that I have not answered, please feel free to let me know.

And for those of you who have no interest in this subject whatsoever, sorry for boring you (if you made it to the end of this post!)

Filed Under: Green Living, More Favorites

Exercise in Pregnancy

January 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I ran across this article on Core Performance about Christie Rampone who had won a championship while being newly pregnant.  As I read it I thought about the number of people who would be uncomfortable with a pregnant woman playing soccer.  Then this morning I ran across this story from ESPN’s website.  It shows that there is still very little that is understood about what types of activity a pregnant woman can engage in.  There are many myths about exercise in pregnancy.

I know I have had some family members and friends concerned about my exercise routines through my first 3 (and now 2/3 of the way through my 4th) pregnancies. Although I am in no way training as a professional athlete, I tend to keep my workouts pretty much the same.  I use common sense if something is not feeling right, but for the most part I do the same sort of things I was doing before I got pregnant.  There are lots of benefits of being fit before pregnancy and then exercising throughout your pregnancy.  Among those benefits:

1. may lessen morning sickness
2. may help reduce backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling
3. may help prevent or treat gestational diabetes
4. increases energy
5. helps balance your hormones
6. improves mood
7. improves posture
8. promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance
9. promotes better sleep
10. may make pregnancy more comfortable, shorten labor and reduce the need for obstetric interventions
11. helps get your body back in shape faster after pregnancy

So if you are considering becoming pregnant, make sure you are in shape beforehand so that you can continue an exercise routine during pregnancy.  You’ll be glad you did afterwards!

Filed Under: Health

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

January 21, 2010 By 4 Comments

As I mentioned on Tuesday, a huge part of staying healthy is getting enough rest. I am one of those people who loves to sleep and would choose it over just about anything. I don’t mind being the party-pooper who goes to bed at 9pm. Not everyone is like this, so I know I am at an advantage when it comes to sleep.  As adults though, we are responsible for the sleep we get. But our children rely on us to tell them how much sleep they need. This seems to be an area where we are often failing as parents.

Joe and I made the decision early on that our bed would only be for us, so this post is not one that is meant to deal with crib vs. co-sleeping. I know there are lots of studies on all sides of the board, so this is not a post where I am trying to convince people to sleep with or without their child in their bed. I am simply trying to encourage parents to get the kids the sleep they need, and some of the tips we have found work best involve having the child in their own bed.  But I think the majority of the help I have received could be used for all parents.

There is plenty of evidence to show that parents are not getting their children the sleep that is needed. The amount of sleep recommended compared to what children actually get is usually a few hours difference. Studies also show that even a few hours can effect behavior, academic achievement and even weight management.

I understand that there are children with physical limitations that can inhibit a child getting the sleep that they need.  But often times when parents excuse their child not sleeping much because they have an “active” personality, it is actually the child calling the shots instead of the parent.  We have a few active personalities as well and although it does require some adjustment in the way we help them get to sleep, it doesn’t mean they can decide that they either don’t sleep or how long they sleep.  As the parent, it is our job to discern and pray for wisdom so we can see if our child is sleeping enough.  Averages are given as a way to account for some difference.

So here are a few of the tips that have helped us with having kids who sleep at or above the recommended averages for their age groups:

1. Establish a consistent wake-up time. As the author of “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” Marc Weissbluth (most of the advice is from his book) recommends that children have an established wake time between 6-8 am. He has spent much of his career studying sleep patterns and rhythms and found these times to be most consistent with good sleep patterns.

2. Recognize signs of tiredness. Once your child is rubbing his/her eyes, yawning, getting fussy, etc., they have already entered into a time of tiredness. If you can begin their sleep routine before they get to this point, sleep often comes easier. Crying is often a sign that the child is over-tired. A great analogy Dr. Weissbluth uses is:
“You want to catch the wave of drowsiness as it is rising to enable your baby to have a long smooth ride to deep slumber. If your timing is off and your wave crashes into an overtired state, then the ride is bumpy and brief….Crying is the consequence of being overtired.”

3. Establish a good nap and bed time routine. This is a great tip for adults and children alike. Do the same sort of things to prepare your body for rest. Without kids, we take baths at night (although not every night), read books, have some cuddle time while singing songs and then say a blessing and prayers. Keeping our voices low, energy relaxed, and lights down at this time helps to signal that it is time to rest.

4. If your child is not sleeping as long as you would like in the morning or not napping well, consider an earlier bedtime. Many parents (myself included) have at one time or another thought that in order to get their child to sleep longer they should keep them awake longer. The opposite is actually true. Many times, early wake-ups, short naps (anything 45 minutes or shorter) or no napping is a sign that the child is not getting enough sleep. Trying bumping the bedtime up earlier. Young babies especially do great with earlier bedtimes. Around 5 months of age, Abby was sleeping from 4:30pm until 6:30am the next morning. If I tried putting her down later than 4:30pm, she would wake before 6am!

5. Work as a team for sleep. Obviously with a family adjustments need to be made to meet the different needs to different family members at different times. It isn’t fair for the youngest to always be kept awake due to the activities of everyone else. Yes, there are times when the youngest needs to “take one for the team”, but other members of the family often do too. As a mom, this is an area where I find I can often serve the youngest. I will often stay home or go home from an event early so our babies and toddlers can get the sleep they need. Joe as well often eats dinner after us on nights he doesn’t get home from practice until 8pm or later so the kids can eat and get ready for bed at a good hour. Sometimes the older children are unable to participate in something either totally or for as long as they would like due to the sleep needs of the younger ones.

6. Once sleep habits are established exceptions can be made. Now that Abby and Elijah are a bit older (and even Naomi at times) it is much easier to make special exceptions or staying up late or missing naps every so often.

I would highly recommend “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” to anyone as good reading for healthy sleeping in the home. Happy sleeping to all!

Filed Under: Health, Parenting

More on Our Health for the New Year

January 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As I mentioned yesterday, it seems like many of our health problems in the United States could be dealt with more effectively if we focused on prevention rather than fixing the problem once it already exists.  Currently, the leading causes of death in the U.S. are:

1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Chronic lower respiratory disease
5. Accidents
6. Diabetes
7. Alzheimer’s disease
8. Influenza and pneumonia
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis
10. Septicemia

When you look at the leading causes of these different diseases, you can see many are preventable.  The risk for heart disease, for instance, increases if you have high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, are obese or overweight (as 2/3 of American adults are), smoke and are physically inactive.  Contributing factors to heart disease can include stress, birth control pills and alcohol, all of which again are environmental factors that we as individuals can control.  Cancer is still a puzzle to many doctors, but risk factors can include sunlight, tobacco, alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity and being overweight.  I could keep going down the list and show the same themes occurring over and over again for stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease and diabetes.  But the point remains the same: we need to take control of our health before these diseases happen because once they do, they kill people.

So some simple things people can do to cut their risks down much lower on these diseases and could make some good new year’s resolutions:

1. Wear sunscreen daily.  I am not sure why people continue to use tanning beds and bake themselves in the sun.  It is clearly seen that skin cancer is real and is deadly.  Protect your skin and your children’s skin from the sun with a gentle sunscreen.

2. Drink water…a lot of it.  There are so many health benefits to drinking water from keeping you from overeating, to aiding in digestion to clearing your body of toxins.  We are so fortunate to live in a country (or even in countries overseas) where fresh water is readily available.

3. Manage your weight.  It is hard to lose weight, but it can be done.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking a crazy crash diet or exercise video will do it though.  You must eat less.  Weight loss is more about diet (90%) than it is about exercise.  Exercise is good for so many other reasons, but don’t think that walking on a treadmill for 60 minutes at a moderate pace is going to keep you at an ideal weight when you continue to eat as much as you like!

4. Get a good amount of sleep.  I just read in a magazine while at my parents’ house that a study found that women who got 7.5 hours of more sleep at night had a decreased risk for cancer.  Sleep is a gift from God.  It not only keeps us humble, but reduces stress, helps you lose weight, and keeps you younger looking and feeling.  One way to get a better night’s sleep is to move the television from the bedroom!

5. Don’t smoke and drink alcohol in moderation.  A pretty simple one, but I know the addictions lie deep.  Really examine the reason why you engage in the activity and if there is a healthier alternative. Often the greatest battle is fought in finding out WHY you do something.

6. Have a physical fitness routine.  As I mentioned yesterday, there are easy ways to make your workout effective.  Keep your body guessing though.  Don’t get into a slump of doing the same things over and over again.  But a plan can also help.  Right now I have a plan I am following until the beginning of April that I created which will have me doing things from interval cardio and weight work to Tae Bo to yoga to Pilates.  If you don’t feel comfortable creating one yourself, get one at Sparkpeople.com for free or sign up for a membership at Core Performance.  For those who have passed the 40 year mark and have noticed it is harder to keep the weight off, you can thank the lack of hGH (human growth hormone) that dips at that age.  One of the things that have been found to help increase that hormone is weight lifting.  Don’t shy away from weights!

I hope this has inspired you to make a few simple, free/cheap, easy changes to your life.  We all have room for improvement!  Let us take responsibility for the body God has given us to care for and especially for the bodies of our children.  Do you have any resolutions/goals for 2010 in the area of health?  Let me know if I can help or encourage you in any way!

Filed Under: Health
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