Posts Tagged ‘health’

S-L-E-E-P will I ever get some??

March 9th, 2010

So much needed sleep

Ok mommy’s out there, tell me this, is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Ooh wait, that’s me dizzy from lack of sleep.  Last night I was up and down my oldest daughter (3 years) has a cold and woke up crying.  She has yet another cold, in fact we all do.  I get her some benadryl hoping she will be able to get back to sleep.  Just as we both doze off, I hear my youngest (19 months) start in with mommy mommy.

So I leave one bed to go to her and find her in the same state.  Try to bring her to my bed, but my husband who was just struck with same cold is snoring so loud that neither of us would ever get back to sleep.  So we both now go to lay down with my oldest daughter.  This creates the perpetual crying fits randomly from both girls – who don’t even seem to wake up to do it!  So now from the first wake up at 12:30 am it is now 5:30 am – I return to my bed hoping to get an hour in before the alarm goes off!

I am sure this sounds familiar to most of you.  Can we do without sleep?  Not really, especially if we want to function in the happy go lucky mommy like way, ignore the fact that we are tired and sick too.  Go to work continue on with service excellence and baby the entire family.  Sometimes I want to play hookie and come home and sleep after everyone goes on about their day.   Oh wait I can’t do that either the girls are at home with the mother in law, who has been visiting for going on 5 months.  I thought once my girls began to sleep through the night as babies I would at least get 8 hours again.  NOT! » Read more: S-L-E-E-P will I ever get some??

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Toddler – Brushing Teeth & Dentist Visits?!?!

March 1st, 2010

Copyright Jen B Photography

OMG – I do not know about how the story goes at your house but every episode I have the tooth brushing showdown in the bathroom.   I have two girls ages 1 & 3, both with their own agenda.  I am feeling like a terrible mother today because I realized I am lacking in teaching my daughters good oral hygiene.

I get the I am tired or I didn’t have any candy today!  :) Excuses that sometimes I give to.  Shame on me!!

So I began my Internet search as always when I wonder what to do, thinking their must be a better way.  I found that both of my girls should have been to the dentist by now, and that I am really going to have to forge the brushing battle at minimum twice a day!!  So I have scheduled appointments for both girls to see a kid friendly dentist and will share with you what I found from other mothers and “experts”. » Read more: Toddler – Brushing Teeth & Dentist Visits?!?!

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My Toddler Is Not Eating

February 25th, 2010

Every night just before dinner the request for snacks begin.  My daughter is teeny tiny and just does not have an appetite.  What she likes one day she will not the next, I have had a hard time deciding on how to handle this.

There is always the old wives tale – they will eat when they get hungry.

Or you could go to the extreme, I remember as a child not being to get up from the table until my plate was cleared.  The stubborn child I was, I spent many nights sitting there until it was time to go to bed.

My tummy says its not hungry !

How do you keep dinner time a fun, sharing family time when stressed about nutrition?  I decided to do some research and found many different approaches.  Below are some of the ones that I felt would work best in our home.  » Read more: My Toddler Is Not Eating

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Today’s Health Tip: FIBER MADE FUN FOR EVERYONE!

February 17th, 2010

Fiber for Everyone

So many of us have heard that fiber is an important part of our diet.  I have always thought this was something older or elderly people needed to concern themselves with.  However, increasing your fiber intake can provide all of us with many health benefits.

Women should try to eat at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day, while men should aim for 30 to 38 grams a day.

I personally have found that increasing the fiber in my diet has assisted with weight loss and taking care of hunger pains.  Only warning I give is that it may increase your opportunities for being more gassy than classy :) – hence the added benefit prevention of constipation!  Many studies have suggested that increasing your fiber intake may reduce your risk of colon cancer as well.

Many breads, cereals, pastas, and even some yogurts have increased levels of cholesterol lowering fiber.  Making good choices when shopping and eating out is imperative.  There are a growing number of products that market their levels of fiber however, many of these are functional or isolated fibers.  Manufacturers may add ingredients such as polydextrose, inulin, and maltodextrin to increase a products fiber content percentage. » Read more: Today’s Health Tip: FIBER MADE FUN FOR EVERYONE!

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Wiihabilitation ?? Can you benefit from Wiihab?

February 15th, 2010

Nintendo Wii - A New Medicine?

A group of my friends were chatting about our weekend, the topic of Wii came up. Laughter broke out when the mention of putting my shoulder out trying to sword fight my husband.  Another one of my girl friends was complaining about her arms and stomach muscles being sore from a boxing match with her husband. Interactive games are great for getting many of us off the couch and moving but, did you know that there is a therapeutic component that many are finding.  Check out this article I found on USA Today reporting about a local hospital using Wii as part of rehab therapy.

Doctors use Wii games for rehab therapy

By Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press

CHICAGO — Some call it “Wiihabilitation.”Nintendo’s Wii video game system, whose popularity already extends beyond the teen gaming set, is fast becoming a craze in rehab therapy for patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery and even combat injuries.

The usual stretching and lifting exercises that help the sick or injured regain strength can be painful, repetitive and downright boring. In fact, many patients say PT — physical therapy’s nickname — really stands for “pain and torture,” said James Osborn, who oversees rehabilitation services at Herrin Hospital in southern Illinois. » Read more: Wiihabilitation ?? Can you benefit from Wiihab?

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Rehab Facilities

February 13th, 2010

Rehab Facilities

The state of our rehabilitation facilities:

My mother was recently entered into a rehab facility.  On one of the days I went there to visit there was an old woman sitting in a wheelchair.  She sort of reminded me of Grandma Moses (if my idea of Grandma Moses was accurate).  She sat there in the hallway in her wheelchair looking very old and very decrepit and very, very sad.  If that wasn’t bad enough, when I returned the following day, the same woman in the same wheelchair looked to be sitting in the very same spot.  I can’t positively say whether she remained there overnight, nor can I say that she hadn’t been moved and then returned to the same position.  All I can say for certain is that she hadn’t looked like she had moved very far.

My mom has always been a very active sort.  Being confined to a bed with period bouts of therapy didn’t sit very well with her.  After having visited four different facilities (the facilities that her insurance would cover) I had deemed the one she wound up in to be the best: that didn’t mean it was great by any means.  It had decent food; it had a pretty good amount of therapy time provided for her; and it had activities to keep her amused throughout the morning/afternoon.  » Read more: Rehab Facilities

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Texas Legislature to Address Trans Fats

February 13th, 2010

Trans fats amaging Effects

This trans fats thing has been bugging me for a while, well actually since one of my blog contributors opened up the can of worms. I read up on it day and night trying to find the middle ground on this issue. And really there is no black and white decision here. Yes they are bad for you, they are a main cause for child obesity and they are a plaque to our society but how much of it is propaganda and how much of it is true?

Well truth be told there is no question about the damaging factors associated with trans-fats, and there isn’t one parent out there that doesn’t wish the best for their child. But no matter how determined you are as a parent to protect your children, there is only so much you can do. As such part of the burden gets shifted towards government organization, let them be local or federal.

The other day I found a refreshing article on PublicCitizen’s blog site! I was once again renewed with hope that our legislature actually looks out for us! I was pleased to find out that the great state of Texas is considering legislature that will ban the food industry from serving menu items containing trans fats. Click on the link here to see the actual bill and voting scores on this piece of legislature.

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