The Secret In the Sauce

The plan was to get in to bed at an early hour last night so I could have some one-on-one time with me and just read (doesn't it sound heavenly? Almost as heavenly as grocery shopping by yourself - no kids?). But then I remembered I had to do one last thing on the computer which turned into something else, which lead to googling a question I remembered I had, which lead to several new tabs and being sucked into Dr. John Gray's blog post on ADHD. The more I read about ADHD and other ailments that plague us in this day and age, the more I'm convinced of the roles food and environment play in the grand scheme of things. Dr. John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus , has a new book out talking specifically about ADHD and ADD. Last night he hooked me in with his fifteen reasons why these disorders are so prevalent at this time and how they are becoming even more so as each day passes. The list included everything from video games and pornography to...

Okay. Long-story short: you must un-learn what you have learned when it comes to homework. I want you to practice this phrase, "I've already passed the 'x' grade, but I would love to help you when you need it - at a reasonable hour." That's the crux of this - when they ASK for your help, you have been invited into their circle. We tend to force ourselves into their world and in so doing can rob them of the opportunity to learn and grow and be accountable for themselves and their work. And when they ask for help, we don't take it upon ourselves to teach but to model and figure things out together. The moment that helping with homework is no longer fun, you check-out. My dad and I have a long-standing joke about math homework. I have NEVER enjoyed math and it has NEVER been my strong point. I can do what I need to effectively run my household (and I actually can even determine what my monthly payment on a car would be-if I pull out my old college math note...

Can you tell it's been a long and taxing summer for me given the blogging break I took? Let's just say it was a glorious moment when I opened the door and wished them well for their first day of school. The hectic nature of our day still exists but the dynamic has changed for the better and now I just have to figure out how to keep them all happy for the few hours they are together. With all that being said, we had a huge victory last night in our household and it took place at no less, than the dinner table. If you have been following along our journey for the last couple of years, you will know that my man Preston is a very picky eater. We have been the rounds with trying to expand this fellow's eating horizons; we've persuaded, forced, cajoled, insisted, pleaded, begged, argued, cried. Dinner time has been a thorn in all of our sides for several years; so sad when it is supposed to be the one thing that brings the family together! At any rate, after our last vi...

Life is nuts isn't it? And we all know that it never really calms down - the challenges simply change. School's out. Yay!! (No - that's not me talking, that's my kids). My two youngest are fighting like the world might end tomorrow and they need to let each other know how annoying and despicable the other one thinks they are. The toddler manhandles Preston's Lego car and Preston throws it in anger yelling that the toddler ruined it - and not just the Lego car - his LIFE! "This is the worst day of my life!" Sigh. I suggest a simple and relaxing game of Candy Land. They show up to the game table with their best of poker faces and they are not going to let anyone or anything steal away their chance at sweet victory. Accusations of cheating and board-manipulation fly, all the while the toddler simply moves his piece from one spot to the next which is simply just too much to take for the real players. The game is over and nobody is ever playing again. My mi...

So, this is mostly a re-post of last year's post but it's good to get up before Easter if any of y'all are looking for any ideas. If you recall, last year the Easter Bunny did not pay us a visit. Preston's old nuance of rummaging through the whole house in search of treats had re-surfaced not to mention that I was just plain tired of every holiday revolving around food - especially candy. Just walk the holiday aisle at your grocery store and there is candy made special for that event. Then I started to wonder where in the world the candy tradition for Easter came from anyway - the Easter Bunny and the resurrection of Christ don't seem to have a common thread. So I did a little research and it wasn't super insightful. There really isn't a connection that I could find. I found that the origins of Easter MAY have started in 16th century Germany when the Oster Haws (hare) would bring colored eggs to the well-behaved children. I'm guessing this was the Ch...

I love nachos. Super nachos are even better - piled high with all sorts of decliciousness. However, unfortunately I don't usually indulge in said deliciousness because they have such a bad reputation - I would guess mostly due to the inordinate amounts of cheese. So, I decided to change things around a bit so I can have my nachos and eat them too. And so can you. First, the nacho - You have more options than you think you do here. I've used the multi grain Chips from Costco that are made with flax and some good ingredients too. The Terra Chips that are made from beet root veggies are a brilliant option as well (although some of those chips are particularly crisp - like hard crisp). This round I felt even more brilliant just using Simple Truth Organic Sweet Potato Chips (and you could even make your own). Regardless, these chips are good way to go and I usually go by the serving size as far as amount goes which in this case was 17 chips. Second, the salsa. Sometimes I ...

You are going to be so excited today because I have the solution for your picky eater problem.But then again, you might not like it. To be honest, I didn't like it at first either. It took some getting used to which is funny because it is terribly simple. Are you ready for it? The solution is this... Let It Go. That means no fighting, coercing, bartering, yelling, tears, tantrums (yours as the parent of course), forcing - none of it. You prepare the picky eater's plate the same way you do anyone else's plate. Then they simply have the option to eat, or not to eat - that is their question. Some people have the 'No Thank You' rule which is simply that they try a bite of everything on the plate and if they don't like it they may be done with their meal after a polite 'no thank you.' If dessert is being served that evening, anyone who finishes their meal may participate. Easy as that. Now, I recently read an article about meal-time battles and the a...

Ladies, when stress hits, nothing sounds better than a sweet treat, yes? There is actually some science behind this as stress triggers different areas of the body and brain which creates a deficit that needs to be filled. I couldn't tell you at the moment the exact process that happens without pulling out one of my books, but it is a natural reaction. So, you aren't just imagining that you are a stress-eater - most women are, it's a biological process. This makes it even tougher to turn down sweets when we are stressed and the big problem is that most of us face stress daily if not multiple times a day. This means that we need to consciously seek other means of managing the stress. On this one particular day, however, I discovered the true power of a cookie. Before I go further, it is always helpful to remember that we can counter-act the sugar we eat and its effects by having a healthy fat prior to consumption or a little garcinia cambogia to help inhibit the absorpt...

So, here is the thought for the day - learn, embrace change and evolve. What I've found in my constant thirst for knowledge in all things healthy is that new information is constantly being brought to light. What was once good, may now actually do harm. There are two results for every study done and they often contradict each other; it makes it tough to sift through and find the truth sometimes, eh? That's when you go with your gut until you find something more definitive. Let's take a look at the 'low-fat' or 'no-fat' craze. Fat is the culprit behind fat right? No. It would seem likely but not true. In all actuality, is fake and processed foods and overdosing on sugar that is making us fat and sick. I was going through a stack of old magazines and cutting out recipes and came across an article titled, "Live Wise."  It had five tips to kickstart your nutrition goals. The second tip was : Choose fat-free milk instead of whole milk. Ironical...

I admit, I've been putting off my blog - it's just been that 'one more thing' nagging at the back of my mind giving me anxiety. I've also just been working on calming my totally frayed nerves. I don't know how Christmas break was for all you parents but I personally almost didn't make it. I love all my kids and thinking about each one of them individually creates mostly happy thoughts and feelings. Together however, is a totally different state of existence. Let me put it to you this way - Preston is a carbonated canned beverage and my littlest man likes to shake, shake and throw the 'Preston soda' until he explodes and goes all over the place (and it didn't take much). And my toddler is a literal whirlwind of constant activity until he just collapses. I'm getting a headache just remembering the break. I can't believe I didn't take up some addiction or binge diet over the last two weeks; it's a miracle. And now, here I am and I...