Growing Veggies

I blogged in January about starting a garden. It is now April, and I know what you are thinking. I flopped, right?

Wrong!! Sometimes I blog to hold myself accountable, and sometimes I do it because I know I will do what I say I am going to do. This is one of those times that I needed accountability. It helped that my neighbor started this journey with me, but I have to admit, it's hard to learn something knew and stay motivated knowing in the end, everything could die. Here is what I've got so far:

I've got three tomato plants, three bell peppers, and six banana peppers. Many did not "take" because I learned too late that they did not receive enough water. It's not too late for others, and I can always buy starter plants from the farmer's market to plant in my garden. For a first time, I feel like I'm doing all right. Here's the best part, though. My son and I built our own Garden Rack. Lowe's cut all the pieces for us, but we put all the pieces together using the plans, and it was actually not too bad! It was a great starter project for us. My son is almost 12, and got his own drill for Christmas. I enjoyed working on this project with him. We learned how to read plans as well as use tools.

Now if only the weather would cooperate and we could get our veggies planted outside. Yesterday was below freezing with freezing rain, and I'm glad my plants are still inside. Although, with the Garden Rack, I could always bring them back in, I suppose! I will keep you updated on our gardening adventure. Why don't you start your own?

Subway at Home

I love Subway. Well, I loved it more before getting a reminder recently about their inferior meats and pesticide-laden veggies. I mean, I never really thought a truly healthy sandwich could be made that cheaply, but figured they were making the real dough on sodas and chips, so... Anyway, I decided to save the gas money AND make a better sandwich at home!

This is how I do it. I use these awesome plastic "lunch" containers and fill them up with all our toppings. (You can see I need to get more lettuce!) Meat, cheese, and mayos/mustards are separate, but I could easily do a meat/cheese container. I keep ham and turkey on hand, as well as cheese, and numerous "sauces" such as Miracle Whip, mustard, dijon mustard, and chipotle mayo. I get the meat from the deli, fresh cut, and replace everything as necessary. This makes sandwich making much easier for kids who are too lazy to get out everything themselves. I replenish the veggies as they get low, usually as I'm making my own sub. These are super healthy foods for kids to eat daily. Not everything pictured is organic, but the cucumber, tomato, and bell pepper is.

Since I follow a "mostly no bread allowed" diet, I use a wrap for my sub instead and it is just as yummy. Think about setting up your own system before summer arrives and you will have well-fed kids and spouses all summer long!

How to Keep a Healthy Child in Fall and Winter

It's almost like clockwork. If you pay attention, parents start complaining about sick children the week following Halloween. It isn't because it's colder. It isn't because they went out half-dressed when it was 40 degrees. It IS because of CANDY. Logically, we know that candy is really bad for children. Sugar wreaks havoc on our immune systems (and FEEDS cancer!) but we give our kids a pass on Halloween where they go crazy for a couple of days, taking in most of their calories in sweets. My son, whom I thought was old enough to handle the responsibility at age 10 of not gorging himself on the candy, went crazy this year, and sure enough, he was sick within a day or two. So I heightened my vigilance, and made sure we all stepped up our vitamin usage, which usually keeps us healthy throughout the year.

If you were honest with yourself, you would probably have to admit that your child takes in too much junk. Whether it's cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream, pop, hot dogs, white bread, etc... I bet there is a lot more of these going in rather than fruits and vegetables. Kids also don't get enough protein. If you are feeding your child fat-free products, he may not be getting enough fat! Thankfully, we can work on changing dietary habits while providing them with vitamins and minerals that keep them healthy.

Best of all, we can do this without spending a fortune! How does $.37 per day sound? Learn more!

Treating Eczema

I don't think I've ever blogged about eczema, which is kind of weird. But neither of my kids suffered from it, so I guess I had no reason to think about it. An older child I know does suffer from it, however and I'm writing this because I think I have figured something out. I'm certain that doctors give parents way too much credit. The doctor of this child told her mom that the child should only take short, warm (not hot) showers. That advice is accurate. But the mom makes the child shower daily...which I think is CrAzY. And if the doctor had known this, he may have told her not to. Then I saw the lotion that the child was being slathered in and really grew concerned. It was some Vaseline lotion with a really strong scent. While it smelled good, thankfully I knew that it wasn't good for her eczema. I promptly got a bottle of unscented all natural baby lotion from my stock and handed it over. While lotion doesn't necessarily treat eczema, it does treat the dry skin that is more prone to eczema breakouts. And fragrances and other miscellaneous ingredients are too harsh for children's skin, especially those with eczema.
While what a child uses on her skin is an important factor in controlling eczema flare ups, equally as important is treating the condition internally. Omega-3 oils have worked wonderfully for this, in children as well as adults. You have many options, from flaxseed oil (or whole or ground flaxseed) to fish oil and krill oil. There are others, and each has it's pro and con, but that is something each parent needs to investigate because there are allergy concerns, texture/taste concerns, etc. and every kid is different. I personally use ground flax seeds and can say that they don't have a bad flavor. I would describe them as "nutty." The key is to figure out which one will be taken or consumed the most consistently, because if the kid won't take it, it's not worth it.
Take a trip to your local health food store and check out your various options, or check out the natural foods aisle at your grocer. Flax seeds should be widely available there if you are interested in trying them. Hopefully these suggestions will benefit you and your child in some way. Too bad doctors don't know these things! ;)

Do you have cellulite?

A few years ago, I lost about 20 lbs. during one month. That might sound good, except that I am 5'6" and had dropped to 100 lbs. It took me a couple of years to put the weight back on. I added back muscle first, because I was literally exercising all day. I did my own workout, then played soccer or basketball or baseball, or whatever, with my kids. But then things changed and I wasn't able to work out regularly for a while. And I noticed that I was getting "fluffy" and I wasn't so healthy anymore. But that wasn't the worst of it!
I also noticed that dreaded dimpling in fatty areas, where I wasn't used to even having fat! Uggghh, I thought, must be from turning 40. So I've gotten more active, and I've been more aware of what I've been eating and making sure I'm not overeating for my metabolism. Thankfully, I came across an article that explained WHY the dimpling (also known as cellulite) occurs and what I can do about it. Thank the Lord! Instead of feeling like there is nothing I can do but blame my age, I now know that the habits I once took part in are exactly what I need to do...rebounding, detoxing, drinking lots of water, and massage. You can read the article yourself, to learn as much as possible about getting rid of cellulite and being healthier overall. You will notice that cellulite isn't just not pretty, it is a sign that you are not healthy, and that is more important than worrying about looks! I want to be around for my kids until I can make them take care of me, so I'd better start taking care of me, too!

Is your children's school making them sick?

When our schools are updated and technologically advanced, we think it's a great thing because our kids will learn things that help them make it in our technologically advanced world. Unfortunately, there is a drawback when it comes to these schools, or in some cases classrooms, when it comes to our children's health. The electrosmog generated by WI-FI and charging computers, not to mention all the other electronics that schools have been using for ages, is reaching a catastrophic level in classrooms, causing numerous illnesses, including cancer. Read this story about a school in La Quinta, CA and their increase in cancer incidences in teachers AND children.

The good thing is, you can choose to keep your kids at home. But then the question is, is your home much better? For more information and to learn what you can do at home, here is a great place to start: Worse than Cigarettes? The Silent Enemy Harming Your Health Today...
Make sure you read the readers' comments at the end of the article. There are often suggestions there from people who know more or what they have done to solve the problem in their homes.