Tag Archives: health

Body Issues Already?!?!?!

by Julie Posted on April 12, 2012

It all started quite innocently.  At a barbecue, my six year old daughter pointed out that her sparkling lemonade had “zero fat”.  I agreed and didn’t think much of it; she’s in first grade and reads everything.

A couple weeks later she told me she wanted nonfat milk instead of the 2% I regularly purchase, because she doesn’t want to get fat.  I explained that there is good fat and bad fat and the people, especially kids need the good fat to help their brains and bodies develop.  She insisted that she doesn’t want to eat anything with fat in it because she is worried about her appearance.  Really??? Age 6???

Sirens, bells, and lightening bolts went off in my brain.  Is this my fault for stressing the importance of avoiding junk food or talking so much about nutrition?  Peer pressure?  Media?  God, I hate Hannah Montana for getting really skinny and bragging about her gluten free diet (among various other reasons).

It’s been about two months since this all began.  The subject has faded in and out, but she certainly hasn’t forgotten entirely.  Gratefully, she still eats everything I cook and orders healthfully at restaurants, but she still talks about fat content and the shape of her legs, etc. from time to time.

I have kept a level head while discussing this with her and just repeat the virtues of healthy fat in a child’s diet.  I’ve pointed out that both her father and I eat healthily and help guide her.  He and I are both in pretty good shape and not overweight.  This ends the conversation momentarily, but it keeps returning… I am now turning to Melissa, our TAV child psychology expert (and awesome mom) for advice… Help!!!

Melissa’s Advice:

I could imagine that hearing a six year obsess about weight and body image would be very concerning.  I think some detective work is really needed as to where she is hearing this from.  It sounds like you are doing a great job at explaining healthy vs. unhealthy.

I would add in some reflective statements when the topic comes up and see where it goes.  This could sound something like,”Wow, I hear how concerned you are about the fat content, tell me more about that.” Or, “sounds like you are worried about the shape of your legs.” leaving the ball in her court to explain more about what is going on for her.Try and stay somewhat neutral (not overly worried), so she feels safe to explore this topic a little more.

Thank you Melissa for being a voice of reason, I will most definitely be asking some open- ended questions!

Readers, I’m curious if anyone has encountered these issues with children so young.  Please comment with your own experiences or input!

Posted in Ask the Experts, Behavior, Development, Food, Health, Parenting Advice, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Quit Your Bellyachin’ (and other general illnesses): Honey Ginger Syrup – Delicious Cure-All

by Julie Posted on December 20, 2011

Recently, at a local farmer’s market, I came across a vendor selling Ginger-Honey Tonic, among other wholesome deliciousness.  Short on cash, I decided to buy some more exotic items from the stand and to experiment at home with making my own syrup.

Happy to say, I made the right move.  This stuff is so easy to make and as it turns out- it has endless benefits and uses.  Honey, you see, has antiseptic, antibiotic, and antimicrobial properties ~ good for you inside and out ~ it even speeds the recovery of wounds! It also has the more obvious benefit of coating a raw scratchy throat and since it is so sweet, even most kids will gladly take this “medicine.”  I like to use local honey, obviously to support community beekeepers, but also because it is known to help with allergies.  I believe that the ingestion of pollens native to your area helps your body develop an immunity to them; some disagree, but in my experience it seems to work!

Now, ginger is commonly known as a great digestif and helpful for all sorts of belly maladies.  Lesser known, is that ginger also works as an expectorant and helps with congestion and breathing issues.

So, when you go to your local pharmacy and read the bottles of cough and cold medicine chock full of a bunch impossible-to- pronounce mystery ingredients; what benefits do these products allege to provide?  Decongestant, expectorant, throat and cough soother.  Why swallow a mysterious chemical concoction when you can get the same results from delicious natural ingredients?

Easy Make-Your-Own Honey Ginger Syrup:

Ingredients:  Honey, Ginger, Water.

1. Scrub your ginger under warm water til nice and clean.  No need to even peel it!  Chop into medium to large chunks and toss into a stock pot.  Cover with water by a couple of inches.

2. Bring water to boil and then simmer, covered for at least a few hours.  I’d imagine the longer it boils, the higher the concentration of ginger.

3. Strain ginger, squeezing out the juices.

4. Add ginger water to a jar or so of honey.  Depending on how sweet and thick you want the syrup, you can eye it and make to taste.

5. Allow mixture to cool and then refrigerate, shaking a couple times daily for a few days and then before each use.

Easy as that!  I made a couple large batches and have been taking a teaspoonful here and there for my immunity. This syrup is amazing served hot as tea; throw in a green tea bag to boost the antioxidants!  It also makes for excellent homemade ginger ale when mixed with bubbly water.

This could make a great holiday gift in a pretty bottle or jar tied with a bow… oops may have ruined my surprise for next year!

Posted in Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ask the Experts: How to Deal with Extra-Curricular Drop-outs

by Melissa Posted on November 28, 2011

Julie:  What do you do when your child wants to quit an extra-curricular activity? Both of my girls were taking gymnastics.  The 3 year old first decided she didn’t like it anymore.  She wants to wait to take a dance class after she turns 4 and it’s available for her age group.  My 6 year old stuck with it and LOVED her class, but after missing a couple of weeks she doesn’t want to go back.  I don’t want to force anything on them, but I really want them to do an athletic activity as there’s no phys ed at school.  Any tips?

Melissa:  I am a firm believer in commitment, although before age 6, I am not sure if kids can understand the word commitment enough to “commit”.  I think if the kids are over 6 that it is important before signing them up to make sure they agree to the terms of the activity. If it is a team sport especially, there is no getting out of it once signed up. It is important for them to understand that they are not just committing to themselves, but to the whole team and they need to see it through until the end.

I think before age 6, don’t sign them up for anything that there is no getting out of.  They hardly know if they are going to like an activity, much less want to commit to it.  I always ask if we could do a trial class before signing up.  Kids that young are so fickle, it is not realistic to expect them to consistently like anything. (for example the toys they are in love with one day, are forgotten the next week).

I know it can feel disappointing to have the kids drop out after doing an activity for awhile.  That is why I think it is important to make an agreement about how long they are going to be doing it before signing up.  This way they know what to expect, and exactly what they are choosing to commit to.  I think it is totally okay to give them time off of something that they once previously loved.  If they really have passion for it, they will eventually want to go back.

Never stop having them try new activities. It is amazing how much you can find for them to try.  I think for the over 6 group it is important to have them commit to one physical activity to teach them the value of caring for their physical being and setting the groundwork for a lifetime.

Please send your own questions to our resident experts, Melissa and Merriam at experts@takesavillage.net!. Check out their bios for more info on their credentials.
Posted in Ask the Experts, Behavior, Commitment, Exercise, Extra curricular Activity, Parenting Advice, Physical Fitness, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shots Anybody?

by Rajina Posted on November 23, 2011

Rajina and Steve sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then after years of trying and many tears, came the baby in a baby carriage.

Wow, what a ride we encountered trying to get pregnant!  As most, I assumed the usual “Wam Bam Thank You Ma’am” was going to work, but not in our case…

I woke up the day after my 30th birthday in excruciating pain and it wasn’t from a hangover.  I ended up in the ER with a ruptured ovarian cyst, which turned out to be just the beginning of my cyst-plagued adventures. A year later another cyst developed.  This time however, it needed to be surgically removed or run the risk of rupturing again… damn, surgery!!

While in the process of removing my cyst, it was discovered that my fallopian tubes were also blocked.  For those of you that don’t know, natural conception isn’t an option with blocked tubes. What to do, what to do?? I figured, I’d just “let it go” being that we weren’t trying to get pregnant at that time, and hope that a little luck and wishful thinking would come to my aid when the time was right.

Another year passed, but this time I was married and couldn’t wait to start a family. “Doc I want a baby, what needs to be done?” to which he replied “you’re going to need to see a fertility specialist for further guidance”.

Really?!?! $$$$$$$$$$$

Another year, another surgery.  This time, unfortunately it was to remove something I WANTED to keep… my fallopian tubes.  Without the tubes, the now little hope I had of getting pregnant naturally was completely gone and the sadness of reality officially set in

Just like clockwork, ANOTHER year passed and it was once again time for my annual “cyst removal”.  After much back & forth with my doctor, it was now clear that IVF was going to be our only option and we needed make a move quickly before things got worse.

Have you ever had an injection in your belly? No? Well my husband hadn’t given an injection before either.  I was now being pumped full of hormones, and emotions were on high alert. Round one had begun, and before we knew it, it was time for the egg retrieval, and then eventually the egg transfer.

Looking good!  Wait, what? I have to wait two LONG weeks to find out if I’m pregnant??? God help me!!! That was the longest 14 days of my life, just to be told “sorry you’re not pregnant”.

Depression set in full force (again)

Determined, I was ready to try again immediately. Thank goodness for my amazing doc, cause he let us go for it.  I wanted a baby and I wanted one badly.

On to round 2 and another dreaded 2 week wait… On day 10 I took my own pregnancy test and BAM!  Two faint lines? Really? Are you kidding me? This better not be a joke!  Day 11 and the lines were a little darker. Day 12, even darker then before, day 13 and the tests (all 5 of them) said pregnant!  On day 14 I had my official blood test. 2 hours later, the phone rang… two words… “you’re pregnant”  !OMG!! OMG!! OMG!!

39 weeks and 3 days later we are blessed with our beautiful little girl and this is where the real story begins…

 

Posted in Health, Villagers | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Gestational Diabetes: Not so Sweet

by Stephanie Posted on November 20, 2011

Hi Everyone!  Stephanie here, resident pre-parent (12 weeks preggo) at takesavillage.net.  I can’t write much about being a parent as this is my first child but I can speak to you about my journey through pregnancy.  I have to admit, thanks to my kick ass genetics I haven’t had to deal with the dreaded morning sickness almost every woman suffers from.  However, my genetics also have a very sinister side: diabetes.  Both my parents suffer from it as well as 2 out of 5 of my siblings.  The rest of us kids have been able to stay “borderline” diabetics through diet and exercise.  So what does that translate to during pregnancy?  You got it –  Gestational diabetes!

Now I’m no doctor so I’ll let the American Diabetes Association do all of the explaining.

Most women don’t have to deal with gestational diabetes until their second trimester.  But again, thanks to those awesome genetics mentioned earlier, gestational diabetes popped out its ugly head very early in my pregnancy (Thanks Mom and Dad!).  So, for the past month, I have had to poke my finger 4 times a day and document every morsel of food that goes into my mouth.  Not fun.  I think I’d rather have morning sickness!

 So what that means for me is frustrating blood glucose levels.  Through out the day I’m able to control my levels with diet and exercise.  It’s my fasting levels that are killing me.  No matter what I do I can’t seem to get those numbers down!  I’ve tried everything: walking after dinner, eating a late night snack, and even skipping the late night snack.  Nothing works.

According to my doctor it’s not my fault.  Again, it’s all about my lovely genes.  According to her, I am most likely going to have to give myself insulin injections.  At first it’s only going to be one at night and as I progress through my pregnancy I’ll have to give myself more.  By my third trimester, I’ll be giving myself three injections a day.  Holy crap, that’s nerve wrecking!

Ah well. Until then I’ll just have to continue on this educational roller coaster learning what works for my body and what doesn’t.  You are all welcome to join me, learn with me, and help me with any suggestions you may have.  I’ll need all the help I cant get.

Posted in diabetes, diet, Genetics, Health, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment