Search Results for: blog making your home into a healthy zone

Getting Kids to Exercise

I grew up with parents who normally did not exercise, unless their employment demanded it. This was due to how they were raised, and what their society taught them. This had negative effects on their health later on, one parent being depressed, and going from doctor to doctor without being helped in any major way, the other being an extreme puzzle for the doctors, who finally acknowledged they didn’t know what to do with him. Both my biological parents died from heart attacks and strokes, one at the early age of 56. Going to school, and socializing with people who … Continue reading →

How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy

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Okay, there probably isn’t one answer to the question: How do I get my kids to want to eat healthy foods? Different strokes for different folks, and all that. What works for one kid may not work for another — even in the same family. But here are some tricks to try to get your kids to love the foods that are good for them! Talk to your kids about what each food does for them. I’ll always remember that “carrots make your eyes sparkle” (in other words, are good for vision) and pizza crusts would make my hair curly. … Continue reading →

Preparedness for Baby Sitters

Whether you only intend to be gone for an hour or you plan to be gone for most of the day or evening, your baby sitter needs tools and information in order to provide the best care for your children. It’s also important to give the baby sitter a tour of your home to point out important things such as fire extinguishers, hazards, open windows that need to closed and locked after dark, or anything else you consider important. Make sure the sitter also knows how various appliances work and what to do if a circuit breaker is tripped (and … Continue reading →

Happy National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day!

Happy National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day! Today (what’s left of it anyway) is dedicated to the chore most of us dread to undertake. I realize that in most time zones the day is almost over, but if you are anything like me then cleaning the frig is more of a week long process than a day long one, so why not turn the event into a multi-day “celebration.” What’s more, the day was created to fall near Thanksgiving to inspire all of us to clean out our refrigerators to make room for the turkey and all of the fixings. … Continue reading →

Harvest Party

As usual, our church did a fantastic job throwing the Harvest Party. Kids, from the biggest to the smallest, had a great time. So did most of the parents. It started with “trunk or treat” in the parking lot, and once inside the Family Center (complete with restaurant kitchen and gymnasium) the real party started. While the party is intended for small children, the entire family is invited and may participate in activities, from games, a hayride, a puppet show, and door prizes, to the much-anticipated cakewalk. People from church bake their best goodies to give as prizes. Everyone ends … Continue reading →

Did You Know? Fighting Germs

When it comes to fighting germs in the home, there is a lot of information available. There are also a lot of old wives’ tales. For example, while doorknobs do get germy, did you know that the inner doorknob of the bathroom is usually one of the cleanest? That might sound strange, but considering that most people wash their hands right after using the toilet, their hands should be clean when opening the door. So, if it’s not doorknobs or handles that are the ickiest, which handles would be? The handle used to flush and the sink faucet handles, since … Continue reading →

Consistency is Key

In my personal experience, the greatest success I measured in any fitness program I engaged in occurred when I did it regularly – day in and day out and only taking the days off that I designated. No matter how hard you work or how much exercise you do – if you are not consistent about it, you will not achieve the results you wish. For example, I have heard the following far too often: I can only work out for ten to twenty minutes a day and how is that ever going to be enough? I’ll tell you how … Continue reading →

Television and Your Toddler

When you have a toddler, you are faced with a lot of choices. So after you are done wrestling with the let them or not let them watch television, then you have to wrestle with what shows are good for toddlers or at least appropriate – and with the plethora of programming available out there – this can be a lot more difficult than just electing to put the television on PBS and calling it good. Not that I am knocking PBS, I was weaned on Sesame Street and the Electric Company. While the former is still available, the latter … Continue reading →

Television and Your Baby

In the last couple of decades, there is a growing movement of parents pulling their children away from the television. They are associating television watching with developmental and social problems your infant or toddler may develop later in life. So if you’re like most other parents, you may be really worried about whether there is too much television in your toddler’s life and whether or not there is too much influence on you. I’m not going to go into the statistics or the social issues associated with television and your older children, you may want to check out the parenting … Continue reading →