Don’t forget the mouthwash

Mouthwash

MouthwashDon’t forget the mouthwash!

The last several years I have insisted on the children using mouthwash after each time they brush their teeth. Wow, does that make a difference in their dental check-ups!! I needed to teach them not to swallow it, which wasn’t much of a problem. Sometimes they would be walking out the door for school and couldn’t say goodbye because they wanted to swish that stuff on their way to school..haha. There seems to be several benefits to daily mouth washing:

1. strengthens teeth

2. Seems to whiten teeth

3. Helps with bad breath

4. Fights plaque

Not all mouthwash is created equal, so that is worth looking into. For such little time, mouth washing pitches a major punch to your dental health.  Don’t forget to floss!

“The benefits of mouthwash, sometimes referred to as mouth rinse, include the ability to freshen one’s breath, kill bacteria that may contribute to tooth decay and gum disease, and loosen debris on and between teeth. In some cases, a mouthwash may also be formulated to provide additional benefits, such as tooth whitening. It should be noted that the benefits of mouthwash vary according to its formulations. Some mouthwashes primarily act to freshen breath and may not include the ingredients needed to protect a person’s teeth and gums. Those who are concerned about receiving the full benefits of mouthwash should consult the primary professional organization for dentists in their jurisdiction to find out which mouthwashes it has approved for maintaining oral health.” Wisegeek

Body Language

Body Language

Body Language

Body language says it all…almost.

Experts say that if you took 100 % of the communication we receive:

7 % of communication is ‘received’ by words

38 % of communication is ‘received’ by sounds

55 % communication is ‘received’ by body language

That is huge!! How are people reading you? It makes me want to stop and consider what body language I am using as I interact with my children and for that matter my husband. Could I be giving signals I didn’t intend? To be an engaged parent it takes A LOT of listening.

Body Language

Do you ever catch yourself doing the blank stare after a 15 minute monologue from one of the children about something they love which you may not (like Pokémon or superheroes)? I think I will try to do a little more POSITIVE body language these days. Notice those around you. We are all quite masterful at our body language communication.

Happiness

Happiness

Happiness

 

As much as we may not want to believe it, happiness is a choice. Life gets really hard at times. Things happen where we feel beat up emotionally. These are the times we need to pause, take a deep breath, then reflect on our life. Are there things we could change that are adding to our distress? Do we need to change things that are causing us unhappiness? Sometimes there are big things. Sometimes it’s just the little things that get to me. Silly little things. But it doesn’t make the way you are feeling any less real. Can I just say that even the mundane household chores day after day are enough to send me into fits. Honestly, how many times do I have to wash the same dishes or pick up the same shoes? There IS happiness for us.  It is what God wants. 

 

I love this quote, which brings hope to me when things look bleak:

“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it…” –Joseph Smith Jr.

Honey

Honey
Honey

Honey by Hillary Stein

Honey

 

The other day I was reading about natural honey (since I love sweets!) and came across some really cool facts I thought I would share. Natural honey is wonderful as a food and also as a medicine. There are many different grades of honey, depending on factors such as where it is sourced and what containers it was stored in.

  • While honey is sweet like white sugar, it is unique in that it also has small amounts of nutrients our bodies need for healthy living including: calcium, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid.

 

  • Honey is a source of antioxidants which aids in protecting against some diseases. The quality of the antioxidants depends partially on the floral source of the honey. The darker honeys are known to have a higher antioxidant content.

 

  • Honey is a great sports activity enhancer because of its high energy boosting ability. Plus, it is a lot cheaper than commercially sold sports bars and drinks. Because honey is in a pre-digested form it is directly absorbed into the body unlike refined sugar which needs to go through normal digestion.

 

  • A recent study showed there is an antibacterial property to honey which makes it a better choice than refined sugar when it comes to tooth decay. Fruit juice starts to erode the tooth enamel ten minutes after consumption. Honey showed a delayed reaction on the teeth of 30 minutes, and the prominence of the erosion was less.

These facts make it highly worth substituting honey in some foods for other sweeteners. So for that next peanut butter sandwich opt out of jam and bring on the honey!

Because of the possible presence of botulinum , infants under 1 year old should not be feed honey.

 

Yoga

Yoga

YogaYoga

SO MANY BENEFITS! IT IS WORTH LOOKING INTO.

I am not sure why it has taken me so long to post about yoga.  It’s a love of mine. The incredible sense of wellbeing after I attend a yoga class is almost addictive. Let me mention some of the benefits:

1. Deliberate breathing to match movement enhances the sense of wellbeing.

2. Yoga is strength training. Yes, it strains the muscles. I used to think of yoga as poses that looked like a human pretzel.  It is that for some, but there is much more to it.

3. Part of yoga practice includes balance. With patience in yourself and practice, the balance comes.  Balance manifests itself in many things in life. My husband marvels at my balance as I maneuver my bike around tricky areas where he has to get off of his bike.

4. I love the stretching portion of yoga. It doesn’t matter how flexible or not you are. Practice shows improvement.  In turn, this helps guard against injury.

5. Perhaps my favorite part of yoga is practicing calming my mind…a difficult task in this whirlwind life. Also, you can have a deeper sleep because of the relaxation that accompanies yoga practice. Yes!

Find a class! It is difficult at first, so give it time and I think you will end up loving it too!

Great Grains

Great Grains

Great Grains

Great Grains!

Grains that I have tried and really liked are:

  • Spelt               Pricey, but delicious in bread, use in cookies but you need a little more flour than if you use wheat flour. (grind)
  • Quinoa          Considered a perfect food–I put a small amount of quinoa in with rice every time I cook rice.
  • Kamut          Use in coffee cake, muffins or bread. (grind)
  • Oats               The less processed the oats are, the better they are for you (for instance, rolled oats are better than quick).
  • Buckwheat Use in small amounts because of the strong taste. (grind)
  • Wheat          Substitute out some white for wheat flour in most everything you cook.  Use White Wheat, it is more alkaline (which is what you want), Red Wheat is more acidic. (grind)
  • Corn              Try ground corn in corn bread with spelt flour. (grind)
  • Brown Rice Cook a little longer than white rice.
  • Barley           Use whole barley for sprouting.

Add grains in SLOWLY if you are not used to them.  If you don’t, you may end up with a stomach ache.

Take a Deep Breath

Take a Deep Breath
Take a Deep Breath

Image by Janielle Beh

I have discovered a powerful means of achieving a high sense of wellbeing. Would you believe that it comes through breath? I first started to experience this when I began doing Yoga. Yoga consists of a breathing technique.

 

Take a deep breath!

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/running-air-breathing-technique the following is a quote from this webpage:

“From the Belly

Before learning the rhythmic patterns that will take your running to a new level, you must first become a belly breather, that is, learn to breathe from your diaphragm. When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward, while muscles in your chest contract to expand your rib cage, which increases the volume in your chest cavity and draws air into your lungs. Working your diaphragm to its fullest potential allows your lungs to expand to their greatest volume and fill with the largest amount of air, which of course you need for your running. The more air you inhale, the more oxygen is available to be transferred through your circulatory system to your working muscles. Many people underuse their diaphragm, relying too much on their chest muscles and therefore taking in less oxygen, which is so important to energy production. The other downside of breathing from your chest is that these muscles (the intercostals) are smaller and will fatigue more quickly than your diaphragm will. To rely less on your chest muscles to breathe, you’ll want to train yourself to breathe from your belly, that is, with your diaphragm. Practice belly breathing both lying down and sitting or standing, since you should be breathing diaphragmatically at all times—whether you’re running, sleeping, eating, or reading a book. Here’s how to learn the technique:

• Lie down on your back.

• Keep your upper chest and shoulders still.

• Focus on raising your belly as you inhale.

• Lower your belly as you exhale.

• Inhale and exhale through both your nose and mouth.”

 

 

There is so much more I want to say on this subject but will save it for  a later post.

Great kid friendly websites

Great kid friendly websites

Try these great kid friendly websites to help beat the summer time boredom that seems to find its way into our homes as the heat zaps our kids which ends up zapping us! Whew!  That was a mouthful.

Great kid friendly websites

 

                               Websites for kids

The Internet Schoolhouse

http://www.internetschoolhouse.com

Windows to the Universe

http://www.earthsky.com

States Online

http://www.50states.com

Ancient Sites

http://www.ancientsites.com

Egyptology

http://www.kv5.com

Early America

http://www.earlyamerica.com

Crayola

http://www.crayola.com

E-Greeting Cards

http://www.sendgreeting.com

The Puzzle Depot

http://www.puzzledepot.com

Ultimate Origami

http://www.origami.vancouver.bc.ca

Animal Adventures

http://www.jackhanna.com

Disney Online

http://www.family.com

Great kid friendly websites

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