Natural Health and Wellness

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the US. Does that disturb you? It certainly is scary when you think of all the health problems associated with the extra pounds, and these children will be at risk at a very early age. The figure is that about 30% of American kids fall into this category and the number is rising. Some of them are severely obese. Sadly, I remember as a child that the few fat kids were pretty much the object of other kids' jokes as well -- at the very least, they were not usually among the popular kids and rarely chosen for anyone's team. In this Washington Post article you can read about this growing problem and some initiatives being taken to address it . Another article in the Washington Post that came to my attention this week focuses on one aspect: SODAS! There are those who would like to place a stiff tax on sodas sweetened with sugar and high fructose corn syrup. While I'm not sure exactly what my opinion is of this idea, it might at least giv...

Bright little winter birds coming to feed, One takes a crumb, another a seed. Each takes a portion, according to need. Good little winter birds, teach us your creed! from MORNING IS A LITTLE CHILD by Joan Walsh Anglund So many reasons to share this little poem with you today...copyright in 1969, 40 years later it speaks volumes to the conditions we have created for ourselves and our world. Each of us focusing on our needs rather than our greedy and gluttonous appetites for every dazzling trinket we behold would conserve incredible resources for the generations to come. My daughter-in-law has recently blogged about " Children's Books as Heirlooms ." She photographed several of our treasured volumes. Thinking about our conversations surrounding that topic, I remembered this book, which was one of my daughter's very favorite. She had every beautiful verse memorized. I remember our discussions of this particular one and how God does meet our needs. When he gives us even...

One of the comments made in response to this YOUTube video was to the effect that if each of us did one earth friendly thing each day, the earth would smile. The music and the message are terrific! Be warned: There are many sad scenes between the many beautiful ones here. We could jump to the extreme conclusion that we would be wise to all go back to living like cave men. More realistically, however, I believe it is a call to all of us to be more selective about our perceived "needs," more responsible with the disposal of our discards, and more contemplative before we act about just how our actions will affect this earth for our children and our grancdhildren and theirs for the generations to come.

Poking around today looking for like minded individuals, I came across this blog " Fun 2 Save $$ " about making saving fun. The first post that popped up is entitled "Children and Advertising- What to Do?" That caught my attention as I remember well my children's pleas for the latest and greatest. As a graphic artist my husband's profession calls for the creation of advertising print pieces -- packaging, print advertising, billboards and the like. We were so aware of the gimmicks and tricks utilized by many companies to lure the consumer. We used many of the same tactics mentioned here to educate our children of these ploys. These are great suggestions. It was also a great learning tool for our children that whenever we were approached at the mall by market researchers, we were automatically disqualified because of my husband's work in the advertising field. They knew we knew all the tricks! There are other posts on the blog, too, that speak of "sno...

WOW!!! That's the only word that came to my mind as I read through this incredible article -- plus an overwhelming sense of the Holy Spirit all over this one. "WHO" would have ever thought that Dr. Seuss in 1954 would be speaking prophetically to us today in 2008 -- over 50 years later. What I recognized immediately as a friendly children's flick appearing on the big screen all over America this weekend, has just become a "must see" moment in time. This is just more confirmation to me that it has been God speaking to me about using my reflexology skills and gifting in a pro-life center in my community. The contacts were made weeks ago. I now have a copy of a textbook on the subject of maternity and reflexology. When I learned of the book in early January, I had no idea it would take me over 2 months to actually obtain a copy -- especially in our instant gratification society. I'm also trusting the right doors will open for me to participate in a very sp...

Thought I would take the opportunity today to share with you about one of my favorite links: LITERACY LAUNCHPAD . What a relaxing, enjoyable, nurturing and growing opportunity it is to share books with children. Amy created Literacy Launchpad for children in daycare centers in the Nashville, TN area. She reads with the children, encouraging them to love books and reading, promoting what she believes will be a life long adventure in and love of reading. In her blog, Amy shares about the children, the books they read, the activities that bring the book selections to life, and makes many recommendations for bringing similar experiences to life with your children. She would love to meet you on her blog, and you might like to checkout her website where you can learn more about the LITERACY LAUNCHPAD EXPERIENCE in the Nashville area. Children, parents, and Ms. Amy visited the Literacy Launchpad's October Scarecrow, Reid Tome, at Cheekwood Gardens earlier this month. It was a great adven...