Growing Healthy Kids Blog: General

It's hard to believe but my "babies" started 7th and 5th grades today! Yes, it is only July 7, but in our area of North Carolina we are blessed to be on a Year-Round school calendar.

Not familiar with this concept? To ease overcrowding in our schools due to rapid growth in our area, 52 elementary and middle schools were switched to year-round calendars as it permits the school to serve 20-33% more students without increasing class sizes...or building new schools. This also means that schools do not sit empty for 2-3 months over "summer break" and operating costs are decreased since furniture, textbooks, etc. are "shared" between students.

Here's how it works: Students are assigned to one of four tracks. Each of the tracks is on a staggered 45/15 schedule (i.e., 45 days "in school" and 15 days break or trackout). Three of the four tracks are in school at any one time and the fourth track is "tracked out". All students share a 1-week "summer break" the first week of July before the new school years begins.

Here's how it looks for my kids who are on Track 3:
School year starts
3 weeks in school
3 weeks break
9 weeks in school
3 weeks break
9 weeks in school
3 weeks break
9 weeks in school
3 weeks break
6 weeks in school
School year ends
1 week school is closed
School year starts

We also get the traditional holidays off (e.g., Thanksgiving, Christmas, MLK Day, etc.) and are in class 180 days just like the schools on the traditional calendar.

We LOVE the Year-Round schedule! Essentially, my kids get a 3-week break every quarter, which makes for great family vacation time because most everyone else is in school! These frequest breaks are great for rejuvenating body, mind and spirit!

About the time the teachers and kids have had enough of school, and each other, it's time for break. About the time the kids are getting bored and missing their friends, it's time to go back to school. And with only one week between grade levels, no academic progress is lost! It also means that the first few weeks of school aren't spent reviewing and getting the kids up-to-speed. They literally continue where they left off.

As you can imagine, the frequent breaks and nearly immediate transition to the next grade level result in improved behavior and increased grades and test scores. Kids, and teachers, who aren't burned out and exhausted perform much better and tend to be happier and healthier!

I can't wait to hear how their first day went!

I'll start by sharing that the first day of school went off without a hitch. As expected, they hit the ground running! My daughter (5th grade) had math homework, while my son (7th grade) had no homework...but he brought home a huge envelope of homework for me! Tonight, he may not be so lucky.

As I was clearing our school "action" files of last year's notes, reminders, schedules, projects, treasures, etc., to get ready for the new school year, I found the following poem and wanted to share it with you. It is a reminder and lesson that we can't hear often enough.

We can learn so much from our children...if we only listen.

Enjoy!

Listening
A dozen times he must have said,
"Guess what I did today!"
And just as often I replied,
"Not now, Dear, run and play."
And when he'd finished all his chores,
And wanted praise from me,
I was too busy with my own
To look at him and see
That he had needs that I could fill,
Had I but understood
That children need attention most
When they are being good.
But just today he set me straight
With words said lovingly,
"When I have something I must tell,
Please, Daddy, look at me!"
And then I saw in his sweet eyes
His need for me to know
That my attention and my time
Was what he needed so.
"I love you," were the words he said;
"Please say you love me, too."
And when I did he smiled and said,
"Thanks, Dad, I know you do."
But what a truth he taught to me
In his sweet, childish way,
And now I try to listen when
There's something he must say.
~ Hilda Sanderson ~

My friend Susan shared this with me this morning. It was EXACTLY the reminder I needed! It brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. I just had to share it with you!

Not only is this an awesome reminder for each of us, but it is a lesson that we should be teaching our children DAILY!

Many blessings,
Maria

Twenty Dollars
Author Unknown

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by ...WHO WE ARE.
You are special - don't ever forget it."

In my last post I mentioned the seemingly endless number of resources and vast amount of information that are available and that describe and discuss all the body needs to be healthy and to function as it was intended and designed. If you have ever performed an online search relating to the topic of health, or illness, then I’m sure you’ll agree that I was not exaggerating when I said “seemingly endless” and “vast”.

The internet has made it both easy and convenient to access the vast amount of information about achieving and maintaining health and wellness. Open your search engine of choice; enter a key word or two in the search box and presto! You are rewarded with dozens of pages of links to websites offering you the information you seek! Dozens of pages???

Uh, oh! Too many choices! That’s about the time you realize you are starting a conversation with yourself: “Where do I start? Well, I could start with the first listing at the top of the first page…or I could close my eyes and randomly place my finger on my screen and start there…or I can put the numbers 1 to 10 in a hat… Hmmm...this website has an interesting name…”

Soon, you just decide to dive right in! You find yourself clicking from one website to another…even clicking on links within the text you’re reading. Saying things like, “That’s interesting!” and “I didn’t know that.” Clicking and reading; reading and clicking. Then comes the inevitable: “Wait a minute. That’s the exact OPPOSITE of what was on the OTHER website! How can that be???”

You’re initiation is nearly complete! Overwhelm begins to set in, as does frustration. Now you have even MORE questions than when you began your search…3 hours ago!

So, what’s next? Yep! The laundry is calling. It’s time to get the kids from school. You’ve got to get dinner started. Enter your favorite distraction (i.e., excuse) here. You vow to continue another day.

That day comes and passes…the same way! “Well, if getting healthy takes this much time and effort, then forget it! Besides, how can I possibly know where to start and what to do if even the “experts” don’t agree.” Initiation is NOW complete!

You were filled with good intention…motivated to make lifestyle changes so that you and your family could take your health to the next level. However, now you find your good intentions and motivation are buried beneath overwhelming feelings and frustration because you don’t know what to do or how to get started.

Sure, your research has turned up plenty of information. It just so happens that the information is riddled with contradiction...Vitamins cause cancer / Vitamins cure cancer...Don’t eat eggs / Eat eggs…Artificial sweeteners are safe / Artificial Sweeteners poison the body…Running is healthy / Running is hard on the body…Pain relievers improve quality of life / Pain relievers damage the liver and/or heart.

Now what? What are you to believe? Which information is right? Who can you trust? What should you do?

You should become an educated consumer! Ask the tough questions. Remain vigilant in your quest for information so that you can make educated decisions about your health and the health of your family. Find an “expert”, better yet find multiple “experts” that you trust. People that appear to have “done their homework” and that provide or reference specific data or evidence that supports their position and suggestions.

However, be sure you understand the relationship these “experts” have with the data or the implications of the data or the outcomes to ensure you understand the possibility of bias in the information.

For example: Dr. Ralph G Walton, a professor of psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, analyzed 166 articles reporting the results of aspartame (a.k.a. NutraSweet) research that were published in medical journals from 1980 to 1985. Here’s what he found:
- 74 of the 166 studies were financed by the artificial sweetener industry…100% of these 74 studies concluded that aspartame was safe to consume.
- 92 of the 166 studies were independently funded…91%, or 84, of these 92 studies identified adverse health effects resulting from aspartame consumption.

What does this mean for you? (besides avoiding aspartame at all costs; yet another discussion for another day) Even though there are countless numbers of knowledgeable, trustworthy people who are passionate about helping others achieve optimal health and wellness, there is no one who knows and loves you and your family more than you. More than anyone else, you have the best interest of yourself and your family at heart.

So dig in your heels and take a stand. Face the overwhelming feelings and frustration head-on. Educate yourself about the options and opportunities available. Read all you can. Participate in various forums and discussions, like the ones you’ll find at Growing Healthy Kids and BraveHeart Women Global Communities.

Take control of your health and that of your family.

January 20, 2009...Historical day indeed! It's my birthday! As a gift, I get to spend it with my family because schools and businesses are closed today due to a Winter Storm! That's right! Central North Carolina is enjoying its first measureable snow fall in a few years and has been under a Wnter Storm Warning since 9:00 p.m. last night. So far, we have about 4 inches of the white, fluffy stuff. We're expecting another 2-4 inches of snow before the storm moves out later this afternoon. All the kids on the street have spent the past 2 hours sledding, building forts and snowmen and making snowballs and snow angels. What fun! Not only are they getting a significant amount of exercise, but they are also practicing cooperation, teamwork, conflict resolution and responsibility. All the laughing is releasing endorphins that support immune function, not to mention building friendships! Growing Healthy Kids, Sowing Healthy Habits...

This day also offers an opportunity to see history in the making as Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States. What a wonderful Civics lesson for our children...and for us! Anytime there is a party change in the Office of the President, we experience lessons in change, tolerance and acceptance. This year's lessons are magnified by Barack Obama's African American heritage. Children are naturally accepting and tolerant of others's differences. They learn intolerance from those around them...from us. Growing Healthy Kids and Sowing Healthy Habits starts with us! Take time today to speak with your children about the significance of today's Inauguration...you may be surprised at the thoughts and opinions they hold and share. Remind them of the hope and growth that typically comes with change...if they don't remind you first.