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Be a Role Model

YOU are the most important role model for your child! For better or worse, the everyday habits of parents make a huge impact on their children. New evidence proves that parent's lifestyles play a large role in childhood obesity. “According to a childhood obesity researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, children tend to adopt the behaviors of their parents, whether they are sedentary or physically active”, reports USA Today. The study went on to say that parents who watch a significant amount of television are likely to have kids that act the same. The daily habits of parents will certainly become the daily habits of their children. So, the key to raising active and healthy children is to make a change in your own lifestyle first. Physical activity not only teaches good health habits, but it promotes quality family time too. Active families interact, communicate, bond, and build memories together. Kids feel valued because parents are focused on them instead of the television. This contributes to good social skills and emotional health in addition to physical health. Try incorporating more movement into your everyday habits. Begin setting aside time every night for physical activity. The choices are endless, depending on [...]

Posted on Friday, April 1st, 2011 |

Put in the time – It’s worth it

Have you noticed how people are just drawn to babies and toddlers? We all love the smiles, the giggles, and the funny facial expressions. We love when our babies find their toes, start to roll, crawl, walk, and even talk. Children are entertaining and such a pleasure to watch. What a great joy it is to be around children. But wait. Some of you smile and know that with the good times there are the tough times. You think of the crying, temper tantrums, little scowling looks, and maybe even deliberate defiance. Wow, our cute little children can behave that way? Of course, this is all part of the learning process. Our children went from crying when they are hungry, tired, and dirty to being expected to communicate clearly what they want. This is a difficult task. They are also learning so much from the people around them. How do we behave? Are we expecting our children to act different than us? The big question for parents and those teaching children is “Are you purposefully teaching them?” We can't expect children to figure things out on their own. If they are, then I'm sure they, and those around them, are [...]

Posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 |

Finding Time For YOU!

Alarm goes off at 7:30am and your day begins! If your day is anything like mine it looks a little like this… Feed the dogs and let them outside… while trying to keep them calm so not to wake the kiddo. Jump in the shower quick before Leah wakes up. Just as I am getting out of the shower I hear her. One of the best parts of the days is walking in her room to a warm greeting “ Mommy! I got poopy ucky!” Not excited to change the diaper, but I love hearing her voice! While Leah eats breakfast and watches Dora I squeeze in make-up and hair drying time. Then it's off to the next agenda item. Whether it is off to the babysitters, music class, gymnastics, or a friend's house we always have somewhere to go and something to do! Leah is very active and enjoys this! Back home for lunch and nap! Yes, nap time… the best part of the day right? Well, of course not, because there are dishes and laundry and cleaning and organizing and bills and just life! After nap time we make cookies (Leah loves to watch them bake in the [...]

Posted on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 |

Eat Smarter

Stacey's blog last week made me think about my New Year's Resolution to be healthier: exercise more, eat better …the usual. The part that is hard for me is eating a well balanced diet. It is my same resolution every year and I try, I really do. But life gets so busy and the temptation for quick and easy is so strong. I am always rushing off to work and it is so much easier to hit up a drive through on the way. I tell my self it is not so bad-it's not like I get the double cheeseburger, but the problem is that it becomes a lifestyle very quickly. We all know how important it is to make healthy lifestyle choices and it is really important that it begins at a young age. When I was younger, we always ate a good and balanced dinner, which always included milk, fruits and vegetables along with the requisite meat and potatoes. However, my sisters and I were pretty picky eaters; there were only a few vegetables and fruits that we ate. As I got older and went to college, I got exposed to new foods that I had never tried [...]

Posted on Thursday, January 13th, 2011 |

Baby Athletes – the Science Behind it

Doreen was featured on The Today Show on December 29, 2010 http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/40839182#40839182 The thought of teaching sport skills to babies seems absurd to many adults. Developing toddler athletes? People think it can't or shouldn't be done. Really? Let's take a look at the scientific facts as quoted from Tom Farrey's book, “Game On”… Human beings learn at an astonishing rate when very young, perhaps faster than at any other time in their lives. Beginning in the mid-1980s, parents started becoming aware of the developmental importance of the first five years of a child's life. The human body takes about two decades to reach its ultimate size, but 95 percent of the brain and central nervous system gets formed by age 7, and most of that growth is in the first four years. During that time, cells are being created and connected in ways that support the basic components of neuromuscular coordination. By 18 months, the cell content of the cerebellum – part of the brain that affect movement – has already reached adult levels. It's not mature from a cognitive standpoint, but the physical infrastructure is all in place. Motor skill development is a plastic process affected by habitual physical activity and the practice of specific movement. [...]