That's Fit

My husband, a baseball editor for a national newspaper, taught our daughter how to say "pitching mound" when she was about 18 months old. We are lucky to have a field down the street. We drive by it every time we go somewhere in the car and every time we do, our daughter yells "pitching mound!" with gleeful delight.

We've now started making treks on foot down to the field on a semi-regular basis. And our little girl, now almost three, is learning about the rest of the landscape covered with red dirt and grass and framed by two dugouts. She isn't skilled enough to hit yet. Not even off of a tee. But boy do we run those bases. Over and over. And we jump on them. And we cheer at home plate.

By the time we've walked there and back and run the bases a few times, I figure we got more exercise than most players do during a whole game. And it certainly didn't take nine innings to do it. Quick and easy workout, and the kid's exhausted. Perfect!

If you're a parent, you have undoubtedly been in the position of trying to please a whining child before he or she can spit out words describe desires. There is a way to stop the whining without guessing.

My baby was learning sign language before she was a year old. The practice has become rather popular, trendy in fact, as simply another mode of communication and learning. But our family was inspired by my mother's diagnosis with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, when her grandchild was just a few months old. As a result, my mother has became speech-impaired. Almost two years later, she can't speak at all. But she and my daughter still use sign language to communicate along with a special speaking device my mother types into. My daughter can sign types of food, colors, walking, dancing, different emotions, bathing, clothes and sleeping, just to name a few.

She learned all of it from Baby Signing Time DVDs. I am not a big fan of TV for kids. I severely limit my daughter's time in front of the tube. But these DVDs were amazing. And it's all she watched until she was almost two. They feature children of various ages signing to songs sung by Signing Time's creator, who has a daughter who is deaf. I will be forever thankful that they existed, especially when I see the joy my daughter and her grandma get out using their hands to say "I love you."

I would rather throw up than have a sore throat. I know, TMI. But it's true. Having a sore throat, for me, is worse than just about every other minor ailment you can think of.

I've finally discovered something -- actually, two -- that work for me to calm the soreness without numbing my whole mouth. (I hate that, too.) And they are both herbal remedies. (I love those.) Slippery elm and licorice root. The former comes in lozenge form. The latter, usually in tea. They are among the remedies mentioned in this article.

So, I'm certainly not the first to discover these. But if this is news to you, give them a try. If you like them, great. You don't have to sing. Just spread the word.

Call me square. Call me granola. I'm up for any method of reducing stress that doesn't involve prescription or illegal substances.

So I really like these holistic ideas for brightening your outlook and lightening the mental load. The authors emphasize taking things slow when it comes to stress reduction. No quick fix or single solution is key. I especially appreciate the idea of doing things that are easy and free. There are such things. Incorporating the following 10 simple tips into daily life, many of which I do myself, can make a big difference:

• Add something beautiful to your life on a daily basis (e.g., flowers).
• Do some enjoyable activities whenever possible.
• Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace.
• Take a short break after meals to relax.
• If possible, go outside at least once per day and notice the simple things such as the weather, scenery, etc.
• During the day, whenever you remember, notice the tension in your body (jaw, neck, diaphragm, shoulders, etc.). Breath deeply and gently stretch and relax any tense areas.
• If you notice your mind racing or worrying about the past or future, take a minute to breath deeply and gently focus on something in the moment such as your breath, scenery, birds.
• Take breaks during the workday to relax.
• Wear comfortable and loose clothing when possible. Take off your shoes when you can.
• Avoid holding in feelings day after day, but instead, find a safe place to feel, express and embrace them.

Good luck!

Source: www.holisticmed.com

Peanut allergies have become pretty popular. And what causes them remains a bit confusing.

When my now almost three-year-old daughter was a baby, our pediatrician told us the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended peanut consumption be delayed until age three because the allergy was believed to be developed due to repeated exposure at a very young age. But new studies suggest no relation between allergies to peanuts and when a child began eating them. This is what AAP had to say. Since the cause is still clear as mud, study authors recommend more research on the cause of early allergic reactions to peanuts, as well as successful prevention efforts.

Meanwhile, we're still eating sunflower seed butter in our house. This web page touts its similarity to peanut butter in consistency, taste and price and offers a nutritional breakdown (it does contain a bit more sugar than some peanut butters). We started when the pediatrician gave us the nitty gritty on nut allergies and we have no plans to stop. It's really tasty. I like it better than peanut butter. We pick up a couple jars every time we go to Trader Joe's. But it's also available in other local markets.

So until researchers come up with some more news on peanuts, consider sunflower seed butter as a tasty alternative that you don't have to worry about.

A dear friend of mine has just been diagnosed with myriad food allergies. Eggs and gluten are among them. As a result, the thought of her future in the kitchen, let alone in restaurants and at dinner parties, has become somewhat daunting.

But there's a resource that might ease her transition. Cooking Allergy Free is an online community of food allergy sufferers and catalog of information and recipes just for them. We introduced readers to the site before. But a recent site redesign makes it easier to find recipes tailored to specific allergy-diets and allows users to create their own profile. Administrators have also added to the vast library of recipes.

Those who create their own profile can include personal information and a photo, allow others to see their allergies, and allow people to privately contact them. And those who create profiles during the month of May will be entered in a raffle for a free cookbook of their choice.

I'm so happy to be back to incorporating outdoor workouts into my routine, sporadic as it may be. It's been almost three years since I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and I still don't have winter workout gear in my wardrobe. So I tend to wait around for April to go for any lengthy walks or jogs outside.

But that would be so normal.

The other day, I actually did sprints, played hide and seek and pretended to be Dora the Explorer in a field of tall grass down the street from our house. Of course, I wasn't alone. This was my daughter's idea of a grand time. And it turned out to be a pretty darn good workout, too.

No trails, stroller, trails, or special gear needed. Just an empty meadow and our imaginations.

The smell of barbecue is back in the neighborhood. And how sweet it is.

Do you know anyone who doesn't like a grilled dinner? And most grilled dinners, even the traditional burgers or dogs, can be quite healthy when paired with green salad and fresh fruit. Even the most die-hard heart-attack food lovers can be suckers for grilled veggies. My favorite is yellow squash with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. My almost three-year-old daughter adores corn on the cob fresh from the 'cue. We do all the classics: burgers, dogs, steaks, chicken, various veggies, a mix of stuff on kabobs and more.

This season, I'm looking forward to trying some new things. The Food Network has tons of great spring and summer grilling ideas. Some are really unique. At least to me. What really caught my attention were all the recipes for grilled fruit. If you've never had it, plan it as part of your meal. Tonight. I've done melon and pineapple. But I love the idea of doing nectarines and plums, too. Mmmm.

If you've read some of my other posts, you know I'm a fan of gardening and the resulting goodness: flowers, food, herbs, etc. I'm also a big fan of house plants, which, I believe, are supposed to evoke a sense of bringing the outside in and, thus, a sense of calmness and freshness. An aura that's anything but stressful.

But I find that sometimes keeping up with watering and caring for house plants can actually be a bit stressful, and therefore can cancel out a bit of their peaceful properties. This is not true if you choose succulents. I've had succulents I didn't water for an entire season that are still flourishing in their respective containers, so you don't have to worry about keeping up with a regular watering schedule. They don't get those unsightly brown, and dare I say, stressed, leaves. They require very little care and give big payback, in my opinion. One of the more well-known in this plant family, aloe, can even heal wounds as well as protect and beautify skin.

Beyond that, various types of these delightful little living things are perfect for adorning your windowsills, bathroom vanities, and other nooks and crannies throughout your home. And sometimes they can please the eye just enough to take the edge off of an otherwise frazzled day.

It's that time of year again. If there's anything I've learned about living in Northern Virginia, it's that the grass keeps growing and the mosquitoes always hatch.

Well, the mosquitoes aren't here yet, but boy is the grass going crazy. Thanks to a whole lot of rainfall so far this spring -- a good thing for the recovery of last year's drought -- weekly mowing is already a part of our routine. Well, mine. My husband and 2-year-old typically leave the lawn duty to me.

But I've decided that's just fine. It takes me a good half-hour to cut our grass and by the time I'm done, I've worked my arms and legs enough to sweat a good bit even when the heat and humidity isn't here yet. And all the while, my daughter is pretty happy digging in her sandbox.

So all you people who pay a gardener to mow the lawn and then wonder where you're going to find the time to work out, save your money and crank up the mower.

I'm a writer and yet I've never filled a journal. I've started many. But then I get distracted with other projects and life and writing for work ...

But one of my dearest friends has filled 37 journals in the past 10 years. Why? It's one of her main stress relievers. She swears by it. It's helped her recognize unhealthy patterns and make healthy changes. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes excruciating.

It's the only place she can be honest. The only place she's free. It's a look in the proverbial mirror. And clarity looks back. "My journals save me," she says. "They're solace. A release."

Wow. Sounds good. Maybe I'll dust one off and fill the pages for once in my life.

This month, the American Diabetes Association invites anyone willing to make a few phone calls between today and May 2 to call on Congress to do more to fight diabetes.

Calls will be made to congressional Representatives and Senators during the ADA's 2008 Call to Congress Call-In. Also, hundreds of diabetes advocates will be on Capitol Hill visiting with their Members of Congress and asking them to increase funding for diabetes research and prevention.

Talking points and the call-in flyer (for printing and distributing) can be found online.

Source: American Diabetes Association

Bad news for women in the Washington Post yesterday. A study, also published yesterday, reveals evidence that life expectancy is falling for a significant number of American females.

According to the Post, the study cites that in nearly 1,000 counties that together are home to about 12 percent of the nation's women, life expectancy is now shorter than it was in the early 1980s. This marks the first decline in life expectancy for a significant number of women since the Spanish influenza of 1918, the Post reports.

One of the elements I miss most about Southern California since moving to Northern Virginia almost three years ago is the ocean: it's proximity to where I live, visiting it often, seeing the sun set in it, driving Highway 1 with the windows down and smelling it, surfing and swimming in it, everything.

I remember when years ago I'd break up my long and traffic-clogged commute between a newspaper in Thousand Oaks and my apartment in Los Angeles by taking a detour and following Kanan Road from the 101 freeway to Malibu and having a cocktail on the sand at Paradise Cove. Just looking at the ocean relieved my stress from the work day more than any cocktail could. Breathing the air, smelling the salt, feeling the breeze, watching the waves, basking in the sun. It was heavenly and I'd continue my drive home a happier person.

I'm not the first to practice or suggest visiting the ocean or another body of water as a means of stress relief. Nor am I the first to start or suggest imagining such a visit. I find both methods highly successful, even if they leave me with a sad case of nostalgia.

I was in the checkout line at Target the other day and spotted a steam mop on the conveyor belt behind my stuff. I asked the woman behind me about it. She was trying it for the first time. At $40, she figured she couldn't lose. Well, anything but $40. But anyway, it piqued my curiosity. Turns out, it's the hot new trend in cleaning supplies.

A recent Washington Post article on the subject offers a pretty nice overview of the method. As for effectiveness and the potential to provide relief for allergy sufferers, steam cleaners seem promising. They are not a "magic wand," but myriad types of steam cleaners can apparently clean things from floors to outdoor grills pretty well. And because hot steam is touted for its ability to kill dust mites, mold and other allergens, they appeal to allergy sufferers.

Another lure is that the method offers a healthier alternative to chemical cleaners and is therefore kinder to the environment, especially waste water. But as with many eco-friendly efforts, there's an "inevitable weighing of pros and cons." Steam cleaners require electricity to use and energy for production and transport and will eventually add to solid waste in landfills.