Spring into Summer

Summer is coming, and when you’re a parent, that means some time off from school for your kids (and for you!), family togetherness and the chance to enjoy the great outdoors.

Looking for some ideas about what to do during the warmer months? We put together a list of some resources we found that can help you and your kids fully enjoy your time together this summer and even learn a little something in the process. (We also have some natural and creative allergy relief info at the bottom if you are suffering!)

Explore Your World

When the weather is nice, no one wants to be cooped up inside! Instead of just going for a walk or playing at the park, why not take your family out to explore nature? The spring and summer are the best seasons for discovering living things, both large and small. I found some engaging educational activities in FamilyFun magazine recently that can help children actively learn about the many fascinating creatures that live in their environment.

Below are a few tools you can make at home to bring along with you on your outdoor adventures:

1. “Bug B&B.” Your kids can get to know some of their local bugs by creating a temporary home from them using a simple ice cream carton. Just cut three or four 2-inch square openings around the top of a clean, empty half-gallon ice cream carton. Wrap duct tape around the edges of the openings to reinforce them. Bury a small plastic cup in a vegetable garden or flowerbed so the top is even with the ground. Put the carton over the cup to protect it from rain, then use a small stone to weigh it down and leave it overnight. In the morning, check to see if any bugs showed up. Return them to the once you’ve all taken a good look. You can attract even more bugs if you put tiny bits of fruit at the bottom of the cup.
2. “Catch a Breath.” Would you like to see firsthand how plants breathe? You can conduct this simple experiment anywhere you see a patch of grass and concrete/a sidewalk. Get two empty, clean glass jars. Put one over a patch of grass in the sunlight and the other over concrete or asphalt. Leave the jars for one hour, then return to examine them. The inside of the grass jar will be covered with water droplets, whereas the concrete jar will be dry.
3. “Underwater Explorer.” This sifter is made from a 7-inch embroidery hoop and can help your kids study the bugs, snails, tiny shrimp, crayfish and more that live in ponds. Just cut two circles from tulle that are slightly larger than the hoop and place the hoop between the circles. Staple the pieces together around the hoop’s perimeter and pull the tulle tight. (And here’s a tip to make this easier:  Staple one side first, then pull it tight and stale the opposite side. Keep stapling around the hoop with this same technique!)  Find a part of the pond where plants are growing into the water. Because plant roots offer shelter for bottom-dwellers from predators, you’ll find the most living things in this area. Lower the hoop into the soil on the pond’s floor and sweep it slowly back and forth. Then raise it out of the water. Repeat this until you catch something! Put what you find into a small plastic container filled with pond water and take a peek. Help your kids safely return the creatures to their home when they’re done.

Seasonal Allergy Relief

Allergies can make enjoying the warmth of summer challenging for many of us. While a daily antihistamine and other meds can help lessen symptoms like sneezing, itchiness and watery eyes, there are also a lot of other natural remedies that can provide relief.

The folks at Whole Living offered up a list of surprising ways to battle different degrees of seasonal allergies: “occasional”; “semi-regular”; “chronic.”

If you just get a little sniffly when you hang out in the spring and summer …

Eat a salad. Eating fruits and vegetables has been proven to calm allergies. When you’re having an allergic reaction, oxidants and histamines in your system work together to attack. The carotenoids in produce actually defend against these oxidants, helping reduce or eliminate your body’s reaction.

Keep triggers at bay. If you want to avoid allergens, shut the windows when the lawn is being mowed, wear wraparound sunglasses, leave your shoes and jacket at the door, turn your car’s a/c to “recirtulate” and avoid outdoor exercise in the a.m. and midday, when pollen counts are soaring.

For semi-regular allergies …

Take supplements.  Research has shown that 800 mg of vitamin E each day can help prevent sneezing, itchy eyes and other allergy symptoms. Also, the antioxidant quercetin, which is in apples and onions might also help block the release of histamine.

Get a neti pot. A neti-pot looks like a teapot and uses salt water to wash away allergens and mucus, which helps get rid of postnasal drip. You can find it at your local drugstore. If you opt to make your own saline solution, just make sure to use sterilized water.

If you are chronically allergic …

Consider acupuncture. Acupuncture can boost your immune system, because it stimulates your body’s natural “defensive energy.” According to Whole Living, a particular study showed that regular treatments greatly reduced allergy symptoms without the side effects someone might experience from meds.

Look into immunotherapy. For those that have very serious allergies that don’t respond to other therapies, allergy shots are sometimes an option. The procedure consists of one to three weekly injections of gradually increasing amounts of a trigger. After a few years of regular treatments, the body usually builds up a permanent tolerance.

Get Prepped for Summer Travelers

Summer is not only a time for your family to travel, but also a time when family and friends might be traveling to you. We came across some time-saving, stress-reducing, budget-friendly tips in Good Housekeeping to help you get your home guest ready for anyone that decides to drop by for an overnight visit.

Clean house. Speaking of allergies, dust can collect in guest rooms and any room in your home that isn’t used as much. You can create a more focused cleaning experience by zooming in on the three areas that trap the most dust:  the room’s perimeter; drapes and valances; window blinds.

To clean the perimeter, use your vacuum’s crevice tool along baseboards, around furniture legs and underneath the head of the bed. Switch to the vac’s upholstery attachment and run over the drapes, valances and windowsills. Finally, to take care of the window blinds, Good Housekeeping recommends picking up some microfiber window blind gloves, which are even faster than the vacuum.

Check out the “user experience.” Do you feel comfy in your guest room? Do a “dry run through” of the experience of sleeping in it and using the guest bathroom (if you have one!) to see what’s missing. Is there enough closet space? Is everything working properly? Add some hangers and create more space in the closet with an over-the-door hook. And check bulbs, knobs, drains and windows to make sure everything is in working order. Then, be sure there are “amenities” like tissues, coasters and towels, so guests feel comfortable.

Offer some upgrades. Making your guest accommodations cozier doesn’t have to be expensive. New pillows, blankets, clock radios and mattress extras can make a huge difference. Good Housekeeping recommends updating the room by buying Aller-Ease washable pillows ($12, aller-ease.com) and Cannon Microfleece blankets ($20-$40, kmart.com). You can also replace the old-school clock radio with an iPod-dock alarm clock like the Memorex Mi4019 ($40, Memorex.com). If you have an old air mattress that tends to deflate during the night, try out the Aerobed Comfort Embrace (which surprisingly can be had for as little as $100 at bedbathandbeyond.com), or add a pad made of memory foam or fiberfill to any less-than-comfortable sofa bed or mattress.

We hope the warm season brings you a lot of joyful and fun in the sun! Please enjoy our song “You Are Loved” below. Because, during the spring and summer season, no matter how hard things get, always remember to appreciate you are loved!

Get Ready for Spring

March is here, and that means spring is right around the corner! To help you get ready, we wanted to show you a few resources that can help you get through the many challenges and celebrations of the next month. So, we gathered up some helpful last-minute family tax tips and efficient spring cleaning/organizing strategies to prepare your home for the upcoming season. We also found some fantastic ideas for Easter egg decorating that look like a ton of fun for both you and your kids!

“The Clutter Cure”

Late last summer, I found a piece by Valerie Rains in Family Circle magazine offering up 20 easy ways to say, “good riddance” to all the stuff you’re not using in your home. These tricks could definitely help you get a head start on spring cleaning, so you can spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the treats of the season! She categorized all the “stuff” into rooms and explained how to efficiently de-clutter.

She also provided a “chuck-it” checklist of questions to help determine which items you should get rid of first:

1. Is the item broken or damaged beyond repair?
2. Has more than a year gone by since you last used or wore the item?
3. Do you own something similar that you like better?
4. Are you saving an item only because you think, “This will come in handy one day”?

And here are tips to clean some of most-cluttered rooms of your house.

Kitchen:  Get rid of broken or useless small appliances. If your toaster only heats one side of the bread, or you bought a yogurt maker thinking it would be awesome (then never used it once!), throw them away to clear up surprising amounts of space.

Home Office:  Has your home office become a junk drawer? Hunt down dead batteries and dried-up markers and toss them and take any empty printer cartridges to a Staples store for credit. You should also recycle items you never use, like old notepads, stray Post-its and rubber bands.

Family Room:  How many old magazines do you have (We definitely have a lot of them ourselves, which we save in hopes of sharing things with you through this blog!)? Make it a rule going forward that when a new issue of a magazine or a catalog comes in, the earlier one has to go. If you find yourself getting a lot of catalogs in the mail that you never read, visit catalogchoice.org and unsubscribe from more than 4,000 companies’ mailings.

Kids’ Bedrooms:  Keep only two weeks’ worth of school-appropriate tops in active rotation in your kids’ wardrobes plus a few more well-worn t-shirts for playing outside or sports. Keep one pair of dirty sneakers and throw out the rest!

Bathroom:  You likely have a lot of almost-empty or duplicate bottles of shampoos, conditioners, soaps, lotions and jars of beauty products cluttering the bathroom (who doesn’t?!). Get rid of duplicates and expired products until what you have left all fits into bathroom drawers, so you can keep clutter-free surfaces.

Master Bedroom:  Open up space in your closet by gathering up wire hangers and taking them to your local dry cleaner to recycle. You can replace mismatched hangers over time with the new ultra-thin hangers. Joy Mangano’s Huggable Hangers can be found at hsn.com, just $48 for 48 hangers.

To help sort through clutter, try putting “like with like.” It helps you see clearer what you have six and seven duplicates of!

It also helps to put things into three piles as you’re sorting:

• Throw away
• Give away
• Donate

To get all Rains’ organizing tips, read “The Clutter Cure” in full.

Family Tax Breaks

Are you missing any opportunities for tax deductions? I read an article last year written by financial expert Stacey L. Bradford about some surprising deductions many parents miss that could save them some serious cash. Here are the highlights:

Claim your kids. Some parents don’t know about all the child-friendly tax breaks there are. Of course, there is the Exemption for Dependents, which allows tax-payers to deduct $3,700 per child, as defined by the IRS. But there are also two more that get missed. The first is the Child Tax Credit, which applies to some parents with kids under 17 and allows them to get $1,000 per child, depending on their gross income.

And the Child Dependent Care Credit allows working parents or those who are disabled, in school full time or looking for a job to claim 20%, to 35% of child care costs for kids under age 13. (As a side note, this can also be used towards summer day camp expenses!) Just make sure you keep accurate records of everything in case the IRS asks for substantiation. Parents who qualify for this break can get up to $3,000 for one child, $6,000 for two or more.

Don’t forget about education. There are a few tax deductions for families that are paying for college. Even if your kids are still little, and you are just saving for the future, you might be able to get a write-off. If you are using a 529 plan, 34 states plus the Washington, D.C. let you deduct a portion of your contributions. In our state of New York, residents who use 529 plans can write off $5,000 when filing single or $10,000 when married and filing together.

Charity counts. If you’re giving to your child’s school, it counts as charitable giving (even a check made out to the PTA, provided it is registered as a non-profit). However, buying wrapping paper or candy does not. Also, if you end up donating the old stuff from your closets after your spring cleaning efforts, this can also be deducted. You can estimate the value of the items you donate by using the Salvation Army’s Value Guide at salvationarmyusa.org. And when you donate, make sure you ask for a receipt! If you or immediate family members volunteer at any nonprofits, you can also claim the gas used to drive to and from volunteer projects.

Remember special needs services. If you are the parent of a special needs child and spend more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income on special school programs or therapy, you may qualify for the medical-expense deduction, provided the therapy was prescribed by a licensed health care professional. You can also write off related travel costs.

Easter “Egg-cellent” Decorating Ideas

This year, Easter falls on March 31. In preparation, I was looking for fun holiday crafts, and I was amazed by how many super creative egg decorating ideas I found in FamilyFun magazine as well as Family Circle! Below are some of the best.

1. Who knew you could make something called a “felted egg” using only four ingredients:  plastic eggs; wool roving/yarn; pantyhose and your washing machine? You and your kids can make colorful felt-wrapped eggs in bright designs of your choosing that you can use year after year to decorate the house. Check out the YouTube tutorial:  http://youtu.be/h7PMBeq127k
2. Egg toppers are a way to give eggs a little bit more personality than traditional dyed Easter eggs by turning them into characters. The ones I found make really fun crafts for any time of year. You and your kids can make Harry Potter hats, chef hats, cowboy and pirate hats, princess crowns and much more using items you already have around the house plus a few supplies from your local craft store. You can read the instructions on the Parents magazine website (http://www.parents.com/holiday/easter/crafts/hats-off-to-easter-eggs/) or follow the instructional video:  http://www.parents.com/videos/v/61651722/easter-egg-parade.htm

If you prefer the old-school style of egg dyeing (and intend to use your eggs just for show as centerpieces or party decorations, not for eating!), Family Circle provided “Egg Dyeing 101” instructions to make your eggs vibrant and special.

First, make the dye bath using 2 teaspoons of vinegar per cup of boiling hot water. Add RIT dyes, following this egg dye recipe to get a wide range of colors. Place the eggs in the dye bath for a minute or two with either tongs or a spoon, turning regularly to get the egg to be a uniform color.

Dye the deepest colors first, when the bath is its hottest, then save pastel colors for later. Once you remove eggs from the bath, blot dry with a paper towel to keep the dye from making splotches on the shell. Important:  If you’re going to use RIT dye, remember that it is not edible, so no eating!

For eggs that ARE for eating, check out the PAAS website for information on their different dyes and Easter egg supplies. The PBS Kids Shop also has some great educational spring and Easter products to help celebrate the season.

There’s a lot to do in March, so hopefully this information will help you both organize and enjoy the next month. Because as parents we often feel like there’s not enough time in the day, please enjoy our song “No More Time” for a boost of energy as you push ahead towards April!

Mediterranean Diet Is Shown to Ward Off Heart Risks

About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediterranean diet, according to new research.

Read Fully Story

Happy Valentine’s Hearts

Happy February! Because this is the time of year we celebrate love in its many forms, I wanted to share a couple articles I found with you about how to show love to your family and yourself, along with some fun treats and crafts that will get hearts in the warm spirit of the month.

Do you have “Built-In Happiness”?

Do we love ourselves enough? I read a really interesting article in Good Housekeeping by Gretchen Rubin of “The Happiness Project” that explored this question and offered some tips for how we can all find more happiness within ourselves and better share love with the important people in our lives.

Rubin theorizes that that there are three keys to happiness:  self-knowledge; anticipation; love. And she believes that if we can get in touch with these different elements, we can feel more content in our lives.

1. Self-Knowledge. As Rubin points out, “Know Thyself” is advice that has been passed along for thousands of years, but is one of the most challenging to follow, especially today, when it’s so easy for us all to get distracted by all the outside forces vying for our attention as well as by the way we wish we were and the way other people expect us to be. Her advice is to truly find time to do what you like to do:  “We can build a happy life only on the foundation of our own natures, interests, and values.” The more faithfully she is able to just be herself – rather than fit into the mold of the person others feel she should be – in her daily life, the happier she becomes.
2. Anticipation. It’s really hard to be happy when you have nothing to look forward to. And Rubin agrees:  “Anticipation is the first stage, and a critical one, of enjoying a happy event.” And the other three stages, in her opinion are “savoring” the moment (this means turning off your cell phone every once in a while!), “expression”/voicing your pleasure in the moment to heighten your experience and “reflection,” or looking back on happy times to remember all the times you’ve felt joy. Everyone needs to be able to look at their calendars and see a few pleasant events scheduled in the future. A life that is an endless list of tasks, obligations and required “appearances” just brings you down. Even though sometimes it’s impossible to imagine making the time for fun (and the kind of fun you personally enjoy!), you need it for the sake of your own happiness and sanity … and the sanity of those closest to you!
3. Love. This happiness ingredient is probably obvious to most, but with all we have to do every day, we can sometimes lose sight of how important strong relationships with other people are to our emotional, spiritual and physical health. Rubin stressed, “We need close, long-lasting relationships; we need to belong; we need to give and receive support – perhaps surprisingly, giving support is just as important to happiness as getting support. Not only does having strong relationships make it far more likely that you’ll take joy in life, but studies show that it also lengthens life (incredibly, even more than stopping smoking), boosts immunity, and cuts the risk of depression.” Thus, we should all take the time to focus on strengthening bonds with family, friends and coworkers and sharing the love as much as we can!

Making Kids Feel Loved

While, of course, Harold and I have one incredible kid, I am always interested in learning about how parents share their love in a home with multiple amazing ones! I came across an article in Family Fun magazine that offered up some different ways to make every kid in a multi-child household feel special. Mother of six Becky Hayes shared her “Kid of the Day” system. To settle some of the unrest in her own home as her kids grew up, each day, on a rotating basis, she would let one child get the “Kid of the Day” title and some privileges, such as getting to decide which TV show to watch, being the first to play with a favorite shared toy or getting served a meal first. In time, she found that this system continuously reminded each of her kids how important he/she was within the family (and also often had the bonus side effect of resolving sibling disputes!).

Hayes kids are now grown up. And she admitted that this system didn’t always offer up a “miracle” solution to every hot-button issue that came up on a given day – especially the unpredictable ones. However, it has been critical in helping her develop a special bond to each of her kids and create meaningful memories with each one of them.

Happy Heart Day Treats

Are you looking for some Valentine’s Day treats to make with your kids this month? I found some really good ideas in both Family Fun and Family Circle that are pretty easy to do.

“Lovin’ Spoonfuls.” These are white chocolate treats made with plastic spoons that can be eaten right off the spoon or stirred into hot cocoa. To make them, arrange plastic spoons on a cookie sheet or other surface so their bowls are level. For every 8 spoons, melt 6 ounces of white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl according to the directions on the package, then transfer the chocolate to a ziplock bag and snip off a corner. Pipe the chocolate into each spoon and gently tap the spoons on the work surface to level the chocolate. Then, have your kids help sprinkle small candies like conversation hearts, red hots and nonpareils on top and let them cool completely. You can see a photo of the finished product here:  http://spoonful.com/recipes/lovin-spoonfuls

Homemade Valentines. Homemade Valentines aren’t just for kids! You and your kids can make Valentines for friends and family together. Set up a card-making station with colored paper hearts cut out and baskets of supplies like patterned tape, decorative-edge scissors, stamps, ink pads, markers, glitter glue, colored pens, stickers, ribbons, sequins and buttons. This is also a great activity for Valentine’s Day parties!

“Love Bites.” Bake batches of simple sugar cookies in different sizes and shapes. You can frost some with icing and leave others plain. Then set out icing tubes and pens and fill different bowls with sprinkles and other sweet toppings. If you’re making this an activity for a party, provide bags so kids can seal up their creations and take them home!

There are a lot more of these ideas to make Valentine’s Day fun at http://www.familycircle.com/holiday/valentines-day/recipes

Hopefully all the ideas above can help you spread the love in February and beyond.

Years ago, when Harold and I first met we wrote a song called “Know the One You Love.” The message of this song was that sometimes the “family” that brings you joy may not be blood related. Your family can be your best friends, co-workers, or people in your building or neighborhood.

I am all for being loving to your family, if your family is loving to you. Because life is reciprocal; it doesn’t just go one way. Only you know what is the most loving situation for you and your children.

You can love yourself by removing toxic relationships from your life (even if those toxic relationships are with people who are blood related) if they don’t create a positive space for you and your children. If you are getting ill in an obligatory relationship because it’s a relative, think about whether or not there is a win-win situation you can create to be loving to yourself so you are less exposed to experiencing a less loving environment.

I live my life by the saying, “I love myself enough to surround myself by those that are good for me and detach myself from those that are bad for me.”

Be loving to yourself and your children this Valentine’s Day, and choose happiness!

Please enjoy “You Are Loved” from Parents with Angst. xo – Amelia

New Year, New Beginnings

Happy belated New Year! We hope your holidays were wonderful and that you’re feeling excited about all the possibilities the New Year can bring. Below is a collection of articles and other tidbits I found about fresh starts and getting strong and healthy in 2013.

Tips for Better Health in 2013:

1. “Do U Have TXT Neck?” (I do!) All of us can be guilty of over-using technology like computers and smartphones. Early last year, I read something in Shop Smart magazine about the latest painful health problem that’s hitting people who spend a lot of time texting and sitting at the computer:  “text neck.” It is caused when you stoop over to tap messages on your phone (or slump down at your desk while using your computer), according to the American Chiropractic Association. And last year, the number of reported neck-strain issues was way up. Orly Avitzur, M.D. says, “Looking down puts excessive pressure on your neck, causing muscle strain, which can lead to neck and shoulder pain. Adopting some good habits can help prevent serious injury from our tech tools:  take frequent breaks from texting and typing on your computer; type longer e-mail messages on your computer instead of a handheld device; hold your gadget in front of your eyes so you don’t have to look down. You should also try to rest your forearms on a pillow or other surface for support while you’re typing. And even better, make room for quality time with your family, away from technology every once in a while!
2. Get moving! It’s easy to want to stay inside in the winter … and even easier year round to skip the gym, especially if you’re a busy parent running juggling work and family time. A pedometer can be a great way to track how much physical activity you’re sneaking in every day. (You’re likely doing getting in more than you know already!) I read in Good Housekeeping last year that just 30 minutes of brisk walking per day – about 10,000 steps – can make you feel stronger and healthier.
   
3. Don’t skip the SPF. If you have visible sun damage, you’ve probably been guilty of forgetting sunscreen. All doctors and beauty experts will say, applying sunscreen religiously is critical to healthy skin, even in the winter. I read about this additional all-natural trick from a Los Angeles-based facialist Kate Somerville:  Three times a week, rub a washed strawberry on discolored areas. Keep the juice on your skin for two minutes before rinsing. The fruit acids may help lighten splotches and make skin look refreshed. (Disclaimer:  Be wary if you have very sensitive skin.)

Out with the Negative and in with the Positive for Your Kids

Does your good kid have equally good friends? I read a piece by called “When Bad Friends Happen to Good Kids” in Good Housekeeping last January that talked about how parents can handle a situation where their kids find themselves buddying up with a “problem child.” As much as it’s against our protective nature as parents to not step in when we worry our kids might get hurt, the article points out that in some cases, intervening with our kids’ “bad friends” isn’t the answer. (Of course, in all cases, all of us want to find a way to steer our kids away from toxic friendships and towards a future of positive friendships!)

Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Temple University and a specialist in adolescent behavior says that parents should definitely look out for the troublemakers in their kids’ lives:  “Kids do take bigger risks when they’re together.” He warns that parents do need to look out for the “troublemakers” in their children’s circle as well as those that are “social climbers,” who can be some of the most aggressively negative influences. Robert Faris, Ph.D. adds that in studies, it has been found that these types of kids view “aggression and [bullying, either physical or verbal] as a way to maintain social status.”

So, how do you phase these kids out of your kids lives and help guide them towards new and healthier friendships in the future? According to psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, M.D., who is also a parent and the author of several parenting books, “Most kids under 12 can be brought into line … If a friend comes over and behaves badly, you have to intervene; them have a talk with your child about him. Parents often make the mistake of accommodating a friend’s bad conduct for fear of hurting their child socially. But that can be a tacit endorsement.” Hallowell also adds that kids, especially under 12, count on their parents to teach them how to have high standards for their friendships, so parents have to talk to their kids honestly about both the things they appreciate and the things they don’t appreciate about their friends. They also need to invite their kids to share their feelings about their own friends. Hallowell says to keep it simple:  “Say, ‘That kid is rude. He kicks the coffee table even after I tell him to stop. I don’t like that about him. Help me understand:  What do you like about him?” Once your child can see his friend through your eyes and also feels like his feelings have been heard, Hallowell says he will hopefully be less likely to spend as much time with the “unruly” friend and hopefully gravitate towards more positive kids in his circle. Steinberg also says it is important not to label the child as “bad” when talking to your kids (as much as you might sometimes be tempted to!); instead, label the behavior as inappropriate.

Hallowell also says that obviously, a simple talk will not always lead your kid to immediately get rid of a negative friend:  “Sometimes subterfuge can be a parent’s best friend … Plan weekend visits to your relatives to avoid sleepovers. Schedule doctor’s appointments during their usual playdate afternoons. Hover whenever the kid comes over.”

Steinberg also points out another point about early friendships:  “Most connections don’t last long … There’s a lot of instability in friendship during childhood. If you don’t like your kid’s friend, one wise strategy is to back off and let the friendship run its course.”

Hopefully over time, staying positive, communicating with and supporting your kids will help them learn how to seek out friends that will treat them well and will stand by them for the long haul!         

Tips for More Happiness in 2013:

1. Cut out the Trans-fats for good. A couple years ago, I read in Good Housekeeping that an 11-year Spanish study of more than 12,000 people found that those who ate the most trans fats were 48% more likely to develop depression. While the participants’ intake was low – only about 1.6 grams of day – it’s easy to reach that amount even if you choose “trans fat free” products. Because of a “labeling loophole,” even those items might still have small amount of the dangerous fats. Look for the term “partially hydrogenated,” which is an indicator that trans fats lurk within.
2. Get a ticket to health and happiness. Making time for the theater can actually improve your health, according to a Norwegian study. Statisticians and scientists in Norway looked at data from more than 50,000 people on activities like museum visits, singing, volunteering, painting and attending concerts or sporting events and discovered that engaging in arts and culture – watching as well as participating – was linked to higher self-scores of physical and emotional health. And it wasn’t just that people who had cash for evenings out could also afford better health care or that folks who enjoyed good health were more likely to go out. The connection held even when researchers controlled for wealth and a range of health factors. Lead author Koenraad Frans Cuypers also said not to worry – your taste is not an issue:  “The activities don’t have to be highbrow, just emotionally engaging or creative.”
3. Get your beauty rest. If you try your best to get 8 hours of sleep a night (I know … it’s not easy for any of us with all we do!), you get a lot of great benefits. Getting enough sleep makes you feel better, decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease and boosts your memory.

Hopefully these resources above will help you and your family approach your New Year as a new beginning! Please enjoy our song “Encourage Each Other,” below, to help us all encourage each other to do things that make us happier and healthier in 2013!

Holiday Happiness

It’s December, and that means it’s holiday time! We’re all wrapping up the end of the year and looking forward to gathering with family and friends and hopefully getting some quality downtime to enjoy all the season has to offer. Before things get too crazy, we wanted to take a moment to share some great holiday resources we came across that will help you end the year on a happy and healthy note.

Beating Holiday Fatigue

You’re probably right in the middle of scrambling to get everything ready for the holidays. Gift shopping, decorating, getting your home ready for celebrations with family and friends, planning meals and activities for your kids to keep them busy while they’re on break from school, all while going to work and wrapping up the end of 2012 is a lot for even the most skilled multitasker to juggle. All the events of December can cause busy parents to feel extreme fatigue, which can not only lead to irritability and being completely emotionally overwhelmed, but can also compromise the immune system and bring on physical illness.

Earlier this year, I read an article in Good Housekeeping that served up some tips for staying energized and happy, not only when navigating high-stress times like the holidays, but year round. Apparently, over a third of people accidentally fall asleep during the day, according to the Center for Disease Control, because their energy levels are constantly being compromised. A lot of this is due to a lack of good sleep, or seven, to eight deep sleep hours per night. But as Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D. and co-director of the Institute for Behavioral Sciences and the Law says, energy levels are depleted more often by emotional stress than they are by lack of sleep and other physical issues.

There are some quick fixes for low energy if you’re desperate, like a 20-minute nap, exercise, sunlight (get out of that office for a few minutes!) and even gum; experts say the act of chewing stimulates blood flow to the brain. (Who knew?!) A mere three minutes per day of meditation – real meditation that has you shutting out the world and visualizing peaceful thoughts that give you positive energy – can also work wonders.

But the best solutions to on-going fatigue are long term. Here are a few of the long-term habits the article recommends for staying alert and balanced.

1. “Shake it up, wake it up.” A routine can be comforting, but when you do the same thing every single day, your brain will eventually shut off and become dull and uninspired. Why? As this piece points out, “The brain is wired to ignore the familiar and seek out the novel.” And novelty brings pleasure, which sparks your brain’s production of dopamine, the “feel good” chemical in your brain. This chemical is why your brain lights up when you eat your favorite food or engage in your favorite activity. But experts say that dopamine is also responsible for motivation and what sharpens your mind. So, if you spice up your routine every once in a while, even just by taking a new route to work, downloading new music onto your iPod or changing up the photos on your desk, you’ll get a boost that can totally change your outlook.
2. “Find your passion.” Even just rediscovering an old passion can change your mood. If you don’t love what you’re doing, whether for work or as a hobby, you’re probably not going to enjoy yourself very much. The economy is such these days that even if you’re not completely fulfilled by what you do for a living, you may not have the luxury of changing direction. But you could think up a new project that interests you and is personally meaningful and propose it to your supervisor. If you can’t change up your job, you can find something new in other areas of your life. If you can find the time, spend a little time each week painting, writing or going to a lecture on a subject that interests you. Even just the act of making time for something you love will help get you through the other tasks of your day more efficiently and energetically. You’ll have a greater sense of purpose if you know you have to leave work exactly at 5 p.m. or push through house cleaning on the weekends. If you’re not sure what is going to get you excited, take a look at the bottom of your to-do list at what you always hope you’ll get to after chores like the laundry and pantry cleaning are done.
3. “Hang with the fun crowd.” Excitement is contagious. People who exude energy will pass it onto everyone around them. Finding friends who are enthusiastic and love life (and limiting your exposure to whiny, angry, needy and grumpy people!) and spending more time with them could help you rediscover your own joy. Of course, it’s not realistic to think you can avoid every single negative person. You will sometimes just have to cope. Judith Orloff, M.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA says you need to set boundaries with the people who suck your energy. Simple body language can communicate you’re not interested in their drama:  “When the resident drama queen approaches, signal that you’re not interested by turning slightly away. Don’t ask how she’s feeling or what’s new.” A great quote I personally live by that relates to this is, “I love myself enough to surround myself with those who are good for me and detach myself from those who are not.”

And, even as you are running through all your holiday tasks, taking a break is super important (even if it feels like it’s “impossible”). Just take some deep breaths. It doesn’t have to be perfect! We all need to make time for recovery and relaxation in order to be at our best! Make sure to check out some of the other highlights of “The Secret to Beating Fatigue” (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/how-to-fight-fatigue) to get some more ideas for keeping your spirits high!

De-Clutter … and Give Back!

Are you clearing out your clutter to prepare for the New Year? I found a set of resources last spring in Family Circle for those that want to turn organizing into a family project and also an opportunity to give to those in need this season. Here are a few great organizations that can benefit from your extra home goods:

The National Furniture Bank Association (furniturebanks.org):  There are 90 locations in the U.S. and Canada, and they help struggling families get items like beds, dressers, etc. to furnish their homes. Check out the site before you plan to give to see which items they need most.

Soles4Souls (soles4souls.org):  This foundation has given away almost 17 million shoes since forming in 2005 to those that don’t have any and take new and gently used shoes – even single shoes! So you don’t have to throw away that shoe when your kid loses one in a pair at school or when you’re out and about!

iLoveSchools (iloveschools.com):  This organization matches preschool through high school teachers with classroom resources like notebooks, binders, art supplies and backpacks. Teachers just register on the website for items they most need, so check the site before you give.

Curb Holiday Spending

November – January can be a pricey time, with gifts, end-of-year parties, trips to visit family and tons of other extra expenses. Here are a couple ways to cut costs during the month of December while still having a great time with your kids!

Mommy Poppins (www.mommypoppins.com):  I return to this site a lot when I’m looking for really creative ideas about how to get as much as possible out of the wonderful city of New York without breaking the bank. And with a lot of NYC’s big holiday celebrations coming up in the coming weeks, now’s a fabulous time to check it out! Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas or just the winter season, the site will help you find loads of free and family-friendly events around the city.

Nick Jr. (www.nickjr.com). There are a lot of inexpensive craft ideas on the Nick Jr. website, a channel your preschool kids are probably watching. Right now they’re featuring instructions for how you and your family can make fun items like Dora the Explorer Christmas ornaments, themed gingerbread houses, paper dreidels, Hanukkah cut-outs and other holiday crafts based on the characters your kids love.

The PBS Kids Shop (http://shop.pbskids.org):  The PBS Kids shop offers some really fun, affordable and educational gifts for your kids, plus gives you an opportunity to support high-quality public broadcasting. The shop offers daily deals and discounts on toys and games as well as party ideas and a lot more.

I hope some of the things above will give you some support and spark your imagination as you go through this special but crazy month! Please enjoy our song “You Are Loved.” We hope you celebrate all the love within your family and circle of friends this season and that you have the happiest of holidays! xo — Amelia

The Happy Child Guide

Do you struggle to discipline a child that doesn’t listen?

This video from our friends at HowAndFix offers simple and loving steps to stop your child’s defiant behavior.

Post Thanksgiving Pilates Tune Up

Pilates instructor Cassey Ho takes us through a total body workout designed to vanish our post Thanksgiving Angst . This workout targets arms, abs, legs and butt.

Thanksgiving Tips

Happy November! If you are in the New York City area, we hope you are all safe, well and warm after Sandy. Seeing everyone in the city struggling to repair damage after this huge storm has really made Harold and I think about all that we are thankful for. And of course, there is no better month to think about these feelings and spend time appreciating our families than the month of Thanksgiving.

With Thanksgiving just a couple weeks away, I wanted to take the time to share some great Thanksgiving tips I found recently. Some can help save you time and money as you feed and entertain the masses, and others can help you stay emotionally and physically healthy as you are confronted by cooking, mountains of delicious food, extra cleaning and lots of family together time.

Last year, I read two really great articles in Good Housekeeping about entertaining for Thanksgiving. The first, “A Feast for the Eyes,” offered some ideas for creating beautiful place settings and decorations that will create a festive table without totally emptying your bank account. One bright idea is to make homemade monogrammed place cards/mini-notebooks for guests (even if those guests are just your own immediate family members!) to write down special memories of the day.

And if you have young kids that get antsy sitting at the table – or can’t resist the temptation to play with their food – it’s easy to create a fun distraction with cool chalkboard placemats. Pick up 9” by 12” canvas panels ($7 for three at most craft stores) and cover them with chalkboard paint (about $3.49 per bottle). Buy different colors of chalk (around $6 for 24 pieces) and wrap it with string next to their plates so they can doodle during the meal.

To find out where you can get some of the inexpensive decorations and place settings mentioned in this article, click here.

The second article I read was an interview and a collection of Thanksgiving recipes from renowned chef Ina Garten, also known as “The Barefoot Contessa” on The Food Network. The recipes provide sanity-saving shortcuts that are pretty perfect for parents that want to create an elegant and homemade meal for guests, but also want to have time to actually enjoy the holiday themselves.

According to Garten, the main trick to cooking Thanksgiving dinner while still having time to actually sit down and enjoy the day is to use recipes that let you make things in advance. As she said, “Almost everything can be done in advance – because you don’t want to do anything when your guests are there.”

The article is also an in-depth personal interview of Garten. She talks about her own family Thanksgivings growing up, and why she loves the spirit of Thanksgiving, spending time with family and the idea that often family includes not only your kids, parents and other relatives, but also the wonderful community of friends you build as you go through life.

But Garten said that the key to easy preparation is really in the planning (though, of course, finding time to plan is one of a parent’s biggest challenges!):  “The planning is everything. Deciding which dishes you’re going to prepare can turn into the make-or-break decision five days later, when you actually serve the meal. So the first thing I’ll do is make a list of what I’d like to make. And then I look at it and think, Do I really need seven vegetables? And I start crossing things off.”

She presents a menu with a full four-course meal with lots of delicious sides. Whether you’re a really experienced cook, or feel a little bit out of place in the kitchen, there is a lot of information here that is helpful, like how to keep your turkey from drying out and how to re-purpose leftovers into new meals for your family! You can check it out some of the recipes and ideas from this article here.

For busy parents, this month can be a test of our patience and our sanity as we try to make the extra time we will spend with our families special and also open up our homes and hearts to extended family and friends. Please enjoy our song “You Are Loved,” below. As you do all you must do this month, make sure you stop, take a breath and celebrate the fact that you love and are loved. And that is definitely something to be thankful for!

Oh! And if you are feeling very grateful and thankful this holiday season for all your blessings, please pay it forward. If you are in the position to help add a smile to the faces of families who are victims of Sandy and may not have a hot meal or a home this Thanksgiving, even a $10 donation to The Red Cross is very much appreciated. And in the spirit of giving thanks, we thank YOU ! Have a magical and safe holiday season! xo A & H

“Be My Hero”

We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate all that is October than to share our cover version of the beautiful October Project song “Be My Hero”. The creators of October Project have been a happy part of our lives since the mid 1990s. Shout out to Marina Belica for the lovely video. A short interview about the inspiration for the cover version appears below. Enjoy!

OP: Why did you choose the song that you covered? What does it mean to you?

Amelia: I have always been interested in the hero archetype and how it is so uplifting. To me the song “Be My Hero” points to the larger truth that the hero lies within. Ultimately we need to find strength within ourselves.

OP: How did you arrange the song to make it your own, fresh song?

Amelia: Harold wanted the arrangement to retain the organic nature of the lovely OP version while introducing some electronic elements as a setting for my vocals. I still enjoy listening to it.

OP: What are you doing now?

Amelia: Answering questions for your blog (lol . Harold & I have a new project called Parents With Angst which picks up where Amelia’s Dream left off from the context of being parents.

OP: Who or what are your current inspirations?

Amelia: I am inspired by the talent on shows like American Idol, X-Factor and The Voice but my two iPod favorites are still Coldplay and The Swell Season.

OP: Who would play you in the ideal movie version of your life, and what would the title of that movie be?

Amelia: I am often the person who speaks up to correct bureaucratic problems and I take on issues I think are socially unjust. In that spirit a strong role model of mine is Erin Brockovich so I would have Julia Roberts playing me in a movie titled Amelia – To Infinity And Beyond!

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