Change Becomes Change

Swine flu: how will you protect your family?

Has school started yet for your children? Either way, we all know what that means: our children will be sharing everything including pencils, scissors, books, balls and germs.

Like you, we don’t want our children to become sick with a cold or flu, and certainly not the swine flu. We’ve gone to great lengths each cold and flu season here in Oregon which seems to be about 9 months long, to avoid the bad little bugs making their way through schools.

With both of our children starting school in a week, we can’t help but think about protecting them. We had a really tough winter this year, having 3 of us sick for 12 of the first 15 weeks of the new year. I’m pretty serious about not letting that happen again.

We’ve not given our children the flu shot since they were each over one year old so we wonder, is the danger of the swine flu really that much greater than the seasonal flu? We take our vitamins, try to get good sleep, move our bodies and wash our hands often all in an effort to keep our family healthy. Isn’t that enough?

I was hesitant to believe the media hype about swine flu, but I do want to make sure I’m protecting my family, so I did the research Here’s what I learned.
  

• Many influenza vaccines, including the swine flu vaccine, contain thimerosal. You know, mercury. There are thimerosal-free vaccines, so if you’re going to get the vaccine, talk to your doctor about options.

• Each year, an average 36,000 Americans die from flu-related complications. The CDC predicts that the worse case scenario for swine flu deaths could be 30,000 to 90,000. As of August 13, more than two million Americans are believed to have contracted swine flu and 477 had died, with 80% of those who have died having underlying medical conditions.

• Clinical trials are being conducted to determine effectiveness and how large a dose is needed with initial results expected in early October – when the vaccines will be available. While some experts are concerned that the vaccine could be administered to our children before test results are in, our government believes the new vaccine is safe because it resembles seasonal flu vaccines, which normally don't undergo trials either. "It's made by the same companies, using the same processes, with the same materials," says Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who’s overseeing the trials. Does that make you feel confident? Yeah, me either.

• If there are significant side-effects from these vaccines, the big pharmaceuticals are protected – not Americans. Federal legislation allows drug companies, health officials and anyone who gives experimental vaccines to Americans during a declared public health emergency, to be protected from liability if people get hurt. Comforting.

There are parents on both ends of the spectrum (and everywhere in between) on the vaccine topic and many feel very strongly about their decisions. We all do what we believe is right for our family.

What will you do?

Personally, we believe the unknown risks with the vaccine outweigh the protection it might provide. So far, the swine flu doesn’t appear to be as dangerous as it was initially predicted to be. So, for our family, this means that we’ll continue to fight off illness the old fashioned way, watch closely for any symptoms that need medical attention and teach the children good hygiene methods for school.

If that’s your choice too, here are the recommendations by the CDC for protecting your health, and others, against cold and flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective when soap and water aren’t available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Well wishes to you this cold and flu season.

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Lessons Learned at a Summer Party

I know, parties aren't for teaching moments but, rather for letting your hair down, having some fun and relaxing with friends. And we did that too. But at our company summer soiree this past weekend, there were some important lessons learned.

Those that know our son Patrick know that his blessings are in the form of academics more so than athletics. He enjoys sports - almost all sports and even persuaded his dad last weekend to take him to the X Games 3D movie instead of packing for our camping trip. He has passion for sports, but his interest is stronger than his ability in most cases.

At this party, he enjoyed playing tag with one of the older boys and tossing a beach ball around with one of the little girls, but then the athletic boys showed up and things changed. These boys were playing football and, even though Patrick hasn't had much exposure to football (one of a handful of forbidden sports in my house due to potential danger during play - although I love watching college football!) he wanted to be a part of that fun.

In fear of having to rush him to the hospital with a bloody nose or some other injury, I watched this interest turn into action over just a few minutes. He patiently observed the boys toss the ball and run a few plays, ignoring the other children he was originally playing with. There were laughs, celebratory hooray's and lots of fun happening. I watched his excitement building inside. And then he made his move.

He apparently felt that he had observed enough and had learned all he needed to know to play football with these boys. Patrick asked one of them if he could throw the ball to him. Knowing that my son had never even picked up a football, let alone throw something that wasn't perfectly round like a baseball, I wanted to run over and rescue him from further damage to his self-esteem. But the ball was in his hands before I was even half way there. And it happened - he threw the ball just about how I expected.

But he didn't see anything wrong with it and didn't seem affected by the other boys' reactions. He still wanted to play. In fact, he begged and pleaded until he persuaded the boys to give him one more chance. They told him that if he could catch the ball from the other side of the yard, he could play. From their snickers, it was obvious that they assumed there was no way this kid was going to catch that ball based on his throw. No way! So they kept instructing him to move back, move back, and keep going until he was a good 30 yards away. With little effort, one of the boys threw the ball right at him...and he caught it!

While I wanted to jump up and down and make a really big deal about this, he simply ran over and asked what was next. He took on that challenge knowing he'd catch it. He had to. He knew it. He had so much more confidence in himself than his parents did. It was awesome. Just amazing.

Sensing what was going on, one of the dads huddled the boys together, including Patrick, and called plays to run. He was thoughtful to give each boy roles that they could succeed in. Patrick was a running back and quickly understood his mission. What fun he had!

Who knew that on this night, we would all learn a few things at the company summer party. We learned that our son is capable of more than we think. And to have more confidence in his physical abilities. Those boys likely learned that they should be careful not to underestimate the incredible power of desire. Patrick picked up some new social skills and earned a few well-deserved self-esteem points that he so badly needs.

Unfortunately, he also learned more than I'd like about the forbidden sport. I'll overlook that for now.

Visit your farmer’s market this week and buy local

 There’s a lot of really smart reasons to buy food grown or produced locally. With the average meal traveling 1,500 miles from the farm to dinner table, many buy local to reduce their impact on the environment. Some folks buy local to put their dollars back into the local community or to support family farms. A lot of people buy local because it means you’re getting the freshest food possible.

Like us here in Portland, you might have choices when it comes to grocery stores that buy from local farms for everything from produce to meat and dairy. I’ll admit that we’re pretty spoiled here with an abundance of really great markets that go out of their way to support local farms. We’re able to enjoy fruits and vegetables at their peak of ripeness from being harvested a day or two before we bought them at the store – not 7 to 14 days like the produce being shipped across the country (or world).

What makes that possible? A wealth of growers in the Northwest who intentionally keep their farms small, manageable and sustainable. They take great care in producing the very best for their communities. And while they love getting orders from our local markets, these growers are regulars at the weekly farmer’s markets across the region.

Even with all the choices we have in grocery stores, we make our weekly trip (sometimes two or three times a week!) to the farmer’s market. The kids love sampling new fruits and know that they’ll be rewarded with sweet juicy peaches or finger-staining berries to enjoy on the ride home. We like having the opportunity to talk with the growers about their farms and how they tend to their crops.

Over the years we’ve learned that you can’t just look on signs for their organic certification because many don’t feel that the process is worth the hoop-jumping or fees, although they follow the guidelines, use sustainable methods and no chemicals. We’ve also learned that you can’t simply ask if “they spray” (for pest control) – many do spray, but with organic materials just like I mist my tomatoes with soap water to keep unwanted bugs away. By talking with the growers, we learn about their practices and have a greater appreciation for the produce we take home.

Last week I had the opportunity to taste locally-grown celery that was picked at it’s peak of ripeness just a few days prior. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never gotten very excited about celery. I’ve enjoyed ants-on-a-log and use it in soups or other recipes, but I’d never think about eating it plain. Well, let me tell you that it was full of flavor and the greenest green I’ve ever seen!

With the summer bounty at its peak, find your local farmer’s market at the Local Harvest site, see what’s in season in your area right now, and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to read:

How Do You Think About Food?

Advertising more than milk to kids

I don’t know about your children, but mine are with me when we shop for groceries, they sit at the kitchen counter while breakfast is prepared and tend to linger around the kitchen (lately, trying to sniff out any remaining berries that they believe we hide from them). What does this all mean? It means that they have multiple opportunities to see the milk jug.

So, what’s the problem? This sticker.

The problem is when the grocers and dairy association take coveted marketing dollars from packaged-goods companies to market their cookies or cereal laden with high fructose corn syrup, additives, preservatives and who knows what else, and places a sticker on the milk jug to promote this stuff. Yes, these pair well together. But don't sell that to my kids.

Remember when milk came in a glass jar and was delivered, or picked up at the local drive thru market? Then the dairy associations did a really great thing by giving up an entire panel on their cartons for Missing and Exploited Children. They’ve told us that milk is good for our bones (and it is), popularized the fun of the milk mustache, and most recently have positioned dairy as part of a healthy way to lose weight.

And low-fat dairy options can be a really good source of calcium, vitamin D and protein for our children. Milk is a superb alternative to sodas or sports drinks. But cookies and sugary cereals are not part of a healthy diet, especially these days with childhood obesity and diabetes at an all-time high. There are parents who have enough challenges taking their children down the cereal aisle that certainly don’t need this.

Parents should feel good about their choice to reach in that cooler and pull out a jug of milk, rather than wonder what sugary junk will be advertised on it and how she’ll hide it from her children. Doesn't a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sound good with a tall frothy glass of milk?

So what do you think – brilliant marketing, or unacceptable ploy by budget-starved marketers?

Other related stories on the topic of healthy eating for kids:

Healthy Snacks at School or Camp?
Solutions for Healthy School Lunches
Disney in the Grocery Aisles

Solution for Healthy School Lunches: Chef Ann Cooper and Whole Foods

It happened again. This time the victim was our three year-old little girl, Marcelena. Are you ready? She had a moon pie for morning snack at preschool. I just wrote earlier this week about our son’s poor selection of snacks at summer camp and am still trying to figure out how to best deal with this issue long term. We’re feeling frustrated and defeated. All our efforts…

But then we heard some really good news just yesterday from an old, familiar friend – Whole Foods. They’ve partnered with Chef Ann Cooper (lovely lady who’s also known as America’s Renegade Lunch Lady) to bring information, solutions and resources to improve the quality of lunch offerings at local schools. 

With Whole Foods and Chef Ann Cooper at the wheel, I’ll confidently let them lead the way and follow them anywhere through this journey (huge sigh of relief here).

The new website, The Lunch Box, empowers schools to reform their own lunch programs and arms them with everything they’ll need to get going. Whether you’re a concerned parent, work for the school or district, or just want to be a part of the School Lunch Revolution, you’ll find helpful information here.

 The Lunch Box website provides:

• Nutritionally analyzed, scalable recipes no matter what your school size
• Tools to help schools work with smaller scale, quality food vendors
• Resources for procuring real, natural foods regionally and locally
• Tools to simplify compliance, tracking and cost analysis
• Teaching and training tools for lunchroom personnel

Doesn’t this sound wonderful? Are you ready to start at your school?  While The Lunch Box website is gearing up for their debut, here are a few steps that you can get going today to get closer to change:

• Check out these 5 easy steps to bring better food to local schools

• Follow Whole Foods and Chef Ann Cooper on Twitter (or Facebook) to make sure you’re notified when the site officially launches

• Thru September you can donate your change when you check out at Whole Foods to support the program

Why should we care about improving school lunches? There’s a long list of reasons that include childhood disease and obesity rates that are on the rise, the impact of poor nutrition on behavior, school performance and development, and the increased incidence of diabetes in children which is often totally avoidable with a healthy, balanced diet.

If you, or someone else on your PTA needs a compelling video to persuade or motivate them, share these. Have I mentioned how wonderful Chef Ann Cooper is?

Best part of this new, exciting program? It’s free for our schools. No excuses!

What happened to healthy snacks at school or camp?

My son joined one of his best guy friends at summer day camp a couple weeks this year to help fill the 15 week gap between school years. Yes, 15 weeks for us this year – that’s another story right there. Anyways…we were instructed to bring a lunch, water bottle and sunscreen which all seemed appropriate for a full day away from home. My son is a big eater so we always pack a pretty big lunch for him with ample of snack-type foods. 

His first day of camp he told us that he had an ice cream bar for snack. Well, he’s got all kinds of food sensitivities and there’s many things he can’t have. We weren’t aware that they’d be feeding the kids snacks and there was never a form to fill out with food allergies.

He can’t have eggs and most ice cream is made (strangely enough) with egg. Great. The next day, my husband explained to the teacher that he can’t have ice cream because of the eggs and although they were hesitant to believe him that ice cream has eggs, they agreed to not give him ice cream.

So that day, they gave the kids gummy worms for snack. I guess it never occurred to me that he would be given candy as a snack at church summer camp so we hadn’t addressed this issue with him or the staff. He tends to have serious reactions to high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring, especially in combination, so we simply avoid it.

Am I a strange nut for not wanting my children to have candy and ice cream as snacks? What about fruit? Carrot sticks? Ants on a log? Pretzels or popcorn? Real food. We’re entering kindergarten this year so I’m curious…is this normal? Is this what we’ll be faced with at school? Can kids still appreciate healthy snacks or non-food rewards?

I’ve even heard of some teachers using treats like candy as rewards for good test scores, completing homework or improved behavior. Is sugar the right reward? It feels like using candy for good grades is establishing the wrong relationship with food. Maybe I’m overly sensitive since I don’t have a healthy relationship with food.

Oh, and don’t we have a national childhood obesity problem?

Don’t get me wrong. We do enjoy desserts in our family, but they’re for dessert and we don’t tie them to good behavior. They’re usually fresh berries, organic ice cream or homemade treats (although I’ve yet to figure out how I’ll bake without eggs). And there will be s’mores when we camp.

Are you faced with these challenges at school or child care? How do you deal with them? How do explain your feelings to your child?

Encouraging gifted children to greatness

My husband came across this little rock star after hearing about him from Travis Barker of Blink 182 fame. Joe, is 4 years old and just started playing the drums at 3 1/2 by watching performances of other great drummers online. According to his parents, he's completely self-taught.

To truly appreciate this young rocker, click on the photo below. You won't regret it.

I want to thank Joe's parents for sharing his gift with us. He's clearly a talented little boy - no doubt. But his parents are amazing too! Instead of being annoyed when their 3 year old was banging on pots, pans and who knows what else, they supported and enabled him. They helped him achieve what he so badly wanted. And that's his gift.

Many gifted children have talents we might never know or see. Along with the tremendous joy and blessing, it's a daily challenge to parent a talented or gifted child. They can be intense and extreme with their interests and it's often hard for parents to look beyond their own needs to make sure their child has the tools, resources and support to reach their full potential.

We struggle with this daily with our own son. His obsession with all things related to numbers (math, time, age, measurements, baseball stats, you name it), admittedly, often becomes overwhelming for us. As much as we try to engage him in activities and games he'll find challenging and enjoy, it's not always enough and there's still so much more that he wants to explore. So much more he wants to know and understand.

We believe that these children are destined for greatness and we need to do all we can to help them get there. It's not easy, but it's worth it. We remind ourselves of this frequently.

Congratulations Joe, and to your parents. You're all doing a great job!

Random acts of kindness for kids

Have you heard about the Great Kindness Challenge for Kids?

What a simple, yet powerful event that the Kids for Peace organization has invited us all to participate in. Their goal is to encourage over one million children worldwide to participate. Like us, they know that starting these random acts of kindness young, can lead to a lifelong commitment to community service.

So, on Saturday August 8, children in communities around the world will be reaching out to others to accomplish one simple act of kindness. Kids for Peach has even put together a list of 50 acts of kindness to help you and your children get started. And there’s something for even the youngest ones like smiling at a stranger or giving a sibling a hug.

Here’s some other blog posts that might give you a few more ideas:

Finding Time to Help Others

It’s the Little Things. And They’re Easier Than we Think.

Building a Hunger Garden

Change Can Start with a Smile and a Hello

Life Without Shoes

Helping with Nuts and Berries

Good Lessons in Sharing (and reusing)

We sat down to look through the list of ideas today. Even though Patrick got really excited about the idea of doing ALL 50 ideas, the ones I know we can do this weekend are:

• Cut out 10 hearts and leave them on 10 cars

• Say “hi” to a homeless person

• Feed the birds

• Call our grandparents

• Read a book to a younger child (although he already reads daily to Marcelena)

• Donate food to our food bank

• Smile at 25 people (and trust me, he’ll count them!)

• Hold the door open for someone

Hopefully we’ll be able to incorporate a few more into our day. It made Patrick feel good to see that he already does many kinds things just in a normal day. For him, it really helps his self-esteem to know that he's helping someone, even if it just means putting a smile on their face. I'll admit that we go out of our way to help others because it helps him too. How can you go wrong with that?

So, which ones can you fit into your schedule this Saturday?