Monthly Archives: February 2012

Incapacitated, laid out, poisoned…by macaroni & cheese (?!)

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Of all the injustices in the world, surely food poisoning has to be among the greatest. Losing the ability to control your body and being reduced to involuntarily ejecting projectiles (from both ends) is definitely a punishment devised by someone wicked. To make things worse, sometimes you don’t even know which end it’s going to come out of until you get to the toilet. And to make things even worse than that, your toddler gets it the same time that you do, vomiting 7 times in one night. And THAT is how my weekend went, thank you very much. This … Continue reading

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Wordless Wednesdays: My Little One’s “Present” to Mommy…On the Wall

Crayon on the wall - thumbnail

   

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Oh, no. I spoke too soon. The tantrums have started…

Where has my cherub gone

Last week, I proudly blogged about my little Apple’s cheerful and sweet disposition. The weekend immediately after that, she started throwing tantrums. I’d never seen anything like it before – my heretofore angel sprawled out on the floor, screaming and crying and banging her head against the ground. She would sob so hard that she started making gagging sounds, like she was about to vomit. I looked at my husband the first time she did this (I think it was because we tried to change her diaper, and she wanted to walk around with poopie-bottom some more), and told him, … Continue reading

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How to Make Your Own Calendula Ointment

CB Calendula Cream

If you haven’t heard (which I hadn’t until last night), California Baby, a well-known and trusted provider of baby-safe body care products, has been taken to task for reformulating their calendula cream. Apparently – and I am now getting all of this fourth- and fifth-hand, because I was not paying attention when this whole thing first blew up – they added sodium benzoate to their formula. Hmm, sodium benzoate is the ingredient most of us holistic Mamas seek to avoid, and why we go and spend money on brands like California Baby in the first place. My eyebrows definitely went … Continue reading

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Wordless Wednesdays: Lost in Translation (How NOT to Translate Chinese into English)

Elevator_Sign_China_small

I was going through the pictures from our China trip yesterday, and I came across one that my husband took of a sign in an elevator in the apartment building where we stayed. I hope you laugh as uproariously as I did. Some things tend to get lost in translation! In particular, the three instructions in the elevator I find the funniest are: The Chinese version says: “When the elevator breaks down, please keep calm and ring the bell for help.” The English translation says: “When elevator breakdown please keep cool, rings the bell to pray for rescue.” Really? I … Continue reading

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Green Floral Crafts Giveaway: Elegant, Eco-Friendly Vase-and-Floral Arrangement Kits!

28 in. classic red - small

I am making good on my promise to Green Floral Crafts‘ Founder and CEO, Leia Tunnaye, whom I featured recently in my Holistic Mamas Making a Difference series. In case you missed it, Green Floral Crafts makes beautiful vases and pairs them with gorgeous dried floral arrangements, all made from natural, sustainable, and renewable materials to make an elegant, yet earth-friendly, visual statement in your home. Leia and I came up with a FANTASTIC giveaway for Holistic Mamas’ readers: we are giving away a pre-designed vase-and-dried-floral kit that you can put together at home to create a striking visual statement, … Continue reading

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Dr. Marcel’s Suggested Sample Lunch Ideas

PediatricNDMarcelHernandez

I’ve still got school lunches on the brain, and would really like to be able to combat the school lunch dilemma by having an arsenal of lunchbox ideas ready to go. It turns out my favorite pediatric ND, Dr. Marcel Hernandez, had a few sample menus up his sleeve to share, so I am in turn sharing with all of you (I also published his article, “Packing a School Lunch” just a couple days ago). Dr. Marcel’s Sample Lunches In general, Dr. Marcel has 4 different themes that he plays on: Roll-ups, Pasta, Rice, and Sandwiches. Then, he comes up … Continue reading

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Dr. Marcel’s Strategies for Packing Healthy Lunches for Kids

Paper lunch bag on desk with apple

So I’ve been scouring the Internet for healthy packed lunch ideas ever since I posted on the school lunch dilemma this past Monday. I did find some great resources, which I wanted to share with you all. I also wanted to reprint, with Dr. Marcel Hernandez’s permission, his article below on strategies for packing a healthy – yet palatable – lunch for your child. Enjoy! Great web resources chock full of healthy packed lunch ideas for kids: Home-packed lunches your kids will eat Healthy Sack Lunch Tips Vegan & Vegetarian School Lunch Tips (& Recipes) Pack a Lunch with Punch! … Continue reading

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My Little Valentine: 18-Months Old and Happy

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My little girl is 18 months old now and thriving. Each and every day she surprises me with new words and new behaviors. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing and changing – it’s literally happening right before my eyes! She’s talking a lot now – we’ve counted about 80 or 90 words total across both Mandarin Chinese and English, and she’s understanding even more. When I tell her to get me her socks, she dutifully trots over and brings them back to me. When I tell her to go give her daddy a hug, she goes running over to … Continue reading

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The School Lunch Dilemma

Little Apple with Finger

Packing a lunch for my toddler for her day caregivers to feed her is ALWAYS a dilemma for me. While the day care does feed the children a hot lunch during the day, it is usually not vegetarian and my husband and I don’t want to introduce our little Apple to meat just yet. Take the need to pack a vegetarian lunch, and the fact that I am not a Mom who is super-versatile in the kitchen or knows how to make healthy foods palatable and yummy to my kid, and you’ve got quite a pickle. Err, I’ve got quite … Continue reading

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