What Vitamins Do Your Kids Take?

The past weekend at my girlfriend getaway one of the topics was if you give your children a multivitamin. I have several friends who swear by the juice plus chewable vitamins. My toddlers have always been pretty good eaters and my pediatrician has never suggested it, so I hadn't considered it until now. I found this article from the Mayo Clinic helpful.

I also liked this one from WebMD that covers the foods groups your child should be eating. I never have much trouble getting my kids to eat fruits, protein and whole grains. Veggies can sometimes be a problem, so I fill sneak them in with homemade broccoli applesauce, carrot applesauce, salads, and green smoothies with spinach, flax seed and wheat germ.

Do you children take a multivitamin and if so what kind?

Posted by Liz

What to Do with a Cold or the Flu

If you have a cold or flu antibiotics won't work for you.

Colds and the flu are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Taking antibiotics when you have a virus may do more harm than good. 

Cough and nasal discharge can last over 2 weeks with a virus or flu. Use over the counter medications to alleviate your specific symptoms, get plenty of rest and stay hydrated.

If symptoms worsen after 5-7 days, go see your medical provider for an evaluation.

Don't forget to get your flu shot!

Have any medical questions for Nurse Practitioner Mimi? 

Please feel free to email your questions to AskMimiNP@housescouchesandbabies.com.

Getting Glasses: Toddler Style

We recently discovered that one of my girls (age 2) has to wear glasses.  She is near-sighted and really should wear the glasses as much as possible. Our pediatric eye specialist suggested that we purchase Miraflex or Solo Bambini eye glasses, both Italian companies that make flexible glasses for toddlers. Little did I know that in our little town of 60,000 you can not purchase either brand. Luckily, my cousin is an ophthalmologist and was able to order the Miraflex glasses for me. I did find both brands at BestBuyEyeglasses.com for a great price. Of course the child that would need glasses would be the one that never likes to wear them. Her twin sister on the other hand can be found wearing 1 or 2 pairs of princess sunglasses at a time.  

We knew this was going to be a challenge from the start, so we've tried to make this an exciting event by letting her pick out her glasses. We were not surprised when she picked pink. Today was the first day with the glasses and we wore them for a total of 10 min. and attempted probably about 5 times. We tried several times while reading books, eating and also watching cartoons. We're complimenting her like crazy and we've let her see herself in the mirror with them on. Right now her favorite thing is to play with them, by pulling them on and off. She has a pretty significant prescription so she should be able to tell a difference soon, we hope! My goal is to make putting on the glasses part of our daily routine. For now, each time that she wears them we're giving her a sticker. I'll let you all know if the rewards work. If anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. 

The real challenge might be the fact that this busy and easily distracted mother of twins is going to forget where I put the glasses when they come off. I guess it's a good thing we have two pairs. I might add that I have at least 4 pairs of sunglasses for this reason:)

Book Suggestions for Parents of Toddlers with Glasses
Blues Clues: Magenta Gets Glasses
Scholastic Reader Level 1: Who Wears Glasses
Arlo Needs Glasses
Update: In the past 5 days since writing this post, I've given up on stickers and now just try to put them on whenever I can. I'm also taking advantage of her being sick. I think she's not alert enough to pull them off as often.

Posted by Liz

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - How to Perform Your Monthly Self Breast Exam

In honor of this incredibly important month in women's health, board-certified Nurse Practitioner, Mimi Radman, will be sharing valuable information to help you better understand, prevent and detect breast cancer...in words we can all understand. (I have asked her to use terms we can all relate to and won't have to Google!)

Question:  What am I feeling for when I perform my monthly self breast exam?

Answer:  It's common for breast tissue, especially in younger women, to feel sort of bumpy and lumpy... Like big raisins in oatmeal. What you want to check for are hard nodules that feel like a frozen pea or a marble. Remember to feel all the way up into your armpit too. I think it's easiest to perform your breast exam in the shower where the soap and water allow your fingers to glide smoothly over your lady lumps. Perform the exam right after your period or when starting a new pack for those of you on the pill. If you feel anything of concern, see your health care provider.

Have any medical questions for Nurse Practitioner Mimi? 

Please feel free to email your questions to AskMimiNP@housescouchesandbabies.com.

Why You Should Always Keep Your Health Care Explanation of Benefits

Have you ever wondered why your health insurance provider sends you something called an Explanation of Benefits (a.k.a. EOB) in the mail after a doctor visit or medical procedure?  To do just that...explain what the insurance company will pay for (your benefits) and what you, as a subscriber, are responsible for.  

I have learned over the year to keep all of these EOB's, even though I want to throw them out as soon as I get them.  Why do I find it important to keep these EOB's?  Yesterday, I had an experience that was a perfect case in point.

Lice: What All Parents Need to Know

Last week I got a call that my next door neighbors had lice.  My kids play with the neighbors next door all the time...great!

Then today I got a call from my neighbor two doors down on the other side that they have lice.  Once again, my kids interact with them all the time.

(By the way, if you aren't itchy by now, you will be in a minute.  But I promise the information that I am going to share with you is going to be valuable!)

So, after I started feeling out-of-control itchy, I contacted a company called Tiny Locks that checks the hair with special eye wear and removes lice if it is found.

Luckily, we are lice-free. But this whole experience has made me wonder what is fact and what is fiction about lice.

Each year there are more that 12 million cases of head lice in the U.S.  Here are some important things you should know about lice:

• Studies have shown that lice avoid herbs such as rosemary, citronella, geranium, lavender, tea tree and mint.  
• Having lice is not a sign of poor hygiene, like most people think.  In fact, lice prefer squeaky-clean hair.
  

Glowing Skin: My First Experience with Microdermabrasion + GIVEAWAY

As sand travels through the hourglass, so does my quest for youthful, glowing skin.  Just a week ago, I was lucky enough to experience my first microdermabrasion with a wonderful aesthetician, Robin, of Robin Marie Skin Care in Costa Mesa.  Not only did I get to experience the gentle exfoliation of microdermabrasion, I also learned a lot about microdermabrasion and tips on how to achieve healthy, glowing skin.

My skin tends to be on the oily side so I have had my share of chemical peels. And while I have always I have always been told by aestheticians and doctors that I would hardly notice the peeling from the chemical peel, I have always felt like a snake shedding its skin after a peel.  (Not to mention I have never seemed to time it quite right so that my skin isn't still peeling for a weekend event!)

With microdermabrasion, I was excited to learn that it exfoliates and removes a layer of dead skin like a chemical peel, but there is no delayed peeling!

Marvelous Meatloaf

While shopping at Costco on Monday, my son spotted meatloaf and said he wanted to make that for dinner.  After reading the nutritional information and seeing it had 580mg of sodium/serving, I decided we would make our own meatloaf.  My son was excited about that because he loves to cook. 

When I came home, I realized I didn't have a recipe for meatloaf.

Pinterest to the rescue. 

I found this amazing recipe from Sweet Treats and More for turkey meatloaf.

What's so amazing about it?

• It needs only a few ingredients
• It takes a short time to prepare
• It's delicious
• Most importantly, it passes the kids' approval test with flying colors (In fact, my daughter asked for seconds and then wanted it for lunch the next day.)

For full recipe details, check out Sweet Treats and More's recipe for Easy, No-Fail Turkey Meatloaf.

(As Sweet Treats and More points out, the picture does not do the meatloaf justice!)

Image from sweettreatsandmore.com

Go to Bed Hungry

That's what diet and exercise expert from The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper, says to do in his book 'the skinny rules.'

I saw Harper on The Today Show this morning and heard him share that we shouldn't eat less than 3 hours before going to bed.  He claims that going to bed hungry will actually us get better sleep.  Hmm, interesting.  (That's probably why I am so starving right now at 10pm because I know I really shouldn't eat.  It's like fasting for blood work.  On a typical day I can go until 9am without eating and feel fine.  But on days I have to fast to get blood work done, I feel like I am going to pass out by 8am from low blood sugar,starvation, etc.)

Then he said that we should drink a tall glass of water when we wake up in the morning to get all of our organs and digestion going.  He also said that we should drink a tall glass of water before each meal.  I guess that makes sense because the glass of water will help with digestion and help us feel fuller faster...these are rules on how to be "skinny" right?

One other idea I took away from his segment on The Today Show was the 80/20 rule.  I've seen the 80/20 rules surface in many situations, but this is the first I have heard it used when it comes to eating habits.  This rule basically states that you will eat well 80% of the time, but know that you are going to splurge 20% of the time.  And he encourages people to plan their splurges so they have something to look forward to.  This makes sense to me because I have never seen a person change their diet to a specific plan 100% and not eventually abandon the diet or cheat...hello, do you know anyone who is still on the Atkin's diet?  I don't, but know a lot of people that tried it.

These rules sound simple enough and, most importantly, seem like they would maintain good health.  Sounds good to me!

To see all of what Bob Harper had to say on The Today Show, simply click on the video below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Daughter's Day at the Dentist

Yesterday, my daughter had her first fillings put in...boo hoo!  The dentist assured me (the mom who diligently brushes her daughter's teeth twice a day and has her use rinse and floss every night) that some children/people are more prone to cavities. 

I didn't have the heart to tell her she had cavities because I have always warned her of the "cavity creeps" giving her cavities.  I know she doesn't like the cavity creeps, so I didn't feel like she needed to know they took down 2 of her teeth and now she had a date with the dentist's drill.  (Yeah, I used the drill as a scare tactic, too!)

Instead, we made it an exciting trip to the dentist's office where he was going to make her teeth "nice and healthy."  She was excited about that.  And luckily, the fantastic team at South OC Pediatric Dentistry made her feel so comfortable and praised her every step of the way. 

When we first got there, she got to choose what color/smell nose piece she was going to use.  The dentist uses laughing gas(nitrous oxide) rather than injecting Novocaine to alleviate any pain.  She chose purple/grape. (She was so excited since purple is her second favorite color!)

They hooked her up to the laughing gas and she just sat and watched a movie while her dentist showed her all the tools he was going to use and actually showed on her hand how they work.  He showed her how the drill would "tickle" her teeth.  (I wish that is how the drill at my dentist's office worked!)

She laid back in the chair for about 20 minutes while they worked on her teeth.  They continued praising her every step of the way.  She even gave me a thumbs up during the treatment. 

Once the drilling was over, they gave her oxygen to speed up the recovery process from the laughing gas.  Without Novocaine, she was able to eat immediately after the appointment. 

And she did just that...eating apple slices when we got to the car. Once again, my kids never cease to amaze me!

"Finally! Something That is Okay to Stick Up My Nose!"

My newly-turned  4-year old daughter still seems to enjoy sticking her finger up her nose (oh joy!). 

While I feel like I am reminding her incessantly to take her finger out of her nose, here is one thing that I am actually okay with her putting up her nose.  And she is okay with it too...saline nasal spray!

Are your kids okay with saline nasal spray? 

I had to chase my 6-year old around the house when he was younger to try and get him to use nasal spray, and yet, she seems to enjoy it - actually asking to spray it herself.

So I think I am just going to go with it...

Bad Blender, Bad!

Way back 8 years ago we registered for a blender.  We have used it maybe 8 times in the past 8 years, up until a month ago when I started making shakes for breakfast. 

So, roughly 38 uses, and this is what happens...

(In case you can't tell, the rubber spinning mechanism has been sheered off!)

You've got to be kidding me, Kitchen Aid! 

Needless to say I am going to look for a new blender today.  Any suggestions?  I need to be able to make daily shakes and margaritas every now and then.  That's about it.

Xtend Barre - What a Workout!

I will admit, my daily/semi-daily exercise routine consists of walking, and every now and again running.  That is my staple workout.

But I absolutely love throwing in something fun and different once a week to break the monotony.  The past few weeks, that fun and different has been Xtend Barre!

For those who don't know what Xtend Barre is, it is a ballet and Pilates amplified.  You use ballet and pilates moves to build core strength as well as chisel and elongate all of your muscles.

An Xtend Barre studio just recently opened a mile away from my home in Mission Viejo, so I am especially excited how convenient it is for me to attend.  (This morning, I rolled out of bed at 8:10 - yes, the kids were nice to me! - and made it to an 8:30 class.)

What I like most about the class is the emphasis on elongating the muscles.  As a girl {I prefer to call myself that over "woman" :)} who has short legs and has always felt kind of stumpy,  it feels great to try and stretch my legs and arms into being longer and standing taller to actually feel taller.  Perception is reality, right?

I have been to three classes so far, and what I love is that the movements in the class have never been the same.  We work out the same zones of the body, but in different ways. That is great for me because I can't figure out a way to make the movement easier on myself, a.k.a. cheat! 

When I originally signed up to take classes at Xtend Barre, I figured it would be just like Pure Barre.  As I mentioned earlier this year, Pure Barre is great because there is a lot of "shaking and shaping."

And while Xtend Barre and Pure Barre share some of the same basic principles, ballet and Pilates, there are some subtle differences.

Xtend Barre does seem to focus more on the proper ballet dance poses and movement as well as style and grace.  All of which are challenging to me since I don't have any dance background (high school and sorority dance skits don't count!).  But if you do have a dance background, this class would be a perfect way to use what you know in a workout environment.

But I like that.  Maybe in the process I will gain some grace.  And as I mentioned before, Xtend Barre does seem to focus a little bit more on posture and elongating.  Pure Barre seems to have more high repetition, slight movements that focus on muscle tightening. 

For the sake of a workout, I think you really can't go wrong with either Xtend Barre or Pure Barre. It just depends on what suits your needs and likes in a class.  And bottom line, which class actually motivates you to keep going to class!

Courtney and Stephanie, the owners and instructors for my Mission Viejo Xtend Barre studio are fantastic!  They have both been very helpful in correcting my positioning so that I optimize each movement, and bottom line, they keep me going!

If you haven't tried Xtend Barre, I highly recommend you do it now!  With all the yummy holiday foods coming and the weather turning cold, it is the perfect time to turn to an indoor studio class that makes you feel great!

This or That: Yogurt Pretzels vs. Chocolate Pretzels

For years, I have always figured that yogurt pretzels were more healthy not as bad for you as chocolate covered pretzels.  While on one of my recent shopping trips to Sprouts (formerly Henry's), I actually took a minute to look at the nutritional information posted on the yogurt pretzels and milk chocolate pretzels.  Here is what I found:

Both had the same amount of total fat (9.0g), same Sugars (16g), but Milk Chocolate covered pretzels actually have less saturated fat (6g vs. 9g), less sodium (140mg vs. 150mg) less carbs (27g vs. 29g) and more protein and fiber.

I know the differences aren't huge, but I have always thought that a yogurt option would be healthier than a chocolate option.  But I guess that isn't always the case.  Just one more reason why it is important to read labels!

Apple Juice Isn't Safe?

Now that school is back in, I feel like I am running and driving all over the place. With yesterday being my son's minimum day, I found myself back at home earlier than usual.  And for the first time in quite a while, I turned on the TV just to see what was on.  I turned on the Dr. Oz show mid-way through a segment on, of all things, apple juice. 

The segment was quite disturbing.  In independent testing the show did, they found arsenic in several different brands of apple juice, including Gerber, Motts, and Juicy Juice.  ARSENIC?  What!  I thought we were supposed to be worrying about too much sugar, not ARSENIC.

As part of the segment, Dr. Oz encouraged apple juice consumers (a.k.a. Me) to look at their apple juice container/bottle to see where it is made.  The Hansen's Natural Apple Juice in my fridge is bottled in Corona, CA.  Okay, that seems fine.  But on the clear part of the bottle, it says "CONC MADE IN USA AND/OR CHINA."  ("CONC" stands for concentrate.)  You have got to be kidding me!  When they stamp that on the bottle they don't know if the apple concentrate is from the U.S. or China?  When I see something like that, it tells me that it is more likely from China, but they want to make themselves sound good by throwing in the USA part, or that a small portion of their concentrate is made in the USA so that they don't have to say "Made in China."

And so while I know arsenic is bad, because I didn't catch the first part of the segment, I didn't know all of the background information on the situation.  So, I went to the Dr. Oz Show website and found out that arsenic is a heavy metal known to cause cancer, and that pesticides used in other countries such as China contain arsenic. 

When Dr. Oz and his producers approached the juice companies, the Juice Products Association, and the FDA, no one wanted to talk about the situation.  They all contended that their juices meet the FDA safety standards, even though the FDA doesn't even test for arsenic. I mean, why would they?  Who would put arsenic in apple juice anyway?  Apparently, we, as a society, need to stop being naive and stop assuming the government can protect us from everything.

Having said all this, Dr. Oz did not recommend that our kids stop drinking apple juice all together.  (I suppose a tiny amount of arsenic can't hurt them. :<) But he did recommend that we start looking where the apple juice concentrate is from.  Also, he did recommend organic apple juices, because their independent studies showed that organic apple juices came back with lower levels of arsenic than the safe drinking water limit as determined by the EPA.  Click here to see all of Dr. Oz's independent study results.

Ultimately, we do have the power to make a change in all of this, and that is by simply choosing apple juice (and all juices for that matter) that is made in the USA.  If we stop buying the apple juice with concentrate from China, then companies will be forced to stop producing it because it won't be profitable. 

Perhaps our country needs to start the "Made in the USA" campaign again from back in the '80's...not only for our economy, but our physical health, too!

First Soccer Practice - Soccer Camp Worked

Our 6-year old is one day away from starting 1st grade and today he had his first soccer practice with his new team for the fall season. He was excited all day about going to practice, however, when we got there and it was anywhere between 90-95 degrees, he wasn't quite as excited.

But I am happy to report that he seems much more interested in getting into the action than he did last year.  Aside from him tackling the two boys that took the ball away from him during a drill(I think he has been wrestling too much with Grandpa),  he really showed improvement from last year.  And most importantly, he was having fun. 

Soccer camp and his Coach Ollie gave him a great boost of confidence.  

And I was thrilled at how ready he was for bed on his first "school night." I can't believe he starts 1st grade tomorrow!

Spider-Man at Soccer Camp

Here is some of the fun my little Spider-Man had on Wacky Wednesday of soccer camp. I especially like the "frying bean."

Amy Winehouse Dies

This is such a sad story. A girl whose most famous song, ironically about saying no to rehab, is found dead in her London home at age 27.

I must have been living under a rock yesterday afternoon and evening because I didn't hear about her death until this morning. So, as I perused the many stories about her death online, I came across the "27 club."

What is the "27 club," you ask? It is the group of singers and musicians who all died at the age of 27. Members of this club include Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and now, Winehouse.

Winehouse, at times, seemed to be more known for her alcohol and drug abuse than her singing. She was fodder for many late night talk shows hosts (like my favorite, Chelsea Handler). Her addiction to drugs and alcohol seems to be the legacy she is leaving - not her 5 Grammys, as she and her family would have hoped.

Again, sad. And it makes we wonder, if the music community and the public had not praised her work about refusing to go to rehab, would she maybe have gotten the picture that everyone else thought she should go to rehab, too? And maybe that would have been a way the music community and her fans could have helped her more than 5 Grammys every did...maybe???

Image from ABCnews.com

Flipping and Twisting in the Pool

While my kids were swimming, my 6-year old son started doing hand stands. Then he decided he wanted to do a back flip. I told him to keep arching his back and using his hands to propel him around. This is the result of about 5 minutes of trying:



Naturally, the 3-year old sassy girl couldn't be shown up and wanted to show off her own twists in the water, too!



We are already off to an amazing summer!

Tooth #2 Bites the Dust

As I mentioned on Monday, I took my kids in for their 6-month check up at the dentist. While we were there, the dentist noticed my son's shark tooth (that is, the second row tooth that had already sprouted with the baby tooth still in place). The dentist pointed out how the tooth wasn't loose at all and that if after a few months he had still not lost that tooth, he might want to extract it.

Well, wouldn't you know, that baby tooth became very loose on Monday evening - much to my son's delight! The past couple of days I had been helping him floss around the tooth in hopes of it getting looser. And tonight, while flossing, my son decided to jerk the dental floss out of his mouth. That jerking motion popped the tooth right out!

He was so excited! Even with blood coming from his mouth, all he could do was stare at his newly extracted baby tooth. But instead of putting it in his special tooth fairy pillow, he decided that he wants to bring it to school tomorrow to share with his friends. That's a new one!

I told him I wasn't sure if the tooth fairy would like having to wait an extra day to get the tooth, but Daddy cleverly reminded us that he could put a good word into the tooth fairy so that she would wait the extra day. That Daddy is one smart cookie!