Want to know what the 3 magic routines are? My guess is, if you’re reading this blog, you already practice them.

1. Family meals at least 5 times a week. TV off, everyone at the table. (In other words: talk to your kids, make time for them, and let them take part in adult conversation. The meal is an accessory to what’s really going on.)
2. Limit TV time to 2 hours a day. (In other words: Let your kids play! Motivate them to play! Get them off the couch!)
3. At least 10.5 hours of sleep each night. (In other words: have a bed time, presumably that’s before yours, and enforce it.)

So, different studies over time have addressed each of these, but apparently this is the first to combine the 3. Let me tell you what I think. You knew I would, didn’t you? Families that practice these 3 things are typically: more involved in their kids lives because a) they eat dinner with them and b) they don’t use TV as a babysitter or mute button; they’re generally more educated – I’m not talking Harvard or PhDs, I’m talking parenting research. Anyone who reads parenting articles, parenting books, and stays up to date with research in childhood development knows that kids need sleep and benefit from routines. So they put their kids to bed at an earlier bedtime. And they eat meals with their kids and they limit screen time.

These aren’t 3 magic routines that will melt pounds off overindulgent children. These are 3 consistencies recognized in stable upwardly mobile homes. And unfortunately, they’re things that a lot of single-parent homes and financially struggling families see as a luxury. These 3 things often require parents being home with their kids after school, and if both parents work – that may not be an option. They require a more active parenting style from mom and dad – willing to get on the floor and play with a toddler or run outside and play in the grass. It requires turning off the computer, putting down the laundry, and investing time in your kids.

And guess what? I don’t think it’s the 3 routines that make the difference. It’s the fact that the same parents who do those routines also try to buy healthy foods. They avoid HFCS and sugary sodas. They don’t let Timmy veg all afternoon in front of the TV with a bag of Doritos. Their fridges are full of carrot sticks and hummus and applesauce and grapes and yogurt for snacks. And their kids like those things. Those kids would rather build a Lego dinosaur and play ball outside than sit in front of the TV. Their day is structured with routines, like bedtime – and like snacktime. They have food at predetermined times, and they don’t snack just because they’re bored.

So, thanks, Journal of Pediatrics. Suggestions taken and understood. But let’s not simplify it to believe that 3 simple steps will take our nation’s kids from HFCS-craving screen-monsters to active, healthy kids practicing positive choices about food, routines, and relationships.

How about you? Have any recipes straight out of your cupboard?

Then there is the user review factor. I like to know if other people like this product. Obviously, we all have different tastes but I still find other peoples comments to be very beneficial. In fact, they help calm that twitch of buyers anxiety that starts to well up inside of me when I walk into the store or get ready to submit an online order.

So, I’ve done the research and I’ve read the reviews and I’ve tested the products myself. It took trial and error to find out what our family liked and what worked best for each of us. Over the next few weeks (months, years, however long it takes) I will be sharing with you, our loyal readers, my very own product reviews.

One of my most recent and favorite finds is this…

Weleda Children’s Tooth Gel

My daughter did not like my toothpaste which led to her not wanting to brush her teeth. I didn’t like the struggle to get her to brush, but I didn’t feel like the fruity toothpastes would make for a very easy transition when she was older. I went on a search and when I found this product it had RAVE reviews for it’s gentle minty flavor that isn’t too overpowering for little mouths. Its Skin Deep rating was a 1, which is great to me, but kids don’t always care about ratings. I was a bit skeptical but I hit send on my online purchase anyway. I really talked up her new toothpaste. By the time it got here she was so excited. We ran the the bathroom and tried it right away and to my surprise she LOVED it. She brushed and brushed and then asked for more! Now there is no more struggle and each time she brushes her teeth she has to brush once, then have just a little bit more…

If you have kids and you are looking for a natural, fresh scent toothpaste, this is definitely one to try!

What: Enviro Expo shows you how to green your life

When: Nov. 14-15, 2008, from 10AM – 5PM

Where: Americas Mart in Atlanta. 240 Peachtree Street N.W. Building 3, Atlanta, GA

Why you want to go: There will be demonstrations of all types of green products and services.  You can sample all sorts of eco-friendly things – chocolate, honey, granola, fresh herbs, baby food, and learn about the  ins and outs of recycling, energy star appliances, as well as other nuances of greening your lifestyle. There will be events for kids, and don’t forget to bring some old tennis shoes – Nike’s Reuse A Shoe program will be showing off what they do with recycled shoes. And what else? Admission is FREE!!!

So there you go. Free, fun activity for the whole family this Friday and Saturday.

… raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… I thought I’d let you into my day-to-day life. A few of the green things that keep me going. Things I use daily that I’m not sure I could manage without. Here it is:

1. My very first has to be my breadmaker. No, it isn’t solar-powered or constructed entirely of recycled milk jugs or anything like that. But the way my family goes through bread, what with 7 people in our house, we couldn’t afford to buy the organic bread that’s free of HFCS and such. So instead, I buy the raw ingredients and make bread daily at home. When I started doing it I didn’t have a breadmaker and I spent countless hours kneading and building frustration. The breadmaker is like gold in my house. Stay tuned and I’ll post my favorite bread recipe. I use it to make pizza crust at home too, for our Sunday night pizza night. I love my breadmaker.
2. Reusable bags. My favorite is a canvas-type Shaklee bag that says “Green & Gorgeous.” It’s too cool for words. But I use my bags for more than just shopping. They help organize my kids’ paraphernalia in the car. They hold library books ready to be returned. I use them all over the house and all through the week.
3. My garden. It’s a beautiful thing to look out my kitchen window, see a cluster of grape tomatoes waiting to be picked, harvest them and a few green peppers just in time to throw them into the evening’s meal. It isn’t until you’ve had fresh-picked garden produce that you realize how desperately flat the grocery store produce is on flavor. Of course when I walk into the store and see green peppers for $2.50 a piece I’m even more thankful for the harvest in my backyard.
4. Baby sling. I have 3 different ones – a wrap type, and 2 ring slings. The wrap is my favorite for long-term baby carrying, but around the house day to day the ring sling is the easiest to pop the baby in and out of. Anyhow, having a sling means that I can hold a baby, clean up house, play with a toddler, and bake bread all at the same time. I’m the queen when it comes to multitasking.
5. Fair trade organic coffee.  I grind it right before I brew it and I’ve been spoiled for all other coffee.
6. Scour Off. When nothing else will clean something, I always know this will work. There’s nothing it can’t handle, it’s made out of cherry pits and I just can’t stop singing its praises. No harsh chemicals, biodegradable container, and from a company certified zero impact on the environment. What’s not to like?

These are a few of my favorite things. Wanna share a few of yours?

Now that the election is over, what do you do with the campaign signs that dotted your yard? Some people are keeping them as memorabilia of this historic election, and others are putting them up on freecycle. The metal frames can be saved and reused for future campaigns, or to frame garage sale signs.

But if your old campaign sign is no more than clutter to you, don’t throw it in the trash! Every part of your campaign sign is recyclable. If you need assistance finding a place to recycle yours, contact your local Public Works department.

As an incentive to get out and vote, Starbucks is offering a free cup of coffee to voters! Thanks to Allie over at Allie’s Answers for pointing this out to us. Of course, you’ll want to have them put it in the reusable mug you bring with you, right? So as not to trash your landfill with excess paper cups and lids… And, you’ll want to ask if the offer includes a fair trade organic brew, since you are interested in justice and the environment and all that.

So, if you haven’t already, get out and VOTE! And pick up your cup of coffee from Starbucks too. Wishing you short lines and a hot, steaming cup of organic fair trade coffee!

Did you know that the average American consumes 34 teaspoons of sugar per day? Yikes! Sugar content is high in things you’d probably anticipate – sodas, sugary cereals – but it’s also high in items you wouldn’t normally considered high in sugar, like ketchup, yogurt, cranberry juice, toothpaste, bread, sports drinks, peanut butter, barbeque sauce and baked beans, and the list goes on.

The massive amounts of sugar we consume contribute to skyrocketing rates of diabetes, a growing trend of obesity, rising rates of cancer, as well as other problems. It weakens the immune system, contributes to depression and hyperactivity, interferes with absorption of vitamins and minerals causing osteoporosis and nutritional deficiencies, speeds the aging process, causes food allergies and migraines, as well as a host of other problems. In fact, studies have shown that once sugar intake rises above 20 teaspoons a day the risk of chronic disease increases exponentially.

34 teaspoons a day. That’s sobering.

There’s a new banner on my left sidebar, down towards the bottom. It looks like this. Click on it and you’ll find yourself at a website with a really supercool video. Sure, it’s about 20 minutes long, but it’s well worth the time. Think about it. What else would you have done with those 20 minutes? Read a few more blogs? Watched 2/3 of a sitcom? (or the whole thing if you’ve Tivo’ed it and can skip commercials) Cleaned something?

Well, this is better than all that. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn something you didn’t know. And you just might be challenged to change the way you think about some things. It’s good viewing. I promise. In fact, I’ll guarantee it. If you watch it and you walk away not having laughed or learned something, I’ll give you 20 minutes back. (Wait! You’re not taking me seriously on that are you?)

But seriously. It’s good.  It touches on dioxins (which are present in an alarming number of cleaning products), goes into where our stuff comes from, where it ends up, and – more importantly – why we’re so attached to it.