The Tables Have Turned

Somewhere along the line, Katelyn has taken upon herself the mothering role.

Last week Don and Chase went to the market to get a Coke but came back with energy drinks instead. You should have seen Katelyn's face when she declared "Daaad, YOU DO NOT need an energy drink!"

So, on our way to Las Vegas this morning, I sent the following picture to Katelyn's phone after Don and I picked up a couple of Monsters at the gas station.

Her only reply back...

"Oh boy oh boy".

The icing on the cake, however, is when I asked Katelyn to proofread this post, she said, "Mommm! Did you really each get your own drink?" and when I answered "Yes" she said, "It's not funny mom. This is serious!"

I just kept laughing.

:)

Fatigue, Wellbeing and Parental Self-Efficacy in Mothers of Children with ASD

Raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents significant challenges for parents that potentially have a impact on their health and wellbeing. The current study examined the extent to which parents experience fatigue and its relationship to other aspects of wellbeing and parenting. Fifty mothers of children with an ASD aged 2-5 years participated in the study. Compared with mothers of typically developing children, mothers of children with an ASD reported significantly higher fatigue, with overall scores in the moderate range. Factors associated with high levels of fatigue were poor maternal sleep quality, a high need for social support and poor quality of physical activity. Fatigue was also significantly related to other aspects of wellbeing, including stress, anxiety and depression, and lower parenting efficacy and satisfaction. The need for interventions to specifically target parental fatigue and its impact on families affected by ASDs both in the short and long term is clearly indicated.


Giallo R, Wood CE, Jellett R, Porter R.
SourceParenting Research Centre, Australia.

11 Reasons to Exercise

Maybe if I write a list, I'll read it once in awhile and stay inspired? Here is some information I found in Prevention Magazine:

11- Heart Pumping increases blood flow to the brain- helping with multi-tasking, planning and memory.

10- It reduces pain and stiffness. It releases endorphins- the body's natural pain reliever.

9- You think more clearly, get more done and interact more effectively with others.

8- It increases blood flow to all areas of the body.

7- It thwarts off gum disease.

6- It boosts your immune system.

5- It helps with sleep patterns.

4- It is good for your eyes.

3- It increases energy and reduces fatigue.

2- It adds strength to your bones.

And, my number 1 reason to exercise...

My Crazy Family

Dietary Crack

I confess. I have a problem that is entirely out of control. I'm addicted to sugar. Searching the Internet for inspiration on kicking the habit, I came across the following article:


www.naturalnews.com

Comments by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

"Human researchers are fascinated by the behavior of lab rats in response to food rewards, but few humans are willing to closely examine their own behavior in relationship to sugar. Most people living in western societies (the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, etc.) are truly addicted to sugar, and they use it as a form of self-medication to temporarily boost their mood and energy. The frequency and context in which these people press a button on a soda machine is eerily similar to the way lab rats press a lever to produce a food reward.

This CounterThink cartoon attempts to ask, "What would an outside observer think of modern human behavior in relation to sugar?" The answer is not difficult to predict: They would think humans were strange animals to be so utterly controlled by a crystalline white substance. Refined white sugar is like dietary crack, and it rots out your teeth just like meth, only slower. To get the real story on white sugar, read the pioneering book, "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Weston Price, or check out the Price-Pottenger Foundation.

Of course, most people reading this cartoon will insist, "I'm not addicted to sugar. I can quit eating sugar anytime I want." Really? Prove it! See if you can go sugar-free for just ten days. That's a real eye-opener for most people, because even if they have the determination to attempt such an experiment, most soon find themselves crawling back to the pantry, desperately seeking a soda beverage loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (liquid sugar) to end their withdrawal symptoms.

The truth is, most American consumers are so addicted to sugar that they will deny their addictions in the same way that a crack or heroin addict might. And yet, when it comes down to it, sugar controls their behavior. If they don't have their sugar in the morning (in their coffee, pancakes and cereals), sugar at lunch (in the salad dressing, pasta sauce, soda and restaurant food) and sugar at dinner (there's sugar in pizza, ketchup and BBQ sauce, plus virtually all restaurant foods), then they suffer serious withdrawal symptoms and go crazy with moodiness and irritability. They start blaming everyone around them for silly things, and they may even become sweaty and light-headed.

Curious, isn't it? That's what happens when you take a substance out of nature and refine it to maximize its chemical surface area and biological activity. Cocaine is a drug that's refined from coca leaves. Opium is a drug that's refined from poppies. And sugar is a drug that's refined from sugarcane. And while we have a "war on drugs" against cocaine and heroin, our taxpayer dollars actually subsidize the sugar industry, making refined white sugar cheap and widely available to the entire population so that everyone can be equally hooked.

Refined white sugar is a pleasure drug. If you don't believe me, just put a spoonful on your tongue and observe the instantaneous effects. You'll experience a warming, comfortable feeling that makes you feel safe and happy. They're not called "comfort foods" by accident.

Sugar is, essentially, a legalized recreational drug that's socially acceptable to consume. And yet, just like other drugs, it destroys a person's health over time, rotting out their teeth, disrupting normal brain function, promoting heart disease and directly causing diabetes and obesity. The argument that "street drugs are outlawed because they're dangerous to a person's health" falls flat on its face when you consider what sugar does to the human body. It's a lot more dangerous than marijuana, for example, and yet marijuana is illegal to possess or consume.

Isn't it curious how, in modern society, we fight a war against certain drugs (like cocaine), yet subsidize others? (Like sugar.) The difference, of course, is that the sugar industry has a powerful political lobby and is universally abused by virtually the entire population. Drugs that are abused by only a few (such as heroin) get outlawed, while drugs that are abused by everyone (such as caffeine and sugar) receive legal immunity. It's mob rule. And the mob is addicted to sugar."




Makes sense to me!