HRM Parent Blog

So much on the go in the city this weekend! This is just a sampling so head to our event calendar for even more! 1. It's African Heritage Month and the Halifax Public Libraries have tons of great events the whole month long. Go here for a complete schedule. We'll be highlighting a few as the month progresses, starting with the National African-American Read-In at the Woodlawn Public Library tomorrow. 2. If you feel like a small road trip you might want to head to Truro for the Winter Long John Festival . It kicks off Sunday and offers horse and wagon rides, snowshoeing, skating and dancing! 3. Bring the kids out to enjoy balloons, games, music, face painting, cake, walks, bounce castles, carnival treats, crafts and MUCH MUCH MORE at the Kids Carnival Play Centre at MSVU on Sunday! 4. Lights! Camera! Action! On Saturday Feb 4th kids 8+ can head to the Dartmouth North Public Library to create their own short animated movie that they can share with their friends online! 5. It's the last weekend to trek to the valley for Eagle Watch 2012 . With the colder temps there have been lots of eagle sightings as they come in to the feeding station. There's a great pancake and sausage breakfast until 2:00 at the community centre so you can fill up before the drive back! 6. Have you been grossed-out at the Discovery Centre yet? Head there for the fun & disgusting new exhibit Grossology!

"Let's Paint! " my daughter cheered as the plan for her 5^th birthday a few weeks ago. She's always been a big fan of the Clay Café so it was a pretty easy choice to have it there, despite all the fun ideas I had for hosting it at home.

Making the invitations was a family affair.  We all had fun painting paper using lots of different colours and when it was dry we attached another piece of paper with the party details that we printed out on the computer.

Colour was the focus of our snack choices with fruit, veggies, cheese, and of course some smarties, that we displayed in painters palates on each of the tables. 

The cake was made from a slab cake cut into the shape of a palate.  We used gel icing for the paint colours and a breadstick with a dollop of fondant on the end to make the brush.  

We also put together these little packages of a palate of paint and a canvas for each guest to take home after the party since their painted clay pieces had to go in the oven before they could be brought home.

My daughter's comment on her way to bed that night? "It was so fun to paint with my friends today, I love them all and I love you, Mommy" You just can't beat that!!

Happy Groundhog Day!!   We love any reason to celebrate and found these fun groundhog inspired recipes and food ideas that we just had to share.

East Dirt? We found this easy recipe for a Groundhog Day Dirt Pie from the Childcare and Beyond website that is too cute not to try.

1 box of instant pudding
4 chocolate graham crackers squares

Mix pudding according to package directions. Place into four bowls. Crush graham crackers until crumbs resemble dirt. Sprinkle on top of the pudding. On a popsicle stick, draw the face of a groundhog with a felt pen...stick into the pudding!

Mr. Groundhog: Get out your favourite meatloaf recipe but ditch the loaf pan and try this neat groundhog design for a meal that the kids will surely enjoy.

Holy Holes!  Groundhogs are famous for poking out of holes so how about including food with holes in it into your meals today....bagels, swiss cheese, pineapple rings, cheerios...the list goes on.

Groundhog Cupcakes: yes, thanks to the Family Fun website there's even a cupcake you can make of the little critter.  Check out the recipe here . They are almost too cute to eat!

Are you a stressed out HRM mama or papa struggling to avoid that next cold that burns its way through your family?  Maybe you are doing everything to lose a few pounds but the scale won't budge?  

You may not know that proper stress management can be key to both successful weight loss and a strong immune system.  It is also integral to long-term health.  Most people have heard about the correlation between stress and weight gain or illness but have little understanding as the physiological connection.

In my experience, when my clients begin to understand what actually physically happens in their bodies in times of stress & poor eating, and how this leads to increased stress hormone levels and resulting damage, they are more motivated to both eliminate some of the unnecessary stress in their lives and find effective stress management tools for those inevitable stressors they cannot avoid.

Here are a few "stress facts":

-  What happens inside your body when you encounter stress, whether physical (i.e. an extreme workout), mental (i.e. challenging file at work) or emotional (i.e. grief), is exactly the same: It's an automatic reaction called the "fight or flight" response.

-  When our body's "fight or flight" response is triggered, all of our functions perceived essential to combating the stressful situation (such as heart rate, blood pressure, & eyesight) are sharpened, but those systems our body perceives to be "non-essential" in times of stress, such as digestion, shut down. Ever had that knot in your stomach & digestive distress on the day of a big presentation? Now you know why!

-  The stress response triggers the release of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. If we deal with the stress effectively and subsequently re-enter a relaxed state, these hormone levels should rise and then lower. However, when we are chronically stressed, they stay elevated.

-  Chronically elevated cortisol levels are dangerous. They lead to increased belly fat, blood sugar imbalances, increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol, increased risk of heart attack and stroke and many other major chronic illnesses.

-  Processed "non-foods", with little or no nutritive value and which are high in refined sugars and additives, further contribute to increased cortisol levels.

-  Similarly, caffeine can elevate cortisol levels.

-  Stress also reduces vitamin B levels and contributes to inflammation. We need B vitamins to metabolize energy and keep our immune function up. Stressed out people often get sick and tired as a result.

Have I got you stressed out just thinking about all this?  

Here's the simple fix:  Focus on whole foods, specifically lots of veggies and fruits.  Restrict processed foods.  Manage your stress the best you can, by bringing yourself into a relaxed state through breathing, yoga, moderate exercise, or just venting to a friend.  Stop paying lip service to stress management & healthy eating and make some positive changes.  

It's worth it, isn't it?

Wendy McCallum, LLB, RHN, is passionate about providing busy parents with the tools & support they need to feed their families wholesome food, so everyone can play, learn, and feel better!  She is a mother of two terrific HRM kids, aged 7 &8.  For information and recipe ideas, visit her website.

by Sarah W of HRM Parent

My husband and I watched a movie over the weekend that really hit a nerve.  In a nutshell, the parents in the movie had lost a child and during their grieving process, started recounting the things they should have done for or with their child. To have only had that time back - even just 5 more minutes.

I got in bed that night and of course started thinking. Thinking about how often I say things like "not right now", "in a minute", "maybe next time" to the kids; thinking about how often the TV replaces potential catch-up time, or how much time we waste doing things that don't really matter as much as spending time with our children.   Thinking about how short 5 minutes is...but how much you can still do with your child in that length of time.

Of course, that sparked a whole new thought process and I started making a mental list of some simple yet sublime things you can do with your kids in only 5 minutes.  It's a list that's still growing in my head but was getting long enough that I needed to start writing it down.  So here it is... just 5 minutes.... 1/12^th of an hour....a mere 300 seconds...what are you waiting for?

Start a Saturday morning family cuddle in your bed

Give in and say yes to a "please just one more..." request

Read an extra book at night

Turn the music up loud and just sing

Teach your child to play tic-tac-toe

Recount a funny story from when you were a child

Play a round of charades

Throw ALL the toys in the bath for an extra long soak

Learn to say "I love you" in 2 other languages

Head outside for quick game of catch

Play hide-and-seek

Take some extra time and braid your daughter's hair

Chill in the car for a few minutes together before going in to start the evening rush

Teach your son how to (pretend) shave

Show them pictures of when you were a child

Grab a flashlight and make some shadow puppets

Paint all 10 fingernails a different colour

Let them brush your teeth for a change

Infant massage - such great bonding time

Make a paper airplane together

Teach your child a knock-knock joke

At supper each night, have everyone say what the "best part of their day" was

Make a family sized ice cream sundae with spoons for all

Make a stop by the photo-booth at the mall

Sit up close in front of a mirror with your baby

Have a staring contest

Hug....for 5 whole minutes....just hug!!!