Michelle Obama’s new campaign against childhood obesity
First Lady Michelle Obama today unveiled a campaign called “Let’s Move!” to reduce the epidemic of childhood obesity.
The four pillars of the First Lady’s campaign are:
Helping parents make healthy family choices;
Serving healthier food in schools;
Making healthy, affordable food more accessible;
Increasing children’s physical activity.
Since the announcement today, I’ve received e-mails or read about resounding cheers in agreement from organizations that include the American Diabetes Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Medical Association and more.
“The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic and security of our nation is at stake,” Obama said, according to a news release from the USDA. “This isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved overnight, but with everyone working together, it can be solved.”
Recent studies put the health care costs of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion per year, the USDA information stated.
Weighing in from the the pediatrics academy, Judith S. Palfrey, president of the organization that represents 60,000 pediatrician, called rescuing children’s health “a medical and moral imperative” in a news release.
“Over the past twenty years, our nation has seen an alarming rise in the number of our children who are overweight and obese. It will take a concerted effort and thoughtful collaboration to help create healthier communities for children,” she said.
The pediatric academy is asking pediatricians to start calculating the body mass indexes, or BMI, for patients over 2, among other recommendations.
The Let’s Move! campaign is a collaborative and community-oriented effort. Joining Obama for the announcement included local students, members of the president’s Cabinet, Congress members, many of the nation’s mayors and leading representatives from the fields of media, medicine, sports, entertainment and business communities.
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Winter chill? Snow what … try making snow ice cream
Snow cream
Setting aside concerns for salmonella from raw eggs and pollution that might be captured in each falling snowflake, we made snow ice cream today.
It didn’t take long.
Beat 2 eggs, add 2 tsp. of vanilla, 1/2 cup of sugar and a little milk, and you have a sweet little concoction to add to the light and fluffy stuff that is resting several inches deep on your windshield. This was my sister-in-law Sandy’s recipe for snow ice cream. (She has to share this with me every time it snows, because I forget.)
After spooning up a bowlful, I placed the snow in individual cups and then poured just enough liquid fun to make the snow stick together in the consistency of ice cream. Yum!
The kids tried it, and one review was good. My 4-year-old scrunched his face and didn’t think it could take the place of a Braum’s yogurt “twist.” And my 15-year-old said it was nasty. But my husband and youngest daughter liked it.
This treat is one my husband and I remember having as children. Recipes might have differed, but it was something we looked forward to when it snowed. Whether true or not, you were always supposed to wait until the second snow. (This was our second snow. 
)
Bad weather days can quickly become good family fun when you make a little, simple effort.
– Linda Lynn
llynn@opubco.com
Two major recalls issued
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced two more major recalls.
Strollers:
Graco has issued a voluntary recall of their Passage, Alano and Spree strollers and travel systems. The hinges on the canopy pose a fingertip amputation/laceration hazard when the canopy is being opened or closed. These strollers/travel systems were sold at Babies R Us, Walmart, Target and other major national retailers.
There are 1.5 million strollers affected by this recall.
To see complete information about this recall, including model numbers, click here.
Cribs:
More than 630,000 Dorel Asia cribs have been recalled. The drop side hardware is faulty, causing it to detach and fall in some cases. There has been a report of one infant death by entrapment/strangulation and other infant injuries have been reported. These cribs were sold in Sears and Walmart stores.
For more information regarding this recall, including pictures and model numbers, click here.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
New Year’s resolutions for kids
I came across an interesting post by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It lists 21 healthy New Year’s resolutions … for kids.
For preschoolers, it includes:
- I will clean up my room.
- I will brush my teeth twice a day.
- I will wash my hands.
For those age 5 to 12:
- I will drink milk and water, and limit soda and fruit drinks.
- I will apply sunscreen when going outside.
- I will play a sport or do another physical activity 3 times a week.
- I will wear my seat belt.
- I will be nice to other kids.
For age 13 and older:
- I will eat at least one fruit and vegetable every day and limit soda.
- I will choose non-violent TV shows and video games.
- I will help out my community.
- I will resist peer pressure.
- I won’t text or use a cell phone when driving.
For the entire list of resolutions, click here.
I have my own list of resolutions in regards to my 3-year-old son. Here’s my top 5:
- I will find time, no matter what, to read to him 20 minutes a day, every day.
- I will find a way to get veggies in his diet. (I think I said this same thing last January, too.)
- I will get him to think that cleaning up his play room is actually fun.
- I will be sure he stays active year-round. We’re starting off right with winter basketball.
- I will find some new and exciting places to bring him (taking suggestions!).
Do you have any resolutions you’d like to share? Comment here or email me at esmith@opubco.com.
-Erica Smith
School is closed; you have to work. Now what? The OKC Zoo has an option …
When school is canceled unexpectedly, what do you do with your children when you have to go to work? It’s a puzzle enough when the routine is normal, but when I woke up this morning, I learned that my puzzle had changed. The Edmond School District, like Oklahoma City and many others today, had decided to close.
So today working parents have a handful of choices, like most days like this: 1) Attempting to work from home (which usually works out fine for me as long as I don’t have technical glitches, which happened today); 2) bringing my kids to work with me (which happened today because of the computer glitches); 3) scrambling around to find backup childcare; or 4) taking a sick day. None of these options are easy choices for any parent. I’m thankful my bosses allow me to be somewhat flexible, within reason. Even at home, I can usually work fine, because my children are getting old enough to be independent. That still doesn’t feel like a good solution.
The Oklahoma City Zoo just might come to my rescue, Maybe it could help yours. Someone there had a brilliant plan to help parents out tomorrow. Take them to the “Cold Weather Safari Camp.” Pay just $20 to leave your child from ages 4 to 15 there from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early pickup starts at 7:30 a.m., and children can be picked up as late as 5:30 p.m. Age-appropriate activities may include live animal encounters, crafts, stories, songs, discovery stations and more.
Children are asked to bring a sack lunch, but the zoo will provide morning and afternoon snacks. Call ahead registration is recommended, but not required. Attendance is limited to the first 100 children between the ages of 4 and 15. Call (405) 425-0218 for registration or information or go online to www.okczoo.com.
Do you know of any other organization offering such a great solution? I’d certainly like to hear.
~Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Kids going stir-crazy?
Then get them outside! Here’s some events and ideas our outdoor blog writer has posted that kids can enjoy in the coming weeks. Have a great New Year!
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Massive recall of window coverings issued
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today has released a recall of all Roman blinds, roll-up shades and some vertical blinds in homes with children. The report says there is a risk of strangulation to young children.
This recall involves millions of blinds, as the CPSC estimates 5 million Roman blinds and 3 million roll-up blinds are sold EACH YEAR.
Anyone with these types of blinds is urged to go to www.windowcoverings.org or call (800) 506-4636 to receive a free repair kit. In the meantime, the CPSC has issued these important guidelines:
1. Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Be sure there are NO accessible cords on the front or back.
2. Do not place cribs, bed or other furniture close to windows, where children can climb on them and gain access to cords.
3. Make loose cords completely inaccessible.
4. If the shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.
Since 2006, the CPSC has received reports of 5 deaths and 16 near-strangulations. And those are only reported numbers. Please consider this an urgent problem that needs to be addressed if your home has these types of blinds.
For full recall information, click here.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Thunder rolls in to help during holidays
Tuesday evening, I had to make a quick stop at Target on Penn and Memorial. I knew something cool was going on inside because I saw the Oklahoma City Thunder vehicles parked outside.
Inside, you could hear cheering, clapping and holiday music turned way up. Kids were grinning ear to ear, and the NBA players had smiles to match.
It was the Holiday Gift Assist. Grandparents raising grandchildren went around Target with the help of these NBA players to get Christmas gifts for the children. It was awesome, to say the least. I overheard some of the interaction between the Thunder and the kids. You would’ve sworn these guys were just big kids themselves. They were excited and engaged and really showed they had hearts of gold.
Rumble was there, dancing to “Jingle Bells”; toddlers were strapped in the carts, looking up in awe at these very tall athletes in blue Santa hats; store personnel were air traffic controllers. Toys? This way. Christmas trees? Follow me. PlayStation? Over that way.
It was great to witness such a great moment for these grandparents and their grandchildren. We don’t usually think of grandparents as parents, but those who step into that role after having raised their own children is truly something. It’s a remarkable kind of love and I’m glad they were brought some holiday cheer this season.
You can read The Oklahoman’s story on the Holiday Gift Assist by clicking here.
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- A Thunder player is ready to help check out.
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- Rumble the Bison shows off his moves.
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- A Thunder player talks to the families.
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- Nenad Krstic greets shoppers.
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- A Thunder player checks to see if these DVDs are on the list.
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- Music and balloons greet the grandparents and grandkids.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Christmas tree lighting at Oklahoma State Capitol
Don’t miss tonight’s Christmas tree lighting at the Oklahoma State Capitol around 6 p.m. More information here. What makes this event even more child-friendly are the 42 trees that schoolchildren ages kindergarten through eighth grade from different places are decorating today. They’ll be meeting around the Capitol rotunda around 3:45 p.m. to decorate and enjoy festivities such as storytelling, performances and card signing for the troops going on during that time.
So before you go see Gov. Brad Henry lighting the big tree on the beautiful Oklahoma State Capitol grounds around 6 p.m., check out all the fun inside.
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Zhu Zhu pets and Black Friday
Does anyone have this year’s “hottest” toy (according to whom, I’m not sure), the Zhu Zhu pet hamster? How far are you willing to go to get one, and how much would you pay for this $10 toy? Does anyone remember what last year’s hottest pet toy was? I don’t. Will it make or break my children’s Christmas if they don’t get at least one of the hot toys of the season?
The AP is reporting today (link here) that these robotic pets are fetching $40 or more at some auction sites from parents who are desperate to secure the latest and greatest toy in time Christmas. They look pretty cute, and if I had seen one in a store, I might have considered getting one for my children; the price is right, and the marketing has convinced me that this is THE toy they’re going to want, whether they know it or not.
However, if I don’t see it, then the world won’t end. I’m not going to fight you for it, nor am I willing to stand in line at 5 a.m. (or camp out overnight) on Black Friday for a hamster toy or any other toy for that matter. I’m willing to bet that supply will catch up with demand and these toys will be for sale again before they’re forgotten in favor of next year’s hot toy.
Am I missing something? I know I’ve missed some great deals today and probably a lot of fun looking for the perfect presents with a group of people united (or competing?) for a common cause: shopping. I read the newspaper ads and even thought, “what if”?
But then common sense, the need for sleep, and the lack of a sitter to watch my children took over my brain. There seems to be plenty of “stuff” to go around for kids and grownups, too, and I don’t think it’s all going to be gone today. They’ll have a much better Christmas if I get more sleep and forego stress over the hunt for the Zhu Zhu hamster.
But I’d love to hear your thoughts about the appeal of Black Friday shopping as well as the demand to give the latest and greatest toys to our children for Christmas instead of the almost-latest and greatest toys, pretty good toys, or (GASP) what kids would consider the lowest category of gift-giving, Things They Need.
Happy shopping!
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
