We have a winner! Spiffies gift pack awarded
Thank you to all those who sent me emails and participated in the Spiffies tooth care prize giveaway.
Congratulations to Doris Assemien! She’ll get some good use of this product since she has a toddler and a 9-month-old with 5 teeth!
Continue to read Hiccups for more stories, parent/child information, and opportunities to learn about new products and participate in giveaways.
–Linda Lynn
GIVEAWAY — Help toddlers form healthy teeth habits with free gift
It’s one of those ongoing battles that I intend to win.
My young son resists every time I try to get him to brush his teeth.
Depending on who has the greatest will, one of us eventually gives in.
I’ve tried to instill this as a habit, but we’re just not there yet.
If you’re waging a similar battle or you have little ones you can assist with the care of their teeth, then I have a great opportunity for you!
Spiffies Cleaning and Teething Wipes are individually wrapped towelettes you can wipe on your child’s teeth, lowering the bacteria and helping to prevent cavities.
If you would like an opportunity to win a free gift of Spiffies products, send me an email at LLynn@opubco.com by March 28. Be sure to place SPIFFIES in the subject line of your email and I will randomly select a winner.
Good luck!
To read more about Spiffies products, go to http://www.spiffies.com/category-s/81.htm or http://www.spiffies.com/Toddlers-s/4.htm
–Linda Lynn
Penguin talk: Chat with the San Francisco Zoo penguin keeper
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- A crowd gathers to watch a new adolescent Magellanic penguin in 2009. AP PHOTO
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- A trio of new adolescent Magellanic penguins waddle through the San Francisco Zoo in 2009. AP PHOTO
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- Four new adolescent Magellanic penguins travel through the zoo. AP PHOTO
Ever want to talk to a penguin keeper? Well, this sounds fun.
Anthony Brown, primary penguin keeper for the Magellanic Penguin colony at the San Francisco Zoo, is going to be available for a live chat Thursday, March 15, on Twitter.
Brown began his zoo career as a volunteer when he was 12 years old. Now, 18 years later, he spends a lot of time with his waddling charges.
So, if you ever wondered how penguins stay warm, why they live in Antarctica and how many species of penguins there are, you might find your answers by chatting with Brown.
The 30-minute chat begins at 1 p.m. CST.
To participate, log into Twitter, ask a question of @AnthonyBrown and @Zoos_Aquariums and use the hashtag #AZAChat at the end of your question.
– Linda Lynn
Eat your peas or … well, whatever
A spoonful of peas from the Green Giant website
My husband and I were sitting at our dinner table many years ago, trying to get our young daughter to eat all of her peas so she would have a ”clean” plate.
We tried coaxing then scolding, but she wouldn’t finish eating the peas. Everyone at the table was frustrated.
And then, it dawned on both of us. … She doesn’t have to finish eating her peas. And, suddenly, everyone at the table was relaxed and happier.
During my childhood I had adopted this notion you were supposed to eat everything on your plate.
I remember having to sit at the table until I had eaten most of my slice of pumpkin pie. I hated pumpkin pie. Love it now, but not then. But that was more a lesson of ‘if you put it on your plate, you need to eat it’ or that I should try new things. Not sure which.
Then, there was the time in kindergarten when I had to stay in the cafeteria and finish my meal and miss recess. I tried to tell the teacher I didn’t want to eat — I think it was chicken fried steak — but she was very stern and insisted I finish. She left a classmate to guard me to make sure I finished.
A few bites more, and I was vomiting in the trash can. See, I really didn’t want to eat it.
But, fast-forward, and we know now that forcing kids to eat everything on their plates isn’t necessarily a good idea. And, truly, the starving children in another country are not going to benefit or suffer more or less if your child leaves half of her sandwich from lunch every once in a while.
As grownups we hear “portion control,” so we need to make sure we’re not forcing our children to eat if they’re full. Maybe, in the future, they won’t have as many problems with controlling what they eat.
March is National Nutrition Month, and in connection with that, Fresh Healthy Eating, a San Diego-based company, offered these helpful tips for parents:
- Limit snacks. Children who fill up on a lot of calories from snacks eat less at meal times, and usually the snacks are not all that nutritious. Limit calories that come from snacking, and offer snacks that are healthy, such as a sliced apple with peanut butter, or vegetables they can dip into hummus.
- Eat more fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables offer a lot of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. In addition to including some in snacking, aim to make fruits and vegetables half of their plate at mealtime.
- Watch the sugar. Added sugars fill kids up with empty calories. Pay attention to the amount of sugar that is in food and how much they are consuming.
- Avoid the clean plate club. Many parents try to get their children to clean their plate by eating all the food on it. Problem is, children are in tune with their body cues and tend to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. When parents make them eat everything on their plate, they teach them to ignore their hunger cues, which can potentially lead to obesity problems later on. Ideally, parents should start with small amounts of food on the plate, so it’s not so overwhelming.
- Model healthy eating. One of the most important tools in getting kids to eat healthily is to model that behavior. Children who have parents who eat healthily tend to grow up eating in a more healthy way themselves.
By the way, peas are now one of my daughter’s favorite vegetables.
–Linda Lynn
Help me make a clean sweep: My home is running away from me
It’s time for me to declare war … on grime.
And, I’d like your help.
I’ve let the house get away from me! It’s running off down the street now, flailing it’s dusty window shades and leaving a trail of broken pretzels, scraps of paper and hairy fuzz balls behind.
The shiny luster of my kitchen floor has become, well, lackluster. Trampled by dirty shoe soles, little bare feet, and muddy dog paws, and paired with countless spills of milk, juice and pop, my beautiful porcelain tiles have surrendered and succumbed to a dingy coating that will take some real scrubbing to remove. And let’s not even discuss the grout! Yikes!
When my husband and I first moved into our home, the baseboards, sinks and floors received a cleaning every week. It was a Saturday morning task that took just that — a Saturday morning.
Now, three children and a golden labrador later, our house is asking for an intervention.
There’s not piles of trash and it’s not ready to be condemned. But it needs attention.
So, what are your quickest, most effective tips you can share with me?
What’s your “I-have-to-have-this-cleaning-device” special weapon? What’s your favorite cleaner? Or maybe you’ve gone green and discovered vinegar.
Although I’ve gotten used to the crunch of popcorn and broken chips beneath my feet, I’m listening … with rubber gloves on.
–Linda Lynn
