November 2004 Newsletter

eUpdate

November 2004

www.naturalfamilyonline.com

Life is only natural, so why not live it more naturally? Let Natural Family Online magazine show you how. NFO is your toolbox for natural family living and natural parenting. No matter what your personal or parenting style, we offer tips, tools and information every family can use. Visit us online every month for a new issue packed with information on natural homes, natural beauty, pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, health and wellness, education and learning and much, much more. Natural Family Online ...

natural parenting tools every family can use.

Visit our Featured Sponsor:

Are you an Attachment Parenting graduate? Think again! Attachment parenting continues past toddlerhood. Natural Family Online is sponsoring a new group for all parents who practice AP or wish to learn more about it, no matter what age your children are (but especially those in the 2-13 age group). We are not a rigid group and do not press you to follow a predetermined list of AP ideas. You know best for your child; we just try to support!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Attachment-Parenting-Ext

If your children are below 2 years old, visit the general Attachment Parenting Group:

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NFO eUpdate Newsletter Exclusive: Housekeeping With Kids at Home -- Taming the Toddler Tornado!

Look for an all-new article farther down in this issue of NFO eUpdate -- an original feature available only to newsletter subscribers!

Highlights from November's Natural Family Online Worried about flu vaccine shortages?

The media is whipping Americans into high anxiety — but does your family really need to be vaccinated? Before you go into high-anxiety mode, consider the facts about the flu and the flu vaccination. Get The Facts on Flu at http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/YFH/20048-flu-vaccine.htm.

Then read our new flu update, Worried About Flu Vaccine Shortages? 3 Big Reasons Not to Panic:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/2-h&w/411-flu-shortage.htm

Review the basics, then consult multiple sources and discuss your questions with your health care professionals. Make an informed decision — minus the media pressure. What's right for one family may not be the best answer for another.

Gobble, gobble

You don't have to be a turkey about holiday feasts!

Dig into these strategies for health-conscious Thanksgiving feasts:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/3-c&r/411-healthy-thanksgiving.htm

Enjoy vegetarian turkey alternatives:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/3-veg/411-vegetarian-turkey.htm

Try these taste-tempting recipes:

Sweet Potato Cornbread

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/3-c&r/411-corn-bread.htm

Heart-Healthy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/3-c&r/411-mashed-potatos.htm

School schedule scramble

Help your kids take charge of madcap school schedules and demands with organizational tools and strategies they can handle themselves.

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/4-edu/411-organize-kids.htm

Super-size me?

Is there a healthy way to eat the occasional fast-food lunch or dinner?

Order up!

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/3-nut/411-fast-food.htm

Home, sweet home

Is your home really that sweet of a place for a busy family to wind down?

Try these ideas for making your home a peaceful sanctuary for your family.

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-ap/411-home.htm

And much, much more!  Herbal pest control … Homemade lipstain — sexy and natural! … Thanksgiving: remembering family … Homemade holiday gifts:

Natural toiletries … Seizures in pets … Natural tactics for UTIs … Homeopathy for tummy aches … New parents: Keep the romance burning … Diets don't work! … 10 reasons to go organic … November Supplement: Zinc … Health-conscious holiday eating … Organizing schooltime demands … Creating a peaceful home … Emotional tools for kids … Kids artwork as natural expression … Dads supporting breastfeeding … Preparing to feed a preemie ...

Visit http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com for tons of practical tools and tips on these topics and more!

You've got questions? We've got answers!

"I keep hearing about Montessori and Waldorf schools. How are these

different from traditional schools?" -- Lara Ashmore replies:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/Q&A/411edu-alternative-schools.htm

"My doctor says my nursing toddler needs iron supplements." -- Dr.

Linda

Folden Palmer replies:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/Q&A/411ch-baby-iron.htm

"How do we know if we're ready to have another baby?" --

Elizabeth

Pantley

replies: http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/Q&A/411-pb-another-

baby.htm

Send us your best healthy recipes

NFO is looking for your favorite healthy recipes featuring whole

foods,organic foods, vegetarian or vegan foods. What's cooking in your

kitchen? Your recipe could be chosen to appear in NFO's Cooking & Recipes

channel! Send your recipe in the body of your e-mail (no attachments, please)

to editor at naturalfamilyonline dot com.

DISCUSS! at Natural Family Online

"My family is not a member of any traditional religion. We do have

an active spiritual life and believe in honoring diety. … If there are other

mommies out there that follow a non-mainstream path, lets chat."

Add your comment at NFO's community discussion board:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40

NFO eUpdate Feature: Exclusive content for eUpdate subscribers only!

Taming the Tornado: Housecleaning Tips With Toddlers Around

By Alicia Bayer

I have a confession to make. My house frequently looks like footage

From houses after natural disasters hit small towns.I have never been a

good housekeeper. I have a number of talents, but cleaning is not one of

them. My home will never look like anything you see in Better Homes and

Gardens  -- or even as neat as your average sitcom living room. To be blunt, I

suck at housekeeping!

However, nobody else ever steps up to do it and when you have two

small

children and a messy husband you have to learn how to at least put a

dent in

it so nobody calls the news crew. Here are some ways I get things

less

zoo-like.

*     Get a large box or laundry basket and sweep everything off

tables

and other surfaces into the box. Enlist your toddler for this part.

You have

an instantly better-looking home, and you can carry your box from

room to

room putting things away from there.

*     Okay, this one sounds terrible, but it works for me. Use a

broom or

a rake. Yes, I'm serious! A rake will effortlessly sweep all of the

toys,

paper, books and junk into one pile. Put the pile in a box and

proceed as

above, or just put things away from the pile. You will immediately

feel like

your house is cleaner because you have a small pile of stuff instead

of a

floor littered with junk. I cringed the first few times I raked the

living

room, but then I decided that since it was so quick and easy, I'd

rather

feel silly and rake the house and have a nicer-looking house than

care what

anybody peeking in my windows would think.

*     Do the five-minute trick: Have your toddler hold a stopwatch

or

timer and set it for five minutes (or even two). Stay in one room

and clean

it as much as you can till the alarm sounds. Pick up anything that

goes to

the next room, and do that one for five minutes. When you've done

every

room, take a break for a half an hour and do something fun with your

kids.

Then do it again. It goes quickly and you make a big difference. You

can

even just do the five-minute trick in one room several times a day,

and it

will make way more difference than you'd believe.

*     Do cleaning games. These have been around forever and it's

because

they work. Have your little ones put away everything that's red, or

round or

bigger than their hand. Have competitions to see which child can put

all the

things of their color away first. Have babies put things into boxes

or bins

as you go. No, they don't really help much but they like it and they

get

used to the idea that they should help clean. These games are also a

great

way to introduce concepts like colors, shapes and sizes.

*     Assign a task to your toddler. If kids grow up with chores

and the

idea that they have a responsibility to help keep their surroundings

clean,

it doesn't just help you but also them. I was never expected to help

clean

the house and as an adult I floundered forever at it. If it comes as

naturally as brushing their teeth or taking vitamins, children will

grow up

with the skills to take care of their own homes more easily. Make

sure you

praise them for it and let them know you appreciate it, just the way

you

would anybody else.

*     Get rid of stuff! This is our biggest challenge. I grew up

very poor

and didn't even have furniture for most of my childhood. When I grew

up I

became the biggest packrat, and it took years to realize all of that

stuff

was robbing me of time and energy. If you don't love it and use it,

get rid

of it. Donate clothes, toys and books to your local women's shelter

and feel

good while making your house easier to manage. Also, some people

pack away

three-fourths of their children's toys every season or so and

recycle them

so they always seem new. I would rather have fewer toys, but it's

another

approach. Remember too that if your child has too many toys, she's

more

likely to be overwhelmed and find nothing to do.

*     I don't know who said it, but there's a lot of truth to the

saying

that "Cleaning with kids around is like shoveling the driveway while

it's

still snowing." Pick a few times per day that are designated

cleaning times.

For me, it's while the kids eat breakfast, after craft time and

before we do

activities. My two-year-old, Victoria, recites: "We have to clean up

one

mess before we make another," and she knows that as soon as we get

things

liveable she gets to do something else fun.

Remember that as much as you cringe at the idea of anybody seeing

your

chaotic house some days, your kids aren't going to look back on their

childhoods and ever say "Man, I wish my mom had kept the house

cleaner."

Some things just aren't priorities right now. Sometimes the best

thing to do

is shove it all in a closet and go play horsie. And if you ever come

to our

house, please don't open the closets!

© Alicia Bayer

Alicia Bayer is the publisher of A Magical Childhood

http://www.magicalchildhood.com/ , a web site celebrating the joy

and

simple pleasures of childhood. Read more about Alicia at

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/Contrib/a-bayer.htm.

*~*~*~*~*

Parenting From the Heart telephone counseling

Need sensitive, family-centered advice and perspective on your life's

challenges? Psychologist and attachment parenting expert Jan Hunt,

director

of The Natural Child Project (http://www.naturalchild.org), provides

personal and family counseling by telephone. Compassionate and

knowledgeable, Jan offers caring, respectful sessions that are

solution-focused and confidential. She will listen and talk with you

about

your concerns, explore feelings, help you to gain perspective,

discuss

options and find support and services in your community. Jan

specializes in

attachment parenting and alternative education, but she is available

for

personal counseling as well.

Learn more: E-mail jan.hunt@n... or call (866) 593-1547.

*~*~*~*~*

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newsletter, as well as on Natural Family Online and the NFO

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boards. To receive advertising details, please contact

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Fall into family living with NFO ... naturally! Have a great

November.

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