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Monday, August 1, 2016

Tanya

My Organizationally Challenged Genius - Life with an ADHD/ODD Child

Tracker Jacker - From the book series and movies, Hunger Games - Tracker jackers are genetically engineered waspsTracker jacker venom can also be used to "hijack" a person's mind. 

This is how my 12-year old son feels. 

In the beginning....

When C was in Kindergarten - we noticed impulsivity. He's 5, that's how 5-year old boys act, right? Not according to his Principal and teacher. After many meetings they were shoving "medicate" him down my throat. We're the parents - that is our choice not theirs. And we were not ready, nor were we sure his mind had been Hijacked. 



Mid-way through the year, after several long conversations with the Principal at Narrows View Primary in University Place, we pulled C from the Tacoma Public School District and put him in Mrs. Smith's all-day Kindergarten class. Oh Mrs. Smith, was she in for a long 5 months! But she was trooper. Not once did I ever hear it's time to "medicate" your child. We still had our meetings with the Principal and the teacher. And we began to notice a pattern. My child is very literal. Once he was punished on the bud ride home. He was out of his seat and the bus driver told him to sit down and so he did, in the middle of the row. He was punished for sitting on the floor. The drivers stopped immediately and I received a phone call about my student's behavior. When I asked how he was asked to sit down I was told "He was asked to sit down" ....aaahh.... and he did exactly what he was asked. See you did not ask him "Please sit in your seat." This was the beginning of his hijacked mind. 
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Monday, April 11, 2016

Tanya

Spaghetti, Meatballs and Marinara - Electric Pressure Cooker

So in the past couple months I have purchased and come to depend on my electric press cooker! I love love love it and use it several times a week. I have an Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W .

Tonight I made Spaghetti, Meatballs and Marinara and my family LOVED it!

Here is the recipe:
For the Meatballs:
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef

For the Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil (or cooking oil of your choice)
1 onion, minced
Salt and Pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 cloves minced garlic
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes


For The Sauce:
Heat oil in pressure cooker on Saute. Add onion and cook until softened for about 5 minutes.
Stir in oregano and garlic, cook until fragrant - about 30-45 seconds.

Stir in cruces tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a blender and bland until smooth. This step is not necessary if you like chunky sauce but I puree it because my kids are super picky and I don't want them to see what's in it - LOL

In a bowl mic bread crumbs, milk, Parmesan cheese, egg, ground pork and ground beef. Use your hands an squish it all together. Shape minute into 12-14 golf ball sized balls.

Gently put the meatballs in the sauce and put the lid on your pressure cooker. Set the pressure cooker to MANUAL and then set the time to 5 minutes. Make sure you seal the top too. Now cook your noodles.

Once your pressure cooker is done you can use the quick release method.

Sprinkle extra Parmesan Cheese on top and serve warm.

DANG! I forgot the Texas Toast in the freezer! I guess I will have to make it again!

Bon Apetite!
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Thursday, March 24, 2016

Tanya

I'm back!!!

Well it's been a little over 4 years since I have blogged but I'm back....
More to come - how has everyone been?
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Monday, February 20, 2012

Tanya

No waste

Being on a very tight budget now for over a year I am learning I am wasting less but still too much! So I am on a waste less journey.

Here are my first steps to Less Waste


Green onions - it seems like you never use ALL the grreen onions before they go bad. So rinse and dry an empty water bottle. Cut up your green onions and place them in the water bottle. Cap tightly and put in freezer when you need some pull them out and sprinkle out what you need. They defrost super fast! This is has saved me three bunches of green onions so far.


lemons and limes- if you have lemons and limes you are not going to use cut them up and place them in ice cube trays. Fill with water and now you have ready to go ice cubes for that hot summer day!
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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Tanya

Treating Your Child's Cold: What the FDA and AAP Know That Most Parents Don't

FROM ZARBEE’S:  HOW TO SAFELY TREAT YOUR CHILD’S COUGH AND COLD THIS WINTER
What the FDA and American Academy of Pediatrics Know About Children’s OTC Cough and Cold Medications But You May Not and Should
Salt Lake City, Utah (December 22, 2011)—A story this week in The New York Times about the suspected link between acetaminophen use in children and asthma has shined the light once again on the risks associated with giving over-the-counter cold medications to children. The most common ingredient in children’s cold medications, acetaminophen can be found in such popular OTC brands as Children’s Tylenol, Pediacare and Triaminic.
The growing concern about acetaminophen comes on the heels of US Food & Drug Administration warnings about Dextromethorphan, another popular ingredient in OTC cough and cold medications that is no longer supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
According to a recent study by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country, “Research has linked OTC cough and cold products to cases of poisoning or death in hundreds of children 2 years of age and younger.” In addition, complications from cough medication use send thousands of children under the age of 11 to emergency rooms every year.
To protect children, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory in 2008 formally recommending that OTC cough and cold products not be used in infants and children under the age of 2 “because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur.”
Dr. Zak Zarbock, a Utah-based pediatrician who spoke at an FDA advisory hearing about the dangers of OTC cough and cold medications, was so concerned about the dangers of Dextromethorphan that he developed Zarbee’s, a line of all-natural cough and cold remedies that contain no Dextromethorphan or other drugs, no alcohol or dyes and carry no risk of overdose or side effects.
Filling a much-needed gap in the pediatric market, and now recommended by more than 40,000 pediatricians nationwide, Zarbee’s makes a cough syrup with a special blend of honeys fortified with immune-boosting vitamins that is safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing women and a nighttime drink that soothes coughs and promotes healthy sleep.
Despite the warnings and safe alternatives, the Mott Children’s Hospital study found that more than 60% of parents with children 2 and under have given their children an OTC cough and cold medicine within the last 12 months.
Why aren’t parents listening? According to the report, “There are challenges to informing parents about this topic. The FDA warning is specific to children 2 and under—but parents of those kids may not have heard the warnings issued more than 2 years ago. Each year, a new generation of parents must be educated about a wide variety of health care issues for the children.”
With cold and flu season officially upon us, now is the perfect time to review how to safely treat a child’s cough and cold symptoms. As the research shows, the potential dangers are nothing to sneeze at.  
There are surprisingly few safe options like Zarbee’s on the market so read product labels carefully and avoid any OTC product with Dextromethorphan or another drug.  Parents are also advised to follow the FDA’s recommendations (source: www.fda.gov):
§         Call a physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional if you have any questions about using cough or cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older.
§         Only use the measuring spoons or cups that come with the medicine or those made especially for measuring drugs. Do not use common household spoons to measure medicines for children since household spoons come in different sizes and are not meant for measuring medicines.
§         Carefully follow the directions on the label. These directions tell you how much medicine to give and how often you can give it.
§         Understand that using OTC cough and cold medicines are intended only to treat your child’s symptom(s). OTC cough and cold medicines do not treat the cause of the symptoms or shorten the length of time your child is sick. They only relieve symptoms and make your child feel more comfortable.
§         Check the “active ingredients” section of the label. This will help you understand what “active ingredients” are in the medicine and what symptoms each active ingredient is intended to treat. Cough and cold medicines often have more than one “active ingredient” (such as an antihistamine, a decongestant, a cough suppressant, an expectorant, or a pain reliever/fever reducer).
§         Be very careful if you are giving more than one OTC cough and cold medicine to a child. Many OTC cough and cold medicines have more than one “active ingredient.” If you use two medicines that have the same or similar “active ingredients” a child could get too much of an ingredient which may hurt your child. For example, do not give a child more than one medicine that has an antihistamine.
§         Do not use these products to sedate your child or make your children sleepy.
§         Choose OTC cough and cold medicines with childproof safety caps, when available, and store the medicines out of the reach of children.
About Zarbee’s
The fastest-growing children's cough and cold brand in the country, Zarbee’s is proven safe and effective for children 12 months of age and older. Developed by Dr. Zak Zarbock, one of the country’s top pediatricians, Zarbee’s products—a children’s cough syrup with a special blend of honeys fortified with immune-boosting vitamins that is also safe for women who are pregnant or nursing and a nighttime drink that soothes coughs and promotes healthy sleep—are recommended by more than 40,000 pediatricians nationwide. Zarbee’s products are all natural and gluten free, contain no drugs, alcohol and dyes, have no side effects and carry no risk of overdose. Zarbee’s All-Natural Children’s Cough Syrup and Zarbee’s Nighttime Cough & Sleep Drink each retail for a suggested $8.99 and may be purchased at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, Winn Dixie, Albertsons and Meijer stores nationwide as well as on www.zarbees.com. For more information, visit www.zarbees.com.
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