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Importance of Family Dinner Time |
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Written by Mary Kelly
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Wednesday, 25 June 2008 |
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Last night I gave a talk at a Parents of Teens Safety Seminar at Xavier High School in Appleton. It was a great opportunity to learn about protecting our children from physical attacks and internet predators, and how to keep our teens lawful. My presentation, while not focused on safety, was on the importance of keeping dinner time for family time and how it benefits our children. In case you missed it, here are a few thoughts and statistics I found in a June 2006 Time magazine article: - Studies show that the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use.
- In a study of family eating patterns published by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University researchers found essentially that family dinner gets better with practice; the less often a family eat together, the worse the experience is likely to be, the less healthy the food and more meager the talk.
- Kids who eat most often with their parents are 40% more likely to say they get mainly A's and B's in school than kids who have two or fewer family dinners a week.
- A study in the Archives of Family Medicine found that more family meals tends to mean that we consume less soda and fried foods and far more fruits and vegetables.
- Meals together send the message that citizenship in a family entails certain standards beyond individual whims. This is where a family builds its identity and culture. Legends are passed down, jokes rendered, eventually the wider world examined through the lens of a family's values. In addition, younger kids pick up vocabulary and a sense of how conversation is structured. They hear how a problem is solved, learn to listen to other people's concerns and respect their tastes.
- Parents may be undervaluing themselves when the conclude that sending kids off to every conceivable extracurricular activity is a better use of time than an hour spent around a table, just talking to Mom and Dad.
- When kids help prepare a meal, they are much more likely to eat it, and it's a useful skill that seems to build self-esteem.
If you'd like to read the whole article ,go to: www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html |
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Written by Mary Kelly
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Friday, 20 June 2008 |
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I have a new walking partner. My daughter is home for the summer and has decided to do the Fox Cities 1/2-Marathon Powerwalk with me in late September. At first I was hesistant, not because I didn't want her company but because walking with someone else generally slows me down - we end up doing more talking than walking. But my daughter and I also have weightloss goals, so we've been pushing each other along with comments about how good we'll look at the end of the summer :) Although my daughter is in excellent shape for Poms and Dance - 4 years in high school and 1 year of college under her dance shoes - powerwalking is an entirely different matter. So it was very funny in the beginning to hear her complain "Mom, you're going too fast!" I'd smile, "Dear, I'm 24 years older than you...so KEEP UP!" But it's a few weeks later now and she's got powerwalking in her blood; first thing she asks when she wakes is what time we're going out. Since we both have weight issues, we decided that add more to our walking. "Mom, you're in charge of walkies. And I'll be in charge of crunchies." So yesterday we carried weights while we walked 5 miles and then did crunches when we got home. We won't carry weights today and she doesn't know it yet, but I'm really going to push today - faster, harder. And tomorrow we are going to start working a 7 mile walk into our routine. Makes me wonder though, what kind of 'crunchies' she's got in store for me! Walking is great time for sharing and sometimes for getting rid of frustrations. We talk about her classes next semester, financial aid and her future. We laugh about fun things we did in the past. We complain about our relationships. We try to give each other insight into things that happen in our lives. We plan dinner. We discuss current events. We encourage each other. But sometimes we just walk; we just spend time together, enjoying each other's company in silence. What better way to live hearth-healthy than to share the experience with one that you love! |
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Written by Mary Kelly
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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The calendar says today is May 2nd, but the April-showers are hanging on. It's a gloomy day (good day for sleeping in!) and to lift my spirits, my thoughts have turned to planning this year's garden. Gardening reminds me of the renewal of life; no gloves for me, I love to feel the dirt between my fingers and sometimes I even between my toes. When I was a kid on the farm, we had two huge gardens. My mother and grandmother froze or canned everything that was not eaten during the summer. I don't have the time to do that now, but there is nothing better than running down to my little garden to see what I can add to our dinner or find herbs to use. I remember my grandparents telling us about how they planned their gardens back in the Old Country - planting the beans with the corn and keeping the cabbage far away from the strawberries. We didn't know anything about companion planting; without knowing it, they were practicing a Green gardening technique. Some plants just do better when placed with others - I guess it's kind of like people, we hang around our friends while trying to stay far away from those we don't care for. It is a wonderful and easy way to boost plant productivity and to cut back on the use of commercial fertilizers and/or pesticides. There are books out about companion planting and a good website that I found is GardenGuides.com. For a quick reference, go to the Forum and see the information I've posted there. It's too wet to plant my garden today, but I can't wait to sit down with my catalogs and start planning. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 02 May 2008 )
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New Businesses in the Area |
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Written by Mary Kelly
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Wednesday, 23 April 2008 |
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One of the things that I really love about my personal chef service, besides getting to play in the kitchen and create delicious meals, is that I get to meet interesting people and learn about their businesses. I'm especially excited when I come across a business or service that will benefit my clients. Last week I met Jodi Vandiver of My Time is Yours. She has a concierge service in Green Bay. Jodi's list of services include pet sitting, running errands and shopping for her clients, making travel arrangements, hospital and nursing home visits, house sitting for vacationers, in-home waiting (like waiting for the cable-guy), and she even has a mobile notary service. It is such a wonderful service for those who don't have time to it all or for those who just need a little extra help. You can learn more about Jodi's concierge service by going to www.MyTimeIsYours.biz. Yesterday I participated in the Calumet County Health & Wellness Fair, "Go Green for Wellness" and while there I met Marie Deibele from the Golden Bear Farm. She and her husband, Steve, have a certified organic farm just outside of Kiel. Their pasture fed beef and pigs are raised in a natural environment with plenty of room for grazing and lots of fresh air. While much of the meat is sold to local restaurants, they will sell cuts to order and because the animals are raised on an organic farm, grass-fed rather than grain-fed, the meat is much healthier for consumers and even tastes better than that from the grocery store. To get more information about their all-natural meats, visit www.GoldenBearFarm.com. |
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Written by Mary Kelly
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Thursday, 17 April 2008 |
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Yesterday I re-discovered the wonders of getting a massage. It's not something that I do often, although every time I get one I tell myself that I really should do it more often. I'd forgotten how calming it is, how I can feel the stress leaving my body and how great it feels to get the "kinks" worked out. I've been to several massage therapists, but I must say that yesterday's experience was by far the very best. Wendi Hermsen of Peaceful Spirit in Kimberly truly has gifted hands and knows her craft! We went throught the preliminary questions about my health, but I did not tell her about the tightness in my lower back and shoulders. Soon though, her skill lead her to those very spots and I felt her firm yet gentle hands work their magic. After my previous sessions, I'd wake the next morning feeling sore, but not this morning; I got out of bed feeling completely refreshed. Proper nutrition, exercise and meditation are all things that I practice to live a heart-healthy life. Now it occurs to me though, that getting a massage - even if it is just a periodic one - is another way to keep my healthy. Letting a massage therapist's skillful fingers work the stress out of my body makes me feel great and we all know that when we feel good, our heart and spirits are happy too :) P.S. If you want to learn more about massage, go to Wendi's website - www.PeacefulSpirit.biz - or give her a call at (920)540-4114 to schedule your own time with her skillful hands. |
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