The "terrible twos".

In much of the northeast this was the summer that wasn't so far. With clouds and rain prevalent through out the spring, and right through the month of July, it just hasn't felt like summer. While out west, record high temperatures and drought have been the problem. A strong persistent jetstream in the atmosphere has been the problem. The pattern just won't break. My son Kieran would call that "Dad's science lesson".
Despite the weather, I spent a wonderful two weeks with my youngest grandsons on Cape Cod in MA in July. Connor is in the midst of his "terrible twos" stage while Liam is just entering it.
Just in case you are not a parent let me explain that phrase. I am well familiar with it since we had our own five children.
The "terrible twos" is an early expression of individualism. The growing kids begin to think and to realize that they want to do things that their parents do or don't want them to do. It is a period of growth and exploration, much of which they want to do on their own. They no longer want to hold on to your hand (for that sense of security you provide) when you are out for a walk or at the mall. They want to run to whatever grabs their attention at the moment. It can seem like the word "No", is the only one in their vocabulary (sometimes it is "Mommy", or "Daddy", if they are trying to get your attention, which is all the time). It is a period of time that can drive a parent bananas (that's a silly expression). But hang tough, it passes as the children begin to realize that they wind up getting more of what they want if they go along with their folks once in a while. The next big expression of individualism takes place in the teens and that makes the "terrible twos" seem like a stroll in the park.
During this time many kids become very picky about what they eat. Vegetables are often the first foods that toddlers drop from their menus. Many children will eat them raw if they are cut into bite-sized pieces, while the cooked version is often eschewed. Try substituting more fresh fruit to supply the nutrients and fiber that is necessary. Be careful of course that your child can properly chew the food (at this stage most of them can gnaw down a tree faster than a beaver).
May I emphsize once again that a mix of color in the foods you offer is very important for proper nutrition. And I'm not talking about Lucky Charms or any other candy that poses as cereal. Keep the cereal as plain as possible and try to mix in fruit to give it a natural sweetness rather than sugar. Ripe bananas are great. NEVER use an artificial sweetner on children's food. You shouldn't use it either, natural sugar in MODERATION is better. Your body recognizes it as food and can metabolize it properly (another science lesson).
For those of you who have children in their "terrible twos" may I offer this piece of advice that was handed down to me by my mother, "When you're ready to pull your hair out remember; this too shall pass away."
Enjoy your children at each and every stage of their development. You'll be glad you did.

The sun and you

Revered by most of the ancients as the source of life (and rightly so), the sun has become the bane of the existence of many people in the modern world. Basal cell, squamus cell, and melanoma cancers seem to be on the rise in many parts of the world. A result of global warming? Hardly. It is probably caused, partially, by the longevity of our population. In the past, life expectancy was much shorter and people didn't have the life span that allowed these cancers to develop. Did they not exist? Of course they did, just not in the numbers that we see them today.
Who are most at risk? Do you ever ask yourself if you are at risk? The best way to answer that is to look in the mirror. What is your normal complexion, your eye color, your real hair color?
Those of us with the lighter shades are most at risk. It's in our genes. Look at the placement, geographically, of the population before the ability to relocate was so relatively easy. Dark-skinned people lived in the tropical to equatorial regions. Fair-skinned populations were mainly from northern climes.
None of us should lay out in the sun and just bake, no matter how much we like it. It doesn't matter what your complexion is, the ultraviolet rays cause damage. Those who continue to expose their skin to the ravages of the sun wind up looking like Yogi Berra's catcher's mitt, all dried up and wrinkly.
If you must be out in the sun for long periods use a sunblock. Try to find one that uses natural ingredients. Your skin will absorb whatever you smear on it so you want to avoid some of the chemicals, like PABA. More about this in the future.
Above all, protect your children. Experience shows that people who have suffered bad sunburns at early ages through the teen years are those most likely to develop skin cancer in later years.
In my early years I worked at jobs that exposed me to long hours in the sun; farmhand, lifeguard, laborer, parking lot attendant. In those days there was no such thing as sunscreens or blocks and I've paid the price. Bits and pieces of me have been frozen, burned and cut off because of skni cancer. Believe me when I say that it is really scary when the doctor tells you that you have a melanoma.
This doesn't mean that you should avoid the sun altogether. You actually need regular exposure so that your body can manufacture vitamin D. Vitamin D is all important and is used by your body in many vital roles. So go out and enjoy your time in the sun...just limit it, put on protection, and wear a hat. Don't get burned.

Product to avoid

Brooke Shields lovely visage flashed upon the TV screen. Here she is endorsing a product that will do away with women having to put up with the HASSLE of ever using mascara again. This stuff will do away with that particular problem of make up forever. It will cause your eyelashes to grow longer and thicker than ever before. Sounds good right? Especially since it has been endorsed by the FDA.
WRONG !!!!
Listen to the disclaimer at the end of the ad. Here are some of the possible problems that the marketers have associated with the use of this particular product, LATISSE:
dry, red, itchy eyes;
darkened eyelids;
PERMANENT eye color change;
hair growth in undesired areas (what ever that means).
I DO NOT have any affiliation with anyone trying to gain monetary retribution for the use nor disabuse of this product. I simply think that if this product hit the shelves in your pharmacy and started causing the problems that the FDA already knows might occur, it would be yanked from the shelves. Then why is the FDA allowing it to be sold to begin with? Smells like collusion to me.
Here is some of the other other information that I have uncovered in my research about LATISSE, besides having you ending up looking like Rocky Racoon:
it costs about $120/month;
it must be used PERMANENTLY to continue to gain its benefits.
Question: is using mascara such a problem that you would risk all of the negatives associated with the use of LATISSE?
The road you choose is up to you. Do you think that the gains outweigh the risks?
My heartfelt advice to Brooke is to disassociate herself from this product.
Brooke you are one of the loveliest women on the face of the earth, but endorsing LATISSE with all of its seriously negative side effects is a no brainer. Keep endorsing toothpaste.
At least that way you won't be perceived as an airhead by the thinking side of the population.

Science education leading to healthful living.

This past week we saw the passing of two entertainment superstars. One suddenly, the other after a long courageous fight.

Michael Jackson's demise took his fans by surprise, but shouldn't have. He had been taking all kinds of drugs for years. The fact that they were prescribed didn't matter. It was even published that he had become addicted to pain killers years ago. With all that he had done to his body to change and manipulate it, it should not come as a surprise that it finally just quit on him.



Farrah, on the other hand, fought a hard and gallant fight against a particularly nasty form of cancer. It came out that she had had surgery for a tumor when she was only a babe. Cancer is so sneaky; it may have just hidden in her body all those years just waiting for a chance to reappear. Even with all the money she had to get the best in medical care, she finally succumbed.

How many of us looked upon these two with a longing to be in their place; to have the looks, the wealth, the fame. Now they too are gone.


Learn to be happy with who you are. Don't waste your life being envious of others because they have what you perceive to be the be all and end all. An old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for."

Healthful living is not just about eating right and exercising. It is also about finding an inner peace and happiness that allows your body to operate at peak efficiency.


May God bless Michael and Farrah and may the perpetual light shine upon them.

My mother never finished elementary school. It wasn't unusual in those days (the first decade of the 1900's). Many children had to help out at home. She made up for the lack of a formal education by being a voracious reader (when she had the time). She even read "The Confessions of Saint Augustine". Mom was one smart cookie (that's a dumb expression, isn't it?), although I didn't appreciate it at the time (who ever gives credit to their parents?).
On the subject of healthful living one of her pieces of advice was, "Your dinner plate should be like an artist's palate, very colorful." That's what I'd like to pass along to you today. Oh, I know that most of you were told to eat your veggies, but in today's climate of fast food restaurants and frozen prepared foods, or meals in boxes, it is way too easy to skip over them. It is a problem for those of us who live alone with little incentive to spend time on food preparation
When cooking vegetables try to not let them get soft and mushy (unless they are meant to be that way). I hated most of the greens as a kid because they were cooked too well (much of what we got was canned), but loved many of them raw (how about fresh stringbeans?). Now I cook them as little as possible, and still eat many raw. Try adding fresh zucchini and summer squash to a salad. Same thing goes for thinly sliced carrots. Speaking of carrots (I tried to avoid even saying the word as a kid), try adding a dash of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves, with a little splash of maple syrup just before you serve them. It's like eating candy. No kid can resist.