Monday, June 28, 2010

Spare Time

But what do you do with your spare time?

I used to get this question a lot when I worked a split shift (8 am - 12 pm; 3 pm - 6 pm). Before baby. And I always tried to answer it well. I have lunch, I work out (back in the old days), that kind of thing. My other spare time? I like to garden, scrapbook. For some reason, I always felt I should answer the question.

Now? I still get asked the question (this is by patients, by the way, as we chit-chat as I work). The usual person is male, in their 20's, no kids.

And now, I blank when the question comes. Spare time? What's that? If you mean, what do I do outside the office, well, I "parent". There's 3 meals a day which take time to prepare and at least half an hour to see if Scarlett will eat (and I usually get 2 meals to look after, Scott has one). Snacks. Clean up. Diapers. Change into clean clothes. Read books. Play. Laundry? Sometimes we make it out for a walk or to the park. I try to plan at least one type of activity (yes, the park counts as an activity) if we have a morning or afternoon free.

But I kept this question in mind last Wednesday because I felt so productive. Somebody must have asked me the question recently.

I worked in the morning, came home around noon. Truthfully, I needed help getting Scarlett into her car seat because she was so tired and hungry and cranky. When we got home we had a calm down time and lunch. Then a nap.

Once she woke up, I made the dough for a spinach pie. (this is very productive for me).

We went outside and Scarlett played with the dog, dirt and water, while I planted my last 3 planter pots with flowers. June 23rd for a completion date this year-a little sad.

Needless to say, Scarlett was drenched and dirty, so we changed her. Had a snack. Then I made dinner. I tried to bribe her with a DVD but she spent most of my dinner making time on my back in a wrap.

And the time dinner was ready and on the table.... 7:30 pm. Oops. But only the best Greek Spinach-Feta-Mushroom-Pie-that I ever remember eating. Yum.

There's the day, because that leads to bath time, more run around time & protest bedtime, and then bed.

Does that count as spare time?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Real Moments of a Toddler at Work

If only I had brought my camera to work today.

  • The afternoon starts off simply enough-Scarlett falls asleep on the way to the office and I wake her up after letting her sleep about 20 minutes. Of course she had no nap today.
  • She lets me carry her up to the office. So far so good.
  • I get to work, my patient is already there so I hand Scarlett off to Scott. Screaming starts.
  • Screaming and crying continue for about 15 minutes. Some in office. Some in hallway.
  • Scarlett and her Daddy stand at the door, "See, there's Mommy. Wave!"
  • I see patients for a couple hours. Occasionally I hear little laughs from the front, or a random scream.
  • Sometimes I can hear the Wiggles on the computer, or Raffi.
  • Sometimes I can hear the pitter patter of little feet in an empty hallway and a squeal of delight-don't they all love looonng hallways?
  • Patients who haven't seen Scarlett before proclaim to me, "She looks just like you!" (Scott loves this).
  • I'm not allowed in the front reception area because Scarlett will see me and start fussing. It always depends on the day.
  • Patients come and engage in very long conversations with Scarlett, "And how is your day going? Which stickers do you have? What toy are you playing with today?"
  • The stickers are EVERYWHERE. On Scarlett, on the desk, in Scott's hair.
  • Did I mention my new patient-she walked in and saw Scarlett on Daddy's lap, of course, and Dad with stickers in his hair. We really work on our first impression.
  • I still can't tell how she decides, but some people she will really ham it up for, and then others, nothing. Who starts the exchange?
  • And the food and toys-scattered over the front desk and in the front reception area.
  • Scarlett sometimes opens things on the computer that I have never before seen. How?
  • Because the rest of the office was busy, Scott had to change a diaper on the floor. In the front room.
  • Scarlett decides to walk a patient to the elevator-and it's a long hike from our office. She must have looked friendly and they had a little race to see who was faster.
  • What else? When its time to leave, the animals from the play area get scattered all over the adjusting room. And the water cooler gets its obligatory play. And a drink of water, but none spilled today.

We try to leave the office with no evidence of us being there. Its a little harder than leaving our house which is in a perpetual state of disorder.

It's a lot of work being a toddler!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Leave Your Baby at Home Day

Yesterday was babysitter day-so exciting! We really haven't broken down too often, and yesterday was the first time we brought in a babysitter to go to work.

It almost felt like a date as Scott and I drove to work together. "Shouldn't we be going out to dinner or something?" was how I felt as the two of us drove to the office together. But no, just work.

It went surprisingly well. Scarlett waved us good-bye, hugged us good-bye, and then got right to playing. I had made the mistake of announcing that the babysitter would be arriving after her nap, so Scarlett made sure not to miss her by sleeping. But she was still pleasant for everybody involved. Then when we came home, both her and the babysitter were still all smiles. Scarlett even hugged the babysitter goodbye. Some days it all goes according to plan, doesn't it? She even fell asleep early and without complaint.

Having a babysitter for the afternoon brought me back to my eternal debate. Do we really want to avoid all forms of childcare and do this without help? How much will I miss if I sneak somebody into the house a few hours here and there, or if I drop Scarlett off at a day home for a morning or afternoon or two? Think of how much more I could get done and how much easier it would be!

That's a pretty big topic and not one that I'll answer here. I sometimes read research on kids raised with a stay at home parent, versus XX amount of time in daycare, or with a nanny. But it all varies-how much time in childcare? How long is the nanny with you? What is the quality of the care? And I don't even know if I've read the most relevant research yet. Yes, in the ideal world, I would have a grandma or auntie or cousin living just down the street (or with me) who I could rely on. Or the most long-term of nanny commitments. Or the part-time, flexible day home of a very caring and stable caregiver. Or??? What else could work?

I'll keep working on wrapping my brain around that. However, it is a little piece of freedom when the babysitter walks in the door and I can walk out with the pang of guilt.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Sunday and Solstice

Here's my favorite photo from the weekend:


We were at Baker Park listening to live music and enjoying a sunny Father's Day. Scarlett was having a ball-dancing to the music, playing with dogs and strangers, and testing the radius of safety around her mom and dad. There does not appear to be any boundary of fear at the moment.

It should have been a relaxing weekend, what with all the gardening, biking, music, honoring Dad, eating... But between that and a sleepless girl last night and work this morning, this picture is about all I can muster today! That and dreaming about plans for the summer since it is finally here. I suppose looking out the window at 10 pm last night and thinking it was 7 pm might have something to do with it as well.

I'm trying to keep a nice and flexible schedule this summer, but there's so much I want to do. Holidays out of town, places to explore nearby, garden projects and craft and sewing projects. Playing in an inflatable pool with Scarlett. Or in the sprinkler (did that last night-so fun!). And the to-do list of course (organizing photos is one).

Any exciting plans to share for the summer? Or ideas for fun summer projects?

Happy Summer Solstice!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

A Dad's Perspective

As a Father's Day special, I asked Scott to guest blog for me about his side of Take Your Baby to Work. Thanks Scott!

Do you remember what you thought when I first suggested we take Scarlett to work-no body gets to stay at home, no nannies, no daycare? (and what did you think?)

I have no recollection of that conversation... I must have been sleepy or in shock or something. It's working out really well though. Scarlett is totally a part of Elan now and I can say we are kid centred parents. I hope one day soon she will be able to answer the phone at the office. Right now she's rubbish at it. We made our family clinic into a family clinic. We get to bring our baby to work because that is lifestyle we created. It's not perfect, but I can't imagine not having my life like this. It works for us.

What is your role as Dad?

To do what ever Josephene tells me to do. Unless she is having a crazy moment... then I refer to the list of things she wrote down for me to do.

But really, there are certain things that I am good at. And certain things that I am not good at. Thank goodness we try to play to our strengths. In out lifestyle... work, home and play all blur together in harmony.

Do you consider yourself an almost-stay-at-home-dad?

Yes. An almost-stay-at-home-dad is an awesome thing. Not only can I provide for the family and get to be there for all the cool milestones... I can do just about anything just short of nursing. You name it... I can do it! Sure, I might not get a diaper on straight now and again... but she is well loved and never in harms way.

What's your favorite part so far?

It's hard to put your finger on just one part to call your favorite. But if I had to pick one thing that lights up my day, if would be pulling into the driveway at the end of a day and seeing Scarlett waving to me from the front window.

Any advice to other parents? (or dads?)

Get some sleep, put another load of laundry on and don't forget to laugh. Oh, and relish in the knowledge that they just may have to change your diaper one day.

Anything else you want to share?

Well, it's Father's Day and I still can't believe we have a wonderful, beautiful little girl. Sure she keeps us up, makes messes and is really good birth control (co-sleeping)... but she is the light of our lives and has brought out the fun we stored away. Dad's.... hug your kids and your amazing wife!

Friday, June 18, 2010

To The New Generation of Dads

In honor of Father's Day, I have requested that my husband do a "guest blog" spot on Take Your Baby To Work. And of course now that he's really busy with work for the next couple of days, I hope that we'll be able to coordinate it before too long.

Since Scott is the other half of the parental unit of this Take Your Baby To Work, I'm eager to hear his perspective on what makes our situation so great and what makes it challenging.

I have been reading stories over the past week of Dads who blog-about parenting, work at home, work out of the home, life, etc., and am coming to the conclusion that the number of Dads who go to work, put in 40+ hours a week, play with the kids for a few minutes before dinner or bedtime, and then maybe see them on weekends for a kid and Dad outing, is getting to be a minority. The role of a Dad has changed drastically over the last generation (or two?).

We did have this conversation with my family in the last year. I believe my Aunt and Uncle were also visiting, and one or two of my siblings, and my parents. We were debating what the role of a Dad is these days-does he do diapers? does he cook? does he clean? does he go to work? Who is a modern Dad? My sister was raised with a Dad who wasn't home much, but I have the same Dad and a decade later, he was home a lot more for me. This same Dad had to change diapers of his younger siblings, which dispels the myth that men never used to change diapers. (You should hear his view of cloth diapers, "You take the diaper off when its wet or poopy-except he doesn't say the p word-rinse it out, squeeze out the water, hang it up to dry, and put it back on when the next one is wet.") (Forget this whole rinse your cloth diapers in cold, then wash in hot, and double rinse in cold again. In special soap. Within 24 hours.)

Who knows how that conversation ended, except I remember saying, "There is no role of the modern Dad. He doesn't know what to do because they're all just figuring out how to do it..." I can be so profound.

Poor Scott. I likely could never let him stay-at-home with kids, because I'd be missing out on too much fun, and yet I expect that Dads today can and should do everything a Mom can do-except breastfeeding, of course. Does this sound like the opposite of the women-libbers from a generation ago? (yes I can have kids, work full time, do it all and not have a melt-down?).

Thank you to the Dads of this generation who are blazing new trails for future Dads. May you enjoy your Father's Day, and all the brunches, BBQs, ties, iPads, works of art, and love that is bestowed upon you.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Media Request

Scott was almost on the CBC Early News tonight talking about allergies, and allergy elimination. Almost. Poor guy. I think he would have liked to have seen himself on TV. But in the end, we just were not quick enough for the world of media.

It was a funny morning. Someone had called from CBC and wanted to talk to a representative from our office. I'm media shy and it wasn't my topic, so we left it for Scott (who does the allergy work in our office). Then the guy from CBC called again. Scott by the way, is busy with Scarlett and about to take her to story time. Priorities!

I start work and see clients for a couple of hours.

By the time I'm finished, the message I have to take home to Scott is, "Oh, the 2:30 interview with the guy from CBC is cancelled." OK, I didn't know they coordinated that, or that it's now off. And CBC was about to come to Elan?

It gave me a few things to think about. Did they find a new "expert" on the subject, who coincidentally had nothing to do but wait for the phone call? I'm a bit concerned that the new expert may potentially be the person who really does not have the experience, but really just has the time available. Did they drop the story? I'm almost curious enough to watch the news, which really isn't my thing.

When did the media get all the power? Why should we drop everything at their request? Why do people look at me as though I'm an alien when I show no interest in being interviewed? I suppose it is an anti-business attitude, but really, I (we) are busy with people (clients/patients and a child) who do need our help and it is difficult to drop everything at a moment's notice.

So, sadly, Scott will not be on TV tonight. You can forward further media requests to Elan at 403 217 5577, attention Scott. Hopefully with at least 24 hours notice.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Introvert/Extrovert

I am a true-blue introvert. I can stay home all day and feel peaceful at the end of it. I like my "other-people-time" in small doses (no offense, it's just the way that I am) and somehow I managed not to learn about the introvert-extrovert debate until after I was enrolled in professional college. However, I do manage to function in a extroverted world, and even (gasp!) work with people at the office.

And my dear Scarlett, is showing true-blue signs of being an extrovert. She's cranky at home, loves other people and will seek out attention if it is not doted on her. She is most restful after a full day-seeing faces other than mom or dad, playing somewhere new other than the backyard, and her worst days are when we stay home. I never went stir crazy in my own house until Scarlett came along.

In some way this combination is perfect for us. It drives me out of the house more often than my usual, and I am hoping it will teach Scarlett to entertain herself when I do refuse to leave the house. When I take her to work with me, it feeds her little extrovert neediness to see people all the time and fuels her energy. Although she doesn't get to come to the office as much lately, because she is a crazy toddler after all.

How else does it work for us? It is fun for me to see how an extrovert loves the outside world and how much the outside world loves that! I remember being a quiet, shy child and it is amazing the difference in how people interact with a little child who is the initiator in exchanges-smiles, communication, and attention in general. She who puts the energy out, gets the energy in return. I personally do not seek the same amount of attention but now I sometimes feel badly for the little kids that are the way that I was (or am). They will never get the same amount of attention that a Scarlett will.

I also hope that my introvertedness will help to bring balance to Scarlett. I sometimes see her watching people in a manner similar to what I will do-I believe that I am more of an observer because of my personality style and pick up different things than if I wasn't. I have seen her engaged in play and conversation with toys and stuffies - she doesn't need people to entertain her all of the time and I know she can entertain herself when needed. I hope that she will learn ways to generate energy from herself and quiet time-whether that will one day mean yoga and mediation, journalling, or other artistic expression.

I am curious how our introvert-extrovert relationship unfolds.

Any advice for this introvert raising an extrovert?

Monday, June 14, 2010

I love Bowness

I heard that there were a few events around town this weekend. Greek Fest. Carifest. Probably a handful of others. I still managed to occupy myself here in Bowness. My house is here and my preference is to have our activities here, too, whenever I can manage it.

Here's some things we've been up/places we've been to in the last few days that you may want to check out too.

Edworthy Park: I'm starting with the only place not technically in Bowness, but really close by. We counted 4 kid's playgrounds, many pathways to walk on, and Angels cafe of course. The river also splits the park and I can never get enough water in this town.

Bowness Park: (and Bowmont) (and Baker park across the river with the sun bowl). I will talk about the park many times-sorry. Love, love, love the park, although on days like yesterday-a sunny Sunday-leave your car at home. We were fortunate to bike with Scarlett in the chariot carrier and gawk at the parade of traffic circling for parking. I think the kids water park is open now and the paddle boats and canoes are available for rent. And the Bow River is full of people on tubes and in boats.

Bowness Library: It just feels like a small town library, complete with a story time offering. Scarlett can run almost anywhere in the building and I can still see her. Plus they post local events, such as at...

Belvedere Parkway Elementary School: First, great playground. Second, they hosted a "free" community event last Friday complete with a Children's Entertainer/Singer. We brought a donation of school supplies as our admission. I love events like this-the little ones were all sitting restlessly on the floor, then a couple of rows of adults & kids sitting on the long school benches, then real chairs or standing space for the other adults at the back. Almost everybody was singing along and doing the actions that went with the songs. We even got to take home a free loot bag at the end. Nothing says community like events like this. And I've completely forgotten our entertainer, but here's her picture:

Scarlett enjoyed both the concert and the folding chairs.

Plus there is a family concert coming up on Father's Day at Baker Park. Gotta love Bowness. Thanks to our community association for a great job.


And yes, I did my return to the business world and participated in my first trade show (in 3 years) on the weekend. Not in Bowness though-we were up near Springbank Hill. Scarlett had a quick visit while I was there, but wasn't well enough distracted by the face painting, bouncy castle, or other kids present. Or huge, new, playground across the street.

I know other communities have many things to offer, but I still love Bowness!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Mommy Fair on Saturday

We're excited. Our office is going to be in tomorrow's Entrepreneurial Moms International Mommy Fair 2010 Showcasing Mom-Run Businesses.

As we're busy preparing, here's a few words from the press release:

CALGARY, AB -- The 2010 Mommy Fair hosted by Entrepreneurial Moms International is just around the corner. The event showcasing local mom-run businesses will be held Saturday, June 12th from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM at Valleyview Presbyterian Church in Calgary. Local entrepreneurial moms will provide information on the various products and services offered.

The Entrepreneurial Moms trade show event will have food, wine tasting and other beverages for the whole family. Admission is free and childcare will be available from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM.

"Our members are excited to showcase their products and services to the public. Buying from mom-run businesses encourages the entrepreneurial spirit of mothers that are business minded while at the same time allowing them to provide the nurturing support their children need. Our event offers fun for the whole family so that both kids and parents will enjoy every minute," said Christie Schultz, Founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Moms International (http://www.entrepreneurialmoms.org/)

Kids will also be able to take part in a bouncy castle, face painting, and free trial classes for dance and karate. The dance free trial class will take place from 12:15 - 12:35 PM, and the karate class will go on from 12:40 - 1:00 PM. Valleyview Presbyterian Church is located at 7655 26th Ave SW in Calgary, AB which is just across the street from the new Springbank Hill playground. Attendees are encouraged to stick around after the Mommy Fair for a BBQ and Playground Grand Opening presented by the community of Springbank Hill being held from 2:00 - 5:00 PM. The event will have bouncy castles, hamburgers and hotdogs and games. Attendees are encouraged to bring a side dish to share. For more information visit http://www.springbankhill.org/.

About Entrepreneurial Moms International: Entrepreneurial Moms International (http://www.entrepreneurialmoms.org/) has chapter-based communities that provide close member relationships and give support to mom entrepreneurs in their various entrepreneurial journeys. The organization works to promote member businesses as well as provides ongoing entrepreneurial mom networking opportunities. The Mommy Fair is a trade show event that provides Entrepreneurial Moms International Members with a chance to showcase their business to others. Entrepreneurial Moms International will be launching a brand new website for the organization that will feature new major partnerships as well new resources for their members.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

From My 30 days

If you're following very closely, you will know that I am now past my 30 days. 30 days to do 30 minutes of yoga, clean up my to-do list, and have a weekly adventure with Scarlett. I was more diligent with some of those than others which was partly why I thought it may be appropriate to sum it up today-on day 35. I figure that I missed at least 5 days in there, so I may be up to day 30 now.

I'll do my what didn't work first: I have been sidetracked at the new adventures with Scarlett, because why does the spring get so busy? Of course, we have still spent lots of time together, and quality time at that, but the spare time was spent locally-backyard, playground, etc, aside from a few places that I have blogged about already. Fortunately, the summer has no weekly activities for Scarlett, so I plan to continue this goal. Always keeping in mind that I am raising an extrovert who loves the new things, places and people, while I am the introvert who does not crave these things.

I am cleaning up my to-do list. Yay! And of course, it grows just as fast as it seems I add activities & tasks to it daily.

And then the yoga. Have I ever mentioned that I am my best at this regular routine when I don't feel my best? And then I do yoga, feel really good, and seem to lose the incentive to practice it as regularly? Oops. I do think that JUST 30 minutes of yoga can make a significant impact in your health. When I practice yoga at this frequency, I have virtually no aches or pains, have better energy, and am probably more pleasant. I feel because of my work I should be in decent shape (I'll never run a marathon, but I should at least be pain free most days), and that is further incentive for me.

What was fun for these 30 days of yoga? The pets love it when I am doing yoga-I never understood this, but they know the difference between my lying on the floor, and my lying on the floor doing yoga. Bizarre. My favorite was using the YogaKids DVD. Mrs Yoga and the kids imitate animals, hold the poses for seconds, but it had me laughing and in a great mood. And I love practicing yoga outside-although I stick to fair weather days. I'm still convinced all yoga is great for kids to see-they imitate and move and pick up our change in energy.

If I was more Type A, I probably would have/should have made a chart that I could track my progress with check marks or stickers, and could tell you absolutely if I passed or failed this past 30 days. But I'm not there right now, and I still think that any change is good change, and I have gotten a lot accomplished in the past 30 (35) days.

I do plan to continue to practice these three new "habits" but without it hovering on my to-do list and am going to put some thought into what my next 30 day commitment will be. I'm thinking artsy crafty or digging a dandelion a day or something along those lines!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Fun at Park

A big toothy grin from Scarlett while she was swinging at the park. Scott took the photo on his iPhone-it's not too bad, is it? I was at work on a Monday morning while they were playing... And I'm secretly glad that those dandelions have survived the round of Killex that they received a few weeks ago!




And for those who recall, I was so determined to have new adventures with Scarlett-visit new places every week to find some ones that we loved and were kid friendly. It just isn't happening this month-we have too many activities at the moment-swimming lessons, story time at the library, toddler class, park play, gardening...
Have a happy Tuesday!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Comments on Daughters of Copper Woman

I ordered this little book from the library. It had been on a recommended list of Somebody (I don't remember who, except they were also a birth junkie). And I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it and how much I have been thinking about it lately.

The book is Daughters of Copper Woman (1981) by Anne Cameron. The book is in a the form of a collection of stories of the Nootka people from Vancouver Island and more specifically, about the women whose "roots go back beyond recorded history to the dawn of time itself." It is mythical and lyrical and touches on the spiritual and social power of women. I felt like I had my grandmother with me telling the story of our ancestors, except nothing like this ever happened in my family (and no native blood lines in my family unfortunately).

From the reviews that I have read, it may be considered a feminist book, but I haven't decided if I agree with that. I consider feminism as fitting into a man's world, which is not what this book is about.

There are a number of things that I loved about the book. In the legend, all women have descended from one woman-Copper Woman; in fact, she populated all four corners of the world. Her wisdom is passed down to all future generations, but in bits and pieces in each of us that we need to fit together. In the book, the traditional Nootka women were very powerful-members of warrior tribes, memorizers of traditions and many were members of an influential secret society. A woman honored her body-she participated in rights of passage leading to puberty, she was prepared for marriage and childbirth, and even death was treated as an honorable passing. Family and ancestors were honored. The women's collective was a very strong part of the community. And of course, respect for our Mother Earth was at the core of the stories and lore.

And then the book addresses the coming of white man and all the disease and transfer of power that occurred.

But aside from the nasty parts, it made me think about my absolute joys and then responsibility in raising a baby girl. I love that I can not only raise a child/ watch her grow, but also share with her in the many ways that it is amazing to be a woman. But then, in my own upbringing, being female was not celebrated. I don't know where to start in how to introduce this to her when the time is appropriate, aside from the literal and scientific things. How do you teach a girl about spiritually becoming a woman? Becoming a wife? Becoming a mother? What female rituals do we have these days? Shopping, spa days, lunches out?

On an easier note, my sister and niece just happened to visit this weekend, tying in nicely with the theme of the book. (They live far away so visits are short and far between). Despite seeing them only occasionally, Scarlett immediately sensed their familial relationship and doted attention on them non-stop. With no effort, I could see the community that is formed when aunties/sisters/cousins are together.

I will continue to think about the book's impact on my life. Yes, I want to celebrate how fortunate we are to be female. And I continue to hope that my work in my office will be a good example of balance in the female spirit.

Do you have rights of passage for your children?

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Unusual Sightings

I've seen a few things that have caught me off guard this week:
  1. A pair of jack rabbits in our local park/playground. (Yes the same park that was sprayed with Killex before the rains.) We've seen them three times in this park and about 2-3 more in the neighborhood. First it was one rabbit, hopping around the playground equipment and along the fence. On Tuesday it was two rabbits lounging in the grass. Today, in the rain, it was three playing around the playground equipment. Just like in a kid's counting book. Scarlett doesn't say the word for rabbit or bunny, but will say "hop hop hop".
  2. Walking by Bowness High School, I saw a teen get out of a cab. Do some kids really take cabs to school?
  3. After our swim class, I saw a woman walk by with a preschooler, and a baby tucked into a shoulder bag. I looked at her repeatedly, because it was not a baby carrier, or sling, but a plain old bag carried over one shoulder with a baby sitting in the bag, at her belly button height. Has anyone seen this before? The baby could hold its head up, so it must have been over 6 months or so, but how could it's body possibly fit? Needless to say, I don't think that is very safe for any one involved.

And I don't think this is unusual, but yesterday at the office, somebody asked, "Why are there all of these kids around here?".

I had not thought that this may be viewed as unusual because we do tend to see a number of babies, and moms with pregnant bellies, and kids of various ages. But for this man, it was apparently as unusual as my unusual sightings. Do you think it is unusual to see kids at a chiropractic office? I can't possibly cover all the reasons that I see kids at the office, but for more information on this, please visit http://www.icpa4kids.org/, which is the International Pediatric Chiropractic Association. It's something that should be viewed as usual!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

NAET Works

Happy June 1st! I love, love, love this month. It's my birthday month, the start of my favorite season, the month the flowers show off, the start of holidays, and it's June!

Another reason to love this day is that it looks like NAET works. NAET is the Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique that my husband Scott practices (yes, in addition to massage and photography). It's a combination of muscle testing and acupressure to clear the blocked energy in the body. We decided that Scarlett was lacking in her NAET treatments and finally resumed clearing her basic allergens.

This is all about potty habits, but... To backtrack, Scarlett's not a great sleeper and not a great eliminator. Her last bout of straining while going to the bathroom, we noticed some undigested corn and decided to check out her allergies, again. As a refresher, she's well adjusted with chiropractic, but that did not appear to be the answer for her problems. We had started clearing some food sensitivities months ago, but as with the shoemaker's daughter syndrome, had not quite finished.

Yesterday we rechecked her allergens and decided to treat corn as that was next on the list. (For more information on NAET, visit our website at http://www.elanfamilywellness.com/, which can also link you to the NAET website). Unfortunately corn is in many, many foods-the vegetable itself, cornstarch, sauces, condiments...

After her treatment, she napped really well. Woke up and we went to swim class. Then we came home and she gobbled up lots of fruit and crackers. (She's usually a "delicate" eater). Dinner wasn't so great, but then suddenly she pooped with minimal effort. (Which was unexpected). She was very energized all evening, but still fell asleep about an hour earlier than her "usual" time as of late. And not that I'm happy about this one, but she was up at 6:30 am, which I think may be the start of her resetting her clock. (She's usually a late riser). Now, after a busy morning, she's back down for a nap.

Now that I think about it, her sleep has been off since my parents were visiting. And what do my parents grow and always bring lots of? Corn.

It's still less than 24 hours since we cleared this item, but I'm looking forward to seeing if these changes last.