Signs That Kids Are Too Busy

September 28th, 2008

Sooner or later, kids who are too busy will begin to show signs. Every child is different, but overscheduled kids may:

Feel tired, anxious, or depressed
Complain of headaches and stomachaches, which may be due to stress, Missed meals, or lack of sleep
Fall behind on their schoolwork, causing their grades to drop
Overscheduling can also take a toll on kids’ friendships and social lives. Family life also can suffer — when one parent is driving to basketball practice and the other is carpooling to dance class, meals are missed. As a result, some families rarely eat dinner together, and may not take the extra time to stay connected. Plus, the weekly grind of chauffeuring kids all over the place and getting to one class, game, or practice after another can be downright tiresome and stressful for parents.

Tips for Busy Families
Even those parents who try to help their children cut back on some activities can run up against coaches who won’t tolerate absences and kids who want to keep up with their friends. However, it’s important for parents to step back and make sure that their kids aren’t burning out.

The key is to schedule things in moderation and choose activities with a child’s age, temperament, interests, and abilities in mind. If something’s too advanced, the experience is likely to be frustrating. If it isn’t engaging, kids will be bored. And when kids do something only to please their parents, it defeats the whole purpose.

Depending on a kid’s age and interests, it’s possible to set reasonable limits on extracurricular activities and make them more enjoyable for all.

Here are some simple suggestions:

Agree on ground rules ahead of time: For instance, plan on kids playing one sport per season or limit activities to two afternoons or evenings during the school week.
Know how much time is required: For example, will there be time to practice between lessons? Does your child realize that soccer practice is twice a week, right after school until dinnertime? Then there’s the weekly game, too. Will homework suffer?
Keep a calendar to stay organized: Display it on the refrigerator or other prominent spot so that everybody can stay up-to-date. And if you find an empty space on the calendar, leave it alone!
Even if kids sign up for the season, let them miss one or two sessions: Sometimes taking the opportunity to hang out on a beautiful day is more important than going to one more activity, even if you’ve already paid for it.
Try to carpool with other parents to make life easier.
Try to balance activities for all of your kids — and yourself: It hardly seems fair to expend time and energy carting one kid to activities, leaving little time for another. And take time for yourself, to do the things you enjoy, and to spend time together as a family.
Create family time: If you’re eating pizza on the run every night, plan a few dinners when everyone can be home at the same time — even if it means eating a little later. Schedule family fun time, too, whether it’s playing a board game or going on bike ride or hike.
Set priorities: School should come first. If kids have a hard time keeping up academically, they may need to drop an activity.
Know when to say no: If your child is already doing a lot but really wants to take on another activity, discuss what other activity or activities need to be dropped to make room for the new one.
Remember the importance of downtime: Everyone needs a chance to relax, reflect on the day, or just do nothing.
Slow It Down
Take a moment and think about your child’s life. If it’s hectic, sit down together and decide where you can cut back. If it’s overly structured, set aside time for blowing off some steam.

Riding a bike, taking a walk, playing a game, listening to music, or just doing nothing for a while can give kids some much-needed downtime. And never forget how important it is for kids to simply get together to play. Kids need time to just be kids.

By: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Posted in All For Kids, Meet the Experts, FYI
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September 25th, 2008

Half a Bar of Dark Chocolate Can Help Your Heart

A mere half a bar of dark chocolate each week protects the heart against inflammation and consequent heart disease. A study by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso Italy, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Milan, found that 6.7 grams of dark chocolate each day was the idea amount to protect against inflammation.

Scientists know that heart disease is caused by inflammation, and keeping inflammation under control is a key to preventing cardiovascular disease. C-reactive protein is a marker for heart disease and is measured by a simple blood test.

Italian researchers studied 4,849 subjects in good health and free from risk factors such as cholesterol and high blood pressure. Of the group, 1,317 ate no chocolate, and 824 ate dark chocolate regularly.

“We started from the hypothesis,” said Romina di Giuseppe, lead author of the study, “that high amounts of antioxidants contained in the cocoa seeds, in particular flavonoids and other kinds of polyphenols, might have beneficial effects on the inflammatory state. Our results have been absolutely encouraging: people having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced.”

Scientists said dark chocolate lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease one-third in women and one-fourth in men.

“We are talking of a moderate consumption,” said di Giuseppe. “The best effect is obtained by consuming an average amount of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts, the beneficial effect tends to disappear.”

“Maybe the time has come to reconsider the Mediterranean diet pyramid and take the dark chocolate off the basket of sweets considered to be bad for our health,” said Giovanni de Gaetano, director of the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University of Campobasso.

source:Newsmax Health

Posted in FYI, Health, Nutrition, & Exercise
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September 20th, 2008

Lemongrass Asian Bistro in East Boca Raton—-now open

Address : 101E Plaza Real South
Telephone : 561-544-8181
Hours of Operation : Lunch: Mon - Thur: 12pm - 3pm Dinner: Mon - Thur: 5:30pm - 10:30pm Fri & Sat: 12pm - 11:30pm Sun: 12pm - 10pm

Website : www.lemongrassasianbistro.com/boca/about.html

Description : Lemongrass Asian Bistro in Delray Beach has chosen to open a second location in Royal Palm Place. We are proud to host another location of this fantastically popular downtown bistro, and look foreward to their continued success.

Posted in Restaurants
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September 18th, 2008

The Showtime Dance and Performing Arts Theatre presents Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Showtime Dance and Performing Arts Theatre presents a musical stage version of Roald Dahl’s classic story of Charlie Bucket and his mind boggling visit to Willy Wonka’s fabulous candy factory. The performance features songs from the 1971 film including Pure Imagination, The Candy Man, and (I’ve Got a) Golden Ticket. Call the box office to reserve tickets in advance.
954.394.2626
www.showtimeboca.com
Ongoing Each Sat 9/20/08 - 11/8/08; check with location for exceptions.

Ages: All Ages
Time: 2pm
Cost: Adults $14; Children (12 and under) $10

Showtime Dance and Performing Arts Theatre

503 SE Mizner Blvd. Suite 73
Boca Raton, FL 33432

Posted in What's Up in South Florida, All For Kids
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