Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

Deliciously Deceptive

By Leave a Comment

While I was on home leave in December, I found a book full of great ideas for getting children to eat their veggies. Yes, there is help for those of you with children who would love the t-shirt our son got for Christmas one year. It said, “Vegetables are UGLY!” Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, Dr. Seuss books, and stuffed toys were on sale for $5.00 each. I couldn’t resist! I could get $5.00 worth of good ideas out of any cookbook. But this one is worth a lot more to me and moms who can’t get their kids to eat their vegetables.

Jessica starts her book with, “I had tried everything, and yet all my efforts to feed my family were being undermined by a powerful force: vegetables. Mealtimes were reduced to a constant pushing and pulling, with me forever begging my kids to eat their vegetables, and them protesting unhappily. Instead of laughing and having fun with my family, I was irritated and stressed as I labored to coerce them to eat food they found ‘disgusting.’ I couldn’t take it any more. I just wanted a little peace around the dinner table.”
[Read more…]

MMR Study Fraud

By Leave a Comment

Just this month a report has been publicized that the original research that linked the MMR immunization to the development of autism was fraudulent. The conclusions of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Andrew Wakefield has had his medical license revoked.

This is all very disturbing. Why would reputable doctors condone a study based on fraudulent data? They take an oath to “do no harm,” yet have caused much damage to many children.

[Read more…]

A Fresh Start

By Leave a Comment

Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year. Last year’s triumphs and trials are history. This is a chance for us to start with a clean slate. For most of us, it will be life as usual. For some, it will mean big changes. Maybe you have a new baby or are pregnant. Maybe you or your husband have a new job. Maybe one of your children starts preschool or school this year. Whatever changes or stays the same, remember to trust it all to the Lord. Over and over again this holiday season I have been hearing how important it is to trust God when things are going well and when things don’t go well. Remember that our God is the God of the valleys as well as the God of the mountains. He didn’t take many of the saints of God out of their troubles, but rather was glorified in how they walked through the valley of weeping. I don’t mean this to be a downer, but I do want you to grow in your trust of your Heavenly Father, your Comforter, your Friend.

We want to face 2011 with a smile on our faces. Every so often someone sends me some recent ‘tricks’ or ‘stories’ from their toddlers. I thought I’d share a few I’ve seen or heard recently. [Read more…]

Brain Development and Early Learning

By Leave a Comment

Child Brain Development and The Science of Early Learning

By Madeleine Fitzpatrick<

Your baby is born with most of the brain cells she will ever have, but during her first 12 months in the world, her brain will become increasingly complex. By the time she reaches the age of two, her brain will already be 75 percent of its adult weight. By the age of three, it will have reached 90 percent of its adult weight.

Almost 50 percent of the brain cells your baby is born with will wither and die during the first few years of life. This process, known as neural pruning, organizes the brain and makes it more efficient. The brain learns through experience.

[Read more…]

Poop Goop for Constipation

By Leave a Comment

Does your child have problems with constipation? Do you want a solution other than laxatives or stool softeners? Tiffany Jensen shared two great recipes called Poop Goop.

Poop Goop 1
1 cup raisins
1 cup prunes
1/4 cup dates
8 ounces prune juice
~Mix together in a blender or food processor. Store in the refrigerator.
Use 1-2 tablespoons per day.

Poop Goop 2
1 orange
1 apple (with skin)
1 cup raisins
1 cup prunes
1/2 cup prune juice
1/2 cup orange juice
~Mix together in a blender or food processor. Store in the refrigerator.
Use 1-2 tablespoons per day.