Mad Abs May Challenge

The Indecisive Generation

Why is it that so many people of my generation have no clue what they want to do with their lives? I can't stress enough how many people I know, between the ages of 30 and 35, who have absolutely no clue what kind of career they would actually like to be doing.

When I was growing up, I always thought I would be a lawyer. I'm a debater and most people in my life encouraged me in that direction...but when it came down to writing the LSATS and actually processing the whole idea of what it would truly mean to be a successful lawyer, it no longer seemed to be the right fit for me. Next was public relations. Although to this day it is probably one of the better fits for me, I simply could not get on the PR band wagon. The other students were way too excited about having a career, which at times is about deceiving the public, and I just couldn't get on board. From there, I briefly considered teaching, but I've had too many bad teachers to know how important loving teaching is...and I would have been doing it for the wrong reasons. After that, I considered interior design. I definitely have an interest there, and maybe even a little talent, but it's not for me as a career. My most recent efforts were in Holistic Nutrition. I still find this incredibly interesting and very valuable, but I can't decide in what capacity I want to work with it.

See how indecisive I am?! I assure you that I am not alone. Were we given too many options growing up? Did being told "you can do anything you set your mind to" give us unrealistic expectations of ourselves and simply confuse us further?

I like to write, to plan and be my own boss. Where does that leave me exactly? Unemployed, writing a blog and occasionally getting published in the "letters to the editor" section of the local paper. There must be more out there for me... Now to figure out what exactly it is!

In a random sample of 5 of my friends; 1-hairdresser turned Air Force, 2-teacher turned Stay-at-home-Mom, 3-nutritionist turned esthetician, 4-Stay-at-hom-Mom turned aerobic instructor, 5-teacher turned call centre staff. We're all over the place and most of us are still searching for the "right" career or the next big lottery win.

Simpler were the times when people were told what career they would have and then they would work that job for the rest of their able days. No one should have to settle, but I'm thinking my advice to myself at this point is "if it pays more than the last job and you're not sacrificing your morals, yourself or your family, take the job!"

Homemade Dairy-Free and Nut-Free Granola Bars

Homemade Dairy-Free and Nut-Free Granola Bars

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c quick oats
1/2 c Rice Krispies cereal
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
1/2 c dried fruit
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c honey or agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp ground flax seed

1 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips - keep aside for now) . Start with a wooden spoon and then shape with your hands. If your mixture seems dry you may need to add a little more oil and/or honey, a teaspoon at a time, until it starts to stick together. Then add in chocolate chips.
Place on parchment paper on baking pan and shape.
 

Bake 350 for 17-22 min, but keep a close watch. Granola goes from good to burnt very quickly.

Note: I make these for my son's snack at school. It is a great and healthy alternative to store bought bars AND he loves them!

 

Dairy Elimination Trial

After a recent chat with our family doctor, we have decided to try a dairy elimination trial with our 6 year old son. He has extremely dry skin, excessive gas and most recently has changed how he breaths. I know...vague description. The best way I can describe it is that occasionally he takes a deeper breath, as if regular breathing just isn't doing the trick. So, while we wait for a pulmonary function test and allergy testing, we're cutting out dairy to see if he shows any signs of improvement. To be a supportive family, we're all cutting out dairy during this trial.

Well...easier said than done. My background is in Holistic Nutrition and if I were to assign this task to a client, I would cover every basis, but somehow with my own son, a few things slipped through the cracks. The first thing was popcorn day at school. I didn't send him with money to buy popcorn, but his teacher purchased some for him. It is covered with a buttery topping. Needless to say, I quickly wrote her a note...but really, I should have mentioned the trial to her sooner. Next I noticed that the Nutri-grain bars he has at recess contain milk ingredients, as do a surprisingly large number of granola bars. So, starting tomorrow, we will be making homemade bars and reading labels a lot more carefully.

Here is a list of what we'll need to avoid:

milk
cheese
yogurt
ice cream
butter
pudding
cream sauce/dressing
milk chocolate
baked goods
cold cuts (containing casein)
Basically all processed foods

When you are doing a dairy elimination trial you must eliminate 100% of all dairy from your diet to get a true response. After about 2 weeks, we'll know if dairy is behind his symptoms. If we don't see a very drastic and positive result, we will then try a gluten elimination for 2 weeks, unless he has already had his allergy testing at that point. Note: Dairy and gluten are the top 2 culprits with food sensitivities.

I'm off to the grocery store to very carefully select all non-dairy foods to officially start this trial tomorrow. Good thing my son already loves almond milk and doesn't like cheese. There are 2 less battles to fight this week. Wish us luck!

Changing the World...One Kind Gesture at a Time

So many terrible things have been in the news recently. To name a few standouts; rape, bullying, teen suicide, bombing in Boston, earthquake in China and only minutes from my home human remains were discovered, an 18 year old boy who had been missing since 2007. What’s worse is that millions of other horrific things have happened and never made the headlines. This is the world we are raising our children in.

I am made aware daily that seemingly the majority of kids these days have very little regard for themselves or others. They walk in the middle of the street like they’re invincible and act on any whim they, or their friends, might have. They have zero manners and something as simple as saying “please” and “thank you” is all but a foreign concept. Somehow, as a society, we have failed these kids. They are the future adults of the world. What a scary mess we will be in 5 to 10 years if things continue on this way, but it’s not too late.

Thankfully amidst all of the chaos there are helpers, doers and people paying it forward every single day. Something as simple as holding a door for someone struggling with their stroller, buying someone their coffee or smiling and saying hello might be just exactly what that person needed most at that moment. The world is a harsh place in so many ways, but we can do little things to make a big difference and we can do big things that make a bigger difference.

I challenge you to make one positive change in your life and that of your child’s. Pay it forward as a family, donate blood, become a Big Sister or Big Brother, volunteer, rake someone’s leaves, stay strong in a difficult situation and do kind things expecting nothing in return. No idea or positive change is too small!

Changing the world can start with one kind, simple gesture. And....go!

 

Bilingual NB and the Suffering Workforce

Companies in New Brunswick are no longer hiring the “best” person for the job, they are hiring the bilingual person for the job. Even the very English speaking town of Riverview is making new efforts to seem more bilingual. The worst part is that bilingual can mean anything from completely fluent in both French and English or fluent in French with minimal English. Yet an English speaking person with minimal French would not be considered bilingual. Explain that one!

Additionally, the school system isn’t set up to support a bilingual province. English speaking children cannot attend French school unless their parents; a) attended elementary school in French, b) the child already speaks French or, c) the child has a sibling already enrolled in French school. So where does that leave the English kids? The only choice they have is enrolling in French Immersion in grade 3, which is very different than actually completing school entirely in the French language.

Two years ago, I tried to enroll my son in a French elementary school, but was turned away because we didn’t meet their criteria. It wasn’t enough to have a French last name, or that I was bilingual (having learned French in university) and have a French teacher for a husband. I was told that it would actually be illegal for them to enroll him. It turns out, after doing some research of my own, that they were right. How can we raise bilingual children in a province that won’t let our English speaking kids into French schools??

French speaking people have a very clear set advantage in New Brunswick. When two job applicants are equally qualified, yet one is bilingual, I certainly understand why the unilingual person does not get the job. It’s when the highly qualified applicant is turned away simply because they are not bilingual that I just shake my head.

Highly qualified people are left unemployed and/or are being forced to make major career changes to find employment. They are spending months on employment insurance, while trying to find a job that pays more than their claim, and come up empty handed. We live in a system that sets us up to fail. (Don’t even get me started on Social Assistance!)

The over-emphasis on bilingualism is costing us all millions of dollars and will continue to get worse if the hard push for bilingualism continues.  If New Brunswick wants a bilingual province, they better change the laws on enrolling English speaking kids into French schools and also provide free-of-charge immersion classes for all adults who are willing and able to work.  Otherwise we’re going to end up with an ill-equipped, bilingual workforce and a bunch of over-educated street walkers.

 

 

 

 

Homemade Baby Food vs Store Bought

If everyone knew how easy it is to make homemade baby food, jar food would be a thing of the past.

I have three children and with the first two I fed them baby food from a jar until they were old enough to eat "regular" food like the rest of us. I chose the healthiest options and felt like I was doing the best thing for my babies. At the time I didn't realize that all baby food is irradiated, to kill off any bacteria that may be present. I also didn't realize how incredibly simple, quick and cost effective it is to make your own food. 

With little preparation time, I can make huge batches of baby food for my daughter that will literally last for more than a week. For example, I peel and boil a pot of organic carrots, drain them, let them cool, mash them (or use food processor),add back a small amount of water they were cooked in, pour the batch into ice cube trays and freeze them. Once frozen, I pop them out and put them into a labelled baggy and put them back into the freezer. At meal time, I take out a cube (more as she gets older) and thaw it in a pot or Corningware and serve. Note: Do not heat baby food in a microwave as it heats food unevenly.

You don't have to be a stay at home Mom to make your baby's food. It's as quick as jar feeding, if you plan ahead, and it's healthier and less expensive. One large sweet potato is less expensive, and goes further, than a jar of sweet potato baby food. Time saving tip for sweet potatoes: wash well and then boil them with their skin on. Once they're cooked, the skin slides right off.

Making your own baby food is extremely gratifying. Knowing that you are giving your baby the best food you can and preparing it from scratch is so much nicer than scooping food from a jar and you will save money in the process!