Caleb's Corner: Gardening with a Toddler

It's important for children to know where their food comes from.  We are teaching Caleb to compost and how to garden.  Yes...He's only 2 years old but as we all know, toddlers are sponges and can learn just about anything you put in front of them.  So off we go to the garden!

In the garden
 

This year Caleb assisted in harvesting jalepeno peppers, basil and kale, planting herbs and was keen on watering all things...even the pavement! Recently he's started tearing leaves off of the house plants.....not ideal, but I like to think he's in "harvest" mode.  LOL! Yeah right!

Picking peppers

Picking peppers

Picking peppers

Watering the drooping tomato plants

He's even been on Dad's riding lawn mower! Have mercy!

On the riding mower!

It's important for children to spend time in the sunshine and vegetation. In this day and age of increasing technology you have to expose them to another side of life.  Living green things!  Caleb is also well versed in "shooing" away mosquitoes. 

If you have a garden, make sure your children partake in caring for it.  It will build an appreciation for good food and love for the environment!

 

Raking??

 

Get out in the fall weather and enjoy!


Peace and blessings!

 

 

Caleb's Corner: Prince of the Mango Mountains

Another fruit has come on the scene in Caleb's life:  the mango.  The tropical fruit that people love to eat and drink.  I don't know anyone who doesn't like  a voluptuous, sweet and juicy mango!

A few months ago you could not get Caleb to even taste a mango....now it's second in popularity to the  banana (King of Banana Land). Personally, I love mangos! There are so many different types.  In my opinion each one has a particular flavor profile and amount of pulp (aka those pesky strings).

I'm pleased that Caleb has entered into a relationship with mangos. Here are 5 reasons why:

1.  Mangos are extremely rich in vitamin A. Eating one 300g mango can provide the RDA for vitamin A.  It has the greatest vitamin A content out of all the fresh fruit.

2. If you need a vitamin C boost, eat a mango! One mango provides 138% of the adult requirement.  Try this when you are sick instead of vitamin C tablets!

3. Vitamin E, what I like to call the "skin oil" is represented well in mangos.  It can provide 33% of the daily requirement.

4. Having skin issues? Go get some mangos quick! It has been cited that vitamin A deficiencies produce dryness and scaling...mangos can combat that by hydrating and toning the skin (VERY GOOD for Caleb's eczema issues (Bye Bye Eczema!). 

5. Mangos are beneficial to the circulatory system and should be included in your diet if you suffer from poor circulation (my hand is raised!..... I need to eat more mangos!!!!!)

After learning about these excellent properties...I'm all for Caleb being the Prince of the Mango Mountains!

Peace and blessings!!

Caleb's Corner: Terrific Madness!

Let me start by wishing a Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the FABULOUS women who have children in their lives! You don't have to be a  biological mother to be a mother figure in someone's life.  It takes a village to raise children and we are all  part of that village! Thanks for being strong, courageous, thrifty, and kinda crazy!

My mommy!

In my almost 34 years of life, I've realized that there are certain situations or stages  you JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND until you are fully entrenched in them.  Two things in particular that I didn't totally grasp until I was completely immersed were parenthood and marriage.

I don't care how many books you've read, classes you've attended, words of wisdom that entered your brain, or examples you've listened to....you DO NOT fully "get it" until you are IN IT! Real life experience with parenthood and marriage will cause you to examine yourself...re-think how you may have judged others, and challenge (but not necessarily change) your belief system and your upbringing.

My dear sweet  Caleb will  be turning two years old soon. He has morphed into a challenging, hard headed, willful, foot stomping, tantrum having sometimes angry little boy.  I found myself being irritated by him a few weeks ago.  For the first time in our relationship  I had an attitude with him.  I didn't want to talk to him.  Are there any witnesses out there? Or am I the only one???

I don't think of myself as a push over, easy, or soft mom.  But I'm learning I need to change my strategy in dealing with Caleb during this stage of life.  They call it the Terrible Two's....or the Terrific Two's.....I'm renaming it Terrific Madness!

How does a sweet, cooperative, easy going child turn into a spunky, quick, willful person who has quite the vocabulary and opinions that are shared often (good and bad)?  Okay...okay....I've been called spunky, willful, opinionated and sassy in my short years on this earth...so maybe he's getting some of this from me??????

Question:  how do you fuse training and discipline with facilitating an emerging personality and not break the child of who they were created to be?

Cooperative Caleb

I'm still reeling from what happened the other night when Caleb kicked, hit, spit and yelled at me.  I had to stop in the midst of the madness...pray....and try to maintain my sanity!! Words cannot describe how I was feeling.  Each offense resulted in a disciplinary action....but the brotha kept coming!! Now when Daddy showed up.....Caleb was a changed toddler.......hmmmm.....Am I not as effective as Daddy?  My honest answer is: Yes...I am not as effective as Daddy!  This is a dynamic that many of my friends have observed in their homes as well. Whew! I'm glad I'm not the first! There seems to be something about the male presence that keeps children in check. 

I don't fully understand this dynamic, but it is clear that Caleb pushes me to my limits...and does not do the same to his father.

Children are complete and utter sponges.  I nicknamed Caleb my Hype Man tonight because before I could finish the last syllable of my sentence....he was all over it! Every last word I said he repeated! He can sing songs, knows the cues for saying "please" and "thank you", and can tell me what his Granny said about "no lips"..."kiss only cheeks".......So what behavior (good or bad) is he picking up from me and others around him (especially at daycare)???

Ever heard: Do what I say...Not as I do??? That's foolishness because what you do is more meaningful than what you say to a child...or anyone for that matter. 

Here's a real life scenario:
Me: "Come Caleb"
Caleb: runs in the other direction or ignores my command.

Caleb: "Come Mommy"
Me: "I can't Caleb, I'm doing something right now".........

After a few times of me reprimanding him for not coming when I called I realized something: "I don't come when he calls me".  He's replicating my behavior.  I'm not re-enforcing what I need him to do by not responding to his requests.  He is doing what I do.  So now....I come when he calls me. If I am in the middle of something I go to him, explain what I'm doing and tell him I'll be back in a few minutes.  He's still not coming 100% of the time that I call...but he's almost  2 years old...I'm just shy of 34 years old.  I have to model the type of behavior I want him to have (not the other way around).  He's only been on this earth for 2 years.  It is my responsibility as a parent to TRAIN him.  To TEACH.  To INSTRUCT.  It took a little while for him to stop saying: "I want banana" and to start saying: "May I have a banana please".  It's going to take time for the rest of it to fall into place too.  Especially with this Madness phase!

Children are like mirrors.  They show you the good, bad and the ugly parts of your behavior, habits and choice of language.  If you are a conscious parent you will understand (or try to figure out) why your child is either mis-behaving or displaying wonderful traits.  You will figure out how to be more effective and be willing to capitalize on your mistakes to ensure the relationship formed with your child is healthy and beneficial to him/her  as they grow into adulthood.  I'm praying I won't be the cause of a childhood trauma Caleb will need counseling for later!  Have mercy! Has anyone found the manual yet? :)

 Mr. Fresh Mouth....

I have a lot to learn for sure.  This Terrific Madness stage is throwing me for a loop and I've realized that  I'm not as patient as I thought.  I will be doing some research on this stage of development to better understand what's going on in his handsome little head!  I will be prayed up and well rested so I can help thwart the madness before it spins out of control.  I must confess....his behavior has added to my level of stress. Caleb has always been in the stress-free category.  Time to pull out the 11 tips (The Health Journey: 11 Natural Ways to Eliminate Stress )! I can't let this little guy take me out!!! I have to get it together!!!

Any thoughts, suggestions, or tips for those currently in or that have survived the Terrific Madness stage??? All help is welcome! :)

Caleb's Corner - Bye Bye Eczema!

Caleb's eczema showed up around 2 to 3 months of age (I'm not certain about the exact time).  When I first noticed his skin becoming dry I started using Eucerin.  He was greased up like a little Thanksgiving turkey....all the time!

The pediatrician prescribed a medium strength cortisone cream that we did not use for long and Zyrtec for the constant itching.  Cortisone is a steroid (and not good for babies) and when you stop using it the condition gets worse.  Caleb has NEVER ingested Zyrtec. I know a teenager that has been taking Zyrtec for her eczema for 14 years. The root cause has not been discovered and the issue is masked with the drug.  Now, I'm all for relief but getting to the root cause of the issue should be primary or uncovered in conjunction with providing short term relief.  


Bath Time!

We tried bathing Caleb in oatmeal, salt water and plain water.  None of which  gave him any substantial relief. We began to bathe him in tea made from the sarsaparilla bark which helped a lot but bath time was no fun at all.  He would get  "exfoliated" every day (sometimes more) which consisted of rubbing the dead skin off so the new skin could breathe.  While getting rubbed down, Caleb would try to scratch any open spot he could find.  Tons of skin would end up in the bath water.  The cycle was:  bathe, exfoliate, scratch, etc.  With eczema the dead skin that should normally shed accumulates making the skin scaly.  Constant scratching makes the skin leathery, thick and dark.

I believe there was some relief from the earlier treatments but since all of the irritants were not eliminated from his diet, there was still a lot of discomfort.  Especially at night.  Nighttime was torture for all of us. I felt so helpless.  I was crying right along with him and sleeping more than 4 hours at a time was a treat.  Skin would be everywhere (the bed, his pajama's, etc.).  Nights consisted of rubbing oils and salves on Caleb and bathing him again to help relieve the itching if necessary.

Unhappy Caleb!

We are still using sarsaparilla and have added plantain leaf and sometime black walnut leaf (all can help with itching and skin irritation) to his bath water.  I've also been adding sea salt and a few drops of lavender oil when we have it.  We use an ozone machine to bubble in oxygen.  Whew! Bath time is quite the production!

Sarsaparilla will take away any hives Caleb gets from eating the wrong food.  Amazing! Plantain leaf is a common weed that has soothing and healing properties.  Black walnut is good for addressing fungal problems and helps relieve itchiness.

Sarsaparilla root

Oxygenated bathwater was a suggested by the herbalist to increase the flow of oxygen through the skin.  Our skin is the largest organ we have.  It is the barrier between our innards and the external environment.  At the time I didn't realize that whatever is put on the skin actually seeps into the body and can help or wreak havoc.  Now I get it. 

Caleb has fun in the tub now.  Singing, playing with toys, and splashing water is the highlight of the evening.  When he fist started splashing in the tub I was so ecstatic, the entire floor was wet and I did not care!! He was finally PLAYING in the tub and ENJOYING bath time instead of concentrating on scratching any open spot of skin he could find.  What a breakthrough!!

 
What is Nourishing Caleb's Skin?

In the earlier days we used homemade salves made of: yellow dock root, burdock root, shea butter, and coconut oil.  Everything was brown, orange or yellow! I could get jazzy if I wanted to...but shortly there after I'd be covered in the slave of the week!

Both yellow dock and burdock roots are used for skin issues and blood diseases.  Coconut oil is good for everything! It's antibacterial, full of good fats (MCT oils) and is good for conditioning skin and hair.

Now we are mainly using shea butter, calendula oil, plantain leaf oil and a special blend my husband made (not sure what's in it).

In my opinion "nourishing" is a strong word.  It implies comfort and satisfaction.  Skin that is nourished is healthy and full of life. Thankfully Caleb's skin no longer gets scaly.  His back and torso are clear, soft and supple!  He still scratches his arms and legs, but both sets of extremities are free of scales and getting smoother and softer everyday. 

Calendula flowers (Marigold)

 

Coconut oil

Shea Butter

I'm glad we did not continue to use the cortisone and all other un-natural products for Caleb's skin.  The nights were long and arduous but I'm glad we weathered through it. I read a testimonial about healing eczema naturally (no drugs) and it was powerful!  Natural treatments tend to take longer to get results but the toxic load put on your body is lower.  Plus your body gets  a chance to truly heal itself from within and side effects are rare.  It was tough seeing my child in so much pain, discomfort and anguish.  I was deeply disturbed by it, but resolved to focus on the bigger picture.  Ever heard the saying:  "it's always the darkest before dawn"?  Well it was pitch black in our home but the sun has started it's assent. Relief is an understatement.  Deep thankfulness is what I feel every day when I touch Caleb's healing skin...

Smmmoooooothhhhhh!!!!!!! :)

Peace and blessings!