Archive for February, 2008

A proud Mom

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

I was planning to write this particular blog yesterday because of my overwhelming happiness but duty calls first as a mom and wife, so in short, I forgot all about it ’till the rest of the night. Anyhu, my blog tonite is about my son, Nathan .. again. He is currently in Kindergarten 2 … preparatory to Primary 1 / Grade 1. He is 5 years old and can already read on his own. Yesterday, Monday, I totally forgot that they were going to have their first batch of spelling words for this year. The teachers would normally give us the spelling words prior, then us, as parents have the responsibility to teach him those words so he will be ready when the spelling day comes. Apparently, I was too busy studying these past weekend that it totally slipped my mind. I just realized it when I saw his notebook while I was emptying his bag. I asked him, "Nate, did you had your spelling today?" He said, "Yes Mama." I asked him how did he do. He said, "I’ve got 3 ticks and 2 exes." I said, "What?! You’re kidding!" He said, "No. I’ve got ticks on "pretty", "longest" & "snug" while exes on "best" and "fancy". You noticed that he got ticks on harder and longer words… yeah i know, I noticed it too. :D And what the hell is snug anyway?! I really have to look it up on dictionary.com to confirm what Nathan told me, he was right. Anyway, eventhough he’s really heavy for me already, I pick him up and throw him in the air, just like what we do on 1 - 2 yr old kids. Mind you, after that, my back really hurt!  The point is, he did those scores on his own! I was really ecstatic that I called his kindergarten teacher and beg her to tell the whole story. The teacher was quite concerned because its not likely for Nathan to not get perfect scores on his spelling because she knew that we always back him up here at home. I just told her that Nathan wasn’t ready for the spelling yet he got 3 ticks! For me that is an achievement. Nevertheless, I was really proud of him!

Bedtime Snacks that Help You Sleep

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

This is one of those articles that you cannot resist saving in your PC after reading  them online. Like most of the "evening people", me, as well as my husband love having bedtime snacks before finally going to bed. We usually watch movies or if not, our favorite TV series in our bedroom so snacks are really a big hit for us.

Read the next article … so yummy licking good for everyone!   — Karlyn  :)

Bedtime Snacks that Help You Sleep

One of the best natural sedatives is tryptophan, an amino acid component of many plant and animal proteins.

Tryptophan
is one of the ingredients necessary for the body to make serotonin, the
neurotransmitter best known for creating feelings of calm, and for
making you sleepy.

However,
the trick is to combine foods that have some tryptophan with ample
carbohydrate. That’s because in order for insomnia-busting tryptophan
to work, it has to make its way to the brain.

Unfortunately,
all amino acids compete for transport to the brain. When you add carbs,
they cause the release of insulin, which takes the competing amino
acids and incorporates them into muscle…but leaves tryptophan alone, so
it can make its way to the brain, be converted to serotonin, and cause
sleepiness.
 

Serotonin-producing bedtime snacks should be no more than 200 calories and should be eaten at least 30 minutes prior to bed.

Here are a few great ideas: 

Bedtime Snacks for Adults

–6-8 oz container of non-fat, flavored yogurt topped with 2 tablespoons low-fat granola cereal
–Sliced apple with 1-2 teaspoons natural peanut butter
–3 cups low-fat popcorn – sprinkled with optional 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese  

Bedtime Snacks for Teens

–One cup healthy cereal with skim milk
–Low-fat granola bar
–Scoop of vanilla or strawberry low-fat ice cream

Bedtime Snacks for Children

–1/2 cup low-fat vanilla pudding
–1/2 banana with 1-2 teaspoons peanut butter
–One cup skim milk with a bunch of grapes (or other fruit)

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Article Source:  Yahoo Website
Article Owner:  Joy Bauer

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One Cardinal Rule I always follow when Reposting Articles:
Always give credit to the original creator so we don’t have to face copyright infringement cases.  :)