Honestly, I feel like a day of gratitude isn’t enough (especially if Hallmark has coerced someone into it). Afterall,  being a mom can be a 24/7, 365 day, up at 6, down at 9 (if you’re lucky),  no-sick day, vacation day optional, kinda gig.

As CEO of our household, we’re  given the most important and rewarding job, which comes with long-term job security.  We do more things in 24 hrs than some people do in a month. Watch this clip and you’ll see what I mean!!!!

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t really understand the importance of Mother’s Day until I started raising my own toddler.

Now when I hear people say things like, “We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves” (which I believe is by Henry Ward Beecher), I actually know what they mean. Then again, I can also related to the “great poop conversations” that seem to take place everywhere I go.

It’s actually kinda funny when you think about it… You know you’ve graduated from college when you receive your diploma, but you know you graduated into motherhood when you are comfortable swapping poop stories. Prior to becoming a mom, when the inevitable poop chat that came up at baby showers, that was the queue to leave the room.

There is no doubt… motherhood is a club, a sorority, a sisterhood all of its own. We rely on each other for advise, encouragement, and reassurance that we aren’t messing up our kids too badly.

During the month of May, let’s remember to praise and show our appreciation to ALL MOTHERS!  An act of kindness, recognition for a job well-done, or maybe a glass of wine at the end of a long day goes a long way.

It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes the support of your “sisters” to make sure it is done correctly!

I want to say THANK YOU to all of our Skinny Gene Mommas, for all that you do!  

As I said, I think Mother’s Day should be for the entire month of May…..

To say thank you for all you do, we want to honor all of our Mother’s that work so hard to provide their children with a  happy and healthy home. 

1^st– For the entire month of May, we are giving you a FREE 12-month membership to our Skinny Gene Online Community. Just Click Here to learn more and accept your gift!

2^nd– I think a little comic relief is the best remedy for a hard day. Please join me in sharing some funny stories about motherhood.  Got a funny forward? Read a funny blog? Did your child do something that cracked you up?  Let’s give each other a little laugh!!! Add your stories to the comment section below!!!

To start us off, here’s an email a friend forwarded to me awhile back. ENJOY!!! 

….

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we are in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old.

And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It’s always fully cranked. There have been several embarrassing times that I’ve wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you’d been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall:

”Mommy, are you gonna go potty?   Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy?  Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now?  Mommy, what are you doing?  Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?”

At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom w hen I walked in. Several stalls were full … 4? 5?  Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, ”Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren’t you?   Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy!   Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty?  Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh … Mommy!  I’m trying to see In dere.

Oh! I see dem.  Dat is a very good girl, Mommy.  You are gonna get some candy!”

I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me.

Where is a screaming new born when you need her?  Good grief!!  This was really getting embarrassing.  I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting.  Trying to divert him, I said, ”Why don’t you look in Mommy’s purse and see if you can find some candy. We’ll both have some!”

”No, I’m trying to see doze stinkies… Oh! Mommy!”  He started to gag at this point.   ”Uh – oh, Mommy.  I fink I’m gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!!  Dat is so gross!!”

As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall.  I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject.  I began to reason with myself:  Okay… there are four other toilets.  If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.

”Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now?  I want you to be done going stinkies!  Get up! Get up!”  He grunted as he tried to pull me off.   

Now I could hear full-blown laughter.  I bent down to count the feet outside my door.

”Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy?  You wooking under da door? What were you wooking at?  Mommy?  You wooking at the wady’s feet?”

More laughter…I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation.

”Mommy, it’s time to wash our hands, now.  We have to go out now, Mommy.”  He started pounding on the door. ”Mommy, don’t you want to wash your hands?  I want to go OUT!!”

I saw that my wait ’em out’ plan was unraveling.  I sheepishly opened the door and found standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud. 

My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, where’s the fine print on the ‘motherhood contract’ where I signed away every bit of my dignity and privacy?

But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I’d sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.

The blended family, job losses, home foreclosures, and aging parents are all reasons an extra chair (or two) are being pulled up to the dinner table. It’s the 2010 version of the Brady bunch, which could now includes babies, toddlers, preschool and school age children, teenagers, 20s, 30s, pregnant women, over the hill, and our beloved seniors.

Each person is at a different phase in life, and requires his/her own special dietary attention. So how do you keep up the with balanced nutrition for different age groups, and keep a healthy home? Good question. I’d say plant your family tree and watch it grow!  With the right nutrition, of course!

By Ronaldo F Cabuhat

Different ages, different requirement to be healthy!  Here are some important nutrients for the family members in your home:

Babies:  Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Vitamin A, B12

Toddlers:  Calcium, Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc, B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin A

School Age:  Calcium, Vitamin D, B6, Zinc, fiber, Iron

Teenagers:  Calcium, Iron, Zinc, fiber

Adults:  Calcium, Iron, Zinc, fiber

Seniors: Calcium, Iron, Vitamin D, Zinc, Vitamin A, C, and E, fiber, B12

The nutrition needs of our family are always changing. To adapt to this ever-changing household, first focus on the roots of your family tree, the minerals that are essential for all ages- Calcium, Iron, and Zinc.  Let’s say a house had a teenager, toddler, and an elderly family member all sitting at the same table for dinner.

CALCIUM

When it comes to Calcium, teenagers need 250% of the Calcium a toddlers needs.  But if your toddler or teenager drinks or eats too much milk or calcium rich foods, they may become deficient in another mineral, Iron

Our children are at risk!  Studies show that ~75% of teenagers are falling short of their Calcium needs.   Now that your 16 year old teenage boy is flying more independently and sprouting up taller than you, you may want to keep tabs on what he is drinking.  The teenage years are very important for bone growth, which in typical teenage fashion, your teenager may not care about and would rather drink Calcium’s competitor, soda and energy drinks.  A teenager needs 1300 mg Calcium per day, the highest of any age group.  In order to meet these sky-high requirements, your teenager needs to get 4-5 servings of milk or other dairy sources every day!   

Good sources of Calcium are primarily dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, and regular cheeses.  But you can also find some Calcium in smaller amounts in Calcium fortified OJ, tofu, and green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale, and turnip greens. 

If lactose intolerance is a problem for your family, be sure to try soymilk, it contains about the same amount of Calcium as a glass of milk. 

There are many additional factors to consider, like how well our body absorbs Calcium. Some factors help and some make it more difficult!  These factors include Vitamin D, Sodium, Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Caffeine, Alcohol, Age, Ethnicity, and Pregnancy to name a few.  Our bodies are so complex; sometimes it’s not as easy as drinking 3 cups of milk a day!

IRON

Iron is what helps oxygen get to all parts of your body, iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world (WHO), resulting in feeling tired or weak, poor school performances, increased illness.  Iron deficiency anemia can be a problem especially for pregnant women, premature babies, toddlers, teenage girls, athletes, overweight children, and people with renal failure and gastrointestinal disorders.

Females 14-50 years of age have the highest Iron requirements related to increased blood loss with their monthly cycles.  Be sure the women in your family are eating food rich in iron all month long!  Try adding spinach to salads or sandwiches, offer OJ with your morning oatmeal, and include meat, poultry or fish in your evening meal.

Iron is found in both animal sources, such as red meats, chicken, turkey, and fish, as well as plant sources including cereals, oatmeal, soybeans, lentils, beans, and spinach.  Look for foods that have greater than 20% of the Daily Value for Iron on the nutrition label. 

ZINC

Keep you immune function up and kids growing with Zinc!  Children can often be picky resulting in poor intakes often times of meats, which may result in zinc deficiency.  Inadequate zinc intake may cause your child not to grow as well, may cause problems with their hair, nails, and skin, or may decrease their appetites.  Loss of appetite may also be a concern for the older family members who may not be eating enough overall, therefore eating less zinc. 

If your 2 year old little princess is stuck on macaroni and cheese and nothing else, she may be in need of more zinc!  Try making that macaroni and cheese with lean hamburger meat! 

The best sources of zinc are found in red meats and chicken, but also found in cereals fortified with zinc, beans, peas, oatmeal, milk and nuts. 

Calcium, Iron, and Zinc are essential parts of your family’s diet, but what happens when you add other factors in such as trying to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, lactose intolerance, athletes to feed, vegetarian, control diabetes, and other factors complicating your family’s dinner.

Making a healthy meal for your family tree can be as difficult as keeping up with each and every one of their needs!   To learn more about the nutritional needs of your family tree, join our free seminars! To find out about upcoming dates follow our blog or follow us on facebook.