This past Saturday, my girls had the opportunity to participate in a STEM focused workshop with mentors representing varying areas of sports, locally. Play Like a Girl is a non-profit that aims to blend STEM with Sports for young girls.
With me being the newly found cheer-mom and age old “techie” I am, I immediately jumped all over this opportunity. Consequently, we enjoyed every minute of it! I mostly enjoyed watching my girls network while learning how to build conversation in a professional setting. The ultimate win for the day was the tour of The Geodis Soccer Stadium and the overall feeling of empowerment. If you have not already, check out this awesome organization!
I have attached the event overview (provided by PLAG) and link to the PLAG website, including the presenters, below for those interested in participating in the amazing program.
Play Like a Girl teamed up with Nashville SC to host an exclusive Women’s History Month celebration and mentoring event specially designed to inspire the limitless potential in girls. Hear from leading women in sports as they share stories about their journey, the obstacles they’ve overcome, and the tools they’ve applied on their way to success. Samaria Terry, sports anchor and reporter for WKRN News Channel 2, emceed the event. Among the speakers were Cristina Maillo Belda, VP of Communications at Nashville SC; Danielle Gaw, VP of Corporate Relations at Nashville Sounds; Rebecca King, VP of Community Relations at Nashville Predators; and, Johari Matthews, Director of Programs at Tennessee Titans. An awards presentation followed the keynote conversation featuring Play Like a Girl alumna Emma Clonan who was honored alongside Nikki Gibson, Miranda McDonald, and Advancing Women in Nashville—well-accomplished leaders who have made considerable contributions to level the playing field for girls and women in their respective fields and in their communities.
In honor of an awesome STEM Saturday, here is a simple STEM inspired activity below:
My girls love making slime! However, after ruining clothes with it, we now have to make it outside! For those fellow slime lovers, check out this slime recipe provided by Leftbraincraftbrain.com.
Instilling good self-care habits among kids from a young age teaches them the best ways to prioritize mental and physical health. When it comes to preschoolers, the focus on self-care activities should be to help them develop independence in tasks such as bathing, eating, dressing up, cleaning, and more. While these tasks may seem mundane to adults, for kids aged between 3-5 years, they serve as a major step toward developing maturity. In this article by The Preschoolers Connect, we’ll explore the best self-care habits to teach young children.
Making the Bed
This seemingly simple task is a big step towards teaching your child the importance of organization and cleanliness. Being in a cluttered environment is one of the primary causes of stress, and after waking up, our bed is one of the untidiest places in the home. By making their bed, your child will start the day in an organized manner and learn an important habit that will instill discipline in their everyday routine.
Cleaning Up After Themselves
If there is one thing kids are experts in, it’s making a mess. But, at their age, it is important to provide them avenues to exert energy as it plays a major role in their physical and mental development. Once your child is finished with their activity, don’t let them simply walk away from the space, rather, make them clean up each time after use. This can include putting toys back in the bin, washing the brushes and palettes and putting them to dry, and more.
One of the best approaches is to transform cleaning up into a game. For instance, you can have a competition on who picks the most toys. After a few repetitions, cleaning up will become an ingrained habit that your child won’t view as a chore, but rather, as a responsibility.
Learning a Hobby
This is an activity where you’ll need to take the lead and expose your child to various activities such as dancing, music, arts and crafts, storytelling, etc. Naturally, your child will gravitate towards certain activities and partake in them daily. Hobbies serve as a great outlet for children to express their creativity and learn new skills. Additionally, it makes them aware of their interests which later in life will help them make decisions regarding degrees and jobs to pursue. As they grow older and start having more responsibilities on their plate to manage, their hobby will serve as a healthy outlet to keep stress in check.
Being Physically Active
As reported by Kids Health, pre-schoolers should engage in physical activity for at least three hours a day. Here are a few examples of structured and unstructured activities to plan for your child:
Take them for a daily walk around the neighborhood
Visit the local playground where they can play with their friends
Enrolling them in sports training which can include soccer, swimming, tennis, athletics, skating, and more.
Indoor activities such as a treasure hunt, hide-and-seek, creating an obstacle course, and more.
According to the CDC, regular physical activity plays a crucial role in a child’s overall development and provides the following benefits:
Promotes better memory and retention resulting in higher academic performance.
Improves cardiovascular health and develops stronger bones.
Greatly reduces the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Decreases the chances of depression and promotes good mental health.
A commonality in all these habits will be the fact that you, as the parent, will need to take the initiative and serve as a great role model for your kid(s) to follow. Understandably, not all parents have the luxury to spend the whole day with their children. In such cases, the best approach is to create a schedule and reserve time daily to spend with your child. This can include spending the morning with them before going to work, taking them to the park in the evening, partnering with them to clean the home every night, or planning outdoor activities each weekend.
Every child learns at their own pace. Focus as the parent will need to be on being consistent with your actions and guide your child towards integrating good habits into their routine.
Prep the apples: peel, core, then cut the apples into 8 wedges.
Add the flour into a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Beat the eggs, pour into a shallow dish.
In a second shallow dish combine the crushed graham crackers and sugar. Stir to blend.
Line the flour bowl first, second put the beaten eggs, and crushed graham crackers, and sugar combination.
Begin by tossing each wedge of apple in the flour.
Dredge the floured apple pieces in the beaten eggs.
Third, roll the apple pieces in the sugar/crushed graham cracker mixture.
Put each prepared apple pieces on the prepped cookie sheet.
Toss the apple slices and flour together in a large bowl. Set up a dredging station by put Dip each apple slice into the egg, and then into the graham cracker crumbs. Coat the slices on all sides and place the coated slices on a cookie sheet.
Coat the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil.
Do not overlap the apple pieces in the air fryer. Air fry the apples in batches. Spray the apple pieces with a light coat of oil. Air fry at 380 degrees for 5 minutes then turn the apple pieces over and for an additional 2 minutes.
Pour the caramel sauce into a serving bowl. Transfer the bowl to a microwave. Heat until the caramel sauce is warm and ready to serve with the apple fries.
Cyberbullying is best defined as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. Over the past decade or so, cyber bullying has become more and more common due to the constant increase in technological use. To help parents stay informed about Cyberbullying, a list of common types of cyber bullying is provided below:
Harassment
Harassment occurs when the bully sends offensive and threatening messages via electronic forms of communication to his or her target. Multiple people may even gang up to send thousands of messages to the victim at once.
Impersonation or Fake Profiles
Impersonation is when someone creates a fake profile in another person’s name or hacks into another person’s account. The cyber bully pretends to be his or her victim online, and tarnishes the victim’s reputation.
Flaming
Flame wars involve the repeated exchanges of “angry, rude, or obscene [electronic] messages” between individuals.
Denigration
Denigration is an attempt to damage the victim’s reputation or ruin the friendships he or she has, by spreading unfounded gossip or rumours online.
Exclusion
Exclusion occurs when someone has been intentionally excluded or singled out from online group activities such as group conversations and multiplayer games.
Outing
Outing occurs when the cyber bully uses technological means to publicly “[share] private information without permission with the intent to hurt” the victim.
Dissing is the act of sending or posting cruel information about your child online, to damage their reputation or friendships with others.
It can also include posting material online such as photos, screenshots or videos. The cyberbully wants to put your child down, so draws attention to what they are saying about them to make other people think they’re not cool. The cyberbully is usually someone your child knows. This can make it really upsetting.
Trickery
The cyber bully may employ methods to trick his or her victim into believing “they are speaking in confidence with a close friend so that they share sensitive information”, such as secrets or humiliating information. Once the cyber bully has obtained the information, he or she will use it against the victim by publicly disseminating it to others, “in an attempt to shame the victim.” The two forms of cyber bullying – outing and trickery – often go hand-in-hand.
Cyber stalking
Cyber stalking is a form of harassment. Victims usually receive threatening and intimidating electronic messages from cyber bullies. Victims may often start to believe “the intimidator can move offline and harm them physically,” causing them to be overly suspicious of their surroundings as well.
Cat fishing
Catfishing is when another person steals your child’s online identity, usually photos, and re-creates social networking profiles for deceptive purposes.
A catfish is someone who wants to hide who they are. They will look at your child’s social networking profile and take any information they want to create a fake persona. Sometimes they will only take your child’s photos and use fake names and information.
Free and confidential support resources are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Problem: If someone is acting differently than normal, such as always seeming sad or anxious, struggling to complete tasks, or not being able care for themselves.
Who doesn’t love ice cream, especially on a hot, summer day? Ice cream comes in many different flavors and assortments. To name a few, ice cream lovers can find the following flavors at their local grocery store: chocolate chip, strawberry, cookies and cream, vanilla, M&M’s and even brownie flavored.
While the frozen milk snack has so many wonderful flavors and varieties, for some the high sugar content can pose a health concern to consumers. Listed below is a list of healthy ice cream alternatives. Enjoy!
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus extra for topping
salt and pepper to taste
grated or sliced mozzarella for topping to taste
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
For easy cutting, feel free to stick your squash in the microwave to soften it up just a tad. Pierce it a few times with a knife (to help vent so it doesn’t burst) and cook for for 3-5 minutes. The knife slides through way easier this way! Smaller squash will need about 3 minutes while larger ones will be good to go at 4-5 min.
Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish.
Rub the cut side of the squash with a teeny bit of olive oil and place on your baking dish/sheet cut side down. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of your squash, and larger squash will need to roast a bit longer to tenderize. Once ready, the once rock-hard exterior of the squash will be visibly softened with a tender interior.
The squash can be roasted and stored in the fridge for a few days if you’d like to meal prep and plan ahead for a speedier dinner.
While the squash roasts, start on the sauce.
In a medium pot or skillet, bring a drizzle of olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté garlic until fragrant.
Next add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add your cream, cream cheese (totally optional but totally tasty) and parmesan cheese and stir well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
Once squash is done roasting, allow to cool until easily handled or pop on an oven mit and use a fork to separate and fluff the strands of spaghetti squash.
Pour your sauce over each squash boat, stir to mix, and top with a little mozzarella cheese and additional parm cheese, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
For a golden cheesy topping, flip your oven to broil on high for just a minute or two until lightly browned. Dive in while it’s HOT!
Many spices hold cultural meaning to them in households throughout the world. Did you know, these same herbs and spices can improve your well-being in countless ways? The addition of herbs and spices to your diet is the simplest way to boost your immune system and fight off diseases and conditions such as inflammation.
Ginger
Ginger is used to treat nausea caused by morning sickness, chemotherapy, and even sea sickness. Ginger can also be used as a pain management remedy as 2 grams of ginger a day fights colon inflammation the same way as aspirin.
Other research found that a mixture of ginger, cinnamon, mastic, and sesame oil decreased pain and stiffness experienced by those with osteoarthritis.
Rosemary
Rosemary been shown to suppress allergic responses and nasal congestion due to an active ingredient called rosmarinic acid.Rosemary is considered a cognitive stimulant and can help improve memory performance and quality. It is also known to boost alertness, intelligence, and focus.
Peppermint
Peppermint is known for its aromatherapy benefits however, this spice also has benefits when consumed through food. Many studies have shown that peppermint oil can improve pain management in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Peppermint helps to relax the colon and reduces abdominal bloating.
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne Pepper is a type of chili used in many dishes around the world. Known for its spicy taste, cayenne pepper is also a remedy for those looking to reduce their appetite and increase fat burning.
Garlic
Garlic has an in-depth history for its medicinal uses. Garlic supplementation is well known for combatting sickness, including the common cold. It is advised that those who experience symptoms relating to the common cold should increase their intake of garlic.
Studies have also found garlic to cause significant reductions in blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a good source of curcumin, an antioxidant that eases inflammation. Research suggests that curcumin may help ease pain. And other research shows that eating even small amounts of turmeric regularly may help prevent or slow down Alzheimer’s disease, possibly by helping prevent the brain plaques that lead to dementia.
Cocoa
The cocoa bean is chock-full of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that have been shown to boost heart health. Flavonoids seem to play a role in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and helping keep your coronary (heart) arteries healthy, among other things. Also, studied suggest that daily intake of cocoa flavanols can improve mental performance in people with and without mental impairments.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is found to have health benefits, including its ability to relieve pain, soothe indigestion, strengthen cognitive function, detoxify the body, boost skin health, alleviate oral conditions, reduce insomnia, increase immune system function, and prevent leukemia, and improve blood circulation.
Cardamom
This sweet, pungent spice is in many pumpkin spice mixes. It’s known to soothe an upset stomach, and lab studies show it may also help fight inflammation. Cardamom may help fight bacteria in the mouth, a common cause of bad breath, cavities, and gum disease.
Oregano
Oregano has many nutrients, including vitamins K and E, calcium, iron, manganese and fiber. Also, oregano is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent cell damage caused by free radicals, helping fend off heart disease, stroke and cancer. Plus, oregano has phytonutrients that help fight infections.
Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains, including wheat, rye, spelt, and barley. Wheat is the most common form of gluten from the grains listed.
When flour mixes with water, the gluten proteins form a sticky network that has a glue-like consistency. This glue like property makes the dough elastic and gives bread the ability to rise during baking. It also provides a chewy, satisfying texture. Interestingly, the name “gluten” comes from this glue-like property of wet dough.
Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected. While wheat is the most common, there are three main gluten substances including: wheat, barley and rye.
Wheat
Wheat is a yellowish grain used to make flour.
Wheat is commonly found in:
breads
baked goods
soups
pasta
cereals
sauces
salad dressings
Barley
Barley, a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago.
Rye is a cereal plant that tolerates poor soils and low temperatures.
Rye is commonly found in:
rye bread, such as pumpernickel
rye beer
cereals
Gluten Intolerance and/or Sensitivity
There has been research on gluten intolerance and/or sensitivity and Celiac Disease. Gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance has been coined to describe those individuals who cannot tolerate gluten and experience symptoms similar to those with celiac disease yet lack the same antibodies and intestinal damage as seen in celiac disease. Celiac Disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.Over time, the immune reaction to eating gluten creates inflammation that damages the small intestine’s lining, leading to medical complications. It also prevents absorption of some nutrients
Let’s consider a person without Celiac Disease but an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten. Research has categorized gluten intolerance and sensitivity to be less severe than Celiac disease. However, many of the symptoms are the same. People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity have a prevalence of extraintestinal or non-GI symptoms, such as headache, “foggy mind,” joint pain, and numbness in the legs, arms or fingers. Symptoms typically appear hours or days after gluten has been ingested, a response typical for innate immune conditions like non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Gluten intolerances and sensitivities are not the same as allergies. In fact, someone can experience an intolerance or sensitivity and test negative to having a gluten allergy.
People will wear you out! As a parent and individual, setting boundaries is necessary to sustain a healthy life. So much time is devoted to your work-life, children, family, spouse, and extracurricular activities. Strength is found in setting necessary boundaries and being prepared to say, “No.”
As an individual, there are many boundaries you can set to ultimately achieve a healthy life. Elizabeth Earnshaw- LMFT provides 6 boundary types and how to maintain them.
The statements provided within this article are for factual purposes, only. If you are seeking additional help in the realms of setting boundaries and maintaining relationships, please consult with your local therapist.
What Are Boundaries?
Boudaries are not a reason to be unkind or build a brick wall. Establishing healthy boundaries are essential to healthy relationships. Without healthy boundaries, relationships do not thrive—they result in feelings of resentment, disappointment, or violation. Boundaries are your personal limits.
Types of Boundaries
Physical Boundaries
Physical boundaries center around physical proximity. This includes personal space and attending to your physical needs. If you are not a hugger, it is OK to let people know you do not like to be touched that way.
Healthy physical boundaries might sound like:
“I am really tired. I need to sit down now.”
“I am not a big hugger. I am a handshake person.”
“I need to eat. I am going to go grab something.”
“I am allergic to [insert here], so we can’t have that in our home.”
“No. I don’t want you to touch me like that.”
“Don’t go into my room without asking first.”
Physical boundary violations feel like receiving inappropriate or unwanted touch, being denied your physical needs (told to keep walking when you are tired or that you need to wait to eat or drink).
Emotional Boundaries
Setting clear emotional boundaries includes knowing how much emotional energy you have and how much you can give. Also, this includes knowing when and how to respond emotionally. If you know someone will react poorly to your emotional energy, limit how much you share with this individual. If there is a healthy emotional relationship between you and another individual, you may be more comfortable with sharing information.
Healthy Emotional Boundaries may look like this:
“When I share my feelings with you and get criticized, it makes me totally shut down. I can only share with you if you are able to respond respectfully to me.”
“I am so sorry you are having such a tough time. Right now, I am not in a place to take in all of this information. Do you think we can come back to this conversation later?”
“I am having a hard time and really need to talk. Are you in a place to listen right now?”
“I really can’t talk about that right now. It isn’t the right time.”
When the boundary line is crossed, you can expect the following:
Dismissing and criticizing feelings
Asking questions that are not appropriate for the relationship
Reading or going through personal and emotional information
Asking people to justify their feelings
Assuming we know how other people feel
Telling other people how they feel
“Emotionally dumping” on people without their permission
Sharing inappropriate emotional information with your children
Time Boundaries
Time is non-refundable. There is great value in protecting your time. Setting time boundaries means understanding your priorities and setting aside enough time for the many areas of your life without overcommitting. Setting time boundaries encompasses the ability to say, “No.”
Healthy Time Boundaries look like:
“I can’t come to that event this weekend.”
“I can only stay for an hour.”
“Do you have time to chat today?”
“I would love to help, but I would be overcommitting myself. Is there another time?”
“We have family time on Sundays, so we won’t make it.”
“I am happy to help with that. My hourly rate is…”
When these boundaries are crossed, it looks like the following:
Keeping people in conversations longer than intended.
Cancelling on people because we have overcommitted
Demanding time from people
Asking professionals for their time and not paying them
Intellectual Boundaries
Intellectual boundaries refer to your thoughts, ideas, and curiosity. Healthy intellectual boundaries include respect for the ideas of other people, and they can be violated when your thoughts and curiosity are shut down, dismissed, or belittled.
Healthy Intellectual Boundaries look like:
“I know we disagree, but I won’t let you belittle me like that.”
“I would love to talk about this more, but I don’t think talking about it during Thanksgiving dinner is the best time.”
“When we talk about this, we don’t get very far. I think it is a good idea to avoid the conversation right now.”
“I can respect that we have different opinions on this.”
The presence of intellectual boundaries does not mean the acceptance of all ideas, concepts, and perspectives. Recognizing the differences between you and others and choosing to maintain a healthy relationship and discourse is the direction to take for achieving healthy intellectual boundaries.
Material Boundaries
Material possessions include your car, home, furniture and money. It is important to understand the items you can and cannot share with others. Having healthy material limits include the following:
“I can’t lend out my car. I am the only person on the insurance.”
“We can’t give any more money. We would be happy to help in another way.”
“Sure! I am happy to share my dress with you. Just a heads-up, I do need it back by Friday.”
Material boundaries are violated when your things are destroyed or stolen or when they are “borrowed” too frequently. Another material violation is the use of materials (money and possessions) to manipulate and control relationships.
The Preschoolers Connect 