The Ultimate Tea Diet

Mark "Dr. Tea" Ukra has written a book that is, you guessed it, all about tea. The Parent Bloggers Network is reviewing his new book, so sit back, grab a cup of you know what, and see if this is for you.

The Ultimate Tea Diet is a book that talks about a lot more than just drinking tea to get healthy and/or lose weight. If it were that simple, my skinny jeans would fit a lot better by now.

Dr. Ukra takes tea to a whole new level. If you weren't already aware, here are some of the amazing properties in that product that filled the Boston Harbor, as spelled out by Dr. Ukra.

* Boosts the immune system
*Lower blood sugar and cholesterol
*Prevent cavities and tooth decay
*Decrease high blood pressure
*Prevent arthritis
*Sharpen mental focus and concentration
*Reduce the risk of stroke, heart didease, cancer and more...

Sounds like a wonder drug, doesn't it? So what does Dr. Ukra recommend we do to take advantage of these miracle-like properties?

Eat or drink tea with virtually every bite placed in your mouth. This book has pages and pages of recipes that incorporate tea in ways I never thought plausable or palatable. Craving something sweet and bad for you? Have a cup of caramel flavored tea, instead.

Making chicken for dinner? Create a rub with some tea leaves and serve with Tea-bouleh, Tea-applesauce, and some iced tea to drink.

Every meal of every day can have tea in it of you follow this diet.

I decided I had to do it in baby steps.

First, I read and enjoyed thoroughly his discussion of tea versus coffee. I have long known that drinking a pot or two of coffee a day is not healthy. And I happen love tea, I just don't drink it all that often. So I have been enjoying a cup or two in the morning, and following it with my own favorite tea. According to the good Doctor, tea contains elements that help cancel out the negative effects of the coffee when consumed imediately following your java.

So since reading this book I have gone through four or five boxes of Tazo Zen green tea. And it has helped me largely kick my coffee habit. AMAZING. That alone is worth the price of the book.

As for the tea-infused food? I had to give it a try, too. I'll admit, I read his accounts of how we are supposed to eat if we are serious about tea, and it just looked too daunting. I don't think I could do it at this stage in my life. BUT, I did have a jar of loose white tea leaves, and so I made a spicy cayenne/tea rub for my normally boring chicken breasts and it was great. I didn't taste the tea, but I was supposedly reaping the benefits - a win/win.

If anything, I liked this book because he really is quite throrough about teaching what, exactly, makes tea so healthy. Trust me when I say L-Theanine is our friend. There are chemical compounds in tea that are truly wonderful and beneficial for our bodies, and I love that because of this book I am drinking green tea every day, instead of just once in a while.

Discovery Slide and Shoot Digital Camera

When Parent Bloggers sent our girls the Discovery Slide and Shoot Digital Camera there was a small war in my kitchen.

Who would be the first to use it? Who would get to take it to school? Who was the better photographer?

We all absolutely loved this camera. First, it's adorable. It's pink and white and you can wear it around your neck with an attachment that comes with it. My fifth grader loved that. Second, it's easy to use. The software installed in no time at all, and my girls were able to take pictures, upload them, and tweak them using the Discovery software literally within hours of opening the package.

Third, it's durable. It's a wonderful camera for kids who may not be ready for a grown-up digital camera, but who genuinely want to learn how to take, store, print, and edit photos. With it's low price of $39.95 it is a good transition camera for your children to learn with.

At first, we were dismayed by the fuzzy screen on the camera that shows you your picture. It appears as if all the pictures have a really bad resolution. Once you upload the picture you will see that this isn't the case, although be warned that this picture works really well in bright outdoor light with objects that are sitting still. Action shots taken inside of a fifth grade classroom are not the best subject matter.

On Halloween, my big girl camera broke and I used the Discovery camera to take their picture. I liked it so much I posted it on my website. The other shots you see are evidence of my girls learning the concept of subject, light, and composition.

We just adored this camera and even got one for my friend's daughter. It makes a great gift!

Day Runner

I am a piler. My office has piles, the piles have piles, and it gets a little hairy at times when it is time for me to locate something I need.

As the Chief Operating Officer of this family, I am the one to whom the fliers for school activities come, the bills, the junk mail, and the miscellaneous pieces of paper that life somehow manages to distribute to me on a daily basis.

I was beyond desperate when the Parent Bloggers Network announced they would be reviewing a Day Runner family organization program. I would have begged to review this, but luckily I didn't have to.

The organization pack comes with a large wipe on wipe/off calendar, a day planner (for 2008, so I haven't used it but it is tucked into my diaper bag, waiting), five mini dry erase boards for door handles, and cardboard filing units with color-coded file folders.

The color coding is for each member of your family. Because I am a breeder and have more people in my family than Day Runner has colors, I chose to use the family plan for my office. I hope that isn't cheating, because if it is, it felt really good.

Now, I have taken my PTA, my misc. volunteer, my bills, and my various writing projects and they are no longer in piles. Each category of my life has a color, and when there is something coming up in my life, like a review for example, I don't have to do anything more than lift my eyes from the computer and see my huge dry erase poster I've placed in my office for the answer. The cardboard filing units are neatly arranged near my desk, and I am now reminded of what the surface area of my desk looks like. It has transformed the way I conduct my personal business, and significantly reduced my time spent doing so as I now spend a lot less time searching for papers.

The one thing I did use for my family was the mini dry erase boards that hook onto each person's door handle. Because only two of the kids are reading, I write their chores, or that someone called for them, or a reminder on their board and place it on their door knob. It saves me a lot of yelling.

I do the same for my five year-old, only I use pictures, and it makes him feel like a big kid and prepares him for when he really is reading to look at his door for a message.

If only Day Runner made housekeepers, my life would be complete.

Jump Starting Jacob

I am not a fan of video games. My kids will likely never own a Wii (I just can't get my mind around simulated activities like bowling. Go bowling.), they think a playstation is their desk, and I have only let my older two get on the internet a handful of times. Yeah, I admire the Amish a little too much.

But the concept of a "video" game (it's for your PC) that enables your young one to garner skills while "playing?" It really appealed to me when I thought of my five and a half year-old, Jacob. He was late to talk, late for a lot of things, actually, and I liked the concept of Jump Starting anything.

He's currently in a kindergarten that doesn't focus a lot on academics, instead lasering in on things like self-confidence, art, music, and the creativity of the child. We love it, but it also kind of freaks us out a little. Because I like to push the envelope, I had the good people at Parent Bloggers Network send me the Jump Start for first grade. Sort of a litmus test to see how far behind we were.

After loading the game (time consuming, but not terribly so) I sat Jacob on my lap. I showed him how to maneuver the mouse and to my surprise he picked it up in a few minutes and we were off.

He was hooked from the get-go. When he saw his name on the computer screen (I plugged it in as a part of the loading process) and got to pick his character, he was entranced.

Within ten minutes he was collecting "jewels" in a math game that had him clicking on the area that had "more than eight" or "more than four" with ease. He navigated a ship through treacherous waters in an attempt to crash into icebergs that all had three, seven, nine, (you get the point, no?) objects on them, or the actual number itself.

After an initial struggle with the arrow keys on the keyboard, I was stunned to see the hand-eye coordination pick up each minute, and the grin on his face grow larger with each success. The game is really good about positive encouragement, and when he successfully completed a segment of the game, the voice telling him that he did a great job and that he had mastered a level was like an air pump: I watched his little chest puff out with pride.

Two items that are great about this prouct: if your child is struggling somewhat, the game paces itself to your child's progress. When Jacob took a while to master a concept, he never felt left behind or like he was slow. And when he got something right, the praise and encouragement from the game (and me, I should add) spurred him on to want to go to the next level.

I've heard that games are very expensive, but for only $19.95 you can jump start your own K, 1 or 2nd grade child.

I can't recommend this product enough. Want a free download? Go, now, and watch your kid do something productive in front of the computer.

The Daring Book For Girls

On a recent phone conversation a good friend of mine shared with me something that stuck with me for long after she said it, her words lingering in my mind as I tucked my children into bed.

“Remember, Jen?” she said. Remember when we were young and we were told that we could do anything? Remember?”

I said that I did.

“Well you know what I figured out growing up? I figured out that you could go to Harvard, you could get your masters, but you were still going to earn 70 cents on the dollar to some guy. And I figured out pretty quickly that we couldn’t do everything. I knew that I couldn’t be President, for example.” Her voice broke, and she continued. “And you know what I find so wonderful about this upcoming election? That our girls will maybe be able to see that they really can do anything. That if they really want to, they could become President of the United States someday.” We were both silent for a bit after that, the thought of a woman becoming leader of the free world heavy like perfume for both of us.

This is exactly why I love this book.

The Daring Book for Girls is more than hours of entertainment for your daughter (or son, for that matter). My ten year-old and twelve year- old have devoured this book like I would wine and a wheel of baked brie on a PMS jag. They have argued over who gets to read it at night until lights out. They have ushered in sleep to visions of pirates, monarchs, karate moves, and how to tie a proper knot. They have been filling their minds with visions of strength, curiosity, empowerment, and fun.

For the past few weeks they have been reading about how they can. How they should. How to do, be, and learn. It is an astounding book, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to have reviewed it (truth be told, I haven’t had much chance to read it, as it is currently in the clutches of my ten year-old, its pages already dog-eared and stained with smudges of Halloween candy). My glimpses into its pages remind me of a thrilling adventure ride, of things I used to wonder about, or want to try, or know more of. It is like a treasure box. For my girls, who have long fancied themselves spies, this book is also like a secret manual.

Truly, if you have a girl of reading age in your home, or on your Christmas gift list, you couldn’t do better than to send this book their way for the holidays. In their hands, this substantial hardback book has enough information, illustrations and drawings to fill a mind for months (with everything - literally almost anything fun you can think of that you'd like to see a child doing) - and you will also be sending a clear message.

Yes, you can.

The Teen Whisperer: It Has Me Whistling

I realize that not everyone who reads this blog has a teenager or preteen, but if you have children of any age, I have a book for you.

The Teen Whisperer, by Mike Linderman. At first blush, you probably think what many do. I don't have teenagers, this doesn't apply to me yet. Or My teenagers/preteens don't have serious problems, why do I need to "whisper" to them?. Do you have kids in the home? Do they fall in the age category of one day to eighteen? Trust me, this is a book you should be reading. As a mother of four, ages one through nearly thirteen, I can attest to the fact that in six blinks of an eye your little cherub who thinks you hung the moon will morph into a hormone-infused adolescent. It is always best to be prepared.

That said, not all teenagers are troubled. Mine aren't (knock on wood). However, there are times when I want to tear my hair out in frustration, times I feel like I just can't reach my daughter, and times when I wonder how I will survive the years until college. Communication is a vital element in any relationship, and with teens, how we communicate makes all the difference in the world. Ever looked at a teenager's behavior and wondered, "What were they thinking?" Mike has the answer: they're not. Or at least, not the way we think they are. Your sixteen year-old may look like an adult on the outside, but on the inside, they're not finished cooking yet. Believe it or not, their brain has not reached maturity. While 95% of our brains are developed by kindergarten, the most critical 5% doesn't develop fully until the twenties. Higher reasoning just isn't going on with our kids. It's our job to be the adult even when they look like one, too.

Mike, a rancher who has raised three kids of his own and counseled countless other troubled teens, has a clear approach to dealing with how and why the dynamics change between us and our adolescent as they reach maturity. Once he explains the why behind the behaviors, he has the how to back it up. His book shows parents how to:

*Create the right approach to positive change
*Use appropriate praise to establish pure intention
*Communicate effectively
*Outline the right set of rules for your child

A note on what he calls "pure intention." This reached me more than any other part of the book. I grew up thinking that if a love was good, it was "unconditional love." Mike says that love does come with some conditions, one of which is respect.

If we operate from a position of pure intention, we are creating an environment in which mutual respect can thrive. To me, unconditional love can sometimes sound a little too pie in the sky: You can go ahead and do anything to me and I'll still love you, so have at it. With pure intention, we make the message plain: I will always love you, and I will always respect your needs and do what I can to help you see that they are met, but I won't always respect the actions you take or the choices you make. I also understand that you can say the same of me. But we also have to understand that underlying any of those disagreements and disappointments is a solid foundation of love and trust.

This book is one part child development, one part guide, and one part good reading. Truly, I hope that as many parents as possible have the privilege of reading this and benefiting from the lessons it imparts.

As for me, I am considering a move to a ranch in Montana. Conveniently next door to Mike and his family.

Phonics For Babies

Mallory Lewis, daughter of Shari Lewis (remember Lambchop?) has a new DVD out geared for babies.

Phonics 4 Babies is designed to engage babies and toddlers in early speech skills. Obviously, nothing takes the place of learning in everyday environments, and this DVD isn't intended to replace daily verbal interaction with your baby. If your baby or toddler responds well to fast-paced singing and music, this may be a DVD for your collection. If your toddler is already verbal and well on his or her way to speaking well and has expressed an interest in learning letter sounds, it's definitely worth a watch.

As for "unlocking their imagination like never before" the jury is still out. However, there are nice bonus features, like two interviews featuring a UCLA clinical psychologist, and a bonus episode that covers animal words. My kids have always responded well to animals as babies, and I was a little disappointed that in lieu of real animal footage in conjunction with each animal word, there were just video game-esque graphics. Regardless, it does supply a nice list of new words to which you can expose your baby or toddler.