Two things we, in this far-too-busy world, have difficulty with: resting and silence. Yet we need to take advantage of both more than ever.

This is a crazy, demanding world. It doesn’t matter if you work in a call center or in your home office; demands are constantly made of us in the workplace. It seems companies want to do more with less staff, leaving those lucky enough to be employed scrambling to keep up with schedules, deadlines, and productivity demands.

Then we come home to busy households, those of us with children ferrying them to classes, sports, dance lessons, and so on.

It’s a frenetic pace of life and if we want to stay healthy in every way we need to learn to give ourselves time to be calm. We need time for silence.

It is very difficult thing to ask of people today. It seems unnatural, makes us uneasy. But try it. Take a little time each day to sit quietly and clear your head. Breathe deep, relax. If you can’t stop planning your to-do list or reviewing your work day, try repeating a few words that are meaningful to you. Something as simple as thinking or saying ‘peace’ as you breathe in and ‘rest’ as you breathe out, or try words that express your faith in some way - anything at all.

I find that a few minutes of this before I leave my bedroom in the morning and a few minutes before sleep help me reconnect with myself and rediscover calmness. Once you have experienced times of silence and rest you will welcome them. They will become a refreshing moment of peace in your stressful days.

Which side of the spanking debate are you on? Do you think kids should be spanked when they misbehave? Is it a good way to discipline? Or do you consider it a form of child abuse?

I’m curious, and it is a fascinating and controversial topic. A few months back, reality show mom Kate Gosselin got caught by paparazzi spanking one of her sextuplets. She had to go public to defend herself. Then a couple of weeks ago, an Ohio woman was arrested at a Salvation Army store for spanking a stranger’s child!

I don’t feel qualified to speak about whether or not it is an effective way to discipline a child, since I don’t have kids myself. As a former primary-level teacher, I will say that I did occasionally feel moments of intense frustration in reaction to a student’s misbehavior - but I never, ever felt anything even close to an urge to swat at a kid (thank goodness!)

I can’t imagine ever punishing a child for doing something that is beyond their control or something about which they already feel noticeable shame or embarrassment. I was only ever spanked as a child when I acted especially naughty or insolent. I remember my parents being calm as this happened. They weren’t flying off the handle in a rage. I recall being warned that a swat on the bum was in the offing, as though my parents were telling me, “There is a line. And you are getting really close to crossing it, Little Miss. So think before you say another word.”

On the other hand (no pun intended), I have close friends who were raised by totally loving parents (or grandparents) who used spanking as their everyday form of discipline, punishment, or deterrent. And they all turned out to be healthy, functioning adults, some of whom have even said they’re thankful for the swats.

According to new research, though, my friends might have lost more with each spanking than just a few tears … [Read more →]

I love the accompanying photo for this blog post because it pretty much sums up how I feel about ginger: Behold this magical, wonderful food in all its odd, knobby-looking glory!

Ginger is a food to be treasured and adored. Its distinctive, zippy zing makes taste buds go wild and adds a warm, spicy spike to any dish or drink to which it’s added. And it’s good for you, too!

This strange root took hold of me a few years back and never let go. I’d had gingerbread, sure, but never really got past all the cinnamon and clove and allspice to really fully understand the flavour of ginger itself. But when a friend chopped long, thin slivers of fresh ginger root into a veggie stir-fry she made for a dinner party, I fell madly in love.

Now any time I go out to eat, I scan the menu for its ginger-laced options - Thai and Vietnamese cuisine use it to great effect. I practically passed out from flavour-bliss when I ate a heavily-gingered catfish dish. I always keep a bulb of the stuff on hand at home so I can tweak the taste of bland dishes - like green beans and soups and stir-fries and sautes of greens like kale and chard.

And that’s just the savoury stuff. There’s also crystallized, sugared ginger for snacking and ginger beer’s cooler, sweeter, but still super-sharp taste going down. Ahh, ginger … you’ve really got a hold on me.

Why ginger is so darn genius:

- It adds zip to foods without adding calories.

- It is rich in beneficial minerals.

- Ginger has long been grated into hot, steaming cups as a warm, spicy, pungent way to relieve sore throats, headaches, and fatigue.

- Certain groups of people really benefit from ginger’s powers as a digestive aid, namely people who experience lots of nausea, vomiting, queasiness (think: pregnant women, those with motion sickness, those going through chemotherapy).

… more ginger goodness this way!

Three out of four women will have a yeast infection at least once in their lifetime - most commonly in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Yeast infections happen because of an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina, which in some cases is triggered by the foods a woman eats - or doesn’t eat.

The probiotics in yogurt, for instance, have been lauded as yeast infection-fighters and women prone to the infections are encouraged to add it to their diet.

What about sweets? Some speculate that since sugar feeds yeast that sweet treats could stimulate yeast infection outbreaks. Is this true? [Read more →]

Seasons change, and maybe your healthy habits should, too. Resolutions aren’t just for New Year’s!

> Fall for these 10 healthy autumn edibles

> “Leaf” it to us: 6 rake-the-right way hints

> Just a couple more weeks till Thanksgiving - so let’s talk turkey!

> With the changing season, consider how you’ll avoid outdoor allergies

> Ramp up your cold-and-flu fighting efforts: flu-shot fact file, 6-step handwashing guide, H1N1: Should you wear a mask?, humidifier buying guide, how to care for someone who has swine flu, swine flu Q&A

A person could blog for the next ten years about the emotional impact of AIDS. One group I found has been working under the radar in a natural, inherited role for years. They are the grandmothers of AIDS orphans in Africa.

As many as 11 million children have been orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. In the midst of this devastation, grandmothers have emerged as the ‘unsung heroes’ of Africa.

They bury their own children and begin raising their grandchildren with little or no support. In some countries, 40-60% of orphans live in grandmother-headed households. These courageous and resilient women have no time to grieve. Their priority is the next generation: the infants, toddlers, and teenagers who are left behind.

Although there is never enough for their burgeoning households, somehow these grandmothers attempt to feed, clothe and comfort their grandchildren. The Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign seeks to build solidarity, raise awareness, and mobilize support in Canada for Africa’s grandmothers.

Since their launch on March 7, 2006, some 220 groups of Canadian grandmothers have taken up the call to action offering both financial and sisterly emotional support.

There is so much need that it is hard to know where to help. This is just one way of many. Preoccupied with the need to prevent and treat AIDS, we might overlook those who already help in their own way and need our support - whether across the ocean and here at home.

More information about Grandmothers to Grandmothers

Stats and facts regarding grandmothers and children affected by HIV/AIDS