Relationships Workbook by Dr. Les & Leslie Parrott

The Relationships Workbook by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott was published in 1998 and then again in 2002.  It's a great resource for looking at the needs of friendships and marriages.  I'm currently looking at it again because of having a teenage daughter.  There are chapters for further study that include "Falling in Love Without Losing Your Mind" and "The Bonds That Bind/Drawing the Line."
also include several other references to boks of interest on these topics.



For review, I plan to read again the following passages:

Genesis 29:18 tells the story of Jacob falling in love with Rachel.

Judges 16 shows the serious consequences of Samson losing his mind as he falls for Delilah.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 talks about the powerful experience of being in love.

For teens, the time considering their emotional bonding in their relationships in conjuction with the physical bonding is essential.  Think of the "side hug" as a close bond with someone, being careful to make a commitment to another person before allowing oneself to express physical care.  Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott site the following progression:

1.  Eye to body
2.  Eye to eye
3.  Voice to voice
4.  Hand to hand
5.  Hand to shoulder
6.  Hand to waist
7.  Face to face

Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott are co-directors of the Center for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University, a groundbreaking program dedicated to teaching the basics of a good relationship. Les Parrott is a professor of clinical psychology, and Leslie is a marriage and family therapist, both at SPU. The Parrotts are authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts, The Marriage Mentor Manual, Mentoring Engaged and Newlywed Couples (video Groupware kit), Questions Couples Ask, Like a Kiss on the Lips, Getting Ready for the Wedding, and Relationships. They are frequent guest speakers and have written for a variety of magazines. Their relationship work has been featured in USA Today and the New York Times as well as on CNN, Good Morning America, and Oprah.    

 

Kate Coomb's "Water Sings Blue" was a book I found because I was looking for non-fiction for a fourth grade reader.  Although I sought it out for the poetry, I ended up being the most impressed with the illustrator.  Meilo So, by her own biography was "Madie in Hong Kong.  Packaedg in England," and "Domiciled in the Shetland Islands," and to end her description states, "Delicate: contains one life." 

Inside "Water Sings Blue" the colors were vibrant and the whimsy over the combination of the sea turle and the verse was adorable.

There's a wide green map
on sea turtle's back.
Currents?  She knows
their flows, never slows,
needn't stop for directions
wherever she goes,
flapping her elegant
paddle-shaped toes. 

Meilo So's website intrigued me further with her designs for food packaging as well as another children's title "Alex the Parrot" by Stephanie Spinner. Looks like I have another book to discover.

Papaya Discoveries

Papaya instructions... Peel it.  Cut it in half and scoop out and discard the seeds in the center and cut the fruit in chunks.  Add to an assortment of fruit like strawberries, peaches, watermelon, blueberries, etc.  It doesn't have too much flavor as a stand-alone fruit.  However, it's been fun to learn of some of its health benefits.

Papaya enzymes have been used for tenderizing meats because they act to break down proteins, explains the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Papain also appears to have modulating effects on the immune system and possible antitumor or anticancer properties, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Normally, your pancreas produces sufficient enzymes such as those found in papayas to digest foods and stimulate cell reactions. Therefore, papaya enzymes may be especially helpful for people who don't produce enough pancreatic enzymes, which causes indigestion symptoms such as gas, bloating and flatulence.
In addition to treating gastrointestinal and pancreatic conditions, papaya enzymes could potentially help treat lower back pain, sprains, tendinitis and strains, as well as chronic yeast infections, acne rosacea and osteoarthritis. Papain might help reduce the side effects of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and prevent diabetes complications, and outbreaks of human papilloma virus -- HPV - and herpes and inflammation, Papain may help treat hepatitis C and rheumatoid arthritis as well. Talk with your doctor before taking papaya enzymes for any medical purpose. Papain can interfere with certain blood-thinning drugs such as aspirin and Coumadin, cautions the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. 

Check the outside. The outside of a papaya tells you a lot about what is on the inside. Green papayas are not ripe and must be stored properly to allow further ripening. Yellow papayas are ready for eating.  

Good papayas are slightly firm to the touch. Bad papayas feel soft, look shriveled and do not have a healthy green or yellow color. Bruising on the outside of the papaya is a clear indicator that the meat of the fruit is not going to taste well. Softness at the stem of the fruit also indicates that the inside is bruised or rotten.

Smell the fruit. Uncut papayas do not have a scent. Before eating a papaya, cut it open and inhale. The inside of a good papaya smells sweet and musky. A bad papaya smells rotted or fermented. Ripe papaya is usually eaten raw. 

Papaya contains latex (the white sap that oozes out of an unripe papaya) which can cause an allergic reaction in people with a latex allergy. The greener (more unripe) the fruit is, the more latex it contains. When buying papayas, look for ones that are mostly or completely yellow and give slightly to pressure. Green, hard papayas are unripe.

Papaya aids in weight loss. This fruit is low in calories, high in vitamins and minerals, and a good source of fiber. The papain present in papaya increases metabolism, digests fats, and assimilates carbohydrates in your body.Papaya is great for improving skin health. Its rich vitamin E content delays aging by minimizing the formation of wrinkles and giving the skin a healthy glow. Lightening soaps made from papaya fruit has been patronized especially in Asian countries for its beauty results. Papaya's powerful enzyme, called papain, has the ability to remove dead skin off thus encouraging skin renewal resulting in younger looking skin.

Read more: How to Know the Health Benefits of Papaya | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4771450_health-benefits-of-papaya.html#ixzz2ITmbzFdc
Read more: How to Tell If a Papaya Is Bad | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_8303603_tell-papaya-bad.html#ixzz2ITkkM6IB 

Unshakable Faith

George Washington Carver spent his early years shuffled between foster homes until one day Maria Watkins, a washerwoman, found him asleep in her barn.  She didn't just take him in, she took him to church and introduced him to Jesus.  When he eventually left her home, he took with him the Bible she'd given him.  Maria left her mark and his life, and George Washington Carver left his mark on the world.

This "Word for Today" devotional piqued my interest in reading more about George Washington Carver.  It was a surprise for me to learn he was a devout Christian man, but then again, these are the kinds of things that are often neglected in biographies studied at school and from secular publishers.  Yet, as I transitioned from reading my devotional to the biography "Unshakable Faith" by John Perry, I felt it was a story that high school students these days would greatly benefit from.  I'm guessing it will be my favorite non-fiction book of 2013, if not my lifetime favorite. I only wish I'd taken notes!

Booker T. Washington said this prayer and passed it onto students at Tuskegee.

I appreciate Perry's "whole picture" approach to unveiling his findings.  It gives us a picture of both Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver's strengths and weaknesses.  Further, it lends insight to how the discipline in their Christian walk carried their work and successes.  With these snapshots of their dedication and humility, their legacy of faith inspires me to continue to blaze new trails and work alongside others to make dreams reality and scripture substantiated.

Cure Tooth Decay? Sure you can!

                My in-loves asked me why I would want to read a book about tooth decay.  I told them I might be missing something, feeling that a little more research never hurt.  Immediately as I read the first chapter, the voice of my dentist came into my thoughts.  I’ve heard a lot about brushing and flossing, but not much on how our diets affect the remineralization of our teeth. 

“Cure Tooth Decay” by Ramiel Nagel goes far beyond calcium and dairy products when it comes to foods that crEATe strong teeth.  Nagel studied the oral health of tribal cultures that do not typically practice regular brushing and flossing and deducted several smart conclusions on what they were and were not eating and how those foods would either cause or prevent decay.  I like to take a gradual approach to adding healthy recipes into our family's rotation, and for me this book solidified some of the changes we've been making.  I appreciate that Nagel took nutritional concepts and applied them to oral health.

                Right away I could identify with Nagel’s shock when it comes to a surprise at the dentist.  He wrote about his passion to research and write this book came from the struggle over his daughter’s dental work.  I felt this same disappointment when my son was seven years old and the dentist told me he’d have a cavity to be worked on as soon as his baby tooth fell out and the permanent tooth came in.  I was wondering how this could even happen if we were diligently brushing.

                For us, it was diet --mainly sugar overload.  I’m guessing we were between 50-70 grams of sugar per day, and this is without drinking any pop and rarely having candy.  I’m not exactly sure, but I know we weren’t really watching it when it came to “healthy” foods like granola bars, juice and yogurt, but wow – the sugar grams really add up quick. 

For us, we traded drinking fruit juices to having lemon water or eating the fruit plain and watching sugar grams with snacks and treats.

In comparing this Oikos label to Yoplait's original - there are 8 more sugar grams in Yoplait's yogurt.  This happens all the time.  Most granola bars have substantial differences as well. 

Nagel says, “Some dentists offer a saliva test to determine of tooth decay is active.”  So basically, the sugar we eat goes beyond the surface into the bloodstream, saliva, etc.  Although we know this fact in theory, unless we’re trying to get our sugar grams down to 20-30 a day (or less if you’re so inclined), we are likely going to see regular cavities. 

                Additional research in “Cure Tooth Decay:  Reminieralize Cavities & Repair Your Teeth Naturally with Good Food,” goes on to make connections to hormones and other responses we see in our bodies that can indicate the health of our teeth.  Further, Nagel’s research touches on oral care where it’s an important matter because dental visits are at a minimum, say in the military or for young children.  This book is truly a must-read for expecting moms, as it will pave the way for their toddler’s nutrition and subsequent healthy gums and teeth.  I've done further digging onto his website and found additional tips and resources in conjuction with the book.  If you don't win my copy from Rafflecopter, it's a great resource to add to your home.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mixed Go Green Growing Near Us

My version of Mixed Go Green's Salad, ingredients below

Today I got online to www.mixedgogreen.com and was very surprised to see our cool little salad joint is one of the first of its kind.  I'm curious how far it will spread from here, as it's a great alternative to sandwich assembly icons and has given me some great ideas for making my own varieties lately.  

Here's an example - I'd never had granola on my salad before.  It's awesome!  When I order Annie's Mango dressing at $3.79 a bottle from Vitacost.com I can make it over and over again.  Speaking of, we're out of granola too.

CAriBBeAn CrunCh
Choice of lettuce “recommend spring mix” with grilled
chicken, dried cranberries, fresh grapes, fresh cucumber
slices, granola, & cinnamon sugar.
green  7.49  Super green  9.49
Caribbean mango vinaigrette dressing

Tea Anyone?

Right now The Republic of Tea is offering free shipping with a $50.00 order.  I'm thinking I'd like to split this with a friend, I could cover $30.00 if you could cover $20.00.  I'll include a few inspiring photos of my favorites, and the chocolate I haven't tried. http://www.republicoftea.com/

A Few New Tracks

Composers, writers, musicians, painters, etc.--they all have a challenge in bringing something unique and fresh to our eyes, ears, minds.  I would say these two CDs have their merits, and if you want to listen to something sweet & fun, find "The Juice" song by Applejaxx. It's out there online somewhere. When a grown rapper mixes lyrics about healthy eating, I'm all over that!

"Jesus High" from Applejaxx reminds me a lot of Beckah Shae's style, and the songs on "Everything in Color" by Ben Cantelon have a praise ring to them.  There weren't any tracks that really stood out for me, but overall I think Cantelon's music is soothing and something I could play on the IPod for awhile. 

 

Listening to Christian music is a way to connect to truth and stir our spirits.  These musicians have great opportunities to lead many in their praises and reflection with the Lord. Isn't it a blessing to see them using God's gifts for God's purposes?  Sometimes people have opportunities to deliver the life-altering messages of the bible. 

Do we always do these things under the Lordship of Jesus?  No. But the following verse was another pull for me back to the humility of true faith--a challenge to draw others and myself to the refining fire of a pure heart. I have a feeling that somehow this is what matters.

John 13:15-17

¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

 

I'm grateful for much of the creativity that gives God glory, but I'm thinking that heaven might be a tad more selective. Ultimately all the rewards and crowns we see bestowed on us in heaven we'll give right back to Jesus. He's going to be that awesome!  For now I continue to follow the leader the best I can...trying to maximize my strengths and others, realizing mistakes and restoration will be a part of this process, and sometimes seeing these little sprints completed and faithfulness rewarded.  I suppose these are some of the blessings John 13:15-17 is speaking of, and I suppose as I follow Him there will be more revealed, as I'm not going to learn all that much by walking the same paths God's already used to teach me. I hope it's the same for you. 

 

Are you getting 300-400 mg. of magnesium per day?

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys.

Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is extremely common in the United States. Studies by the National Institutes of Health have indicated that at least 68% of adults may be magnesium deficient, while other experts believe the level may be as high as 80%.

What are the Dietary Reference Intakes for magnesium?

Recommendations for magnesium are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences [4]. Dietary Reference Intakes is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intake for healthy people. Three important types of reference values included in the DRIs are Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL). The RDA recommends the average daily intake that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy people. An AI is set when there is insufficient scientific data available to establish a RDA for specific age/gender groups. AIs meet or exceed the amount needed to maintain a nutritional state of adequacy in nearly all members of a specific age and gender group. The UL, on the other hand, is the maximum daily intake unlikely to result in adverse health effects. Table 2 lists the RDAs for magnesium, in milligrams, for children and adults.

Table 1: Selected food sources of magnesium

Food	Milligrams	%DV*
Wheat Bran, crude, ¼ cup	89	22
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce	80	20
Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup	78	20
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup	77	19
Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce	74	19
Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup	74	19
Wheat germ, crude, ¼ cup	69	17
Nuts, mixed, dry roasted, 1 ounce	64	16
Bran flakes cereal, ¾ cup	64	16
Shredded wheat cereal, 2 rectangular biscuits	61	15
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared w/ water, 1 cup	61	15
Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce	50	13
Peanut butter, smooth, 2 Tablespoons	49	12
Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium	48	12
Blackeye peas, cooked, ½ cup	46	12
Pinto beans, cooked, ½ cup	43	11
Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, ½ cup	42	11
Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, ½ cup	36	9
Vegetarian baked beans, ½ cup	35	9
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup	35	9
Chocolate milk, lowfat, 1 cup	33	8
Banana, raw, 1 medium	32	8
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 fluid ounces	32	8
Milk chocolate candy bar, 1.5 ounce bar	28	7
Milk, lowfat or nonfat, 1 cup	27	7
Raisins, seedless, ½ cup packed	26	7
Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces	24	6
Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice	23	6
Avocado, cubes, ½ cup	22	6
Chocolate pudding, ready-to-eat, 4 ounces	19	5

*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for magnesium is 400 milligrams (mg). Most food labels do not list a food's magnesium content.

Table 2: Recommended Dietary Allowances for magnesium for children and adults [4]

Age (years)	Males (mg/day)	Females (mg/day)	Pregnancy (mg/day)	Lactation (mg/day)
1–3	80	80	N/A	N/A
4–8	130	130	N/A	N/A
9–13	240	240	N/A	N/A
14–18	410	360	400	360
19–30	400	310	350	310
31+	420	320	360	320

There is insufficient information on magnesium to establish a RDA for infants.

Data from the 1999–2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggest that substantial numbers of adults in the United States (US) fail to get recommended amounts of magnesium in their diets. Among adult men and women, the diets of Caucasians have significantly more magnesium than do those of African-Americans. Magnesium intake is lower among older adults in every racial and ethnic group. One of magnesium's many roles is as a muscle relaxant. This is especially important for women who suffer from menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) because cramps are caused by excessively strong contractions of the uterus. Magnesium helps the powerful uterine muscles relax, reducing cramping.

Having enough body stores of magnesium may be protective against disorders such as cardiovascular disease and immune dysfunction. The health status of the digestive system and the kidneys significantly influence magnesium status. Magnesium is absorbed in the intestines and then transported through the blood to cells and tissues. Approximately one-third to one-half of dietary magnesium is absorbed into the body. Gastrointestinal disorders that impair absorption such as Crohn's disease can limit the body's ability to absorb magnesium. These disorders can deplete the body's stores of magnesium and in extreme cases may result in magnesium deficiency. Healthy kidneys are able to limit urinary excretion of magnesium to assist low dietary intake. Excessive loss of magnesium in urine can be a side effect of some medications and can also occur in cases of poorly-controlled diabetes and alcohol abuse. 

As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps, seizures (sudden changes in behaviors caused by excessive electrical activity in the brain), personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur. Severe magnesium deficiency can result in low levels of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia). Magnesium deficiency is also associated with low levels of potassium in the blood (hypokalemia).

A balanced and varied diet of healthful foods, low in processed foods, is the best way to ensure sufficient dietary magnesium intake. Processing may strip magnesium content entirely, as happens with white flours, or introduce other nutrients that interfere with normal magnesium absorption and functioning. For example, magnesium is an important factor in regulating insulin levels, so consuming foods high in sugar reduces the ability of the body to use magnesium.

Magnesium sulfate, also known as Epsom salt, is a soothing way to boost your body's magnesium level. The best way to do this is to take a warm Epsom salt bath because your body absorbs the mineral through the skin. Not only does a bath boost your magnesium, it also helps with muscle aches and gently fades discoloration from bruises. The ideal concentration for using Epsom salt baths to raise magnesium status, according to the study, is approximately 500 g, or 2 cups, of Epsom salt dissolved in about 15 gallons of water -- the amount that can fit in a standard-sized bathtub. Ideal amount of time spent soaking is 12 minutes two to three times per week.

Middle School Reading, 5th - 7th graders

Kek comes from Africa where he lived with his mother, father, and brother. But only he and his mother have survived. Now she’s missing, and Kek has been sent to a new home. In America, he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter—cold and unkind. But slowly he makes friends: a girl in foster care, an old woman with a rundown farm, and a sweet, sad cow that reminds Kek of home. As he waits for word of his mother’s fate, Kek weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in his new friendships, strength in his memories, and belief in his new country.

Olana, my 7th grader, has been challenged to read the YARP reading list for the award of a Barnes and Noble card.  I looked through the list and only found four that I though I wouldn't want her to read (rebellion/isolation themes).  Since 1989, each year the Young Adult Reading Program (YARP) Teen Reads Committee of the South Dakota Library Association publishes a list of books to promote quality literature and to help South Dakota teachers and librarians in selecting and promoting books for adolescents. The books are selected from among the many young adult and adult books that have received positive reviews by national reviewing periodicals. To qualify to vote, teens read books from the list and give it a star rating of 1 to 4, 4 being best. Teenagers may vote for as many books as they would like on a scale basis. One winner is selected from the Middle School List and another winner from the High School list. To find books for K-12, follow this link to the state library page.

http://library.sd.gov/LIB/YAS/yarp/201213/index.aspx

Middle School List

• Brain Jack by Brian Falkner
• Coming of the Dragon by Rebecca Barnhouse
• Girl, Stolen by April Henry
• How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
• Matched by Ally Condie
• Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt
• Payback Time by Carl Deuker
• The Properties of Water by Hannah Roberts McKinnon
• Kick by Walter Dean Myers
• Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
• The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
• Trapped by Michael Northrop
• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
• Z by Michael Thomas Ford
• Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
• Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice

The first I put on hold at the library was How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg. This books is definitely not for the squeamish, but Bragg's light-hearted take on the subject keeps things moving while convincing the modern reader to be very grateful for modern medicine. For example, George Washington came down with what modern doctor's think was a throat infection that today could be cured by antibiotics. But his doctors used the following 'remedies,' bloodletting (numerous times, they took over a third of his blood), blister-beetle treatment (you don't want to know!), a dose of calomel (contains mercury, which is highly poisonous, tartar emetic (to make him vomit), and a variety of different poultices. www.easyreadingpicks.blogspot.com