Symptoms of PTSD

Do you know of someone who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic accident, a tornado, or war? If you do, then you need to be aware of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), for there is a strong chance that person may be suffering from it. Anyone at any age can have PTSD. It can appear immediately following the traumatic event or be a delayed reaction months or years later. It makes the person feel stressed and afraid long after the danger has passed. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder causes ongoing anxiety and affects the person’s quality of life and those who are close.

Causes of PTSD

According to NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), PTSD is caused by living through or seeing something that’s upsetting. This can include, but not limited to:

• Being a victim of or seeing violence
• The death or serious illness of a loved one
• War or combat
• Car accidents and plane crashes
• Hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires
• Violent crimes, like a robbery or shooting.

Signs of Possible PTSD

If you believe someone you care about (including yourself) may have some of the following PTSD symptoms, contact your doctor or a mental health professional:

• Bad dreams
• Flashbacks, or feeling like the scary event is happening again
• Scary thoughts you can’t control
• Staying away from places and things that remind you of what happened
• Feeling worried, guilty, or sad
• Feeling alone
• Trouble sleeping
• Feeling on edge
• Angry outbursts
• Thoughts of hurting yourself or others.

PTSD is Ageless

PTSD is not limited to adults, children can have this illness too. Children may exhibit PTSD symptoms such as:

• Behaving like they did when they were younger
• Being unable to talk
• Complaining of stomach problems or headaches a lot
• Refusing to go places or play with friends
• Difficulties in school affecting grades, behavior, and peer relationships

How to Get Help for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is an illness that is treatable. The first step in PTSD treatment is to contact a physician who can refer you to a mental health professional experienced in treating people with the above symptoms. After an evaluation, treatment may include talk therapy sessions and medication for a few months or for a year or more. It is difficult to determine the length of therapy since treatment is designed for each person’s needs.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is more common in war Veterans and in women. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Sharing feelings with a trained professional can help put everything in perspective again. Remember, it not only affects the traumatized person, it also affects family and friends.

For more information, contact NIMH at 1-800-273-8255 and www.nimh.nih.gov

Tags: post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

This spring cake is fun to make with your kids for springtime holidays and parties, especially Easter and Mother’s Day. A low-fat recipe version of this Daisy Cake is included below. Save room for this special-occasion dessert by planning ahead. For example, watch portions and choose lower-fat foods beforehand.

Mother’s Day Daisy Cake

Serves: 12
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
Prep Time: 30 min
Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients

• 1 package(s) (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
• 1 package(s) (3.4-ounce) Jell-O® Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
• 1 tub(s) (8-ounce) Cool Whip® Whipped Topping, thawed
• 1/2 cup(s) Baker’s® Angel Flake Coconut
• 1 drop(s) (or 2) yellow food coloring
• 2 cup(s) Jet-Puffed® Miniature Marshmallows
• 2 small bug-shaped candies

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour 1-quart ovenproof bowl and 9-inch round pan; set aside. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix; beat until well blended. Pour about half the batter into prepared bowl. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake 9-inch layer 23 to 25 minutes and bake batter in bowl 33 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes 10 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pan and bowl with knife. Invert cakes onto wire racks; gently remove pan and bowl. Cool cakes completely.
4. Cut 9-inch cake layer into 16 wedges. Place inverted bowl cake on large serving board; surround with cake wedges to resemble flower petals. Frost with Cool Whip®.
5. Tint coconut with food coloring (see Tips & Techniques); press into Cool Whip® on center cake. Decorate with marshmallows and candies as shown in photo.

Variation: Prepare as directed, using Jell-O® Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding and Cool Whip® Lite Whipped Topping.

Each serving of regular recipe provides: 2g trans fat, 2%DV vitamin A, 0%DV vitamin C, 6%DV calcium, and 6%DV iron.

Nutrition Information per Serving (Sugar Free Fat Free Vanilla Pudding and Cool Whip® Lite): 370 calories, 16g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 2g trans fat, 55mg cholesterol, 430mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate, less than 1g dietary fiber, 34g sugars, 4g protein, 2%DV vitamin A, 0%DV vitamin C, 6%DV calcium, 6%DV iron.

How to tint coconut: Place coconut in resealable plastic bag. Add food coloring. Close bag; shake to evenly tint coconut.

Storage know-how: Wrap any leftover cake with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

Source: Delish.com, and they found this adorable Mother’s Day cake recipe on KraftRecipes.com

Tags: cakes, cooking with children, desserts, holiday recipes, Jello pudding desserts, low fat cake recipe, mother's day, spring cakes

Cost-Effective Summer Childcare Options

By Candi Wingate, Guest Contributor

School is out, and the search for child care is on! The challenge most parents face is finding quality care for your child that fits within your budget.  Here are some cost-effective child care options that won’t break the bank.

Hire a Babysitter or Nanny

Nannies are no longer exclusive to the wealthy. If you have two children in full time daycare you can afford a nanny, and sites like Nannies4Hire cut out the high-priced fee of nanny agency. Whether you need a full time nanny or part time babysitter, trusted online sources provide a massive database of local care providers at your fingertips. You can find candidates quickly based on your personal requirements and budget.

It Takes a Village

There are likely multiple families in your neighborhood with young children. Get with these other parents and arrange shared childcare, in which two or more households take turns attending to the children. Parents might need to take time off work during their turn, but it should be minimal as other households are rotating turns as well.

Go Back to College

College students on summer break are ideal candidates for child care. They can be recruited through the on-campus career centers or through a parent network in your community. Many will be looking for jobs as resume builders, so their pay expectations might be lower for that purpose, and their schedules are typically very flexible during the summer months.

It’s all Relative

Enlisting the help of a relative this summer can be a win-win for everyone. Whether it is a teenage cousin or beloved grandma, your children can enjoy some quality bonding time.  Your relative may not accept payment, but you should certainly offer.  Treat him/her as you would a hired care provider: Negotiate pay, respect their schedule, keep lines of communication open, and be direct in your expectations.

Summer School

It’s true that kids deserve a break from the intense learning schedules of the school year, but there is no reason the learning must stop completely. Half-day summer school can be a great option to keep your child mentally engaged. Summer schools may be available through your child’s regular school, an alternative school, civic organizations, or churches.

Summer Day Camp

Affordable summer day camps can range in activities from sports and science to fine arts. Local options might include science museums, arts centers, YMCA/YWCA, Boys & Girls Club, city parks & recreation, and nearby colleges where the Early Education students can gain experience working with children.

Volunteer

City recreational departments often offer a volunteer program for kids 13 and over.  Volunteer opportunities can include office work, recreational centers, aquatics, senior citizens, and children’s summer camp programs. These volunteer programs are a unique way for kids to explore career opportunities, give back to the community, and receive school credit.

You might find that a combination of these options is most efficient and cost-effective.  Take your time in selecting the option(s) that works best for your family and budget, and enjoy your summer!

Candi Wingate is an expert in the child care industry with over 20 years experience. She is the founder of Nannies4Hire.com and Care4Hire.com, and author of 100 Tips for Nannies & Families and mother of two.

Tags: summer childcare, ways to save money

Who doesn’t like to get a good deal, to save money? Organizing your grocery list, clipping food coupons, and comparing best deals all lead to being a wise, savvy shopper. Here are some great tips on how to save on those groceries…

Planning

1. The most important tip is to plan your shopping list before you leave for the grocery store! Your impulsive buying is what the grocery stores hope for.  They place tempting items in strategic places throughout the store.  As I enter my grocery store, I see sweets, snacks, soda and that’s all at the door staring at me…calling my name. Bring your self-control to the grocery store – it’s a must!  To get to the milk and eggs, we must walk to the farthest corner of the store past the ice cream! It is so calculating…and that is why we must calculate what our mission is to be before we leave our safe home.
2. Clip and print food coupons! Three musts for grocery coupon sources are the Sunday paper, store circulars, manufacturers’ and online grocery coupon websites that offer free printable grocery coupons and more. Online magazines also offer printable grocery coupons, too. (Here’s a good tip to follow…don’t use a coupon just because you save money. If you don’t use it or like it, it’s a waste. Also, compare prices of other similar products – you might save even more money.)
3. Check your supplies as you make your grocery list – room by room, category by category similar to how the store is organized. (Supermarkets have floor plans or aisle lists to help you find what you are looking for – use this to plan your shopping list. It will save you time, too.)

Shopping

1. Focus on your mission.
2. Look for unadvertised specials, more for your money sizes, peel off coupons, manager’s sale.
3. Good deals aren’t always good deals – they just make them look so. The “good deals” may be ready to expire, or not so popular items. Read the labels carefully.
4. Compare the pricing labels on the shelves for best value per unit.  Looks can be deceiving so by comparing the unit pricing labels, you can be sure to get more for your money.   Look for similar items on the top and bottom shelves – you might find better prices.  Vendors know we tend to take the items at eye level just because it’s easier and quicker.
5. Buy in bulk only if you know you’ll use it up and you have the room!  If you don’t use it, it’s the same a throwing money away.
6. Online shopping for groceries is worthwhile – it lets you plan carefully what you need for the week since you have to be specific in quantity and brand.  Free delivery for a month is possible for most new customers. If you have children and are short on time, this is a gift!
7. Rain checks – don’t be shy to ask for them.  Check the expiration date and be sure to get back to the grocery store in time to use the rain check coupon.
8. 10 for $10 – you don’t have to buy 10 – read the the fine print – the savings is usually “if you buy #” – you can save if you buy one or two, also.
9. Store flyers are online – the sale week for grocery stores is usually Wednesday so they’ll discount the previous week’s goods – look at the perishables for these deals – sometimes labeled “Manager’s Sale”.
10. Also, find out from your store manager when fresh foods are stocked.  New produce may be put out in the morning and meat in the afternoon.  (Here’s a produce tip – the older produce is placed on top of the new produce – for the freshest reach underneath.)

Tags: food coupons, grocery coupons, printable coupons, ways to save money

Do you need help in getting your kids to clean up after themselves without a battle? Often times, getting kids to help with spring cleaning chores – mainly cleaning up after they make a mess – can be a no win event for both kids and parents. Some spring cleaning tips for you to use involve using fun, creative strategies to create kids games. These fun spring cleaning tips can make the kids feel like they are playing kids games instead of working. Here are a few spring cleaning tips that you might like to try with your children:

Preschoolers

1. Set up colored buckets, baskets, boxes, or storage bins in your child’s room. Each color or decoration will be matched with toy categories of your choice. Help your child attach decorations on the outside to help your child remember, such as paper dolls glued to the outside of a container to hold dolls.  By decorating the containers, your child will feel important in deciding which one goes with which category – and will find it easier to remember to put the toys in the right one.  Make a game of deciding which toy goes with which category. This is a great activity to learn sorting – a pre-math skill.
2. You can also change it as your child learns the alphabet. Play a game finding items starting with each letter of the alphabet and place them in the right storage container.
3. Create a fantasy game where your child has the “clean” territory and you have the “messy” territory. Your child needs to win back more clean territory from you. Make up fun rules that will motivate your young one.

Older Children

1. Use a timer to make a clean-up competition. Bet you child he can’t clean up in 10 minutes or before you finish a task you need to do within 10 minutes.  If your child finishes before the timer goes off, he gets a special treat.
2. The best way to clean up is to clean out. How to choose what to get rid of? Give each child a large basket to fill with toys to donate. The winner gets to choose dinner and a movie for everyone. If it comes out even, let one choose the movie and the other the dinner. Have a third child…there’s always dessert!
3. Keep track of every night the kids go to bed with a neat room. Tell they they will earn points that will total up for a special privilege or reward – you can have category levels so that the goal won’t seem too overwhelming.
4. Cleaning the inside of the car can be time consuming. Assign each family member one section of the car that they must keep clean. Those who maintain their car care responsibilities, earn a free day off from their cleaning schedule – but, if they make messes on that day – they’ll have more to clean the next time they have to clean.
5. Do the Cleaning Dance! One child creates a cleaning dance and the others must follow for 5 minutes. Then it’s the next child’s (or grown-up’s) turn to lead in their dance for others to follow for 5 minutes. Dancing is great aerobic exercise and makes cleaning get done a lot faster!

The basics for these fun, cleaning activities came from the May, 2010, Woman’s Day issue.

Tags: free ways to save time, kids, kids gam, spring cleaning tips