Monday, March 29, 2010

ParentPrimer: Bullying does not go away

ParentPrimer: Bullying does not go away

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Quote of the week: Are you green and growing-or ripe and rotting? Ray Kroc

Rumination: As we rush(or in some parts of the country, flood) into April, let us take a minute to keep green in our hearts. Green means youth, life, vitality, promise. Green is the colour of prosperity, of new beginnings, of wide and beckoning vistas. How are you keeping green? Are you keeping green? Are you turning grey, not your hair, but your outlook? Perhaps now is the time to take notes on lovely, dancing, green April and:
1. Meditate to bring inner peace.
2. Nourish to bring the body health.
3.Take a class to keep your mind young.
4. Help others to keep your soul fresh.
5. Exercise to bring vitality insider.

Mantra: Green inside, green outside, green all around me, green cover me.
Recipe: Green Envy Avocado Smoothie(good for skin, mind, spirit!)
In a blender, combine:
1 avocado, without skin
2 bananas2 cups oj
1 cup strawberries
1 cup orange sherbert
1 cup strawberry sherbert
2 tspns fish oil or cod liver oil
4 tbspns honey
3 tbspns brewer's yeast
1 cup ice

Exercise:
1. Stand up.
2. Bend forward over desk, kitchen sink etc for support.
3. Lift left leg behind you as far as comfortable.
4. Return to both feet on the floor.
5. Lift right leg behind you as far as comfortable.
6. Return both feet to the floor.
7. Repeat with each leg for a total of 4 repetitions per side.

Salutations: "Green, how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches." Federico Garcia Lorca. Perfectly said...now get up and get green!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit!
Doula AngelitaSan Jose's Community Doula

Monday, March 15, 2010

#MagnificentMondays#9: Power, passion and purpose!


Quote of the Week:Possunt quia posse videnture.

Rumination: They can because they think they can. This is a time of year in which renewal and more light reveal what is inside our minds and hearts. This is a time of projects, workshops, trainings and all sorts of improvements to both home and self. This is the time when our passions have the power to move us with purpose! Harnass this power and start getting behind those self-improvement projects which most speak to you! Show the world that you stand out from the pack as a proud pink panda! If you think it, you will achieve it once you believe it! P3 power!

Mantra: Power, passion, purpose plus perserverance provide plenty.

Recipe: A Sunny Chicken Curry to gladden the Heart!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

salt to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Saute onion until lightly browned.

Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt.

Continue stirring for 2 minutes.

Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve with basmati or jasmine rice.
Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories: 313 Total Fat: 21.7g Cholesterol: 38mg
Nutritional InformationIndian Chicken Curry IIServings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 313
Total Fat: 21.7g Cholesterol: 38mg Sodium: 268mg Total Carbs: 14g Dietary Fiber: 3.8g Protein: 19.1g

Exercise: Gentle stretching
1. Sit on the floor.

2. Stretch legs out in front of you.

3. Gently and slowly reach arms out towards the toes.

4.A stretch of the muscles should be felt.

5. Hold without forcing the position for 15 seconds.

6. Release.

7. Repeat 2 more times.

Salutations: It is the time of year when Mother Earth is preparing to show off a whole new look. Taking a cue from her, we should be doing the same!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita

San Jose's Community Doula
.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Go Red! for Women Weekly Digest 0312




Last week, it was strongly advised that you visit www.goredforwomen.org/hearthealth and enter your numbers. Within approximately ten minutes, you will have your own personal set of numbers and risk factors for heart disease. With this information comes the power and responsibility needed for change.

In your hands, this checkup becomes a weapon against impairment or death. Contemplate the results. How do they make you feel? What can you learn from them? What questions do they provoke?Most importantly, what will you do with these pieces of information?

Here are some pieces of information to help you to decipher your pathway:

1. Total cholesterol levels should be lower than 200, better if below 150.

2. The LDL(lousycholesterol) ought to be below 100 and closer to 70.

3. The HDL(good cholesterol) ought to be above 45 for men, 55 for women.

4. Triglyceride levels ought to be below 150

5. Blood pressure should be around 120/80.

6. The four best health practices are: activity, diet, stressbusters, quitting smoking.

This is why the diet and exercise topic came up last week. Why? These are the two areas in which all of us have crucial input. We buy our own food and are responsible for our own locomotion. Therefore, the power is in our hands to fight off heart disease!

GO RED! FOR WOMEN HEART HEALTH CHECKLIST 0312:
1. Start taking a multivitamin.
2. Begin eating 3-5 vegetables and fruits daily.
3. Make an appointment with the doctor/followup appointment and get started with a PLAN to care for your heart!

With every heartfelt desire for your success, and
From my heart to yours,
Doula Angelita

Heart Health Ambassador

San Jose American Heart Association

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Back to Sleep Campaign to reduce SIDS





SIDS is a leading cause of infant death. Though the exact causes are not known, everything from genetic predisposition to biological failure are being investigated. SIDS is something that every parent should be on guard about and have a heightened awareness of.


Here are seven tips from the Back to Sleep Campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS-related death:


*Always place baby on back for sleeping, even for a nap.


*Place your baby on a firm surface which supports the whole body.


*Remove soft and fluffy bedding and toyps from the sleeping area of the baby.


*Make sure the baby's face and head remain uncovered during sleep.


*Do not smoke or allow smoking in the house with the baby.


*Do not let the baby become too warm nor the room during the time the baby is sleeping.


*Alert and post these guidelines for all the baby's childcare providers, grandparents/relatives, babysitters and all other caregivers to be aware and to combat SIDS risk.



Caring for a newborn is a tough job but these guidelines make it a little easier!




**********************

Doula Angelita is a trident doula/parenting coach/nutrition guide/women's advocate located in sunny San Jose, CA. She writes on everything and can be reached at sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com.

Follow her on Twitter: @sanjosedoula1

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Safely Surrendered Baby Law, California

This past weekend, another tragic incident of baby abandonment led to the needless death of a newborn whose mother gave birth at a party and dumped the child into the garbage. What makes this story even worse: the baby was put into the garbage steps away from a designated surrender site. In the interests of education and in the hopes of preventing such tragedy from occurring in future, here are the salient points of California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law:
1. What is the Safely Surrendered Baby Law?
It is a confidential way of safely surrendering a newborn to proper authorities, without penalty nor prosecution, within 72 hours of the child's birth.
2. Who can surrender the newborn?
The parents or legal guardians can surrender the infant at the designated surrender locations.
3. Where are the surrender locations?
Newborns may be taken to public or private hospitals, firestations, certain churches, and other locations indicated by the Safely Surrendered Baby sign affixed prominently.
4. What happens when the baby is surrendered?
When the newborn is safely surrendered at a hospital, there are no questions asked. The newborn is given medical treatment, placed in a foster home or pre-adoptive home. At the time of surrender at a hospital, the baby is tagged. The surrendering party is given an identical bracelet, in case they wish to become reunited with the child within fourteen days.
5. How much time is allotted if the surrendering party changes her/is mind?
From the time and date of the surrender to a full and uninterrupted fourteen days later is the time allotted to reunite with the baby.
6. What is the age of the child that is to be surrendered?
The scope of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law enables the parent/legal guardian of any newborn to surrender the child within three days of birth.
This, of course, does NOT mean that infanticide is in order if on the fourth day, the ninth day, the fiftieth day, etc. it is found that parenthood is too much to handle. In these cases, the best case scenario is to surrender the child(ren) to a hospital, fire station, police station, church, synagogue, mosque, social service agency....anyplace where they will be cared for and SAFE.
7. Why is this law useful?
No shame. No blame. No names. The baby is enabled to live free from the dangers of freezing to death, being attacked by wild animals, suffocation in a plastic bag, bleeding to death from internal injuries, etc. The parent is freed from criminal child abandonment charges and the legal prosecution that naturally attends. In addition, the parent is often reviled and shunned, especially in cases when the media is involved.
The focus of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law is to provide parents with a way to gracefully, sanely, and humanely give their newborn a chance a life while giving themselves the time and space necessary to wrestle with their inner turmoil. In view of this, it is urged that all who are involved with those who do not wish to accept the rigours of parenthood at this time, safely and securely surrender their child following these parameters.




****************************************
DOULA ANGELITA, San Jose's Community Doula, is a designated Baby Safe Haven Maven*TM. She works with parents where they are, has a wide variety of experiences, and is not interested in passing judgement, only at giving newborns a chance of life.

DOULA ANGELITA is a trident doula/parenting coach/nutrition guide/women's advocate who lives and works in sunny San Jose, CA but who answers the call of birth from wherever it comes.

DOULA ANGELITA can be reached: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com, @sanjosedoula1=TWITTER

If you are thinking about abandoning your newborn, contact DOULA ANGELITA first.

Monday, March 8, 2010

#MagnificentMondays#8: P3s. Unite!






Quote of the Week: Hodie mihi, cras tibi.

Rumination: Happy #InternationalWomensDay all you ladies and those who love them! On this day, just for us, it is wonderful to see all the outpouring of love and support for the feminine. It is also sobering to look at the national and world situation and see that not all women are treated with honour and respect.

My heart goes out to those massacred in Nigeria, labouring under the lash of rape and torture in the Sudan, enduring shame and isolation in Cambodia, etc. Where one woman is enslaved, none of us are free. It is also time for us to celebrate those women of all cultures who daily work toward the amelioration of life on this remarkable planet-for both sexes.

Mantra: The goddess within longs to spring forth.

Recipe: Green Goddess Detoxification Soup

Ingredients


Olive Oil,

2 tbsp Garlic,

3 cloves chopped

Onions, raw, .5 cup,

chopped Chicken bouillon,

2 cups Turnips, .5 medium chopped into 1 inch pieces

Zucchini, baby, 1 large in 1 inch slices

1 Sweet potato, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Spinach, fresh, 1 cup

Directions

Saute the garlic & onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potato & turnip cubes, and saute for another 5 minutes.

Add the bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Add the spinach and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Puree in the blender until smooth.
Number of Servings: 4

Exercise: Paint the Sky!*
1. Stand up.

2. Put your hands above your head.

3. Bend your body as far to the left as possible.

4. Then bend your body as far to the right as possible.

5. Repeat for a total of five times.
*with many thanks to DJ Lance!

Salutation: Wake up and shake up your inner goddess, ladies! What this means is that it is time for you to unleash the power within, and to let the world know that the feminine power is a force for goodness, truth and beauty in this world! Don't blend in with the black and white herd,ladies, be proud pink pandas and lead the parade today!

Bis vivit, qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita

San Jose's Community Doula

trident doula/parenting coach

nutrition guide/women's advocate.

Friday, March 5, 2010






One of the reasons that this small digest is continuing long after February is over is due to a recent study conducted by researchers for Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. Not only because of pride at being a Heart Health Ambassador, but because the Go Red! campaign is the American Heart Association's passionate and powerful campaign to address the heartfelt needs of the women of the United States.


Go Red! is a lifestyle, a way of thinking about daily, weekly, monthly, yearly improvements that will contribute to better health and better lives for women. Go RED! is a way to reward and to thank, all the women, of all colours, races and creeds, who have enriched my life, and enriched the lives of others. In so many cases, the women of the family are the real heartbeats, the vital organs that sustain and maintain strong and healthy families.


Therefore, in reviewing the following information, keep in mind that for every one woman who suffers from heart disease that is untreated, an entire family may suffer, a neighbourhood suffers, work suffers, and the graveyards fill too soon with women who should have been the artists, thinkers, mothers, aunts, writers, leaders of our generation:


*81.1 million people are living with heart disease*60 percent of Caucasian women knew that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women*Less than half of the minority respondents seemed aware of that fact.*Most women were unaware of strategies to prevent heart disease.*25-34 year old women were not aware of the prevalence of heart disease among women.*Only 56 percent of women could ID symptoms of heart disease.*Only 53 percent of women would call 911 if they thought they had a heart attack.*51 percent of women said that family/caregiving responsibilities prevented them from taking better care of themselves.*42 percent were confused as to what steps to take to better their cardiovascular health.


In silent anguish, women suffer. Because of their suffering in silence, they lose the opportunity to restore themselves to health..

For this reason, this digest as a blueprint for improving heart health weekly.Additionally, this digest will address the issues that prevent women from achieving optimal cardiovascular health.Finally, this digest will serve as both a goad and an encouraging source to continuously improve upon heart health.


GO RED! HEART HEALTH CHECKLIST 0305:


1.So, the major thing to do this week is to go to :
www.goredforwomen.org/heartcheckup
In ten minutes, you will have a concrete set of numbers and figures for you to ponder and to be your guideline for the weeks ahead.

2. The next thing to do this week is to put pen to paper and chart your schedule for the week, paying special attention to diet and exercise.


With all my heart, I am rooting for your good health,
From my heart to yours,

Doula Angelita

San Jose's Heart Health Ambassador

Follow me on Twitter: @sanjosedoula1

Tuesday, March 2, 2010