There are a few houses in my neighborhood that have meticulous vegetable gardens.  The rows are measured expertly with tomato plants standing tall like soldiers in perfect uniformity.  Then, you come to our house. Clusters of tomato plants stand here and there.  In-between are rogue cucumber plants, and hold on – is that winter squash planted in the summer?  But you know what? My children and I planted it together, and it works!As spring begins, you will probably get that itch to go dig in the dirt.  Take a trip to the local super center and let your children pick out seed packets.  Of course you want to get some things you know will grow – but if your child is longing for a watermelon or a few winter peas, go ahead and splurge.  Then comes the fun part.  Let your children help you dig.  Look for worms and talk, enjoying the warm sunshine.
What?  Your daughter wants to stick a cucumber plant right in the middle of your tomato section?  SURE! And those winter peas would look fun climbing up the side with the fence. Will it all grow?  No, of course not, but most of it will.  I was eating peas in the hottest of summer days, and you would not believe the pumpkin we grew when no other pumpkins were found on our street.

Would our garden be found on the Queen’s Palace Grounds?  No.  Would Martha Stewart praise us and call it her own?  Of course not.  But are we proud of what we grew together, the kids and I?  Of course!  And we had enough vegetables to go picking every few days, making memories to last a lifetime.

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Is it raining outside? Are your kids bored? Gather everyone to the kitchen for a fun activity that will provide a memory for years to come.  Mix together four cups of flour, one cup of salt and 1 ¾ cups of warm water in a bowl. Turn it out on a floured counter and knead for about five minutes.  You can leave this dough plain or add food coloring while kneading.  Roll out a circle that is larger than your child’s hand. Ask your child to press his or her hand into the circle. Your child can write the date or name under the handprint or leave it as it is.

Once the circle is completely dry, decorate with paint, glue and sparkles, feathers or bling.  This is a wonderful present to give on special occasions.  Remember to write your child’s name and the date on the back so you will always remember how small your child once was.

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In addition to rotting your children’s teeth out, contributing to obesity, causing hyperactivity and simply not being a nutritious beverage, soft drinks are now linked to serious cell damage! It wasn’t all that long ago when the possibility of causing cancer was brought to the public’s attention, either! The common preservative sodium benzoate (also known as “E211”) which is found in most soft drinks (as well as other drinks and condiments) can form a carcinogenic substance called carcinogen benzene when mixed with vitamin C.

According to a study conducted by Sheffield University in the UK, the preservative -used to prevent mold in soft drinks- damages an important part of DNA. Alarmed by findings from laboratory tests conducted with sodium benzoate on living yeast cells, Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the university said, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactiv ate it: they knock it out altogether.” He went on to say, “The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson’s and quite a lot of neurodegenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging.” The World Health Organization reviewed sodium benzoate back in 2000, concluding it was safe, but also noting that the available science supporting its safety was “limited”.

Professor Piper advised parents to think twice before buying drinks containing preservatives, especially in large quantities, until they have been proven safe by new, more rigorous safety tests. Several brands of soft drinks have already been taken off the market due to the high levels of carcinogen benzene in them. My children drink very limited amounts of soft drinks as it is, but now I think I need to take a look at my own consumption. I’m not much of a water-drinker, but bottled water is sounding better to me all the time!

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