Author: MamatheFox

How to Help Your Child Adjust to Wearing Glasses

With over 55% of the planet needing help with their vision, your child could well be one of the majority – making sure they feel comfortable and confident wearing their glasses is really important. Often, your child may be the first in their group to start wearing glasses. Reinforcing the fact that wearing glasses is nothing to be ashamed of is your job as a parent. If you are really worried about this, don’t stress, we have you covered. We have created a list of tips to help your child adjust to their new eyewear.

Encourage them to get involved

Give your child the opportunity to choose the frames that they want for their glasses. Try and keep an open mind. You are allowed to nudge them away from those pink leopard print ones but try to let them select a style that they like. A good way to do this is to let them scroll through a website like this. Let them choose 2-3 frames that they like the look of. Order all 3, and then you can let them choose which one they prefer of the 3. The other 2, you can just return.

Make sure they know they are not alone

Over 55% of the world population have eyesight problems. A great way to help a child adjust to wearing glasses for the first time is to find somebody they like on TV who also wears glasses. Tell your child that that character is special like them too. Some easy examples are Harry Potter, Superman, and even the Minions.

The superpower trick

One method that seems to be extremely popular and successful amongst parents is the superpower trick. Tell your child that by wearing their glasses, they gain the power of amazing eyesight. We don’t normally advocate lying to our children, but this is the exception.

Compliment them often

Adults aren’t the only ones who like to be told they look great. We all like to be praised for wearing something new that looks good. To help your child’s confidence, tell them they look amazing in their new frames. Your children really value and appreciate your opinion, more so than anyone else’s, so praise them often to give them a confidence boost.

Experiment

At the end of the day, being a parent is about finding what does and doesn’t work. If your child looks at their glasses as a fashion statement, use that to increase their excitement over-wearing them. If you have a child with a nurturing nature, reinforce how important it is to look after their glasses every single day – let them pick a quirky carrying case and give them some cleaning tools.

Just remember, although the process of introducing your child to their glasses can be an uncomfortable one, it is extremely important in the long run to get it right. Making sure they wear their glasses when they need to and look after them is paramount to their eye health and overall happiness.

Is Hearing Loss Something That You Should Be Concerned About?

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We often take what we can hear for granted. The sounds of cars passing on the street will help to let us know that a road is not safe to cross, the voice of your partner or someone that you are close to will make you feel safe and comfortable, and your favourite song can spark fond memories of happiness. But what would your world be like if you could not hear so well? How would you get on if you started to lose your hearing?

 

You may think that hearing loss is not something that you will experience anytime soon. There is a commonly held misconception that people will only start to lose their hearing when they get older. But, this is simply not true, and people of any age can experience hearing loss. Sometimes this is because of illness, or a build-up of wax in the ears, and on other times it is due to damage through exposure to loud noises, or as a result of an accident.

 

Hearing loss can often occur gradually, and as a result, you may not even notice that it is happening to you until you start to miss lots of sounds from the world around you. 

 

Looking Out For The Signs Of Hearing Loss

 

There are several different signs that you are experiencing hearing loss. Some common examples of problems that you may face as your hearing starts to deteriorate are that you need to turn the TV up very loud in order to even hear it. If people that you live with keep telling you that the volume is too loud, and you have it set higher than you used to do, then this is a telltale sign that you may have a problem with your hearing. 

 

If you miss parts of conversations or you always need to ask people to repeat what they have said to you, this is a symptom of hearing loss. When you are out in public and you are chatting with friends or family and you cannot hear what the people you are with are saying, this is also a common sign that you are experiencing hearing loss. 

 

If you are experiencing any of these problems then you should make an appointment with an audiologist. 

 

Getting A Hearing Test

 

When you go to see an audiologist they will ask you a series of general questions about your life and health, this is to see if there might be some causes that are underlying in your hearing loss. Following this, you will be asked to partake in a hearing test that will measure the extent of your ability to hear. This will help the audiologist decide on whether you need a hearing aid. 

 

If it is suggested that you need a hearing aid, don’t worry. Hearing aids are lightweight, comfortable, and don’t stand out at all. You can learn more here about hearing aids and how technology has evolved in recent years. 

Things You Can Do To Protect Your Ears

Protecting your ears is one part of the body you don’t think to look after, but it’s one of those vulnerable areas that you could really damage if you’re not careful. Here are some things you can do to protect your ears.

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Keep Volumes Low

The volume of most things you listen to or watch might be louder than it needs to be, and that can affect your hearing later on in life. Not to mention, if you’re listening to loud noises around younger ears, then you’re potentially damaging their ears too! When it comes to volume levels, try to keep them low where you can. That means the volume on your headphones should not exceed those volume warnings you get when you turn it up on your phone or iPod. The same goes for your television and to help improve the current state of your hearing, use subtitles and keep the sound lower so that your ears have to listen carefully to hear the sound. It will help to do this in order to save the ears from further damage.

 

Don’t Use Cotton Swabs For Wax

There are many methods to cleaning out wax from your ear, and one of the most common is to use cotton swabs for wax. That actually is one of the more dangerous ways of clearing out wax because they push the wax further into the eardrum, and that can improve the risk of damaging the eardrum itself. You might find it helpful to get the wax out professionally or through your local ear health clinic. There are also alternative methods that use objects like candles to draw the wax out.

 

Go For Regular Hearing Appointments

Just like doctor’s appointments, getting your hearing checked every so often is important too, especially when you might be experiencing symptoms of tinnitus or signs of an ear infection. It helps to go regularly, especially if you have any concerns regarding your ears and if you work in an environment where there could be a lot of  potential damage to your hearing over time. Having a medical check every so often can help look out for those early signs, or problems that might be wrong with your ear health.

 

Use Earplugs For Loud Noises

And finally, everyone works in a different environment, and you might find that yours is one where your hearing is at risk of being damaged. It’s important that you are finding options to protect your ears if you’re working on a building site or with tools and equipment that can be deafening to an exposed ear. Using earplugs or noise-canceling headphones are the best way to go about this and to ensure your eardrums are well protected. 

 

Protecting your ears should be something you’re doing from the very beginning, but it’s never too late to look after them. Use these tips to protect your ears and to make sure you’re doing what you can to prevent any further damage as you get older.

 

Switching Your Daily Coffee To Matcha

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If you are someone who likes to drink a cup of coffee on a daily basis, now could be a great time to make the switch to something else, with matcha being a good choice.

 

Before we move onto the benefits of matcha, ditching caffeine in the form of coffee is beneficial for numerous reasons. We all know that it can result in the jitters. However, there are other health benefits that are not discussed as regularly. Did you know coffee is linked to hearing loss? You can learn more about this and getting the right help online.

 

Is matcha tea as good as or even better than regular green tea? You might be wondering if it tastes as good and if it has as many health benefits. Green tea has recently hit the headlines as a healthier form of tea, filled with antioxidants and nutrients. There are many claims of health benefits, improved brain function, fat loss, and even a lower risk of cancer,

 

So why should you buy matcha tea and how does matcha powdered green tea match up? When you buy matcha tea online you will discover that it has 137 times the level of antioxidants available from regular green tea. It seems Japanese matcha green tea has better health benefits than popular healthy choices.

 

Matcha green tea powder reviews suggest it even has 70 times the antioxidants found in orange juice. You’ll notice that matcha green tea is brilliantly green and packed full of flavour. Unlike some regular green tea that may look a murky brown colour, matcha green tea powder lives up to its name. You will not miss the bright green colour or delicious taste. Each cup of matcha tea you drink has more antioxidants than drinking orange juice every day for the next two months.

 

Choosing a tasty cuppa tea or even drinking a matcha smoothie

 

After reading about the health benefits, you might be asking yourself, where to buy green tea matcha powder, and can how to brew the perfect cup of matcha?

 

You will be pleased to learn that matcha organic green tea powder can be used to make a tasty cup of tea. You just mix the powder with hot water to make a tasty nutritional drink.

 

Unlike leaf tea, you will find that you can also mix powdered matcha green tea into your favourite smoothie. There are a lot of great smoothie recipes on the Internet incorporating matcha, making it easy for you to create a tasty matcha smoothie that also offers health benefits too.

 

In fact, you will probably be surprised by the different matcha recipes that are available today. If you are really struggling without your coffee fix, why not try a matcha drink in latte form? You can also make baked matcha goods, including muffins and pancakes. There are many ways to mix it up and get the benefits from matcha powder.

No, Bread Isn’t The Enemy!

Bread has been demonized as the enemy of a healthy diet. It comes as a surprise to no one that more and more health-conscious individuals are taking bread completely off their diets. ‘Gluten is bad for you’ has become the new motto for a health-conscious lifestyle. But in reality, gluten has been a staple food for millennia. Is it as bad as we make it sound? 

There is no denying that for some individuals, gluten can lead to painful health reactions. If you are gluten-intolerant, it’s fair to say that bread should not be part of your daily diet. But the percentage of gluten intolerance and sensitivity in the U.S. is around 7% of the population. So why do the rest of us still try to avoid bread? Because it’s full of carbs, you say. The truth is, your body needs carbs to function. As part of a balanced diet, bread could be a good source of nutrients. Here’s how to make peace with bread: 

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As part of a Mediterranean feast

Bread is a staple of a Mediterranean diet. But, more importantly, the diet has been praised by doctors for years because of its health benefits. In short, you can have bread without putting your health at risk, especially if you consume it as part of a Mediterranean meal. A homemade bowl of hummus, for instance, goes great with warm pita bread and some crunchy vegetables. In this example, you need to make sure the pita bread is not the main part of the meal. Ultimately, pita brings the carb element to the meal, which is why it’s essential to balance quantities smartly. Ideally, you want a lot of fresh vegetables, such as carrots and celery sticks, a generous bowl of hummus to share, and only a little plate of pita bread as a side. 

 

Make it into your homemade pizza

If you’re one to order a pizza before you don’t feel like cooking, you may want to make your own quick pizza on the go instead. When you think about it, the pizza base is bread. You can even find pizza bread bases in shops or use large slices of naan or ciabatta bread instead. How do you make a quick and healthy pizza in a matter of minutes? Use fresh tomato sauce to spread on the bread, and focus on raw and unprocessed ingredients. A healthy and simple pizza could combine tomato sauce, a few slices of fresh tomato, some basil leaves, and mozzarella chunks, and tada, you’ve made a Margherita pizza! For a heartier flavor, add some sliced mushrooms and walnuts. 

 

Making your burger is not as fattening as you think

Finally, the best way to enjoy your bread is to make it part of a burger meal. You can make your own healthy burger at home using lean meat and whole-grain bread. However, avoid fries if you want to keep it healthy. As the bread brings the carbs in the meal, you will need to add vegetables as your side, such as fried zucchini and carrot sticks, for instance. 

 

Is bread as bad as we pretend it is? No, seeded and whole-grain bread is full of nutrients. Additionally, even white bread can be part of a balanced diet as long as you don’t add extra carbs to your meal. 

 

Taking Care Of Your Child’s Hearing

Just like you teach your children to brush their teeth, how to wash their hair, and use the toilet – you should teach them how to protect their hearing. It helps if you are already invested in keeping track of what they are listening to and how loud anyway. But, here are some tips that can help you protect your child’s hearing in the longer term. 

Photo by Wendy Aros-Routman on Unsplash

Hearing Loss In Children

There are children born with congenital hearing loss, which simply means that they are born with hearing loss. Others, however, are caused by a range of things. Typically this will include infectious diseases, ototoxic medication (medication toxic to the ear), untreated ear infections, and noise exposure. Of all of those, noise exposure is the most common reason for hearing loss and hearing damage. 

 

It is estimated that 1 in 6 teenagers who present with hearing loss have suffered via noise exposure. Auto trade shows live music concerts, job-related, and headphones all contribute. You can learn more about the different types of hearing loss online. 

Prevention

When it comes to prevention, there are a few things that you can do. Most children use headphones from time to time, and as they grow, they are more likely to have headphones in than not. So you can implement a couple of rules to help them learn their limits, and you prevent hearing loss. 

 

  • Stick to times headphone sessions. No longer than 60 minutes at a time, with a 60-minute break in between. 
  • 60% volume at the maximum, and the lower, the better. 
  • If they can’t hear you when you talk to them from an arm’s length, check the volume.
  • Child safety headphones have inbuilt controls to ensure the volume cannot be too high.

 

It is important to note that just because you can hear the music of noise from their headphones, doesn’t actually mean it is too loud. Often headphones leak sound out. Others are noise canceling, and they won’t be able to hear you no matter how loud or quiet the volume is. So work with your child to get the right settings.

 

You can also use an SPL measuring smartphone app. A sound pressure level measuring application will be able to give you more in-depth details to make the right call. 

Treatments

Unfortunately, when noise-induced hearing loss occurs, there are no cures. While you can have a hearing aid fitted, which will help you to hear again, it will not restore your hearing. Tinnitus is often linked with hearing loss, and there is a range of things that can help. 

Habits

One of the best things you can do for your children is to show them that you are taking care of your own hearing. By turning the TV or music down. Using earplugs when you go swimming, and noise-canceling ear muffs when you are at louder events. And making sure that if you feel like you have a hearing issue, you go straight to the doctors. And get your child’s hearing checked regularly too. 

 

Work on Boosting Your Health and Well-Being With These Great Hints

Health and fitness is one of the key factors driving so many lifestyles these days. There are a lot of things you are going to need to do if you want to be more health-conscious. These days the whole world is designed to help people get fitter and look after themselves more effectively. This is something you need to make sure you get sorted, and there are so many ways to make this a focal point in your life. 

 

There are a lot of different factors you’ll need to think about in your life if you are serious about improving your health and well-being. Think about what it takes to look after yourself better and the different steps you are going to need to take to achieve this. Here are some of the top hints you need to keep in mind if you are serious about boosting your well-being and living a healthier life.

 

Respect Your Body

 

Looking after and respecting your body is one of the most important things you can do if you want to be healthier. Respect your body and think about what you are putting into it on a daily basis. This can go a long way towards allowing you to look after your body much better, and it will teach you to respect your health and fitness as well. The more you can do to respect your body, the more this gets you into the right mindset moving forward.  

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Get Clean

 

If you feel like you are suffering with some form of addiction, it is important to address this as much as possible in a bid to get clean. There are a lot of things that play a part in helping you achieve good health, and battling addiction is one of the best ways to achieve this. Something like opiate addiction rehab is the ideal way of getting clean if you are suffering from addiction. You are going to have to be proactive about the way you do this, and trying to get clean is one of the most essential parts of the process and something you should look to do as soon as you can.

 

Go Easy on Yourself

 

It is easy to beat yourself up over things and start worrying and becoming anxious, but this is unlikely to be good for your mental well-being. So, you need to think about how you can improve your mental health, which matters greatly. One of the best ways to do this is to stop beating yourself up and judging yourself too harshly. This might mean avoiding negative relationships and trying to stay off things like social media.

 

These are some of the key things you are going to need to focus on as much as possible if you are looking to get fitter and healthier. Make sure you look at some of the best ways of improving your health and trying to promote self-care. This is the key to leading a happy and fulfilled life, and it’s going to help you get into better shape and stay that way. 

Giveaway – Valentines Day Books for Kids

 

Welcome to the Best Year Ever Giveaway Hop

Hosted by MamatheFox.com

 

Enter for your chance to win 3 children’s books from Sourcebooks

Always More Love, I Love You All Ways, and I Love You Like No Otter

Giveaway runs 1/16 – 1/31

Open to US residents only

 

 

A Quick Guide To The Rustic Decor You’ve Always Wanted

There are all kinds of ways you can begin creating the rustic decor you’ve wanted for so long, whether working with a professional or going about this yourself. Below, you’ll find advice that will both help you to create rustic pieces yourself and things you’ll likely need a pro to help you with. 

 

Read on to learn more:

 

Make A Coffee Table/Shelves Out Of Old Pallets And Boxes

Old wooden pallets, boxes, and crates make the perfect addition to any rustic home and they are the perfect DIY tool. You can get creative and make so many things out of them! You could create a coffee table, shelves for your wall, and even bedside tables. People have even made headboards and beds out of them! Couple that with a stylish coat stand, shoe cabinet, or other functional wooden furnishings, and they will fit right at home in your new rustically ravishing space.

 

Get Mason Jar Happy 

Mason jars in the kitchen and bathroom can make a great way to store items and keep that rustic feel up. Paint them yourself and tie them with string and then store your beauty products or coffee away nicely. 

 

Expose A Wall 

The rustic look wouldn’t be as rustic without a nice exposed wall. This is something you can do with the help of a restoration contractor, remodeling and renovation contractor. They will be able to assess your space and let you know what’s possible. However, if you don’t have the time or money for this, you could always invest in wallpaper that looks rustic enough to do the job! 

 

Use Plenty Of Natural Materials 

Use natural materials around the home such as wood, linen, brick, and so on. It makes the biggest difference and always adds to the rustic vibe. 

 

Show Off Your Books 

If you have a love of books, don’t be afraid to show them off. Make or purchase a book case and create a reading nook, even. 

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Select A Soft/Neutral Color Scheme

The rustic look usually involves a soft, neutral color scheme. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean an all white or cream color scheme – shades of blush, dove grey, and nudes can work so well and create a pastel rustic haven. 

 

In some cases, you might even find it appropriate to throw some burnt colors in there, such as orange and mustard. Navy can also work really well with a rustic theme! 

 

Include Plants 

No rustic theme is complete without real plants. Incorporate them wherever possible to bring the outdoors in and make your home more beautiful and more healthy in a flash. 

 

Have A Real Fire 

If you can install a real fire, that’s really going to help you to achieve a rustic vibe. If you can’t you could always invest in an electric one (which is easier to look after and doesn’t require a chimney). They look amazing and will finish off any rustic decor nicely. 

 

Rustic decor is something you can begin creating yourself now using plants, crates, and natural materials. What else will you add to your home to create the rustic look? Leave a comment below to let us know!

4 Little Ways to Boost Your Kid’s Health

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For parents, there’s nothing worse than seeing your kids suffer. When your child is unwell, you’d do anything to make them better. While you can’t eradicate all the risks your children will encounter, you can enhance their health.

In fact, there are a number of simple and straightforward ways to minimize the risk of your kids picking up coughs, colds, and other illnesses. If you want to improve your child’s immunity, take a look at these effective ways to boost your kid’s health…

  1. Limit screen time

Today’s children are growing up in a digital world, which means they spend a significant amount of their time looking at screens. However, this can have a significant impact on their development as you can see at https://time.com/5514539/screen-time-children-brain/. As well as increasing the rate of sedentary lifestyles, excessive screen time can limit the amount of imaginative play your child partakes in. Furthermore, your child may be missing out on opportunities to enhance their social skills if they’re spending the majority of their time looking at screens.

While it’s unrealistic to expect children not to use screens at all, you should aim to enforce rules surrounding their use of tablets, laptops, phones, televisions and game consoles. All screen time should finish at least two hours before bed, as this helps children to wind down and go to sleep at a suitable hour.

In addition to this, you can increase the benefits of screen time by introducing educational websites to your children. When kids are playing brain training games on consoles or tablets, they can gain a number of benefits. If your children are keen to use their screens, encourage them to seek out these activities and ensure parental controls are activated at all times.

  1. Make your home safer

It’s easy to assume our homes are a safe haven but this is rarely the case. In fact, your home could have more hidden dangers than you realize. If you want to improve your kid’s health, it’s important to optimize your home’s health as much as possible.

This means preventing the property from becoming too damp, minimizing the presence of dust and using an air purifier to remove contaminants from their air they’re breathing. With sites like https://moonriverchattel.com/, it’s easy to find the best devices to enhance your home safety. As well as using new innovations to minimize the risk of dangers at home, you can make modifications to your routines too.

Something as simple as increasing handwashing and water intake can have a massive impact on your child’s health. Similarly, encouraging them to play outside each day, even if it’s only for a short period of time, can ensure they get the vitamin D they need to flourish.

 

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  1. Schedule check-ups

When you’re a parent, your child’s schedule is often busier than your own! While it can be challenging to keep on top of appointments and check-ups, there are really important to your kid’s health and development. Whether it’s the doctor, dentist, optometrist or audiologist, be sure to attend routine check-ups and follow-up appointments.

You can make this easier by scheduling your children’s appointments one after another. If you have more than one child, for example, book three appointments at the dentist so that you can get their check-ups completed in one go.

Alternatively, arrange an ‘appointment’ day and schedule necessary check-ups at staggered times on one day. While it might seem like a hassle at the time, you’ll be glad that your child’s check-ups are completed by the time you’re finished. Through regular check-ups, you will get an idea of your child’s overall health with metrics such as height, weight, heart rate, injury, illness, etc. The basic vitals are often measured using Healthcare Scales and other necessary equipment, which often provide accurate stats to gauge your child’s health.

  1. Add more veggies to their diet

The vast majority of people could benefit from eating a healthier diet, so adding vegetables to your child’s diet can be a great way to achieve this. Of course, your child might have other ideas! If your kid isn’t keen on veggies, it’s time to get creative when you’re preparing meals. Rather than making every meal a battleground, simply use alternative ways to increase their veggie intake.

Make smoothies with hidden veggies, for example, or blend your own sauces so that your kids don’t realize just how much veg they contain. While children should always be encouraged to embrace healthy foods, this can be a quick and effective way to increase their veggie intake without a drama.

Enhancing Your Child’s Health

Nothing is more important than your child’s health, so you’ll want to do everything you can to enhance it. While major lifestyle changes can sometimes be beneficial, you’ll find that consistent, minor modifications can be just as effective when it comes to improving your child’s health and wellbeing.