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2 Red Deer Family, Red Deer Express

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Local family finds balance with nanny

BY ERIN FAWCETT Red Deer Express One local family is reaping the benefits of having a livein nanny care for their two young children and they want to help others find the same success.

Sheri and Dexter Hodder have recently started a new company called Central Alberta Caregivers.

For the last three months the Hodders have employed a live-in nanny who provides care for their two children Brodie, 3 and Carter, 16 months.

“After returning to work after having my first son we used a day home, which was fine except being a working mom is really hard. But after having my second son, I couldn’t fathom going back to work full time and getting

two kids up and out the door, picking them up, making supper and doing all the things that you have to do.

“I was not up for that challenge. I said the only way I would go back to work full time was if we had a nanny – so we started hunting.”

That search proved to be difficult at times.

“After going through the recruitment process on our own because we are chronic do-it-yourselfers, we thought we would save some money and thought how hard can it possibly be? Well, it’s hard. We had over 200 applicants.

Trying to screen those applicants with two small children running around was just impossible,” said Sheri. “And, where do you even begin? I didn’t know what to check for.

“We then tried contacting agencies in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver – all over the country. What

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we found was that they were somewhat hesitant to serve the smaller community.”

Because of the difficulties they had while searching for a nanny, Sheri and Dexter decided to start their own company to help make the search easier for local families in the future.

“We think it’s important to spend time with the family on the forefront and make sure it’s a good match the first time. We don’t just want to fill the need for childcare. We want it to be the right match and to make sure the caregiver fits into the home and into the family’s life,” said Sheri.

Although the Hodders have a live-in nanny, families are also able to employ a nanny who lives outside of the home.

“We just find that with a live-in nanny they are a little more flexible and can provide the care that you need when you need it,” said Sheri. “There is a huge stigma about having people live at your house and many feel like it is an invasion of privacy, but honestly, when you come home from work, your children are happy, your meals are made, your house is clean and your laundry is done, so you get over that in a hurry.

“Another common misconception is that nannies cost more than childcare and really, they don’t. Employing a nanny actually costs less than having two children in daycare.”

In Sheri and Dexter’s home, their nanny has her own room and often retreats there after she is done taking care of the children for the day.

“She has a TV in her room and a computer so she often Skypes with her family, checks her email and watches TV. She just relaxes,” said Sheri. “On weekends she goes out with friends.”

Sheri added their experience with a nanny has been very positive.

“It’s been excellent. My boys love her. We love her. The benefit of having a nanny so outweighs any awkwardness or any adjustment. There aren’t even words to say how grateful I feel to have her. I couldn’t have done it all on my own.

“I am now spending quality time with my children. I’m not out running errands or getting groceries when I’m off work. I think that’s what’s lacking in so many parents’ lives.”

In addition, Central Alberta Caregivers not only provides nannies but also caregivers for the elderly, and for special needs citizens as well.

For more information visit www.centralalbertacaregivers.com. Also call 403-755-8467. efawcett@reddeerexpress.com

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FAMILY FUN- Sheri and Dexter Hodder play with their sons DEBIT@YOUR DOOR

Carter, 16 months, and Brodie, 3 years, while their live-in nanny, Mary, takes part.

Kirsten Palardy/Red Deer Express

Red Deer Family, Red Deer Express 3

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Services for families by FSCA

BY KIRSTEN PALARDY Red Deer Express Family Services of Central Alberta (FSCA) offers programs, courses and counselling to families, moms, dads and children at all stages of life.

Linda Herron, manager of early childhood services with FSCA, said there is a need for these types of programs in any community.

“The root of a healthy anything is healthy families whether that be a country, city or community -- it all comes down to family.”

FSCA runs a number of programs some of which are drop-in and others that require pre-registration, but all of them look at the same end goal -- healthy families.

Programs are offered from prenatal all the way to early childhood through to the teen years in some form.

“Every program we offer is about building a relationship between them and us.

Nobody is going to listen if they feel they haven’t been heard.”

Many of the people that Herron said come in are young mothers, first time mothers, or families looking for support that they don’t have relatives in the area.

FSCA offers drop in and registered parenting groups that are popular enough to sometimes face wait lists.

“We teach things like common sense parenting and things like temperament, sleep issues, eating habits, boundaries and more.”

The staff at FSCA are able to help where they are trained, but Herron said they sometimes see issues that need to be ad-

dressed further and can refer a family out to other resources in the community.

One of the issues that Herron said is quite frequent in young or first time mothers is social isolation, and this is one issue that can be dealt with through some of the groups.

“A lot of times they come to the groups and make connections and meet people in the same situations as they are.”

Herron said another thing that they try to teach both parents is how to play. It seems like a simple concept, but playing with your child helps them develop.

“We teach parents about screen time whether that’s the TV or video games or computer and how to limit that and how to get parents involved with their children.”

FSCA doesn’t just focus on mom’s either, they have a Father Involvement Program that is specifically designed to teach dads the importance of a healthy male influence. “We want to help them be better fathers. Lots of dads have been lead to believe their role is solely provision so we teach them how to play with their child.”

Family Services also acknowledges that Red Deer has a growing ethnic community and that many of these people are shy, especially new mom’s with children struggling to learn two languages.

“We have a program that provides a place to come and play and practice English and meet other people with the same issues and give them connections.”

FSCA also offers a marriage preparation course, healthy babies course and many others.

For more, visit www.fsca.ca.

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4 Red Deer Family, Red Deer Express

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Living a healthier lifestyle as a family Every parent wants good things for their children: a positive outlook on life, a healthy respect for authority, a strong sense of self, a disease-free body, a healthy body weight.

Despite your best intentions, a recent report suggests that for the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. This just is not acceptable.

With all the advances in medicine, how could this possibly be true? The blame falls squarely on today’s toxic food environment and lack of food awareness (half blame goes to us and half to manufacturers).

In short, today’s kids are eating too much junk.

And who can blame them? Junk food tastes great. Junk food is quick.

Junk food is always around.

The good news is that healthy food also tastes great, it can be quick and always be within arms reach.

Take these simple tips and transform your child’s diet into one that is packed with

JACK

WHeeler good health.

Add colour - adding bright and colourful fruits and veggies to your child’s plate will get their diet on the fast track to health.

Fresh fruits and veggies are filled with fibre, vitamins and minerals that are essential to good health.

If your kids are resistant then make it fun. Serve veggies with salad dressing as a dip.

Cut fresh fruit in the colours of the rainbow and place them on a skewer.

Serve a colour themed meal – all green, all red or all orange. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with an endless number of ways to make fruits and veggies fun to eat.

Think whole foods. Processed foods are the biggest problem with our modern

diet. Packaged and refined food products are devitalized and filled with empty calories that quickly lead to weight gain. Unfortunately, processed foods make up a large portion of the diet of many children.

Train your kids to opt for whole foods, rather than packaged ones. Whole foods are foods that are in their natural state -- an apple, lean chicken breast, natural peanut butter -you get the idea.

Use wholesome sweeteners. Refined sugar and corn syrup are packed into many of the foods that your kids love. But wait; there are more wholesome sweeteners available – sweeteners that add vitamins and minerals rather than empty calories. Use the following rather than white sugar or corn syrup: • Pure maple syrup: Forget the ‘fake’ syrups containing corn syrup. Pure maple syrup contains potassium, calcium and some amino acids.

• Brown rice syrup: Use this dark syrupy sweetener instead of corn syrup. It

takes longer to digest and won’t spike your blood sugar like refined sugar.

• Dates: Throw a few seeded dates into your blender to sweeten your smoothie rather than adding white sugar.

Make smart substitutions. Kids love pizza, pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Rather than fight your kids on their favourites, make smart substitutions to make their favourites more nutritious.

Pizza -- replace the white crust with whole wheat crust. Pasta -- use sprouted grain or whole grain pasta rather than traditional white pasta. Add veggies to your pasta sauce and avoid high fat white sauces. Sandwiches -- switch to whole wheat bread instead of white.

Ban sugary drinks -- one of the best things that you can do for your child’s good health is to instill in them a love for water rather than sugary drinks. Soda pop and juices are filled with empty calories that encourage weight gain.

The easiest way to do this

is to stock your house with lots of easy access water.

Don’t have fruit drinks or soda pop readily available so that they grow accustom to drinking only water. *** While these tips are improvements for your child’s health, these tips will also do wonders for your diet.

Try these five tips out for 30 days and I guarantee you’ll look and feel better.

Parents all want good things for their children.

Now how about doing something good for yourself as well? You are your child’s biggest role model on how to live, for better or worse.

Read more great articles from our free online magazine -- www.360fitness.fitpromag.com.

Jack Wheeler is a personal trainer and owner of 360 Fitness in Red Deer. He can be reached at 403-347-1707 or check out www.360fitness.ca for more information.

BUSY BEE - Serenity Ollenberg, 2, fills some buckets with water while playing at the Dawe Centre with B.J. Brohman.

Tiffany Sigurdson/Red Deer Express

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Red Deer Family, Red Deer Express 5

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Making baby food can be family fun

BY KIRSTEN PALARDY Red Deer Express There are always so many options for ways to raise your child, but making your own baby food is a cost saving trick and can be fun for the whole family.

“The biggest benefit is cost. For every jar of baby food you are looking to spend upwards to $1.25 and as they get older it gets more expensive,” said Giselle Campbell with the Sylvan Lake and Area Community Partners Association.

“If you haven’t moved your child onto table food by a year old you’re looking at paying almost $2.25 a jar or bottle.”

The cost alone is one reason to look at making your own baby food, but Campbell explains that it really is easier than a lot of people think.

Tools for making baby food can be found in the kitchen without buying speciality items. These things include potato mashers, forks, blenders and food processors.

“Baby food making is so simple, people just need to have the courage to try it.”

Campbell said it can also be a learning tool for older children in the home as well. By getting them involved they learn textures as well as different life skills from an early age.

‘Baby food making is so simple, people just need to have the courage to try it.’

Giselle Campbell “If they’re old enough to use a knife you could have them cutting up vegetables to be processed. The younger kids can help by putting things in pots or taking out seeds or peeling skins off of foods.”

On top of being more cost effective, making your own baby food can also create a better bonding experience between parents and their children. Other benefits of making your own baby food include that it is equally as portable as pre-made baby

food and gets babies used to what foods are served in their home from an earlier age.

“If you eat whole wheat bread in the house, you can feed that to baby and then they learn that that is what is normal in their house.”

Registered dieticians are available through Alberta Health Services to help teach groups about how to make baby food and the benefits of it.

There is also an abundance of information available through library books, cookbooks and the Internet.

“Right from day one babies should be eating close to the same foods as mom and dad. They start out needing it pureed but as they get older you can add texture by dicing or grating foods for them.”

The process of gradually adding textures to foods helps get babies ready to eat the meal that is served alongside the family.

The rule of thumb for feeding babies solid food is to try one thing and then not introduce anything

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new for three days.

“This helps parents to see if baby is going to have an allergy to something. If you don’t introduce anything new for three days then you can pinpoint what the allergy was to.”

Campbell said for dry foods, like meats, the water from cooking the meat, regular water, breast milk or formula can be added to return some of the nutritional value to the food and make it a smoother puree.

“Babies like food plain and simple so people just need to remember not to add seasonings or butter.”

Campbell said for storing baby food any reusable container will do including washed yogurt or applesauce containers.

“You can freeze it and then if you’re busy or having a meal the baby can’t eat you just pop it out. If

HOMEMADE - Volunteers learn different means of making

baby food at the Family Education Support Services baby food Kirsten Palardy/Red Deer Express making class recently.

you’re on the go you just grab a container and pack it and you have baby food with you. “ Campbell said making your own baby food is definitely something families

should consider and that it can benefit all members of the family, not just baby.

For more information, visit www.healthcanada. gc.ca. kpalardy@reddeerexpress.com

A Voice for Families in our Community Earl Dreeshen, MP 4315 - 55th Avenue, Suite 100A 403-347-7426

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6 Red Deer Family, Red Deer Express

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Library hosts range of family-oriented programs

BY MARK WEBER Red Deer Express Red Deer Public Library continues to expand its range of programs in becoming a truly family-friendly facility. Both branches (downtown and at the Dawe) offer plenty of activities and ongoing events that appeal to adults, youth and children.

“It’s a destination point – that’s what we like to say,” explains Jill Griffith, head librarian at the Dawe branch. “There are a lot of libraries that call their sitting areas ‘living rooms’ because it really is a community meeting space more than just a

place where you come and sign books out.”

Red Deer Public Library, Family Literacy and The Kids Club at Parkland Mall host a Kids Club Storytime April 12 from 10 to 11 a.m. in the food court at Parkland Mall. The event includes stories, rhymes, songs, draw prizes and free refreshments.

It’s a great example of how a program that emphasizes literacy can run outside of the Library’s walls, said Griffith.

Another program with a focus on youngsters is the Red Deer Firefighters’ Reading Pals Program. It’s designed to help elementary-aged children maintain valuable reading skills already learned and pro-

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mote a higher level of literacy in the family by encouraging students to read alone or with their families.

Held through July and August, it also gives students a good start for the upcoming school year, and also helps children avoid the ‘summer slide’ they may experience over the holidays. There’s plenty of fun activities to enjoy, from storytelling, games, family nights and prizes to reading age-appropriate books and listening to novels.

Another fascinating event that’s coming up this weekend is The Human Library.

The program, which runs March 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Dawe branch, is designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. Visitors can speak with ‘people on loan’ who vary in age, sex and cultural background and represent a number of walks of life and lifestyles.

“It’s a program that started in Europe, and we’ve done it twice now,” said Griffith.

“Staff are going to try to make it a more ongoing event.”

There are also opportunities to tie-in activities with the Dawe facility at large, she explained. For example, ‘swim and story’ sessions have proven popular with facility

users, too. Children will enjoy a swim in the nearby Dawe pool and then drop by the library for a story time. There is a cost for that program as it’s run by the City, said Griffith.

Looking ahead, there will be more opportunities for families to work together in bolstering children’s literacy skills. The Creating Language Rich Environments program runs June 4-5 at the Dawe branch.

Parents can learn about language development in children and key strategies that they can do with their children to enhance language skills during everyday activities.

The workshop will also be presented by a registered speech-language pathologist from Alberta Health Services.

“They’re going to try and do this once a month here,” said Griffith. “Sometimes, parents are concerned that their children aren’t developing proper speech patterns, or they just want to learn some more strategies to help with their children’s speech.”

The program is free, but registration is necessary. Those interested can call 403341-3822 for more details.

For more information about any of the programs running through Red Deer Public Library, check out www.rdpl.org. editor@reddeerexpress.com

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LOOKING INSIDE - Paavo Nadeau checks out a wooden toy while playing at the Red Deer Public Library.

Tiffany Sigurdson/Red Deer Express

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Red Deer Family, Red Deer Express 7

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Chiropractors can be beneficial to family’s too Many people do not understand the different roles of different doctors. They think a medical doctor is educated in health and wellness and will seek their advice or opinions on wellness. The truth is your family MD is educated in pathology and diseases; that is their role. They do a wonderful job at identifying pathologies and helping you address those problems.

The majority of the MD’s are not educated in wellness and health as it relates to family wellness. I have had many patients come to me and say my MD tells me there is nothing wrong with me but I have had chronic pain for two years. Well the answer from the MD is correct according to his definition of health, if there is no identifiable disease and his lab test are negative then you fit his definition of ‘healthy’. But you are not truly healthy. Health is not merely the absence of a disease or condition but the optimal functioning and balance of the body. If your body is not in balance with its internal and external environments then you do not have health. By expanding the definition of health you incorporate and look for more in a physical exam, this is what chiropractors do for families.

The role of a chiropractor is to help your family achieve better health, not rid you of disease and

CHRIS

SENKO pathology. A chiropractor is more successful than any other doctor in identifying and treating spinal and musculoskeletal problems.

Those spinal concerns are precursors to many of the health conditions people suffer from, including childhood ear infections, bedwetting, colic and irritability to back spasms, sciatica, neck pain and headaches in adulthood. If you are looking for a doctor to identify, treat and manage your families ‘health’ a chiropractor is your best option. Research shows that people under chiropractic care have stronger immune systems so this is one of the reasons I recommend all children get their spines checked by approximately four months of age. In fact, an article in Forensic Science International shows that in 20,000 infant chiropractic treatments, no complications were recorded. There is no reason to not have your children’s spinal and overall health checked by a chiropractor. The role of a chiropractor in family health is pivotal; the chiropractor advises on medication alternatives and

gives you options to limit the damaging effects of over the counter and prescription drugs. An example is Tylenol usage-most think of Tylenol use in pregnancy, childhood and adulthood is acceptable and without much consequence but this is very wrong. One of the world’s top journals, the New England Journal of Medicine, notes that people taking Tylenol throughout life have up to a 380% greater chance of end stage kidney failure. The journal also states that Tylenol use for fever has the potential to cause liver failure. In fact, Dr. Rosenfeld, an American MD states that Tylenol alone is responsible for 50,000 ER visits, 42% of all liver failures, and 458 deaths per year.

This gives the popular saying “preventative medicine” a whole new meaning. Prevent a fever with medication, cause kidney and liver disease later on. In my opinion, this kind of preventative medicine is an oxymoron and defies logic.

I believe it takes a doctor who is invested in family health, not disease and pathology, to guide you and your family through choices that will positively impact the future well being of yourself and your children.

Dr. Chris Senko is the owner of Coates Chiropractic in Red Deer. He can be reached at 403-343-7898.

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