Lately, I’ve been getting on my own nerves. I find myself rushing through life trying to get it all done, so that I can relax. But it never all gets done, so I never really relax. I feel impatient, anxious and flustered. But the universe keeps throwing this word at me and I think I better start paying attention. The word is “mindfulness,” which I was put off by at first because it brought to mind an image of a new-agey guru. But the more I learn about it, the more intrigued I become. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs website, mindfulness can help you become more aware of your …

The crisp, cool days of autumn are here already. And I've noticed that fall also brings out the lawn chemical trucks and the toxic smell of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Brecksville's Horticulturist Charles Owen said that the first step to improve your lawn in the fall "shouldn't always be to open a bag of something and spread it on your lawn." He said that most of the homes in Brecksville have hard, clay soils and the best thing residents can do for their grass is a practice called core aeration. He explained that core aeration is a practice where plugs of your lawn are pulled up to …

When I was little, my favorite activity was to climb up a tree and sit there while eating my favorite candy, the Astro Pop. It was a rocket-shaped lollipop that was somehow both very hard and very chewy. As you sucked on the thing it sort of melted, then hardened into a glass-like sugary shell on your back teeth. Like most kids, I wasn’t fond of brushing or flossing. Needless to say, I’ve had my share of dental problems, and even talking about this topic gives me a nervous tic.So I asked my dentist, Dr. Daina Matas, what she thinks is something everyone can do for their oral health that they …

When my younger son was a baby, I got very little sleep. Some nights I only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep, and it was usually interrupted. I started to have a difficult time concentrating and remembering things, or even having a coherent conversation. And I also found out what they mean by "beauty sleep." I was aging in fast-motion. I developed bags under my eyes and wrinkles and my body ached. Now my boys are a little older, and they sleep through the night. But I still find myself sleep deprived because I stay up too late, or I wake up in the night and start thinking about all the things I need…

My kids have been in school for four days so far this year, and I’m already struggling to get them out of bed and to the breakfast table. I thought we would have at least one week of cheerful mornings when school started.  It seems like I always hit the snooze button, woke up late and skipped breakfast regularly as a kid. I also remember being tired, crabby and hungry in school, whenever I did.  Children who eat breakfast perform better in school, according to the Ohio Department of Health's Help Me Grow program. The program's website also says that eating breakfast can impact how kids learn …

One of the things that I love about late summer is the last of the season's pool parties and picnics. But, if you’re like me, you may not love the potato salad. Why is it that one bad experience with a particular food makes it never quite as appealing again? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, foodborne diseases sicken millions each year and causes billions of dollars in health care-related costs annually. Handling food properly can help prevent most episodes of food sickness, but according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health website, a national survey …

I remember my Dad saying that the only legacy of a certain big-box store would be their blue, plastic shopping bags. I must say that I think he’s correct. Bags float on the breeze and It seems like I see them everywhere. And when I come home from the store, it seems like I have one bag for every item I’ve purchased. They have become a ubiquitous part of our daily life. Although exact numbers can’t be calculated, according to CleanAir.org, Americans use approximately 1 billion disposable, plastic shopping bags every year, and these bags create 300,000 tons of landfill waste. They also do not …

These are the dog days of summer, which might sound like a time of celebration for our canine friends, but what a cruel misnomer! My dog is miserable. His lovely, head-to-toe fur coat, which serves him well for what seems like nine months of winter each year, must be sweltering right about now. He’s not enjoying this weather one bit. I recently spoke with Cliffette Thacker, the animal warden for the city of Brecksville. She emphatically said that her number one concern for dogs in the summer is to make sure they’re not left inside parked cars. She also said that I'd be surprised by how often …

There is a squirrel who visits our back yard regularly, and we have affectionately named him Stubby. He appears to have lost the majority of his tail in some kind of wild animal mishap that I shudder to think about. One of my sons has repeatedly said that he would love to pet Stubby, and I know what he means -- the little guy looks so innocent and lovable. So I’ve been warning him about Stubby’s razor sharp teeth, parasites and contagious diseases. A quick search of the term “wild animals” on the website for the Ohio Department of Health will scare the living daylights out of you with words …

I recently had a frightening experience at a park. I was there picnicking with a group of friends and we went for a little hike. Suddenly, I realized that my son was missing. My friends were trying to reassure me, but all I could hear was the beating of my heart. I turned into one of those people who could lift a car off of her child. I decided to run back to the picnic area, but instead of taking the trail, I scaled what couldn’t exactly be called a cliff. Let’s call it a very steep, rugged hill. Then I ran a quarter of a mile at super-human speed to find my son, safe with my husband. But my…

We have a container in our garage where we store used plastic grocery bags. My dog loves them. The poor little guy is partly deaf, or maybe entirely deaf. But he could be in a deep sleep at the furthest corner of the house, with a fan blowing right next to his head and he would hear the rattle of the grocery bags. He would hear it if I even thought about pulling one out of the container. I think it’s actually more of a psychic ability than hearing. The reason, of course, is because the bags signify that it’s time to go for a walk. And all of us dog-walkers are familiar with the strange …

Yesterday, my son complained that his ear was sore. I diagnosed him with a case of irritability and told him it would go away soon. But by last night, he was crying and in serious pain. A midnight Internet search revealed that he was probably suffering from swimmer’s ear. But I stand by my original diagnosis because that kind of pain would make anyone irritable. I’m always so concerned about someone drowning that sometimes I forget about the other hazards of swimming. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website gives some tips for water safety that include: To keep yourself and…

We wait all winter and spring for the summer weather to arrive, and every year I promise that I’m not going to complain about the hot weather. But inevitably, when the temperature rises above 90 degrees, most of us start to whine. But summer heat can be more than just a nuisance; it can be downright dangerous. Extreme heat causes more fatalities per year in the United States than floods, tornadoes, lightning and hurricanes combined, according to the National Weather Service.   The website for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health says that the elderly, the very young and those who are …

We are so lucky to live in a time and place where food is not scarce. But one downside is that more than one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” program is one thing that’s being done to help address the problem. And earlier this month, Michelle Obama and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin unveiled the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new food icon, "MyPlate."  That familiar icon of elementary-school health class, the food pyramid, is gone.  The new "MyPlate" logo is an illustration of a plate …

There’s an advertisement on television in which a girl falls down and skins her knee, then she looks up at her beautifully groomed mother and frowns. Without even blinking, the girl's mother pulls out a small bottle of antiseptic spray from her purse, sprays the kid, then blows on the bottle like she was just in a shootout in old Western. The little girl smiles in admiration and relief. The same scenario at my house plays out like this: A boy pushes his brother to the ground; the brother’s knee is scraped and bleeding. Both boys begin screaming. I run into the house and rummage through a …

Summertime in our family means grabbing our bathing suits and heading to the pool at the Brecksville Community Center. Swimming makes for hungry kids and lots of snacking. Sometimes I just grab a bag of chips or package of cookies because it’s easy. It’s also difficult to come up with creative ideas for healthy snacks that the kids will actually eat. The American Dietetic Association has a section on its website dedicated to healthy eating. It has an information sheet called "25 Healthy Snacks For Kids." All of the ingredients can be found at just about any grocery store, like Heinen’s or …

If you’re like me, you’re wondering how to keep your kids busy and active this summer. If my kids had their way, they would probably want to spend a good part of the summer watching television and playing "Super Mario."  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that obesity has become an epidemic and even the White House thinks we should get our kids active. In February, first lady Michelle Obama launched the “Let’s Move”  initiative to fight childhood obesity, encourage physical activity and teach children how to make healthier choices. The CDC says kids should get at least 60 …

Here’s one more reason to be tired of all this rain. It’s creating prime breeding ground for the blood-sucking harbinger of summer - the mosquito. When I was a kid, we had to come home when the streetlights came on, and for that last hour of hide-n-seek, all of us got eaten alive by the mosquitoes. We knew they were annoying, but now we know they can also be dangerous. According to the Ohio Department of Health’s mosquito brochure, in Ohio, mosquitoes can carry the West Nile Virus and several forms of viral encephalitis. Most people who are infected with mosquito-borne viruses have no …

When I walk down the cleaning supplies aisle at the grocery store, it reminds me of my first apartment. My mom never used artificial air fresheners or strongly scented detergents, so when I got my own place I thought I'd surround myself with the sweet smell of independence. I began using dryer sheets and scented sprays. But I soon discovered that all these products made me feel sick and actually gave me a headache. According to Organic Consumers.org, many of the cleaners people use can be poisonous if ingested, inhaled or touched and pollute the air in our homes. They can also be toxic to …

I was a child of the '70s, when sunburn was just part of summer, like skinned knees and mosquito bites. I was a teenager in the '80s, when we would "lay out" with baby oil and a radio. The DJ would occasionally remind us, “It’s time to turn, so you don’t burn.” My parents used to tell me to get out of the sun, but I didn’t listen, and now I worry about the damage I’ve done.  According to the website for the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and one in five people will develop some form of it in their lifetimes. They also say that 90 …