It has been reported by numerous sources that teaching a child (as young as 3 months) sign language will increase their vocabulary, reduce tantrums, give them a hands-on second language, and you will be able to communicate sooner with your child.  Is it true?  If it is, why don’t all parents teach their children sign language? 

I would have to say that it is all true.  I have a 2.5 year old son who has learned sign language.  At 1 year old he was alble to communicate his wants and needs with us.  His father and I never had to guess what is was asking for.  He would sign what he wanted and that was that.  He never got frustrated and never had a tantrum.  He was able to communicate with us before he was able to speak and now has a good grasp on a second language.  I also feel signing has helped him in the learning process.  At 1.5 years, he knew all his letters, could spell his name, count to 20, knew all his colors, not to mention a ton of animals.  It has been amazing to watch as he learns and grows using sign-language.  He is currently teaching his 8 month old sister how to sign.  She signs milk and knows the signs for eat and bath. 

 I would recommend to any parent to teach their child sign language.  It is a fun interactive second language.  If you are interested in learning more about teaching sign-language to your child/grandchild or whoever, check out www.signingtime.com

Found an intersesting artricle.

It has been reported that nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, and by 2050 that number is expected to reach 48 million. Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin – the hormone needed to convert sugar and starches into energy. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, amputations and kidney failure. It is also the fifth leading cause of death in the country and it can triple a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke.*

National diabetes rates are surging, and although there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the immune system mistakenly destroys cells that make insulin, type 2 diabetes can often be prevented. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 percent of cases and is associated with obesity and lack of exercise. This type usually occurs after a condition known as pre-diabetes, which is currently affecting 57 million people in the United States. The good news is that pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented by making diet and exercise changes.

People do not have to give up their favorite treats but just find a better option that will help them achieve their health goals faster. For those who want to make a lifestyle change for the better, here are ways to incorporate treats into their diet:

Ice cream
No longer does reducing calories and fat mean that you have to give up a favorite treat – ice cream! New ice cream products can provide indulgence without the calories, satisfying your sweet tooth urges. If you are on the go, get a prepackaged 100-calorie bar or a frozen fruit bar. If you have to buy a family-size container, go for reduced fat, fat free or no sugar added. For example, buying no sugar added reduced fat vanilla will allow you to make banana splits and sundaes that have 100 calories less per cup. And if you want a treat that doesn’t require any prep, try the Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Fat Free Brownie Sundae ice cream – brownie chunks and ribbons of fudge in vanilla ice cream for 90 calories per serving!

Dark chocolate
Studies show that eating dark chocolate, above 60 percent cocoa, may contribute to improved cardiovascular health and lower blood sugar. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and pomegranates. The trick is to shoot for 60 percent cocoa or above – the higher the natural cocoa content, the greater the antioxidant level. Keep in mind that dark chocolate is an indulgent treat and you only need a small portion. Moderation is key when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Light snacks
Making a few small changes when buying snacks can make a big difference. Go for multigrain crackers instead of cheese ones. Forget regular butter popcorn and grab a light pack or look for new varieties made with herbs and olive oil. When considering sweet snacks, choose light ones. The Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom line, for example, offers treats like the Black Raspberry bars made with no sugar added reduced fat ice cream. Choosing a Sweet Freedom dessert or a Sugar Free Bomb Pop will keep calories and carbohydrates low, which is essential to preventing diabetes.

Healthy Drinks
Soda contains no nutrients, yet it loads your body with extra calories and sugar. To get the most out of your diet, forget your daily soda and go for drinks that provide important vitamins. Low sodium 100 percent vegetable juice is a great option and so is vitamin or flavor-enriched water. Just make sure that you check drink labels for calories – healthy water drinks should contain zero calories. To get a fizz fix without all the sugar, try bubbly green-tea beverages.

While up in Coarsegold California, a small town in Eastern Madera County,  I had a chance to visit  my good friends mother. She is in her eighties and grass is not growing under her feet. Why do some grow old faster than others? I read this article from a health publication and maybe this is one of the answers.  

A strong social network can help keep your memory sharp as you age. People who had lots of contact with family, friends and neighbors had memory loss at less than half the rate of those who were socially isolated in a study done by Harvard School of Public Health. Volunteer activities, sports, joining clubs and taking classes are good ways to build a social network.

This is my friend’s mom.

 Source: American Journal of Public Health.

This weekend I drove up to Coarsegold to the annual Tarantula Festival. I meet my friend Dennis Fairbanks and he drove me out to his cattle lease. He drove me around showing me the effects of the drought which has plagued California the last few years. On the lease are two gorgeous lakes. Unfortunately the drought has turned them into large mud ponds.

The good news is or hopefully will be, the National Weather Service predicting the possibility of a wet winter.  They report that a weather phenomenon or system called Madden-Julian Oscillation seems to be developing in the Indian Ocean. In the past, this system has generated wet storms for California.

In 1971 Roland Madden and Paul Julian (1) stumbled upon a 40-50 day oscillation when analyzing zonal wind anomalies in the tropical Pacific.The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is an equatorial traveling pattern of anomalous rainfall that is planetary in scale. The mechanism and cause of the MJO is as yet not well-understood and is a subject of ongoing study. The wet phase of enhanced convection and precipitation is followed by a dry phase where convection is suppressed. Each cycle lasts approximately 30-60 days.

The prediction is that there is a potential of storms developing in November, providing a wetter than average fall. We shall see and HOPE.

Last week the Fresno Bee had an article suggesting that teachers should be responsible for teaching students morals and ethics.  What happen to parents teaching their children morals and ethics?  Why should it be the teacher’s responsibility?  Teachers should be teaching reading, writing, and math.  Instead, teachers are having to teach respect, responsibility, right from wrong, and what it means to be a good citizen.  I think it is ridiculous that an articly published by the Fresno Bee would suggest such a thing.  Parents need to take responsibility for their children and their children’s behavior.  It should not be the teacher’s role. 

These are some great tips that really work.  I have tried many of them and sure enough, they worked!!!

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove,
set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants; work the nutrients in your soil. Wet
newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces of
glass- the fibers catch ones you can’t see!

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gif wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not
have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and - voila - static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include
something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper
than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair…

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″
with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it “home,” & can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When your ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

We are certainly seeing a change in weather here in Eastern Madera County, California. As I ride my horse in the foothills of Coarsegold, the days are getting shorter and the nights are cooling down.  I was told we are coming into autumn.  I thought we were going into the fall but was corrected that the proper term is autumn.  My research showed that autumn, also known as fall in North American English is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn is the period between summer and winter, usually in September (northern hemisphere) or March (southern hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier. In the northern hemisphere, the meteorological start of autumn is on 1 September and it ends on 30 November. In the southern hemisphere it starts on 1 March and ends on 31 May. The astronomical start of Autumn is on 23 September and ends on 20 December in the northern hemisphere, and 20 March and 21 June in the southern hemisphere. In Ireland, autumn begins on 1 August and ends 31 October, due to the Irish calendar.As for me, fall is easier to spell and it will be fall until I see snow and cold.

More and more home buyers feel their home purchase is as good as investing in stocks, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors. According to NAR About 79 percent of buyers purchased their home through a real estate broker or agent. Forty-three percent of buyers found their broker-agent through a referral from a friend or family member. About a third of buyers reported that their first step in the home-buying process was looking online for sale properties and a whopping 84 percent of buyers report they used the Internet to search for homes at some point in their home-seeking process.  Overall, the typical home buyer is 39 years old, while the typical repeat buyer is 46. Nine percent of home buyers reported they were born outside the United States. Three-quarters of buyers between 18 and 24 purchased a home because of their desire to own a home and establish a household.  Nearly three quarters of first-time buyers rely on savings for their down payment and Ninety-three percent arranged financing for their purchase.

Do you have an ant problem?  During this hot season ants are out looking for water.  Why do they come in your house, isn’t there more water outdoors?  Almost everyone has an ant problem now and then.  Short of calling an exterminator or selling your real estate there is a better answer.About a year ago I read that ants do not like the smell of peppermint.  Therefore an easy way to rid yourself of these pesky pests, sprinkle peppermint leaves near their favorite entrances (window sills, doorways, floorboards etc).  I tried this recently and it really worked.  Best of all, its cheap and nontoxic. A good alternative to commercial pesticides which meets the now popular Green Earth motto.