BusyBeeMama.com

Every Monday, I do a digest of articles, news, and resources that may be of interest to my readers.

• The new edition of the Carnival of Family Life is hosted this week at Sandier Pastures and as always, features a wealth of terrific articles of fun and wisdom.
• Eggplants, plums and blackberries all share something in common - like many other fruits and vegetables of purple color, they contain a wealth of disease-fighting chemicals (and they all happend to be some of my favorite foods!):

Deep purple and bluish foods are believed to lower the risk of some cancers, to improve urinary tract health and memory function and to help with the overall aging process.”

• In the ongoing series on the benefits of gardening, one of Dr. Weil’s daily tips this week featured some great advice on creating an organic backyard.

Every Monday, I do a digest of articles, news, and resources that may be of interest to my readers.

• Empowering Women Carnival hosted by A Modern Goddess Online this week featured a selection of articles on the subject of personal development.
• The Secret to Getting What You Desire Carnival also features many great articles in the realm of success and personal development.
• This week’s edition of the Carnival of Family Life hosted at Why Homeschool takes a look at the stages that many families go through and features my article Pregnancy: First Things First.
• I recently wrote about the dangers of plastics and food.  Underscoring how serious (and pervasive) this issue is, a group of scientists recently issued a warning of the potential link between Bisphenol A, a compound commonly found in plastics, and serious reproductive disorders in humans:

Used to make hard plastic, BPA can seep from beverage containers and other materials. It is used in all polycarbonate plastic baby bottles as well as other items, including large water cooler containers, sports bottles and microwave oven dishes, along with canned food liners and some dental sealants for children.”

• On the heels of this announcement, the authors of the book Baby Bargains (which I reviewed here) have called for parents to stop using baby bottles and sippy cups made of polycarbonate plastic.

Every Monday, I will do a digest of articles, news, and resources that may be of interest to my readers.

• Continuing the theme of self-improvement from last week, I recommend two great collections of articles on this subject:
  • Engineer Your Own Happiness: Carnival of Positivity hosted by My Lemonade Stand, featuring my article How to Go from Overwhelmed to Productive;
  • Living by Design Carnival, featuring my article How to Write a Personal Mission Statement.
• For some inspiring family-related articles, visit Godly Family Carnival hosted over at Veggie Tales Review, which this week also features one of my articles.
• Similar to the book Baby Bargains that I recently reviewed on this website, here are a few more helpful tips on the best baby products.  While it is often difficult to know what you actually need and what you should look for when buying baby-related products, this article gives some good advice that any prospective parent will find helpful.
• While I don’t typically comment on the current events on this website, the recent recall of children’s toys by Mattel has left me very concerned as an expectant mother.  With the news just coming out that Mattel is now set to announce a second recall tomorrow, I know that I will be paying careful attention to the country of origin for any baby items that we buy or receive as gifts.  And as the lawsuits start to come in, I’m sure that manufacturers will now be paying more careful attention to where and how their items are produced.
• Speaking of dubious baby products, I’m sure you’ve all heard of those baby videos that are supposed to help early childhood development.  Well, according to this article, these videos may actually hurt your child’s development:

For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as “Brainy Baby” or “Baby Einstein,” they knew six to eight fewer words than other children, the study found.”

This only confirms my long-held suspicion about these videos - that they are simply a way to keep infants occupied and distracted; after all, nothing can take place of parents’ interaction with their child, not only from educational but from bonding perspective as well.

Every Monday, I will do a digest of articles, news, and resources that may be of interest to my readers.

• For the latest crop of articles related to pregnancy, take a look at the Pregnancy Carnival hosted by Nerd Family.  In this week’s edition, it features my article on How to Go from Overwhelmed to Productive.
• For more of the family-related posts, visit the Family Life Carnival, which this week features a whopping 76 entries, including my article on Naming a Baby, hosted over at Write from Karen. 
• If you are like me and are interested in personal development and self-improvement, a subject that’s always been near and dear to my heart, then I highly recommend the following terrific carnivals, which also feature my article on How to Write a Personal Mission Statement:
  • Carnival of Positive Thinking
  • Made to Be Great Personal Development Carnival
  • Personal Development & Happines Carnival
  • Personal Development Carnival
• From mental to physical well-being, head on over to the always informative Total Mind and Body Fitness Carnival, hosted over at FitBuff.com, which this week features my article on When to Buy Organic Food.
• Staying on the subject of food, are you looking for a good source of weekly recipes to simplify your life?  I came across this website, Saving Dinner, which offers many options for weekly menu planning.  Although they offer a subscription service, you can download many of the sample weekly menus for free.  My favorite thing about these menus is that they include a complete shopping list, so you can buy everything you need for that week’s menu in one shopping trip.  I also like the “Freezer Meals” section, because I’m an aspiring freezer cook and always looking for ideas for make-ahead meals.
• Going from the kitchen to the outdoors, I liked Dr. Weill’s tip, The Benefits of Gardening.  I have a small patio garden that I love to work on, and I can attest to the beneficial effects of gardening, both physical and mental.  Because I spend every day at work (and then at home) in front of the computer, I find physical outdoor activity such as gardening very therapeutic and relaxing.  As an added benefit, I then have a beautiful sanctuary to use for further relaxation and enjoyment.  (On the same page, you can also subscribe to receive free daily tips like this one from Dr. Weill on health and well-being topics, which I always find very enlightening and educational.)

Every Monday, I will do a digest of articles and news that may be of interest to my readers.

• My article How to Go from Overwhelmed to Productive was featured this week in two blog carnivals: FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness and The Carnival of Family Life.  Both of these carnivals feature some fantastic articles on important topics that are worth reading about. 
• Also on the subject of personal productivity, I was intrigued by the following article by Steve Pavlina: How to Create a Personal Productivity Scaffold.  As someone who never seems to have enough hours in the day to get everything done and has trouble staying focused at work, I appreciated this simple approach to setting up my day for success.
• Yesterday I wrote about how to choose a baby name; a recent Wall Street Journal article, The Baby-Name Business illustrates how some parents take something as personal as that to an extreme, even going as far as hiring consultants and numerologists to come up with a “perfect” name for their child.  It also underscores the underlying anxiety that today’s parents experience when it comes to naming their baby.