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Showing posts from November 16, 2016

Clean Eating Thursday Recipe Linkup – Cranberry Recipes

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I love cranberries. That tart flavor with a balance of sweetness is perfect for the autumn months, and they are so good for you to boot! So today, I thought I would ask healthy food bloggers from… Read more → from The Gracious Pantry http://ift.tt/2fyS6Nq

Holiday Gift Guide for Toddlers

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Alternate title: Toys Our Little Guy Actually Plays With Has anyone started their holiday shopping yet? I’m usually not someone who is ahead of the game, but now that I have a child, I can’t help myself. I see things that I know Quinn will love and just have to buy them. I mean, Amazon Prime … hello, stuff comes right to your house with two clicks! Ok, so I already bought Qman this  Wooden Doll House  that I know he will lovvveee (like so much) as well as this  Melissa & Doug Scissor Skills Activity Book  because he is obsessed with all things scissors nowadays. He’s also loving gears and screws, so I was planning to buy him the  Gearation Refrigerator Magnets  that he fell in love with at Dave and Marie’s house a couple of weeks ago, but then I found this ridiculous  Set for Building Endless Creations with Gears, Interlocking Blocks, Screws and More , which, of course, is wayyyyy cooler. Oh, boy… decisions. Even though I want to buy Quinn a zillion new toys for Christmas, h

Can You Harness the Placebo Effect For Yourself?

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Every parent reading this has dealt extensively in placebo: the analgesic effect of the ouchie kiss. When your child bumps his head or skins her knee, the quickest way to ease the pain isn’t a Band-Aid, ice pack, or Tylenol. It’s a kiss. Works every time. “But your kid only  thinks it’s helping. You’re just tricking him.” Maybe. So what? In common parlance, “placebo” is a bad thing connoting uselessness, ineffectiveness, and treachery. Placebos are smoke and mirrors. Snake oil. Even the words clinicians use to describe the placebo arm of a trial—sham treatment, dummy pill, sugar pill—suggest placebo effects are nuisances impeding scientific progress. They’re inert. Their complete pharmacologically inactive nature defines them. But I’m here to argue that the placebo isn’t just a necessary artifact of randomized controlled trials. It describes a very real effect that people can probably use to improve their lives. First of all, there is no single placebo effect. There are placebo

A Boy And His Dog

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Technically, Gus isn’t  Mazen’s  dog (he belongs to my beau), but M sure loves hanging out with him! Gus loves him back, pillow forts and all!! He is such a good sport! I have never had a dog (in my whole life) and didn’t know if I would ever get one (or ever love one, for that matter), but I can say that Gus is the sweetest dog! He’s very well trained, and has such a great personality. He is technically not allowed on the couch, but he often puts his paws in your lap for a hug when you’re sitting down. Yes, the hair cloud that he leaves behind drives me a little crazy, but I’m getting used to it : ) So is my cordless Dyson! Gus eats dog food. Mazen likes to give him dog bone cookies. We hope he doesn’t have an appetite for piggies! We eat overnight oats topped with drippy Whole Foods brand almond butter. A simple turkey, tomato, pickle, and cheese sandwich for lunch with chips. I was starving post-strength class! And finally, I’ve been really into panko fish this fall! I