Heat and tough days ... oh, and a glass of milk

Photo by Sharee Basinger

It's hot. Really, really hot.

Work is challenging (to put it kindly), and my Internet is plaguing me with difficulties. Needless to say, I'm a bit grumpy today. Actually, I've been pretty grumpy all week. I do not like heat. I do not like trying to appease hard-to-please clients. I do not enjoy repeated calls to my Internet provider (and by now, they know it).

Do you ever have weeks like that? How do you put everything back into perspective? For me, I have to keep focusing on the fact that the temps will eventually drop, this project will wrap up (hopefully today!) and in heaven, there will be no computers : )

In the meantime, I'm hoping for a productive and successful day here in this heat. And I'm really hoping the electricity doesn't go out, as they are calling for brownouts across the region. If my AC goes out, I just might melt away.

But nothing I've said is particularly useful to any of you. So here are a couple of tidbits I've read lately and thought I'd share:

Milk. It does a body good, right? Well, apparently not for kids if they're drinking too much of it! According to Claire McCarthy, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston, children who drink more than 16 - 24 ounces of milk per day are at a greater risk of constipation, anemia and becoming overweight. Who knew? I certainly didn't. I've never liked milk and could literally gag just thinking about drinking it, but that's beside the point. I know many of you give milk to your kids and wanted to post this warning, in case you have a milk-guzzler in your home. And remember, after they turn 2, make the switch to low-fat milk. Of course, as far as possible, please stick to organic milk as well. Your kids really don't need all those hormones and antibiotics regulary found in conventional milk, right?

Vincent Ianelli, M.D. recommends giving your toddler smaller doses of milk at a time. Instead of pouring in 8 ounces, stick to 3 or 4 sippy cups each day with 4 to 5 ounces in them. Your little one won't notice the difference. Also, watch their juice intake. When kids fill up on milk and juice, they're less apt to eat healthy doses of good-for-them food. You don't want them coming to the dinner table full. And, this should go without saying, stay away from the soda!!

That's it for today. Time to get back to the project from ... well, you know. It's rumored to be hot there, too.

Keeping it healthy,

Hana