I was watching the Oprah show earlier today. She had as guests, Dr. Oz and David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine and author of  ”Eat This, Not That!” series. Their topic was about obesity in kids and the discussion revolved around the how’s and why’s kids end being so overweight. David shared a lot of information about the food choices that are out there in the supermarkets and how to choose wisely.

As parents, we all want to raise normal, healthy kids and sometimes our food decisions aren’t always the best ones simply because we lack information. We have evolved into a “fast-food” generation where everything is quick and easy but not necessarily healthy. Hence, the rise of liposuction, diet pills and all sorts of weight-loss products. Although, these books are geared more towards the American consumer, still, there is much to be gleaned from them because a lot of these products are now available locally in major supermarkets. If you want to know if ‘regular bacon’ is healthier than ‘turkey bacon’, you gotta read the book. You’ll be surprised. So before you reach out for that bag of chips and that box of “multi-grain’ something, read the back label or better yet get yourself a copy of these books.

Check out these books. They are available at Amazon.com and you can read more reviews by those who have bought them. You might even qualify for their Free Super Saver Shipping. (Click on the links to get there)

Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds–or More!

Eat This Not That! for Kids!: Be the Leanest, Fittest Family on the Block!

We just got back from a homeschooling meeting today and it’s amazing to see how our motley group has increased. I was particularly encouraged by one of the dads who gave a little talk on his experiences as a homeschooling dad. One thing that he said that really made an impact on me was the fact that the Industrial Revolution changed how families interacted. Fathers were no longer as visible in their homes because they were called to work in offices and factories.

Why the impact on me? because in a previous post I made about homeschooling, I included a list of luminaries who were homeschooled and a good number of them belonged to the era prior to the Industrial Revolution. It makes me feel so blessed to have a husband who is passionate about teaching our kids in this day and age. So here’s a little bit more about our early homeschool beginnings.

Years ago before our first child was born, while my husband and I were in the US we explored the possibilities of homeschooling. Taking advantage of a local homeschool fair in Chandler, Arizona, we bought several books and resource materials for us to help us make that crucial decision… to homeschool or not to homeschool. One of those books that we bought was this book, The Well Trained Mind. It remained in our bookcase and gathered dust for a while until the time came for it to resurrect and ever since, it has been the book I always go back to, to check if we are still on track when it comes to homeschooling our kids. 

“This book provides you with the techniques, curriculum, and resources necessary to ensure that your child’s education is the best it can be.” – The Well Trained Mind website.

My husband and I have homeschooled our son for three years and he is now entering grade three. Soon our youngest will be ‘officially’ homeschooled as well. As far as homeschooling is concerned we are always trying to assess and regroup, junk what doesn’t work and keep what does and bring in something new to take it to the next level.  I already know which book to grab to help me go back to my basics. There are guide books and there are GUIDE books. In my opinion this belongs to the last group. It is not THE ultimate resource book but it blends quite well with the rest of the resources that we use for our kids and what suits OUR lifestyle. A Classical Method of Education with a Principle Approach using Literature based materials and Real Books that present a Biblical World view – this is our goal.

So if you do get a chance to find it while you are browsing in a bookstore, check it out. I saw a copy of this book just recently at Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street in case you hang out there or you can also get it online at buy.com

Authors : Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer

I give this book 4 Got teys.T smacks!