More Hair clips

~Red Hydrangeas~

~Little Brown Bear~

~Strawberry Sprinkled Doughnut~

~Custard-Pie~

~Clippies~ Handmade Hair Clips

~Purply Posies~

~Bee, bee bumblebee~

~Red, red strawberry~

~Cuppy Cupcake~

Understanding the dangers of a toxic colon

Here are some staggering facts and statistics about the state of the human colon:

Get the FACTS:

• The healthy transit time of food through our body is less than 24 hours.


• Today, with processed foods lacking enzymes and natural fibers and loaded with refined sugar, combined with a more sedentary and less active lifestyle, the transit time is slowing down to 70 hours!
  
• Many experts believe that the average person has 5-20 pounds of accumulated waste matter in their colon. While a person with a toxic colon can have 40 pounds or more.


• In the USA, over 100,000 colostomy surgeries are performed each year to remove part or all of a diseased colon.


• The National Institute of Health published a survey that showed 4.5 million Americans are constipated most or all the time.


• In the USA, over 2.5 million doctor visits per year are made by patients who complain of constipation.


• 80% of all disease and discomfort is related to a toxic colon - due to impacted fecal matter.
  

A Healthy Colon
The colon, or large intestine, is an important part of the digestive system. It is often referred to as the sewer system of the body.
The human colon must handle the bulk of the food we eat. Its lining includes sensitive nerves and glands that aid in the assimilation of food - especially vitamins, enzymes and water.
When the colon is working properly, its peristaltic (muscular, wave like) motions move food through the system and eliminate unassimilated substances in the form of waste within 16-24 hours of eating.
A healthy individual, with a clean and healthy colon, will have two bowel movements per day. They should be large, well formed, buoyant and not accompanied by a foul odor.
Needless to say, a healthy colon is essential to a healthy body.

What Is A Toxic Colon?
Over time, your colon may become unhealthy and lose its ability to properly eliminate all the waste materials from your digestive tract. This is due to a combination of the following: Poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, drug intake, lifestyle and a variety of other factors.
When the human colon becomes less active, the body does not eliminate its waste materials as effectively. Therefore, when the elimination process is not functioning properly, deposits of waste matter build up along the wall of your colon or in the pockets of the colon.
Normally, your body pushes waste out of your colon in 16 to 24 hours. When you're not able to eliminate properly, these wastes remain in your body for days.
Even worse, if some of this waste material deposits along the colon wall, it may not leave for months or even years. Amazingly, these deposits of hardened fecal matter can get to be 2 or 3 inches thick and as hard as tire rubber.
The average healthy person who is not constipated will carry about 5-20 pounds of fecal matter in their intestines and colon at any one time. However, people who are constipated or irregular can be carrying up to 40 pounds or more of this toxic fecal matter, which is continually poisoning their body and organs.

Effects Of A Toxic Colon
As I mentioned earlier, 80% of all disease and discomfort can be related to a toxic colon. Yet, most people are unaware they have an unhealthy colon. People are not making the connection between an unhealthy colon and an unhealthy body. However, an unhealthy colon can adversely affect your total health, including all the systems of your body.
If we abuse and neglect our colon and hinder the elimination process, the toxins that should be removed will continue to build up and be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. This creates a serious health issue known as autointoxication or self-poisoning.
Autointoxication is the process in which the body literally poisons itself by maintaining a cesspool of decaying matter in its colon. This inner cesspool can contain as high a concentration of harmful bacteria as a cesspool under a house.
The toxins released by the decay process get into the bloodstream and travel to all parts of the body. Every cell in the body gets affected, and many forms of sickness can result. Because it weakens the entire system, autointoxication can be considered a cause for nearly any disease.

Need More Proof?
In addition to the alarming information I've listed above, here's more proof of the harmful effects a toxic colon has on your body.
A toxic colon can...

• Weaken and stress your heart.


• Cause skin blemishes, paleness, psoriasis, liver spots and wrinkles.


• Irritate the lungs and cause bad breath.


• Affect the brain, disturb mental functions and cause senility.


• Cause pain and stiffness in the joints and contribute to arthritis.


• Cause muscle weakness and fatigue.
  
• Rob you of your youth, ruin your wellness and cause premature aging
  
  Many experts believe that all diseases begin in the colon! Not only does the decaying food produce toxic substances and provide a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, but it also blocks the intestine from absorbing good nutrients. This all leads to an unhealthy body.

My Herbalife experience

Our health usually doesn't concern us until, someone or ourselves experience a life changing experience. When I was small, my mom would get kidney stones often because of her rigourous work selling eggs. She would get operations often and keep the stones as a souvenir. I never really understood the danger of kidney stones until her problem became worse in the past few years. Her kidney began to fail and after many visits to the hospital for dialysis, her kidney needed complete rest. She got her new kidney in the past 2 years, and thank God there were no problems. She is currently on medication for life, and has to eat special meals and distilled water. She has regular check-ups and visits to the doctor.

After I had my second daughter, I began to experience frequent bone flu, headaches, fatigue, and cough and cold were a regular. My body had begun telling me that I needed more rest than before, and need extra nutrition to fulfill daily requirments.

I knew about Herbalife since my aunt began using the facial products back when I was still a teenager. This product came back to visit me when I my cousin, Chris came to Jakarta. He began telling me about some of the products and the greatness of them. During that time, I only nodded when he spoke and went on with what I did. However, when I went to stay with him in Singapore in April 2009, this product became an intrest for my husband. After some weighing and photos in Singapore, my husband went back to Jakarta and became intrested to try. Chris came to Jakarta and we started our miraculous healthy life. I only became intrested when my husband had consumed the products for a month.

I did not believe in these products because I thought they were just another expensive supplement. But to my surprise, when I began drinking the shake, I discovered many changes in my body! Now, this is no joke, because for me to really feel a difference in my body, it would take a miracle. After the shake, I began to have daily bowel movements, more regular menstruation cyles, and my hunger felt controlled. I became intrested in the Herbal Tea as it is known for its wonderous abilities to keep you focused. My teaching hours would cause me to become sleepy before noon, and hungry every 2 hours. The tea is absolutely MAGICAL! I no longer felt sleepy during my teaching times, and felt hungry on normal meal times.

It became clear to me how important something as simple as bowel movement could be so dangerous! I use to have bowel movements once in every 2 -3 days. And for some reason, I never thought that this could be dangerous. But after I watched a dvd on toxic colon, frequent bowel movements seems to be extremely important! A lot of people in the U.S are a victim of toxic colon. Their body consumes too much, and nothing really is thrown out.

Please read my next blog about toxic colon.

Understanding the Montessori Method

The Montessori method is a program I find to be the best learning process for children. It is a process in which children learn at their own pace at a safe and caring enovironement.Established world-wide, the Montessori Method has proven successful with children from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. It has been effectively used with gifted as well as physically and intellectually disabled children.
Dr. Maria Montessori was, in many ways, ahead of her time. Born in Italy in 1870 she was originally a medical doctor who brought the scientific methods of observation, experimentation and research to the study of children, their development and education.

The Qualities of Children
Her new approaches to education revealed that children worldwide possessed qualities and abilities (unsuspected until that time) that seemed to have been awaiting release. Among these qualities are:

1. High level of concentration. Previously it was considered that children had short attention spans. Dr Montessori was amazed to observe the length of time that very young children would choose to attend to tasks which interested them.
2. Love of repetition. On their own, children would choose to practice things they were trying to master over and over again.
3. Love of order. Whereas we normally think of children as messy, Dr Montessori found that young children have a natural inclination for organization and orderliness. This natural inclination can be helped and developed if provision is made to foster it.
4. Freedom of choice. Children like to choose things they do. If materials are set out for children so that they have easy access to them, children will choose, take and replace them without the need of assistance from an adult.
5. Children prefer work to play. Adults tend to think children only want to play and not work. However, Dr Montessori found that play was a substitute for what the children really wanted to do, but couldn’t. For example children like to play “house”.
6. No need for reward and punishment. Montessori discovered that children are intrinsically motivated to work. They do not need external rewards and punishments. What they need is help.
7. Lovers of silence. Whereas it is easy to think of children as noisy, Montessori discovered that young children enjoy finding out how quiet they can be. Visitors to a Montessori classroom are struck by the orderliness and calm of the children. There is a buzz of conversation and activity, but not to the extent that one child or group disturbs another.
8. Sense of personal dignity. Children want to be capable and held in high regard. They want to be able to do things for themselves. A child would rather tie his own shoe laces than have them tied.
9. Desire to read and write. In the beginning, Dr Montessori didn’t believe that young children of four and five years of age should be involved in reading and writing. However, the children showed such interest that she provided some beginning materials.

The methods of the Montessori education are also very interesting to know:

A Montessori program is different in a number of ways:

1. It teaches to individuals instead of to groups
2. Children learn through experience rather than through listening and having to remember.
3. The Montessori curriculum is much broader than many other programs.
4. With regard to discipline, in a Montessori program the emphasis is on self-discipline developed through helping a child learn how to appropriately meet needs rather than disciplining through the use of rewards and punishments.
5. In a Montessori classroom the organisation of the room allows children easy access to a variety of learning experiences.
6. The materials in a Montessori classroom are carefully designed and thoroughly researched to fit the developmental needs and characteristics of children.
7. The Montessori method of helping a child is through a process of showing a child what to do in a positive manner.
8. The Montessori Program is systematic and carefully sequenced according to principles of development. Every activity is carefully thought out to build upon previous preparation and to lead on to a more complex activity.
9. The Montessori program is designed to develop independence and responsibility.
10. The routine of the Montessori program is based on the principle of freedom of choice, rather then on set times for prescribed activities.
11. In Montessori Programs children are viewed as positive beings whose primary work is the construction of an adult.

The Montessori Preschool

The preschool room is attractive, with many carefully designed materials and activities. The children are free to engage in any activities that interest them. They can work by themselves, or with a friend, or a group of friends. They can spend as much time as needed in any activity. They have opportunities to do things they see parents do at home. They can prepare food such as grating carrots, peeling tomatoes, cutting bananas, cracking nuts, or squeezing oranges. They can do carpentry such as hammering, nailing and sawing. They can learn to tie shoes, use a zip, and buttons. They can listen to music, sing, dance, and learn to play an instrument. They can paint, draw, work with clay, learn to sew, make masks or puppets. They can learn to count or make words. They can look at books about all the wonderful things in the world around them. They can look at a globe and look at pictures taken from different parts of the world. And, they can run, climb, play games, and have fun with their friends. They can sit on a knee and hug a teacher.

Door displays

My other door display :)

a crayon box

Door Display

My door display... :)

Used a glue gun to stick the web!

Display Board

Displays and display boards aid a childs understanding of the UOI (unit of inquiry)..

Here is one of my display boards that I made for ages 2-3, a unit called, Under the Sea.

Our health at risk

As we watch the world crumble in our hands, we have also begun to notice the crumbling of our health. Our once, beautiful earth is experiencin the cancer of a lifetime. Chemo and radiation have only caused global warming and pollution.
Our health will also experience these problems if we do not take the initiative to nourish it. Good health begins with the correct breakfast. The rest of your day really depends on how it started in the begining. I have had the opportunity to experience this simple and miraculous change in just days. Starting off your day with a protein-based diet ceases hunger before lunch hour. It can also regulate your blood sugar and insulin level which basically means fixing your eating habits and fatigue. Here in Jakarta, people prefer the carb-based diet. Their perception on this issue circulates on the thinking that carbs make you full, thus you feel energised. Little is understood that with a carb-based program, your day is like a vertical pendulumn: get hungry, eat, after eat = sleepy. Then wake up hungry, and the cycle continues. Starting off the right way, stablizes your body clock, which then triggers a fresh energy and strong focus daily.
When our mindset is focused on staying healthy, our work and life follows after. In an 'instant' world filled with preservatives and artificial colours, we must be able to protect our body from crumbling

Parent Education and Early Childhood

In Jakarta, preschools and early childhood education and development centers have become a business. The attractive features and curriculums they exclaim have made parents question the significance of having their child enter school at such an early age. Some parents are guilty of placing their children under the false pretenses that these programs are designated and built to make their child get a head start in kindergarten, while others are in it for the sake of other parents questioning why their child has not entered school. The importance of early education can not be denied that it may give the child a boost in later years, but the quality of education does not necessarily come from schools. It can be taught from home, morning walks, trips to the grocery store, visits to parks, zoos and other educational centers. What I believe to be the core of every education starts from home. Of course, we must rule out working mothers, as they have a different role, and need the benefits of a quality education.
Each individual child should reach some independence as early as 2 years. These can be taught from watching their mothers do chores, washing clothes, and other simple activities such as cooking and making up the bed. Children have a natural instinct to copy and follow their parents, so teaching them to make their bed and clean up after themselves should be quite simple. The key to it is patience, and repetition. A child’s brain is exceptionally quick and smarter than you think. They are able to create a number of ways to make you buy them what they want from a simple cry to dragging themselves on the floor in public. These are not signs of disciplinary problems or spoilt ness, but rather smart thinking. From teaching household chores to your child, you are giving them a chance to be more intelligent than others because you are educating independence. And every human is made successful with independence as a pillar in their life. Independence will give you child a chance to make simple decisions such as whether or not he or she prefers chocolate or white milk, how much he or she should take from the bowl so that there will be no waste.
Another area we have to understand is teaching decision making. Decision making is not an easy task for children to grasp when are not given that privilege while still under the age of 5. After the age of 5, their core characteristics are born and become the foundation of their life. Thus, after the age of 5, when they are not used to making their own decisions, they tend to follow the lead of their parents and constantly ask for ‘permission.’ But teaching them decision making at an early age allows them to be familiar with responsibility. If they have siblings, teaching them decision making will lead them to understand about being responsible. Being responsibile in this sense means looking after their siblings. When they are exposed to responsibility, they come to understand completing simple tasks. This canr range from naturally brining their dirty plates to the kitchen, and cleaning up after themselves.

To be continued....