Maryann Jacobsen's Blog, page 13

Fall Dinner Rotation 2017

 

I’ve had this rotation going for a while and am just now getting to writing this. But it’s still fall!

We moved over the summer and it kind of derailed my cooking. It has taken a while for me to get back into the groove and lately I’ve been trying new things.

One meal that went over really well was Mom’s Kitchen Handbook’s Chicken Parm. This won my husband over which is not easy to do. The chicken was moist and I served i...

Forget Having “The Talk” with Your Child. How to Normalize Sexual Development with Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo [Podcast]

Many parents plan to have “the talk” with their children about sex and sexual development at some point. In the movies, this is shown as a grand gesture that happens on one magical day (one parent ask the other “did you have the talk with him?”).

Today’s guest shows us why society has this one all wrong. There isn’t one perfect day we realize it’s time to set our child aside and enlighten her with information. It’s something that should be a natural part of conversations that starts early. Af...

My New Book: What Does Your Tummy Say?

Since my kids were little, I’ve consistently asked them What Does Your Tummy Say? Now that they are 8 and 10, I still say it. It’s a habit aimed at helping them to tune into their feelings of hunger and fullness. It’s not all cupcakes and rainbows though.

They sometimes ignore the fullness if they are eating something super tasty they haven’t had in a while (I remind them they can have more another time). And other times they don’t fill it up enough (I remind them to be sure they filled their...

Learning to Love My Wrinkles in an Anti-Aging World

I had my 30-year high school reunion over the summer. I really didn’t think much about the gravity of three decades until it got closer. The week before I found myself rushing to the store to buy neck cream (results in two weeks….darn!) and anti-aging moisturizer.

I realize at this point, when 50 is closer than 40, that I have some decisions to make about how I want to proceed. It’s so easy to go into anti-aging mode: lament to friends about wrinkles, spend money on anything anti-aging, and d...

How to Communicate and Build a Stronger Relationship with Your Child. Parent Effectiveness Training with Kelly Meier [Podcast]

 

There are many ways parents discipline their children including timeouts, withholding devices or toys, and using rewards. Rewards and punishments do help shape behavior in the short-term but miss the mark when it comes to teaching kids how to deal with difficult emotions and learn problem-solving skills.

Episode 10 of The Healthy Family Podcast is all about a different way to discipline that connects us to our children, i...

How to Get Your Child Through Puberty Without Hating Their (Growing) Body

You’ve heard that growth skyrockets during puberty. Your child likely has heard about this too. Still, the changes that occur during puberty can be quite a transition for everyone. Worry that our kids’ growth isn’t on the right track is normal for everyone involved. So it pays to understand what growth typically looks like for boys and girls during puberty.

When families don’t understand what’s going on and fail to communicate, puberty can be a “perfect storm” for body dissatisfaction and the...

My Top 5 Process Goals for the 2017 School Year

 

My kids start school this Monday, the 28th. I’m always excited to get back to working more instead of stealing time where I can. We always seem to be ready for the new school year like we are ready for summer at the end of the school year.

Each year I have goals for the year. Some are repeats (kids help more) and others are brand new. They all focus on the process instead of the outcome. And there seems to be a lot of new...

Sustainable Behavior Change with Michelle Segar [Podcast]

Why do some people exercise through stressful times and others stop? Why does one mom put her self-care at the top of the priority list while another puts everyone’s else needs first?

For a quarter of a century, Michelle Segar has tried to crack the code on why some people lose motivation for healthy habits, and others don’t. She’s not interested in helping people change their behavior. No, she wants to help people sustain health-oriented behaviors. In part 3 of our behavior series, we get in...

Want Your Child to Eat Healthy as an Adult? Adopt These 5 Strategies

For the last several years I’ve collected studies that examine the relationship between adult eating habits and childhood feeding. Not just how kids eat today, but what type of adult eaters they become. It’s what’s behind my 20 years later posts and, to be honest, it’s somewhat of an obsession.

Now, this type of research doesn’t prove cause and effect. There are limits to looking back in time (called retrospective studies) and making connections. But when you couple this research with what is...

Tiny Habits with BJ Fogg [Podcast]

Does this sound familiar? You try to add a new habit and for a while, it goes well….until life gets in the way. The new exercise routine gets pushed aside when work gets busy. Your vow to keep the house clean slowly goes down the (messy) toilet. Having your child read/do chores/cook/ over the summer goes nowhere because he is so darn resistant.

On today’s show, we have a leading expert who shows us that building new habits doesn’t need to be hard. No, it can actually be easy, rewarding, and e...