Nothing is more annoying than hiccups that won’t go away.

Now, I know this sounds strange but this remedy worked for me when I was a kid. And now, it works for my kids. Here is our family’s panacea to cure hiccups.

Just take a mouthful of water. Bend at the waist so you are almost upside down - we are talking nose to knees - and while upside down, drink the water. The hiccups stop.

Remember, try this at your own risk - I am not responsible for any pulled hamstrings or otherwise that may result!

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Here is an offer that I found at drugstore.com. From now until July 11, 2008 you can save $4 on each bottle of Zyrtec 30 count or more. Shop through this link: Instant Coupons on drugstore.com. Just click & save!. You will be taken to the “instant coupon” page at drugstore.com. From there you choose the special offer on Zyrtec. When you click that link you will be taken to the order selection page where you can choose either a 30 count or 45 count bottle. Check add to bag and then you will see the $4 Zyrtec coupons subtracted off of the already discounted price of one bottle only.

At the time of this writing that puts the total cost of the 30 count bottle at $15.99 and the cost of the 45 count bottle at $22.99. That’s a pretty good deal - especially if you take advantage of free shipping on orders over $25. Of course, there is only one coupon per order and maybe even per address. I am sure that prices are subject to change without notice and all that. But I know that allergy sufferers will appreciate any Zyrtec coupons that come their way.

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So if you are anything like me, you are standing in front of your open kitchen cabinet staring at the rainbow of your investment in BPA inside and seriously debating whether you should throw every last one away.

But then what? Obviously, the bottles must be replaced. Kids need them for sports and school - and hey, you were supposed to be doing something good for the environment by buying reusable bottles in the first place, right?

So what replacements can you buy that are BPA free bottles? The last thing I want to do is run out and buy new water bottles, only to find out their are equally as dangerous. So, I have been reading up on the subject and this is what I have learned.

• First, single use PET water bottles - the kind you buy bottled water in (like Evian and Poland Spring) are meant to be single use only. Apparently this plastic degrades over time and is also difficult to clean. My take is that because of their disposable nature, even though they are recyclable, they are not the best choice for the environment. Yet they are very convenient.
• Polycarbonate bottles the clear, often colorful, hard plastic variety, are the kind to be weary of. These bottles may contain a harmful chemical. The ones that contain BPA may be marked with a number 7 recycling code or the letters PC or possibly both. Here is the confusing part - there apparently is such a thing as BPA free polyethersulfone. These bottles will be marked a number 7 recycling code but not the PC.
• A softer plastic bottle is made from a plastic called HDPE, usually marked with a recycling code of number 2. These bottles are generally not clear in color. At this point no health problems are known with this type of plastic. The same goes for bottles marked with a recycling code of number 5.
• Stainless steel seems to be the best alternative, with no leaching of chemicals at all.

Most of my information is from two articles that I read. One was called Freshen Up Your Drink on page 65 of the March 24, 2008 issue of Time Magazine and the other was from an article entitled A new focus on plastic ingredient in bottles and cans on page 10 of the May 2008 issue of Consumer Reports.

OK - stainless steel bottles seem to be the way to go. One such brand is Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottles. I purchased one of these bottles and was very happy with it. The downside is that the stainless steel bottles are more expensive than the plastic variety. And if you have forgetful children, well, at this price you don’t want to be leaving these bottles behind.

Another brand of metal water bottles that I considered but ultimately rejected was Sigg. These bottles are popping up everywhere as an environmentally sound alternative to plastic water bottles. The Sigg bottles are made from recyclable and reusable aluminum. However, the inside of the Sigg bottle is coated with a lining. Does this lining contain BPA - the very thing that I am trying to avoid? The answer is unclear. This informative article at TreeHugger.com attempts to answer that question and even interviewed the Sigg CEO Steve Wasik. It seems that Mr. Wasik danced around that answer because the formula for the lining is top secret or “confidential” as he puts it. To his credit, Sigg did hire an independent lab to evaluate the water bottles and the lab found no detectable BPA in new Sigg bottles or in considerably used Sigg bottles that were 2 years old. This gives me some level of comfort but I still just want to know if the product that I am buying contains BPA or not. And this “confidential” stuff seems a bit shady and does not give me any kind of confidence.

Finally, I just saw an ad today for Camelbak BPA Free Better Bottles. Now it just so happens that one of what may now be considered a Camelbak BPA Full Not So Better Bottle is sitting on my shelf. Given the recent BPA awareness Camelbak has reformulated its own offerings. The Camelbak BPA Free Better Bottles are similar in appearance to the old polycarbonate bottles - meaning that they are made of a clear, colorful, hard plastic. But the new version does not contain BPA. They are actually made from a New Tritan material. Hmmmm. Call me old fashioned or once bitten twice shy, but since I have no idea what a New Tritan material really is, I am reluctant to try it. Who knows what health issues may surface with these down the road.

Do you now understand my confusion with BPA free bottles? I cannot even offer any parenting tips on which bottle to buy. To me, the best choice is the stainless steel bottle, despite the cost. Maybe tomorrow I’ll offer up some parenting advice on how to cultivate responsibility in children so they won’t lose their expensive water bottles.

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Is BPA Safe for Your Family?

Hello NeenMachine.com readers! I am sure most of you have heard the term BPA or Bisphenol-A tossed around in the news frequently over the past few weeks. You may have even encountered a small riot on the baby bottle isle of your local Target when one frustrated employee was trying to explain to 78 parents in a panic which bottles were safe – and which contained BPA. So what is all the fuss? And should we be concerned?

The short answer is - Bisphenol-A (BPA) has been around for ages and is frequently used in plastic #7 (polycarbonate) and epoxy resins. It has long been regarded as safe in low levels, and you can still find many arguments for the safety of BPA.

However, some studies have shown that even very small levels of BPA can mimic estrogen and throw our hormones out of whack. BPA leaches into liquids when the plastic is heated from direct contact with hot liquids/foods, the microwave, and even the dishwasher. A recent evaluation of BPA indicated there is some cause for concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children - specifically effects of the mammary and prostate glands and an earlier age for puberty in females. Scary stuff.

Prefer the long answer? Check out the National Toxicology Program Brief on Bisphenol A.

What can you do?
Choose baby bottles and sippy cups that are made of glass or safe plastics like polypropylene or polyethersulfone. There are a growing number of great options available, and popular brands like Avent and Dr. Brown’s have announced plans for glass or safe plastic alternatives. You can find a number of BPA-free bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers and other feeding tools at DiapersEtc.com.

• Choose soups and other canned foods that are packaged in aseptic packages instead of cans. Or choose brands like Eden foods that use BPA-free liners in their canned goods. Breastfeed when possible to reduce exposure from canned infant formula. For more information on baby formula recommendations, check out The Environmental Working Group.
• Ask your dentist for sealants that are free of Bisphenol A-derived materials, which can break down into BPA when in contact with saliva. Newer versions of Delton sealants contain the word plus (or the plus sign +) and do not contain any compounds that can break down into BPA.
• Avoid water bottles, like Nalgene, that are made from polycarbonate plastic (#7).
• Avoid food storage containers and utensils made from polycarbonate (#7). Store food in glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers.
• If you must use polycarbonate plastic around food, avoid heating the plastic in the microwave and hand wash with mild soap.

Read more about BPA free bottles here.

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This commercial by Dove may be a bit extreme - but it summarizes all of the body image messages that our daughters are being bombarded with. Messages that tell them that they are not beautiful “as is”. We, as parents, need to be aware of this and the effect that it has on our goal of building self esteem.

Take a peek at the video and tell me what you think. Is it over the top or is it an accurate reflection on how our daughters will someday perceive themselves? What can we do about this - and how can we twist these negative media messages to work on building self esteem instead of breaking it down?

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Nowadays, dairy allergy is very common in children. Unfortunately, the pre-packaged Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Treats bars contain dairy (according to the Kellogg’s website). Does that mean that milk allergic children cannot eat Rice Krispie Treats?

Well, the answer is yes and no. Children with dairy allergy cannot safely eat the pre-package Rice Krispie Treats bars. But with a little effort, mom or dad can make their own dairy free Rice Kripie Treats.

According to the Kellogg’s website, original Rice Krispies Cereal does not contain milk. I previously wrote about how to make homemade Rice Krispie Treats. This simple recipe has only three ingredients - Original Rice Krispies Cereal, marshmallows, and butter. To convert this recipe to dairy free Rice Krispie Treats you need to substitute a dairy free margarine in place of the butter. Make sure to read the ingredients on the margarine to confirm that it does not contain dairy!  Also, confirm (by reading the ingredients) that the marshmallows you are using, and the Rice Krispies (it never hurts to double check the ingredients), all contain safe ingredients.

Once you have made sure that all of the ingredients are dairy free then follow the recipe. Dairy free Rice Krispie Treats that are homemade are a favorite in our house!

If you are feeling a bit creative you can take the homemade Rice Krispie Treats Recipe one step further and make Festive homemade Rice Krispie Treats Holiday Wreaths. This recipe can be easily modified to create Rice Krispie Treats shapes for any occasion. I personally have made this versatile recipe into Valentine’s hearts, Halloween pumpkins, birthday cupcakes, and shamrocks. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

And the bonus is that even non-allergic children line up for this childhood favorite.

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Three kids later (four in total), I have done a complete 180. Why? Because there is no such thing as 1 sick child. Never.

Take the past 2 weeks for instance. Wednesday morning my oldest son announced that his stomach didn’t feel good. And then - Blah!. I will spare you the details.Translation: 2 days home from school plus 1 complete wipedown of the entire house, sheets and towels laundered, and all surfaces sanitized, courtesy of yours truly.

By Friday all was back to normal - and sparkling clean.

And then Saturday night, son #2’s tummy hurts. Blah! Déja vu. One sleepless night and 2 days later the house is once again scrubbed and son #2 is back at school.

But the saga continues …..

Wednesday rolls around again, and you guessed it, #3 and #4 down with the stomach bug. Sheets (once again, no details), towels, comforters, all being washed in our laundry room - apparently open for business 24/7.

Two days later and we are thrice again climbing out from under.

So, if by chance we should meet, you will forgive me if I scream in horror and run away if you should so much as sneeze.

Photo by tanakawho

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Yesterday, knowing that I would have no time in the evening to make dinner, I pulled out my trusty slow cooker (the best kept secret to good parenting!) and one of my favorite cookbooks that is full of excellent vegetarian slow cooker recipes - Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, and got to work.

For some reason, I was feeling a little wild and crazy and decided to try something new. My family is pretty vegetable-ly adventurous and there was a little recipe for white bean and cabbage soup that was beckoning. Hmmm…you see where this is headed.

No one here is a big fan of white beans or cabbage. Separately, I might be able to disguise them enough to trick the troops into a favorable review. But together..? However, I did have both white beans and cabbage on hand this particular day.

Well as the D-hour approached I was almost convinced that my vegetarian soup recipes experiment would be a success - it did smell good. And surprisingly everyone tried it without any coercion. But it really did fall short of yum, even I had to admit that. Tactfully, I was being told that this vegetarian soup recipe wasn’t going to cut it - “It’s really good but I’m not hungry…can I have dessert?” or a more direct “I don’t really like this soup.”

But in the background what did I hear? Clink, clink, clink. The musical sound of spoon against bowl. My son, the “ketchup is a vegetable, isn’t it?” son, the one who won’t try anything if it is any shade of green (candy aisle items, excluded), was ravenously consuming bowl after bowl - “This soup is delicious, mom!” - “This is the best soup ever!”. We all stared at him in amazement. Stranger things have happened, I suppose.

I wonder which of the low fat soup recipes I will have to try for dinner tonight?

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Formulated for children ages 2 years and up, Tums Kids can be used both as stomach acid neutralizer to help with tummy aches and as an additional source of calcium. As always, consult your pediatrician before giving your child any medicine.

In addition Tums has created a useful site for parents, at TumsKids.com. Here they have parenting tips about stomachaches, and tools like a tummy ache tracker, and a kids calcium tracker. I love it when companies are sensitive to the needs of busy parents and proactively create sites like this one.

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There is nothing better than plain yogurt for kids. The flavored yogurts are full of sugar, and what parent needs to feed that to their children? I only wish that this product was out when my kids were toddlers.

What makes yo-baby yogurt stand out from the crowd is that it is made with whole milk, which is excellent for baby’s developing brain and body.

As always ask your pediatrician before introducing new foods to baby.

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