5 things you should know about gluten

As a mother of a child that has both a wheat (gluten) and dairy allergy, I’ve been forced to do extensive research on dietary alternatives. My findings have led me to understand that excessive amounts of gluten in the human body is bad for you (like anything else consumed in excess).

And while the rest of my family have no food allergies, we’ve taken this diet on together and are seeing improvements in our overall health. We are clearer headed, experience less gastrointestinal discomfort and bloating, and we are not as sluggish.

I admit that adopting a gluten-free diet is not an easy thing, especially when the rest of the household are used to their fluffy pancakes, moist chocolate cakes, scrumptious cookies, and hearty pasta, there are some amazing gluten-free versions of food that are giving some of my favorites a run for their money!

I recommend that you read the article and do some of your own research about the benefits of a gluten-free diet and challenge yourself to try it for a week. You have nothing to lose and potentially much to gain!

Are you a professional mom-dancer?

A wonderful part of being a parent is that you get to revisit your favorite things as a child.  And in our house, we revisit our childhoods A LOT.  Optimus and the boys watch original Transformers episodes, and they play with all of the old action figures too.  I get them outside to do things like hopscotch, four square and jump rope.

We also do a lot of dancing.  Now, dancing may not seem like a big deal-especially if you are a young person that still has reason to dance regularly, like to attract a mate, or shake your booty to a Shakira song after attending a Zumba class- but once you slip into parenthood, finding time to dance like adults do tends to fall by the wayside.  But fear not, for dancing is likely to become a regular part of your life!

In our house, we dance to make the kids laugh, stop crying, or our favorite, to celebrate an accomplishment, usually after Tails has success with the potty.  I am not sure how many hours I have clocked in, but I know for certain that I am a professional mom-dancer.  These dances can range from graceful and elegant like a swan to herky jerky like you’re suffering a seizure.  Skill matters not, what matters is the resultant smile that spreads across your child’s face and the great likelihood that he, she or they will join you in the fun!

So if you’re dance skills are rusty, go find a mirror to practice.  If you need a few moves that are easy to remember, try these: the sprinkler, the lawnmower, the shopping cart, and the robot.  And you’ve been gifted a set of two left feet, then do a two step and throw your arms around.

Get your dance on!