So – by now we all know that independence is one of the double-edge swords that comes with toddlerhood. I’ve read enough to know that I’m supposed to keep hold of my patience and just let my daughter put her own shoes on, or get undressed herself, to encourage that independence. We’re not quite there yet – she can take off her shirt but not the whole outfit, for example.

But on this rocky road to independence, we’ve made some progress and I’m learning a few things too. For the past 5 months or so, darling daughter has resisted, quite aggressively, any attempts on my part to hold her hand when walking around. What is problematic about this is that we live in a old neighborhood without sidewalks. The homes were built in the 30s and there was no reason for sidewalks then.

Well now, I can think of many reasons WHY we need sidewalks but the main one is obviously for the safety of the kids. You can see why DD not holding my hand is a problem because she definitely does not understand the danger of cars.

So – I bravely fought this battle with her and it seems I’ve won this one, after five months of perseverance. She now, very sweetly, will hold my hand when we go walk to see a fake bunny at the end of one neighbor’s driveway every night, without fail.

And something really sweet has happened along the way. Everyone talks about how you need to slow down your life when you have a baby and move at the baby’s pace and respond to the baby. But what about the toddler? I’ve found that by slowing down to her pace and walking, hand-in-hand with her, every night, to see this fake bunny that gives her endless amounts of pleasure, we end up on a 20 minute adventure to walk the distance of two houses.

She stops and notices everything along the way. She wants to inspect the leaves, the puddles, a doggie walking by, so we stop and we admire and gaze and soak it all in. The best part is when she needs a break by the time she’s reached the mid-way point of our neighbor’s house. So, we sit on the curb, and we just sort of watch things go by.

We talk about the cars going by, we talk about her day, we talk about the “hop hop” that is going to go “nigh nigh” after we see it and say “bye bye.”

And this toddler time is like my version of yoga. It never ceases to amaze me how much time we can spend just slowly soaking in the little things that I would normally blow past. So for now, I don’t mind moving at her pace each evening and just seeing what’s in store for us en route to the “hop hop.” It’s cathartic and it’s precious and it’s always an adventure.

Is it wrong that I find that commercial with the people dancing about how they have the runs, upset stomach or heartburn, amusing? I think I even found it interesting and amusing to discuss bowel movements before becoming a parent, where nary a day passes without talk of poop. Fortunately for moi, the talk has progressed from obsessively keeping track of numbers of poops and pees a day, to fretting over constipation and needing to use suppositories, to the shock of how the poop changes when you introduce food (yes, kittens, it does get worse), to now talking about poopie on the potty like a big girl.

We’re big time in my house. Big time poop talkers.

So, all this talk of bodily functions has gotten me to thinking about how much I prefer natural remedies to common problems over and above using medicine. Now – let’s be clear on a few things. I like medical doctors, I go to one, as does my husband and daughter. I like hospitals when they are needed. I despise people who don’t get their children immunized. And before we go any further, I am not a naturopathic doctor. I’m just a gal who has an opinion and you’re going to get mine again…it helps that I have a sister who is fully commited to natural remedies and a mother, who is also a nurse, and is equally as commited to natural remedies where appropriate.

So, let’s begin. Today’s entry is really meant to give helpful tips, particularly with the Fall and cold season around the corner. I’ve gathered together my resident experts (read: my sister) to compile this useful list of tips:

For those with a stomach ache: peppermint tea or putting ginger in your food should help. Also ginger tea is a great friend to you.

For those with the runs: blackberry root tea (while sometimes nasty) will help you faster than you can believe.

For those with constipation, yes, I’m talking to you preggo’s out there in particular: flax seed is your BFF. Grind it up and sprinkle it over your cereal or into your yogurt and you wouldn’t believe how fast it will give you the relief that you need. An added perk is that it helps fight prostate cancer, so I believe it should be added to the husband’s food. If your husband is anything like mine, no need to advertise that you’ve added it into the pancake mix….just do it. And when he boasts on how regular he is, like a champion horse, indulge him and his powerful digestive system. 

Also, I have sad news for you if you have constipation problems. I particularly hate sharing this with the preggo’s: you should avoid dairy. C’est vrai. Suggesting avoiding cheese on KT warrants severe punishment but sometimes sacrifices must be made.

Moving away from life without cheese, for those who feel a cold coming on: avoid sugar, it weakens your immune system, consume garlic like it’s going out of style (also a plus if you don’t feel like having sex with your husband, your stench is bound to offend at least him), consume Vitamin A for three days, and increase your Vitamin D intake.

If you, or your parents, have inflammation or arthritic problems, tumeric is your new best friend. C’est vrai. My own mother will attest to the relief its brought her severely arthritic fingers. Drop a tsp of tumeric into something, like yogurt, every day. Also pineapple helps, as does avoiding vegetables like potatos, eggplant, bell peppers. Cod Liver oil is also a help in the fight against arthritis.

And finally, in addition to eating your veggies and fruits, drinking lots of water and green tea, Vitamin D is a great vitamin to take on a daily basis because it apparently helps fight cancer.  You can find out more at: www.naturpathic.org

And, you don’t need to worry about making a special trip to Whole Foods (or “Whole Paycheck” as my husband not-so-fondly calls it), most of these items you can find at your favorite local Safeway or regular old grocery store.