Sunday Snippets

Tidbits of information I picked up this week.

• Put aside $3/day and save a thousand dollars this year! Start this now and you'll have a nice little stash for Christmas shopping or for an RRSP contribution come year end! (Redbook, January 2011)
• The February 2011 issue of Woman's Day reminded me to avoid heating even BPA free plastic in any way ("microwave safe" only means it won't melt - not that it won't leak chemicals; same for the dishwasher; and ensure leftovers are cooled before you place them inside). If you're like me and this sounds complicated, visit http://www.lunchbots.com/ for stainless steel containers.
• Parent's magazine February 2011 issue quotes a 2010 study that children now spend 7.5 hours A DAY using a digital device or watching TV. This is up an hour and 17 minutes/day from the last time the study was done only 5 years ago! This concerned the expert interviewed by the magazine as over-use of interactive media (iPod, computers, video games, etc.) is linked "to childhood obesity, difficulty paying attention, inability to make real-life friends, dulled imagination, low academic performance and increased aggression". So remember to limit screen time to <2 hours/day, encourage reading and hands-on imaginative play, and monitor your childrens' media for quality sites, games or applications that have an added educational value.
• Also from Parent's magazine - another "mitt tip": one mother wrote to the magazine with her solution for mitts that fall off/leak snow - she wraps transparent duct tape (I'm guessing packing tape would work too) around the sleeves of the kids' coats to keep the mitts on & the snow out. Desperate times call for desperate measures ;-)
• Here's an article with some great ideas to get kids moving: Activities to Get Kids Moving