I don’t know that she’ll ever join the Joffrey Ballet, but I love watching my girl dance!  She’s got a lot of soul that she puts into her moves and grooves.  It’s the cutest thing to watch!  And man, is she musical! When we were in California, my friend Marshelle suggested we hit Corvette Diner in San Diego.  What a hit with everyone!  The food was super-yummy and diner-ish.  My turkey burger was delish.  And I even tried fried pickles (one word: yum).  After dinner the kids got to go into the arcade and spend their coins.  Emma and Emily (who, by the way, look like they could be sisters) jammed on Dance Dance Revolution.  See for yourself!

My friend posted an MSN article a few days ago about some new statistics regarding ADHD.  And they’re not that surprising.  The title is Pesticides in Kids Linked to ADHD.  The title says it all.  But is it that surprising?  Maybe some of the numbers will surprise you.

“Kids with higher-than-average levels of one pesticide marker were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children who showed no traces of the poison…. The most alarming finding was a near-doubling in odds of ADHD diagnoses among kids with higher-than-average levels of the most common of the six metabolites detected. Kids with high levels of dimethyl thiophosphate were 93 percent more likely to have the disorder than children with with undetectable levels of the marker.”

Yeah, those are some big numbers.  But there are SO many other factors that go into ADHD.  Take Emma, for example.  She has at least 2 other factors that contributed to her diagnosis.  First, kids with SOD have a tendency toward an ADHD diagnosis.  Secondly, it can be hereditary and her Dad had/has ADHD (truth is, he is able to control the tendencies).  So it was almost a given Emma might have it.  Hence my persistence in getting the right evaluations.

Which leads me to my next question.  I wonder how the diagnosed kids in the article got diagnosed.  It’s no secret that ADHD is widely over-diagnosed.  I have had people tell me, “well every kid these days has ADHD.”  Which is precisely why I went through the measures I did to get her diagnosed correctly with a trusted pediatric neuro-psychologist (who is wonderful, if you need someone from PCH).  But practically any doctor can diagnose ADHD these days.  And they can all write out that prescription for Ritalin, too.

So what do we do about this?  Well, the article suggests buying organic as much as possible and washing all produce.  I think the last one is a no-brainer.  I do try to buy organic when it’s cost-effective.  That stuff can be expensive!  I DO wash my produce every time with Fit Spray.  I find mine at Fry’s.  Whole Foods also has a spray…actually a few to choose from.  I believe Fit is made from citrus.  So is the Whole Foods spray, and their’s is organic, too.  Oh, and I will try to stay away from frozen produce.  Which actually will be easier said than done.  Eek!  At this point, what more can you do when it comes to produce?

I realize this is quite a hot topic and I am not trying to step on toes.  But I would love to start a dialog about this and see what you all think of the ADHD topic and this article in particular.

I started a discussion in my Blog Frog community over here…come on over and join in, won’t you?

A fellow Arizona blogger, Arizona Mamma, devotes her Tuesdays to tasty recipes she shares with everyone. And Arizona Mamma sure knows how to dish ‘em up! The recipes I have tried are super yummy. And all of them look delish!!  I have decided to take part in her recipe swap this week as I think I have a pretty yummy recipe that should appeal to all family members.  Awhile back I asked for any recipes that were quick and healthy for those days I didn’t feel like cooking.  I got some great comments that you can read here.  Anyway, what I should’ve shared then was my go-to recipe that everyone likes: meatloaf.  I am assuming that when most people think of meatloaf, they have some gnarly picture in their head of yuckiness.  They really should look into changing the name, whoever “they” is.  Maybe I should look into changing the name.  Maybe you have ideas?

Okay, enough.  On with the recipe! (it should be noted that I got this recipe from my former neighbor, Melodie.  She made dinner for us after Emma was born.  -Oh, and I frequently use ground turkey in lieu of ground beef.

1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)
1/4 cup milk
garlic clove, pressed (I use 2)
1 egg
dash of salt and pepper
small handful of shredded cheddar cheese (something I throw in all the time!)
ketchup or bbq sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together except the ketchup/bbq sauce. Make sure ingredients are well blended. I use a pastry cutter that works great. Form a loaf and place into a greased casserole dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover, and add ketchup/bbq sauce onto top of meatloaf. Return to oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes. It is done when center is not pink.

Of course this recipe is really good with mashed potatoes. But I hardly fix potatoes. We typically eat this with steamed broccoli. And when I say we, I mean me and the kids. Hubby only eats about 5 kinds of veggies!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you want to play along, link up with Arizona Mamma and tell us about your tasty treats!

I got this idea for this post from Ginny, over in her community at Lemon Drop Pie.  And more than anything, I’m curious if you are a short order cook for your kids at meal times?  Do you make more than one dinner a night?  I am proud to say that I am not.  I only make one meal a night…however there are times when I bend the rules.  They must have tried everything on their plate.  If it’s clear they dislike it -and I can tell- I will throw in a few nuggets into the microwave.  I have to say, though, that doesn’t happen very often.  I know I was blessed with good eaters!  Especially with Emma…there are kids with her same condition that have to see food therapists to get over aversions or sensory issues when it comes to food.  I know a special little girl whose food repertoire consists of about 4 different foods!!  Holy heck I have it easy in the food department!

Emma went through a growth spurt for about 6 weeks.  There was a time when she’d eat 4 waffles for breakfast.  And then want a snack before school!  And we don’t go here hardly at all, but when we hit McD’s, she’ll eat 2 cheeseburgers!  Maybe she does that because we don’t go often!  And Mason’s just a growing boy.  Can’t say much else about him!  Sometimes Mason can even eat more than I will!!

What do you do at meal times?  Do your kids rule the menu?  Or do they get what they get? I’m always looking for new ideas and solutions!!

Emma enjoying an after-school snack!