Healthy Expat Parent

Dare I say it: There are so many things to learn. If you are in the right mind set, you could literally learn a new skill or bit of info every single day. Really, every one. When a learning opportunity presents itself, I definitely look forward to it. I try to keep an open mind, and keep my eyes open for these possibilities. I am doing my best to instill a love of learning in my kids too. I think the following are some of life’s most useful (if not valuable) lessons. 1.

A few of the blogs I follow do a yearly ‘what I have learned this far’ birthday wrap-up sort of a post. I’ll follow their example. Parenting, wellness, life... it’s all in there. This is from me, but none of this is unique and ground-breaking. Nonetheless, it can be good to hear these pieces of advice; these are all random snippets to remember. Life is too short to worry about the little things; focus on what is important (or helps to support those important things). Genui

What does healthy feel like? Kind of a simple question, but likely not one you have asked yourself recently. We often think about what healthy DOES or DOES NOT do (eat well, refrain from smoking, exercise regularly, reduce stress, laugh more), what healthy looks like (reduce stress response, cardiovascularly fit, strong, able to keep up with the kids) … What healthy looks like is very different on me than it might be on you. Skinny doesn’t mean healthy; healthy doesn’t neces

You may not know this about me, but I have a super power: I can make pretty much any space we land into a place we can comfortably call ‘home’ an I can convince all of my family members - and often, our friends who come by - that we have an amazing house. Pretty awesome, huh? And, luckily, this is a super power I get to practice over and over as we bounce around the globe. The power is not without its drawbacks: I do find myself trying to invest a little too much effort int

Now is the time. You have made a decision and this time REALLY you are going to go on a diet and lose some weight. You are going to cut out all of those bad foods, eat only healthy things, and just get.it.done. I can't tell you how many times I have heard these very phrases, and watched people I know go through the motions, and then fall short of their goals. Now is the time, you just said so yourself. So, what's stopping you? Honestly? You are. Excuses, dragging your f

No, not the big BAD C. We're talking Change. Here we are again, the beginning of yet another new year, a fresh start, a new slate, ‘tis the season for self-reflection and contemplation … New Year’s resolutions time. I know, heave big sigh, woe is you, change is hard. I get it. Or, perhaps more favorably, look at this as your opportunity to take steps towards being even more perfect, even more stellar, and even more awesome. You already are all of those things, so no matt

We’re in the middle of an epidemic. You’ve heard it before, and I think you’ll hear it many more times: our kids are fat. Not just heavy, but obese. I’m not going to throw more statistics at you. They are out there, easy to find; google it if you’re interested. Let’s look instead at the main underlying causes: Kids are not moving as much; kids are not eating well; and kids are not spending quality time eating meals with their families, learning appropriate food-related

I am sitting on our porch, in a rare moment of silence. I am enjoying the lovely weather, our beautiful garden, and the sounds of the birds that come to visit (we have a group of plantain eaters that come to the yard; they have the most enjoyable call. The sunbirds are like little gems floating about). This is a audible and visual gift, this time outside, being still. It isn't that I have nothing to do; trust me, that is so not the case. I am deliberately gifting myself s

One of the hardest things to do as a parent is to take time that you could be spending with your kids or taking care of one of the myriad of tasks that are a part of running a household and spend that time on yourself. Weird thought, right? Because part of being a parent is being selfless, and focusing on the other important people in your life (kids, spouse, pets, etc). What we are forgetting, though, is that without self-care, we fall apart. And if the parent falls apar

We can’t all walk around with smiles on our faces, sure, but can we truly BE happy? (I should add, my youngest does walk around with a smile on his face all the time, and it really is quite charming. But perhaps it might not work for all of us). Being happy – being in a place where one finds mental peace and joy, and true enjoyment – this is an art. And, luckily, it IS attainable. Please don’t think I’m calling you a grouch, friends. Not at all, but many of us go throu

We’re in the middle of an epidemic. You’ve heard it before, and I think you’ll hear it many more times: our kids are fat. Not just heavy, but obese. I’m not going to throw more statistics at you. They are out there, easy to find; google it if you’re interested. Let’s look instead at the main underlying causes: Kids are not moving as much; kids are not eating well; and kids are not spending quality time eating meals with their families, learning appropriate food-related

See what I did? I just made up my very own acronym. Ah, you might ask: What does the N.I.C.E. stand for? Nice Individuals who are Caring and Empathetic. I’m not saying we have to be all zen and sing Kumbaya, but really, I think we could all stand for a little more niceness. It's the New Year, right? This wouldn't be such a bad resolution, folks. I’ve noticed a glaring lack of awareness of others lately. I don’t know why or how we got here, but it isn’t a very good pl

A legend: An old grandfather is trying to teach his grandson about life. His grandson has come to him with anger at a friend who he feels has done him wrong. The grandfather sympathizes, telling him that he too has felt a great hate for those who have taken much with no sorrow for what they have done. A grandfather continues, “Remember this: hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking a poison, and wish your enemy would die. This is a struggle e