How to Create a Low Sugar Childhood

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I am a sugarholic. I am addicted to the taste of sugar, and for quite a few years now, I have been fighting to control my sugar intake in the interests of my health and spiritual well-being. I am very aware of the problems with sugar in my diet; if you would like more information, a good reference is David Gillespie's Sweet Poison.

I can trace this taste for sugar back to my childhood, when I was given sweet desserts nearly every dinner-time, biscuits and treats for my school lunch-box, and pocket money to spend on sweets on the weekend. But even with all this, I still raided the pantry at night in search of sugar. :-(

This is not an issue I wanted my children to have to deal with, so when my first child was starting solids, I was determined that NO SUGAR would be permitted into his diet. My thinking was that if I could shape his tastes to exclude sugar, then he would be much less likely to over-indulge on sweets as an older child and an adult. I think I succeeded; his first taste of cake was on his second birthday, and his first ice-cream was after the age of 3. My other children have enjoyed sweet treats a little earlier than he did, but it is not a regular part of our family diet. Here’s how we did it:

Lawrence J Cohen: Playful Parenting

After the first glance, I put this book back on the shelf. But some months later, I realised I needed some help in lightening the mood of the interactions in our home, and I picked it up again. And this time, I read it.

Time Management for Busy Moms 2: First Baby

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When our first baby was born, I had no plan. I had read and agreed with the principles outlined in Baby Wise, but I had no idea how I would manage household tasks as well as infant care. And I think that this is normal and appropriate for a rookie mom!!!! 

Although my baby soon settled into a comfortable eat-wake-sleep routine, we had nursing issues which meant that a lot of naptime was spent in pumping milk for the baby. So to handle the housework, I sacrificed sleep. This is not a strategy I would recommend to anyone!

Having learned from my experience, this is what I would advise a first-time mom, assuming that there are no medical issues with mom or baby:

Time Management for Busy Moms 1: Why?

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Becoming a mother for the first time involves a huge learning curve in many areas of life. One blogger compares it to a change of career, and I agree.

One of the many skills a new mother is required to learn is time management in the family. By this, I mean creating a plan to manage the time required for all the responsibilities that come with nurturing a family. Time for feeding babies and preparing meals; times for work, play, and rest, in appropriate balance.

This series describes the process by which I have planned our family’s time over the years, and some mistakes I have made along the way!

How to Fight Depression Today

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Let me start by saying that apart from divine intervention (which I experienced, long story for another time), I don’t believe there are any quick fixes for depression.

However, there are a LOT of easy, small actions a depressed person can build into their daily life to help fight this condition and build a more hopeful mentality. 

Why I Bother Learning Old-Fashioned Skills: Sewing

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One of the skills I learned as a young girl from my mother was to sew. She taught me the basic stitches of plain sewing and embroidery, and when I reached secondary school, I enrolled in lessons in machine sewing. I learned to measure and cut to a pattern, pin, sew, and finish the garments. 

I learned to sew mainly because I enjoyed it, and embroidery in particular was my favourite hobby for a number of years.

The-Day-Before-Church Syndrome

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I have noticed a pattern at home during the day and evening before my husband and I are due to serve on our fortnightly roster in our local church.  On these days, our family relationships seem to go sour very quickly, illnesses start or suddenly peak, and sleep disturbances in the younger ones are almost predictable.