Yet, we often overlook something that could be right outside our door, in our spice cabinets, or growing on our windowsills: herbs. Delivering vibrant flavors that can bring any dish to life, myriad herbs can boost antioxidants, improve circulation and cognitive function, and even stave off cold weather sniffles. So, here is a rundown of healthy, easy-to-grow herbs to boost your wellness in the new year.

I recently sat down to speak with herbalist Andrea Garcia of Inspired Botanical Living. Andrea is a nutritionist and herbalist who teaches classes at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, where she has done a deep dive into various herbs like ginger, basil, chamomile, rose, and more.

Andrea discovered her love for herbology as many do – through the passed-down knowledge of her grandmothers. She studied nutrition in college and found her true passion during the herbalism rotation. After an eye-opening conference during school, she embarked on a program through Austin’s Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine and made a budding dream a thriving reality. Andrea and I discussed some of our favorite plants and their beneficial properties to kickstart a year full of wellness.

Ginger

A warming root used for millennia, garlic is a digestive and nausea aid. It reduces inflammation, boosts immunity, and delivers loads of antioxidants and bioactive compounds. This vibrant spice is as powerful as it is delicious and is used in juice, tea, cocktails, and as a cooking spice in various global cuisines.

Chamomile

Andrea discovered chamomile in a soothing cup of tea from her grandmother’s kitchen, as so many of us do. The aromatic flowering herb is emotionally soothing and relaxing and is beneficial for restful sleep and stress relief. It is also quite helpful in easing digestion.

Lavender

Lavender is not only an aromatic and culinary favorite, but it also has potent medicinal properties. A calming herb, it supports sleep, reduces stress, and naturally improves the body’s melatonin levels. With anti-inflammatory properties, lavender can reduce pain as well as inflammation. Its active chemical compound, linalool, reduces anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and even helps alleviate menstrual pain. With its antiviral and antimicrobial properties, lavender acts as a natural antiseptic and can boost collagen levels. Before modern antiseptics, lavender was actually used to clean hospital wards! Diluted oils can be used topically or as an aromatic, while the culinary variety is one of my favorite ingredients in baking, especially when paired with lemon.

Lemon balm

A delicious herb in the mint family, lemon balm will take over any pot you plant her in. Lemon balm “gladdens the heart,” according to Andrea. With loads of antioxidants and other beneficial chemical compounds, it’s known to alleviate stress, improve cognitive function, aid in restful sleep, relieve indigestion, support cardiovascular health, and even aid in the healing of cold sores; lemon balm is a vibrant and useful herb for your herbal medicine chest. Although lemon balm tea is soothing and widely available, it is simply delightful when used as a fresh herb in a salad or muddled fresh in a drink in place of mint. [Editor’s note: Use it instead of mint in your next julep. You’ll be glad you did!]

Basil

A classic culinary herb, basil is packed with anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, and vitamin K. It’s beneficial for lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar and boosting mental health and cognition. It’s an aid to digestion and has potential as a cancer-fighting anti-carcinogen. An effortless grower in our Texas climate, basil is a standout in cuisines from around the globe. It is a quick, flavorful component in fresh pesto and caprese salad and is essential to Thai curry.

These plants are just the tip of the herbal iceberg. There are countless flavorful medicinal plants to explore, including rosemary, oregano, cilantro, sage, thyme, wild mushrooms, and turmeric. A warning: although essential oils are a powerful way to treat illness and boost wellness, they can be harmful undiluted and have contraindications. Use them with knowledge of dosing or under the guidance of a licensed herbalist like Andrea. But you can never go wrong utilizing herbs to enliven your cooking;  the health benefits are truly incredible. So, get creative in the kitchen to delight your tastebuds and boost your health. A votre santé!

The post Broaden Your Culinary Horizons AND Your Health first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

“It just kind of happened naturally,” Asa said. “People were going through things, and [I thought] let’s create space where we can come together. I would lead meditations and play the [sound] bowls.”

Sound bowls, also known as singing bowls, are essentially inverted bells and can be played by striking them or running a suede-covered mallet around the edge to produce a note. They are used in meditative practices and in sound healing.

Her meditation practices inspired her to learn more about sound bowls, so Asa found an instructor online and began working over the next nine months to understand how sound affects the body. She began to feel pulled towards sound healing as its powers became clear to her.

“My name means ‘healer’,” said the 34-year-old. “So I was drawn to it. And as I learned more about it, I was like, ‘Yes, this is for me. This is what I want to do.’ It started a journey. This is a part of me. It grows with me.”

Most people think of crystal bowls when they think of sound healing, says Asa, but these never resonated with her. Instead, she was trained to use her voice in sound therapy (also known as sound bathing) and other instruments like the tongue drum, wind chimes, and rattles. She says sounds should mimic the elements.

“Rain sticks and the ocean drum are my favorite,” she said. “You want things that are like water, air, and things that ground you.”

Of course, not all south baths are created equal. Asa says sound is simply a frequency your body absorbs; some can be disrupting and irritating.

“Some people claim to be sound healers, but they’re just playing sounds. They don’t understand what they’re doing with the sound,” she said. “Sound bowls are very transient, so the person playing them also affects the sounds being played… If [the person using the sound bowl] is not also a calm person, the sound can be affected.”

Like many people who are passionate about their work, Asa isn’t in it for the money. The deep love she has for sound healing makes it hard for her to put a price on it.

“I can live off my passions,” she said. “But that puts a constraint on it because now you’re trying to put a price on it, you’re trying to put a time frame on it, you’re trying to market it to certain people.”

But Asa cannot, in good conscience, package sound healing as just another health trend or sell it as “corporate wellness.”

“I don’t want to put any of those categories on it because it’s very personal,” she said. “The sound that come for a person comes from what they need at that moment. Everyone’s going to have a different experience. People cry. People release. It’s deeper than just a surface service.”

While she is willing to work with larger groups, Asa prefers more intimate sessions that can be done anywhere: at home, outside, or even in creative and communal spaces. Through sound healing, she says people can do deep work. They ask themselves important questions, connect to their inner self, and maybe find moments of stillness and feelings of peace.

“Sound healing gets you to be clear on what you want in life,” said Asa. “What you’re here to do… to connect you with your own passion and purpose. Sound healing can be a tool to know your passion and your purpose. You need stillness. You need peace. You need calmness. Sound healing can start you on that journey.”

Photo credit: Yohann Nganza

Asa, known in her professional life as a DJ as ASA ACE, is using sound healing and live music to promote wellbeing in Fort Worth and around the world. Preferring to be known as a “vibe facilitator,” she has played DJ sets everywhere from Africa to Asia and at local venues like The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. She says music found her when she was not looking.

“I was a full-time respiratory therapist and trying to figure out my passion,” she said. “I wanted to create more. I just wanted a hobby.”

After becoming inspired by the way a friend mastered the room as he DJed, Asa decided to dedicate herself to the craft. Her uncle, a former DJ and producer she says worked with some big names in New York in the 1990s, encouraged her to follow her passion. He helped set her up with all the right gear and pushed her to work hard.

“All my days off, I would be in the house, practicing mixing,” she said. “I would take courses from people. I would find DJs that I like and ask them for lessons.”

Asa loves watching people as she DJs.

“You see the reaction of people – how they relax and are excited. This is what people need. It’s a form of healing. It opened up a whole new world for me.”

One of Asa’s first big shows as a DJ was in 2019 when Leon Bridges flew her to Las Vegas to DJ at a nightclub. From there, she went on to score residencies at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas and Hotel Dryce in Fort Worth. She released an EP in 2024 called “Sound Heals” with Zimbabwean producer Josh Major, and DJed shows in Ghana and South Korea.

Asa says you don’t always know what you are moving towards, but if you pursue your passions, journeys of self-discovery can begin.

“That’s what I found out about DJing,” she said. “These are the places that I’m supposed to be in and that I feel most alive in. And it’s because I followed my passion.”

When she is not facilitating vibes around town, you can find Asa at her and her sister’s boba shop, 1102 Bubble Tea & Coffee in Flower Mound. Go by and say hi, and stop for a bit to listen. It may be the first step on a new journey.  

The post Asa Aziz’s Healing Journey of Sounds first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

First, let me say how grateful I am to be 53. Many don’t make it to 53. In centuries past, I would be considered either a wise old crone or a horrid old witch. (Be nice. I can hear you giggling.)

I LIKE being in my 50s.

BUT…

There’s a reason clichés are clichés. They contain at least a kernel of truth in them. And boy, this cliché’s kernel of truth is more like the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Get ready. I’m going to lay it on you.

Growing old ain’t for the faint of heart.

I look at my beautiful mother and aunts and remember my lovely grandmothers. How did they age so gracefully? Did they not deal with all this… WEIRDNESS? Because let me tell you, growing old is seriously weird. We all know about the joys of hot flashes and mood swings, but some symptoms of menopause are just odd. As I progress from perimenopause and its delightful hormonal fluctuations into the hormonal aridity of menopause, are other people struggling like I am?

Well, it turns out they are. Misery loves company, right?

In preparing to write this article, I talked with some of my oldest friends about how they are handling the trip of the SS Hormones. Are they aging as gracefully as they seem to be? It turns out that we’re all experiencing weirdness of various kinds, which I’ve kindly cataloged for easy cross-referencing.

[Author’s note: All names have been changed to protect the innocent and the not-so-innocent.]

[Author’s second note: Please know that there are treatments to alleviate most of these symptoms, but that’s not the purpose of this article. Talk to your doctor about treatment options.]

Hair

It’s amazing how much a good hair day can bolster the spirits, while a bad hair day will torpedo any joy you might feel when you wake up. Our hair is a method of self-expression. It’s also an outward sign of health. So when your hormones start fluctuating, your hair reacts and not always favorably.

“My hair is slowly migrating,” Camila said. “I’m getting bald spots on the top of my head and around my temples, but my eyebrows and mustache are growing in nicely.” [Author’s note: You can spend a lot of money on getting rid of facial hair, or you can use your husband’s razor and shave. It’s cheaper.]

Eleanor said, “It’s just so dry and brittle now. I run my hand through my hair and can pull out handfuls. This happened after each of my kids, but it always grew back. I’m really scared it’s not going to grow back this time.”

Not to play one-upmanship here (after all, we’re all sisters in this), but I had the weirdest thing happen recently. I decided I wanted to lighten my hair just one level, from Dead Mouse Brown to Dead Mouse Blonde. My lovely hairdresser, whom I trust not only with my hair but also with my children’s hair and who has colored my hair numerous times in the past, used a product that we have used before to great success. This time? Not so much.

Instead of a nice ash blonde, my hair turned orange. Pumpkin orange. Pumpkin orange with brassy yellow highlights. We were, naturally, horrified. I went off to get some color-depositing conditioner to try to stop looking like a jack-o-lantern, and she went to consult the color gurus at Wella. “It’s rare, but it does sometimes happen when a woman is in perimenopause or menopause,” the Wella representative said. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any suggestions on how to fix it other than color-depositing conditioners. So that’s my menopause hair horror story.

Aridity

There is no lack of advertisements that tell the world that a lack of estrogen and progesterone can cause vaginal dryness. There are creams and ointments and unguents to alleviate this condition. However, you don’t see ads talking about menopause-induced dry mouth. Or dry eyes. Or dry skin. Sure, you may think you have dry skin, but until progesterone and estrogen have packed their bags, you do not know what dry skin means.

“I’ve got all these pots of moisturizers and serums and creams and oils sitting on my counter,” Madeleine said. “I’ve spent a small fortune, but nothing is working.”

Lillian said, “I’m going through more gum now than when I did when I was quitting smoking. My mouth is like the floor of Death Valley. I don’t want to kiss my partner anymore.”

Elisa’s problem is her eyes. “I wake up every morning, and my eyes are almost gummed shut. There isn’t enough Visine in the world to make them stop itching. I had to stop wearing my contacts because my eyes are so dry.”

Sensory Changes

Who knew it had such an impact on your senses? For about six months, I swore SOMEONE was smoking in the house. I smelled cigarette smoke constantly. I dreamed I was in a little French café, surrounded by elegant people drinking aperitifs and smoking Gauloises and Gitanes. Turns out that’s a lesser-known symptom of menopause. (Fortunately, it passed once the hormones finally said goodbye.)

Amy had menopause-related tinnitus. Fortunately for her, it stopped when she started hormone replacement therapy.

My friend Elizabeth is a baker. She complained that the apple pie filling she makes for her delicious apple pies smells like wet dogs. “Maybe it’s the nutmeg?” she said. Her sister is a doctor who got interested in Elizabeth’s symptoms. She’s now researching menopausal symptoms and treatments. (Stay tuned to future issues to learn what her research yields.)

Autumn said menopause took away her ability to taste sour foods. Lemons? Nope. Vinegar? Not a pucker. “I can’t taste anything acidic. Most foods taste really flat now.”

My friend Marta would probably kill for flat-tasting food. She has Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). She said, “My mouth feels like I just ate a handful of habaneros all the time.” BMS sometimes occurs with dry mouth or altered taste and smell. While the causes of BMS are unknown, a majority of the sufferers are postmenopausal women. The most prescribed treatments are reassurance and antidepressants. Fortunately, most women who suffer from BMS experience at least a partial recovery after several years. Oh goodie.

Brain Fog

Oh yes, the menopausal brain fog is real, my friends. Every single one of my friends and I agree on this. We can’t remember anything, even if we write it down. We lose everything from keys to our cars in parking lots. And we can’t retain anything we’re told.

“I used to be proud of my memory, you know? My ability to remember everything everyone in the family needed to do at all times. Now? I’m useless. And because I’m the mom, the whole family is messed up,” Angela said. “Everyone got so used to relying on my memory, which I realize is totally my fault, but now, no one can figure out what to do when.”

Angela raises a good point. Moms tend to be the nerve center of the family. We’re the ones who remember everyone’s schedule, who coordinate soccer games and birthday parties and homework and projects and piano lessons and play rehearsals and SAT tutorials and… When Mom can’t remember what she planned for dinner or where she put her keys, the whole family is thrown into chaos. We need to learn to ask for help – from our family, from our doctors, from our community. We’re not alone, no matter how much we may feel like it.

This self-indulgent little article is just a partial list of the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause that we experience. I didn’t get to the electric shock sensations, heart palpitations, changes in your body odor, exhaustion, and so many more utterly delightful things that happen to our body as we pass gracefully into the next stage of life.

It should go without saying, but if you are experiencing ANY of these symptoms, please talk to your doctor. Most menopausal symptoms can be symptoms of other conditions. And there are treatments for many of these symptoms, so don’t just grin and bear it. Make a comprehensive list of everything you’re experiencing and make an appointment. Do it now before you forget!

The post Aging… Gracefully? first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

However, knowing that intellectually and understanding it corporeally are two different things. Yes, we know exercise and movement are good. But we can’t understand it until we make physical activity an unbreakable habit.

And who better to explain the almost unexplainable than Madeworthy’s own Jennifer Kieta? Jennifer has been a fitness instructor for nearly a decade, and she is opening her own studio with her husband Brian. Union will open in spring 2025 and will offer indoor cycling, personal training, nutritional coaching, and more. Jennifer not only knows about the power of physical activity, she understands it in her bones.

Jennifer and Brian
photo credit: Delaney Johnson

“I first started taking care of myself with exercise when I was going through a really bad breakup in college,” Jennifer said. “I had done a little bit of exercise like videotapes, Jane Fonda, you know, but that was really just checking a box to be like everybody else. I didn’t think, ‘I need to exercise because I’m stressed out and need to get the endorphins moving.'”

Motivated by the anger and the hurt of her breakup, Jennifer went for a run. “I probably ran for about 30 minutes at a VERY slow pace, but I remember coming home and thinking, ‘I will always want to do that.’ It was so transformative. When I was running, I was processing the breakup, and moving allowed me to release my emotions and sweat it out. It wasn’t about the fitness. I actually felt like a different person.”

After that initial run, Jennifer kept running. She also began experimenting with different exercise modalities, like weightlifting and CrossFit. There is something very empowering about lifting weights, especially for women, and Jennifer reveled in it. She continued running because the combination of moving and music was healing. That combination allowed her to let go of the worries of life and reconnect her body and her brain and her heart.

And then she discovered indoor cycling.

“I went into that first class not knowing what to expect,” Jennifer remembered. The lights were very low, and the music started up. The instructor spoke into us, not at us. He spoke about things we were struggling with: not being strong enough, not being like everyone else in the class, not being good enough. He used the buildup of a song to get even deeper into our feelings. It was a crazy, therapeutic moment, and I left that class knowing I was forever changed.”

That was 10 years ago. Since then, Jennifer has become a fitness instructor, helping hundreds feel how moving can transform their lives. (It’s a bit hyperbolic, I know, but it’s true.) Most of us live most of our lives in our heads. We’re bombarded by information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We live through our screens and have become disconnected from our bodies. But you can’t be on your phone when you’re exercising. Well, you can, but it’s not recommended for many reasons.

Jennifer said, “To have just 45 minutes to be away from your phone and to be present is essential. To be present in your body. To be present with how you’re breathing. To be present with how you’re struggling, and yet you’re still doing it. You’re still moving. That sense of accomplishment carries throughout the day. That’s powerful and healing.”

photo credit: Delaney Johnson

If anyone understands how moving is healing, it’s Jennifer. On December 8, 2017, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery less than a month later. She was lucky; the cancer was caught early, she didn’t have to have radiation or chemotherapy, and the surgeon was able to do the double mastectomy and place her implants in one surgery.

“I was able to have that one surgery because of good blood flow. I had good blood flow because I exercise so much,” Jennifer said. “If I didn’t have good blood flow, I would have had to have spacers for several months to get ready for the implants.”

Unfortunately, major surgery meant that Jennifer couldn’t move like she was used to for a long time.

“I’ll never forget that first walk after my surgery,” she grinned. “It was about a week post-op, and I just had to get outside. I just had to move a little bit. So my husband held my hand, and we walked in slow motion, I mean really slow motion, from one end of the cul de sac to the other. I was barely shuffling, but what it did for my psyche was incredible. Every day, I craved that short little shuffle.”

photo credit: Delaney Johnson

From that first shuffle, Jennifer didn’t stop moving. “About four weeks after the surgery, I was feeling really good, so I decided to take a spin class because I needed to move. I needed to be around people, and I needed to sweat. Of course, I posted about it, and my oncologist saw it. She called me and scolded me, but it helped me get back to myself.”

Having cancer and major surgery really brought home to Jennifer how much she had changed since that first run in college. “It really made me understand not only the physical changes but the emotional changes that I went through. I always tell people in my classes that it starts with internal change. It starts with acceptance of where you are. Then there is the drive to fight for something more for yourself, something better for yourself. The physical changes are just perks.”

She paused for a minute. “Exercise is like life insurance for me, especially after breast cancer. It prepared me for what was ahead. No one likes paying for a life insurance policy that they’re never going to see, but they do it for the ‘what ifs.’ Exercise for the ‘what ifs.’ It gives your body a chance to fight harder than it would otherwise.”

The post It Starts with the Internal Changes, The Physical Changes Are Just Perks first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

It is still possible to find joy in the holiday season, though. By setting clear and realistic expectations, you can set the stage for a festive celebration with family and friends.

The James L. West Center for Dementia Care offers tips for families caring for individuals living with dementia to help make holiday memories and reduce the stress of the holiday season.

Photo courtesy of James L. West Center for Dementia Care

Prepare Your Family

Dementia is a progressive disease which means this year’s holiday celebration will look different than last year’s.

“Your loved one is in a new place with the disease. Neither of you have been here before,” says Jaime Cobb Tinsley, vice president of caregiver and community education at James L. West Center for Dementia.

“You must work to understand where they are and how to best accommodate them. We need to accommodate the disease because they can’t. If they could, they would,” says Tinsley.

Whether it’s through phone calls or a mass email, clearly tell your family of your loved one’s emotional, mental and physical changes. Tell them specifically what to expect and what they can do to show support.

Give your family topics your loved one loves to talk about, and remind them to avoid using the word “remember.” as it can trigger challenging behavior.

“They can’t remember that they can’t remember, and there’s no reason for us to remind them of that,” says Tinsley.

Adapting Your Traditions

Let your family and friends know that your holiday gatherings and traditions are still important, but they may have to be altered to meet your loved one where they are this year.

The lights, smells and activities of the holiday season can be overstimulating for your loved one with dementia, leading to agitation, anxiety, restlessness or shutting down. Tinsley recommends keeping your holiday family gathering simple.

This doesn’t mean getting rid of traditions, but simply adapting them. For example, instead of the whole family going to watch the Christmas parade, Tinsley suggests sending the grandchildren to the parade. They can then FaceTime you during the parade or record it to all watch together later, creating a less overstimulating experience.

Other adaptations may include the holiday meal. Christmas dinner with the entire family may now be too overstimulating for your loved one. Instead, try breaking it up so it’s a few people visiting at a time throughout the day or week.

“Maybe Wednesday is pie with the siblings and Thursday is coffee with the grandchildren,” suggests Tinsley.

Photo courtesy of James L. West Center for Dementia Care

Gift Giving for Dementia

A key part of many holiday family gatherings is gift giving. While it can be tricky choosing a gift for your loved one living with dementia, it’s far from impossible.

Music and photos make some of the best gifts for persons living with dementia. Both of these gifts provide your loved one a sense of comfort and create a connection for the two of you.

You can make a playlist of their favorite music and pull up videos from when it was popular. A photo album lets you reminisce together as they share stories about their life.

Weighted blankets or plush therapy animals also make great gifts. Like music and photos, these gifts create a sense of comfort by working to calm the circulatory and nervous systems.

Other gift ideas for your loved one with dementia include robotic pets, sensory kits, and fidget pillows or blankets. S&S Worldwide is a great resource for gift ideas for people with dementia.

Photo courtesy of James L. West Center for Dementia Care

If you’re bringing a gift for your loved one’s caretaker to your holiday family gathering, the greatest gift you can give is time.

Offer to sit with your loved one with dementia so they can run errands or simply take a break. Volunteer to run their errands for them, mow the lawn, or clean the house.

Gift certificates are also a great option, especially if you volunteer to stay with their loved one while they use it.

Including Your Loved One in the Holiday Family Gathering

While your loved one’s involvement may look different this year, they can still play a role in your family’s holiday celebration.

It may be as simple as letting them set the table or stir batter. It may be sitting down to watch a holiday movie together.

By setting clear and realistic expectations ahead of time, your family holiday celebration can be just as joyful as years past.

For more tips on navigating holiday family gatherings with your loved one this season, check out the James L. West Center for Dementia Care’s free caregiver education series.

The post Holidays and Dementia: Tips for Family Gatherings first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

We do burrito bowls. We do “Buddha bowls.” (Can we come up with a less-sacrilegious name for these, please?) We do a lot of bowls. My favorite swings between Asian-inspired and Mediterranean-inspired. Both are full of fresh vegetables, and both are easy on the wallet. Today, I’ve put together my Mediterranean bowl “recipe,” although calling it a recipe is sort of ridiculous. It’s just a list of thing we like. I’ll do the Asian-inspired bowl in another post!

So without further ado, the Mediterranean bowl!

Ingredients for four people

½ cup cooked brown rice, farro, quinoa or other whole grain per person (I usually cook these with dried herbs to give a bit more flavor – try Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence for “authenticity”)
¼ cup homemade or store-bought hummus per person (for store-bought, I usually add more garlic and lemon juice; for homemade, check out this recipe – it’s delicious!)
¼ hothouse or English cucumber, diced, per person (more or less – my husband doesn’t particularly like cucumbers, the poor man)
Handful grape tomatoes per person
½ medium carrot, thinly sliced, per person
1 or 2 baby sweet peppers, thinly sliced, per person
1 green onion, thinly sliced, or some chopped red onion per person
Handful baby spinach or super greens per person
Dollop of plain Greek yogurt or tzatziki per person
3 or 4 olives per person
A bit of crumbled feta per person
Drizzle of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon per person

These are the basics. If we have other things in the fridge, we throw them in the bowl! For example:

• Leftover protein – roasted or grilled chicken, pork, roast beef or steak, seafood, etc.
• Leftover or canned chickpeas, beans, or lentils
• Roasted beets
• Sliced fennel
• Capers
• Artichoke hearts
• Hearts of palm (not cheap, but my younger kidlet adores them as a special treat)
• Roasted or grilled vegetables – broccoli, green beans, onions, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, squash, sweet potatoes, eggplant, etc.
• Fresh herbs
• Pickled vegetables
• Sauces – pesto, harissa, piri piri, chimichurri, etc.
• Hardboiled eggs
• Avocados
• Whatever you have in the fridge or pantry that you like!

Directions

Put the ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with a little bit of good olive oil and some fresh lemon juice. Eat.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Mediterranean-style Bowls first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

After entering surgically induced menopause last year, I found my solution: bioidentical hormones. There is ample confusion surrounding this topic, so I’ve decided to get uncharacteristically personal here.

On my health journey, I discovered that the Internet offers a dizzying array of misinformation, especially on menopause. When it comes to bioidentical hormones, it has taken an immense amount of digging to uncover the facts. I’m not a doctor, but my experience is one I feel obliged to share.

So, what are bioidentical hormones? Bioidentical hormones are naturally derived from plants to be molecularly identical to the hormones produced by our bodies. Because of this molecularly identical match-up, our bodies know exactly how to use these hormones, eliminating a smorgasbord of unwanted side effects common from synthetic hormones, which can make the solution more unbearable than the original symptoms.

Although the FDA has approved some bioidentical hormones covered by insurance, individually compounded hormones and pellets are not FDA-approved and therefore not covered by insurance. (A perplexing side note: bioidentical testosterone pellets are FDA-approved and are covered by insurance for men. I’ll leave that morsel of truth here.)

So, if FDA-approved bioidentical hormones are not tailored to each individual body and personalized bioidentical hormones are not covered by insurance, what is the point of using hormones? Well, according to the Mayo Clinic, declining hormone levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and urinary incontinence. Other side effects include powerful mood swings, brain fog, hot flashes that can coincide with heart palpitations, insomnia, slower metabolism, weight gain, acne, dry skin, thinning hair, vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse, and the depressing list goes on and on.

After decades of synthetic hormones to treat endometriosis, I was determined to avoid hormones after a hysterectomy. Two weeks after a second surgery that removed my last ovary, I had all the side effects of menopause. Soon, my husband, son, and dogs were freezing to death, my clothes hated me, and my emotions were so erratic that it’s a miracle my marriage stayed together. My doctor, Dr. Minton at the FEM Center, accurately compared surgically-induced menopause as being “hormonally pushed off a cliff.” This wasn’t the gradual descent into the madness of menopause; it was a rapid plunge into vanishing hormones and incredibly powerful symptoms. Within days of getting bioidentical estrogen and testosterone pellets, along with bioidentical progesterone cream, I felt better than I had in decades!

I have comprehensive annual lab work to ensure my nutrient levels are optimal and biannual hormone labs. These indicate the exact level of bioidentical hormones my body needs and reveal how fast my body uses these hormones. Some people burn through hormones faster than others, depending on activity level, stress, and many other factors. With exact dosing of estrogen and testosterone pellets and personally compounded progesterone creams, my body receives the precise amount of hormones I need.

Fake Dictionary, Dictionary definition of the word menopause.

There is an abundance of conflicting information regarding bioidentical hormones. Because individually compounded and pellet bioidenticals are not FDA-approved, they are not funded for pharmaceutical research or covered by insurance. The FDA, the North American Menopause Society, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists do not endorse bioidentical hormones in pellet or compounded form. There is a movement to discredit them, but here are some facts that are published less often.

Bioidentical hormones from compounding pharmacies use FDA-approved bioidentical hormones when formulating a prescription. They simply adjust the level and dosage to treat your specific hormone level. Like a human fingerprint, no one’s hormone level is the same. Still, the FDA doesn’t regulate anything that’s not wholly standardized. This led to the belief that compounding pharmacies are unregulated and unsafe. Compounding pharmacies are regulated by the state Board of Pharmacies and the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Standards. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate personally tailored hormones, they are not covered by insurance – unless you’re a man with low testosterone. However, with a referral, your doctor’s visits and lab work are covered by most insurance.

My quality of life has drastically improved with these hormones. There are better alternatives to menopause treatment available, and I hope this opens a window for anyone who is suffering through this incredibly difficult journey.

The post Ambyr’s Menopause Journey first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Anyone could criticize how I balance parenting and staying active: be it the Cocoa Puffs, the screen time, or the brevity of my morning fitness program. Before I had kids, I might have said: “We make time for what matters!” without regard for the dearth of “free time” available before and after work, which is spent taxiing kids to and from school, tutoring them on homework, keeping the peace among siblings, preparing nutritious-ish meals, limiting screen time, and being intercepted by the inevitable work crisis just before someone unveils a mysterious rash. We’ll deal with the rash later though. Right now I want to impart one very important idea: We normalize a healthy and active lifestyle with our consistent actions.

When I became a new mom, my football coach husband was gone between 11 to 15 hours a day, leaving me with a colicky newborn and no opportunity for someone else to hold the baby so I could break a sweat. I knew that if I was going to stay active (and sane), I had to orchestrate my day so that I could move in a way that felt good to me. At the time, I didn’t realize I was laying a foundation for my kids to see exercise not as an activity we engage in to look good or win medals, but a habit we establish to take care of our well-being.

Start ‘em Young (If You Can)

About five days after my first birth via cesarean section, I was pushing my newborn around the block. I was slow, but I was moving. Once I was cleared by my doctor for more strenuous exercise, we joined a Fit4Mom Stroller Strides Group, which gave us the sense of community support we needed as we adjusted to our newly intertwined routines. As my baby grew into a verbal toddler, he started asking to come with me on a run – even if my husband was home and we didn’t have a fitness class to attend. He’d grown accustomed to the fresh air and sightseeing offered by a jaunt in the jogging stroller.

Get Outside

If you don’t have a jogging stroller or your kids are too big to be pushed in one, challenge yourself to get outside. This strategy is especially helpful over long weekends and holiday breaks as the broken record of boredom sets in. Let your kids pick a nearby state park, help you pack lunch, and then get in the car before anyone changes their mind. If you need to stay close to home, find a local park you haven’t explored yet. See if you can visit every park in town. Or get your body moving around your own yard. Bending over to deadhead last year’s chrysanthemums or moving landscaping rock is one of my favorite ways to sneak in functional fitness, and young kids don’t see gardening as a chore.

Get in the Game

Being part of a team gives kids a sense of belonging, which is especially important for their identity development as they transition from middle school to high school. You want to start with a sport that feels accessible to your child, but stay open to trying new sports over the years. As a coach’s wife, I am all-too-familiar with the dangers of overspecialization. I wouldn’t want my kids to feel pressure to be the best, to overtrain, or to associate moving their body with negative physical and mental outcomes. Let your kid sample different sports until they figure out what feels good to them.

Practice What You Preach

Even when we think they’re not paying attention, kids are always watching. If you really want your child to internalize the values of an active lifestyle, they need to see engaging in exercise you genuinely enjoy. Running is my sport, so I tote my family along to a handful of 5Ks each year. My husband in his size-13 shoes used to hate running, but now he loves the social spectacle of a race. We make it fun with music, festive outfits, and a cornucopia of snacks. If you don’t know what your preferred form of exercise is just yet, experiment until you do. Find what you love, but don’t force your kids to love it, too. Just show up for yourself, and you might notice them showing up for themselves in the future, too.

Cue. Routine. Reward.

Dealing with resistance? Let me give you the TLDR note on the book The Power of Habit: Cue. Routine. Reward. That is, we establish cues that prompt a desired behavior (the routine), and a sustainable reward system.

Here’s a recent example. Most days I would rather do cardio over lifting weights any day, but on Sundays I drag myself to our garage gym, and I pop open a tropical cherry sparkling water, pausing for a sip after each set. It’s refreshing and simple, but it gets me out of my comfort zone, and under a barbell.

Talk it Out

Through exercise we find challenge, and through challenge we test our mettle. More than once, my kids have heard me huffing and puffing up a hill, repeating to myself: “A hill is only half bad.” This expression demonstrates an outlook on life I hope they will adopt one day, when the need arises.

And finally, talk with your kids about why you move to improve your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but be mindful of how diet culture emphasizes restriction, unrealistic standards, and negative self-talk. Our kids are always listening, so before you appraise your own appearance or performance, ask yourself, “Would I want my children to say this to themselves?”

The post Making Movement a Family Affair first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

photo credit: Emily King

Looking back now, there was so much evidence that our son was wired differently. Not bad. Just different. He was what others would call a fussy or colicky baby. He was always happiest when he was held, and I spent much of his infancy with him strapped to me in a wrap. Baby wearing ensured we all remained regulated and calm.

What I realize now is that he was getting the important sensory input he needed and that we were coregulating. What I knew to be survival techniques were the earliest instances of my reading his needs and instinctively meeting them. They were more than the baby cuddles I’d longed for for six years.

Once he was mobile, he was constantly in motion, exploring and moving. At 18 months, he was climbing playground equipment intended for ages five plus. By three, he was happiest when he was outside. He spent hours digging in the ground, searching for (and catching) lizards. He collected leaves, rocks, branches, etc. When left to his own devices, he always found ways to entertain himself. That all changed when preschool started.

Photo courtesy of Katy Wampach

Once external expectations and the confines of traditional education were placed upon him, he struggled. He still wanted to explore and experience the world around him and that was incredibly difficult in a world where the adults were controlling that world/environment. I’ll never forget the day a preschool director told me, “We can’t make him have a good day.” It was a confusing statement. Why make or force anyone have any sort of day? Why not look to him to discover what would be a “good day” for him?

Around the time he started school, I started teaching PreK. At the time, the curriculum utilized Conscious Discipline for social emotional learning. I loved everything about it, attending every training course offered by my district. Fortunately, our principal also loved it and sent a group of us to a weeklong training so it could be more fully implemented on our campus. Conscious Discipline is rooted in brain science and makes so much sense. It is an adult first program in which we, as the adults in any relationship, are called to be what we’re hoping to teach in our kids. For our kids to thrive and learn, they must first feel safe and loved. It has changed who I am as a teacher, but most importantly, it changed who I am as a parent.

At the same time, my husband and I found out that our child was lacking that sense of safety in much of his life because he has autism. Situations that were easy for other children or for us were hard for him because the world around him felt so very different and foreign to his own understandings. We needed to help him find that sense of safety and security to utilize the highest levels of his brain.

He began receiving services in the school system to help him understand things like pragmatic speech skills and how to control his body. It’s lucky that we had an early speech therapist and private occupational therapist who believed it was important to teach our son how navigate the world around him and that it was important to understand what was going on in his own body and mind. One recommended the book Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant, which speaks of autism as an asset instead of a deficit and truly embraces the wide range of experiences that come with autism.

Photo courtesy of Katy Wampach

It quickly became my passion to make the world a place in which the human experience didn’t have to fit into one narrow understanding of what it means to be human. As we progressed through school, we found the traditional school experience can emphasize fitting in and finding ways to suppress the instincts of autistic students. We struggled to help our son navigate a world that constantly wanted him to be something other than he was so that others were less bothered.

Yes, the human experience is all about give and take. It is a dance between all of us. But our son’s school experience increasingly felt like it was more take and less give. We wanted our son to understand who he is, what makes him tick (both good and bad) and what he needed to feel that sense of safety. And we knew that when he felt safe, he would be in a place to contribute to the world around him in a productive way, proud of who he is, confident in what he has to offer, unafraid to speak up for what he needs.

Around this time, I found the most amazing group of women: a support group of moms walking the path of parenting children with autism. I joined the MomStrongFW group in December 2018. Because autism is a spectrum and each person with autism can look truly different, we all have different stories. But what I found in these women was a passion for their children and for making their experience of the world better. It was in that group that I first heard about Springbox Farms from another mom (and now dear friend), Emily, who attended therapy there with her child.

It sounded so magical: a place that truly embraced everyone with someone who looked deep into each of us and saw our dignity and could foster an environment where each of us could grow into our own potential. But it also seemed so out of reach – geographically and with regards to the time commitment, so it just sat in the back of my brain as a “maybe someday.”

That someday came in February 2022. Our son was struggling. He was spending quite a bit of time in survival mode, in fight or flight, feeling completely unsafe in the world around him. He’d been handed a lot. The pandemic, the loss of a beloved grandparent, a new baby sister after many years as an only child, a grandparent who moved in with us – it was overwhelming for a boy who craved routine and structure. His expressions of fight or flight were big and sometimes got him into trouble.

Photo courtesy of Katy Wampach

Now the distance and time didn’t matter anymore. That mom gut that we’re always told to trust told me to reach out to Charlotte at Springbox Farms. Emily, who first told me about the Farm, made an SOS call on my behalf.

I’ll never forget that first phone call with Charlotte. As I laid out what was going on – the behaviors the school was seeing, the challenges my son was having – her first reaction was not to immediately try to figure out how to stop them. Her first reaction was, “Wow, it sounds like he must be so scared.” It was the absolute opposite of, “We can’t make him have a good day.” I talked with her for over an hour, and we agreed on a time for us to visit. Then I sat in the Target parking lot and cried tears of relief. Tears of gratitude that maybe we’d found someone who would look deep into our child and help him understand himself.

That is exactly what we do at the Farm. We gain an understanding of the basics of our body. How it operates, how it communicates, what it needs, what makes it special. And it’s all done in the most natural, organic way. It is child driven. It is respectful. It doesn’t force change but encourages self-discovery.

Charlotte truly sees into each of us and encourages us to embrace what makes my son unique, help him to work on skills to meet his needs for safety so that he can fully embrace the world around him, even when it’s uncomfortable. We can explore these skills and gain this knowledge in an environment that is so perfect for him. He can be that kid who was happy to play in dirt, catch lizards, and explore. And because he’s able to do that and feel safe and loved, he’s able to take in the knowledge that Charlotte shares that better prepares him to navigate the world around him.

For me, the work helps me embrace this amazing human I’ve been given. In a world where there is so much pressure to do just the perfect thing for our children and to fear “messing up,” Charlotte helped me to trust my instincts, the instincts that told me how to comfort him as an infant and that lead us to Springbox Farms. I can slow down and observe his magnificent mind. At the farm, we can step out of the go! go! go! of the world around us. I am amazed by what we learn from each other when we just allow the time to go as it needs to go.

Photo courtesy of Katy Wampach

A simple trip to the creek may begin as a child’s need to get sensory input by digging up mud in order make a clearer pathway for the water to flow, and before you know it, that task becomes a teachable moment for what clogs our own systems and what clears away the muck that gets in the way of our learning, connecting, parenting, and living. It’s a discussion that could certainly happen in an office building on a busy street. But the richness of that lesson when it comes organically as we explore the world around us makes the lesson so more powerful. The farm is helping us to embrace the journey we’re on as we discover more about ourselves and how to navigate the world around us.

We still have many struggles, but we also see a lot of growth. I see self-advocacy beginning to happen. I see a child more willing to say “I need…” I see my son so much more confident and comfortable in his own skin. And I see a lens shift in myself. I see a greater passion for slowing down and attempting to see the world through the eyes of others. I see a lesser desire to control and a greater desire to connect. And I know that with connection comes safety and with safety comes learning and with learning comes change.

The Farm is now a regular part of the rhythm of our days. We miss it on the weeks we can’t go. When we return, there is a sense of home. I can feel my blood pressure lower as I arrive and a sense of calm when I leave.

In Charlotte, we have found such acceptance and love, an example of how to interact with others. Isn’t that what our world needs?

Photo courtesy of Katy Wampach

The post A Springbox Mom’s Experience first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

You can find joy in the season. Learning to be prepared, setting realistic expectations, and saying no can help caregivers navigate the holiday season and find joy in celebrating the holidays together with friends and family.

Dementia is a progressive disease. Every year, the holidays will be different as your loved one progresses through the different stages of the disease.

““We accommodate the disease because they can’t accommodate it,” says Hollie Glover, director of education and family support services at James L. West Center for Dementia Care.

Gifts for a person with dementia

When thinking about a gift for a loved one with dementia, think about the things that give them joy at their current stage in the disease.

Everyone has a soundtrack for their life, most often developed between the ages of 10 and 25. Look back at what the popular music was during that time in your loved one’s life and look for CDs and audio files from that time frame.

A gift with therapeutic value that connects to their past vocation or a hobby may spark joy and hours of purpose and meaning.

Sensory stimulation pads, pillows or blankets provide tactile stimulation for those living with dementia and help calm fidgeting. The pillows or blankets feature zippers, buttons, ties, and velcro that keep the hands busy opening and closing, buttoning and unbuttoning.

Preparing friends and family

Caregivers and other family members who spend more time with their loved one with dementia should prepare visitors and family members who may be traveling in for the holidays.

Let them know what to expect. Tell them clearly how your loved one has changed emotionally, mentally and physically.

Before the visit, share basic communication strategies, such as avoiding using the word “remember,”  and ways that you manage challenging behaviors or expressions.

Recognize that some of the changes may be difficult for family or friends to deal with. They may be nervous and not know what to say or be afraid to be left alone with the loved one.

Getting ready for the holidays

When your loved one is living with dementia, it’s best to keep the celebration simple. Too much stimulation can be overwhelming, causing big emotions and challenging expressions.

She suggests finding ways to include your loved one in the preparations for the celebrations with simple tasks that can be easily modified for different skill levels.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect,” Glover says. “Let them help and feel useful.”

Gathering with your family

Keep your celebration plans simple. Give yourself time to rest, and allow others to help you.

“Have a plan B,” Glover says. “Many times things won’t go as planned, so have a back-up plan.”

The stimulus of the holidays – decorations, parties, extra people, presents – can quickly become overwhelming and may cause your loved one to respond in more challenging ways.

Be realistic in your expectations and planning. Be flexible, and be honest with your family about what your loved one can and can’t do.

Celebrating the holidays after a move to a community

If your loved one is living in a community, carefully consider whether you will celebrate in their new home or if you’ll bring them home for the festivities.

If you decide to celebrate in your loved one’s new home, take advantage of the different areas available in the community. Plan to participate in any planned holiday events with your loved one so they are in their comfort zone.

Recognizing and reducing your stress

As a caregiver, you know your loved one the best. Plan early. Be realistic. Learn to say no.

There’s nothing you have to attend or anything you have to do during the holidays, even if it’s something you’ve done forever.

Be on the look-out for signs of stress. Fatigue, sleeplessness, and headaches may be a sign you’ve taken on too much during the holidays. Muscle tension or backaches, increased anxiety, gastrointestinal issues and increased heart rate or blood pressure are more signs you’ve taken on too much.

The key to a joyful and successful holiday celebration is being realistic, flexible and being in tune to your loved one’s needs.

For more tips or links to helpful resources, check out James L. West Center for Dementia Care’s  Holidays and Dementia training on demand.

The post Holidays and Dementia: Tips for Making the Holidays More Enjoyable first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.