Blogs

Ever wonder if your child is getting enough calcium? Kids need plenty of calcium to sustain the rapid growth of bones and teeth. It’s also important for muscle and brain function. Between the ages of 1 to 12 kids need between 800- 1300mg of calcium a day. A cup of milk contains about 300mg of the good stuff.
 
Calcium can be found in dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt, but these aren’t the only sources – or the best sources for that matter. Lactose intolerance and the possible hormones in milk might be a deterrent for some. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds all contain calcium. Dark-green leafy vegetables like broccoli and kale are good sources, as well as asparagus and sea vegetables such as kelp. Dried fruits like figs, dates and raisins are also high in calcium. Unlike leafy greens, kids are usually quite happy eating almonds and raisins as a snack. High concentrations can also be found in sesame seeds. Hummus (a spread made with tahini and chickpeas) is very easy to prepare and packed with calcium. It makes a great dip that kids love.

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The LA Times has an interesting article describing how families with adopted children from China go to great pains to help their children find their biological parents.

Some excerpts:

"The number of Chinese adoptees looking for their birth parents is expected to rise as the girls, most of them still very young, reach adolescence and then adulthood. But in China, the families often confront an entrenched culture of secrecy that clashes with Americans' presumed right to know."

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 As the temperature drops and the moisture levels plummet, we can do things to breathe easier and keep our skin hydrated.

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As an Australian, I have always associated Christmas with hot weather, salads, and fresh seafood. Though my mum would slave to make us a beautiful roast chicken with all the trimmings, our traditional lunch always kicked off with mid-morning platters of giant prawns, Mediterranean dips, and lots and lots of avocado. Our northern neighbors scoff and claim the only Christmas is a white Christmas, but what can I say - once you've experienced the festive season in a T-shirt and shorts, you never go back.

This is my third Christmas in the Capital and one would think that by now I'd just let go and accept my icy holiday state. But no, my insistence on living the Australian dream won't die. Last year I wore a sun dress to my friend's Christmas lunch, thanking all that is goodly that Beijing apartments are heated to a very Australian 27 degrees C. This year I'll be kicking back with a selection of sushi, bucking the hot roast trend and giving a nod to my mother, who this year will be enjoying her Christmas lunch at a Japanese restaurant overlooking a tropical beach.

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Selecting the right Christmas tree remains an important tradition in my family. Now, I do not mean my family and I embark on a Chevy Chase-esque adventure, slogging through fields of snow with axes in hand in search of the perfect tree, but it is a special part of Christmas nonetheless.

Having strapped the “Chosen” tree to the roof of the car, trawled it through the house, hacked at the trunk so that it will fit into the base and made sure that the tree is standing straight, we cannot bear to look at the thing any longer. “Why didn’t we just buy one of those already decorated, perfect looking plastic trees?” my sister would shout while unknotting the fairly lights. I always struggle to understand how the Christmas tree lights manage to knot themselves while they are in a sealed box, shoved away in the attic. They do though, without fail.

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Don’t miss this week’s four excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox. Check the beijingkids website for full event listings, www.beijing-kids.com.

Thurs 24: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

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The holidays usually bring an upsurge in charitable giving, but Beijing has many charity groups that are in need of volunteers and resources over the holiday season and beyond. The following are some Beijing organizations worth supporting:

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Dr Richard over at MyHealthBeijing has a couple of recent posts pertinent to families in Beijing:

The first includes a look back at an article Will Chickering wrote about indoor air pollution for Beijing Kids' (now defunct) sister magazine Urbane and subsequently posted on Beijingcafe. "Basically, I learned that the worst component of air pollution from the point of health effects is traffic-related, i.e., within 150-200m of four-lane streets/highways (which can be easily identified on a Google Map of Beijing), and that the worst of the worst are fine and ultra-fine particles, which seep indoors with such efficiency that their concentration is almost the same indoors as out. HEPA air purifiers can help, but only in closed rooms where the machines need to be set at a rate to clean a room’s volume TWICE in one hour (to keep ahead of the seepage). Unless the rooms are very small, this rate is very loud." Read more here.

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The coldest weekend of the year (thus far) looms and with it, the daunting prospect of spending a few days inside with your little ones. Here are a few ideas and snippets of text taken from around the net to help you keep the kids entertained indoors and your own sanity intact.

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 Don’t miss this week’s four excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox. Check the beijingkids website for full event listings, www.beijing-kids.com.

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