Ellie@Home by Nicole Kapise-Perkins

   Sooo...the ear infection and tonsillitis and sinus infection and...and...and...well, they won, and my amazingly awesome boss gave me today off to recuperate. Last night after work I had a craving for double dumpling soup, and decided that I would spend my day reading Anna Karenina while drinking pots of jasmine tea. (Yes, that's POTS)    Soup ingredients? check    Jasmine tea? check    Anna Karenina? Anna? Hellooooo? Is Anna here? Nerp. The library's copy was so battered (it wasn't me, I swear) that it has been discarded. No Anna ? What am I supposed to do with myself now?? (This as I'm standing in a library full of books...) What to my wondering eye should appear, but a shiny brand-new copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes . Published by Walking Lion Press in 2011, it contains, in chronological order: A Study in Scarlet (1887); The Sign of Four (1890); The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892); The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894); The...

...because there really are no words to describe how weird my children are.

We all need our sleep, and plenty of it. As I mentioned before, everyone in my house is sick (with the exception of the goldfish) and part of why the adults aren't getting any better is because we aren't sleeping properly. He and I keep getting up to tend to sick children, and we are sick ourselves. See the pattern? If you're short on sleep because of the holly-day rush, or any other stressful factors, read more from Elise Moreau: Practically everyone knows what it feels like to be kept up at night by their own thoughts. Whether you’re analyzing the events of the past day or worrying about what’s to come tomorrow, the inability to calm and control your racing mind so that you can actually get some shuteye can be enough to feel nearly torturous. Ensuring a good night’s sleep, even when your daily life is busy and frantic, starts well before you turn in for the night. A few critical things to keep in mind include: Staying regular with your sleep time (and wake-up...

My household LOVES these lovely little gems of goodness, and I'm on a massive health spree lately because we're fighting the flu, ear infections, sinus infections, tonsillitis, and bronchitis in this house. (And sadly,it seems we're losing.) Mandarin oranges have become one of the most popular pleasures of the festive season; we pile the beautiful orange gleaming fruit into large bowls and stuff them into children’s stockings. Did you know that mandarin oranges, satsumas, tangerines and clementines are all different varieties in the mandarin family? They are all smaller than oranges with a looser skin, making them easier to peel. Below are 3 tasty and simple recipes for your pleasure.  First, let’s learn how good they are for us. 5 Health Benefits Of Mandarin Oranges 1. Reduces Risk of Liver Cancer The National Institute of Fruit Tree Science studied a Japanese population who ate a high number of mandarin oranges. In another study, a team at Kyoto Prefe...

Pain is a part of life as much as we would like to avoid it. A headache, a sprained ankle or aching joints are unwelcome occurrences in the lives of most people. But what happens when pain becomes a daily experience and starts to affect our quality of life? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. An estimated 25 percent of Americans have suffered from pain that lasts longer than 24 hours. It’s the most common reason Americans access the health care system. Chronic pain , defined by the NIH as any pain lasting more than 12 weeks, is a leading cause of disability in the United States. It’s also a major contributor to health care costs in the United States. Because pain is a subjective experience, there is no “one size fits all” solution to dealing with it. Pain—whether acute or chronic—comes in many forms and is big business for drug companies. Unfortunately, many anti-pain prescrip...

7 Ways to Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder This Winter Posted by Christiane Northrup, M.D. As our daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere are waning, and as we turn back the clocks to accommodate this change, it’s easy to forget that most of the people on Earth lived without electricity as little as 125 years ago! Despite being able to “change time,” I know that this transition is difficult for many of you. Being without light is difficult for me, too. Light is, after all, a nutrient. If you are one of millions who experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), don’t let anyone tell you it’s all in your head. It’s not. SAD is real. It can also be a nudge from Mother Nature that something in your life isn’t quite right. Why We Feel SAD In Winter Your body needs a minimum of about 30 minutes of sunlight a day. (Two hours is ideal.) However, after 48 hours, all of the nutrients and energy you receive from the sun are depleted. Depending on where you live, you may go t...

         To all my American friends, I wish you  a wonderful Thanksgiving! And for all my friends from around the world, have a wonderful day. I'll be thinking of you!    Much love, Nicole Kapise-Perkins

I made this up for dinner the other night,and had no leftovers.My 18 year old liked it so much that he has asked for a copy of Rachael Ray's Just in Time cookbook so he can have the recipe forever. I decide that the only thing to do was share this delicious happiness with all of you.  Elsa's Cider Beef...from Rachael Ray This recipe comes from Rach's mom, Elsa Scuderi. Apple cider is the key to this hearty beef, served over smashed potatoes. Serves 4 Servings Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 3 tablespoons butter 2 pounds top sirloin, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes (or stew beef...save a step) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 1 pou...

Here dear friends is an update from my family's reading. Again, a few (new) favs for Lulu's Library: Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin: TOO FUNNY! This fabulous book is a nearly step-by-step guide to hosting the perfect dragon party. Just make sure you don't forget to serve tacos, because dragons LOVE tacos!!! What Forest Knows by George Ella Lyon (with a nod to Illustrator August Hall!): The best word to describe this book is 'beautiful.' Beautiful illustrations (very, I might add), simple but beautiful text, this book about the changing of the seasons and what the forest 'knows' has become a bedtime favorite, and my little guy loves to point out details of the pictures and discuss them. Check this one out: I'm sure it will become a favorite. Good Night Yoga by Mariam Gates: This sweet bedtime story is written as a series of yoga poses, guaranteed to get your little one interacting, but in just the way you would want them to at bedtime. Col...

    Despite my best intentions, my blog has again been neglected: work has taken a 360 and I've been left somewhere in the dust (can you see me waving?). My supervisor, who is a very good friend, is leaving the facility we work at, moving on to new adventures, and guess who gets to fill in for her in the meantime? Yep. Yours truly. Do you have any idea how much stuff goes into being an activity director???? I didn't either. I don't think I can manage half as well as she has, but I'm going to try my best. It is, after all, the best that I can do.      Today I have a rare day off, with no plans except grocery shopping and returning overdue library books. I am finding this rather wonderful. True, there are a dozen things I could do today: the living room corners are so cobwebby that the spiders can't find vacancies (though this means I don't have to decorate for Halloween...maybe this isn't so horrible after all...), my little boy's room is so messy I ...

October 6, 2015 How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day? How much water should you drink each day? This topic is discussed constantly and before we answer how much, I think it’s important that we understand just how incredibly important water is to the body. Water is the most important “nutrient” in the body. It makes up about 55-60% of our total body mass and is found in all tissues. You can go about eight weeks without food, but only a few days without water. The roles of water in the body are pretty incredible. Here’s a list of some of the important things water does to support the body : Improves oxygen delivery to the cells Transports nutrients Enables cellular hydration Cushions bones and joints Regulates body temperature Removes wastes and flushes toxins Prevents tissues from sticking Lubricates joints Improves cell-to-cell communications Maintains normal electrical properties of the cells Empowers the body’s natural healing process As you can see...

All Hallows Eve :                        A Tale of Terror                               … sort of .                               By                  Nicole Kapise Perkins                        ‘Twas All Hallow’s Eve and all through the house everyone was cowering in fear of a vampire mouse. Ragged socks hung dripping by the fireplace with dread; we h...

I just placed a big order at my library the other day, but decided I needed something to read while I was waiting, and so dug around in the biographies, and was rewarded with:                                                                                                         AND:                                         ...

These aren't true recipes, but I doubt you keep this stuff in your bathroom, and our great-great grandmothers did make up all kinds of home remedies in their kitchens, so......(these are from my fav blog, Hello Natural) Feel Better Faster with 8 Natural Cough + Sore Throat Remedies September 29, 2015 by Dana Raidt 4 Comments I don’t know about you, but to me coughing and sore throats are probably the worst cold symptoms—worse than all the others combined! When I get a sore throat in the winter months, it’s a surefire sign I’m about to be feeling like crap for a few days, and the pain can be unbearable. (When you can’t even swallow because it hurts—ugh.) A hacking cough isn’t any fun to deal with either. Of course, the first line of defense against sore throats and coughs is to keep your immune system working properly through eating the right foods , getting plenty of rest and managing your stress level. But, when the inevitable sore throat or cough...

I haven't read any of these yet, but if Brightly says they're a go, them I'm game. My husband and I are trying to get our little guy (who is 6 on Friday) to branch out and begin reading 'chapter books' with us. This looks like a good place to start. And Kate DiCamillo is, well, Kate DiCamillo. The Tale of Despearux . Need I say more? 9 Super Series 6–8 Year Olds Are Buzzing About by Kari Ness Riedel Photo credit: Westend61/Getty Images When you ask a kid what kind of books they read, you can see the beam of pride when they answer “chapter books.” They’ve graduated from “leveled readers” and have a whole new world of mystery, humor, adventure, and friendship stories open to them. This transition, which often happens between the ages of six and eight, is an important point in a child’s independent reading life. Making sure they pick books that allow them to experience reading as a pleasure, not a chore, is essential. Ser...