Four Steps to Managing Childhood Asthma

Among children, asthma is considered to be the most common respiratory disorder. Characterized by the chronic inflammation or swelling of the bronchial mucosa and narrowed airways, this disease usually presents itself with chest tightening, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, and dry coughing. It’s a disease that follows the child through adulthood.

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, here are 4 steps you can take to manage it:

1. Have an Asthma Action Plan

An Asthma Action Plan is a written plan that details what symptoms you’ll need to look out for, medication to give for any emergencies, and plan of action to take in the case of an asthma attack. This plan should ideally be discussed with not just the family members and the child’s caregivers, but also with institutions that care for the child, such as a school or day care center.

2. Monitor your child's asthma symptoms
Asthma symptoms can tell you whether or not your child is doing well or if he might need special medical attention. This should be based on your Asthma Action Plan. Symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, coughing and wheezing, or even having trouble walking are all warning signs that not everything is alright with your child’s respiratory system. Emergency medication is sometimes necessary, depending on the severity of the symptoms.

3. Keep your child away from asthma triggers

Asthma triggers are substances, situations, or activities that can trigger symptoms of asthma to pop up, or worse, cause an asthma flare-up or attack. Examples of these triggers are allergens like dust, insects, and pollen. Stress and strenuous activities can also trigger attacks.
Avoid triggering your child’s asthma by keeping your house clean, installing air filters to screen out pollen or dust as well as avoiding stressful/exhausting activities.

4. Make sure your child gets exercise and maintains a healthy weight

Although strenuous activities are asthma triggers, ample exercise is a must for children with asthma as this can help strengthen their stamina and keep their weight down to a healthy level. Along with a healthy diet, you can ensure your child’s immunity and prevent asthma attacks.

There’s no known complete cure for asthma, but its symptoms can certainly be managed through proper planning and lifestyle changes. For a more detailed guide on childhood asthma, you can check out this useful infographic from Filter Buy.

FilterBuy

Happiness Is A Choice

I'm very certain that regardless of where you live, you are aware of the craziness all around. I am not making this post about anything in particular, but I will say that I CHOOSE happiness every single day. My peace is important to me. If I am a wreck, I can't be a good wife, mother or friend. My son depends on me being 110% since I have a big role in his education. I have certain feelings that have been brewing like a raging storm inside of me. I am choosing to channel that energy into action. I will remain the friendly and loving person I am. I will continue to teach my children that there is so much goodness in the world. I will have fun dates with my husband more often because frankly, he keeps me from going over the edge. I will also laugh and smile even more. 

I know it seems easier said than done to be happy, but truly it is a choice. I'm not as spiritual as most people I know, but I do have faith that everything is going to be alright. Heal yourself and choose to spread love and happiness all around. Thanks for reading. Have a grand week! xoxo

Raleigh Catering Company

Since catering has become a real trend nowadays, it was impossible for the Raleigh community not to benefit from such a service. Many people have tried for years the services provided by the Raleigh Catering Company and they ended up with beautiful events, enjoying them while being more relaxed.

This company has been offering their services to this area for many years now, having a friendly attitude and having a large array of courses and dishes, suitable for any kind of occasion and event that you might have. They take pride in having a personal connection with their customers, which is easy to understand, since most of the events a catering company needs to take care of have a personal character.

As it is ideal, the chefs and the personnel are highly trained professionals that know everything that is necessary in several types of techniques and various cuisines around the world. Besides offering a standard menu, they can also provide signature dishes created especially for a particular event, which is extremely useful if you need to host a fine dining event with high class guests. Their large experience is not just a thing they brag with, but it is very useful when you count on people to help with your event.

The quality of the ingredients is also extremely important. There have been cases with some companies that used bad quality ingredients and the result, of course, is not that delicious. For this reason it is important to provide fresh and pure vegetables and meat. Moreover, besides the quality, the Raleigh catering service offers a large and varied array of dishes. For people who want to host a different event, communities of expats or people of different origins, this matters a lot, since they can enjoy their traditional dishes by simply calling a catering company, instead of cooking for hours and hours in a row.

Prompt service and competitive prices are all the more reasons for which people choose to use the services provided by this catering company. Of course, a slow service is just as important as the ingredients, the type of dishes and the price, which should convince you to double-check before trusting someone with the success of your own event.

The staff here can even help you with part of the planning, and the advice of a professional is literally priceless, especially when you have tons of other things to take care of. Furthermore, it is really easy to find the company online and give them a call and it is advisable to do this as soon as possible, to make sure everything is ready in time.

From My Kitchen- Caribbean Style Roasted Chicken Recipe

I have been getting so many nagging requests lately about posting my recipes on the blog from friends. I promised to do better this year and will be sharing more of my family favorite recipes and tips. I cooked a whole roasted chicken over the weekend and it was the best I've ever made. I didn't know I would end up sharing the recipe, so I have no step-by-step photos to share-- just the delicious end result. This chicken was full of Caribbean flavor and super juicy and tender.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 5-8 pounds
one handful each of fresh cilantro and Italian parsley
One large green onion
3 cloves of fresh garlic
small piece of hot pepper like habanero or scotch bonnet (optional and highly recommended)
dried seasonings- here are my faves
*1/2 cup Mojo marinade

Helpful items: A large/wide bowl or glass dishware for marinating, a large baking sheet, parchment paper, aluminum foil

What to do:

Start with splitting your whole chicken down the back to remove backbone and excess fat. I prefer this method to get more even cooking and browning. Wash chicken with lime or lemon and pat dry with paper towels.  You will have to apply some pressure to get the breast to flatten a bit. Do not remove skin! Sprinkle chicken on both sides with your dried seasonings to your taste. In a blender or vegetable chopper, grind garlic, herbs, green onion and hot pepper with a small amount of water just enough to make a puree. Pour herb puree and mojo marinade all over, and leave chicken in the fridge for 2 hours or even overnight. Preheat oven at 385 degrees. Place chicken breast side up on pan lined with foil and parchment paper. Bake for around one hour depending on your oven. I use the convection setting on my oven for extra crispiness and deeper browning. If your wings start browning too quickly, you can wrap them loosely with foil and remove in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Let your chicken rest at least 15 minutes before cutting/carving.

Serve with your favorite side dishes. I recommend my favorite Guyanese cook-up rice to make this a real authentic Caribbean meal. My family raves over this chicken and an 8 pound bird was devoured in a couple days with no waste! Don't forget to Pin this recipe for later! Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

*This post contains affiliate links. I posted the products in case you can't find them locally.  

The Fresh Market's Little Big Meal Program

I wanted to pass along these great deals for those who live near The Fresh Market

Available every day of the month, The Fresh Market offers shoppers convenient, grab-and-go solutions for preparing a home-cooked meal with its “Little Big Meal” program! Shoppers now have the answer to the perennial “What’s for dinner?” question at their fingertips.  With hand-picked ingredients and a simple recipe, Little Big Meal offers a quick and easy wholesome meal for four -- starting at just $10!  Shoppers may simply stop by the “Little Big Meal” display every day of the week to choose from a variety of ingredient options to prepare the perfect feast.

WHO: The Fresh Market, a specialty grocery retailer focused on providing fresh, delicious fare, locally sourced products, convenient meal solutions and an expanding selection of household items in an inviting atmosphere

WHAT/WHEN: January “Little Big Meal” Schedule

Visit your neighborhood The Fresh Market any day of the week in January to pick up the below convenient meal solutions:

January 4-10 – Stir Fry

January 11-17 – Meatloaf 

January 18-24 – Tacos
January 25-31 – Slow Cooker  
WHERE: The Fresh Market’s 177 store locations nationwide

For local store information, please visit: https://www.thefreshmarket.com/all-stores/

MORE INFO: For more information on the “Little Big Meal” program and this month’s options, please visit: http://www.thefreshmarket.com/view-specials/littlebigmeal

Be sure to follow The Fresh Market on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About The Fresh Market, Inc.

Founded in 1982, The Fresh Market, Inc. is a specialty grocery retailer focused on providing an inviting atmosphere; fresh, delicious fare; convenient meal solutions; an expanding selection of household items; and a variety of products to help its shoppers live a healthy lifestyle. The company operates 177 stores in 24 states across the U.S. For more information, please visit www.thefreshmarket.com or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.