I am 9 months old now and I am eating these foods from Gerber -

• Mixed grains Cereals
• Apple juice
• Mix fruit juice
• Sweet Potato
• Peaches
• Banana
• Pears
• Carrot
• Squash
• Applesauce
• Banana Joghurt
• Sweet Potato and corn
• Banana Orange
• Home made curd
• Rose milk
• Banana shake
• Roti
• choori
• Glucose biscuits
• Daal (Lentils)

Today is Oct 21st, 2007 and this is my first Dussehra. As per our tradition, I had to give up my hair. I went to ‘Great Clips ‘ at Naperville, IL – 60540 and sweet Nicole did the job for me. Look at this video.

After getting the hair in a paper bag, we headed for the temple (The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago at Lemont Road) and visited radha krishna temple, Balaji temple, Rama temple. Later we saw the statue of Ravana being built by two Mexican labors.

The following are among the top food products from China brought into the United States:

• Apple juice

• Mandarin oranges

• Confections/candy

• Dried garlic

• Cocoa butter

• Hog guts, bladders, stomachs for sausage casings

• Dry berries

• Some families tried to avoid Chinese products for a year
•  They found the source of food products the most difficult to discover
• USDA: 50 percent of apple juice in U.S. comes from China
• Expert says U.S. companies need to better police the products they bring in

I am stepping up to the challenge. Here are my first tiny steps in a walker.

Getting to the root of your medical ailments may be as simple as getting to the root, or leaves, of the herbs in your garden.

Whether you are plagued by restless sleep, an annoying paper cut or a migraine, herbs can offer an alternative to a trip to the doctor or drug store.

Naturopathic medicine, the use of western herbs for medical purposes, has been practiced and studied in Europe since the Middle Ages, according to Robin Depasquale, a professor of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University and a naturopathic physician.

Depasquale said growing herbs gives people more options concerning their health. “I think it gives them other options, economically and medically. Things in their backyard can help them,” she said.

The use of naturopathic medicine in the United States is growing rapidly, she said.

“It’s something people are really recognizing. No. 1, it seems to be very useful, it works … No. 2, we call it the medicine of the people, people can grow these herbs in their garden. I can teach someone to grow a plant that can help them medically. People are so happy to feel more empowered.”

The following herbs can be purchased at local nurseries, either in plant or seed form. Once they are in your garden, herbs can be prepared several ways, but the easiest is to make a tea, said Depasquale. When making a tea from herbs, the upper part of the plant can be steeped or the root of the plant can be boiled.

Depasquale and Debra Ching Wu, certified in herbology and acupuncture for Chinese medicine, recommended a few herbs that can be grown in the United States and safely used to treat medical ailments.

1: Mint is helpful to the gastro-intestinal system and is good for anyone with digestive problems. Mint helps dispel gas and tastes good as well. Use the leaves of the mint plant to make a tea.

2: Chamomile is a gentle, soothing herb that calms both the stomach and the nerves. The daisy-like flowers are used to make a tea. Research shows chamomile is gentle enough even for pregnant mothers.

3: Lavender is a popular plant used for its pleasant scent as well as its medical aid. Lavender is mainly a relaxant. It can be used in potpourri or in a bath. The flowers are edible and can be used in baking or in a tea. You can make a small pillow from the flower petals to treat insomnia. 4: Sage, of the mint family,. is useful in cooking. Also, the leaves of the sage plant are effective in treating hot flashes when mixed into a tea with peppermint. A tea from sage leaves is beneficial to both the heart and liver and acts as an antioxidant.

5: Garlic is a natural anti-viral agent. Planting garlic around other plants can aid in avoiding pests. Garlic can be used in soups and other foods to stimulate the immune system. The bulb of the garlic plant is used. Garlic can be effective in fending off a cold.

6: Echinachea is a popular immune stimulant that can be used to fight off infections. The root of the plant can be used to make a tea, or the whole plant can be dried to make a powder. Echinachea is more effective in preventing illness than in treating it.

7: Rosemary is calming to the nervous system, dispels gas, and is helpful with memory. The stems and leaves of the plant are used in a tea.

8: Oregano is a culinary herb that is also very medicinally active. It is often used as a gargle for sore throats. The leaves can be used to treat fungal growths on the skin. 9: Lemon balm, also in the mint family, is easy to grow. Often called the “happy plant,” the leaves are used to lift the spirit.

10: Calendula is a healing plant used on cuts, scrapes, bruises, burns and rashes. Its flowers can be applied topically, made into a tea, or infused with oil to make a topical treatment.

11: The dandelion plant’s leaves are used to stimulate the digestive system, as a diuretic. The entire plant is beneficial to the liver.

12: Plantain, known as “nature’s Band-Aid,” heals tissue. Chewing up plantain and placing it on a wound will aid in healing it. Placing a wad of it on the gum line will relieve a toothache.

13: Feverfew, in the daisy family, is for migraine headaches. The leaves can be chewed or prepared in a tea.

14: The blueberry, an often forgotten herb, strengthens capillary walls. It is effective in treating varicose veins, hemorrhoids and weakness in the cardiovascular system. Eating half a cup of blueberries per day is effective treatment for these ailments. The leaves of the plant are good for the urinary tract.

15: Yarrow is used to stop bleeding, using the leaves either topically or by making a tea. The whole plant is used in a tea to treat fevers by bringing on a sweat.

By LAURA M. SCHNEIDER (Click here to read about the writer)
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire

The iconic Hershey(R)’s Kisses(R) Brand Chocolates commemorated its 100th anniversary today with a record-breaking celebration in Hershey, Pa. The Hershey Company celebrated the brand’s centennial by unveiling “The World’s Largest Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate” at a birthday event hosted at Hershey’s Chocolate World(R) Attraction in Hershey, Pa., The Sweetest Place on Earth(R). Complete with a seven-foot-long plume and 16,460-feet of foil wrapping, The World’s Largest Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate weighed in at 30,540 pounds and was certified by Guinness World Records(R) as “The World’s Largest Piece of Chocolate.”

The World’s Largest Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate took nine days to construct and stands 12-feet tall. Consumers can see the making of the commemorative Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate by logging on to http://www.kisssomeone.com

It’s probably an exaggeration to say that kids are natural math geniuses. But kindergartners can solve math problems with large numbers long before they officially learn how to add and subtract. By using their instincts to estimate values, researchers report, kids can avoid the confusion of exact calculations.

Psychologists from the University of Nottingham in England recently tested kids from a variety of backgrounds to make sure that wealth or level of education didn’t get in the way of their results.

The first study involved 20 5- and 6-year-olds from wealthy, well-educated families. The kids sat in front of computers that showed a series of three-part math problems. One problem, for example, showed a girl’s face in one box and a boy’s face in another box. Above the girl’s face was a bag labeled “21.” Words on the screen read, “Sarah has 21 candies.”

The next screen showed a bag labeled “30″ above the girl. Words read, “She gets 30 more.” Finally, a bag marked “34″ appeared above the boy. Words read, “John has 34 candies. Who has more?”

Nearly three-quarters of kindergartners got the answer right. If the kids had just guessed who had more candies, only half of them would have been correct.

In a second experiment, the scientists tested 37 kindergartners from poor and middle-class families. The kids had to answer questions in a hallway outside their public school classroom, meaning there were more distractions than in the first study. Still, almost two-thirds of these kids got the answers right.

In a final experiment, 27 kindergartners from wealthy backgrounds faced a subtraction problem and a comparison problem. Again the text was accompanied by boxes showing girls and boys. Subtraction questions looked like this: “Sarah has 64 candies. She gives 13 of them away. John has 34 candies. Who has more?”

Comparison questions asked things like: “Sarah has 51 candies. Paul has 64 cookies. John has 34 candies. Who has more candies, Sarah or John?”

Again, the young math whizzes came through. They correctly answered two-thirds of the subtraction problems and four-fifths of the comparison problems.

The results of these tests suggest that kids have a natural ability to estimate numbers. Scientists have already observed similar abilities in other animals.

Knowing their students have such math skills might help teachers better teach arithmetic.

“The teachers . . . were skeptical about our experiments,” says lead researcher Camilla K. Gilmore. But in the end, she adds, teachers were “surprised both by their students’ success and by their enjoyment of the tasks.

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie his shoe
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three,
The little one stops to climb a tree
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching four by four,
The little one stops to shut the door
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching five by five,
The little one stops to take a dive
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching six by six,
The little one stops to pick up sticks
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching seven by seven,
The little one stops to pray to heaven
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching eight by eight,
The little one stops to shut the gate
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching nine by nine,
The little one stops to check the time
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching ten by ten,
The little one stops to say “THE END”
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

History:

This song/chant was popular during the Civil War and is sung to the tune “When Johnny comes Marching Home.”