Creating Safer Screen Time for Your Child #screentime

Brianna, © 2019 aspicyboycatandmyfatass.com

What's the earliest age when a child first sees a screen? It's younger than we might think! A study that was presented on April 25, 2015, at the Pediatric Academic Society annual conference in San Diego showed that children as young as six months are being exposed to mobile media. Also, by the age of one, at least one in seven children are using media devices for up to an hour daily.  As they get older, the number of hours in front of TV's, smart phones, tablets and computer screens rises.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time before the age of two. A child's brain develops during the first couple years, and they learn best by interacting with people, not screens. The recommendation is quite well known, but it's nearly impossible to strictly follow those guidelines, when babies are so drawn to smart phones, TV's and computer screens.

Can a child learn from a screen?

Yes. It's possible to learn from a television or iPad... it just takes twice as long as it would if the child was learning from another person in the real world.

THE (MANY) BEAUTY BENEFITS OF LAVENDER: ULTRA-EASY DIY RECIPES INCLUDED!

Right now, everything in Provence literally seems to glow bluish-purple. The color of soft lavender bushes shimmering against a blue sky… rolling up balmy country days and the soulfulness of summer into one pretty package.

But as I’ve come to realize through talking with both beauty industry experts and lavender farmers, this is much more than just a pretty flower. It is also one of the most powerful remedies in the plant world, offering relief for problems as varied as sunburns, acne and dandruff. No wonder the ancient Egyptians and Romans treasured the oil extracted from its leaves and flowers.

This amazing spectrum of healing powers is due to lavender’s complex chemical makeup, which is full of antiseptic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory goodness. Even a mere whiff of its fragrance has potent aromatherapy benefits. And authentic, good quality lavender is no subtle, old lady fragrance – it’s a heady scent that rivals bottled perfume.

So, what better souvenir could I get from this lovely land than the recipes of some gorgeous face masks, scrubs and body butters that help harness all the beauty of lavender in its purest form?

WHAT STRESS (OR ANGER!) DOES TO YOUR FACE… AND HOW TO FIX IT!

Lately, despite the twice daily cleansing and moisturizing, an hour at the gym, weekly scrubs and face packs and copious amounts of water, I have been noticing that my skin has never ever looked this terrible. It’s reached a point where strangers at the malls are asking me if I am sick and need help… not kidding!

Time to visit the dermatologist – who takes one look at my blotchy complexion, flaking chin, dark circles and the monstrous zit on my forehead and decides what I need is a “life questionnaire” rather than a session of Blue Light.

And through gradual prodding and poking, we arrive at the root cause – stress (and a lot of being pissed off, to boot), which is literally killing my skin cells.

I have always known that stress leads to high blood pressure, depression, migraines, heart disease, obesity… yada yada yada! But honestly, it never bothered me because all that’s in the future. Skin problems, however, are in the here and now! Hence, this required some serious research.