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The Bledsoe Firm JustFamilyLaw.com | 949.363.5551 OCTOBER | 2022
THE BENEFITS OF HEALTHY EATING
ADD MORE PRODUCE TO YOUR CHILDREN’S DIETS
Halloween is rapidly approaching! Soon, our children’s minds will be occupied only with how much candy they can collect and how much they’ll be able to eat in one sitting. Halloween really kicks off the holiday season — Thanksgiving will quickly follow and Christmas comes soon after. During this time, we usually set our diets aside and eat to our heart's content. While we can get away with it from time to time, eating in that manner can be detrimental to our physical and mental well-being. Eating habits set an example for our children, so overindulgence is a behavior we don’t want to encourage. After all, a healthy diet is essential to a child’s growth. If you want your children to develop healthy diets, they need to understand the importance of healthy eating from an early age. If they develop a habit of eating candy or drinking soda regularly, it will be hard to break. Take some time to explain the benefits of healthy eating to your children. As they grow and develop, they need important nutrients to have stable energy, strong bones and teeth, improved mental health, and healthy body weight. They’ll even prevent chronic diseases. One of the best ways to improve your children’s diet is to include more fruits and vegetables in every meal. Fresh produce provides children with the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals needed for growth and development. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children eat 1–2 servings of fruit and 1–3 servings of vegetables each day. Make sure you pick up some fruits and vegetables from the grocery store or farmers market so you can include them in every meal!
thanks to the many cartoons that portray vegetables as unappetizing food. That’s why it’s so necessary for parents to help their children understand the importance of fruit and vegetables. There are a few ways to help your children enjoy eating healthy. Bring your children to the store with you and allow them to pick their own healthy options. Have them pick out their own produce and explain the benefits of each. You can read the nutritional labels together and even include them in the cooking process. When you involve your children in some of the decision-making and cooking, they’ll enjoy eating produce more.
It can also help to explain what benefits come with each vitamin.
• Vitamin A promotes healthy eyes and skin while also protecting us from infection. It can be found in apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, lettuce, mangoes, watermelon, and more. • Vitamin C gives us healthy teeth and gums while also helping to heal cuts and wounds. Bell peppers, broccoli, grapefruit, oranges, and other citrus fruits are great sources of vitamin C. • Calcium helps us keep our teeth and bones healthy. While calcium can be found in dairy, it‘s also found in greens, kale, rhubarb, and spinach. • Fiber gives us a healthy digestive system and a reduced risk of heart disease. Fruits like apples, bananas, pears, and peaches contain fiber as well as beans, lentils, and broccoli. • Iron found in beans, lentils, and spinach contributes to healthy blood and can improve one’s learning ability. • Potassium from bananas, broccoli, potatoes, and tomatoes promotes a healthy blood pressure. When our kids eat healthily, they’re in a better mood and feel better both physically and mentally. Find ways to introduce plenty of fruits and vegetables into their diets and you’ll begin noticing benefits before long. —John Bledsoe
Some parents may find it difficult to get their children to eat ample amounts of fruits and vegetables
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JustFamilyLaw.com | 949.363.5551
EMBRACING THE POWER OF NOW
4 Tips for Practicing Mindfulness
Slow down. Try savoring the process of a task, even if it isn’t your favorite thing to do. Paying deliberate attention to your daily actions and activities, like doing the dishes or even folding laundry, promotes healthy focus and reduces feelings of being overwhelmed. Get moving. Incorporating exercise and movement into your daily routine helps you to become aware of your body’s sensations. You’ll be more appreciative of how your body responds to different stimuli and movements, and this trains you to be more aware of yourself. Practice mindful eating. Do you always eat in front of the television or computer? Try eating without distractions, dine in good company, or pay closer attention to flavors and textures of the meal — it’s good for both your body and soul!
Have you ever sat down to eat a bowl of ice cream, then looked down a minute or two later to notice you only have one bite left? What about reaching your destination in the car and not recalling one thing about the entire trip? With the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s tough to be present 100% of the time, but we shouldn’t let our minds go on autopilot. Not only can this be a safety hazard, but it may also impact important relationships and reduce our enjoyment and satisfaction.
With busy schedules and long to-do lists, how can we be more mindful? Here are four tips to help you embrace the power of now!
Use the power of meditation. You don’t need to meditate for a long time, and it certainly doesn’t require special poses or guidance. But taking just five minutes out of your day to focus on your breathing and clear your mind counts as meditation. It can help you to be more aware, present, and productive, especially in times of stress.
SOMETIMES DIVORCE BRINGS PEACE
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A lack of forgiveness. Are you or your spouse still bringing up grievances from years past? If either of you can’t let things truly go, you will never have a happy marriage.
The frog and the pot of boiling water proverb tells us that if a frog is thrown into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out immediately. However, if the frog is thrown in a pot of room temperature water that is slowly warmed to the point of boiling, the frog will stay until it's too late. Many people experience this situation in their lives every day with their marriages. When your marriage has gone poorly, home is no longer home; you walk on eggshells just to avoid a fight. Even the best marriages have the potential to descend into madness. If you aren’t practicing daily forgiveness, the smallest provocation can lead to a fury of animosity. People say it’s normal for couples to argue, but is it really? Sure, it’s normal for couples to disagree from time to time, but happy, healthy couples will not shout and argue with each other to no end. When you live in an unhealthy environment, your mental and physical health can begin to deteriorate.
• Mismatched ambitions. Is one of you striving for more while the other one wants to kick back and relax? Prepare to resent each other unless a compromise can be found. • Alcohol and substance abuse . Alcohol or drugs can bring emotional stress into a marriage. Whenever people speak about divorce, they seem to focus on the downsides, but one can experience plenty of positives through a divorce. Removing yourself from a bad marriage can bring incredible joy, rebirth, and renewal. Peace is priceless, and it’s essential to experience peace in your own home.
There are a few things that can completely doom a marriage if something is not done before it’s too late.
You will never get back the years lost to a truly unhappy marriage, so if you’ve found yourself in a marriage that’s driving you crazy, give us a call.
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W ord S earch Bats Broomstick Cemetery Creepy Grave Halloween Harvest Maze Monster Scarecrow Skeleton Treats
PREVENT PARENTAL ALIENATION
With These 5 Tips
Parental alienation is when one parent attempts to sabotage or undermine their child’s relationship with the child’s other parent. They may use a variety of tactics such as gaslighting and psychological manipulation. Parental alienation is a form of child abuse, so it’s important to watch for the signs it’s happening and take steps to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Here are five ways to prevent parental alienation from happening to you. Be the best parent you can be. The best defense against parental alienation is a strong relationship between the parent and their child. When a good relationship exists, it’s much more difficult for parental alienation to occur. Express feelings of love. Even if you’re not the type to say “I love you” regularly, it’s still an important thing to do. Make a point to tell your children you love them every time you see them or speak to them on the phone. Follow your attorney’s advice and obey all orders from a judge. Wisdom comes from experience, so heed the words of your legal counsel. Also, obey all orders from the judge as the courts don’t look kindly on parents who choose to disobey orders. If necessary, talk with your attorney about your options for seeking a modification on any current orders that have been issued in your case. Be someone your children can count on. Be there when your child needs you. If you say you’re going to attend their sporting event or recital, make sure you’re there. Don’t go back on your promises. Do everything you can to foster a good relationship with your children. If you are a POSITIVE and DEPENDABLE figure in your child’s life, it will be difficult for someone else to sabotage your relationship with them. Be persistent when necessary. If your phone calls and messages to your child are not being acknowledged, do not give up and fear they’re being intercepted by an estranged spouse — continue to make efforts to communicate with your child. However, you must also document your efforts at contacting your children and discuss your concerns with your attorney!
PUMPKIN PIE PARFAITS
Inspired by Kenarry.com
INGREDIENTS
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3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
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1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves 1 cup vanilla sandwich cookies 8 oz whipped topping
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2 cups cold milk
15-oz can pumpkin purée
1/2 tsp cinnamon
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DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in pumpkin purée, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. 2. In a blender or food processor, crush vanilla sandwich cookies into crumbs. 3. In small jars or glasses, place cookie crumbs on bottom, then pumpkin mixture, then whipped topping. Repeat these layers twice and end with cookie crumbs. 4. Chill until ready to serve!
If you think your ex-spouse is trying to alienate your children, it’s imperative that you seek legal counsel. We’re available to help, so give us a call today!
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JustFamilyLaw.com | 949.363.5551
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Inside
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Improve Your Child’s Diet With Fruits and Vegetables
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4 Tips for Being More Mindful
How Divorce Can Provide One With Peace
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5 Ways To Prevent Parental Alienation
Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
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Halloween Safety Tips
HAVE A SPOOKY GOOD TIME WHILE KEEPING SAFETY IN MIND
Halloween is all about letting the ghoul times roll, but monsters and ghosts aren’t the only things parents need to worry about this holiday. Most older kids don’t want an adult chaperoning — they want to venture off with their friends to enjoy the night all on their own.
cannot reach them or they aren’t back in time, you have a general idea of where they can be on the route.
Pack the essentials. Always make sure your child has their phone on them in case of an emergency, no matter if it’s to call you or an emergency line. You could even share locations so you’re able to track where they are or use another location tracking app like Life360 or FamiSafe that’s available on your devices.
Here are a few safety tips so you and your older kids can enjoy the spooky evening with no worries.
Plan a route and curfew. Some older kids still love the nostalgia of trick-or-
treating, or maybe they plan to pull some Halloween pranks with their friends. Whatever the reason may be, they may want to enjoy the evening without a parent. One of the best ways to make sure they’re staying safe is to plan a route and a curfew. Choose which routes you feel comfortable with them going on, either somewhere nearby or somewhere in the neighborhood. And choosing a curfew time is essential so you know when to expect their return. This way if something happens and you
If they plan to stay out for a while, have your child take water bottles, flashlights, and even a small first-aid kit with them. They actually come in handy when exploring the Halloween night and the unexpected happens. Older kids deserve a bit of freedom, as long as they can do it responsibly. Consider these tips to make sure the night is trick-free and full of the best treats.
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