Christopher Dawson, a teacher and IT administrator for Athol, MA High School and regular contributor of ZDNet, has an interesting take on a story about a small group of homeschoolers selling freshly-roasted coffee to learn about business development, marketing, and accounting.

Dawson tells his readers: “Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but their original motivation of providing hands-on, practical, experience-based lessons to kids really should be.”

Read more at Homeschooling + marketing = great coffee?

Healthy-Family is celebrating our very first birthday this month. On July 1, 2007 we went on line with our first post, Attention and Behavior Problems can be Alleviated with Good Food and Supplements. Since that time we have provided over 135 posts from six different authors about varying topics such as eco living, parenting, health and nutrition, crafts, technology, education, and allergies. Over 118,000 folks have viewed our site and we have been privileged to have nearly 30 individuals subscribe to us as well.

As recently as January we launched our allergy specific forum, which now has 22 members and includes many free recipes within its pages. We hope to expand both the website and the forum in our second year and have plans for many more articles in the future. …read the rest of this entry »

A recent study, done by an international team of researchers, provides some of the best evidence to date that breast-feeding can make children smarter. The longitudinal study revealed that babies in the breast-fed (and encouraged) group scored significantly higher in the reading, writing, math and other subjects at school than those who were formula-fed or whose mothers were not encouraged to breast feed during the first 6 months of birth.

These results give a new impetus for the current moms and moms-to-be to consider breast feeding as it not only provides great health benefits but also raises their kids’ IQ. The researchers seemingly attribute the latter to the bonding between the mother and the baby. Although it remains speculative. …read the rest of this entry »

Blueberry muffins have been a fetish of mine since I was a child. They are a handy on-the-go snack that freeze very nicely. I make bulk batches when I get the urge and then freeze them for future use.

After several unsuccessful attempts I have finally figured out how to make them light and moist. Rather than use sugar and a liquid, I substitute with maple syrup (honey tends to make them brown too fast) and I use 1/3 part almond flour in my muffin mix. I have used both fresh and frozen blueberries but I prefer fresh, folding them in after the batter is fully mixed. …read the rest of this entry »

The most prestigious and exciting Natural Health Expo returns to Illinois to bring the finest health care products, information, and experts. The Chicago Health Freedom Expo - June 27-29, 2008 - features more than 75 prominent speakers introducing cutting-edge discoveries in natural health. Browse Expo Hall with over 200 exhibitors displaying the latest innovative technology and products in alternative medicine. …read the rest of this entry »

The 2nd annual International Babywearing Conference is coming up! It will be held June 25-28, 2008 at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, USA. The Babywearing Conference includes not just terrific shopping opportunities for all types of baby carriers, but also workshops on how to use different carriers, holds, and workshops on the business of making and or selling carriers.

There will be a keynote speech by Jeni Norton, the founder of the largest babywearing online community, thebabywearer.com. Organizers have also put together a fashion show and a panel discussion on the history of baby wearing. There is a raffle scheduled for interested participants. Check out the conference website and their long list of exhibitors for more information visit: Babywearing Conference.

It is very exciting to see an organization develop for the sole purpose of helping families of newly diagnosed children battle autism head on. Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) does just that. It gives people timely information, offers resources, and supports families affected by autism.

TACA’s goal is to empower parents to effectively treat children newly diagnosed, speeding up the recovery of their children and strengthening the autism community by connecting families with other families and professionals who can assist them, allowing them to share their stories and successes. …read the rest of this entry »

Got a corn-allergic kid? How about educating him or her with an online game show?

The University of Illinois Extension has a game called the “Great Corn Adventure“ hosted by Zea Mays. It is part of a collection of educational games for kids.

Lovely Ms. Mays takes the viewer on a tour of the corn world, starting with the Native Americans in the valley of Tehuacan in Pueblo Mexico in 5000 b.c. …read the rest of this entry »

While many moms decide to forgo jewelry rather than let Junior pull on it, dentist Dr. Helen Bloom decided to solve that problem, while also giving baby a healthy choice for teething on.

Her unique selection of silicone jewelry includes bangle bracelets, pendants and backpack charms.

Check this website to see more of the chewable jewelry.

When you’re on a restricted diet, you’ve got built in limits. For those of us who are gluten-free, alternative flours are an expensive fact of life.

I’ve tried both store bought and homemade flour mixes. I like quinoa flour, brown rice flour, and almond meal for various purposes.

But there’s another flour I really like for baking that you might not find at your local health food store: coconut flour. …read the rest of this entry »