Nature Deficit Disorder? Listings of area parks

"Nature Deficit Disorder" has gotten some press coverage lately- I heard about it on NPR. Although it is a catch phrase, not a true disorder as the term is generally understood, and I tend to despise anything that smacks of media hype, I think this is something worth keeping in mind for our kids.

You may enjoy this article by Melissa Gaulding of Huntley Meadows Park. She discusses some recent findings about how time spent outdoors affects children not only physically, but socially. It just confirms the instinct we've all identified to get these kiddos outside as much as the weather permits.

To help you plan your outdoor activities, you can subscribe to air quality updates by visiting http://www.cleanairpartners.net/ You can also request only to receive real time alerts when the air quality hits orange or red.

Mamas, here are some links to some listings of parks and playgrounds, so you can make the most of getting your kids outdoors.

Alexandria City: http://www3.alexandriava.gov/recreation/parks/park_facts.html

Very good park descriptions, including amenities list and description of playground facilities.

Arlington: http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/ParksRecreation/scripts/playgrounds/ParksRecreationScriptsPlaygroundsPlaygrounds.aspx
Not quite as descriptive, but I think if you search on the park names you can turn up more information. This is a good index.

Fairfax County: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/glance001.htm
Fairfax unfortunately mainly lists the major parks, and does not provide a good way to find info on playgrounds and amenities at minor parks. If anyone has turned up this info, please post it as a comment, or just make a note of the location and facilities at your favorite local park.

Here's an article about best parks in the local area: http://dc.about.com/od/childrensactivities/a/BestPlaygrounds.htm

And one to the DC parks department: http://dpr.dc.gov/dpr/site/default.asp

and here's Fairfax City: http://www.fairfaxva.gov/ParksRec/CityParks.asp

And lest we forget, the Virginia State Parks: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/state_park.shtml

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority: http://www.nvrpa.org/

Maryland State Parks:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/PUBLICLANDS/

and National Parks:
http://www.nps.gov/

A little help with meals

As enjoyable as my recent habit of consuming my body weight in cookies on a regular basis has been, it's not a prescription for long-term health, and I've been struggling to eat better and avoid this tendency.

Perhaps you, like myself, are trying to tidy up your dietary habits to help keep food cravings and stress eating at bay. Or perhaps someone in your household understands the fear that can strike the human heart at the sound of the phrase, "weight control." Maybe you just don't have a lot of time to sit down and plan menus these days because frankly, you'd rather play with your kid.

You may or may not be aware that for a nominal fee there are websites where you can subscribe to a menu planning service- they provide a week's worth of menus and a shopping list, and you take it from there. My problem with these in the past has been that they don't handle the vegetarian diet very well, so I've ended up making extensive modifications- and I figured, if I was going to work that hard, why not start from scratch? Anyone with allergies or other special dietary needs would be in the same situation. Well, I found an article by Real Simple which profiles several of these sites. Among them was Meal Mixer, which allows you to set your dietary preferences and also specific foods to include or avoid- and you can upload your favorite recipes for inclusion in your meal plans and shopping lists as well. They offer a two week free trial and the cost to subscribe annually is $52. It lets you plan your snacks and leftovers as well, so your shopping list quantities are accurate.

It also lets you look over the shopping list and remove staple items you have on hand. One dollar a week is a great value for a tool that frees up some time and gives you a little push in the right direction for healthy eating. Eating right will help keep your whole family healthy- and we all know that a sick family is no fun!

Another website you may find helpful in taking care of you is the Healthy Body Calculator. It allows you to calculate your daily calorie needs based on whether you are pregnant or lactating and also based on your daily activity levels. This is much better than the general guidelines you usually encounter- "eat 500 more calories per day," or "eat 300 more calories per day," which don't take into account that you may have a different activity level now than before. Good tool!