My Recommendations for Parenting Books, Magnesium, and Sleep

** I am updating my product recommendations as of Feb 17, 2022.  I am now working with a naturopath and using higher quality products, which I am recommending below.**

One of the things I really enjoy is zoning out and researching how I can live a better life of make my son's life better. I listen to audio books, read websites, listen/talk in Facebook groups, and chat with friends about how to help ourselves parent better, and be better versions of ourselves. I'm full of tidbits of knowledge from all my learning, and I'm going to start sharing it here daily.   The general themes of things I'll share are:  food/supplements, parenting/autism, mind/spirit, homeschooling/unschooling, and I'll share with you what I bought today!  (Usually it's a book or a supplement, or some food!  I love food shopping!) Sign up above if you'd like to receive these posts in your inbox daily.  I'm calling them "Daily Inspirations" and I'm sure the name will evolve with the content.

Note: Some of the links I share are affiliate links.  I promise to only share things I find super valuable and that I have used myself or heard fantastic things about.  I do receive a small commission from certain companies, which helps me cover the costs of maintaining this blog.  I hope what I share makes life a little easier for you.  And I really appreciate you shopping through my links so I can help more people like you :)

Today's Daily Inspiration

FOOD:

I eat a clean paleo diet, (which means no rice, wheat, corn, soy, or milk products).  Recently we have cut out dairy, since a genetics doctor and a naturopath both recommended it for me and my son.  I buy some things from the grocery store (Jimbo's here in San Diego, or Sprouts).  I also buy a lot of food from food co-ops. I LOVE Azure Standard.  Today I started filling my online shopping cart with yummy food, and asked on the Facebook group whether anyone wanted to share a box of eggs with me.  The order is due by next Wednesday for our delivery the following Monday. To order from them, you just need to sign up - it's free, and shipping is free, too.  Their bulk items are much cheaper than in stores, and they have tons of organic stuff  You find a local pickup location (usually someone's house), place your order once a month, and then your food is delivered via a big semi truck at a specific date and time.  It's like Christmas once a month when I go pick up all the yummy food from the truck!  My son loves going with me, helping carry the boxes to the car, and picking out a treat from the boxes!  We order pastured organic eggs from Mission Mountain for $4.52 a dozen.  We buy a huge box of 24 dozen eggs and split the box with another family who also comes to delivery.  On pickup day, we pick up our boxes from the refrigerated semi truck and head home.  Last month, we weighed out chocolate chips that we had bought from another mama.  The pickup time is a community event!

PARENTING:

I've been listening to, and thoroughly enjoying The Awakened Family by Shefali Tsabari.  I listen in the car when I'm by myself and I'm almost finished with the book.  I'll be listening to it again when I finish.  It's full of so many life-changing tidbits. The one that resonated the most with me yesterday and today was her mention of Collaboration vs. Compromise when setting limits with your children.  She talks about how when either person in a discussion compromises, they lose a bit of themselves in the compromise.  But, when we collaborate, we both come to an agreement that feels right to us.  When setting limits with our kids, the key is to collaborate with them. So, I tried this out with my 9 year old son today.  He got a new game on his iPad yesterday, and he really loves it.  He wants to play it any waking moment. I felt kind of out of control around it, and I really don't want him playing all day. This morning, I said to him, "I'd like to set a limit on how much iPad you play today.  How long would you like it to be?"  He said "All day." I said "I understand that!  You love that new game.  But, that doesn't seem realistic to me because we have to eat, go to the bathroom, and go to the chiropractor.  What do you think is a realistic amount of time?" He answered, "Three hours." I said, "How about two and a half?". He said, "Okay. Let's hug on it instead of shake." So, we hugged. The day progressed and each time he wanted to play, I asked "How long do you want to play right now, and how long does that mean you'll have later?  Would you like me to set a timer or do you want to do it?" He generally asked me to set a timer and remind him, and only once did he want more time at the end of the time.  He added 15 minutes to one session, saying "It's so hard to stop!  Now I only have 15 minutes left later, but it's worth it." I was really impressed how well it went!  He really loved the limit, and didn't fight me at all.  He was able to express his frustration with the timer, and I was able to empathize with him, and help him learn how to manage his time. If you don't have the book The Awakened Family already, you need to get it and read it now!  It's full of so many tools like this, and I'm sure I'll be sharing more in the later days. After you buy it, you can join the great Facebook group for it.  The author even responded to a post of mine with great advice!  

WHAT I BOUGHT TODAY:

I don't know if this will be a daily inclusion or not, but I usually buy SOMETHING each day.  Amazon is my best friend.  I have been taking this magnesium at night to help with bowel movements and to help me sleep.  I've been feeling bloated and gassy and wondered if it's the type of magnesium, so after some research and getting the okay from my naturopath, I decided to try this one and ordered it today - Jigsaw Health Magnesium.  It's time released, which is supposed to help alleviate any digestive upset that some magnesium causes.  It's as a different form, which helps relax smooth muscle and nerves.  I'll let you know how it works.  

MIND/BODY/SPIRIT:

The last thing my son and I do before listening to our audio book in bed, is do this Qi Gong routine.  We both find it SO relaxing.  Give it a try if you need to wind down before bed, or even in the middle of the night if you have trouble sleeping.  Don't be intimidated, it's just a series of stretches while lying on the ground.  It's about 13 minutes long.  Qi Gong Routine for Deep Sleep   That's it for today.  I'm off to do Qi Gong.  Please let me know in the comments below if any/all of this has been helpful for you! And don't forget to sign up at the top of the page to get daily inspirations like this in your email inbox.