The first day of kindergarten is busy, busy, busy! Learning the names, faces, parents and personalities of all of the students on the class list is essential. You must teach routines and procedures. You need to hold the attention of a roomful of active, excited little minds. New faces will show up that you’ll have to add to the class list.

Be prepared for kinks in the plans. Bus numbers will change. Duty assignments will be modified — now you have morning and afternoon duties for the first few weeks. Lesson plans are due — and the principal wants lessons plans for the entire week. And no, there is no nap time for the students (or the teacher)! Oh, and don’t forget open house — teachers will need to stay into the evening (I hate it when people think teachers get off at 3:00 every afternoon), but still be at work on time the following morning to receive students.

What does a kindergarten teacher need to do to survive? Here are eight handy survival skills.

1. Nametags
Some kindergarteners may be new to the “school experience.” Moving to the cafeteria, going to the bathroom, and working in their classroom may be brand new concepts to them. Have students wear nametags with their name, their school, and their teacher’s name for the first week or two. Not only will this help teachers and other support staff learn their names, but it will also help ensure their safety during transition and dismissal time. (And have spare nametags — a couple of students will mysteriously lose theirs.)

2. Lunch Plan
If your school provides kindergarteners with lunch, know how each student will eat lunch. Find out how much students need for lunch. Have this information ahead of time so that you can answer parents’ questions. Make sure you have a procedure in place to collect money and pay for lunches.

3. Going Home
Make it your business to know how each student will get home from school. Find out if he or she is riding the bus or being picked up. Make sure the students are being released to the proper guardian or caretaker. Know this information ahead of time and communicate with each parent to find out if there are any changes. Write down each student’s method of transportation on his or her nametag to help ensure smooth dismissal — for example, “bus # 100” or “car rider.”…

One common cause of acid reflux disease is a stomach abnormality called a hiatal hernia. This occurs when the upper part of the stomach and LES move above the diaphragm, a muscle that separates your stomach from your chest. Normally, the diaphragm helps keep acid in our stomach. But if you have a hiatal hernia, acid can move up into your esophagus and cause symptoms of acid reflux disease.

These are other common risk factors for acid reflux disease:

Eating large meals or lying down right after a meal
Being overweight or obese
Eating a heavy meal and lying on your back or bending over at the waist
Snacking close to bedtime
Eating certain foods, such as citrus, tomato, chocolate, mint, garlic, onions, or spicy or fatty foods
Drinking certain beverages, such as alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, or tea
Smoking
Being pregnant
Taking aspirin, ibuprofen, certain muscle relaxers, or blood pressure medications

The word homeopathy is derived from the Greek words homoios, meaning similar and pathos, meaning suffering. Classical homeopathy, the fastest growing health care system in the world, is a complete, natural healing system discovered over 200 years ago by the German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. It is based on the principle that like cures like, called “The Law of Similars”.

Classical homeopathy is a holistic therapy. The individual is considered as a whole and symptoms from the body, mind, and spirit are considered when choosing a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathy takes into consideration a person’s environment and lifestyle, providing individualized treatment for the person. Classical homeopathy most closely matches the totality of the individual’s symptoms and personality with the homeopathic remedy in order to stimulate the body’s own natural healing response. In classical homeopathy, the use of a single remedy at a time is a basic principle.

Homeopathic remedies are made from infinitesimal amounts of substances from the plant, animal, mineral kingdoms and biological sources. There are more than 3,000 known remedies available. Each specific remedy is made from only one plant, animal, mineral, or biological source. Homeopathic remedies have been approved by the FDA since 1939 and are manufactured in strict accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States and Drug Manufacturing Practices.

These remedies have been diluted by as much as one part in ten billion and beyond. All potencies above 12C have none of the original molecules of the mother tincture. Remedies with potencies of 30C and higher have retained the energy of the original substance. This is energy medicine. Repeated dilution with succussion (shaking the remedy vigorously with impact) releases the “potency” of the substance, while eliminating any potential side effects or toxicity. This is referred to as the “law of the infinitesimal dose”.

Combination remedies, mixtures of two or more remedies at a time, move away from the holistic or classical approach. These combination remedies are usually prepared in low potencies and are mainly used in acute cases, treating a specific disease and not the person as a whole.

Photographing children can sometimes be a challenging task, since children typically do not like posing for the camera (especially when they are too busy doing something they like). Everything happens way too fast, making it extremely difficult for the photographer to capture the moment. Because of that, many of us end up with blurry and out-of-focus photographs and wonder how we can improve our photography skills to get better results. After learning much about child photography, taking pictures of my two boys and doing some work on the field, I decided to write an article and provide tips and pointers on how you can successfully photograph children.

Powerful child portraits are much different than “look at the camera and smile” pictures. A true portrait will reflect a child’s personality, energy and uniqueness that every one of the bundle of joys have.

The reality is, all babies cry: It’s the best (and only) way for them to communicate their needs at this tender age. And as parents, we’re biologically programmed to respond so those needs get met. But in babies with colic, the crying starts suddenly for no apparent reason…and has no apparent cure.

Colic is not a disease or diagnosis but a combination of baffling behaviors. The term is really just a catch-all term for problem crying in otherwise healthy babies — the problem being, there’s no solution to it besides the passing of time. And it’s common, occurring in one in five infants. Episodes can go on for hours at a time, sometimes late into the night. Worst of all, try as you might — and try you will — it’s extremely difficult to calm a colicky baby, which only compounds your frustration and exhaustion.

The true definition of colic follows the “rule of three.” Baby’s crying:

• Starts at around 3 weeks old
• Lasts more than three hours at a stretch
• Occurs at least three days a week
• Persists for at least three weeks in a row

Of course some babies are colic overachievers, crying far more hours and days and weeks.

The good news is that colic doesn’t last. Most bouts peak at around 6 weeks and then end as abruptly as they started, around the time a baby hits the 3 months old (later in preterm babies). In the meantime, a little knowledge and a lot of patience will help you survive until the storm subsides.

The first day of kindergarten is busy, busy, busy! Learning the names, faces, parents and personalities of all of the students on the class list is essential. You must teach routines and procedures. You need to hold the attention of a roomful of active, excited little minds. New faces will show up that you’ll have to add to the class list.

Be prepared for kinks in the plans. Bus numbers will change. Duty assignments will be modified — now you have morning and afternoon duties for the first few weeks. Lesson plans are due — and the principal wants lessons plans for the entire week. And no, there is no nap time for the students (or the teacher)! Oh, and don’t forget open house — teachers will need to stay into the evening (I hate it when people think teachers get off at 3:00 every afternoon), but still be at work on time the following morning to receive students.

What does a kindergarten teacher need to do to survive? Here are eight handy survival skills.

1. Nametags
Some kindergarteners may be new to the “school experience.” Moving to the cafeteria, going to the bathroom, and working in their classroom may be brand new concepts to them. Have students wear nametags with their name, their school, and their teacher’s name for the first week or two. Not only will this help teachers and other support staff learn their names, but it will also help ensure their safety during transition and dismissal time. (And have spare nametags — a couple of students will mysteriously lose theirs.)

2. Lunch Plan
If your school provides kindergarteners with lunch, know how each student will eat lunch. Find out how much students need for lunch. Have this information ahead of time so that you can answer parents’ questions. Make sure you have a procedure in place to collect money and pay for lunches.

3. Going Home
Make it your business to know how each student will get home from school. Find out if he or she is riding the bus or being picked up. Make sure the students are being released to the proper guardian or caretaker. Know this information ahead of time and communicate with each parent to find out if there are any changes. Write down each student’s method of transportation on his or her nametag to help ensure smooth dismissal — for example, “bus # 100” or “car rider.”…

Ever since she was a baby, Alice has gotten high fevers. With temps often reaching 105, I’ve learned a lot about how to handle Alice’s fevers over the past seven years.

Aside from my pediatrician, my most important tool in managing Alice’s fever is an accurate thermometer. So when Braun asked me to help parents feel prepared this flu season, I knew I would have no problem sharing my top tips – especially when Alice just so happened to have a little fever on the day I was taking pictures.

Talking to Moms about Fevers

In a recent survey conducted by Braun c ẽomparing behaviors and attitudes of 1,000 Gen X moms (currently aged 37-52) and Millennial moms (currently aged 20-36), when caring for their sick child, Braun found that 74 percent of Gen X and Millennial moms said they were either extremely or very concerned about fever for their children. Despite their generational differences, three out of four Gen X and Millennial moms list pediatric fever as their number one concern when caring for their sick children, far above other symptoms of illness, including vomiting, diarrhea, chills, coughing and headache.

Even after handling Alice’s high fevers for years, I still ride an emotional roller coaster every time I see her coming down with one. (And – yes – I can usually look at her eyes and know when one is coming.)

Apparently I’m not alone on that roller coaster. The Braun survey reveals all moms, regardless of their experience and age, ride an emotional rollercoaster when it comes to caring for their sick child, at first feeling nervous (64%), anxious (64%), and protective (93%) prior to taking their temperature.

Luckily, they also found that taking their kid’s temperature quickly eases those concerns by making them feel informed (67%), responsible (64%), prepared (59%) and in control (52%).

With all of this in mind, I’m sharing my best fever survival hacks. Kids are going to get sick. They’re going to get fevers (even if you bathe them in disinfectant and refuse to let them leave the house.) Here are my best tips for how to handle those fevers when they happen.

Prescription medications for legitimate health conditions may come under intense scrutiny by foreign officials. In some countries, drugs that are legal and readily available in Canada are considered illegal, require a prescription, or may arouse suspicions among local officials and customs and immigration authorities. It is always best to contact the foreign government offices accredited to Canada of the country you plan to visit to confirm the status of your medication.

When travelling abroad with prescription or over-the-counter medication:

• The limit of two carry-on bags does not apply to medical supplies, equipment and mobility aids.
• Pack all medications in your carry-on baggage in their original, labelled containers to facilitate airport security and customs screening. Prescription medication is exempted from the liquid restrictions but must be presented to the screening officer separately from your carry-on baggage.
• Do not try to save luggage space by combining medications into a single container.
• Use the Family/Special Needs security line. Screening officers at these lines are trained to offer additional assistance.
• Pack an extra supply of medication in case you are away for longer than expected.
• Carry a copy of the original prescription and ensure that both the generic and trade names of the medication are included in case of loss or theft. A doctor’s note describing why you are taking the medication is also recommended.
• Do not buy medication outside Canada unless you have been advised to do so by a health care professional. Be aware of counterfeit medications or those that may not meet Canadian standards.
• If you are carrying any unusual medication, check that it is legal and readily available in the country you intend to visit. Contact the foreign government office in Canada of the country you plan to visit before departing to make sure the medical supplies you intend to bring are allowed into the country.
• Consult what you can bring on a plane to determine what you can and cannot pack in your carry-on luggage.

Canadian visitors to the United States should be aware that their personal medication may be subject to U.S. drug importation laws and regulations. In general, personal importation of a 90-day supply of medication is allowed, but only if the drug is not available in the United States. U.S. customs officials have relaxed their policy on the importation of prescription drugs through the mail from Canada. However, all packages are still carefully scrutinized. For further information, visit the website of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.