We love Holiday music and so many times, I’ve been disappointed when I chose a random Holiday music CD.  But now I have a new favorite … Tim Miller’s Big Band has just released the new Holiday CD “An Angel City Christmas“  There are Christmas favorites for everyone … from beautiful ballads to swinging holiday classics.  These big band renditions will brighten your holiday season.  You won’t be disappointed with this purchase!

A delightful Big Band compilation of holiday favorites! From the beautiful voice of Grammy-nominated Bonnie Bowden to the exciting rich sounds of the Angel City Big Band this CD is sure to brighten your holiday season. Included are familiar song titles and some of the most beautiful and exciting arrangements available today – a fresh new album to enjoy the holidays.

The Angel City Big Band is a 17-piece big band ensemble with vocalists that has been performing in Los Angeles since 2009 under the direction of Tim Miller. The band’s extensive library of arrangements formerly belonged to The Herm Miller Orchestra that operated in central Pennsylvania since the early 1950’s under the direction of Tim’s father, Herm Miller. The band specializes in classic jazz and dance music of the Big Band Era, from Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie etc., to the wide range of sophisticated contemporary big band sounds, as well as more modern swing jazz music. It also specializes in ballroom dance styles seen on Dancing With the Stars including Swing, Cha Cha, Rumba, Tango, Samba, Waltz, Foxtrot and more.

From the Angel City Big Band

A food allergy is when your body has a reaction to a certain food. This reaction is caused by your body’s immune system, which is what protects you from diseases. You might have a minor reaction (for example, hives or itchy skin or lips). You could also have a more serious reaction (for example, your throat or tongue may swell, or you may feel dizzy, get sick to your stomach, or vomit). Some reactions can be life threatening.

Who gets them?

They are more common in babies, but children and adults can also have them. You are more likely to have a food allergy if you or a family member has had hay fever, asthma, food allergies, or eczema (ECK-zeh-mah).

Which foods cause them?

Any food can cause an allergy. But, children are most likely to be allergic to cow’s milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts, and soy products (for example, tofu). Adults are most likely to be allergic to peanuts, tree nuts (for example, Brazil nuts), shellfish (for example, shrimp, crab, and lobster), and fish.

How do I know if I have one?

Talk to your doctor. If your doctor thinks you have an allergy, he or she may do blood or skin tests. You may need to see a doctor who specializes in allergies for more testing or treatment.

What should I do if I have a food allergy?

Check the labels of all foods to see if they contain foods you are allergic to. You should also use separate utensils to prepare your food. If you are allergic to eggs, you should avoid pastries, cakes, cookies, and egg substitutes. If you are allergic to milk, you should avoid dairy products (for example, cheese, butter, some margarines, and yogurt). If you are allergic to soy, you should avoid soy sauce, soy protein, and tofu. If you are allergic to peanuts, you should avoid peanuts and peanut oil, which is used to make some foods. You should also avoid sundaes, pastries, and candies that have nuts.

Can I still eat at restaurants if I have a food allergy?

Yes, but you should avoid sauces, casserole dishes, desserts, stuffed meat, and fish dishes. Try to order simple foods, such as meat slices in their own juice or steamed vegetables. You should ask the server about what is in the food and how the food is made.

What do I do if I have an allergic reaction?

Your doctor can give you a shot of adrenaline (called epinephrine) if you have a bad reaction. If you have bad reactions, you need to carry these shots with you. You should also wear a medical identification bracelet that describes your allergy. If you have a minor reaction, such as a rash or itchy skin, you can take medicine to help with your symptoms.

What should I do if I am going to be far from my doctor’s office or hospital?

If someone else will be doing the cooking, be sure to tell him or her what foods you are allergic to. You may also want to teach a friend, relative, or co-worker how to give you an epinephrine shot in case of an emergency. If you have a bad allergic reaction, you should go to the emergency department of a hospital right away, even if you feel better after an epinephrine shot. If you are really far from the hospital, you may need more than one shot. Be sure to carry a couple of shots with you, depending on how far you are from the nearest hospital.

Dr Sonia Kapoor, MD has a family practice in Chesapeake,Virginia and sees patients from all age groups, her special interests include health issues of women and children and an emphasis on patient education.

From WVEC here are some good interactive maps and radar maps for keeping track of Hurricane Irene.

Hurricane Irene Maps

Stay safe Hampton Roads!

If a Hurricane seems mighty scary to you as an adult, imagine how terrifying it can appear to a child.  How you go about dealing with preparation for the impending hurricane and how you explain what is happening,to your child, will make a world of difference in their stress level.  With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the Hampton Roads area, now is a good time to deal with how your kids might be viewing this situation.

Be truthful about what is happening and follow some of these good  Hurricane tips from Rachelle Oblack, a weather guide on About.com

With the approach of Hurricane Irene later this week, many events are already being cancelled.  Cancellations for the entire Hampton Roads area, including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth are listed in this compilation from Wavy-TV 10.

Hurricane Irene Cancellations

From HamptonRoads.com

If you have a child, infant or toddler who has a rash or bad case of eczema, and the child still sits in a car seat, please read this information.  Some children appear to be having allergic reactions to the fabrics used in car seats that have been treated with various chemicals, probably relating to fire retardant safety.

A Missouri mother was trying to figure out what was causing her 5 month old son’s cause of what the doctors diagnosed as eczema.  And if the baby rode in the car seat for even a short time, it was raging. The mom vented on Facebook after a particularly rough outing in the car. As a status update, she typed, “Nearly 30 minutes in the car seat this morning and the baby’s eczema is raging. I’m gonna lose my mind.”

One of her friends saw the posting and suggested she connect with another mom who had a similar story. She looked at photos of the child’s rash and thought it looked identical to her son’s skin condition. It turns out that mother’s son had a rash that would not go away until she switched car seats.  That very same day, she decided to not use that car seat anymore. Ten days later, his skin was clear.

A study released last week on healthystuff.org found “chemicals of concern” in 60 percent of car seats tested, including brominated flame retardants, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals

Full story NBC Action News

There are lots of opportunities to watch fireworks on the 4th of July in Hampton Roads.  Plan to make a day of it at some of the fun places listed below.  You can find music, food and fun activities all around the area. Local Virginia Beach residents and tourists can enjoy big Fireworks events at either Mt. Trashmore or the Oceanfront.

VIRGINIA BEACH

July 4th Celebration, Fireworks (9:30 p.m.)  Monday, July 4. Mount Trashmore Park, 310 Edwin Drive, Virginia Beach. 385-2990.

Stars & Stripes Explosion, Fireworks (9:30 p.m.), music and fun at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Fireworks launched at 20th Street. Music Schedule: Charlie Band (8 p.m., 17th Street stage), Symphonicity (8 p.m., 20th Street on the Beach), Tumbao Salsero (7:30 p.m., 24th Street park), Plena Libre (9:30 p.m., 24th Street park) and Who’s Bad – Michael Jackson Tribute (8 p.m., 31st Street park). Monday, July 4. 491-7866

NORFOLK

Fourth of July Great American Picnic & Fireworks,  Fireworks (9:30 p.m.)  Monday, July 4. Town Point Park, Waterside Drive, Norfolk. 441-2345

American Rover Fireworks Cruise, 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. Waterside Festival Marketplace, 333 Waterside Drive, Norfolk. 627-7245.

Victory Rover Fireworks Cruise, 8 p.m. Monday, July 4. Nauticus, 1 Waterside Drive, Norfolk. 627-7406.

CHESAPEAKE

Fireworks,  … Sunday, July 3. Chesapeake City Park, 900 Greenbrier Pkwy. 382-6411.

SUFFOLK

Stars and Stripes Spectacular, music , food, children’s activities and Fireworks (9 p.m.). Constant’s Wharf Park and Marina, 100 E. Constance Road, Suffolk. 6 p.m. Monday, July 4. 514-7267.

HAMPTON

Fourth at the Fort, music, Activities, music, food and more. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Walker Airfield, Fort Monroe. 5-11 p.m. Monday, July 4. 788-3151.

Kids + Summer + Water = Fun!  What kid, big or little, doesn’t love playing with water during the hot summer months?  And even if you don’t live near water or have a pool, lots of fun can be had with simple water activities.

Two of our families most favorite summer water activities also involve water balloons. Obviously, we set a few rules before the fun starts but breaking water balloons is a ton of fun for the whole family.  Here are are favorite water activites.

Water Balloon Pinata

The Water Balloon pinata is a fun way to cool off on a hot summer day.  The kids love this and it gets them up and moving.  Just be sure to only use a plastic bat for swinging at the pinata. Part of our Summer Fun guide of family activities.  You can use the traditional way of filling water balloons or use this nifty Pumponator to simplify filling the balloons.

Biodegradable Water Balloons

Okay, we wouldn’t really call these fights, but more like friendly family summer fun.  Gather the whole family and take turns be the balloon filler.  Let kids line up for balloons and then wait until you give the signal.  Everyone will be fair game, even the water filler, but it’s a fun, safe way to play with water.  Be sure to pick up all the balloon pieces after the game so they aren’t around for little ones or animals to pick up.

Buy the Pumonator $15

Buy Pumponator biodegradeable balloons $5

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has officially retired the food pyramid, replacing it with an easy-to-read, plate shaped icon. “MyPlate” is divided into four sections, indicating what types of food (and how much of them) should occupy a person’s plate at each meal. Its designers are hopeful that the simple, meal-by-meal visual guide will be easier for Americans to understand than the pyramid, which has been called both confusing and misleading. (For example, bacon and cold cuts are technically meat products, which could place them in the same category as healthier options like fish, chicken or beans.)

The USDA is counting on the MyPlate to eliminate a lot of the confusion left in the pyramid’s wake, but will it work? To get the skinny on the pro’s and con’s of the new plate icon, we spoke with David Ludwig, MD, PhD, director of the the Boston Children’s/New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center.

Many experts say the old food pyramid is too difficult to understand, possibly even misleading (i.e. some incarnations seemed to imply that ALL fats are bad for you). Now that it’s gone, what are you’re thoughts on the pyramid?

The initial Food Guide Pyramid, released in 1992, gave clear advice to avoid all fats and load up on starch. The advice was wrong, but at least it was specific. Then, in 2005 it was updated to the

2005′s MyPyramid may have been an improvement from earlier food pyramids, but not by much

MyPyramid model, but that was a marvel of miscommunication, with colored bands leading to a mixture of foods lying around at the bottom. Looking at MyPyramid, one wonders if an earthquake hit the first pyramid, and knocked all the nicely arrayed food to the ground.  Although it may seem funny, the confusion and misunderstanding arising from these icons has negatively impacted public health.  Without specific, scientifically informed guidance, products like the “low fat Twinkie” have been marketed as a health food, when in reality they aren’t much different from a bowl of sugar.  Hopefully, with release of the new Plate icon, the Pyramids will remain permanently in Egypt.

In what way is MyPlate a step-up from the pyramid?

The new icon is a huge improvement, with clear, unambiguous and simple advice. The most notable change is the recommendation to cover half the plate with vegetables and fruits, dietary categories that are greatly underconsumed by all Americans, especially children. In addition, portion size of starchy foods like grains is, by implication, smaller now, limited to a quarter of the plate. (No, the 16 oz portion of pasta is no longer compliant).

What are some ways the plate comes up short?

Not all grain products are the same. Whole grains are a healthier option than refined grain products

One obvious drawback of the new icon is its failure to emphasize the distinction between health-promoting whole grains (brown rice, traditional steel-cut oats, or stone-ground breads) from refined grain products like white bread, sugary breakfast cereals and most processed snacks. Recent research clearly shows that these types of refined carbohydrates promote weight gain and increase risk for diabetes and heart disease. Another concern is the over-emphasis on dairy, represented as its own side dish. Ironically, there is absolutely no biological requirement for dairy products, and many of the healthiest diets throughout the world (e.g., the traditional Okinawa Diet) have little to no dairy.

Exercise is a very important part of maintaining a healthy weight. Do you feel the new visual guide does enough to emphasis that?

Despite the presence of a stick figure running up the side of MyPyramid since 2005, Americans have continued to be sedentary, so clearly a visual representation of an active lifestyle is not a cure-all. I think the new icon would do well to focus on improving nutrition, which research shows to be the primary driver of the obesity epidemic. If needed, we can always develop another image to promote physical activity.

by Tripp Underwood, used with permission form Children’s Hospital Boston

It’s that time of year again.  Spring has spring and Easter is fast approaching.  If you’re in the Hampton Roads area, you’ll be searching for some Easter break fun while the kids have off.  One of our favorite family activities during Easter holiday is the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. We even print our own Easter Egg Hunt invitations for our family backyard hunt.

We also like to take the kids to some of the Easter fun in the area, here’s a partial list of Easter Egg hunts and other Easter fun activities:

CHESAPEAKE’S REALLY BIG EGGSTRAVAGANZA

Where Chesapeake City Park, 900 Greenbrier Parkway, Chesapeake

When 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23   Info: (757) 382-6411 or visit www.cityofchesapeake.net/PRevents.

EASTER BUNNY STORYTIME & EGG HUNT

Where Van Wyck Branch Library, 1368 DeBree Ave., Norfolk

When 4 p.m. Thursday, April 21  Info: (757) 441-2844

EASTER EGG HUNT

Where Hunt Club Farm, 2388 London Bridge Road, Virginia Beach

When 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 23-24  Info: (757) 427-9520, www.huntclubfarm.com

THE HUNT IS ON

Where Blyden Branch Library, 879 E. Princess Anne Road, Norfolk

When 2 p.m. April 22  Info: (757) 441-2852

For Easter Crafts & Activities.