Dream Jars

Summer reading is underway this week at the Amherst Public Library.  This year our theme is Dream BIG and we have programs for ages 4 through age 104.  More than 180 people attended our first craft day on Wednesday when our project was Dream Jars. 

The craft was inspired by a book we used for storytime this week, The Dream Jar by Lindan Lee Johnson.  This book tells the story of a young girl whose sister tells her the secret of keeping the good dreams close and sweeping away any bad dreams. 


Kids of all ages had a great time painting jars with glow in the dark paint to create their own Dream Jars.

Is it Worth the Weight?

A new year always means a fresh start. Books, talk shows, magazines are all reminding us that even if you tried and failed last year, it’s time to wipe the slate clean and once again join the bandwagon to weightloss, recovery, or whatever wagon you might have fallen from.

Jennifer Hudson has been a big inspiration with her Weight Watchers success that has been seen on television commercials and talk shows and most recently on Dr. Oz.  Weight Watchers has been around for years and promises lots of tools and support to get you on track to eating healthier. Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites: over 200 best-ever recipes from the Weight Watchers Test Kitchens includes chapters on crock pot cooking and even 15 minute meals for those of us in a hurry. While Weight Watchers updated it’s program in 2011 to include the Points Plus system, many of the older cookbooks still offer exchanges and points to help you track your meals.

The 150 Healthiest 15-minute Recipes on Earth : the surprising, unbiased truth about how to make the most deliciously nutritious meals at home in just minutes a day offer more quick meal ideas focusing on lots of fresh ingredients with short cuts like using frozen fruits and vegetables.  Nutritionist Jonny Bowden offers ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with healthy snacks with help from whole foods chef Jeanette Bessinger.  Recipes were chosen based on nutrient density, getting the most nutrition for the dollar and most are very family and wallet friendly.  Jalapeno Cornbread Chili can be adjusted to suit your family's taste and the SPeedy and SPicy Curried Apricot Chicken Salad is great for an entree or packed for a quick take-along lunch.

But weight loss really is a numbers game as shown in titles like The 17 Day Diet : a doctor's plan designed for rapid results by Mike Morano, 21 Pounds in 21 Days: the Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox, and the Four Day Diet.  Smaller numbers also sell when talking about exercise. I'm all for the less strenuous the better and titles like Jorge Cruise's Three Hour Diet were quickly followed up with The 12 Second Sequence that promises to shrink your waist in two weeks. Cruise promises a workout with no gym, no fuss, that can be done anywhere. While you still have to actually work out, the 12 seconds required seems a small and doable price to pay.

Ten years ago I did try Cruise's book 8-Minutes in the Morning.  Once I got the book home I realized that it took more than just eight minutes and he in fact wanted you to do several eight minute workouts back to back.  Truth in advertising would have the title being more like the 32 Minute Workout.