Nanay Narratives

Nanay (n. another form for Mother) My attempt to document my thoughts as they come and emotions as they are felt. This is for my children, so that when they grow up they will know a little bit more about their mother. Not just the mother who bathed, fed, and clothed them, but a mother whose thoughts and emotions are immersed with love for them.

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Behind the scenes: The other side of travelling you rarely see posted. Grabbing every opportunity for a snooze. Some stolen shots of my troop sleeping while waiting for food...after eating...while shopping...during a ride...and on the road. #TraVelante2018

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School year 2017 coming to end. Kids' artworks on display again. 😍

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Well, that was fun! #halloween2017

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My son wrote a #sonnet.

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My boys 😎😘😍🤗

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Found this circulating in Facebook. Sharing this sentiment, big time! #my3boys #parenting #truth

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Christmas 2016 - New year 2017 family snaps! We had themes for every gathering. White - Christmas eve Family colour codes (ours was purple) - Christmas dinner Funny sunnies - NY eve Green and Gold (Aussie colours) - NY dinner Looking forward to an awesome 2017!!!

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Holidays

Wasn’t able to post while the family was vacationing in the Philippines. Nor was I able to post after our holidays. Everything seemed so long ago now even though it was just three months ago.

A lot of good things happened. First, my second son became fully toilet trained. Second, both my second and third sons gave up the bottle. Third, we survived traveling with the three boys.

Next travel destinations would be the US and Canada. I don’t think we’ll bring the kids. Hoping the grandparents can babysit for a month.

[neurosciencestuff]

Language juggling rewires bilingual brains

Bilinguals use and learn language in ways that change their minds and brains, which has consequences – many positive, according to Judith F. Kroll, a Penn State cognitive scientist.

“Recent studies reveal the remarkable ways in which bilingualism changes the brain networks that enable skilled cognition, support fluent language performance and facilitate new learning,” said Kroll, Distinguished Professor, psychology, linguistics and women’s studies.

Researchers have shown that the brain structures and networks of bilinguals are different from those of monolinguals. Among other things, the changes help bilinguals to speak in the intended language – not to mistakenly speak in the “wrong” language.

And just as humans are not all the same, bilinguals are not all the same and the changes in the mind and brain differ depending on how the individual learned the language, what the two languages are and the context the languages are used in.

“What we know from recent research is that at every level of language processing – from words to grammar to speech – we see the presence of cross-language interaction and competition,” said Kroll. “Sometimes we see these cross-language interactions in behavior, but sometimes we only see them in brain data.”

Kroll presented recent findings about how bilinguals learn and use language in ways that change their minds and brains at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Both languages are active at all times in bilinguals, meaning the individuals cannot easily turn off either language and the languages are in competition with one another. In turn this causes bilinguals to juggle the two languages, reshaping the network in the brain that supports each.

“The consequences of bilingualism are not limited to language but reflect a reorganization of brain networks that hold implications for the ways in which bilinguals negotiate cognitive competition more generally,” said Kroll.

Kroll was instrumental in establishing the first U.S. chapter of Bilingualism Matters at Penn State, within the University’s Center for Language Science. Bilingualism Matters is an international organization that aims to bring practically applicable findings from current bilingual research to the public.

[neurosciencestuff]

Researchers Highlight Brain Region as “Ground Zero” of Alzheimer’s Disease

A critical but vulnerable region in the brain appears to be the first place affected by late onset Alzheimer’s disease and may be more important for maintaining cognitive function in later life than previously appreciated, according to a new review of the scientific literature.

The locus coeruleus is a small, bluish part of the brainstem that releases norepinephrine, the neurotransmitter responsible for regulating heart rate, attention, memory, and cognition. Its cells, or neurons, send branch-like axons throughout much of the brain and help regulate blood vessel activity. Its high interconnectedness may make it more susceptible to the effects of toxins and infections compared to other brain regions, said lead author Mara Mather.

Mather, Professor of Gerontology and Psychology at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, added that the locus coeruleus is the first brain region to show tau pathology—the slow-spreading tangles of protein that can later become telltale signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Though not everyone will get Alzheimer’s, autopsy results indicate that most people have some initial indications of tau pathology in the locus coeruleus by early adulthood, she added.

The norepinephrine released from the locus coeruleus may contribute to preventing Alzheimer’s symptoms. Studies conducted with rats and mice have shown that norepinephrine helps protect neurons from factors that kill the cells and accelerate Alzheimer’s disease, such as inflammation and excessive stimulation from other neurotransmitters.

Norepinephrine is released when someone is engaged in or mentally challenged by an activity, whether it’s solving problems in the workplace, completing a word puzzle, or playing a difficult piece of music.

“Education and engaging careers produce late-life ‘cognitive reserve,’ or effective brain performance, despite encroaching pathology,” Mather said. “Activation of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system by novelty and mental challenge throughout one’s life may contribute to cognitive reserve.”

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#artwork by Marcus

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#artwork by Marcus

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#artwork by Marcus

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Kids brought home their #artwork from school.

[nbcnightlynews]

‘Sesame Street’ introduces first character with autism

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Finally!

[nowthisnews]

During his acceptance speech for Best Screenplay Adaptation, Graham Moore seized the opportunity to make an important speech about surviving suicide in an effort to comfort and assure those who might be going through the same.

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My magic recipe for curing my son's molluscum. His bumps disappeared in a week. I started with putting the immune booster to his milk cup each night. For cleansing, I used goat soap with lemon myrtle extract and tea tree body wash. I then moisturise with tea tree lotion and apply Emuaid to the affected areas. After a few days, the bumps began to flatten. Two weeks later, the bumps are no longer visible.