recent posts
May 6, 2013
We've all been there — you're at the playground with your kids, with the older one happily playing and the younger one (amazingly) sitting quietly in the stroller, happily sucking on
April 12, 2013
Does anyone out there have a garden?
To make a long story short, I planted a garden once at my SO's beach house, and the house burned down 2 weeks later. Everyone got out fine, but the house was a total loss and needless to day, the garden didn't survive.
March 25, 2013
Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement supporting marriage for same-sex couples. In the statement, the AAP states their stance that marriage, regardless of sexual orientation, is the best way to guarantee benefits and security for children. The AAP also supports full adoption and foster care rights for all parents, regardless of their orientation.
In the policy statement, the AAP reiterates their belief that children thrive best in stable families that provide permanent security, and that the way to do that is through marriage. They believe every...
February 14, 2013
Autism affects one in 88 children in the United States, so it's no wonder parents are always looking for ways to reduce their child's risk of being diagnosed.
A new Norwegian study has found that a common vitamin-- folic acid-- can help reduce an unborn child's risk of autism by nearly 40 percent when it is taken within the first few months of pregnancy.
The study found that women who took between 200 and 400 micrograms a day from up to one month before conception to two months after, had a 39 percent lower chance of their child having autism.
Although the findings are still in...
January 31, 2013
As we all know, it's cold and flu season. Yuck!
I hope that you and your family have (so far!) avoided the worst of it. However, if you have a school-aged child who has come down with a sickness that warrants him or her to stay home from school, let me just say-- I feel your pain!
Yes, it's true that when kids are sick, their energy levels are diminished. But, as most parents know, a child's diminished energy level is still often times much higher than an adult's, and when your child is home sick from school, you might find that it doesn't take long for both of you to...
January 18, 2013
As we enter into the long weekend, remember that (while nice) Monday isn't just another day off from work and school.
Take some time with your kids to learn more about the life of Martin Luther King, and celebrate diversity with activities and crafts that outline his life and accomplishments.
Need some help getting started? That's where we come in! We have tons of ideas and activities to help honor this civil rights hero.
Print off these famous African-American coloring pages and talk about the accomplishments of each while your child (and you!) color them.
Have your child write down...
January 9, 2013
Flu season began a month earlier than usual this year (lucky us), with 41 states seeing a widespread outbreak, sending many people to seek help at their local hospitals and flooding emergency rooms in the process.
In order for the virus to be considered an epidemic, the number of deaths attributed to the virus would need to reach 7.1% -- and this years current number stands at 7%, just below that scary threshold. There have been 18 reported children's deaths due to influenza since the beginning of the season.
In other years, about 2.2 percent of people experiencing flu-like symptoms have...
December 31, 2012
How will you be ringing in 2013?
I remember when going out, or to a big party, was the thing to do. (And, honestly, it's what I wanted to do.)
Isn't funny that all I want to do now is stay in for a nice night at home? Sure, we'll have a few friend stop by, but it's a far cry from our partying days of old.
And boy oh boy am I a-ok with that.
Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about was New Year's resolutions.
Do you have any?
In the past, I always had pretty lofty goals for the coming new year, and they were almost always fitness and/or food related.
Exercise every day!...
December 11, 2012
Over 35,000 holiday-themed rubber ducks, valued around $18,500, were seized by U.S Customs and Border Protections (CPB) in the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport for having unsafe levels of the chemical phthalate.
Phthalates are oily, colorless chemicals that are used to make vinyl and other plastics soft and flexible. Although people are routinely exposed to them, higher-than-allowed levels of these chemicals have been found to be harmful to the health and safety of children, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, can cause changes in hormone levels and birth defects....
November 30, 2012
No....that wasn't a typo and I didn't mean the Parent Trap.
There is a new youtube video called The Parent Rap from BLuefish TV that's taken the Internet by storm. It features a Mom and Dad rapping about what life is like raising a brood of kids.
Yep I that's what I said -- Parents. Rapping. About their kids.
It's comedic genius. And so many parents love because it's not only true, but realistic too. The stars of the video somehow make changing diapers, making endless boxes of mac and cheese, and disciplining seem almost...cool.
Have you seen it?
I'll admit, I'...
10 Most Common Pregnancy Cravings Decoded
Allison McDonald
Aliki
Jessica Efird
Family Education Staff