Medications for epilepsy may be safe during breastfeeding

Posted on April 21st, 2008

Pregnancy can be challenging in itself, but when mothers with their own health problems are faced with balancing their own health concerns with the health of their fetuses, the challenge becomes even more difficult. It is almost always a balancing act: a mother needs to take care of herself, and many times, her other children, [...]

Toys ‘R Us and Wal-Mart go green

Posted on April 17th, 2008

Some mainstream retail chains have decided to do their part in joining in the green movement. Some new lines and promotions are being launched just in time for Earth Day (April 22).
Toys ‘R Us has always claimed to be the “world’s greatest toy store”. It’s a great place to find just about anything your kids [...]

Teaching kids about our amazing planet

Posted on April 14th, 2008

To commemorate Earth Day, we should all take a good hard look at how we can teach our kids to take care of the planet. In addition to this, if we teach them just what an amazing place this earth is, we can instill in them a love for it (and an understanding as to [...]

Link between gum disease and gestational diabetes

Posted on April 11th, 2008

Researchers have found that pregnant women with gum disease may have a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes than those with healthy gums. A study showed that the 8 percent of women who developed gestational diabetes had higher levels of gum-disease-causing bacteria and inflammation.
While gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and usually disappears once the baby [...]

April is National Poetry Month

Posted on April 8th, 2008

As a former Lit major (typical “me”: very directed and practical!) I feel that I should share that April is National Poetry Month. The official month of poetry was started in 1996 by the American Academy of poets.
Reading the right poetry at the right time can be extremely inspiring. I have certain books I turn [...]

Recycle your kids’ juice pouches, yogurt cups and more

Posted on April 6th, 2008

Most (hopefully, all!) of us are in the habit of recycling paper, plastic, cans and glass containers. Now we take another step towards reducing waste by registering with TerraCycle, a company which has paired up with a few green retailers in their quest to recycle even more empty packaging which usually ends up in the [...]

Experts Favor Positive Parenting Over Negative Disclipline

Posted on April 4th, 2008

Mark Hutton, author of My Out-of-Control Teen, says that despite his being a counselor, he believes that counseling troubled teens is a waste of time and money. He claims that traditional methods of discipline, including grounding, putting teens on medication, threatening to call the police or to kick teens out of the house are not [...]

Pride in our children: sometimes it’s okay to brag (sometimes it’s not)

Posted on March 31st, 2008

I have two great boys: both are well-adjusted with plenty of friends, do well in school, have good manners (at least most of the time-they’re not perfect!), are kind-hearted and are top players on their travel soccer, basketball and baseball teams. More important than being great athletes, they exhibit true sportsmanship-know how to truly work [...]

Another Family’s Experience with Raising Kids with Cats

Posted on March 28th, 2008

Call me thoughtless. Call me a terrible wife and mother…I don’t mind. I have two cats which I won’t part with, despite the fact that my husband is allergic to them. We always thought our kids were at least slightly allergic. My husband’s allergist told him that since he’s allergic to cats, it’s highly likely [...]

Lack of Sleep in Women Linked to Heart Disease

Posted on March 26th, 2008

As I toss and turn through long, uncomfortable nights in my eighth month of pregnancy, anything related to sleep and sleep deprivation seems to be catching my attention. This news regarding poor sleep in women was released last Friday:
A Duke University study has shown that women suffer more heart-related health problems which are related to [...]