Archive for March, 2011

There was a Reuters story last week about how couples are now experiencing problems at the 3-year mark instead of the 7-year mark. And while that is interesting I think the more interesting part of the story was buried in the very last paragraph —  the TOP 10 everyday things that couples said kill the passion in the marriage.

So here they are in order, the top 10 everyday niggles and passion killers (as they described it):

1. Weight gain/lack of exercise, 13 percent;

2. Money & Spend thriftiness, 11 percent;

3. Anti-social working hours, 10 percent;

4. Hygiene issues (personal cleanliness), 9 percent;

5. In-Laws/extended family – too much/too little, 9 percent;

6. Lack of romance (sex, treats etc.), 8 percent;

7. Alcohol – drinking too much, 7 percent;

8. Snoring & anti social bedtime habits, 6 percent;

9. Lapsed fashion-Same old underwear/clothes, 4 percent;

10. Bathroom habits – Stray nail cuttings etc., 4 percent.

Here is more information on the poll from Reuters:

“The …

Continue reading Top 10 passion killers for couples »

“Did you drink water today? Get plenty of water each day & more if it’s hot or you’re exercising. Keeping your body hydrated is important!”

“Talk to your Dr. about getting a flu shot. Pregnant moms & babies can get very sick from flu. For info call CDC at 800-232-4636.”

“Need free or low-cost health care for you & your baby? Your state has programs to help. Call 877-543-7669 to find out if you qualify.”

For many moms, this may seem like obvious advice. But for low-income or less educated mothers-to-be these text snippets of health information appearing periodically on their phones could help them have a healthier pregnancy and baby. Lower income mothers are much less likely to seek obstetric care until the third trimester, according to Time.com.

Mothers can just text  “BABY” (or “BEBE” for Spanish) to 511411 to receive health updates and advice.

The text4baby health alerts have also helped deliver urgent health alerts such as warning mothers not to use …

Continue reading New trend: Texting prenatal advice to at-risk mothers »

I didn’t watch Tuesday’s “Glee” episode until Thursday so I am a little late on this topic, but I wanted to share with you all one of the best sex talks I have ever heard. (You can see the scene above if you click to 32:21. If you don’t immediately click over t the correct minutes you will end up watching four commercials instead of two — hate that! I promise to start watching “Glee” at it’s actual time instead of two days later!)

Tuesday’s episode was all about teaching the kids about sex. (Britney thought a bird building a nest outside her house meant she was pregnant, and Finn thought he got his girlfriend pregnant through hot tub water.)

For those of you who don’t watch “Glee” there are several gay characters (in high school) on the show. Kurt is a young, out gay man who is very innocent. Kurt’s dad Burt picked up pamphlets to explain the mechanics of sex to him but what he really wanted to talk about was why sex mattered and how it was more than a …

Continue reading ‘Glee’ Dad offers one of the best sex talks ever! »

As you teens and 20-somethings plan their spring break adventures in the sun, you might be interested to know where the most dangerous spots are for young travelers. (Would they care? I’m not sure.)

According to a story from the AJC, Orlando is surprisingly ranked the most dangerous spring break destination.

Daytona Beach and Las Vegas were No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.

From The AJC:

“The analysis by Avvo, a legal and medical website, considered a number of statistics in ranking 25 spring break destinations: murders, rapes, other violent crimes, fatal car crashes and Avvo’s data, including doctors and lawyers per capita, doctor rankings and criminal defense issues.”

“Rounding out the top 10 were Myrtle Beach, West Palm Beach, South Padre Island, New Orleans, Panama City, Jacksonville and Miami.”

” ‘Spring break is a time for fun, but you have to be careful,’ Avvo founder Mark Britton said. ‘Avvo’s mission is to help people make informed decisions, and where you …

Continue reading How safe is your teen’s spring break spot? »

I have a corollary question to the spring break blog from AJC reporter Jill Vejnoska. Jill is wondering how parents are using technology to monitor their kids’ safety on spring break?

Are they secretly/or obviously checking their teen’s Facebook photos and Twitter feeds to make sure nothing bad is going down? (As we said before they can block their parents from certain Facebook photos even if they are “friends.”) Do you think they hold back knowing you’re looking?

Are you having your teen take photos of where they are right then and sending it to you? (A mom and Y told me she makes her teens do that. I love that idea.)

And finally, what are you going to do with the knowledge that their competing in wet T-shirt contests – tell them to be good over the cell phone? Drive down there?

So are you keeping track of their safety or their behavior via technology and if so how?

Also if you would like to be featured in Jill’s story you can email her at

Continue reading Using technology to monitor their spring break safety? »

I have many friends using Groupons, and other similar group discount sites, and they always seem very happy with the deals they are getting. They post links on Facebook for the deals so other friends can take advantage of low prices at restaurants, movies, spas or other products.

Time.com reports sites such as Groupon, BuyWithMe, DealSwarm, LivingSocial are projected to pull- in $5 billion this year.

But there is also an ancillary industry building up around these sites — the resale market for coupons that seemed like a great deal at the time but then the person realizes they really aren’t going to use it: it’s called “Groupon Remorse.”

From Time:

“How often do group-coupon buyers suffer “Groupon remorse,” as the Globe calls it—when the initial sensation of “What a deal!” is followed by “Why did I buy that?” It’s hard to get an answer there. The coupon sites don’t reveal redemption rates, though one store owner interviewed in the Boston Globe story was told by two …

Continue reading Do you have ‘Groupon Remorse’? »

I am wondering: Is it bad to split sibs up at different schools when a school might offer programs that meet that individual child’s needs better?

Between charter schools, magnet schools, specialty schools and even home schooling, parents have lots of option other than just the school that happens to be physically closest to their house.

I have a friend who is homeschooling this year just one of her kids and the other child wants desperately to be homeschooled as well. I can’t decide if that is just for mommy’s attention or if their local school really isn’t great (even though it has a good reputation). Would her youngest have done better this year if the older child was still at her school?

Another mom in another state is being offered a self-contained gifted class, where all the child’s subjects would be taught at a gifted level, but it’s at a different school. The family only moved to that school this year so while they think the class would be better …

Continue reading Is it bad to split up sibs at different schools? »

Maureen Downey’s Get Schooled blog is always excellent, but the last few weeks Downey has laser-targeted in on some major issues facing Georgia education. Get Schooled offers parents all the background facts to help understand how and why policies in education are being made, plus offers Downey’s unique insights and solutions. Downey is a mother of four, experienced education reporter, opinions page editor/writer and overall just an excellent journalist. Every time I read Maureen’s blog I learn something. If you have children in Georgia schools and are not reading Get School daily, you need to start. Be a smarter parent thanks to Downey.

Here are some of Downey’s recent posts:

South DeKalb parents: Don’t get mad. Get a charter school.

10:27 am March 8, 2011, by Maureen Downey

Loans to fill HOPE gap are limited. Some kids won’t get them.

8:38 am March 8, 2011, by Maureen Downey

School redistricting: Is it ever a positive experience?

2:04 pm March 7, 2011, by Maureen …

Continue reading Be smarter about your Georgia schools: Read Get Schooled! »

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the International Women’s Day.

Never heard of it? Well here’s a quick history of the day courtesy of The Associated Press:

“It was discrimination against women that brought over one million women and men from the socialist movement onto the streets for rallies in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on what was originally called International Working Women’s Day on March 19, 1911.”

“The day became popular in Eastern Europe, Russia and the former Soviet bloc, and eventually spread around the globe. In some regions, it lost its political flavor and became an occasion for men to express their love for women with candy and flowers while in other regions, women’s struggle for human rights and political and social equality remained the focus.”

“In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women’s Day. Two years later the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution …

Continue reading International Womens’ Day: More progress for our daughters? »

Shine.com features a slide show of odd baby products that I thought you might find amusing. There are 20 products included. I just commented on a few below. See what you think.

From Shine.com:

Baby bangs – Fake hair for babies. I think “Saturday Night Live” did a skit on this one time but it was full on wings.

Baby bum fan – I can’t decide on this one. I remember moms in my first playgroup blowing on bottoms or fanning bottoms with some paper to dry them. Maybe this isn’t a bad product.

Bathroom harness – So you can hang you kid up while you pee. I have peed many times with my baby in the Baby Bjorn and it is not easy. I agree with the write up on the product that I don’t think diaper bags have space for an item you may use once every six months. It’s called a stroller – take it with you to the mall and the baby can sit in it while you pee.

The toddler urinal – I’m not sure I can know this one. You do get desperate to finally potty train and if this …

Continue reading Fake bangs for baby? Odd baby products you might not need »