Archive for November, 2011

Pamela Redmond Satran, developer of baby naming trend site Nameberry.com, has created a list of the top 12 trends for baby names in 2012. It is fascinating to see which names will be popular and what is happening in society to catapult those names to the forefront.

Here are six of the 12 trends Satran highlighted for The Huffington Post. For the full list in slide show form, click the link:

1.Surnames of heroes – Monroe (as in Marilyn), Landry (as in Tom) Palin (as in Sarah).

2. Names that are similar to the most popular name yet different:  “So Number 1 girls’ name Isabella gives rise to stylistically-related choices Arabella and Annabelle; Olivia, the top name in Britain, spawns spelling variation Alivia; Emma and Emily promote brother name Emmett.”

3. Firce names: “There are fierce animal names such as Bear, Fox, Wolf, Lynx and a range of names from Leo to Lionel that mean lion, and then there are the perhaps-even-fiercer names like Breaker, Ranger, and …

Continue reading Hot baby names for 2012? 12 trends to follow! »

I would have assumed that all candy was just about equally bad for your kids, but apparently that’s not so.  A recent article in Gizmodo, which appears to be a Web site sponsored by T-Mobile, sour candy is actually far worse for your kids’ teeth than other types of candy.  They have a lovely chart that compares the pH levels and tells you when the enamel of the teeth is damaged.

From Gizmodo (Click the link to see the graphic. It’s good.):

“Pure water’s pH level is 7, which is a neutral acidic level. At ph4, your teeth start losing enamel, one of the four tissues that make up teeth. Enamel it’s the hardest substance in human bodies. 96-percent is made of minerals.”

“As it turns out, typical sour candy is ph3, which is kind of crazy. It quickly goes to ph2.5—with Skittles, Baby Bottle Pop powder, Brach’s Gummi Bears, and Sqwigglies Gummi Worms—and 2.4 with Mentos Fruit Chew and 2.2 with Sour Skittles.”

“But it gets a lot worse. These are the three worse …

Continue reading Sour candy almost as bad for teeth as battery acid »

For the first time in almost 18 years of marriage, we will not have any extended family or friends with us for Thanksgiving.  We have always either gone to relatives’ houses or hosted the holiday. And either way there were traditional family dishes that we would make or be served.

When we lived up north and went to Michael’s aunt’s and uncle’s house for Thanksgiving, they made their stuffing with sausage and chestnuts. (I had never had it that way.) They also served butternut squash. We always had sweet potato soufflé growing up. All the aunts would contribute their specialities to the meal. They would leave the food outside because it was freezing so they didn’t have to overcrowd the refrigerator. I thought that was so crazy!

If we were hosting and Michael’s dad and stepmom were coming, we would have pasta and gravy with the meal or before the meal. Also Michael’s stepmother would bring the northern-style stuffing because his dad doesn’t like my southern …

Continue reading No guests, no turkey this year for Thanksgiving — I think! »

Our schools are all doing canned food drives this week and as I ran to the grocery store to buy some supplies I started pondering: Do most people buy the brands they would normally buy for their families or do they go for the cheaper, store brands to donate? Is their choice different in this economy versus five years ago?

With canned food drives my husband is inclined to go into the cabinet and hand out whatever the kids are not eating.  My mom told me to buy peanut butter since it was going up in price.

I did end up buy a name-brand soup because I do think there is a taste difference there but I bought the store brand for canned peaches and pears. (I didn’t think the quality would be any different.) I bought Kix cereal because it was on sale.

This is an issue I have dealt with for many years in my own head.I never want people getting the charity to feel like they are any less so I always buy what I would buy for my family. However, in this economy I have less to spend …

Continue reading Do you give name brands to charity drives? Is the economy a factor? »

As a corollary question to the previous boyfriend tagging along to babysit: Would you hire a boy to babysit? Does it matter the gender of your kids?

I am in a desperate fix to find some new sitters as my old sitters all seem to be busy. One sitter offered up her brother as a possible replacement. He’s worked in childcare before at a reputable place where I know they background check people but with a young daughter in puberty and two other young kids it just makes me less comfortable than hiring a girl. Maybe if I spent some time around the guy and my kids – I’ve never met him before – I would change my mind.

I feel awful for ruling him out just because he’s a boy. I know my brother faced similar unfair issues as a male teacher.

I think boy sitters could bring a lot to the table. I think they would be very willing to play with the kids – running, swimming, playground-type play. I also think they would be more relaxed and fun. (I know my brother loved the male …

Continue reading Would you hire a boy babysitter? »

A friend sent me an exasperated note that her 9-year-old had gotten into dangerous internet water while playing on the family’s old iPhone that had been passed down to the kids.

So her questions are: Are you passing down old phone as play things for your kids? (While I am writing this Walsh is playing Angry Birds on my phone.) And if so, how are you monitoring internet usage on the phone? (I just had to take my phone away because I just got two emails alerting me to app downloads. They were free but he didn’t ask. You have to ask!)

We were using parental controls with You Tube on the big computer and the kids were still wandering into questionable areas so we have just blocked You Tube on the PC entirely.

I’m not sure what parental controls you have on an iPhone or Android phone. I have never tried to block anything on my current phone and we don’t have any hand-me downs to give them. Let me know if you have set any parental controls on your phone and how to do it.

Are …

Continue reading How are you monitoring internet when kids play on your phone? »

From time to time I like to share what I’ve been reading and get some recommendations from you guys.  I’ve had a wide range of topics on my bedside table lately.

I recently finished “The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel” by Anthony Horowitz.  It read fast and definitely felt like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s style. It corresponds with some news of late (without giving too much away) and sort of made it too real. But it was a good twisty mystery. I want to check out Horowitz’s other novels.

I am currently working on two books. I picked up on a lark the new Levi Johnston biography “Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin’s Crosshairs.” It was on the “new” shelf at our local library and I thought it would be entertaining and it is. It is a very easy read. You don’t have to concentrate, and it’s fun to try to decide what is the truth and what is exaggerated. He talks about how and why Bristol got pregnant, what life was like in the Palin’s …

Continue reading What are you reading? What do you recommend? »

A new study out of Great Britain has found that woman can typically wait no longer than 32 minutes before spilling juicy gossip.

From The Daily Mail:

“The study of 3,000 women by facial skincare brand Simple found one in 10 admits being unable to keep a secret – no matter how  personal or confidential the news is. And  85 percent said they relish hearing gossip  from others….”

“Almost half questioned said that they often felt the need to offload their secrets to someone while a sneaky 13 per cent said they intentionally relayed gossip so that it would spread.”

“A spokesman for Simple said: ‘This poll clearly shows that women really struggle to keep secrets.

‘Spilling the beans in just 32 minutes is very fast work, but with modern technology someone’s juicy secret can be spread to huge amount of people all over the world in a very short space of time.”

‘We are all guilty of sharing people’s secrets but there is a difference between idle chit-chat and …

Continue reading Study: Women can only keep secrets for 32 minutes! »

The Huffington Post is reporting that mother was asked to leave a Michigan courtroom for nursing her 5-month-old baby.

From The Huffington Post:

“Apparently, feeding your child is something to be ashamed of — at least according to one district court judge. Michigan resident and mother of a 5-month-old baby, Natalie Hegedus, was reportedly “called out” for breastfeeding in front of an entire courtroom, leaving her humiliated and in tears.”

“Writing on the community forum, BabyCenter, after the incident, Hegedus said she only brought her son to court in the first place because he had an ear infection. As they were waiting to be called, he got hungry — and so naturally, she decided to feed him.Hegedus says her breasts were fully covered and she was sitting at the back of the courtroom.

When the court bailiff noticed what she was doing, WoodTV reports that he wrote a note to the judge about it. Hegedus was called up, and the judge asked her whether she believed it was …

Continue reading Woman asked to leave courtroom — for nursing baby! »

I called five different girls last week trying to find a babysitter for Saturday night but to no avail.

The last girl I asked I had never used before at home but she’s kept Lilina before in a group childcare setting. So I texted her to ask if there was any chance she could sit. She texted back, would it be OK if she brought along her boyfriend? I would only have to pay her, she added.

I have to say the boyfriend along is a deal breaker for me.  I asked Michael what he thought and he said not only is it not OK for her to bring her boyfriend, he said he didn’t want her to ever sit because he thinks that reflects bad judgment on the girl’s part.

I texted back that while it would be more fun to have the boyfriend come along, I wasn’t comfortable with that. I wrote the kids moved fast and needed her full attention.

I’m not worried about the sitter fooling around sexually in my house – although maybe I should be. I’m worried about her laughing with him while a kid is …

Continue reading Can the babysitter bring her boyfriend along? »