Archive for January, 2012

On a recent episode of “How I Met Your Mother” Lily announces that her doctor says it’s OK for her to have “just a little bit” of alcohol and sushi while she’s pregnant. (See part of the scene above apparently pulled from French TV.)

The scene is funny because sooo many women say the same thing. It’s only one drink or it’s late in my pregnancy. One drink won’t hurt the baby.

Well, now some doctors are leaning away from the “just a little bit” plan and are going even further to say that women who even have the possibility of getting pregnant shouldn’t be drinking either.

From Time Healthland:

“The end of the first trimester appears to be the period when alcohol can wreak the most havoc on fetal development, causing physical deformities as well as behavioral and cognitive symptoms, according to research in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.”

“According to the March of Dimes, about 1 in 12 women admit to drinking during …

Continue reading Should pregnant ladies drink even just one? »

Lori and Andy took son Ty to investage Legoland for the AJC. Check out their report on the link below.

Dad Days of Summer host Andy and his wife Lori Johnston took their 5-year-old son Ty to investigate Legoland for the AJC. Lori’s story ran in the newspaper yesterday and here is her official report.

Hopefully, Lori answered all our questions. If you still have questions, leave them below and we will see if this dynamic duo knows the answer from their visit.

Continue reading Is Legoland worth your Florida vacation money? »

UPDATE: Reporter Tim Eberly sent me a note answering my question below. One of the sources in the story said you could see reports but I wanted more information for us. So here is more info on where to find those reports and what they mean vs what the AJC is reporting.

From Tim Eberly: The state agency that oversees day-care programs, the Department of Early Care and Learning, posts reports for all inspections at each day-care for the past 18 months. If you want to pass along the link on your blog, here it is: http://decal.ga.gov/. While they’re certainly helpful, those inspection reports include a minimal amount of information about violations committed. The annual scores that we wrote about on Sunday take ALL of those visits and violations into account in a given year and give child-care programs a compliance score. One could find it valuable because it puts all those individual inspections and violations into context. It helps parents see the bigger picture.

Here is the …

Continue reading Should day care center violations be posted like restaurant violations? »

This cold rainy season makes a perfect time for families to cuddle up and watch movies together. But what videos will keep everyone in the family entertained and maybe even broaden their minds?

Michael recently ran across a New York Times list of the best 100 movies for kids between the ages of 8 to 12, and we have been ordering movies from the library off the list. (Many on the list are older titles that are available through Netflix online.)

The 100 Recommended Childrens Movies by The New York Times Essential Library features many “animated films, standard films for kids, and hits from more recent years. However, the listings included lots of sophisticated, unconventional choices from Hollywood’s Golden Era. There were many great dramas and comedies included, but films from the horror genre, and films with religion as their subject matter were virtually non-existent.”

I love that many films on the list come from the Golden Era of Hollywood, but many of those movies …

Continue reading Filling out your video cue: 100 best movies for kids! »

Planning and cooking meals is one of my favorite parts of being a mom. I love searching for interesting, hopefully healthy, recipes and introducing my kids to new ingredients and flavors.

Last year, we successfully added asparagus, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and some sushi, among other new items, to our family’s regular rotation. But it’s hard to know which new items will make the cut.

Last week I took some time – actually a couple of hours – to sit down and go through old January Everyday Food magazines looking for healthy recipes that I was excited about and thought my kids would possibly/probably eat. (I love the Everyday Food magazine because it’s inexpensive and helps me think about using fresh ingredients for that time of year. The recipes are usually fast but not always low cal. You can look for work-arounds to lower the fat and calories. You can also look for recipes on their website for free.)

I took my well-planned list to the grocery story and …

Continue reading Planning dinners: Expand their horizons or serve basics? »

A mom has left us a call for help on the AJC Momania Facebook page, and I wanted to try to get suggestions for her.

Many of you have “adult” children and know how hard it is to intervene and help as they get older. I am certain this mother is not the first one to face these issues.

Here is what she wrote on the Facebook page:

“Here’s my situation. My daughter who is 19 1/2 is living with me. It’s been two years. Anyway she has her boyfriend living here also. He is a nice guy but does not do anything. It’s been 3 months. I’m so proud of her. She works and goes to school but her choice in this guy is crazy. I have not been the best mom and she tells me that. I can’t see why she does not see all the fights are about this boy. It’s not about her. I want them to move out but they just don’t listen to my rules. I think (I know he is doing illegal stuff to get money. The nice place we have is falling apart. I Feel guilty because I am a drug addict trying to stay …

Continue reading Help a mom: Live-in boyfriend dragging down daughter »

This photo was taken two years after we started dating. We were attending the 100th Anniversary of our college newspaper The Red and Black.

Last weekend Michael and I took time to remember and celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first date.

Some would question why we would bother observing that particular anniversary. It’s not our wedding or when we got engaged. But it was the first step on our journey together. The actual event is emblematic of why we were attracted to each other, and why we remain interested in each other. Even on that first night, it was clear we were very different people, but that’s also one of the reasons we are a good team.

With all the stress of jobs and rearing kids, couples can forget why they ever even got together. The spark of their relationship can be snuffed out by the minutia everyday life.

It is important for couples to stop and remember – not just on an anniversary – but why they decided to build their lives together. They need …

Continue reading Stop and smell the roses of your relationship »

Instead of just toning up or dieting for their weddings, many brides today are opting for plastic surgery – sometimes in place of a big wedding or honeymoon.

Good Morning America reports that breast lifts and liposuction have become such a regular parts of pre-wedding day routines that it even has a name — Bridalplasty. (You may remember a reality TV show by the same name where woman competed for plastic surgery before their weddings.)

From the Good Morning America web site:

“Dr. Tenley Lawton says she treats as many as five brides-to-be each month. For some, it’s as simple as a Botox injection. For others, it’s far more involved. Some brides have come in and paid up to $15,000 to have work done.”

“It’s a whole lot of money … We want to make sure the patient is doing this for the right reasons. They’re doing this for themselves, not just their fiancés or any other motive,” Dr. Lawton told “Good Morning America.”

One bride GMA featured lost a bunch of weight and …

Continue reading Wedding trend: Brides opt for plastic surgery before big day »

I have multiple single mom and dad friends using online dating services to find matches — some successfully (the dads) and not so successfully (the moms).

The Huffington Post recently wrote an article about how to create your online profile without looking divorced and desperate. Some of the tips included: Be honest about weight. Have a friend help you edit it down. Be tastefully sexy — a little cleavage, not your boobs hanging out. Post multiple photos. And do mention the kids.

So I am wondering what are your best tips and tricks to be successful meeting men online when you have children?

So here are my questions:

How long after the break up do you wait to date? Do you have to wait for the actual divorce?

Is there a better service for single moms? Do you like Match.com or eHarmony or something else? Does one cater to older people with kids? Do you think the Christian dating site would have more sincere people?

What do you put on your profile? What are you looking for on his …

Continue reading Tricks to successful online dating for single moms? »

This was my Christmas present from Michael — a pink Schwinn cruiser. The seat is big and padded so it doesn't hurt your bottom. And I love the basket except that the pink is wrong. So I might paint it white. I think it's super cute and ranks right up there with my pink Huffy Rose bike from grade school. I just wish the helmet wasn't so necessary!

Pilates is passé and spinning is such a bore. The new big exercise for women: the joie de vivre of feeling the wind in your hair as you coast down a hill on your bicycle!

Women’s Health Magazine reports a jump in cycling clubs for women and a renewed interest in taking a bike out for a spin.

From Women’s Health Magazine:

“Today, many women are rekindling that childhood love by pedaling to work, competing in races, or just tooling around town. They’re finding that biking isn’t just a welcome break from mind-numbing elliptical sessions: It’s a surefire way to slim down and tone your tush–and look smokin’ in those spandex …

Continue reading Trendy exercise for ladies: Simple joy of riding your bike! »