Archive for February, 2012

In light of MTV’s hit shows “Teen Mom” and “Teen Mom 2,” the network’s website has opened a discussion about how likely teen marriages are to succeed.

I don’t think it will be a surprise to many that teens who marry, with or without a baby, have a tough road ahead of them.

According to MTV.com:

“So what exactly is the divorce rate for teen marriages? It’s pretty grim: Teen marriages are twice as likely to fail compared with those between older couples. Let’s take a closer look at the facts on married teens.”

“One-third of teenage marriages (where the bride is younger than 18) end in divorce within five years, and almost half wind up divorcing within 10 years. Those aren’t great odds to begin with, but add parenthood to the mix and it can be a recipe for disaster. Only 30 percent of teen mothers who marry after their child is born are still married by the time they’re 40.”

“Less than 8 percent of teen moms marry their baby’s father within one year of the …

Continue reading Do teen marriages have half a chance? »

My grandparents, and I believe my great grandparents, both had separate bedrooms from their spouses.

I always used to ask my mom if they hated each other and she said “No, they just wanted a good night’s sleep.”

Now I totally get that. Michael is a snorer. I have to fall asleep before him or I can’t fall asleep listening to the snoring.

I like to have the TV on to fall asleep. He can’t stand to have the TV on.

Apparently we’re not alone. The Huffington Post reports:

“In fact, according to one survey, more than a quarter of cohabitating adults in the U.S. report that their partner’s sleep problems — everything from sleep talking to late night TV watching — negatively affect the quality of their shut-eye.”

“Sleep-deprived couples often end up crankier, more reactive and even unhealthier than their well-rested counterparts — not exactly the makings of relationship harmony. ‘So much of our sleep is just never discussed,’ says Phillip Gehrman, PhD, CBSM, …

Continue reading Should spouses have separate beds/separate rooms for better sleep? »

I have been hearing an odd noise in the front left part of my minivan’s engine whenever I would shift between park, reverse and drive. I told Michael about it but he said it was probably nothing. I thought it was something.

So this morning I dropped my car off at a nearby car repair shop that we usually use. I went in and told the guy I was hearing a noise and went out to listen for it with the mechanic. (They think it’s the motor or transmission mounts. They were going to do more investigating and let me know.)

I called my mom as I walked home and told her about my car. I knew what she would say before she said it. “Oh I would never take my own car into the shop. I just know they are going to take advantage of me.”

This is something that I heard a lot growing up. My mother was born in the 1940s and was a young wife in the 1960s. She didn’t deal with plumbers or AC repairmen. She didn’t deal with car repairmen or car dealers because she didn’t want to be taken …

Continue reading Do women still think mechanics will take advantage of them? »

My all-natural cleaning supplies: Would they clean as well as harsher chemicals? Would they smell clean and fresh?

For a while I have wanted to switch to all-natural cleaners in the house but I wasn’t quite sure what to use and if they would really be effective.

So last week I searched on Pinterest for natural cleaner ideas and found a bunch of articles with “recipes” for how to create your own all-natural cleaning products.

(See the different versions of natural cleaners I found on Pinterest.)

So I bought a giant bag of Arm and Hammer baking soda (about $5) and the biggest darn jug of white distilled vinegar (about $6) you’ve ever seen. (See above!) I also bought two spray bottles from the hardware store (about $1.50 each).

I went on a cleaning spree one afternoon before Michael came home. I cleaned the kitchen and the two downstairs bathrooms with straight vinegar.

I used the spray vinegar on the counter tops, in the microwave and on the glass stove top. It lifted …

Continue reading Can all-natural cleaning products pass the family test? »

A mom left me a message: She is worried about a potential situation with her husband.

An old friend, who happens to be a woman, called to set up a lunch date. That didn’t trouble the mom particularly but then the woman added that her husband had been away on business and she was lonely. This set off some bells for the mom.

The mom is feeling like this is just a bad situation waiting to happen. One lunch may be OK but she doesn’t really want him seeing her again or the woman leaning on her husband for support.

Should she be concerned? Is this appropriate for the husband to go to lunch with a woman friend? What about an admittedly lonely woman friend? What do you think of this woman’s intentions? If she shouldn’t be worried about lunch what level of interaction should she be worried about? How would you handle this?

Continue reading Is it OK for hubby to lunch with lonely lady friend? »

Eighteen years ago, I had to plan my wedding around the Master’s Tournament and college basketball’s Final Four but at least I knew the dates of the events.

The realignment of multiple college football teams and the ensuing legal battles have prevented the football schedules for two major conferences from being released and fall brides don’t know what to do.

From The New York Times:

“Football schedules for next fall in two major conferences have not been released because of a legal battle prompted by West Virginia’s attempt to move from the Big East to the Big 12, resulting in widespread angst for anyone trying to plan an event in college towns from Morgantown, W.Va., to Manhattan, Kan.”

“Brides hoping to wear white on a fall weekend are being told they must wait until the schedules are announced, because event facilities want to give preference to football weekends. “It’s amazing what happens when nobody can function because of college football,” said …

Continue reading College football realignment messing up wedding plans »

My mom is the master of the cute, inexpensive Valentine's Day presents. She sent my girls fake nails and heart rings. They loved them!

Valentine’s Day is traditionally thought of as for lovers, but I think a lot of parents celebrate it with their kids as well.

My mom is the master of cute little gifts for Valentine’s Day. She sent the girls fake nails with hearts on them from Claire’s. (There’s no glue. The nails are just a little bit sticky.) They actually don’t stay on very well but Lilina especially thinks they are fun. She’ll spend an hour sticking them on and off.

My mom also sent the girls candy heart rings. There were about 10 in the package, all different colors with the different sayings. Both girls loved those too. (She sent Walsh a $10 gift card to Target.)

I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the kids. I just wanted to get them some small things they would enjoy.

I wandered around Target for a while on Sunday afternoon and ended up picking up …

Continue reading What do you do for your kids for Valentine’s Day? »

Apparently Facebook ads think I am the right demographic to shoot boudoir photos for my husband for Valentine’s Day.

Every time I check in on Facebook there’s an ad of semi-naked lady lying on a bed with a big heart across her breasts.

So I think it’s a great question this close to Valentine’s Day: Would you do sexy shots for your husband/boyfriend? Would he appreciate them? Would he be surprised that you did it? Would you trust the photographer with the digital negatives?

What are other good Valentine’s Day presents that would be personal/sexy but wouldn’t involve you taking off your clothes? Would you want shots of your hubby?

Continue reading Would you shoot boudoir photos for Valentine’s Day? »

On Wednesday a 7-year-old girl fought off an alleged kidnapping attempt in a Georgia Wal-Mart. The little girl started kicking and screaming until he put her down. (Good for her!!)

Here’s what happen according to The AJC story (You can see the store video for yourself above):

“According to police, Thomas Andrew Woods, 25, of Austell, started talking to Brittney Baxter in the toy aisle of the Wal-Mart and then grabbed her and put his hand around her mouth.”

“But Brittney kicked and screamed, and the man let her go, police said. Neither she nor her mother, who was nearby in the store, was injured.”

” ‘When she told me someone had tried to get her, I just couldn’t believe it,” Brittney’s mother, Georgeann Baxter, told Channel 2 Action News.”

“Store surveillance cameras captured the incident, and based on the description of the suspect’s vehicle, police located Woods a few miles away in Tallapoosa, Pesnell said.”

“Woods was charged with attempted kidnapping, …

Continue reading Should you show your kids the video of girl fighting off alleged kidnapper? Would it help them be prepared? »

Men now have the option of a home sperm count test instead of carrying sperm or ejaculating at a urologist’s office.

SpermCheck Fertility is set to hit drugstores, such as Walgreen’s and CVS in April. Men can already buy it online now.

From ABC News:

“The $40 test is set to hit stores in April. To use it, a man mixes his semen with a solution in the kit and drops it onto a test strip. A reddish line means the sperm count is above 20 million per milliliter, which is considered normal. A negative test shows no color and means the man should “should consult a physician about a complete fertility evaluation,” according to the kit’s instructions.”

Studies have found the SpermCheck Fertility counting to be correct 96 percent of the time compared with lab counting methods. But doctors warn that sperm count is only one aspect of male fertility.

From ABC News:

“ ‘There are four major things we look for,’ said Dr. James Goldfarb, a fertility specialist at UH Case Medical …

Continue reading Would men prefer home sperm count test vs. visit to urologist? »