5 Tips for Healthy Kids this Winter

It seems impossible, yet many families manage it – staying germ free for an entire winter. With all the sneezes that move through a school building, it’s difficult to keep your children from getting the occasional runny nose, but with the careful consideration that many families of children with special needs take, your children too, can stay healthy this year. My daughter has cystic fibrosis, and because of this, she must be kept away from anyone who has even a cold. This is a tough job, especially around the holidays and in our rigid New England climate. So far, at … Continue reading

10 Weight Loss Tips for Harried Homemakers

The American Obesity Association has recently released a top 10 weight loss tips for teens that I felt could be easily adapted for adults, especially those of us who are stay-at-home moms. Here they are: 1. Plan some type of activity every day. Plan a walk or bike ride with your kids and hold yourself to it. If your kids are very young, bundle them up in a stroller or consider getting a trailer for your bike so they can ride in comfort (while adding a little extra resistance to your ride). 2. If you like to take your kids … Continue reading

Care of African American Children in Transracial Adoptions: Winter Skincare

Long before I ever began blogging, I have wanted to talk about this subject. I remember the first time I noticed a white mother pushing a little black baby in a shopping cart, I wanted to run over to her and give her words of encouragement, and some hair care tips to boot. (Some of my fellow employees pointed and stared, and the baby’s hair was a mess). I am going to save those two subjects for later and start with something a bit closer to my heart… skincare. Adoption blogger Ed Paul, tells me that skincare is an issue … Continue reading

The Fitness Blog Week in Review, November 25-December 1

Good morning and Happy Saturday! You’ve likely got plans today that involve shopping, decorating or even attending holiday events at your Church or other social function. So you’ve got a lot of plans and even if it’s just going to be a quiet day at home with your family, you’ve got things to do. So let’s tackle our week in review and highlight what we talked about this week in case there was anything you missed. Saturday, November 25 In Post Natal Fitness: Let’s Talk Moms we focused on a new topic we’re supporting here in the Fitness Blog and … Continue reading

Remembering the Boy in the Bubble

David Vetter was also known as the “Bubble Boy”. He was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), and had to spend his short life living in a sterile, plastic, “bubble”. There have been improvements in treatment for SCID since then. David Vetter was born in 1971 with a disease called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). This is a rare, hereditary disease, (that is actually a group of different diseases). According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, there are only 40 to 100 babies in the United States diagnosed with SCID each year. It is caused by a genetic mutation. The … Continue reading

Your Health Insurance Covers Flu Shots from the Pharmacy

Are you planning on getting a flu shot this year? You have some options about where to go to receive one. You can try to get an appointment at your doctor’s office. Or, you can go to the nearest pharmacy, and get your flu shot whenever it is most convenient for you to do so. Bring your health insurance card to the pharmacy. According to the Center for Disease Control, the best way to prevent yourself from having the flu is to go and get a flu shot. It also helps to practice good health habits, such as washing your … Continue reading

Fashion to Fight Germs

A new product called Germbana is just hitting the streets in time for cold and flu season. The company claims it can fight bacteria and germs naturally through its scarves, face gators and gloves made with Fibrant™. According to germbana.com, Fibrant is “a revolutionary new anti-bacterial, super soft, breathable, anti-static fabric that has captured nature’s defense systems.” It contains natural anti bacterial fibers with no chemicals added. So the question is do they work? Testing that was done by the University of Minnesota found that over 99% of the bacteria introduced to the fabric was gone within 24 hours. But … Continue reading

Cutting Back on Expenses to Stay at Home with Your Child

When planning for our first child, we figured that I would take some time off but eventually head back to work at least a few days a week. I didn’t want to send my baby off to daycare, but we didn’t think we could manage to pay our bills unless I did. Then fate threw us a curveball. Our daughter couldn’t go to daycare, at least not for the first 6 months, and after that, it would still be better if she didn’t. Having cystic fibrosis means avoiding people with colds and respiratory viruses at all costs and, as we … Continue reading

Frugal Month in Review: October 2008

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot October has come and gone, but we can still enjoy fall and the celebration of Thanksgiving and all of the great joys of the season. Take a look back at all of the ways to save money that were featured last month. October 1st Frugal Halloween Costumes It is fall and Halloween is approaching fast, are you ready? What do the kids want to be? You can make some great homemade costumes … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: January 14th Through January 20th

How are you doing with your reuse items? We still have more letters of the alphabet to get through. I took a break with listing some of the ideas so we could talk about other subjects, such as shopping, winter and fun. Nicole offers some great advice on frugal snacks. Hopefully you aren’t suffering from frugal burnout. January 14th Frugal Living Week in Review: January 7th Through January 13th From freezer cooking to reusing our items, we have been working our way through the kitchen to save money. We’ve also thrown in a few other surprises. I’m so glad that … Continue reading