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What are your thoughts on people who don't decide to vaccinate?
I am by no means trying to single out people in the community. I am just worried for a girl who th...
Don't Let Best Be the Enemy of Good
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 by Galit Breen
The lights dim. Familiar strains fill the auditorium from worn, speckled carpet to high, open ceiling. They tap onto the stage united by a year’s worth of well-practiced steps. I straighten in my chair whispering, “Here they come,” in Brody’s ear as I slide him into my lap and wrap my arms around his fourness.
Through the swirl of glitter and sequins and sparkle and more glitter, I’m glued to my girls’ shine.
As the audience quiets and breathes them in, I cheer for them. I want them to know that the loudest applause is theirs. This happens each time one of them takes the stage. The straightening and the whispering and the cheering, followed by their absolutely stunning cheek-raising.
They swish and turn, and I am awe struck. By their glitter and glitz, and moves and steps, yes. Of course. But mostly by their smiles.
I'm lost in the fact that they don’t notice or dwell on wrong taps or missed turns. They try, they dance, they’re happy.
I think about my own choices, my own risks, my own ways and wonder if I do the same. Or if I spend more time wondering what I missed, what I didn’t do, what I could have done better?
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 by Liz Henry
When I’m annoyed, I angry house clean.
Which pretty much means my house is usually immaculate.
Maybe not right now, but when it is, someone is bound to leave something in the way and I am, therefore, bound to grab the Windex or Lysol and huff and puff my way to a spotless bathroom mirror, clean floor or organized kitchen sink.
There is nothing I can stand less than grubby finger prints all over my mirror when I am trying get my eyebrow just right.
I want to know the culprit. I DEMAND to know, with paper towel and blue spray in hand, who DARED to write their initials in sneeze. There is a perfectly good toilet roll an arm’s length away until I look and, yep, whattaya know?!
THERE IS NO TOILET PAPER ROLL.
So, I replace it and LET EVERYONE KNOW I have replaced it and then I begin vacuuming.
Because nothing cleanses the soul like crisp lines of vacuumed carpet.
Taken Advantage of By Family Members
Monday, May 20, 2013 by Stef Daniel
My good friend has a problem. A serious problem. Not only is she a stay at home mother to her own children, but her extended family members are constantly calling her up to help them with every little thing. If they need cupcakes for a birthday party, they call her (because she is an awesome baker). If someone is going away on vacation, they ask her to house sit. If they have an upcoming event, they call on her to help put things together. If a kid in the family needs watching...you guessed it, they call her.
Sadly, my friend is not alone. She has a hard time saying no, and is extremely close to her family. Of course, she WANTS to help as much as possible, but often this helping out others and constantly being the go-to on-call person leaves her own life more stressful and at times empty.
Just recently, while she was already caring for her own sick mother, a family member called and asked her if she could take on yet another sick senior so that they could go away on vacation. Keep in mind, not only does she have children, but she is also watching her best friend’s child on a daily basis. Plus her mom. This time, she had the courage to say no.
Adipex - Is the Weight Loss Worth the Risk?
Sunday, May 19, 2013 by Stef Daniel
After my 4th child, and at the age of 37, I found it very difficult to lose my post-baby weight. In fact, I was sitting (literally) on an extra 20 pounds that made me feel sluggish, insecure, and unhappy. When I went to my doctor and talked to her about my weight 'issues' (which were mild in comparison to many), she recommended that I start taking Adipex, one of the brand names for phentermine. And I did. And, admittedly - it worked in more ways than one. For one thing it gave me the most energy I had ever had in my entire life. Insomnia wasn’t an issue, because I felt like I was on speed and didn’t need sleep. And, I was NEVER hungry. In fact, I was always thirsty and drank gallons of water. At the end of 6 weeks, it worked - and I had lost OVER 20 pounds without exercising.
The problem was I was starting to develop some other medical issues. Anxiety for one. As my body became accustomed to the Adipex, it didn’t have the same 'energy' effect where I felt like a super hero. And my lack of desire for eating and feeling full so fast was taking a toll on my immune system. Next up, were several months of severe urinary and bladder infections - and days where I was literally peeing blood.
This is What Postpartum Depression Looks Like
Saturday, May 18, 2013 by Liz Henry
I knew she was struggling. I knew she was depressed. I knew, and have known for a few years now, that my friend was a shell of who she used to be -- funny and tan with long, chestnut hair and salon highlights that were more sun-kissed than tin foil. Everywhere she went, everyone wanted to talk to her. It was my job to walk into a store, a party, anywhere first and she would follow behind me. She had anxiety like that and I rolled with it because we were thick like thieves. We played softball together and our two dads were our coaches. She is an aunt to my daughter and sat for twelve, long hours in a waiting room down the hall while I labored and gave birth. My friend – my best friend – wrote the time of every contraction on a Post-It until they were five minutes apart.
That was ten years ago.
A little over a year ago, she started her own family.
Four Daily Supplement Recommendations for Better Mood, Sleep, Energy, and Beauty
Saturday, May 18, 2013 by EverydayFamily
As mothers we often find ourselves sacrificing many things in an effort to ensure our kids received the best. But, what often happens is we hit our own proverbial walls and we are sapped of all energy, our moods suffer and we stop caring for ourselves in the ways we used to. It's a big trickle down affect that leaves us feeling less than stellar and quite frankly, we need to stop doing it.
It's important to take small steps and then work to those larger goals like exercising, resting more, meditating to alleviate stress and eating well so we can be the best versions of ourselves. In an effort to find out what other busy moms are doing to work towards optimum health, we asked Rachelle Jorgenson, a triathlete, mother, grandmother and business owner how she makes it all work. She shared with us her top tips for slimming down and keeping healthy and today she's offering up how she tackles her mood, energy level and even enhances her overall beauty through the use of supplements.
I don't know about you, but if I can add a simple routine of supplements into the mix and contribute to my overall energy and mood as well as the health of my hair and nails - I'm going to pay attention. Read on to find out more of what Rachelle's go-to supplements include:
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As an IRONMAN athlete, taking care of my body not only means making sure it has the fuel it needs, but also giving it the additional help when I need to sleep; boost and maintain my energy; enhance my mood; and keep up my beauty routine.
These are the four daily supplements I can’t live without.
Post-Baby Shape Up for the Hips, Butt, and Abs
Friday, May 17, 2013 by Kathy Murdock
Pregnancy will likely change your body not only during the nine months you carry junior but for months –or possibly years – after. And since everyone carries weight differently, it’s impossible to prescribe a one-size-fits-all training plan for new moms.
Cardio, of course, is a must. If you are carrying excess weight, regardless of where it is located, you need to burn calories to get it off. At some point, though, you’ll want to tone and strengthen problem areas.
Many women find the excess weight post-pregnancy tends to gather in one of three ‘problem’ areas: hips, butt, and/or abs. The following exercises target these three areas. Pair them with a healthy dose of thirty minutes of cardio most days of the week to get your body to a place you want it to be. Remember, though, it may never be what it was pre-pregnancy, and that’s okay: You made a human being! You’re a rock star! Your body should change a little!
5 Secrets to Slimming Down & Staying Healthy
Thursday, May 16, 2013 by EverydayFamily
Here at EverydayFamily we are always on the hunt for ways to provide you with quality tips and sound advice for living a healthier life in the midst of raising your kids. We know how hard it can be to make it all work with a busy schedule so we we asked a mom who has found a way to make healthy living a regular part of her life while keeping up with the beautiful chaos that is life as a mom, grandmother, and business woman.
Rachelle Jorgensen is a triathlete who has found her way to making it all work, and she's sharing that with EverydayFamily. Here's what Rachelle has to say about how you can slim down, and stay healthy, while balancing everything else in your life:
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I know firsthand that a lot of women have a tendency to get lost in the mire of meetings, appointments, housework, and forget to take care of themselves!
As a wife, mother of three gorgeous children, a grandmother of one precious child, and CEO of my own interior design company, I realized that I needed to do something for me. Luckily, a friend convinced me to do a triathlon in 2008. I did one, became hooked, and so my journey as an IRONMAN athlete began! To this day, my training, nutrition and recovery remain a part of my lifestyle. I am 41 years old and feel younger than ever!!
Here are my 5 secrets to slimming down and staying healthy.
Thursday, May 16, 2013 by Stef Daniel
There were tons of things that my parents said when I was a child that I swore I would never say. Things like 'because I said so,' and "because I am the boss,' and 'you will thank me for this one day.' The parental verbal rhetoric you use with your kids, will eventually feel familiar - as the same rhetoric that your parents used with you. And when it does, you finally have that 'A-HA' moment where you realize why your parents were the way they were.
Even worse, is that sometimes - in the heat of the moment - parents (like me) say things that come out all wrong. One time I asked my 12 year old "Are you stupid? I cannot believe that you put your baby sister on the dog and let her go!" The baby sister of course fell off the dog when the dog stood up and bonked her head well enough to leave a mark. Still, my "Are you stupid?” was admittedly inappropriate. It was just in that moment - I was so shocked and angry that the words just sort of exploded out of my brain. When I apologized for it later, my daughter seemed somewhat unscathed and had apparently forgotten about it already.
Of course, I have also been the one to introduce my children to the majority of the cuss words that they know.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 by Galit Breen
“I feel like I pushed you into it?” She says, not unkindly, from across the table. Her hair swiped perfectly behind one ear, her elbows braced on the table. She means business.
“Too late to change anything now,” Our friend steps in, noting my pause, my lack of response. “Besides, you’ll be great.” She nods as she says this, more sure than I feel.
And it was. Too late, that is.
We were hours away from our debut Listen to Your Mother Show, a national series of live readings where stories of motherhood are shared on local stages.
I applied to co-produce our show with three lovely, inspiring women who quickly became the other side of every coin I flipped. Late night texts and Google hangouts and endless email threads are what we shared, a beautiful show of the heart is what we created.
What I never (not ever) imagined, was actually getting on stage.
Public speaking has never been a true love of mine. I didn’t speak on my wedding day or baby showers, all of which were much smaller crowds than the 500 that graced our show.
But as a team we thought it would be nice to show our faces, shine a light on the work we’d done.
And on one hand, I wanted to do just this – shine with my work and my friends.
And on the other hand, the thought of this terrified me, and days before the show I had decided to not do it.
