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Hi all! I really need a break from blogging. I want to spend more time with my kids and my husband. I am not ready to shut down NewsAnchorMom.com, but I won't be posting for awhile. I hope you understand!
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Taking a Much Need BREAK
Monday, March 12, 2012
All they need is LOVE
New research shows love is the key to brain development. FINALLY-something I am actually already doing for my kids. Isn't that such a relief? Simply loving your children is helping them develop in a positive way.
FROM CNN:
Myths inevitably survive long after they’ve been scientifically disproven. Such is the case with the fantasy that mental illnesses can be written off solely to genes and chemicals. Over the last decade a string of scientific discoveries has shown that the biology driving mental illness has at least as much to do with the environment as with chemicals or genetic inheritance. And it increasingly appears that the single most powerful environmental factor is the love - or its lack - that children receive from their parents. So in a very real way we parents are back on the hook for the lifelong emotional well-being of our kids.
I say this based on a thousand studies. But to make the point here, let me describe a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that more definitively than any before it shows how parental care literally changes not just kids’ hearts and minds, but their brains as well.
Here’s how the study was done. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recruited 92 children between the ages of 3 and 6. Rather than asking parents about how they treated their children, the researchers brought the kids and parents into a lab and videotaped them as the parents, almost always mothers, tried to help their children cope with a mildly stressful task that was designed to approximate the stress of daily parenting.
Ratings of parental ability to nurture their children were done by study personnel who watched the videos while knowing nothing about either children or parents. Several years later, on average, the children had the size of a brain area called the hippocampus measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). After taking into account a whole range of factors that can affect hippocampal size, the researchers found that children with especially nurturing, caring mothers, based on their behavior during the laboratory stressor, had significantly larger hippocampi (plural of hippocampus - you’ve got one on each side of the brain) than kids with mothers who were average or poor nurturers.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Monday, March 5, 2012
Are your kids getting the right prescription?
I have to admit, I never really think about the possibility that the medication I get for my kids at the pharmacy might not be what I ordered. I doubt it happens often, but there was a big mistake at a New Jersey pharmacy. A child's fluoride pills were switched for a breast cancer medication! Yikes!
Here's the story from CNN:
Some families got more than they bargained for at a New Jersey CVS drugstore when their childrens' prescriptions for fluoride pills were filled with a popular breast cancer drug instead.
"We believe that, as a result of a single medication restocking issue at our Chatham, New Jersey pharmacy, 13 families had similar incidents in which a few tamoxifen pills were mixed in with their prescriptions for 0.5 mg fluoride pills," said Mike DeAngelis, a CVS Caremark spokesman.
DeAngelis went on to say that the company is doing a full investigation into how the switch could have occurred.-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Is Red-shirting for kindergarten more popular?
My mother-in-law texted me about this story on 60 Minutes about red-shirting. I have two boys who will be the oldest in their class(or close to it.) I am lucky because they both miss the cut-off, so I didn't have to hold them back. If my two-year-old had been born one day earlier, I would have red-shirted him. I guess I can see how it could get abused, but I am surprised to hear more parents are making the decision to hold their child back. If your child was born on August 32st and the cut-off was September 1st, what would you do? What if his/her birthday was in July?
Here's the story FROM 60 Minutes
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
5 Ways to be a better Mom
For me, being a better mom would consist of letting things go. I know there are some who think I already let things go too much. However, I think like would be better if there wasn't so much pressure to be a perfect mom. It sounds like this writer from Fox News agrees with me. She wrote about 5 ways to STOP being the perfect mom.
FROM FOX NEWS:
1. Prioritize
2. Rid yourself of the guilt
3. Don't be a career mom
4. Stop Comparing
5. Reframe your thinking
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Boys getting the HPV vaccine
Should boys get the HPV vaccine? Is there still controversy surrounding the side effects? I will have a nine-year-old next year. I am curious to see whether our pediatrician will recommend he get the vaccine. Has your doctor recommended it for your kids?
FROM CNN:
Parents have been hearing a lot about the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine. But what was once designed solely for girls and young women up to the age of 26 to protect them from different strains of the virus, is now also being strongly recommended for younger boys.
Following in the footsteps of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending females and males at 11 to 12 years of age have routine HPV vaccinations.
Doctors say the vaccine is most effective if administered before a child becomes sexually active, and responds better in the bodies of younger children, usually between the ages of 9 to 15.
HPV is known to be the root cause of cervical cancer in women, and HPV can lead to other health problems in both females and males, including genital warts and mouth and throat cancers.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sugar added to baby formula
An investigative report by WMAQ-TV found sucrose(sugar) is actually added to some formula. I am not talking about the natural sugar found in breast milk. Is this the start of bad eating habits? Why isn't sugar listed as an ingredient in these baby formulas? The investigation tested several formulas. Two contained added sucrose: Similac Advance(3.5 g per serving) and Similar Soy Isomil (3.8g.)
Here's the story:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
It's peanut butter jelly time!
If I am in a bad mood and my kids aren't listening, the key to getting their attention is this video!
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Spanking is bad in the long term
With three wild boys in my house, we have enough hitting and pushing. We don't need to add spanking to the list. I don't think spanking is always sooo bad, but it's not something we do. How about you? Do you spank your kids to get them to behave?
FROM MSNBC:Spanking or slapping your child has long-term, harmful effects on their development, according to a new review of 20 years of research.
Over the past two decades, research has increasingly found links between such "everyday" types of physical punishment and higher levels of child aggression, according to the review. In fact, no studies have found this type of child discipline to predict a positive long-term effect.
"I think it's important for parents to understand that although physical punishment might get a child to do something in the immediate situation, there are many side effects that can develop over the long term," said co-author Joan Durrant, a child clinical psychologist at Family Social Sciences at the University of Manitoba in Canada.
"For example, the more often a child sees a parent respond to conflict or frustration with slapping or spanking, the more likely that child will do the same when confronting their own conflicts," Durrant said.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Supplements for Overweight Kids
Wow! It sounds like parents would really need to weigh the benefit versus the risk on this one, but it could be a big step in the fight against childhood obesity. What do you think?
FROM FOX NEWS: Supplements containing the dietary fat conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may help overweight kids curb the amount of fat they gain over time, a small study suggests.
Researchers found that overweight and obese children who took the CLA supplement for seven months showed less fat accumulation than a comparison group of children given a placebo.
However, children on the supplement also showed a dip in their blood levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and a lesser gain in bone mass over time.
The findings suggest that while CLA might help slow body fat gain, its overall safety and effectiveness for children needs to be studied further, the researchers note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Sunday, February 19, 2012
ADHD Risk with Anesthesia
I don't think parents usually have a choice when they put young kids under anesthesia, but this study may shed like on why your son/daughter has ADHD symptoms. Take a look at this study on MSNBC.
FROM MSNBC:
Children who go under anesthesia more than once at a young age have higher rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research from the Mayo Clinic.
In the study, children exposed to two or more anesthesia drugs before age 3 were more than twice as likely to have ADHD than children who had never been under anesthesia.
Previous animal and human studies have suggested that anesthesia drugs might affect the developing brain.“We were skeptical that the findings in animals would correlate with kids, but it appears that it does,” said study co-author Dr. David Warner, a pediatric anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
The study is published today (Feb. 2) in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Watch out for some Battery Powered Toothbrushes!
I was surprised to hear this one. Some of the most popular battery powered toothbrushes can actually cause people to chip their teeth! Good Grief! My eight-year-old asked me for one today. He actually has a Sonicare(not mentioned in the report) that needs the brush part replaced. Now I am questioning whether to do that! What do you think?
FROM MSNBC:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer safety update Thursday about a brand of electric toothbrushes that's been found to chip teeth, cut gums and generally wreak havoc with your face.
Injuries reported from use of the battery-powered Spinbrush toothbrush, sold by both Arm & Hammer and Crest (before 2009), include chipped or broken teeth, cuts to the mouth and gums, injuries to the face and eyes and choking hazards thanks to broken pieces.
According to a consumer safety officer at the FDA, reports indicate that parts of the toothbrush have broken off during use, causing them to be "released into the mouth with great speed, causing broken teeth and presenting a choking hazard."
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
“The specially trained estheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians of Skin Dimensions Day Spa provide the latest high-tech services, while working closely with the medical staff of Soderstrom Skin Institute to offer the latest advances in beauty, dermatology, and cosmetic surgery. Enjoy the benefits of our total skin care facility today!”
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Fun Facts for Your President's Day Dinner
I got this email with fun facts to mention to your kids on President's Day. I think they're interesting and I will mention them at dinner on Monday!
Presidents' Day Fun Facts for Families
A minimum of 300 billion portraits of Abraham Lincoln have been created - that's how many pennies have been made since 1787.
Sixth President John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator that lived in a bathtub at the White House.
The first President born a U.S. citizen was Martin Van Buren. His birthday was December 5, 1782, making him the first president born after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence, and they both died on its 50th anniversary, July 4, 1826.
Nine presidents never attended college, including Washington and Lincoln. However, Lincoln was an avid reader and self-educated.
At 6' 4", Abraham Lincoln was the tallest U.S. President. The shortest, James Madison, was 5' 4" tall.
When he became President, George Washington had only one tooth. He wore dentures made of human or animal teeth, ivory and lead, but never wood.
George Washington is the only president that never lived in Washington, D.C. during his presidency.
Andrew Jackson was the first president to have been born in a log cabin, and the first to ride a railroad train.
Ronald Reagan was the oldest president inaugurated (age 69); the youngest was John F. Kennedy (age 43)
For more fun facts, educational ideas and parenting tips, please visit the Kiddie Academy Family Essentials blog: http://www.kafamilyessentials.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
“The specially trained estheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians of Skin Dimensions Day Spa provide the latest high-tech services, while working closely with the medical staff of Soderstrom Skin Institute to offer the latest advances in beauty, dermatology, and cosmetic surgery. Enjoy the benefits of our total skin care facility today!”
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
When to get kids tested for serious diseases
I cannot believe it may be necessary to get 9-year-olds tested for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes. It's sad that we have gotten to this point as a society. I just wanted to pass along this information because I don't think most parents know about this recommendation.
FROM CNN:
Unfortunately, as obesity becomes more common among children, diseases once thought to be primarily a problem of adulthood are showing up in kids. For this reason, children should be screened for medical complications of obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Not everyone agrees when you should start screening your children, but the latest recommendation is to test cholesterol between 9 and 11 years old and then again between 17 and 21. Ask your pediatrician for his or her opinion based on your child’s BMI. Blood pressure can be measured with a cuff at the doctor’s office, and diabetes and high cholesterol can be checked with simple blood tests.
These tests may include blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c and insulin levels for diabetes; a lipid panel (such as cholesterol and triglycerides) which, along with blood pressure, is a marker for heart disease; and tests for liver problems that can occur with obesity.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
“The specially trained estheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians of Skin Dimensions Day Spa provide the latest high-tech services, while working closely with the medical staff of Soderstrom Skin Institute to offer the latest advances in beauty, dermatology, and cosmetic surgery. Enjoy the benefits of our total skin care facility today!”
Monday, February 13, 2012
When did you fall in love with your baby?
On this Valentine's Day, Baby Center.com has a poll that asks parents "When did you fall in love with your baby?"
Here are the choices Baby Center posted. Don't vote here. You have to click on this link. When I clicked on the view poll results, I thought it was interesting to see most moms fell in love during the pregnancy and most men fell in love after they saw the baby in person. What are your thoughts?
Moms, when did you fall head-over-heels in love with your child?
It was love before first sight -- I fell in love during the pregnancy
Right after seeing and holding my child for the first time
Within the first few days after my child's arrival
Within the first few weeks after my child's arrival
Within the first few months after my child's arrival
I have a strong bond with my child, but never got that "falling in love" feeling
We're still working on bonding
Dads, when did you fall head-over-heels in love with your child?
It was love before first sight -- I fell in love during the pregnancy
Right after seeing and holding my child for the first time
Within the first few days after my child's arrival
Within the first few weeks after my child's arrival
Within the first few months after my child's arrival
I have a strong bond with my child, but never got that "falling in love" feeling
We're still working on bonding
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
“The specially trained estheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians of Skin Dimensions Day Spa provide the latest high-tech services, while working closely with the medical staff of Soderstrom Skin Institute to offer the latest advances in beauty, dermatology, and cosmetic surgery. Enjoy the benefits of our total skin care facility today!”
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Mommy Unplugged
It's a new way to show your friends you are thinking about them-mommy style. I think it's cute. Here's the link to all the Mommy Unplugged free ecards.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
“The specially trained estheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians of Skin Dimensions Day Spa provide the latest high-tech services, while working closely with the medical staff of Soderstrom Skin Institute to offer the latest advances in beauty, dermatology, and cosmetic surgery. Enjoy the benefits of our total skin care facility today!”
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Closing Schools to Stop the Flu?
They key to stopping the spread of flu may be to close down schools. New research shows keeping kids out of the schools may decrease the spread by 50%. This article in CNN talks about how researchers came to that conclusion.
FROM CNN:
In June 2009, the new H1N1 flu strain was spreading like wildfire in western Canada, just as it was in dozens of countries around the world. But within a few weeks, the flames were nearly out, and a new study pinpoints a possible reason: summer vacation.
On June 12, high schools in the province of Alberta let out for the summer. On June 19, the middle schools finished, followed by the elementary schools on June 26. Researchers from McMaster University compared those dates to the incidence of new H1N1 cases in Alberta, and using a complex statistical analysis, estimated that closing schools reduced flu transmission among school children by more than 50%.
That, in turn, reduced transmission in the population at large. The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, support the idea that closing schools could reduce or slow down a dangerous outbreak of influenza.-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Skin Dimensions, SB products are manufactured with Pharmaceutical-Grade ingredients. Products are not just "Feel Good Products," as they contain unique and innovative ingredients in concentrations that can assist you in the achievement of your own personal skincare objectives. Our products contain higher percentages of Glycolic, Vitamin A, C, E, Co-Q10, green tea than what you can usually purchase over the counter.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Dads who don't enjoy it
My heart broke as I read this post from Baby Center from who said her husband doesn't like being a dad. That would be really hard to handle. I don't think there's a way to make someone love fatherhood. What do you think?
Here's what she wrote:
"My husband and I recently had a heart-to-heart conversation, and he told me some disturbing news -- he no longer finds any joy in being a parent. I realize parenting's a lot of work and responsibility, but for me, it's fulfilling and I love it. I don't understand how he can feel that raising our sons is just something he has to 'deal with.' What can I do to help him regain the joy in parenting he once had?"
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Skin Dimensions, SB products are manufactured with Pharmaceutical-Grade ingredients. Products are not just "Feel Good Products," as they contain unique and innovative ingredients in concentrations that can assist you in the achievement of your own personal skincare objectives. Our products contain higher percentages of Glycolic, Vitamin A, C, E, Co-Q10, green tea than what you can usually purchase over the counter.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Football Concussions
They aren't typically caused by one hit. A new study shows concussions are the result of hit after hit. I don't if this will change anyone's opinion about the risk of concussions while playing sports like football, but I thought it was interesting. It seems like more fuel to the fire for people who believe any hit is dangerous. What do you think?
FROM SCIENCE DAILY:
Purdue University researchers have studied football players for two seasons at Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Ind., where 21 players completed the study the first season and 24 the second season, including 16 repeating players.
Helmet-sensor impact data from each player were compared with brain-imaging scans and cognitive tests performed before, during and after each season.
"The most important implication of the new findings is the suggestion that a concussion is not just the result of a single blow, but it's really the totality of blows that took place over the season," said Eric Nauman, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and an expert in central nervous system and musculoskeletal trauma. "The one hit that brought on the concussion is arguably the straw that broke the camel's back."
-NewsAnchorMom JenSkin Dimensions, SB products are manufactured with Pharmaceutical-Grade ingredients. Products are not just "Feel Good Products," as they contain unique and innovative ingredients in concentrations that can assist you in the achievement of your own personal skincare objectives. Our products contain higher percentages of Glycolic, Vitamin A, C, E, Co-Q10, green tea than what you can usually purchase over the counter.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Parenting the French Way
I love this article about raising kids. I think the tips are great! I really think I sometimes give in to my kids' demands too soon because I don't have time or energy to deal with the discipline. It's not every time, but it certainly happens with me. How do you handle discipline?
FROM ABC:
Teaching kids patience and self-control through delayed gratification: French parents teach their children to wait for what they want from an early age - for a few minutes, usually – instead of immediately giving into tots’ demands.“I’m now convinced that the secret of why French kids rarely whine or collapse into tantrums – or at least do so less than American kids – is that they’ve developed the internal resources to cope with frustration,” Druckerman writes.
Sleep training often begins at birth: In France, babies are expected to be sleeping through the night by the time they’re four months old. Parents don’t ignore their babies’ cries but they do pause before responding to them.“French parents believe it’s their job to gently teach babies to sleep well,” she writes. “They don’t view being up half the night with an eight-month-old as a sign of parental commitment. They view it as a sign that the child has a sleep problem and that his family is wildly out of balance.
Just one snack: French children typically have what’s known as gouter – a 4 p.m. snack – and that’s it. As a result, Druckerman says, they eat well-rounded meals because they’re “actually hungry.”
They don’t give in to guilt over spending time away from their kids: French women, Druckerman writes, have a conviction that “it’s unhealthy for mothers and children to spend all their time together. … Children – even babies and toddlers – get to cultivate their inner lives without a mother’s constant interference.”As for moms going back to work after giving birth: “French women work not just for financial security but also for status,” Druckerman writes. “Stay-at-home moms don’t have much in Paris. … They openly question the quality of life if they looked after children all day.”The book will be published Tuesday, Feb. 7.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
Skin Dimensions, SB products are manufactured with Pharmaceutical-Grade ingredients. Products are not just "Feel Good Products," as they contain unique and innovative ingredients in concentrations that can assist you in the achievement of your own personal skincare objectives. Our products contain higher percentages of Glycolic, Vitamin A, C, E, Co-Q10, green tea than what you can usually purchase over the counter.
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