Author Archive
Thursday, October 11th, 2012
In case you didn’t already know, October is National Bullying Awareness month – a time dedicated to increasing bullying prevention and decreasing the amount of bullying-related suicides. In support of the cause, beauty company Soap & Glory has teamed up with Stomp Out Bullying (the leading anti-bullying program in the U.S.) to create the Proud Mouth Campaign. The new campaign encourages everyone to not only respect, but also celebrate others’ similarities and differences by being cautious of their words and actions.
Over the next year, Soap & Glory will donate $1 from every sale of Baby Doll Sexy Mother Pucker plumping gloss ($15; sephora.com) to help fund the Stomp Out Bullying Helpchat, a live and confidential chat line available for 13 to 24-year-olds facing bullying issues. Every purchase gets this team closer to reaching its $25,000 goal—and making kids feel a whole lot safer.
Categories: Beauty, Doing Good, GoodyBlog, Health & Safety, Your Child, Your Life | Tags: bullying, bullying prevention, National Bullying Awareness month, October, Proud Mouth Campaign, Sephora, Soap & Glory, Stomp Out Bullying, suicide, Suicide Prevention
Friday, July 13th, 2012
Parents teamed up with Embassy Suites to find out how you vacation. According to our survey, more than one half of families, consider themselves “vacation dabblers,” who sporadically take days off throughout the year for shorter, one- to two-night trips. This is a surprisingly high percentage, considering people need at least three days to benefit from time off. On the other end of the spectrum, only a mere 13% are considered “vacation maximizers,” who patiently save up vacation days for one long trip.
So what does this mean? Those two-day mini vacations gaining popularity may seem great in theory, but commonly aren’t rejuvenating enough. To help families “moremize” their vacations, Embassy Suites has started a Facebook contest to give away week-long vacations. All you have to do is go to the page and post a picture of your family’s best “vacation face.” Don’t forget to include a caption to explain how your family plans on getting the most out of your summer vacation before, during, and after.
When the contest ends on July 20th, five lucky winners will receive seven nights at any Embassy Suits Hotel, roundtrip airfare for four, and $10,000 spending cash—the ultimate vacation!
Whether or not your family wins the contest, here are some helpful vacation tips from health and happiness expert, Dr. Susan Biali, to keep in mind the next time you’re contemplating how to spend your days off.
* Looking forward to a vacation actually improves your attitude at work and makes you more productive. This is what Dr. Biali refers to as “vacation anticipation.”
* “Vacation dabblers” should make sure they spend their couple of days off relaxing—not doing errands and running around. Those aren’t real days off and defeat the purpose!
* Post-vacation memories can help to rejuvenate you when you’re stressed. Display vacation photos and keepsakes where you can see them often to serve as pleasant reminders of fun family times.
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
Have you ever found yourself lingering up and doWn the card isle searching through what seems like thousands of greetings for your child’s 5th birthday card, with less than thrilling results? If you answered yes, your card shopping and sending routine is about be revolutionized!
Meet Treat, a new customizable card website, that has simply delighted us around Parents HQ. To choose from one of Treat’s 4,500+ awesome designs – 300 of which are from Hallmark itself – go to www.treat.com, select a card template, then go to town editing the layout, inserting a personalized message, and adding pictures of your cute kids. You can even including gift codes that can be redeemed for gift cards, charity donations, or just plain cash. My favorite part is that the site allows you to create custom cards from thecomfort of your own home without sacrificing store-bought quality. In other words, no more sloppy printing and folding for the artistically inept.
Once you’ve completed your card design, you can choose to have the card mailed to yourself so you can hand deliver it, or have it mailed directly to a loved one.
Delivery typically ranges from 1 to 3 days. Even better: at only $3 each, these cards are a steal compared to store prices that tend to push the five-dollar mark. But don’t take our word for it…your first Treat card is FREE so you can try it yourself in time for Father’s Day and graduation season.
iPhone owners: Be sure to keep an eye out for the convenient Treat app coming out this summer!
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
As a long-term pizza lover, I’ve always been fascinated by all the different ingredients people manage to pile on crust and call “pizza”. I thought a baked ziti pie was the most creative I’d seen until I came across Boboli s’mores pizza. Although definitely more of a dessert than a meal, it’s the perfect combination of yummy ingredients to satisfy a sweet tooth at any age. The best part about s’mores pizza? It can easily be made at home in less than 30 minutes. Follow Boboli’s recipe for the whole family to try!
Ingredients
1 12” Boboli Thin Pizza Crust
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup graham cereal
2 cups mini marshmallows
Directions
1. Preheat over to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place crust on the pizza pan or cookie sheet, and bake for 5 minutes
3. Remove crust from over and top with chocolate chops, graham cereal and marshmallows
4. Return to oven for 5-6 minutes until marshmallows are lightly toasted and chocolate is melted
More Boboli pizza recipes
Monday, June 20th, 2011
It’s always an exciting time of year when kids get out of school for summer break. But with the extra time for outdoor activities, it’s important to remind children and teens about important pedestrian safety tips. Even if they’ve heard them before, a quick reminder will only take a few seconds and can potentially save their lives.
Here are ten quick tips to share with your kids:
1. Always look both ways before crossing. Never run into the street without looking and always pay attention.
2. Avoid taking roads that don’t have sidewalks, or crossing busy streets that don’t have cross walks.
3. Walk in the opposite direction of traffic so you’re facing the cars. This way you’re more aware of the cars coming towards you.
4. Never play in a street, parking lot or driveway.
5. Walk when crossing an intersection- don’t run.
6. Take the safest route with the least amount of street crossings.
7. Wear bright, reflective clothing during dawn, dusk or any low-light situations.
8. Always follow traffic signals and signs- they aren’t just for cars
9. Try to make eye contact with drivers when crossing the road. Just because you can see them, doesn’t always mean they can see you.
10. Always be aware of your surroundings.
Here’s an idea: Create your own list with your children and post it on a fridge or front door where they can easily access it!
Which pedestrian safety tips do you teach your kids?
Friday, June 10th, 2011
Gosselins, meet your newest competition: Stacy and Brendan plus 7. The Careys from Feasterville, PA, welcomed a small army of newborns into their family last week after Stacy gave birth to sextuplets at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, PA.
The three boys and three girls—Patrick, Conner, John, Emma, Samantha, and Olivia—were delivered through cesarian section 10 weeks premature. Doctors carefully planned and practiced the birth that required a staff of approximately 60. The babies survived the high-risk pregnancy and birth but remain in critical condition.
Stacy and Brendan experienced the ultimate surprise when they found out they had conceived six children after experimenting with fertility medication in hopes to conceive just one. But during a press conference, the new mommy of seven—yep, their first daughter is only 16-months-old!—said that, while she and Brendan weren’t expecting a family this big, they couldn’t be happier.
How would you feel about giving birth to sextuplets? Do you ever wish you had multiples?
