Chris--MomathonBlog.com's blog

Kid Tech Charity: Give 1, Get 1

2008-11-18T10:28:02-06:00

Give a Laptop.Get a laptop.Change the world.
Imagine a real world laptop--durable enough to function even the toughest conditions--that's brilliantly functional, energy efficient, low cost, and fun. Sound incredible? Now imagine a nonprofit program that wants to place perhaps the greenest laptop ever in the hands of children in the developing world. The XO laptop has the perfect features and software to get kids excited about learning no matter where they live.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit, sells the sturdy kid-friendly XO machines to governments in developing countries that give computers to schoolchildren. These low-cost green machines use less power that regular PCs and are designed to work in demanding, rural conditions.

Want to help more needy kids get a laptop?To foster learning in developing countries, The One Laptop project has restarted its "Give One, Get One" program with a new retail partner, Amazon.
You can buy one open-source, Linux-based XO laptop for your family for $399 at Amazon.com and the OLPC program will donate another one to a needy child in a developing country. If you don't want a laptop for yourself, you can still donate one of the devices to OLPC for $199 per machine.
"The phenomenal success of last year's Give 1, Get 1 program created tremendous demand from both the public, who wanted to give more, and from countries that saw an opportunity to attack poverty through education," said Nicholoas Negroponte, founder and chairman of OLPC, in a statement. Mr. Negroponte is also the founding director of M.I.T. Media Laboratory.
You can watch a video clip of "Zimi's story" and another video clip featuring tech guru David Pogue from the NYT on my post today at Momathon Blog.

Baby-Wearing Moms Don't Need Motrin

2008-11-17T12:14:40-06:00

Motrin's "Wearing Your Baby" campaign didn't last long.

The marketing folks at Motrin--let me rephrase that. The MALE marketing folks at Motrin created an ad that targets the Moms who "wear their babies." In the ad they tell us "wearing your baby seems to be in fashion." Obviously the guys at Motrin had a difficult time figuring out just why Moms wear a baby sling. And the two reasons they came up with are: it's a fashion statement and a status thing.
Hmmm. I don't get it. Oh, that's right. I'm just a Mom.

Motrin ad: "Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those who don't?"
Motrin ad: "Supposedly it's [wearing a baby sling] a real bonding experience."
Motrin ad: "It totally makes me look like an official mom."

Evidently these clever guys determined that wearing a baby sling is a hip mommy fashion statement (don't get me started on that one) and it also creates back pain.
Off the top of my head I can easily list a hundred mundane things that are more of a pain in the life of any Mom than wearing a baby sling. In fact, a baby carrier always seemed to help me, not hurt me. Oh well, as I said before the GUYS at Motrin definitely did not talk to the MOMS first. If they did, they would have avoided this marketing debacle. Cause the Moms are pissed off at this campaign.
Never underestimate the power of a Mommy with a baby sling. The ad has been removed from the Motrin campaign.
You can watch a YouTube copy of the ad on my Momathon Blog.

My Inner Cranky Cook Considers a Pre-made Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-17T11:25:48-06:00

Let's just say I have been kinda busy the past few days, weeks, months--you get the picture. And aren't we all feeling a bit overwhelmed as the holidays approach?

Saw the enticing Thanksgiving dinner ad in my weekend Target Grocery promo: "A complete Thanksgiving dinner, prepared just for you!" Ordering a complete Thanksgiving dinner makes it practically a hassle-free day, but I can't help wondering if it steals some of the fun too. Will I miss the game of guessing if my frozen turkey will actually be thawed by the scheduled 2 p.m. oven appointment on November 27?

Sure I don't have to bake anything, but can I give up the need to be in control and surrender to the Target meal planners? This meal is a big deal. Perhaps the biggest one of the year. Oh, I'm already feeling the pressure. Will the mashed potatoes with gravy Target provides really be creamy? Will there be enough turkey for leftovers? What exactly do ciabatta rolls taste like? Will one pie be enough for my crew?
Okay. It's obvious I haven't made up my mind. Check in later for an update.

Puppy Madness
Oh yeah, the Shiba Inu webcam pups are getting cuter by the day. Don't ask how much time I've "wasted" watching this webcam. Just one more reason I better buy the pre-made dinner.

Webcam Captures the Cutest Shiba Inu Pups...Ever!

2008-11-17T11:24:03-06:00

Watching the Shiba Inu puppy webcam has to be the best way to spend your time on a Saturday...or any day. If the pups are sleeping, turn the sound up on your monitor and you will be alerted to when they awake by their adorable puppy squeaks. Just watching the pups makes you want to take one home to cuddle. Now. Well, the adorable six pups in the webcam already have adoptive families. And the owners of the puppy family want viewers to remember that all dogs require lots of love and adopting a dog is a lifelong commitment. The Shiba Inu pups are adorable, but before you pick a breed based on looks also consider the breed's characteristics and personality traits. And please don't buy a puppy from a puppy mill. You can find many wonderful dogs at your local animal shelter or other rescue groups or consult a reputable breeder. You can watch the puppy webcam at my Momathon Blog post--Webcam Captures the Cutest Shiba Inu Pups...Ever!

BYOB Potluck Christmas

2008-11-13T12:12:23-06:00

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of celebration, but the economic crisis is changing the mood of Christmas shoppers. According to NBC Nightly News more than 40% of shoppers in one survey said they are cutting back on holiday shopping this year. That's the largest number since since 1995. Financial experts are predicting the first real decline in holiday sales in over 20 years.

Even before the holidays retailers are feeling the crunch. Last quarter Starbucks posted an 8% drop as coffee lovers switch to the cheaper cup of java at McDonalds. Booksellers are usuallly relatively immune from recession, but even B&N is feeling the economic woes as Secret Santas across the U.S. cut back on spending.
Consumers are bracing themselves. Smart spending is a topic of discussion around dinner tables. More families like mine are trying to balance the demand for what they want versus what they need.

Three-Ingredient Soups

2008-11-13T12:09:02-06:00

Looking for a quick and hearty dinner recipe? Now imagine that you only need three ingredients. Sound impossible? Soup to the rescue.

Soups can be the most flexible and most forgiving meal to prepare. Less can be more. Just start out with a quart of stock for four people and add two more ingredients. You can also add more ingredients you have on hand to jazz it up a bit.

Food writer and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman and the helpful folks at the TODAY Show team up to share easy 3-ingredient soups: wonton, shrimp and tomato, and beef and barley soups.

Bittman, author of "How to Cook Everything," with TODAY's Meredith Vieira show you how to make three nutritious soups in the TODAY video clip on my Momathon Blog. You will also find the ingredient list for each soup on my blog.

What's In Your Lip Balm?

2008-11-10T12:01:29-06:00

Are you addicted to your lip balm? Sometimes I feel that way. Is this bad thing? Lip balm is supposed to be good for you, right?

If you feel the urge to reapply balm constantly, then you might want to change balms. Not all lip balms offer the same healing properties. Check the ingredient list for the ingredient phenol before you buy your next fix. Dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD, reports in O, The Oprah Magazine, "Lip balms that contain phenol, an antibacterial agent, strip the top layer of skin off your lips."
Evidently the ingredient phenol is one reason that you can become addicted to a lip balm. The phenol removes the natural protection on your lips and forces you to apply even more lip balm.
You can break the cycle by buying phenol-free lip balm with natural moisturizers such as beeswax, shea, butter, or jojoba oil. Here are a few options you might want to try:
Beeswax Lip Balm - Burt's Bees

Lip Butters by Say Yes to Carrots

(Chris writes the blog Momathon Blog--musings, news and links for busy moms on parenting, kids, health, education, fitness, personal finance, careers, pets, relationships, and leisure.)

Will Foot Massages Help Students?

2008-11-06T09:54:07-06:00

Here is a story from what might appear to be the "weird news" file: foot massages at schools. However, despite all its weirdness, the idea of foot massages to help calm disruptive students makes sense to me.

In Lambeth council in south London, foot massages using reflexology therapy has been given to disruptive students under the age of 13 to help them calm down, improve listening skills, improve concentration, and relieve anxiety according to a story in the Guardian.co.uk.

The therapy costing £90,000 next year will be offered by therapists from Bud-Umbrella, a London based charity that specializes in complementary therapies to adults and children.
This controversial therapy makes sense to me because as a substitute teacher I know how difficult it can be to deal with "disruptive behavior." If a complementary therapy can help children manage emotional and behavioral issues at school, why not try it out as long as the parents agree to the program.
Not everyone agrees with the new therapy program. Are the results worth the cost of the therapy?
According to the Guardian.co.uk, a spokesman for the Lambeth council says, "There has been a 50% increas in attendance and 60% decrease in exclusions among young people involved in the programme."
We'll have to wait and see how the program works over time. The reflexology won't replace traditional methods to deal with behavior issues.
As a parent and as a substitute teacher I can imagine that the new therapy program would benefit all students. Hope another school district will try this out too. (Chris writes the blog Momathon Blog.)

Time to Prepare A Winter Car Emergency Kit

2008-11-05T11:42:09-06:00

My family makes frequent winter trips to the mountains into areas without cell phone reception. Seems odd to worry about losing cell coverage until disaster happens. A few years back while on an pre-dawn drive to a ski resort our van had engine trouble. Not a disaster, except for the fact the temp was only hovering around zero and we were miles from "civilization." Fortunately two skiers traveling the same county highway stopped to help us out--gave my kids their handwarmers and granola bars, drove my hubby to a town with cell coverage so he could call a repair truck, and then drove him back to our van.

Thank goodness for kind souls like the skiers who helped us! ust in case you end up in a similar situation stranded in a car on a frigid winter day or night, pack a winter car emergency kit in your car. Here are a few items recommended by AAA with some items I added to the list:

ice scraper and snow brush
extra jug of wiper fluid
several thermal blankets and warm clothing
portable hand warmers and toe warmers
small shovel
bag of sand or cat litter for traction
flashlight with extra batteries
cell phone
jumper cables
several water bottles and a few items of nonperishable food such as granola, energy or candy bars (You
rags or paper towels
roadside flares
first aid kit
tire inflator (ie., Fix-A-Flat)
quart of oil
Leatherman Tool (or similar multipurpose tool containing pliers, wire cutters, knife, saw, bottle opener, screwdrivers, files, awl)
help sign

(Chris writes the blog Momathon Blog.)

Could Autism Be Linked to Rainfall?

2008-11-04T10:40:43-06:00

A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests autism could be linked to rainfall. According to the study, children living in rainy regions in California, Oregon, and Washington were more likely to develop autism.

Before parents put for sale signs up if they live in rainy areas, the researchers at Cornell University warn that the study only suggests a link. The link between autism and rain has not been clinically proved. More research is needed.

Michael Waldman of Cornell University and colleagues searched for a possible environmental link with autism. Researchers are not sure if the rainfall link means the children are getting less of something healthy from the outdoor environment or if the rain means the children are getting too much of something in the indoor environment that is harmful.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, "Bad weather could lead to more television and video viewing, which in very young children has been linked to language development problems...Or staying indoors could cause a deficit in vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin."
According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer the study found that "school-age autism prevalence rates are positively associated with a county's average annual precipitation. The analysis also showed that within a county, autism prevalence was higher for age groups that were exposed to more precipitation prior to the age of 3."
Let's hope that with each new study on autism we are closer to a cure. Autism has risen dramatically in the past three decades from affecting 1 in 2,500 to now affecting 1 in 150 children in the U.S. (Chris writes the blog Momathon Blog.)

Love Potion in a Tea?

2008-10-30T14:49:02-05:00

I love tea. When I heard that a new tea boosts your libido, I knew I had to get it. As my kids would tell me: TMI. That's probably true....but at least I admit improving anything in my life--even my sex life--is worth considering. Haven't tried the tea yet. I'll keep you posted.

Get Passionate tea by The Republic of Tea is a herbal blend crafted from organic rooibos. Includes exotic muira puama bark and ashwagandha root (both said to invigorate a lagging libido), plus Peruvian maca root (revered as an aphrodisiac), plus flirty lemon verbena blended with passionflower and passionfruit. Tea sold in a variety of sizes. $10 for 36 bags.

Looking for other ways tea can improve your life? Go to my Momathon Blog post today for other teas that can improve your life including: Get Lost, Get Happy, Get Gorgeuous, and many more teas by The Republic of Tea.

Health: More Kids Getting Kidney Stones

2008-10-28T17:28:25-05:00

According to an article in the NYTimes.com, more kids-- even as young as five or six--are getting kidney stones. Why the steep rise in kidney stones? Kids are consuming more salt in their diet and not drinking enough water.

I think it is a tough sell to convince school-age kids to drink more water. They'll tell you they don't have time to go to the bathroom. However, waiting until you are thirsty to drink could create problems later. Keeping hydrated is important to preventing kidney stones. Kids who play sports or are very active need to pay even more attention to how much water they drink.
Extra salt in the diet is also a problem. Stones form when substances like calcium crystallize in the urine. According to the NYT, "Excess salt has to be excreted through the kidneys, but salt binds to calcium on its way out, creating a greater concentration of calcium in the urine and the kidneys."
Excessive salt is hidden in many foods: chips, french fries, processed foods such as canned meats, soups, packaged meals. Parents and kids need to read the food and drink labels to see the salt concentration. Did you realize even the sport drink Gatorade contains more salt than kids need? Now researchers are also looking into the link between sucrose in sodas and kidney stones.
I used to think dairy foods could be a problem because of the calcium. According to the NYT, "Dairy products have been shown to reduce the risk of stones, because the dietary calcium binds with oxalate before it is absorbed by the body, preventing it from getting into the kidneys."
I also used to think kidney stones was a disease only involving older people. Obviously the trend is changing. A rise in the incidence of kidney stones is also happening to younger women in their 20s and 30s.
I am not a doctor or a medical professional. For more information on this health topic talk to your doctor. --Chris writes the blog Momathon Blog.

Some Carter's Labels May Cause A Rash

2008-10-27T10:02:35-05:00

My kids always ask me to remove the tags in clothes. Tags are itchy. The labels printed directly on the baby and child clothing seems like the perfect solution.

Now the Consumer Product Safety Commision is warning parents that Carter's knit clothing for fall 2007 with tagless labels can cause a rash. The government agency suggests that if your child develops a rash you should discontinue using the product.
Not all children will develop a rash. The fall 2007 clothing became available in retail stores in 2007 and could still be on retail shelves. The solid background on the labels seems to be creating more problems than the stenciled background labels.

The affected tagless Carter's Inc. clothing includes fall 2007 knit items:

body suits
shirts
pajamas

For more information you can call Carter's Information Line at 888-282-4674 or check out this Carter's link. --Chris writes the blog Momathon Blog.

Pumpkin Carving Safety

2008-10-22T11:37:10-05:00

My kids see the giant wooden crates overflowing with pumpkins outside the grocery and beg for just one more pumpkin. If I would give in each time we see them, we would have a yard full of pumpkins. With over a week to go before Halloween, it's a bit too early to carve your favorite pumpkin. According to my kids it's never too early to find the right pumpkin. Of course the best pumpkins are basking in the sun at the pumpkin patch. I love that pumpkin hunting ritual when I have enough time. Thank goodness you can find some wonderful pumpkins waiting for a good home at local stores too. I love finding the biggest pumpkins, but from experience I've learned that getting one that is easy to hold and has a sturdy stem makes the carving project simpler.

I am pretty crafty, just not with a big knife and a pumpkin. That's why I love the new pumpkin carving kits to carving relatively easy even for me. The tools provided should require less force to pierce the pumpkin. Always make sure the tools are clean and dry to prevent slipping in your hands. Keeping the surface you are working on clean and dry will also prevent the pumpkin from slipping while carving and causing an injury.
As a kid we used a large kitchen knife--or even my dad's power tools--to carve. Not the greatest idea for so many reasons. A big knife is not an appropriate carving tool because the thick blade can easily get stuck in the pumpkin. Plus the long blade could also come out the other side of the pumpkin right where you are holding the pumpkin.

The new poker tools in pumpkin carving kits add an extra step that is worth the time. Just trace the outline of the cuts you want to make on the pumpkin with a pen, then use the poker tool to make a series of small holes. This step makes it easier to cut out the triangle eyes and zig-zig mouth with a knife.
Sccoping out the goop in the middle of the pumpkin should only require a large kitchen spoon. If you select a spoon with a handle that's too long, you will have problems scraping the sides of the pumpkin. Just make sure the handle will not bend under all the pressure. I think a melon ball scooper or an ice cream scoop works great.
One tip for carving the lid of the pumpkin. Remember to carve at an angle so the lid doesn't just fall down into the pumpkin.
What's the best part of the project? There are no rules for pumpkin carving design. Just have fun.

Sex and Your Health: Link Between HPV and Oral Cancer

2008-10-20T12:50:20-05:00

We know that the sexually transmitted infection HPV (human papillomavirus) is linked to cervical cancer. But did you know that now doctors say there is also a link between oral sex and throat cancer? According to ABC News reports, a study by researchers at John Hopkins shows that patients with oral cancer are getting younger and many have HPV-16 in their biopsy specimen.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 34,000 people in the U.S. have oral cancer and 39% of those cases are related to HPV. Patients with oral cancer include both men and women. Many patients are in their 30s and 40s, non-smokers, and otherwise healthy adults. HPV is transmitted by direct contact, which means you only get the virus in the location it attaches. That means HPV doesn't travel through the bloodstream from someplace else. How does it get in the mouth? There is a link between oral sex and oral cancer. Doctors haven't been able to rule out transmission by saliva through kissing, sharing drinks, etc. You can't wash the HPV out of your mouth. Instead you have to treat the virus with an extensive drug treatment.

Unfortunately there is no oral screening method for HPV through saliva. You have to pay attention to the symptoms: a persistent sore throat accompanied by swollen glands. Men are 35% more likely than women to develop HPV-related oral cancer according to the John Hopkins study. Now is a good time to talk to your teens about this health issue. Because research shows that teens tend to think oral sex is relatively safe compared to vaginal sex, they need to be made aware of the link between HPV and oral cancer. (Chris also blogs at Momathon Blog)