With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to start making those gift purchases for the special Moms in your life. Finding the perfect present for these ladies can be a challenge; here are a few tips to help ease the stress of coming up with something a little more lasting than breakfast in bed.
Gift Baskets – While there are certainly a staggering array of pre-made gift basket options, putting one together yourself is both surprisingly easy and the best way of ensuring that each and every item is handpicked for the guest of honor.
Personalized Gifts – It’s possible to personalize almost any gift you can come up with; adding a birthstone, a monogram or any other signifying features is one of the best ways to give your selected item a personal touch.
Jewelry – There are entire lines of jewelry, all with varying price points, designed for the Mother’s Day gift-buying set. From necklaces with charms to symbolize each of her children to bracelets with each child’s birthstone, there’s definitely no shortage of precious adornments created with Mom in mind.
Flowers – Though it might be so common that it’s almost a cliché, flowers are the perfect gift for a friend or relative with children. While you might want to step it up a bit for your own mom or the mother of your children, they’re a time-honored tradition for moms that aren’t immediate family.
Day Spa or Salon Gift Certificates – The frantic pace of today’s world makes it difficult for women to fit a day of pampering and preening into her schedule. A gift certificate for just such a thing makes a spa day seem like less of an indulgence and more of a treasured gift.
Gifts Tailored to Her Specific Interests – Everyone is different, and harried moms are no exception. Taking your special lady’s interests and hobbies into account when selecting your gift is a good way to go the extra mile and provide her with something that she’ll actually use and appreciate.
Family Tree Artwork – Artwork that incorporates genealogical information can range from minimalist and sparse to very ornate, so there’s a style to suit any décor. Moms are sure to love a family tree painting or print, and there are several retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar, that specialize in them.
Luxury Items – “Luxury” items don’t have to be big-ticket purchases; they’re simply things that Mom might want but would never get for herself. For families that have been forced into serious belt-tightening by the economic climate of the last few years, a luxury item can be something as simple as a more-extravagant-than-usual dinner or a bottle of her favorite perfume.
Handmade Gifts – Moms of small children are sure to be moved to tears by a gift they helped to make, so giving little ones a hand in creating her gift can be a big hit. However, handmade gifts aren’t restricted to the smaller set; crafty or artistic grownups can get in on the fun, too!
A Day Off – Though it might seem simple, often the best gift that a mother can receive is to spend her special day alone, pursuing her own interests with no responsibilities. Sending her along the way with reassurances that the kids and household will be well looked after in her absence will give her a break that is likely to be much-needed.
Just as there’s no one-size-fits-all Mom, there are no one-size-fits-all gifts. Take the interests and tastes of the Mom in your life into account when choosing her gift, rather than falling back on the old standards. Even a small amount of effort will go a long way!
Darby, a lifestyle blogger and Yoga instructor, also posted a slideshow of herself doing several different poses.
The OZ Arlington restaurateur also shared photos of herself modeling gorgeous Hawaiian dresses and wraps and a pic of her and Michael hiking along Alaska Falls on the Big Island.
Also, this Sunday, her franchise returns to BravoTV and she and the other Housewives celebrated the season premiere at The Hecht Warehouse at Ivy City in Northeast, Washington, DC this weekend.
Seeing Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobarev in her 7 For All Mankind denim jumper dress during a music festival recently reminded me it was time to let everyone know again that the unshapely denim overalls that expecting women were stuck wearing in the past are no more.
These days, there are options in A-Line, sheath, dark or black denim and other interesting silhouettes so women who are pregnant have more options.
Denim is breathable and functional and can be worn in a variety of settings, and even dressed up if paired with low heels and worn under a blazer or silk cardigan.
The lesson: never feel retrained by old rules. Go big and go wonderful!
In California, where marijuana is legal, Kim Kardashian West hosted a baby shower for the impending arrival of her 4th child via surrogacy with a CBD-themed party.
CBD, an extract from marijuana plants, is used for a lot of things including to soothe anxiety, ease pain, relax muscles and more but unlike real weed, it doesn’t give users the same psychoactive high.
Guests sat on the ground and had “sound baths” and made special flower arrangements that included marijuana plants, CBD bath salts and oils to take home.
They also had goodie baskets full of CBD products.
At one point during the event, Kim rose to share that she is freaking out about welcoming a fourth child and told guests to join her in trying to chill out.
On last night’s episode of her and her sisters popular Keeping Up With the Kardashian reality TV show who told them that their dad, famed attorney Robert Kardashian would be reincarnated in the form of one of their children.
So…onlookers noticed the name Robert in Kim’s snap, and are speculating as to whether a kid with older siblings named North, Saint and Chicago would really have such a conventional name as Robert.
Well he could always go as Hatut, the other name she wrote which is Armenian for “He has Risen”, and keeps with the boys being given Biblical-related names. *shrug*
A new study reveals that Wifi in developed countries harm men’s fertility, specifically sperm.
According to research done by Kumiko Nakata, sperm samples from study participants revealed that sperm exposed to electromagnetic waves had the highest death toll compared to study sample that was not exposed to any wifi waves and a third batch that was exposed but behind a shield.
The rate in which the sperm were able to freely move decreased in all three groups over a two-hour period, but by 24 hours, the death toll of the sperm from the exposed group was the highest.
There is mounting evidence that the effects of EM waves on sperm may be having a significant effect on human reproduction.
The World Health Organization predicts infertility among males and females will be the third most serious condition after cancer and cardiovascular diseases in the 21st century.
In the Asia Pacific region of four billion people, representing about 60 per cent of the global population, the ramifications of this forecast are enormous.
Porsha Williams is making sure her fans are getting pumped for her first solo Bravo TV special.
TheReal Housewives of Atlanta star is sharing more details of the pregnancy of her first child, Pilar Jhena McKinley, in a three-part special, Real Housewives of Atlanta: Porsha’s Having a Baby. To promote the show’s Sunday night premiere, the reality star posted an Instagram snapshot to her 4.5 million followers.
In the photo, Willams is covered in purple flowers, showing nothing but her baby bump and tan panties. Williams is also donning a smoky eyeshadow, long eyelashes, and a bold red lip as her dark hair is pulled back. The star is also rocking a sparkly ring and flashy nails. The photo received more than 54,000 likes and more than 300 comments from Williams’ fans.
Women aren’t the only ones with a proverbial biological clock.
Despite many misconceptions and misperceptions, men are affected by infertility at almost the same rate as women. Not only that, as men age, their sperm is impacted—affecting the length of time it takes to get pregnant, the mother’s health during pregnancy, chances of miscarriage, and even health of the baby.
Only recently have any large-scale studies focused entirely on the impact of older fathers. One of the most recent and largest studies analyzed more than 40.5 million births at the Stanford University School of Medicine, concluding that “more than 12 percent of births to fathers aged 45 years or older with adverse outcomes might have been prevented were the fathers younger.”
The Stanford researchers also found that men over age 40-45:
· Take five times as long to impregnate their partner compared with men under 25;
· Are 14 percent more likely than men in their 20s and 30s to have children born prematurely with a low birth weight;
· As the fathers’ ages increased, their babies were more likely to need help with breathing and require neonatal intensive care;
· Have a higher chance of the mother getting gestational diabetes;
· Have a higher chance of the mother miscarrying, and;
· Have a higher chance of children being born with birth defects, autism and mental health disorders like bipolar and schizophrenia.
We are learning more and more about the impact of older fathers as the rate of births to men 40 and over continues to rise. Since the 1970s, the birth rate to men over 40 has doubled to about 9 percent as of 2015.
Biological Clock
While women are born with their lifetime supply of eggs, men start making sperm at puberty and continue this for the rest of their lives. As women age, declining egg quantity and quality puts them at increasing risk for infertility, miscarriages and having children with health problems due to chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down’s syndrome.
While women are technically considered fertile until menopause, their monthly odds of pregnancy decline from 20 percent at age 30 to 5 percent at age 40…until it eventually hits zero. These same ages see a miscarriage rate rise from 10 percent to 33 percent and continue to rise with her age.
Because sperm production doesn’t end, it was long believed that men would remain fertile their entire lives, without age having a significant impact on length of time to conceive or the mother and child’s health.
Causes of Male Infertility
About 12 percent of women in the U.S. between the ages of 15 to 44 have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term, with the cause equally divided between men and women at about 40 percent. In about 33 percent of couples with infertility, both a male and female cause is found.
The most common causes of male infertility include abnormal sperm production, function or delivery. Other causes include overexposure to certain pesticides or chemicals; significant alcohol, tobacco or marijuana use, and; the use of particular medications like anabolic steroids, antihypertensives and some types of antibiotics. Additionally, radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer can cause infertility by significantly impairing sperm production.
Can Men Optimize Their Fertility?
There are ways for men to protect and maximize their fertility:
Body weight. Higher body weight is linked with decreasing both sperm count and motility.
Diet. Choose plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants, especially vitamin C, vitamin E and CoQ10, to improve sperm quantity and quality.
Manage stress. Stress can cause lower sperm function and sexual performance anxiety – think stage fright! If you are experiencing stress with difficulty conceiving – and who isn’t? – reach out to your partner and/or a counselor for health coping strategies and stress-reduction techniques.
Exercise. Moderate physical activity can have positive or neutral effects on sperm, but intensive exercise can reduce sperm function. So, remember there’s a sweet spot with exercise intensity.
Don’t smoke. Men who smoke cigarettes inhale passive smoke are more likely to have impaired sperm and higher rates of genetically damaged sperm.
Limit alcohol. While there is debate on alcohol’s effect on sperm, prolonged abuse can cause impotence.
Talk to your doctor about medications. Many medications impact fertility, including calcium channel blockers (reduce fertilization), testosterone and anabolic steroids.
Avoid exposure to toxins. Exposure to environmental toxins, especially phthalates (used in many plastics and hundreds of products) may reduce sperm function.
Stay cool. Increased temperature to the scrotum can impair sperm production. Wear loose-fitting underwear, avoid saunas and hot tubs and limit scrotum exposure to warm objects (such as laptops.)
About the Author
Mark P. Trolice, M.D., is a Board-certified OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinologist who founded and directs Fertility CARE-The IVF Center in Winter Park, Fla. He also is associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando.
Congrats to TV host Tamron Hall on the birth of her first child, a son, at the tender age of 48!
The former TODAY show anchor shared an Instagram post announcing the news of her new arrival who she shares with new husband, businessman Steven Greene.
“Moses & Mama!!” she captioned a sweet photo of herself cradling her son while announcing his name, embroidered on her straw fedora she’s wearing. “I can’t wait to introduce y’all to my #sonshine. Photo credit: Dad who can’t stop crying tears of joy. Thank y’all for the love and support. It got us here. “
Parents of all kinds worry about their neighborhood. They don’t want crime to influx their local community and cause harm to those that they care about. However the leading reason why parents want their local area to be safe is for the sake of their children.
If your kids go to the local school the last thing you want for them is to be caught in the middle between criminals and the police.
There’s no knowing what could happen and that’s why parents with children in a bad neighborhood tend to move out altogether. But it’s not just crime that is an issue in neighborhoods, but the lack of activities for children to do.
Boredom creates mischief sometimes and for some kids without any direction or hobbies, doing risky and bad things just becomes a form of entertainment. Mental health is also a big issue in local communities as people that you might know and are friends with, could have episodes where they do things out of character such as start arguments or fights.
All of these things and more, lead many parents to try and be a force for good in their neighborhood and surroundings communities. Here are a few ways you could become this kind of person.
Community activity leader
Most likely you have heard of local community centers. These are places where children can go to play games and get various forms of help from other kids and adults.
The typical community center will have games like foosball, video game consoles and plenty of extra activities that involve going outside the center. Going out into the world to go do various activities at sporting centers is also a common thing. Kids that have never touched a bow and arrow before, can be taught the basics of archery. Of course the usual games in the park like football, basketball, tennis and many others can be learned as well.
The person who is providing these activities to children is often known as the community activity leader. A figurehead in the community, they are trusted by parents to take care of their kids while they’re out doing fun things that they cannot do at home.
How can you become this person, or at least help and work alongside the community activity leader? Going to your local authorities and volunteering is one way. Another way is to sign up as an adult volunteer at the community center itself.
Going up and speaking to the leader or a member of the community board at local meetings is a great way to mingle and see what opportunities are on offer. However, many universities also offer places for volunteers who want to help their local students with extracurricular.
Many students need to earn credits to further their education and that often means engaging in things like sport or helping the local community. University student groups often go out into the local neighborhoods to help the poor as well.
Working with the next generation
Most of the time local communities send their children all to the same schools. This means that the next generation of those communities are essentially in one place at once during at least 6-8 hours in the day. You can help these children deal with their issues, which they could not feel comfortable speaking to their friends about. A child social worker is a role that is becoming more and more accessible.
You have the opportunity to become an apprentice of a company that will teach you the ropes on the job. There will of course be written work to complete which will ultimately evaluate your competence and intelligence for the role you want.
There’s also a chance to learn about child psychology at many after-hours or night schools. Open universities also have courses for those that want to work in this field which you can take during the afternoon and evening hours.
What will your job entail if you were to pass and become certified? Well, you would be part of a school faculty. As a support staff, you work with children that have a pattern of misbehaving. Often times children don’t misbehave purely for the sake of it. Usually it’s a sign of frustration and it’s your job to find out what is causing that shift in mood. Some kids just have a general lack of focus.
This could be due to mental health conditions which again, you need to test and evaluate by asking certain questions and playing cognitive skills-based games with them. This way children with problems at home, with their skills and intelligence as well as mental health concerns can be treated as individuals.
Your end result is to find the best care and quality of life for them while they are at school and if need be, even at home.
Rolling the beat
If you have paid attention to any of the modern police force initiatives, you will know that there is a desperate need for members of the communities to come forth and join. Quite evidently, some communities see the police as a cause of friction and sometimes see them as people who are not on their side.
This is why more and more law enforcement officials are encouraging local police departments to try as best they can to hire members of local communities as police officers. When people in communities that have prevalent violence and many disturbances due to anti-social behaviour see familiar faces wearing the badge, they are less likely to see them as the enemy.
A much better grasp of the situation can be had and dialogue can occur when a friend and local of the community is part of the police force that patrols the neighborhood.
How could you get your qualifications to actually become a police officer? Taking a course in criminology is definitely one of the best ways to get your foot in the door. You’ll learn about police psychology which shows you how to think like and the opposite to criminals.
Mental health and justice is a key topic for the modern police officer and local communities. The more people can understand certain conditions and what that could mean for the behavior of individuals that are afflicted by them, the better relations can be forged between the police and the public.
However you’ll also be taught the psychology of crime and why certain crimes are trending as well as how criminals approach their misdeeds. Quantitative methodologies in criminology is the area where you learn complex problem solving which helps in investigations and on the scene questioning to victims, suspects and witnesses.
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The local watch
Working with police departments you can become a part of the the local watch. So much crime at night can be stopped just by local members keeping an eye out for each other. This would simply involve being in contact with each other at all hours of the evening and night.
How local watches work is by local members working with the local authorities and government. This would mean that you get some funding if you need it, and you will have a relationship with law enforcement that is beyond just the general sense.
What local watches do is meet every couple of weeks to discuss what they might have seen or any kinds of trends they are seeing evolve in their communities. Of course this involves how crime is spreading or being kept at bay in the area, what kind of preventative measures can be taken, how best to inform local people, and what kind of help or assistance they need.
Volunteering at the local police station or going to a town hall meeting with the local government are the best ways to get in on this kinds of program. However it’s not just as easy as turning up, but you will need to show proof of residence as well as being competent with some menial tasks.
There’s usually a hierarchy so that there is a chain of command and more responsibility is taken by those that are more competent or simply just more available. The first task you will be given is to talk about how you keep your own home secure, and what kind of advice you would give to someone who has now prior knowledge of how to do this. Then another task might be to make a week-long report of the things you see that might be suspicious or just details of each day and night in general.
This is to prove that you have a keen eye and can be of good use to the local neighborhood watch team. It’s a great way to just get involved with the community care at ground level and help to keep your children safe at night. Neighborhoods with excellent watches are less likely to be targeted by criminals in future.
Parents should actively work with local authorities to help make their neighborhoods a safer place of their children. However you can go multiple steps further and become a police officer with great training and skills to be a true force for good.
2020 Presidential Candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren is giving me the feels over her recently announced plan to combat maternal mortality and the deplorable way black women in particular are treated when they go to hospitals to give birth in America.
During a an event at Historically Black CollegeTexas Southern University, she said :
“The best studies that I’ve seen put it down to just one thing: prejudice, Doctors and nurses don’t hear African American women’s medical issues the same way as they hear the same things from white women.”
Ok. I’m going to cry! I try not to mix politics with this blog but given this is a public health crisis and an issue that I personally have endured, I’m making an exception.
Warren added to the cheers from the crowd of about 1,700: “I got a plan. I want to talk to the hospitals… in the language they understand: money.”
“The hospitals are just going to get a lump of money, and if they bring down those maternal mortality rates, then they get a bonus, and if they don’t, then they’re going to have money taken away from them,” Warren said. “We’ve got to have change, and we’ve got to have change now.”
A friend of mine recently lost her sister after giving birth. One of her last shares on Facebook had to do with being readmitted to the hospital because the hospital messed up something with her. Now she is gone.
My friend’s sister story, albeit not as extreme, echoes the frustration that even wealthy A-List celebrities like Serena Williams and recently Beyonce Knowlesas shared in her Homecoming Netflix special.
TV Judge Hatchett lost her daughter in law to bad treatment of black mothers and her son is on a campaign to change this all. This is 2019.
This is America, the so-called leading nation of the free world.
My Story
For me, when I told my OB that I wanted to attempt a VBAC, his demeanor and friendliness towards me stopped because he preferred C-Sections he could schedule around his vacation plans.
When I eventually had to succumb to surgery because my son’s heart rate kept dropping with each push, (same thing happened to Beyonce) I was given excessive anesthesia in the operating room, on top of the heavy dosage I had gotten during my epidural. I thought I was going to literally die because the medication suppressed my body cavity so much that I could not breathe… at all…and no one would listen to my whimper for help.
Thankfully, I did not die, but during post-opp when I buzzed for pain medicine, I was not given it despite my repeated buzzing and fell asleep without being given a new dose and awakened to extreme excruciating pain because of the neglect. I had just undergone major surgery and was literally crying.
I gave birth in one of the most poshest and richest hospital in the city and I was certain my treatment there was uncommon of the other guests that include Princesses and children from heads of states of other nations and political elite.
It’s Pandemic
By now we know that the medical profession do no prescribe pain medicine for black patients, black athletes and children because of racist belief that we have a higher threshold for pain.
