A+ for Vogue Brasil’s Breastfeeding September Cover

Posted on September 6, 2016

Kudos for Vogue Brasil for putting model Carol Trentini breastfeeding her newborn Benoah on its cover. It’s another step forward for normalizing breastfeeding which often time is shunned by society.

There is a large faction of the population that believe women should only nurse their babies in corners, their home and covered up and way from public consumption. As if, there is any offense to the abundance of cleavage that spills over tops on many women daily and in media images. Therefore, each time influential figures and publications can do their part to show new moms doing what’s natural in nourishing their offsprings, we’re all for it

In other photos in the spread, Trentni is seen with her 3-year old Bento being a multi-tasking mom of two!

Breastfeeding my baby boy for @voguebrasil THANK YOU ??
A photo posted by Carol Trentini (@trentinireal) on Aug 25, 2016 at 4:38am PDT

Trentini is a wonderful model of working mother and attachment parenting as seen in this majestic image of the brunette pushing one child in a swing while actively nursing another in a baby carrier.

Better together ??? A photo posted by Carol Trentini (@trentinireal) on Aug 28, 2016 at 7:13am PDT

And by promoting the cover, she is also normalizing breastfeeding. We are loving that there are billboards of the cover in public places! Superb!

Me , myself and I ( and my baby Benoah)
A photo posted by Carol Trentini (@trentinireal) on Sep 6, 2016 at 6:23am PDT

This move takes off from Glamour Australia’s cover of model Nicole Trunfino on its cover recently. Bellisimo! Bonita!

Thank you to the #ama for naming us the #coveroftheyear This shows that people are conscious and listening, don’t stop raising awareness, it only takes one person to start a movement. #normalizebreastfeeding Thank you to @justine_cullen and @elleaus for being so bold and forward thinking #honored ??
A photo posted by Nicole Trunfio (@nictrunfio) on Nov 12, 2015 at 7:39pm PST

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QUIZ: Find Out If You Identify as a Man or Woman More

Posted on September 4, 2016

Do you believe in gender fluidity? A hallmark of today’s debates over gender identity is the notion that one’s sex dictates preferences, behavior, dress and attitude. Gender influences the way others see and treat a person. Parents are guilty of dressing and talking to their children based on societal-based construct. It’s natural and artificial. Nature and nurture, I believe.

I recently took an online psychological personality test which offers to detect your true gender based on answers of a series of questions. I fully expected it to determine that I am all-woman but nope! Apparently, I’ve been a man all these years and didn’t know it! Of course, it was just for fun but it was still an interesting sociological experiment to do on a Sunday evening.

I’ve embedded the contest here. Give it a try.

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Labor Day by the Numbers (INFOGRAPHICS)

Posted on September 4, 2016

This weekend, a lot of families will be getting together to grill, chill and celebrate the American worker. Some will be heading to the beach and others catching their fave blockbuster movie.

Budweiser released a national study to ascertain how the nation will be spending the holiday. In its Labor Day USA Survey, the company, via its data resarch partner Learndipity Data Insights uncovered:

Barbecuing vs. movie watching: Will more Americans light the grill or hit the theaters?
Hamburgers vs. hot dogs: Will burgers or wieners take top billing in 2016?
Domestic (Budweiser) vs. Imported Beer: Which brews will quench thirsty Americans?
South vs. Midwest vs. East vs. West: What U.S. region will bring their BBQ A-game?

Based on a representative survey of 2,000 Americans (ages 21+), asking respondents about their eating, drinking, and leisure plans for Labor Day 2016, here is a summary of the results:

BARBECUING VS. MOVIE WATCHING:

A big win for barbecue lovers: 214 million Americans (67%) plan to fire up the grill this year while 115M Americans (36%) plan to watch a movie at a theater or at home.
Other top Labor Day activities include having some quiet time (35%), doing an outdoor activity like hiking (27%), attending a party (26%), and shopping (23%).

HAMBURGERS VS. HOT DOGS:

Across the U.S., 150M Americans (70% of barbecue-goers) expect to bite into a juicy burger compared to 109M hot dogs eaters (51%).
New trend: Barbecued chicken (40%), now edges out steak (37%) and ribs (32%) on Labor Day plates.

DOMESTIC BEER (BUDWEISER) VS. IMPORTED BEER

98M Americans (44% of barbecue-goers) will drink an ice-cold domestic beer likeBudweiser, while only 49M (22%) will drink an imported beer.
At a Labor Day BBQ, those drinking domestic beer like Budweiser are perceived as more “genuine and approachable” (70% agree for women, 59% agree for men) compared to those drinking imported beer (36% and 29%, respectively).

BARBECUE LOVE: SOUTH VS. MIDWEST VS. EAST VS. WEST

Surprise! Eastern states have the highest percentage of Labor Day barbecue plans (70% of all residents).
The Western U.S. (67%) tops the South (65%) and Midwest (63%) for second place (email us for state results).

Here are the results simplified in an infographic!

Budweiser_laborday_infographic_720_pixels

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Here Are The Best Labor Day Sales & Deals

Posted on September 3, 2016

This Labor Day Weekend is also a great time to get deals on home goods, like mattresses and appliances.

WalletHub recently released a pair of reports to celebrate the upcoming holiday weekend.

WalletHub’s Best Labor Day Salesi report provides a roadmap to savings, if shopping is your preferred form of relaxation.

And the Labor Day 2016 By The Numbers report helps to educate and entertain consumers with fun facts on all aspects of the holiday – from hotdogs and history to financials and 5Ks.

You can find a handful of highlights below.

Tablets, dishwashers and strollers – The best items to buy in September compared with the rest of the year.

35.5+ Million – The number of Americans who will travel 50 miles or more from home during the upcoming Labor Day weekend (5th straight year travel volume has increased).

$1.4 Billion – Cost associated with Labor Day weekend travel congestion caused by infrastructure problems.

16.2 – Average number of vacation days taken by American workers in 2015 (23% of workers earn no paid vacation time).

10 Best Labor Day Deals:

1. Kenmore Built-In Dishwasher – 46.15% off

2. Samsung Smart TV 55’’ – 50% off

3. Celebrity Power Media Chair – 43.80% off

4. Serta Coralee Queen Mattress – 66.88% off

5. Lenovo Ideapad Laptop i3 Processor – 40% off

6. Kenmore French Door Refrigerator – 42.50% off

Lenovo Flex 4 14” 2-in-1 Laptop – 27.39% off
Haier 4K Ultra HD TV 65’’ – 40% off
NordicTrack E 7.0Z Elliptical – 40% off
Rocker Recliners – 33.33% off

Good luck deal hunting!

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Backfired: Teens given Pregnancy Prevention Baby Simulator Dolls Got Pregnant Anyway

Posted on September 1, 2016

Girls given interactive baby dolls were more likely to become pregnant or have an abortion

Researchers tracked girls in 57 schools in Western Australia, from ages 13 to 15 until 20, through hospital medical and abortion clinic records. Among the 2,800 girls who participated in the study from 2003 to 2006, 1,200 were randomly assigned to participate in baby simulator programs, while the rest underwent the standard pregnancy prevention curriculum.

Baby simulator programs, designed to teach teenage girls how difficult it is to take care of a baby and deter them from getting pregnant, may actually backfire.

The simulator program, called Virtual Infant Parenting, is an adaptation of the American Baby Think It Over program, created by Realityworks. The VIP program consists of workbooks, documentary viewing, four educational sessions and caring for interactive baby dolls over the weekend, from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.

The fake baby cries when it needs be fed, burped, rocked or changed and tracks mishandling and how well the doll is cared for. At the time of the study, each doll cost about $1,200 Australian, equivalent to about $900 US.

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Want a Smart Child? Eat Fruit While Pregnant

Posted on August 31, 2016

Baby Mozart may be the go-to to give your child an early brain boost, but it might actually be more important for moms-to-be to focus on what they snack on instead. According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Alberta, one food group just might do the trick — fruit!

The findings are preliminary, but they certainly are intriguing: By analyzing data on 688 children who were a part of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development study, the researchers found that every additional serving of fruit a woman consumed per day during pregnancy corresponded with an increase in her child’s cognitive scores one year after birth, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the past, only one other food — fish — has been linked to a boost in children’s cognitive development.

Dr. Piush Mandhane, an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Alberta and one of the two senior authors of the paper, told the Journal that he was surprised by the strong correlation between a pregnant woman’s fruit consumption and her child’s increased cognitive scores. But even still, this study should only be taken as a mere suggestion.

“We don’t want pregnant women to go out and eat a tremendous amount of fruit,” Dr. Mandhane said. “It’s a single study, and we haven’t looked at the health effects of increased fruit intake.” (As the Journal notes in its article on the study, eating too much fruit during pregnancy might increase a woman’s risk of developing gestational diabetes or lead to excessive weight gain.)

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Highest Teen Pregnancy Rate State Begins Prevention ProgramTargeting College Freshmen

Posted on August 31, 2016

A new state law is hoping to combat the state’s unplanned pregnancy rate at the collegiate level. Arkansas ranks number one in unplanned teenage pregnancies.

The Department of Higher Education is focusing on college students because the highest percentage of unplanned pregnancies is actually amongst 18 and 19 year olds. The Department of Higher Education created a video of real Arkansans telling their stories of how they were impacted by unplanned pregnancy.

“I just thought I can do this. Nothing’s going to happen and I’m not going to get pregnant. I’m not going be that girl. I didn’t think we had any kind of risks,” a person in the video says.

“That’s a very realistic way to talk about what happens when kids come a long when you’re not expecting them,” said Ann Clemmer of the Dept. of Higher Education.

The push is to remind freshman they’re not immune to the risks that comes with being sexually active. A new state law requires all colleges in the state to implement unplanned pregnancy prevention through advising and student orientation.

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Study: NYC Babies Born After 9/11 Preterm & Low Weight

Posted on August 26, 2016

A new study states that women who delivered in New York after exposure to 9/11 had increased risks for low birth weight and preterm delivery.

The study was retrospective and looked at deliveries after September 11, 2001, up to the end of 2010, who had exposure to 9/11.

Subjects were identified through the World Trade Center Health Registry and included women who were engaged in rescue or recovery work, witness to an event, living or working in area.

Researchers examined information on birth certificates to identify low birth weight, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age.

Read the entire study here.

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Your ‘Endless Summer’ Invite to Jessica Biel’s Family Friendly LA Spot

Posted on August 25, 2016

Jessica Biel‘s family friendly restaurant is having an Endless Summer themed party for family and kids tomorrow, Friday, August 26th and you’re invited. The actress shared an invite to the swank affair on her Instagram account.

“Let’s make going back to school cool again! #aufudge #endlesssummerbash,” she captioned a photo of the invitation to her Los Angeles French-Provencal themed eatery.

Let’s make going back to school cool again! #aufudge #endlesssummerbash
A photo posted by Jessica Biel (@jessicabiel) on Aug 10, 2016 at 8:19am PDT

Just love this bright, airy and colorful space as much as when we previewed it when it just opened this past Spring.

When the restaurateur isn’t throwing a big bash for kids and parents, she and her husband Justin Timberlake are hosting $30,000 a ticket Hillary Clinton fundraiser luncheons in their Hollywood Hills home, attended by the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston and Tobey McGuire.

Look who came over for lunch… ? #imwithher A photo posted by Jessica Biel (@jessicabiel) on Aug 23, 2016 at 1:24pm PDT

An amazing event supporting #hillaryclinton at the home of @justintimberlake ?? #StrongerTogether #ImWithHer
A photo posted by Chloe Flower (@misschloeflower) on Aug 23, 2016 at 12:45pm PDT

We’re with her ? ??@hillaryclinton
A photo posted by J E N N I F E R M E Y E R (@jenmeyerjewelry) on Aug 23, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

My boys looked very handsome for lunch with our future president @hillaryclinton. #ImWithHer
A photo posted by Yael Cohen Braun (@yael) on Aug 23, 2016 at 2:17pm PDT

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Teachers Spend over $1,000 of their Own Money for their Classroom

Posted on August 24, 2016

The graphic shows some pretty amazing data like how teachers in America spend a total $1.6 billion of their own money on school supplies each year!

An Oklahoma school teacher told Huffington Post last year that she spends about $4,000 to $6,000 of her own money on supplies for her students each year. That educator, DeAnn Moran, estimates that this number has increased over the past few years since Oklahoma has slashed education funding. Teacher salaries in Oklahoma are also some of the lowest in the nation.

“We as teachers have to find ways to be creative because I’m going to do whatever it takes to be creative for our children, even if that means it comes out of my pocket,” Moran said.

She is not alone. All around the country educators are being forced to do more with less. Last year, teachers spent an average of about $500 of their own money on supplies for students.

Additionally, the cost of living for a single person can be 40 percent or more of the average teacher salary by state. The cost of living for a married couple with two children can be anywhere from 87 to 187 percent of the average teacher salary by state.

When asked about the amount that teachers and parents spend on school supplies every year, Shane Forster, Country Manager at CouponBox ,had this to say: “I’m not surprised by those numbers. In our business, many of the retailers we work with are seeing more and more parents and teachers signing up for discount programs, much more so than the schools themselves. They make up a considerable portion of the customer base.”

“Teachers and parents are extremely motivated by the success of their children and students, and retailers see school supply spending increase from year to year,” he said. “Their dedication and willingness to spend is a positive sign, but can undoubtedly put a strain on some. It is our goal to help customers with as many discounts on quality products and brands during the back-to-school season as well as year round.”

Here’s how the numbers break down, in visual format:

To embed the infographic above on your website simply copy and paste the code below:

$500 Billion in School Funding Is Not Enough

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