Tomorrow is the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) and in an effort to combat all the negativity shared by and between young girls and women in social media, Dove wants to shift the dialogue from all the recent controversial headlines related to Miley vs. Nicki, Nicki vs. Taylor, Taylor vs. Katy, or any combination of the three.
They recognize that loads of real girls and even celebs like P!nk and Selena Gomez have recently been the victims of social media attacks based on their looks alone.
During the VMAs this weekend, Dove is encouraging women and girls to #SpeakBeautiful when posting comments about other women on Twitter. The #SpeakBeautiful campaign launched earlier this year on Oscar night and we’re taking it to the next big event, the VMAs, to help change the social media conversation that affects our self-esteem.
In fact, we know 8 out of 10 women encounter negativity on social media that is hurtful/destructive to their self-esteem and it’s time for a change.
Since it launched the campaign, Dove states it has seen 69% more positive Tweets pertaining to how women talk about their own appearance, versus the previous year.
Tomorrow, @Dove on Twitterplans to monitor the language said about women by other women.
Raise your hand if you have at least one basket or box or drawer or bin somewhere in your home that houses the piles of excess school supplies your child’s school made you buy that the kid never used?
I have such a massive basket in the corner of the office in my house so brimming with items that we can literally do shopping from this basket! Wow!
And…. surprise! I’m not the only one who feels this way! There have been several articles written on the ridiculousness!
As children head back to school, smaller kids heading to Kindergarten for the first time may be feeling anxiety. To get them ready for the moment, consider reading one or more of these books. They are heartwarming tales about little ones who are nervous about going to school for the first time but who overcome their fears.
It is a very nice storybook tale about a young princess who comes up with a laundry list of tricks to avoid going to school the first day.
None work, but by the end she realizes quickly that school wouldn’t be bad after all. The illustrations are modern and colorful and bring Fields story to life. Personally, it reminds me of my 7-year old daughter who had to start a new school mid year recently and was also nervous about doing so.
Like Cupcake Jones in this book, my daughter too made friends on the first day and quickly adapted.
Here are eleven other books to consider nabbing for your kids or gifting to a child you know in your life who is heading to school for the first time this year:
Next week, the American Academy of Pediatricswill release a statement online advising that before a child turns one-year old, his parents should give him a peanut product in order to reduce his chances of developing extreme peanut allergies
The advice comes in a consensus statement that the American Academy of Pediatrics helped prepare and endorsed in June along with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and several foreign allergy groups.
The recommendations are meant to be interim guidance while the National Institute of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology develop more extensive guidelines.
The academy will release the statement online Monday in the journal Paediatrics.
Children who have skin reactions to eating eggs or have a severe eczema skin rash are suspected of having food allergies, and recommended to get allergy tests between 4 months and 11 months of age.
Back to school means another year of trying to find healthy and kid-friendly lunch box ideas. The guys at the MyFitnessPal app, one of my fave fitnesss apps, created this great infographic with some pretty cool ideas to get you started!
My old blogging friend Jennifer Borget of the phenomenal Baby Making Machineblog just released a super cute video explaining which 10 baby milestones new parents should try to capture on video during their baby’s first year of life.
They include: 1. first day; 2. crying; 3. laughing; 4. crawling; walking and other milestones.
Check out her adorable video featuring moments with her very own daughter and son.
Since today is the first day of school for many school jurisdictions across the country and globe, enjoy this past post full of funny back to school comics for back to school!
Halloween is right around the corner, so you might as well start thinking of creative nail art if you’re in one of those families that just LIVE for Halloween.
Here are some eye-catching ones that our blogger Modonikacurated for us a few years back that we’re dragging out again because we love these awesome designs so much.
Consider decorating your own nails with to make them pop in the scary night.
. Hope you like them and would surely try them. Check toe nail art designs.
Let’s be real: pregnancy is not all cocoa butter and foot rubs. Our bodies change, our favorite meals are suddenly nauseating, and boy, are we tired all the time.
Unfortunately, the more sedentary we are the more we become plagued by these symptoms.
Still, many expecting mothers are apprehensive to exercise with a delicate bun in the oven. They wonder: is it safe? The short answer is yes.
Provided you have no serious medical problems (you should always, always check with your doctor first, pregnant or not) and you are training with a certified professional, working out while pregnant is not only safe, but it is also incredibly beneficial.
Here are ResoluteBody.com‘s 5 areas where proper exercise can benefit your pregnancy:
1. Morning sickness. The consistent nausea that often comes with pregnancy is…well, nauseating. It is not uncommon for mommies-to-be to get caught up in a vicious cycle where no food at all is appealing. However, a personal trainer whom specialized in pregnancy and postpartum workouts cannot only provide you with nutritional support, they can also help stimulate your healthy appetite again through proper exercise routines.
2. Back pain. Once again, a skilled personal trainer specializing in pregnancy and postpartum exercise can implement a proper workout routine that will not only prevent additional back pains, but also mollify the issue through strategic stretches and poses.
3. Fatigue. It is easy to get caught up in a sedentary cycle while pregnant. However, safe and effective exercise with a pregnancy/postpartum workout expert does more than end this detrimental cycle; it provides you with renewed energy too. Contrary to popular belief, regular low impact exercise has actually been proven to increase our overall energy, rather than expend it.
4. Labor delivery. Think of your due date as a marathon. You’ll need strength, stamina, and a whole lot of training if you want to make your delivery as streamlined as possible. Regular training with an expert can ensure you are up for the challenge by strengthening your pelvic floor and improving your endurance.
5. Weight gain. Pregnancy is no excuse get out of shape and lose yourself by gaining excess amounts of weight. In fact, unhealthy weight gain can be downright dangerous to you and your babe. With a safe exercise program in place, you can keep your body healthy and fit throughout your pregnancy. Plus, it will make getting back in shape after your baby is born all the more easier.
So, you see, pregnancy and working out can and should go hand-in-hand. As long as you are working with a trained professional, you should be not only safe, but also thriving from your prego workout routine.
One year ago, Jessica Ennis-Hill was giving birth to her son Reggie and today she is the gold Heptathalon champion at the Beijing World Track and Field Championships.
It was only last January 2014 that Ennis-Hill announced to the world that she would not compete in the Commonwealth Games due to her pregnancy. Back then, news reports focused on whether the then-newly married track and field star’s pregnancy would make her better or not.
Ennis was not phased and remained focused, telling The Independent, “I am 100 per cent set on returning to full time athletics once our baby is born and go for a second gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016,” she said.
One commenter doubted it:
“Is it possible to come back from Olympic gold as a heptathlete and go on to Rio?” English 2010 Commonwealth heptathlon champion Louise Hazel told the BBC. ” It throws a huge question over the continuation of a career as a heptathlete and that’s just being realistic.”
The heptathlon includes seven events: 100 meter, 200 meters, 800 meters, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin throw.
On July 17, 2014, Ennis-Hill welcomed her son, Reggie, with husband Andy Hill and today, August 23, 2015, she’s a gold medalist heptathalete.
Guess Hazel was wrong.
Besides, there is a history of other women coming back from motherhood and continuing in their greatness, as The Independent summarized:
Paula Radcliffe won the New York marathon in November 2007, just 10 months after her first child, Isla, was born.
US marathon runner Kara Goucher set a new personal best – beating her old time by more than a minute – at the 2011 Boston marathon, a year after giving birth.
The British long-distance runner Jo Pavey recorded the second-fastest time for an over 35-year-old and the second fastest time for a British athlete in the 10,000m at the 2012 Olympics – watched by her three-year-old son Jacob.
The US beach volleyball gold medallist Kerri Walsh Jennings, already a mother of two, was five weeks pregnant when competing at London 2012…
while hockey player Keli Smith Puzo
….and modern pentathlete Mickey Kelly were just two of many mothers to compete in what were dubbed the “Women’s Games”
Even for these games, Ennis-Hill said she did not want to leave behind her one-year-old son Reggie and husband Andy if she did not have a realistic chance of a medal. Apparently, she did so well at the Anniversary Games last month showing Ennis-Hill figured she had a shot at a medal after all.
Never underestimate a strong-willed mom…and her supportive team.
“It’s hard with a newborn at the beginning and you’re just into everything and then getting back into training and thinking about everyone that’s helped me, my family, Toni and the team around me,” she said. “They’ve been patient and believed I can get back to this point.”
Three cheers also for parents who support the dreams of their superstar athletic children.
Ennis-Hill’s parents, including her dad who was a sprinter in his native Jamaica before emigrating to the UK and a mom who shot javelin as a kid, were not interested in pursuing their own personal early interests in sport but encouraged Ennis-Hill who had a talent and passion to compete since age 10. They sacrificed weekends and loads of money on hotel stays and flights for meets, and almost got derailed after a career-ending injury at age 21, the Telegraph’s report states.
But Ennis-Hill’s determination (and good looks) got her corporate endorsement deals that helped her keep going until she started slaying at various meets again! Awesome sauce!
Today, Ennis-Hill endorses several products, is a Jaguar brand ambassador and the face of UK track and field.
