If there is one thing on our mind these days, it’s anxiously waiting to see how schools are going to handle returning to in-person learning in the fall. My daughter and I are both a little nervous about what will happen, and have very mixed feelings. But at this point, waiting is all we can do! With in-person learning this fall hinging on how well states handle the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Best & Worst School Systems, as well as…
If you know our family at all, you will know that our dogs are not just dogs – they are FAMILY. Our cat too (but he thinks he’s a dog, which is another blog post). We love our pups just as much as if they were another sibling! For those of you who haven’t seen them before, here are our fur babies, Sunny, a eleven-year-old pit bull mix, and Ollie, a six-year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who is full of sass and spunk, despite having been diagnosed with beginning stages MVD. We talk about…
Many of us love the summer, but the sunny season does not always love us. As well as bringing plenty of sunshine, the summer can also create various troublesome healthconditions. We’ve compiled six of the most common health complaints that might affect your family in summer. Hay Fever One of the most common health issues people experience in summertime is, of course, hay fever. Yet, just because you or your children have never experienced the seasonal allergy in the past, it doesn’t mean you won’t suffer from hay fever in the future. Seasonal allergies are often caused…
How is everyone doing out there? We are doing okay – my oldest daughter finished up her finals, and my middle schooler is pretty self-sufficient with her schoolwork, so I pretty much continue working from home as normal. I hope you are all surviving one day at a time! Due to the coronavirus pandemic, parents all over the country somehow managed to homeschool their children these last few months, and many were hoping for some relief over the summer. Unfortunately, many summer camps have already cancelled their programs, and families now face a new challenge—figuring out what to…
*This is not a sponsored post – just good info! If you’re anything like me, “comfort food” is a very real thing. I hate to say it, but when I’m feeling bad, it seems like macaroni and cheese will go a long way in making it better. But what I didn’t realize is that food may very well have an effect on your mood, according to some medical experts. A number of lifestyle factors can contribute to depression, but one that’s often overlooked is what you put in your mouth. “Diet plays a huge role in…
*This is not a sponsored post – just good info! On a rough day, have you ever felt unfocused, overly scheduled or mentally cluttered and caught yourself saying “I’m so ADHD”? I know I have, even though I really know better. We use that terms loosely now, but are there some adults who may have ADHD? When is it just a simple lack of focus due to stress or bad habits and when might it be ADHD? Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a NYC based licensed clinical neuropsychologist, teaching faculty member at the prestigious Columbia University Teacher’s…
*This is not a sponsored post- just good info! Have your kids gotten braces yet? My youngest is just now finishing up her treatments. It’s a long road, but worth it at the end. But when I first started, I had no clue what it would be like! Like other parents, I had LOTS of questions about what life with braces will be like for my child. Common questions range from when kids should first see the orthodontist to what types of food are off limits. The more parents are know what to expect, the less they will fear…
You might be lucky enough to have safe drinking water run from your tap. Most households don’t think twice about mixing tap water with their favorite cordials, and that’s because it’s usually treated with chlorine and chloramines which eradicate a wide variety of harmful bacteria. However, many people complain that chlorinated water has a ‘bleach-like’ smell to it and tastes far from delicious. More worryingly, chlorine is now strongly linked with an increased risk of cancer, and chloramine can react with other chemicals commonly found in drinking water to produce a carcinogen known as NDNA. Fortunately…
Does pediatric dental care really matter? After all, kids are just going to lose their baby teeth anyway. Shouldn’t parents just save money on visits to the dentist and dental insurance coverage and wait to start their children on a dental care plan until permanent teeth have come in? These questions are among the ones most frequently posed by new parents, expecting parents or adults interested in becoming parents. They understand that dental care is important, but they don’t quite grasp the importance of pediatric dentistry—or, more generally, the importance of baby teeth. As a result, people…
Have you ever had a frustrating doctor’s appointment, either with yourself, or with one of your children? Maybe you didn’t feel like you had enough time, the doctor was distracted, or something else just left you feeling less than taken care of? Just like any other relationship, the doctor-patient relationship can be tough, and is founded on great communication. Dr. Karen Trollope-Kumar, a family physician, has some quick tips to help make sure that both you and your doctor make it out of your appointment frustration-free. 1. If…