Women Blog

The last two days had been rather busy for me as we finished our last workshop for the year. Before I could take another breather, it may be another busy week ahead as my MIL visits us. I ain’t going to comment much about that but I do hope that I can get some rest in between those busy entertainment.

I find myself missing some good shopping after the busyness in the home office. Since I need to shop for dollhouses for an upcoming birthday party of my neighbour’s daughter, I may take the opportunity to take a peek at the online offers of music, books and children’s clothes. Online shopping from the home office definitely saves me time from driving to the shops when the heat is building up an autumn’s day.

Have a good weekend.

Heavy babies have more birth complications; they are also more likely to become overweight or obese children and adults

A study by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research of more than 40,000 women and their babies found that women who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancies were nearly twice as likely to have a heavy baby. Published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study found that more than one in five women gains excessive weight during pregnancy, doubling her chances of having a baby that weighs 9 pounds or more.

“Too many women gain too much weight during pregnancy. This extra weight puts them at higher risk for having heavy babies, and these babies are programmed to become overweight or obese later in life,” said study lead author Teresa Hillier, MD, MS, an endocrinologist and senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Oregon and Hawaii. “A big baby also poses serious risks for both mom and baby at birth — for mothers, vaginal tearing, bleeding, and often C-sections, and for the babies, stuck shoulders and broken collar bones.”

While researchers have known for some time about the link between diabetes during pregnancy and heavier birth weights, and recently have learned how maternal weight gain affects the birth weight, this is the first study to determine that women who gain excessive weight are even more likely to have heavy babies than women who are treated for gestational diabetes.

“This is one more good reason to counsel women to gain the ideal amount of weight when they are pregnant,” said study co-author Kim Vesco, MD, MPH, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon. “From a practical standpoint, women who gain too much weight during pregnancy can have a very difficult time losing the weight after the baby is born.”

The study followed 41,540 women who gave birth in Washington, Oregon and Hawaii from 1995-2003. More than 20 percent of the women who gained more than 40 pounds — which is the maximum recommended pregnancy weight gain — gave birth to heavy babies. In contrast, less than 12 percent of women with normal weight gain had heavy babies.

At greatest risk were the women who gained more than 40 pounds and also had gestational diabetes; nearly 30 percent of them had heavy babies. That risk was significantly reduced — to only 13 percent — when women with gestational diabetes gained less than 40 pounds.

“The take-home message is that all pregnant women need to watch their weight gain, and it is especially important for women who have risk factors like gestational diabetes,” Dr. Hillier said.

The study was funded by a grant from the American Diabetes Association. Authors include Teresa Hillier, MD, MS; Kathryn L. Pedula, MS; and Kimberly K. Vesco, MD, MPH, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland; Mark M. Schmidt, BA, and Judith A. Mullen, APRN, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Hawaii; Erin S. LeBlanc, MD, MPH, from Oregon Health & Science University; and David J. Pettitt, MD, from the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Source: Kaiser Permanente

Relationship Advisor for Avalanche (Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com) Offers Dating Advice On Courting in a Recession

Americans today are watching their pennies and spending is going down on everything from entertainment to travel. Singles are feeling the crunch too and some are forced to drastically cut back on their dating budgets. For many, online dating is the perfect solution, as it’s both cost effective and much more efficient than countless nights spent striking out at expensive bars and clubs.

It’s a fact that singles are spending more time looking for love online, but now they’re faced with financial restrictions when they want to take those romances offline and out on a date. No longer able to spend $100 - $200 on a date, many wonder how to plan a fun date without overspending on a leaner budget. In this new economy, Shira Zwebner, Relationship Advisor for leading online dating sites Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com offers creative Top 10 dating ideas for under $25.

1) Halloween crept up on you this year? Take your date costume shopping! Modeling naughty nurses outfits or hot fireman uniforms can help break the ice without breaking the bank. Invest that $25 in a face mask and support your candidate while you’re at it. At some places, Barack Obama, John McCain and Sarah Palin paper facemasks are $0.99! And, if you play your cards right while shopping, you might just have a date and a costume for your friend’s masquerade party!

2) Outdoor ice skating rinks are opening up all over the Country and, depending on the State, cost of admission plus skate rentals are less than $15! Not only is it a romantic spot for a date, and great exercise to boot, but it’s also the perfect opportunity for some sweet handholding! Meet your date after work to avoid the weekend crush, and then grab a slice at your local pizza store for dinner.

3) Be whimsical with your date and visit a pumpkin patch, go apple picking or don your favorite flannel shirt and go on a hayride. Depending on the State, your $25 could go far and might even include two cups of hot apple cider to warm you both up after that hayride. And, if you time it right, you can catch a moonlit haunted hayride complete with tales of the headless horseman. We recommend http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/ to find a location in your neighborhood!

4) Treat your date to a candlelit dinner and a movie without leaving your apartment! Nothing is more romantic than working together to make a nutritious and delicious meal. Chopping vegetables for a salad, heating up the water for pasta and uncorking that bottle of wine before settling down on the couch for some Must See TV is really intimate! At most local supermarkets, you can pick up a bottle of Indaba Merlot, a package of Italian salad mix from Dole, a box of Barilla spaghetti and a jar of Muir Glen Organic Beef Bolognese pasta sauce for less than $25.

5) Be philanthropic and spend a couple of hours with your date running or walking in a 5K for charity. Breast Cancer organization like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure still has 3 more races left this Fall and you and your date can either run or walk for a good cause. If you decide not to go out for coffee afterwards, you can take the $25 and donate it to the charity!

6) It’s fall flea market season and with events held all over the Country it’s the perfect dating weekend spot! Since entrance to most flea markets is free, spend that $25 on buying a nice trinket for your date, or even indulge in funnel cake and piping hot corn on the cob from the street vendor. The walk, cool air and interesting outdoor shopping is a great activity for a date and gives you plentyof opportunity to get to know  each other!

7) Indulge your secret Dirty Dancing pottery fantasy with a little pottery painting a deux! Flex your creative muscle at national places like Color Me Mine where, for less than $25, two adults can pick out pottery pieces, paint them together, and have the employees glaze it and have it ready for pick up within the week! If the date goes really well, you can schedule a second outing to pick up your finished pieces.

Interested in gorgeous views of your City’s skyline? Why not take your date on a ferryboat ride before the weather gets too cold! No matter day or night, you and your date will have a great time enjoying the fall foliage while getting to know each other. And, since many local ferries are either free or cost less than $5 for two tickets, you can pick up two tall hazelnut hot chocolates and a pastry for under $20 at your local Starbucks.

9) If NFL tickets are a little steep for your current budget but you’d love to take your date to a football game, why not cheer on a local High School team? Check out the football games in your neighborhood and spend the $25 on a picnic lunch. If you don’t have the time to pack a picnic basket, hit up the game vendors for hot dogs and drinks that are much less pricey than the ones at the stadium. Then spread that blanket over your legs and cuddle while both you - and the teams - go for the touchdown!

10) Are you both animal lovers? Take your date for a day at the local petting zoo! Invest some of that $25 in food for the goats or horses and take turns feeding them. Curious to know if this date has relationship potential? Observing your date interacting with both the animals and kids that will be at the petting zoo is a great way to assess character and compatibility!

Source: Avalanche, LLC

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Be Smart Ride Safe on Halloween

Bark Buckle UP recommends that with the onset of Halloween, loving pet owners treat their animal to comfortable and proven travel safeguards. “Let’s celebrate the holidays safely and responsibly by buckling-up our pets when driving. Protecting them and others is a gift everyone should consider,” says Christina Selter, Bark Buckle UP spokesperson.

“Seat belts protect millions of people every day,” said Christina, nationally recognized pet safety advocate and founder of Bark Buckle UP. She buckles up her dog Betty, even if she’s just driving to the supermarket. “In the event of an accident, an unrestrained pet can escape and be hit by another vehicle, cause another collision, or attack emergency crews trying to reach an injured party. It only takes a few minutes to safeguard your pet and by properly securing them, you are protecting yourself, your passengers, and your pet from injury, not to mention protecting other drivers and first responders trying to help.”

American families consider their pets to be part of their family and take them along on Halloween so here are a few pet safety tips:

“It’s just simply a law of physics,” states Selter. When driving 35 mph, a 60-pound unrestrained dog will have an impact force of 2,700 pounds. “Imagine a baby elephant riding in your back seat, slamming into your car seat, windshield or passenger.” Even if the animal survives, it can impede the progress of first responders who need every moment to safely care for accident victims. Pet restraints offer several advantages — they help protect pets in the event of a collision; keep pets from running loose and distracting the driver; and prevent pets from escaping the car through an open window or door.

BarkBuckleUP.com was formed to advocate safe pet travel solutions. They have become experts in recommending pet equipment that helps protect pets and people during travel. Pet Safety is key to a happy Halloween.

Source: Bark Buckle UP

Here are some safety tips from The American Red Cross:

Halloween Safety Tips For Children

1. Plan your route and share it with your family. If possible have an adult go with you.
2. Walk,slither, and sneak on sidewalks, not in the street. If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
3. Look both ways before crossing the street to check for cars,trucks and low-flying brooms.
4. Cross the street only at corners, not in the middle of the block and stay together in a group before crossing.
5. Never hide or cross the street between parked cars.
6. Wear light-colored or reflective clothing so you are more visible. (And remember to put reflective tape on bikes, skateboards and brooms, too!)
7. Use face paint rather than masks or big floppy hats that will cover your eyes.
8. Don’t wear long, baggy, or loose costumes or extra-large-shoes-you could trip and fall!!!
9. Carry a flashlight to light your way.
10. Keep away from open fires and candles. (Costumes can be extremely flammable.) If a costume catches fire, remember to STOP, DROP and ROLL.
11. Only visit well-lit homes that have a front-porch light on.
12. Accept treats at the door; never go into a stranger’s house or apartment.
13. Be cautious of animals and strangers.
14. Have a grown-up inspect your treats before eating them.
15. Don’t eat candy if the package has already been opened.

Here are The American Red Cross Safety Tips for Parents

Halloween Safety Tips for Parents

1. Establish a route in a well-known neighborhood and discuss it with your kids.
2. Review Halloween safety precautions with children, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
3. Accompany children under age 12 - either you, another responsible adult or an older youth.
4. Remember that masks that can restrict peripheral vision and hearing and oversized or loose costumes and shoes can cause children to trip and fall.
5. Choose a firm return time.
6. Make sure children know their phone number and carry coins for emergency telephone calls or carry a cell phone.
7. Purchase fire retardent/fireproof costumes. Check the tag/label on the costume to make sure it’s flame resistant.
8. Make sure your older children are carrying ID.
9. Have children use flexible costume knives and swords, not ones that are rigid or sharp.
10. Ask children to bring treats home before eating them so you can inspect them. Remember: small, hard pieces of candy are a choling hazard for young children.
11. Call your local poison control center if you believe your child has eaten something tainted.
12. Flush eyes with cool water should face paint, glitter or shaving cream get into eyes.
13. Prepare for trick-or-treaters by clearing porches, lawns and sidewalks and placing jack-o-lanterns away ffrom doorways or landings.
14. When carving pumpkins: use stable, flat surfaces with good lighting; draw and follow patterns on the outside of the pumpkin instead of freehand carving; and use blunt instruments with dull serration specially designed for pumpkin carving.

See our post on Halloween Safety Tips For Pets at <a href="
http://naturesway4pets.com/main/?p=10"> Natures Way For Pets

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In the last few days, I have been planning my work flow chart for my internet business. For the first time, I’m checking out the writers in Elance as I decided that I wouldn’t be able to handle all the writing myself when my work load increases. Interestingly, many people in the off line business will outsource their work to suppliers but when it comes to online business, they prefer to do everything themselves. A friend even suggested that I should learn HTML and web designing online. I told her that I would rather spend the time managing, planning and marketing my online business.

I hope that work at home moms and dads will be more open to outsource the work that is beyond them for their online business. Like any off line business, you should also have a business budget for your online business. Allocate a budget for your web design, programming, getting writers, traffic building, affiliate software and learning. You will be surprised that your online business budget will be lesser than what you would invest in your off line business. Remember, don’t try to do everything yourself. Focus on your strengths. Treat our work at home business as a ‘business’, not some hobby or part time work, that is.

Plentyoffish.com, a free online dating site with over 10 million registered users, has recently released data that promiscuity among women has doubled since 2004.

The site, which generates revenue from sending members to other dating sites, tracked 315,478 users going to casual only dating sites in 2004. Of those users, the number of women who were looking for sex through the “intimate encounter” option was about 9%. Among users tracked in 2008, the number of women who were looking for an intimate encounter rose to 18%.

The statistics are surprising given that the male:female ratio of Plentyoffish.com members looking for long term relationships or traditional dates has remained consistent at 55:45.

Three years ago, men who were looking for intimate encounters online outnumbered women 10 to 1. Now, the ratio is only 5 to 1. Within a decade, it’s predicted that men and women will be equally promiscuous, with a 1 to 1 ratio of those looking for intimate encounters.

Perhaps “Sex and the City”, the hit show that ran in the ’90s for six seasons, won eight Golden Globes among other awards, and was recently made into a movie, is responsible. The show was about four sexually-confident women gossiping about and blatantly pursuing what they wanted with regard to sex and relationships.

The numbers revealed by Plentyoffish.com show that the “Sex in the City” female lifestyle does indeed exist. In fact, the show may have influenced, perhaps somehow empowered, more women to take control of their dating/sex lives and become more proactive in seeking out what they want.

Markus Frind, CEO of Plentyoffish.com explained, “Our average user, among males and females, is between 38 and 42 years old. Yet, the data shows that the behavior exhibited is more of what you would expect from those in their early 20s. Plentyoffish.com statistics may be indicative of a fundamental shift in society and behavioral norms.”

Source: Plentyoffish.com

On October 20, the FDA issued a Med Alert to physicians and healthcare providers that cites serious complications from vaginal slings. This is a class of product marketed to treat stress urinary incontinence, a condition estimated to affect as many as 14 million women across the nation. Vaginal slings are constructed with surgical mesh designed to reinforce weakened bladder and urethra muscles that involuntarily release urine during moments of physical stress.

The law firm of Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley of Athens, Georgia, is handling the largest number of lawsuits in the country related to vaginal sling injuries. At present, they represent plaintiffs, with cases in Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Missouri. They are investigating numerous cases in several other states. All of these cases involve injuries from vaginal slings that were implanted to correct stress urinary incontinence.

The lawsuits allege that the device’s construction was defective and that it caused serious injuries, including erosion of vaginal tissues. Other conditions and injuries experienced include chronic pain, infections, abscesses, bloody discharges, and impaired sexual functionality. Some of the plaintiffs have had to undergo multiple surgeries. These injuries are similar to those reported by the FDA in the Med Alert.

“Sling manufacturers represented this device to the FDA and physicians as effective and fit for use with patients. The FDA’s recent alert supports what we have become fully aware of in the course of talking with numerous plaintiffs seriously injured by vaginal slings — that there has been a great need for both physicians and patients to understand the symptoms and potential injuries from implantation of this type of device,” explains Attorney Henry Garrard III.

Source: Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley

Leading Penn State Registered Dietitian Kris Clark, Ph.D., offers easy tips to help kids have a safe, nutritious - and fun - Halloween!

If this year’s Halloween is like those past, some 36 million children(1), aged five to thirteen years, are poised to don costumes to go trick-or-treating. And while it is a holiday when Americans focus on sweet treats, registered dietitian Kris Clark, Ph.D., of Pennsylvania State University, says that Halloween is a perfect time to clear up confusion about the role of sweets in the diet and misconceptions about different sweeteners.

In 2005, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended limiting so-called “discretionary” calories to about 200 per day for adults and about 180 calories daily for youngsters aged nine to thirteen years. Sweet treats fall in that category, according to Dr. Clark.

“No one says that it’s smart to eat a lot of these foods,” Dr. Clark says. “But an occasional treat can be allowed. And Halloween is one of those days when it’s fine to enjoy a few treats.”

Dr. Clark adds that the sweeteners used in many Halloween treats are nearly identical. “High fructose corn syrup and table sugar both contain the same four calories per gram and are metabolized the same way in the body,” she says, “And, I agree with the Food and Drug Administration’s decision that high fructose corn syrup can be used in ‘natural’ labeled products.”

Dr. Clark also concurs with the recent finding by the American Medical Association that “high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.”

“Many accusations today rely on speculation that tries to link single ingredients, including sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, to obesity,” said Dr. Clark. “All Americans are eating more of everything — it’s the excess calories and sedentary lifestyle that are having the greatest impact.”

A recent, national survey(2) of 400 mothers finds that many worry most about individual ingredients — rather than calories — in their children’s food. When asked what they are concerned about when buying food for their children, half responded with sugar (50%) and high fructose corn syrup (49%), while only one quarter cited the caloric content of food.

To help keep Halloween fun and healthy, Dr. Clark recommends:

Swap dark chocolate for milk chocolate. It provides more flavor to help satisfy young and old taste buds, plus it’s got antioxidants, which have a variety of health benefits, including boosting immunity.

Control portions with 100-calorie snack packs. Provide pre-packaged 100-calorie servings of your favorite cookies, crackers and snack mixes.

Sneak in some protein. Protein helps moderate blood sugar from rising fast after eating. So look for treats with nuts or peanut butter. Small packages of commercially prepared trail mix are another option.

Add fruit. Chocolate-covered or yogurt-covered raisins or other dried fruit are easy ways to boost nutritional value.

Consider non-food treats. Toss stickers, removable tattoos, sport or character cards, bracelets or necklaces to the trick-or-treat bowl or basket, then let kids choose for themselves.

Find more science-based information on sweeteners at http://www.sweetsurprise.com/.

CRA is the national trade association representing the corn refining (wet milling) industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, ethanol, starch, bioproducts, corn oil, and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein, and fiber.

(1) U.S Census National Population Estimates, July 1, 2008
(2) Wakefield, a national polling firm, conducted the survey between August 18 and August 25, 2008 using an email invitation and an online survey. Results were collected from a random sample of 400 mothers ages eighteen and older. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population.

Source: CRA