Recent Featured Articles

“That is the one thing I asked you to do today and you screwed it up! I am so disappointed in you! I cannot believe you forgot the blankets! What else were you doing?! I am not happy with you, not at all! I am not happy, not happy!” This fraught exchange or (lack of, in my opinion) is what I witnessed last week in front of my daughter’s daycare. From what I overheard - and I wasn’t trying, in fact, I did not have to as this woman was extremely loud - a mom was expressing her extreme disappointment in her daughter who couldn’t have been no more than 7 years old. And then there was another... continue reading

5 Survival Tips After Finding Out About an Affair

The following is a guest post by Justina Chen, author of What Now: Survival Guide for the Blindsided and Brokenhearted Fifteen years of marriage, two children, and one move to a foreign country later, I learned that my husband was having an affair over a phone call. That shocking call ground my world to dust. How was I supposed to support myself and the kids? How was I supposed to put the kids and myself back together when I couldn’t even get out of bed? What was I supposed to do next? As a young adult author, I began to write about the impact of a dad’s affair on a teen girl in my novel,... continue reading

Healthy Snack Recipe: Curried Cashews

In Ayurveda and holistic health, curry is used for medicinal purposes. It may aid in digestion and help prevent certain diseases. It is also thought to help the body feel satisfied, curbing appetite. Curry is a blend of spices, which includes Turmeric. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Turmeric may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, as well as hamper the growth of cancerous cells. Cooking with a variety of herbs and spices is really important to me. I think of them as nature’s medicine. Over thousands of years nature has created foods to protect the... continue reading

Kids and Sports: Motivating Without Discouraging

Where do parents go wrong with helping their kids in sports? What started out as a nice family baseball game in the backyard, turned into a crying frustrating mess for both my son and husband. Well, my son did the crying, but both were very frustrated. My husband was trying to motivate and help Nicholas who has been getting up to bat afraid of the ball. But Nicholas wasn’t feeling encouraged or motivated. He was still showing that he was scared by not swinging at the ball, and was stepping away from the ball when he should be stepping into the ball. It was driving my husband crazy. Even our... continue reading

Spring Green Parsley Pesto Pasta Salad

A few weeks ago my father-in-law emailed me a recipe that sounded so tasty! I used it as inspiration to create this light and delicious spring inspired pasta dish. It’s the perfect thing to bring to a picnic in the park or an outdoor BBQ - the fresh flavor of parsley along with the garlic is a delightful combination. (Tip: If possible, I highly recommend making this pasta dish the night before and storing it in the fridge to allow the flavors to fully develop.) The Health Benefits of Parsley: Parsley promotes healthy digestion, and may help prevent indigestion. Restaurants often include... continue reading

Turning 16: You Don't Get a Car, Just a Lesson in Life's Irony

Tomorrow is my daughter’s 16th birthday. Her one request is to get a car and my response is always the same, “That is not going to happen." To her credit, she is a great child who works hard, excels in school, and takes part in sports and other activities. Other than the occasional rolling of the eyes when I speak to her and the inability to understand that the clean laundry that I put in her room needs to be put away without me asking a zillion times, she really is a joy to raise. She has tried very hard to persuade me to get her a car using some of the following arguments: “Just think... continue reading

Creative Projects for Kids: Backyard Dinosaur

Open the door, get on the floor... everybody walk the dinosaur! It all started with a little wire and a big idea. With all the best intentions and holding the kids' hopes and dreams in my mind, I soon ended up on my living room floor completely wrapped in a wire burrito wondering what I'd gotten myself into. The next day, I created the deconstructed skeleton: broken down into feet, a tail, and a bodice-type area. Head and neck were to be added later, naturally, after seeing how this journey into the land of the lost really was going to turn out. I started by simply having a discussion with... continue reading

10 Foods to Improve Sperm Count and Quality

Getting pregnant is not always as easy as we think it should be. One common problem is a low sperm count, but the good news is that there are foods that are not only super tasty, but super good for sperm. The best part? Some of these foods are also aphrodisiacs... so if you've gotten a little bored with getting it on to get prego, whip up a menu based on these sexy foods. Asparagus - That little green vegetable that gets so much flack for what it does to the smell of your urine actually has some fantastic powers over sperm. The ridiculously high amount of Vitamin C prevents sperm from... continue reading