Thanks for the Sickness, Spring!

I’ve mentioned it several times in posts here, in frequent updates on Twitter, and anyone who has spoken to me personally has heard all about it–I have been downright whining and complaining about the sporadic winter weather we’ve had in recent weeks. One day there would be several inches of snow on the ground, and the next, the sun would be shining, all of the snow would melt, hopes for spring to finally arrive–and stick around–would rise, only to wake up the next morning to more snow. This series of events was on repeat for weeks and I was pretty cranky about it.

Enter: a big, heaping dose of irony.

Throughout the past week we have had absolutely gorgeous weather. Temperatures in the mid-to-high 60′s, clear and beautiful blue skies, birds chirping and munching on birdseed at …

Legal Weed’s Top 10 Greatest Hits [Infographic]

Marijuana can be a rather divisive issue, although to be honest with you, I’ve never understood why. While I could very well craft my beliefs on the medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana into several paragraphs, and then go on longer about why it should not be part of the corrupt drug war, let’s just leave it at this: Marijuana has legitimate medicinal uses and can successfully treat a wide variety of ailments, including pain, stress, depression, anxiety, nausea, headaches, appetite, insomnia, and anger, among others.

In 1988, the U.S. Department of Justice wrote:
“Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented cannabis-induced fatality. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.”

That is the quote that kicks off the following very awesome infographic that lists the top ten strains of legal, medicinal marijuana. The strains are ranked by the number of locations where it is sold, as well as the level of THC in each strain, the flavor, and what you can expect to feel like after smoking it.

Get a $1.00 Off Coupon for Children’s Advil and Stock Up for Flu Season

The weather has been incredibly erratic. It has no idea what it wants to do or for how long it wants to do it. Within the past week alone, we have had weather so warm and pleasant that I was positive the beginning of spring had arrived, only to wake up to a full-fledged snowstorm just the next day. It has snowed enough to accumulate inches of white powder that soon turned to invisible ice on hard, impenetrable snow, and then melt away completely not once, but twice over. This kind of cold weather with its bitter windy chills injected with short, cruel bursts of sunshine and rising temperatures signals the onset of one thing: flu season.

What’s worse than having a child sick with the flu is not having a thing in the house to …

Why Cord Blood Banking? The Pros and Cons of the Important Issue Facing Expecting Parents Today that Could Potentially Save a Child’s Life

Expecting parents are positively overwhelmed by information from internet searches, books, pamphlets, research, studies, speculation, and sworn-by testimony regarding anything and everything having to do with the soon-to-be tiny new addition to their household. From the very moment the pregnancy test comes back positive, expecting parents are faced with information overload while having to make crucial decisions regarding their child before they are even brought into the world. As medical advancements continue to be made, parents are expected to be informed, know to request certain information, and ultimately make decisions about a myriad of different issues that will affect their child.

One of the more recent issues facing expecting parents today that has received a ton of press and attention is the option of banking umbilical cord blood. This decision can become a difficult …

Simple Strategies for Coping with Childhood Allergies

I will never forget the night my 12 year old woke me at midnight after waking with a swollen lip. At first glance I thought perhaps she had hit herself in the face and hadn’t noticed. Yet within an hour it had near doubled in size. I pulled out the liquid Benadryl and starting making calls.

What I didn’t know then was that night was the beginning of a long haul in allergy diagnostics. Two days later she woke yet again with another swollen lip, only the second time her entire body was covered in a mysterious red spotted rash.

The rash led to hives and the hives led to painful red skin. In fact at any given moment any one, or combination of these symptoms would randomly appear.

What began as a seemingly harmless swollen lip led …

Breeze Comfort Will Donate 10% of Proceeds to My Hope Chest During October

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Breeze Comfort, the makers of the most breathable padded bras and sports bras out there (which we reviewed back in March), are doing their part to help bring awareness and much-needed donations to help breast cancer survivors.

Starting today and throughout the month of October, Breeze Comfort will donate 10% of their proceeds to My Hope Chest, an organization that funds breast reconstruction for breast cancer survivors. The organization was founded in 2003 by Alisa Savoretti who is a Las Vegas showgirl and breast cancer survivor herself. Not having insurance at the time of her diagnosis, Savoretti underwent a mastectomy and returned to Las Vegas just five months after chemotherapy, taking the stage as the “Lop-Sided Showgirl.”

Through her own life experience, Alisa Savoretti …