Ouch My Eyebrows!

January 12,2013 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon,For Moms |

My 14 year old daughter used to be a tom boy,that is,until she hit junior high school.  Not quite sure what caused the transformation,but now she is a total girl and shall I say “high maintenance!” For those of you who know me,high maintenance is NOT used to describe me at all so where all this is coming from with her is beyond me.

So the other day my daughter asked me if she could get her eyebrows “cleaned up and shaped”.  I thought to myself,they look fine to me but,if she really feels the need to do it,why not,some good mom and daughter bonding time right?  I mentioned to her that there was a shop in the mall that I’ve walked by that advertises ‘threading’instead of waxing.  Threading,which according to Wikipedia,is an ancient method of hair removal.  In threading,a thin cotton thread specially designed for threading is doubled,then twisted. It is then rolled over areas of unwanted hair,plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing,where single hairs are pulled out one at a time,threading can remove short lines of hair.

She jumped on the idea and we headed over to the mall.  She was so excited on the way over and talked my ear off,this was turning out to be a pretty fun little outing after all.  In the mall we went,we quickly found the shop and she was in a chair in a matter of seconds.  ZIP,ZIP,ZIP with the thread and she was done.  She was right,her eyebrows did look better.  Then my daughter  said to me,

“come on mom,why don’t you do it too!”

The woman who did her eyebrows then chimes in,

“Yes,yes,you’re eyebrows are a bit bushy,come sit down,you should be doing this all the time.”

Ouch,you told me it wouldn’t hurt!

Omg,talk about feeling about an inch tall,into the chair I went.  I can’t believe,after 45 years,I was getting my freakin eyebrows done.  ZIP,ZIP the top of my brows were done before I even had a chance to rethink the idea.  That wasn’t so bad.

Next came the bottoms of the brows.  I was told to pull my eyelid taut as she made a nice straight line with the thread and then ZIP, I nearly jumped out of the chair,what a sensitive area! My eyes started tearing as she did another ZIP.  I wanted to ask for a second to get my composure but she took my hands and moved them to the other eye and ZIP,ZIP, I was done as more tears came down my face.  She handed me the mirror and I took a look,aside from my eyebrow area being bright red,they looked good.

As my daughter and I walked back to the car she told me how fun that was and that we should do that once a month.  With a fake smile I looked her said,

“for sure,I wouldn’t miss it!”

I always thought I was pretty tough but ripping hair out of my sensitive areas,I’m not so good with so,if my daughter ever asks to get a ‘brazilian’,I don’t think I will participate in that one!

MommyWarriors

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Why God Created Parents – Reason #2

January 10,2013 | Written By: Nicole | Categories:Entertainment,Just for Laughs,Nicole's Camp |

Because who else would be masochistic enough to spend weeks shopping and then hours wrapping hundreds of Christmas presents that are opened and tossed aside in a matter of seconds,all in hopes of reaping a few moments of fleeting joy.

And then happily clean it all up!

www.mommywarriors.com

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Santa Has Hung It Up!

January 3,2013 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,For Moms,Holidays |

As the old saying goes,a picture is worth a thousand words.

Last night,as I pulled into the parking lot for yet another Game Stop run for the kids,I parked right in front of the dry cleaners.  If I wasn’t quite sure whether the holidays were over or not,what I saw in the window made it official.  Moms,per Santa,we are DONE until next Christmas!  Hopefully he’s on his way to a great beach vacation.

I believe the red dress behind Santa’s suit is Mrs. Claus’dress!

MommyWarriors.com

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Husbands Do the Craziest Things

January 10,2013 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon,My Wingman |

We’ve been slowly and cautiously getting our teenagers comfortable behind the wheel of a car.  But,leave it to my husband to put our daughter behind the wheel IN the snow,in MY car no less.  I think he’s the one having a blonde moment here,what the heck was he thinking!

Hi Mom,this is fun!

MommyWarriors.com

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Why God Created Parents – Reason #1

January 9,2013 | Written By: Nicole | Categories:Just for Laughs,Nicole's Camp |

There is a reason why God created parents.  Because if kids were left to their own devices,they’d never take a bath,brush their teeth,do their homework or eat a balanced meal.  And I have scientific proof of this.  Just take a look at the plate my son made for himself at a buffet dinner when we went to a friend’s house.

Doritos,bread and chocolate.

Need I say more?

Stay tuned for more reasons.  I know there’s going to be more!

www.mommywarriors.com

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Grandparents and Their New Kindle!

January 2,2013 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:General |

Our family is spread out all over the country so we tend to Skype a lot with our relatives.  My parents,who aren’t too great when it comes to technology,felt a bit left out that they weren’t able to Skype with the rest of us so,Santa brought them a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  Rather than just send them the box and leave them to figure it out,Santa thought it would be a good idea to set everything up for them prior to them receiving their gift since they live in Florida and the Geek Squad is not available on Christmas Day.  The thought being,if anyone could mess a Kindle up,Pop and Grandma would be the likely candidates!

With their Amazon and Skype accounts set up,along with post it notes stuck all over the Kindle pointing to the on/off switch,the camera and the such,they were ecstatic when they opened their gift.  Step 1 was complete,the Kindle was in their hands.

Step 2,to get them to see their kids and grandkids on their screen,not so easy!  I think I was on the phone with them for over an hour.

Turn on the Kindle and find the Skype icon and get them to understand “just touch the screen”–about 10 minutesLog into Skype and explain how to get “online”–30 minutesFind the green phone icon and touch it to answer a call and then turn on the video camera –20 minutes

It took a while but when grandma finally said,

“Oh my gosh,I can see,”

relief was in the air,it worked!

It was another 10 minutes of us saying,

“Take your fingers off the camera,we can’t see you but the new molding on the ceiling looks great,and you don’t have to hold the Kindle so close to your face!”

And then another 10 minutes of my parents saying,

“ok,how do I turn up the volume,where do I hang up and the battery is running low,where do I plug the cable in?”

Yes,it was frustrating but in the end,my parents were so happy to see their family so it was all worth it.  The next step was to tell them how to make a call on their own so they could Skype their granddaughter in Germany who is in the Army.  I knew this would just make their year so,I walked them through what they needed to do and hung up with them.

I quickly Skyped my niece to give her fair warning to expect their call and be patient with them.  Her response,

“Oh boy,let me grab a beer,this could take a while!”

It’s the little things that bring smiles!

MommyWarriors.com

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They’re Sexy and They Know It!

What happens when you get a gaggle of families together (and by the way we all have far too many kids) on a Friday night during the holiday break?

Well,the parents all sit around and cackle while the kids make their own videos of course!

They did a pretty good job if you ask me.  Hope you enjoy!

And here is their Gangnam video –New Year’s Style!

MommyWarriors

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Parents Should Let Babies "Cry it Out"

Should you let your baby cry when he or she wakes up in the middle of the night, or should you go in and offer comfort?

According to a new study released in the journal Developmental Psychology, it's better to let little ones "cry it out" while trying to fall asleep.

The results may help settle a long-time debate between those who think it's better to let babies self-soothe and those who view it as a cruel method of parenting.

Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia asked the parents of more than 1,200 infants to report on their child's waking habits at six, 15, 24, and 36 months.

At six months of age, 66 percent of babies were reported to wake up about once a week. But 33 percent woke up seven nights per week at six months, dropping to two nights by 15 months and one night per week by 24 months.

"By six months of age, most babies sleep through the night, awakening their mothers only about once per week," said Temple psychology professor and study co-author Marsha Weinraub. "However, not all children follow this pattern of development."

Weinraub concluded that babies should be left to go to sleep on their own - even if that meant they cried for a bit.

Doing so enabled them to learn how to “self soothe” and settle themselves; it also gave sleep-deprived and stressed out parents a break.

What do you think? Did you let your baby cry or was it just too hard to leave them in tears?

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Most Popular Baby Names of 2012

For many parents, deciding on a baby name can be a difficult process. 

Whether you pick a traditional name, a modern moniker or a more "unique" option (like the couple that reportedly just named their baby Hashtag) - your little one is going to live with your choice for the rest of his or her life. 

So if you need some help brainstorming, we've got good news - Babycenter has just released the 100 most popular baby names in 2012.

For the second year in a row, Sophia (for girls) and Aiden (for boys) took the top spots. 

Olivia bumped Isabella out of third place - could this be partly due to Drew Barrymore's baby girl Olive? Or does the end of the Twilight franchise mean that Bella just isn't as cool anymore?

For the gentleman, Ethan jumped up the list from number 7 to number 3, and Jack broke into the top ten for the first time. (Not to be confused with Jackson, who is still holding it down in second place.)

Did your baby's name win the popularity contest? Check out the full list here.

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Bounce House Danger

Yikes! Is a classic bit of birthday fun ending in too many bumps, bruises and broken bones?

The number of kids hurt while using inflatable bounce houses and moonwalks has risen dramatically since 1995, according to a new study published in Pediatrics.

Researchers found that the injury rate has risen a staggering 1,500% in the past 15 years.

Between 1995 and 2010, nearly 65,000 children were treated for bounce house related injuries, with the years between 2008 and 2010 seeing a doubling of the injury rate.

[Read "Why Parents Should Ground Bounce Houses"]

Arm and leg injuries were most commonly seen - with fractures making up 27.5 percent of the injuries. Children under five were more likely to have fractures while teenagers were more likely to have sprains and strains. Hospitalization was required for 3.4 percent of injured children.

So how are kids getting hurt?

Well, they are either jumping on top of each other, landing on their own twisted arms and legs, or falling out of the bounce houses, which results in fractures and sprains. In one incident, a 3-year-old suffered facial bruising when a bounce house deflated.

The study's leader author, Dr. Gary Smith, says there is no hard evidence to explain why the number of injuries is going up, but increased use could be to blame.

He shared the following safety tips for parents with CNN:

1. Based on developmental abilities, don't let children under the age of 6 play in these inflatable devices.

2. Having one child play at a time is the safest, but that's not very realistic (or much fun), so only have children of similar age and size play inside these bouncers at one time.

3. Horseplay, flips and somersaults should be prohibited; that kind of play leads to the most dangerous injuries.

4. Always have an adult present when these devices are in use -- but not inside with the children. Adults (parents and/or bounce center operators) should be in a position to observe and intervene if children are engaging in horseplay or doing flips and somersaults.

Has your child ever been injured in a bounce house?

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Can Squeezing Breasts Help Fight Breast Cancer?

Men everywhere are going to love this one...

New research has found that applying physical pressure to a woman's breasts can prevent malignant cancer cells. To put it bluntly - squeezing your boobs may actually fight cancer. 

Experiments have shown that the pressure can help guide cells back into a normal growth pattern, stopping the “out-of-control” growth of malignant cancer cells.

“People have known for centuries that physical force can influence our bodies,” said Gautham Venugopalan, a lead member on the research team from the University of California in Berkeley in a statement. 

“When we lift weights, our muscles get bigger. The force of gravity is essential to keeping our bones strong. Here we show that physical force can play a role in the growth - and reversion - of cancer cells.”

Over the course of the study, researchers grew malignant breast cancer cells and placed them in silicone chambers. When those cells were compressed, they began to grow normally over time.

Venugopalan says that the malignant cells just needed "the right cues to guide them back to a healthy growth pattern."

But before you get too squeeze-happy, researchers also warned that these findings alone won't cure breast cancer.

“Compression, in and of itself, is not likely to be a therapy,” said Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering at Berkeley in a statement. “But this does give us new clues to track down the molecules and structures that could eventually be targeted for therapies.”

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Does Facebook Wreck Marriages?

Does social media create serious relationship problems?

A new survey out of the U.K. found that more than a third of divorce filings last year contained the word Facebook, according to Divorce Online, a  legal services firm. 

“Affairs happen with a lightning speed on Facebook,” K. Jason Krafsky, who co-authored Facebook and Your Marriage with wife Kelli, told SmartMoney.

“It puts temptation in the path of people who would never in a million years risk having an affair.”

Research revealed that 80 percent of U.S. divorce lawyers claim to have seen an increase in the number of separation cases using social networking.

“I see Facebook issues breaking up marriages all the time,” divorce attorney, Gary Traystman told the publication.

What do you think? Do you know any couples who have split up because of Facebook?

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Pregnant Woman Fired for Too Many Bathroom Breaks

Can you imagine being fired for taking too many trips to the bathroom - when you were pregnant?

It sounds crazy but for one  woman in Kansas City, that scenario was a harsh reality.

Expectant mom April Roller was given the boot from her job at a call center for taking too many bathroom breaks. Now she's suing her former employer - National Processing of America - for unlawful termination.

Here are some of the issues she brought up in her complaint:

Roller says the company "accommodated" her morning sickness by offering her a bigger wastebasket so she could vomit at her desk instead of losing time by running to the bathroom.

She also said National Processing delayed her family leave paperwork and reprimanded her for wearing the special shoes she needed because of swollen feet.

And the kicker...

"Defendant’s manager told plaintiff that defendant did not ‘pay [her] to pee,’ objecting to plaintiff’s necessity to use the bathroom when plaintiff experienced nausea or dizziness due to her pregnancy conditions."

Wow.

We've written before about whether this country needs a "pregnancy rights movement," and this case serves as a great argument for why mothers and moms-to-be need legal protection.

What do you think? Were you ever given a hard time at work because of your pregnancy?

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