Sugary Drinks Linked to 180,000 Deaths Worldwide

Forget fries... would you like a side of death with that soda?

A new study suggests that the consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages may contribute to hundreds of thousands of obesity-related deaths around the world.

The results, which are being presented at  an American Heart Association conference this week, link sugar-sweetened beverage consumption to 180,000 deaths annually, including 25,000 deaths a year in the United States.

"This means about one in every 100 deaths from obesity-related diseases is caused by drinking sugary beverages," says study author Gitanjali Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Of the 15 most populated countries, Mexico had the highest rate of death linked to the beverages at 318 yearly deaths per million adults, and Japan had the lowest at 10 yearly deaths per million adults.

Earlier studies have already shown that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages increases the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The latest research highlights the dire extent of this problem.

Did you know that the American Heart Association recommends adults consume no more than 450 calories per week from sugar-sweetened beverages? (Based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.)

To put that in perspective - a single can of Coca Cola contains 240 calories and a 32 oz fountain Pepsi has 350 calories.

How many times a day do you drink a soda or other sugary beverage?

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The Battle Over the Hot Water in the Shower

If I have to hear my kids battle it out one more morning over who’s using up all the hot water in the shower, I’m going to explode.  Everyday it’s the same thing, it’s a race to see who’s getting up first and getting in the shower for the hot water.  In our house, the saying if you snooze you  lose is SO appropriate.  It’s getting so bad that my kids stay in the shower even longer than they need to just to piss each other off.

When I’m downstairs in the kitchen, it’s like an all out war upstairs.  I sit and try to peacefully read the paper and this is all I hear upstairs as they bang on the doors.

“Aren’t you done yet?”

“I called it, I’m next in the shower.”

“What the heck are you doing in there?”

“It’s my turn, you’ve been in there long enough.”

“Come on, how long does it take to wash your hair, you barely have any.”

“Stop just standing in there and get out of the freakin shower!”

There are even times when I hear wrestling taking place in the bathroom or see one of my kids running down the hall in a towel and dripping wet, screaming at the others that there’s no hot water left.

I think it’s time to invest in one of those tankless water heaters, they guarantee that you won’t run out of hot water .  I don’t care how much they cost, at this point, mom’s sanity is worth it!

MommyWarriors.com

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The End of the Pokemon Phase!

By Risa Green on April 29, 2013

There are some boys who come out of the womb wearing a sports jersey and holding a beer mug. These boys love sports - watching them, playing them, talking about them, thinking about them.

By the time they’re five or six, they wake up at the crack of dawn on game day, get themselves dressed in their uniforms, and stand by the foot of their parents’ bed asking if it’s time to go to the field yet. Beginning in kindergarten, these boys know every player on every major league team of every sport, they watch Sports Center religiously, and they’d rather play catch than do just about anything else.

My son is not one of these boys.

When my son was three, he wore a sparkly blue dress everywhere he went, and he would entertain himself by spinning around and seeing how twirly it could get. By four, he’d discovered the fantasy worlds of Power Rangers and Star Wars. By six, he was obsessed with Bakugon. By seven, it was Pokemon.

His passion for collecting these things was unparalleled. Our house was filled with every action figure, card and horribly written book available to the general public, and even some rare ones that we bought on eBay. As we suffered through trying to learn the characters of each new obsession, not to mention watching impossibly bad TV shows and reading books that seemed to be written in a different language, we kept wondering if it would ever end, or if he’d be one of those teenagers playing Dungeons and Dragons (or whatever the 2020 equivalent of it might be) in some pimply-faced kid’s basement.

My husband, who played baseball in college and still thinks that he’s good enough to play in the majors, has dealt with it pretty well. Of course, it’s been disappointing to him that he and my son haven’t been able to bond over sports, but he’s not one of those dads who forces the issue. My son is who he is, and we both know that trying to make him like something will only drive him away from it further. But about a month ago, something happened. As I was putting my son to bed, he began to sob. I asked him what was wrong, and he buried his face in his hands as he cried. I think I don’t like Pokemon anymore, he told me. I knew this wasn’t just dramatics. He had loved Pokemon - had memorized every character, every battle type, every region - and he’d been famous for it at school. It was his identity, in a way, and now it wouldn’t be. I could tell that he felt as if he’d lost his best friend. I tried to console him, but on the inside, I was downright giddy with joy.

Almost immediately, he began looking for a Pokemon replacement. A second wife, if you will. Only this one, I hoped, would be more interesting and relatable than his first one. But there was nothing for him. His friends were playing Skylanders and Moshi Monsters, but he’d graduated from those months before. Minecraft lasted for a few days, but without the collecting element, there was nothing for him to get excited about. And so it was that suddenly, we knew exactly where to direct him.

My husband, a lifelong baseball card collector, has been buying sets for my son every year since he was born, on the hope that one day, he might become interested. It was, we realized, precisely the right time to break out the cards. And we were right. My son was taken with them immediately. The different teams, the different brands of cards, the enticement of the rare ones…it couldn’t have been more up his alley. He put his cards into books, organizing them in millions of different ways, just as he had done with his Pokemon cards and his Power Ranger guys. As we flipped through his books together and he showed me his favorite cards, I almost cried. At last, here were names I recognized! Here was a game that I understood, with statistics that made sense, involving cities that actually existed! It was, I have to say, one of the best parenting moments I’ve had in a while.

Of course, my son is never going to be that beer-mug-holding, sports-jersey-wearing kid. He likes the cards because they’re fun to collect, not because he has any dreams of becoming a professional ball player. He still won’t sit on the couch and watch a game, and I still have to wake him up on his Little League game days. But that’s okay. I’m just happy that he’s found something he can get excited about again. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s something that I like, too.

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5 Things I Never Thought I'd Have to Say

By Andrea Benton on April 23, 2013

The other day I said “Don’t punch your weenies!” and as I walked away I thought, seriously…did I just say that?

When it comes to raising boys, I can’t believe I have to say these things but apparently you do.

Here are five things I never thought I would say...

1. “Put the mouse back in the house!” (If you have boys, you ALL know what I am referring to!)

2. “No, we do not eat boogies and they are not super delicious.” (This was a fun conversation in the car, when I can’t do anything about it.)

3. “Don’t lick your brother!” (Did my youngest son transform into a cat when I wasn’t looking?)

4. “Your tongue is not a replacement for a tissue!” (A common statement in our household during flu season, especially with my youngest, who has a crazy super long tongue.)

5. “Don’t pee in the bathtub!” (Since when did the bathtub become a replacement for the toilet when it is right next to it?!)

Ah..yes, the life of being a mom with boys. We are always on the lookout because we know anything is possible.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve said to your kids? Tweet me at @weebootMom and let me know.

Andrea Benton is a passionate techie Mom, who has two young children, both of which love tablet technology. She blogs about tablet technology for parents and childcare providers. You can read her blog at http://weeboot.ca/blog or follow her on Twitter at @weebootmom

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My Other Two Babies!

With the weather in SoCal getting warmer by the day, my doggies are having a hard time adjusting to the change. The other day I took them for a walk later than I normally do and it was quite hot.  Needless to say they were not happy campers. As we came up a hill, their tongues were dragging and they ran to a shady spot. At this point, they laid down and looked at me as if to say, “we’re done.” I waited a little bit to give them a rest and then tried to pull their leashes but they were dead set on staying right where they were. I had no phone on me so I couldn’t call in for re-enforcements to come pick them up.  I had to bite the bullet and carry them home. It was like de ja vu in Disney World years ago when we had to carry the kids all around and then hold them while we stood in line to get on the Dumbo ride!

Mom and her lazy dogs!

MommyWarriors.com

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When You Have Two Kids, Do You Have to Buy Two of Everything?

By Maria Lianos-Carbone on April 2, 2013

I am a mom of two boys.

‘Nuff said.

Seriously, if you have two boys (or three or four), you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The constant fighting, arguing, name calling - make it stop!

Every day it’s a new battle. I live in a never-ending battle zone. I may as well slap on some war paint and camouflage clothes.

My boys fight too much. What do they even fight about?

Mostly toys and video games. Yep… It never fails, my seven-year-old will insist on being Mario but my five-year-old doesn’t want to be Luigi.

Oh come on!

They’ll also argue about the same toy. This has been going on since the little one learned how to really exercise his lungs.

Buy two of each you say? I have refused to buy two of everything. They have to learn to take turns and share, right? Of course there are those moments I had only wished I caved in and bought a second toy so that I would have avoided the big headache.

The problem is, they are not just pleased with one of each. Noooo! My five-year-old will want both! So how many Batman figurines am I supposed to buy? A dozen? So they can have six each?

When one has a toy the other one wants, it’s like the devil has entered their body and possessed them. Their eyes roll back, their faces get all contorted, they yell out these moans and groans that I didn’t know was even possible to come out of their tiny little bodies.

The only thing I find that works with teaching them to share a toy is by setting the timer on the stove to give them turns.

That or threaten to throw the Wii out the window.

Maria Lianos-Carbone is publisher and editor of http://www.amotherworld.com/, an online lifestyle and parenting magazine for women. A journalism graduate, Maria has written for several websites and print publications, including Babble.com, Parents Canada magazine, TodaysParent.com, and SweetSpot.ca.

Maria has appeared on CNN Newsroom, and as a guest on The Mom Show and Rogers Daytime. An advocate for moms finding life balance, Maria also works with a local non-profit which offers peer-support and programs for new and expectant parents. Last but certainly not least, Maria is a proud mum of two rambunctious boys - please send coffee and cocktails! Follow her on Twitter @amotherworld

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Top Five ‘Mammoth Mom Myths’ Revealed!

A fun post brought to you by Seabuck Wonders.  With Mother’s Day approaching fast, drop some hints to your kids on what you REALLY want!Give Your Mother What She Really Wants This Mother’s Day!

Reduce your risk of missing the mark this Mother’s Day by avoiding these popular beliefs or “Mammoth Mom Myths”:

Moms LOVE to spend their free time cleaning! A new mop, dish scrubber or toilet brush will make her feel more loved and needed and oh-so-special.What all mothers REALLY want is to cater to their families 24/7, so give her that honor by wrapping up a brand new serving tray set complete with pre-made hors d’oeuvres to feed everyone in the family (make sure it’s got lots of Dad’s favorite snacks—Mom LOVES to please her man)!Two words: Mom Jeans! That’s right—the kind that really emphasize the backside with HUGE pockets! Moms LOVE to look like their own mothers and can’t wait to ‘fill their mothers’ jeans.’ Make sure you sneak in her closet and find her pants size, and then go up a size or two to give her plenty of growing room—you know, the way she would always buy your shoes a little bigger.  She’ll appreciate how thoughtful you were to actually investigate her current size and to anticipate her growing assets to boot!Nothing shows how much you care like a brand new shiny cemetery plot! Wrap up her final resting place with a bright pink bow! Then surprise her with a Sunday drive and tell her you’re taking her to her brand new home! When she sees that plot of land that you painstakingly picked out just for her, she’ll cry real tears of joy. It’ll also fill her heart with pride that you’ve become such an excellent planner and that you’ve taken care of all the details so she can move onto the next life without a hitch!

And the number one mammoth mom myth to avoid…

“Surprise, Mom! We’re moving back in!” What would make a mother happier than to have ALL of her grown children move back home? And of course, you’ve got a spouse and kids of your own now—with ALL of her kids and grandkids back under her roof, a minute won’t go by without her getting to be a mother! She can re-mother you, mother-in-law your spouse, grand-mother your kids, and EVEN dog-mother your pets! WOW! This Mother’s Day will be epic!

YIKES! Make it STOP! Reboot! Put on the brakes!

So what DOES Mom really want? Something pure – something personal – something pampering. She wants SeabuckWonders! Give her serenity, health and beauty in a bottle with SeabuckWonders’ personal care product line. These natural, non-GMO, cruelty-free, organic products are packed with a high concentration of sea buckthorn oil for maximum results. That means healthier, softer and more beautiful skin for Mom and for all those who add these products to their daily routine.

Kick it up a notch by adding in some of SeabuckWonders’ supplements like the Sea Buckthorn Berry and Seed Oils and Omega-7 Complete. Among others, the respected Dr. Mehemet Oz of “The Dr. Oz Show” has been praising sea buckthorn oils and liquid supplements for their profound balancing, soothing and rejuvenating properties. This cherished “super fruit” is rich in antioxidants, essential amino acids, vitamin E, the rare Omega 7, and 190 other bioactive nutrients. (Plus, Moms think Dr. Oz is HOT!)

You can find all of SeabuckWonders’ amazing products at www.seabuckwonders.com. Purchase online or find a store in your area, and make Mom happy this Mother’s Day. She deserves it!

MommyWarriors.com

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Are Today’s Teens Materialistic?

When I was a kid, I worked my butt off doing chores around the house and spent my weekends at a minimum wage job.  I cut the grass, shoveled snow, painted the deck, cleaned the pool, you name it, whatever had to be done around the house, it was the job of the kids.  My dad only showed us one time how to do something and then we were on our own to figure it out.  As a young teenager I knew how to change the oil in the tractor, re-shingle a roof, tile a bathroom and even sheetrock and spackle.  To this day, I pride myself on having the skills to being able to do my own painting and take the in-sink-erator apart when something gets clogged and I owe it all to my dad for giving me those skills.

As I got older, I worked the ice cream counter at Howard Johnsons, made pizza at a local italian joint, counted parts for hours on end to keep the inventory up to date at a Harley Davidson dealer and babysat during whatever free time I had left.   This was just the way it was, we were taught to learn as much as we could and work hard at it.  It was never a question of whether we wanted to do it or not, it was just expected.

Kids today have some difficulty when it comes to working and performing some manual labor and just down right don’t want to do it.  Why is that?  Because some parents just don’t push it and continue to give, give and give.  My husband and I don’t give our kids whatever they ask for and if they want something really bad, they know they have to do some hard work to earn money to buy it.  The daily things like making beds, cleaning rooms, washing dishes and running the vacuum are just givens.  Outside of those, they can earn some cash by cutting grass, pulling weeds, cleaning the garage, washing cars and even pulling up the old carpet.  They know that if they get $5 to cut the grass, it’s going to take them some time to earn enough to go buy the new Xbox game they want.

I came across an article today written by Amy Langfield, a contributor for TODAY, that speaks exactly to what I’m saying above.  Check it out and think about how your kids feel about hard work!

Today’s teens more materialistic, less likely to work hard, study says

MommyWarriors.com

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My Daughter WILL Dress Like a Girl!

By Me and Meg on March 12, 2013

My daughter thinks she is a boy.

I realized the chances of her being a tomboy were quite high, what with two older brothers and all.

I have absolutely no issue with that, except for where clothing is concerned.

I want her to be a tomboy in girlie clothing - is there even such a thing? I was hoping she would want to run around, get dirty, climb trees and wrestle all the while wearing a cute dress with her hair in beautiful pigtails. But it would seem, she has a different plan.

Last summer I could dress her in anything and she was down with it. In fact, it was actually a point of pride as I could hold it against my sister (who at the time was having trouble getting her daughter to cooperate with certain items). Now, my niece is walking around in gingham blazers and chinos, while my daughter has taken on the more stubborn approach her cousin formerly adhered to.

I am not giving in. I just purchased her a new spring coat; it's girlie but not over the top. I also grabbed a few rompers in floral fabrics - we will see how she handles those. As I type this post she is watching Transformers in her Optimus Prime costume. We went shoe shopping last week and she had the audacity to pick out these bad boys:

She knows where I stand on licensed goods: undies and pajamas only. I had to talk her off the ledge when she realized we were leaving the store and her Super Hero Squad Crocs were staying put.

On a positive note, she did want to wear a hair band last week; but she also spends the majority of her nights playing mini-sticks, as in hockey, with her brothers - that's a whole other can of worms.

Bottom line, I'm just not ready for her to dress like a boy.

Meg

Leigh and Meg are sisters with six kids between them. They love laughing, and don’t care if you laugh at them or with them. They started their blog, Me & Meg, because they are excellent bad mothers, and want to brag about it.

Additionally, Meg can’t remember anything as she’s always partying and Leigh, well she has a pea size brain and can’t retain much. Meg drives a van which is totally dodgy, while Leigh drives an SUV - so much better. Needless to say when they go out they take Leigh's car. Furthermore, Leigh is very excited to be part of ModernMom.com. She thinks she is that much closer to meeting her DWTS favourite, Maks.

Cheers.

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Where Does Bullying Start?

By Rachel Blaufeld on April 18, 2013

Bullying is a hot topic now. The talk shows want more on bullying, the blogosphere is full to the brim with posts on bullying, and left and right there are speakers on the topic of bullying.

There is a lot of bullying information out there - it is sought after, wanted, and pursued; so why not jump on the bandwagon? Frankly, I haven’t wanted to until now. Until I really had something to say. I am a social worker, mom, and woman. Eventually, I would have something to say on the subject.

As the mom of a tween and a little guy who thinks he is a tween, I witness bullying firsthand every day. I hear kids call other kids fat; I hear moms call other kids fat. I hear kids make fun of another kid’s clothes, house, or background; I hear moms talk despairingly about another family’s means or surroundings. I see kids laugh at other kids in sports, at school, and on the playground; I see moms whispering about other kids on the basketball court, in the school play, and the playground.

Are you seeing the connection here? When I look to the world and witness a child bullying another child, I often see a parent exhibiting the same behavior.

As a mom, there have been numerous times that I felt bullied. Other moms telling me that my choice to bottle-feed was wrong, judging me on my choice to stay home and then return to work, making comments about what I choose to indulge in (donuts), and one brazen woman who had the nerve to suggest that I was wrong for 'allowing' my husband to work in a career that made him completely happy (apparently, I should make him change careers).

Lately, as a blogger, I feel bullied. Bullied by the requests to do stuff for free for people, products, brands that I don’t know or use. As a mom growing a business, I feel bullied by a few of my stay-at-home friends who I try so desperately to continue to make time to see, yet they cannot compromise on the details. I feel bullied into giving up precious work time to meet them on their terms for fear that I will be accused of something awful.

According to the Free Dictionary, A bully is a person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. I don’t feel like a weaker person except when I am being bullied. AND, to tell you the truth, I hate that feeling. I despise the feeling of someone who makes me scared or ashamed.

This past weekend, we were at a basketball tournament with the boys and we came up against a team that we have seen before. They are a tough team, a well-practiced team, but unfortunately, a team of bullies. I cannot blame these 11-year-old boys for being bullies. They are learning that it is right to be bullies from someone, and as I watched their coach, I knew exactly who that someone was.

First, their unbelievably HUGE coach demanded our team move off the bench and go to a different bench because his team NEEDED that bench. Although our boys had been at that particular bench all day - with an enormous, towering man standing over them, our team moved. That was scare tactic #1, as our team lost a bit of the vibe after being displaced and needing to settle all over again somewhere new.

Next came the 15 minute argument over which ball we were going to use - what size? Followed by screaming and yelling by BIG BAD coach, we settled on their ball. Scare tactic #2 knocked the wind out of our boys.

Finally, the big blow came - a screaming and yelling like I have never heard by any coach EVER, and I have witnessed a lot of basketball. A mind-numbing, concentration defeating, yelling aimed at scaring our players for the first half of the game. It worked. Our team played scared and we lost. Big win for the bully and his team of minions.

This whole experience coupled with my prior experience with bullying prompted me to ask on Facebook - "As moms, do you ever feel bullied by other moms?"

The answers were repeatedly "Yes." One mom questioned why this happens. Can’t we just stick together? I agree that would be much easier, but in the end, bullying is a scare tactic. A scare tactic to be the winner, the top mom, to make oneself feel the best.

I can tell you one thing for sure - if moms, coaches, and dads cannot stop bullying, our kids certainly cannot stop. Bullying prevention has to start at the top - teachers, parents, coaches need to exhibit the type of behavior we want our kids to learn. As moms, we cannot fall prey to bullying or scare tactics either. Stand up for yourself as a mom, whether you work or not, breast-feed or bottle-feed, believe in junk food or not.

My heart broke for our team of kids this weekend as we lost, but my heart broke more for the team of ‘kids’ who we were being taught an awful lesson in bullying even more.

Where does the bullying stop? At the top? Or the bottom?

Rachel

http:/backngroovemom.com

Rachel Blaufeld is a seasoned mompreneur and expert at helping other moms get their groove back. With a decade of household CEO experience under her belt, a real-world degree in motivating friends and family, not to mention countless volunteer projects, chairs, and sheer mad chaos, Rachel founded Back’nGrooveMom to inspire budding mompreneurs. Rachel is sharing her journey from spark of an idea to concept to prototype to market, and providing a rare all-access pass to the behind-the-scenes nitty gritty involved in launching a successful venture. At Back’nGrooveMom, Rachel is creating networks of mompreneurs, provides one-on-one consulting for stay-at-home-moms wanting to rekindle their spark, lends work/life balance guidance, and offers mentorship in best practices of navigating the world of social media.

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Who Texts More While Driving, Teens or Adults?

Well, I can honestly say that I’m not surprised at the percentages on this one.  I know my kids are sticklers when it comes to phones while driving, I’m not even allowed to touch my phone when I’m in the drivers seat or else the wrath of my kids will be upon me, but, most adults seem like they are above the law when it comes to this.  Check out the article below from the USA Today, I thought it was worth posting as a reminder to ‘put the damn phone down while you’re driving a car’!

Written by Larry Copeland and published in the USA Today, March 28, 2013

Forget teenagers. Adults are the biggest texting-while-driving problem in the USA. What’s worse — they know it’s wrong.

Almost half of all adults admit to texting while driving in a survey by AT&T provided to USA TODAY, compared with 43% of teenagers. More than 98% of adults — almost all of them — admit they know it’s wrong but still do it. Six in 10 say they weren’t doing it three years ago.

“I was a little bit surprised,” Charlene Lake, AT&T’s senior vice president-public affairs, says of the survey of 1,011 adult drivers. “It was sobering to realize that texting while driving by adults is not only high, it’s really gone up in the last three years.”

This follows an extensive national campaign against distracted driving: 39 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving for all drivers, and an additional five states prohibit the practice for new drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

“Texting while driving is not just a teen problem,” says John Ulczycki of the National Safety Council. “Teens text. But you’re looking at around 10 million teen drivers, but about 180 million other adult drivers.”

The AT&T survey follows a study this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found 31% of drivers in the USA reported texting or e-mailing while driving.

Each day, an average of more than nine people are killed and more than 1,060 injured in crashes caused by distracted driving, according to the CDC. In 2011, 3,331 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver, up from 3,267 in 2010, according to the Department of Transportation.

The government doesn’t specifically track texting-related crashes. But texting while driving is considered the most dangerous form of distraction because it involves the eyes, the hands and the mind.

Researchers at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds — about as long as it takes to drive the length of a football field at 55 mph. The researchers found that texting creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.

AT&T conducted the survey as part of its It Can Wait campaign, which began three years ago and urges drivers to delay texting until they’re not behind the wheel. More than 1.3 million people have pledged to do so, Lake says.

The telecommunication giant urges businesses to join the effort and help move their employees beyond awareness toward a personal commitment. More than 165 organizations have signed up, Lake says.

One of them, insurer USAA, began working with AT&T in November, says Joel Camarano, executive director of property and casualty underwriting at the nation’s sixth largest auto insurer.

“USAA was so impressed with the It Can Wait campaign that we sponsored our own campaign to not text while driving for our employees,” he says. About 6,500 of the company’s 24,700 employees took the pledge in about a week, he says. “We are currently in discussions to figure out the most effective way we can … expand the reach of this important campaign.”

MommyWarriors.com

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Was Your Child Drafted Because You’re a GLM?

I was listening to some dads the other day and they were having a conversation about coaching youth sports.  At one point, the conversation turned to the draft process and it got pretty interesting so I moved a little closer.  Apparently, some coaches don’t draft based on kid’s skills but on the mom’s looks.  I’ll quote one of them here, “I draft the GLMs (good looking moms), who cares about the kids.  I may have the worst team in the league but I have all the hot moms.”

If you know me at all, you probably know already that I had to say something.  I leaned over and said, “Excuse me for eavesdropping, but are you guys for real?”  The dad that drafted based on GLMs then said, “Heck yeah, I’m for real.  If your kid’s team sucks, you must be hot, if the team is full of studs with a winning record, the moms probably need makeovers.”

I looked at him and told him he was a (f-bomb)ing pig.  The nerve of some of these men.

MommyWarriors.com

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The Hollister Gift Card, Not So Cool

So Hollister, you may be the cool clothing destination for teenagers, but you have me, and a bunch of other moms, a bit perturbed.

Teenage girls like to pick out their own clothes, since moms these days have ‘no clue’ when it comes to the latest styles, so the perfect birthday gift for these tween and teenage girls are gift cards to their favorite stores.  One of the stores high on a 15 year old girl’s list is, of course, Hollister.

Now I believe Hollister needs to re-think a bit of their marketing.  Here’s a conversation between a mom and the Hollister employee at the register.

“I need a $50 gift card.”

“Is this one ok, I’m required to ask?  As she flashes this gift card.

Appropriate for a 15 year old?

Slight pause, “Are there any other options?”

“No, this is the only option, do you want it?”

Now really, I ask our readers, is the image on the gift card really appropriate for a girl turning 15?  My opinion, absolutely not.  This kids are bombarded with this crap stuff wherever they turn.  So much for innocence!

MommyWarriors.com

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A Week of Eggo Waffles: Think Outside the Breakfast Box and Win $5000!

Eggo Waffles are a staple in my house and my freezer can usually be found filled with a variety of Eggo Waffle flavors.  When I found out that Eggo had declared this week as the Week of the Waffles I told my kids and showed them the contest Facebook page and my daughter went right to work on the  Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches!

6 Kellogg’s® Eggo® Minis Homestyle waffles 3 scoops (2 tbsp. each) Breyers® French Vanilla Ice Cream Multi-colored sprinkles (optional)
PREP STEPS
Total Time : 15 Minutes
1. Prepare KELLOGG’S EGGO Minis Homestyle waffles according to package directions. Cool for 10 minutes.
2. Place 3 of the waffles on serving plate. Top each with 1 scoop of ice cream. Arrange remaining waffles on top, slightly pressing to flatten ice cream scoops. Press sprinkles into sides of each sandwich, if desired. Serve immediately.

Eggo is challenging waffle-lovers all over America  to submit their most creative recipes for a chance to win $5,000 with The Great Eggo Waffle Off! contest.

Here are the rules for The Great Waffle Off! contest (additional details can be found here):

·         Eggo Waffles launched The Great Eggo Waffle Off!  on Facebook, challenging waffle-lovers everywhere to submit their most creative recipes for a chance to win $5,000

·         Eggo® is inspiring waffle lovers everywhere to share their creative waffle recipes in the Great Eggo Waffle Off!, showcasing how these morning classics can be just as delicious any time of day – for  lunch, dinner or even dessert!

·         Each entry will be judged on originality, taste appeal and visual appeal as depicted in the entry photo

o   One Grand Prize: $5,000

o   Two First Prizes: $2,500

o   Ten Finalists Prizes: One year’s supply of Eggo Waffles

·         Recipe inspiration will be provided by Eggo’s Chief Waffle Officers, a group of bloggers who will create one waffle recipe each day for one week during “Week of Waffles” which begins April 1st

There are hundreds of recipes and photos on Eggo’s Facebook page so get your ‘waffle on’ and send in some recipes!

MommyWarriors.com

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The New ‘Mom Fridge’ – One HOT Item

My girlfriend and I were talking this morning about how the kids are always complaining that there is nothing to eat in the house.  We compared what we both had in our refrigerators and quickly came up with the issue.  Even though the refrigerator is filled with tons of food, the kids can’t seem to find anything they want (and the husband too for that matter).  Why can’t they find the food?  Well, they can’t look past what’s right in front of their face.  If there are grapes in the very front and pudding and string cheese behind the grapes, well, they’ll eat the grapes of course and complain that there is no pudding or string cheese.  This drives me bonkers, unless mom goes into the fridge and does a little rotating of the food, the stuff in the back ends up going bad and gets thrown out.  How freaking hard is it to look beyond and discover the gold that’s a few inches away?

With that being said, we (the moms of course) have come up with hot, new refrigerator design for the family.  Think about a unit that is about 5 feet tall, 6 feet long and ONLY about 8 inches deep.  A crapload of shelves that can only fit one row of food so the entire family can scan and pick out what they want with no issue.  I GUARANTEE moms around the globe will line up to purchase this ‘Mom Fridge’, will throw out less spoiled and moldy food and have one happy family!

The same applies to the kitchen cabinets, instead of a pantry with shelves 2 feet deep, stretch them out and consolidate to one row only.  What a concept huh?

Maybe these manufacturers should start looking more to the moms when it comes to design and cast the men who think they know everything aside.  To Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE and all the others out there, I’m available for consultation from 8 am – 3pm at a reasonable rate when the kids are in school, anytime after that, my rates go up significantly since I do work 24/7 around this darn house!

MommyWarriors.com

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