WAT-AAH's new advertising campaign

A few months ago I wrote a review about WAT-AAH! My children and i loved how refreshing the water was and I love the idea behind their goal. Now they are back with a new campaign to get kids to drink more water!!

Did you know that the problem of childhood obesity in the US has grown considerably in recent years? Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, www.aacp.org)

.. I guess you could say that childhood obesity is kind of a big deal.

"Don't Drink ____, Drink WAT-AAH!" is WAT-AAH's new advertising campaign that launched in New York City. This campaign encourages parents, teachers, and kids to fill in the blank with words such as "Soda," "Sugar," "Junk," and even "&#%+!"



As an overweight adult who is strugging everyday to make healthy changes in my life I look to my kids and hope they wont struggle like I have. Drinking water is the first step! I think that WAT-AAH! make drinking water cool, and thas cool with me! (ok thats my one and only corny pun, promise)

WAt-AAH - "we hope to get the message across that childhood obesity is a growing concern in the US and that we must first become aware of the issue before taking action."

WAT-AAH! is making everyone aware that there is an alternative to soda and other sugary drinks, all while being fun, too! Founded in New York City by Rose Cameron and her son, Jack, WAT-AAH! is the first water "cool" enough to convince kids to switch from soda and other sugary beverages that litter the marketplace. With 1 in 3 children in the US considered to be overweight or obese, WAT-AAH! has a clear mission: to reverse the established behavior and dependency on sweetened drinks among American children, thus reducing the alarmingly high rates of childhood obesity.

12 Best Wall Art Ideas to Enliven Your Boy’s Room

One good thing about moving is that we are getting our own home and that means we can decorate!! Paint, wall art, shelves, etc.... I can't wait! Living in an apartment is nice but it really limits what you can do creatively in your home. I've been searching for ideas for our new home and ran across this article that I thought was inspiring.

12 Best Wall Art Ideas to Enliven Your Boy’s Room
By Sylvia Lindenberg on Dec 30, 2009
The kind of wall art that would fit your boy’s room are the following: wall decals, wall murals, stick ups, wall clocks, personalized name art prints, decorative shelves, metal wall art, wall decals, posters, decorative shelves, canvas wall decor, and wall plaques.
Accessorize your boy’s room with the following fantastic wall art ideas that will make his room even livelier yet still comfortable:
Wall decals
Wall decals and stickers are among kids’ favorite stuff to put on their walls. You can post stickers of your little boy’s favorite superhero or cartoon character.
Wall murals
Murals look wonderful, especially in your kid’s room, as you are able to make your own design and make the room as colorful and lively as you want it to be. Murals can either be painted or stuck on the wall like vinyl wall art that are friendly on wall’s paint. You can choose from a variety of designs that fit your little boy’s room such as space-themed or forest and animal-themed designs.
Stick ups
Stick ups are not only creative, but they are also fun to put up with your kids. Glow-in-the–dark stick ups, such as stars, planets, or even dinosaurs are great designs for your boy’s wall.
Wall clocks
For an interesting time check, you can put up a wall clock with your kid’s favorite design or shape of wall clock. Find great designs, such as Transformers logo wall clock or a football-shaped clock.
Personalized name art prints
Names of kids appear not only on the doors of their rooms, but also on their walls. Horizontally arranged, little frames or cubes comprising each letter of your boy’s name are hanged on their wall to create a more personalized and delightful room.
Decorative shelves
Painted with blue or any color your kid loves, a decorative shelf can be used to display his stuff. Decorate the shelf with his little toy soldiers lining up or his miniature model airplanes, as well as his books, other school materials, and even picture frames with photos from his childhood.
Metal wall art
Not only do they look contemporary, but they also look great on your boy’s room, especially if he made up his own wall art. There are also a variety of metal wall art designs available on the net you can choose from.
Wall decals and pennants
Unlike in a kid’s room where you can choose to put up cartoon character or superhero-inspired wall decals, you teen boy’s wall designs could be sports or anime-themed. You can put up logo-themed wall decals or pennants of his favorite team and title logos of his favorite anime.
Posters
Just as you think posters are already out of style, that may not be the case for your boy. Get him a poster of his favorite video game character or his favorite band to make his room cool enough for him.
Decorative shelves
Consider also putting up a decorative shelf in his room where he can display his books, memorabilia, and his other decors.
Canvas wall decor
This wall art looks great on top or across your boy’s bed. Get him designs such as photos of air crafts and car models.
Wall plaques
Sports-themed wall plaques also make great wall decors. As your boy gets more athletic or more involved in collectibles and memorabilia, do not forget to pick wall plaques that could either look fresh or vintage, depending on your teen’s taste.
It is very important to invigorate your boy’s room in order for him to enjoy his room, making it a more comfortable place to play and study. Just as you have your own taste in choosing decors for your room, your boy surely has his own taste too, so do not forget to ask for his ideas.

The Midwife Difference

One of my favorite bloggers wrote this wonderful article on midwifes. If you are pregnant or planning on another child I urge you to read it. Even if your not it has a lot of great info everyone should know. Please head over to momotics and read about the The Midwife Difference

I love the Duggars

Good morning! I always try and start off the day praying for family friends and people in need. A family that gets a lot of my prayers lately are the Duggars. I watch their show on TLC and love how close they are and how connected to God they seem to be. I really aspire to have our family run as smoothly as they do. Come on if Michelle and Jim Bob can do it with 19 kids, how hard can it be with only 2?

I always search for the latest news on the duggars and baby Josie and when I ran across this article at Mamapop.com, it really hit home to EXACTLY what I feel, so I want to share it with you....

19 Kids and Still Counting: Why The Duggars Will Continue to Have Children and Why We Need to Shutup About It Already
Posted by Karen Sugarpants
The Duggars have been under a lot of fire recently after the recent pre-mature birth of their 19th child, Josie. Josie was born 4 months prior to her due date after mom Michelle had complications with pre-eclampsia.

Criticism from the medical and parenting communities have been both harsh and sometimes completely false in terms of medical risk:


“ ‘The risks of additional pregnancies start to go up dramatically after four,’ warns Dr. Jeffrey Richardson,a Ventura, Calif., obstetrician who had practiced for more than 30 years.”

“ ‘Postpartum hemorrhage, dysfunctional labor, preterm labor and early miscarriage are all risks.’ ”

To which I say, OH REALLY? I have never ever heard that claim before. Ever. Just because someone is a doctor, (he is a general surgeon, by the way), doesn't make them an expert in another field.

People are outraged that Michelle and Jim Bob have put baby Josie in grave danger by conceiving her. Other parents are wagging their fingers and saying "I told you so," and "it was bound to happen since they didn't stop having kids."



The fact is, this could have happened with baby # 1 or 2 or 7. It can happen to anyone and I don't believe Michelle and Jim Bob increased their risks any. I mean, baby # 18 was just fine, as were the 17 before that. Obviously Michelle's body can handle pregnancy and childbirth very well. I know some of you will disagree with me, and that's fine - but you can't deny that she had 18 healthy children before baby Josie.

You might as well hold your criticism; it doesn't sway the Duggars. Michelle had a miscarriage after conceiving on birth control pills and her doctor said the pills were the cause. Now the Duggars are avoiding birth control and abstaining after babies (40 days after a boy, 80 days after a girl) like the Bible says.

Adds Michelle: “It is not as if we’re going for another (child) immediately. This is going to be a year of different focus for me, getting Josie through her first year of life.”

As it should be.

The Duggars say in People: “Each child is a gift from God.” Jim Bob adds, “The negatives don’t bother us.” Agrees Michelle: “Our hearts haven’t changed.”

I don't know at what point the Duggars will decide to stop having children, but in watching the show, I have observed the following:

The kids are well cared for. They eat nutritious food, they are always dressed nicely, and they are clean. They speak kindly to each other, they help each other and teach each other. They are grateful for what they have, they make do with what they don't, and they love each other.

I don't care if Michelle and Jim Bob have 100 more children, they are doing something right. Those children piled into the tiny room where baby Josie was being kept in an incubator, and the room was quiet. My two children would be hooting and hollering and I'd be hard-pressed to keep my 5 year old from knocking something over. The older Duggar children explained the situation to the younger ones, engaged them in seeing their newest sister and cried at how small Josie is. They are a close-knit, compassionate bunch.



As for Josie, she is recovering from a bowel perforation and now weighs more than 2 pounds. The Duggars will relocate to Little Rock Arkansas, for the next year to care for her. “Josie has been off the ventilator for two weeks now, and they are increasing her feeds little by little,” says Jim Bob. “We pray that she grows strong.”

Michelle is 43 years old. Personally I wouldn't be having babies after that age, but many people do without complication. Personally I wouldn't be having 19 kids and counting either but that's the Duggar's business and as long as they are caring for them the way it appears they are, I don't believe it's our place to criticize them.

It's all too easy to make snap judgments about a family this rare. But if you watch the show at all, you'll see this family is strong in their values, comfortable with who they are, and waist-high in their faith. You're not going to change the way they do things. Regardless of the clown car jokes, all those kids can't go back to where they came from.

Why Do Readers Enjoy Snuggling Up with a Good Book.....about....Snuggling Up? - NY Times

Its been one of those day. The kind where all you want to do is grab a good book, your favorite blanket & pillow, then lounge all day long. After letting my husband take over the chores and kiddo duty I did just that today. It felt great just to sit back and relax.

I ran across this article tonight that I thought was fitting. So I wanted to share.......

So in another interesting NYTimes article, reporter Motoko Rich discusses a humorous study that proves why we enjoy snuggling up with a good book......that may coincidentally be about snuggling up with someone. As a result of our depressing economic times, studies have shown that readers are more apt to choose a book that allows them to escape into a dream world where romance is perfect and everyone is happy. Harlequin Enterprises reported that sales of romance novels were up 32% from this time last year. This increase in romance sales is interesting because of the sluggish market that currently exists otherwise. Rich quotes one lawyer who is an avid reader herself and notes that her philosophy on the situation is that readers enjoy escaping to a world where there is a happy ending because it brings a sigh of relief to their life, unlike their daily involvement with the current depression. Two great attributes of romance novels are: 1) their inexpensive price because romance novels ( avg. $7.99) are typically half the price of an average trade paperback (avg $15.99). and 2) their attractive marketing ploy to consumers. This ultimately means that because romance novels are usually written in sets and sequels, a consumer will usually go on to make further purchases on the rest of the series especially if they enjoy the author and trust their work. Barnes & Nobles also noted that other escapist books such as sci-fi and fantasy are currently popular.
Rich compares the popularity of romance novels to that of the obsessive "Gone with the Wind" days of Margaret Mitchell from history.

Bottom line is why do we want to read books about crime and depression when are living in those times at the present. Everyone wants to have a happy ending. So I ask that the time you are traveling on the train, take a look around at the covers of the books being read around you. Most likely they are positive outcome novels and if not, the reader is probably reading something they "have to" for a certain class or business meeting.

Funny enough my favorite books to devour are romance novels and I've just finished my third one today. I say devour because I read through them so fast and so often. Before moving around a lot I used to have over 500 of them. The hubby got sick of packing and moving them every year so that number has started to dwindle, for now....