Tag Archives: moms

Bachelorette Emily Maynard Stays in Shape By Being a Mom

Bachelorette season 8 has got America talking about southern sweetheart and bachelorette Emily Maynard.

If you don’t know Emily’s heart-touching story, about six years ago Emily was engaged to a race car driver and the love of her life, Ricky Hendrick. But just six months after their engagement, he passed away in a tragic plane crash. Days after Ricky’s death, Emily found out she was pregnant with his child. Emily named her now six-year-old daughter Josephine Reddick “Ricki” Henrick.

Four years after the death of Ricki’s father, Emily jumped back into the dating world and appeared on season 15 of The Bachelor. She turned out to be the winner on the show by winning over bachelor Brad Womack’s heart. Although the couple got engaged on the season finale, they eventually called off the wedding due to a number of reasons. But now, Emily’s back to find true love as Bachelorette Season 8’s woman to win over. (more…)

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Danielle

Candy-Free Potty Training Should be the Norm, Not the Exception

When my husband and I decided to start potty training our two-year-old this summer, we agreed to be patient, let her lead but with some firm direction, and not dazzle her with sugar. I won’t say that we’ve been obsessive about her eating habits since she started on solid foods, but I will say we are hyper aware of what she eats and her nutrition is of utmost importance. Because of that, my daughter turns away offerings of cake, ice cream, or even small pieces of candy. However, she’ll knock you over for a bite of avocado.

I’ve watched friends charm the training pants off their toddlers with promises of suckers and candies to convince them to potty on the toilet; specifically one incident where one-and-a-half Fun Size candy bars and a handful of M&Ms were used to reward a toddler for taking care of business. That’s a lot of sugar and calories for a little tinkle. My daughter gets none of that. She gets high-fives, a big cheer along the lines of “great job! I’m proud of you!”, and two or three squares of toilet tissue.

This, I kid you not, is a really big deal to her. That she is allowed to get squares of toilet tissue to clean up is like she’s arrived at the throne of the big girls. Every time she potties she announces, “I get tissue now!” and she is proud of it. She earned it. Not long from now I won’t be able to reward her with septic-friendly paper, but for now, I’m totally rolling with it.

I can feel half the world rolling their eyes at me, but that’s the decision my husband and I made – candy-free potty training. It’s the choice that’s right for our daughter. Maybe it’s not right for your child, but I at least ask you to listen with an open mind and consider that maybe it might just work. (more…)

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Natalie K

Running With My Son is One of Life’s Great Blessings

“Mommy, catch my hand so I can run faster!”

This was the unique stringing of words my three-year-old yelled to me years ago as I ran by his side at one of his first foot races. He had to run an entire kilometer on his little legs and he was feeling fatigued. I grabbed his hand, or “caught” it as his vocabulary requested. We ran together for the first time that day and I count it as one of my life’s greatest blessing that we’re still running together today.

Running with my son, Judah, has had many ups and downs. I’ve nearly lost him in big crowds as he jack-rabbits a start. I’ve lost my patience with him when he’s given up because it’s gotten too hard. I’ve also had the pleasure of watching him push himself to victory.

Since my Dad and I share the love of running, I was hopeful Judah would want to follow in our footsteps. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from running with him is that you can’t push your kids to enjoy your hobby. If you push too hard, the experience will just be miserable. I’ve tried to be a very gentle, yet persistent, nudge for Judah. I’ve had to learn that he is a little kid and wants to have fun when he runs. He has no interest in competing, generally, and I just have to be thankful that he wants to participate with me at all. (more…)

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Lacy

4 Simple Tips for Raising Healthy Kids

By Karen Sherwood

In a land of go-gurts, happy meals, lunchables, and clever junk food marketing geared toward kids, raising a healthy child is becoming increasingly difficult. We are never more than five feet away from a food message and 90% of those messages are not about health food. So what’s a parent to do? KISS (Keep it Super Simple) those problems away! Here are four super simple tips to keep your child healthy while maintaining your sanity.

1. Lead by example – How can we ever expect our children to grow up healthy if we are setting examples that are far from it? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is the result of more than just genetics, but a culmination of behavioral and environmental factors. Like it or not, until their 18 years old (sometimes even longer), parents are responsible for setting a healthy environment for their children. Needless to say, it does a child no good when they’re receiving orders to eat more broccoli while their parent is lying on the couch with a bag of potato chips and a diet soda. (more…)

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Nutritious_America

“Vibrant Moms Healthy Kids” Offers Family-Focused Nutrition Training Online

“How do I get my kid to eat healthy food?”

This is the number one question Abra Pappa has received over the last ten years as a Certified Health Coach and a Holistic Nutritionist. She’s decided to take a brand new approach to answer that question and is introducing a program called Vibrant Moms Healthy Kids.

Vibrant Moms Healthy Kids is a four week online course for parents hosted by Nutritious America. The course focuses on nutrition, holistic wellness therapies, and small steps to make big differences in the health of mothers and their families. Pappa and alternative medicine expert Autumn Bear will be conducting the online course, which begins enrollment Monday, June 25. (more…)

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Lacy

Yoga Teacher Barbie Bends Children’s Advocates Out of Shape

Does controversy exist on its own or do we wait until the media tells us that we need to get hot and bothered about something?

Either way, the latest catalyst for consumer outrage is the new Yoga Teacher Barbie. She’s part of an exclusive line of Barbies in the “I Can Be…” series from Mattel and you can only find her in Target stores. The series isn’t new. Back in 2024, the brand ran an online voting competition to choose two Barbies for the series. The winners were a news anchor and computer engineer. The whole idea, according to Barbie.com, is to “ignite a national movement to inspire girls.” Who wouldn’t want to get on board with that?

Apparently it takes a twisty-legged, spandex-dressed doll to stir up a little unnecessary controversy. Just in time for the election year and the Olympics, the “I Can Be” series also includes a president and a tennis player, track star, swimmer, and gymnast. But it’s the yoga teacher that’s got people bent out of shape.

Chelsea Roff at IntentBlog.com said “Kids are being exposed to yoga at an early age, encouraged to stay active, and taught about mind-body awareness practices before they even hit kindergarten. All good things! But something about seeing that sickly-proportioned doll’s foot behind her head just makes me cringe. As if the stereotypes of yoga weren’t bad enough already, now kids are implicitly being taught that yoga teachers look like a big-headed Pam Anderson.”

We didn’t see it that way. We, like Kathryn Budig, saw a doll. Just a toy that lets little girls’ imaginations run wild. (more…)

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Natalie K

Jillian Michaels Becomes a Mom to Lukensia and Phoenix

It’s a girl… and a boy! Jillian Michaels is a mom, a job title she’s been seeking for about two years. It was one of the main (or at least most public) reasons for her exit from Biggest Loser last year. And it’s no doubt her main focus from here on out.

Just announced today by People Magazine, Michaels’ adoption of a two-year-old girl from Haiti, Lukensia, has finalized. The adorable little girl is seen in a photo snuggled in her mom’s arms. And sitting in Jillian’s other arm is her newborn son Phoenix, born May 3 to she and partner Heidi Rhoades.

“We’re swimming in babies over here,” Michaels told People.

The fitness star and former Biggest Loser trainer hasn’t been shy about her adoption proceedings, letting everyone know she was in baby mode for quite some time. The latest update came back in January when her adoption referral came through. It was then that Jillian learned that Lukensia would soon be calling her home in Los Angeles home, too. It was previously thought that she would adopt from the Dominican Republic of Congo (DRC). (more…)

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Natalie K

Fitter Moms Have an Opportunity to be Better Moms

By Cat Poland, a work-at-home mom blogging at CatPoland.com.

Car doors closing quietly, subdued greetings, sneaker-laced feet shuffling as stretches begin, hands slapping at mosquitoes eager for an early-morning snack. At 5 a.m. on a weekday morning, these are the sounds of the Fitness Junkies, all mothers (or grandmothers) who are committed to pushing their bodies to the brink of collapse all in the name of getting a good workout.

I went once, puked twice, and haven’t returned. That was before my second child, and despite my utter and complete failure during my first go-round, I’m considering giving it another try. Why?

Well, I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I want to run away from my children. No, not “Thelma and Louise” style running away, but good, old-fashioned, feet-pounding-pavement running away. I just want to escape, feel blood coursing through my veins, and just be alone. Completely and sweetly alone.

Of course, I would eventually run back (if I didn’t collapse somewhere along the way). I love my darling babies, but as a new work-at-home mom, I need “me” time. Not only that, but I need more energy (and strength, mental clarity, etc.). I went from sitting at a computer for 50+ hours a week, to chasing around a one-year-old and three-year-old overnight. As much as I love my new gig, I’m not physically prepared! (more…)

Posted on May 16, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Dr. Oz Exposes American Moms’ Dangerous Pill Craze

This Thursday, Dr. Oz and fellow guests will shed light on a new underground craze among mothers in our country. The show is titled, Mother’s Little Helper: The Dangerous Diet Craze Sweeping America.

Dr. Oz will speak with women from across the nation as they explain their obsession with a new pill popping fad. These women will admit to feeling energy boosts, increased concentration, and some women will discuss how the pills have helped them lose weight.

Dr. Oz will interview one pill-using mother who said, “I feel focused, have more energy, and feel like super mom.” Another mother shares how she’s already lost 35 pounds while using the pills and yet another mom simply states, “I really can’t imagine my life without being on this.”
(more…)

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Lacy

If Your Kids Shouldn’t Eat It, Neither Should You

More or less, my husband and I eat very healthily. Visiting family often roll their eyes at us for the complete lack of food in our house, or rather, food that they’ll actually eat. We limit processed foods and rely mostly on homemade meals made of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. We, like most people, splurge now and then. It’s a life of moderation, we say.

The occasional burger during a Friday happy hour was never a big deal. This “sometimes” treat would always be regretted but nevertheless enjoyed in the moment. However, it recently became a big deal when our nearly 2-year-old daughter asked for a French fry at one of these splurgy dinners.

I cringed. He cringed. I very, very hesitantly gave her the smallest one I could find. She, of course, asked for another. At almost two-years-old, a French fry is a foreign food to her. I told my husband that our moderation should be hers, too, and that the occasional fry wasn’t totally out of line.

He disagreed, and the comment he shared with me really struck a chord. “If we wouldn’t feed it to her, we shouldn’t be eating it either.” (more…)

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Natalie K

Single Mom Daphne Dortch Sets Sights on a Bikini Body after Biggest Loser 13

By Dani M. Stone

Daphne Dortch was going to be a lawyer. After earning a political science and communication degree at Eastern Michigan University, she studied for and received a certificate in paralegal studies at Roosevelt University. She was ready for the last leg of the journey, law school, when she got pregnant with twin daughters. As a single mother, Daphne put her career on hold to raise her children. After a significant weight gain with the twins, an unhealthy eating style and now, plagued with atrial fibrillation, Daphne, 37, enters the ranch at 271 pounds. She joins her brother Adrian Dortch this season on Biggest Loser 13.

Raised in Evanston, Illinois with her younger brother, Daphne was active in elementary and middle school, playing basketball and throwing shot-put for the track team, but says she’s always been heavy and always struggled with her weight. During the pregnancy from her twins, she gained 100 pounds and 5 years later gained even more weight while pregnant with her son. Losing the additional weight seemed impossible. (more…)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Health Buzz