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Strollerderby
A timeline of growth spurts for all teens, not just the one living in the White House.
I can’t figure out if LA Times health blogger Jeannine Stein wanted to write about teenage growth spurts or if she wanted an excuse to inform the public that Malia Obama is in the throes of puberty. The former is totally interesting and hardly requires the first family’s eldest for a news peg. Which is why I suspect Stein was hiding behind biological inquiry when what she really wanted to do was speculate whether Malia is having boy problems.
Malia, we’re reminded, is only 13 years old, but already stands around 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall and is going through puberty. Had Stein speculated on Malia’s weight, the reporter would have hit the trifecta of information no teen girl wants discussed, no matter what her address is. Continue reading »
Michelle Obama booed at NASCAR this weekend.
First Lady Michelle Obama was booed in Florida this weekend, as she helped kick off the final race of the NASCAR season.
Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden were attending the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, serving as grand marshals and even starting the race, to help bring recognition to our nation’s military families.
Attendees of the event have said after the fact that those shouting down the First Lady were very few, while the great majority of the crowd cheered and welcomed her participation. NASCAR officials have also argued that they were extremely happy to have her and Jill Biden there to support military families as part of the race celebration.
ABC News blogger Z. Byron Wolf opined, “It is certainly not clear that most or even a lot of the 65,000 fans at the Homestead-Miami Speedway booed. Microphones placed for TV coverage can confuse things. And people who were present at the event did not report that booing was evident to fans in the stands.” Still, if you listen the videos you can certainly hear it.
Is Michelle Obama your kind of mom?
As I’ve been feeling particularly mom-ly lately (having given birth for the second time at the end of August), I enjoy reading about the parenting philosophies of others. Besides the fact that she keeps talking about her daughters’ weight in public, Michelle Obama is my kind of mom. Not 100 percent, but pretty close.
A few days ago she chatted with some women at the White House about her Let’s Move initiative, but according to Yahoo! Shine, other topics were also discussed.
She had me at, “Like any mother, I am just hoping that I don’t mess [my daughters] up.”
The company that owns Red Lobster and other popular sit-down restaurant chains said it will no longer list soda on its kids menus. One of several changes to make kids meals healthier.
Here’s the deal: Americans eat out a lot. One out of every two dollars spent on food is spent at a restaurant. One-third of all calories consumed came from foods and drinks served at a restaurant. Whether we realize it or not, restaurants are a big part of what and how Americans and their kids eat.
And that hasn’t always been such a good thing. Especially for kids.
Kids menus often only featured the worst stereotypes of kids foods: hamburger and fries, hot dog and fries, chicken fingers and fries, or macaroni and cheese — from a box. And this, at a seafood restaurant! Kids restaurant meals also typically come with a drink (code for soda), and free cookie or ice-cream for dessert.
Do that a few times a week, which is average for an American family, and that’s a pretty crappy meal plan for anyone, especially a growing child.
That will change in almost 2,000 restaurants around the country. Continue reading »
Don't all parents deserve to keep their relationship alive, independent of work and kids?
There’s been much hoopla surrounding President Obama’s 10-day vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. Much of the reasoning behind the people who say he should not have gone on vacation is the idea that it’s simply a bad time. They say when the country is in crisis, when many people cannot afford to take a vacation themselves, and others have no jobs, why would our leader throw a vacation in our faces? Over the weekend, President and Michelle even had a date night. Of course, some are saying there’s no way they should have done that either.
Really? Actually, the opposite is true. They need a vacation and date night just as desperately (and suffice it to say, more) as we all do!
Michelle Obama will soon be hanging a new designer dress in her closet
There are so many things right with this story, it’s hard to know where to begin.
A sixth grader from Texas will be traveling to Utah so Michelle Obama can test out a dress he designed for her. He was inspired by a blooming orchid he spied while visiting Washington, D.C. The first lady will reportedly wear the dress at an upcoming fundraiser.
Grant Mower, a sixth grader, won a statewide competition over high school and college students for the privilege of dressing Barack Obama’s wife. The honor comes after he was bullied at school because of his interest in women’s fashion.
The bullying got so bad that at one point last year that Grant was homeschooled, but he returned to his regular classes a few weeks later because he missed his friends. And his amateur fashion designing career is gaining some steam.
Do even the closest of spouses keep secrets from each other, and is that OK?
I’m a firm believer in not keeping secrets from my husband. And I know he feels the same way, although at times it can be tricky because he’s a journalist, so on occasion when we delve into a deep discussion on a story he’s written, the sticky topic of confidential sources arises.
It’s a complicated situation, and one I’m sure spouses of lawyers (attorney/client privilege) and doctors (doctor/patient confidentiality) face at times, too. You want to share everything with your better half, but how much is too much and do you know when an ethical or legal line is being crossed with your life partner?
So, when you’re president of the United States, how much is the first lady privy to? Did Michelle Obama know about the bin Laden raid before it happened? She recently answered that question.
Continue reading »
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