Recently, an old high school friend of mine shared on social media that her vision is getting worse and that it is because she is getting older. I think most of us are aware that aging can have adverse effects on our eyes but we don't really think about it much until it affects us directly. What most people don't realize is that the foods that we eat in our daily diets have a direct impact on our eye health. When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents would always tell me to eat my carrots because they were good for my eyesight. While they were partly right about the benefits on the eyes of beta-carotene, which is contained in carrots, just eating this food was not going to be enough to protect my eyes. The reality is that it's almost impossible to absorb all of the vitamins and nutrients that are required to protect vision from food alone. So you're probably wondering how you can keep your eyes young and healthy while aging gracefully and looking, as well as … [Read more...]
Keeping The Spice In your Marriage After Having Kids #ScrapTheSoap @Lubrigyn #Ad
As my sons are getting older, my husband and I are realizing the importance of making time for each other as a couple. Most of us have children and dedicate ourselves entirely to being their parents while forgetting that we should also focus on our relationships at the same time. After all, kids grow up and eventually make their own lives, as is the natural order of things. So it makes sense that couples make an effort to keep the spice in their marriage after having children. This is not as easy as it sounds since parenting is a full-time job. Add to that balancing work, the household, and having some couple time becomes virtually impossible. The reality is that, even though we love our kids, it's crucial that we have our own time to reconnect and interact romantically. This process has definitely been a learning experience and we have gotten really creative when it comes to keeping things steamy and spicy. Here … [Read more...]
Be Ready For Any Emergency! @SSIGuardian #StopTheBleed #Ad
When it comes to reacting during an emergency, every second counts. This is especially true when you suddenly have to save someone's life. Believe me, as a mother of sons who play sports, I have had to deal with my share of injuries and emergencies. Having the right tools can make bleeding control more effective. Last year, my older son sustained a serious eye injury during one of his basketball games and everyone was unprepared. The coach didn't even have ice packs in his duffel bag because he had forgotten them at home. We ended up having to rush our son to urgent care and it took the entire summer, along with many doctor's appointments to make sure his eye healed properly. In some injury cases, time is of the essence and you cannot afford to be unprepared, especially when there is bleeding involved. Stop the Bleed kits include pressure dressings, gauze bandages, tourniquets, and other tools, along with … [Read more...]
How Educated Are You About Your Health Care Plan? @MyUHC #Ad
Those of you who are long-time readers of this blog know that I am a nine year Leukemia Survivor. As a result, I have had to learn how to be my own best advocate when it comes to my health. After all, you have to be an educated patient and understand your health care plan in order to navigate the medical system wisely. Open enrollment is about the begin, and for some it already has, so now is the time to acquire all the knowledge you can about health care plans in order to make the most informed decision you can. Just this past month, UnitedHealthcare launched a new site that has several engagements educating people about their health care. Learning about and purchasing a health care plan can be extremely overwhelming for many of us, but UnitedHealthcare wants to help by allowing us to take advantage of our health care by becoming empowered and learning the ins and outs of it. You can do this by using their interactive learning … [Read more...]
Dealing With Allergies In The Fall @MinuteClinic #Ad
Over the past two months, my son has been sick on and off with what we though was just a back to school cold. It turns out that the change of seasons has triggered his allergies and caused him to be congested and just generally feeling miserable. Many people don't know that while a cold will typically clear up within 7-10 days, allergy symptoms can linger for weeks or even months. Believe it or not, there are more allergy triggers in the fall. The symptoms for all allergies are the same, regardless of whether they present themselves in the spring or fall. Itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, headache, sinus pressure are some of the more common ones. Allergy triggers that arise during the fall include weed pollens, like ragweed and mold allergies. Certain foods like bananas, melon and zucchini can also be a trigger for those allergic to ragweed. Dust mites are a common allergen during this time as well. When … [Read more...]
Set The Tone For The 2016 School Year With Visionworks! #VisionWorks #Ad
Starting the school year off on the right foot is always a very important part of the month of September for our family. That includes making sure that the kids have all of the school supplies that they need as well as ensuring physicals are up to date along with new eyeglasses. This is no easy feat since every single member of our family of four wears glasses and designer eyeglass frames can get pretty expensive. Our boys both have their own fashion sense and color preferences so they put a lot of thought and time into choosing just the right frames that will express their individual styles. Visionworks has the largest selection of kids' frames for Back to School with the bold and bright colors that have become all the rage this back to school season. Here are some of the current trends that they have for kids: Fiery reds: A hue not for the shy, frames with pops of red are perfect for your fiery spirited child, who … [Read more...]
Send Your Kids Back To School Healthy! #GoBackHealthy @MinuteClinic #Ad
Back to school is right around the corner here in New York City. It's about a little over a week away, to be exact. This year, my sons are entering fifth and eighth grade so we are fully committed to having both our kids in middle school. It's so important that they start the school year off on the right foot so we are making sure that they have all of the vaccines that are required for their age. Some of the back to school vaccines that schools require for kids their age are the Meningitis, Pertussis and HPV vaccines. The meningitis vaccine protects against meningococcal disease, which is a serious bacterial illness. Many colleges and boarding schools require it to protect students living in dorms. It is recommended that 11–12 year olds be vaccinated with meningococcal conjugate vaccine with a booster dose given at age 16. Since my older son just turned thirteen in June, he received this vaccine for school before his … [Read more...]
Find The Cure For The Common Wait At MinuteClinic! @MinuteClinic #Ad
Let's face it, most of us are running around from place to place trying to get everything accomplished throughout the day. In our home, we are always juggling a number of different responsibilities so when one of us gets sick, it definitely throws a monkey wrench into the program. These days, we want to be seen by a doctor right away so we really appreciate the convenience of being able access health care effortlessly. MinuteClinic now offers the cure for the common wait! The walk-in medical clinics at more than 1,100 CVS Pharmacy stores in your state -- and 32 others and the District of Columbia -- have a new digital tool to curb waits and make health care more accessible and convenient. At MinuteClinic.com, you now have the option to observe wait times and get in line ahead of time from the convenience of your computer or smartphone...all before arriving at the clinic. As you can … [Read more...]
Who Are The Strong Women In Your Life? #ZenniStyle @zennioptical #Giveaway #Ad
When I was growing up, I don't think that I ever really gave my Mom the credit that she deserved for being a strong woman. You see, I always assumed that to be strong you had to be intimidating and aggressive. Mommy has always been the complete opposite. She refused to use curse words around us when we were growing up and would often spell out even the word "damn" when us kids were with her. I can also recall that she avoided confrontation at all costs which I never understood because I've always been the one who heads into the proverbial battle right away. That is the problem, it took me a long time to realize that it's not necessary to be ready to go into battle over everything. Mommy would often sit back and observe while waiting for the perfect time to make her voice heard. That took a tremendous amount of patience and strength, I realize that now especially since I have my own children. … [Read more...]
Are You Suffering From A Cold Or Allergies? #BeatSpringAllergies @MinuteClinic #Ad
This past week, I had to keep my younger son home from school because he was really sick. It started at the beginning of the week with a stuffy nose which progressed to a sore throat and a bad cough. He didn't have a fever the whole time that he was sick so it was really hard to tell if he had a bad cold or if he was suffering from seasonal allergies. The reality is that his symptoms are pretty much the same for both, as far as I have observed. Either way, it always turns out badly for him because all the congestions usually triggers his asthma so it's important that we nip it in the bud early. We are not alone because 50 million Americans suffer from allergies and probably don't even know it. Colds and allergies have very similar symptoms and treatment so it is hard sometimes to be able to tell the difference between the two. Since my son is allergic to things that are around during every season, my husband and I … [Read more...]
