Goodbye “Gilmore Girls”… Hello Maytag Repairman

Television is losing a fan favorite. “Gilmore Girls,” a drama about an independent mother and daughter, is ending its run after seven seasons. The show used to be one of the most popular sagas on the WB lineup, but last year it moved to the CW network (when WB and UPN merged) and ratings dipped. Yesterday, network executives announced it will be pulling the plug on the series that some described as a show filled with “memorable and lovable characters.” The series stars Lauren Graham as single mom Lorelai Gilmore and Alexis Bledel as her equally sharp and beautiful daughter. … Continue reading

Update On The Baby Formula Shortage

Parents may be worried about the nationwide baby food shortage. It has been difficult to find baby formula on the shelves at grocery stores and pharmacies. It may feel dire, but steps have been taken to improve the situation. On May 12, 2022, 32 Senate Democrats, led by Senators Patty Murray (D-Washington), and Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) sent a letter to the Infant Nutrition Council of America. The Democrats wrote, “We are calling on you and your member companies to take immediate action and ensure that infant formula manufacturers are making every effort to mitigate this dangerous shortage and get children … Continue reading

Why There is a Nationwide Baby Formula Shortage

Parents who use infant formula to feed their babies are struggling to find it. That can be an absolutely terrifying situation for parents who have a baby that needs a specific kind of formula, due to health reasons. The shortage also affects parents of babies that cannot latch, moms who work at places that don’t give them a room to pump in, and families with two dads that feed their babies formula. Why is this happening? The problem started with a voluntary recall from Abbott Nutrition in March of 2022. There were reports that three brands of formula they produce … Continue reading

Instagram Created a Guide for Parents

Are your teens using Instagram? Do you understand what it is and how it functions? Instagram has created a new resource for parents with teens who use Instagram. It is called the Parent Guide. Part of the Parent Guide teaches parents about the options in Instagram that are designed to help keep teens safe. Instagram suggests that parents have a talk with their teen about whether their account is going to be public or private. Make sure the teen understands that they can have control over who can see and interact with what they post on Instagram. Users with private … Continue reading

Report: Instagram is the Worst App for Young People’s Mental Health

A report titled #StatusOfMind was done by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). They surveyed 1,500 young people about social media. Of the five social media platforms that were included in the survey, Instagram was found to have the worst effect on young people’s mental health. The #StatusOfMind report examined both the positive, and the negative, effects that social media has on young people’s health. The report included Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat. The report asked 1,500 young people, who were between the ages of 14 and 24 to rank what extent different social media platforms impacted certain … Continue reading

The Slime Craze is Causing a Glue Shortage

Has your child taken a sudden interest in slime? It seems to be the newest, hottest, trend among children, tweens, and even some teenagers. The slime craze is so popular that it is causing craft stores to run out of glue. Slime is a homemade substance that can be made in any color. It starts out sticky and becomes a gelatinous substance that can be pulled, stretched and squished. There are plenty of recipes and photos of slime on Pinterest. A pastel rainbow colored version is called “unicorn poop.” Some kids are making slime that corresponds to a holiday (such … Continue reading

Your Tween May be Posting Personal Information on Instagram

Instagram is a popular social media website that is primarily about photos. People post selfies, photos of what they had for dinner, vacation photos, and whatever else they want to share online. What many parents don’t realize is that teens and tweens are sharing a lot more than photos on Instagram! The terms of service at Instagram state: “You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service”. It is possible for a teenager to simply make their own Instagram account without asking their parent for permission to do so first. Some parents will make an Instagram account … Continue reading

The Poor Woman’s Guide to Gourmet Coffee

I love my coffee. What I don’t love is spending money on it. After all, water is free. Add some brewed beans, and you have to pay for it. Doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it? Well, combine my need for coffee and my need for living at our means and you get one motivated woman. I’ve learned a few things about saving money on coffee, even the gourmet kind. Organic coffee usually doesn’t cost any more than standard coffee. It is one of those weird but true things. So, if you only want organic, you don’t usually have … Continue reading

Man Fired for Same-Sex T-Shirt

Remember when everyone raised such a stink over Chick-fil-A when CEO Dan Cathy was critical of same-sex marriage in an interview in 2012?  People called for Chick-fil-A boycotts while others promoted a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Well, the same-sex marriage issue is definitely controversial still.  Oh sure, President Obama said during his recent inauguration speech, “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for it we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” And, he became the first … Continue reading

MyHeritage Mobile App Version 2.0 Released

Do you use MyHeritage for your genealogy research? If so, then you probably will want to check out their updated app. It was released on January 9, 2012, and is version 2.0. The app is free to download and some new features have been added. Genealogy and technology are two different things that are becoming more and more interwoven as time goes by. Genealogists of the past might have spent the majority of their research time visiting libraries and record archives. Today, the majority of genealogists go online to do research, to put together a family tree, and to blog … Continue reading