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    TaLeayah

    TaLeayah

  • How long did you wait to bring your newborn around people?

    I have a girlfriend who recently had a baby. This is her first born so naturally she is taking in all suggestions and recommendations that her pediatrician and others are providing. To avoid coming across as a "know it all" mother - I often opt to just listen to the mountain of information she recei

  • Finding a healthy balance: family-time vs. personal-time

    Here is a topic dear to my heart that I think is important for mothers and all care-takers. It is the topic of having a healthy balance between personal time and family time. I battled with this issue in the beginning of my "motherhood" days. I devoted 100% to my family, but neglected myself. Having

  • The Mature Relationship: How do you keep it sexy?

    New relationships by nature are fun, exciting, and full of fresh ideas to spark interest and maintain closeness. Candle lit dinners, walks in the park, and endless sweet nothings are undoubtedly things couples indulge in during the early stages of their relationship. Even cooking and washing dishes

  • The debate: at home births vs. hospital births

    I was watching a morning news program and the topic of at home births were being discussed. Apparently Ricki Lake's documentary regarding the birth of her baby at home has stirred some controversy with the medical industry. Some women are opting for at home births in an effort to experience a more i

  • The day in the life of a teen: Are tweens and teens too busy today?

    When I was a teenager I recall constantly having a hectic schedule. There was the all day endurement of my seven classes, and then followed some type of extracurricular activity such as basketball, softball, or cheerleading. In the off season, after school I would work a couple of hours to earn extr

  • Daytime soap storyling teens having sex

    Daytime soap operas have always been about relationships and sex. The ever changing partners and multiple marriages are almost secondary to the actual storyline. As this is the usual to the very existence of daytime soap operas, but what is not normal are segments showing teens having sex and teen p

  • The One Thing You Cannot Live Without

    What is the one vital thing that you cannot live without while raising your baby? For some people the list is endless, but would include some of the following: a blanky, pacifier, a burp cloth, wipes, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, or a cup of Joe. These valuable items are the sheer essence between life

  • The Unspoken Rule: Don’t Touch My Kid

    As parents, it is fair to say we are a little overprotective of our children at times. Having the title "parent" ultimately gives us that right. This is a concept understood by most parents and it is an instinct that bonds us indefinitely. So generally speaking, in non-emergency situations, we know

  • Don’t Fret – He Will Eat More Than Crackers One Day

    Has your kid suddenly stopped eating those great nutritional meals you prepare daily? Or is he or she only eating a rotation of three kinds of foods: cookies, milk, and juice? This seems to be a typical phase toddlers and kids experience. While they go through this "picky" food stage, parents worry

  • Menstrual Pain vs Ovulation Pain

    As women, at some point in time we have all experienced the monthly cramping, bloating, headaches, and changing moods associated with our menstrual cycle. This uncomfortable time of the month has transcended through biblical times to modern times, and undoubtedly will forever remain with man-kind. I

  • The Negotiator

    [Ed. Note: This post from Shine user taleayahjohnson has "I can relate" written all over it. Boy, can I relate. Not only am I The Negotiator, my son is quite skilled at the exercise. This does not bode well for his teenage years. Some things aren't up for discussion or debate, of course. That's a pa

  • Who’s Talking

    A study conducted in 1995, by researchers Dr. Betty Hart, Ph.D., and Dr. Todd Risley, Ph.D, discovered a correlation between the number of words parents say to their children before the age of three and how well he or she will do in school. Apparently, babies should hear nearly 25 million words in t

  • Celebrating Earth Day…What Will You Do?

    The idea of celebrating a day to promote awareness of environmental issues is becoming more paramount than ever. Documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth featuring Al Gore, and Leonardo DiCaprio's 11 th Hour have examined how our living habits have changed the direction of the world's ecosystem and

  • TMI: How much do you tell your girlfriends?

    I have been fortunate to have a group of girlfriends that I can share any and everything with and they in turn feel the same. Our friendship began freshman year of college and has sustained throughout boyfriends, maturity, career changes, husbands, kids, and relocations. Many people say what we have