I’ve written a lot about politics this week, so in lieu of the weekly political roundup I’ve been doing, I’ll point out a hysterical satire on educational testing by Anna Quindlen in Newsweek. I’ve written before that I take a dim view of “teaching to the test”; Quindlen, however, dares to dream what might happen […]
The Christian Science Monitor wrote this week about healthy snacks for kids. It’s pretty common-sense stuff, but has a few recipe suggestions if you’re at a loss for ideas. One thing the article doesn’t mention, however, is what I consider the most important factor in establishing kids’ eating habits: a good example. Kids who see
New research from UCLA indicates that the mothers of multiple gay sons tend to process X chromasomes differently from other mothers. This provides further evidence that sexual orientation is genetically determined. The results aren’t conclusive at this point, and other researchers caution that further study, with a larger sample, is needed, but it’s still an
A new IVF method that lets fertilization and embryo development occur inside a woman’s body, rather than in the lab, could mean more options and cheaper IVF treatments. (Thanks to Blogging Baby for the sighting.) Egg and sperm are placed in a special vial and inserted into a woman’s vagina to develop into embryos, when
I love my son’s Music Together class, as I’ve written before. Not only is it great for the kids, but it encourages us parents to participate in our children’s musical exploration, sharing drums, bells, scarves, shakers, and anything else that makes a sound or marks a rhythm. In how many other places would you find
I’ve been a total Olympic junkie this week. While I’ll watch any athletes, regardless of parental status, I’ve noticed that moms are doing well for themselves in these games. Swiss skeleton racer Maya Pederson, who won the 2005 World Championships only a year after giving birth, won gold in the event in Torino. Norwegian cross-country
Scientific American reports today on research claiming that babies as young as seven months have an inherent sense of number. The scientists found that when infants hear someone saying “Look” either two or three times, they will chose to spend more time looking at a video displaying the matching number of faces, rather than one
Adoptive Family magazine has a good article on how to deal with insensitive comments relatives may make about adopted children. They recommend that you: Appoint yourself ambassador of adoption. “Immunize” yourself before family encounters. Do a background check [with other relatives, not the FBI] on problematic relatives. Hold your ground firmly but with compassion. Much
Does anyone else find it disturbing that the motto of Goldfish crackers is “The Snack that Smiles Back?” I’m sorry, but vegetarian or not, I don’t want my food smiling at me. (Actually, at our house we’re partial to Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies when it comes to snack crackers. Cute and bunny shaped, but they don’t
Six gay male penguins at a zoo in Germany have been rejecting advances of females sent to mate with them. Gay rights groups were apparently upset when the females were introduced, but the zoo claims they are simply trying to form at least one fertile couple and a baby, not to pry the male penguins
