My mother-in-law wouldn’t allow her sons to play football because she had a friend in high school who became paralyzed while playing the full-contact sport.

So, they all played soccer instead.

Um, is that not a full-contact sport, too?

Yes!

Have you been to a soccer game lately? Ouch. Boom. Slam. Smack.

Heads collide, cleats kick shins and calves, heads butt the soccer ball.

A study just out August 30 from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that the number of emergency room visits for school-aged children in recent years has exploded.

The findings indicate the intensity of youth sports has increased, but also awareness about concussions has, too.

Youth concussions on the rise... and dangerous.

The study examined organized sports involving youth ages eight to 19. 

Hospital visits for 14- to 19-year-olds increased more than three times, from 7,000 in 1997 to nearly 22,000 in 2007.

Also disturbing, in children ages eight to 13 visits doubled, from 3,800 to nearly 8,000.

And doctors think concussions are way under reported.

Here’s the big problem: if kids or teens have a concussion and “tough it out” like we socialize them to do, any damage to their brain could be permanent.

This means possible permanent learning problems, memory problems and headaches – not fun.

Young people with a concussion need to take it easy until a doctor clears them – and that means no “jostling” of the brain, andno video games or other activities that would put stress on the brain.

Also, don’t put all your trust in medical scans – they don’t reveal all damage – only bleeding or bruising.

And people with concussions don’t generally lose consciousness.

So what are the symptoms you need to look for?

Headache, nausea, dizziness, trouble concentrating.

Better to be safe than sorry!

Do you feel youth sports have gotten more intense?  Out-of-hand?

Do you know someone who got a concussion?

How do you keep your loved ones safe?

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Being a mom today means getting pulled in a million different directions.

Obviously, we all agree our children are the first priority.

But then, we need to make sure those children have food to eat, a place to sleep, and clothes to wear!

With the economy as uncertain as it has been, some moms have found themselves scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to bring in extra bucks.

Mommies are finding new, creative ways to make ends meet and thrive.

One mom I know donates her “time” and her plasma for money.

Other moms are getting creative and artistic, selling their wares on Etsy.com.

Known as “the handcrafter’s Amazon.com,” Etsy has easily more than a million members, and more than 200,000 sellers.

But many moms are “doing it for themselves” on their own websites.

One of my talented friends, Shar,  just launched her own blog site, which includes artistic children’s headbands and bows, greeting cards, and more.

My friend Erica has her own successful photography business - based in California, she’s so popular people have flown her to other states, she has also been known to come back to Iowa to do a shoot.

As if that’s not enough, she also sells adorable earrings on Etsy and has thousands of hits on her blog.

Another mom of five, Jenelle Shamrell runs a photography business - she meets clients at their chosen location, using beautiful natural light.  She took amazing newborn pictures of my daughter.

And just yesterday my friend passed this amazing site on to me, a mother taking photos of her daughter in “dream scapes,” I can’t even put them into words.  You have to check it out!

I am guessing many of you, too, have your own way of making extra dough – if so, let us know!

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Good-bye late nights, hello alarm clock… and pre-exam jitters, bus stops and homework.

Still plenty of summer left, but many children and teens are heading back to school.

Back to school season can bring excitement as well as anxiety.

I remember in Minnesota we always returned to school after Labor Day, and even then I felt it was too soon.

There was always a melancholy feeling in the air toward the end of August. 

It came from realizing my small amount of freedom was over, and I would soon meet the many pressures of school: social, academic and more.

In fact, I remember finding an unfolded pile of fresh laundry one morning before school in kindergarten or first grade, lying down in it, thinking it was surprisingly comfortable, and that I would give anything to stay right there.

I know some parents who have some light-hearted traditions once the first day of school comes around – from a special breakfast, to setting up an official homework spot for children, to making an effort to include a little note in a child’s lunch each day.

In fact, here is a link from Mark Merrill of “Family Minute” on some very easy lunch box notes notes if you’d like a little jump start.

Do you remember feeling jittery once school rolled around again?

What are some of the things you do or did to help your children transition?

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Having a baby was the most amazing and wonderful thing I’ve ever experienced.

I don’t know about you, but in the beginning, it was also one of the most difficult.

Having just lost my mother to leukemia months before the birth of my daughter, I was already living in a haze.

Then came the new, awesome responsibility of caring for another human being.

It kicked me in the rear, so to speak.

This falls under the “obvious” file, but on our newscast this morning we read a story out of England stating moms who receive post-baby help at home from professionals with mental health training are less likely to suffer from post partum depression.

The stats are pretty impressive. 

Help at home after baby helps both mom and baby - a lot.

The risk of new moms developing post partum depression dropped by 30 percent.

This reminds me of what many people have said to me: “It used to be that new mothers had more support – grandmothers, aunts, sisters all lived close by.  Things are different now.  People are more isolated.”

I don’t know what I would’ve done if it hadn’t been for my mother-in-law.

She stayed a good 10 days after the birth of my daughter, not to mention the week before labor and delivery.

I’ve written about her before, but she allowed me to sleep and eat, helped me bathe the new baby, and just provide moral support – that’s the most important of all, isn’t it?

I feel for women who don’t have this.

Every new mom needs an extra hand – and not just for a day or two, but at least a week.

I didn’t feel I came up for water, so to speak, for about a month.

It is common for women in England to receive visits at home from health workers.

Researchers say depression strikes approximately one in 10 women after delivery.

That’s too many – and too high a price – if at least some cases can be prevented!

For those of you who know, it’s rotten feeling continually down in the dumps, and depression could be dangerous.

Investigators are still trying to figure out all the reasons behind it, but just think of the horrific story of the South Carolina mother who just smothered her two toddlers, then put them in a car and submerged it to cover the evidence.

Reports say she was stressed out about money problems and she reasoned getting rid of her children would free her.

The local sheriff said, “This wasn’t a hardened criminal.  This was a young lady in trouble, in trouble in more ways than she realized.”

She needed preventative help, to say the least.

Have you struggled with post partum depression?  If so, what helped you out of it?

What helps you “stay afloat” after your wondrous baby’s birth?

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This can cause a lot of stress, and according to the National Institutes of Health, stress itself can be a stress on the whole conception process.

Researchers looked at saliva samples, and those with the highest markers of stress were less likely to become pregnant.

Because of this, doctors say women may want to explore various relaxation techniques, like yoga, massage therapy (yes please!), and meditation.

If you want to get pregnant, doctors say, "just say 'ohm'."

I’m sure dad-to-be hopefuls could benefit from some relaxation, too.

I’ve actually seen this in real life: a family in my hometown had a child, tried for a second with no success for a while, adopted another baby, and right after that, the mother found out she was pregnant again, so their 2nd and 3rd children are just months apart.

It’s as if the “letting go,” so to speak, reduced stress and aided the whole process.

Recently I watched the movie Did You Hear About the Morgans?  I must admit, I was skeptical… any movie with a scene about a married couple running from a bear with nothing but a can of mace-like spray for defense doesn’t look like four-star entertainment, but the movie was a lot more enjoyable than I’d suspected, and quite sweet.

The ending is – I hope I’m not ruining it for everyone -  a happy one – for similar reasons as listed above. 

Have any of you found stress to be a detractor in the whole baby-making process?

If so, what did you do (besides the obvious), to help thesituation?

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Age 7, wearing a training bra, beginning to get acne, starting her period. 

It’s way too soon, and disturbing.

We’re talking about 1st and 2nd grade!!!

Study suggests girls are hitting puberty earlier than ever, with some big (not-so-good) consequences.

Perhaps you read or heard the study released yesterday by the journal Pediatrics, which studied 1,239 young girls ages 6 to 8 from New York, Ohio and California.  

The group was about 30 percent each white, black and Hispanic, and about 5 percent Asian.

The study found that at 7 years, 10.4 percent of white, 23.4 percent of black and 14.9 percent of Hispanic girls had enough breast growth to be classified as experiencing the onset of puberty.

One year later at age 8, the figures were 18.3 percent in whites, 42.9 percent in blacks and 30.9 percent in Hispanics.

The amount of black and white girls experiencing early puberty grew from the amount found in a groundbreaking 1997 study, which was the first to state that puberty was occurring earlier in girls.

In other words, the study suggests the problem is getting worse.

This isn’t just troubling because of the emotional and social implications of developing before other girls in your grade. 

(I mean, junior high is traumatic enough when it comes to dealing with who’s wearing a training bra and who’s not, etc.)

Imagine having to deal with that in 1st or 2nd grade!

Doctors are concerned, because studies show early puberty can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer and uterine cancer, possibly because it means more time for the body to be exposed to hormones estrogen and progesterone, which can encourage some tumors.

This recent study doesn’t name a cause, though there is speculation obesity, which increases the amount of estrogen in the body, could have something to do with it.

Also, some point to environmental factors, like pesticides, pthalates (in some products with fragrances and plastics), BPA (in some plastics), and hormone-injected food – like milk, eggs, and meat.

One other concern: if girls look like young women, they will be treated like young women. 

Meaning, early pregnancy and sexually-transmitted disease could play a role.

Has this issue been on your radar?  Are you just finding out about it now?

Do you watch what your daughters eat more carefully?  Or the products they use?

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It’s in almost every product we eat.

From ketchup to bread to chocolate milk to yogurt, high fructose corn syrup is a favorite sweetener in the food industry.

Study shows the sweetener has some not-so-sweet effects.

But UCLA just released a study finding fructose, which commonly shows up in our diets as high fructose corn syrup, caused pancreatic cancer cells to divide and grow more quickly.

Here is the story we read on the air yesterday:

“A popular sweetener is now being linked to faster growth of cancer cells.

In our typical diet,  fructose is found mostly in sodas and other food labeled as ‘high fructose corn syrup’.

UCLA researchers say that in lab studies, fructose caused pancreatic cancer cells to divide and grow more quickly.

The Corn Refiners Association, which represents the fructose industry, points out the study was done in the lab with cells, not inside the human body.

According to background information in the study, Americans’ consumption of high fructose corn syrup increased more than 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990.

High fructose corn syrup isn’t the only source of fructose, which is also found in table sugar and some kinds of fruit and vegetables.”

Yet another reason to read labels, and consider eating as many “whole foods” as we can.

My cousin, whose young husband has cancer, told me about this site, GreenSmoothieGirl.com, which encourages people to not get overwhelmed, but take one step a month for 12 months to improve their family’s health.

She encourages this by changing to a whole-food diet.

The smoothies are actually pretty good.  I recently started making them, and my husband and I both feel good when we drink them.  (I am not receiving any benefit for mentioning this site.)

Is this the first time you’re hearing about the concern over high fructose corn syrup? 

Do you want to make changes in your family’s diet?

Have you already made changes?

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Recently, one of my friends announced she was expecting her 4th child.

The next week, her shoulder-length hair was chopped to ear-level.

“The baby’s coming,” she explained.

What is easier - long or short?

Is that the rule?  Is shorter hair really easier to care for than medium or longer hair?

At a recent hair appointment, my stylist said, “Let’s keep it longer, you’re a mom now, and it’s so nice to be able to pull it back if you want to.”

Directly opposing views.

I’ve had long hair before (mid-back length) as well as really short hair.  I’m not so sure shorter hair is easier.

What do you think?  Do you prefer long or short or medium hair with kids?

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Move over Emma, Olivia takes the crown.

At least in Iowa she does.

For boys, Ethan remains king.

Nationally, Isabella and Jacob reign supreme. 

How did we all get on a similar cosmic vibe?

Could Twilight have anything to do with that, I wonder?

The Social Security Administration’s 2009 list of popular names is out.

I have a close friend and a cousin named Olivia, both are in their 30′s and are used to having unique names. 

Now they have many different “namesakes” running around their ankles.

My parents-in-law thought they were being unique when they chose Jason for their firstborn.

“I went to his first well-baby check-up, and found out three other babies in the waiting room were also Jason,” my mother-in-law said.

How is it that we all get on a similar cosmic vibe?

Some names I liked years ago and didn’t tell anyone are now some of the most popular.  Very interesting…

What are your feelings on names?

Do you try to be unique, or do you like classic names?

Adventurous, or traditional?

I have a friend who just named his daughter Juniper.  That’s a new one.

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As if parents needed another thing to worry about.

Now city officials in the southeastern Iowa town of Wellman (population approximately 1,400) urge parents to not give infants under the age of six months tap water because of high nitrate levels.

Boiling water will not help, either. 

Why are nitrates dangerous?

One town warns parents not to give tap water to babies because of dangerous nitrate levels.

They can convert into nitrites in the mouth, eventually absorb into the bloodstream, and can combine with hemoglobin in the blood to form a blue tinge called methemoglobin.

When methemoglobin is in the blood, it can reduce the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.

This condition can be particularly dangerous in babies, even causing “blue baby syndrome,” which can be deadly.

The Department of Natural Resources encourages pregnant and nursing women to avoid water with high nitrate levels as well.

Floods have hit the town of Wellman, which have affected its waste water treatment plant. 

There is a federal law called the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA). 

It requires industries that use large amounts of toxic chemicals to report them.

You can contact your local water utility or the Community Right-to-Know Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 for more information.

A few months after having a baby, I installed a water purifier in my kitchen – it’s not fancy or expensive, but it’s supposed to greatly reduce chlorine and nitrates (at least I think so – I need to go home and check!).

Do you think about the quality of water your children drink? 

What steps have you taken, if any, to ensure high water quality?

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