Category Archives: News

The LIVESTRONG Wristband (To Wear Or Not To Wear) And Using Lance Armstrong’s Doping Defeat As An Example For Our Kids

New posts, News,

My husband has been wearing a yellow ‘LIVESTRONG’ bracelet for years.  What does it stand for you ask?

Since the inception of the yellow LIVESTRONG wristband in 2004, awareness bracelets have become ubiquitous.There are silicone and rubber bracelets for every type of cancer, various diseases and ailments, and even political and social causes. They come in different colors and have slogans on them that correspond to the cause they represent. Other bracelets for cancer that have appeared are beaded bracelets.  Read more about the LIVESTRONG wristband here.

Here’s a little background on the doping situation.  In August, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that it had disqualified Lance Armstrong for his use of performance-enhancing drugs. His Tour de France victories were canceled, and he was banned from further competition in all Olympic sports. The agency announced that it would soon release its “reasoned decision,” which it did on October 10.

Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG and doping
Photo source : CNN

Before the doping decision, Lance Armstrong said that he would not respond to any decision given by the Anti-Doping Agency as he was putting cycling behind him and moving on with his life promoting the fight against cancer. There is a bit of back story in that itself though, because that is not what appears to have happened.

Yesterday, October 17th, Lance Armstrong stepped down as head of the foundation.  That is a response if there ever was one, in my opinion.

While decisions about Lance’s fate are not firm it is clear that all of this doping drama has and will affect his cycling career and even his past medals that he’s received.

I ask myself, how do we explain this to our son’s and daughter’s who look to Lance Armstrong as a hero? Until Lance accepts defeat and denies innocence, it’s hard to explain anything and therefore I believe that judgement should not be made.. yet.

If more evidence is found and if he does in fact deny innocence, then I will talk to my teenage son about what Lance did that was wrong and how it affected his life and career.

It is being said that

Everything that Lance Armstrong has done means nothing now

and that

Cancer survivors conflicted between inspiration he provided and shame of doping scandal

 

Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG wristband bracelet
Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG wristband bracelet

Back to the LIVESTRONG wristband.  

My husband told me yesterday that despite Lance Armstrong’s recent unofficial defeat against doping and being dropped by Nike, and stepping down as head of the foundation, he will still wear the LIVESTRONG wristband he’s worn for years. The yellow LIVESTRONG wristband my husband wears is to build awareness about Bladder cancer, sarcoma and bone cancer.

I stand by his decision although I would like to think that if Lance Armstrong is found guilty (with evidence) of doping, that my husband would find a different way to help build awareness of cancer than to wear a wristband that might possibly support financially, someone who has lied and taken drugs to defeat others.  If it weren’t for the idea that Lance might be supported in any way by these wristbands, I have NO issue with anyone wearing these wristbands that build cancer awareness.

 

Lance Armstrong News

What do you think about Lance Armstrong’s doping situation?
Have your kids asked about doping?
What have you said?

A Bunch of Crap: Bill O’Reilly says “Whitney Houston Wanted to Kill Herself”

Celebrity Moms, New posts, News,

Whitney Houston Bill O'Reilly

Bill O’Reilly made what I consider to be a very disrepectful statement about singer Whitney Houston, only two days after her body was discovered in a hotel room.

During a segment on “The O’Reilly Factor” Monday, Bill O’Reilly stated that because Whitney Houston was taking so many medications, she was “trying to kill herself”.  WHAT?  He also said that “doctors were to blame for willingly prescribing her so many medications.”

“Whitney Houston wanted to kill herself. Nobody takes drugs for that long if they want to stay on the planet.”

Watch the segment when Bill O’Reilly makes this statement, below:

 

My thoughts on Bill O’Reilly’s comment and drug abuse/use:

  • I believe that the majority of people who abuse drugs are NOT trying to kill themselves – Do you agree or disagree?  Please share your opinion in the comments below.
  • Drug addicts general take drugs to feel better, not to feel worse, or to die.
  • In a perfect world, doctors would consider a patients medical history and current perscriptions before prescribing medications but as we all know, that is not the case.

Whitney may have been depressed, like many people, but I strongly disagree with Mr. O’Reilly’s statement that she ‘wanted to kill herself’.  Or Whitney Houston may have been using drugs for recreational purposes, which I do not condone but it’s a possibility, right?

What do you think about O’Reilly’s statement?

The End of Lapchild? What are your thoughts on the Lapchild?

News, Travel, ,

Budget Travel Magazine recently reported on The National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation that all passengers, including children under the age of two, have their own seats on planes. This means infants would no longer be allowed to sit in their parents laps, and they would no longer fly for free.
Here is an excerpt from the story:

The NTSB released its official recommendation to FAA earlier this week, listing numerous occasions when airplane passenger injuries and fatalities could have been minimized by the use of restraint devices (i.e. seatbelts). Oddly enough, many of the examples listed involve passengers over the age of 2, who would not qualify as lapchildren.

What do you think?

  • For the safety of everyone, should the lapchild be banned?  Yes or no?
  • Should parents be required to buy seats for infants and toddlers, and secure them either in car seats (which often don’t fit in a cramped plane), or in an over-the-shoulder CARES restraint device (which are designed for kids weighing 22 to 44 pounds)?
  • Should the airlines be forced to make some provisions for the safety of kids, perhaps even by offering special seatbelts for tiny travelers?

View more on this story here on Budget Travel Magazine.

My thoughts on the Lapchild

I prefer to have Madelyn in a car seat when flying.  I feel like she’s safer being strapped in via a 5-point harness than on my lap.  I’m not confident that I would be able to hold on to Madelyn and keep her from flying out of my arms, hitting her head, or falling, in the case that we hit severe turbulence.. or worse.  I’d rather save up and pay for an extra airplane ticket/seat than take the risk of Madelyn not being as safe as I think she could be during a flight.

Thank you to Lisa from Budget Travel Magazine for the heads up on this story.

List of Flash Sale Websites and INVITE Links For YOU!

New posts, News, Sample Sales,

Whenever you see this icon – that means that it is an invitation link!  Click here to jump to the online flash sale website list.

Parents are always looking for ways to save money and shopping at Target and Old Navy seems to be the thing for a lot of moms these days.  However, we still need to maintain style and uniqueness via ours and our kids wardrobes and accessories, right?  Buying clothing and accessories from online flash sale websites is a great way to build yours and your kids wardrobe without spending a fortune… and gets you away from Target and Old Navy every once in a while.

Online flash sale websites including Gilt, Rue La La , and ideeli offer exclusive sales on top brand name fashions at scheduled times.

Online Flash Sale facts:

  • Most flash sale websites are by invitation only – we are giving out invitations below!
  • Once you are a member of the flash sale website, you will receive emails to alert you of upcoming sales.
  • Most online flash sales last for a 24-48 hours
  • Some Sample Sale sites offer just women’s and men’s clothing and home goods but some offer brand-name and designer children’s clothes and toys
  • Most sample sale websites feature select styles from high-end designers and luxury brands.
  • YOU MUST HURRY ONCE A SALE BEGINS! – The keyword here is FLASH, which means that these sites don’t have dozens of each item in stock therefore you must add items to your cart quickly or the items you want may be gone before you know it!

I’ve found some adorable items at online sample sale sites like super cute socks for Madelyn at Gilt Group, Cynthia Rowley sunglasses down from $150 to $49 at Rue La La (for me of course), and HauteLook had a big SIGG kids sale event during which I bought a few SIGG bottles for my family.  Click here to sign up for HauteLook.

Do flash site websites offer kids stuff?

Some flash sale websites feature only well known designer and luxury brands for women and men but some including Gilt have a section just for Children’s items where they feature the most adorable items that you might not otherwise find or buy because of their originally high prices.  The flash sale sites on which I have found the most children’s items are Gilt and HauteLook.

Flash and Sample Sale Website Invitation Links:

Gilt 

Rue La La

ideeli

Hautelook

Editors’ Closet

Beyond the Rack

Zulily

Tropicana Juicy Rewards Program – What did I get with my points this week?

Health, New posts, News, Personal, , , ,

Orange juice is a staple in our refrigerator.  We go through a couple of gallons of orange juice a week and now because I am a Tropicana Juicy Insider, we get reward points just for enjoying something we already buy and love.  How great is that?  You too can be a Tropicana Juicy Insider, free!

Here’s how it works:

  • I buy the same Tropicana products as always..Tropicana, Tropicana Pure Premium and Tropicana Trop50 products.
    Eligible Tropicana products feature the Tropicana Juicy Rewards logo and a 10-character unique code under the cap or on the promotional package. Each specially-marked package is worth a pre-determined number of points. Upon entering the 10-character unique code, my Tropicana Juicy Insider account is credited the appropriate number of points.
  • To participate, you must set up a free account on the Tropicana website (www.tropicana.com). Each time you buy specially-marked Tropicana, Tropicana Pure Premium or Tropicana Trop50 products, you can either text your code to TROPOJ (876765) or enter it on the Tropicana Juicy Rewards website.
  • The corresponding points will be entered into your account on the Tropicana Juicy Rewards website. The more codes you enter, the more points you accrue. You can then search and redeem these points for fantastic savings on thousands of great offers including discounted admissions to theme parks, museums, aquariums and zoos, great gear and supplies and much more to help you squeeze more out of life.

A few companies that have  teamed up with Tropicana are Coleman (awesome camping gear!), Adidas, and Harras Resorts and now through March 31st, Tropicana  is running a sweepstakes with Harrahs Resorts.  You can win a fabulous trip to one of four Harrahs locations.  All you do is visit www.tropicana.com to sign up. It is free to become a a part of the Tropicana Juicy Insider program. If you use code MOMCE-NTRAL immediately after signing up, you will automatically receive 1 point to get you started on your earnings. 1 point may not seem like a lot, but when donated it will help to save 33 1/3 sq. ft. of Rainforest through Tropicana’s Rescue the Rainforest campaign.

I redeemed 4 points to get $10 + free shipping on this Adidas Cambridge Watch and donated 3 points to save 100 sq. ft. of rain forest

Over the next 3 months I will be sharing my experiences with you on how Tropicana’s Juicy Insider Program is helping to save my family money.  So far, I redeemed 4 points and saved $10 on this beautiful Adidas Cambridge Watch and I donated 3 points to save 100 square feet of rain forest.

Follow Tropicana Juicy Rewards on:

“I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.”