Blog Posts by SheSpeaks

With the growing rate of childhood obesity in this country, active video games may seem like the perfect fix for kids who would rather sit in front of the television than play sports. But a recent study shows that video games that encourage movement may not be as effective as we'd like to think.

The study, released in the journal Pediatrics and reported about in the Los Angeles Times, suggests that having active video games available to the kids in your home may not actually help your kids get active and healthy.

The children involved in the study were divided into two groups with one group given two active video games to use over a period of 13 weeks and the other were allowed inactive video games. The children were not told how long and often they should play the games. The children's activity was measured throughout the 13 weeks and in the end there was no difference in levels of activity noted in either group.

The allure of the active game seems to be the hope that

We're all probably guilty of it...judging another mom's parenting style just because it happens to be a little different than ours. But do we let differing parenting styles come between what could otherwise be a good friendship?

A recent report by Kim Brown Reiner from Today Moms discusses how moms often find lasting friendship a difficult thing to muster when they disagree on how to raise kids.

Reiner writes about an experience she had at her son's play date when the other mom was offended after Reiner offered cookies to the children. The other mom's strict no sugar or TV rules seemed to stand in the way of a possible friendship between the two. Reiner explains, "And while I breastfed both of my children for months, I have to admit, when I later found out she was still nursing her 3-year-old I realized we weren't destined to become best friends."

The real problem can start when moms with different parenting styles offer each other unwanted advice or question certain

Many of us have probably thanked the makeup gods on those mornings when we roll out of bed to find we don't quite recognize the tired eyes staring back in the mirror. But what if you feel this way every morning? Jezebel reports about a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Renfrew Center Foundation that shows nearly half of us, 44 percent, feel negatively about ourselves when not wearing makeup.

Makeup is so mainstream in our culture that many women feel naked if they go even one day without it. And who can blame them when we hear about a scientific study suggesting women who wear makeup are perceived by others to be more competent, likeable, and trustworthy.

There have been some efforts in recent years to encourage women to ditch the lipstick every once in a while. SheSpeaks reported about a trend known as "Makeup Free Mondays" where women were challenged to come to work au natural once a week. The idea is that going makeup-free every once in a

As cell phones have now become a way of life, many of us are canceling our landline service in an effort to save money. A recent Bankrate report discusses how popular it has become for us to opt out of landline service and rely solely on cell phones.

A National Center for Health Statistics study recently reported that more than 26 percent of Americans go without a landline telephone in their homes and instead use cell service only.

As we all tighten our belts and whittle our monthly budgets down to what's necessary, the question of whether we should continue paying for a landline service often comes up.

A lot of us are paying for landline service as part of a TV, internet, phone package and think we are saving money this way. But you may not actually be saving as much as you think. Tech analyst Jeff Kagan estimates that we could save anywhere from $180 to $480 a year just by getting rid of the extra cost of a landline.

But even with the savings, some feel that

No one can forget the incident just three years ago when Chris Brown was arrested for domestic abuse and battery against his then girlfriend, Rihanna. Since then Rihanna has distanced herself from Brown and seemingly got on with her life and career. But now, as rumors swirl about the prospects of Rihanna and Chris Brown reigniting their romance after a recent musical collaboration, TMZ reports that friends from both sides are trying their best to stymie the pair's reunion.

Though our lives and relationships are not as closely followed and documented as Rihanna's, some of us may know what it's like to witness a close friend about to make, what you believe to be, a huge mistake.

It can be tough to give relationship advice to a friend just to watch her go off and do exactly the opposite of what you think is best for her. Even though you realize that everyone has to make their own mistakes (sometimes twice) you hate to see close friends suffer through unhealthy

Tricia Wehner is a blogger who shares her thoughts with us at SheSpeaks

On March 30th, 2012, Facebook has decided that we all will have a new page layout.

I don't know how I feel about this. I am still recovering from the change in my personal Facebook page. I am aware that sometimes change is good, and it may even help some fan pages to thrive, but I also believe that people should have a choice in what interface they are comfortable with. I personally am not of fan of being forced to change; it just "ain't constitutional", lol. And...it's almost enough to make a person want to switch websites. ALMOST.

I will admit, that while I don't like being forced to change, I have adapted to the new "Timeline" layout and some of its features. I am even beginning to like them. So, maybe the Fan Page will be a change for the better. My question to you is, what do you think about the new changes to come? Are you "Yay-ing" or Nay-ing"? Let's discuss!

Go to SheSpeaks.com to

January was "International Coffee Gourmet Month" and many of our members had reason to celebrate. A recent SheSpeaks poll finds that almost 45% of us enjoy several mugs throughout the day and about 24% of us will start our day with just one cup.

Whether you are a coffee lover or just have an occasional cup, you've probably heard conflicting health studies on whether the caffeinated beverage is beneficial or not. From heart health to mental health, researchers always have something new to say about consuming coffee.

One of the latest studies coming from the National Institutes of Health suggests women who drink coffee may see some fluctuation in their hormone levels. A recent New York Times report discusses how coffee may affect women depending on their race.

Researchers found that Asian women who drink 200 milligrams of coffee (about 2 cups) or more had higher levels of estrogen than women who drank less. Black women saw a similar rise in estrogen levels though not

Jennifer Franklin is a blogger who shares her thoughts with us at SheSpeaks

February 4 th , 2012 is Thank A Mail Carrier Day. This is perfect timing for people like me who had the best of intentions in wanting to give their mail carrier a little something extra around the holidays, but just didn't get it done.

I know that many people have the argument that since delivering mail is a mail carrier's job that they don't need anything extra. With the volume of freebies, online orders, and regular mail that I receive, I think that doing a little something extra is nice. Plus, I've had the same mail carrier the entire six years that I've been living in this house.

Doing a little something extra for your mail carrier doesn't have to be a budget buster. Gifts such as cookies, spices, hot cocoa, are all inexpensive and nice.

Here's what I decided to do this year: Thanks to some pre-Christmas fundraisers, we have a ton of microwave popcorn in our house right now. I grabbed