Blog Posts by Babble.com

5 Old-School Sports that are Making a ComebackBetween The Hunger Games, Pixar's upcoming Brave, and Marvel's The Avengers, archery is making a comeback (despite the fact that it's been here for years). All of the films (and the books that may have preceded them) feature a hero whose chosen weapon is the bow and arrow.

Two of the three heroes are teenage girls (The Hunger Games, Brave), which has already started a firestorm of kids enrolling in archery programs - archery is going to be huge. The Washington Post reported that sales of archery bows have gone up, and the buzz created with characters like Katniss Everdeen, Brave's Merida, and Hawkeye from The Avengers is only going to get bigger as the 2012 Summer Olympics loom.

Related: 10 things to consider before enrolling your kid in activities

"This is our year," said Jim MacQuarrie, a writer at Wired.com's GeekDad and a certified archery instructor at Roving Archers in Pasadena, CA. "This is archery's year."

Jim was standing next to me on the campus of Pixar Animation Studios

7 tips to help your kids deal with rejectionThere have been two incidents lately in our household and the lives of our children that have caused us to pause and wonder if we are doing the right thing as far as our kids are concerned.

First, my son was not invited to a birthday party of a boy that he considered his friend. They played together for the past three years and have been in each other's classes as well. My son likes the kid, and they talk occasionally at school although they do not have the same teacher this year.

My son was a little surprised that he wasn't invited to his birthday party but seemed to get over it quickly. He mentioned it in passing and then never brought it up again, so I let it go.

Related: 10 things to consider before enrolling your kid in activities

Then my daughter experienced a rejection of her own recently. She had somewhat of a hard time handling it, but it was a great learning experience for her.

Her school puts on a play for each grade every year, and they are required to try out. This

Let's face it: going green is expensive. Buying only organic, natural, sustainable, eco-friendly products typically costs more money. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. Well, we've done the research and discovered a ton of quality beauty buys for less than $10 - from cleansers to make-up to hair products. Take a look at our top 8 favorites:

Burt's Bees Essentials Kit1. Burt's Bees Essential Burt's Bees Kit, $9.99
Get a Burt's Bees sample pack (including lip balm, hand salve, foot cream, deep cleansing cream, and body lotion) for under $10!
Buy this kit
















Tarte Vitamin Core Lipstick2. Tarte Vitamin Core Lipstick, $8
Although this healthier, more eco-friendly lipstick only comes in one color (revive-deep rose), it's infused with ingredients like grape seed extract (to increase elastin production), vitamin A, vitamin C, acai extract (to promote cell regeneration and smooth skin), chamomile extract (to heal dry skin), and antioxidants. And like all Tarte products, you won't find any questionable chemicals.
Buy this lipstick












Related: The

5 reasons you don't want a pet sugar gliderWhen it comes to owning pets, people who live in cities are at a disadvantage. If you're lucky enough to find a place that allows dogs, it will probably be expensive. Cats can be cuddly company, but litter boxes tend to stink up a room. How about something a little more exotic, but still apartment-friendly? Why not…let's say, a sugar glider? What's that you say? You don't know what a sugar glider is? Essentially, sugar gliders (also known as sugar bears) are gliding possums originally from Australia. Gliding possums are similar to flying squirrels. They're extremely tiny creatures with long tails, adorable bug eyes and wing-like flaps.

Related: 9 adorable animal photos that will melt your heart

Some people are delighted by the thought of coming home, plopping down on the couch and having a tiny critter glide down from the rafters and rest on their shoulder. They're not legal in every state; however, for the states that do allow them, sugar gliders are surprisingly becoming very

Bug SprayThe warmer weather is upon us, and with it comes quite possibly one of its only drawbacks: BUGS. While some bugs are fun for kids to catch and are pretty to look at, like fireflies and ladybugs, others are just down-right nuisances, especially mosquitoes and ticks. So what's the best way to keep these critters away without harming your family's health? It's not with that can of DEET-laden bug spray.

According to Duke University Medical Center pharmacologist Mohammed Abou Donia, DEET should never be used on an infant because "their skin is too thin to provide an adequate barrier against absorption, and their systems cannot metabolize drugs and chemicals as well as an older child or an adult." Abou Donia further warns that DEET-containing products should never be used with medications - even something as common as an antihistamine - because of the risk of toxic and long-term side effects, like destruction of brain cells, muscle coordination, memory loss, and joint pain. YIKES!

Related:

Angry ManWhat's good for the gander, is good for the goose, no?

After reading Devan's "14 Things Husbands Shouldn't Say to Wives" post last week, I felt it was only right to serve up the story from the other side of the bed.

First thing you should notice is that while you're being a boss with 14 rules for us, we're a little more laid back, with only 10 stipulations that could set us off.


Related: 14 things you should never say to a woman


So, ladies, here's your medicine, with 7 things you should never say to the man in your life:

Pretty GirlHow do I look? Be honest
Do you really want my honest response? I'll tell you, and chances are you're not going to like it. You're the one reading the fashion magazines, you're the one who knows that cork heels are on trend or whatever. I'm watching sports. If you're happy with what you're wearing, I'm happy with what you're wearing - now let's go out.















GameIs the game almost over?
Chances are if you're asking me this, the game has gone on for a long time. It's

5 Other Sources of Vitamin CMy daughter is a huge fan of her daily orange juice, but sometimes I'm not in the mood for such a sweet drink early in the morning. The good news is that many other foods are high in immunity-boosting vitamin C. Here are 5 non-citrus ways to get your daily dose.









Broccoli 1. Broccoli Here's another reason to eat broccoli: The green vegetable has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C you'll find in the produce section.
Make broccoli nuggets







Papayas 2. Papayas Gorgeous papayas are deliciously high in vitamin C and can be shredded and used in salads or hollowed out and used as bowls.
Make a papaya breakfast bowl












Related: 10 iron-rich foods that aren't meat


Bell Peppers 3. Bell Peppers Get your vitamins at dinner! Red bell peppers are packed with vitamin C and make fabulous savory sides or main courses.
Make stuffed bell peppers








Strawberries 4. Strawberries Believe it or not, strawberries have the most vitamin C of all, even more than oranges. Your family can enjoy them on their own or in fun recipes.
Make stuffed

Instilling Vivi's love of sports at a very young ageWithout sports I would not be where I am today; therefore, my daughters will definitely participate in sports. There are at least three areas of my life that have greatly benefited from my involvement on sports teams: my family relationships, my work ethic, and my social abilities. Those are all areas in which I want my daughters to have every advantage, and being part of a team will help them gain exactly that.

Related: 10 things to consider before enrolling your kid in activities

My dad and I spent many Sunday afternoons watching various football and basketball games. These games are memories that I cherish and will never forget. Every spring, summer, and fall, my dad and I would finish the yard work and head to the driveway where we would play a few hours of basketball one-on-one. The games were competitive, but never heated. It was good quality one-on-one time that I got to spend with my dad, one-on-one time that many of my neighborhood friends did not get to spend with their