Blog Posts by GALTime.com

By Associate Producer Natalie Perkins, GalTime.com

When I was younger, like just about every other kid, I begged and pleaded with my parents to get us a dog. The non-stop whining, begging, and bargaining continued until one day, when I was ten years old, my mom brought home our dog Lily from the pound.

She was white, brown, and black, adorable, and incessantly itching. Turns out, she had an allergy. I had never thought about animals having allergies, but it is actually something that is very common.

Related: Is Sleeping with Your Pet a Good Idea?

Dr. Alison Flynn-Lurie, a veterinary dermatologist at Miami Veterinary Specialists, says pets --both dogs and cats-- get many of the same types of allergies we get… and pet owners need to be on the lookout for the sniffly, scratchy signs!


Types of Allergies

Pollen/Mold: Just like you and I can get the sniffles in the spring and fall when there's lots of pollen in the air, our furry friends can experience skin irritation from things

By Signe Whitson for GalTime.com

Avoid passive-aggressive behavior in your relationship. One of my favorite stories about passive aggressive behavior in a marriage goes like this:

"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding the items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. "So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked. "No," she replied, "but my husband refused to go shopping with me and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."

In relationships, passive aggressive behaviors are often used to avoid the direct confrontation of short-term conflict, but in the long-term, these dynamics can be even more destructive to marriage than outright aggression. To keep assertive communication flowing in your relationship, here are four strategies to effectively confront passive aggressive behavior:

1. Recognize the Warning Signs of Passive Aggression Behavior

Passive aggression is a deliberate and masked way of

By GalTime's Consumer Watchdog Mary Schwager

February is THE time to shop!Now that Valentine's Day is over LOTS of stuff is going on sale. There's the obvious: Jewelry, chocolate and lingerie, but you won't believe the great deals you can get on stuff now, you may even want to make the most out of those holiday gift cards you got by shopping now!

Electronics can be cheaper, models go on sale as newer models come in-like the whole iPhone explosion right now.

"I love February for discounts. Coats are finally coming down in price and toys are deeply discounted if still on the shelves. I've walked into Target in February and scored toys for 75-90% off!" That shopping advice from a mom who likes to save, Vickie Smith.

What else can you save on? We asked the experts!


Tiffany Aliche, financial consultant also known as the Budgetnista says:

Now's the time to score some furniture!FURNITURE: Stores know that you'll be spring cleaning soon and will want to clear out the old designs to make room for the new. They start discounting in February. Why

By Author Holly Lefevre for GalTime.com

Keep the romance alive!You met. You dated. You fell in love. He proposed (or maybe you did!). You started planning a wedding… and suddenly found yourself wondering WHY. Screech! Stop! What!?

As couples plan they all too often let the wedding details take precedent over the relationship. Once upon a time, there were dinner dates, texts to say "I love you," and hand holding.

But, now, dinner means menu tastings, texts are sent to the wedding planner, and hand holding is out of the question - a bride's hands are full of clipboards, wedding notebooks, and smart phones.

A couple's life can be quickly overtaken by the world of weddings. The last thing you want is for one of you to feel neglected, while the other feels "he just doesn't care!" Each and every couple needs to make their relationship a priority to avoid feelings of burn out, frustration, and exasperation. Take a moment. Take a breath. Take time to make some magic that has nothing to do with

By Erin Palinski RD, CDE, LDN, CPT for GalTime.com

Obesity among teens and kids have tripled!Since 1980, the prevalence of obesity among children and teens has tripled. Although programs are being implemented across the country to help combat this epidemic, it seems that our children's waistlines are continuing to expand.

But is this obesity crisis caused solely by the foods our children are eating, or is there more to it? We asked some of our nation's top pediatric obesity experts what other factors may be putting your child at risk.

Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep can drastically increase obesity risk according to Vandana Sheth, RD, CDE, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, "even when adjusted for other factors, the relationship between reduced sleep and increased BMI remains strong."

In fact, one report found obesity risk to be four times greater in children who skimped on sleep! And just trying to cram in more sleep on weekends isn't the answer. Dr. Jenn

By GalTime Nerd Chick Andrea Eldridge

It's better to be safe than sorry. If your tech-savvy significant other bought you a shiny new gadget for Valentine's Day, it can be a great opportunity to spread the love of tech and donate or sell an older device that you no longer need.

But before you wave goodbye to that old gadget, keep in mind that most electronic items contain a wealth of personal information that you want to ensure doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Whether you're giving your old MP3 player to your teenager, donating your laptop to Goodwill, or selling your old Smartphone on eBay, be sure that you take a few steps to wipe your data off the device before you fire it off into the world, Cupid-style, for someone else to fall in love with.



Wiping the Slate Clean

If you're passing along a hand-me-down computer or laptop to a trusted family member, performing a backup (to transfer your data to the new system), formatting the hard drive, and reinstalling windows is the easiest way to return

By Juddeth-Morgahn Miller, GalTime.com

Rent the RunwayThis time of year is what I like to call "Annual Season." You know, the season when your job, organization, or girls group has that "annual" function you have to be dressed to impress to attend.
They're usually back to back and you hate dropping dough on a major label for each one. Well I, gal pals, have found a solution! RENT THE RUNWAY. Get the latest designer dresses for a steal, wear it, and return it! Check out my Q & A with co-founder Jenn Hyman.

GalTime: Where exactly did you get the idea to start Rent The Runway?

Jenn Hyman: In 2007, my co-founder Jenny Fleiss and I met as sectionmates at Harvard Business School, where over frequent girls' night, we became fast friends. During a trip home for Thanksgiving, I watched my sister Becky struggle with a "closet full of clothes and nothing to wear" moment.

Becky had an upcoming wedding and wanted something gorgeous to wear but her modest salary meant that everything

By Danielle Miller, GalTime.com

Nothing new here!Are your kids getting enough sleep? Many parents and pediatric healthcare professionals are asking themselves this question on a daily basis.

A study by The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that this question and our need to ask it is nothing new. Researchers find that we, as a society, are consistently concerned about the insufficient amount of sleep our children are getting while being unable to identify a norm or find a solution.

According to details outlined in the study: "These enduring concerns have spawned a number of attempts at formulating recommendations on appropriate sleep durations for children and adolescents, dating as far back as 1897….Despite growing concerns, few studies have aimed to determine how much sleep children actually need to provide an evidence base for these recommendations."

Related: Dealing with Your Child's Bedtime Personality

The Study

Using academic search engines, researches