I'm not playing the "I like it…" game on Facebook this year. I didn't play the bra color game last October either. Not because I don't believe in Breast Cancer Awareness, quite the opposite in fact.

I believe in doing it the right way.

Last year the game seemed silly to me even before reading Susan Nieber 's- aka Why Mommy - post on the subject. Then it seemed downright cruel. People were trying to raise awareness for a cause by flaunting the very thing that women who were in the thick of that issue could no longer use - bras. Most women who have had mastectomies no longer wear bras, so, as a whole, they felt shut out of this viral campaign. Ironic? Right?

This year the campaign tries to be more inclusive by focusing on purses instead of bras. But at the end of the day the issue is a bit the same. Breast cancer isn't funny.

Susan Nieber once again wrote a post decrying the point of this campaign, this time she posted it at Salon.com. She wants to know why people are joking around

Read More »from User Post: How About Some Real Breast Cancer Awareness?

This weekend I walked 60 miles in 3 Days at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. Energizer invited me to be their Keep Going Blogger for the San Francisco event, and I agreed because I thought it would be a great opportunity to raise awareness through my blog. I walked to honor my aunt, who is a breast cancer survivor. I walked to honor my grandmother, who survived breast cancer before she passed away. I walked to honor my grandmother's sisters and their daughters, who have all had breast cancer. I walked in memory of a high school friend, who passed away from breast cancer when she was only in her twenties. And I walked in the hope that my daughter, The Pea, will never have to worry about getting breast cancer, ever.


After walking 60 miles, I walked away thinking it wasn't enough. I can donate money to the cause, and I have -- but I'm not rich, I can't donate thousands of dollars. My friends and family aren't rich either, so I can only ask them to donate so much. But I have time, I

Read More »from 31 Days of Pink

by Tina Case of Parentgrapevine

Every now and then I have a bout of insomnia. Things are swirling in my mind about work. So I lay in bed, and what do I do? I pull out the iPad on my nightstand and read. Or play a game. Or, as I did this morning, I see who's on Facebook at that crazy hour with me.

It turned out in the wee hours this morning I logged on to Facebook and the very first post I read was from a friend about 40 miles north of my house. Her post read: "If anyone is up, PLEASE call 911 for me! My phone isn't working and I think someone is in my house!!!

My first instinct was to wonder if this was a scam. You read about these folks that hack into your Facebook account and plea for you to send money. But this was different, it only asked whoever was reading her wall at this crazy hour to get help, NOW!

I tried to call her home number. The line was busy. So I called 911 on my cell phone which I keep on my nightstand and was connected to her county

Read More »from Facebook to the Rescue: When You Can't Call 911

I'm joining Mom Generations, Mommies with Style, Classy Mommy and Lady and the Blog and helping to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. For all 31 days of October, we're wearing something pink.

I'm going to try to check in on my blog, Just Precious, each day to share my pink.


Join in!

I heard third hand that my 3 year old daughter was exposed to whooping cough (pertussis). She was at a play group with a fully vaccinated child, who was diagnosed with the highly contagious infection a few days later. I was totally unprepared for what was to come, because my daughter is also vaccinated against pertussis. Here are 6 things to consider if this happens to you.

1. Figuring out the symptoms: The child had a very mild cough that the mother dismissed as a common cold. A well exam and test later revealed that it was indeed whooping cough. If this mother missed it, then it's likely that I could. I called our pediatrician to ask what symptoms I should be looking for. If a child is vaccinated and contracts whooping cough, they may not cough with the "whoop" that is characteristic of the illness. It might be a very mild cough with no fever and may behave like a mild common cold.

2. Exposure = immediate doctor visit: Because of the close contact my daughter had with this

Read More »from User post: 6 Things to Consider if Your Vaccinated Child is Exposed to Whooping Cough

It's funny, September has always felt a lot more like the beginning of the year to me than January. There's something about summer coming to an end, the evenings growing crisp and the start of a new school year that fill me with hope, excitement and-quite honestly-a bit of anxiety.

Since I only have one kid in preschool, I certainly don't feel the pressure of back-to-school shopping lists, impending homework assignments or endless volunteer sign-up sheets like many moms do. But I can't help but feel my heart tug as I send my son off into the world with a new teacher, new classmates and new opportunities to learn and gain independence.

Our family has just a week until school starts and I'm realizing I need to kick into high gear. Luckily the Yahoo! Mother Board has provided me with great inspiration and motivation.

Read More »from New School Year, New Goals for Mom Too

Its not easy to volunteer for any event and feel unwanted. Its unfortunate that such is often the case when events are run by teachers. Many beloved activities that are run by teachers are done year after year to much success. The teachers know how to run it, and often share the concern that parent volunteers won't run it as well, or with such success as an event has run in the past.

Teachers, admittedly, are control freaks.

And so are parents.

An example: Field Day. In many schools Field Day is an event run by the physical education teacher. She's been running it for 2 years, 7 years, 25 years and she knows how to run it successfully. Some years, she's had parent volunteers show up groggy and distracted. Other years parents come with full gusto, ready to work. She never knows what to expect or what will happen. And so, she's learned to run it on her own, allowing the volunteers to be there and a part of the event, but not in control.

But when you have parents offering, parents

Read More »from Teachers, Parents: How to Work Together for School Success

I just had gum graft surgery for recession of gums surrounding two of my back teeth. I didn't realize how common the procedure is, until I started talking about it. Most people delay it, probably because there are people online describing it as pain worse than childbirth. I disagree. If you have a good surgeon, you will be fine.

What is gum graft surgery: If your gums are receding due to orthodontia, over brushing, genetics or bad luck, you're likely to need a gum graft. I wish I hadn't watched the presentation outlining the procedure as I would have been ok not knowing the details. Basically, they cut tissue off the roof of your mouth (the donor area), cut the gums off around your teeth, peel them down, stitch the donor tissue on and then stitch the gum tissue back over that. *Shiver*

Now that I've had the surgery, here's what I'd suggest:

1. Upgrade your drugs: I was given the option of being awake but numb, being consciously sedated with a drug called Halcion, or an

Read More »from 7 Gum Graft Surgery Survival Tips