Search Results for: blog watch those terms

Something Worth Watching

What do you get when you combine a boy with mustard-colored skin and purple hair with the swine flu? The answer: Must-see TV… at least if you have young kids at home. If you’re worried about the H1N1 virus or seasonal flu, don’t have all the facts on vaccinations AND you parent needle-phobic children, then you might consider tuning into PBS’ “Sid the Science Kid” on Monday, October 26, 2009. That’s when a new episode of the popular kiddie series will air. The special show follows 4-year-old Sid as he goes to the doctor to get a flu shot. Those … Continue reading →

Coming to Terms with Myself

I am going to go back in time a bit today. It was the day that I realized that I could not do everything. It was 1997 and I wanted to get my son one of those really great wooden swing sets for his birthday. I scraped together money that I did not have and that I should not be spending. It was one of those things, if you know what I mean. I did not care. I just wanted him to have it. I had to pick what features I wanted on it and design the layout. It took … Continue reading →

A Ton of People Watching TV

TV executives are on top of the world right now, thrilled that you spent at least part of the last few weeks tuning into major sporting and political events. Records were shattered last month when more than two out of three people worldwide watched the Beijing Olympics on TV. According to new numbers just released by Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion viewers worldwide tuned into at least some of the 17 days of Olympic TV coverage last month. The audience was one-fifth larger than the 3.9 billion who watched the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, according to the folks at … Continue reading →

Watching a Loved One Lose Time

When I started writing for the Families.com Health Blog, I was living with my grandmother and acting as one of her primary caretakers. Among a laundry list of other health issues, my grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease. In the three years I lived with her, my grandmother’s disease seemed to progress quickly. She went from the occasional “senior moment” to more concerning behaviors like leaving the stove on, forgetting to take her medicine, and hiding her purse in strange places. My grandmother has entered a new stage of Alzheimer’s disease, one I call “losing time”. You might call it living in … Continue reading →

Winter Weather Terms (2)

Today is Sunday, and we are awaiting our first snow storm of the season. The kids are excited and hoping to get enough snow for a snowman. Looking at the weather map, it is clear that this storm covers almost three-quarters of the country, although by the time it get to us, there might not be much snow. Do you know your winter weather terms? All of those warnings and watches that are released by the National Weather Service have different meanings and different levels of severity that are good to understand. This is part 2 of the winter weather … Continue reading →

Watch Those Terms

Credit card companies can be sneaky at times. They will change your terms and send a wordy document filled with legal mumble-jumble with your bill to alert you of these changes. Most people either don’t notice the extra paper or simply ignore it. If you aren’t careful, this can cost you money. The law allows credit card companies to change their terms at any time, with simply 15 days notice to the customer. This can be something as simple as your due date to more costly items like fees and interest rates. Usually, if you use your card after you … Continue reading →

Watch Out for Big and Buzz Words

I’ve written before about how important it is to put some care into choosing the “right” words for your marketing materials and sales pitches. In addition to looking for words that inspire and motivate customers to make purchases, we also need to watch out for using words that are too big or too cliché—words that are “insider” or industry-specific buzz words. As a rule, I try to avoid anything that is an abbreviation or involves initials. We tend to do that in any industry—to shorten things up and come up with “buzz” terms that we all think we understand. However, … Continue reading →

Watch Out for Dependency

We single parents often wrestle with feeling the need to be TOO independent—at least that is how it has been for me. I have gotten so used to being on my own that I can very easily slip into stoicism. I do NOT find it easy to ask for, or accept help. But for some single parents, just the opposite is true—it becomes so much easier to accept help and let others take care of things, that becoming overly-dependent becomes a problem. Being encouraged and feeling a part of a supportive community and family is one thing; and it is … Continue reading →

Exercise on Your Own Terms

One of the greatest gifts of the modern age is the television, the Internet and the technology to watch anything, anywhere and anytime. So if you want to exercise, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all you have to do is turn on the television – literally. We’ve talked about this before, the access we have to fitness DVDs, downloadable programs, iWorkouts on your iPod and iFitness from Nike and much, much more. But the thing is, despite the availability of so many different workout options, it doesn’t seem like there are many people out there who seem … Continue reading →

Making Sense Is Underrated

Why yes, please, my dear 2-year-old, go right ahead and play demolition derby with grandma’s glass figurines on that solid marble countertop.  It’s so much better than watching you have an epic meltdown because of my concern for your safety. When was the last time that choice was a viable option for a parent? You know that what you do for your children is for their own good.  Unfortunately, most kids could care less about the rules of parenthood.  In fact, the vast majority of what you do to ensure their well being makes absolutely no sense to them. They … Continue reading →