After comparing typical activities of the parents surveyed to data from calorielab.com, the findings showed that moms and dads burn 1,478 calories on daily activities and 2,374 calories on weekly activities.
When it comes to daily activities, the top calorie-burners were carrying small children (259 calories per day), childcare (245 calories per day) and moving household items (240 calories per day).
Mopping took the number one spot for weekly activities, with parents burning 405 calories. This was followed by vacuuming (387 calories per week), sweeping floors (377 calories per week) and loading/unloading the car (317 calories per week).
Actress Kimberly J. Brown, a.k.a. teen witch Marnie Piper from Halloweentown, has an Etsy shop—and she sells plenty of gear themed after the beloved Disney Channel flick.
So what exactly does Brown sell? The Etsy shop, called Craftily Creative, has Halloweentown-themed tees, patches, canvas signs and more.
Brown opened up to Bustle about her Etsy adventure, saying, “I started the shop about 5 years ago with my good friend Liz because we loved crafting together on the weekends and thought we’d share some of our projects.”
The actress and Etsy shop owner added, “It started with gift tags, greeting cards, and custom paintings with different quotes, etc. Slowly people started requesting different quotes from Halloweentown on painted signs so we started carrying them in the shop.”
Not only does Craftily Creative give fans of the flick a chance to get nostalgic, but it’s also helped Brown to celebrate the Halloweentown franchise, “I have really loved getting to create with the fans over the years in our shared love for the movies. It’s also a way for me to kind of pay homage to the fans and these films that have meant so much to me and another avenue for me to keep creating when I’m not filming and working so we’ll keep creating as long as the fans will have us.”
Pregnancy can be a joyful time, one of excitement and anticipation as we prepare to welcome our own little miracles into the world. But pregnancy is also a challenging time of sleep loss, strange eating habits, sometimes embarrassing bodily functions, and roller-coaster emotions. Sometimes the very last thing pregnant ladies want to hear is exactly what friends, family and strangers at the grocery store choose to say to us. To make things a little easier, here are a few phrases to avoid—and one phrase guaranteed to make a pregnant woman’s day better.
1. You look like you’re about ready to pop! This expression isn’t only rude, but it’s kind of gross to think about. With the abundance of new stretch marks, the climbing numbers on the scale, and our desire (and right!) to eat whatever we want, the idea that a pregnant lady could pop doesn’t always seem too far-fetched. There are some days we already feel like we actually might pop, so if you could just hold that thought inside your head forever and not vocalize it, that would be great.
2. Are you carrying twins/triplets/a whole litter/some other clever something that indicates we are bigger than we are? (AKA Are you sure there’s only one in there?) We get it, okay? We are bigger than we normally are, and clever you, you’ve noticed! And you’ve decided to comment on it. Thank you so much for your opinion and for feeling the freedom to voice it so openly. But there’s something you should know: We know we’re getting bigger and you have two choices. Choice one: Lie to us. “Wow, you’re already in your eighth month? I would never have guessed anything past month three!” or “My goodness! You’ve only got this tiny bump in the front and you haven’t gained an inch anywhere else!” We know you’re lying, but it’s the kind of feel-good-fib that we need you to pull from your pocket during this time of rapid weight gain. Or choice two: Say absolutely nothing at all. (Always a very safe bet.)
3. You look so tired. So do you, but we didn’t feel like we had to say that to you, did we? Sorry, didn’t mean to snap. We haven’t slept in several weeks. Yes, we’re tired. The body pillow stopped working long ago in its quest to deliver comfort, and the ache in our backs that the heating pad simply cannot soothe kept us up for hours last night. And then we were up from 2-4 worrying if we had ordered the right car seat, if we did or didn’t believe in epidurals during delivery, if we had remembered to cover that last plug in the bathroom, and if we should have bought stock in Amazon before this month, when it seemed like a Prime package was arriving every day. Then, we had to get up and pee (again), then back to bed for more worrying before finally dragging ourselves to the shower to start our day. Then we had to go to work, or the gym, or our mother-in-law’s house, or a luncheon, or something that required effort and energy, and, most often, a smile on our faces. So yes, we look tired. Because we are very, very tired.
4. Anything at all about breastfeeding. Unless you’re our significant other, obstetrician, doula or lactation consultant, it’s none of your business. So don’t ask unless we bring it up first. Breastfeeding is a natural thing and it’s proven to be one of the most important things for baby, but some women struggle with it. And we don’t have to discuss it with you. And don’t ask us about it when the baby gets here either. Just let us do (or not do) our thing.
5. I bet you want to order pickles and ice cream. Chances are, probably not. Just because it’s a stereotype doesn’t mean it applies to us. And our hormones are pretty raging right now, so a comment like that (meant in jest and good nature) might just be the thing that pushes us over the edge. We don’t know why; it’s just annoying. So don’t say it. If you think we actually want pickles and ice cream, then go get us some. Along with a box of Apple Jacks, a mango, and some fresh flowers. (Because we’re pregnant and we deserve to be brought flowers.)
6. What’s your birth plan? Again, not your business unless you’re one of the aforementioned people. Pretty much, unless you’re going to be in the room, assume that information is off-limits to you unless we offer it up ourselves. We might be getting an epidural or we might be going au naturel. We might be waiting around for a week for a little person to finally decide to make an entrance, or we might be inducing (we’re busy, okay?). Whatever our plan is, it’s our business and none of yours.
7. You must be excited about being a stay-at-home-mom. Again with the assumptions! Some women want to stay at home with their little ones for as long as they can; some have to go back to work; and some are excited to go back to work. Some women work from home and juggle both. Here’s all you need to know: It’s not 1950 anymore and a woman has the right to decide her next steps after baby arrives. And whatever she decides is a good decision, because it’s hers.
8. (After asking if it’s a boy or a girl) Are you going to try again for a girl/boy? Why is it that some people are never satisfied? And can we please just finish growing this baby before we start talking about another one? You never know what we have gone through to be carrying this one, and maybe we would like to take some time to be able to be truly grateful for our currently growing little one. And what’s more, we may be completely satisfied with the boy or girl we are carrying, and we don’t have any intention of having another. Or maybe our hearts did fall a little when we cut into that gender-revealing cake and saw pink when we were hoping to see blue. Most likely, we’re just fine with whatever is coming our way, but with the swollen feet, pounding headache and weird body functions we’re currently experiencing, the last thing we want to think about right now is doing it all over again! Whatever it is that’s going on in our heads, it’s best to leave that subject alone.
Stumped on what you should say to pregnant woman? There’s one thing that will always land right and keep your foot as far away from your mouth as humanly possible: “You’re doing a great job.” It’s not easy to create a life (at least not for the mother), and carrying a baby gets harder and harder the larger we grow. Of course, we’re excited and grateful, but pregnancy is tough, and sometimes all we really need to hear are the words, “You’re doing a great job.” And you know what? Those five words are still going to be some of our favorite words to hear for the next 18 years (and beyond) as we navigate the crazy world of motherhood, so use them often.
Congrats go out to actress Ellie Kemper and her husband Michael Koman. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Office star recently gave birth to her second child.
Even though the new mama (for the second time) announced her baby boy joy over the weekend, Kemper revealed she gave birth to her son in September.
Kemper shared a sweet selfie on Instagram, captioning the pic, “Happy 1-Month Birthday to our baby boy, Matthew! He has inherited his dad’s brown hair and his mom’s desire to be carried around all day in a baby sling. He’s a good boy.”
It’s not super-surprising that Kemper delivered just over one month ago. In an early-September IG post, Kemper teased her nearly-there due date, writing, “102 weeks pregnant!”
Baby Matthew joins his big bro James, Kemper and Koman’s three-year-old.
Is your child’s backpack too heavy? The American Occupational Therapy Association recommends students carry no more than 10 percent of their total body weight on their backs.
Your child is a titan of textbooks—and they carry each and every one of them home after school. While your kiddo has to study, a weighty backpack can do physical damage.
So what can your child to protect themselves? Karen Jacobs, EdD, OTR/L, CPE, FAOTA, clinical professor of occupational therapy at Boston University said in a press release, “Practicing safe carrying techniques such as only carrying necessary items to and from school, or filling an empty water bottle at school rather than carrying a heavier filled one, can make a difference.”
Jacobs also added, “The 10 percent rule is a good one to follow, but the reality is that if it feels too heavy, it probably is.”
The AOTA also suggests that parents make sure the backpack is the right size for the individual child, adjust the backpack’s height so that it’s roughly two inches below the shoulder blades and extends to slightly above the waist, balance the backpack evenly or consider a bag on wheels. Padded shoulder straps and a hip belt can also help to reduce backpack-related physical strain.
Visit the AOTA’s website here for more information.
Parenting is dangerous work—at least for Ashton Kutcher. While on a recent episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, the actor opened up about a recent kid carrying-related injury!
Kutcher’s kiddos, like many of our children, prefer to sleep with mom and dad. But the actor and wife Mila Kunis aren’t into the idea. When four-year-old daughter Wyatt made her way into the couple’s bedroom, Kutcher scooped her up and carried her back to her own room. At least, he attempted to.
After picking up his daughter, Kutcher realized his leg had fallen asleep. With only one steady leg, the actor tripped and fell over—breaking his toe. Kutcher told Kelly and Ryan, “And I’m on the ground and I’m like, ‘Um, Babe, I think you need to take Wyatt to bed.'”
The actor/dad continued, “And so she comes around and she takes her to bed, and I don’t want to turn the lights on because I’m afraid of what I’m gonna see.”
Even though his toe was clearly broken, the late-night timing made a trip to urgent care a non-option. So what did the actor do? Kutcher revealed that he did, “The Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon thing and just kinda like put it back on.”
Dannette Giltz got the surprise of a lifetime. The South Dakota mom though kidney stones were the culprit behind sharp back pains, but as it turns out something much larger was the cause.
Giltz did what most of us would when she experienced unexplained pain—she went to the hospital. The mama expected to hear that she’d need surgery, telling KOTA News, “I started getting pains, I figured it was kidney stones because I’ve went through them before.”
When Giltz arrived at the hospital the doctors informed her that kidney stones weren’t the root of her problem. Instead, she was in labor—with twins!
As if the news of twins wasn’t a shock in itself, Giltz was about to get an even bigger surprise. The mom told KOTA News, of her labor and delivery, “It was quiet, we thought they were done. He’s over there, kind of like rocking like, thinking of the names and then she’s like well we need another blanket and his reaction is like excuse me, put it back, no, I was told I have twins, I’m not doing triplets. She’s like no, there’s three babies in here, there’s triplets.”
Not only did Giltz have no idea she was pregnant. The mama had naturally conceived triplets and carried them to 34 weeks. Giltz added, “Everyone’s like I can’t believe it, I’m like we’re still in shock, trust me, we know what you mean like I go to the doctor’s thinking I’ll have surgery for kidney stones and end up going into labor with a c-section that night. It’s crazy.”
Even though Giltz didn’t know she was pregnant, the triplets are thriving. According to her Facebook page, “Updated picture of the triplets they are 5 days old tonight doing good progression is perfect hopefully they keep it up and next couple of days they should be coming home.”
Google just revealed that Arantza Peña Popo is the 2019 Doodle for Google winner and the high school senior has dedicated her inspiring artwork to her mom.
Arantza was just three years old when she first started drawing and now her talents have earned her the winning title in this national competition, which thousands of students across the country enter each year. The person she most has to thank for her win, however, is her mom. “When I grow up, I hope to care for my mom as much as she cared for me my entire life,” Arantza wrote in the statement submitted with her artwork.
The winning doodle titled “Once you get it, give it back” was created for the contest’s annual theme, “When I grow up, I hope…” As Arantza describes it, the doodle depicts “a framed picture of my mother carrying me as a baby (a real picture in my house) and below the picture is me, caring for her when she’s older in the future.”
Arantza appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Fallon, who was one of the contest judges, revealed the winning entry. “I wanted to make it more personal to me, so I decided to make it about my mother,” Arantza explained to Fallon. “She’s made so many sacrifices for me, so I kind of wanted to show me paying it back in the future.”
photo: Google
Since her submission, Arantza has graduated as valedictorian of her class and will be attending the University of Southern California with the $30,000 scholarship that she has been awarded from Google. She hopes to write and illustrate comic books and graphic novels and clearly she’s off to a notable start. Her winning doodle was chosen from over 200,000 submissions.
Do your master builders dream about jetting off to the red planet? NASA wants them to create the perfect LEGO spaceship to Mars.
LEGO is currently accepting submissions through LEGO Ideas for space vehicles that are worthy of carrying LEGO people to Mars. Designers 13-years-old and up can submit their self-created designs either by submitting photos of their brick creation or designing one online with the LEGO Digital Designer.
Many LEGO Ideas submissions have been turned into actual LEGO sets, so your unique entry could very well end up in homes across the globe. One Grand Prize winner will definitely be awarded a stellar package of space-themed LEGO sets including LEGO City Lunar Space Station, LEGO Creator Expert Lunar Lander, LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V and several more. Two runner up prize packs will also be awarded.
If you need some inspiration for your entry, check out some of the creative entries that have already been submitted, including a pizza delivery ship and a space pirate ship.
Entries will be accepted until Aug. 1, 2019, at 6:00 a.m. EST and then the judging phase will begin. Winners will be announced no later than Aug. 22. Check out the complete rules of entry here.
For the last show of her residency Dion paid a very special tribute to her late husband René Angélil singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” As she completed her final song her three sons, René-Charles, 18 and twins Nelson and Eddy, 8, joined her on stage carrying flowers, which they handed to their mom.
“I’m both proud and humbled by what we’ve accomplished at the Colosseum since we began 16 years ago when René and I first shared this dream. This entire experience has been a huge part of my show business career, one that I will cherish forever,” she said. “I have so many people to thank, but the most important ‘thank you’ goes to my fans, who gave us the opportunity to do what we love.”
