To juice more at home, Omega Juicers (www.OmegaJuicers.com) is offering an exclusive 50% off select juicers offer (plus free shipping!) for today only.  Check out the offer here: http://www.omegajuicers.com/gma

Also, check out the Rhubarb Carrot Juice recipe below, compliments of Omega Juicers.

Rhubarb Carrot Juice

• 8 Large Fresh Cleaned Carrots
• 1 Cup Of Sliced Rhubarb
• 1 Large Fresh Mint Spring (Optional Garnish)
• 1 Fresh Cut Lemon Wedge (Optional Garnish)

Juice together in the order given; stir the juice to mix the flavors

By Nicole Pelletiere

Being a parent, makes it feel impossible to get organized.  Between back-to-school season, doctor’s appointments, and supply lists, it’s a wonder how one can find a place to store all those documents.  Created by The Neat Company, NeatDesk is a digital filing system that is sure to be “Mommy’s Little Helper”.

After installing the Neat software (PC or Mac), you connect the NeatDesk via USB port.  The device has the capacity to scan 30 different documents in three different categories at one time (10 regular-sized documents, 10 business cards, and 10 receipts).  When the two smaller front trays are removed, you are able to then scan up to 50 regular-sized documents at once.

The most amazing feature about the NeatDesk is how quickly it scans.  It was unbelievable how fast the papers went through the machine and popped up on the desktop screen.  Not only did the documents go from paper to digital in an instant, but the Neat software had already analyzed and pulled out all the important text listed on the papers.  Valuable information from receipts such as: store name, date, and amount, are all stored for future reference.  Scanning receipts to places like Quickbooks is a great way to look back at previous recipe ingredients, or even keep track of family budgets.

Moms and Dads can stay organized with Neat also by archiving important documents such as: medical records, insurance records, and expense reports.  All can be exported to popular financial software such as TurboTax, providing less of a headache during tax season preparation.  Your child’s report cards and artwork all are saved as digital images so you never misplace those precious memories.

The NeatDesk is the ideal solution to saving time and space; no more having to rustle through junk drawers filled with piles of papers to find what you are looking for.  NeatDesk allows you to get rid of waste and clutter to make room for you and your loved ones.  Start the next school year off on the right foot and get organized!

To learn more, or to purchase a NeatDesk, go to The Neat Company Store.

Nicole Pelletiere is a writer based on Long Island, New York.  She created her blog The Nifty Nanny (theniftynanny.wordpress.com to connect with parents and caregivers, share stories, arts and crafts ideas, and to explore her love for children’s literature.  She also studies the development of infants and toddlers to satisfy her keen interest in child psychology.

With 600,000 children at risk each year for early motor, sensory, and communication delays, the Pathways.org web site offers essential resources for parents and health professionals to help recognize early warning signs. Through stories about children with different types of developmental delays, parents can understand physical and behavioral activities that signal the need for intervention. They also can see how various therapies work and their beneficial impact.

The advantages of video are just as applicable to medical professionals, clinicians and other health professionals. With early
motor delays on the rise and occurring in 1 of every 40 children, these videos demonstrate are able to show developmental delays in infants as young as two months old.

“To actually see these differences in the actual movement has a much greater impact,” noted Dr. Garry Gardner, MD, FAAP Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and co-chair of Pathways.org Medical Round Table. “It would be as if you were reading about how somebody dances and picturing that from the written word as opposed to actually seeing them dance and see what the movement actually looks like.”

Each video was developed in collaboration with the expertise of the Pathways.org Medical Round Table. Founded in 1988, the Round Table includes 15 leading physicians, therapists, clinicians, nurse practitioners, and lay advisors — all of whom are sensitive to the medical and emotional needs of infants and children and their families.

In addition to the videos, the enhanced Pathways.org web site has numerous educational resources, links, checklists and tools for both health professionals and parents, including information on each state’s early intervention offices and advice to parents on preparing for a doctor’s visit.

            The ABC’s of Homeschooling, by Laura Ann Huber, introduces homeschooling to the modern, mainstream family. More than just a teaching handbook, author Huber offers advice that can help any parent, homeschooling or not, raise smart, capable, and empowered children.

            “We can blame a lot on how our school system is failing,” says Huber, “but in the end it always comes back to the parents. Somewhere along the line parents must step up and take responsibility for the way their children are being taught.”

            From bad days to bad grades, the 26 chapters of The ABC’s of Homeschooling cover topics including:

• Learning to ‘unschool’ yourself and breakout of the traditional educational model
• How to create goals for you and your children that motivate rather than overwhelm
• Building fun time into any curriculum to boost in creativity, quality time with your kids, and teach the importance of rewarding hard work
• Tapping into the natural gifts of your children and learning to embrace their heart’s desire, not yours.

For over thirteen years, Laura Ann Huber has been educating her three children from her home in southeastern Indiana. She has been published in Home Education Magazine and her work has been praised educators, both in the homeschooling community and beyond. Huber hopes to inspire parents to believe in themselves and their children, empowering future generations to excel. 

Website: www.laurahuber.com

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has announced Wednesday that she will be giving birth to a baby boy.

“Can finally share the good news . . . we’re havin’ a boy!” the six-months-pregnant star wrote on her Facebook page.

According to Us Weekly, Snooki has decided to opt out of living in the ‘Jersey Shore’ house during the sixth season’s filming of the show.  She will, however, live nearby her Shore buds with her husband-to-be.

Polizzi , 24 and LaValle, 25, first shared the news that they were expecting their first child back in March with Us.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Tracy Anderson and her husband Matt Mogol welcomed a baby girl into the world on Monday, according to Us Weekly.  This is the couple’s first child together.

The celebrity personal trainer and her hubby named their 5 lb, 10 oz daughter Penelope.

Back in March, Tracy was honored with a baby shower attended by a list of celebrity friends: Catt Sadler, Sally Pressman, and Nicole Richie.  Items on her registry included a $500 Fresco Bloom high chair and three months worth of diapers from Jessica Alba’s Honest Company.

Anderson and Mogol tied the knot in Big Sur, California September 2011.  Baby Penelope joins stepbrother Sam, Tracy’s 13-year-old son with her first husband, former NBA star Eric Anderson.

Congratulations to Tracy and her growing family!

FSU has announced the release of the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL) to hospitals around the world.

The specially wired pacifier and speaker provide musical reinforcement every time a baby sucks on it correctly. The musical lullabies are gentle and comforting for the baby, making them want to continue the sucking motion so they can hear more of the lullaby.

“Unlike full-term infants, very premature babies come into the world lacking the neurologic ability to coordinate a suck/swallow/breathe response for oral feeding,” said Jayne Standley, Florida State’s Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Music Therapy and inventor of the PAL. “The longer it takes them to learn this essential skill, the further behind in the growth process they fall. PAL uses musical lullaby reinforcement to speed this process up, helping them feed sooner and leave the hospital sooner.”

Clinical studies conducted by Professor Standley have shown that infants will increase their sucking rates up to 2.5 times more than infants not exposed to the musical reinforcement.

Further research shows that the innovative device can reduce the length of a premature infant’s hospital stay by an average of 5 days.  The Pacifier Activated Lullaby Device not only helps babies become healthy, but it also provides their parents with a chance to connect with them during a crucial stage of development.  The PAL is being sold through a partnership with Powers Device Technologies Inc.

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Florida State University, via FSU News. The original article was written by Tom Butler.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the Aqua-Leisure Industries, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product.

Name of Product: First Fitness® Trampolines with Handlebars

Units: About 40,000

Manufacturer: Aqua-Leisure Industries Inc., of Avon, Mass.

Hazard: Metal fatigue can cause the handlebar to break away during use, posing a risk of laceration from exposed metal surfaces or other injury from a fall.

Incidents/Injuries: Aqua-Leisure has received four reports of handlebars breaking from the metal connection joint during use. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves First Fitness Kid’s First trampolines with handlebars. The child-size toy trampolines have a red and blue metal handlebar, a blue nylon deck guard and a black jumping deck. “First Fitness” is embossed on the jumping deck in white letters. The trampolines can be identified by model number FF-6902TR and Toys R Us SKN 491463.

The model and store numbers can be found on the lower right corner of the back of the packaging. A sewn-in tag on the bottom of the deck lists the factory date code of five numbers followed by “GLTX.”

Sold Exclusively at: Toys “R” Us stores nationwide from September 2010 through April 2012 for between $45 and $70.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled trampolines from children and contact Aqua-Leisure’s recall hotline for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Aqua-Leisure toll-free at (888) 912-7087 between 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.aqualeisure.com

Pregnancy, in all its beauty, can still have its unpleasant moments.  Morning sickness and backaches are not the only discomforts that women may experience.

In addition to allergy symptoms, women may suffer from pregnancy rhinitis.  Otherwise known as severe nasal congestion, this miserable reaction affects about 20 to 30 percent of women.  “We don’t know exactly what causes it” says Dr. Scott Corday, an ear, nose, and throat (Otolaryngologist) specialist of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  “It is tied to the growth hormone given off by the placenta.”

So, how can pregnancy rhinitis be treated?  Since nasal steroids and oral histamines are not recommended for women that are pregnant, Dr. Cordray suggests that they find an organic remedy.

After all, Dr. Cordray is no stranger to chronic sinusitis, or allergic rhinitis.  His over-the-counter LAVI products use purified salts to treat, relieve, and prevent allergy symptoms.  While his Dead Sea Salt products are all-natural remedies that may be used to treat pregnancy rhinitis, Dr. Corday insists that you check with your Obstetrician to confirm that they are in agreeance with your method of relief.

If there was any season to search for a method of treatment, the season is now.  According to the Center for Disease Control, there is more pollen in the air, meaning allergy season is here earlier than expected.  “Even those that never experienced allergy symptoms are being affected” says Dr. Cordray.  So, what are some other ways pregnant women can deal with the discomforts of swollen sinuses?

Dr. Cordray shares 5 tips on treating pregnancy rhinitis:

1.       Avoid known allergens such as smoke, pollen and dust mites.

2.       When sleeping, elevate your head; keeping your nose above your heart will help to reduce any swelling.

3.       Get plenty of physical exercise

4.       Practice good nasal hygiene using a natural Dead Sea Salt nasal spray or nasal wash, which can reduce swelling and congestion

5.       Use a mechanical nasal strip or dilator to help hold nasal passages open

According to Dr. Cordray, pregnancy rhinitis will all resolve itself 2 to 3 weeks following the delivery of your child.  For more information about Dr. Cordray’s LAVI products, go to www.LAVIMed.com.

Nicole Pelletiere is a writer based on Long Island, New York.  She created her blog The Nifty Nanny (theniftynanny.wordpress.com to connect with parents and caregivers, share stories, arts and crafts ideas, and to explore her love for children’s literature.  She also studies the development of infants and toddlers to satisfy her keen interest in child psychology.