Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta recently released a campaign to target Georgia’s growing childhood obesity epidemic. 40% of the children in Georgia are considered obese – the second highest number in the nation. The ads were intentionally created to stir your emotions.
From CNN: The posters and TV spots of obese children with doleful eyes were as stark as their accompanying messages: “Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid,” and “It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not,” to name a few.
But did they go too far? Mommy bloggerville lit up on this issue. Most came out rallying against the ads. One mom had this to say, “When I first saw the Strong4Life billboards, my first reaction was wanting to cry and sleep in my room and eat a box of Twinkies. It touched me that much.” She went on to say that she was a morbidly obese adult who lost 100 pounds after having her kids. That comment gave me pause. While I think it is wonderful she was able to beat her obesity problem, the fact is, most people never do. Healthy habits HAVE TO start at a young age. Healthy habits HAVE TO be supported by parents. Healthy Habits HAVE TO be adopted as a lifestyle not a fleeting diet. But do these ads get parents moving in the right direction or just create more ‘fat shame’ for overweight kids?
Cream? Milk? How about something a little more interesting.
Here are a few healthier alternatives to your standard creamer…
My personal favorite is SO DELICIOUS COCONUT MILK. It has a very creamy taste without the dairy. Great option for kiddos with dairy and nut allergies. Yay!
Added Bonus: Organic and made with non-GMO coconuts.
Admittedly, I spend a significant amount of time looking at myself in the mirror. Always have, always will. What can I say? I’m vain. Lately, I have been obsessed with lip plumpers and watching them work their magic in real time. I’ll pout, smile and bite my new swollen lips while gazing affectionately at my reflection. While I am no Adriana Lima and never will be, lip plumpers do make you feel sexier. My first lip plumper was Buxom Lips by Bare Escentuals. It gives your lips a tingling sensation that I suppose signals that it is working. I didn’t like the tackiness or shine of the gloss which for me doesn’t equate to everyday wear. I wanted big, full lips all day without the sticky gloss effect. I moved on to Vivite Defining Lip Plumper. I love this plumper so much that I keep one in my make-up drawer and my purse. Unlike Buxom Lips, you do not get a tingling sensation but you do see plumper lips instantly.
Over the weekend, though, I was watching a news segment on natural beauty fixes. It listed cinnamon leaf oil as a way to plump your lips. The only caveat – use sparingly as it is very potent. I thought to myself ‘potent schmotent’ and drove over to the health food store where the news lady said I could find it. As my purchase was being rung up, I excitedly told the clerk I was going to use it as a lip plumper. She warned me to ‘use sparingly’ and sort of bulged her eyes out at me. Oh, whatever. I rushed home and brushed my lips with a toothbrush to help make them more susceptible to the cinnamon leaf oil. I then dabbed the oil on a q-tip and eagerly lathered all over my lips. I immediately got the ‘oh shit, I did something really bad’ feeling when my lips started burning and wouldn’t stop. The lady at the health food store had also said to use it in conjunction with lip balm so I ran to my purse and generously applied my Chapstick. The burning sensation quickly calmed down as did my heart rate. When I finally had the courage to look in the mirror ( I thought my lips would be savagely burned and hanging off my face), I was delighted to see that my lips were huge and swollen in a Adriana Lima way. Unfortunately the swollen look doesn’t last that long. I think I will be sticking to my soft Vivite plumper for everyday use and only save the cinnamon oil trick for when I want to look like a porn star. If you decide to go this route, remember – USE SPARINGLY.
My beautiful friend and neighbor, Leslie Burket, recently launched a line of all-natural cough suppressing lollipops, aptly named Lilapops, after her adorable daughter. We came home one night and saw a hot pink bag waiting for us with lollipops inside. Needless to say, my kids went crazy. They absolutely LOVE these pops and so do I! Recently, I sat down with Leslie to find out a little more about Lilapops…
1. What motivated you to create Lilapops?
It all started on a family road trip. with two sick little ones. I dreamed of something all natural that would help soothe their little throats and cheer them up. (A cough drop lollipop seemed to fit the bill.)
2. What’s in a Lilapop?
All natural honey and marshmallow root, both of which work their magic on sore throats and coughs. But just as important is what’s not in it: No artificial flavors. No artificial dyes. No gluten. No dairy. No egg. No medicine. Nothing yucky.
3. Favorite comment to date from a satisfied kiddo?
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I can’t believe Lilapops are medicine. These are AWESOME!” – from a rather animated 5 year old. Technically, they are not medicine but her enthusiasm was so catching that I didn’t have the heart to correct her.
4. Having had a package of pops here that lasted only a few days (due to happy customers with greedy little hands) how do you suggest making them only available for the coughiest of days?
That’s simple. stock up. (they are safe for everyday. remember there’s no medicine)
5. Can you give us any scoop on future flavors or products?
Big plans. and sealed lips.
Oh, shucks. I tried. Purchase Lilapops here and use the coupon code BLOG for a 25% discount.
