I'm a mom of 4 kids under 6, a freelance writer, and a lifelong asthmatic. I also blog (www.MamaliciousMaria.blogspot.com) and am a media consultant (www.MariaRosePR.net) but my main goal is to keep my head above water most days. I like tennis, zumba, and my iPad. Find me on Twitter at @MariaRSmith
Whether moms work outside the home or are "domestic engineers" (otherwise known as stay-at-home moms), everyone wants to save money.
With the cost of gas, childcare and food costs always ...
May 16, 2012 - 5:26pm
When the May 21, 2012 issue of Time Magazine was released, just days prior to Mother's Day, the cover photo was titillating, to say the least.
It showed twenty-six-year-old mom, Jamie Lynn ...
May 14, 2012 - 6:23pm
Although the United States might be one of the wealthiest, most powerful countries in the world, it only ranks 25th on the list of best places to raise kids. The European country Norway tops the ...
May 9, 2012 - 5:45pm
By the end of 40 long weeks of pregnancy, most women are willing to do just about anything to get labor started. From walking miles to having sex to eating spicy foods, pregnant women have tried ...
May 7, 2012 - 6:56pm
Childhood obesity is a growing problem Americans, especially parents, can no longer ignore. The increase in diseases that were never seen in children prior to recent years, like fatty liver ...
May 2, 2012 - 12:12pm
For most women, pregnancy is forty long weeks of aches and pains, physical and emotional highs and lows, and a myriad of issues many women would have never thought would be associated with ...
April 30, 2012 - 6:25pm
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 88 children has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
These children are from ...
April 25, 2012 - 12:54pm
Mothers in the United States do not have to worry about if their child will be able to receive the necessary vaccines to keep the child alive. In fact, American mothers worry more about if to ...
April 22, 2012 - 8:40pm
Varicose veins are often looked at as cosmetic issues but the truth, especially during pregnancy, is that these veins can cause discomfort or even pain and can present self-esteem ...
April 18, 2012 - 12:38pm
Every bride-to-be wants to look great on her wedding day. And there is no shortage of fitness, diet, and style professionals who would like to capture a chunk of the average $26,500 wedding ...
April 16, 2012 - 7:23am
An April 2012 study, released in the medical journal Cancer, linked the increased exposure to dental X-rays to brain cancer. The study suggested that people who experienced bitewing dental X-rays ...
April 11, 2012 - 7:06am
Mothers everywhere know there is a special bond between herself and her children, all her children. However, the love between a mother and son is a unique, different kind of bond.
But, can ...
April 9, 2012 - 12:30pm
The one thing that unites many pregnant women are swollen feet and hands, otherwise known as edema. Their wedding rings may have to come off.
They may have to increase their shoe size or buy ...
April 4, 2012 - 7:30pm
Anyone who has children knows that traveling with kids is always a bit of a crapshoot. It can be anywhere from challenging to downright painful.
But the trials of family travel do not have ...
April 2, 2012 - 7:27pm
Skin care is not just for the vain. Or wealthy "women who lunch". Or fashionistas and celebrities.
Taking good care of one's skin is not something that should be limited by skin color, ...
March 30, 2012 - 2:59pm
If one were to ask a mom of school-aged or even preschool children about vaccinations, there would most likely be a strong response for or against them. Childhood vaccinations have become a hot ...
March 28, 2012 - 12:50pm
Kids are going to get scared. It may be from things unseen like ghosts and the creatures under their beds or it may be very real things like fire, bugs, dogs, or even the death of a parent. ...
March 26, 2012 - 2:48pm
For decades, maybe centuries, African American mothers have been slathering a variety of creams, lotions, and oils onto their children’s skin (and their own) hoping to drive away what is known as ...
March 23, 2012 - 7:05am
There are apps for finding the best deals at the grocery store, for finding a new place to live, and even for finding the closest ATM. So why not an app for finding a date that is "verified" to be ...
March 21, 2012 - 3:44pm
The signs of sexually transmitted diseases are as varied as the women who get them. Some are obvious and even painful, while others are seemingly silent.
Both obvious and silent STDs can ...
March 19, 2012 - 3:14pm
While there are hundreds of products on the market to repair aging skin, the key to a flawless face is preventing the damage in the first place. Women in the United States spend millions of ...
March 16, 2012 - 12:40pm
Contrary to what may be popular opinion, pregnant women can, and do, contract sexually transmitted diseases just like non-pregnant women. While getting the STDs is the same, the consequences can ...
March 14, 2012 - 5:39pm
A study by a team of national experts found that in several "hotspots" around the United States, the HIV rate among African American women is five times more than the rate the Centers for Disease ...
March 12, 2012 - 6:41pm
The idea that women of color do not get skin cancer is a fallacy that too many people believe. Simply because people with more melanin in their skin take longer to burn when in the sun does not ...
March 9, 2012 - 7:48am
There are many activities like cheerleading or baton twirling that some people think should be considered athletic sports, but others look at as merely interesting activities that do not garner a ...
March 7, 2012 - 1:03pm
For millions of American women, drinking diet soda daily is akin to breathing ... something they just do without thinking about it. Most of them don't want to take in the extra 150 or so calories ...
March 5, 2012 - 7:00pm
African Americans tend to have a combination of skin care issues. Although each person is different of course, many African Americans have oily skin (or patches) on their faces and dry skin on ...
March 2, 2012 - 1:27pm
Parents around the country worry about the level of education their children receive at their local public schools. They worry about the ethics and backgrounds of the teachers.
They worry ...
February 29, 2012 - 6:38pm
The two year old program, Text4baby, is showing signs of a positive impact on the community of pregnant and new moms that it was designed to reach. Text4baby launched in February 2010 by the ...
February 27, 2012 - 6:29pm
African Americans are generally not known for receiving plastic surgery, but it seems that trend is reversing. While Caucasian women are by far the biggest group receiving cosmetic procedures, ...
February 24, 2012 - 12:57pm
Contraception has been a highly contested debate topic during the Republican primaries, with each of the candidates coming out against it to some degree. It has remained a news-worthy topic ...
February 22, 2012 - 7:56pm
The one fear that links most pregnant women is the fear of their water breaking in a public place, far from home, or in a very "unladylike" state ... or all three at the same time.
But the ...
February 20, 2012 - 6:42pm
Women of color, usually of African, Hispanic, or Asian descent, are often known for their positive skin characteristics. From glowing complexions to fewer wrinkles to youthful faces, these women ...
February 17, 2012 - 10:06am
There are many couples in America who are looking to become parents through non-traditional ways. Even though there are huge advancements in the area of infertility treatments, many couples are ...
February 15, 2012 - 6:43pm
With Valentine's Day (and Easter) quickly approaching, the sale of chocolate is sure to skyrocket. Frazzled husbands and boyfriends are going to be found stripping the shelves of all the heart ...
February 13, 2012 - 6:40pm
African Americans are often looked upon as being lucky when it comes to skin care. Generally speaking, their skin does not burn as easy as lighter-pigmented Caucasian skin.
They have much ...
February 10, 2012 - 7:31am
Parents bringing home a new baby have lots to think about. Between diapering, feeding, and quieting the various cries, one other concern is often taking care of the umbilical cord stump. This ...
February 8, 2012 - 7:24pm
Most women understand that they may experience pain in their nipples after giving birth because of the hormone shifts. They also can comprehend the idea that breastfeeding (or refusing to ...
February 6, 2012 - 8:03pm
On Feb. 1, 2012, Pfizer, Inc., the nation’s largest drug manufacturer issued a recall of one million packets of birth control pills. Due to a manufacturing mix-up, some of the 21 “active” birth ...
February 1, 2012 - 7:05pm
It is always amazing when a pregnant mother looks like she’s carrying an elephant under her dress, and then emerges from the hospital with such a tiny baby in her arms.
The little fingers and ...
January 30, 2012 - 7:20pm
In most parts of America, gone are the days when a mother just sent little Johnny off to the neighborhood school for the first time at the age of five. Most parents think pre-k and even preschools ...
January 25, 2012 - 7:15pm
Most people have grown up with the saying "boys will be boys", or have heard "you're such a girl" at one time or another. But have people been hurt by the sometimes strict and rigid gender roles ...
January 23, 2012 - 7:38pm
Restaurants are starting to get smarter when it comes to making meals that are healthier. McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A have updated their kids’ meals, making them lower in fat and calories and ...
January 18, 2012 - 2:50pm
It has been forty-nine years since Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech at the March on Washington. He hoped for a day when his Black children could play with ...
January 16, 2012 - 10:11pm
Guilt. It's a cloak most moms wear daily, especially when it comes to the food they serve their kids. They want it to be healthy and nutritious but they also want their kids to like it (and them) ...
January 12, 2012 - 9:04pm
At the start of the New Year, many people will add "getting in shape" to their resolution list. In fact, according to WebMD, about 33 percent of all people who make a New Year's resolution will ...
January 9, 2012 - 11:34pm
Most people have grown up with the saying "boys will be boys", or have heard "you're such a girl" at one time or another. But have people been hurt by the sometimes strict and rigid gender roles ...
mariasmith76 commented on mariasmith76's post Parenting "Genderless" Kids