The Oregon Women's Report - Women's News from Oregon

August is the caution light to craziness

By Kelli Warner,
KMTR-TV Morning News anchor, Springfield

If June is the inaugural kick-off to summer, and July is the gooey center, then August is the downhill slide towards the finale—the last, few leisurely weeks until the new school year begins in September.

For me?  I feel like August is a bright yellow caution barrier, complete with flashing lights, signaling: “Craziness ahead!” Let me explain why.  In the last week, I’ve received an email from my kids’ schools about making sure they have their immunizations up to date in time for registration.  I got the postcard reminder in the mail to not miss the pre-scheduled eye exams.  Sign-ups are already underway for fall soccer.

We’ve been barraged for weeks now by back-to-school sales. (That was, of course, after all those “Christmas in July” sales)  And to top it off–my husband, who works for a large grocery retailer, just informed me that their shipment of Halloween candy will be here by the end of the month.  No kidding.

Missing kids took off on airplane by themselves

Three Florida kids, 15, 12 and 11 got the hunch to go to a theme Park in Tennessee. In no time they bought plane tickets and took off without telling their parents or being questioned by any airline procedure. Upon landing they ran into trouble and had to call home. Imagine what that call sounded like “Um Mom, can you pick me up…1,000 miles away.” I do not fault the airlines or airline security because kids travel all the time on their own. I zero in on the parents — something fishy here if you ask me. Anyways, enjoy the video below.

Study: Stress acts like birth control

Stress Might Interfere With Conception

HealthDay News — Women may have a more difficult time becoming pregnant when they’re feeling stressed, according to a new study that found women were less likely to conceive when they showed elevated levels of a stress-related substance called alpha-amylase.  Alpha-amylase is secreted into saliva in order to digest starch. But researchers have begun using the substance as an indicator of the body’s response to physical or psychological stress because it’s also released when the nervous system produces catecholamines, compounds that initiate a type of stress response.

For this study, researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the University of Oxford charted the ovulation cycles of 274 English women, ages 18 to 40, who were trying to conceive.

Crazy JetBlue flight attendant is a felon not a hero

Crazy JetBlue flight attendant is no hero
By Evergreen,
Oregon writer

The fed-up JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, who jumped out od the plane in hail of swearing and beer now has nearly a quarter million Facebook fans.   Why?   He is no hero!  Now that he is looking at two felonies that could cost him seven years in prison — he maybe an actual criminal.

I know the story sounds good.  Fed-up flight attendant gets angry at rude passenger and bails out of plane with beer and wild words as he sails off on the emergency chute.  We laugh at him but forget the pain he causes others.  Doing an emergency exit puts the plane at risk of being delayed and passengers missing their next flights.   Having the cops being called out also does nothing but put other flights at risk.  IF you have traveled you know that one problem can cascade into delayed flights for 12 hours.   Simply stated, you cannot throw tantrums at high security areas.

Portland to partake in worldwide fashion event

Fashion’s Night Out coming to downtown Portland
Megan Doern
Portland Business Alliance,

Event to Include Outdoor Fashion Shows, In-Store Events and After-Party

Portland, Ore. – Where will you be on September 10? If you love to shop and see the latest in fashion, then you need to be at Fashion’s Night Out. Downtown Portland is one of a number of cities participating in this worldwide fashion event, which was created in 2009 by Vogue Magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers Of America (CFDA), NYC & Company and the City Of New York. The event will celebrate fashion, showcase downtown Portland retailers and put the fun back in shopping. “Hosting a Fashion’s Night Out will provide valuable retail support to our central city – a key component of our city’s economic vitality,” said Mayor Sam Adams.

Straw poll: People believe Kyron Harmon will be found

Oregon Women’s Report Online Poll
Other poll questions

The community support to find Kyron has been heroic and national, but when does time break the spirit?  We posed the question, “Do you believe at this point that the missing Oregon boy, Kyron Harmon, will be found or discovered of his whereabouts this year? ” and found that most still feel Kyron will be found.  Other lost children have been found at later dates, let us hope the same.

Comments below:

Who Will Care for Those Who Care?

Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM
Your Personal Trainer,
Follow-up article to previous article
Tropical Workout in My Father’s Garden:

Death did not come like a thief in the night but rather as a welcome courier on the gentle rain of a Hawaiian dawn.  It was still dark when he took his final breath.  It was still raining.  The little tree frogs, the coquis, in my father’s garden were still chirping but, inside my father’s bedroom, it was still.  It was silent.  He was gone.  He was at rest after his long struggle.

I was there to help my cousin who lived with him.  Hospice of Hilo was there for us.  A friend was there to help, too.  Those last two weeks were the hardest.  We turned him, we propped pillows beside him and behind him.  We examined his skin to make sure there were no pressure sores forming.  We knew the end was near and we took care to keep him as comfortable as we could.  His skin was clear.  His lungs were clear.  He was no longer eating.  Nothing.  Only drops of water on his tongue to soothe his dry mouth.  It wasn’t hydration anymore.  It was comfort, comfort for him and for us because we cared.

Get Crafty with the Kids this Summer

By JulieChats
JulieChats Blog
Oregon’s Scrapbook Expert

When I think about the days of summer, they seeming to be flying by, packed with all sorts of fun.  But then when I stop to think about each individual day, I start to think about my daughter and her pleas of “What are we doing today?” and “I’m bored!” Well, if you’ve been hearing the same things, I’ve got some simple, fun kids’ craft suggestions for you.

Crafting with kids can be a lot of fun.  But it does require some planning.  So read over my projects and suggestions before you head to your local scrapbook store or crafting center for supplies.  To me, crafting is a lot like cooking.  The recipes seem to go together quicker and easier when I assemble all my ingredients and tools before I start mixing things.

Study: Tongue piercing ruins front teeth

Attention all moms!  Please email this article to your piercing pining daughters and sons.

HealthDay News – Tongue piercing can lead to a damaging habit that causes a gap to appear between the upper front teeth, which could cost thousands of dollars to fix, a case study suggests. The patient was a 26-year-old woman who came to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine’s orthodontic clinic because a large space had developed between her upper front teeth. She also had a tongue piercing that held a barbell-shaped stud.

Baby ad creeps out parents

By Evergreen,
Oregon Writer

Please add blood spots and fangs as unfitting additions to any baby advertisements — even ads trying to be cute.    What a creepy and downright bad ad of the year.

Top 25 celebrities — Forbes Power List 2010

– Below is list of 25 of the top 100 most powerful celebrities in America as ranked by Forbes magazine.
To see full Power list go here

1  Winfrey, Oprah
2    Knowles, Beyonce
3    Cameron, James
4    Lady Gaga
5    Woods, Tiger
6    Spears, Britney
7    U2
8    Bullock, Sandra Bullock
9    Depp, Johnny Depp
10    Madonna

Europe meets California fashion hits Nordstrom

pdxneatsheet.com
Portland style, shopping, trends.

By Karen Vitt,

European designer line Marni has teamed up with newly minted L.A. scenster denim brand Current/Elliot for a co-branded autumn/winter jeans collection. The resulting products have just recently made it all the way to the breezy Northwest, by way of Nordstrom, and we are (maybe not surprisingly) really excited about it.

Why The Dishes Can Wait

By Erika Weisensee, Oregon Mom

I’m the proud mom of a three-year-old boy. I work part-time and my home is also my office.  I love it when the house is clean and tidy, but it never seems to stay that way very long. You could say I’m learning to relax my standards a bit. I prefer to say I’m learning to enjoy my days a little bit more.

My Summer Camp Horror Story

By Jen Rouse
The Short Years
Oregon Blog

It was after midnight. The tent was dark, the girls all peacefully slumbering, when I heard the crying. The hard, choking kind of crying that comes from a truly distressed child. I raised my head off my pillow, but it took only a second for me to realize it wasn’t my kid. Rebekah’s voice, soothing her son, followed in a moment.

Remember how I said it was a not-especially-large group camping site? Well, I wasn’t kidding about that. We had six families in the campsite, and our tents were only inches apart from each other. I could hear everything, plain as day, as Rebekah coaxed her son into clean clothes and got him quieted down. Oh, the poor kid, I thought. Throwing up in the tent? That’s the worst! And then, Gosh, she’s being such a good, compassionate mother, I thought. I don’t think I’d be nearly so sweet to my kids if they were the ones puking in the middle of the night.

Of course, of course, you can see where this is going, right?

How our assumptions hurt us all day long

The Damage of Thinking Errors…Part One
Chantelle K. Dockter,
MA Licensed Professional Counselor
CCCOW,

Question: I find that I am very sensitive at work or out with my friends if people are talking one-on-one near me, but not with me. I assume they are talking about me and it makes me increasingly paranoid. How do I stop this?

Answer: Assuming is just one of many thinking errors, or thoughts that are negatively misleading. Thinking errors are almost always damaging in one way or another. Sometimes thinking errors are referred to as mistakes in thinking, or cognitive distortions. It is important to be able to become aware of, identify, and then challenge thinking errors. I will go over a few of the most common thinking errors in this article, and go over a few more in next month’s article.

Your accent makes people distrust you says study

Does a Foreign Accent Hurt Credibility?
By HealthDay News

TUESDAY, July 27  — People with a foreign accent are perceived as less truthful by listeners because an accent makes a person harder to understand, a new study contends.  American researchers asked study participants to judge the truthfulness of trivia statements — such as, “A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel can” — by native and non-native speakers of English.

Even though they knew the speakers were reading from script, the participants judged people with foreign accents to be less truthful. And, the heavier the accent, the lower the score. On a truthfulness scale created for the study, native English speakers scored 7.5, people with mild accents scored 6.95, and people with heavy accents scored 6.84.

Mistake parents make at Little League games

Parenting Tips: One Big Miskake Parents Make with Their Kids at Little League Games
By Jean Tracy
Kids Discuss
NW Parenting expert

Have you ever been at your kids’ Little League Games and felt embarrassed for one of the kids? Did her parents yell insults?

Beau and Rosalie’s Advice: Remember the Goal of Sports!  This parenting tip come from my friends, Beau and Rosalie. They raised two excellent sons because their followed their own advice.

Poll: Bad celebrities, cheerleading, poor service

Oregon Women’s Report Summer survey
Answer these questions here

- Is paying kids for grades right?
- Do you think Kyron Harmon will be found?
- “Remorse Meter” for fallen celebrities (Armstrong, Bullock, Gibson, Gore, Lohan, Woods)
- Where you most likely to get bad customer service?
- Is  cheerleading a sport?

8 ways to be glamourous at the Oregon coast

By Heidi von Tagen
Gorgeous Bits Blog,
Portland.

It is actually possible.   Just stick to the list.

1. Pack a cooler with a bottle of Pinot Noir, 2 plastic tumblers, some olives, crackers and brie

2. Bring a classic, wool Pendleton blanket to spread out on the beach

3. Hit Powell’s on the way out of town, grab a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, and a book about Oregon Coast Tide Pool Ecosystems and NW Coastal Wineries

4. Wear classic Ray Ban sunglasses, even if it’s overcast