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

Earth Day: Love your planet & pocketbook

By Michal Ann McArthur, Bend
Author of Choking on a Camel

One good way to take care of the Earth is to reuse and recycle what you no longer need. One good way to take care of Earth and your wallet is to take those items and hold a yard sale. Last June, my girlfriend did just that. Not only can she now park her car in her garage, but she also made $1200.00. You might be tempted to say, not bad for a couple of days’ work. But actually, there was a whole lot more to it than that. Successful yard sales don’t just happen. To maximize your profits, you have to plan ahead and work hard. Here are some things you can do to assure your success:

Choose the right time of year. I’m already seeing signs for yard sales starting to pop up amidst the spring flowers. As soon as the weather is nice enough, have your sale. If you can swing it, late May and early June are optimal times. People still have money to spend in early summer and haven’t yet crowded their schedules with too much to do—summer sports, vacations, home projects, etc.

My birthday that I almost never had

Amee Foster
Certified Family Life Educator, Oregon
This Great Adventure Blog

This coming Monday, the 8th of April, is my 37th birthday. Yes, I am approaching the top of that hill. Yes, have a few wrinkles (mostly from laughter). And I think I may have found a gray hair last week, but I can’t be sure.

But I am going to celebrate! Why? Because it’s a miracle! I was born with a birth defect that could have been deadly had it not been found and treated. I make jokes about it all the time. “When I arrived, the package read ‘thyroid not included’.” As if I were a Christmas toy. “I’m a freak of nature!” This may be true, but not due to a missing organ.

Viral Video: Boston crowd overtakes national anthem!

Viral Video: Boston crowd overtakes national anthem!

A million views in just a few days shows off this hand captured video of a hockey game where the fans took over the National Anthem. Precious!

Should I tell my kids about dad’s alcoholism?

By Elisabeth K. Corcoran
Author of He Is Just That Into You
Question: “My husband is an alcoholic. Should I tell my children about their father’s drinking?”

This is such a sensitive subject, and there is no easy answer or once-size-fits-all solution for everyone, and this of course depends on how old your children are. But if your kids are in their pre-teens or teens, here are three good reasons to consider talking to them about this topic.

1. Your children need to know that they are genetically predisposed to alcoholism and that even one sip could change their lives forever. We must not be naïve. Our children will more than likely find themselves in positions where they are tempted to try alcohol, whether it be at a party, school function, or even a family event sadly. We cannot assume that our kids will skate through their adolescence without trying alcohol or at least being offered a drink. So if their father drinks or uses drugs, they need to know that they are more at risk to have an addiction. They need to be armed with this information so they can make intelligent choices.

Oregon marathons respond

By Evergreen,
Oregon Blogger

The Eugene Marathon is just 10 days away and organizers are grappling with the first major terrorist attack in America in 10 years and it happened during the Boston Marathon.  Sometimes marathons do get cancelled.  New York had to cancel theirs a few months ago because of super storm Sandy.    The Eugene Marathon is expected to draw about 8,500 runners and officials are planning on keeping the date.  Yesterday the Portland Triathalon group held a support run for Boston run in Portland along the Waterfront.

The Portland Marathon (which is not until October) is dedicating their Marathon to the Boston one.  “We will dedicate our Portland Marathon in October to the memory of all those impacted by this tragic Boston event.  And we will provide all our finishers with a token that carries forward the remembrance of those who suffered in Boston.”

Difference between pleasure and joy

by Shannon Ables
Eastern Oregon writer
The Simply Luxurious Life

Declining dinner and dealing with tween ‘tudes

Fiona Brown
Oregon Blog Earth Monkey Moms

Welcome to the inaugural posting of ‘Ask Auntie Fi’, a weekly event where I try to answer your most burning questions, by researching and asking experts on your behalf. Remember, I ain’t the expert here, I’m just happy to do the legwork, cos you know who benefits the most from all of this – ME!

Our very first question concerns the matter of how to politely get out of a dinner invite..something we’ve all had to do – or have wanted to do at some stage……

‘What is the best way to politely decline a dinner invitation? We were invited to dinner by one of my husband’s co-workers and quite honestly neither of us want to go, however with them being co workers we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings’ – Mrs D
Well Mrs D to answer your question, I sought the advice of the one of the ultimate Queens of Hospitality and Entertaining, published author and blogger; Sandy Coughlin. Sandy is big on authentic entertaining and knows first hand about matters concerning dining etiquette. Sandy says:

How much should you drink?

By Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM
Your Personal Trainer

Eight to ten glasses of water per day. That’s sixty-four to eighty ounces. It sounds downright daunting and boring! Is this the only option? Of course not. Seems there is some confusion as to how much we should be drinking and what it should include.

To determine the amount of fluid you require each day, divide your body weight in half, and drink that amount in fluid ounces. A 120-pound woman, for instance, requires 60 ounces of fluid each day. This includes all fluids, even coffee. Does that mean coffee counts toward your daily fluid intake? “Yes. All fluids count—plain water, juice, soup, watermelon, and even coffee. The rumor that coffee dehydrates people lacks scientific evidence. . . . Yes, coffee might make you urinate more in 2 hours, but not in 24 hours. Even during exercise in the heat, athletes can consume coffee and not be concerned about dehydration.”1 A caveat here: “Alcohol has a diuretic (water losing) effect. That means the more alcohol you drink, the more fluid you lose.”2 Alcohol in all its forms is one of the fluids that does not count towards your daily intake.

Viral Video: The dog who hops

Dogs never cease to amaze us on how different they are. Check out this one of a dog who goes crazy for walking.