May
28
2015

Birth Announcement Introduces 13 Year-Old 'Newborn'

be my little baby

Birth Announcement Introduces 13 Year-Old 'Newborn'

On the back of this spectacular retraction comes another birth announcement like no other. For a start, the "newborn" is 13 years-old!

Three years ago, mom and photographer Kelli Higgins and her husband were asked by a social worker if they would consider adopting Latrell and his five year-old sister Chayna. And even though Higgins was already mom to five other kids, she opened her doors - and her heart - with an emphatic, "Yes."

But it wasn't happily ever after and smooth sailing.

"We were all sitting at the dining room table talking about an upcoming newborn shoot that I had when Latrell looked sad and stated he had never had newborn photos taken of him," recalls Higgins. "My daughter Ally, who was 12 at the time, felt bad for him and jokingly said, 'why don't you do them [now]?'"

Higgins thought it was a brilliant idea. So did Latrell.

"He told me that it makes him feel special and loved, [and] when he was asked if he was embarrassed by it he said, 'No! I can still be your baby even when I'm 30!'"

The announcement was posted to the mom's Facebook page, where it racked up more than 5,000 shares. For Higgins, taking a viral photo was about more than a sweet gesture for her new son; it was a chance to raise awareness about adopting older children, who make up the bulk of foster kids in the U.S.

It takes time to build trust and love, but it's not just babies who deserve good homes with loving parents. 

Higgins sounds like a special person indeed. 

Image Source: Facebook

More Awesome "Birth" Announcements

May
26
2015

Mom Gets Paid "Wife Bonus" for Staying Home to Raise Kids

Fair finances or assault on feminism?

Mom Gets Paid "Wife Bonus" for Staying Home to Raise Kids

wife_bonus

There's an interesting commentary taking place by Polly Phillips, a woman who defends the annual "wife bonus" her husband has paid her for the past five years for staying home to raise their daughter.

Previously Phillips had a high flying job of her own. Ever since she gave up working to start a family, her husband "compensated" her - much like any employer would - by way of a fat cheque that she could use to splurge guilt-free on Chanel ballet pumps or Hermes Birkin bag.
 
Phillips isn't alone. She claims to be part of "a tribe of women" (mostly Manhattanites) who receive a bonus from their husbands "as a sign of appreciation for services rendered." Even she admits that on the face of it the idea runs contrary to her independent woman instincts.  

"The concept of a “gift” for being a good little wife seemed to assault all my feminist senses, implying a certain level of sinister financial control," she writes in the Telegraph.
 
"Rather than being a depressing step back for feminism, I’m proud that my husband appreciates that, at the age of 32, by staying at home with our 19 month-old daughter, I’m working just as hard as he is, and he is prepared to put his money where his mouth is." 

Fine for Phillips, but let me tell you the "gift" would never fly here. Though I too have brought home decent wages pre-children, money was never a case of "his and hers." By staying home with my son, I am not doing my husband some favour. I would never describe my role in terms of "services rendered."
 
That's not to dismiss that housework is workBeing a mother is work but it is work that I undertake voluntarily, not begrudgingly.
 
I wonder whether this kind of thinking is prevalent among couples who've always viewed their finances in separate terms... If I want a bag or fancy shoes, then I go out and get them when I feel like it. There is no need to justify the expense, if we can afford it. There is no need for a formal stipend or allowance from my husband. That would just be patronizing. 
 
No matter how Phillips and her educated cohorts try to paint it, the entire concept of "wife bonus" reeks of sour apples from women resentful that they've had to (Phillips words) "play second fiddle to their [husbands'] careers, putting our own aspirations on the back burner."
 
May
26
2015

RECALL: President's Choice Moroccan-Style Hummus

Staphylococcus bacteria contamination

RECALL: President's Choice Moroccan-Style Hummus

PC_Hummus_Recall

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has recalled Loblaw Companies Limited's President's Choice Moroccan-Style Hummus because it may contain Staphylococcus bacteria:

Brand and Product Name - Size - Code(s) on Product - UPC

  • President's Choice Moroccan-Style Hummus - 280 g - Best before: 2015 JN 14 - 0 60383 13387 0

Food contaminated with the Staphylococcus toxin may not look or smell spoiled, but could cause the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and fever.

In severe cases, contamination may cause headache, muscle cramping and changes in blood pressure and pulse rate.

The CFIA testing revealed possible contamination and is ensuring that recalled products are removed from the marketplace.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Customers are advised not to eat the recalled product but to dispose of it immediately. Customers may contact Loblaw Companies Limited at [email protected] or 1-888-495-5111

For further information, customers and industry officials can contact the CFIA via the online feedback form.

View other recent recalls.