A Parent's Guide to Your Children's Tattoos

Like any concerned parent's worst nightmare, my teenage son wanted to get a tattoo for his birthday. I thought he lost his mind and nearly got into a huge argument with him. Why couldn't he be just like all the other kids and ask for a video gaming console instead?

After a heated exchange of words, followed by a cool-down period with lots of contemplation, I slowly saw the error of my ways. All my son wanted was a tiny tattoo for a birthday present. It does not equal to the end of the world just yet.

In Canada, there is no age regulation for getting a tattoo, although most parlours require parental consent for anybody under the age of eighteen. I was thankful that my son respected me enough to ask for permission first. I'd much rather argue with him over getting a tattoo, rather than him going to an untrustworthy tattoo parlour behind my back. If my son wanted to get a tattoo, then it is my responsibility as a parent to fully support him however I can.

My first concern is the quality of the tattoo supplies. I have heard many horror stories about skin infection through unsterilized needles and equipment. To avoid this, I did hours of research online until I came up with a very reputable tattoo parlour with great reviews and references.

Another concern is the design and visibility of the tattoo. My son is still young and a bit naive, so he wanted the tattoo to be placed on a body part with as much exposure as possible. He did not take into consideration that very few employers would appreciate hiring somebody with a bright vibrant tattoo on the side of his neck. I definitely vetoed that suggestion, although I did recommend that he place it on the back of his shoulder - a common place for tattoos.

It took a lot of effort and hard work to give my son the tattoo that he wanted, but I also learned a lot from the tattooing experience. And believe it or not, I believe getting the tattoo was a great bonding experience between parent and child. I would definitely feel prepared now if my daughter wants a tattoo as well...

The UrbanPill Experience

As a single mother, it is important to stay on top of my children's interests and activities. I do not go to as the extremes as some parents who snoop around their offspring's personal lives, but I like to stay informed by having insightful conversations with my kids daily.

One interesting piece of tidbit I learned from my teenage son is this brand new site called UrbanPill. I was alarmed at first when I learned about the title, but the misunderstanding soon clarified itself. UrbanPill is actually an online news site, focusing on the events happening in major Canadian cities Toronto and Vancouver. Members can contribute advice and recommendations about a variety of topics, including music, movies, finance, technology, and even health issues!

It is interesting that I heard about this site from my son. While UrbanPill is geared towards a younger demographics due to its youthful vibe, I was pleasantly surprised at the eloquence and usefulness of the content. In fact, I think the (slightly) older adults can also benefit from the site, as the members in the community also participate in some insightful discussions about serious topics like religion and politics.

The members in this community are obviously great role models for young people. I am happy that my son discovered UrbanPill, and I also intend to follow this site from time to time.

Things to Consider When Entering a Health Spa and Salon

Choosing a health spa shouldn’t be something that is stressful. The point of the spa is for you to relax and get away from life’s everyday pressures. So to help you in this task, here is a quick guide on how you can quickly evaluate a spa to see if it’s the right one for you.

One of the first things you should notice when you enter a spa is its waiting and reception area. The furniture there should be suitable – and that means they should look comfortable, clean, and above all, the stylish. You may ask why this is important; this is a place where you plan to enhance how you look. If they can’t make their own spa look the part, then what makes you sure that they can do the same for you? Obviously, the chairs should be well maintained, not battered and worn out. Over all, there should be a sense of professionalism and relaxation in the area.

Next, you’d want to do a quick check at the equipment; do they look well maintained? One easy way to check this out is to see how the staff treats the equipment. Do they push the perm machine in a rough manner, or do they treat it with the same care they do with their clients? Are the electrical cords simply left out in the way, or do they make sure that it’s out of the way? Simple things like that can truly show the kind of service to expect from the place.

Next, check out the how they organize their products. A well organized product area not only helps you see what products they have and help you choose the appropriate one, but it shows how much effort they put into the details. Last but not least, make sure the style and décor of the place is the kind of place you can relax and enjoy in.

If you’re looking for a place that meets all the criteria I listed above, check out Sashay Day Spa and Hair Salon. In the video below, you’ll see how they organize their spa, and how well they treat their equipment. Hopefully this should give you a good overview of what to look for.

Alcoholism: How to Avoid It.

Alcoholism...you'd think as a single mother like me, I would be more prone to it. But that is not really the case. I had made my choice to not touch alcohol, and to this day I still stand by my decision. Although moderate drinking of alcohol is deemed 'healthy', it is too easy to turn to abuse it and the consequences are too dire for the benefits to be any good.

Alcohol is a social drink. Some people like to call it 'liquid courage' (I'd like to call it 'liquid stupidity', but that's just me). Indeed it's fun to drink with friends around. You'd feel more relaxed, and less anxious. Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it actually suppresses brain activity. Meaning you don't think as well as you should. That is where the problem begins...if you go beyond the initial few drinks, then you are doing more harm than good. The consequences: getting drunk. It's actually your body telling you to stop drinking that stuff, because frankly it can't process it all. If you continue, you'll reach the point where you'd puke. Congratulations, you've just experienced alcohol poisoning. You might even make really stupid life altering decisions like drunk driving. And that is not the kind of life altering experience you want to undergo.

Think about it: when else would your body vomit? Sure, after a rollercoaser ride: but that's because all that motion made you dizzy, and in your body's view, dizziness is usually a sign that you ate something wrong. If you eat some bad food and your stomach catches that...vomiting time. Same concept with alcohol, really.

So how did I avoid alcoholism? I just don't drink. Others are smart enough to actually limit their number of drinks. This is a life decision that you have to make yourself. It's really as simple as that. I personally don't mind being the designated driver of the group, and even if they say bad things about that...well, they're not really thinking are they? It's a lifestyle decision, a decision to stay healthy. There have been studies linking longevity to low alcohol consumption. If you want to stay healthy, you have to stick with your healthy decisions.

Risks and Complications of Weight Loss Surgery

Without a doubt one of the biggest issues we have in society is obesity. It is one of the biggest epidemics in North America, and people's quality of life is being severely reduced because of it. Everyone's heard of Super Size Me, and the media keeps talking about how our society has now become fat. It is logical then to say that, if people were to lose weight, their quality of life would increase significantly.

Right now, we have a wide variety of way of losing weight, from fad diets, to exercise, and of course, surgery. These methods work, but much of the success depends on the patient. Some people, no matter how hard they try, can't keep weight off through dieting and exercising. For these people, surgery may be a viable option. There are four common surgeries for weight loss. How they all work is by making you feel full with less food; however, they have different risks, complications, and of course, weight loss rate.

First off we have the Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, aka "Stomach Stapling". This procedure is known to be safer than the more drastic gastric bypass, which basically rewires your digestive system by bypassing your stomach. However, this procedure is not at all reversible, as it requires stapling and cutting of the stomach. There are many serious complications that can arise from this surgery. One real advantage of this surgery is though, it does not interfere with your body's intake of nutrition, thus reducing the chance of malnutrition.

Up next we have what doctors call the Biliopancreatic Diversion surgery. As with the one before, this one be undone. A large part of your stomach is removed, while the remaining part is diverted straight to the final part of the small intestine. You can be sure that your stomach would be stapled, and cut up, along with your bowls. Because of this, this surgery has the highest mortality rate out of all the procedures. And you can look forward to a life time of mal-nutrition monitoring and supplements. But, this surgery does give you the fastest, most rapid weight lost out of all the surgeries.

We can't forget the ever present gastric bypass. Your stomach would be stapled into a smaller pouch, reducing the amount of food you can store. This small pouch is then bypassed to the intestines. Not only would you eat less, but you also absorb less. This is a major surgery, and extremely difficult to reverse. Unfortunately this procedure is also highly correlated with dumping syndrome (where food goes past your system too fast, undigested, causing nausea and cramps). However, it does offer some of the fastest average weight lost than other procedures, along with rapid initial weight lost.

Last, but definitely the best, we have the Laproscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding procedure, aka Lap-Band. This procedure is gaining rapid popularity as it is not only the safest, and is completely reversible, but it also works. It works under the same principle as before; reduce the amount of food you eat and make you feel fuller faster. Since it's a laproscopic surgery, this means it requires only small incisions for the surgery. Short recovery time, safe, and minimum risks and complications. The rate of weight loss is comparable to the other procedures, and again, this is one of the safest.

Before choosing surgery as an option for weight loss, always make sure to do your research and consult with your doctor. This is not a simple matter. Not only could you potentially transform your life, but you need to ensure that what you're doing is best suited for you. Healthy living doesn't come easy!

The Importance of Healthy Living

As a single mother, it may be hard to ensure my daughter get the nutrition they need for healthy living. In fact, it may hard in general for healthy living.

But I know it can be done because I'm doing it right now. It may be tough adjusting for a life without someone else to help you take care of your kid.

Here is my guide to the world about healthy living.