meta-dad

T-shirt round-up for the whole family

Moms and Dads know that t-shirts are beyond necessity for those tender first years of raising a family. The spit up. The cereal. The many colored and scented fluids that come with raising infants, babies and toddlers. t-shirts are basically a More »

Hip + sexy for nursing mother

Post-baby pajamas and nightwear for new moms does not have to consist of an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. Understand most new moms may not be feeling super sexy since their body is going through notable transitions and baby doesn’t really care whether he spits up on cotton or silk. But new dads (and established ones) can add a nice More »

Mother’s Day themed crafts and coloring sheets

Primarily in spring, it seems most countries around the world celebrate some form of Mother’s Day, with days honoring ‘mother’ dating as far back as the 16th century and some argue it reaches as far back as the days of ancient Greece with the celebration of Cybele, the ancient god of mothers. The current incarnation is said to be loosely based on More »

Gorgeous Valentine’s for the wife

There are classic gift ideas like; jewelry, a box of sweets, flowers or maybe a sexy lil’ number. The challenge (for me anyway) is how to make these classics spin into something deeply personal, something that really hits the right chord. Ahh, such is the dance we call “love”, right?

Last year, I got my wife a engraved pendant necklace (*above center) that is a simple chain with small handcrafted gold bars inscribed with each of our sons’ names and on the other side of each is a word like “cherish” or “adore.” She treasures it.

I ordered the necklace from the San Fransisco based boutique, Penelope Poet. They carry a beautiful array personal pieces handcrafted by indie jewelrymakers and artisans throughout the country. Pictured above [left lto right] is the classic 14k Gold Love Knot Earrings, the Nashelle Cherished Engraved Bars Necklace and the Amour Circle Filigree Necklace. Pieces from Penelope Poet have been featured in Oprah magazine, Life & Style Weekly and others.

What better way to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, than by supporting moms and wives who craft beautiful handcrafted pieces.

Petit Bateau Pea Coat

This is definitely not bargain basement shopping, but what my wife and I have discovered with three children is certain pieces of clothing can be worthy hand-me-downs, ultimately saving you money. One of those key items is a good winter coat. Check out these beautiful Petit Bateau pea coats for both boys and girls.

On sale for $96 bucks at TrendiChic.Com (they have a clearance bin as well)

Stem Cell Research Underway to Treat Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is Number Six on the list of top ten killers for women, of the 185+ thousand women diagnosed with it, over 41 thousand women die every year. Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Cryo-Cell, which is a company that has made a name for itself as a family cord blood bank, has gone into partnership with the National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical Center to begin research on potentially treating diseases, specifically breast cancer.

Through this partnership they will conduct an exploratory study to determine if stem cells collected from menstrual blood can be used in the potential treatment of breast cancer. This study will include cutting-edge techniques making it possible to track stems cells in the body using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—a non-invasive method.

Currently, non-invasive imaging for long term tracking of stem cells in the body do not yet exist, making this truly ground breaking research. The ability to use MRI to monitor the journey of menstrual blood stem cells in the body holds great promise in the utilization of menstrual stem cells in the future treatment of disease. Cryo-Cell’s research partnership with the NIH is a major step towards discovering potential breast cancer therapy.