Eight years ago, two teenage boys suffered from sudden cardiac arrest while playing lacrosse for their high school team and subsequently died. Since then, the parents of the two boys have worked relentlessly to pass laws in their home states of Ohio and New York, making it mandatory to have a defibrillator available in schools. According to CNN.com, the parents are now pushing for federal funding to have these available in all primary and secondary schools across America.

I can't imagine what it was like for these parents to stand by and not be able to do anything for their sons, especially now knowing that having one of these machines on hand could have possibly saved their lives.

I realize that there are so many life-threatening conditions out there, and it is impossible to have the equipment on hand to prevent each and every one, but stats say that over 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest every year, of which a quarter are possibly preventable just by having these machines on hand. Schools seem to be an ideal location as well, not only for the students and staff, but they are often used for community purposes as well.

The machines come complete with audio instructions, and are configured in such a way that they analyze the heartbeat and won't deliver a shock unless it is needed. The cost for each defibrillator? $1500. Seems like a small price to pay if it is able to save even one life.

The Toy Industry Association held their annual Toy Fair in New York City from February 17-20, where exhibitors bring forth thousands of new and innovative products that will soon be hitting your store shelves. This exhibition is the largest toy trade show in the Western hemisphere, but is not open to the public - you have to be a toy retailer, manufacturer, distributor, or the like to gain access. Such a shame, I always thought this would be the coolest thing to attend.

The fair is kicked off with the Toy of the Year Awards, which, in their own words, are designed to "salute the creativity, success and playful spirit of the toy industry by honoring the best toys developed by the international toy industry for North American consumers."

Following is a full list of the winners. Do you agree, or have other suggestions as to who should have won?

Toy of the Year – Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle, Spin Master, Ltd
Most Innovative Toy of the Year – Smart Cycle™ Physical Learning, Fisher-Price
Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year – Moon Sand Adventure Island, Spin Master Ltd.
Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year – Power Tour Electric Guitar, Tiger Electronics
Educational Toy of the Year – Smart Cycle™ Physical Learning, Fisher-Price
Activity Toy of the Year – LEGO City, LEGO Systems, Inc.
Game of the Year – Rubik's Revolution, Techno Source
Specialty Toy of the Year – Snap Circuits, Elenco
Outdoor Toy of the Year – RipStik® Caster Board, RipStik USA
Girl Toy of the Year – Littlest Pet Shop: Display & Play Round & Round Pet Town Playset, Hasbro, Inc. and Troop Groovy Girls, Manhattan Toy
Boy Toy of the Year – Transformers Movie Deluxe Figures, Hasbro, Inc.
Property of the Year – Hannah Montana, Disney Consumer Products

It is a scary, scary world out there for some children. Earlier this week, police in Toronto, Ontario, Canada found a three-year old girl who had been abandoned in her home. After much coaxing, the little girl finally opened a side door for police, and they eventually walked her to her school as their cruiser was not equipped with a child seat.

Police have placed her two older siblings with Children's Aid, and though they didn't disclose the reason why the child was left alone or how they found out about her, they have charged (and subsequently released) the mother, and the father has been arrested for assault charges against all three children - ages 3, 6, and 8.

I can't imagine what possible circumstances could lead a mother to abandon her children, but apparently this happens more often than we may realize. In fact, this was the third child in the area to be abandoned in less than a month. I'm sure there are many more stories like this that go unreported to the public.

How would you feel if you went to the home of a friend or relative with your children, and you were greeted with naked pictures of them on the wall? Well apparently, if you are tight with Heidi Klum and her husband Seal, that is exactly what you would see.

According to this video, the supermodel and her singer husband believe that the human body is a beautiful thing (granted, I would too if I looked like them) and that children should be taught to appreciate the human form. Do you think that displaying naked pictures of themselves on the wall is the way to do this though?

Personally, I can understand having nude artwork in the house - especially if it is tastefully or artistically portrayed, but I will bet dollars to donuts that my daughter is thankful every single day that I don't have pictures of myself in the buff displayed so that she - or worse - her friends, could see them.

This past weekend I flew across the country for a holiday without my daughter. It was a break I very much needed from work, and to be honest, just a break from the day to day routine of parenting, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the cats. Between room service, restaurants, having a cocktail or two during the day, and celebrating my birthday with a number of close friends, the weekend was just about perfect. The only thing that kept nagging at me was how much I missed my daughter.

I received a call from her on Friday, telling me that she landed a new job and would start the following day. A trace of sadness was noticeable in her voice as she told me that this was the first time we were unable to go out and celebrate her new employment together. She quickly shook that off though, as she started telling me about the plans she and her friends had made for the weekend.

The following day she called me again, dead tired after working her first 8-hour shift. She is no stranger to hard work, but standing for the duration of her shift and lack of sleep the night before had apparently taken it's toll on her. The first words out of her mouth were "I miss you, come home." It just about broke my heart, and I briefly considered hopping on the next plane, but after a 30-minute chat she was back to her usual, upbeat self and I promised myself to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

When I arrived at my home airport Monday afternoon, she greeted me at the gate with a huge smile and a beautiful bouquet of flowers as my birthday had been the day before. In that instant, I realized how important it is to have a little time apart, as it makes the time we do spend together that much sweeter.

If you have kids, you know that the internet can be a pretty scary place with online predators, excessive or inappropriate advertising, the list goes on. However, kids today seem to be more internet savvy than a good number of adults I know, (actually, I am convinced it is now built right into their DNA) so it is important to find safe, age-appropriate websites where they can have fun while learning something new. Two new sites, KOL and KOL Jr., were recently brought to my attention, and I am very impressed with the content.

KOL (Kids Online) is loaded with activities and information for kids of all ages. The site includes categories such as cartoons and comics, movies and television, pets and animals, sports, style, and over 100 games.

KOL Jr. will be live this Thursday, and was designed for the youngest of web users, with content appropriate for two- to five-year-olds. Yes, they really do use the internet that young. This online playground is loaded with activities that are meant to involve both parent and child, including cartoons, games, music, stories, and a number of printable coloring pages. You can view a preview via this link, and as of Thursday the full site can be found at koljr.com.

I ran across this video on CNN.com and was, in a word, shocked. Real guns, real bullets, painted pink with Hello Kitty emblems on them.

My personal feelings about guns aside, I have to seriously wonder what adult would want a Hello Kitty gun to begin with, but even more seriously - just by looking at it - what child would not think this was a toy?

Yes, when we were children we played with toy guns. We played cops and robbers, pretended we were characters from movies or the wild west. We owned pretend light sabers and thought we were in Star Wars. It did not make me grow up wanting to own a real gun or harm or shoot someone. I do believe it is fair to say that in general, children are capable of playing with toys that look like weapons without causing any permanent psychological damage. On the flip side though, I can not believe that anyone thinks it is acceptable to make weapons that look like toys.

According to the video, the owner of Jim's Gun Supply states that over 75% of the people purchasing these painted weapons are law enforcement officials buying gifts for their wives so they can go to the shooting range. What is even more staggering is how many of these are out there. Do a Google search for Hello Kitty guns and you will find countless varieties.

What's next - a My Little Pony Glock?

As if birth control (or lack thereof) wasn't already a controversial enough topic for most, one UK official has now proposed forced, temporary sterilization for teenage girls.

As the mother of a teenage daughter, I have to admit my first reaction was to be completely horrified by this, but after tossing the idea around in my mind for a few days I'm now at the point where I'm not completely against the general idea as a concept. Unfortunately it isn't that simple though.

It remains highly debatable if encouraging teens to use birth control is the same as giving them permission to have sex. Is having condoms available in school bathrooms protecting them from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, or is it simply giving them the green light to be sexually active? To be honest, I'm not sure. I think it really depends on the individual teenager and what their existing views are about having sex in the first place.

What really troubles me about this concept though is not the sterilization itself, it is the idea of it being forced upon teenagers. I can't imagine living in a society where such a thing could be mandatory for those between the ages of 12-17. Presented as a choice, I think the idea could have merit for those who choose to take advantage of it, but forced? It crosses the line on too many other issues - freedom of choice being the main one.

So the question is - If you could make the decision to temporarily sterilize your teenage daughter, would you? Is this a valid concept, or does it take away from our personal rights?



(Thanks, Caelligh!)

I just finished reading this article on People.com about how Heidi Klum is the latest celebrity who thinks that they can help save Britney Spears, and to be honest, I have mixed opinions about it.

Now to be fair, I'll admit that I've watched the events of Britney's life unfold over the past year with a mixture of horror and fascination. There is a voyeuristic side to me that can't quite look away, yet as a mother it disturbs me deeply, especially with what has happened to her relationship with her babies.

Yes, my own maternal instincts make me want to wrap her in a warm blanket, give her some hot chocolate, and make it all better as well, but come on. Is that realistic? This is a woman in her late twenties (not a girl, not a child) who allegedly is bipolar, has mental health issues, has a history of drug and/or alcohol abuse, has been in (and prematurely left) rehab...the list goes on. There is no way that I would assume I was qualified to help her, and I don't understand how a long list of seemingly well-balanced Hollywood celebrities keep thinking they would be able to make a difference either.

Yes, Heidi states that she has never been happier in her own life, and that she could provide a stable environment, but does that qualify her to deal with someone that has all these problems? More importantly, I can't imagine any possible scenario where having Britney as a house guest (along with her legions of paparazzi friends hanging around on the street) could be beneficial to Heidi's own children, aged 1, 2, and 3.

Fact is, Britney has a mother. Britney is a mother. She needs professional, medical help and has to want to be helped in the first place. I would so much rather see Heidi Klum and the others opt to support and bring attention to the charities / non-profits / associations that help deal with the issues Britney has, than to hear anyone else offer up room and board for her in their mansions.

I've said that phrase many times, but it has never been more relevant to me on a personal level than over the past few days. Thursday morning I woke up with an extremely sore throat, yet still managed to get myself ready and head in to work. By the time I got there, what little voice I had left disappeared and I was promptly sent home. A visit to the doctor revealed that I had strep, so I grabbed my antibiotics, tissues, and some juice, and prepared to spend the next few days in bed.

The problem is, what do you do when you are a single parent, and you don't want your child to catch your infection? I was lucky enough that the parents of my daughter's friend stepped up to the plate and offered to take her in for me - insisting that she could stay there as long as it took for me to get better. Now to be fair, she is more than capable of feeding herself and taking care of herself in general, but what an enormous relief to not have to worry that she may end up in bed for the next week after catching what I had. Because of this random act of kindness, I was able to literally stay in bed for 48 straight hours, and I'm feeling much better now than I would have if I had to get up and clean and cook.

The only downside is that I am leaving town late next week for five days, and she is staying behind with another friend of hers for the duration. Though I appreciate having a village of people to back me up, I miss her already.