CatherineMom's Blog

For a long time, parents have been guilt tripping themselves into thinking they are the reason why their little ones don’t eat many vegetables. However, it seems that genes have more to do with taste buds than upbringing. A study of over 2,500 children showed that a dislike to eating greens and certain foods has a lot to do with DNA. The researchers compared the eating habits of identical twins...

After a young boy told his mother he had no friends to celebrate his 11th birthday with, his mum decided to make him a “Happy Birthday Colin” page on Facebook. The 10 year old has a condition similar to Asperger's syndrome, which affects his social skills and his ability to make friends at school. According to his mum, little Colin is often laughed at and has no choice but to have lunch in...

It seems like the availability of unhealthy snacks in post-primary schools may be causing our children to be obese. The Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn thinks that secondary schools should not have vending machines that sell ‘junk food’ and plans to do something to change the current situation. The findings from a Lifeskills survey also found that the majority of schools across Ireland do...

Those without children may tell you to cool it with the baby pictures on Facebook; however, it appears that baby-related posts aren’t actually as widespread as they seem. A new study found that the reason why people feel like Facebook is crowded with baby pictures is because the more likes they get the more they appear on newsfeeds. Meredith Morris, the author of the study, said: “As an...

Although the birth of a newborn usually calls for a celebration, a sudden crash in hormone levels can prevent mums from doing so. A recent report found that nearly two thirds of women struggle to cope with the changes in their lives and admit to feeling stressed and depressed after welcoming their newborn. Carried out by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and Netmums, the study suggests that more...

While a more traditional way of dealing with problems in marriage is to see a therapist, new research has found that couples who discussed relationship films over the course of twelve weeks, lessened their chances of filing for divorce. The findings, Published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, showed that a simple movie and chat approach works just as well as intensive therapy...

Having a glass of red wine every now and again is thought to come with health benefits - what is less accepted is that this rule applies to pregnant women. It looks like drinking during pregnancy will be opened up to fresh debate after new research suggests that drinking wine can also be beneficial to expectant mums. According to researchers in Denmark, having as many as two glasses of wine a week...

A dangerous drinking game has taken off in Ireland and is becoming quite popular among social media lovers. The game known as ‘nek nominations,’ involves someone being filmed while downing an alcoholic beverage in one go and then nominating a friend to do the same on camera. This drinking game has gone viral and since then, people have lost their lives from taking part in the challenge. The...

The Emirates' Federal National Council has passed a mandatory breastfeeding clause as part of their new children’s rights legislation. The new measures require mums to breastfeed their babies for two years; something their husbands can now sue them for if they fail to do it. According to reports, there was a “marathon debate” over the issue, but in the end it was decided that it is a...

Although many young girls associate Irish dancing with getting dolled up, it looks like this is to become a thing of the past. From the March 1st, 2014, girls under the age of 10 will not be able to wear make-up during an Irish dance competition. This ban is being brought by the Irish Dancing Commission, who has also decided not to allow false lashes for this age group. This could be good news for...