Content for Friday, July 23
(PARENTING)... Two in Three Parents of Infants Have No Clue What They’re Doing
Two in three parents of infants say they have no clue what they're doing when it comes to parenting. A recent survey of 2,000 American parents with children ages 0 to 1 found 68% feel like they’re just winging it, especially for the first six months of their baby’s life. And the pandemic hasn’t made things easier. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of parents said the crisis has completely changed the way they take care of their child. In addition to being a parent, many have taken up other roles at home such as being a chef (55%), daycare provider (51%), a maid (50%) and teacher (50%) over the past year. Juggling all of these jobs has cut the sleep of nearly a third (31%) of parents, who average about five hours of sleep every night. Besides not getting enough sleep (63%), parents also struggle with not having enough time for self-care (58%) or for doing other errands during the day (56%). TOP PRIORITIES IN RAISING AN INFANT
Caring for their emotional needs (73%)
Making sure they get enough mental stimulation (66%)
Being a good role model (64%)
Finding time for them to socialize safely (61%)
Tracking their development milestones (55%)
Women Are Showing Off Their "Mom Bods" In Response To The "Dad Bod" Trend
Women are taking to Instagram to show off their “mom bods” in response to the recent “dad bod” trend. A woman who is credited with starting the trend says “ever since the dad bod trend started a few years ago, it's always rubbed me the wrong way. I love that it allows for body acceptance and confidence, but why only for men?” She continued, “I couldn’t understand how 'dad bods' achieved this cultural acceptance while society was still preying on women’s insecurities with such intensity." So she posted a picture of her “mom bod” and encouraged other women to follow, because, she says women aren’t given grace about their bodies the way men are and it's something that needs to change.
Women Reveal Small Things to Change About Their Husbands
A thread on Mumsnet has women venting pet peeves about their partners, from not knowing how to iron to snoring loudly. It all began after a woman admitted she has a list of small things she would change about her husband, including emptying pockets before clothes go in the wash. Others were quick to share their pet peeves, from putting empty bottles back on the bathroom shelf rather than the recycling, to leaving a single sheet of toilet paper on the roll and not loading the dishwasher properly. One post vented frustration about the amount of noise their partner makes. A woman said, “Blow your noise more quietly. For the love of god. It's the first sound I hear every morning. A massively exuberant hoot. It is so annoying." Another added, "Noisy eating, stop slurping.” Others vented frustrations about the mess made by their partners, with one writing, "Get rid of about 2/3 of his stuff. He has loads and it would just be so much more comfortable and tidy if he had less.” Another wrote, "Learn to load the dishwasher. How can a man who runs a successful business just not grasp that water needs to be able to get around what you put in there.”
Regardless of What You Saw on Social Media, a Fourth Stimulus is Not Coming this Month
There are rumors about more stimulus money, specifically a large amount that will supposedly be coming later this month. A bogus social media post making the rounds claimed that everyone will get a $2,500 stimulus check on July 31. That isn’t happening. The Biden administration has not passed legislation about a fourth stimulus payment and Congress has shown no interest, at least for now. There are petitions, including one that has garnered almost 2.7 million signatures, asking for more direct payments as the economy continues to recover from pandemic-related shutdowns.
New NFL Policy: COVID Outbreaks Among Unvaccinated Players May Result in Forfeits, Loss of Pay
The NFL announced yesterday that schedule disruptions caused by a COVID outbreak among unvaccinated players could result in forfeits. Plus, players on both teams would lose out on their paychecks for the canceled or postponed games. Commissioner Roger Goodell told the teams in a memo: ”While there is no question that health conditions have improved from last year, we cannot be complacent or simply assume that we will be able to play without interruption.” The memo says, if a game is postponed because vaccinated players tested positive, the NFL "will attempt to minimize the competitive and economic burden on both participating teams.” "If a game can’t be rescheduled and is canceled due to a COVID outbreak among non-vaccinated players on one of the competing teams, the team with the outbreak will forfeit and will be deemed to have played 16 games for purposes of draft, waiver priority, etc." Unvaccinated players also will have to follow stricter protocols this season, including at training camp.Those rules call for daily coronavirus tests and wearing a mask, as well as added travel restrictions. The league has encouraged but not mandated vaccinations for players, which would be a union issue. About 78% of NFL players have had at least one dose of vaccine.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Go 'Instagram Official'
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are 'Instagram official' as JLo's pal Leah Remini posted photos from her 51st birthday party (on June 15), and Jen and Ben are seen cuddled up together.
In the black and white photo, Jen presses her body against Ben's with one hand on the actor and director's chest. Ben poses with one arm wrapped around his girlfriend pulling her close and with his other arm draped casually around actress Leah.
Queen, Metallica, AC/DC and Tool Make Billboard’s List of Highest Paid Musicians of 2020
Queen, Metallica, AC/DC, Tool, Kiss and Aerosmith are among the hard rock and metal artists who have made Billboard’s list of highest-paid musicians of 2020. For Queen's No. 7 place, Billboard estimates they made $13.2 million, including $5.5 million from streaming, $5.3 million from sales and $2.4 million from publishing. AC/DC is in 13th place with $10.1 million after streaming, sales and publishing earned them $4.3 million, $4 million and $1.8 million. Metallica raked in $9 million in 2020, $3.9 million of which came from streaming, $3.7 million from sales and $1.4 million from publishing, to come in at No. 18. Tool ranked No. 32, and $4.2 million of the band's total $6.17 million income came from touring. Revenue from merchandising, synchronization or livestream gigs was not included.
Mississippi Man Describes Being Face-To-Face With Bigfoot
A man in Mississippi claims he had a run-in with Bigfoot. The man said “… I saw some trees shaking, and I really looked, and I could see the silhouette of him holding trees like that. And then when he realized I saw him, he screamed at me again and that really scared me.” NOTE: Mississippi ranks near the bottom of states in Bigfoot sightings per capita… according to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, ALSO: Animal Planet has described Bigfoot’s sound as a “high pitched scream…like a woman being murdered in the woods.”
The Top 20 Things Drivers Feel Most Uncomfortable Doing
A study of 2,000 drivers found one in 10 dislikes, or hates driving, altogether. Turns out, driving in snow, driving on roads with lots of lanes, and driving in the dark are some of the things that make people most uncomfortable about driving. Top things drivers feel most uncomfortable doing: 1. Driving in snowy conditions 2. Driving in a new town or city 3. Roads where there are lots of lanes and you need to be in the right one 4. Driving in the dark 5. Driving in wet and rainy conditions 6. Semi-trucks 7. Passing cyclists 8. Areas where there is lots of traffic 9. Highways 10. Parallel parking 11. Reverse parking 12. Areas where there are lots of children (e.g. near schools) 13. Country roads 14. Roundabouts 15. Areas where there are lots of pedestrians 16. Changing lanes 17. Buses 18. Having to cross the traffic 19. Student drivers 20. Having to do a three-point turn
Twitter Testing Thumbs Up, Down Buttons For Reacting To Posts
Twitter is testing a thumbs up and a thumbs down to react to tweets. Currently users can only react to tweets by replying or retweeting them… or liking them by using the heart icon. The testing is only being done for users on Apple's iOS platform.