Old Wives' Tales

Call me gullible.


Do you remember any of those hard to believe "Rules" we had when we were kids?  For example, what about the rule that states that we have to wait one hour after we eat before we go swimming, because we may get a cramp and drown?  I remember learning that one when I was really young, and I have heard adults say it as well.   I looked it up on snopes.com and of course it's not true.  This is a old myth that for some reason has made it's way into our popular belief system.  I remember being told as a kid if I swallowed my gum it would take seven years to digest, and would give me a tummy ache.  I often go to snopes.com when I hear something that sounds too hard to believe.  Some of those crazy emails we get warning us about car hijackings and things like that, sent from people that are well-meaning, intelligent and responsible, unknowingly pass around false information.  I always set them straight with a link to snopes.com if/when I can.  Here are a couple of old wives' tales I wanted to set straight:

1.  It's okay to go in the water right after you eat.  http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/hourwait.asp

2.  Swallowed gum does not take 7 years to digest.  It makes it's way through the digestive tract just like all food, except it's relatively unchanged.  http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/chewgum.asp

3.  The 5-Second Rule:  Food that's been on the food for 5 seconds or less is not germ-free.  http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/dropped.asp

4.  Touching a toad will not give you warts.  http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/tales75.html

5.  Thank goodness I don't use butter on burns anymore.  I did when I was a kid.  That's what we did.  And it didn't help one bit.  http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/tales43.html

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Fooled You

I'd been had.

Ever see one of those videos or pictures going around that appear "too unreal" or "unbelieveable"?  In a lot of cases there are just that, not real.  The latest trickery that I was taken by was the picture of the Royal Wedding compared to the animated Cinderella Disney movie clips.  I have to admit, the photo did have me going for awhile. "Cinderella and Royal Wedding Comparison".  Very clever, very thought-provoking and entertaining:  http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/cinderella.asp

Here's a link to a video that I found on snopes.com Top 25.  It's portrayed as a baseball news video, called, "Evan Longoria's Crazy Bare Hand Catch", preventing the baseball from hitting the female reporters head. Turns out it was a Gillette commercial:  http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/longoria.asp 

Here's an "Amazing Ball Girl Catch", that is actually a Gatorade Commercial.  This one looked real. I'd been had:  http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/ballgirl.asp 

Makes one wonder if this one's real or not: "Ball bashes blonde babe's bonce".  A Sky Sport's production.  I sent this to snopes.com today to get it checked out:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3111132/Sky-Sports-Jessica-Kastrop-is-hit-in-the-head-by-football-during-live-broadcast.html

Have a great day, and remember to check it out if it seems unbelievable!

~ Angela Gentile

Tulip Surprise

Yellow Tulip

It's been a long, dreary, cold, rainy, cloudy week.  

This morning it was sunny.  

As I glanced toward the flower bed in our front yard, 

a splash of yellow caught my eye.  

A beautiful yellow tulip had bloomed.  

I took it as a promise of more good weather to come.

Have a wonderful day!

~ Angela Gentile

First Kiss

Do you remember when you had your first kiss?  On the lips?!!  Here's a cute video where a little boy and girl's first kiss is so innocently captured on video.  It's so sweet, and it's called, "High Five for First Kiss (original)".




Click on the arrow above, if that doesn't work, go to this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEN-kHe5o_Y&feature=aso

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

I Love Boobies Campaign

My daughter asked me to buy her an "I ♥ Boobies" bracelet the other day.  I went to a store called, "Boathouse", at St. Vital Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, and purchased her one of these colourful rubber bracelets (I am not sure where else they are sold in Winnipeg).  These bracelets are part of an awareness campaign to encourage breast self exams.  It's a creative way to get kids thinking about breast health and the importance of self-care.  Their motto is, "Keep A Breast - Check Your Self".  The trend is to wear 2, 3 or more at a time.  Kids love them!

What a great way to get kids/teenagers thinking about breast health, breast cancer and taking care of ourselves.  Find out where you can buy your bracelet at: http://www.loserkids.com/category-exec/category_id/189

Here's where you can go to find out how to do a breast self exam: Self Breast Exam

Go to this link to get more information on the I Love Boobies bracelets:  http://www.keep-a-breast.org/blog/keep-a-breast-i-love-boobies-bracelets/

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Being the Best Parent

Thanks to my husband Cupp for passing along this great post by Ric Elias, through CNN.  It's called, "What I thought when my plane crashed".  It an excellent inspiration to all of us, especially parents.  More great videos like this can be found on the website called TED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to "ideas worth spreading".



Click on the arrow above, or go to this link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/08/elias.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=C2

Have a wonderful day!

~ Angela Gentile

For a Brighter Future

Trust your decisions and feelings and do what is best for you.

The future will work itself out; you're the kind of person who can make it happen.

Don't let anyone else's negativity influence your dreams, values, or hopes.

Focus on what you can change and let go what you can't.

You know your own worth, what you've accomplished, and what you're capable of.

Your goals may take a bit longer and be harder to achieve than you had hoped, but concentrate on the positives and combine faith with generous portions of patience and determination.

Step boldly and confidently into your future where happiness, success, and dreams await you.

You have the potential for greatness...never give up.

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge

-- Barbara Cage

 ( From 2011 Calendar, Think Positive Thoughts Every Day.  A Blue Mountain Arts Collection).

What wonderful words for a positive, bright future.

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile