You know, I’m not one to do a lot of soul-baring here at The Bolt. A few snippets here and there, maybe, but overall, not so much. However, today was a big day in my world, and I believe that many of you have had days like this as well. So I’m wondering how you handle the following things, since how we choose (or sometimes just instinctively react to) certain things can affect our health, mindset, and well-being. Here we go:

Nostalgia: Today, the BIG NEWS broke. The New Kids on the Block, the boy band who started that generation’s wave of boy bands, have officially reunited. This, to me, was some of the most amazing news I’ve heard since…ever.

Whilst watching this glorious announcement on the Today Show, I shrieked, I hopped, I shushed my kids so I could hang on every Bostonian-accented word they uttered, and I almost made my child late for school…and he was the Person of the Day!

The memories (and obviously, the pubescent behaviors) came flooding back and nostalgia took over. I remembered the first New Kids concert I went to, I recalled the vivid dream I had when the guys loaned me their Shar-pei puppy for the weekend, I could completely envision my old bedroom’s walls, plastered with every magazine photo or article ever written on these guys. It was fun and harmless, and a real boost. I was in a good mood all day. Is this what nostalgia does to you, too?

Sappy Parenting Moments: The other big news of the day (and the reason my child was Person of the Day) is that my baby turned 5 years old today. Five! I’m not sure why, but 5 seems so old.

I’m a naturally sappy parent anyway (I’m a Cancer, see. It’s not my fault!) but birthdays in my house are basically a sentence to Kleenex Camp. I spend a lot of time boo-hooing over the past, remembering this milestone and that, boo-hooing over the future, and overall, just using a lot of facial tissue. I have to wonder if I’m the only mom out there who carries on like this on her kids’ birthdays. Am I?

So, you know, nothing too heavy for your Friday. Just some things to think about as you forge into your weekend. Hmmm…Nostalgia and sap. Sometimes one in the same, aren’t they?

Post from: Healthbolt

The new tests, marketed as Identigene, have recently hit the shelves and sold far faster in test markets than anticipated. Now, the kits can be found across the country, providing you with definitive answers to your most private of questions.

Retailing for around $20, the kit contains all that the subjects need to produce DNA samples. Obviously, swabs from the father and the child are imperative for accurate results, but a sample from the mother is also recommended. Once the samples are taken, they are sent away to a lab and analyzed for about $120. Results are then returned to the testers within 3 – 5 business days, giving them the answers they need.

Though the tests are said to be 99.99% accurate, the results will not be permitted in a court of law.

So, aside from the obvious ramifications of changing people’s lives forever, do you feel these new tests have a place in our society today? Are they a good idea, or are they just asking for trouble?

For more information, read entire article
For even more information, view video clip

Post from: Healthbolt