health

Blogger Heather Lagemann is funny. Like snort-bourbon-out-your-nose, light-urine-leakage funny.

Getting a healthy, home-cooked meal on the table for dinner every evening can sometimes feel like a monumental task.

It wouldn’t be summer in St. Louis without our favorite local farmers markets. From meeting the men and women who grow and raise our food to sampling some of the tastiest culinary confections St.

A well-rounded kid is built from exposure to activities that fuel his mind and body – activities that are not only educational, but fun enough to grab his wandering attention span.

Welcome to Mom's Happy Hour, in which we sort through the latest news about parents, parenting and pop culture so you don't have to.

Kids aren't always Smarties

Kids do stupid things. Like the time I walked in to find a stack of pillows at the bottom of our staircase and a four-year-old ready to jump from the top. Or the time when my brother was 16 and tried to leap a plastic construction fence to show off and got his foot caught and broke his arm.

Now kids are snorting Smarties in order to blow the candy dust out their noses or mouths like cigarette smoke. There’s no known high or benefit, just a group of middle schoolers who think the practice will get them the ladies and the respect of their schoolmates who are too scared to ingest the most inedible candy in the world.

There are a couple of huge issues with this. One, it’s mimicking the drug problem we have in this country. Two, the candy is leaving sugary remnants lodged in the nose, increasing the risk for nasal maggots. If we didn’t think our kids could get any grosser, they go and become infested.

According to a report released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breastfeeding rates are on the rise.