What We’re Talking About This Week
Why we’ll be trying to read more this fall, a celebrity mom site we love, detecting concussions and why dads are the best—that’s what we’re talking about at the office this week.
Reading is Even Better for You than We Previously Thought
We always knew that devouring a good book was good for our mental health: it calms the mind, relaxes us, and often prepares us for sleep. But a recent article published on fastcompany.com has revealed that losing oneself in a good read is even better for you than we previously thought. Because reading gives you a broader and richer understanding of different perspectives and experiences, it leads to an increased ability to cope with difficult situations, explains Dr Josie Billington, deputy director of the Centre for Research into Reading at the University of Liverpool. ‘People who read find it easier to make decisions, plan, and prioritize, and this may be because they are more able to recognize that difficulty and setback are unavoidable aspects of human life,’ says Billington. We’re inspired—perhaps a little goal setting is in order.
Groknation Is Not Your Average ‘Celebrity Mom Site’
Did you know that Mayim Bialik, aka Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory and the title character from Blossom, is a real-life neuroscientist? (How’s that for art imitating life?) Turns out the Ph.D-carrying actor is also a totally kick-ass single mom of two, a vocal advocate for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education, a vegan, a feminist, and a self-described ‘aspiring Modern Orthodox’ Jew. Mayim launched her own site, groknation.com, this month, and you don’t have to be on board with everything she says (among her more contentious beliefs: attachment parenting and very modest dress) to appreciate her level-headed approach to everything. She says, ‘I believe that there is a meaningful way to approach every issue’—and that shows. She’s definitely not Gwyneth or Blake, and we find her voice refreshing. She writes about everything from motherhood to Hollywood to current events. Check it out here.
A Concussion Handbook We Can All Understand
September draws near, which means the return of afterschool sports and gym class, and unfortunately, the occasional accident that come with them. It’s time to brush up on our first aid knowledge, so we were pleased to see Holland Bloorview Hospital in Toronto in the news last week because they have a new concussion handbook that can be downloaded from their website. The hospital did a study and found that if kids know the symptoms of concussions, they get reported sooner because, of course, kids are the ones who can best monitor how they really feel. We know that kids don’t always have the words to describe how they feel to us, so we love that this empowers them to know what’s going on with their bodies and enables them to get help sooner. It’s a handy resource written in plain language—so we’ll be going over it with our bigger kids before hockey season starts.
Dads Are Amazing
We passed this video around this office this week—and it reduced each and everyone one of us at Savvy to tears (and that’s saying something—we see a lot of parenting ads). Just give it a watch, you’ll see why there wasn’t a dry eye in our office.
It’s That Time Again.
It’s almost time. Time for them to go back. So that you can spend the last remaining days of summer actually enjoying them, we’ve done the legwork and found the best backpack, lunch ideas, and weekday morning hacks you need to start the school year on the right foot. You can thank us later—there are walks to be had and ice cream to be eaten now.
Have a great week.
