What NOT to Name That Baby Part III!

The problem with baby names is that people sometimes assign it to the child without really checking into the meaning of the name or bothering to see if it is the name of a popular and sometimes evil character from pop culture. Here is Part III of my look at baby names every parent should avoid.

Honey – The name is so sweet it may be hard for your child to be taken seriously when older.
Ichabod – Long ago this was a fine English name but it is the real name of the Headless Horseman of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Idi – A male name that is often associated with Ugandan tyrant Idi Amin.
Jesus – This is a name, although legitimate for anyone to use, that could get your child in trouble with religious types who consider it to be a sacred name in the future.
Johnson – Johnson used to be a nice name but you probably want to avoid it now as it is a nickname for the male penis.
Julia – Believe it or not the real meaning of the name Julia is 'a bearded youth.' Still the name sounds so lovely. How it got to be a girl's name is a bit of a mystery. I guess you are okay with this one as long as nobody looks it up.
Kevin – Have you ever wondered why you meet the occasional girl named Kevin? It is because the name actually means 'beautiful at birth.' Some parents may prefer a name with a more masculine meaning.
Leah – This is a beautiful Biblical name but it's true meaning is 'weary.
Lindsay – This name is now very much associated with Lindsay Lohan who is a troubled celebrity addict –the name is also very much overused as it was so popular ten years ago.
Merlin – This is a campy name that belongs to too many magicians including ones from Camelot and quite a few Las Vegas and Hollywood showmen types. It would be a difficult name for most people to take seriously.
Myra – People in Britain have been avoiding the name Myra ever since Myra Hindley murdered five children in the Manchester area of London in the mid-1960s.
Norbert – This name has always been associated with wallflowers and nerds. Choose something more dashing.
Lucifer – It sounds hip but it is another name for Satan, even though it means 'Morningstar.' You are best to avoid your child being profiled by Christians or being accused of being raised by Devil Worshippers in the schoolyard.
As you can see, naming your baby can be a bit of a headache. More about avoiding giving your baby a name in the fourth and final installment of momweblog's investigation into the subject!

Parenting Tips
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The Benefits of Juicing Apples

As a mom I find my juicer has become my best friend. They say that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' but drinking a glass of your own freshly apple juice every day is even better. Drinking pure apple juice goes even further helping to keep you gorgeous and healthy and also reversing some chronic conditions and diseases.

For instance, a study done at the University of Southampton in London found that eating just two apple as a week can reduce your risk of developing asthma by as much as 32%! If that is a fact then just imagine what drinking the pure vitamins, minerals, antioxidants flavenoids, and other nutrients in apples can do for you if you drink them as a juice.

Squeezed fruit juices are dense with nutrients and almost become like a healing tincture in a glass. It gets into your system very quickly because it is a raw liquid that is lively with enzymes.

All apples are beneficial for your health however there can be some subtle differences in nutrition between varieties. For instance a giant yellow Golden Delicious Apple may have slightly more Vitamin A in it than a tiny bright red Northern Spy; on the other hand the Northern Spy might have more Vitamin C.

For the most part ALL apples contain very high amounts of Vitamin A followed by Choline, Vitamin C and Vitamin C. They also contain lesser amounts of E, K and Folate and trace amounts of Niacin, B^ Pantothenic acid and Betaine. All apples also have a super-high level o potassium plus calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, fluoride and iron.

However in 2004, the US FDA did studies on which two apple varieties are the most nutritious and the answer was the Red Delicious (bright red) and the Granny Smith (bright Green). Out of a list of one hundred foods that were measured to be high in antioxidants compared to serving size, the Red Delicious and Granny Smith were twelfth and thirteenth on the list.

It is also to your benefit to buy organic fruits and vegetables as they will contain fewer pesticides than other types. Be sure to choose fruits that are firm, ripe and not bruised. Bruised fruit can carry some toxins in them that can harm your health.

Before you juice any apple be sure to clean it well. This is because you are going to be juicing the peel. The peel contains more Vitamin A than any other part of the apple. Most apples are covered in a very thin layer of wax to help keep them fresh so be sure to scrub them well. You can buy special fruit and vegetable soap that helps get this residue off your fruit as well.

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