One of my favorite things to buy is school supplies. I am talking about pens, gel pens, markers, highlighters, coloring pencils. All that fun stuff that makes some things in life a little more colorful. I have a drawer in my desk that is dedicated to just my pens, markers and highlighters. One of my favorite brands when it comes my color making supplies is OOLY! They have such an AWESOME variety of stuff and I can honestly say that I would love to have it all!

I have been using the YUMMY YUMMY Scented Glitter Gel Pens this last year to calendar all my important dates in my planner. Some of the smells remind me of the scented markers from when I was a kid. OOLY now has Mini Magic Liners that are ERASABLE highlighters that I now am using in my planner too!…

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Mothers-to-be are understandably concerned about how their diet may affect the overall health of their children. After all, everything that a pregnant woman eats will almost certainly impact the well-being of the baby, which is why expectant mothers should cut out things like caffeine, alcohol, and many processed foods to reduce the risks of certain health conditions for their kids down the line. One study even found that moms who consume high levels of junk food might set their children up for unhealthy lifestyles later on — which means that while Americans ages 18 and older consume 65% of all candy produced each year, you might want to decrease the amount you eat once you’re with child.

But, as is often the way with food-related science, it’s not a hard and steadfast rule that pregnant women should steer clear of foods with higher fat concentrations. In fact, you may be doing your child a favor by embracing a diet that’s higher in fat during your pregnancy.

At least, that’s what a new study suggests. Even though high-fat diets do come with their own risks, researchers have found that following this type of nutritional plan could protect the minds of offspring. In fact, it could even prevent children from developing Alzheimer’s disease later on in life.

Considering that 5.7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s and that this number is expected to increase to a staggering 14 million by 2050, the results of the study are encouraging to many. However, it’s important to note that the study was conducted on mice, rather than human subjects, which means that there’s really no telling whether the results can be replicated. That said, mice who were fed high-fat diets while in utero showed symptoms of memory preservation and synapse functionality, along with a reduced buildup of amyloid beta amino acids. Therefore, the dietary routine followed by these mice — who were given regular food once they were born — was found to “turn off” the genes most closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease due to an increase of FOXP2 protein activity.

As researchers explain, the results could very well translate into potential among human subjects. Dr. Domenico Praticò, the study’s senior investigator, noted: “In humans, it has been known that individuals whose mothers develop Alzheimer’s disease after age 65 are at increased risk of also developing the disease around the same age… Our findings suggest that, to be effective, Alzheimer’s disease prevention probably needs to start very early in life, during gestation. Diet at this specific life stage can have critical, but underestimated, long-term impacts on brain health.”

With more than 10,000 people reaching the retirement age of 65 each day and the senior population being the fastest-growing in the nation, it makes sense that researchers are focusing on ways to promote improved health among older individuals. But it might come as a surprise to some that the habits formed during pregnancy — before a person is even born — could set the course for that child’s overall health journey. While there’s certainly more research to be done here, the findings might inspire expectant mothers to incorporate more healthy fats into their daily meals. Until additional information emerges, however, it’s probably best to follow an “everything in moderation” regimen.

Most of us think of our home as a relative safe haven, but the truth is that your house’s interior may be more hazardous than you might think. Studies have actually found that several organic levels average two to five times higher indoors than they do outside. When these organics are inhaled, they can cause a lot of health problems. Whether you’re single or you’ve got a partner and a few kids, you’ll want to do everything you can to improve the quality of the air you breathe.

Fortunately, there’s a fairly easy solution — and it’s one that might make your home into an Instagrammable backdrop. The answer? Just add houseplants.

Having an outdoor space is highly desirable for many homeowners and renters alike. In fact, 51% of homeowners who upgrade their outdoor spaces end up spending six or more hours there per week. But whether or not you have a big backyard, you can bring the goodness of the outside into your home. Not only will it brighten things up from a visual standpoint, but it’ll also make you happier and healthier.

As Americans, the majority of us rely on plastic materials for countless applications. We might use appliances and equipment made from reaction injection molding (which combines two liquid components in a mold to react and cure) or plastic bags and containers to transport food items from one location to another. In our decor, we might be inclined to use plastic, as well. But while plastic plants may be easier to take care of, they certainly won’t provide the indoor air improvements you’ll experience with the real thing. Since the 1980s, plants have been recognized for their abilities to improve interior design and improve air quality. When NASA conducted experiments that involved growing plants on space stations, data revealed that the high VOC levels in these model spacecraft were reduced dramatically thanks to this vegetation. Roughly two decades later, Australian researchers discovered that potted plants, in particular, were exceptionally skilled at removing VOCs, thanks to the bacteria found in potting mixes. One more recent study found that having just three potted plants throughout an average sized office space can reduce airborne VOCs to impressively low levels.

Aside from purifying the air, these houseplants can also make your home look a whole lot better. Plus, they’re undoubtedly trendy. Millennials and Gen Zers love indoor plants so much that many retailers are selling out of the most popular varieties, which means that these generations can’t be blamed for the death of the plant industry; in fact, it’s thriving like never before. Whether you love the look of ferns, want a low-maintenance succulent, or hope that a Chinese money plant will put more of the green stuff in your pocket, keeping your home well-stocked with these babies will certainly improve your experience when you’re indoors. And if your house looks a little more Instagram-worthy as a result, so be it.

So whether you’re concerned about making your home’s air a bit safer to breathe or simply want to be part of the newest interior design trend, indoor plants can do it all — as long as you remember to water them every once in a while.