Wednesday, February 27, 2008

All hail the hairdressers

Lou was making fun of me this morning, in the kindest of ways of course, about how many hours it took me to get ready for the photo shoot I did last fall to be on the cover of Prime Woman Magazine. And it made me realize that I don't think I ever properly thanked the people that were able to make me look that good (without any photo-shop editing!) So.....thanks so much to my amazing hair guy, Jay Dunn of HCX in Brick, and to my makeup girl Leanne Borelli of Vanity 101. Also much thanks to my stylist for the day, Francine, for the great outfits! Now I know why celebs like Jen Anniston and Jessica Simpson travel with their hairdressers, makeup people, and stylists as their entourage. I don't think any woman can do it all alone......the upkeep to look that way every day must be tremendous!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Top 10 Children's Books Of All Time

There's a new list out on the best children's books of all time:

10. The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson
9. Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
8. The Wind In The Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
7. The Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling
5. The BFG, by Roald Dahl
4. Winnie The Pooh, by A.A. Milne
3. Famous Five, by Enid Blyton
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle and, the best children's book of all time:

1. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, written in 1950, which is part of the popular Chronicles of Narnia fantasy book series

Friday, February 15, 2008

Eating Mistakes

Nutrition experts say there are five major eating mistakes and five easy fixes:

Mistake #1: We can't tell the good fats from the bad ones. Fix: Although you want to avoid saturated and trans fats, you do need more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like fish, nuts, avocados, and soybean and canola oils.

Mistake #2: We supersize. Fix: Judge with your palm. A serving size is about what fits into the palm of your hand.

Mistake #3: We think anything liquid has less calories. Fix: Since sugared drinks balloon your calorie intake, try a cup of tea instead.

Mistake #4: We don't know what 'hungry' really feels like. Fix: Eat slowly, pausing often to feel how hungry you really are. Try to be not completely full when you stop eating.

Mistake #5: We have a microwave addiction. Fix: Since frozen entrees can leave you short on fiber and antioxidants, complement a frozen meal with a green salad, whole wheat roll, and fruit.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

How To Have The Best Valentine's Day Ever

From author Susan Apollon, a psychologist, here are ways to have the best Valentine's Day ever:

1. Commit to Unconditional Love: To You, From You. Until you love yourself you can't fully love another person. It should never be about having a great body, a high-profile job, or tons of money. There should be no strings attached to adoring your whole self.

2. Get High Energy This Valentine's Day: Love is one of the highest energies. So choose to become your own priority and love yourself unconditionally. Do things that feel good. (See my recent blog on that topic).

3. Breathe in Love Every Day: Each morning and evening take a few moments to focus on long, deep, relaxing breathing. Visualize love coming to you, perhaps through a higher power or a guardian angel.

4. Affirm and Visualize Love: Envision yourself filling up with love. Affirm your worth several times a day. Remind yourself that you deserve the joy of giving and receiving pure love.

5. Incorporate Your Own Strengths into Your Affirmations: Everyone is blessed with different attributes. Remind yourself of all your fabulous qualities.

6. Practice Forgiveness: Tell yourself that you refuse to be weighed down with memories of negative things that have happened in your past. Forgive yourself and those whom you are still holding anger towards.

7. Release Your Attachment to Your Vision: If you spend Valentine's Day hoping for roses, romance, or even an engagement ring, don't be resentful if that's not what you get, or you'll be missing the whole point of love. Your attachments to an ideal only set you up for a fall when perfection doesn't materialize. Remember, real love doesn't come with conditions. When you love unconditionally, you don't need anything in return. Remember that the person you love is not responsible for meeting your checklist of expectations for happiness. Instead, focus on sending love to everyone you know every day. Then you'll see and feel all the love you need when it comes back to you in its many forms.

Monday, February 4, 2008

I Love The Giants!

Just want to say that after watching the way the Giants played their last couple of games and after the excitement of the Superbowl, I am now a HUGE fan of the game of football, and particularly the Giants : ) I always liked them, but now I LOVE them. The girly-girl in me usually rolls her eyes at sports in favor of shoes, shopping, facials and romance novels, but I have now seen the error of my ways!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Why Women Have It Harder Than Men

Got this email from a listener, thought I'd pass it along:

1. The training bra at age 9-ish

2. Bloating, cramping, pms, every month, for YEARS. Need I say more?

3. Pregnancy: living on dry crackers and leaning over the toilet bowl puking while getting our insides kicked, our bellies turning into giant watermelons, peeing our pants whenever we sneeze, swollen feet, and having our water burst in the middle of the mall or some other embarassing location....and THEN...

4. Giving birth: screaming and pushing and cursing and begging for drugs...not to mention the SIZE of the thing we have to push out in relation to the size of the place it's coming out of

5. Bringing home those little angels and raising them, from changing poopy diapers to going through their teen years, while being taken completely for granted And we don't even want to TALK about what happens to our hormones after THAT! And men wonder why we think we have it harder than them?!!! Let's not even talk about the still male-dominated career world, the fact that men don't have to take maternity leave and lose their place on the raise and promotion chain and the rest of the things that haven't even been mentioned on this list! Feel free to add on!