Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Add Extra Time To The Day

I received an email about this interesting idea:

Instead of getting up at the same time every morning and hitting the snooze button to try and sleep for ten more minutes,why not set your alarm ten minutes earlier and when it goes off in the morning think to yourself "Good....ten more minutes I can add to my day."

This small difference adds the equivalent of over one and a half work weeks to your year - to be used how you wish. Just imagine what you could do with that extra time. If you push it to 20 minutes a day you've just bought more time than most people get each year for a vacation!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Summer theater is gearing up!

The Monmouth County Park System is holding auditions for The Pajama Game on May 4 and for Seussical June1 and 2 all at the Tatum Park Red Hill Activity Center in Middletown. They'll be staged at Thompson Park in Lincroft. Get details at 732-842-4000 or by clicking monmouthcountyparks.com/theatre/theatre_main.asp.

There are also some great spring/summer shows coming up, one of which is currently in rehearsals for Brookdale Community College's theater. I'll tell you more about those soon.

Spring and summer to me are great times to either get involved onstage or backstage in theater, or even to send your kids to a summer theater camp. It's a wonderful way for your kids to learn to express their creativity and learn to work as a team. I grew up doing it and loved every minute of it!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Jenkinson's


Jenkinson's Aquarium in Pt. Beach remains one of my children's favorite outings. Here are some of the reasons you might want to plan a visit soon:


Tomorrow is Rainforest Awareness day, for all ages. See how staffers tend the animals during the May 10th behind-the-scenes tour.


On Mother's Day (May 11th) moms get free admission for each paid child.Science-loving kids can take the Junior Biologist Program on the 17th.


Another thing I love about visiting the aquarium is that your ticket purchase lasts all day, so you can combine it with lunch, walking the boards, going on the rides, and hitting the beach....a full day of fun all in one place!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Eat a banana!!!!!


One medium size banana is only 100 calories and here's what you get for that:


- provides enough energy for a strenuous 45-minute workout

- the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes

- helps you relax and de-stress and improves your mood

- staves off PMS- reduces blood pressure

- increases brain power- a natural laxative

- one of the quickest ways of curing a hangover

- a natural antacid- reduces morning sickness

- the peel can reduce swelling and irritation when rubbed on a mosquito bite

- helps keep you full instead of munching on junk food

- can help with nicotine withdrawal when trying to quit smoking

Monday, April 21, 2008

Watching Mariah


Mariah Carey is all over the tv and tabloids these days and although she has new music out, all the talk is about how great she looks because she lost 20 pounds and went down to a size 2. So I thought back to the last time I really noticed Mariah on tv, and that was New Year's of 2007 when she was ringing it in on Dick Clark's show. And I remember thinking she looked rather heavy to be wearing such skimpy clothing.


Turns out that at the height of her 'fat stage' she weighed a whopping 140 pounds and was a size 8. This is why girls everywhere struggle with looking 'normal' when they think 'normal' is 120, size 2. Heck, 140, size 8 is still bordering on abnormally thin, if you ask me. We have got to stop comparing ourselves to abnormally skinny celebs and then calling ourselves obese in comparison. We should all just strive for loving ourselves the way we are and work toward becoming healthier, stronger, and more confident, without having to be a size 2.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tapping

I read this in a magazine.....we're going to try it on our morning show and see if it could possibly work!

Hypnotist Paul McKenna says it only takes a few taps to make food cravings disappear. He says by tapping your energy pathways in a specific order, you can reprogram your thought processes to eliminate cravings and stop the emotional signals that tempt you to eat.

First of all, rate your craving. It's got to be pretty high....meaning you really want to eat this particular food.

- Using two fingers, lightly tap under your collarbone about ten times while continuing to think about eating.
- Tap under either eye ten times
- Tap under the collarbone again
- Place your non-tapping hand in front of you and tap on the back of it between the ring finger and the little finger. Continue to tap and think about the food you are craving while you:

- close and open your eyes. Holding your head still, look down to the right, then down to the left.
- Rotate your eyes 360 degrees clockwise and then 360 degrees counterclockwise.
- Hum the first few lines of 'Happy Birthday' out loud
- Count out loud from one to five.
- Hum 'Happy Birthday' again If your craving hasn't gone away, repeat the sequence until it does. Sounds funny, but what the heck! Some of you may have seen Paul McKenna on his show "I Can Make You Thin" on TLC in which he offered numerous ideas for overcoming emotional eating.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Play Hooky!

Play hooky from your life and join Primewoman Magazine for an inspiring "Day Off" at the Excelsior on Rt. 9 in Manalapan on June 3rd from 8:30am 'till 3pm.

I'll be there from noon until 2:30pm watching and reporting on the lucky women who will be getting complete makeovers! This will be a wonderful day to celebrate being a woman, get information on how to improve your appearance or emotional health, and on how to live a longer, healthier, more balanced life.

Enjoy a wonderful lunch, hear an internationally recognized doctor speak, and know that some of the money from the purchase of a ticket will go toward the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center. For more information, click on the Primewoman magazine link on our homepage. See ya there!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Jersey Girls

This was sent to me from a listener, and is dedicated to all Jersey Girls!

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties. The first man had married a woman from Kansas and had told her that she was going to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.

The second man had married a woman from Nebraska. He had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table.

The third man had married a beautiful girl from New Jersey. He told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything, but by the third day some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, enough to fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Kids today don't know how good they have it....

A listener and fellow mom sent this one in. I always get a kick out of this one:

1. When we were kids we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves in the card catalog!
2. There was no email. We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen. Then we had to put it in a mailbox and it would take a week to get there!
3. There were no MP3's or Napsters. If you wanted to steal music, you had to go to the record store and shoplift it yourself. Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and screw it all up!
4. We didn't have call-waiting. If we were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal!
5. And we didn't have Caller ID either. When the phone rang you had no idea who it was. It could be your mom, your boss, or your best friend, you just didn't know. You had to pick it up and take your chances!
6. We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics. We had Atari, with games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids' and the graphics were just little white squares. You actually had to use your imagination. And there were no multiple levels or screens. It was just one screen forever. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died. Just like LIFE!
7. Sure we had cable, but there were only about 15 channels. You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on. And there was no Cartoon Network either. You could only get cartoons on Saturday mornings. We had to wait all week for cartoons! You couldn't just check the onscreen guide and DVR all your favorite shows to watch whenever you wanted!
8. And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove. If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that JiffyPop thing or a pan with hot oil and real popcorn kernels and shake it all over the stove forever!
9. When we were on the phone with our friends and our parents walked in, we were stuck to the wall with a cord. And we'd twirl that cord in our fingers while we talked. And if we suddenly had to go to the bathroom, we had to hang up and talk to them later!

So the next time my kids don't seem to appreciate the easy life they have, maybe I'll sit them down and read them this list!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Garden State Film Festival

One of the movies playing at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park was filmed in Ocean County. It's called "Greetings From The Shore" and stars Paul Sorvino. The director's goal is to change the perception people have about our state. The film will be in theaters nationwide this summer!

Also coming up, something that looks like fun for a Girl's Night Out: Suburban housewives on the rampage in the comedy "Women Who Steal". It's the spring production of the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch. It runs from May 8th through June 15th at the theater on Broadway.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Mmmmm...chocolate!

In driving around with the kids the other day, I went in search of some good, homemade chocolate that I had been given a small taste of. I had gone past the Alllenwood General Store numerous times on my way to Allaire State Park, but had never stopped in. Well, this time we did go inside and it's just such a charming, old fashioned place. At first glance, it just looks like a small deli/coffee shop, but once you get to the back room you see the general store part....antiques, souvenirs.....and THE CHOCOLATE!

It's a great little secret and it's called Pierre Chocolates. We're talking hand-made chocolates! Peter's Irish cream cups are simply TO DIE FOR!!!!!!! They've also got creamy Guiness chocolate cups and other unique melt-in-your-mouth truffles. They had this dark-chocolate pyramid that I must go back for next time, and so many other goodies that would completely justify putting the diet on hold! And heck, if you eat too much, leave your car in the parking lot and ride your bike on the miles-long bike path that runs right by (and into Allaire Park)!