It wasn’t until I had my son that I realized I had left a very crucial part of my planning by the wayside. I never gave much thought about the vehicle I was driving.  At the time of my son’s birth, I owned a two door sports car, which as many of you can guess- is far from practical.  The husband and I started vehicle shopping after two shorts months.  Not only did we need a vehicle that could house all of the things we would need to care for our child while on weekend visits with out of town family, but we needed something safe, affordable and that could do everything we needed it to do- towing, hauling and grow as a family.

While we may not have followed Consumer’s Report to purchase our vehicle, we did refer back to their reviews to decide whether our truck would give us all the options we were looking for and still allow our family to be safe on the road.  It was the best decision for our family at the time.  Now that we have two small children and know what lies ahead of us, we are starting the search over again.  This time, we will be referring to the U.S. New’s Best Cars reviews and Consumer Reports to help aide us in our decision.

Below is U.S. New’s Best Cars for Families 2012:

CATEGORY / WINNER
Affordable Compact SUV / 2012 Honda CR-V
Full-Size Car / 2012 Ford Taurus
Affordable Full-Size SUV / 2012 Toyota Sequoia
Affordable Midsize Car / 2012 Ford Fusion
Midsize SUV with Two Rows / 2012 Ford Edge
Midsize SUV with Three Rows / 2012 Buick Enclave
Compact Car / 2012 Subaru Impreza
Subcompact Car / 2012 Honda Fit
Hatchback / 2012 Honda Fit
Hybrid Car / 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Hybrid SUV / 2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Luxury Compact SUV / 2012 BMW X3
Luxury Full-Size SUV / 2012 Cadillac Escalade
Luxury Midsize SUV / 2012 Acura MDX
Minivan / 2012 Honda Odyssey
Upscale Midsize Car / 2012 Buick Regal
Upscale Small Car / 2012 Acura TSX
Wagon / 2012 Subaru Outback

Are Your Meds Making You Sick? A Pharmacist’s Guide to Avoiding Dangerous Drug Interactions, Reactions and Side Effects is a highly accessible and clearly formatted quick reference for the layperson. Written by Robert S. Gold, RPh, MBA, a clinical hospital pharmacist and affiliate instructor of clinical pharmacy at Purdue University with over 27 years of experience, Are Your Meds Making You Sick, shows readers how to protect themselves by learning to think like a clinical hospital pharmacist. Gold lists “16 Rules of Safe Medication Use” that can help prevent the most common adverse and dangerous drug interactions. He then gives specific examples and scenarios featuring the thirty-six drugs that are the most prevalent offenders and explains how even seemingly good drugs can harm a patient’s kidney, liver, brain and heart if the patient’s medical history and physical vulnerabilities are not taken into account.

As the U.S. population ages and there is a steady increase in the number of prescribed and OTC medications and alternative remedies, the topic of drug interactions becomes more important and newsworthy. Not only is Gold a pharmacist, but the author has personal experience dealing with dangerous prescription drug interactions. When Gold’s own father began suffering side effects from medication, his expertise in the field made for a lifesaving diagnosis. As a pharmacist for over 27 years, however, Gold realized that most people don’t have the experience and knowledge to identify adverse drug reactions or common drug-induced illnesses.

Are Your Meds Making You Sick? A Pharmacist’s Guide to Avoiding Dangerous Drug Interactions, Reactions and Side Effects is written so that anyone can use and access the information to protect themselves and their loved ones against adverse drug interactions, reactions and harmful or lethal side effects. Gold uses a captivating forensic or “detective” style to walk the consumer through case histories of dangerous drug interactions in which he explains to the reader what went wrong and what dangerous drug interaction was involved. This device immediately engages readers and, by encouraging them to look with him for a solution to the problem presented, gives them a quick, practical understanding of the subject.

No other book on the market offers the scope and clarity of Are Your Meds Making You Sick? A Pharmacist’s Guide to Avoiding Dangerous Drug Interactions, Reactions and Side Effects. By learning to think like a clinical hospital pharmacist we become aware of the common signs and symptoms of drug-induced illnesses and how to avoid them.

“I have spent years working as a physician in an ED. My wife and I decided to open an urgent care facility because we saw the opportunity to improve patient care and give service to the community” said Michael Gutman, MD, the medical director of New England Urgent Care.

Dr. Michael Gutman and his wife Yahel Gutman, an ED nurse, opened New England Urgent Care in West Hartford last spring. Theirs is the only urgent care in Hartford County with the Urgent Care Association of America certification for Urgent Care. It’s notable, as very few centers are even capable of achieving this certification as they do not meet the criteria.

At New England Urgent Care, patients receive care from licensed and board certified medical experts. The office is equipped to treat a number of conditions and has various capabilities including on-site X-rays, IV fluids, respiratory treatments, medications, suturing and casting. There are other large differences from an emergency room.

“We are much more service oriented than an ED,” said Dr. Gutman. “Thus we strive to make the patient feel welcome and cared for. “

Such care and service routinely earn New England Urgent Care high marks among its patients.

“I thank New England Urgent Care for the very kind, professional and immediate treatment that we received when I came to the office with my 77-year old father, who had been experiencing severe dizzy spells,” said Pam Hoffman of Burlington. “They took the time and patience to explain everything to our entire family, which is really important when someone is sick. I will tell all my friends about their professionalism and fine treatment.”

Additionally, instead of waiting hours in an ED, the typical patient at New England Urgent Care waits only minutes. The office is open weekends, holidays and until 8pm, Monday through Friday. In addition, unlike the ED, if there is a problem that might take several days to be solved, New England Urgent Care will arrange the outpatient diagnostic tests and ultimately refer to the appropriate specialist, if necessary. They will coordinate with the patients’ primary care physician if they have one so that the care will be ongoing.

Another benefit of opting for urgent care versus an emergency department is the cost. New England Urgent Care accepts almost all insurances except Medicaid or SAGA. For those who do not have insurance or who cannot get the care and service they need from Medicaid providers, New England Urgent Care has extremely low self-pay rates and will work with the patients if they have financial hardship.

It must be noted, an urgent care facility is not the appropriate place for someone suffering from a life-threatening illness such as acute stroke or heart attack.

New England Urgent Care is located at 21 North Main Street, Suite B, West Hartford. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm, Weekends and Holidays 9am-6pm. To learn more visit: www.UrgentCareNewEngland.com

Feed that Cold

Colds are the most common sickness a kid gets. They can get several in a year and love to spread the joy. A cold can deplete the body of more than just energy. It takes away needed nutrients and weakens your immune system. A child’s body is fighting off viruses and needs food to help replace all those special warriors the immune system calls up.

1. Garlic – Yes, garlic is one of the best antibiotics you can get naturally. That chicken soup grandma fed you? It was full of garlic. It helps you fight that nasty cold.
2. Vegetables – Yes, eating your vegetables can fight the cold, too. Onions are some of the most powerful and can be included that same chicken soup. Any green vegetable such as broccoli is full of nutrients your child’s body needs at this time. For those kids who are sick of veggies, you could use the Breville BJE510XL Juicer to make some juice for them. It is very convenient.
3. Fruit – Don’t forget that Vitamin C is one of the biggest warriors against the cold virus. Load your child up with oranges, apples, and berries. Keep them full of fruit as cold season rolls around to keep their immune strong and avoid colds.

Allergy Busters

Allergies attack weakened immune systems. Yet, with the right foods in the diet a child can put a defense against these allergy attacks.

1. Fish – People just don’t realize what they are missing in fish. Not shellfish. Actual fish whether it is fresh or salt water is good for you. It has so much to help our bodies. Make fish a regular part of child’s diet to give them the advantage they need. It could be great if you could get meals with fish in it 2-3 times a week.
2. Vegetables – You really can’t get too much of vegetables. The darker green they are the better. Spinach really is powerful. While it might not give instant muscles to fight the bad guys, it gives power to white blood cells.
3. Fruit – What does fruit not do? They are so full of antioxidants that they can be used to fight almost any common sickness your kid has. And kids love fruit. Keep fruit lying out and they’ll eat that instead of sweets which do nothing for your child’s health.

Loose and Not so Loose Bowels

Kids always have some little bug causing diarrhea or constipation. Most of the time constipation is a matter of a poor diet. Just a few changes in eating habits can get that under control quickly. Include fiber rich foods such as cereals, green vegetables and raisins.

Diarrhea can be a result of a bug that wants to invite guests in and accompanies many sicknesses. It can be diet related, but most times it is a side effect of a virus.

1. Liquids – It is important to keep giving your child liquids if they are experiencing diarrhea. As the child’s bowels are flowing so loosely, they are removing fluid that should have been absorbed into the body. Keep giving them liquids and keeping them hydrated.
2. Fruits – Different children react differently to foods. For some, an apple could be the culprit behind the diarrhea. For others, fruit helps slow the diarrhea down. Don’t go overboard on the fruit. Try a little, but it could make it worse. Bananas are generally seen as the best fruit for diarrhea.

Boosting Low Iron – Anemia

Low iron, anemia, is more common than you might think. Part of it is diet, but there could be other contributing factors that come and go. If your child is tired a lot, they could have low iron. You need a diet rich in iron.

1. Meat – Meat is full of iron. No, this is not the perfect opportunity to make them eat liver. I hate to inform you that there are other meats out there besides liver that can give your child iron. Beef is a great source. Pork is, too. You can get quite a bit of iron from shellfish such as shrimp but make sure your child does not have an allergy to shellfish which can be fatal.
2. Vegetables – Those darn green vegetables keep popping up. That’s because they are some of the best for helping little bodies, and big bodies, fight off invaders. A spinach rich diet helps keep fatigue away and those iron levels high.
3. Fruit – Don’t think because fruit is listed here that you get iron from fruit. You don’t. But fruit helps that iron get where it needs to go and get the job done. Enough cannot be said about the benefits of fruit and the Vitamin see found there.

Christine Allen, mama to two lovely kids, created Livesnet with her friends, where she shares her reviews and parenting tips with people. In her spare time, she likes hunting  nice baby products for her sweeties and also for you guys. So please visit Livesnet to check her hot review on Mickey Mouse Crib Bedding and see what she got.

“So many of us live out our lives as slaves to the tyranny of should,” notes McIntire, creator along with artist Erin Cote of Guiding Signs 101, a set of powerful, yet fun road sign-inspired “intuition cards” that come with a guidebook that explains the meaning of each. “Year after year we strive to become what others—parents, partners, experts, society—tell us we should be. And then, one day, we wake up and realize we never got to let go and just be our real selves.”

The start of a fresh new year (okay…give or take a week or two) is the perfect time to resolve to live more authentically. Problem is, you may not be sure where to even begin. Heck, you may not be sure what an authentic life looks like! That’s why McIntire has put together some practical tips—52 of them, in fact—for “getting real” in various areas of your life.

“Each week, choose one suggestion from this list to focus on,” she suggests. “No need to tackle them in the order they’re listed or to do all of them. They’re just meant to get you thinking—and to get you started down the path to a more authentic life.”

YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people that are not serving  us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity.
—Barbara de Angelis

• Come to terms with what really matters to you. Get comfortable with it. Maybe you’re okay with a smaller income and more free time. Maybe you’re okay with an extra 20 pounds. Never apologize for not “fitting in.” The minute you find yourself worrying about how others perceive you is the minute you abandon authenticity.

• Whatever you decide to do (or not to do), own your decision. If you find you can’t own it—if you feel wracked with guilt or compelled to hide the truth from those around you—it’s time to rethink what you’re doing.

• If in your journey to authenticity you decide a lifestyle change is needed, be realistic in your goal-setting. Let’s say you decide your diet, heavy in fats and processed foods, isn’t serving you well. If you know you aren’t going to grow an organic garden in your backyard, set a goal to prepare a body- and soul-nourishing meal (heavy on the veggies and supplemented with organically raised meat) two days a week at first. It’s best to take “baby steps” and plan to make more dramatic changes when you’re ready. In this way you’ll build the confidence you need to succeed.

• Break an unwritten “rule” made by others and reject any shame. Allowing others to shame us keeps us living on the treadmill and trying to fit in by doing it the “right way.” Authenticity is inner directed. Inauthenticity comes from caring what others think and letting the external dictate how you live.

• Ask yourself, What am I hiding? Make the choice to reveal something you’ve been fiercely protecting. Chip away at the armor by sharing a secret with a partner or a friend or maybe just your cat or your journal.

• It’s okay to do things for yourself. Honor your own needs. Sometimes we all need a massage or a new handbag or just a couple of hours alone while our spouse takes the kids to a movie.

• Give yourself permission to have feelings that you think you “shouldn’t” have. Should and shouldn’t have no place in an authentic life.

• Get real about money. Spending what you can’t afford to spend is another way of pretending to be who we aren’t. It’s also a disaster in the making!

• Take a break from the need to DO something. Simply BE. Simply show up as you are and love.

• Know when you’re at your best and when you’re not. (When you’re not, it’s almost always the perfect time for a bath or a nap!)

• Call a moratorium on victim talk. Authentic people don’t blame others. They recognize their own power and use it to create their own reality.

• Own your emotions. If you can’t help crying in confrontational situations, let the tears flow. If you’re devastated when a pet dies, accept condolences without apologizing or minimizing. You feel what you feel…let go of the label of being “too sensitive.”

• Each week, spend some time outside. When we disconnect from Nature, we disconnect from Source. We’re creatures of the Earth and it’s hard to thrive in an artificial world.

• Declutter a little (people and “stuff”). When you’re too busy trying to manage chaos, you can’t relax enough to even know who you are and what you need and want. (Do you really love Grandma’s china? If you don’t, give it to someone who does. Are you really going to fit into those size 8 jeans ever again? If not, get rid of them!)

• Give yourself a makeover. Do you dress in a way that truly expresses who you are? This question has nothing to do with what’s hot or stylish or what label is attached to your garments. It has everything to do with feeling comfortable in your own skin (and what’s covering it) instead of vaguely ill at ease or like you’re playing an expected role.

• Seize every opportunity to say, “I love you”—to yourself. Until we can fully love ourselves, we can’t fully love the others in our lives.
AUTHENTIC FRIENDSHIPS

We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible.  To have real conversations with people may seem like such a simple,  obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk.
—Thomas Moore, PhD

• Learn to say no. Sometimes it takes an authentic no (to something you don’t want to do) to say an authentic yes (to something you long to do). Unless you’re the clown or the balloon maker, does it really matter if you don’t go to the party? If you see it as an obligation, bow out lovingly and stay home and rest—ah, rest!—instead.

• Also, learn to say yes when your heart guides you to. Be flexible and fun. So what if you “should” (there’s that word again!) stay home and clean? When a good friend invites you to dinner on the spur of the moment, drop everything and go. We rarely regret heart-inspired action!

• Gently tell the truth. Of course you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but don’t withhold crucial insights to spare them, either. (“I think you have a drinking problem” may hurt her feelings, but if you believe the words are in her best interests, don’t you have to say them?)

• Be vulnerable. Show your insecurities. Admit that your house is a wreck, or your marriage is struggling, or you don’t know how to roast the turkey. People will be more willing to open up and be authentic with you because they’ll see that you’re human.

• Allow your friends to be vulnerable, too. Let them feel their feelings. When you argue with them or try to “fix” it for them, you deny the authenticity of their experience.

• If it makes you uncomfortable, say so. If your friends never bring money to dinner and you always end up paying the tab, confront them (lovingly) with the truth.

• Be sensitive to what is convenient to the other person. Sometimes what’s convenient for you doesn’t work so well for them. (If a busy working mother lets you borrow a hundred dollars in cash, pay her back in cash—don’t write a check. When is she going to have time to get to the bank?)

• Practice and expect reciprocity. We’re all in different cycles at different times, so this should be measured in terms of years, not weeks or months. However, if you find that a friend seems to only take, limit the time you spend with her.

• It’s okay not to be “nice.” Real friends would rather you speak your truth than pretend or deny or try to please and impress. Little girls are not sugar and spice and everything nice…and neither are grown women.

• Surround yourself with authentic friends. If you don’t have any, set an intention to find your tribe. Join a reading circle or a knitting group or a hiking club or a food co-op. Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about. Be open to the people you meet. Likeminded people will find you as if by magic.

• It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known each other. If the friendship isn’t meeting your needs, move on.

• Lighten the load for someone else when you can.

• Seize every opportunity to say, “I love you.” One day it will be your last chance.
AUTHENTIC MARRIAGES/RELATIONSHIPS

Truly loving another means letting go of all expectations. It means full  acceptance, even celebration of another’s personhood.
—Karen Casey

• Ask yourself, Am I married to the right person…or am I just married?

• State your intention. Do you intend to stay married and make it work? Then do what it takes to make it happen…or get a divorce.

• End the blame game. If you’re blaming your partner for your unhappiness, you’re denying your own power. We can’t control what others do, but we can control how we respond to it and whether or not we’ll continue to live with it.

• Tell the truth about something you’ve been stewing over. Tell it gently and lovingly, expressing what took place and how you feel: angry or sad or betrayed or conflicted. Make it an “I” statement versus a “You” statement. Own your feelings; they are yours. Then offer a suggestion on how to make the situation work for the both of you. This will turn the focus on a solution and keep you both from getting stuck on the problem.

• Rock the boat. It can be good to upset the status quo in your relationship—especially if the status quo is causing seething resentment. Go where you want to go on vacation for a change…or plan an outing with girlfriends on his “golf day”…or paint your office the shade of green that he dislikes (but that you love). Let the chips fall where they may.

• Are you letting your partner live an authentic life? If you’re doing something to manipulate or control him or her, it’s time to stop. When people are allowed to be who they are, they often blossom.

• It’s usually a mistake to expect people to change lifelong habits that you don’t like. They won’t. And anyway, who are you to insist they change to please you?

• It’s not about winning. As the old saying goes, Would you rather be right or be happy?

• Have you ever heard it said, “Don’t fight force with force”? It’s a MARTIAL arts principle that can also be a MARITAL arts principle! Sometimes yielding or flowing around the barrier like a river is the best way to get what you need.

• Seize every opportunity to say, “I love you.” One day it will be your last chance.
AUTHENTIC PARENTING

A lot of mothers will do anything for their children, except let them be themselves.
—Banksy

• Be as honest with your kids as you possibly can be without upsetting them with information too advanced for their ages. They can handle the truth when it’s expressed lovingly and in an age-appropriate way. Yes, Dad lost his job (but we won’t end up homeless). Yes, the shot will hurt a little (but only for a minute and it will be over).

• Are you perpetuating the myth of parental perfection? When you screw up, admit that you screwed up. Kids will respect and respond to your honesty.

• Pay attention to your child when he talks. Really listen. Tuning him out or humoring/half-listening sends the message that what he has to say is not important. Believe me, that’s a message he will hear loud and clear.

• Every day, make a sincere effort to truly engage your child. Turn off the TV, walk away from the computer, set aside the bills—and talk. When you don’t make it a priority, days and weeks can go by without a genuine connection…and you wake up one morning to realize you don’t know your own child.

• Every so often ask your child “What would you like to do today?” Then just do it. While you’re throwing the football or having the tea party, don’t zone out and worry about the bills you need to pay or the report you need to write. Be in the moment. Enjoy your child. These days will not last forever.

• Parent from the heart. If it doesn’t feel good to you, it doesn’t matter if it’s what the “experts” swear by. You are you and your child is your child…your intuition will tell you what’s right for both of you.

• Pushing kids to be something they’re not hurts them and you. They need to live their dreams, not yours.

• Look for ways to honor your child’s gifts. Post the short story she wrote on your Facebook account. Or proudly show guests the Lego fort he built in his room. Tell friends (in her presence), “Meghan taught our dog how to sit, stay, and fetch…she has a real gift for connecting with animals!” Acknowledging what makes your child unique helps her shape a strong sense of self.

• Be truthful about your child’s shortcomings. Everyone has different strengths. If your child isn’t an academic superstar or a natural athlete, it’s okay. Focus on her strengths rather than trying to hide the truth about what you see as a weakness.

• With everything you do, narrate the “why.” You’re helping your kids understand that you make the choices you make based on a set of beliefs and values that make you you.

• You’re not Parent of the Year (whatever that means!) and you never will be. Let yourself off the hook. You might not make it to every school event but there is plenty you do right. Focus on those things instead.

• Let the housework go. The struggle to maintain perfect order at all times is the ultimate denial of who we are: beautifully flawed human beings! Spend the time you would have spent mopping playing with your kids instead.

• Seize every opportunity to say, “I love you.” One day it will be your last chance.

—————————-

About the Author:
Kathleen McIntire is a transformational teacher, speaker, and healer who is dedicated to bringing forth truth, liberation, and awakening. She is the author and creator of Guiding Signs 101, a set of divination cards and guidebook using everyday road signs to tap into your intuition and own inner guidance.

She is the steward of MoonBear Sanctuary, located on 28 acres in Northern California. The retreat center located there provides cutting-edge workshops as well as ceremonies, study groups, and symposiums. Kathleen, whose focus is on restoring the feminine power, also leads sacred journeys with women. She has led journeys to the Andes and rainforest of Ecuador. Her next journey is to Guatemala; it will revolve around the 20-day Mayan Calendar.

Kathleen is the producer of two upcoming Mayan films. The first, Mayan Renaissance, is being made by PeaceJam, an international education program for youth built around leading Nobel Peace Laureates. The other film is The Unification of Wisdom and 2012. She is a presenter on the Womens Empowerment (WE) Channel on the CANDO Networks.

When she was younger Kathleen had a successful career in business. She has lived abroad and traveled extensively around the world. Kathleen’s website addresses are www.soaringinlight.com and www.guidingsigns101.com.

About Guiding Signs 101:
Guiding Signs 101(Soaring in Light, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-615-46500-5, $19.95) is available at bookstores nationwide and from all major online booksellers.

Susan Apollon says that miracles do not happen by coincidence—we are designed for them. Here’s what you can do to invite those moments of divine magnitude into your life.

Albert Einstein once said of miracles: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Intuitive psychologist and author Susan Apollon agrees, and has spent more than two decades backing up this hypothesis by studying the nature of miracles and the conditions under which they occur. Her conclusion? That everyone can receive these natural gifts because we are all spiritually connected to God, Source, Allah, or whatever a person chooses to call this wellspring of goodness.

Apollon’s book, Touched by the Extraordinary, Book Two: Healing Stories of Love, Loss & Hope, is a collection of real-life occurrences—including messages sent from loved ones who’ve passed on, angel visitations, and signs—that can be defined only as the stuff of miracles.

Apollon describes her clients’ experiences as “blessings that made them feel safe, holy, divine, not alone, protected, and taken care of––and frequently, just made them smile.” She says that studies in Quantum Physics suggest that anyone with the right mindset can live a life rich in miracles from the small to the momentous. You simply have to foster your ability to invite them in.

Here are a few suggestions and insights that will prepare you to receive your own miracles:

• Give yourself permission to be open to extraordinary experiences. “As a psychologist who has sat with patients who have shared countless wondrous stories of small and large miraculous events in their lives, I have come to recognize that the ability to experience miracles is often dependent on whether or not you choose to allow for the possibility of miracles in your life,” writes Apollon. Accept that you will allow the universe to do its good and it will respond accordingly.

• Rediscover your spirituality. Take time to connect with your own soul and with the Source by returning to—or visiting for the first time—prayer, ritual, and faith. Learn to meditate while breathing deeply or do yoga. Most of all, try to reach a point at which you feel your connection to the universe and everything in it.

• Commit to making significant changes in negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. This is especially important for a person suffering an illness because “anxiety and desperation have a strong tendency to block your ability to heal.” Apollon says that to change this stone-set pattern we must always be aware of what we are feeling and then consciously change our thoughts, replacing negative or disturbing images with positive and empowering ones.

• Keep a synchronicity journal. Synchronicity is the flow of “meaningful coincidences” that indicate that life, all life, is connected in a complex web of psychic moments, signs and symbols, and shivers of spiritual connectedness. The sheer volume of these subtle miracles that happen in so many different lives adds up to powerful evidence of “something greater.” “The numbers,” Apollon says, “will be far greater than you may have imagined.”

• Write your intentions down. In detail, record on paper with joyful enthusiasm exactly what you desire from the universe––daily. Expect good things to be placed in your path and they will come––be it a spiritual visit from a passed loved one, a new chance in a waning relationship, or a miraculous recovery.

Above all, keeping your heart brimming full of love and compassion is the most important factor needed in the creation of miracles. If we all are somehow connected together, this simple intention is the healing balm needed to rescue Earth and all souls upon it. What better way to begin fresh in the New Year than with a new faith-based attitude that risks little sorrow and at most promises unprecedented hope and joy?

Apollon asserts, “I think we’re all hungry for that, even diehard skeptics. Especially diehard skeptics. My overarching message is that life itself is extraordinary––miraculous! And all it takes to realize that is to open your eyes and see the amazing things that surround us all, every day.”

About the Author
As a psychologist and an author, Susan Apollon empowers and heals the body, mind, and soul; as an educator, she informs; as a speaker, she inspires and touches the heart.

For more than twenty-five years, Susan has been in private practice in Yardley, PA, evaluating and counseling adults, families, and children who are dealing with difficult life situations similar to what she has personally experienced, researched, and written about, including cancer, other health issues, trauma, and grief.

She is an avid researcher of Mind, Consciousness, Intuition, Energy, Prayer, and Healing and brings this expertise to her three published books—Touched by the Extraordinary, Book Two: Healing Stories of Love, Loss & Hope; Touched by the Extraordinary: An Intuitive Psychologist Shares Insights, Lessons, and True Stories of Spirit and Love to Transform and Heal the Soul; and Intuition Is Easy and Fun: The Art and Practice of Developing Your Natural-Born Gift of Intuition (co-authored with Yanni Maniates)—as well as to her audio books, online course, CDs, and MP3s. Susan’s work is scientifically based and enhanced by her ability to trust her own intuitive wisdom.

Susan comes from a family of physicians, which includes her husband, father, brothers, aunt and uncles, daughter, and cousins. Healing and medicine are a part of her lineage.

She integrates the gifts and challenges of having lived more than sixty-five years with the joy and satisfaction of being married for more than forty-four years to her husband, Warren, a practicing orthodontist, along with the role of being mom to her two adult children, Rebecca, an Emergency Medicine physician, and her son, David, a Management Consultant.

I make awesome money at my current job, well above average for my job title.  I work for one of the best paid facilities around.  A pay cut would definitely be in my future if I switched jobs now, but I need the benefits.  I spoke with the people who currently hold my automobile insurance policy to see about bundling up on their home, auto, health and life insurance policies.  The life insurance quote they have given me thus far would save me a little bit of money from what I am currently paying, now let’s see what happens when you throw everything into the mix together!

To find out more about obtaining insurance to protect your families future, click here.

Todd Patkin wants you to do him a favor. Look to the upcoming year and ask yourself—realistically—what lies in store in 2012? If you’re like most people, a huge portion of your life will be spent anxiously plugging away at a job you may or may not enjoy with coworkers you may or may not like. Okay, yes, you work hard to build a better life for your family. But here’s the question: Will you have time to enjoy them? Will you be too exhausted to throw the ball with your son? And how many nights will you get home too late to tuck him in this year?

Patkin, author of the new book Finding Happiness: One Man’s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and—Finally—Let the Sunshine In, says this pattern of stress and striving has to stop. We already live in uncertain and depressing times, and our lifestyles are driving us not toward new heights, but over the brink.

If you’re not careful, says Patkin, you may suffer the same fate he did.

“When I was thirty-six years old, I was successfully leading my family’s auto parts business, I was well respected in my community, I had a wonderful wife and son…and I also suffered a nervous breakdown,” he says. “Yes, at that point in my life, I enjoyed what I did and was truly proud of my successes, but I was also pushing myself too hard and prioritizing the wrong things…and eventually, it all caught up with me.”

For months leading up to his breakdown, Patkin suffered from a paralyzing depression and anxiety, and found it difficult to complete tasks as simple as deciding whether to order coleslaw or potato salad with his lunch. But he still considers himself to be very fortunate.

“As horrific as it was, my breakdown was actually also my breakthrough,” Patkin shares. “It was an in-your-face wake-up call that forced me to realize that I was driving myself too hard, and for the wrong reasons. I finally had to say, ‘Enough is enough! I am done destroying myself and ruining my life!’ Admitting to myself that my former way of life wasn’t working was the beginning of my road to recovery and true happiness.”

For the past decade, Patkin has taken a closer look at what really makes people happy and unhappy, and he has seen most of his goals and priorities shift. In the same way, he says, it’s in your best interests to shift your habits and focus in 2012. Call it a New Year’s resolution to simply be happy.

“I have come to realize that how happy and fulfilled you are is largely under your control, and that it has less to do with success and accomplishments than you might think” he asserts. “I believe that most people are experiencing many—if not all—of the stressors that led to my breakdown, so please don’t wait until you, too, reach a breaking point to make changes in your life. I’m totally convinced now that true happiness is a possibility for everyone, so I’m asking you to take the lessons I have learned to heart.”

If you’re ready to change the way you approach life before you drive yourself over the edge, read on for fifteen life lessons that Patkin has learned:

1) You have to choose and prioritize happiness—it doesn’t just happen. If you subscribe to the belief that your happiness is wholly dependent on what happens to you, you’ll always be dissatisfied. The truth is, your fulfillment largely depends on the choices you make: how you see the world, what you allow to influence you, what you focus on, and how you react to circumstances, regardless of whether they’re good or bad. In other words, it’s not what happens to you; it’s how you look at what happens to you.

“If you want to make a dent in your stress levels, you have to make choosing happiness a priority every day,” Patkin instructs. “With all of the responsibilities on our plates, nothing is likely to happen unless we specifically focus on it. So make happiness one of the two or three priorities you absolutely must accomplish each day. To remind yourself, put a note where you can see it—maybe on the refrigerator or bathroom mirror. And if that sounds selfish, it’s not. If you’re extremely stressed or become depressed because of the way you’re living your life, you’re hurting many more people than just yourself. And what’s more important than teaching your kids to be happy? Always remember that children learn by example. If they see you living a harried, stressed life, that’s the pattern their lives will follow as well…and their children’s after them, and so on.”

2) Striving for work/life balance is worth its weight in gold. Times are tough, and some of us are finding it necessary to work long hours to keep our jobs and livelihoods. Others have fallen into the trap of the work-ego addiction: over time, you become hooked on the “high” you feel when you accomplish something, get a promotion, etc., and you begin to spend more and more time at the office. Whatever the reason, if extremely long hours are becoming a habit for you, break it. No matter how good your intentions are, overloading on work will cause your relationships, mindset, and even health to suffer.

“Prior to my breakdown, it was normal for me to work seventy- or eighty-hour weeks,” Patkin recalls. “In my personal dictionary, ‘rest’ and ‘relaxation’ were synonymous with ‘irresponsibility’ and ‘slacking.’ Boy, was I wrong. Working as much as I did is more than the human body is designed to take continuously. If you drive yourself that hard, you’ll eventually begin to run on fumes before you shut down entirely. Being firm about creating and maintaining a healthy work/life balance is no more selfish than prioritizing happiness—in this case, it’s about simple self-preservation! And if you’re still skeptical, remember this: no one looks back on their lives at age eighty and says, ‘Gee, I wish I’d spent less time with my family and friends and more time at the office.’”

3) We are our own worst critics. If you’re like most people, you probably tend to focus a lot of your mental energy on the things you mess up rather than on the things you do well—even though most of us do a hundred things right for every one thing we do wrong. And although you may not realize it, focusing on that one wrong thing is very dangerous, because our thoughts are incredibly powerful. Until you give yourself permission to break free of the cycle of self-blame and negativity that causes you to be stuck demanding perfection from yourself in every situation, you’ll never have a chance to be a truly relaxed, content, and happy person.

“It’s not easy to rewire your habitual thought processes, but you need to build yourself up more and beat yourself up less,” Patkin instructs. “I used to expect nothing less than perfection out of myself, which was delusional! We’re all human, which means that we’re going to make mistakes from time to time. That doesn’t mean that we’re in any way unworthy or undeserving of love. In fact, learning to love myself was at the core of my own happiness journey. If you aren’t satisfied with who you are, you’ll always be looking outside yourself for validation…and you’ll never be truly content. And like me, you might also push yourself beyond healthy limits in order to get accolades from other people.”

4) It’s never too late to start living in the present. How often do your thoughts “live” in the present? More to the point, how often are they instead fixated on your “disappointing” or “disturbing” past or spent worrying about your future? If you are like most people, your percentage of time not spent in the present is way, way too high, and thus you’re missing out on life itself. If you’re letting what’s already happened eat away at you or fretting about what might come to pass, you’re not enjoying the blessings all around you. You’re exacerbating your anxiety and unhappiness by choosing to dwell on things you can’t change or control.

“I used to spend a majority of my time rehashing my past mistakes and worrying about what might happen in the future, neither of which did anything for my peace of mind or self-esteem,” Patkin remembers. “In fact, these unhealthy and self-critical thoughts were a major contributor to my breakdown. Now that I’m making a conscious effort to live in the present, I’m actually enjoying all of the great things in my life instead of letting them pass me by unnoticed. Plus, I’m actually a lot more productive now that all of that mental space that used to be occupied with worries has been freed up!”

5) Focusing on what you’re good at is best for everyone. If you aren’t good at something—especially if it’s work-related—chances are you’ll feel compelled to spend a lot of time and effort getting your skills up to par. It’s natural to want to shore up your weaknesses, but the fact is, this strategy tends to cause you a lot of stress for (most likely) mediocre results. Instead of trying to be good at everything, stay in your strengths as much as possible. When you’re doing what you’re good at, you’ll be happier and higher performing.

“As I’ve said, I used to be a total perfectionist,” says Patkin. “I felt like I was a failure if I didn’t excel in absolutely everything I tried. It probably won’t be a surprise to hear that all I accomplished was making myself miserable when I failed to live up to my impossibly high standards. If that sounds familiar, I’d suggest focusing more time on a hobby or personal interest to start, even if you do it for only twenty minutes every other day. And if you determine that your career doesn’t utilize your strengths, start looking at online job postings or for local classes in your field of interest. It’s never too early—or too late—to start doing the things that make you happy.”

6) Exercise is worth its weight in therapy. Yes, you’ve heard it (a million times) before, but exercise is one small change that yields really big, life-changing benefits. For starters, it will begin to make you feel more relaxed, stronger, and more capable of handling life’s challenges—also, it will improve your sleep, and it’s a natural anti-depressant that will help your attitude and outlook. In fact, exercise actually opens you up to future change by invigorating your mind and body.

“I’m convinced that exercise is the single most important thing you can do to improve your life right now,” Patkin asserts. “Looking back, I believe that my breakdown occurred when it did because I had broken my feet and couldn’t work out. Before that point, exercise was essentially acting as a medication that helped to counteract the effects of the stressful lifestyle I was living, and after I recovered, it has continued to boost my energy and outlook. If working out is already a part of your life, great! If it isn’t, commit to walking just twenty minutes every other day to start out. You don’t have to join a gym, sign up for exhausting classes, and completely reorder your life to reap the benefits of this investment!”

7) You need to feed your mind healthy “food.” When was the last time you watched the nightly news and turned off the TV feeling positive and uplifted? If anything, hearing the headlines is more likely to be depressing and discouraging. Although many of us don’t want to admit it, the things we hear, read, and experience influence our own attitudes and outlooks, so it’s important to consciously “feed” your mind positive materials.

“It may sound hokey, but over the years I’ve become a big proponent of motivational books, audio recordings, and DVDs,” shares Patkin. “Whether we’re at work, talking with friends, or at home watching TV or surfing the web, most of us encounter a lot more bad news and predictions than we do good. No wonder we become negative and cynical! It’s important to seek out positive things that will counteract these influences and dispel unnecessary stress. Learn new, constructive things and expose yourself to fresh ways of thinking so that you don’t get stuck in a self-destructive rut.”

Surround yourself with positive people. If you stop for a drink at the water cooler and find your colleagues griping about how much work they have to do and how unreasonable your boss is, you probably don’t think much of it. In fact, depending on how your own day is going, you might even join in. And although you may not realize it, your attitude will start to deteriorate. The fact is, if you spend a significant amount of time around other people who are negative, your own outlook will begin to mirror theirs.

“It’s much easier for others to drag you down than it is for you to build them up,” Patkin points out. “In terms of your attitude and happiness levels, you will be the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so you need to be around other people who share your commitment to happiness if you want to avoid unnecessary stress. I’m not suggesting that you completely sever relationships that aren’t entirely uplifting, but gradually, you need to gravitate more toward positive people and distance yourself from those who tend to bring you down. This might mean calling a positive friend and asking to meet up for coffee or a beer, or walking away from the water cooler when your coworkers begin to gripe and complain.”

9) Invest in your relationships—especially your marriage. When we’re driving ourselves to the brink, personal relationships are usually one of the first things to suffer. After all, the more time you spend at work, the less time and energy you have to invest in friends and family. You don’t consciously realize it at first, but this gradual deterioration can leave you feeling unappreciated, angry, alone, and anxious. Remember, though, that loving, supportive relationships will majorly enhance your happiness levels, and that friends and family care about you and accept you in a way that your employer never will.

“It’s never a waste of time to reach out to the people who are meaningful to you and tell them how important they are to you, or to try to address any unresolved grievances and apologize for the things you may regret,” Patkin assures. “And there’s one relationship you need to focus on in particular: the one with your spouse or significant other. Put more work into this relationship than you do into anything else: your house, your car, or your job, etc. Celebrate your spouse every day. Tell her (or him!) all the time how beautiful she is and how lucky you are to have her in your life. Trust me: this can make such a great difference in your emotional health, your stress levels, and your overall happiness! I truly believe that I would not be as happy as I am today without the love of my wife, and I also believe that my breakdown would have been much worse without her support.”

10) Take control of what you can. If you’re reading this, chances are your life isn’t exactly stress-free. It’s practically impossible to live in the modern world without a million worries ranging from work deadlines to bills to clogged gutters. While you aren’t omnipotent, you probably can influence at least a few of the things that are causing your anxiety. Try to eliminate or minimize situations that are stressors instead of constantly dealing with their effects. Often, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference when it comes to relieving stress.

“Start by identifying the two or three things that cause you the most stress on a consistent basis—maybe having a messy house is one,” says Patkin. “Often, you’ll find that there are concrete things you can do to lessen or even eliminate the pressure. For example, you might have a frank discussion with your spouse and kids regarding chores. Or, you might finally hire a cleaning person to help you once or twice a month if you can now afford it. Also, if you can’t eliminate or change a stressor, such as a job you hate but can’t afford to quit, challenge yourself to handle it differently. Specifically, decide beforehand how you will react in a more enlightened way when certain stressful situations occur—actually visualize yourself handling them with poise instead of becoming outwardly or inwardly worked up. Having a game plan in place before the ‘beast’ rears its ugly head really can reduce your negative reactions to stressors—big time.”

11) Being friendly is a good investment. In our culture, it’s become a badge of honor to stride around with an air of importance and a stony face. After all, if you’re too busy to say hello, you must be important. Yes, it’s easy to become absorbed by your responsibilities—but you’re not doing yourself any favors by shutting out the rest of the world. Even if you don’t have time to answer all of your emails, you can still smile at people in the hall and say a friendly hello to the cashier in the grocery store. Making positive connections will bring more happiness to you and to others.

“Have you noticed that although our society is more and more ‘connected’ by technology, we interact less and less with other people on a meaningful, face-to-face level than ever before?” Patkin asks. “Our plugged-in lifestyles aren’t doing us as many favors as we thought they would. Even when we’re not at work, we’re likely to be glued to our smartphones or laptops, which amps up our stress. Make a conscious effort to unplug and make a friendly connection with another human—even a simple smile or hello is great. The fact is, everyone on Earth is carrying some sort of burden. You can’t make their pain, stress, or grief just magically disappear…but you can be what I call a ‘lamp-lighter’—someone who makes others feel just a little bit lighter and happier on their journey, even if only for five seconds. When you make friendliness a habit, you’ll attract kindness and smiles in return…and you’ll feel great about yourself for making a positive difference in the world!”

12) Helping others is the soul food of life. One of the (many) negative side effects of our busy lives is that we tend to think mostly about ourselves: how much work we have left on that big presentation, how we’re going to find time to take the kids to sports practice and pick up groceries, and much, much more. No matter how busy you are now, consider helping others to be an integral part of the healthy work/life balance that will help you to avoid unhappiness. This will give you perspective, make you feel good, and will prevent you from staying in the negative me-focused cycle that was making you unhappy in the first place.

“Since my breakdown, I’ve become very involved in philanthropy,” Patkin shares. “I’ve found that it really is better to give than to receive, and that reaching out a helping hand to someone who isn’t as fortunate as you tends to quash selfish impulses and highlight your own blessings. Giving of yourself doesn’t have to involve money, either—remember that your time, talents, and compassion are just as valuable as cash, if not more so. Consider visiting a disabled veteran at the VA, or simply rolling your neighbor’s trashcan up the driveway! And if you have kids, you’ll be setting a wonderful example for them. I promise you, whether you’re giving time, energy, money, or encouragement, being generous will build up your self-esteem, broaden your perspective, keep you anchored in reality, and connect you to your blessings—all components of a happy life.”

13) It’s important to connect with something bigger than yourself. Yes, spirituality (much like politics) is a touchy subject. But according to Patkin, believing in something bigger than yourself is essential to developing the kind of perspective you need to be happy. Whether you consider your Higher Power to be God, Yahweh, Allah, Buddha, Krishna, the Universe, or even just Nature or another entity, being willing and able to see and feel His (or Her, if you prefer!) presence in your life will enable you to move away from self-centeredness and focus your energy and concerns on the greater community. It’ll also provide solace and give meaning to unfortunate events and troubling life circumstances.

“Personally, I’ve been connected to the Jewish faith for my entire life,” Patkin shares. “But it was only after my breakdown that I really allowed my faith to grow. My personal belief that God exists and cares about me has changed the way I view the world—but you don’t need to espouse my beliefs, or even join an organized religion and attend services regularly. What I do hope you’ll do is make an effort to clarify your thoughts about faith and also make an effort to connect to your Higher Power, whether it’s through prayer, meditation, writing in a journal, doing random acts of kindness, or just spending time in nature. Eventually, I hope you’ll begin to see your Higher Power as a source of inspiration, renewal, strength, guidance, and aid—as I do.”

14) A grateful heart is a happy heart. It’s very easy to take things for granted: the information your coworker emailed you, the fact that your car is running, and even the food you’re eating for dinner. The fact is, most of us have gotten into the habit of ignoring all of the good things in our lives. Instead, we focus our mental energy on being upset about what’s wrong and what we don’t have. Yes, cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” might be a clichéd concept, but the humility that comes from knowing you owe so much to so many others will, in turn, spur you to give back more often to those less fortunate than yourself. Plus, studies have actually shown that thankful individuals are 25 percent healthier than their counterparts, too!

“To start tapping into the power of gratitude, just say ‘thanks’ to the people who help you out during your day,” Patkin suggests. “And beyond that, try to notice all of the blessings in your life. If you live in America, you have access to great education, healthcare, and the freedom to worship and work as you choose. Those are huge things to be thankful for right out of the gate! We take these ‘basics’ and much more for granted, and we often have others—whether it’s an ancestor of ours, a veteran, or a coworker—to thank for them. It’s extremely important to be aware of all of your blessings, and to honor and thank those whom you owe.”

15) Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. All of the things Patkin has learned from his breakdown will help you to cut your stress levels, and they’ll also aid you in cultivating a more balanced, happier life. But he’s also adamant that feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed are all very serious, and he says that you shouldn’t expect yourself to easily “fix” these issues on your own.

“If you feel that you’re in over your head, or if your best efforts aren’t working, please reach out and ask for help,” says Patkin. “I might never have recovered after my breakdown without the help of my friends, family, and medical professionals. This is all big stuff. You shouldn’t—in fact, you can’t—make big changes in your life alone. At the very least, you’ll need the support of those who love you.”

“Ultimately, I’ve learned that the quality of your life is largely up to you,” Patkin concludes. “If you’re anything like me—and if you’re honest with yourself—you’ll have to confess that a striving, stressful lifestyle is not making you happy. I’ll admit that many of the changes I’m asking you to make in order to avoid more unhappiness (and perhaps even a breakdown) go against what society says you should do if you want to be successful. But I have found out the hard way that a ‘successful’ yet stressed out and unhappy life is certainly not, in reality, a truly successful life at all.”

About the Author
Todd Patkin grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. After graduating from Tufts University, he joined the family business and spent the next eighteen years helping to grow it to new heights. After it was purchased by Advance Auto Parts in 2005, he was free to focus on his main passions: philanthropy and giving back to the community, spending time with family and friends, and helping more people learn how to be happy. Todd lives with his wonderful wife, Yadira, their amazing son, Josh, and two great dogs, Tucker and Hunter.

Not only is cooking with your child fun, it can also be very educational. I have taught my daughter how to stir, add water, and measure. Her favorite cooking experience was making a cake for mother’s day, she really enjoyed putting the sprinkles on the cake. As holidays are approaching, we have already made a list of goods to bake for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. To start off our journey in baking, Sesame Street has released a book, “B i s for Baking” which is perfect for a stocking stuffer or a Christmas present for your child.

“B is for Baking” has 50 nutritious meals for you and your child to make together. Most of the meals are made from scratch, healthy, and easy to make. There are different recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course the special occasions. My daughter and I made our favorite, Banana Nut Bread.I smashed up the bananas and she added all the ingredients and stirred. “B is for Baking” gives tips to let you know when child can participate and when adults should perform the task, such as putting the food into the oven or using a knife. Of course the kitchen was a little messy from the flour and the stirring, but the experience was fun and the bread was delicious.

You can purchase “B is for Baking” at Amazon.com for only $11.55.

I had the chance to try these goodies in person. I tried the Chocolate Love Elixir, the Wild Rose and Honey Elixir, the Better Than Botox Face Mask, and the Amber and Rose body butter. Wow! Let me start with my favorite first, the Wild Rose and Honey Elixir. It’s made from raw honey and petals of wild roses. It possesses many benefits, such as anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties. It tastes divine and instantly lifts the spirits, and can be placed in water or tea. I keep it next to my sink and have half a dropperful right on my tongue whenever I need a little tasty treat!

Next on the list is the Chocolate Love Elixir. I like this one as well, as it tastes like raw chocolate (which I love) and a little zing of vanilla, rose, and honey. It’s a great aphrodisiac and promotes energy and stamina. It also has the same health benefits since it has honey in it as well, and I haven’t yet had the pleasure of tasting this tincture in tea because I enjoy it right out of the bottle!

The next two are body products, which are just lovely. The Amber and Rose body butter is so soft, it truly does feel like butter. It contains shea and cocoa butters for moisture, as well as jojoba and olive oils for added benefits. My skin felt slick and smooth, and it’s wonderful for stretch marks! I like using it on my feet after I get out of the shower and before I slip on fluffy socks. The other body product is the Better than Botox face mask. Made with clay, kelp, and nutritional yeast, it’s a dry mix so that you can mix it with whatever liquid ingredient are best for your face. For oily and acne-prone skin like mine, I used lemon juice as my liquid. Because my face wasn’t used to the mask yet, it did make me itch… but my face felt firmer after I washed it off, and I wanna keep using it as a once-a-week treatment, just to keep my face in tip-top shape. I can honestly say that each product I tried demonstrated impeccable quality, and that a lot of care and skill was used to create them. You can be sure to shop with confidence from Herbal Revolution!

Kathi is giving away a jar of her Better than Botox face mask! It tones and soothes every type of skin, and is especially good for maturing or oliy/troublesome skin. There are so many perfect products in her shop – I know from trying them myself. Head on over to experience the Herbal Revolution, and find out how to win this fantastic face mask below!

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CONTEST ENDS: NOVEMBER 4 @ MIDNIGHT EST

Skin Deep Tanning

At the start of this summer I knew I was going to be too busy to go to the beach and get a tan. I even tried to sit in my back yard while I waiting for the first load of laundry to finish drying thinking to myself it’s a little bit of free time. But of course other distractions would occur and that free time would disappear.  So what’s the quickest way to get some sort of a tan without knocking out hours of my day that I don’t have.  Well at first I thought instant tan from the drug store but that turned out to be just a mess. So my next choice of course was a tanning salon.

There were only two problems; I’ve never been to one before and I find them slightly intimidating.

After mulling over it for a couple of days, I got my guts together and tried Skin Deep in St James on Long Island. The new owner just finished renovations and the store looks fantastic. She has managed to combine the relaxed feel of the beach with that of a boutique salon. They have five rooms with beds of varying intensity and one spray tan room. Personally I don’t get the point of spray tan but, to each their own, right. The girls at the counter are friendly and helpful; which is great for someone who is a bit unsure of what they are doing and needs some guidance. First thing I realized, you definetly need a lotion bronzer. Thankfully they have all different types for sale there if you are in need. The cost of a tan is fair and depends on how long you are going to stay in the bed. They also have coupons on the Skin Deep Tanning website that you can access or join the Skin Deep Tanning Facebook page for updates on discounts or contests.

Tanning Bed

There are five tanning beds of varying intensity and one spray tan room at Skin Deep Tanning.  Two of the beds are standing beds and the other three are the regular lie down beds. The rooms are visibly clean and all the beds are sanitized after each use.  I used the sun star lie down bed for ten minutes, it was a great ten minutes.   After I got my lotion on I laid down in the bed, hit the start button, and then felt delicious warmth all over my body. It almost felt like the warmth was going all the way through my skin to my bones.  So I just relaxed and enjoyed the experience.  The bed counts down with a couple beeps when it’s getting close to time up so you have a little bit of a warning when you are close to done. I used the hand towel provided to remove some excess sweat and then ingested a good deal of water, incidentally they have cold bottled water for sale.

I was honestly surprised at the instant change in color to my skin.  After only ten minutes in the bed I had a beautiful even and fairly dark tan. No more milk maid complexion and with plenty of time to run off and do the rest of my errands .  So I’d say just go ahead and do it, even if you only try it once tanning is a fun experience.

Now, you are probably wondering how it works, right? I was thinking the same thing when I opened it up. The Journey Gym “utilizes a proprietary resistance system which allows for you to have between 5 and 150 lbs. of resistance providing a real strength training workout for your shoulders, arms, chest, back, abdominals, and legs.” Still trying to figure it out? Let me show you.

Here is what the Journey Gym looks like when it’s opened. There are resistance bands on both sides with different colors & resistance:

Orange – The orange bands are the lights and provide approximately 5 pounds resistance at 200% extension.
Blue – The blue bands are in the medium and provide approximately 10 pounds resistance at 200% extension.
Green – The green bands are the heaviest offer approximately 15 pounds resistance at 200% extension.

I asked the husband to join in and show me how to use the Journey Gym. My husband regularly exercises at the gym and runs 2 1/2 miles a day. He understands equipment like this and I do not. We popped in the DVD, opened up the gym, and got started. Now, the DVD is fast paced, so go ahead and have your gym open and ready when you put the DVD in. I would recommend for Journey Gym to go a little slower when showing how to put everything together, because we had to pause the DVD a couple of times to catch up. The Journey Gym is not hard to put together once you do it once, it requires:

1.) Removing the handles
2.) Removing the legs to turn the gym into a stair stepper
3.) Attaching handles to resistance bands of choice
4.) Attaching full set of legs

Once you have this done, you can continue on with some of the sample exercises on the DVD. The DVD will explain how to adjust the handles for your height and how to do the exercises. My husband played around with it for awhile to get used to it. I suggest doing this so that you will feel comfortable when standing on the gym, moving around on it, and getting used to how the handles and bands work. Comfort is the key to a successful workout.

Although I am the main person going to be using the gym, it’s going to take me awhile to get comfortable using it. I completed the first set of a ten minute exercise and the video was easy to follow along with and great for beginners. Although the DVD only comes with two set of exercise programs, you can join journeygym.com and get more exercises with music. I haven’t had the opportunity to do this yet, as I am still getting used to things. You need to:

1.) Sign up at journeygym.com
2.) Choose exercises from 180 different exercises
3.) Add the exercises to your workout timeline
4.) Once video is created, choose your music (100 songs)
5.) Save video, share it, your rip it to a DVD

For the next two weeks I will be working out on the Journey Gym. I will be taking pictures and a video to show my progress. As I become more comfortable with the gym, the more I will be able to share with you. So far the only negativity I have about the gym is the noise. Now, the gym itself and while working out does not create any noise whatsoever. But when I first tried the gym I attempted it while my daughter was sleeping. When opening the gym there are two loud clicking noises, once the gym is open and you are removing things you will need to get started, it’s not loud at all. When putting things away and closing the gym is when it’s loud – so be careful doing this during bedtime of nap time as we woke my daughter up three times. Keep in mind this depends on where your child may be sleeping, if they are a light sleeper (like mine) or a heavy sleeper. You may have no issues with this in your household, I just wanted you to be prepared for a “just in case.”

After two weeks I will be updating more about the Journey Gym and will be hosting an one month long giveaway for Pajama Mommy Readers. Participants in the giveaway will also be entered into winning a grand prize from Journey Gym.

Disclosure

I had the chance to see one of these little beauties up close. Tiffany packages her jewelry nicely, and the necklace was beyond spectacular. The cookie had some weight to it but it wasn’t heavy, and the words on the fortune were perfectly stamped and read “love will find you.” The fortune is positioned right next to the spring clasp, so you can fix the location of the fortune as close to the cookie as you want. The bronze shines brightly and looks fabulous against the shining sterling silver; I thought the two different metals together would be sort of odd looking but it looks GREAT. It makes the cookie a lot more unique and natural looking than silver. Perfection!

Tiffany is offering 20% off of anything in her shop until September 30, and she is giving away a pair of her Great Balls of Fire earrings! For a chance to win, check out the rules below.

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1. Visit Tiffany Coley and let us know what you like the best, with the link, or what you think your ideal fortune should say. THIS IS MANDATORY.

2. “Like” Tiffany Coley Jewelry on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/tpcoleyjewelry)

::.BONUS ENTRIES.:: – IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE THESE, LEAVE A POST STATING THAT YOU’VE ALREADY DONE SO

1. Subscribe to our email RSS Feed with the same email as you use in your comment.

2. Subscribe to our @pjmommy Twitter account.

3. Tweet saying: I’ve entered the Tiffany Coley Giveaway over @pjmommy

4. “Like” or join our Facebook fan page.

CONTEST ENDS: OCTOBER 5 @ MIDNIGHT EST

My daughter has always enjoyed bath time since she was two weeks old. We have never had any issues with bathing her, except when it comes to using bath wash. At 19 months old, she has very sensitive skin. Since birth, we have only been able to use natural products with her – fragrance free, hypoallergenic, with no harsh chemicals. We tried fragrance products a few times with her, but it usually causes a rash or makes her skin dry. Therefore, I was a little fearful in bathing her in the Jason Natural Bath Gel (Berry Burst), so I bathed myself with it. The bath gel is actually wheat and gluten free, I’m not for sure if these products can affect a child through skin if they are allergic – but I imagined it could if the child had a severe allergy to wheat or gluten. The smell is tolerable, I actually liked it and it didn’t stay on my skin too long after showering. The gel isn’t sticky, it squeezes onto a washcloth well, and washes well. I am not sure if the gel can create a bubble bath or not for kids, as I wasn’t able to test it out in a bathtub. When my daughter gets a little older and is not as sensitive to many products, I will be more than willing to test out the bath gel with her. The Bath Gel for Kids comes in an 8 oz bottle and retails for $7.87.

Disclosure

I am usually not a summer-body – I like to stay in the cold house and watch movies. I have a very adventerous daugther who is always on the go, so that means I have to actually go out in the sun and plan trips. Lately, we have been taking her to the YMCA swimming pool and using regular sunblock on her. I have always looked at Wal-Mart for natural sublock but can never find any, I would always just settle for baby sunblock. Recently, I had the opportunity to review different types of sunblock for family and kids and I fell in LOVE. Therefore, I wanted to share my Sunblock Favorites with our readers and guess what? There is a TAN EXTENDER included!!

First off, I want readers to know that these products did arrive during extremely hot weather and the sunblocks were a little runny upon opening. After having time to cool down, they applied easily without a mess.

Jason Sunblock for Kids
Info: Natural, Hypoallergenic, Water Resistant, 45 SPF, Apply 15-20 minutes before sun exposure, Reapply after towel drying, swimming, or sweating. 6 months+

PJ Mommy Approved: Rubs on easily, non-greasy, smells wonderfully, and wasn’t worried when daughter decided to lick some off her arm – since it’s all natural. This product applied easier than the continuous spray we had been using. Reapplied after entering into water and every 45 minutes – just because my daughter has super fair skin. Tip: I have seen on the news lately that every sunscreen/sunblock out there needs to be applied after swimming, sweating, and towel drying. It can rub off in the water!

Jason Sunblock for Family
Info: Natural, Non-greasy, Water Resistant, 45 SPF, Same application as Kids Sunblock.

PJ Mommy Approved: Same smell as Kids Sunblock. I did feel like it was a tiny bit thicker than the Kids Sunblock. My husband actually used it, he would never use the continuous spray we had for babies. We didn’t feel greasy, it was easy to rub in without having any white residue on our skin, and we were outside for 30 minutes in direct sun without getting red. I like that this Sunblock is for the entire family and we will more than likely use it on our daughter when she gets a little older.

Aubrey Natural Saving Face Sunscreen
Info: Zinc Oxide is Active Ingredient. 2.3 oz. Apply 30 minutes before sun exposure.

PJ Mommy Approved: I never use the same sunblock I use on my body as my face. I usually use Eucerin Lotion which contains sunblock, so this is the first time actually trying sunblock on my face. I am very sensitive to products on my face – very acne prone, I was nervous at first to try it. There isn’t a distinct smell, it wasn’t greasy on my face, and the application was kind of thick when applying. I definitely felt like I had coverage while at doors. I didn’t use this product on my daughter’s face, I used the Kids Sunblock.

Aubrey After Sun Face and Body Moisturizer
Info: Contains CoQ10 and Pomegranate: supports cell structure and replenishes/protects the skin’s moisture barrier. Organic.

PJ Mommy Approved: favorite product by far. Have you ever went outside, had wind/sunburn on your face and it actually hurt to shower afterwards? This happens to me a lot. My daughter’s face gets red just by rubbing it on the carpet or couch. I used this moisturizer mainly on our face after sun-time and even when we were just red-faced. I love the smell, the non-greasy formula, and the easy application. The After Sun rubs in great, it’s not too thick, not too runny and there is enough for your face and body (when needed).

Jason Lip Balm
Info: Contains Beeswax, 25 SPF, Adult & Kid Friendly.

PJ Mommy Approved: I only use all natural/organic products on my daughter’s lips. I do not want her to lick her lips and consume chemicals/products that are not safe for her. Therefore, this product is my favorite when it comes to protecting my daughter’s (and ours!) lips. No smell, rubs on great, didn’t leave any type of junk on our lips, and there isn’t an awful taste (in case consumed).

Australian Gold Moisture Lock Tan Extender
Info: Contains Vitamin E and Native Australian Extracts. Can be used on face and body. Safe to use daily. Apply generously to exposed skin.

PJ Mommy Approved: I didn’t get to use this product, but my husband did. He actually spent an hour laying out in the sun and got a little sunburn. His sunburns usually peel and he is left without a tan. We rubbed this on his sunburn every night and he actually had a tan line! The scent is light, not overwhelming at all. The application is easy to apply – I like the pump method on bottles. I believe this would be perfect for tanners, whether in the sun or the tanning bed (safety first when using a tanning bed, please!).

These are currently my sunblock favorites and will be used in our household for many years. Not only are they organic, safe, and kid friendly, but they are also inexpensive!

WHERE TO BUY?!?

Jason products can be purchased online at: http://www.jason-natural.com/products/sunblock.php

Aubrey products can be purchased online at: http://www.aubrey-organics.com

Australian Gold products can be purchased online or in most retail stores

Disclosure

I was lucky enough to be able to try a few of the many wonderful herbs Queen of Trees offers. The first one on the list was the Luscious Locks Dread Wax. I really really liked it because it doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals or petroleum. When I first tried to use it, it was hard and I had to break it up, but it softened as I used it and it worked wonders on my double-strand twists; it also had my curls looking defined and springy when I took the twists out. I used it to twist my boyfriend’s roots as well, and it was perfect! His dreds were looking mighty fresh for a good minute.

Next was the Sex in a Bottle tincture. It’s an herbal aphrodisiac that is supposed to increase sexual desires, helps with fertility, and helps with blood circulation. I’m used to seeing pills and creams that are supposed to do the job but I’m not trying to go that route. I used this for a few days, and that’s all I needed! It heightens the intensity and it really does make that intimate time with your partner stronger. DEFINITELY recommend!!!

Next were the Anti-Yeast Herbal Tea and the Uterine Fibroid and Ovarian Cyst tincture. The tea, being completely herbal, did not have the best taste but it did the job it was supposed to; I hadn’t had any troubles in months. And at just $4 a bag, it’s definitely worth it for women who have recurrent yeast infections. I have a little hereditary trouble with the ovaries and such, so I figured this might be good to try. Someone close to me also has a very troubling time with ovarian cysts and they cause a lot of pain, so I let her try it, hoping it would calm her pain. After taking it for a few days, she had no complaints of pain, just minor twinges every now and then. She finished off the bottle; I didn’t even get to try it!

Last is the Skinny Minny Fat Burner. I just started back using this after some health issues so I’m still trying to see how it’ll work… but I do know so far that it staves off my appetite pretty well. I’ll keep y’all posted on how it works though, I’m trying to shed this weight!

Queen of Trees is doing a giveaway of ANY ITEM from her shop (excluding the Fit for Fall Packages and the case of Herbal Penicillin), and all PJ Mommy readers receive 30% off using the code PJMOMMY30. For info on how to enter the giveaway, check out the rules below:

::.HOW TO ENTER.::

Visit Queen of Trees and tell us which item you believe would work best for you and why, with the link. THIS IS MANDATORY.

::.BONUS ENTRIES.::

1. Subscribe to our email RSS Feed with the same email as you use in your comment.

2. Subscribe to our @pjmommy Twitter account.

3. Tweet saying: I’ve entered the Queen of Trees Giveaway over @pjmommy

4. “Like” or join our Facebook fan page.

CONTEST ENDS: SEPTEMBER 12 @ MIDNIGHT EST

We were on the market for new all natural (no medicine added) pain relief for teething. I remember going to Blogher ’10 last year and having the opportunity to try natural alternatives from Boiron and thought I would check their website for teething pain relief. To my surprise, they actually had some – Camilia. I found a new love. Not only is Camilia benzocaine free, but it is has no preservatives, flavors, dyes, sugar or artificial sweeteners. It’s truly all natural. Camilia arrived just in time, our daughter is getting a molar teeth on the right side – yikes! My favorite part is Camilia comes in convenient, sterile single-use doses. I no longer have to squeeze gel onto my fingertips and rub them on my daughters gums – yuck! All you have to do is twist cap to open and squeeze into mouth. She didn’t gag, show disgust, and we didn’t even have to hold her down. Camilia can be used every 15 minutes for two more doses. Even though it’s all natural and I know she cannot overdose on it, I still space out the doses for ever 2-3 hours for two more doses. Other great news, you can start Camilia at one month old (if you have an early teether) and not worry about any side-effects! I would say that one box of 15 single-use doses will last us a week, or so. Even though we will be spending more on teething pain relief, we do not have to worry about medications (so hopefully no recalls!), overdoses, or holding her down to give her something to relieve the pain. Totally worth it in our opinion.

my nineteen month old’s teeth

Disclosure

“During my career I was an educator and administrator in elementary, middle and high schools, as well as college, for 33 years,” Page said. “During that time I enjoyed serving as a Boy and Cub Scout master, and a Sunday school teacher. Through all that time, I have seen just about everything children can experience, both positive and negative, and
helped these kids solve what many today see as practically unsolvable problems. For the most part, I didn’t have any special technology or divine wisdom. All I had was the head on my shoulders and the heart beating in my chest, and for 33 years those were the only tools I needed.”

Page, a PhD who in retirement became a children’s book author known as Billy D, said that he has dealt with the absolute worst kids in his school and the best ones, too. In most cases, he said that they were one and the same, just on different days.

“It doesn’t take a PhD to figure out why a kid bullies another kid, or why that kid lets the other one bully him,” said Page, author of the children’s book Boy Scouts, Bullies & Indian Creek. “Both kids are scared of something. The kid who is being bullied is afraid of getting beat up, and the bully is afraid of most everything. The secret is being able to connect with them and figure out what both kids are afraid of and helping them face and defeat those fears. The heart of the matter is really one of the most basic truths I know: every child is special. If you want to prevent problems, then parents and teachers simply need to remind kids of this fact on a regular basis. If you tell them often enough, they’ll begin to believe it and feel it, too.”

But as much as Page is an idealist, he also knows he has to channel that idealism to kids through some harsh realism.

“I put the characters in my books through some paces,” he said. “They encounter the challenges of responsibility, honesty, self-pride, peer pressure, sibling rivalry, and race relations. They experience the consequences of drug use, over-confidence and facing ridicule. On the other hand, my characters also see the benefits from loving people,
befriending them and cooperating with others. My characters are grounded by events that are true-to-life, so that the kids who read them, who are also dealing with the realism in their lives, can relate, understand and learn.”

In that way, Page believes kids who read his stories can unconsciously see the parallels in their own lives, and learn the same lessons his characters learn in his stories.

“Is the bully somehow less special than the bullied?” he asked. “Or are both simply good kids in a bad situation who need to see that their lives can be better if they only see how special they are and the difference they can make in other lives? We all need to know where we keep our strength, the parts of ourselves that help us overcome adversities. If our children don’t learn where those places are when they’re kids, they won’t know where to find those places as adults.”

ABOUT BILL “BILLYD” PAGE

Bill D. Page, PhD, a.k.a. BillyD, is a graduate of Marion High School, Northern Iowa, Michigan State and St. Louis Universities. He has published two books for children ages nine to twelve, and has others for children two to six near completion. Dr. Page has been a teacher at all levels of public education from elementary through graduate school in Manson and Marion, Iowa, Lincoln Park, Michigan and adjunct professor for Western Michigan University. He lives with his wife of sixty-three years in Muskegon, Michigan. They have three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He and his wife are proud to state that there have been no divorces in their immediate family, which has accumulated 181 years of marriage.

enLiven yogurt (www.enlivenyogurt.com), the new low-cost and tasty probiotic yogurt, which launched exclusively in Walmart stores in February 2011, will be sampled at 700 Walmart stores located in 45 states June 2-5, 2011. For exact store locations, visit enlivenyogurt.com/walmartsampling.

Walmart shoppers will have an opportunity to taste all four delicious flavors of enLiven yogurt – vanilla, blueberry, strawberry and peach – and pick up a four pack at an average retail price of $1.88 or just 47 cents per serving.

“Yogurt is a wonderful and versatile food that can be enjoyed any time of day,” said Carl Freund, vice president of consumer products at Ganeden. “We are thrilled to offer enLiven yogurt at an affordable price to help Americans spend wisely and to benefit from eating healthy foods.”

enLiven yogurt has no artificial flavors or coloring and is made by Ganeden , the nation’s leading distributor of over-the-counter probiotic products. enLiven yogurt is 99 percent fat-free, low in sodium and contains beneficial GanedenBC30 probiotics which offer significant amounts of live and active cultures to help support digestive and immune health.

For more information and to see what consumers are saying about enLiven yogurt, visit enlivenyogurt.com or facebook.com/enlivenyogurt.

You have finally started to plan your wedding; with your special day, comes a ton of celebratory events! Whether you are sipping on afternoon cocktails at a bridal party brunch, digging up some recipes for your elegant rehearsal dinner or treating wedding guests to a personalized drink menu, celebrate your nuptials with Tequila Avión. Cheers to love and tequila!

AVIÓN SENSATION
INGREDIENTS
· 1 ½ oz. Tequila Avión Reposado
· 1 oz. Guava Puree
· 1 oz. Fresh Lime Sour
METHOD
Place ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake until frothy and strain over fresh ice and garnish with toasted coconut flakes to complete the beverage.

AVIÓN FLYING APHRODITE
INGREDIENTS
· 2 oz. Avión Tequila
· 1.5 oz. Rose Water (can use Monin Rose Syrup mixed with water as an alternate)
· 1 oz. Prickly Pear Juice
· 1.4 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
METHOD
Shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a crimson rose petal and fresh strawberry.

AVIÓN LEMON LOVE
INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 oz Tequila Avion
* 1/2 oz Fresh Lime juice
* 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon juice
* 3 oz Tonic water ( Lavender Soda Option)
METHOD
Build over ice in a Highball Glass. Garnish with a Lime wedge

Steeped in style and packaged in sleekly sophisticated tins, Talbott Teas explores combinations of unexpected flavors, spices and aromas from the finest quality ingredients from around the world. The exclusive line of teas is available in Bloomingdales, The Oprah Store, select merchants & salons and talbottteas.com

About Talbott Teas:
Talbott Teas was founded in 2003 by Shane Talbott, after establishing his reputation for creating exquisitely rich, lustrous hair at his own salon in Chicago and at the on-location salon of the Oprah Winfrey Show. Women, including Ms. Winfrey, turn to Shane for his unerring eye and sense of style that enables him to capture and enhance their own individual essence and infuse their world with beauty.

One of the premier colorists in the country, Shane further developed his finely honed sense of style on a quest for luxury tea for his sophisticated customers. Utilizing only Fair Trade Certified tea growers, Talbott Teas creatively combines all natural fruit, flowers, herbs and spices from Europe, without the use of any chemicals or preservatives. Talbott Teas uses a multi-step process intended to bring out the subtle nuances and rich essences of the finest tea leaves and aromatic flavors. Talbott Teas is sold in Bloomingdales, The Four Seasons, hair salons and www.talbottteas.com.

2) Pick up a pack of Kids-EEZE Cough & Cold Soft Chews. They have sensational summer flavors like grape.

3) Try using a humidifier. These are great in the summer time because they do not add any additional heat to the room and it cleanses the air.

4) Honey is one of the best remedies if you’re having a sore throat along with a cold. Try adding honey to every day meals such as pancakes or to your ice tea.

5) Get plenty of rest. Whether your child is sick or not, a good night’s sleep will always improve overall health.

Katty is offering 15% off of your purchase from her shop to all PJ Mommy readers using coupon code Lucky15 at checkout! It’s a great deal for a great shop with an amazing artist. Check it out and represent your hometown with love!

I had the chance to review the Red Salmonella, Candida albicans, and Cyanobacteria soaps. I totally LOVED the scents of each one; apple, coconut, and lemon lime. Each soap came with a card about the particular bacteria, and it’s amazing how much we can learn about these bacteria. More motivation to use the soap and get clean! It’s stunning how intricate each dish of soap is; Sara really takes pride in her work. I’m so excited about the soaps that I don’t even want to use all of them and ruin the beautiful craftsmanship of them all. Guess I’ll just have to buy more!

Sara is giving away a soap to one lucky winner! You can choose your bacteria, pick your poison! I know the choice is hard because they’re all awesome, but you’ll love it nonetheless THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO ALL READERS!

~RULES FOR ENTRY~

1. Visit Cleaner Science and tell us your favorite item in the shop, why, and if you’ve had any particular experience with the chosen bacteria. THIS IS MANDATORY.

2. Follow Cleaner Science on Twitter (twitter.com/cleanerscience)

3. “Like” Cleaner Science on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CleanerScience)

~Additional Entries~

1. Subscribe to our email RSS Feed with the same email as you use in your comment.

2. Subscribe to our @pjmommy Twitter account.

3. Tweet saying: I’ve entered the Cleaner Science giveaway over @pjmommy

4. “Like” or join our Facebook fan page.

CONTEST ENDS: JUNE 13, 2011 @ MIDNIGHT EST.

Sports drinks have been getting a ton of bad press lately. Google the subject, and you’ll find a myriad of newspaper articles and blog posts “exposing” sports drinks for what they are—water with sugar and a little artificial coloring. But it’s no surprise that sports drinks have sugar in them; that’s something that’s never been hidden. The real question is, will that extra sugar be bad for your kid? Well, as most things, it depends.

Dental Health: One mark against sports drinks like Gatorade is that they can be bad for your teeth, if you drink them often enough. They all are relatively acidic, which can lead to enamel degradation. Juice and soda are acidic too, though, so it’s not like sports drinks are special in that regard.

Performance: The literature review of the effectiveness of sports drinks on preventing dehydration and increasing performance is mixed. In most respects, water and sports drinks perform equally well. After working out however, kids who have had the sports drink have been shown to have a higher body weight—meaning they lost less fluids during their workout. This is one potential benefit of choosing a sports drink over water.

Calories: Sports drinks are generally full of high-fructose corn syrup, providing many sugary calories to whoever drinks them. For example, 20 ounces of Gatorade Performance has 122 calories! That’s less than 20 ounces of soda, but it’s still nothing to sneeze at.

And, many studies have correlated a higher intake of sugary beverages, like soda and sports drinks, to higher body mass index and worse diet in children. It makes sense right? If a kid is drinking soda all the time, they’re consuming more calories, and drinking less of the beverages that are actually beneficial, like milk or 100% juice; greater intake of those beverages correlated to an adequate intake of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and magnesium.

In Moderation: If you look at all the scientific studies I mentioned above, you might want to make a knee jerk reaction and pull that sports drink right out of your kid’s hands. Those studies aren’t about your specific child or family, however, and it’s important to realize how your particular situation could come into play here.

If you live in a house where kids rarely have soda or other sugary drinks, letting them have a Gatorade at sports practice isn’t going to make them obese. If your kid is already guzzling soda at home, then adding a sports drink isn’t going to help—but sports drinks are only one thing that should be on your list of dietary worries.

What you do want to avoid is having your kid think that sports drinks are somehow “healthy,” when the truth is that they’re not. And, you don’t want a situation where your kid drinks sports drinks in place of water, because they think the sports drink will somehow make them feel better. However, as long as the drinks are had in moderation, like being consumed only at a specific activity like sports practice, they aren’t going to make your kid unhealthy.

Other Possible Beverages: I would caution parents to avoid replacing regularly sugared sports drinks with lower-calorie artificially sweetened ones. The trouble with these? In studies, greater intake of diet soda has been linked to higher BMI. Why? People rationalize that they are consuming less calories, so they “make up” for it by eating more.

Instead, try creating your own fruit-infused water. Cut up strawberries, cucumbers, and apple slices, and let them sit overnight in a pitcher of water. The result is delicious and low-calorie. Or, pick up a low-sugar 100% fruit juice from the store.

The Bottom Line: If your kid eats a healthy diet and avoids most sugary beverages, letting them have a Gatorade at their practice or game isn’t going to hurt. Just don’t let sugary sports-drinks replace water in regular day to day activities.

I’ve heard folks say that everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day . Although it may or may not be true, I’ll bet eating this great round loaf is a good start.  It’s a simple, purist’s loaf – the way I like it; no fanfare, just enjoy with hot tea.

4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. butter (do not use margarine)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl. Using the tips of your fingers work the butter into the mixture until it looks like coarse meal.

Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and buttermilk into this well; mix it in with a wooden spoon until the dough is too stiff to stir anymore. Dust your hands with a bit of flour then gently knead the dough right in the bowl just long enough for it to form a rough ball. Transfer it to a surface that you’ve lightly floured and shape it into a round loaf.

Transfer loaf to a large lightly greased baking sheet or even a cast iron skillet is good – grease that too. Make an X shape about 1/2? deep with a serrated knife on top of the dough. Place into the oven and bake until it’s golden brown – about 45 minutes. Let it cool briefly and serve warm or room temp. This recipe makes fantastic leftovers!

The first of its kind, Nourish, is a patented ready-to-serve bottle for babies and spill-proof bottled water for toddlers.

Nourish Baby comes in a formula-ready bottle with a nipple top.  Each 8 oz bottle can be recycled and reused. Nourish Toddler comes with 10oz of purified spring water and a no-spill sippy top that won’t let water out or food in. http://www.nourish-inc.com/

My granddaughter just loved these bottles for her 8 month old!! We just had to open and add formula and shake and we were off! The nipple is sturdy but soft and just right for the formula flow.  I love that you can wash out and re-use.  The sippy cup was just as great and no leaks which is so important when you are on the go!

Nourish-Inc. received the 2010 MAX Award for most innovative new product in Georgia. In the meantime, The Nourish Relief Program has donated more than 5,000 Nourish bottles to bring clean water and clean bottles to infants and children in Haiti and to homeless shelters and disaster areas in the United States including the Genesis Shelter in Atlanta.

Nourish is the convenience solution for young ‘on the go’ families. Nourish Baby is eight ounces of purified natural spring water that is ready to mix with powdered baby formula.

Nourish Baby’s slim bottle is designed for tiny hands to hold. The wide neck aids in the spill-free addition of powdered formula and the bottle’s measurement markings assure mixed proportions are correct. The nipple has been sanitized and kept sterile with a tamper-evident seal and liner. To use Nourish Baby simply open the top, pour in the formula, close the top, and shake. Now active parents can lead their busy lives with out the cumbersome tasks of preparing and carrying adult-size bottles for their infants.

Nourish bottles are BPA free and created with the most highly recyclable PET plastic.

Please note that Nourish baby water contains 8 ounces of water and is not filled to the top to allow the addition of formula.

Red -Tomatoes have lycopene which has been shown to help with certain cancers and heart disease. Canned tomatoes, like Del Monte Diced Tomatoes, can actually have more lycopene than their fresh counterparts.

Green – Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach are chock full of nutrients and antioxidants. Sneak spinach into turkey wraps instead of iceberg lettuce for a health boost.

Yellow – Corn is rich in vitamin B constituents, especially Thiamin and  Niacin. Add a handful to your next salad!

Tan – Whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and wheat tortillas are going to provide fiber and magnesium that are good for your heart. Use them more often than white grains to add more color and get better nutrition.

TIP: Start with breakfast–the most important meal of the day just got more colorful with Del Monte’s Confetti Breakfast Wrap (recipe below)!

It’s a fun way for kids to make healthy and delicious food choices.

Learn more online at http://solutions.delmonte.com/

CONFETTI BREAKFAST WRAPS

Courtesy of Del Monte Foods

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 5 Minutes

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg, beaten

2 egg whites

1 can (15.25 oz.) Del Monte(R) Whole Kernel Corn, drained

1 can (14.5 oz.) Del Monte(R) Diced Tomatoes, well drained, squeezing out excess liquid

1 cup spinach

3 oz. low-fat, low-sodium, shredded Jack cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions

8 warm whole wheat tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat egg and egg whites. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add eggs and scramble, breaking up into small pieces.

2. Combine eggs, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, cheese and onions.

3. Spoon mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up and secure with a toothpick.

Heat in microwave 30 seconds on high or until warm and cheese is melted.