Momathon Blog

Online Holiday Deals on Cyber Monday

I love shopping, but hate the crowds. Who really wants to go to the jam-packed stores only to find the wonderful holiday shopping bargain you wanted is already sold out? Even finding a parking spot at the mall this time of year gives me a migraine. That's why the online shopping deals on Cyber Monday (Dec. 1st) make me smile.

(Photo: CyberMonday.com)

Time to click till you drop, but before you begin you should know a few sites to check first. 

• GottaDeal.com : Lists the ads from many online tech retailers 
• CyberMonday.com: Lists online deals available at many retailers including Target, Home Depot, Nike, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Overstock.com, Sears (Shop.org)
• PriceSpider.com Tracks tech retailer prices, shows price fluctuation over time, compare prices, read reviews
• PriceGrabber.com: Service will send you an email alert of sales on products you are interested in. Compares prices on popular products, consumer product reviews.
• Price Protectr.com: Tracks the prices and alerts you if the price drops on an item you've purchased at 150 stores including Amazon.com, The Apple Store, Best Buy, Costco, 
• Overstock.com: Purchase name brands at clearance prices.
• Target.com: Free shipping on over 60,000 items, plus free Target gift cards on certain items. Also make sure to check out the Target.com "Deals of the Day" feature for online-only savings. 
• Apple.com; They already had an online sale on Black Friday. Will iPods go on sale on Cyber Monday?
• Amazon.com: One-day 65% off sale on watches
• Barnes & Noble.com Promotional offers listed on Monday, but the buzz already says one online promo is a free fleece winter throw with an online purchase of $75 or more (while supplies last).
• Best Buy.com: iPods on a 2-day sale Sunday/Monday.

Thanksgiving Details: Pet Safety, Clean up, Nostalgia

Today I am hoping you are gathering with friends and family for a Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy the feast. 

Must be the mom in me...

• Although it is tempting, don't feed your dogs turkey scraps or turkey bones. This meat can cause health problems including Pancreatitis. One of my dogs nearly died from a turkey snack. And turkey and other poultry bones are hollow so they are dangerous for pets to chew on because they splinter easily.
• Check out this link for safety tips for pets during the holidays:  ASPCA: Thanksgiving News Alert
• Don't dump all the turkey dinner grease down the drain. It causes havoc in the city treatment plants. Instead pour the grease in a container, let it cool and then bring the grease recycling center or a sewage treatment center that accepts grease in your city. You can also give the container to your waste management as long as the container is labeled and separated from the rest of the trash.  

• If you have a minute...enjoy the classic "Father Knows Best"  Thanksgiving video at this VideoSurf Video link

Happy People Watch Less TV

A recent study by the University of Maryland compares the activities of happy and unhappy people. No real surprises here. Happy people are more social, go to church more often, and read more newspapers. Happy people also watch TV, but they watch less than unhappy people.

The question still remains whether or not unhappy people tend to watch more TV or whether watching more TV is what makes you unhappy. Also, because unemployed people watch more TV, it's possible that unemployment contributes to the unhappiness.

According to a NYTimes.com article featuring the study's author John Robinson, "We looked at 8 to 10 activities that happy people engage in, and for each one, the people who did the activities more--visitng others, going to church, all those things--were more happy. TV was the one activity that showed a negative relationship. Unhappy people did it more, and happy people did it less."

Improving Kitchen Karma at Thanksgiving

Holidays are fun gatherings for family and friends, but they also can be stressful. For starters, no one really ever will know how many hours it takes to defrost a 12 or a 20 pound turkey in my fridge. Let's just say my fridge has an attitude. If I can do anything to make Thanksgiving simpler, sign me up.

Kitchen chaos is one Thanksgiving tradition to let go of. That’s why I love The Less-Stress, Less-Mess Thanksgiving Menu  including a Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet at RealSimple.com. The Thanksgiving Survival Guide with quick fixes for common challenges is also a great resource at RealSimple.com.

RealSimple.com Thanksgiving Links

• How to Fix 10 Common Thanksgiving Problems
  
• Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet at RealSimple.com
  
• Choose the Right Thanksgiving Turkey
  
• Troubleshooting 10 Common Thanksgiving Problems
  
• 40 Ways to Simplify Thanksgiving
  
• 7 Tools You Need for Cooking a Turkey
  
• How to Carve a Chicken or Turkey   
• The Right Way to Store Leftovers

  
And remember my home-economist mom's turkey dinner rule...

The Two-Hour Rule:

After you take the turkey out of the oven you have two hours before all leftovers must be refrigerated for safe food prep. Make sure you cut up the leftover meat into smaller chunks before you refrigerate it. 

  

Counting Thanksgiving Calories

I saw the segment on Thanksgiving calories on the TODAY Show. At first I covered my ears. Calories schmalories. I love Thanksgiving dinner. Who really wants to know how many calories are consumed? It's a Thanksgiving FEAST.

It's no secret we pack on the pounds over the holidays. Americans tend to eat an extra 619 calories per day between Thanksgiving and New Year's according to a study by Texas A&M International University. According to nutritionist Joy Bauer on the TODAY Show, a cup of homemade turkey stuffing is approximately 450 calories which would take at least 90 minutes of walking at an average pace to burn off. (That equates to walking the lengths of 84 football fields.)

The average Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixings has a grand total of 4000 calories. Yikes! That's double the amount of calories that you need in an entire day!

Turns out the dietician Joy Bauer knows more about the "hidden" calories in our annual feast than most of us. Maybe her advice is worth considering. She isn't telling us not to enjoy the big meal, but she has some great tips on how to keep the calories under control and be strategic with splurges.

Tips on keeping the LBs at bay according to Bauer:

Get up in the morning and take a brisk walk to burn up some calories before you start the dinner prep.

Select the lower calorie slice of meat if possible. A 6 oz. piece of thigh meat only has 340 calories. To prevent those pounds from packing on, avoid the higher calorie wings because they have high meat to skin ratio that bumps up the calories.

A big splurge is eating a slice (or two) of pie. Apple, pumpkin and pecan are favorite pies this time of year. Pumpkin pie has the fewest calories at 320 calories a slice. Want to cut even more calories, slice off the outer crust and you'll save yourself 100 calories. By the way, the average slice of apple or pecan pie has an extra 100 calories compared to pumpkin pie.

For more information watch the TODAY Show clip below.

Who Is the Most Inspirational Teacher in Movies?

Hopefully we've all had some wonderful teachers who inspired us. And we probably have even been inspired by teachers in movies.

Who is the most inspirational teacher you've seen on the big screen? According to the British  Times Online, 

1. Charles (Mr Chips) Chipping in Goodbye Mr Chips 
2. Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) in Mr Holland’s Opus. (video clip)
3. Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) in To Sir with Love. (video clip)
4. Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) in Harry Potter. (video  clip).
5. Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) in The Miracle Worker. (video clip)
6. Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Dangerous Minds. (video clip)
7. Dewey Finn (Jack Black) in School of Rock. (video clip)
8. John Keating (Robin Williams) in Dead Poet’s Society. (video clip)
   
9. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) in Stand and Deliver. (video clip)
10. Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) in the Blackboard Jungle. (video clip) 
11. Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams) in Rushmore . (video clip)
12. Yoda (Frank Oz) in the Star Wars films. (video clip)
13. John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenneger) in Kindergarten Kop. (video clip)
14. Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) in Good Will Hunting. (video clip)
    
15. Paul Verrall (William Holden) in Born Yesterday. (video clip)
    

I'll add two more to the list. 

• Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) in Freedom Writers. (video clip)
• Miyagi (Pat Morita)  in Karate Kid

Geeky Mom: Web Video Searches Made Easier with VideoSurf

You might have noticed that I love video clips. Of course YouTube is always an easy fix for my web video addiction, but what if your video search doesn't result in anything? VideoSurf Video Search Engine comes to the rescue. Finding the exact clip just got easier. Thanks to the tip from Katherine Boehret, personal tech columnist at the WSJ, I tried out the new video search engine.

The Video Surf site analyzes a clip's visual technology as well as metadata. If you are a YouTube fan then you know that this site conducts their hunts by looking tags, video titles, and description---the contextual metadata. VideoSurf takes the search one (or more) steps further. With a filmstrip-type format, VideoSurf can distinguish scenes. You can even ask the search engine to show only faces to help you make the search even more specific.

Putting VideoSurf to the test

A few days ago Snoop Dogg was on the Martha Stewart show. I had to leave the house before the segment finished so I decided to search for it on VideoSurf. Just by typing in "Martha Stewart Snoop" I found the clip in seconds. Here is what shows up in my search.

According to Boehret, "The site aggegrates content from about 60 sources, including YouTube, CNN Video, Hulu, ESPN, and Comedy Central, and a sorting tool weeds out unwanted results like the irksome slideshows that are labeled as videos."

 

Video Surf is still in the beta stage. Some quirks of the system need to be worked out. But overall I say it is a success. If you are a visual learner like me, then this format is great. The best part is what I call the WYSIWG search feature. "What You See Is What You Get" makes it easier and more fun to search for a specific video clip. 

Try it out. I've bookmarked VideoSurf cause it's definitely a Momathon Fave.

Here is the Martha Stewart with Snoop Dogg video clip I was looking for.

The Zen of Soccer Moms and Juice Boxes in VW Ads

Never underestimate the power of a soccer mom--or any mom on a mission. Meet the passionate self-proclaimed "#1 soccer mom" Deb (played by Mo Collins of MadTV) on her mission to deliver the MLS Cup to L.A. in her brand new VW Routon. The new ad campaign "VW Road to MLS Cup" features webisodes that follow the eight-day cross-country trip. Never fear. Deb remains in charge even when the MLS cup's offical handler is a bit grumpy and the MLS players that tag along drink a few too many juice boxes. 

MLS player: "Are we there yet? ... We need to go to the bathroom."

Deb: "Sorry Sweetpea, but if I pulled over every time someone had to use the biffy, we'd never make it to L.A."

Sound familiar?

Finally VW got it right. This new soccer mom campaign is hilarious and a big improvement over the funny but also kinda creepy VW ads featuring Brooke Shields that urge women to "have a baby for love, not for German engineering."

You can watch the webisodes in the YouTube clips below.  

"It Begins," Episode 1

"Juice Boxes," Episode 2

"People's Pickup," Episode 3

"Lost," Episode 4

More webisodes coming up. Episode 5, "L.A. Sleepover" is avaliable tomorrow (11/21) and episode 6, "Game Tape" on  11/21. You can find these episodes on Major League Soccer: VW: VW Road to MLS Cup.

Is Your Decaf Really Decaf?

If you are pregnant or have other health concerns involving caffeine such as high blood pressure, you might want to know if your next cuppa Joe is really decaf.

Just because the label says decaf, it still could contain caffeine. The FDA does not regulate caffeine levels. D + CAF test strips in a handy purse-sized container let you test your coffee in seconds. If your cup contains under 20 mg caffeine it is considered decaf.

Although we think of caffeine in coffee and tea, it is also found in chocolate, sodas, and even in certain over-the-counter meds such as pain relievers, cold medications, and diet pills.

(D + CAF, $9.95 each, 20 strips per package)

Healthy Diet on a Dime

Can you eat healthy and still stay on a budget? According to The Early Show on CBS nutrition contributor Keri Glassman you can up the nutrition factor and still stay in budget.

Here are five ingredients Glassman suggest you try in your next meal for maximum nutrition for minimum cost.

Brown Rice

Benefits: whole grain, high in manganese and selenium, antioxidant, B vitamins.

Serving Cost: 1/4 cup uncooked brown rice is 10 cents.

Frozen Veggies and Fruit

Benefits: picked at peak ripeness and nutritive value, flash frozen, retains all the nutrients.

Serving Cost: 1 cup frozen produce is 33 cents for broccoli and 90 cents strawberries.

Canned Fish (tuna, salmon, sardines)

Benefits: source of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce rish of heart disease, blood clots, arthritis and more.

Serving Cost: 3 oz. is approximately 62 cents.

Eggs

Benefits: high in protein, low in carbohydrates, source of choline for healthier brain function.

Serving Cost: 1 large egg is 19 cents.

Dry Beans

Benefits: good for your heart, low in calories, high in fiber (to help lower cholesterol), high in protein and iron.

Serving Cost: 1/4 cup dry beans is on average 14 cents.

You can get the full story from Glassman  in The Early Show video clip below.

Kid Tech Charity: Give 1, Get 1

Give a laptop.

Get a laptop.

Change the world.

Imagine a real world laptop--durable enough to function even the toughest conditions--that's brilliantly functional, energy efficient, low cost, and fun. Sound incredible? Now imagine a nonprofit program that wants to place perhaps the greenest laptop ever in the hands of children in the developing world. The XO laptop has the perfect features and software to get kids excited about learning no matter where they live.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit, sells the sturdy kid-friendly XO machines at a super low cost to governments in developing countries so they can give the computers to schoolchildren. These low-cost green machines use less power that regular PCs and are designed to work in demanding, rural conditions.

Want to help more needy kids get a laptop?

To foster learning in developing countries, The One Laptop per Child project has restarted its "Give One, Get One" program with a new retail partner, Amazon. 

You can buy one open-source, Linux-based XO laptop for your family for $399 at Amazon.com and the OLPC program will donate another one to a needy child in a developing country. If you don't want a laptop for yourself, you can still donate one of the devices to OLPC for $199 per machine.

"The phenomenal success of last year's Give 1, Get 1 program created tremendous demand from both the public, who wanted to give more, and from countries that saw an opportunity to attack poverty through education," said Nicholoas Negroponte, founder and chairman of OLPC, in a statement. Mr. Negroponte is also the founding director of M.I.T. Media Laboratory.

Watch Zimi's story below in the YouTube clip.

Also you can watch David Pogue at the NYT in the video clip below from last year (Oct. 4, 2007) 

Please note that the dates of the Give 1, Get 1 program have been updated since Pogue made this video. See the link at One Laptop per Child (OLPC) for all the current dates and prices.

Baby-Wearing Moms Don't Need Motrin

Motrin's "Wearing Your Baby" campaign didn't last long.

The marketing folks at Motrin--let me rephrase that. The MALE marketing folks at Motrin created an ad that targets the Moms who "wear their babies." In the ad they tell us "wearing your baby seems to be in fashion." Obviously the guys at Motrin had a difficult time figuring out just why Moms wear a baby sling. And the two reasons they came up with are: it's a fashion statement and a status thing.

Hmmm. I don't get it. Oh, that's right. I'm just a Mom.

Motrin ad: "Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those who don't?"

Motrin ad: "Supposedly it's [wearing a baby sling] a real bonding experience."

Motrin ad: "It totally makes me look like an official mom."

Evidently these clever guys determined that wearing a baby sling is a hip mommy fashion statement (don't get me started on that one) and it also creates back pain.

Off the top of my head I can easily list a hundred mundane things that are more of a pain in the life of any Mom than wearing a baby sling. In fact, a baby carrier always seemed to help me, not hurt me. Oh well, as I said before the GUYS at Motrin definitely did not talk to the MOMS first. If they did, they would have avoided this marketing debacle. Cause the Moms are pissed off at this campaign. 

Never underestimate the power of a Mommy with a baby sling. The ad has been removed from the Motrin campaign.  

You can watch a YouTube bootleg copy of the ad below.

My Inner Cranky Cook Considers a Pre-made Thanksgiving Feast

Let's just say I have been kinda busy the past few days, weeks, months--you get the picture. And aren't we all feeling a bit overwhelmed as the holidays approach? 

Saw the enticing Thanksgiving dinner ad in my weekend Target Grocery promo: "A complete Thanksgiving dinner, prepared just for you!" Sounds tempting. Ordering a complete Thanksgiving dinner makes it practically a hassle-free day, but I can't help wondering if it takes away some of the fun too. Will I miss the game of guessing if my frozen turkey will actually be thawed by the scheduled 2 p.m. oven appointment on November 27? 

Sure I don't have to bake anything, but can I give up the need to be in control and surrender to the Target meal planners? This meal is a big deal. Perhaps the biggest one of the year. Oh, I'm already feeling the pressure. Will the mashed potatoes with gravy Target provides really be creamy? Will there be enough turkey for leftovers? What exactly do ciabatta rolls taste like? Will one pie be enough for my crew?

Okay. It's obvious I haven't made up my mind. Check in later for an update. 

Puppy Madness

Oh yeah, the Shiba Inu webcam pups are getting cuter by the day. Don't ask how much time I've "wasted" watching this webcam. Just one more reason I better buy the pre-made dinner.

Webcam Captures the Cutest Shiba Inu Pups...Ever!

Watching this webcam has to be the best way to spend your time on a Saturday...or any day. If the pups are sleeping, turn the sound up on your monitor and you will be alerted to when they awake by their adorable puppy squeaks.

Online video chat by Ustream
Of course, just watching these adorable pups makes you want to take one home to cuddle. The six pups already have been adopted. Remember, all puppies/dogs require lots of love and adopting a dog is a lifetime commitment. Every breed is unique. Before you adopt a dog, be sure to check out the personality of the breed. And please don't buy a puppy from a puppy mill. 
Here is the scoop on the six Shiba Inu pups (3 boys and 3 girls) turned 5 weeks old on November 11th. This is the first litter from their mom, Kika.

Girls:
- Autumn (Purple collar) - 3 lbs 5.8 oz (as of Nov 11th)
- Ayumi (Yellow collar) - 3 lbs 3.4 oz (as of Nov 11th)
- Amaya (Red collar) - 3 lbs 6.6 oz (as of Nov 11th)

Boys:
- Aki (Green collar) - 4 lbs 0.4 oz (as of Nov 11th)
- Akoni (Black collar) - 3 lbs 12.6 oz (as of Nov 11th)
- Ando (Blue collar) - 4 lbs 1.2 oz (as of Nov 11th)

If you would like to view the pups in a larger window, go here: http://www.ustream.tv/videoplayerpopup/channel/317016

For more information on the Shiba Inu go here - http://www.shibas.org/docs/Shiba_Brochure_color2.pdf

Seriously?! I got in Alltop?

 
Yep. It's true. Momathon Blog somehow got picked for placement in Alltop.com--a cool website that features all of the top stories, websites and blogs. It's kind of an "online magazine rack" of popular topics updated each hour. If you visit the site, be prepared to stay a while. There is plenty of interesting reads for almost everyone.

This is great news. I've been a fan of Alltop and Guy Kawasaki, the co-founder of Alltop, for some time. He is one of the clever folks behind another one of my favorite websites Truemors.

So go check out Alltop.com. Momathon Blog is listed under the category: Moms. Have fun. 

Economic Woes Mean Big Discounts For Holiday Shoppers

We've all heard about the drop in consumer spending. The current economic meltdown pushed financial markets in the tank. Retailers reported the biggest decline in sales in October prompting some retailers to resort to steeper discounts.

Grab your reusable shopping bag, it's time for bargain hunting. Discount retailers have been snapping up everything from apparel, to electronics, to home decorating, to shoes, to holiday decor. Steep discounts on designer brands like Prada, True Religion Jeans, and  Jimmy Choo are just some of the bargains.  (Photo: T.J. Maxx holiday decor)

Where to find the great deals for holiday shopping:

• Discount stores: T.J. Maxx, Stein Mart, Marshalls, DSW stores (shoes), and many others
• Online discount retailers:   Overstock.com, TigerDirect.com, Dyscern.com, and many more
• Outlet stores: Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth, Nike Outlet, Calvin Klein Outlet, and many more 

Here are a few of the deals noted in WSJ.com,

• 7 for All Mankind jeans at a Marshalls store in Manhattan for $80 (selling for more than $200 at nearby Bloomies)
• A gray crocodile-embossed tote from Yves St. Laurent for $1200 at Overstock.com (a 31% discount)
• Treo smart phone for $189 at Dyscern LLC (normally sells for $579)

Three-Ingredient Soups

Looking for a quick and hearty dinner recipe? Now imagine that you only need three ingredients. Sound impossible? Soup to the rescue.

Soups can be the most flexible and most forgiving meal to prepare. Less can be more. Just start out with a quart of stock for four people and add two more ingredients. You can also add more ingredients you have on hand to jazz it up a bit.

Food writer and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman and the helpful folks at the TODAY Show team up to share easy 3-ingredient soups: wonton, shrimp and tomato, and beef and barley soups.

Bittman, author of "How to Cook Everything," with TODAY's Meredith Vieira show you how to make three nutritious suops in the video clip below. At the end of this post you can check out the ingredient list for each soup.

3-ingredient soups by chef Mark Bittman

Wonton soup

recipe by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 4 cups any stock (vegetable, chicken, beef)
• 12 to 24 wontons or gyoza
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or scallion

For complete instructions by Bittman and optional soup add-ins like 1 cup sliced carrot, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and more options, go to 3-Ingredient Soups on the Today Show)

Shrimp and tomato soup

recipe by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 4 cups any stock
• 1/2 lb of large (21-30) shrimp, peeled
• 2 cups chopped tomato (canned or fresh)

For complete instructions by Bittman and optional soup add-ins like fish sauce, lime juice, 1 Tbsp. soy, and more options, go to 3-Ingredient Soups on the Today Show)

Beef and barley soup

recipe Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 4 cups beef or veal stock
• 2 cups or more cooked barley
• 2 cups or more shreddedor diced cooked beef.

For complete instructions by Bittman and optional soup add-ins like 1 cup chopped tomato, 1 cup diced potato, and more options, go to 3-Ingredient Soups on the Today Show)

Enjoy!

BYOB Potluck Christmas

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of celebration, but the economic crisis is changing the mood of Christmas shoppers.  According to NBC Nightly News more than 40% of shoppers in one survey said they are cutting back on holiday shopping this year. That's the largest number since since 1995. Financial experts are predicting the first real decline in holiday sales in over 20 years.

Even before the holidays retailers are feeling the crunch. Last quarter Starbucks posted an 8% drop as coffee lovers switch to the cheaper cup of java at McDonalds. Booksellers are usuallly relatively immune from recession, but even B&N is feeling the economic woes as Secret Santas across the U.S. cut back on spending.

Consumers are bracing themselves. Smart spending is a topic of discussion around dinner tables. More families are trying to balance the demand for what they want versus what they need.

Holiday Crafts: Handcrafted Soaps

My kids have a week off from school over Thanksgiving break so I am thinking of fun and relatively easy crafts we can make together for holiday gifts.

(Photo: Cool Soap Stuff craft kit)

Time to flex those creative muscles with a soap making project. First I must admit I have never made soap before, so finding an easy method is essential. The most basic type of soap making is known as melt and pour method. Because soap making involves melting ingredients in the microwave, this craft activity is for older kids/teens and should be supervised by an adult.

Handcrafted Soaps 101

Online Resources:

• Soap Making Forum
• Hobby and craft--Making Homemade Soap Is Easy!
• Soap Making Material - LoveToKnow Crafts

Soap Making Kits

I love a good craft kit for my first attempt at a new craft. A basic kit will include meltable soap base cubes, one or two colors, one or two scents, and a couple of molds. You can provide the optional add-ins from your pantry or garden. One example of a craft kit is the Cool Soap Stuff Kit available at Michaels craft store (see photo above).

Cost

Basic ingredients and supplies for 8 bars of soap cost about $20 to $25 at a craft store. Some of the supplies include long-lasting or reusable items.

Wrap It Up

If you are giving the soap as a gift, your soap can be wrapped in a new wash cloth and tied with yarn, ribbon, or rafia ribbon according to writer Kim Ode at StarTribune.com.

Are You Getting Enough MUFAs in Your Diet?

Diet. Just one more four letter word I'd rather not hear around my house. But when I heard about the flat belly diet on the Gayle King show on XM, I knew I needed to check this one out. 

On Monday, Gayle interview Liz Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of Prevention magazine about her new book Flat Belly Diet! That's when I first realized my belly problem: not enough MUFAs. 

MUFAs? Yep. Sounds strange to me, but the idea of achieving a flat belly idea keeps me interested. 

According to Vaccariello's diet, I'm not eating enough MUFAs. (And I'm guessing I'm also getting way too many carbs too, but that is another story.)

Vaccariello says on Gayle's show, "Studies found that eating monounsaturated fatty acids, these MUFAs, targets belly ft specifically."

I haven't checked out Viccariello's new book yet, but I have a grasp of the fundamentals that will tide me over until I get a copy this week.

Before you start the flat belly diet you need to go on a 4-day anti-bloat "jump start." While on the 4-day jump start, you have to avoid the following foods:

• excess simple carbohydrates
• carbonated beverages
• spicy foods
• fried foods
• gassy foods
• chewing gum

Okay. Sounds doable except for the avoiding gum part. I love my Trident sugarless gum. Evidently chewing gum creates excess gas which creates bloating. 

Interested? Check out the Flat Belly Diet link on Prevention magazine

to get the scoop according to the diet author Liz Vaccariello. She'll explain the foods you should eat--and avoid--to lose the stubborn belly fat. Plus she promises to share her five easy secrets to a flat, sexy belly.

Sign me up!

Veteran's Day: Looking Forward with Hope

I'm not sure my kids will ever really understand the sacrifices veterans have made serving our country over the years. Can they even imagine what our world might be like if not for veterans? 

When my kids sat by the pool at the World War II Memorial, we talked about the fact this memorial honors 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and many more who supported the war effort from home. 

Today, Veteran's Day, is set aside as a day to honor their sacrifices to country. At dinner tonight as a family we will remember to thank a veteran in our table prayers. 

In my heart, as a mom I hope this day also marks our dream as a country to build a brighter future. We just voted to elect a new president. I join Madeleine Albright  and hope that we can build a future of "greater justice, broader prosperity, and larger freedom, with the United States once again serving as a cornerstone."

What's In Your Lip Balm?

Are you addicted to your lip balm? Sometimes I feel that way. Is this bad thing? Lip balm is supposed to be good for you, right?

If you feel the urge to reapply balm constantly, then you might want to change balms. Not all lip balms offer the same healing properties. Check the ingredient list for the ingredient phenol before you buy your next fix. Dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD, reports in O, The Oprah Magazine, "Lip balms that contain phenol, an antibacterial agent, strip the top layer of skin off your lips."

Evidently the ingredient phenol is one reason that you can become addicted to a lip balm. The phenol removes the natural protection on your lips and forces you to apply even more lip balm.

You can break the cycle by buying phenol-free lip balm with natural moisturizers such as beeswax, shea, butter, or jojoba oil. Here are a few options you might want to try:

Beeswax Lip Balm - Burt's Bees

C Me Smile Lip Butters -- Say Yes to Carrots

It's So Etsy: Handmade "Pam Bag"

The bright reversible bag available at MichelleSaintOnge store at Etsy.com features the distinct contemporary silkscreen artwork by Ms. SaintOnges. Who can resist the charming blue dog in this hand illustrated artwork and silkscreened artwork? 

Reversible bag features these 100% cotton fabrics: Bad Dog Illustration/White Polka dot. Reinforced bottom, grommets, secret interior pocket, purse feet. Dimensions of the bag: 15" (height), 6" (depth), 12" (handle drop). Purse is signed and numbered: 200. Bag available for $125.

Etsy.com is a great online destination to buy and sell all things handmade.

Are Growth Hormones Safe for Kids?

My daughter has always been one of the smallest children in her class, but I never thought of her height as a problem. Maybe this is because she has a good attitude about her petite stature. Plus, I keep thinking she will catch up with her peers.

If your child was exceptionally short for her age, would you consider growth hormones if your child was otherwise healthy?

Growth hormone therapy (GH) has been used to treat children with growth hormone deficiencies and certain geneitic disorders for years. Now parents can choose to take what many consider a drastic step and use GH to treat children who just happen to be short and are otherwise healthy. The U.S. is the only country that allows GH to be used for idiopathic short stature (ISS) and treat a child is short but does not have an underlying diagnosis that would cause the shortness.

Does being unusually short for your age cause challenges the necessitate trying growth hormones?  Researchers disagree on this point. Some researchers believe very short children are shunned by peers. Others say our belief that taller is always better may not be true. According to an article in Salon Dr. Linda D. Voss, one of the authors of the Wessex Growth Study, says she saw no evidence of "maladaptation or psychological dysfunction, before, during or after puberty in these youngsters who were, by current standards, very short indeed." 

How safe is GH? Endocrinologists say it is a remarkably safe treatment, but since it has only been used for 20 years they don't know all the potential risks and side effects. The treatment isn't cheap, costing from from $10,000 to $50,000 according to Msnbc.com

The therapy consists of injections of GH, three times a week, for up to four years. The results? According to a 2004 study noted in Salon, a child can gain 1.5 inches in height. A new Swedish study says GH can help children gain up to 8 inches. The MSNBC video below offers more insights on the topic.

Where My Dog Takes Me

A hopeful, cold autumn day.

Will Foot Massages Help Students?

Here is a story from what could appear to be the "weird news" file: foot massages at schools. However, despite all its weirdness, the idea of foot massages to help calm disruptive students makes sense to me.

In Lambeth council in south London, foot massages using reflexology therapy has been given to disruptive students under the age of 13 to help them calm down, improve listening skills, improve concentration, and relieve anxiety according to a story in the Guardian.co.uk.

The therapy costing £90,000 next year will be offered by therapists from Bud-Umbrella, a London based charity that specializes in complementary therapies to adults and children. 

This controversial therapy makes sense to me because as a substitute teacher I know how difficult it can be to deal with "disruptive behavior." If a complementary therapy can help children manage emotional and behavioral issues at school, why not try it out as long as the parents agree to the program.

Not everyone agrees with the new therapy program. Are the results worth the cost of the therapy?

According to the Guardian.co.uk, a spokesman for the Lambeth council says, "There has been a 50% increas in attendance and 60% decrease in exclusions among young people involved in the programme."

We'll have to wait and see how the program works over time. The reflexology won't replace traditional methods to deal with behavior issues. 

As a parent and as a substitute teacher I can imagine that the new therapy program would benefit all students. Hope another school district will try this out too.

Time to Prepare A Winter Car Emergency Kit

My family makes frequent winter trips to the mountains into areas without cell phone reception. Seems strange to worry about losing cell coverage until disaster happens. A few years back while on an pre-dawn drive to a ski resort our van had engine trouble. Not a disaster, except for the fact the temp was only hovering around zero and we were miles from "civilization." Fortunately two skiers traveling the same county highway stopped to  help us out--gave my kids their handwarmers and granola bars, drove my hubby to a town with cell coverage so he could call a repair truck, and then drove him back to our van. 

Thank goodness for kind souls like the skiers who helped us!

Just in case you end up in a similar situation stranded in a car on a frigid winter day or night, pack a winter car emergency kit in your car. Here are a few items recommended by AAA with some items I added to the list:

• ice scraper and snow brush
• extra jug of wiper fluid 
• several thermal blankets and warm clothing 
• portable hand warmers and toe warmers  
• small shovel 
• bag of sand or cat litter for traction 
• flashlight with extra batteries 
• cell phone 
• jumper cables 
• several water bottles and a few items of nonperishable food such as granola, energy or candy bars 
• rags or paper towels 
• roadside flares
• first aid kit 
• tire inflator (ie., Fix-A-Flat)
• quart of oil 
• Leatherman Tool (or similar multipurpose tool containing pliers, wire cutters, knife, saw, bottle opener, screwdrivers, files, awl)
• help sign  

Are Women's Hands Germier Than Men's?

Before I read the new study, I knew the answer. Women's hands are definitely germier. Despite my frequent washings--before meals, before preparing food, after using the bathroom, plus after cleaning up the mess in my house--I know that as a mom I am the one responsible for handling all the germy stuff around my house. 

The bad news, both genders have more bacteria on their palms than researchers predicted according to the new study from the University of Colorado published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study found that palms have 100 times the bacteria they previously assumed.

The good news: most of the bacteria we have on our body are either harmless or beneficial.

Bacteria comes in many forms--about 332,000 gene sequences according to the study. The average hand in the study had about 150 species of bacteria. The left and right hands had different types and amounts of bacteria. The study found more than 4,700 bacterial species on all hands. Only five were common among all volunteers!

Hand washing is a good practice and it will reduce bacteria, but according to the study it doesn't seem to affect the diversity of bacteria on hands. Why does this happen? The volunteers in the study may not have washed adequately or the bacteria came back quickly after handwashing. 

Why are women's hands germier? No one knows exactly why, but here are a few things to consider: mens hands are more acidic, women and men have different sweat and oil gland production, women use more moisturizers and cosmetics, women and men have different skin thickness, and differences in hormones.

Could Autism Be Linked to Rainfall?

A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests autism could be linked to rainfall. According to the study, children living in rainy regions in California, Oregon, and Washington were more likely to develop autism. 

Before parents put for sale signs up if they live in rainy areas, the researchers at Cornell University warn that the study only suggests a link. The link between autism and rain has not been clinically proved. More research is needed.

Michael Waldman of Cornell University and colleagues searched for a possible environmental link with autism. Researchers are not sure if the rainfall link means the children are getting less of something healthy from the outdoor environment or if the rain means the children are getting too much of something in the indoor environment that is harmful.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, "Bad weather could lead to more television and video viewing, which in very young children has been linked to language development problems...Or staying indoors could cause a deficit in vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin."

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer the study found that "school-age autism prevalence rates are positively associated with a county's average annual precipitation. The analysis also showed that within a county, autism prevalence was higher for age groups that were exposed to more precipitation prior to the age of 3."

Let's hope that with each new study on autism we are closer to a cure. Autism has risen dramatically in the past three decades from affecting 1 in 2,500 to now affecting 1 in 150 children in the U.S.

Go Vote: It's Good For You

This Tuesday, November 4th, is election day. If you haven't already voted, I urge you to read up on the candidates and ballot issues in your area. If you can, use a voter's information guide for your area to fill out a sample ballot. Bring this sample ballot with you when you vote to simplify the process.

In one of my posts a few weeks ago I mentioned the most memorable moment in my opinion from the third and last presidential debate of 2008 with Senators Barack Obama and John McCain might have come from moderator Bob Schieffer: 

 

Like Bob's Mom said, "Go vote now. It will make you feel big and strong."