Drink this for a Smaller Waist...

This was the subject of an email I received from RealAge.com today. I have been eating way too many Starbust jelly beans lately so I found this topic very intriguing.

I won't leave you in suspense. If you want to shrink your waist, drink green tea. According to RealAge.com, "research shows that the wonder duo of green tea and exercise may target belly fat better, so it shrinks more easily than with exercise alone. "

Wonder how much green tea you need to drink to see these magical results? About 7 cups a day. And don't forget, drinking the green tea needs to be combined with exercise to see the results you want.

Click here for more details.

Toothbrushing with Tunes

Tooth brushing isn't a bad thing in our house, but it isn't necessarily a good thing either.

My almost four year old has about 8 toothbrushes (of course one is a ToothTunes Indiana Jones' theme song brush) and has become pretty good at tooth brushing. But my husband and I do like to do a little brushing of our own to make sure we "get rid of the cavity creeps." And he doesn't always like relinquishing the control of the toothbrush.

However, we have deployed a silly and effective way around this. We sing a tune while brushing his teeth. Sometimes it is as easy as singing the ABC's a few times to get his teeth sufficiently cleaned. Other times we sing more complex tunes like the Go Diego Go theme song. By singing one of his favorite songs, he suddenly forgets that he is giving up control and just has fun brushing his teeth.

This technique has even started working on my 16 month old. She is as feisty as they come, and she even thinks a song while brushing her teeth is fun. More importantly, she cooperates and lets us brush her teeth.

If you are having trouble getting your kids to brush their teeth, try singing a song. If nothing else, it makes this pre-bedtime ritual a little more fun!

Image courtesy of eHow.com

Check Me Out in the NY Times

I like attention. So here is my attempt to get a little.

Awhile back, I wrote about RealAge.com. Just last week, I was contacted by a NY Times writer who saw my post. She asked to interview me about RealAge.com and I willingly agreed.

Click here to check out the story.

My quote is at the end of the article. I will admit I do not remember saying this quote - especially the "clueless" part. And after reading it, I began having great empathy for those that are interviewed on a regular basis (ie. celebrities, athletes, politicians). No wonder they all have publicists!

Oh yeah, this story appeared on page A1 in today's New York edition.

Smooth Away...Don't Even Bother!

I love some of the silly products advertised on TV. So much so that I recently bought the Smooth Away. Let's face it, as a mom of two, it is hard to shave my legs when my son is watching a movie in my bedroom and my daughter is in the Johnny Jump Up. So I thought the Smooth Away would be a perfect solution to the predicament. And I was so hopeful about this product and so wanted it to work.

But it really doesn't.

I attempted to smooth my legs with this product for over an hour and it seemed to buff some hair off, but it seemed to just buff the skin. I tried the product in the evening while watching TV, and by morning, you couldn't see any difference.

Now let me remind you...I soooo wanted the Smooth Away to work well for me. But unfortunately, it didn't, so I don't want you to waste your time and money on it. Sorry!

6 Rules of Cleavage - Now if I Could Just Get Mine Back!

When I was in high school and college, I will admit that I was quite proud of my cleavage and, at times, was very pleased to accentuate it.

Fast forward to being married and having two kids I can easily admit my chest looks more like that of a teenage boy than a teenage girl.

I will always be so thankful that I was able to breastfeed both of my kids past their first birthdays, but I wish that the prize for such an accomplishment might be a nice and full bosom rather than a chest that is flat as a pancake. Oh well, enough of my pity party.

If you are lucky enough to have cleavage, here are some rules LifeScript encourages us all to live by:

• Sometimes less is more (oh, thank goodness!). Don’t reveal more than an inch of cleavage at work, company party, or when meeting your boyfriend's parents for the first time.
• Be age appropriate
• Always flatter your rack - big or small.

Click here for more specific details and the full article.

Toy Story's Midway Mania - My First Retraction!

Last year I commented on Disney's California Adventure's newest ride, Toy Story's Midway Mania. (When it first opened, they only referred to it as Toy Story Mania, but now they call it Midway Mania...not sure why.) I wasn't very impressed with the ride because it broke down a few times while we waited in line, and after passing by 7 line attendants who said nothing, it wasn't until we got on the ride that I was told my daughter (only 6 months at the time) could not sit on my lap, but had to sit next to me and hold herself up...yeah, like that's going to happen. So needless to say, my experience wasn't great.

But, I have been on Midway Mania several times since then and do have to retract my initial dissatisfaction in the ride. First of all, they seemed to have worked out the kinks so the line isn't as slow moving. Secondly, it is now okay for a baby to sit on your lap, which makes it much easier for a mom to enjoy the ride. (The whole worrying about my 6-month-old's head snapping back and forth on the hard seat back wasn't fun for me at all.) And lastly, for a competitive person, it is really exciting to try to rack up as many points as possible.

So, to Disney, I am sorry for my harsh initial reaction of Toy Story Midway Mania. If you are going to visit California Adventure, you should try this ride...if you can survive the wait!

Image courtesy Disneyland.com

30% Discount at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy

These three fabulous companies are offering a friends and family discount, and I want to pass it on to you. From March 12 through 15, you can save 30% off your entire purchase at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy.

Click here to get the bar code that you will simply print out and bring in-store.

Oh, and 5% of what you spend will be donated to Feeding America. Saving money and someone else donating on your behalf...what could be better?

Happy Shopping!

Melissa from the Bachelor Now on Dancing with the Stars

As you may have heard last week, Jewel and Nancy O'Dell had to drop out of the Dancing with the Stars competition due to injury. The question then remained, who would ABC get to replace them, if anyone at all?

Melissa Rycroft from the Bachelor has been named one of the replacements. I am not sure if she will dance tonight considering she had less than a week to prepare, but I think she has a good shot. Remember she was a Dallas Cowboys' cheerleader. (She was part of the DCC, y'all!) If you have ever watched the reality show about the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders' tryout process, apparently, Melissa was on it a couple of years ago.

The other replacement dancer is Holly Madison from The Girls Next Door, who recently broke up with magician Cris Angel.

All I can say is good for both of them. Way to make lemonade from lemons!

Image courtesy of People.com

Melissa from the Bachelor Speaks Out on Ellen

Here's what Melissa (the girl Jason the Bachelor fell in love with, proposed to, and broke up with all within 12 weeks) had to say on Ellen about her experience with Jason.

The Bachelor..."What a Douche Bag!"

The title of this post is a direct quote from my husband tonight during the After the Rose show. And I will agree that even if he isn't a douche bag in real life, the producers and show sure did just make him look like one.

If you didn't watch, here is the quick recap. He chose Melissa, proposed to her and jumped into a pool with his super-cute son who was dressed in a tux. Then, he decided after dating Melissa after the show that she wasn't right for him, gave her the boot on the After the Rose show, and then asked his runner-up Molly if he could have a second chance with her.

I mean, come on...how wishy-washy can you be! Molly better watch out! (And on a mean side note, how thrilled must his ex-wife be to say to everyone, "See, I told you so!") I hope this doesn't negatively affect his son in any way...it seems funny how he didn't mention how he was considering his son in the situation at the After the Rose show like he did throughout the season!

Although, keep in mind, this isn't the first time in Bachelor history that a bachelor has dated the runner-up after breaking up with the chosen one. The Italian Prince, Lorenzo, dated Sadie, the runner-up from his season shortly after he gave the final rose to another girl.

In any case, the producers of this show should know that in the world of a show "jumping the shark" when it has seen its last hurrah, this is the case of a show jumping a thousand sharks in the most dramatic Bachelor season ever! Boooo!