Designer Duds for the Babes

Is this not the cutest bikini for your little girl? (Sure maybe, you don't want your little girl in a bikini, but if you are cool with it, this has got to be the most adorable.) You can find this Small Paul bikini by Paul Frank and many other designer duds for your kids at Sandbox Couture. Whether you are looking for an adorable outfit for your child or a great gift, Sandbox Couture is sure to have something you will love. Free shipping is available on all orders of $75 or more.

(From top to bottom: Funny Baby Onesies - $21.95; Small Paul by Paul Frank Board Shorts - $36.00; Trumpette Baby Socks Mary Jane Pastels - $24.25)

Nurseries - Funky and Modern?!?

Nursery bedding and decor are two of the many exciting decisions to make when expecting a little one. With Baby #2 on the way, I was thrilled to find a hip line of nursery bedding by Glenna Jean. These are just a few of the chic and modern options you have for your baby's nursery (from top to bottom: Tickled Pink, Moda, Scribbles Blue, and Flashback).

Click here to find out where you can buy Glenna Jean bedding and accessories.

Mindless Eating

Cornell University food psychology professor, Brian Wansink, has written a fascinating book about how little we pay attention to what we eat and how much we eat called Mindless Eating.

With so many diet ideas out there, Dr. Wansink has tested a theory that is sure to help keep your weight under control...use smaller plates. On average, people eat 25 percent more food on a larger plate than a smaller plate. Dr. Wansink's simple answer for this, "We eat with our eyes, not our stomach."

Another test using 44 Wheat Thin crackers was done on students at the beginning of a class. Half the group was given all 44 crackers in one bag. The other half was given 4 smaller bags of 11 crackers each. At the end of class, each student turned in their bags for examination. Students with just 1 bag of 44 crackers were found to eat 50 percent more crackers than the students with 4 separate bags. (Moral of story: instead of eating from potato chip bag, place chips into a smaller bag.)

Dr. Wansink tried the same theory on drinking glasses. He found that professionals like bartenders pour less into tall, skinny glasses in comparison to short, wide glasses. On average bartenders poured 30 percent more liquor in the shorter, wider glasses.

(Now, I know what you are thinking, when going out for a night on the town, now you are going to be happier to get short, wide glasses because you will be getting more for your money. But now I can see how the martini glass is really an optical illusion being wide and tall.)

Take control of what you eat...let your stomach guide you, not your eyes.

Information courtesy of 20/20 via abcnews.com.

Double Stroller Decisions

With #2 on the way, I am in the dilemma of determining which stroller works best for our family. Do we go double-wide (Peg Prego Aria Twin MT Stroller shown above) or double long (Graco DuoGlider Stroller shown above)?

Of course, there are the hybrid choices like Phil and Ted's double stroller. Or should I just buy a double jogger stroller (BOB Revolution Duallie shown) and call it a day...

Help!!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thread that Needle

Threading a needle can be a tricky thing. Thanks to Real Simple magazine, it's not so tricky anymore.

Hairspray is great for holding hair in place and creating big, sexy volume. But, believe it or not, hairspray can also help you thread a needle. Simply spray the tip of the thread with a quick shot of hairspray. Once dry, the stiff end will effortlessly slide through the eye of the needle.

Happy stitching!

Bubbles that Don't Make a Mess

This Easter, my son received a bubble bucket that is absolutely amazing. I will be honest, I didn't open it for him until this weekend because I was fearful of the mess it would make (or I should say, the mess my son would make with the bubble bucket).

To my pleasant surprise, no spilled bubbles. My son has the Easter No-Spill Mini Bubble Bucket ($5.99) by Little Kids, Inc., which has 3 bubble wands so that he can share his bubble bucket with friends. Of course, he at times ran around with 2 wands in his hands, but the 3 wands allowed me to blow bubbles while he attempted to.

I was so impressed by this bucket that I went to the website and they have many other no-spill bubble toys to choose from. Some of these fun toys include the Cowboy Bubble Shooter and No-Spill Holster ($5.99)and the No-Spill On the Go Bubble Tumbler (that has a suction cup attached to the bottom so that it can stick to a stroller tray or the side of the bathtub; $5.99).

To check out No-Spill bubble toys and find out where you can buy them, visit www.littlekidsinc.com.

Random Health Fact For the Summer

What is the best way to treat a jelly fish sting?

Perhaps, you have heard of using meat tenderizer or urine to help the sting. Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends you do the following:

First wash off the sting with salt water (fresh water will make sting worse). Then apply vinegar to deactivate the toxin from the jelly fish. If you need to, you can shave or pull on the specs from the sting site. Dr. Oz says that urine can work if you don't have vinegar, but since vinegar is much more acidic, it's the best choice.

Moral of the story: If you are planning a trip to the beach this summer, pack of bottle of vinegar in your bag - just in case!

Planning a camping trip this summer? Here is the quickest and easiest way to remove a tick:

Pluck it off the skin using tweezers. (Do not twist it off because the barbs of the tick go straight into the skin). According to Dr. Oz, the key is to remove the body of the tick because the body is where saliva and blood are stored and how viruses or diseases can be regurgitated and spread by the tick. If the head of the tick gets stuck, the human body will naturally remove it and the tick head can't hurt you. (Of course, you can tweeze the head out like a splinter.)

Moral of the story: Bring tweezers with you on your next camping or hiking trip.

All facts provided by Dr. Mehmet Oz, courtesy of Oprah (show aired May 15, 2007)

Random Health Facts

Yesterday, Oprah had Dr. Mehmet Oz as her guest and he discussed several interesting pieces of health information.

Here is one piece of information I found very interesting...having 200 or more orgasms a year can lower your physiological age by 6 years, meaning, you can live longer if you and your partner spend more time in the bedroom.

Dr. Oz says that having sex frequently proves that your body is functioning well and is healthy. Dr. Oz bases this recommendation from a large study conducted at Duke University of people in their 50's.

Also, have you ever wondered why you get "brain freeze"? Or more importantly, how can you get rid of it? Brain freeze is caused by the arteries in the back of the mouth initially contracting. But then, the arteries relax or dilate which allows too much blood to flow to your brain and causes the "ice cream headache."

Dr. Oz says the best way to get rid of it is to hold your tongue to the roof of your mouth until it goes away. This heats up your mouth and doesn't allow the arteries to spasm and then dilate.

All facts provided by Dr. Mehmet Oz, courtesy of Oprah (show aired May 15, 2007)

Finish Rich...and Still Married

Smart Couples Finish Rich...so, this is a book on CD I was given at a meeting a couple of weeks ago by my boss. After I freaked out about money for the millionth time last week, I decided to give the CD a try. Since finishing the CD, I haven't been able to shut up about it to my friends and family.

I initially thought with the title that it was just about how to retire well. But the book isn't about becoming infinitely wealthy. Instead, it is about how to stay married and live the life that you and your spouse want to live...and oh yeah, how to make your money fit into that life. As the author cleverly points out, money is the #1 reason couples argue and also the #1 reason they get divorced.

The author, David Bach, gives simple exercises for you and your partner to go through so that you can understand eachother's values, create life goals and financials goals around those values, and then follow up with those goals. He also gives valuable tips for retirement and taking care of your family in case something unexpected happens.

You know, at work, all the time we create these silly goals and action plans. But this action plan is something that you can actually stay committed to...after all, it is your life!

Check out Smart Couples Finish Rich either in print or audiobook.

Sweet Display!!!

I would like to congratulate our friends, Chris and Sarah, who got married this past weekend. Thanks for a great wedding and a great blog post. Their wedding was an intimate gathering and they had a display that could make anyone's sweet tooth sweeter.


As you can see from the photos, many different types of sweets were used including, M&M's, Oreos, Red Vines, Tootsie Roll lollipops, chocolate covered pretzels, caramel corn, and candy kabobs using a variety of sour candies.
After seeing this display, I thought this would be great at many types of events. And after seeing how much of it was gone at the end of the wedding, I knew it was a big hit with other guests, too.

As with this display, you can choose to keep a color scheme or you can make it full of lively colors. The key is all the different containers at different levels and heights. The most important thing...have fun with it!

Flowers for Mother's Day

Every woman loves to receive flowers...unless she is allergic! For Mother's Day this weekend, send your mother a wonderful bouquet of flowers. MarthaStewartFlowers.com (yes, she also has flowers!) and FTD.com have great deals especially for Mother's Day.

Save 15% on Select Mother's Day Gifts at MARTHASTEWARTFLOWERS.COM

or

10% Off Mother's Day Flowers & Gifts at FTD.COM!

But hurry, the MarthaStewartFlowers.com offer ends 05/11/07 and the FTD.com offer lasts until 05/13/07.

(Top photo: Martha Stewart Flowers Mother's Day Lily Bouquet - $44.99; bottom photo: The FTD Mother's Day Bouquet - $54.99).

Martha's at Michaels!

Just when you thought you couldn't see any more of Martha Stewart, she has now popped up with her own line of exclusive crafts for Michaels.

She has developed 650 craft items that fall under 4 categories: celebrate, cherish, share and play. The items are as simple as paper and as complete as party kits.

I saw the ad in the Sunday paper and thought some of the ideas look really cute. I can't wait to go into Michaels and check it out for myself!

Great Savings at Kodak Gallery

Just in time for Mother's Day, Kodak Gallery has a couple of great savings options - just in time for Mother's Day!

For orders of $25 or more, you can save 25% using the coupon code DAISY (offer valid 6/12/07). For shipping, you can receive free shipping on orders of $25 or more by using the coupon code SHIP2MOM (offer valid until 5/13/07).

Some great gift options include photo calendars, keepsake boxes and mugs (shown above).