Empowerment Cards for Your iPhone or iPod Touch
I love my iPod Touch! I think I’ve mentioned that more times that I can count. As I was perusing the Net tonight I found an app that I think is well worth downloading. It’s an app of empowerment cards from Tavis Smiley created by Oceanhouse Media. This app looks great, perfect for that moment of stillness you need in the middle of your day, when you wake up, or when you’re about to retire for the evening.
I love the ethnic art on each card and the empowering sayings on each. You can use each card for proactive mindfulness and personal empowerment. And you can also share the cards with your friends by emailing them an empowerment card.
As the new year approaches The Tavis Smiley app is an excellent way to begin making personal goals and plans and envisioning them first so they are bound to come to fruition.
I will say, though, that the app is a little pricey at $3.99, far more expensive than other empowerment cards, like the Om Meditations also from Oceanhouse Media.
On the Net: www.oceanhousemedia.com
If the New Kristin Tote from Coach is Good Enough for Halle, It’s Good Enough for Me
Some people love everything Apple. They’re affectionately known as “Macheads”. Some people will drive their Volvos until the wheels fall off. And some women would, without batting an eye, be happily buried in their Pradas. It’s true. So, what do I love this much? Many things. But I absolutely adore Coach handbags. Love them!
Every summer from when I was 8 until I was 12 I visited my grandparents in Cleveland, OH and I used to hang out with my aunt, who was and still is one of the coolest and most stylish people on the planet! All she carried was Coach. She had Coach wallets, and Coach key chains, and, of course, Coach handbags. You name it, she had it. She is amazingly stylish to this day and I wanted to be just like her. Even though I am not nearly as stylish as she is, nor will I ever be, I followed in her footsteps and am also a lover of Coach handbags. So, naturally, it was a pleasure for me to review their new Kristin tote.
The Kristin tote is in a word, gorgeous! Sounds cliché, I know, but since I have to send it back you can take my genuine word for it! The Kristin tote is one of those handbags that women will come up to you and ask who you’re wearing. It’s one of those handbags that become an instant conversation piece. It’s very, very simple, but the details are unmistakable.
Made of soft leather the Kristin tote is easy to carry and isn’t stiff. I hate stiff leather handbags, don’t you? My favorite details are the chains that make up the handles and the majestic purple lining. The chains are heavy enough to allow you to really feel the quality of the bag, but certainly not overbearing. The flap on the outside makes grabbing your wallet or cell phone extremely simple. For people like me whose handbags become dark bottomless pits, the pouch on the outside is where you place all your essentials. It will make your life so much easier!
Halle Berry was recently seen carrying her Kristin tote. What can I say? She definitely has good taste! The Kristin Tote comes in three colors: green, black, and brown and retails for $598.
On the Net: www.coach.com
Full disclosure: I received a PR sample for review and have to return it to the Coach offices in NYC.
Fight for Preemies and Diabetics
While November 1st marked the very first day of the holiday season, there are two issues that are also being honed in upon this month: diabetes and premature birth.
November is American Diabetes Month. I’m sure you probably have someone close to you who is suffering from diabetes. It is such a horrible disease, but one that is completely preventable with diet, exercise, and healthy living.
This year the American Diabetes Association is launching a campaign called Stop Diabetes because diabetes is now an epidemic in this country. There are 24 million children and adults who are living with Type 1 Diabetes and 57 million more are at risk for Type 2 Diabetes.
Visit www.stopdiabetes.org for more information about ways you can prevent and or control diabetes in your life and in the lives of others.
November also marks Prematurity Awareness Month spearheaded by the March of Dimes. On November 17 hundreds of bloggers, including myself, will blog to raise awareness about prematurity. 20 million babies are born premature every year and the numbers are higher for black babies. We need to save them through awareness.
Visit the March of Dimes prematurity web site to learn about signs and symptoms of preterm labor and questions you should ask yourself to see if you’re at risk for preterm labor.
Always Made Me a Happy Woman Today
This is a very unusual post for me because it’s about that special friend that visits us women every month. You know who I’m talking about, right?
For me, every month is a nightmare because I just could not find the right maxi pad for me. The size, fit, and flow absorption was just never right. Nightmare!
This morning I asked my husband to go get maxi pads for me. I told him the brand I use (Always) and what the package looks like (green with the orange wrapped pads, heavy flow). Of course, he came home with the WRONG package, but I’m so happy he did!
He came home with the Always Extra Heavy Overnight With Flexi Wings and I am in love with them! They’re everything I want in a maxi pad from the design to the thickness to the flexi wings…everything. I am a happy camper right now.
I almost went down the washable menstrual pad route because I keep hearing how great they are, but I just don’t want to deal with the mess of that. Here’s how the Always Extra Heavy Overnight pads are designed. I am so thrilled!
Even though they’re created for at night, I’m going to use them all the time. Love them!
On the Net: www.always.com
Four Scary Reads for Halloween
Melissa Jenkins, assistant English Professor at Wake Forest University, suggests four stories that are frightful, yet stellar reads for Halloween. If you’re like my mother, there’s always room for a scary novel.
Jenkins suggests:
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson/Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
“You think that you know these stories, because so many of the details have trickled down into popular culture. So, reading the originals will be a surprise. Frankenstein and Strange Case have been popular for so long because they both ask universal questions about loneliness and guilt and human responsibility.”
Thinner by Steven King
“A truly terrifying tale of a man who begins to lose weight uncontrollably after … an accident.”
Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
“One of the greatest terror books ever written using the power of suggestion to induce fear in the reader.”
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie
“With 60 novels and 19 plays to choose from, you can’t go wrong.”
And, if you ask me, anything by Toni Morrison will frighten your socks right off. Her fixation with knives, fire, and her characters’ inherent sadness are perfect for a scary Halloween week read.
The Swine Flu and You: What Every Expectant Mother Should Know By Charles Hux, MD
There is a new strain of flu virus called the H1N1 or swine flu virus. This virus is quickly spreading throughout the world, causing much worry and fear among the general population and the medical community. Over 90% of flu cases this year will be caused by the H1N1 strain of virus.
As with the most strains of the flu virus, young children, the elderly, those with comprised immune systems and pregnant women are especially at risk. The H1N1 strain of flu carries a greater risk of complications and death compared to the traditional flu. This is due to the fact that the H1N1 virus causes more severe respiratory complications much faster.
As a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, I am very concerned that pregnant women understand the dangers of not being vaccinated for both the seasonal flu and particularly the H1N1 strain of virus. Pregnancy weakens a woman’s immune system making her more susceptible to catching viruses. A pregnant woman who already suffers from asthma or another chronic respiratory condition is at a greater risk for complications. There is an 8 percent or 1 in 12 risk of death if, a pregnant women becomes infected with the H1N1 virus. In addition, if a pregnant woman needs to go to the hospital and ends up on mechanical ventilation due to respiratory complications, the baby can suffer from decreased oxygen. This has the potential of causing neurological damage to the baby. It is also important to note that the majority of pregnant women who did not survive after contracting the swine flu were otherwise healthy.
Getting both the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine is the best protection you can have to avoid contracting the flu. You should get both vaccinations to be fully protected. These vaccinations will also give protection to your unborn baby for the first six months of life. It is best to get both the vaccines before you become pregnant or if you are already pregnant in the first trimester of pregnancy. If possible it is important to try to avoid getting sick with an illness that will produce a fever, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Having a fever in the first trimester doubles the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida. In addition, women who contract the swine flu are at a higher risk of a premature delivery.
Apparel Announcements
One of the hottest maternity lines to hit the market since Liz Lange is now set to launch on Target.com.
Moody Mamas, the brand that has graced the pregnant bellies of celebs like Laila Ali, Heidi Klum, and Jessica Alba is now available to everyday moms who want to look fantastic during their pregnancies and beyond. Moody Mamas’ style transitions well post-pregnancy.
Click here to see their collection on Target.com and visit MoodyMamas.com for their whole collection.
FUNKOOS.com
If you visit as many mom blogs and parenting sites as I do, then you know there are a plethora of companies out there that make organic clothes for babies and toddlers. How can you tell them apart?
Different companies have different styles. That’s a given. But when companies go beyond the call of duty and give back to charity and make the working conditions better for those laborers who manufacture their end product, that makes me very content and that’s a deal-sealer for me.
Funkoos not only had hip styles for your little one, they also manufacture their products in fair-trade factories that are certified by Global Organic Textile Standards.
On the Net: www.funkoos.com
Path to Peace and the O Bracelet
On Saturday I went out with my daughters for our weekly girls’ day out and got two compliments on my red and black O bracelet. That never happens! But the beauty and energy of the bracelet is clearly undeniable.
I am so pleased to be a P2P Ambassador in a campaign for social good for Path to Peace. Executed beautifully by Christie and Lorraine from The Blogrollers Media, I get to tell you about the wonderful wares Rwandan and New Orleans women make jointly for the betterment of their families and communities.
Women a world away have collaborated to make the O bracelets and when we buy them our dollars go to improving their lives and opportunities as women. Two reasons I love this program and why I agreed to be an Ambassador is because by buying a bracelet women can proactively help one another. And by continuing to purchase these bracelets we are confirming to these artisans that their wares are worth our money. That’s powerful stuff.
I’m giving away an O bracelet! You’ll definitely want to wear this on your wrist. In order to win it, simply leave a comment to enter! It’s that easy. Winner will be notified on November 1, 2009.
Nadia Simone: Age 2 1/2 years
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