This week, Julie Andrews of Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and Princess Diaries fame, partners with Target and The Walt Disney Company to celebrate and declare National Princess Week. With much media attention surrounding Princess Kate Middleton and the timeless characters of Disney Princesses remaining a favorite in families, little girls now more than ever have great role models to look up to.
In meeting Julie Andrews at a recent event, she proclaims, “Why not dress up as a princess?!” Princesses often get a bad rap but they contribute so much time and charitable resources—it can’t always be easy, to her point. Her granddaughter Hope, helped reiterate this point, when asked why she likes princesses so much she answered “because they’re kind”.
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Some of my favorite restaurant meals include steak. It’s one of those meals I usually reserve for the times I go out to dinner, but with two little ones going out to dinner just isn’t as fun as it used to be. We do try and teach them restaurant-style manners, but it’s just more enjoyable to cook at home or have friends with kids over where toys and spontaneous games of chase can happen between bites of food and sips of wine.
Suzy Sirloin’s line of lean gourmet beef, lamb and veal has ‘restaurant quality’ selections plus a ‘healthy’ profile that makes me comfortable eating and serving it to my family. Suzy Sirloin is also an all American brand with local New York distributers, so it felt good to be able to support American farmers and ranchers who work hard to nurture and raise quality meat. I loved the idea that the meat is 90% lean and 100% hormone-free and they don’t use pink slime (I had to ask!).
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The dreadfully quick approach of beach season usually means the same old story: dropping your fatty pleasure foods cold turkey, stocking up on frozen diet packages, and making that elliptical your new best friend. However if you’re really serious about losing weight and being healthy, you may need a boost to the classic get-thin-quick attitude.
Creating a lifestyle that promotes healthy and maintainable behavior proves the only way to ensure long-term results, so that come next year’s beach season you won’t have to resort to any extreme weight loss methods. According to LIVESTRONG.COM’s nutrition expert Jennifer Iserloh (also a trained chef, author, and nationally recognized expert in healthy cooking) the ticket for a good bikini bod and healthy lifestyle starts in the kitchen. Modifying your eating habits doesn’t have to equate to an unsatisfying and difficult diet. Read some of Jennifer’s nutrition tips below:
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Imagine a snake the size of a school bus, and now imagine the snake growing three feet longer. I had the privilege, as terrified as I was, to watch the Smithsonian channel unveil the 48 foot long full-scale replica of prehistoric Titanoboa. This monster snake weighs 2,500 pounds, and is the largest snake the world has ever seen before!
While Titanoboa is now extinct, this model allows children and parents alike to feast their eyes on this paramount discovery. Additionally, it enables scientists to better understand the biology and ecology of the 60 million year old snake found in La Guajira, Colombia.
Smithsonian Channel premiered the new 2-hour documentary, Titanoboa: Monster Snake, on Sunday, April 1 at 8:00 PM. You do not want to miss this reptile. Anyone with Ophidiophobia should prepare to be scared!
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The frozen yogurt at 16 Handles is the rare treat that tastes better every single time you nosh on it. The variety of flavors and plethora of toppings at New York’s first self-serve fro-yo franchise doesn’t fail to release an endless amount of endorphins.
Their newest creation hopes to make customers just as happy thanks to a new blending machine. After launching a social media campaign to enable customers to name the new “blended creation,” 16 Handles winning name is Whip Up! After choosing my favorite flavors - Birthday Cake, Peanut Butter and Dulce de leche- I topped it with cheesecake bits and Oreos. Then, I handed my cup to the nearest team member, who blended it with a quick whip of a spoon inserted into a machine. The combination of milky smoothness and rich texture allowed the flavors to swirl on the tip of my tongue.
With sixteen alternating self-service handles, hence the name 16 Handles, the frozen yogurt experience definitely kept me smiling… and thinking about my next visit.
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 photo credit: Pinypon
After attending a luncheon to learn about Pinypon customized mini dolls, I was ready to jump into the mini caravan and travel to the Pinypon world complete with trips to New York, Paris and London.
Famosa, a leading European based toy company, developed Pinypon to provide children with an easier way to imagine and create with mini dolls for their little hands. The dolls’ interchangeable figures enable children to create new characters and stories. Each doll has removable hair, head, torso, and legs, so children can easily change their dolls’ facial expression, hair color or outfit by easily snapping different parts together. The dolls’ heads also open up to serve as a storage space - an unusual yet practical solution for keeping the doll and her accessories together.
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Attending Robert Verdi’s Luxe Laboratory Fashion Week Retreat during Fashion Week last month was exactly what this Mom Central New York team needed to put a little spring in our step. Allison and I got to venture into Robert Verdi’s chic Luxe Laboratory pad, and peek at all the latest trends that are coming our way this spring. So let the style roundup begin!
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As signs of spring begin to pop up in the city, they remind New Yorkers to stay smart about hydration during the warmer weather. If you haven’t already seen yogis, runners, and athletes alike drinking coconut water, then it is time to try this popular drink out. Made of all natural coconut water, ZICO supplies ultimate hydration for your body. It contains 5 essential electrolytes including more potassium than a banana!
To keep up with our fast-paced lives, we need to fuel our hard-working bodies with the proper nutrients. ZICO not only nourishes, but also satisfies the craving for a snack with its smooth and refreshing taste. Personally, I reach for the chocolate flavor ZICO as a healthier option when I feel a chocolate craving coming on. Other tasty and refreshing flavors include mango and pineapple.
And, when lounging by the pool or out and about in the warm weather and looking for a new mixer or smoothie ingredient, just add ZICO. Their website has a variety of recipes for the tastiest and tangiest Green Zistrus Breeze or ZICO Mangotini.
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Anyone who has been a wife or mother knows that there are often social pressures that force us to portray our family life as being no less than perfect. This not only causes people to remain silent about problems they are facing, but makes them feel as if there is no one they can turn to for support.
Thankfully in today’s day and age our society is more open to discussing topics that were once considered taboo. Spreading awareness about family issues and letting those in difficult situations know they are not alone in their struggle has become a fast growing initiative.
This has especially been the case with domestic violence, currently a huge problem in the United States. Statistically one out of every four women in the U.S. will become a victim of abuse or partner violence in her life.
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