Blog Posts by Shine video

by Jessica Ashley, Shine staff

There are two things I never could have anticipated before I became a mother. The first is that I never thought I'd respond so often to "Look! Look!", dozens if not millions of times a day. The second is that my body would become a jungle gym.

Being swung from, hiked over, summited, spun around, spit up on, wiped off on, scaled, slid down, poked, pinched, and even snuggled can take a toll. I am a lovey-dovey, affectionate, and even playful mama, for sure. I carried my child in a sling for years -- not months...years. I happily play soccer and chase and I insist on big hugs and cuddles on my lap. But there was a time when I really thought the most physical part of parenting would be hoisting a leggy child on to my shoulders. Who knew it would be so incredibly much more than that? Who knew it could be so joyous and so...well, exhausting.

It's not easy embodying the playground for your antsy kid. Just ask this mama elephant who apparently feels the

Photo: Anderson Even if you don't have kids, juggling a day's worth of work, relationships, and household and financial responsibilities can be a struggle.
But when you add in tiny, hungry, toddling, questioning, attention-needing humans, the week can crumble into chaos in no time. So how do you super moms out there manage it all?

In an upcoming episode of his new daytime talk show (aptly titled "Anderson") Anderson Cooper will be addressing the issues modern moms face with trying to balance it all. And, the news anchor wants to hear from you:

Are you a super mom who's figured out at least a few good short cuts, secrets, or tips for balancing motherhood, your relationship, and your career? If so... bust out your flip cams, your phone cam, or the recorder on your home's PC, tape yourself being awesome, send it in to Anderson Cooper and you could be featured on his new show!

Just make sure to share and/or demonstrate your exclusive tips and tricks on the following:

• Secret mom advice/tips for

By Joanna Douglas, Shine staff

We love all the trendsetting Chanel nail polish shades, but who knew they could dance? Check out the fancy footwork, er, fingerwork, in this new video starring some of our favorite manicures. All that awesome choreography and not one chip!

by Sarah McColl, Shine staff

Every season has its charms when it comes to eating, but I find something particularly special about this exact moment. The calendar may say "Back to School" but everything we love about summer food is still at its peak. Meaning, even if we can't live like it's still summer, we can keep eating like it is.

And if we play our cards right, a little old-fashioned preserving can have us eating summer's fruits and veggies right through the better part of winter. One simple way? Gathering up all those thick, out-of-control boughs of basil in your garden and at the farmer's market, and whipping up the perfect pesto. Spoon the finished product into an iced tray and freeze, and you can get a rich, homemade taste of garden-fresh pesto once it turns cold.

This video features an Italian chef showing us how to make perfect pesto. Best of all: no food processor required.

By Joanna Douglas, Shine staff

Sometimes the price discrepancies between affordable mass retailers and high-end designers seems massive, but there IS a good reason for the monetary gap. Fancy and sometimes rare fabrics and materials are used, and people are trained to craft many designer goods by hand, as opposed to cheap synthetics going through a machine assembly line. The items are then tested for quality, so you'll never buy an irregular item with inconsistencies. Want to know what makes the Marc Jacobs Stam handbag so expensive? Check out these videos, courtesy of Neiman Marcus, to get an inside look on how one of the most popular designer "It" bags is made, from idea conception to finished product. (We like the last part best.)

By Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff

We love reminiscing about trends through the decades, and thanks to the Westfield Stratford City shopping center in London we can now see a century of styles in one convenient (and charming!) video. The new mall is opening in London on September 13, so they decided to make a video of retro fashions dating back to September 13, 1911 all the way through current times. We're glad they did, and we'd totally check out the new mall if we were in England.

Take a look and tell us which fashion decade you love the best!

By Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff

Losing a wedding ring is terrible. You go into panic mode, and won't snap out of it until the wedding band is found. That's how Chrissy Plaouta of Minnesota felt when she looked down and saw that the ring she'd worn for nearly 10 years was gone. Thankfully a nine-year-old found the ring while playing around on the beach and was able to reunite the jewelry with its rightful owner. Check out this CBS news report for a story with happy ending.



Keep watching:
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The most stylish music videos of all time (video)
The best beauty commercials ever! (video)
DIY nails: awesome step-by-step manicures (video)

by Jessica Ashley, Shine staff

There was a point years ago when I went to my dad, really needing help. My finances were a mess and it was time to dig my way out. I poured a basket full of bills out on the dining room table and we poured over them together, prioritized each debt, and made a plan to pay each thing off over time. I was embarrassed, I was relieved, I was grateful.

My dad didn't need to give me a hard time about how I'd gotten to that point. I was going over and over it enough in my own head. Instead, he patted my arm and gave me some good advice: Just move on from this. Learn something from it and make better choices knowing what you know now.

The lesson is simple, really. But after watching this video of viral sensation Colleen Henneman, I see that wisdom like my father's can even seep into the Miller Lite-soaked brain of talkative sports fan. Perhaps if you are ever caught in a financial crisis of your own (or need to snag a free cab ride), some of her advice will