Blog Posts by HybridHer

The school year is nearly over and class moms all over the country are asking the same question:

What should we get our kids' teachers?

This year, skip the apple-shaped mugs and personalized pencil holders.

Here are gifts for every teacher that will show them how special you really think they are.

Memorial Day is the day we honor those who have given their lives in the military to defend our freedom and our country. Getting together with family and friends for an afternoon of great food and socializing adds quality to life! It is important to not only look back and remember, but also to look forward and celebrate life and freedom. Please enjoy these Memorial Day decorating ideas, traditions and activity ideas.

Easy, Budget Friendly Decorating Ideas:

• Fly the flag at your front door! Many discount and drug stores carry inexpensive flags with mounting hardware in one kit.
• Give each guest a poppy to wear (with pin or sticky tape) in honor of those who have fallen in battle. This tradition started after WWI to honor those who had died in battle.
• Decorate the table in red, white and blue. Purchase a white or blue tablecloth and patriotic disposable tableware. Have a low vase of beautiful poppies (or other red flowers) on the table and purchase small flags at a party

Ready to kick caffeine to the curb, or at least eliminate one of your 3 necessary espressos? Here are a few tips to get you started.

• Start on a low-impact day. Pick a day when you're not working or super busy so you can take it easy and nap if necessary.
• Reduce your caffeine intake over a few days. Cut it in half each day and don't have any after 2:00 p.m.
• If you can't part ways completely, replace your morning coffee with green tea-it's low in caffeine and high in antioxidants.
• Love a Coke? Make your own refreshing spritzer with club soda, fresh squeeze of lemon of lime (for detox) and a splash of pure fruit juice.
• Try B vitamins or foods with B vitamins like chickpeas, spinach, and whole grain cereal. They'll give you the energy that you used to get from caffeine.
• Rooibos tea - It's caffeine-free and relieves nervous tension associated with caffeine withdrawal.
• Smoothie with psyllium - for cleansing and regularity.
• Action Plan: Beware of hidden

We relocated to Seoul, Korea from Connecticut when our four kids were aged 3 months, 17 months, 4 and 5 years old. The plane trip and associated travel were some of the toughest moments I can remember. The flight attendants shushing my kids, dropped and spilled food, other irritated passengers, a sobbing toddler when I escaped to use the bathroom, getting through security with two baby carriages, and the dreaded rousing of the jet lagged children once we landed (and still had to make it through the terminal). I think our journey was the definition of "schlep" and no one had fun.

Every summer as our vacation back to the states approached I would start to perspire and feel a sense of foreboding. Traveling had become a "necessary evil" if we wanted to go on exotic vacations and/or visit family. But aren't vacations supposed to be fun? Isn't this what we save our hard earned vacation time and money for? We decided we needed to put Operation "Travel should be Fun" into effect. Today,

We have all gone through a lengthy recession. Business is beginning to pick up, more people are working, but we aren't out of the woods yet. Couples continue struggling with the financial stressors-higher food costs, higher gas prices, and dual incomes becoming single household incomes with unemployment. Forbes Woman and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) surveyed 2,019 adults from December 17th through December 21st of 2010 and found big money crimes among marriages. The leading money crimes were hiding cash, as well as minor purchases and bills. A significant number of people admitted to hiding major purchases and keeping a secret bank account. There was also lying about debt and earnings. One in three Americans (31%) said they had been deceived (cheated on) by their partner in regards to money. Also consider those that cheat with a lover. There are numerous ways to cheat involving internet chatting, texting, emotional affairs, and physical affairs, and the

How to Make a Fashion Statement Vegan-Style: 3 Steps to Compassionate and Stylish Dressing

Only a short while ago veganism was a foreign concept to most people. Few had ever heard the term at all and those who had were unsure as to what it meant other than that it might be an extreme form of vegetarianism. All that is changing rapidly. With the heightened attention to global warming, there is a growing movement, especially among young people, to adopt a vegan lifestyle. More and more restaurants are offering vegan options, and health benefits aside, it is now a well-known fact that one of the most effective ways to save our planet and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to stop eating meat.

What is less well-known, however, is that being vegan goes beyond what you eat. It is a philosophy of life, a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, vegan clothing or any other purpose.

Okay, great, you say. Now what? Not eating animals is one thing but not wearing them when

Gone are the days when your graduation gift selections were limited to leather-bound day planners and embossed pens.

This year, you can choose a gift for your favorite grad that will stand out from the crowd and serve as a beautiful memento of one of the best days of his/her young life.

All of these items are distinctly unique but they do have one amazing thing in common - they were all invented by savvy mom entrepreneurs!

		PERSONALIZED STATIONERY - Sure, they love to text, but is there anything more "grown-up" than personalized stationery? Give your grad a set of beautiful unique notecards made just for them. (Throw in a sheet of stamps and you might even hear from them once or twice after they leave home!)
		KATOJ - This beautiful keychain is hand-stamped on hammered sterling silver and made to order with your grad's initial.
		RUNS WITH

For those of you who have young children and are in the know, two momentous events occurred in the world of kids and fashion not too long ago: Barbie turned 50 and Dora got a Makeover. So what's the connection? -- the impact that these two icons have had on children and the way we view ourselves. Barbie has evolved from a little girl's object of play and imagination into an uber-creation of Mattel. If kids and the company could imagine it, Mattel would provide it. It can be debated who led the development of the accessories that little girls requested, demand or supply. Either way, the outcome is that there is an endless supply of products that can be purchased, and almost every child and many adults in America have likely been impacted by Barbie and the gang. She has been the ideal housewife, astronaut, adventurer, and C.E.O. She has been an example of what women can become in mind and in body. It is the image of "body" that has been detrimental.

So what about Dora? Not long ago,