Negative Nancy
by Nicole Hanratty
Summer is a happy time. Family vacations, fun shopping sales, quiet mornings, strolls in the mall, sports, blockbuster movies, surfing, engaging books, evening strolls, long nights and meals that put joy above function.
Right now in Southern California we are experiencing long cool mornings that stretch through 2:00 in the afternoon when hot summer temperatures peak for a few welcome hours to ripen the tomato plants and then recede with the tide in time for a sunset cocktail in the back yard.
These idyllic summer days with this relieving weather are as welcoming as a glass of iced tea on porch swing.
Yet... News of a double-dip recession, joblessness rates rising, mortgage struggles abounding, and budget woes afflicting folks in every tax bracket overshadow the vacations and what should be memorable summer days. Life can get bleary and keeping perspective on what keeps us motivated can become more challenging than qualifying for a mortgage modification.
As a mom, it can be difficult to enjoy swimming with the kids when you know you need to have a job lined up come September when the children return to the classroom. As a father, decompressing on vacation can be nearly impossible when you are stretching just to pay for the holiday entertainment and are worried that you may return home to find your income source has been cut.
Yet...it is still summer, the weather is unbeatable (unless you are in Manhattan), and worrying changes nothing but the tread marks on your face.
Send Negative Nancy packing and reclaim your summer. Keeping these suggestions in mind, try to redefine your focus and let positivity come in with the sunshine.
Suggestions to Regain Positivity
Naysaying and negativity are easy to wake up with when you take them to bed. Put your worries to rest before you go to sleep and end the day with a smile, a laugh, a prayer, or a new goal for tomorrow. Read More...
Celebrity Life
Celebrity Life
by Nicole Hanratty
Sometimes life's funniest moments are served with brown rice and fried tofu. Last night I was mid-bite savoring the spicy tang of PF Chang's Ma Po Tofu, when my mother-in-law announced that she had heard--and by the way she was waving her pointed finger back and forth at me and my husband seemed to think was accurate and true about us--that our generation's big problem is that we all want to live a celebrity life. I was speechless. Not because I had a mouthful of food, but because our lives couldn't be further from celebrity or wanna be celebrity status if we tried. No, you won't find us pulling a Salahi stunt any time soon.
For starters, we rarely leave the house. We avoid social gatherings like they're the plague and we can count the number of people interested in our lives on one hand. Okay, maybe two if you count our family members.
Yes, we tend to wear our sunglasses everywhere we go but that's simply because we're concerned with UV rays affecting our long term vision, not because we're worried about being spotted by the paparazzi. (And, sometimes it's to avoid frightening innocent bystanders when I've left home without makeup.)
How can I be certain we aren't trying to live like celebrities? Hmm... Tricky question since my answer is bound to be biassed. But, we do live in a celebrity studded community so I will compare our lives to theirs and let you be the judge.
In full disclosure, real celebrities do engage in mundane everyday tasks just like we do and deal with difficult medical/social/family issues that come with well, being human. They can be seen dropping off at carpool or waiting for their child to finish a high-school placement test, but that is where I see the similarities ending.
Celebrities are sent things for free while we, on the other hand, purchase everything we own at full price. Their names get them in the door while we wait like maroons* at the back of a line arguing about whether or not my less than suave hubby should make another awkward attempt at slipping the host some cash to get us in before our ten o'clock bedtime arrives. They are invited to galas while we are headed off to Home Depot to purchase more plants for the garden where you are likely to find us "oooing and awwing" over our very first apples blooming on our recently planted tree. (See photo above.) They are headed off to fabulous places on a whim via their private jets while we are depositing change at the local Coinstar machine getting our thrills from the digital display as it counts up our cash as if we've won a jackpot. Read More...
Rock Star Kids
March/28/2010 10:14 AM Filed in: Fashion | Family | Children | Life of a Rock Star | Nicole Hanratty
Glam Kids
The Rock Star Style of Today's Youth
By Nicole Hanratty
Kids today--including my own--live the life of little rock stars. Recession or economic downturn aside, today's kids have more style and glam than their predecessors from previous generations. From the schoolyard to the mall, kids--especially girls--are rocking some serious fashion.
Glam kids today have closets that are filled with popular hip clothes nothing short of runway ready. And this is true whether parents are shopping at Bloomingdales or Target. Everywhere I go, I see kids dressed like their rock star idols: Kristen Stewart, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Justin Beiber, Zac Efron, Jesse McCartney and Taylor Lautner.
Children's clothing is constructed now to look adult-like and trendy along with their accessories. Rock star style sunglasses, necklaces, bracelets, bags and shoes--all very Hollywood--are available in tween or teen stores such as Justice, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Claires, H&M, as well as department stores ranging from Nordstrom to Kohl's. They are designed identically to high-end offerings on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The knockoff syndrome has gone size blind. One style fits all. Read More...
Say Cheese
Honest Food Identification
by Nicole Hanratty
Sometimes things catch my eye when I am out shopping and prompt me to stop and ask, "What is this?" While recently browsing the refrigerator section of Smart and Final--one of my favorite discount stores--I came across this imitation pasteurized process american cheese. After re-reading the label multiple times I emailed a picture of it to my husband. Did he know what it was? Nope, he didn't understand it either. We both agreed it was clearly American.
Call me crazy for questioning the true identity of this food product, but with four other descriptive words, (including the word "imitation"), before the word cheese, I'm wondering what exactly is in those 120 slices. At least it requires refrigeration, that seems like a start. And maybe this cheese gets a second point for honesty in labeling--we could use more of that these days. Read More...
Vancouver Olympics
Medal Count • The United States in the lead with eight medals while Germany is close behind with five.
The athletes are hitting the slopes and my family is glued to NBC watching every competition and race. It is rare for us all to be interested in the same broadcast--we usually battle between Disney, Discovery, History, Fox and CNN--but the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics have us all captivated.
Olympic mania is usually a family phenomenon and the Vancouver Games are no exception. They are gender neutral, age equalizing and conversation sparking. (My hubby and I are still debating the Apolo Ohno silver medal win where the two Koreans knocked each other out of second and third place allowing Apolo Ohno to come from fourth place to take silver and tie Bonnie Blaire's record as the most decorated Winter Olympic champion. I say he won fair and square, my husband says he should be embarrassed to accept that medal and should hand it to the Korean who was knocked out by his own teammate.) We curl up in bed at night and holler at the television as if the athletes can hear us cheering for their wins. We backseat ski and critique their styles as if any of us had the talent, drive or dedication to have a real opinion. We gasp when they fall and cringe when they are injured. We were mournful when Nodar Kumaritashvili lost his life on the Luge at the tender age of 21. We let out sympathetic groans when world class athletes see their Olympic dreams vanish in one split second with one bad fall or a missed shot.
Most importantly, when we are watching the Vancouver Olympics as a family we talk to each other about fun exciting things that have nothing to do with school, work, finances or chores and that is a beautiful thing for family time. Even if it is just for a few weeks, we can all use a break from the usual bickering and enjoy rooting for the same team. Read More...
Romantic Movies
1. Chocolat
2. Bridget Jone's Diary
3. Dirty Dancing
4. My Best Friends Wedding
5. Hitch
6. Say Anything
7. Flashdance
8. Like Water for Chocolate
9. As Good as it Gets
10. Hope Floats Read More...
Ending Childhood Obesity
February/10/2010 05:20 PM Filed in: Family | Nutrition | Children | Life of a Rock Star | Nicole Hanratty
The Skinny on Childhood Obesity
By Nicole Hanratty
Is it really any surprise that one in three kids today are considered obese? First Lady Michelle Obama is intent on helping all moms who face the daunting task of fighting this seemingly impossible battle and her crusade will not be an easy one. Frequent birthday celebrations and holiday parties at schools bring cupcakes and donuts to snack time weekly. Parties on the weekends customarily offer pizza and cake to kids. Hot lunch menus at school offer fast food from Popeye's Chicken, Domino's and Taco Bell. Long commutes to and from work for parents--in addition to kid's after school activities--make drive-thrus convenient for dinner. French fries have become the standard accompaniment with every kid’s meal at restaurants of all sorts. Sodium, sugar, hydrogenated oils and fat are the primary ingredients in pre-packaged snack foods that get consumed by our children daily. Sodas and juice boxes have replaced water and milk as a main source of hydration. Worse yet, virtual play has replaced bike riding, baseball and running around with friends at the park.
ACCESS: A recent visit to the downtown area of Hartford, Connecticut illustrated to me that there are entire neighborhoods--where people lack their own vehicles--without fresh produce or proper grocery stores to shop for healthy nutritious food. We drove blocks around a lower income neighborhood lined with apartments without coming across one proper grocery store.
Only a minimal amount of fruit and vegetables were offered in the local convenience/liquor stores that we saw within walking distance for those residents. What did line the shelves looked dirty, old and unappealing. Admittedly, I too walked past the overripe fruit to find a bag of Ruffles that looked safe and clean to eat. Sodas and juices were enticingly placed en masse throughout the store and sold for a fraction of the cost of bottled water. For residents in areas like these, access to healthy alternatives stands as a huge barrier.
BUDGET: The cost of healthy eating can be an especially burdensome financial challenge for the lower and middle class in this economy. With everyone needing to cut back and downsize, groceries need to last and perishable items that go wasted are undesirable.
In times like these, it can seem more sensible to spend your grocery money on a box of fruit roll ups that boast being a, "Good source of Vitamin C, Fat Free and Gluten Free," and won't spoil than on a basket of strawberries that will likely last no more than three days. And while you can't compare the two products nutritionally, most parents don't realize this or haven't been educated enough on the negative health effects of replacing fresh fruits with manufactured fruit flavoring. Read More...
