Finally, days are getting longer and, though I hate the feeling of losing an hour, Daylight Savings time (March 13) means that there will be light when working out in the wee hours of the morning. Just enough to make those early bird workouts somewhat less painful. So, if like me, you are looking forward to hitting the pavement instead of the treadmill, we thought that you would enjoy these particular finds:

Silversport Silver Towel is made out of super soft and highly absorbent (and sustainable) viscose bamboo that is embedded with Terra Silver™ technology which utilizes antimicrobial silver to eliminate [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
We all have heard of sites like Groupon, LivingSocial and the myriad of similar deal-of-the-day shopping sites, but have you heard of Philanthroper? Instead of selling you a deal, they share with you a new non-profit organization everyday. If you like the “deal”, simply donate $1.00. That’s right and you can, in fact, only donate $1.00. Their feeling is that if you only spend $1.00 today you will come back tomorrow and do the same for another non-profit organization. Philanthroper takes no percentage of the sales (that is why you see advertisement space on their [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
National Geographic and IBM joined forces in a global research project to chart the migratory history of us humans. The purpose of the project is to gather DNA from people around the world (like you and me) to study how our ancient ancestors migrated to where we are today. How cool is that!
I bought the Genographic Project Participation Kit years ago for my husband, Scott, for his birthday and was glad to recently learn that their study is ongoing. When Scott received the package, he simply swabbed the inside of his cheek and returned the [...]

I do enjoy my workouts… the second they are over. Granted, there is a definite sense of pride and “I did good for my body today” feeling that follows a good workout. But somehow, that sense of achievement holds no reserve to motivate me for any subsequent workout. I’m on my own. Left to my own device, I would probably never exercise. And really, I only workout because I have to. I wish that I were one of those that could get lost in the endorphin rush, able to move past the pain. But no such luck. My neurotransmitters just [...]

“Experience the sensation of buying a girl… her life back”. That’s the baiting, provocative but so very clever intro of the Girl Store website, effective at demonstrating how a girl child in India can be “bought back” from the perils of being sold for marriage, sex slavery, labor slavery or terrorism.
The Girl Store, run by Nanhi Kali, an Indian national girl child sponsorship program, provides girls with academic support to get them in school and to stop the cycle where girls from impoverished families are often sold into marriage or sex slavery.
In the store, one is able to sponsor the [...]

By Kristin Fast, Guest Contributor and Mamarazzi
It’s the Year of the Rabbit! After the past intense 12 months of the Tiger Year we can all take a nice deep breath and relax;  the rabbit is all about grace, mercy and peace.   This is a year to focus on the family (always the priority of the rabbit… just look at Brangelina, both rabbits!) comfort and healing.  Its a year to remember that gentle persuasion can be more effective than force and discussion will bring about greater compromise than aggression.
The most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year celebrates [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
With Valentine’s Day around the corner and references to the celebration of love and romance to be seen everywhere, I thought that it was timely to finally read this book that has been – repeatedly – recommended over the years. Before I had my two youngest daughters, a girlfriend mentioned the “must read” book “5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. I must say that even though the book title kept popping up, I never paid much attention until I recently received a copy. I read it mainly to learn more about the relationship with my [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Who would not like to know their future? Especially in the launch of a new year. And, in case you’ve always been curious – as I have! – about the origins of the many forms of fortune telling, I thought I’d share a little research as well as a few favorite (and free!) websites that make such predictions.
Whether you believe in it or not, knowing the future is not a new thing. All forms of divination come from ancient times and was a very common practice in early societies. For example, the Tarot is a [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I became a Social Worker right after I graduated from University.  When my husband was first transferred to the States, I had lots of time one my hands so I decided to try yoga. After my first yoga class I was hooked and became immersed in the yoga community to a point where I was offered a job and soon worked my way up

Where do you start with these folks? They already have everything, they don’t want anything, they’re difficult and picky… We have some in our family too. What to do? Ignoring them is not a sensible option, whether the “impossible” person in question is the mother-in-law or the boss. So, then, we thought that these types should probably be receiving virtual gifts. No, not a virtual Facebook cupcake, but rather something that is meaningful, of interest to them and that, more importantly, won’t gather dust.
Let us know what you think of these ideas…

Catalog Choice Unlisting [...]