The Home Front

July/August 2008 Issue | Posted by Danielle Bean in Home Front

NUTRITION

BY Danielle

Sensational Smoothies

When it comes to making healthy snacks, on-the-go breakfasts, and summertime treats, a blender is this mom’s best friend. Even my pickiest kids who prefer sugary snacks to fresh fruit and yogurt will get in line when I offer them a “smoothie.” The most mom-friendly thing about a smoothie is that you get to decide what goes in it. You really can’t go wrong with any combination of ice, fruit, dairy, and juice. Make up your own from what you have on hand, or try one of the easy, refreshing recipes featured at right.

To make any of these recipes, crush 4-6 ice cubes in a blender, add the remaining ingredients, and blend till smooth!

Quick tip: Any smoothie recipe can be frozen in popsicle molds for an alternative to the artificial coloring and flavoring of the store-bought stuff. Check out Williams-Sonoma.com for these kid-pleasing “rocket pop” molds.

—Visit Danielle at DanielleBean.com

Make Mine Melon

1 1/2 cups diced melon

1/2 cup lemon yogurt

1 cup frozen green grapes

1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced

lemon juice to desired tartness

Peachy Passion

2 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted,

and cut into chunks

2 cups low fat, plain yogurt

3 tablespoons firmly packed

brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mom’s Mocha

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

1 teaspoon instant coffee

1 cup low fat milk

1 cup frozen vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons chocolate

syrup

PB & B

1 banana, frozen and cut in chunks

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 cup low fat milk

SELF

Body Type Basics

BY Mary

Aside from aiming to have clothes fit better, all of us naturally find balance aesthetically pleasing, and want the focal point of fashion to be our faces, rather than an exceptionally noticeable …well, anything else.

Fashion consultants use the following four shapes to describe what has been termed as “body types”: pear, heart, box, and hourglass.

To find out yours, take out a measuring tape and measure your bust, waistline, and hips in inches. Then, compare the measurements. If your hips are 2 or more inches than your bust, you have a pear-shape body type. If your bust is 2 or more inches than your hips, you have a heart-shape body type. Don’t worry about your waist measurement. If you have a protruding tummy, follow the advice for a box body type.

If neither of the above are the case, compare your hip measurement with your waist measurement. If your hips are 8 inches or more greater than your waist measurement, you have an hourglass body type. If not, you have a box body type.

Armed with this basic information, you are now ready to use your clothing choices to create an optical illusion of proportion. No dieting; no exercising; Just love your size and work with it!

Pear shape: Wear dark colors on the bottom, light colors on the top. Avoid prints and thick textures on the bottom, but choose them for any top. Puffy sleeves, prominent collars, small shoulder pads, and jacket pockets all add volume to the top. Straight skirts, slight a-line skirts, and flat-front trousers are best for bottoms.

Heart shape: Wear dark colors on top, lighter colors on the bottom. Wear prints and thicker textures on the bottom in the form of full-volume skirts and trousers, and buy v-necks and surplices for tops.

Box shape: Avoid focal points at your midriff. Don’t tuck in your blouse, place contrasting colors at the waistline, or wear belts. Longer sweaters, jackets with a nipped waist, and fitted tunic-style tops are fabulous for this body type.

Hourglass shape: Avoid styles which upset your natural balance and proportion.

You can learn more about body types and style camouflage in my book It’s So You: Fitting Fashion to Your Life (SpencePublishing.com). Also Zafu.com and HerRoom.com are great sites for checking out which brands work with which body types.

— Visit Mary at MarySheehanWarren.com

HOME

Paper Chase

If your kids’ artwork is taking over your household surfaces and you can’t bring yourself to purge, regain control in some simple ways:

Scan it. Use a scanner to turn that precious paper into a precious computer file.

Frame it. Decorate a playroom with some of their best productions.

Wrap it.Kids’ art makes great wrapping paper for small gifts.

Mail it. Brighten an aunt, uncle, or grandparent’s day by sharing the wealth.

Out SPOT!

The The Crayola company knows that little people don’t always use their products as intended. At Crayola.com, parents will find a handy stain guide for the removal of Crayola products from household surfaces (click “For Parents” and “Stain Tips”). Click on the product used and then the place where you found it for step-by-step cleaning tips and advice. Dry erase markers on the upholstery? Rubbing alcohol will do the trick. Colored pencils on porcelain?

A mix of car part lubricant and dish detergent will save you … and the offending party.

MONEY

Forget 411

No phone book handy? Stop racking up fees on your home telephone bill just for dialing information. Dial (800) GOOG-411 instead and bring the power of Google.com to your telephone — for free. Besides basic business telephone number information, you also have access to a yellow pages-style guide to area businesses. Tell the computer the name of a city or town and then ask for “restaurant” or “hair salon” to get a list of top matches. Other services include retrieving addresses, sending a text message of the information to your cell phone, and automatically connecting you to your requested number.

Cheaper Fares

Being a little flexible when making flight arrangements can bring you big savings on air fare.

Airport Matters: Before booking, compare costs from different area airports. You might find a significantly cheaper rate by driving to a different one.

Stay Another Day: Always ask which days have the cheapest fares. You can realize great savings by adding a Saturday overnight to your stay at your destination.

Go Online: Even if you use a travel agent, follow up by checking sites like Expedia.com or Orbitz.com for possible last-minute deals and more savings.