Watch Those Calories When You Pop Into Starbucks

caloiresAs the holidays approach and the weather cools, many people are drawn to those delicious drinks that they have at Starbucks and other locations. But you should be aware of just how many calories, and how much sugar, one such drink has.

The World Health Organization has offered guidelines for sugar consumption that indicate that women should have no more than 25g a day and men no more than 35g. When examining the sugar content in 20 different drinks, the Daily Mail found that the worst offender was the Starbucks skimmed Honey and Almond Hot Chocolate with whip. This drink came to a whopping 61g of sugar (or 15 teaspoons!).

Now, a grande Honey and Almond Hot Chocloate from Starbucks that is made with full fat milk and has whipped cream contains 524 calories.

Many people who pop into a café on the way to or from work may not realize just how many calories they are consuming. Be forewarned and plan accordingly!

Raising Safe and Healthy Kids with Soccer, eSafely and More

computerWe live in an age where there are many more ways for children to get into trouble than there used to be. With the internet, computers, cell phones and more children can stumble into places that we don’t want them to be. They can chat with dangerous strangers and can see pictures and images that can be damaging. How do we keep them safe? Here are a few suggestions that can go a long way towards helping.

1. Keep Your Kids Active: If your children are active and out of the house, they have less time to look at their computer screens, to check their phones and to chat with random people on Facebook. Obviously, you need to let your kids have some downtime, but they should be engaged in the afternoons in healthy activities like chess club, soccer, gymnastics and other activities.

2. Limit Computer Time: Rather than allowing a child to take a laptop to his room, have a central computer that everyone is allowed to use. Keep the computer in the kitchen or in the family room so that you can check on what your child is viewing.

3. Get a Computer Safety Program: Installing a tool like eSafely onto your family computer (and all computers that your children use) can greatly decrease the likelihood of problems. A tool like eSafely works seamlessly with the web browser and offering industry-leading filtering technology.

4. Talk Opening To Your Children: So that they know what you expect from them and what you don’t want them doing. While teenagers (in particular) won’t always listen, they will at least know what your expectations are.

 

Barbie Lover’s Oasis

barbie1This is a little girl’s dream (and perhaps an adult’s nightmare). It’s the Barbie Dreamhouse hotel room that is available for rental at the Hilton Buenos Aires. You, too, can stay here for $179 a night with prices that rise to more like $569 during the peak periods. The room opened in September, after extensive consultations with the toymaker Mattel. It’s available year-round but it’s already fully booked until the start of 2015.

The room, at number 136, has a 32 inch television that runs non-stop with Barbie films, a marble bathroom, a walk-in wardrobe and all sorts of Barbie dolls and items in the room.

Guests actually go through a separate check-in specifically designed for kids before being sent in VIP-style up the private staircase to the room.


For parents who just can’t handle this much Barbie – they can book a normal adjoining room with a connecting door.

barbie

7 Suggestions for Using Post-Halloween Candy

Most children don’t need nearly as much candy as they collect on Halloween. So what should you do with all of the leftover junk? Here are some ideas that don’t force the kids to part with their candy, but simply to use it for future enjoyment.

  1. Freeze the candy. When you freeze it you’ll then be able to use it in the future. Give the kids one piece a day (a week?) or put it in smoothies and milk shakes over time.
  2. Make a cake or more than one. You can always add delicious candies to your cake recipes.
  3. Trail mix. Open up little bags that have M&Ms and other items in them and make a trail mix. Add nuts, raisins and other goodies to the mix.trailmix
  4. Hot chocolate. The kids can add chocolate candies to their hot chocolate (or you can add it to your coffee) for a great treat.
  5. Make a gingerbread house. You can always put that candy to good use by making a gingerbread house and getting ready for the Holidays.

  6. Lunch treats. Put one piece of candy in each child’s lunch bag so he can look forward to a treat each day.
  7. Meltdown remedy. Keep some of the candy in your purse so that you’re ready for the next melt down. Just whip out the candy and give it to a kid when you’re in the mall or in a situation where you need that quick pick-me-up.

 

You Just Might Be In Luck With Lost Airport Items

lostHave you ever forgotten something at the airport? Well, your loss just might be someone else’s gain. The Indianapolis Airport Authority is putting as many as 2000 items up for sale with all proceeds going to their general fund to offset operating costs.

Items for sale at the auction on October 30th will include everything from t-shirts and hats to small electronics, jewelry, glasses and more. The last auction two years ago raised well over $100,000.

Carlo Bertolini explained that the majority of items turned into the lost and found are eventually returned to the owners. Those items that don’t get claimed have to meet specific criteria before they are auctioned off. The Indianapolis Airport Authority has to exhaust every avenue for finding the owner and the items have to be have unclaimed for at least 30 days.


The auction doesn’t include items confiscated at the TSA security checkpoints.

The auction will take place tomorrow at 2601 S. Hoffman Road in Indianapolis. Online bidding will also be available and an inspection of items will take place today at 10am.

Is Cake Keeping You From Having a Baby?

baby1If you’re trying to have a baby, you just might need to push that next helping of cake away. That’s what the surprising research from the Harvard School of Public Health explains in a new study. The study was presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s annual conference in Hawaii. The study found that women – regardless of their size – who dropped 11 pounds conceived faster than did those who remained the same weight.

One of the surprising findings was that women who were already slim also benefited from the weight loss. Researchers Audrey Gaskins admits that it isn’t clear who weight loss helps women who were already slim.

Now, the waiting time for conception wasn’t enormously different for those who lost weight and those who didn’t. Women who lost weight took two and a half months to get pregnant, while those who didn’t lose weight took three months.

They did find that women who put on weight certainly had a longer wait time to become pregnant – the average women who put on more than three stones took more than four months to get pregnant, rather than the typical three.

The analysis was based on the data of 1950 women aged 19 to 40.

As Professor Lewis of Queen’s University Belfast said about the study, “A healthy lifestyle improves everything in our lives. It reduces our risk of disease and reduces our risk of infertility. What is good for your body is good for fertility.”