Long Ago, people gathered together for heartfelt talks with family and friends, passing along stories and traditions to one another. In these hectic times, have we forgotten the joys of what makes a good conversation?

The Box Girls Thanksgiving Box of Questions is great way to liven up family conversation over the holiday by connecting with your loved ones during the holiday season in a more meaningful way. This year exchange ideas, dialogue, and bond with your family and friends like never before!

Oh, and it’s eco-friendly!  Each box is printed on 100% recycled paper using soy ink. Plus, a portion of proceeds from Family Dinner Box are donated to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University CASA®.

Available at www.theboxgirls.com

The Organic White Tea Mayawater Facial Mist from Norway is ultra-refreshing… In fact, I left the house today with this organic facial mist on my face and dispensed with my morning ritual of lotions, potions and creams!

From one of the finest water sources, Organic White Tea Mayawater Facial Mist is sourced from clean, mineral-rich and ph neutral water from Skogshorn in Hemsedal, Norway.

Available in 3 refreshing organic mists:

• MAYAWATER ORGANIC ACAI
• MAYAWATER ORGANIC GOJI
• MAYAWATER ORGANIC WHITE TEA

Some ways to use your Mayawater:
1. Beauty experts use MAYAWATER 20-30 times during the day
2. Revitalizes and cleanses dry and tired skin midday
3. Specially designed to set makeup. Hold the bottle approximately 10 inches from
your face and neck, spray evenly, allowing the water to absorb into your skin.
4. Spray on your sponge when applying foundation or when you need to wet eyeliner.
5. Use as “tap water” when you are in countries with poor quality tap water. Hold the spray
close to your skin, spray it on evenly and mix with your wash cream. Finally, rinse off.
6. Ultimate product to use: keep beside your computer, in the car, in the sun, in cities with
strong pollution, or inside in the winter where the climate is dry.
7. Use as a ”wake–up call” between meetings to freshen up when you’re in a hurry.
8. Clean babies & toddlers too, keep them cool from fever and summer heat
9. MAYAWATER is for woman, men, teens and toddlers!
10. Perfect skin refresher for the pool or the beach

For more information on Organic White Tea Mayawater Facial Mist visit online at mayawater.no

Go even greener with the Envirosax Slingsax Bag 3 from Nubius Organics! Made from the new Envirosax RPET fabric, which is a mix of 55% flat filament polyester and 45% Repreve® polyester. SlingSax are a handy, hands-free accessory for busy people on the go. Easy tie-together handles allow SlingSax to be worn long and diagonally to rest on the hip, and the handles can be adjusted to suit different body shapes.

NOTE: The 45% Repreve® in the ENVIROSAX RPET is made up of 100% recycled product, with 80% pre-consumer and 20% post-consumer recycled polyester content (mainly plastic bottles).

Each bag is printed with an exciting graphics print using sublimation. This preferable print method ensures the print is indefinite and these striking bags will not fade.

Bag Dimensions (unrolled): 15.7” x 16.5” (height with handles is 45.2″)
Bag Dimensions (rolled up): 3” x 2”
Weight Capacity: 44 lbs
Bag Weight: 1.4 oz
Price: $15.90

Available online at nubiusorganics.com

Given the usual higher prices of organic versus conventionally-grown foods, it can be a challenge to get the biggest bang for our buck while eating healthy and avoiding the ingestion of synthetic chemicals along with our nutrients. One approach, say some experts, is to only buy organic when the actual edible parts of a non-organically grown food might come into direct contact with toxic fertilizers and pesticides.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that consumer can reduce their chemical exposure by some 80 percent by either avoiding the most contaminated conventionally grown fruits and vegetables altogether, or by eating only the organic varieties. To help us sort through what and what not to buy, the group offers a handy Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, which fits on a small piece of paper that you can keep in your pocket and have handy on grocery trips. You can print it out for free from EWG’s FoodNews.org website, or you can download it as a free App for your iPhone.

To make it easy to use, EWG has distilled its analysis into two lists. The first, “Dirty Dozen: Buy These Organic,” lists foods that when grown conventionally contain the largest amounts of pesticide and fertilizer residues. These include peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale/collard, greens, potatoes, and (imported) grapes. Consumers should definitely spend the extra money for organic versions of these foods.

On the other side of the coin, EWG’s “Clean 15” list includes foods that contain the least amount of chemical residues when grown conventionally. These include onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and honeydew. It’s OK to eat conventionally grown varieties of these foods.

EWG analysts developed the “Clean 15” guide using data from some 89,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between 2000 and 2008 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What’s the difference, you may ask? EWG found that by eating five conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables a day from the Dirty Dozen list, a consumer on average ingests 10 different pesticides; those who stick to the Clean 15 list ingest less than two.

Other foods you and your family eat, such as meats, cereals, breads and dairy products, might also be exposing you to unwanted chemicals. According to EWG, the direct health benefits of organic meat, eggs and milk are less clear, but you should play it safe by sticking with all-natural, free-range, grass-fed meats that are not fed antibiotics or growth hormones, and by choosing only organic dairy products.

Thanks to increasing demand, more and more food purveyors are putting extra emphasis on organics. This will ultimately result in both lower prices and larger selections. Natural foods market aisles are already teeming with organic choices—and chances are your local supermarket or big box store has introduced organic versions of many popular items. Consequently, there has never been a better time to take stock of what you are feeding yourself and your family, and to make changes for better health.

CONTACT: EWG, www.foodnews.org; USDA/FDA, http://usda-fda.com/articles/organic.htm.

Navitas Naturals is making it easy for people to bring home the art of chocolate making with their innovative new Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits. Available in three delicious organic superfood varieties – Goji Berry, Cacao Nib and Goldenberry – for a SRP of $9.99, each of the fun and unique Kits creates 12 organic chocolates.

Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits are loaded with antioxidants, and these healthy treats can be prepared in just minutes. In addition to the Kit ingredients, the only other items needed to complete the easy recipe are a knife, a small bowl, a large bowl and an ice cube tray. Each Organic Superfood Chocolate Kit contains raw: organic cacao butter, organic cacao powder, organic mesquite, organic lucuma, organic maca and the specific organic superfood which is featured in the chewy center of the chocolates (Goji Berry, Cacao nib, or Goldenberry). “Raw cacao from Peru, goji berries from China, and goldenberries from Columbia are some of the most popular superfood items in the marketplace right now,” says Zach Adelman, President and founder of Navitas Naturals (www.navitasnaturals.com).

The knowledge that our children are safe, happy and emotionally sound is one of our greatest concerns. If they were being traumatized by something at school or, even worse, the attentions of a predator, we would want to be the first to know.

The only way we can truly be sure that they are all right, or if something is troubling them, is if they feel they can confide in us on a person-to-person basis. But are we actually listening to them as equals, or are we listening to them with condescending ears and, in the process, inadvertently breaking these lines of communication between parent and child – leaving them unwilling to come to us for help?

“Children don’t seem to get as much respect as other members of society,” says Julie Scandora, teacher and author of the book ‘Rules Are Rules.’ “They experience the same emotional obstacles as adults, but this is often overlooked by grown-ups. Parents need to treat children with respect and ensure a trusting relationship.”

Here are five of Julie’s tips to help you communicate more effectively with your children:

1. Listen. It sounds obvious, but if your children don’t think they will be heard, they won’t go to you with the hard questions or problems.

2. Create opportunities for interaction with your kids. Families spend so much time apart these days. Use ‘car time’ – such as the 20-minute drive to school – as a time to communicate with your children.

3. Lead by example. Far too many parents opt for the ‘do as I say not as I do’ method. But this sends mixed messages to children regarding important situations.

4. Respect the child’s intuition. We all have ‘gut feelings,’ and if kids are encouraged to trust theirs, they will be able to heed their intuition in dicey situations when we aren’t around to help.

5. Don’t confuse ‘respect’ with ‘giving in.’ It is important that the parental role is not usurped. Don’t give in to kids just to diffuse a problematic situation. Instead communicate with them and let them know why rules are rules.

By showing our children that we are receptive to what they have to say and that we are willing to talk with them, not just at them, we can help them gain confidence and maturity, but we need to make sure we are practicing what we preach.

“Perhaps we need to start with ourselves, don’t we!” laughs Julie, “But if we give our children the respect we give our peers, they will be better prepared to deal with whatever life throws at them. And when they encounter something for which they are still too young to deal with by themselves, they’ll naturally come to us for advice.”

About Julie Scandora

Julie Scandora is a teacher, editor, author and mother of three. She holds a BA from Smith and an MBA from the University of Washington and has taught children in schools and delivered lectures and workshops to adults. Julie has been an editor and assistant publisher for numerous publications. She is also a professional artist specializing in watercolors and is represented in several distinguished galleries. Julie lives in Seattle.

What's Your Hormonal Type? by Susan Lark, MD

Research shows that a woman’s diet profoundly affects her hormonal makeup. But foods that support hormonal health in young women are different from those that help balance hormones in women 50 and older.

That’s why every woman needs to know her hormonal type, says women’s health expert Susan Lark MD. Dr. Lark is the first physician to identify the three distinct hormonal types in women, a discovery that offers new ways to address common conditions associated with hormonal imbalances — including weight gain, PMS, fibroid tumors, low libido, dry wrinkly skin, brittle bones, mental fog, and insomnia.

Dr. Lark explains an easy way to find out which of three hormonal types you are, and offers guidance on foods to choose or avoid, depending on your unique hormonal profile.

Type #1: Estrogen Dominance. This type is usually a woman who is younger and menstruating. She often produces too much estrogen, which has an expansive and growth-stimulating effect on the body, and too little progesterone, which is more contractive and has a growth-limiting effect.

** Common symptoms: PMS, menstrual cramps, irregular menstrual periods, heavy menstrual bleeding, bloating, oily skin and hair, fibroid tumors, endometriosis, and/or mood swings.

Type #2: Estrogen deficiency/fast processor. This type is a woman who is in menopause (see below for symptoms) with too little estrogen. Her brain and body chemistry is imbalanced toward more excitatory chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine that stimulate, speed up, and overheat body processes and chemistry. She tends to show more of a deficiency in chemicals like serotonin, GABA, and taurine, which slow down or inhibit the body’s chemical and physiological processes. This type has too much “speed up” and not enough “slow down.”

** Common symptoms: Anxious, wiry, thin dry skin and tissues, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, sore joints, rheumatoid arthritis, increased risk for heart disease, breast cancer, and osteoporosis.

Type #3: Estrogen deficiency/slow processor. This type is a woman who is also in menopause (see below), but has the opposite body type and temperament. The estrogen deficient/slow processor will often suffer from typical menopausal symptoms. However, because she tends more toward the production of inhibitory chemicals like serotonin, taurine, and GABA that calm and slow down the body, and is deficient in the stimulating and excitatory chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine, she tends to lack energy, sex drive, mental acuity, and zest for life.

** Common symptoms: Excess weight and more difficulty losing weight, fluid retention, thicker bones and connective tissue, thicker skin and hair, placid temperament, lack of energy, low libido, poor mental acuity, lack of zest for life, osteoarthritis, increased risk for breast cancer and heart disease.

Symptoms of menopause. You are likely in menopause if you have 4 or more of the following signs of estrogen deficiency. If so, the next step is to get your hormone levels tested.

• You are 46 or older.
• Last period was 12 months or longer ago.
• Periods are lighter, less frequent, and of shorter duration (late perimenopause).
• Hot flashes.
• Intercourse is painful.
• Desire for sex has faded.
• Difficulty achieving orgasm.
• Frequent vaginal infections.
• Leak urine when you laugh, cough, sneeze, exercise, or wait too long to void.
• Lost your zest for life.
• Difficulty sleeping through the night.
• Frequently tired.
• Anxious and irritable.
• Forget small details.
• Skin is drier, thinner, and more wrinkled.
• Muscles are losing their tone.
• Gaining weight.
• Joints and/or muscles ache.
• Itchy, crawly skin.
• Sometimes feel as if electric shocks were  going through your body.

About Dr. Susan Lark
Dr. Lark has penned more than a dozen books, including her new one coauthored with Kimberly Day, Dr. Susan Lark’s Hormone Revolution (Portola Press, www.drlark.com). She pioneered the use of self-care treatments such as diet, nutrition, exercise, and stress management techniques in the field of women’s health, and has lectured extensively throughout the United States. Dr. Lark served on the clinical faculty of Stanford University Medical School and taught in Stanford’s Primary Care Associate Program for many years.

If coffee, cigarettes and food have left their mark on your teeth, you’re not alone.  There are plenty of people who would try anything to get back their pearly whites.

“Teeth naturally yellow for a number of reasons including smoking, eating highly pigmented foods, drinking coffee, tea or red wine, treatment with antibiotics, trauma, and too much fluoride and tartar accumulation,” according to Elisa Mello, DDS, from NYC Smile Design, a New York-based cosmetic and restorative dental practice.  But did you know that Mother Nature has some natural solutions to getting back your pearly whites?  Here are some tips provided by Dr. Mello:

Dos

• Eat foods that act like detergents and whiten teeth naturally. To keep teeth bright and prevent yellowing, you need to remove the staining bacteria by chewing certain crunchy fruits and vegetables that produce high salivary flow and actually work like tiny toothbrushes to help scrub away stubborn stains over time.  So, take a bite out of apples, carrots, pears, guavas, cauliflower and cucumbers.
• Eat lots of dark green vegetables.  Vegetables like broccoli, lettuce and spinach act like a barrier on teeth by creating a film that prevents stains from recurring and can actually help scrub away stubborn stains over time.
• Eat lots of high-fiber and whole foods—they act as natural tooth cleansers.
• Mash a few strawberries in a bowl and then take your finger and spread the pulp all over your teeth.  Leave it on a minute or two, and then thoroughly rinse and brush it off.
• Sip through a straw to protect your teeth from stain-makers like coffee, tea, red wine and cola.
• Drink plenty of water to keep the teeth hydrated.

Don’ts

• The rule of thumb is that anything that can stain a white T-shirt can stain your teeth too. That means most varieties of berries, as well as soy sauce, red wine, many fruit juices, coffee, tea, and cola. You don’t have to avoid them altogether, but immediately after indulging, rinse out your mouth with water, brush your teeth or chew gum.
• Keep in mind that citrus fruits contain acid that can cause enamel to deteriorate over time.
• Be aware that those sports drinks, energy drinks and fitness waters contain organic acids which are known to break down calcium. So they’re especially good at eroding your teeth.  Recent studies show they were more damaging to tooth enamel than cola-based drinks.
• Reduce your intake of acidic foods like vinegar. Foods that are slightly acidic open up the pores of the tooth enamel allowing for easy staining.
• Avoid highly processed sugars and high-fructose corn syrup, especially sticky foods that maintain contact with the teeth for a longer period of time.
• Extremely hot or cold liquids are dangerous to your white smile because they change the temperature of your teeth.  This temperature change causes teeth to expand and contact, allowing stains to penetrate your teeth.
• Tobacco is the biggest culprit in quickly staining your white teeth.

“Thorough cleaning by a dentist or hygienist will remove most external staining from teeth caused by food and tobacco. Using a whitening toothpaste can also help remove these surface stains between dental visits. If stains have been present for years, you may need to have your teeth professionally whitened to remove these more stubborn external stains,” notes Dr. Mello, a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU College of Dentistry.

“Teeth with internal stains caused by the aging process, antibiotics and trauma can be bleached, veneered or crowned. While each of these methods is safe and effective, your dentist will recommend which treatment is appropriate for you depending on the state of your teeth and the results that you wish to achieve,” adds Dr. Mello.

For more information please go to www.nycsmiledesign.com

Always on the lookout for fun new finds for your wee one(s), here are a few of our latest favorites… BabiePlates

BabiePlates are the trendy Swedish baby name license plate and the next smash hit baby accessory product from Sweden…An ideal baby gift from grandparents, godparents, relatives, and friends.

Since its stateside debut in January, BabiePlates have been featured in American Baby, Kiwi, and Life After 50 magazines, and online in Celebrity Baby Blog, The Daily Candy Kids LA, and many more. BabiePlates range from $39.95 to $49.95, and are all custom-made after you place your order. In addition to your child’s name, you may choose from a flag, picture, or birth-date– all with safety reflector foil, perfect for those evening strolls! BabiePlates can be used to easily identify baby strollers, as a decorative sign for rooms, in baby memoirs, or however your heart desires. With so many options, BabiePlates are the perfect, chic, easy gift for showers, housewarmings, engagements, etc.

Visit online at www.babieplates.com

I have many friends who not only rarely sleep with their husbands, they can’t even talk about it. I would go even further and suggest that most of their conversations probably move them further away from intimacy than towards it. Connecting with our verbal language has it’s limits- especially since men and women, don’t just speak differently, we also hear differently. This is why I urge all of my closest friends to explore an entirely different dialogue, one where the spoken word is left outside the door, and the conversation is lead and answered with what some would argue is our true intelligence- the body.

Our bodies do have a profound intelligence that we rarely give them credit for . Emotions are not actually thoughts running around your brain, although this is how we often describe them. Actually emotions are visceral experiences that live in one’s body, as true as chills on a windy night or burning skin in a late spring sun.

A conversation without words is often times the only answer in a conjugal life. It took me a very long time to learn this. The countless ways that I would rephrase my frustration with my husband’s silences and perceived lack of interest was continuously lost on deaf ears. I’m not sure the messages ever even reached his ears, my expression and body language was loud enough for him to get my negativity toward him with out needing to hear a word.

Contrary to popular belief, these wordless conversations of the body, have nothing to do with being “in the mood”?. In fact, if you haven’t been physically intimate in a while, then the mood concept is a moot point. A physical conversation requires a willingness to be vulnerable enough to be touched. To allow your body to truly feel someone with you, has nothing to do with sexual arousal, and yet with out this permission, sexual arousal is impossible.

Listening and asking questions with the body are skills we mastered as children. Some of these conversations will culminate in sexual pleasure, some may provide a physical reflection of the borders that keep you separate- in either case, the journey of opening up to your own body will change the conversation. I guarantee that by taking the conversation to the body you will hear something that words could not communicate. Physical conversations can only help to make the subsequent verbal conversations kinder and more meaningful.