FitSugar

Partner Yoga Pose: Double Child

FitSugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:45:00 PST

While it's true that many Partner Yoga poses can help you get a deeper stretch, another benefit is the emotional support you share. Energy can be passed and received between you, so doing a pose with someone can instill a sense of joy and serenity. This one, called Double Child, will help to relieve stress and calm the mind.

Partner one (blue shirt) and partner two (tan shirt) kneel down on a mat with their feet touching.
Both partners come into Child's Pose and hold hands.
They remain here for at least five breaths, allowing the lower back, hips, and shoulders to release.
After they've had enough, both partners slowly sit up.

I know this pose doesn't look like much, but it's one of those things that you just have to try. Once both partners allow themselves to relax completely, they'll feel the amazing effects.

Source

Which Celeb Couple's 2012 Arrival Are You Most Excited About?

Kate Stahl — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:37:21 PST

A brand-new celebrity baby is always exciting, but when that bundle comes from a famous couple, it's twice the fun! Last year saw arrivals from double threats David and Victoria Beckham, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, and Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy, but 2012 has even more in store. Beyoncé and Jay-Z's tot has stolen the spotlight over the past few days, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck will welcome their third child soon, Without a Trace's Roselyn Sánchez and her actor hubby Eric Winter just welcomed their new daughter, Sebella Rose Winter, on Jan. 4, and Hilary Duff and hockey player Mike Comrie will become parents a little more than a year after their wedding. So which celeb couple's new arrival are you most anticipating? Weigh in below!

The Most-Overlooked Tax Deductions

Kiplinger — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:50:44 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Every year, the IRS dutifully reports the most common blunders that taxpayers make on their returns. And every year, at or near the top of the “oops” list is forgetting to enter their Social Security number at the top of the tax form - or making a mistake when entering those nine digits.

But think about it for a minute: Do you think that’s the most common mistake . . . or simply the easiest to notice?

One thing we know for sure is that the opportunity to make mistakes is almost unlimited, and missed deductions can be the most costly. About 45 million of us itemize on our 1040s - claiming more than $1 trillion worth of deductions. That’s right: $1,000,000,000,000, a number rarely spoken out loud until Congress started tying itself up in knots trying to deal with the budget deficit and national debt.

Another 92 million taxpayers claim about $700 billion worth using standard deductions - and some of you who take the easy way out probably shortchange yourselves. (If you turned 65 in 2011, remember that you now deserve a bigger standard deduction than the younger folks.)

Yes, friends, tax time is a dangerous time. It’s all too easy to miss a trick and pay too much. Years ago, the fellow who ran the IRS at the time told Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine that he figured millions of taxpayers overpay their taxes every year by overlooking just one of the money-savers listed below

Jersey Moms Pay the Most to Give Birth!

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:36:43 PDT

Expectant mamas might want to call a moving van if they live in New Jersey - the Garden State is the most expensive state to have a baby today. While the average US family will pay $9,617 to deliver vaginally and $15,799 for C-section, Jersey moms pay almost double that: $18,372 for a vaginal birth and $26,743 for a Cesarean. They may want to jump on the turnpike and head south a few hours to Maryland, which is the least expensive place to give birth. There, it only costs $5,509 for vaginal deliveries and $6,812 for C-sections.

These hefty price tags don't take insurance into account, and almost 40 percent of LilSugar readers said that their births were completely covered by their insurance plans. Still, if you tack these costs onto the $222,360 it costs to raise a child from birth to age 17, mama may want to start investigating the possibility of growing a money tree in the backyard.

Were you surprised when you received your hospital bill?

Source: Flikr User nateOne

OnSugar Blog: The Coolest Green Living Placemats Cum Art Kits For Kids

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 06:35:12 PDT

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and houseofanais is one of them. Here is one the latest posts to her House of Anais blog.

I know we are not the greenest family in the country, but we are trying to do our fair share on recycling, walking, shorter showers (miss Anaïs so enthusiastically uses her water timer for everyone), etc. We also try to live a relatively healthy lifestyle by eating more local and organic produce, avoiding BPA and other chemicals, and so on - and I recently also blogged about my quest for safer equipment in my start of the school year story. Basically, we updated the kids' school kits to these cute and eco-friendly lunch bags, food containers, and water bottles.

So recently we were asked if we wanted to test some environmentally-friendly products, and the whole family was very excited to try some out. The kids selected these cool placemats from Modern Twist, made out of food-grade silicone (they are very flexible so none of those bent corners that normally happen to our plastic placemats). What is so cool about them is that you can color them - and immediately I was thinking of long car journeys, sticking them in my handbag when going for restaurant meals (double benefits for being able to scrap all that falling food back to the place and entertaining kids as nonchain restaurants don't normally have activity packs for kids, and the waits time are long). We'll see soon how all that works as we are heading on our Yosemite road trip!

Oh how they loved coloring these placemats - for once, they stayed at the table eating the dinner and then coloring their pictures. Poor little Hugo got sidelined a bit as his rather artistic daddy wanted to also have a go too when enjoying his sushi. My tip would be to get one of these whiteboard erasers as it makes the cleaning of the placemats really quick. I also liked their coloring pens as they are child safe - and easy to wash off from clothes if an accident happens (unlike some other pens . . .)

My verdict all in all - we all love them, they are very cute and safe and can be used for many purposes - highly recommended!

And this is how far the kids got after meal one - and can one tell a difference between a 2-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy? Or maybe he just has a very modern style . . .

Want to see more? Start following House of Anais, or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just may feature your content on our site!

Eva Longoria and Eduardo Cruz Toast Latino Film Following Her Trip to DC

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:28:21 PDT

Eva Longoria had her boyfriend, Eduardo Cruz, by her side last night at her restaurant, Beso, for a party to celebrate the 15th annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. Eva was back in LA for the event after a quick trip to Washington DC. Eva spoke out on behalf of child farm workers in the United States while in the capital. The cause is one close to Eva's heart and was also the inspiration behind her recent documentary The Harvest. Her journey east was the latest in a busy Summer of globetrotting, most of which she's done with Eduardo close by her side. Eva and Eduardo had a double date in Spain with his sister Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem when they spent some time in Eduardo's home country, and the pair have also vacationed in Miami and London since the start of the season.

Emily Giffin Shares Her Top Moments From the Royal Wedding!

Guest Writer — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:15:05 PDT

Editor's Note: The following is a guest post written by Emily Giffin, author of Something Borrowed and four other best-selling novels. For more from Emily, like her on Facebook.

Just as I got up at the crack of dawn with my mother and sister to watch Di and Charles wed, I set my alarm for four this morning, donned my fanciest hat (purchased for Royal Ascot during my years in London), and gathered with my mother and own satisfyingly brainwashed-to-care children to watch this generation’s version of the royal wedding. As we sipped Earl Grey and munched on iced royal-nuptial sugar cookies, I tweeted the action, entranced by every detail of Kate and Will's magical day. Thirty years from now, here is what I will remember most:

A "people's wedding" with pomp and circumstance. Just as the guest list included celebrities, royals, and dignataries, as well as the butcher, grocer and postman of Kate's Berkshire village, the ceremony managed to be both formal and intimate at once, a tricky balancing act. Even the avenue of English field maple trees placed along the aisle (Kate's idea, natch) brightened the somber, thousand-year-old abbey doubling as a final resting place of 17 monarchs. Right out of the gate, Kate proves that she can respect tradition - yet do things her way - with warmth and style.
The dress, the dress! Kate looked positively stunning in her Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen ivory, hand-laced gown. While Diana's dress conjured an overdone child's drawing (no surprise, since she herself was a teenager!), Kate's gown was elegant and sophisticated, wonderfully reminiscent of Grace Kelly. A real, grown-up princess. (And, of course, I'd be remiss not to mention Kate's "something borrowed" - a 1936 Cartier tiara, on loan from the Queen herself, per royal wedding tradition. Beautiful.)
Picture-perfect Pippa and hot Harry. In contrast to the hideously comical, Dr. Seuss-esque selections of the Princesses of York, Eugenie and Beatrice. Oh, no they didn't.
Prince William’s one-liner to his soon-to-be father-in-law . . . “just a small family affair!” I love that he loves her family - another good sign.

See the rest and more pictures when you read more.

Kate Hudson Dresses Up For a Sing-Along With Fergie and a Scissor Sister

Allie Merriam — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:55:17 PDT

Kate Hudson indulged her love of performing last night at a bash thrown by the brand Chrome Hearts for Scissor Sisters star Jake Shears! She was joined by another singer, Fergie, at the event, along with Josh Duhamel, Adam Lambert, Cindy Crawford, and Rande Gerber - the bash doubled as a birthday celebration for Fergie as she turned 36 yesterday too. Kate, who's expecting a child with Muse front man Matthew Bellamy, has been all about her singing adventures recently with a stop by a taping of American Idol. She's gearing up for the release of her new movie Something Borrowed, and she rested up for the upcoming press tour by fitting a bikini-filled Mexican vacation into her itinerary last month.

Speed Read - Elizabeth Taylor Fashionably Late to Her Funeral

TresSugar — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:00:02 PDT

Elizabeth Taylor was late to her own funeral, per her request - People
Sucker Punch portrays female characters as vapid and weak - BuzzSugar
Census data shows a rise in multiracial population - New York Times
Amanda Knox asks Italian court to keep Lifetime movie out of the country - Guardian
PETA models shower nude to promote veganism in Hollywood - Nerve
Ex-sex-worker teachers shouldn't be treated like child molesters - Double X
Gabrielle Giffords is walking and talking, doesn't remember shooting - ABC
Lindsay Lohan might drop the "Lohan" from her name - Pop Eater

Buzz Blabber: Are Finn and Quinn a Bad Match on Glee?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 04:00:00 PST

We were treated to a double dose of Glee this week, but not all fans are happy with the way the writers are pairing up the characters. As Finn and Quinn rekindle their old flame, our readers spoke up about why these two aren't better together. Check out the comments, along with other debate-worthy topics from the week!

Glee fans lash out about Finn and Quinn's reunion

"I'm not surprised about Finn and Quinn but I'm also not a fan of their relationship at all. Finn is a complete flake to go back to someone who lied to him for as long as Quinn did last season. He'd be better off going back to Rachel. At least Rachel didn't sleep with Puck and get pregnant with his child and pretend it was Finn's. I prefer Quinn and Sam. They're cute together and there is no twisted history there." - kimmieb124
"I don't like the whole Finn and Quinn thing....I hate when shows recycle love interests too often." - care0531
"I wish Quinn didn't kiss Finn. I like her better with Sam. Although, I did catch the glimpse exchanged between Sam and Santana at Breadsticks. Hmmm... New couple alert?" - mandi villa

To find out what readers had to say about Lady Gaga's new tune and the True Blood books, just

"Love Gaga but this sounds just like Madonna's 'Express Yourself. Not original at all." - taylorvon
"I love Lady Gaga, but when I first listened to it this morning, I had the same reaction as taylorvon. Sure enough; all over the internet people had the same thought. Super disappointing by that alone." - LeiraElle
"It's OK and I love Gaga, but it's not as great as it's been hyped up to be. Definitely sounds like 'Express Yourself.'" - redchick152

No tears over the Sookie Stackhouse novels coming to an end

"I love the books, but, to be absolutely honest, the last few just haven't been that great. Two more books in the series sounds good to me." - Mädchen
"The books are definitely easy reads. I love all the characters. While I'll really miss the books, I feel that it's about time for the Sookie Stackhouse storyline to be complete. I hope to have plenty of True Blood to watch though!" - reesiecup
"I agree....the last few haven't been as good so I think its best to end them. I was getting bored with them. I will probably read the last two just so I can see how she ends things." - ktc71

Photo courtesy of Fox