**** Yes I love Self.com. And I thought this article/workout was so cute! Click the “See your custom workout” linkto view a slide show to get your rear in gear. SOOOO… My butt is ample. What’s your type??? 
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Find your tush type, then sculpt the derriere of your dreams with our customized plan. Bottoms up!
Whatever your jeans size, most fannies fit into the flat, droopy or ample categories. You can’t trade genes with J.Lo, but you can tweak your workout to maximize your caboose’s natural gifts, says Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist in San Diego for the American Council on Exercise, who designed this workout. In other words, the right routine can help round out the flat-bottomed, lift up the droopy and slim down the generously proportioned! Read about your rump’s go-to moves, then shape a butt you can get behind by doing your plan three times a week.
Is your butt flat?
Stand sideways in front of a mirror. If you say, “What butt?” you belong here.
Your bottom line In flat types, your pelvis may be rotated downward, which can shift much of the work the gluteus maximus muscles handle to your back and hamstring muscles, McCall says. Simply put, your glutes are on an extended vacation and never get the chance to fully develop. Plus, you may have less fat tissue in your fanny, so you miss out on booty bounty.
Is your butt droopy?
Your cheeks hang down and merge with the top of your hamstrings.
Your bottom line For those with lower derrieres, the pelvis may be rotated upward; this means the standard moves don’t challenge your gluteus maximus muscles enough to get a rise out of them, literally. If you don’t add extra resistance or explosive movement, they just go through the motions, which allows gravity to move in and stake its saggy claim.
Is your butt ample?
You’ve got plenty to work with, true, but your rear runneth over.
Your bottom line Send a thank-you note to Mom and Dad: An ample backside usually means you build glute muscles without having to try too hard, McCall says. You’ve got the tools; now make them work for you! Your goal: Get rid of jiggle. Drop extra fat that hides your assets, and firm your glutes and surrounding muscles to carve out a more defined, toned behind.
Reverse crunch
Lie on back, legs raised with knees bent 90 degrees. Squeeze a sports ball (or folded towel) between knees and rest arms at sides. Contract abs to curl hips off floor (as shown). Slowly lower hips for one rep.
(TONEITUP moves taken from Self.com)
By MiShaun Taylor
(How to Talk to Kids About Money originally published on Modernmom.com)
You first start learning about teaching your kids about money on that special trip to Wal-Mart when your child first throws a tantrum because you won’t buy her a Barbie doll. Some people will grab the child from the shopping cart and leave the store fuming and red in the face. Other parents might opt to purchase it (hey, it’s only five bucks) just to continue shopping in peace and avoid any future humiliation. Eventually you will have to learn to say “No” and teach your kids about money.
Step 1
Show them the money. Show them copies of the household bills to explain to them why sometimes you can’t afford the things they want. Children aren’t aware of how costly living expenses can be, and the only way to explain it to them is by showing them. Break it down into their terms. If they want a $300 iPod, explain how many bags of groceries you could buy with that money. You don’t have to show them a copy of your paycheck, but at least allow them to gain an understanding of how much money is spent toward bills on a monthly basis.
Step 2
Don’t give an allowance. You don’t get money without working for it, so it’s important to explain this concept to your child at an early age. Instead of just handing out an allowance each week, pay them to do household chores. Create a list of chores that describes how much the child will be paid for each task they complete. This will allow them to grasp the value of a dollar. The amount you pay per chore is up to you, and it is up to the child to determine which chores he wants to do and how much he wants to earn. Order a customized chore chart online from DLTK (see Resources for link). Hang it on your refrigerator to serve as a reminder to your kids.
Step 3
Teach them to budget. If your son is begging you for an expensive game system that you just can’t afford, help him learn how to budget his money to save up for it on his own. It will be a rewarding experience when your son has finally earned the money and can buy the system himself. Kids take better care of their belongings when they are forced to buy them themselves. My Budget Planner 4 Kids is an inexpensive software program that will help teach your kids to make a budget (see Resources for link).
Step 4
Play games that teach about money. One of the best and well-known board games that teaches kids about money is Monopoly. When played correctly, you can really show your child the value of money. Another good board game that deals with money is Life. Life is a great game because it actually goes through a series of events an individual would face in his or her lifetime and gives purchasing options to choose from. If your daughter opts to spend all her money on the fancy mansion when she has an average-paying job, she will suffer financial consequences later in the game. You can use this game time to bond with your kids and also explain real-life situations that occur from bad money management. For ratings and reviews of money board games, visit Rate It All (see Resources for link).
Step 5
Offer to pay a partial amount for very expensive items. When the time comes and your baby is finally a teenager, you might feel pressured to buy her a car since “all the other mommies are doing it.” As much as you would love to hand over the keys to a new automobile, sometimes you just aren’t financially able to. Explain to your daughter how you can’t afford to make the entire purchase on your own and offer to pay what is affordable to you. Encourage her to get a part-time job to raise the rest of the money needed to buy the car she desires.
my heart wants what it can’t have. a slow death of emotions I can’t release or let go of. i’m holding on to whats real and false at the same time. to love him is to breathe life into my soul, to not love him is to suffocate on my sorrows of what could have been. the only truth I know is my own, the truth of my love for him. so I choose to love him, love him deeply.
Carlos by Carlos Santana Hysteria Slingback Platform Pump
Carlos Santana Hysteria Slingback Platform Pump
Pantone is pleased to announce PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the Color of the Year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.
I am loving this color!!! I normally ignore the color of the season/year but Turquoise is a good color on me! Dresses are also going to be my thing for 2010, so I’m going to get started with some variations below… on a budget though lol.
#1 Long Sleeved Turquoise Tunic Dresses by KAS Designs ~ $150.00
#2 Honey Bunny Collar Bow Dress ~ ON SALE!!! WAS AT SALES PRICE $42.49, NOW $33.99 (SAVE $76.49 (69%), RRP $110.48)
#3 Pelle Moda – Wrigley Nude Patent ~ $150.00
#4 Jessica Simpson ‘Stelana’ Platform Sandal ~ Was: $88.95, Now: $58.90… 33% OFF
*** I was gonna do a bunch of research but Epicurious had already done it lol… How will you bring luck into the New Year??? I’m definitely eating Black Eyed Peas and Greens 
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Lucky Foods for the New Year
Text by Lauren Salkeld, photos courtesy of David Loftus & Gary Baker
For many, January 1 offers an opportunity to forget the past and make a clean start. But instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune? There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky and to improve the odds that next year will be a great one. Traditions vary from culture to culture, but there are striking similarities in what’s consumed in different pockets of the world: The six major categories of auspicious foods are grapes, greens, fish, pork, legumes, and cakes. Whether you want to create a full menu of lucky foods or just supplement your meal, we have an assortment of recipes, guaranteed to make for a happy new year, or at the very least a happy belly.
Grapes
New Year’s revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock. This dates back to 1909, when grape growers in the Alicante region of Spain initiated the practice to take care of a grape surplus. The idea stuck, spreading to Portugal as well as former read more…
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU MADD SEXY & COOL PEOPLE!!!
Like most folks, I made a list of goals for the new year. But its not a new list, just refocused. I didn’t proclaim certain goals last year because I still had a lot to finish from 2008. This year I need to be even more determined if I’m going to get where I’m going. For New Years Eve, I alot of time thinking about what I need to change in order for me to grow into the person I want to become, to accomplish those things I want in life. I also prayed and consecrated my faith and my goals on NYE and prayed that if it’s the Lord’s will and not my own then let it be done. All I have this year is faith… but sometimes faith needs a little motivation…
So dude surprised with brown knee high boots as a christmas present this morning after he’d given me an ironing board for christmas yesterday (inside joke but I loved it was content with only that). But the story is when I got dressed this morning for work I wanted to wear my boots. They fit perfectly which was a great surprise as well since I can never ever find a a regular shoe that fits let alone a knee high boot. So I picked out this pretty brown dress to go with my brown boots and a dark olive green pashmina. Yea I’m looking good today .
The problem is when I go to put on my coat. Its suppose to freeze and ice today so I definitely need a coat but I only have black and grey coats! I have a tan bomber jacket with a fur hood but that was not gonna work. So what do I do… I stop by Target on the way to work to buy a neutral colored coat. Yes I did and I was unsuccessful. They only had a tan waterproof trench for $50 and it was not worth $50 looking at it. Total FAIL. I just feel so tacky in my black coat. Was that anal for me to stop at Target at 8:30 in the morning to buy a coat that matched my out fit for today? It’s not that I wouldn’t wear it again. I don’t have a neutral colored coat, which in my eyes would justify the purchase.
One more thing. I hate seeing grown ass women with chipped nail polish. Mine got chipped over the Christmas holidays so on my way to the movies on Sunday I did my best to take the polish off. FAIL… I ran out of polish remover and was already running late. I do stuff like this all the time. I’ll give myself a mini manicure in the parking garage before I go into work, or I’ll touch up my clear polish on the way to some where. I always run out of time before I leave to fix my nails, but I’m sorry it must be done! Anal huh? Or is it just the girly lady in me?
