tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16093000396069508742012-02-07T18:04:19.314-05:00Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.comBlogger201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-44561320045336247732011-04-26T10:39:00.000-04:002011-04-26T10:39:57.783-04:00

This just in from the pulpit.African-American Pastors Unite to Revive Marriage and Fatherhood

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-33786756671458379192009-11-23T14:08:00.001-05:002010-03-26T09:56:00.763-04:00

The banter about skinny jeans and body image issues isn't  likely to settled down anytime soon. But why waste time talking about  counterproductive stuff when you can enjoy who you are, eat well, and live life to the fullest? That's part of the reasoning behind The Zaftig Life, a new Web  site, blog and brand-in-the-making that caters to women with real curves and real appetites. Zaftig Life

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-81604766680223328102009-11-15T07:00:00.002-05:002009-11-14T22:22:38.899-05:00

"When money is tight it is even more important to remember how many other things we can do to better our world other than just writing a donation check. We make choices in our day to day life that have a tremendous impact on the world around us." —from Shoppin' With Lovin'We came across this quote by way of Boom Boom! Cards, an intentional acts of random kindness kit that includes a deck of 26

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-33341578430102452862009-11-14T21:30:00.003-05:002009-11-14T21:35:45.974-05:00

From downsizing our supersized appetites for "stuff" to rethinking the many choices that tend to drain our wallets, 2009 has been the Year of Doing More With Less---less money, less time, less fanfare, etc.But if anything, we've learned that scaling back the way we spend time and money hasn't been that bad afterall. For years I've owned a copy of Dining on a Dime, the how-to recipe treasure by

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-43476458208292634662009-10-16T11:41:00.002-04:002009-10-16T11:44:13.107-04:00

First off, we weren't sure what to expect when Dyson offered us the chance to try out its new DC23 Turbinehead, billed as the latest in "Level 3 Root Cyclone" technology. But once we got going, we quickly realized that's exactly what this 19.5 lb. unit is: a cyclone.The DC23 Turbinehead seemed a bit bulky when we removed it from the box, but once we put it together---in all of, oh, 30 seconds---

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-61952166524185390632009-07-23T10:24:00.005-04:002009-07-23T10:33:55.734-04:00

Who says kids have to wait until Halloween to get their fill of sweet treats? Not the kid-friendly manufacturers behind the coolest USB flash drive we’ve ever seen. Back-to-school shoppers will get rush from the new Hershey’s Miniatures-inspired memory sticks that pack anywhere from 1GB to 4 GB of school projects, reports, research presentations, video, slideshows and so on. Depending on your kid

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-54998538978502304652009-07-10T11:23:00.001-04:002009-07-10T11:23:28.908-04:00

News about the economy has many would-be shopaholics in a funk, but every now and then, we all come across an item or two that makes us wanna splurge. I'm all about saving money, cutting corners and putting cash away for (the next) rainy day. But no good girl should go unrewarded. So if you're doing due diligence by cutting back on your daily soy latte or finding 99 ways to reinvent chicken, then

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-44575664384028541492009-07-07T09:57:00.001-04:002009-07-07T10:18:11.866-04:00

Homemade Simple offers excellent tips on making cool totes for friends interesting in everything from bargain shopping to beach outings. Image by massdistraction via FlickrIt was bad enough being covered up by junk mail in real life, but now it seems, my email inbox is flooded with stuff I neither want to read or need to have.And I'm not talking about crazy spam, porn or foreign lottery winners

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-30272501918182369202009-07-03T07:53:00.001-04:002009-07-03T07:53:17.241-04:00

For all you creative types who color outside the lines, Australian writer/business coach Joanna Maxwell has put together a simple, provocative and highly cool slideshow that will make you think. Hard.If you like it, pass it on. Creative Thinking: Your EdgeView more presentations from Joanna Maxwell.

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-56935463040471083002009-06-22T09:52:00.006-04:002009-06-23T09:59:45.165-04:00

ShopSmart magazine, published by Consumer Reports, is at it again with more coupon tips and techniques.I'm especially psyched about their additional strategies: During a grocery run last week, I watched the cash register ring backward from $142 down to $100.18 after coupons and loyalty-card discounts. Whoo-hoo!I'm hardly an expert coupon-clipper, but I do my fair share of cutting and clipping,

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-80223858189519781412009-06-20T19:58:00.004-04:002009-06-21T09:50:56.596-04:00

When it comes to the latest pool toys from Prime Time International, we've only got three things to say:Fear the foam.We found the Max Liquidator line of lightweight, brightly colored foam toys would be an instant hit with kids (think Super Soaker-level water streams) and parents (think cheap!) alike.Kids looking to escape the early summer heat were especially fond of Blaster Board (about $19.99)

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-65257718237620468962009-05-14T10:47:00.004-04:002009-05-14T11:33:59.074-04:00

You know it's a good recipe book when the stories leap off the page and the pictures send you running to the store to buy any and everything in sight.That was the case when we opened up Lari Robling's "Endangered Recipes: Too Good to be Forgotten." ($17.95, Stewart, Tabori & Chang) The Philadelphia News columnist and public radio contributor knows good food--and good people. The writing was so

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-70452879171714475802009-05-08T10:31:00.002-04:002009-05-08T10:49:20.331-04:00

Sometimes the best things in life are free....like spending an afternoon with the kids at the beach, running from the waves and scraping sand from between our toes. Makes being a mom look like fun!

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-66360074257068626692009-03-06T09:50:00.005-05:002009-05-15T14:32:20.998-04:00

So good, so sadBridge of Sighs by Richard Russo really gave me pause. Not only will it leaving you thinking about the past, but if you're under 60 or so, you'll think hard about your future, too.I'll admit it though: The first 150 pages or so were slow as molasses. I was looking forward to the couple's trip to Italy almost as much as they were, only to learn---through patience and thoughtful

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-78617567254914808312009-02-24T14:37:00.002-05:002009-02-24T14:42:23.384-05:00

I love social networking as much the next person, and if I didn't have to feed the fam or put on a load of whites, I'd spend the whole day frittering away my time on Facebook and Twitter, and uh, Blogger, socializing....While all respect the power of IM, text and other social media, most of us know better than to use it irresponsibly. That's why I think Elmhust, Ill., school officials have the

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-72280064504643520492007-09-10T11:10:00.001-04:002007-09-10T11:10:01.798-04:00

I admit it. I hate taking the kids along for trips to the grocery store. Or the dry cleaners. And you can add the beauty salon, post office, convenience store and other non-kid-friendly places to that list.But recent events in Cincinnati give all of us who have ever left a kid in the car---even momentarily---pause. The Aug. 23 story about a middle school assistant principal who forgot her 2-

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-66190154918806191052007-08-31T09:57:00.001-04:002007-09-05T04:19:41.082-04:00

. . . Call mom.That's basically what happens when things go awry in our kids' lives, according new findings from the University of Cincinnati.While we all recognize that dads are helping out more than ever before and that times are a'changing, some things remain the same: Women are more likely to leave their jobs to attend to their children.If you're mom working outside the home (or at home for

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-24729959682378745012007-08-27T10:19:00.001-04:002007-08-27T10:19:34.914-04:00

This just in from a friend in Kalamazoo, Mich. Every mom (and anyone else not quite ready for the week ahead) could use a laugh every now and then—especially on Monday. According to my friend, the following offers an LOL moment courtesy of a group of second grade children, although we suspect there may be a little mom-biased brainwashing going on here. The youngsters who responded were asked:Why

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-44597855381554862382007-08-20T17:09:00.001-04:002007-09-01T14:20:30.102-04:00

We're close. Very close. As in 'Ohmygosh where did the summer go and how will I get the kids ready for school next week?' close.Here in the Cincinnati area, our brood heads back to class in a few days and as usual, I've got grand ideas about how to make this school term better than the last.Part of the master plan has to do with getting---and staying---organized. Although I've written about this

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609300039606950874.post-88957804814833508132007-08-08T12:02:00.000-04:002007-08-09T17:27:28.549-04:00

Your thoughts matterI've been threatening to enter the blogosphere for years, but until now, never thought I had anything worthy of sharing.But as a veteran journalist turned stay-at-home mom to three kids 8 and under, I realize that now, more than ever before, I've got plenty to say.And so do you.Enter Those Who Think, Ink.Back in the day---also known as "Life Before Kids"---I never thought

Gail Townshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370014619652292857noreply@blogger.com1