Search Results for: blog is it the green tea or the locale

An Antioxidant Boost for Your Tea

Tea is good for you. We’ve discussed it plenty of times here at Families.com. It’s full of healthy antioxidants that can provide all sorts of health benefits! Green tea has become the superhero of the tea world, with a ton and a half of good press. Are you ready to make your green tea even healthier? A study from Purdue University has figured out how to kick your antioxidant absorption up a notch — add a splash of citrus juice. Just three tablespoons of your favorite citrus juice (lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit) can improve the stability of catechins — … Continue reading →

Blooming Teas

As I was sitting down to write about blooming teas –also called flowering teas, display teas, or blooming art teas– it occurred to me that this was another discovery made with my sister Coco. Like she did with Penzeys Spices, it was she who noticed the bags of tea with pictures of flowers on them in Franklin Tea, a specialty tea shop. She asked the owner what the picture represented, as the flowers were very exotic looking but the only writing on the bags was in Chinese except for the “title,” in this case “Jasmine Fairy Maiden.” “Oh that’s my … Continue reading →

Is it the Green Tea or the Locale?

Green tea is a wonderful drink that of late we hear a great deal about in news about health and fitness. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that Japanese green tea could definitely reduce the risk of heart disease. However, the study did not find any relationship between drinking green tea and reducing cancer rates. The FDA still states that they have found ‘no credible evidence’ to indicate that green tea reduces risk of heart disease. In fact, the evidence is rather sketchy other than the fact that unsweetened green tea is better for … Continue reading →

Creating Affordable Memories

  Not everyone can afford to take expensive winter trips to tropical locales to create magical family memories swimming with dolphins, paragliding over cobalt blue waves or cruising next to breaching whales. Heck, you may not even be able to pay for cable television, so that you can bond with your clan while watching “Home Alone” on ABC Family. I hear you. We live on a tight budget, so cable TV is not a luxury our family indulges in. While my young daughter would love nothing more than to cuddle up with the newest Disney characters, TLC reality stars, and … Continue reading →

Sweet and Simple Valentine’s Day

Who says Valentine’s Day has to be an elaborate affair? Unless you are being wooed by Donald Trump there’s little chance that your Love Day will include jetting off to a romantic locale, being showered with diamonds and rubies, and dining on a five-course gourmet meal while Luciano Pavarotti serenades you in multiple languages. Heck, most of us will be lucky if we find a crumpled handmade Valentine’s Day card in the bottom of our kid’s backpack. Celebrating February 14th doesn’t have to put a strain on your wallet. Forget about the fancy chocolates, chilled champagne, long-stemmed roses, and massive … Continue reading →

Spring Break Menu—-Mexican Fiesta

If you are currently digging out from the massive storm that is making the East Coast look like the inside of a snow globe, then spring may seem a long way off. It does for me. Temperatures where I live are brutally cold (think 20 BELOW zero). Given that Old Man Winter still has us firmly in his grips, I’ve decided to retaliate by dedicating a series of blogs to spring break. Each day I plan to choose a popular spring break destination and provide recipes that are unique to the region. Even if you can’t jet off to a … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: One More Faux European Hot Spot and Swinging Golf Savings

In a previous blog I provided tips on how you could save on your summer jaunt abroad (F.Y.I.–one British pound currently costs $2) by getting your Euro-fix in the States. From Wisconsin to Texas, New York to Michigan the good ol’ US of A is chock full of destinations that are overflowing with European flair. One city that I failed to mention in my previous blog is Tarpon Springs, Florida. The sunny locale is oozing with Mediterranean charm. More than a century ago Greek immigrants traveled to Tarpon Springs and turned it into one of the leading areas for sponge … Continue reading →

Digital Photography 101: Printing Your Pictures

Continuing in our series about digital photography… Okay, so you’ve snapped your photos, now it’s time to print them. You have a few options for printing your images. You can do so from the comfort of your home, have it done at a retail store, or use an online printing service. In this blog we will discuss printing your pictures from your home. Printing digital pictures at home is easy thanks to advancements in technology. These days you don’t need a fancy computer to get prints that are as good as the ones you get at the store. Many digital … Continue reading →

Family Friendly Attractions In Miami

Miami is known for its hip nightclubs, luxury hotels, and fast cars. Not exactly kid-friendly offerings. But, dig a bit deeper and you’ll find that the tropical locale really does cater to families. Here are a few of noteworthy attractions that will delight children of all ages: Miami Children’s Museum The Miami Children’s Museum is filled with brightly decorated rooms that are crammed with bilingual, interactive exhibits. Your children can take turns dressing up as a police officer, a clown or a doctor before they head off to another room to spin records in a mock recording studio. Meanwhile, animal … Continue reading →

The Week in Review: September 9 –15

Welcome to our week in review. This week saw the fifth anniversary of September 11th and all the memorials, sadness and tales of heroism that entails. While it’s important to remember, it’s also equally important that we continue forward, making our world a better place so that hopefully none that come after us have to experience a similar tragedy. Here is your Week in Review for Fitness: September 9 We talked about Walking – is it better to do it incrementally or all in one go. There are multiple schools of thought on this, but as with all forms of … Continue reading →