Gimme A Break

I can’t live without my cup of morning coffee. When I’m out shopping, I’m always game to try the samples that the coffee promoters are constantly shoving in our faces.

I thought I’ve seen them all, the different types of coffee until I came across the kava grown abundantly in Hawaii’s famed Kova Kava Farm. It’s a super potent variety of coffee, obviously only for the bold and the adventurous .

But apparently this is not your regular cup of morning coffee. It’s known among the Hawaiian locals to be a safe herbal supplement for the past 3,000 years. It helps reduce stress and improve your overall sense of well-being.

Sound interesting? Go check it out at www.konakavafarm.com.

• kava to soothe my nerves
• protect your skin from the inside out
• early mornings and late nights
• long drive
• let them try it for a week

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My youngest daughter’s school is organizing its annual fund raiser. With three kids and three fund raisers a year, sometimes more, I’m fast running out of people to go to for donations.

I wouldn’t be surprised if friends started running away the next time they see me. It’s like we’re always trying to collect money for a walkathon or a jogathon or some other ‘thon.

I’m wondering why they can’t have a bake sale or a jumble sale instead. You know, just for a change, so we don’t keep chasing people around with this sponsorship card for yet another ‘thon.

No, seriously schools should start getting more creative. The kids are getting bored with the ‘thons and are lamenting about why they can’t do something different.

• can you keep up?
• how I created my own logo
• book sales but
• stretch your creativity with Aqua Dots
• choosing private schools

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An ex-classmate of mine has just returned from another business trip, this time to Europe. She’s so lucky she gets to travel so much. She thinks otherwise. She swears business travel is nothing but stress and grind.

She’s stayed in practically all the hotels in Italy and probably all the hotels in Rome too. I wouldn’t mind if I were her, getting to visit all the tourist attractions after work.

On her previous trips, she’s taken time off after business to visit the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain in Italy and the Vatican in Rome. That’s not too shabby.

Her company has already booked her into one of the Venice hotels for her trip next month. I can almost bet she’ll be showing me photos of herself riding in a gondola on Venice’s famed canals. Lucky girl !

• strangers for daughters
• constant traveler
• envious
• a VP’s job made easy
• a life I can only dream about

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It’s funny. When I was living near the beach, I didn’t actually appreciate it. But now that I’m living miles inland, I’m thinking what a great idea it would be.

If you’re living in Florida, you’re no doubt familiar with Miami Beach and the Wavery South Beach condominiums rising high into the sky. Wow, to be living in a high-rise near the beach must be a dream for a lot of us.

It’s a luxurious residence with its first-class amenities like 24 hour security, a party room, valet services and the best lagoon pool on West Avenue. You guys know I work at home.

Now if I lived in a place like this, I’d probably never get any work done. I’d be too busy basking in all this luxury with nary a care in the world. How about you? Wouldn’t you like a prestigious address like that?

• view from the Beach Club
• from orchids to roses
• land development design
• morning swim
• so where’s the genie?

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I met my neighbor in the garden carrying his grandson. The little guy has grown quite a bit since I first saw him shortly after he was born. It’s true.

Although we live next door, we hardly see him very much except maybe in the evenings when the day gets cooler. It’s been raining so much lately practically everyone is staying indoors.

The little guy’s seven months old and seems to be having a ball at being pampered by both his grandparents. Well, I guess that’s what grandparents are all about, isn’t it ?

I have to say though that this little guy is pretty well-behaved. I don’t recall ever hearing him cry unlike that other neighbor’s baby who always seems to be kicking up a big fuss all the time.

• the charms of being a new mom
• new addition
• sweet baby Donald
• is it wise to leave kids+baby home alone?
• his majesty

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Ever since I introduced my girls to skincare, they’ve been hogging all of my dressing table space with their bathroom vanities. Ack! All my cosmetics have been pushed to the far corner and the girls’ stuff have take centerstage .

I seriously need to buy a new dresser for their room so they won’t keep coming into mine to hog my space. It’s quite hilarious actually when the three of us stand in a row to catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror. Can you picture this ?

• 5 things to do with an old mug
• she sells trinkets
• enjoy extra living space
• win a Wii and Charter High-Speed for life
• spicy breakfast

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I am, by default, the family event organizer which means if we’re going to a concert or dinner, I’m the one who makes the reservations. That’s all fine and dandy if only people didn’t give me the evil eye if we end up in seats that are far from perfect.

If you’ve done this job before, you know what I mean. Sometimes it’s like the force is working against you and no matter how early you book your seats, you never quite get the ones you want because someone is always quicker and has snapped up the best seats in the house.

The good news is I don’t have to book Dallas Cowboys tickets here because we’re on the other side of the planet. But just in case you do, Premium Seats USA promises that you will get the seat you want because they’ve got a huge selection of first-class tickets to all the concerts, sports and theater events in the US. So give them a try.

• for Miama Heat fans
• pick your seats
• savings on Super Bowl tickets
• so who wants to go where again?
• i don’t book tickets any more

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The kids are looking forward to tomorrow because it’s the 31st of the month. What this means for me is having to fork out money for a quart or more of Baskin Robbins ice-cream .

It’s become a ritual of some sort over this past year to be on the lookout for months with 31 days to take advantage of their 31% off. Ugh, entirely fattening!

But I so love ice-cream that I really don’t mind . For some strange reason, eating ice-cream makes us very happy. You should just see us huddled over this huge tub dipping our spoons in every 30 seconds and emerging with a big old smile spread across our faces.

• ice cream spring roll?
• smelling good
• more pocket change coming
• you mean we should stop eating?
• crazy young drivers

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It’s wonderful being able to design your own home. I’m not an architect and frankly I wouldn’t know where to start. But I really like the idea of designing my own home but my not being an architect would mean I would have to spend hours sitting down with one to get a plan out.

Up until now, I didn’t know we could purchase ready-made house plans. How convenient and what a time saver! If I had a choice, I really wouldn’t be able to decide what kind of house I want .

There are so many styles of home I like that surely I’d be going back and forth from Log Cabin House Plans to English Cottage House Plans to Small Ranch House Plans and still be undecided because I want them all !!

That’s what happens when you’re spoilt for choice. The greed takes over and you want everything! That’s what happened to me when I went to House Plans and More, and found they have so many selections to choose from.

• of cold weather and log cabins
• holiday thoughts
• island paradise
• holiday mood
• why I don’t watch movies with subtitles

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A cousin of mine will be moving his company to a new office next month, or before the end of the year. Since he’s making good money, he’s considering buying everything new.

He plans to leave his office furniture and fittings at the old office when he moves out. I was like - what? He’s pretty sure people will come and cart them away since most of the furniture is still quite new.

I think it’s a real waste. He can always sell the stuff and use the money to take his staff out for a good old dinner. I’m suggesting he donate the stuff to some charitable organization who, I’m sure, would greatly appreciate it.

• out with the clutter
• is your home office office-like?
• joining in the rush
• book sales but
• we got a new sofa

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