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Irony

Jen — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:23:43 +0000

Couldn’t resist posting this…

Friday Eye Candy: Sexy Men of Daytime Soaps

Jen — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:50:44 +0000

When I was in eighth grade, I got hooked on Days of Our Lives. Throughout high school, my mom would record it on the vcr every day because she was a great mom and tivo hadn’t been invented yet (horrors).

I remember rushing home from school so I could watch all the drama and romance unfold. Patch and Kayla’s wedding was so beautiful, but my favorite couple would have to be Jack and Jennifer.

So much passion. It was hard not to get hooked.

Somewhere along the line I stopped watching Days and started watching General Hospital. I loved the whole Sonny/Brenda/Jax love triangle.

However, without a doubt, my favorite couple on any soap ever was Lucky and Liz:

And I’m talking about the original Lucky. I loved Jonathan Jackson and mourned for weeks after he “died” in the fire. He and Elizabeth had so much chemistry and were just so adorable together. Sigh.

There are a few things you can always count on with the soaps:

If a character gets killed off, there is no need to worry. More than likely they will miraculously be resurrected from the dead at some point in the distant future.
If a couple finally gets married and it appears that they will live happily ever after, the ex that they thought was dead will most likely come back from the dead to ruin everything (see rule #1).
Most of the men on the show are VERY HOT!!

My friend Kate suggested that I feature sexy soap guys and I thought it was a FANTASTIC idea!!

I no longer watch the soaps, so I had to do a little research before doing this post. I’m hoping that I’m not leaving anyone out.

Let’s get started:

Claire suggested Jay Kenneth Johnson, who plays Philip Kiriakis on Days of our Lives:

My friend Kate suggested Daniel Goddard, who plays Cane Ashby on Young and the Restless.

She also suggested Brandon Barash who plays Johnny Zacchara on General Hospital.

(At this point in the post, I’m wondering why in the heck I stopped watching the soaps. I must resolve to put them back on again, if only to drool at all the hot guys.)

Cheryl wanted me to include Michael Easton, who plays Lieutenant John McBain on One Life to Live.

Ok, so I know that I said that I no longer watch the soaps. Well, for the most part that is the truth, but every so often I will tune into GH or Days just to see what is going on. And of course the same people hate each other and the same couples are still having problems. It is kind of nice to know that some things will never change.

Well, one day when I was flipping and came across Days. I stopped dead in my tracks because I noticed this beautiful specimen on the screen.

My own personal favorite…James Scott who plays EJ Dimera on Days. Ladies, he has the sexiest accent ever. Not only that, but the smart people over at Days seem to know what the viewers want and he does plenty of his scenes shirtless. Take a look:

Do you or have you ever watched any daytime soap opera? If so, which one?

Who’s your favorite sexy soap guy from the list above?

Did I forget someone that you would like to see included on Sexy Soap Men Part Two or Sexy Soap Men from Years Gone By?

Check out more Aloha Friday posts at An Island Life blog.

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Jason Mraz Recap

Jen — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:44:46 +0000

About a month ago, I signed up to be an EventChaser. My first assignment was the Jason Mraz concert.

I posted my full recap of the show (and photos) over there today. Click here to read all about it. I hope you’ll stop by and check it out. Feel free to leave me a comment over there.

Special thanks to RazorGator for providing the concert tickets.

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Choose My Own Weight Loss Adventure

Jen — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:51:34 +0000

This past week wasn’t my best week. Sadly, I must report a small gain.

It’s only .4 lbs, but it is still not the direction that I want to see the scale going. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since I’ve been eating like eating is going out of style. I’ll leave out all the delicious details, but let’s just say that I haven’t been watching my portions or making good choices with my food.

Hopefully, I can get myself back on track.

In the meantime, I want to announce the winner of the 6-Month Membership to Sensei for Weight Loss. Congratulations to Brooke!!

The code for everyone else, good for 50% off of 1 month, is MISHMASH

This week I have the answers to the questions that you left for the nutritionist. Let’s see what Nutritionist Renee Melton has to say about nighttime snacking, diet sodas, and much more…

Brooke asked:

My question for the nutritionist: does exercise affect blood sugar?

I’ve been getting light headed if i’m not able to eat within an hour of running. i have naturally low blood sugar (fasting in the 40s).

Exercise definitely affects blood sugar… and it sounds like you’re experiencing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) because of your running. Glucose is the fuel for your body and comes from our bodies breaking down the foods we eat. We either burn the energy right away or store whatever is excess. During exercise, glucose moves from your bloodstream to the muscles. When you’re exercising you’re body is burning fuel at a faster rate.

Fortunately there are steps you can take to minimize your low blood sugar. First, you should have a light meal an hour or two before you run. Things like fruits, vegetables, cereals & breads are good choices, but avoid sugary or refined ‘white’ products (white rice, white bread). If you need something quick, a yogurt and fruit smoothie can work well. During your run, instead of plain water, use a lightly sweetened sports drink or diluted juice (75% water, 25% juice) to provide extra carbs (fuel). Once your run is over, have a healthy snack that includes more carbs (like a glass of OJ and a couple crackers). This will help replenish the glucose you’ve lost during exercise.

Jenn asked

My question is: Is the new Coke Zero and Pepsi O Calorie really good for you or should you just avoid soda all together?

Hi Jenn – I don’t think that anyone could ever say that diet soda of any kind is ‘good’ for you. Certainly if you enjoy it, an occasional glass or can is fine. But if you’re one of those people who drinks soda all day long, then you should make some changes.

While diet soda has been shown to be ‘safe’ to consume in moderate amounts and not contribute to cancer, it’s also come under fire in recent years for other reasons. Some research suggests that the sweet taste triggers us to eat more calories. In other words, it can keep your sweet tooth in overdrive leading you to eat more carbs. There’s also been a possible link identified between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome (a combination of medical conditions which increase risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes), but more research is needed in that area. Some people also experience GI distress (indigestion or feeling ‘gassy’) with long term or high soda use.

So, is it good for you, ‘no’, the issue that many are arguing right now is whether or not diet soda is ‘bad’ for you.

So what are good alternatives? Well, if you’re really missing the soda, you could try a couple ounces of juice in a glass of sparkling water. Other great options are cold water with wedges of lemon or lime or chilled green or black tea. Now these are things that truly are ‘good’ for you!

Lindsay asked:

I want to make baby food instead of buying pre-made for my baby. Do you have any recipes that make for awesome, healthy baby food?

What a great idea, you can make sure that your baby is getting the best and freshest foods! Babies have very sensitive taste buds, so seasonings and strong flavors aren’t necessary. Sticking with plain foods is the best idea. Once you know your baby tolerates individual foods, you can mix them to create new flavors. Try mixing 2 favorite fruits or vegetables.

The most important things when making your own baby food is feeding age appropriate foods and food safety. For some great recommendations, check out reliable websites, like www.pregnancy.org, and do a search for homemade baby food. They can give you all the guidelines you need to make the healthiest and most nutritious food possible.

Yevette asked:

Is the new over the counter ali diet pill really good for you???

Alli blocks the digestion of some of the fat that you eat, meaning this fat passes out of your body undigested. If you’re considering trying this, there are possible side effects you need to be aware of (taken from their website): ‘gas with oily spotting’, ‘loose stools’, and ‘more frequent stools that may be hard to control’. Pretty pleasant sounding, huh? The more fat you eat, the more likely you are to have these side effects. The Alli program is supposed to help you lose 1-2 pounds per week.

The bottom line is that you can lose 1-2 pounds per week by making small changes in your diet (similar to what you’d need to do if you took Alli), and adding a little more activity to your life. Learning how to control portions and eat healthier can not only help you lose weight, but keep it off for good. If you feel overwhelmed with the idea of doing it yourself, try a program with a little structure, like Sensei for Weight Loss, to help you get there in a healthy way.

And here is my question:

Does it really matter if you eat after 8pm or is it just the total amount of calories you have per day that matters? For example if my goal is 1400 calories and I eat 1100 up until 8pm and I save the 300 for an evening snack is that going to hurt my chances of losing weight?

Eating after 8pm itself isn’t so much the problem. The problem many ‘night time eaters’ have is that they don’t eat enough (or skip meals) during the day and eat most of their calories late at night. Because they’re hungry, they’re far more likely to overeat. Plus, as anyone who’s had a big meal before bedtime knows, it doesn’t exactly make for a restful night’s sleep!

Are you are eating at least 3 balanced meals throughout the day? Do you feel satisfied (not getting too hungry) throughout the day? If you can answer ‘yes’ to both of these questions, then eating 200-300 calories as snack a couple hours before bed shouldn’t be a problem. But, if you’re feeling hungry during the day, I recommend moving at least some of those evening calories earlier in the day.

You can minimize the number of calories you need for your evening snack by picking low cal and high fiber foods. Try things like veggies with low cal dressing or a little hummus, air popped popcorn, a slice of lite wheat bread with a thin slice of deli meat, or a whole grain (unsweetened) cereal with fat free milk.

About the nutritionist….

Renee Melton, M.S., R.D., L.D.

Sensei Director of Nutrition Services

Ms. Melton has 20+ yrs in counseling and motivation. She held several positions with SUNY at Buffalo,

participating research which encompassed adult fitness & nutrition, childhood obesity, women’s health

and cancer. Melton was senior staff on several federally funded studies in weight loss and disease

prevention.

As Undergraduate Nutrition Coordinator for SUNY at Buffalo, Melton developed web-based courses,

taught lecture and web classes, counseled students, guest lectured, and served as a preceptor for the

dietetic internship program. Melton has been an on air nutrition consultant for a local news station and

presented at her state dietetics conference.

As a founding senior member of the Sensei team, Melton was involved in initial development of

Sensei’s weight loss program. She is company liaison to the nutrition community and continues to

participate in clinical research examining cutting edge advances in weight loss and behavior modification

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A Quickie

Jen — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:22:18 +0000

I sat down tonight to write up a post and my thoughts are just all over the place, so bullet points it is.

Did you watch the Gosselin train-wreck? I don’t even watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight on a normal basis, but like a bug to a bright light I just couldn’t resist tonight’s episode. I tuned in and after it went off I couldn’t help but feel completely sick to my stomach. No one really knows for sure what the heck is going on but they are either great actors or having some serious marital problems. The body language and awkward silent treatments were just so painful to watch. It seems pretty evident at this point that Jon did cheat. I know that he is denying it but you can pretty much read between the lines. Who really knows though? If it is true and they are going to deal with it on the show, I’m kind of surprised by that. I can’t imagine that anyone would want to air their dirty laundry on purpose, but then again anything is possible when it comes to greed. I just can’t see how this is at all healthy for the kids? And since Kate says that she does everything for her kids, I’m thinking that there is some kind of hypocrisy going on here. I’m sure the ratings for this episode were through the roof, so you have to guess that is their motivation for staying on tv. My heart just breaks for the kids. They didn’t sign up for any of this. The whole thing is just so sad. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this show if you watch.

I finally finished The Host this weekend. It took me a really long time to get into this book. I would say it wasn’t until about Chapter 13 (over 100 pages in) that I was hooked. Normally I would just give up on a book after that many chapters, but my whole neighborhood read it and said they liked it more than Twilight so I just had to stick with it. Once the story got going, it was FANTASTIC!! Did I like it more than Twilight? No, I can’t say that I did, but I highly recommend this book! It is such a unique and compelling tale. There is romance, adventure, suspense…everything you could want in a book. I couldn’t put it down! I have to give Stephenie Meyers credit where credit is due. That woman sure does know how to tell a story and create characters that you come to love. If you haven’t read it, definitely check it out. If you have read The Host, let me know what you thought of it in the comments.

The JoeyTotes coupon code ( mishmash09 ) will be expiring at the end of May. Don’t miss out on your 10% discount.

Finally, I wanted to say that I won’t be around much for the next month. I am starting a new job until the end of the school year so blogging is going to have to be put on the back burner for the moment. I have a few possible guest posts lined up and I’m still hoping to pop in every so often. I just can’t say how much at this point. I hope you understand and will stick with me during this sporadic posting period.

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Best Kiss

Jen — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:14:30 +0000

I know I’m way too old to be saying this, but I just LOVE the MTV Movie Awards.

Probably my biggest reason for being so smitten with this show is that they have the award to trump all other awards in the history of awarding.

BEST KISS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oscars, Grammy’s, Pullitzer, Noble Peace Prize….they all pale in comparison to the Best Kiss award.

And this year has some really fantastic nominees. Actually, so many that I’m having an incredibly hard time deciding on which one to pick. I’d love for you to help me choose.

I’ve narrowed it down to my top 3 favorites:

#1 James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie in Wanted. I really didn’t love the movie, but this kiss was so HOT!!

#2 Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in Slumdog Millionaire This kiss was so romantic and since they are now together in real life I feel like I want to vote for them so we may have another Epic Moment (see below for an explanation of Epic Moments).

Sorry this wasn’t a full clip. I had a really hard time finding this kiss on youtube.

#3 Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in Twilight I feel like I should choose this one because…well, it’s Twilight and how can I not choose something Twilight related, right? I don’t know. I’m just not feeling it. (Please don’t kick me out of the club.) I’d be shocked if it didn’t win though.

I need to watch the kisses a few more times to decide, but I have to say that I’m leaning toward the Wanted kiss because I would give anything to switch places with Angelina Jolie for that moment. She may be married to Brad Pitt, but I’m actually way more jealous of her getting to lock lips with McAvoy.

Sigh.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I will now go off on a tangent because this is my blog and I like tangents…

Now, you know I can’t do a post about the MTV Movie Awards and not post this video. If you haven’t seen this video, you are in for a real treat. Sit back, relax and prepare to be swept away by the magic.

It was an Epic Moment and one that I’m pretty sure can never be topped.

Ever.

This was the moment that started my Gos-obsession. I had seen The Notebook and thought that Ryan was a great actor and pretty hot, but I really didn’t give him that much thought. (Do you believe it?? Yes, it is true.)

I was sitting in my basement just vegging out. I flipped on the MTV Movie Awards and began watching. Little did I know that my whole world was about to change.

I mean how could it not.

This video is two minutes and twelve seconds of absolute perfection. I’m not sure what heaven is like but I’m pretty sure it looks something like this video.

From the way he gestures Rachel to lead the way up to the stage, to the way he looks in that tight Darfur tshirt, to the way he points and motions for her to jump into his arms.

Oh and then there is the actual kiss!!! OMG The Kiss!!!! Just amazing.

Then he speaks and it is like angels singing….”It was my pleasure”… did you hear that? Angels!! Finally, as he is walking off the stage he grabs her jacket and flings it over his shoulder. OH MY GOD!!

This is porn for women. Well, at least it is for this woman.

An Epic Moment. That is the only way I can describe it.

My life hasn’t been the same since.

End tangent now.

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Sorry about that. If you are still with me, go and vote for your favorite kiss at the MTV Movie Awards site. You can see all the nominees and the full length kisses here. The show will air live on Sunday, May 31st.

Let me know which kiss you voted for in the comments. You can also feel free to tell me how much you loved the McGosling kiss too if you want.

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Friday Eye Candy: Shannon’s Picks

Jen — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 05:03:06 +0000

IMPORTANT REMINDER!! The polls will close tonight at 9pm EST for the first round of the March Madness Hottest Man Alive Tournament. It is up to you to keep your favorite guys in the race. If you haven’t voted, go now.

As always, I welcome your lists of hot guys. Please email me at dailymishmash (at) gmail (dot) com.

This week’s picks come from Shannon from Welcome to the Nut House. Here is what Shannon has to say about her men:

These are the sexy men currently on my Top 5 list. My husband knows that if any one of these hotties comes a-knockin’ on my door… well, let’s just say there isn’t anything he could do about it!

Gerard Butler

Rodrigo Santoro

Christian Bale (even with his foul-mouthed temper, the man is still HOT)

Eric Bana

And I have saved the best for last…

Daniel Craig

Did you pick up on a theme with Shannon’s guys? Yes, they are all undeniably HOT, but they actually have something else in common.

Each of Shannon’s picks has an accent. I wonder if that is part of their appeal for her.

So here is this week’s Aloha Friday question:

What is your favorite accent on a man?

If you were trapped in a library overnight with one of Shannon’s guys (or any sexy celebrity with an accent) who would you choose and what book would you want them to read aloud to you to pass the time?

Join in on the Aloha Friday fun by visiting An Island Life blog.

One last reminder: Go vote for your favorite guy before the polls close. I will announce the winners this weekend.

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March Madness Link

Jen — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:48:46 +0000

I’m having some technical difficulties embedding the form on my site, so I am going to go ahead and just give you an external link.

Go here to vote in Round One of the March Madness Hottest Man Alive Tournament

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Creepy Guy

Jen — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:02:57 +0000

If I were to go missing for a few days, please look for me at my neighbor’s house. I am convinced that the guy that lives behind me is a serial killer.

He rents the basement out from the other guy, and they both don’t appear to work or bathe. My theory is that they are operating some sort of strange fetish website.

I don’t mean to be prejudiced against people that live in basements with poor hygiene but I feel like the signs are all there and pointing to one thing and one thing only.

My abduction.

This morning I walked past my window and noticed that creepy basement guy was outside smoking. Now, this wouldn’t necessarily be cause for alarm. Lots of people go outside to smoke.

The only problem is that it looked like he was staring right into my soul.

So, if I were to go missing, please look for me in his basement. He will probably be wearing my skin over his face and holding a little dog in his lap.

Speaking of creepy people and basements, could someone please tell me what is going on with this picture?

Seriously, leave me a comment with your explanation for this. How did the horse get down there? Why is it down there? I need to know.

You’ve probably surmised from the randomness of this post that I truly have nothing to write about today. So why don’t I just leave you with my favorite part of The Office last Sunday. It sort of goes along with the whole theme of this post anyway:

Enjoy your Thursday!!

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Juicy Giveaway

Jen — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:31:31 +0000

This contest has ended. Comments are now closed to new entries. Thanks to all who participated. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow.

A few weeks ago, our family was given the opportunity to be one of the first to sample Welch’s AquaJuice.

Initially, I was a little concerned because my kids tend to be juice snobs. They pretty much only like one brand and it has to be watered down to just the right flavor so that it isn’t too sweet or too bland.

After 8 years of being a Professional Juice Mixologist, I have to say that I really liked the concept of this juice right off the bat. It doesn’t need to be watered down because it already contains less sugar than many leading kids’ beverages on the market. If something saves me a few steps, I’m already a fan.

Here are few other things that I liked about AquaJuice. An 8 oz serving contains:

No high fructose corn syrup
No added sugar
No artificial sweeteners
Only 80 calories
One full serving of fruit
Excellent source of Vitamin C

Aqua Juice comes available in 52oz. bottles in the following flavors:

Apple
Fruit Punch
Strawberry Kiwi

So, what did our family think of it?

We tried the Apple flavored juice and it was unanimous-everyone thought it tasted great! I even served to my daughter’s (very picky) friends at her playdate and they liked it too.

It has a light, refreshing, natural flavor. It didn’t have that artifical taste to it that some low-calorie beverages have. I would definitely buy it again and I’d love to try the other flavors as well.

Would you like to try AquaJuice?

I’m giving away a free bottle of AquaJuice to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave me a comment and let me know which flavor you would like to try. I will pick a winner on Friday, January 30th at 10pm.

So, which flavor would you like to try–Apple, Fruit Punch or Strawberry Kiwi? Leave a comment below.

Then head over to the Quarterly Bloggy Giveaway Carnival to win some more awesome stuff!

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