Suburban Reviews

A better sex life and a better relationship in 30 days, by NOT having sex? Sound a little kooky? I thought so, and so when the Parent Bloggers Network offered to let me check out Sex Detox by sex therapist Ian Kerner, I decided to take them up on it. At worst I might get a few laughs, and at best maybe a new spark to a nearly 10 year relationship.

The concept behind ‘Sex Detox’ is fairly simple- by stepping back from boring, run of the mill sex and starting your sex life over, you are able to have a fresh appreciation for the intimacy you share with your partner, and ultimately improve your relationship. Through a series of daily exercises and quizzes, couples are encouraged to explore their feelings about themselves and their partners. Some of it is sexual in nature, but a lot if it touches on emotional aspects also. For those not in a long term relationship, the book also has a plan for something of a dating detox, with the addition of exercises to help you figure out what you look for in a partner. (Not being single, I admit I only skimmed this part.)

I know a lot of husbands might not be on board with being told “No sex for 30 days”, and while that may be the simplest explanation of the book, the truth is sex is not really disallowed. The author says he does not say no sex, he says no boring, mechanical sex. (Ahhh, now the truth comes out!) By going through the steps in this program, you learn to become more aware of your desires, and are better able to communicate them to your partner, leading to a better sense of intimacy and in theory, more satisfying sex for both. Not to mention the fact that being told NOT to do something is usually the fastest way to get them to do it, and I suspect many a reader of this book will get a boost in their sex life from that aspect alone.

I’d definitely recommend this book to any couple that has been married or in a long term relationship for more than a year or so. Emotional intimacy is key to a successful marriage, and what better way to facilitate that than great sex?

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I love you
You love me
We’re a happy family
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won’t you say you love me too?I love you
You love me
We’re best friends
Like friends should be
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won’t you say you love me too?

The song is in your head now isn’t it? Welcome to the world of millions of parents everywhere. The big purple dinosaur we so love to make fun of has turned 20 years old, if you can believe that! I personally discovered Barney at the age of 13 when I took on my first babysitting job. I liked him then and I liked him now. Yes, he’s dorky, and yes the acting is terrible, but there is something comforting about a show so completely innocent into today’s MTV world.

In celebration of Barney’s 20th birthday, Fox has released Barney: Celebrating Around the World on DVD. The story takes Barney and his friends on a magic train ride around to the world as they explore ways other countries celebrate. They visit Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, India for the Festival of Lights, and several other destinations that include Ireland to learn the Reel, and tribal dancing in Kenya. Along the way they make new friends an explore some of the food, music and language that makes each place unique.

For the age 2-5 preschool crowd, this is a very beginning step to learning about the differences in various cultures, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Its not terribly in-depth, but keeping in mind the age range, the 60 minute movie did well here as far as my own expectations. The costumes were cute, the music was lively, and overall its just a fun film, as long as you are not expecting award winning acting. My only complaint would be that there was nothing about Mardi Gras! I know, I know, its more about other locations, but being in Mardi Gras season here in the birthplace of the holiday, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it Overall this movie was a hit with my 3 year old, and I wouldn’t mind watching it a time or two again myself. Barney may be 20, but I suspect he’ll be delighting children for many more years to come.

“Boost your metabolism, shrink your appetite, and kick-start remarkable weight loss”

At first glance, the above quote sounds like a line from a cheesy infomercial for diet pills doesn’t it? It seems like every diet plan out there makes these same claims, and none of them work as a long-term lifestyle solution. To restrictive, too expensive, too hard to follow; you get the gist. To be honest I’d given up any real attempts at losing weight, until the Parent Bloggers Network offered me the chance to check out Mark Ukra’s The Ultimate Tea Diet, and I figured what the heck, what have I got to lose?

Let me start out by saying, this book is not what I expected. Instead of delving right into how to follow this ‘tea diet’, it was actually an interesting read on tea itself. In fact most of the book is about the history of tea, the different types and how they are used, and all the various health benefits of tea. Being a southern girl, sweet tea practically flows through my veins, but even I had no clue about half the information presented. I’ve been drinking herbal teas for years thinking I was getting those health benefits touted on the news, only to find out herbal tea is not ‘tea’ at all, and thus does not give the same antioxidant boost. Who knew?

The meal plan itself is facinating, in that the author lists it as nothing more than a suggestion based on what has worked for him. He doesn’t insist you follow it, and in fact states that “the only two dictums of the Ultimate Tea Diet are: 1) add tea to your day, all day; and 2) say you can lose weight.”  Never in my life have I seen a diet that was so loose. On the the contrary, most of them seem to be full of lists of ‘acceptable foods’ you can eat on whichever ‘phase’ of the diet you happen to be on at that time.

How can it work? Simple. By following his direction to drink as much tea as you can with and between meals, you soon find yourself so full you have no desire to snack. Whether this is because of the chemicals in the tea working as an appetite suppressant as he claims, or just because of the sheer volume I have no idea. What I do know is that when I am filling up on tea I’m not grazing or drinking sodas, and that alone made a difference. (Tea has very few calories on its own, compared to the 140 or so in every can of Pepsi I was drinking.) Pair that with being more conscious of what I was eating, and heading back to the gym, and I found myself losing weight quickly. Even though I didn’t get to really start the tea plan until after Christmas due to the holiday rush, I have been on it a week now and have lost 4lbs.

I know I know, I might have lost that just by working out and eating better. Who’s to say the tea had anything to do with it? Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. While I’m not ready to say this book changed my life and the way I eat, I can say it was worth the read just to help me kick a year long soda addiction! I am now drinking tea almost exclusively, and pairing that with sensible eating and working out, I expect to see the weight continue to drop. Here’s to a healthier 2008!