Wine & Yogurt

I've a girlfriend whose work requires much travel. She's raising three girls, manages a household and a business along with holding an Executive title within a major board of directors. She is the sole bread winner in her family, her husband does not work. Last night I sent her a text to find as usual, she was in a hotel room somewhere, working. She was sprawled out on her bed with a lap top, a glass of wine and a carton of yogurt. That was her dinner; a glass of Merlot and Yoplait low-fat Strawberry yogurt.

Now I'd say this whether she was my friend or not but doesn't she deserve some type of meal? More nutrition? Maybe even some family bonding? I know this particular friend just decided to grab a yogurt and eat in her room so she could get more work done but really when you look at her job description basic everyday needs like balanced meals and good sleep should not be the thing to skimp on, but with a lot of women they are. Women will eat the crusts off their kids sandwiches for lunch in an effort not to be wasteful, if the toast burns they eat that too. Many just do with the minimum when they not only deserve the maximum but will function better by having it. Pour on the maximum juice for her today, or make that wine, red wine preferably a nice Merlot.

She Buzz words

• Croquet
• Bocce
• Horseshoes
• Badminton

Right Now She Could Be

• Looking for her pool/beach pass
• Cleaning produce purchased at a farmers market
• Hanging a window treatment
• Making a pot of coffee

She Tomato diversity

Here is a list of the tomato names she's growing and purchasing in the farmer's market:

• Speckled Roman
• Great White
• Costoluto
• Big Zebra
• Dr. Carolyn
• Dorothy's Green
• Mr. Stripey

She health

If she lost her health insurance, she may find help at the National Association of Insurance Commissioner's website. She or her children may qualify; each state has different options. www.naic.org

For help with COBRA, visit the Department of Labor's website at www.dol.gov/cobra

She sites

• She can identify the flowers she walks past at www.wildflower.org.
• She can find a local berry farm at www.pickyourown.org.
• www.Yelp.com shows reader reviews about area destinations like playgrounds, batting cages, restaurants, and more.

She free

• Michael's craft stores offer classes where you pay for materials only.
• Bookstore chains like Border's offer live music, author meetings, and kids' activities.
• Most Home Depot offers free kids workshops the first Saturday of the month.

She's got kids

Kids' snacks can be so deceiving. Here are five snacks kids should avoid, according to the Good Guide at Yahoo Shine:

• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt: traces of mercury have been found in its sweetener. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has found these traces in other brand-name foods like Quaker, Hershey, and Kraft.
• Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Snack Mix: this product is extremely high in sodium and fat and included two added colors not recommended.
• Keebler Club Cracker Snack Sticks: Crackers include a large amount of high-fructose corn syrup to make them taste sweet.
• Chef Boyardee Macaroni and Cheese: added colors, partially hydrated soybean oil, and a ton of sodium.
• Horizon Reduced Fat Milk Strawberry: 31 grams of sugar; enough said.

She's not surprised

Seeing how America embraced the Snuggie, the wearable towel might have a good future. This towel absorbs more, with easy wrap-and-tuck features in two styles: a toga for the guys and a tunic for the girls. www.wearabletowel.com

She vent

"Sunscreen always messes up my nail polish!"

She's online

Moms are blogging and corporate America is listening. So The Gap and Old Navy are now offering more than one weekly coupon in response to the feedback received from www.consumerqueen.com, a website read by 30,000 daily. Walmart has a specific site just for deal seekers called www.elevenmoms.com. K-Mart follows with a link for coupons only at www.Kmart.com/coupons. And when it comes to saving money on food, check out www.5dollardinners.com, a site that considers every coupon available and provides recipes so every meal made costs $5 or less.

• Get more She Prep at www.ShePrep.com