We all have them, those well meaning people who push food on us and may (if we’re not careful) sabotage our best efforts at maintaining healthy habits throughout the holiday season. Well, here are a few ideas that may help…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSyS_kkBkSA&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy!

Debi Silber, "The Mojo Coach"

It is funny, as moms we so often think about feeding our kids, and making sure they have good and healthy food.  As working moms we often rush around in the morning getting our kids breakfast and packing a lunch.  How often to do think about ourselves and our breakfast or our lunch?

Eight years, six weeks, and a handful of days into parenting, and it finally happened: My daughter no longer believes in Santa Claus. How this dreaded moment unfolded was particularly heartbreaking.

I was sitting with my children, waiting for a class to start when a woman, whom I like very much, said (to someone else) in a loud voice, “Can you believe a teacher was fired for telling the children there is no Saaaan….”

I snapped like a brittle gingerbread cookie.

Have you ever wondered why habits are hard to break? Especially those habits that you don’t name as “bad” habits even though they cost you a lot of precious time?

Do you have such habits? Usually, they’re hidden and they keep you from living full-out. Let me share how changing one habit changed my life and how a long cherished dream came true.

In that endeavor I also discovered that when you change a habit, you have to be ready to meet the new you.

      Growing up 1/2 Canadian, I've always had an appreciation for tea.  While I drank more coffee, tea did make regular appearances in my hot beverages rotation.  I love hot beverages - coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot cider, and hot toddies!  Just to name a few.

The kids all want your attention when you get home from a long stressful day. All you want is to serve dinner before it's dark.

Here's a fast, yummy recipe I love to prepare because it keeps me out of the drive-thru and my boys love it. We call it Gidget Chicken, named after our nanny who invented this brilliant recipe.

Every cook needs a sous chef. Lucky for me, I have my very own personal kitchen aide for the next few weeks. Filippo, comes to AK's Kitchen from Bologna, Italia, via a program for international students.

My mother is the quintessential bargain shopper. She’s amazing at getting a deal and loves to share with you how she executes each score. Mom starts with an ‘End of the Year Sale’, layers it with a clearance rack and a coupon from the paper, then tops it all off with her senior citizen discount. This time of year my mom has a tradition, the end of the year dress sale at a local department sale.

When I decided to try to start doing more cooking on the weekends I was not all that excited about the idea. 

I already spent all week at work away from my daughter, and my weekends were my time to spend with her, to go on outings, play games, and sit and cuddle.  Then, I woke up (with some help from others) and realized I could include my daughter in my weekend cooking. 

The award-winning author and host of Top Chef talks about wines and why she's proud of being a working mom.

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