All right, no falling asleep now.  No nodding off either. This is a very important column and you really should read every word very carefully. Who is that snoring out there?  It better not be you or you will miss out on some very valuable information about—you guessed it—sleep.

Last month I shared a couple of lifestyle tips, and interestingly enough, I had several email questions about the little piece I shared dealing with sleep as a health issue. I will expand on that since there is interest, and also since there is a variety of new research about the benefits and drawbacks of sleep. Yes, believe it or not, there are actually as many drawbacks and health issues surrounding the concept of too much sleep, as there is about too little.

How much influence has Hollywood had on how we define Love? Whether it be a historical romantic film, drama, thriller, comedy, or fantasy, when love is portrayed on the screen, it sends a message. Love has been portrayed in a variety of ways over the years in film and has evolved over time. Thus, it is often debated whether films influence society or society influences film. While you contemplate this thought try to match a well-known love quote to its movie.

Zepp and Joey
Zepp and Joey are both labradoodles, brothers from the same mother, but you’d never know it. Zepp sports a soft-haired coat like a giant teddy bear, while his brother Joey wears his wild, wiry haired mane without apology. The two brothers arrived at the Hilton Head Humane Association after their owner passed away. Nearly inseparable, the plan was to find a family who was willing to take both of them. After hearing their story, Pink Magazine was excited to help out by treating these two already handsome guys to a gentlemanly makeover giving them center stage in our pet takeover edition.

How does the health of your gums contribute to bad breath?
Bath breath, medically known as halitosis, is something most of us try to avoid because of its negative impact on one’s social life and health.  While certain foods we eat can impact one’s breath, a major contributor to foul odor is bacteria. Bacteria use sugars from leftover food particles, not cleaned from the oral cavity, to multiply and produce waste products and acid that breakdown tooth enamel, damage gums and cause a horrible odor.  It is impossible to remove all bacteria from the mouth but with consistent cleaning of the teeth, gums and tongue, the overall bacteria count can be kept at a lower level and prevent bacteria from sticking to the teeth and gums for long periods of time.

Research shows that exposure to music from a young age, and musical training, can create new pathways in a young brain. You don’t need to be a professional musician or trained opera singer to give your baby the benefits of music. There are many ways to introduce your children to music, and it is very likely that they will love it! Since music can be good for your baby’s development, here are a few ways to bring music into your baby’s life.

Born to a US Army Captain and a contract player for Paramount Pictures, Field got her start on television as the boy-crazy surfer girl in the sitcom Gidget (1965–66). Her big break was playing Sister Bratille in The Flying Nun. She went on to more formidable roles, which won her two Academy Award Best Actress awards and several Golden Globes.

Her role as “Doris” in Hello, My Name is Doris shows that her talent has endured the test of time.

Blogger and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Stacey Little is committed to getting folks back to the table for dinner.  His quick and easy recipes are allowing families to get a home-cooked meal on the table without a lot of hassle or expense.  Southern Living Magazine named Stacey one of the top 30 bloggers to be following for two consecutive years.  He has appeared on The Today Show and Fox and Friends and has lent his talents to national brands like Betty Crocker, GE, White Lily, Martha White, Kraft, and Queen Latifah, just to name a few.  Today, his easy, delicious recipes and heartfelt stories have brought millions to his blog, SouthernBite.com, since he created it in 2008.  Stacey's cookbook, The Southern Bite Cookbook, is available at book retailers across the country and online.  Stacey's deep Southern roots have him firmly planted in central Alabama where he lives with his wife, little boy, two dogs, and his collection of cast iron skillets.

Stay up-to-date with these tech savvy tips for your daily life!

I realized last week during an impromptu question and answer session that started during a friend’s BBQ that lots of car related “myths” exist. So what better subject for
this month article than a bit of automotive debunking.

Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Wrong. For the proper answer to this one your best bet is to look in that ever useful owner’s manual tucked snuggly in the glove box and ignore the quick oil change places’ fear campaigns. Under normal driving conditions, most vehicles can travel 7,500 miles or more between oil changes and many new cars and trucks have 10,000 mile recommended changes. Changing your oil more often certainly won’t harm your engine; it just wastes money (and oil). If you are trailer-towing, or going off-road, 3,000 miles between oil changes might be a good idea, but again consult the owner’s manual.

I don’t have anything against lemons. They are a brilliant shade of yellow—one of my favorite colors—and they are simply beautiful to look at and use in decoration.  I love the way they smell so fresh and clean, and they taste deliciously yummy in chicken picatta, lemon meringue pie, old-fashion lemon squares and my mother’s favorite, lemon-apricot cake. What I don’t like is a slice of lemon in my water.

Yes, your mother used to say it, and so did mine. In general, this is good advice, but in my case, not so much. I grew up on a farm with everything from cows, sheep, pigs and horses to chickens and guinea fowl. It was not all that safe to play outside if you know what I mean. You really had to watch your footing. The air was not all that fresh either. Again, you catch my drift?

As you all know we now have numerous ways to contact people—telephone, text, email, Skype, Facetime, IM, regular mail, Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat and, of course, face-to-face visits. One would think with all of these innovative, highly convenient, practically instant methods of communication, the rate of return on RSVPs would be on the rise. Not so. It is at a dreadful, miserable all-time low, shattering etiquette books to smithereens and sending Miss Manners dangerously close to her deathbed.

For the record, let’s define RSVP just so we are all on the same page. This paragraph is also a public service announcement for those who have either forgotten or have never fully understood what those four letters in that particular order mean. Officially, the acronym RSVP originated in France and stands for répondez s’il vous plaît, which translated, is simply, “Respond, please.”

So, dear ladies, this is how you know the resolution business has taken a real downward turn: you dig out your notebook to make your resolutions and see that you have had the same ones five years in a row. How many times can you promise to lose 10 pounds, call your friends more often, eat a healthy diet, and be nicer to people? Well, I finally got on to the fact that these sorts of things were not only not working for me, but were actually making me quite depressed. What, you say? Never any better even with all of this resolving and reevaluation? Well, no more. I am about to share the secret of how to actually keep some resolutions and do it easily.

Stay up-to-date with these tech savvy tips for your daily life!

Meet Gabi: Gabi Tapia moved with her family from Guadalajara, Mexico to Hilton Head Island when she was 3 years old. She is now 17 and a senior at Hilton Head High School. About ten years ago, her neighbor Amy, who then worked at Pink Magazine, took Gabi with her to a Pink Partini. 

“I wish I didn’t see quite so clearly,” said no one ever.
The eyes have it—they are boss, our windows to the world. Taking care of them is imperative to optimum vision, which is so important to our quality of life and staying active and independent. Don’t forget to have your eyes checked every year. Find an eye doctor and establish a relationship. He or she is a valuable resource in keeping your vision strong and letting you know all of the technology available today to try to stay
20/20 all your life.

Graduation time is rapidly approaching and with it always comes a few emails asking my recommendation/advice on the perfect car to purchase the graduate as a gift.

I approach buying a car for a teen as a careful balancing act. One must manage safety (lets face it, statistics prove it will likely have at least one fender bender), practicality and economics, while still being something your teen will consider somewhat cool. Regardless of the make and model you ultimately choose, there are a few mandatory basics for any teen car purchase:

These are all normal, yet frustrating, scenarios for parents; but there is a simple solution to this problem—read on!

Children are often in their own imaginative world, and they don’t even hear your instructions half the time. Other times they may not think that you’re speaking to them, or they don’t understand what exactly you expect. Regardless of the reason behind it, children of all ages respond much better to purposeful, eye-to-eye conversations, than vague across-the-room requests.

What is in a word? According to one definition a word is “a single, distinct, meaningful element of speech or writing.” If words are so meaningful, why don’t we take better care of what we say and what we express to one another?

I have been guilty plenty of times for speaking without thinking first about my words. Of course, these mistakes still happen today. However, I am more conscious in the error of my ways. I am now able to correct my thinking before I voice my opinions of myself and others. 

I don’t understand why we tolerate some things. I realize it takes different strokes for different folks to make the world go around, but there are some things Americans need to put their foot down about. Politics are one of those things, but I’m not going there. I am dedicating this article to aggravating telephone practices. And, while those can be numerous, I am limiting my complaints to two:

Automation and communication.

By January of each year, us Southerners have seen our fair share of northern blizzards on the Weather Channel, including a sidebar of winter driving and car preparedness tips that seem about as useful to us as tips for driving on the moon. Terms such as snow chains, rock salt and carry a shovel bring a quizzical look of loathing to the average coastal Carolinian.

The simple truth is, generally speaking, we never have to deal with that white wintery hell that, in my opinion, must be the reason for the mass exodus from Ohio to the Lowcountry.

But, just because we don’t get six feet of snow and temperatures so low that water poured from a bottle freezes before it hits the ground, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t prepare for the cold weather we typically see in February.

One of the worse things to feel after a peaceful night of sleep is stiff. It makes even the youngest of us hobble out of bed and feel somewhat incapacitated. Inflexibility is inevitable as we age. It is also a side effect of inactivity and obesity in all ages—young and old. Staying flexible is not hard. However, the term move it or lose has never been truer than when it comes to keeping yourself free-flowing. Here’s what our experts had to say about flexibility:

What are the most common problems of not staying flexible?
The skeleton provides the body with support and our joints allow the skeleton to be flexible and move around more easily. We lose bone mass or density as we age and, for women, during and after menopause. Bones also lose calcium and some minerals and are easier to break.

Our strength and endurance changes as we age, as well. So, as we get older we may not feel like we have enough energy to exercise, but lack of exercise and activity may result in lack of flexibility.

Stay up-to-date with these tech savvy tips for your daily life!

I have weighed as high as 223 pounds. Thankfully, I don’t anymore. Being overweight for most of my life, childhood included, I became the master of excuses. Once I got real with myself, I was finally able to defeat the false reality waging war in my head, and ultimately, lose the weight.

Stay up-to-date with these tech savvy tips for your daily life!

So, dear ladies, this is how you know the resolution business has taken a real downward turn: you dig out your notebook to make your resolutions and see that you have had the same ones five years in a row. How many times can you promise to lose 10 pounds, call your friends more often, eat a healthy diet, and be nicer to people? Well, I finally got on to the fact that these sorts of things were not only not working for me, but were actually making me quite depressed. What, you say? Never any better even with all of this resolving and reevaluation? Well, no more. I am about to share the secret of how to actually keep some resolutions and do it easily.