As the mother of a teenage girl, I’m horrified by the trend I’m seeing – women are getting plastic surgery at a younger age than ever before.  Teens are changing their bodies before they fully develop physically or emotionally.  How can that be a good decision? 

On the Today show, one doctor admitted to working on teens between the ages of 14-19 but says that he has had kids as young as 12 seeking his services.  That is so incredibly sad to me.  The most common procedures include having nose jobs, breast reductions (boys and girls), liposuction and ears being pinned back. 

What message are we sending to our youth today that would lead to a 180% increase in plastic surgery among teens from 2003 to 2008?  I know that some people argue that being unhappy with your body can lead to low self-esteem but the teenage years are often filled with emotional turmoil so who is to say that, as an adult, that same child wouldn’t love how they look? 

What do you think?  Should teens get plastic surgery?  Watch the segment:

I love burgers but I’ve never thought about having one for breakfast until now.  I guess all of those breakfast sandwiches sold by fast-food restaurants (the ones with sausages, eggs, cheese and yummy biscuits!) could count as a burger of sorts, now that I think about it.

Still, those are sausages but, on the Today show, they actually used ground beef (along with pork, turkey and chicken) as a breakfast food.  For a burger suitable for the morning, they replaced the bun with eggs and pancakes.  I don’t know if I could eat this.  Watch the segment and tell me what you think!

Despite the fact that they usually look really high in calories and fat, I always end up drooling over Paula Deen’s recipes.  They look so delicious and rich (and, of course, bad for you!) but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the occasional splurge…

On the Today show, she created a lemon-flavored coconut cake (get the recipe!) with homemade icing.  She suggested that people in a hurry can use a lemon cake mix but, if time permits, she recommended getting a yellow cake mix and adding fresh lemon flavoring to it.  YUM.  I can already taste it!  I love lemon cake and I love coconut!  Watch the segment!

Last night was the season premiere of TLC’s hit show Jon and Kate Plus Eight and, if you watched it, you’ll know that there was a LOT of tension.  Not only did Jon and Kate film most of their segments separately, but Jon made it clear that he no longer wanted to live his life through a reality TV program while Kate said that she loves it.  That one statement summed it up for me and made me so disappointed with her.  As a wife and a mother, I know that there are times when I need to give up something in order to focus on my family and, in my opinion, the Gosselins need to take a step back (away from the cameras) and sort some things out.  Sometimes you just have to walk away from it and, as she continuously pointed out in the episode last night that they are constantly being followed by the paparazzi and that she found it “creepy” that they were in her children’s lives but, if she really felt that way, she’d walk away from the limelight.  She said that the attention would never go away and I have to say that the woman is delusional.  I can promise that, if that show was canceled, the world would forget about the Gosselin family pretty quickly.  Does she really think she’s more important that she is?  I think so.

Anyway, on the Today show, they discussed the premiere and what it meant for the family.  One thing that was mentioned was the fact that it seemed the kids have been kept in the dark about things which is probably a mistake.  Watching the show, you could feel the tension and the kids have got to be feeling uneasy (at one point, one of their daughters even told her daddy that she didn’t want him to go away anymore).  This was a really interesting segment since what was said not only applies to the Gosselins but also to any family that is going through a hard time or a divorce.  Check it out:

The Today show talked to Alan Richman of GQ magazine who recently traveled across the United States in search of the perfect pizza.  He sampled 386 pizzas and, finally, he came up with his list.  He judged the pies in terms of the quality of their crust,

#1 - the “Mortadella Pie” from Great Lake Pizza in Chicago.  I really don’t even know what to say about that.  Just from looking at it, I doubt very highly that I would have ever tried it unless someone suggested it to me (and even then…). 

#2 - the “Plain Pie” from Lucali in Brooklyn.  It was your basic pizza margherita and it actually looked pretty good to me even if it was a little light on the cheese.

#3 – the “Panna Pie” from Pizzaria Delfina in San Francisco.  Again, this pizza didn’t look overly appetizing to me, especially after Richman explained that it was topped with cream and parmesan-romano cheese. 

They went on to look at several other pizzas including those topped with spinach and clams (in the shell).  Watch the segment (I hope you’re not too hungry!).

I moved last summer and I haven’t had a chance to buy a new grill (my old one was damaged) and watching this segment from the Today show just made me that much more anxious to get my deck built so I can get my barbecue going!

They looked at some gadgets that can bring a little extra sizzle to your barbecue.  Keg Works came up with a tray that allows you to carry your food around using your beer bottle (Crate and Barrel has one that works with wine glasses if beer’s not your thing – I’d use it for soda!).  Brookstone.com offers a motorized hot dog griller that can be attached to your grill so that you can enjoy that great grilled taste without the scorch marks (I happen to like the marks but I guess some people don’t!).  They also looked at pizza stones (yum!), a talking meat thermometer and a vegetable basket for the grill.  Check it out, it’s a cool segment!

It seems that nowadays, several trends are really at the forefront of people’s minds.  Every day, I hear that someone I know is either testing out a new way to be kinder to the environment or searching for a way to save money.  With this Today show tip, you can do both!

It can be tough to part with your car (and, of course, it’s easier said that done in many situations) but, if you can, ridding yourself of a vehicle that consumes outrageous amounts of fuel can reduce your carbon footprint and pad your wallet.

Some alternatives that were suggested include using fuel-friendly vehicles like the Toyota Prius, walking to work or using public transportation.  There is a lot of good information in the short video below (including a segment where Jay Leno talks about a car he’s been testing for GM for more than a year).

I saw this segment on the Today show and my first instinct was to be a little insulted that the title included the word “simple” when referring to weight loss but I think the tips are pretty basic and, if you stick with them, could be very effective.  I think shedding pounds is difficult for a multitude of reasons but what I hate are all of these diets that make it even more complicated.  I really do believe that simplicity is the key to making small changes in your life that will have lasting results.

Here are the seven steps that were mentioned:

1. Eat at least 8 grams of fiber at breakfast
2. Have a 150-calorie morning and afternoon snack
3. Plan at least three go-to breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks
4. Think twice about toppings and add-ons
5. Make veggies the base of your lunch and dinner
6. Have an after-dinner treat every day
7. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night

There are tips for implementing these steps which you can see by watching this video.

I made my first omelet earlier this year (I know, I’m really behind but I just wasn’t courageous enough to try it) and it turned out pretty well.  It helped that I used my husband’s crepe pan and took it really slow, relying on the now-fuzzy instructions I was given all the way back in 8th grade Home Economics (I made my partner do the dirty work).  Eggs make me nervous for about a million reasons.  They could contain salmonella, they break easily, they could be either good or bad for your heart (depending on which reports you believe and whether they contain Omega 3 fatty acids), they burn easily, they can be made in so many ways and, of course, there’s Humpty Dumpty’s tragic accident.  While most people probably aren’t as neurotic as me, I think that a lot of them do shy away from getting “fancy” with eggs. 

Fortunately, the Today show had a segment all about making an “egg-cellent” omelet (we’ll forgive them for that corny description).  Believe it or not, the chef doesn’t use milk!  Watch the segment:

I recently watched Ricki Lake’s documentary, The Business of Being Born, and I found it really interesting (my teenage daughter, on the other hand, was horrified at how difficult pregnancy and childbirth can really be).  Having given birth to three children, I can say with all honesty that each time was different but the last one, which my doctors felt needed more medical intervention, was definitely the worst (and I’m saying this despite the fact that I had my second child, who was just under 10lbs, while I was battling pneumonia).  I felt like I was being told that I couldn’t trust my instincts, or my body, and it made it really tough.  My first baby was as close to natural as you can get since my doctor took a real hands-off approach (while still being very supportive).  During my second and third births, I felt like pain medication (the epidural, in particular) was being pushed on me despite the fact that I had successfully given birth without it the first time.  I managed to avoid it with my second child but they said that they feared for my health (I was having heart problems) with the third and basically forced the epidural on me.  It was the worst thing because I not only had a severe allergic reaction to the drugs but they used it to their advantage later on to stall my labor so that my doctor could do an emergency c-section.  It felt unnatural and I regret it to this day.

On the Today show, they talked about the different options that modern women can choose from when they give birth.  I encourage all expectant mothers to take advantage of all of the information available to them and to choose the things that they feel are most compatible with their needs, wants and lifestyle.  Feel free to stand up for yourself and do what is right for you because, in the end, this is your life (as well as your child’s), your body and your memories.  You are in control (to a degree) of how things proceed.  Be a part of the childbirth experience instead of it being something “that’s happening to you.”  Women were born for this purpose – trust yourself!