The month of February the world over is associated with one specific day: the 14th of February- Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day in its original form is meant to be celebration of love of all kinds but has universally taken on the general identity of being a day for romantic love. Lovers of all ages mark their relationship and celebrate their life together by spending the day as specially as possible with their beloved.

Recent years have seen the day move away from being a simple expression of happiness to becoming an extravagant and overdone occasion. While there is no harm at all in going overboard for the one you love it is important to remember your limits. One day cannot become the focus of all your attentions and if you have a tight budget to stick to there is no reason to stretch yourself thin in trying to go the conventional route on Valentine’s Day with expensive flowers, chocolates, cards and gifts, especially with the ongoing recession. In this article we share with you some ideas on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a small budget.

A beautiful idea is to prepare a picnic for your beloved. Plan it for the nighttime to add a romantic touch to the occasion. If the weather is nice plan it for a park or the beach where you can lay out a rug, light a few candles and enjoy the food and each other’s company. A portable disc player with a specially made CD will add to the mood while you and your partner spend some quality time under the stars. Incase of cold weather, plan it around a small fire and spend a cozy night together.

Plan the day in advance and do all the things your beloved likes. This doesn’t necessarily involve spending money as a scrumptious breakfast in bed, a luxurious bath and pampering massage, a day out at a local park, zoo or monument and a dinner to top it off can make for a memorable and enjoyable day where you can focus all your attention on your partner without anything to distract you.

If you’re good with an instrument you can make a recording of all her favorite songs and present to her. Music speaks louder than words across all races in the world and soothing classical music sets the mood beautifully. The fact that you played it yourself will add a sentimental value to the gift.

A great yet inexpensive gift idea would be to make a box of the things your partner likes best. Try your hand at arts and crafts by making them a pretty card, handmade jewelry, their favorite chocolates and a good novel. You can also add flowers, a CD, scented candles and a photograph of the two of you together to the box. Be sure to decorate the box well.

International Women’s Day is celebrated each year on the 8th March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Governor Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, issued the following statement commemorating International Women’s Day:

“On International Women’s Day people around the world take time to honor the contributions of women in society as mothers, daughters, sisters, caregivers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and so much more.  We also acknowledge the continued oppression and discrimination women and girls face in their daily lives.
 
“For years one of the Democratic Party’s most important goals has been to empower women and support women leaders at all levels of government.  On International Women’s Day, we reaffirm this commitment and our support for President Obama’s stated agenda to empower women, to honor them for their significant achievements, and to right the injustices facing them both here at home and abroad.”

So, to all you women out there “Happy International Women’s Day. Be Proud of Who You Are“.

Did you know that seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members? Therefore, The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty.  Though this initiative has reached almost 2 million lives, the goal is to spread the message to 10 million people by Year 2010. The Campaign For Real Beauty is still continuing with its quest for people to help free themselves as well as the next generation from beauty stereotypes.

For this phase of campaign, everyone can help to promote this cause by downloading these free self-esteem building tools for girls, moms and mentors:

• True You and Mirror, Mirror booklets
• Interactive exercises
• Workshop Facilitator Guide DVD

Just click here to get started!

Basing their products on their own experience of British weather meant that one of Berghaus’ primary focuses became on layering. With the ever-changing British weather it became essential that outdoor clothing could keep the wearer warm and dry, but could also be removed to help keep the wearer cool. Although many international outdoor clothing producers also utilise layering in their products, they are likely to focus primarily upon their own climate when designing their product specification. Therefore, a piece of outer-wear that is produced in America is likely to have been developed to resist different extremes of cold, warmth and humidity and as a result may not be as effective when worn in a different country. Alternatively, it may be as effective, if not more so due to America’s vast number of extreme climates, but the added features for coping with these climates may mean that it is much more expensive to purchase.

The same can be said for outdoor footwear, Bergahaus have developed their footwear specifically with the British terrain in mind. Generally, the British terrain has a handful of conditions ranging from rocky, grassy, hilly, flat or even boggy, this contrasts the American landscape where all of these terrains are present in addition to desert conditions and areas of extreme cold. Therefore, it is likely that footwear purchased from America has been developed to a different specification and will not be as suitable for someone who hikes solely in Britain as a piece of footwear developed for use on the British landscape.

Despite the fact that many brands of outdoor wear are now manufactured to extremely high standards and contain many modern technologies that not only provide the wearer with optimum comfort, but also help them to achieve optimum performance, it seems that if you intend to trek in the UK then purchasing outdoor wear from a UK based company, such as Berghaus clothing, is the right choice to make. The first reason being that because the company is aware of the climate it is likely that they have tailored their product to meet the demands of that particular climate. The second reason for opting for UK made outer-wear is that their local knowledge means that their footwear will have been specifically designed to meet the needs of the British wearer. And as a final thought, although it could be argued that outdoor clothing from other countries may have a broader range of climates that it can help the wearer accustom to, it is worth bearing in mind that this extra technology is like to cost more, therefore if you only intend to wear your outdoor clothing in the UK, then purchasing an item made within the UK is surely the best choice.

Together with Dove’s support, we have come a long way in shifting perceptions about beauty but there is still a lot more work to be done. This campaign has already reached 2 million girls and nearly 2,700 educational self-esteem workshops has been conducted since 2006.

You will be hearing more from me as I continue to work together with Dove on their self esteem initiatives.

Under Armour, the leader in performance apparel and footwear, has launched their fifth annual “Power in Pink” campaign. As part of the “Power in Pink” campaign, Under Armour is encouraging survivors and women currently living with breast cancer to share their inspirational stories of strength and survival at www.underarmour.com/powerinpink. Under Armour will select three stories of undeniable courage to become the new faces of the “Power in Pink” campaign and star in national magazine and online advertisements and in-store visuals. Stories will be accepted through April 30, 2008.

In 2003, Under Armour created the “Power in Pink” campaign to help educate female athletes about the benefits of physical activity in helping to overcome breast cancer and lead a healthy lifestyle.  During the months of September and October, while supplies last, consumers will be able to purchase exclusive, ribbon-imprinted styles at www.uawomen.com/powerinpink and retail locations nationwide including Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Sports Authority, Modell’s and Nordstrom. Visitors to the site will be able to read the stories of the three survivors and learn about their resolve to overcome breast cancer. In addition, the site will feature links to key educational resources.

For each item purchased at Under Armour throughout the “Power in Pink” promotion, $2.00 will be donated to breast cancer charities. Since its inception five years ago, Under Armour’s donation amount has more than doubled each year through the continued growth in popularity of the “Power in Pink” apparel and accessories.

I love traveling but do not have much chance to travel far in my younger days due to financial reason. Now that things are financially more stable for me, I am beginning to get the itchy feet but feel guilty for even considering going off on a vacation without the family. Don’t get me wrong, I love going for holidays with my family. It is the icing on the cake. However, to bring the whole family along, the expenses is high and we are not able to travel far. On the other hand, if I were to travel with friends, the expenses will be for one pax only.

Anyway, at this point of time, I believe I cannot find it in my heart to leave my family for a vacation with friends *sigh*. Have you guys done it before and what’s your take on this?

Dove has recently established The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) to raise the self-esteem of girls and young women to make them feel more beautiful and confident every day. It is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a global effort designed to widen today’s stereotypical view of beauty.  In each country, the DSEF supports a specific charitable organization to help foster self-esteem. Take for example, in the U.S., the Fund supports uniquely ME!, a partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA that helps build self-confidence in girls ages 8 to17 with educational resources and hands-on activities. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the fund supports Body Talk, an educational program about body image and self-esteem in schools.

Check out The Reality Diaries Program, a 6 week program that revolves around the lives of four real girls who share their personal self-esteem stories online. They record their journey online through the use of blogs and videos, allowing girls across the country to go behind-the-scenes on their real lives and understand the factors that impact their self-esteem. Each girl deals with a different self-esteem issue and the Diaries will reflect how the media influences their self-esteem.

There’s a real need for all girls to hear and understand that they carry the power inside to grow up to be strong, beautiful women. You can help by being a part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help girls feel like champions in every part of their lives.

Hence, always remember, have fun making friends and meeting other singles online but at the same time, play safe.

Ok, for those of you who are fortunate enough to have them the size of Pamela Anderson or Dolly Parton, (btw, I hate you!) would you opt to go under the knife to errr….”resize” them? Now, be a sport and go click on the buttons….by the way, this is for women only, ok….