LilSugar

A Few of Lil's Favorite Things: December

babysugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:04:26 PST

Tis' the season to be shopping. Sure you'll get some great gifts later this month, but these are must haves for right now.

The Grinch turned 50-years-old on Saturday, National Grinch Day! Make sure to get your special 50th edition of Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas ($25) and cozy up with the family for story time. While the pages might get tattered and torn, the story remains relevant and entertaining year after year.
Flaunt your pregnancy curves in an Isabella Oliver outfit. She makes sleek and affordable designs for expectant mothers. So treat yourself to a fab new dress ($155 – $265) and feel divine at all of those holiday festivities.
Lots of families makes it a tradition to buy new pajamas for Christmas Eve. We don't encourage family dressing, but we do love the elfin striped organic cotton pajama ($28) from Hanna Andersson complete with the slipper socks ($18). Your lil munchkins will look delectable in the candy cane stripes.
We've seen the cute socks that Trumpette makes for lil ones, but now they have delved into making track shoes ($28) for baby, too. Your tot's sure to be the most fashion forward in her gang when she's rockin' the silver sneakers.
Who doesn't enjoy a snugly, warm blanket during winter? Baby deserves one, too. Made in Northern California, Robbie Adrian blankets are entirely organic and plush to the touch. The elegant blankets ($44-$116) are available in organic cotton fleece or velour with organic silk trimming in a variety of delicate hues.

A Cancer Survivor's Goal: 50 Triathlons by Her 50th Birthday

espnW — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:26:06 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Julia Savacool

It's a good thing Jenn Sommermann discovered triathlons when she did. "I was turning 40 years old, and my friend and I were looking for a way to commemorate the occasion," Sommermann said. "We decided to train for a triathlon." Because Sommermann was on the East Coast and her friend was on the West, the two trained together virtually, exchanging workout notes and messages of encouragement. Several months later, they competed in the Danskin Women's Tri in Seattle.

"That was it, I was in love with triathlons," Sommermann said. Little did she know, two years later the fitness she gained through the sport would help her win a battle against ovarian cancer.

It was December 2006 when Sommermann received her diagnosis. She'd been feeling out of sorts for months, but had been reluctant to see her doctor.

The symptoms for ovarian cancer are subtle: Bloating, weight gain, fatigue and indigestion are all indicators for the disease, but they are also common symptoms for many women during their monthly cycle. The main difference with ovarian cancer, explained Sommermann, is the symptoms don't go away.

It was by chance she discovered the cancer - she was pressing on her stomach one night and came across a hard lump. "I called my husband over, and he felt it, too," she said. "I knew this wasn't good." She went to see her physician immediately, and an ultrasound revealed a tumor about the size of an eggplant. "I had Stage 3 ovarian cancer," said Sommermann. "I was in shock. The disease is 94 percent curable if you catch it by Stage 2. But after that, the numbers are not in your favor."

Surfing gets Anastasia Ashley through tough times

Read more about Jen's inspiring story after the break.

Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley Welcome a Second Child

Allie Merriam — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:37:19 PDT

Katherine Heigl has adopted again! The actress and her musician husband, Josh Kelley, recently adopted a second child, a daughter. Her rep confirmed the news today, saying, "Yes they have adopted a baby. No further details [are available] at this time."

The new arrival makes Josh and Katherine's older daughter, 3-year-old Naleigh, a big sister. Katherine and Josh married in December of 2007 after getting together on the set of one of his music videos in 2005. Congrats to the happy and growing family!

Sexy Kristen Stewart on Breaking Dawn Sex Scenes, Not Giving "Away Gems" About Dating Rob

Lauren Turner — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:00:00 PDT

Kristen Stewart strikes a seductive pose on the cover of Glamour UK's December issue, which is out Nov. 3. Kristen's currently filming Snow White and the Huntsman in England, but she switched gears to chat with the magazine about next month's big Breaking Dawn Part I release. The actress touched on the racy scenes in the film, and skated over questions about boyfriend Robert Pattinson. Here's more from Kristen in Glamour UK:

On filming sex scenes for Breaking Dawn: "There are two big sex scenes in the two [final] films, and we did them fairly early. It was so weird, it didn’t even feel like we were doing a scene within a Twilight film. I was like, ‘Bella! What are you doing? Wow! What is happening here?!” It was very surreal. It’s funny because in the book, you don’t see anything. It’s everyone’s imagination, so it’s entirely subjective. I hope it’s good!"
On her relationship with Rob: "It’s funny when this question comes up, because I sort of feel like, I don’t really care! People can say whatever they want. [The interest] is totally understandable, but when it’s personal to you, it’s like your life becomes a product, and I’m repelled by that. I don’t like to give away gems that people are gonna be like, Oh my God!’ So I’ll always just shrug it off – in fact, I always find it kind of funny, and not just with Rob."
On her image as awkward from 2007: "That’s a fair assessment. I don’t think there was much behind it other than I was young, not expecting it and trying way too hard to be 'not fake.'"

US Restaurants, Bars, and Workplaces Could Be Smoke Free by 2020

Heather Dale — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:34:04 PDT

With smoking-related deaths on the rise, US health officials are predicting that smoking bans will cover all US workplaces, bars, and restaurants by 2020. As of December 2010, the CDC reports that 26 US states had imposed comprehensive smoke-free laws and that nearly half of the country's residents were covered by some sort of state or local smoke-free laws. The laws have certainly come a long way baby, considering back in 2000 there weren't any indoor smoking bans. If trends continue, all 50 states should have implemented some form of protection for nonsmokers by the end of this decade.

But what's interesting to note here is that the perceived smoking capital of the world, France, adopted the nationwide ban on smoking in public places back in 2007. Is the US lagging behind in its smoking-ban laws? Is another nine years too long to wait for all of these laws to take effect? Please weigh in below!

Why HPV Is Suddenly a Man's Problem, and What That Means For Women

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:50:13 PST

HPV is a tricky STD. It's largely been considered a woman's problem, because its most well-known effect is cervical cancer in women. But suddenly, HPV in men is making headlines not only for causing oral cancer but also anal, penile, head, and neck cancer.

Last week I told you not to freak out, because only a few strains cause cancer, but with another headline today - 50 percent of men have HPV - it's hard not to be concerned. The problem is HPV is so complex, it's hard to portray the true risk: its symptoms range from nothing to a wart on a foot to genital warts to deadly cancer. I am staunchly against nonspecific, fear-based sex ed, but I don't want to be unrealistic about an STD that has the potential to do harm.

So why suddenly has HPV become a man's problem? Science did not just discover it causes mouth, throat, anal, and penile cancer - the National Cancer Institute cites a 2002 study for that fact - but suddenly it's everywhere. Why the media blitz?

In December, Merck, the manufacturer of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, got the FDA's blessing to market the vaccine for the prevention of anal cancer. This opened up a huge market of men, particularly gay men (even though you don't have to have anal sex to get anal cancer through HPV). So, yes, there's a pharmaceutical company behind the media push, but that doesn't mean it's not worth taking seriously. Because, even though the FDA agrees with the drug manufacturer, US health officials have not recommended the vaccine for boys and young men. The result? Doctors aren't ordering it for boys and young men, and patients don't know to ask.

When the vaccine came out in 2007, there was some initial fear that it would give young women a false sense of security, but the truth is it helps prevent four troublesome strains. Find out which below.

Coming Soon: Andy Warhol Silver Factory by Bond No. 9

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:00:52 PDT

Wow, this isn't your average fragrance. I am so excited about the launch of Bond No 9's newest fragrance for Holiday 2007 called Andy Warhol Silver Factory. I wanted you to be the first to know about it, but the fragrance won't actually hit stores until December 1st and will sell in one size only - 3.4 oz for $230.

The unisex scent contains a spicy blend of wood resin, amber, jasmine, iris, violet, molten silver and cedarwood. So it's got kind of a metallic incense smell to it, reminiscent of the 60's era Factory days. The bottle is also very cool. The front has a large re-colored rendition of the Campbell’s Soup can, and in the middle it reads:

"Perfume Concentrate." It's just like how Campbell's say their soups are condensed. This also qualifies it somewhere in between an eau de parfum and a perfume extract -cute, right?

As you would imagine, the entire concept was inspired by Andy Warhol's NYC presence, which resonates with the NYC-themed branding of Bond No 9. The Silver Factory (or simply The Factory) was the place where he and his eclectic bunch would pal around and be creative. (The walls were aluminum foil with lots of mirrors everywhere, hence the word "silver".)

I also love that Andy was once quoted talking about "a company that wanted to buy his aura." Now everyone can buy it - you just have to wait until December!

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