LilSugar

Personalized Gemstone Necklaces Just For Mod Mamas

Kate Stahl — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:12:18 PDT

What better way to commemorate your new addition than a piece of jewelry? But not every mama wants an over-the-top diamond-encrusted push present (OK, not every mama can afford those diamonds) or a supertraditional photo-filled locket. The meaningful necklaces shown above let you display your love for your new babe every day in a subtle, stylish way.

From top, left:

Dogeared Create Necklace ($68 and up; shown horizontally): Add birthstone charms along with letters, numbers, zodiac signs, and more to create a totally custom, personal piece of jewelry.
Erin Gallagher's Gem Bar Mary-Catherine Necklace ($30 and up): Chicago-based designer Erin Gallagher lets you totally customize this necklace, adding birthstones, initials, or zodiac signs to represent the ones you love.
POSH Mommy Birthstone Necklace ($240): Favored by celebs like Brooke Burke and Milla Jovovich, POSH Mommy's creations come in various metals and designs. This gold vermeil necklace comes with two horizontal names, each with a birthstone.
Anna Bee Two-Square Initial Tag Necklace ($105): Two gold-filled square tags with two hand-stamped initials hang on a gold or silver chain, available in three lengths.
Luna & Stella Moon & Stars Birthstone Charm Necklace ($230 as shown): Create your own necklace in matte or polished silver or gold by adding charms with your lil one's birthstone.

Born in the USA! The Rising Trend of Birth Tourism

LilSugar — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:04:24 PDT

Forget push presents; what wealthy pregnant women from around the world really want postchildbirth is US citizenship for their lil one. Hence the rise and booming popularity of birth tourism - where foreign women with substantial financial means come to the US to have their babies. The US is the only developed country, other than Canada, that grants jus soli, or birthright citizenship to any individual born here. Like parents everywhere, these women want the best for their children: for them, that means access to American schools, universities, and jobs.

Expectant mothers generally enter the country on a tourist or business visa - it's illegal to refuse entry to a woman on the sole grounds that she's pregnant - a few months before her due date. Once here, she needs somewhere to stay and help navigating the system. This is where the industry comes in: from the southern coast of California to the suburbs of New York City and everywhere in between, Americans are catering to this specific group of women, setting up birth tourism centers where women can rent rooms and receive help obtaining their babies' passports and social security numbers.

Birth tourism isn't a new idea - it's been going on for decades - but a recent move by Congress, which if passed will put up significant roadblocks for women hoping to deliver on US soil, has brought the topic to the forefront of the immigration debate.

What do you think about birth tourism? Should it be illegal?

Is a Trip to Fat Camp the Ultimate Push Present For Mom?

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:39:06 PDT

Forget teddy bears, flowers, and jewelry, there's a new game in town when it comes to new-mama gifts. Push presents have been around for years, but they're getting bigger and better. Just this year, Rachel Zoe was the lucky recipient of a 10-carat diamond ring after giving birth to baby Skyler, and Mariah Carey gloated about her new pink diamond and sapphire necklace after giving birth to twins Monroe and Morocco. But how would these mamas feel if they were given the gift of a trip to a fat camp to lose extra pounds instead of glittery jewelry?

Premier Fitness Camp, a fat camp of sorts, has put together a "Body Back" package intended to help new mamas return to their fighting weight. For $4,550, mom can visit the Park City, UT, retreat and receive daily fitness and nutrition training, massages, chef-prepared meals, and a complimentary Belly Bandit. According to the literature about the program, it is intended, "for fathers who are looking for the best push present without diamonds."

Source: Flickr User The ShutterBabe

Bring a New Mom...Dinner

Lil Community — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:00:31 PST

This post comes from our group The Pregnancy Posse from member lauren.

I don't have any kids but a good friend of mine recently had her second cutie. I have a hard time resisting buying a cute outfit for the newborn but I know usually the new mom will already have enough clothes and babies grow out of everything so quickly. So rather than buying clothes, I made a delicious re-heatable dinner of chili verde with tortillas, avocados, sour cream, limes and cilantro. Of course, I couldn't resist the onesie that said "full of cuteness."

My thoughts, families need more time with their new addition, so at least one night, dinner is already ready! Did your friends bring you dinner when you had a new baby?

Want to talk pregnancy with other expectant mamas? Join The Pregnancy Posse over in our LilSugar Community and share your stories, recipes and photos! If you have a post you want to see featured on LilSugar private message me here to pitch your ideas. I can't wait to hear them.

Playful Push Presents For Less Than $20

LilSugar — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:02:31 PDT

Most moms will tell you baby's birth is gift enough, but push presents allow daddy the chance to salute mama on a job well done. While these tokens usually come in the form of keepsake jewelry, heartfelt cards, flowers and candy, mom won't expect a big bundle from friends or distant family members.

If you want to give a sister, relative or friend something to commemorate the moment, remember it's the gesture that counts and laughter will help aid any leftover labor pains the endorphins and meds can't cure. Make her giggle and glow with a push present that delivers the funny on the cheap.

The Pull Present

babysugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:00:00 PDT

Okay, so the father doesn't actually pull the baby out per se, but he's often there to mentally coax mama along as she pushes the baby into the world. It has become common practice in recent years for men to bestow a gift upon their wives for birthing their child. Whether it's a card, balloons, roses, or a diamond tennis bracelet, it's nice to be recognized for nine months of hard work.

When I had my first child, I gave my husband a lil something to thank him for all of his coaching, attention to detail and concern during my childbearing months. Here are some ideas if you're looking to give your daddy a "pull" present, too.
Source

Lil Find: Pendants For Posh Mamas

babysugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:00:48 PDT

Some moms carry brag books while others have baby's name and birthday tattooed on their bods. For trendsetting moms like Kate Hudson, Nicole Richie, and Courteney Cox, a simple pendant necklace is what they wear to remind them of their lil love.

Not on the cheap, these Jennifer Meyer necklaces are crafted from 18K gold- and diamond-encrusted letters. At $1,250 a pop, the eye candy would have most new mums seeing stars.

Energize Your Morning with 4 Wake-Up Moves

Self — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:28:59 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Can't get through your morning without your daily java fix? You're not alone. According to a survey conducted by the National Coffee Association, Americans spend an average of $164.71 on coffee per year. That's almost enough for a monthly car payment or a couple of weeks worth of groceries!

Want to wean yourself off of overdoing the caffeine without sacrificing your sanity? Then look no further than your local yoga studio. Warming up your body in the morning helps the natural release of endorphins, says Desiree Bartlett, a Los Angeles-based yoga instructor.

Not only does yoga do the body good, the energy you cultivate in a yoga class stays with you all day long. "There is a natural gauging of energy and we release old thoughts or judgments we no longer need," says Bartlett. "Through this practice of steadying the mind and observing the breath, the mind stays present, sharper and clearer because it is no longer reviewing the past or making to-do lists for the future."

Incorporate these four moves into your regular routine five days a week to start each day "with strength, clarity and a sense of empowerment." Desiree may have shot these on the beach (we're jealous!) but you can do them on your bedroom floor!

Get the moves after the break.

Fifty Shades of Grey, Fight Club, and the Complications of Male Dominance

The Good Men Project — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:00:55 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Clarisse Thorn sees nothing new in eroticized images of male dominance and violence, but she sees plenty that's thought-provoking.

Much is being made of the highly successful S&M erotica novel 50 Shades of Grey. People are blaming feminism for making women into submissives, blaming feminism for preventing women from being submissives, blaming women for having sexual desires at all, and a whole lot of other boring and typical stuff that comes up in any conversation about women and S&M. News flash: it’s not the feminist revolution that is "causing" women to have fantasies of submission. S&M fantasies have been around since the beginning of time. (And the 1950s S&M-sensation book, The Story of O, was much better written than 50 Shades of Grey.)

Top 10 Reasons to Use Condoms

As an S&M writer, I hear a lot of allegations about how "all" (or "almost all") women are sexually submissive and how this must Mean Something. This is echoed in the coverage of 50 Shades of Grey, in which everyone is demanding to know What It All Means About Women. I wrote a piece a while back called Inherent Female Submission: The Wrong Question, in which I took on a lot of this stuff. But there’s another submerged question here - about men. There’s plenty of talk and stereotypes about how men are inherently violent, or more aggressive than women, or "the dominant sex."

Keep reading below.

Race-Day Tips From 2012 Boston Marathon Winner Sharon Cherop

Michele Foley — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:27:27 PDT

This year's Boston Marathon was brutal. The unusually hot weather caused dehydration, heat exhaustion, and in some cases, heat stroke for some of the 2,000 runners. Amid those grueling temps, Kenya's Sharon Cherop emerged as the women's elite champion, who during a press conference shared what led to her victory on such a challenging day. While almost all of us will never finish a marathon with a time like Sharon's 2:31:50, we can benefit from her race-day tips.

Know the Course

Don't let race day be the first time you see the marathon course. When asked what led to her finish-line success, Sharon said knowing the course made all the difference. This was her second time running Boston, so she knew key places where she could afford to slow down or needed to speed up, and there were no surprises waiting for her around any corner, which allowed her to make that dash around the corner at the 600-meter mark before the finish. The specifics of the course also played out in her training. "Last year I realized there's more downhill than uphill. This time I was training more in downhill." Before heading to your destination, research the course online and make note of any elevation changes, winding paths, or road obstacles. Check forums to see what advice other runners offer about their own experiences there. Once you reach your destination, rent a car or sign up for a marathon tour to see the course up front. Driving the length of those 26.2 miles will provide you with a comfortable edge of knowing what to expect on race day.

See what other factors attributed to Sharon's winning success after the break!