5 Quick Tips to Sell your Home WHEN IT'S NOT SELLING

Your house has been on the market for 6 months. You lowered the price by $40,000 and are considering dropping it even further. You have had an open house every weekend and your Realtor thinks the place looks great. Your home is priced to sell for the current market, so why won't it sell?

The problem: Your house is not staged to sell. The solution: Salazar Redesign, LLC

Salazar Redesign, LLC, founded by Vicky Salazar of Lawrenceville, is a home staging company providing functional and practical solutions to homeowners who are looking to sell or de-clutter. Vicky uses the owner’s own furnishings and accessories to accent the homes' features and minimize flaws. Her proven techniques will attract a buyer within minutes of walking in the door.

“Home staging is the hottest new trend in preparing homes for sale,” said Salazar. “I can accent the homes' features and minimize flaws by using the owner’s own furnishings and accessories.”



As you can tell by the photo, the slightly cluttered and busy bedroom was transformed into a hotel style retreat with neutral colors and a welcoming bottle of wine. Simple and relatively inexpensive changes can make the difference between getting a price you want vs a price you agree to.

If you think your home may qualify for some home staging expertise, but you're not ready to hire a professional, here are some quick tips from Vicky to get started:

De-clutter Inside and Outside: Remove any excess tools/toys etc in front and back yards. Remove excess inside off of counters, cabinets and furniture.

Clean: Sweep and mop all floors for showings. Steam clean carpets before open house. Clear cobwebs from front and back doors.

Repair: Patch holes, repair broken screens and anything that needs fixing.

Neutralize: Remove collectibles, personal pictures and paint over any bold colors.

Enhance: Show off the space in the room or fireplace and architecture.

For more information about Salazar Redesign and the services available to homeowners, visit www.SalazarRedesign.com. Vicky is a member of the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce and NJAWBO.

It's cool to be a Brownie and a Young Artist in Montclair.

Panera Bread in Montclair recently held two events to help get children more involved in the community.

In early June, Brownie Troop 334 went on a bakery tour and got to make their own bagels: one for them to keep and one to give to the Montclair Food Pantry. They made assorted shapes including their troop number and while the bagels baked, the girls wrote personalized notes for the person who would receive their handmade treat. Not only did they receive the "Make It, Eat It and Try It" badge, they did a good deed for the day!

Ruby Brooks, Cece Crowther, Katie Lamberson, Alexandra McCarren and Sofia Costa
show off their homemade “334 bagel”

Later that month, Panera commissioned artwork from the Montclair Art Museum, displaying work by local talented youth aged 5-13 years. From still-life portraits to abstract expressionism, the future artists were able to share their work with family, friends, teachers and fellow Panera patrons. This was the first time the Montclair Art Museum had a display of this type outside of the museum and the kids couldn't have been more excited! Oliver Rossant exclaimed, “It’s my first show!” and 11-year-old Andrew Portnoy added, “I can’t wait to take my next class”.

Left: Oliver Rossant, age 6, shows of his pastel on paper; The Wyeth Cow; Right: Gary Schneider, the Director of Education at the Montclair Art Museum and Teacher Peg Kenselaar Are excited about the Art Exhibit at Panera.

For more information about the Montclair Art Museum Yard School of Art please call (973) 746-5555 ext 239.

Panera Bread of Northern and Central New Jersey ( www.paneranj.com) is owned by the Fenwick Group LLC, a family run business that has been in operation since 1999 based in East Brunswick, NJ. With its identity rooted in handcrafted, fresh-baked, artisan bread, Panera Bread is committed to providing great tasting, quality food that people can trust.

Healthy eats for the whole family & Cooking Classes

A few weeks ago I got hooked on watching episodes of Lifetime's Cook Yourself Thin, a show that helps women tweak their favorite food indulgences and "drop a dress size in 6 weeks." The show is hosted by well-known food personalities-Candice Kumai from Season 1 of Top Chef, Harry Eastwood, food writer and cookbook author and Allison Fishman, owner of The Wooden Spoon a Brooklyn-based cooking school. The goal of the show is not to replace your favorite food with a low fat option, but to teach you how to substitute high-fat ingredients with natural and low calorie options like vegetables and fruit. I'm someone who loves how vegetarian and vegan foods taste just as good or even better than the original version so naturally, I've been trying to adopt the same behaviors in my own cooking.

While I was at the local library looking for the Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook, I found one called The Sneaky Chef which is pretty much the same concept. Missy Lapine, the brain behind Sneaky Chef, takes normally high-fat/high calorie /guilty pleasure foods and sneaks in substitutes like Spinach, Blueberries, Chick Peas and more to create healthier but just as tasty versions. While there were a lot of really yummy options, I could not WAIT to make her Barbell Burger recipes with.....BLUEBERRIES!

The burgers called for a Purple Puree of Spinach, blueberries, lemon juice and water. It made enough for 4 batches of burgers so I saved the rest in my BPA-free baby food containers. Adding to the moisture was tomato paste and oat bran added healthy fiber.


These burgers are sure to please even the Hungry Man in the family. My husband, who love a good juicy burger or piece of steak really liked the burgers and took the leftovers to work!

Here's all of the ingredients:
- 1/4 cup tomato paste (this week I ran out and used Sweet Potato instead)
- 1/4 cup Purple Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #1)
- 1/4 cup oat bran, plus additional as needed (I used ground oat meal)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 hamburger buns or English muffins, preferably whole grain
- Optional extra boost: lettuce, tomato slices, or grilled onions and mushrooms
For full cooking instructions, you can view the full recipe for free at the Sneaky Chef website.


Cooking Classes for the family
If you're still a novice in the kitchen, but want to learn how to cook for you or your family, there are plenty of cooking classes around the state that offer healthy ideas and even some classes just for kids! Here's a listing:

The Natural Chef: Cooking classes, training program, cooking parties | Princeton
Viking Cooking School: Demos, Kids & Teens, Hands-On Classes | Fairfield
The Kid Connection: Cooking workshops, kitchen safety and parties | Lincoln Park
Creative Kids Celebrations: Offers pizza, kebab and Organic cooking parties | Traveling/Northern
Miele USA: Master chef class, demos and kids classes | Princeton and NYC
Cook 'n' Tell: Class for adults and kids ages 3+ | Colts Neck
The Health Shoppes: Organic and Raw Food cooking | Morristown
The Pop Shop: Healthy cooking classes for kids, adults and NEWBORNS | Collingswood

Retail Cooking Classes
Williams-Sonoma
Whole Foods Market
Shop Rite


Follow The Sneaky Chef and Cook Yourself Thin hosts on Twitter!
Missy Lapine
Allison Fishman
Candace Kumai

Does Twitter do a business good?

Business name: check. Business email: check. Business website: check. Business Twitter account? Um, eh, well...

I know. Social networking can be overwhelming. Between Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, this new form of networking and marketing can be confusing and time consuming, but I'm telling you: it's worth the effort.

Each Tuesday, I'm going to share with you a sampling of some New Jersey companies, organizations and entrepreneurs who have embraced Twitter and made the social networking site work well for them. And you'll hear from different "Tweeps" to learn how Twitter works for them. While you're browsing the list below, take a look at the quality of their Tweets and frequency of @ replies. It's not just about making announcements and sharing links. It's also about customer service and keeping a constant dialog and communication with your "followers."

From Erik Kent, co-founder of NJWedding.com, @NJWedding: I say that #Twitter helps you make good contacts, spreads marketingg messages easily, is a popular site and it's FREE!

@SouthJerzeyGirl: Tina Yerkes from VisitSouthJersey.com
@YWCAPrinceton: The Princeton, NJ YWCA
@SwitchFlops: Iterchangable flip flops, HQ in New Jersey
@EatontownBB: Best Buy location coming to Eatontown in October, 2009
@LibertyToyota: Liberty Toyota serving Burlington County
@FirstStepsGym: First Steps Gym Learning Center in Mount Laurel
@SweetSoaps: Owner of SweetSoaps.com, wedding favors,unique handcrafted soap & bath products
@NJInsuranceGirl: Certified Insurance Counselor, Connelly~Campion~Wright Insurance
@CardboxDiva: Wedding/Event Card box, cake topper designer
@NJFamilyMag: Events for parents and families from New Jersey Family Magazine
@VictorMedina: Medina Martinez & Castroll estate planning law firm in Pennington
@TurtleBackZoo: Turtleback Zoo in West Orange
@DebbieSchaeffer: CEO of Mrs Gs TV & Appliances in Lawrenceville
@hjphoto: Heather James Photography Princeton area/LBI

Are you following me? Am I following you?

Widget while you shop at Peapod

Shopping online with Peapod already makes my shopping excursions easier, but now they've taken things a step further by offering an iGoogle widget! Using my zip code, the Peapod widget features the top 24 weekly specials so I don't have to log into the site directly.

“Consumers are looking for more ways to save on household expenses but they also expect technology to aid in everyday tasks,” said Peg Merzbacher, director of marketing for Peapod. “Our team is constantly looking at ways we can develop new technologies to satisfy those needs for our customers.”

To access the Peapod widget, simply click on the "Specials" tab on the Peapod homepage and select the Google icon.

Why I like this widget:

• Instead of getting another supermarket circular in the mail, the Peapod widget is paperless and convenient to access.
• By scrolling through the widget, I can see which food items to stock up on for the week if the price is right!
• Like many of us, I shop at a variety of markets depending on the value and specific product. The widget will show me if Peapod offers a better value for that week.

Why I LOVE Peapod:

• I have better control over impulse shopping and usually save money by not shopping in the store.
• I don't have worry about getting Maddy, the diaper bag and 6-8 bags of groceries in the house at once.
• I can re-order previous lists that are saved on the site.
• I know that Peapod is quality controlled and delivers food straight from a Stop-and-Shop store.
• I know I can turn to Peapod when I'm planning a party or need to REALLY buy in bulk.


About Peapod
Founded in 1989 as a smart shopping option for busy people, Peapod today stands as the country's leading Internet grocer, serving the metro areas of Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Milwaukee, New Haven, Providence and Washington, D.C., Suburban New York City and communities in the states of Connecticut, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia. The Skokie, Illinois-based company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold in The Netherlands, has made over 13 million deliveries. For more information on Peapod, call 1.800.5.PEAPOD (573.2763), or visit www.peapod.com.

Recycle Sunday: Can the Internet Really Parent your Child?

Original Post: April 23, 2007

I was reading a post on CompuWorld that addressed the ongoing debate concerning Parental control over child online behavior vs Internet filters.

I don't have kids yet(update: I have a one year old), but I teach a very impressionable group of 6th and 7th graders. I talk to them a lot about their lives and what works for them. Some of my kids are so busy with their day that they rarely get on the computer for non-academic reasons. And then there are students who have little to no supervision and are sent to their room to do homework while we all know that they are NOT DOING HOMEWORK! Lesson #1: Children doing homework need to be seen (i.e. sit at the dinner table and work until you're done).

Going back to the CompuWorld article, the author reflected on the NY Times article, "Tools to Keep the Web Safe for Children," that talked about the ways that parents can prevent their children from getting into mischief online. The author of the blog begged the question: does that always work?

I'll let you read the blog and decided for yourselves, but I think that good old fashioned parent monitoring is the best practice. I would even go so far as to say that homes should have a "computer room" for children under the age of 16. There is no need for them to have a computer in their room. I didn't and I was fine! Granted, it was 1990 and the Internet wasn't really available for households until 1992. And yes, we had to take turns, but you work it out!

Now keep in mind, I don't have kids yet. I could sing a different tune. Bottom line, not all kids need the Internet policing. Some kids just don't bother with fooling around. These preventative measures are put in place for a reason, but it needs to be coupled with parental monitoring as well.

For more information on computer and internet safety, take this quiz with your children.

THE FIRST ANNUAL SUMMIT WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL

TOP CHEFS FROM NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PHILADELPHIA, AND MORE FEATURED DURING WEEKEND

FRIDAY JULY 24-SUNDAY JULY 26, 2009

THE SUMMIT GRAND HOTEL

The First Annual Summit Wine and Food Festival will showcase the nation’s best culinary personalities, chefs, winemakers, and sommeliers. The weekend will feature three days of gala tastings, cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, culinary classes, wine and cheese seminars, and cookbook signings.

The Who's Who of chefs and personalities include:
Ingrid Hoffman, Food Network personality
Douglas Rodriguez, OLA, Miami
David Pasternack, Esca, NY
David Burke, Fishtail, NY
David Waltuck, Chanterelle, NY
Josh Ozersky, Senior Restaurant Editor, Citysearch, NY
Joey Campanaro, Little Owl, Market Table, NY
Michael Psilakis, Anthos, Mia Dona, Kefi, NY
Mark Bucher, Bgr Joint, Washington, D.C.
Craig Koketsu, Quality Meats, NY
Anthony Goncalves, White Plains, NY
Aaron Sanchez, Centrico, and Paladar, NY
Patti Jackson, I Trulli, NY
Franklin Becker, Abe & Arthur’s, NY

Sommoliers and Wine Experts on hand:
Roger Dagorn, Josh Wesson, Scott Carney, Ivan Ruiz, Eddie Osterland M.S., Charlie Arturola, Chuck Simeone, Mark Snyder and Dom Pitrelli, Paul Tanguay, Randy Caparoso, Fred Price, Alice Feiring, and more

Proceeds from event ticket sales will benefit: Sage Eldercare, The American Red Cross, Overlook Hospital Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the cure, Bridges and the Junior League of Summit. Each event is priced individually.

To purchase tickets: by telephone call 908.277.6565; online at www.summitwineandfood.com; or for more information info@summitwineandfood.com.

The Summit Grand Hotel
570 Springfield Avenue
Summit, NJ 07901
(Approximately 30 minutes from New York City.
Also, accessible by NJ Transit train to Summit, NJ station.)

For more information contact:
Steven Hall
The Hall Company
212.684.1955
stevenh@hallpr.com

Take your workout TO THE BEACH (with just 5 moves)

It's "Wellness Wednesday" with Lindsay Vastola. She is the founder and president of Body Project Fitness & Health providing customized fitness training and “everyday eating” coaching. Her mission is to help men and women who “have no time for fitness” incorporate a healthy lifestyle amidst a busy schedule. Lindsay is an International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) certified personal fitness trainer and has more than ten years experience in fitness, weight training, and sports conditioning. Visit Body Project at www.bodyprojectfitness.com.

Check out Lindsay's new video: 15-Minute Beach Body Blitz Workout! Visit her blog for more fitness tips and sign up to receive her newsletter and learn how you can get in shape with either a few exercises or an entire boot-camp series!

What is That? Wordless Wednesday

Can you guess what's in the picture?

The winning guess will receive a $25 PEAPOD GIFT CARD! Leave your guess in the comments section. Tweet about the offer so we can use your extra entry in a tie-breaker situation.


Check out my review of PeaPod and the benefits of supermarket home-delivery

Guest post: Union City Baby Pool & Sprinkler Playground (Union City, NJ)

Meet Desiree: Real Mom and Editor of HobokenMetroMom.com: "I'm a mother of preschool girls and love raising my family in the city. The great thing about the New Jersey/New York area is that kids can explore and discover the best of nature, culture, and everything in between - and most of it is free! HobokenMetroMom.com is how I share my discoveries with other parents."

Hands down, this is the best water playground in the region! The highlight is the free baby pool. It is gated off and has a life guard. The baby pool goes from about 1 to 2 feet deep and has a couple of spray features throughout. It is for little kids only. For bigger kids, this playground has a huge sprinkler park. There are round sprinklers, overhead sprinklers, sprinklers that go in every direction, and sprays that snake in and out of the ground. Finally, for those adverse to water, this playground has multiple playground structures. There are swings, slides, big and little kid jungle gyms, and even a firetruck themed jungle gym. If are looking to spend the day in the water, this is the place to go! Check out www.njplaygrounds.com for more.

Getting there: the playground is located at the intersection of New York Avenue and 34th Street in Union City. There is metered parking right outside the water park. No car? No problem! Take the 22 bus which goes right up New York Avenue from 22nd street to 40th street. Or if you have a big double stroller which makes taking the bus impossible, take the Tonnelle Avenue light rail from Hoboken Path to Bergenline Avenue (at 49th Street) and walk south to 34th Street and then one block West to New York Avenue.

For little ones: Best feature is the baby pool - for little kids only! There are areas of the spray park that are good for little ones (stay away from the big sprays where the big kids run like crazies). There are also little kid jungle gyms.

Jungle Gym: Yes. Multiple structures including a fire truck themed jungle gym.

Swings: Yes

Slide: Yes, the usual kind found on jungle gyms

Sand: No.

Water: Yes! Both free baby pool and sprinkler park.

Shade: There is a moderate amount of shade. The playground has that colorful pebble like ground that can get very hot so make sure kids wear water shoes.

Food: No food allowed in the playground and this is strictly enforced. Prepare to snack on the sidewalk outside the gate. There is an ice cream truck regularly parked outside the park.

Bathrooms: Public bathrooms are located in the playground.

Christmas, on the beach at LBI! (Special promo for Mrs Mo's readers)

Say "Happy Holidays" this year from the beach!

During the summer, we look our "Sunny-best" with sun-kissed glimmer and a healthy warm glow. Family photos taken at the beach are fresh, fun and easy to set-up. Take those moments and make them last through the holidays by booking a family portrait photographer who will capture your family at their best and highlight meaningful candid moments that you can use for this year's holiday card!


Say hello to my friend Heather Alkhateeb of Heather James Photography.

Heather is a dedicated Jersey and family girl who carries that love and care into her portrait sessions. The daughter of a family-owned Plumbing and Heating company in Princeton, Heather learned that hard-work and taking care of your clients is a key to success. She followed in her father's footsteps by launching her own business and has already received one of the most flattering honors in any photographer's career: A billboard photo in Times Square! One of Heather's engagement photo sessions of a couple who met on JDate, was chosen as the face of the dating website in New York City.

Now it's time for your moment in the spotlight! From now until August 1st, Heather is offering a special promotion to ONLY Mrs Mo's readers. CLICK FOR DETAILS!

Give away your household goods for a good cause

My husband probably cleans out old/rarely worn clothing like once every few years. Me? I deposit an enormous bag at least twice a year. Yeah I'm working on that problem. I usually just throw the bag in one of those donation bins at a business or supermarket and never really know who it goes to. But it took moving into a development of houses (from townhouses) to discover 2 worthwhile options for donating my clothing and both offer FREE and TAX-DEDUCTIBLE at-home pickup :

The Lupus Foundation of America: "Lupus is a disabling and life-threatening illness that affects more than 1.5 million Americans. There is no cure and we need your help today to Find One!" Donated goods are sold to private companies and the funds are used for education and research. I received the handy donation bag below in the mail and have scheduled my pickup for next week!











To schedule a pick-up call 1-888-44-LUPUS or schedule online at www.lupuspickup.org.


The Vietnam Veterans of America: "Vietnam Veterans of America is the only national Vietnam veterans organization Congressional chartered and exclusively dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families." Donations help to provide over 50% of the funding for programs that support veterans and their families.















To schedule a pick-up call (800) 775-VETS or schedule online at www.scheduleapickup.com.

What is That? Wordless Wednesday

Can you guess what's in the picture?

The winning guess will receive FREE press release services from yours truly! Check out my business site, H. Morris Solutions, for more details of my services and some samples.

photo by Heather James Photography

How to sneak in reading during the summer

Maddy loves books. She enjoys turning the pages and pointing at the colorful images. But she can't read the words yet and she's too squirmy to sit though an entire reading. She's only 14 months old, but I'm already pretty well equipped with various resources to encourage reading when she's ready. But whether you're children are in that stage of "Yay books are fun!" or "Ugh do I have to read?" there are great websites and bloggers who have found ways to sneak in reading to your day. Kind of like the way you can cook brownies with zucchini!

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to join a conference call with Judy Harris, the CEO of Hooked-on-Phonics and other reading/parent bloggers. We talked about ways to encourage reading through the summer in addition to the opportunities for reading that we have all around us.

In attendance for the "Virtual Coffee" were some very inspirational and creative bloggers:

• Allie of No Time for Flash Cards
• Amy of Teach Mama
• Nirasha of Mommy Niri
• Brian of Book Dads

Some of the highlights were:

1. How many books can you read? Make a book paper chain with your kids where each chain represents a book they promise to read. From 5 to 30, it doesn't matter how many they choose. It's all about the enthusiasm to read!
   
   
2. Aisles and aisles of reading! Make easy to read shopping lists of food for when you shop with the kids. Hand each child a list with words and pictures and let them find the items.
   
   
3. Read rules and instructions before you play a game or enter an amusement park or museum. You get the reading practice but also an easy-out to remind your child "Sorry, those are the rules!"
   
   
4. Reading can be fun and games...and crafts! Create a craft activity using a new or favorite book as inspiration. But if you're at a loss, check out Allie's blog for creative and unique ideas.
   
   
5. Boys vs Girls? Sometimes boys need a little encouragement from the men in their lives. The Book Dads provide a resource for dads, uncles, grandfathers and all parents.
   
   
6. Star power: create videos of your kids reading to send to grandparents. You get reading, speaking and concentration practice all-in-one!
   
   
7. B-I-N-G-O: Planning a trip or looking for car activities? Make BINGO sheets with letters and play I-Spy looking for object-letter associations.
   
   
8. Write the alphabet out on paper and take your kids outside for a letter scavenger hunt.

Since my educational background is in middle school, here are some ideas to encourage older kids to read:

1. Drop everything and read...as a family. Let's face it, some kids won't do something if you don't either. Pick a time of night (right after dinner is always best) where everyone stops what they are doing to read for a short time. Set a minimum time limit, like 15-minutes, and if you want to read more than that, great!
   
   
2. Teen recommendations: find websites with book reviews written by kids and let your child pick from that site. A great place to start is Flamingnet, started in 2002 when the publisher was in 5th grade.
   
   
3. Sometimes, your teen will even want your advice or want to know your opinion. Why not read the same book and then compare notes when you're finished?
   
   
4. If it's not going to be book, try a magazine. Surprise them with a subscription to a special interest mag or let them pick one from your local B&N or Borders. Just try NOT to DISCOURAGE magazine reading. It's words and content that your child is READING. Done.
   

Buy Gelato for charity

Present this coupon for proceeds to support a charity that provides water to suffering countries. (Click for full size)

More about A Drink for Tomorrow

My interview with founder Stephanie Weaver

Visit Dolce Crema

A natural choice for your BBQ: Feature Friday Q&A with FunniBonz CEO Jim Barbour

Some people would say that Jim Barbour is a saucy kind of guy. But the West Windsor entrepreneur would take that as a compliment!

After launching his own line of all-natural BBQ sauces called FunniBonz in December 2008, Barbour has been treating NJ residents to his unique and all-natural creations. As of January 2009, FunniBonz has sold 2,200 cases which are 26,400 jars and are in 102 store locations and have received orders from Market Meats in Vancouver, Canada and Selfridges in London, England making them an International company. With 3 full time employees, 6 part time employees, 12 part time independent contractors and 1 intern for the summer, FunniBonz is growing rapidly!

Rob and I actually ran into the FunniBonz man himself at Murphy's Market in Beach Haven over 4th of July weekend while we were shopping for dinner. It was hard to miss his enthusiasm and of course, his yummy BBQ chicken! One bite and I was ready to spoil my dinner appetite. So of course, I had to learn more about his sauce and how his brand is grilling the competition.

Meet Jim Barbour, the saucy guy behind FunnizBonz BBQ Sauce:

Q: Jim, I love your sauce and it's rare to find all-natural varieties. What was your inspiration to start the business?

A: Aside from not really liking the job that I had(an electronic discovery account manager in NYC), I have always had a love of cooking and I have always wanted to start my own business. I spent a lot of time grilling out and I could not find a sauce that I really like, so I decided to make my own.

Q: FunniBonz is a great and unexpected name for BBQ sauce. Where did it come from?

A: When I suggested to my business partner Ryan, that I was going to create my own barbecue sauce he said that we should call it FunniBonz, and the name just stuck. It just seemed right.

Q: So why BBQ sauce? And how did you learn about flavor and food combinations?

A: I learned food combinations growing up. I was always the kid at my mother’s apron strings and I have always had a curious fascination about good food. I did not know the first thing about making a barbecue sauce, but I know what flavor combinations that I like and I feel that I have an innate talent for layering and finding a balance when creating a sauce or a dish. The sauce is a pretty unique blend, but I pulled the things I love best in several sauces that I have had.

Q: In addition to being a unique blend, what else sets you apart from other all-natural sauces on the market?

A: One thing that sets our sauce apart from other all-natural sauces is the flavor. Our sauce is a full bodied, sweet and tangy style barbecue sauce without the heavy vinegar bite. Because of this, it pairs with everything from chicken to pork, beef, vegetables, seafood and tofu. It is also one of the lowest in sodium on the shelf. We also have a very unique packaging process where we heat our sauce for a certain time and to a certain temperature at the time of bottling. This process allows our sauce to withstand higher heat without falling apart or burning like most other sauces. This allows you to actually cook, bake or grill with our sauce without the drastic change in the consistency of the sauce.

Q: Let's go back in time for a second. I read that you were a drama student at UNC Greenboro. This may be stating the obvious, but do you feel your academic training has helped you make Funni Bonz more successful? Do you have any tips for other potential entrepreneurs on getting out there and marketing your product?

A: My dramatic training has helped me in so many ways. I love to perform and I love to be in front of people. I am able to read people a lot better and also adapt to my environment. But I also feel that every aspect of my professional career has played a part in making me the person that I am and preparing me for this role.

My advice to other entrepreneurs that are looking to market their own products is to just do it. Most people never move from talking about an idea to actually doing it because they don’t know where to begin. People become so preoccupied with the 1 million reasons why it can’t be done rather than fixate on the goal at hand. The true secret is to just do it. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication and the road will be filled with obstacles to overcome and problems to fix. But if you start by putting one foot in front of the other, eventually you will be walking. Don’t let yourself or anyone else put doubt in your mind and make you lose your focus. If you want it, go for it! Start knocking on door and go out and get it!!

Q: You certainly have been getting out there with in-store taste testings in various NJ locations. What do you like about them and what brought you to LBI?

A: I love meeting the people. I love to see their reaction when they taste my product. I love the when kids love my sauce. Especially the picky eaters!! I love to know that I have an effect on the dish that a mother will prepare for her family or to know that FunniBonz has become a staple in someone’s house. It just makes me feel good that I can bring joy to other people. I don’t have a house down in LBI (yet) but I spent my childhood growing up there every summer. So on the 4^th of July it only made since to spend my day at a store that I really enjoyed and that was Murphy’s Market. They brought our product into their stores and have been really great to us. I am proud to have my products in Mr. Murphy’s stores.

Q: In addition to Murphy's, how has the support from local NJ markets been for you?

A: The support from the NJ supermarkets has been tremendous. I began this journey with Pennington Quality Market where Don and Chris Rellstab welcomed me into the store with open arms. They allowed me to feature my product and sample to their customers. Colin John, the grocery manager of Whole Foods in Princeton looked at my product and told me how he championed local vendors and facilitated my entry into the Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic Region. Ken Toth the meat manager from McCaffrey’s brought us in to all of the stores and has always supported our cause. We have had such a great experience with the NJ supermarkets. I could not imagine starting my business anywhere else.

Q: Future plans?

A: We have just opened the catering arm of the business where we will do everything from rolling up a smoker to your event and do a real BBQ meal with pulled pork, chicken, ribs and upscale southern sides to delivered catering trays to a more elegant fine dining catering menu. I also have plans to develop my FunniBonz line of cryopaked meats such as FunniBonz Pulled Pork, FunniBonz Pulled Chicken, FunniBonz Baby Back Ribs and FunniBonz Brisket among other things. I will distribute these smoked meats out to retail locations.

I do have plans for restaurants in the future. The restaurants will offer a culmination of our smoked meats, sauces and rubs along with a variety of other menu items that will surely keep people happy!

I would also like to compete. This year has been so filled that we have not had a minute to breath. There are so many things to do and I want to do them all!! All in good time. But I do plan to compete next year. Maybe we can do Memphis in May. That would be a lot of fun.

Special thanks to the following people who had a hand in helping our business get off the ground: staff photographer Karri McKenzie, graphic design firm called Creativenergy owned by Linda Abbedrabo, who designed all of our labels and graphics, animator and producer named Stephan Lay who creates all of our animation and digital visual effects


FunniBonz BBQ Sauce is available is various Whole Foods Markets across the state and local supermarkets. For more information including store locations, recipes and the online store, visit http://www.funnibonz.com.

Boutique News: Christmas in July!

It's Christmas in July at Bellies & Booties!

This week and next week only, save 40% or more on all Layette & Children's Clothing.

We stock sizes up to 4T, plus shoes, socks and other accessories at great prices to complement all of the clothes you'll pick up at 40% off.

New fall fashions are arriving daily, and we still have a great selection of warm weather merchandise that your little one can enjoy up to October!

Plus, a special for you, my VIP Customers: bring in a picture of your child or grandchild wearing one of our outfits and receive a special gift from us!

Present this post to your fashion associate upon entering the store to receive your special discount!

Remember, we're now open till 6 PM on Mondays and 7 PM on Wednesdays!

This offer is good until 6 PM on Saturday, 7/18 only.

Hurry in for the best selection, or shop BelliesAndBooties.com for free in-store pickup!

No more "sitting on the sidelines" with EA Sports Active for Nintendo Wii (Win a copy!)

Say hello to my client Kelly Rouba, arthritis spokesperson and author. Kelly recently launched her debut book, Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, a comprehensive guide for children who are living with the disability. Informative and personal, Rouba's book is a window into the lives of kids and teens with the disease including tips for parents, guides on symptoms and inspirational testimonies. For more information about Kelly, her book and her upcoming appearances, visit her blog: kellyrouba.blogspot.com.


On a recent night after work, I met up with my friends Jerry, Krystal, and Scott in the recreation center of Scott’s building to test out EA SPORTS Active. With the exception of Krystal, the rest of us have varying disabilities (arthritis, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy—we all use wheelchairs) and wanted to see how well we faired with this new fitness video game package, which allows users to create their own customized workout from more than 25 exercises or follow the recommendations of a virtual trainer. We chose to try both.

Although Scott bailed before we could get the Wii to work on the big screen TV, Jerry finally got it up and running and the three of us began taking turns replicating the exercises as demonstrated by our virtual fitness trainer. Some exercises, like inline skating or squats, definitely proved difficult or impossible when you’re sitting in a wheelchair. But, we had a good laugh over trying to figure out a way to do the exercises and eventually passed along the controls to Krystal once we gave up. Other exercises, like tennis or hitting the punch bag, proved to be something we all could do—and we even broke quite a sweat!!

After following the recommended routine for a while, we decided it might be better for Jerry and I to create our own workout made up of exercises we knew we could do based on our own abilities. This turned out to be even more fun, so much so that I had trouble tearing the couple away for dinner. As the minutes (and calories) flew by, we continued to laugh and sweat over games of baseball, volleyball, and even dancing. While this fitness game system certainly can be played alone, I think we all agree that exercising with friends makes it much more enjoyable!

Having the option to customize your own workout also makes EA SPORTS Active a worthwhile investment for those with physical limitations. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, it allows you to “get in the game,” literally. In “virtual life,” Jerry and I can engage in activities, like baseball or tennis, whereas in “real life,” we could not. Furthermore, the customized workout allows us to skip those activities that we still can’t do virtually, like squats.

I recommend trying EA SPORTS Active as a fun way for those with disabilities to stay in shape, especially if you are one who doesn’t venture out much. The game package allows you to select exercises that are right for you—and any exercise is better than no exercise.



Stay tuned to New 12 NJ: 12 To Your Health for Kelly's interview which is taping today!

What type of eater are you?

“Non-eater” - I don’t eat after a workout. I just burned all those calories I’m going to gain back everything I just worked so hard to burn.

-or-

“Immediate-eater” - I rush to eat after a workout. I have my protein bars and protein shakes in my bag ready to eat as soon as I’m done.

These are the two typical eater-types I come across. The “non-eaters” are the ones who will often be the ones that eat the “treats” and junk food later in the day and tell themselves it is “OK” because they exercised earlier in the day. The “immediate-eaters” are on the right track, but they just need to be sure they’re eating the right foods.

Understand how your body works after a workout:

30 minutes following a workout: your muscle cells are hungry for nutrients – carbs and protein!

30-60 minutes after a workout: your muscles start to relax and begin to repair themselves (making them stronger!).

Here is the most optimal way to eat after your workouts:

Eat a high protein meal 30-60 minutes after you workout. This is when your muscles will use the protein most effectively to build muscle and burn fat.

If you don’t eat, you’re missing out on a critical opportunity to give your body the building blocks for your natural fat-burners – YOUR MUSCLES! And chances are you’re more likely to eat the not-so-nutritious food later on.

2-3 hours later, eat a regular meal that has a combo of good protein and good carbohydrates (veggies, fruit, whole grains, etc.).

Quick & convenient post-workout meal ideas to help build muscle and burn fat:

Protein shakes (whey protein is a good choice, look for low-sugar versions, less than 10-15g, ideally)

Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread

Cottage cheese and fruit

Grilled chicken breast with small baked potato

2 eggs and whole grain toast

Until next time, your partner in health and fitness,

Lindsay Vastola, CFT

It's "Wellness Wednesday" with Lindsay Vastola. She is the founder and president of Body Project Fitness & Health providing customized fitness training and “everyday eating” coaching. Her mission is to help men and women who “have no time for fitness” incorporate a healthy lifestyle amidst a busy schedule. Lindsay is an International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) certified personal fitness trainer and has more than ten years experience in fitness, weight training, and sports conditioning. Visit Body Project at www.bodyprojectfitness.com.

Day Trip: Haddonfield (Repost)

Repost from April, 2007
I've never really ventured into Philly-suburb country, but after reading about Haddonfield in New Jersey Monthly as a "Best Downtown", it sparked my interest from a blogging point-of-view as well as personal curiosity. Luckily, my husband grew up both in Cherry Hill and Moorestown and was very familiar with the area. I'm not a fan of reading long paragraphs on blogs, so I will keep my details to bullet points. I found some great shops, 1 fabulous restaurant, and 1 cozy cafe: *Disclaimer: I realized after we left that I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to imagine the places that don't have images online*

First Stop: Three Beans Coffee Co., 140 N Haddon Ave, 856-354-2220

• Selections: coffee, tea, pastries, specialty drinks, soda, juice
• Ambiance: like a Vermont lodge-slate fireplace, couches, tables w/chairs, dark green paneling, wood floors, paperback books to read, cozy nooks
• Location: on a side street on the corner, park on the street or rider your bike

Second Stop: House Hunting(just looking)

Third Stop: Shopping!

• Powder Room-Surf Shop for Girls, 112 E. Kings Highway, 856-216-1670
• Davison's Mens Shop, 150 Kings Highway East, 856-795-0070
• Carries Burberry, Lacoste, and silk shirts

• Favorite of the Day: Serendipity, 127 E Kings Hwy , 856-354-6343

• Floor to ceiling Vera Bradley: bags, desk accessories, hats, belts, lampshades, everything!!!
• Crabtree & Evelyn (women and men)
• Ame & Lulu: Women's Golf accessories-totally cute!!

• Engaged/Newlyweds: The Polished Plate, 101 Kings Hwy E. , 856-428-2696

• Simon Pearce, Bernardaud, Glassware, Flatware, Wedding Registry
• Unique Find: Japanese Rice Paper Napkins-great for wedding favors, table decorations, plate chargers, etc
• J. McLaughlin Company Store(Outlet): 123 Kings Highway East
• Pendleton Shop: 121 E. Kings Highway, 856-795-8898

Lunch: Corner Bistro, 59 E. Kings Highway, 856-354-8006

• I had Mesquite Salmon with a Berry Salsa for only $850!
• My husband had a burger..and he was very pleased!
• For the 2 of us, lunch, soup, and coffee was all under $20!
• Ambiance: It could easily be found in Old City, Philly or Brooklyn Heights.
  
• Seating: Tight space, but that just adds to it's character

Haddonfield is 15 minutes drive or train ride from Center City Philly. It has been named "best shopping district" by Philadelphia Magazine and the "best collection of shops anywhere in the state" by the New York Times. For more on Haddonfield, click here.