Conan O'Brien is a class act

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

Conan O'Brien January 22, 2010

Valentine’s Day is truly from the heart this year

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We know that everyone loves to receive a special Valentine’s Day candy gift, a dozen roses, Valentine’s Day gift baskets, or even Valentine’s Day cookie bouquets. This year, Shop The Gift Basket Store is giving something back for Valentine’s Day. We have pledged to donate 10% of our sales on February 4th to the American Red Cross to support their operations, and especially their huge undertaking in Haiti. This year, when you order a Valentine’s Day Gift from Shop The Gift Basket Store, not only will you be making someone you love smile, you will be helping someone who truly needs all our help.
The following businesses have pledged along with Shop The Gift Basket Store, to donate to one of the many relief organizations that is giving tirelessly to the rescue and recovery operations in Haiti.

Brides' Village (www.bridesvillage.com)
Bright and Bold (www.brightandbold.com)
ET Productions (www.etproductions.com)
Katbird (www.katbird.com) -
Nature Chest (www.naturechest.com)
Process for Less: (www.processforless.com)
Shop the Gift Basket Store (www.shopthegiftbasketstore.com)
Shower-Curtains.com (www.shower-curtains.com) -
Titanium-Buzz: (www.titanium-buzz.com)
EY Studios: (www.eystudios.com)
Classic Charms - www.classic-charms.com
Your Store Wizards: (www.YourStoreWizards.com)
Exclusive Concepts (www.ExclusiveConcepts.com)
All Things Jeep (www.allthingsjeep.com)
Nature Chest (www.naturechest.com)

For more information on these stores and the organizations they are supporting visit: http://www.bridesvillage.com/one-day-for-the-red-cross.html

This year, please remember those who have become victims of a terrible natural disaster. Your Valentine’s Day purchase at www.shopthegiftbasketstore.com on February 4th will help a person in need. It will truly be a gift from the heart.


Shop The Gift Basket Store is fast becoming America’s favorite gift basket store for gifts and gift baskets for all special occasions and holidays, including new baby gifts, get well gift baskets, book bouquets, cookie gifts, gourmet gift baskets, corporate gift ideas, spa gift baskets and more. All at Shop The Gift Basket Store! Just pick, click and ship! Visit them at www.shopthegiftbasketstore.com

How to Make Valentine's Day Fun for Toddlers by Arlene Pellicane

Holidays are a great time to make memories with your toddler. Here are ten easy, cheap ways for moms to make a big impression on this Valentine's Day:

1. Fill their shoes with a sweet treat. When it's time to put their shoes on, they will be thrilled to find a little Hershey's chocolate kiss with an "I love you from head to toe" note or a small toy like a Hot Wheels car.

2. Decorate your toddler's room with hearts. While your child is sleeping, go in his or her room and decorate the walls with construction paper hearts. When he or she wakes up, there will be a room full of love waiting.

3. Make a Valentine collage. Cut out different shaped hearts on different colors of construction paper. Glue on a piece of cardstock and you have a collage to decorate your kid's room or a card for grandma and grandpa.

4. Bake heart shaped cookies. While you're measuring and mixing, tell your toddler the things you love and appreciate about him or her. Be specific and shower your child with encouragement. "I love how you are such a good builder. You're great at making creative things with blocks" or "I appreciate how you give mommy hugs every day."

5. Make a book of things your toddler loves. Have your toddler look through magazines and cut out the things he or she likes (cars, animals, favorite foods, etc). Glue these into a "Things I Love" book. Your toddler will delight in sharing his or her favorite things with friends and family.

6. Enjoy a Valentine's dinner of red foods. Serve pasta in red sauce or pizza for dinner. Drink cranberry juice and have strawberries and red jello for dessert.

7. Create a love treasure hunt throughout the house with a prize at the end. Use simple rhymes like "Rose are red, violets are blue, go into the kitchen, where there's something for you."

8. Make shapes out of candy hearts. Don't want your toddler to eat all those tiny sugary candy hearts? Glue them on pieces of paper to form hearts, circles, squares, whatever shape you want.

9. Give your toddler a coupon book. Include coupons like, "Watch your favorite video," "Have a friend over for a popcorn party," "Go out for ice cream," or "Trip to the zoo."

10. Make a trail of hearts to a treat. Put hearts on the floor leading from their bedroom to a surprise like a small toy or a Rice Krispy treat.

You'll have as much fun as your toddler when you take time to make Valentine's Day something special!

Arlene Pellicane, mother of a toddler and infant, helps women lose their baby weight and thrive as wives and mothers. Her weekly podcast "Losing Weight After Baby" is full of practical ideas that work for busy moms. Visit Arlene's website for FREE articles and exercises at http://www.losingweightafterbaby.com and blog at http://losingweightafterbaby.wordpress.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arlene_Pellicane

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Avoid the Predictable This Valentine's Day by Harvey McEwan

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, which means now is the perfect time to start thinking about what you might want to do for that special someone in your life. Of course, if you're like countless others with regard to Valentine's Day gift-buying, finding the perfect gift is no easy task. All too often, well-meaning Valentines are left scouring their thoughts for clever gift ideas, only to settle for usual or more predictable gifts - such as jewellery, chocolates, or flowers. But why settle for common and predictable gifts, when there are so many exceptional gift ideas to surprise your Valentine with? While it might seem like a challenge to hone in on that ideal gift, sometimes all you need is an idea or two to prompt your creative thinking.

For instance, why not surprise your Valentine with a couple's massage session? Many spas now offer massage therapy sessions for couples in the same room, so you and your Valentine can enjoy a blissful, relaxing spa experience together. Make a day of it by ordering a spa lunch, champagne, and perhaps some chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert, and your special Valentine's Day gift is sure to be one of the most memorable your Valentine has ever received.

However, if you want that blissful experience to last longer than just a day, consider booking an extended luxury spa break. A luxury spa break will offer you and your sweetheart all the benefits of a day at the spa - but much more. Imagine waking up every morning with no itinerary - except, of course, to relax during an array of massage and body therapy sessions. Pair the experience with a beautiful and serene holiday destination, and you're set to enjoy a truly exceptional Valentine's Day gift with your loved one.

Another great Valentine's Day gift idea is to arrange for a cooking course that you and your Valentine can attend together. In choosing a cooking course, consider the types of foods that you and your loved one enjoy eating; then simply find a course to match. The culinary experience is sure to be fun, and you'll both gain a skill that you can always apply and enjoy together at home. If you're wine enthusiasts, consider surprising your Valentine with a wine-tasting getaway or local wine-tasting course.

Ultimately, in searching for that perfect Valentine's Day gift idea, try opting for something that you can enjoy together, or that will create memories for you and your Valentine to look back on for years to come - for example, a couple's massage, luxury spa breaks, or a cooking and wine tasting course. All it takes is a bit of thought with regard to the activities you and your loved one enjoy most, to have a truly memorable Valentine's Day gift-giving experience.

Harvey McEwan writes about holidays, special occasions and luxury spa breaks

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harvey_McEwan

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Chocolates for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is many things to different people- a chance to start new relationships, rekindle old ones, or remind that special someone how wonderful they really are. Others feel it is just another “Hallmark” holiday where they are expected to do something for unknown reasons. Regardless of your hopes, expectations, or reservations about Valentine’s Day, chocolate has long been a favorite gift for lovers.

Since the days of the Aztecs chocolate has been used as a gift. Today a box of luxurious quality chocolate says a thousand “thank you’s”, “good luck”, or “I love you”. Chocolate can be given as a way of saying “congratulations”, “I am sorry” or “get well soon”. On Valentine’s Day chocolate clearly says “I LOVE YOU!” Chocolate is more than food, it not only fills your belly but also makes you feel soooo good. Elaine Sherman wrote “Chocolate is heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep, dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial. Chocolate is downfall, happiness, pleasure, love, ecstasy, fantasy … chocolate makes us wicked, guilty, sinful, healthy, chic, happy.” What more could you want to say to your lover on Valentines Day? Even the scientific name for the tree from which chocolate is derived, Theobroma cacao, translated from Greek, means “food of the gods”.

Why does chocolate evoke so many feelings and emotions for us? Chocolate has long been associated with passion, romance and love. This association may go all the way back to the Aztecs. They believed chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom, incredible energy and elevated sexual power. Chocolate was widely used as a nuptial aid and was widely served at wedding ceremonies. The Aztecs did not know chocolate as we do today; they consumed the cocoa as a drink. Reports indicate that the Emperor Montezuma consumed large quantities of the drink every day and always fortified himself with a cup before entertaining his harem. The explorer Cortes reported to Carlos I of Spain that chocolate is “… the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink enables a man to walk for a whole day without food.” From the earliest times, chocolate was considered a substance of power and a source of vitality.

Chocolate has been a subject of study since the first shipment from Veracruz arrived in Spain in 1585. But modern science has made some interesting findings that may help explain our lust for quality chocolate. Chocolate contains organic substances known as alkaloids. The most important of these substances is theobromine, which works as a stimulant to the kidneys. Stimulants in chocolate also affect the central nervous system, with effects similar to caffeine, which is also present in chocolate. A chocolate bar may contain as much as 200 mg of theobromine but only about 25 mg of caffeine. Another important substance found in chocolate is phenylethylamine, which is part of a group of chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins have an effect similar to amphetamine and are found naturally in the human body. When endorphins are released into the bloodstream, the mood is lifted and feelings of positive energy are reached. The sensation known as “runners high” is caused by endorphins released during exercise. Phenylethylamine levels in the brain have also been linked to “falling in love”. One more chemical found in chocolate is seratonin. Seratonin is known for its calming properties. The presence of these chemicals may explain the multitude of feelings chocolate evokes.

Debra Waterhouse, author of Why Women Need Chocolate, conducted a survey and found: 97% of women reported cravings, 68% of which are for chocolate, 50% would choose chocolate over sex, and 22% were more likely than men to choose chocolate as a mood elevator. These findings could easily be interpreted as a result of how chocolate makes us feel. I don’t know why more women choose chocolate than men, for I am a man and I love chocolate.

Critics would say that the benefits of eating chocolate are small when compared to the sugar and fat contained in a chocolate bar. The best chocolate, dark chocolate with high cacao butter content has no added fat, as well as a high percentage of cacao solids and correspondingly less sugar. Although chocolate will never be considered a health food based on its nutritional value, it is still good for you! Good for your heart and soul-anything that helps relieve stress and makes you feel so good must be.

Receiving a nicely wrapped box of chocolates causes a sense of anticipation. The pleasure of unwrapping the box, the sensual smell, lifting the soft seductive papers, the look of the smooth dark chocolates. When it finally passes your lips and starts to instantly melt filling your mouth with exquisite pleasure. The taste and smell flood your senses with overwhelming ecstasy. Eating it slowly, taking time to enjoy and savor every bit. What better way to start off an evening of love?

David Eisen is owner of Euphoric Chocolate, come visit us at [http://www.euphoricchocolate.com] Our large variety of novelty chocolates, chocolate truffles, and elegant gift boxes are the perfect touch to add to any occasion. We can help you creat the perfict wedding favor, bridal shower favor or baby shower favor for your special event.

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