Waxing and no I don't mean your snowboard!

Hey Galpals!

Most of you prefer to remove the hair from under your arms, legs and even your bikini area, I second that motion. However, as the saying goes in Dutch "She who wants to be beautiful, must suffer", that rings very true when it comes to waxing.

I myself have up till now, been a real coward when it comes to wax. For years I have used a razorblade for all my unwanted hair, and still today I use it to shave my legs. But, the future for my bikin area is about to change. Ladies.............I am to have my very first brazilian bikini wax this coming saturday.

Am I nervous? You betcha! Yet I really have come to dislike the daily routine of shaving down there, cutting myself and being left with small unsightly wounds.

The drudging aversion to everyday shaving first set in several years ago when I got so sick of shaving under my arms that I went in search of an alternative method. I came across the then newest form of laser therapy that got rid of unwanted bodyhair.

After collecting sufficient information, I made an appointment and started the laser therapy sessions. They weren't the most comfortable ones as the light of the laser causes "twangs" of pain, like someone continuously snapping an elastic band on your skin, but the results were and remain wonderful. I had eight sessions and they were at certain intervals due to the way the hair grows, making it important not to miss any session, for the time period of getting rid of all the unwanted hair would then be extended, but apart from those two minor challenges, I am very happy with my lack of hair under my arms.

As I was so thrilled with the results under my arms, I wished to have the same results for my bikini area, unfortunately, that area has certain limits to where the laser can be used, and the hair down there is of a different coarseness, thereby making it harder, and more painful may I add, to get rid of.

After about ten sessions (you need about twenty at least) and having missed a couple due to an overload of work, I stopped going. I felt the results were not what I had expected, though the beautician had warned me it would take longer than my underarms, I was too impatient to go on.
So, I resorted to going back to shaving with my "state of the art" razorblade.

But now, I am so fed up of standing under the shower each morning, bending my body into several positions just to get the right angle so I minimilize the possibility of cutting myself that I made the waxing appointment.

In fact, now my w-day is almost here, I am actually quite excited about it. I have been surfing the net and have found there are many types of brazilian waxing, from "full monty" to a more subdued "landing strip".

I haven't made up my mind which one I'm going to have done as I think that it will largely depend on how comfortable I feel with the beautician. I mean, its not every day you bare all to a total stranger right?!

So, wish me luck - or send me a couple of advil, it seems I will be needing them :)

Mompreneurs - it ain't all that!

Have you ever wondered how come God gave us the responsibility to look after the children AND work ? Or did God have nothing to do with it and was this something we laid upon ourselves.

Either way - the number of men who help with the household chores, really put in a 50/50 effort on a frequent basis to raise the kids, can be counted on one hand.

It's like after all those centuries of evolving into who humankind is today, the roles cast upon women and men have not really changed that much.

But can we really blame men for this?

I mean, to be totally honest, women expect to be treated the same as men in the work force, expect their man to do just as much as they do when it comes to washing up, cleaning etc. at home, yet when it comes to paying for a meal or simply holding open a door, we expect men to step up and do so.....how fair is that?

I don't think I've ever seen a woman hold the door open for a man, nor are there too many women who open their wallets to pay for a mans' dinner on a night out, so much for trying to break through stereotypes.

Lets face it. We, as women, like to be pampered in certain ways like the ones mentioned above, and men, well they see it as us pampering them when you end up doing the dishes by yourself again because he's watching the game.

And before I get a lot of hate mail from womens' liberation organisations, I do believe in equality, but, and here's the rub, there are just ALWAYS going to be situations that a man can handle better and vice versa.

For example, I'm an avid D.I.Y.er and much prefer to do any plumbing or whatever myself, BUT......I'm not as, and never will be, as strong as a man when it comes to lifting things, or simply tightening a bolt so tight that it won't come loose.

Then again, we can multitask MUCH better than any man. We can if we wanted to, and some do, cook dinner, talk on the phone, keep the kids from killing each other and watch TV all at the same time, and do a pretty good job of it too.

No burnt dinners, we're up to date on the latest gossip, the kids are ready and sitting at the dinner table and we know what happened on the latest episode of "Bold and the Beautiful", now tell me, can a man do that?!

So, next time you feel like throwing the kitchen towel in, think about what your man does for you. Instead of getting frustrated at what isn't, think of what is, and what that can lead too.

If you want a better partner who helps you willingly in the house and with the kids, be a better partner yourself first. You have to be able to give in order to get.

And ladies, try to do so without expecting too much in return, we are way more evolved than men so give them a break because they have a lot of catching up to do (no offense to any men reading this, it's in your best interest too!)

What's your vision for 2008 ?

Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Appropriately, to start off the new year, it has started snowing and the streets and fields now lay under a white blanket. It looks gorgeous!

I hope for the childrens' sakes that it stays a couple of days, just long enough for them to make a snowman and draw snowangels and have some snowball fights.

My year has begun wonderfully. I trust yours has too. If not, then read on as there is a way to change your outlook on life, who knows, you may actually even start to enjoy it!

For the January edition of EdenandElle Magazine, I was lucky to be able to interview an incredible lady called Kandee G. She is a wonderful life skills coach, an International keynote speaker and an author whose lifestory goes by the title "from peanut butter to private jets".

Kandee G. is as inspiring as she is vivacious. I knew quite a bit about her before I interviewed her, but when I spoke to her myself, well....just wow! She personifies much of what women wish to be like and her warm hearted character puts her miles ahead of many other personal life coaches I know. Kandee G. truly wants to help anyone that asks for her help, it's not only about the dollars and cents with her, it's the feeling of being able to truly help make a difference in your life that motivates her.

If you have made a resolution for this year that you are going to change your circumstances, how you live your life, how you FEEL, then I suggest you take her online vision program which starts in the third week of January. You'll find more information in the latest edition of Eden & Elle magazine or you can check out her site http://www.kandeeg.com/ and no, I'm not affiliated with her in any shape or form, I'm just a strong believer that she can deliver what others promise but fail miserably to do.

Of course, if you think that it's not going to take any work on your part, then think again, but know this. Each minute that passes is one you can NEVER get back, wouldn't you want to be able to enjoy every minute of the day and have a genuine smile on your face ?

Whatever you decide to do, you always have a choice, just make sure it's your choice and that you are comfortable with it. Too many times we seem to forget that we are on this planet for a limited time only, we fall victom to doing as others do, not what WE want to do.

Don't let yourself be a victom, be a victor! Step outside your comfort zone and live, feel alive!

Only want the best for yourself, dare to be selfish, you can't give what you haven't got. It's a snowball effect. The more you love yourself......the happier you become......the more you are able to accomplish in this happy state of mind......the wealthier (in every way) you become.....the more you can give to others and do so selflessly..........the happier you become.....you get the picture?!

Good! Now go for it - look inside yourself and search for your dorment dreams, you may be very surprised with what you find.

Have a great week!

Flashback for the future....

A very good friend of mine forwarded me a biweekly newsletter today that he had received.

Earlier on this week, we had been talking about the effects of tanning beds (I'm pro, he's against). Just out of curiosity (I'm a woman remember!) I clicked on the link and after reading the concerning article, my attention was drawn to another subject headline "Do what you love : Time is too short to do anything else". The article was actually a commencement speech Steve Jobs, CEO Apple and Pixar Animation had given at Stanford University in 2005.

I was so inspired by what Steve Jobs said that I thought it very appropriate to end this year with a video of this speech. I truly hope you find it just as inspiring as I do.

Have a wonderful New Years eve and see you in 2008!

I'm dreaming of a white christmas......not!

As gorgeous and fairytale-like a white christmas is, I would much, much rather be lying on a tropical beach in the caribbean than sitting in front of a log fire drinking eggnog - wouldn't you?

I presume it's what we're used to. Having lived in a country where the average temperature didn't go below 86°F at night, I longed for a day when I could walk outside without feeling like I had stepped into a sauna. When I moved to the Northern part of Europe, where the winters are wet and cold to very cold, I yearned for the time I had spent in the tropics! Either I'm just spoilt rotten or its a question of thinking that the proverbial grass is always greener on the other side.

Still, I guess that it would be weird to see a christmas tree covered in lights and decorations next to a palm tree, and Santa Claus walking around on the beach.....for most of us anyway!

One could of course do what a friend of mine has planned. He and his son are going ice fishing during the christmas vacation. They have rented a cabin smack next to the lake, so all they have to do is roll out of their thermal sleeping bag, into their winter undies, zip up their eiderdown jackets, cut a hole in the ice and presto - they're fishing. Whether they'll actually catch something is beside the point, it's the experience that counts according to them.

If you have more time to travel or prefer to outdo your friends vacation stories, why not go on an orca whale safari in Scandanavia? http://www.nordicsaga.com/ offers unique adventures, though not for the faint hearted.

As for me, I'll be spending my christmas at home, in front of the log fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames, dreaming about a caribbean beach christmas far away. I wish you ALL a very merry christmas.

How do you know its for real and that he's "the one" ?

When it comes to relationships women seem to go about it in a totally different way than men. We tend to be open and upfront about ourselves, while men seem less likely to let us get a glimpse of why they are who they are.

So how do you know what you can share and can't? There isn't a handbook that you can refer to so that you don't make a mistake. Sure, there are plenty of books written that talk about how to keep your relationship going, or how to rekindle the love in your life. There are also many that have information about how to approach a prospective partner, be it male or female but I have come across few that take a step by step approach on how to be and act with a certain type of person.

You see, that is where the difficulty lies. There are several different types of men, from the player to the introvert, just as there are several types of women, from the quiet to the wild ones, yet we still haven't gotten to a point where we know which type suits which best, if opposites do or do not attract, or whether one should refrain from even trying with a certain person.

Having said that, and having the necessary experience in relationships myself, with which I have learned the hard way, I have come to the conclusion that there is one thing, and one thing only that can be of sound help when coming into contact with the opposite (or same) sex.

Your Intuition.

If you hear the voice inside your head, no matter how quiet, tell you that the person you are talking to is a such and such type, LISTEN!

It may seem foolish and silly but believe me, I've tried this approach and it really does work, each and every time. Not that I wanted to learn this, in fact, I was so stubborn I neglected to listen several times before I understood what was going on, but now each time I meet someone new, I can "sense" what type of person this is, just by listening to my intuition.

You do need to train yourself a little. Even though your intuition has always been there, not many people actually take the time to listen to it, or worse, discard or neglect it thinking that its wrong, and end up getting hurt.

Do yourself a favor, next time your intuition tells you that he's a player, smile at him, give him your sexiest look and then walk away without looking back! You'll save yourself time, energy and possibly money by doing just that.

Don't just take my word for it, try it out, but be honest with yourself and you'll soon find you will only be spending time with the "right" type for you.

Build a professional website in 24 hrs with no technical knowledge at all!

A bold statement, I know.

Nowadays almost everyone is on the internet highway and wants to buy some land in cyberspace. "Online" real estate, in which I mean owning a domain name and hosting a website is big business, as in multi million dollar business!

Unfortunately, due to that same fact, prices, ranging from $670 - $ 5000 that are asked by web designers are not affordable to all. So, several hosting sites now offer their software (when you buy a domainname or buy hostingspace for your website with them) which one can use to "build" their own site with. And thats were it gets difficult.

How do you know that you can understand the way their website building software works? That you don't need to be at least a little bit tech savvy in order to be able to use their software? That it really is as easy as they say it is?

You don't. You usually have to buy in order to try.

And believe me, I have tried. I don't know whether it is because I really no nothing about html or PHP or source codes etc. or that it's because I'm a woman but I just couldn't seem to build my site exactly the way I wanted it to look like.

That is, until I stumbled upon BlueVoda . I was behind my computer once again getting very frustrated that I couldn't make the FTP program thingy work (yeah, I did learn several names of the techincal stuff, but still don't know how to use them) and out of utter desperation typed in easy website builder software in my browser.

The name bluevoda-free website builder came up on my screen and so I clicked on it. What I found was truly mind blowing, in a positive way. With their software program, which you can download for free, and use for free, I was able to design my site exactly the way I wanted it, I even was able to put music on it! To see what I mean, check out http://www.edenandelle.com/

And the best thing is, I don't need to know ANYTHING about programming websites or codes. It's really simple, and best of all, its fun to do. I thoroughly enjoyed building my website, and now add extra pages onto it once in a while just because I can!

BlueVoda has video tutorials with step by step explanations of anything you would like to do, which make it childsplay to understand. And, if there is something which you really can't get the hang of, their support team gives you an efficient and fast answer.

If you would like more information please click on the following link.

www.edenandelle.com/Bvpage.html

I highly recommend you check it out, play around with the website builder, have fun designing your own website and then come back and thank me...I'll be waiting!

Enjoy!