1. ExerciseTV (http://www.exercisetv.tv/):  Since I still have “pregnancy” pounds to shed, I especially like their FREE On Demand segments.  They are great for when you have a spare 10 to 30 minutes.  I especially like the 10 minute abdomen workouts and the cardio dance workouts.  They also have workouts online and for portable devices.

2. Inexpensive sunglasses:  I tend to frequently lose “unattached” accessories (i.e. umbrellas and sunglasses) so it makes no sense for me to spend a lot of money on them.  Fortunately, it’s easy to find trendy shades at inexpensive prices.  In the city, there are always vendors at street fairs.  Forever 21 (www.forever21.com), Nordstrom’s (www.nordstrom.com) and A.J. Morgan (http://www.ajmorganeyewear.com/) also carry trendy, inexpensive lines.

3. Hop Stop (http://www.hopstop.com/): If you don’t have a great sense of direction (like me), you will love this site.  You put in your starting and destination addresses and then they give you great subway, bus, walking (and combinations thereof) directions.  I have used it several times and the directions have been accurate every time.

4. Life & Style Weekly (http://lifeandstylemag.hollywood.com/):  At the newsstand price of $1.99, this is one of my inexpensive “guilty pleasures”.  I don’t necessarily believe the celebrity “news”, but I love their fashion and beauty tips.  I also like their easy-to-do crossword puzzles.

5. Erika Bloom Pilates (www.erikabloompilates.com/): This Pilates studio is a gem!  I attended a Pilates Mat group class taught by Leslie Dorst.  It was amazing.  The classes are kept small (no more than six people at a time) so that the instructor can customize the workout.  Leslie was extremely encouraging as she corrected my (admittedly not so great) alignment and breathing.  I walked away feeling like I had just left the spa…centered and relaxed.  (I have NEVER felt that way leaving an exercise class before.)

6. Friends with no children:  (Okay, so this is more of a person, than a thing BUT since it’s my list, I can include what I like.)  Friends with kids are great for obvious reasons, but I had forgotten how important my childless friends are until my birthday.  My girlfriend Susan gifted me with a “coupon” for a 2 hour nap; movie tickets with a “coupon” for free babysitting; and a Starbucks (gift card)…she is my caramel frap “date”.  How many other moms can give up that many hours of child care?  Not that many…we’re too busy watching our own children/ if we had all of that extra time, we’d be taking a nap ourselves.  And it’s not just the gifts (of course).  I love simply talking and being with my “non-mom” friends because it’s good and healthy (for me, anyway) to get out of my “mommy world” every now and then.

7. Shopaholic & Baby (http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/kinsella/):  This is one of those books where I had to read a couple of chapters before I liked it.  After the first few pages, I thought that I would just stop reading it…that it was a silly, name brand dropping piece of fluff.  I’m glad that I gave it a few more pages though.  I became “addicted” and finished it within the day.  It is fluff, but it’s also fun and the main character (Becky) may be shallow, but she’s also endearing.  Throw in the fact that Becky’s ob/gyn is trying to steal her husband during her pregnancy and there’s enough of a plot line to keep you interested throughout the entire book.

Posted by Kimberly on 30 May 2007 at 11:20 am | Tagged as: Favorite Things