Interior design expert, Sarah Babbitt in her retro designed kitchen

Candace Rose: What are some design ideas to get kids more involved in the kitchen?

Sarah Babbitt: “A step stool is always handy, so maybe you can design a cabinet that has a little open portion to house that in there, so they can easily slide that out.

I think if you have room for a desk area in the kitchen for a couple different reasons- for the desk area to be a little lower (in terms of countertop height) so it’s easy for kids to access. But then also if they’re doing homework they can be in the kitchen if you’re in the kitchen to create a more communal space too. Otherwise you could make the countertop lower if you wanted them to actually do work in the kitchen, but then it’s lower for you. That desk area could be a good place where it can be lower and they can work a little bit more helping you, but then also do their homework there per say.”

Candace Rose: The kitchen is always one of the most important rooms when it comes to remodeling a house. How do you design a kitchen that won’t become dated?

Sarah Babbitt: “It’s making a layout that makes sense, and that of course depends on the kitchen. It’s making sure you have enough drawer space or counter space, and some of that is just figuring out from the client how they use the kitchen and how they live.

When it comes to finishes, if you go with more of a neutral palette…no bright orange cabinets, that could be cool in a setting but certainly wouldn’t be ‘timeless’. I’ve done a lot more white paint cabinetry, that seems to always be in style, and certainly the dark cabinetry. But maybe for the flooring and other fixtures just go with neutral tiles or neutral colors, and stainless steel appliances as opposed to any white or black appliances.”

Sarah designed this sleek and modern kitchen in Andersonville, Illinois.

Candace Rose: What kitchen and bathroom accessories should homeowners invest in?

Sarah Babbitt: “For the kitchen, the kitchen sink and and faucet, that’s really the workhorse of your kitchen.

For the bathroom I would say a really good toilet. You want it to work well, that’s really the one place you don’t want to have issues. And maybe a taller height toilet.

If we’re talking about a guest bath or maybe a kids bath, a lot of times a hand shower on a bar instead of a fixed shower head, that way it’ll slide up and down so it’ll sort of grow with the kids. And even the simple thing of cleaning your shower or your bath tub- just take that down and rinse the tub as opposed to get a cup and sort of splash it, right? The handheld on a bar, probably for a guest bath, I do more handles on a bar than a fixed wall shower head because I think functionally it just makes a ton of sense.”

A lovely bathroom designed by Sarah Babbitt.

Candace Rose: Do you have any additional tips or information you’d like to share?

Sarah Babbitt: “I think the main thing is just sort of thinking about how you use the bathroom and the kitchen just in a functional sense. I look at what I do as taking more of the function and then combining it with the aesthetic and giving it more of a beautiful design, but also something that functionally makes sense. Think about how you live, the stuff you have and the storage you want, and then you can create a good design. Just thinking functional, you can start taking all the beautiful ideas you have and start channeling that to a great overall design.”

For more information, please visit: communityhomesupply.com.

And Sarah’s beautiful work featured on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/CommunityHome/designer-board-sarah-babbitt-community-home-supply/

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Candace Rose: Why does the GI system cause distress and who typically experiences these symptoms?

Dr. Steven Lamm: “The GI system or commonly called ‘the gut’ is a beautiful orchestration of hollow organs, solid organs and they’re filled with a myriad of nerves and their receptors for hormones and a whole bunch of other active molecules.

And as a result of the foods that we ingest, the stress in our lives, the genetics that some of us are at an increased risk for. About 50 million people suffer from a common condition called IBS with constipation. Their lives are really affected- the quality of their lives. They fortunately don’t get cancer from this, but every day is a challenge for them. They’re afraid to go to work, they’re afraid to leave their home in the morning, afraid to have lunch, embarrassed if they go to your home for dinner, they go to a restaurant and they’re afraid they are going to have to go to the bathroom. It’s really not a pleasant state and these people have been embarrassed before when they may or may not have sought out medical treatment years ago and told that it’s all in their head.

I think there’s a whole new awareness and new knowledge based on the physiology of how the intestines work. The FDA for example just approved a new drug called Linzess for those 18 and older who have the constipation from irritable bowel or chronic idiopathic constipation. If you change your lifestyle and if you change what and how you eat, if you add some sleep to your lifestyle changes you can get some relief.”

Candace Rose: What foods or treatment options should sufferers be aware of that could further aggravate them?

Dr. Steven Lamm: “It’s very individualized and any one individual may find that caffeine or alcohol or spicy foods or dairy products or gluten or fructose- whatever may actually be the main culprit although it’s generally a combination of different foods along with some internal stressors that are activating the intestines. It’s really a combination of foods and lifestyle changes.”

Candace Rose: Are there any dietary or lifestyle changes that they should make in order to feel better?

Dr. Steven Lamm: “I think for the most part, if you can gradually increase the fiber in your diet, but you have to be careful because some of this fiber gets acted on by the colon bacteria so you get more gas and bloating. You’re walking a fine line- a little bit more fiber, a little less dairy for certain, probably a little less fructose which is found in a lot of foods and that along with some exercise, sleep, meditation and believe it or not can make a big difference. And for those who still need more, go to the doctor, there’s a new pharmaceutical out there for you.”

Candace Rose: Where can we go for more information?

Dr. Steven Lamm: “Here’s a website that you can find helpful, it’s IFFGD.org. There’s a lot of valuable information for IBS sufferers.”

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Candace Rose: What is National Women’s Health Week and why should we celebrate it?

Dr. Vivian Diller: “National Women’s Health week is an initiative to remind women that they need to look after their health, even if it’s not their natural instinct. Women tend to be the caretakers- they take care of their children, they take care of their parents, they even take care of their mates. And it’s very important especially as we’re living longer lives, longer than we’ve lived before, well into our 80s and 90s. Women all along the way look after their well being, they have to have their annual checkup, they have to have their mammograms, their bone density tests. It’s a critically important thing for women, much the way they say on a plane, you’re supposed to take the oxygen mask before you help somebody else. That’s what National Women’s Health week is about.”

Candace Rose: Why don’t women make discussing their health a priority?

Dr. Vivian Diller: “I think it’s probably rooted in the fact that for hundreds of thousands of years women’s primary role was to attract a mate, create and then take care of others. We’re probably a little hardwired to do that. And even though women have changed their roles so much in the last 50 years and do so many other things, probably it’s a very hard instinct to battle against to put ones self first as a woman, and that’s what we have to do now that we’re living longer.”

Candace Rose: Can you talk to us about menopause?

Dr. Vivian Diller: “Menopause is a natural transitional phase of life. It is not a one size fits all experience, it can start as early as ones thirties in perimenopause that leads to menopause, which happens most often somewhere in ones fifties. And it’s the marker of the end of fertility, it’s when menstruation ceases. The problem with what we have done with the phase of menopause is we’ve stigmatized it. We’ve viewed it as if it’s an illness rather than a change in ones hormonal life. And just like during puberty when adolescence go through a change and they come out of it, so do women. So it’s really important that women are out there talking to one another. Going to a website like Poise.com which I have joined as one of their experts where women talk to other women about their experience so we take the stigma out of a natural phase of life.”

Candace Rose: Do you have any additional tips or information you’d like to share?

Dr. Vivian Diller: “I think what we really need to think about as women take care of their health during menopause is instead of feeling as if menopause takes over your life, that the symptoms have to take over you, to feel as if you’re all alone and that your moods are out of control, that you can be proactive. You can do things to ease the symptoms of menopause. Go take a look at Poise.com, they have products that have nonirritating ingredients that are specifically designed to be helpful to alleviate the symptoms. And if we are more proactive, we’ll feel better because we’re not feeling like victims of a disease, and that’s what’s the most important message.”

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Candace Rose: What are some tips and tricks for consumers to simplify group gifting and shared expenses?

Lizzie Post: I’m working with Bank of America this summer just because it is so difficult when we try to reconnect with people, to then have to deal with things like a group gift or going in on a summer share together.

And with the group gift, one of the things that I like to suggest to people is to make sure they have an organizer for the gift. And my tip to that is to have BankAmeriDeals in your back pocket because you can choose deals up to 15% back at stores you shop at. So when you go to purchase a gift for the group, choose it from a store that you’re going to receive a little bit of a cash reward from so you get a little something for doing all that, and you can use something simple like a mobile transfer to be able to send money and collect money from everyone really easily and not have to worry about checks and trying to keep tabs on all that sort of thing.”

Candace Rose: It’s almost wedding season, so what are some helpful hints for brides and guests to help minimize stress around the big day?

Lizzie Post: “Boy, it’s a really important thing for brides to remember to take a deep breath. Everyone’s going to have their bridezilla moment, but you really want to make sure you can minimize that to the best of your ability. I like to think of it as you get closer to the wedding start running through your head of who is helping out, and what have they done to really make this easier on you because when you start rolling in that negativity all the time, you’re really going to lose sight for what a wedding is about, which is to reconnect with family and friends, and to celebrate this monumental occasion in your life.So brides, take a deep breath, mothers of the brides- take a bigger deeper breath and everybody is going to get through it.”

Candace Rose: We do everything on our smartphones these days. Is there a way that consumers can utilize their mobile device to make the most of summer activities?

Lizzie Post: “Oh of course. Like I mentioned the BankAmeriDeals, those can be accessed from the Bank of America app. And not only that, but just think about how much easier doing things like using group text message to be able to communicate the summer share’s cost this much, here are directions- you can send a little pin drop to someone so that they can easily navigate it on their navigation device. There are tons of ways that you can use your mobile devices in order to coordinate and keep coordinated, just make sure you go somewhere where you all have reception.”

Candace Rose: What are the summer’s biggest manner mishaps and what can consumers do to avoid them?

Lizzie Post: “I think some of the biggest things in summer come when people forget that we’re all here to have a good time, and they get so wrapped up in this is the only time I have to have a good time. The biggest one is that people over plan. There’s a group organizer that comes in and they have an itinerary that is down to the minute and everyone groans because they don’t feel they’re going to be able to relax. You really want to balance when you’re out on a vacation, whether or not you’re going to have free time and downtime and whether you’re going to be able to relax a bit, as opposed to feeling you’re scheduled every second of the day.”

Candace Rose: Well, thank you for the great tips, Lizzie. Where can we go for more information?

Lizzie Post: “For more information you can go to BankofAmerica.com or EmilyPost.com.”

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Entertainment reporter and mom Nancy O’Dell shares driving tips for parents and teens! Image courtesy of Twitter.com/NancyODell

Candace Rose: What is the Drive At Home initiative?

Nancy O’Dell: “Well, it’s this wonderful program that was started by the Allstate Foundation and the National Safety Council, and it’s a great resource for parents who have new teen drivers in their family, like me- I have a stepson, Tyler who is 17 years old and just got his permit. As you can imagine I’m very scared, my husband is very scared, Tyler is very scared. When you hear the statistics about car crashes being the number one killer of teens and knowing that that year after they get their license is the most dangerous time in their life because that’s when the crashes tend to happen. And you think these crashes are caused by them texting or being distracted by passengers in the car, but in reality it’s just caused by them not having experience. They’re caused by inexperience.

The Drive It Home program is encouraging parents to spend at least 30 minutes a week in the car with their kids because what they really need is the experience and to be able to have you there as a parent to help and guide them.

I don’t know if you remember this but it’s very scary when you first start driving. You don’t have the years of experience that we have had where we just take things for granted and do things intuitively. It’s all new to them and they need you there. The Allstate Foundation found out that more than half of the teens that they talked to wished they’d had more time in the car with their parents, this is something that teens want as well.”

Candace Rose: What has your experience been like teaching your teen to drive?

Nancy O’Dell: “It’s interesting! It’s when you’re in the car and you realize that they don’t know the simple things that we take for granted. For example, I was in the car with Tyler and he was changing lanes and he didn’t look in his rear view mirror as he was changing lanes. And you realize that this is just because he doesn’t have the experience and he didn’t know when he was trying to stop at a stop sign – he didn’t know when to start braking. He was actually just rolling through the stop sign, which could have led to a crash until we discussed it. And because he was getting the experience with me he was getting more experience on the road to be able to know when to start braking and it was starting to feel more natural for him.

Also one of the things that we do- one day it started raining and we took that as an opportunity because of the advice given on the DriveItHome.org website, and they said when it starts raining you naturally might go I have a new driver, I’m not going to take them out in the rain. But you need to take that opportunity when it rains to get in the car with your new driver and drive with them because you want those first times with you in the car or to be with an experienced driver in the car and not with them being alone. You don’t want them to be out and about alone when it rains for the first time and they have to drive themselves home with no experience driving in the rain before. So it’s those high risk situations that DriveItHome.org talks about and makes you think about and things like that to get you through these first months of brand new driver.”

Candace Rose: Absolutely. Are there any other things that parents can do to ensure that their kids become better drivers?

Nancy O’Dell: “There are so many things that are listed on the DriveItHome.org website, but there’s also a contract that you can print out that’s also an agreement between the teen and the parent. Tyler and I did it, and the teen just promises not to drive in the rain until they have a certain amount of experience with a parent, not to drive with passengers in the backseat that can distract them until they have a certain amount of experience. There’s also videos on the website that the teens can watch. These are all things that can make the teen a better driver, and the biggest thing that’s going to make them a better driver is that experience with you in the car with them. You don’t want them to get that alone and Allstate Foundation found out that two things of parents wish that they spent more time driving with their kids in high risk situations. The parent and the teen both want it, the statistics show it, so just getting out there and doing it and giving them that experience.”

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Retirement expert Jerry Golden shares retirement tips for those age 25 – 34.

Candace Rose: How can those aged 25-34 prepare for retirement?

Jerry Golden: “In terms of thinking about retirement, usually there are other expenses that people have to deal with at that age whether it’s paying off a student loan or thinking about saving for a down payment on a house, if they’re married…start having a family and have to think about college education, so there’s a lot of planning and thinking one has to do and sometimes retirement takes a backseat. What I would say in terms of the two most important things are educate yourself about investing for retirement so when you do have the money to set aside you’ll make a smart decision.

And then secondly, if your employed take full advantage if you can of your employer plan by making sure you contribute enough to at least get any employer match and see if you can put as much as you can into your own contributions.

If you’re self-employed start submitting your social security (it’s mandatory) so you’re building up credit for your social security and again, if you have additional funds that you can set aside think about some form of retirement plan that you can start for yourself, whether it’s an IRA or a mini 401(k) called a Uni-K. Begin setting up those programs, saving as much as you can and taking advantage of employer matches, taking advantage of the tax laws. And whether it’s a small amount or a little amount, with the magic of compound interest it may add up as you get older and older, and ultimately approach retirement.”

Candace Rose: How much money does the average person need to save for retirement?

Jerry Golden: “Social security, particularly if you’re self employed, you’re setting aside a particular amount of money and depending on your income level social security can do a better than expected job of replacing a portion of your income.

As a rule of thumb, and again it’s a very personal situation if you can save besides the social security (give or take 10% of your pay) early in retirement most of the real savings just because of the way life works out, will actually make in between 45 and 50 in retirement, and at that point if you can get that 10% up to 15% after expenses, that depending on your circumstances and your investing should produce a reasonable amount of income replacement in retirement.”

Candace Rose: Are there any common mistakes you see when people are preparing for retirement?

Jerry Golden: “A lot of people get upset or nervous about what they see on the 6:30 news whether the Dow is up or down, or whatever so I think you have to think for the long term. You need to be diversified- that is between the Stock Market and the Bond Market. People were riding pretty high in 2008 and the portion they put in the Stock Market was well above 50/50, approaching 70-80%. So be diversified between equities and fixed income, pick low cost investments that are broadly diversified across the market so you can stay the course and not have to worry about the ups and downs, and continue to invest.

If you have a low cost investment approach and the market’s going up and down, I’m a believer in the so-called dollar cost averaging, which is by putting a consistent amount in the market you’re going to be buying those in the highs and lows of the market. And over time it’s better than trying to time the market.

The other thing is to think that small amounts of savings don’t mean a lot. I think consistency, regular contributions trump the amount. If you can put more in that’s great, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put a little in or whatever you can afford.

As you get closer and closer to retirement I think the big mistakes are that people continue what they were doing pre-retirement into retirement. And I think that’s our whole philosophy- savings to income, we think there’s a very different process and not simply just drawing down your investments in retirement. That might work for the one percenters, but it doesn’t work for you or me and most people, so you have to think about a different approach to creating income as you approach retirement. But for your audience, you have a long time to think about that. So the main things are diversification, small amounts count, and sometimes people do not take full advantage of their employer plans which they should do first.”

Candace Rose: Where can we go for more information?

Jerry Golden: “We have two places you can go: SavingsToIncome.com is our educational website, it talks about our philosophy and has a couple of tools that you could use and there’s a blog associated with some of my views on not only retirement planning but I’ve proposed reform to social security. And there we have an affiliated adviser GoldenRetirement.com which really talks about the adviser and what it can do for individual clients. So those are the two main sources of information- SavingsToIncome.com which is educational natured and GoldenRetirement.com which is our registered investment adviser.”

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Do you suffer from digestive issues? Registered dietitian, Ashley Koff joined me recently to discuss Prevention magazine’s recent survey, how digestive upsets affect your emotional health, the benefits of probiotics and supplements and how diet can improve digestive health!

Registered dietitian Ashley Koff Shares Results from New Prevention Magazine survey on digestive health. Image courtesy of AshleyKoffApproved.com.

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Baby safety expert to the stars Brad Mattarocci shares the top baby products for new moms and moms-to-be.

Candace Rose: Do you have any advice for first time moms, or women who find themselves pregnant after several years?

Brad Mattarocci: “Absolutely. The best advice would be when you’re getting ready to buy baby products or gear and what not that you think about your lifestyle- if it’s going to remain active, if you have two children or are going to have two children, if you’re going to be doing any traveling to see relatives. And also the climate that you’re living in right now- it’s a cold weather climate or has the seasons like out here in California.”

Candace Rose: What are some popular baby products that could be considered dangerous when used incorrectly?

Brad Mattarocci: “Well, most baby products could be considered dangerous if you’re not using them as they’re designed. You should really pay attention to the warning labels and make sure that you read and understand the products manual as well as the vehicle owners manual, if you’re talking about a car seat.”

Candace Rose: Can you tell us about the newest products on the market that have the latest technology?

Brad Mattarocci: “Well, the newest products on the market as far as car seats go is our Baby Trend Inertia Infant car seat, it has rigid latch anchors that actually snap into the 2002 or newer vehicles that have built-in latch anchors. And it has a controlled motioned base that actually moves in the event of an accident and cradles the baby, and catches them in decelerates the crash energy, keeping the baby super safe. It also has a movable head rest that actually moves so you don’t have to re-thread the harness. It’s super convenient for the family.”

Candace Rose: Do you have any additional tips or information you’d like to share with us?

Brad Mattarocci: “Well, the main thing that I’d like on safety tips as I mentioned before is always read the manuals, understand the warning labels- they’re there for a reason and never leave your children unattended.”

Candace Rose: Where can we go for more information?

Brad Mattarocci: “For more information it’s www.babytrend.com for all of our full line of products, as well as more safety tips.”

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