Did you know that three cups of green tea daily can reduce body weight and waist circumference by 5% in three months? I’ve been drinking a cup every morning for about a week, and you know, there might be something to this. I’ve noticed only a slight drop on the scale, but what is radically different is that I have to run to the restroom more. Green tea seems to have a diuretic quality. I feel like it’s flushing out all that holiday fat -- from last year! This Christmas, when everyone’s drinking egg nog and Jack Daniels, I’ll be sipping on some green tea. That way, I can have a few extra pieces of fudge and not feel so badly about it.

    For those of you who might be concerned about packing on the pounds this holiday, here are 10 diet tips from Cynthia Graff, president of Lindora Medical Clinics, the medically supervised diet plan:

    · MONITOR YOUR EMOTIONS -- People eat to quell their emotions. When feeling vulnerable, take a walk, call a friend or go shopping instead of heading to the refrigerator.

    · ALWAYS AVOID SODAS & ICE CREAM -- Metabolically, they add calories while burning carbohydrates.

    · KEEP BOTTLED WATER WITH YOU -- Water helps to reduce your appetite and gives your skin a more youthful appearance.

    · GETA GOOD NIGHT 'S SLEEP -- When you don't sleep well, you tend to eat more. Try to sleep 7 to 9 hours each night.

    · ENGAGE IN MODERATE EXERCISE -- Maintaining an exercise routine can be as simple as briskly walking around your neighborhood for 20 minutes a day or riding your bike at a nearby park for the same amount of time.

    · MAINTAIN A MODERATE AMOUNT OF SALT IN YOUR DIET -- Perspiring eliminates the salt in your body, which can lead to fatigue, dizziness and headaches.

    · AVOID HIDDEN CALORIES -- Stay away from liquid calories hidden in coffee drinks (e.g., mochas, blended ice coffees, etc.), fruit smoothies, fruit juices and milk shakes. For a special treat, try an 8-ounce non-fat cappuccino with a shot of sugar-free vanilla flavoring.

    · REDUCE ALCOHOL -- Avoid alcoholic beverages as they contain lots of calories and carbohydrates that do little more than pad one's waistline.

    · STAY AWAY FROM FAT-LADEN SAUCES -- Avoid using more than a dab of butter, margarine or oil when cooking. Also, order salad dressings on the side.

    · INCONVENIENCE YOURSELF – Don't hire a maid; clean your own house. Ride your bike to run errands instead of driving. If you must drive, though, park far from your destination and enjoy a brisk walk to reach it. When shopping, carry your groceries or merchandise instead of pushing them in a cart. Also, use the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator. Instead of making one weekly or bi-weekly shopping trip, shop daily for what you plan to eat that day. You'll burn more calories walking the store and your food will be fresher!

I know this is last week’s news, but my blog was shut down for a few repairs and I haven’t been able to talk about this buzz-worthy issue. So . . . how about that Brad Womack, “The Bachelor” who rejected BOTH women in the final rose ceremony? Poor guy. Surrounded by 25 young, beautiful and adoring women for six weeks, with nothing better to do than soak half-naked in Jacuzzis and make out with the woman du jour. I can’t imagine Thanksgiving was a happy time for him, coming alone to the dinner table, one soon-to-be member of the Womack family simply nonexistent. Brad was excoriated last week by women all over the world, blogging and e-mailing and sniping at work with all the other angry women about what a jerk he is. Click here to read article.

But you know what? I think he’s courageous. I have to give him credit for not buckling to the pressure of being on TV and following his heart in the end. And that very selective heart of his said, “I’m just not in love with ANY of the women I have met!” Yes, it was a letdown, and yes, he broke the hearts of two very hopeful women. But at least he was honest. I’d rather find out from him now, during prime time, that he is dumping both women rather than reading about it in People magazine six months from now. (By the way . . . did you hear that Mary, of the “Mary and Byron” bachelor hookup, was arrested for punching him in the face? And that was one of the show’s success stories, too! Click here to read article.

How would you like it if someone said to you: “OK, here are 25 gorgeous, successful men and you MUST pick one of them to marry after six weeks.” That’s a lot of pressure! But you know, I certainly would enjoy the elimination process, how about you?

Well we’re up and running again. We had to shut down the blog for about a week to do some “de-spamming.” Unfortunately, in the process of eliminating all the spam, we also had to delete all your responses. Sorry about that. But look at it this way -- now you have a clean slate, a brand-new blog that invites you to share your brand-new responses.

Today is Thanksgiving. And while I’m certain you are either preparing a turkey or watching football rather than reading this blog (and I HOPE that is true!), I can’t let the day pass without wishing everyone a relaxing, warm and wonderful day spent with family. My family’s up north and my children are with their father this year, making my Thanksgiving a very quiet one. I was invited to a friend’s house for dinner, but declined. There aren’t many days out of the year when you get to huddle close with family, and I didn’t want to intrude on her “family time.”

I plan to use all this free time catching up around the house and starting a cherished Christmas project. I may even dive into a book I’ve been trying to read for a while. It’s going to be a perfect day, one without a lot of gravy. And I'm really thankful that I don't have to make that excruciatingly painful decision this year: pumpkin pie or cherry pie? My main objective today is to just relax and save up some energy for tomorrow – the busiest shopping day of the year!

If you get a moment, tell us how you spent Thanksgiving Day . . . aside from eating!

    Don’t laugh, but when I was in Sixth Grade, I thought a French kiss was when someone came up to you and kissed you on both cheeks. You know, the way so many Europeans do. You can imagine my surprise when later that summer I played Spin The Bottle for the first time and learned what a French kiss REALLY was . . . WOWZA!

    Well, just as scientists are apt to do when things get a little boring in the lab, they’ve been studying the art of kissing, trying to suck as much understanding as possible out of one of the world’s greatest pleasures. And what they discovered was this:

    Women kiss to assess the commitment of a mate. That is, we’re thinking, “Will he be there for me and our babies someday?” While men kiss simply as a prelude to sex. They're thinking, "OK, enough of this. Is she ready yet?" In fact, 53% of men said they would have sex with someone without any kissing at all, compared with only 15% of women who would be willing to get it on without all the smooching. (To read the whole study, go here.)

    Jeez, all this time, and I thought men were kissing us because they enjoyed kissing. According to this study, they can take it or leave it.

    Up until now, there hasn’t been a whole lot of research on kissing. I guess they’ve had more important things to research, like what causes cancer. But next time they need a kissing lab rat, I’d be happy to oblige.

    It’s the start of a weekend, so let’s have a little fun. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I’ve stepped into a time warp when it comes to today’s music. We’ll be driving in the car, and some song will come on, and both my 10- and 14-year-old daughters will yell out: “Oh! Dashboard Confessional! I love them!” 

    Dashboard Confessional? Who the heck are they, and what kind of name is that for a band? I remember the good old days (the 70s) when band names made sense. The Rolling Stones. Boston. The Eagles. Journey. Foreigner. You know, regular, normal words, phrases and combinations that go together. Even The Doobie Brothers works. We GET that.

    But today, I think bands try their hardest to come up with the most nonsensical word combinations: My Chemical Romance. Box of Fish with Tartar Sauce. Breaking Benjamin. Drive-In Funeral. My Dog Has Hitler’s Brain. The Yams from Outer Space. HUH???? Before these bands name themselves, they must call a meeting and say, “OK, guys, look around you. What do you see? Just throw out some words and we’ll put them all together and that will be the name of our band.”

    So let’s do that. Let’s come up with some great band names. Wherever you are right now, just look around, find three unrelated words and put them together and –VOILA! – you are now the next music sensation. I’m looking around my room at the moment, and my muse tells me that Spider Wall Dust is the next hottest band to win a Grammy. I came up with one the other day that my two little music critics thought was brilliant: Roadtrip on a Grapevine. Guess what we were doing?

    Think, think, think. (Well, actually, you don’t really have to think much, and that’s why it’s so fun.) What would you call your band, if you had one?