GeekSugar

Lego-Inspired Ring: Totally Geeky or Geek Chic?

GeekSugar — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:16:36 PST

I'll admit, I was essentially born to love Legos, so my affinity for this Lego-Inspired ring from Toy Me Milano is expected.

The piece is made of silver with a rhodium plating and provides what I think is a chic homage to the Lego blocks, clocks and gadgetry we see so often in the tech world. Do you like it?

Space Invader Rings: Totally Geeky or Geek Chic?

GeekSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:00:03 PST

It seems like 2007 was the year of Space Invader sundries. From pillows, doormats and sweaters to these Space Invader Rings from the Toy Me Milano collection.

I happen to love the rings because they elevate video game love to a whole new level - they are unique, artistic and, if you ask me, completely geek chic. What do you think?

Kristen Stewart Talks Badass Fairy Tales, Bella Swan, and Her New Leading Man on Snow White Set Visit

Molly Goodson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:01:00 PST

Last October, we were so excited to pay a visit to the set of Snow White and the Huntsman outside London. We got a sneak peek into the amazing world Kristen Stewart and her costars, including Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Charlize Theron, and more, inhabited while shooting the action-packed fairy-tale movie. We have tons to come from our day poking around the remarkable set and learning about everything from the costumes to the fight scenes. While we were there, we even got to see the aftermath of Kristen accidentally actually punching Chris Hemsworth in the face filming a scene. Check out our chat with Kristen and stay tuned for lots from the set:

Is there something you admire about Snow White?

Yes. It’s strange playing a character that you actually could never truly embody. Her spirit affects people. . . I can’t have Snow White’s effect on people. I can’t actually be completely selfless because nobody is. You can only really play a character like that in a fairy tale and play it with an awful load of integrity. She’s very fully formed, but very farfetched-from-the-reality-that-we-live-in type of person. She also is strong in a very different way than you’d expect. Strength, yeah, but also gusto. I mean, she’s strong. She can kick ass. It hurts very much to do so and so it’s not like you’re watching her go take down a kingdom. You’re not watching going, "Yeah! Kill him!" Really it’s more like you’re watching someone having to do something that doesn’t just go against your sensibilities or that you agree with. It’s gutting. It’s physically gutting, literally. A million reasons, but she’s special.

Do you like that she’s not like your prissy fairy tale?

Yeah, because that’s just a very surface, though she is prissy sometimes. That’s the other thing. It takes her the whole movie basically to become who I’m talking about now. I’m really sort of talking in retrospect. It’s strange. It’s a total identity movie. It’s all about not finding yourself, but actually just being OK with who you always have been and not being ashamed of being the only one who sees the light. It’s an enormous burden and she’s so stunted. She was put away when she was 7 years old and your mother and your father were killed basically right in front of you. We’re not doing the version of a fairy tale that wouldn’t deal with all of those things, where you just sort of skim over all those things, and it's like all of these things are actually really important to the characters. She literally bleeds for her land and her people, and that’s just such a cool concept for me because it’s other people caring about people. It’s very simple, but it’s so common. Every day all the time you see people not caring about each other, and this is just about that.

She learns to be a leader or she’s born a leader inside, do you think?

She’s definitely a born leader. I mean, it’s literally pumping through those veins, but it’s been taken from her. She’s been so stolen from.

To read the rest of the interview, including her thoughts on Bella vs. Snow White and what it was like to punch Chris just

read more. Is it helping you get into the character's mindset to wear those cool costumes? Absolutely. If you look down and something doesn’t feel like you would definitely be wearing it, or if you go to grab your knife and it flops around or - basically [Colleen Atwood] thinks about every detail. It’s so wearable. I also have puffy sleeves. Somehow she manages to make puffy sleeves look butch. I was always expecting to personally wind up in a - basically what I’m wearing underneath it, like that little blue dress, which is just thin and wispy. I was really happy that she’s got something heavy on - a bit of armor before she actually finds her own armor. How did you feel the first time you put on the armor? Did you feel more badass? Yeah. That’s the first thing you want to [pound your chest]. Also, my armor doesn’t have a huge top on it. All the guys, unfortunately, they [raise their arms] and they hit themselves in the head. I can run around in mine. Somehow the armor on the men - unless they’re on horseback and they look amazing, but there’s also something kind of dainty about it, too, like pointy toes. It fits a woman’s body better, I feel. I don’t know, the guys running around suddenly look like little toys - slightly feminine little toys. Both Snow White and Bella had traumatizing experiences in the woods - being led out to die or have her heart broken - compare those two experiences? Well, it’s funny. I think [Snow White] genuinely lacks that innate fear of death that we all have. She’s got a serious, fierce survival - not skills, but insights. But she isn’t afraid of anything. What’s harder is to have dreams and hopes that you lived your whole life sort of be just shattered in front of you. So I think probably it’s totally impossible to compare the two. And I know that doesn’t make sense, but I kind of can’t compare. Can you compare the movies in general? Are there similarities at all? Bella and Snow White both come to find that they’re leaders. I mean, that’s definitely a similarity. They’re different. They’re very, very, very, different people. Also, I guess in a very sort of righteous way as well it’s all very like - everyone’s telling them “no” and both of them I guess see the light. Both of them are sort of a little more intuitive and spiritually, for whatever reason, connected and their gut is always sort of dead right. What about working with Chris surprised you? Did you have any preconceptions of him? Before I met him, I was like, "gosh, so charming." You know what I mean? Like he’s so ridiculously, seemingly nice. Movie-star caliber nice. But he really actually just is. But then again, it’s strange working - cause I mean it’s not a secret. It was completely different part before. It was totally like a rethought. So when he came in it was like "Wow! This is f*cking interesting!" I mean, it was like they really elevated it. Chris is an amazing, nice guy and also [has] great instincts and he can roll with everything on set. He’s really relaxed, whereas I’m always like, "oh my god!" I use my anxiety to do this and he’s always sort of like - he’s a good energy for me. I really like working with him. You actually punched Chris filming a scene and gave him a black eye? It’s actually a very confidence building experience. I don’t like punching anyone. So, you know, when you dream and your hand just slides right down their face, it doesn’t do that in real life. It really works. God, that really made me feel horrible, though. I mean, like instantly hot tears and I was like "oops!" We were watching it. It looks - it’ll be in the movie. Favorite fairy tale as a kid? I honestly don’t - somebody asked this the other day. I wasn’t here til the end of fairy tales. I really liked The Jungle Book. I was obsessed with The Jungle Book. Chris said Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He is obsessed with Lord of the Rings and he was always like humming Enya as we were trudging up the mountain. I was saying basically, "You should make a remake of Lord of the Rings. Why are you doing this? . . . We’re doing Snow White and the Huntsmen, Chris!" Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

7 Money Tips For Couples Starting a Family

Business Insider — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

Middle-income parents will spend nearly $227,000 in 17 years for children born in 2010, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

But don't let that scare you - saving for a family can actually be fun if you know what you're doing.

"The most important thing to understand is that your priorities are going to change and your spending habits need to change to reflect those changes," says Stuart Ritter, a financial planner at T. Rowe Price.

With Ritter and other financial experts' help, we'll help you prepare.

Invest in a 529 savings plan

Saving for your child's education is crucial to his or her success, and 529 plans are tax-advantaged college savings accounts that are available in all 50 states.

Most are free to set up, while some states require a minimum of $25 to open an account, says Adam Koos, a certified financial planner with Libertas Wealth Management. Anyone can contribute and take advantage of the tax benefits.

Open the plan before your child is born, says Ritter, and name yourself the beneficiary. You can change the name on the account once your child is born.

Read on for more.

"I'm Trying to Avoid Sex With My Boyfriend"

Tres Community — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:05:45 PST

This week's confession comes from our anonymous Confession Booth group in the TrèsSugar Community. Weigh in with your advice below.

We've had so many sexual problems. I'm 24 and he's 29. We've been dating for close to four years now. He was my first sexual partner. We started having sex after about a year together, although it was very rare. We would sometimes have gaps of up to two months at a time. If I was getting laid once a month, it was a miracle enough - two was out of this world. We had lots of fights about that and he always claimed he was "paranoid" about getting me pregnant.

Earlier on in the relationship, he told me that this wasn't an issue with his long-distance ex, with whom he had been about a year. He told me they sometimes had sex twice a day. He also did many other hurtful things regarding her - i.e., it was very obvious he was not over her – and I suffered through the first 1.5 to 2 years of our relationship. Talk about a sex drive killer.

Read the rest below.

Gym 101: Strength-Training Warmup

Susi May — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:12:55 PST

A solid warmup sets you up for a solid workout. When it comes to prepping for strength training, an active warmup primes the joints and muscles, prepping them for the heavy lifting. Lauren, my Equinox trainer, introduced me to these moves, and after a little light cardio - for me, it's five minutes running on a treadmill at a 6 mph pace, but the elliptical or a little jump rope would work - Lauren has me do three out of these five moves. Mix and match the exercises however you please, or do them all for a very thorough warmup.

Rocking Lunge
Give an active stretch to both your hips and hamstrings with the rocking lunge. Start in a deep lunge with your right leg forward; you can even bring your left knee to the floor. Straighten your right knee to rock your weight back and onto your left foot to lengthen the hamstring. Flex your right toes as you rock into the hamstring stretch. Return back to your deep lunge and repeat for a total of 10 times on each side.

Toy Soldier
A walking kick, the toy soldier stretches out the back of the leg, both hamstrings and calves. Step forward on your right foot, and kick your left leg forward, bringing your left toes toward your right hand. Step onto your left foot and kick the right leg, bringing right foot toward left hand. Take 20 steps total.

Keep reading for three more moves.

How to Fight Your Financial Demons

LearnVest — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:15:23 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We all have our demons.

Some just lurk under the bed, but others bare their teeth as we go about our day - say, every time we pull out our wallet.

Financial demons are particularly vicious because their effects aren’t confined to the pages of our journal or emails to our best friend. Our finances permeate just about every aspect of our lives, from where we live to the job and lifestyle we choose.

And for that reason, our financial demons can be particularly invasive - and toxic.

But the good news is that demons can definitely be vanquished (or subdued, at the very least). As with anything, they can be worn down with the right tools and the right mind-set. Fortunately, we have both.

First, identify your demon . . . or demons. Then we’ll show you exactly how to send them packing.

If You Have Shopping Demons . . .

The Tools: As you know, “just stop shopping” isn’t helpful advice. Instead, look at your habit from the other end: Your closet. Your makeup bag. Or your gadget collection, depending on the spending that’s most problematic for you. Use our process from Priceless Style Boot Camp to evaluate your 10 most recent purchases. If lots of your recent buys are rated “not worth it,” it’s time to reevaluate your spending patterns. The first step is to avoid letting one bad spending choice drag you into a downward spiral. If you suspect you’re currently in such a phase, you can use this tool to spiral back up. If your purchases are all rated “worth it,” but you know you’re shopping too much, take a close look at your last month of spending and ask yourself whether you’re truly happy with everything you bought, or if that same amount of money could have been applied to a different financial goal, whether it's bulking up your emergency fund or beginning to invest.

Read on for more.

Lil Links: Where Stay-at-Home Moms Truly Excel

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:01:13 PST

Skills at which stay-at-home moms truly excel - The Stir
Celebrity parents attend Golden Globes - Celebrity Baby Scoop
January Jones: Life with Xander is "getting really fun" - Celebrity Baby Blog
Tell me what to eat - FitPregnancy
Famous people with ADHD - Parenting
Katherine Heigl always knew she was going to adopt - The Bump
Why dumb down Winnie the Pooh? - Momformation
5 toys your kids won't forget about in a week - TLC
12-year-old girl catches burglar through webcam - Yahoo! Shine

Source: Flickr User DaveBleasdale

OnSugar Blog: Raising Kids Can Be Mind-Numbing, but Take This Advice

OnSugar Blog — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:04:25 PST

Lots of moms like to think out loud and marybabysteps is one of them. Here is an excerpt from one of her recent posts to Every Day Baby Steps.

Whew! Christmas is over. What takes such a big toll on your budget, you sanity and your time is blown away in a matter of minutes while the kids rip open their presents, scurry around searching madly for batteries and try to figure out their new toys without bothering to look at the damn book. All this with barely a "Thanks, Santa." But you know what? It's worth it. We had a very nice, small Christmas at home. The kids got what they wanted (Thank you, Grandma!), and I loved watching their faces light up and spending the morning just watching their excitement as they played with their new stuff.

That being said, I must confess that for the last couple months that I've been trying to work from home without the help of part-time daycare, I've nearly pulled my hair out on a daily basis. I gave up my two day a week sitter in an attempt to save money, and I'm beginning to wonder if I gave up my sanity with that decision. Playing blocks, watching endless pre-school TV and begging Brady to, "Please, go potty." have just about sent me over the edge.

But just the other day, I saw a post on Facebook that led me to a blog I had never visited before, Girl on Saturday. The post was about how poor Karen is now known as "Penis Mom" by the parents and teachers at her kids' school, but that it's okay because she took a stand against ridiculous gender stereotypes and was a role model for her kids. Karen is pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that I took a look at her other posts. Each one spoke to me and conveyed a lesson that I needed to learn or to be reminded of. I was especially moved by this post that gave life-changing advice on surviving the first few years of raising kids. Karen reminded me that, though parenting can certainly be mind-numbing, it can also be some of the best moments of your life. She emphasized what's important, and I intend to keep those things in mind when I'm thisclose to having my next breakdown. If you feel like you just can't take one more second of the mind-numbing routine that has become your life, please head over to read Karen's advice. I guarantee it will help you out.

Want to see more? Start following Every Day Baby Steps or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just may feature your content on our site!

10 Hysteria-Inducing Toy Crazes

Natasha Dantzig — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:50:14 PST

Step away from the Tickle Me Elmo! Toy crazes are nothing new, and 2011 is no exception. There's always that one certain toy, game, or doll that every child simply must have, and parents will go to any length to acquire it for them. Keep reading for some of the most popular toys in history that turn generally well-mannered adults into toy-crazed maniacs.