ADCAN, Juicing and Cacao By Debra Dennis, CHHC, AADP, Indigo Lifestyle Solutions, Inc.

irst things first.
Meeting everyone at this past Sunday's ADCAN gathering was certainly a great pleasure. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Your generous hearts made me feel so welcomed and I thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful "Thank you" gift card, which will go to good use in the Natural Aisle at my local Giant!

By the way, I did some extensive research on Cacao and Caffeine. You ladies had me worried! Here's some info to chew on. There is a persistent urban legend that Chocolate contains caffeine. It would seem that this rumor is based primarily on a confusion between two similar alkaloids: Caffeine and Theobromine. Theobromine is the active ingredient in Chocolate and it occurs only in Cacao. The two stimulants are related and have a similar structures, but are very different chemicals with different properties, effects and origins. There are of course, some Chocolate products that have added caffeine, but it does not occur naturally in Chocolate.

This rumor seems to have a life of its own; it won't go away and yet most references to it are references to the urban legend itself! Amusingly, almost all of the Chocolate & caffeine references on the Internet are circular. (Follow the references through a few links sometime -- you often wind up back at the page where you began!!) It is actually quite common to see references that confuse Caffeine and Theobromine. Many people and some semi-scientific sources confuse the two. Stollwerck, for example, says in one place Chocolate contains 1.2% Theobromine and 0.2% Caffeine, but in another place it says just 1.4% Caffeine and doesn't mention Theobromine, which is obviously wrong.

There is no scientific substantiation that Chocolate contains caffeine, and a great deal of evidence that it does not. The Biochemist, (Apr/May 1993, p 15) did chemical composition tests where they specifically distinguished between Caffeine and Theobromine. They found regularly up to 1.3% by weight Theobromine in Chocolate. They also found other pharmacologically active compounds including up to 2.20% Phenylethylamine up to 1.54% Tele- methylhistamine and occasionally up to 5.82% Serotonin. They could not detect any Caffeine at all. (Full results are on the Science Page.) I have yet to see a dependable chemical reference that includes Caffeine in Chocolate. (The Merck Index, 12th Edition says that a very small amount of Caffeine is found in the hulls of the Cacao seeds, the hulls are discarded before processing.)

People seem to assume that caffeine is the only stimulant. Theobromine clearly has stimulant properties, so people reflexively attribute those effects to caffeine -- even though many of the effects are fundamentally different from caffeine. I guess they think it is easier to just say it is caffeine. I believe that many people casually refer to caffeine, when they really mean a whole class of chemicals called xanthines, of which caffeine is but one example. This is roughly equivalent to calling apes, human, because both are primates and humans are the more familiar type primate. Both are primates, but the differences are pretty obvious.

There is a similar confusion with the Andean tea Maté. Like Chocolate, Maté clearly has stimulant properties, which are obviously very different from caffeine's effects; however many people say it contains caffeine simply because it is a stimulant. Yerba Maté contains Mateine, a xanthine even more closely related to Caffeine than Theobromine. It is a simple stereo-isomer of caffeine. Mateine, like Theobromine, is not addictive.

For delicious smoothie recipes, check out Indigo Lifestyle Solutions blog.
Words of Wisdom
Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and good things will be yours. Swedish Proverb
Also check out Healthy Nannies 4 Healthy Kids online at www.healthynannies4healthykids.org.org to learn about this grassroots effort to bring the nanny community together for the health and well-being of not only children, but those who care for them.

ADCAN Saves you Money

Our January 2011 meeting was full of money saving tips that anyone can take advantage of. A few of our members in attendance shared with us these ideas …

Sue Kzros:
Capital One bank: credit card savings with rewards you can combine. Use the points to get a Target gift card for $50 or $100. She is able to do this 2-3 times a year, also apply cash to your payments, travel points and to buy merchandise.
Food: Free samples at Whole Food & Balducci's, Free cookies at Harris Teeter, plus usually plenty of other food samples through out the store: usually the Deli, Bread ad bakery.
Giant: buy groceries for employers at Giant using your shoppers card and use it at Shell gas for .10 off for each gallon of gas.

Debra Santamore:
Savings card for frequently visited stores, free items and discounts. Bed, Bath &
Beyond coupons never expire and you can also use them at Bye Bye Baby.

Kellie Geres:
The Nook at Barnes & Noble: can loan lendable books to friends and family, Friday free downloads, one hour free read time to any book you read in the store. Plenty of books that are free or very cheap just do a search for $0.00. Philadelphia Free Library: borrow free books online.
Redbox: $1 movies if returned the next day.

Paper Back swap Swap paperbacks, hardcover and audio books, also visit sister sites to swap CD’s and DVD’s. Netflix: $8.00 unlimited through your computer, TiVo, cable providers, Wii or play stations.

Suzanne Herrick: 2011 Entertainment Book for the DC area.
Maryland/ Washington, DC
NOVA/ Washington, DC
Other locations available as well.

Alice Shaffer thefinancialnanny@gmail.com & http://www.thefinancialnanny.com/
Facebook: The Financial Nanny Fan Page
Ways to save money via group buying sites, coupons, blogs etc. Full disclosure, I will receive sometimes a monetary amount credit for a site if you use the links below to sign up for them. Also if you have others sign up under you, you will receive that credit as well. This is a great way to get items for less than the “buying” price.

Certifikid http://certifikid.com/r/WKNLjIro2 Certifikid features a single, daily, unbeatable, family value. After your purchase, you can print your Certifikid certificate directly from your online account. Certifikid deals will lead to incredible savings (often 50% or more off the retail price) on family friendly restaurants, play gyms, family entertainment and events, music classes, photo sessions, kids haircuts, baby proofing services, maternity boutiques, birthday party packages, and so much more. $5 per referral. Washington DC and Baltimore locations

Daily Dealster: http://www.dailydealster.com/ref/y3zr5h7w01 Get $10 in Daily Deal Dollars when the friend you invite makes his or her first purchase. Various deals in the community.

Dealon http://www.dealon.com/referrals/40330 The price of each deal is driven by the number of participants. The more people that join in the deal, the lower the price drops until it reaches the target price. The lowest price reached at the end of the day (midnight), is the amount everyone receives - including you. That's why we encourage you to share deals with friends by sending them your personal referral link.If someone purchases their first deal, within 72 hours after clicking your referral link, we'll add $10 to your account - good towards any DealOn purchases! National offerings. Various offerings from restaurants, health, items to salons

DealPulp http://dealpulp.com/?r=financialnanny We offer one spectacular deal a day from Monday to Friday, plus another that’s available all weekend. All of our deals can be redeemed online and nationwide, and once you’ve purchase a deal, it’s yours no matter how many other people buy it. Invite your friends to DealPulp, and not only will we give them a $5 credit to use on the site just for signing up, but we’ll give you a $5 credit once they make their first purchase.

National
Dealradar gathers the deals from the other sites. Lots of daily offers in each category. Save money on dining, spa services, sporting events and other products, services and experiences. The savings are extraordinary – sometimes as much as 90% below normal prices.

Eversave http://eversave.com/share/zYT7 They feature 50%-90% off on restaurants,
spas, local activities and online deals. It is free to get their email, and for each new friend you refer you can earn $12 in Save Rewards to use towards great deals. National deals

Gilt groupe http://www.gilt.com/invite/thefinancialnanny Each time 10 people use your Personal Invitation Link to become a Gilt member, you receive free shipping on your next order. The more members you refer, the more free shipping you earn! Gilt Groupe provides invitation-only access to highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices. Each day, Gilt offers its members a curated selection of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and lifestyle items across the women’s, men’s and children’s categories. In addition, we provide the best in home decor and entertaining essentials, along with luxury travel packages and fantastic offers on local services and experiences. Most sales start at noon ET and last only 36 hours, making Gilt.com an exclusive shopping destination for luxury at up to 70% off.

Groupon: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1064706 various deals throughout the us and abroad. Earn $10 for every person that makes their first purchase

Ideeli www.ideeli.com/invite/thefinancialnanny get a $25 credit for each friend who buys Invite 10 friends who become ideeli buyers and you get $250 in credits to spend shopping on ideeli. limited-time sales featuring the most sought-after brands across the categories of apparel, accessories, home, beauty, travel and kids. Each event is designed by ideeli editors to offer an exclusive shopping opportunity with new brands featured each day at up to 80% off New brands are featured each day in sales starting at 12 p.m. EST. Sales last 40 hours, or until items are sold out. We also have weekly giveaways. They have a surprise start time and last 7 hours (in most cases). Our members are notified by email, Facebook and Twitter each time a new sale starts.

Jasmere http://www.jasmere.com/r/777777f7?l $10 jasmere dollars when a friend makes their first purchase. The more people buy the deal the cheaper the price.

Jetsetter http://www.jetsetter.com/invite/59766171aadc4xmh66xv Get $25 for signing up. Get $25 in Jetsetter credit when someone you invited makes their first purchase. Exclusive hand-selected vacations including 5-star hotels, once-in-a-lifetime adventures, and weekend getaways. Each trip is Jetsetter Verified, which means we have personally visited and certified that the experience meets our standards.

KGBdeals http://40e05b72-ab43-11df-ac32-40400268f4cd.kgbdeals.com/?id=9261 Various local and national deals. When a friend you invite to join kgbdeals buys their first deal, you earn kgbkash - simple! $6 after they make their purchase.

Living social https://livingsocial.com/redeem_invite/14008539-alicem?ref=lnk Great deals. Just had the $20 Amazon gift card for $10. Local company in DC. National deals. After you buy the deal, you'll get a unique link to share. If three people buy the deal using your link, then your deal is free They have an iphone app as well.

Local Ginger: http://www.localginger.com/ Northern Virginia deals no deals for signing up.

Mamapedia Sweet Deals: http://deals.mamapedia.com/?ref_id=71871Invite Friends, Get $10 And 30 Points Plus set up a 5% giving to the school of your choice for each purchase you make.

No More Rack http://www.nomorerack.com/?cr=208143 online shopping destination for those who want quality, brand named apparel and accessories at prices up to 90% off retail. First 5 that sign up through this get a $10 gift card. You get $5 per person that signs up. Shipping is a flat $2. Deals post daily at noon EST. last for 24hrs. Has Friendrack as well where you get items for having 15 or more friends sign up in 30 days.

One Kings Lane www.onekingslane.com/invite/AShaffer $25 credit for each friend that signs up and makes a purchase. At One Kings Lane, we believe that living (and giving) well is more than just a fantasy. That’s why we bring the world's best designer décor and home essentials, entertaining and travel needs, fantastic gift selections and more to our members – at up to 70% off retail.

Plum district https://www.plumdistrict.com/?ref=u762bc865f22 If you're new to the district, they'll give you $5 off your first purchase in the next 7 days. You get $10 Plum Dollars for every friend you refer when they buy their first Plum Deal.Various deals National and local
Restaurant.com purchase food certificates up to 80% off a $25 coupon. Various rules and restrictions. Great for trying new places.

Socialbuy http://www.socialbuy.com/r/11656 SocialBuy is a collective buying site that helps you and your friends try new experiences at extraordinary prices. Every day, we promote an exclusive deal from a local business looking to attract new customers. What's in it for you: 50% to 90% savings on the most exclusive restaurants, events, hotels and spas in your city. You refer a friend to SocialBuy, and they create an account from the link you send them. If they make their first purchase within 30 days, you'll get $10 credited to your account. Various national deals.

Specialicious https://www.specialicious.com/register/referrer/w0kYBMGGRYltTNFNeH3r huge savings at one of your absolute favorite spots to eat, stay or play! Specialicious is brought to you by the same hard-working, NoVA-loving individuals who publishNorthern Virginia Magazine each month Each special is available for purchase for 48 hours unless it's a Friday special which will be available for 72 hours. you will receive a $10 credit (a.k.a. Specialicious money) in your Specialicious account when a friend you invited to Specialicious through your personal invite link makes his/her first purchase within 72 hours of registration.

Tippr http://tippr.com/i/alice.shaffer/l/ You will get great discounts at all kinds of local businesses around town, and everybody that joins today gets a $5.00 credit. Various cities
Twongo https://www.twongo.com/?referrer=23758 $5 for you and friend for them signing up and making their first purchase. Twongo was created from the Chinese term, Tuangou, which translates to team buying or group buying. Every day on Twongo we’ll feature a deal at one of the best dining, shopping, or entertainment venues in your area The more people buy the less it costs.

WTD deals www.sowhatsthedeal.com/ref/alice20835 Get $5 for signing up and $5 when a friend makes their first purchase

Yipit http://yipit.com/washington-dc/ We collect all the great daily deals from 292 services

Zozi: http://www.zozi.com/z/get_credit/16po 10 into your account when a person you invited follows your link and makes a purchase on zozi. Getaways, everyday, vacation and gift deals. Has some unique deals.

National and Local
Coupon blogs
We use coupons http://www.weusecoupons.com/
Deal Seeking Mom http://www.dealseekingmom.com/
Totally target http://www.totallytarget.com/
Groupon Girl http://www.groupongirl.com/
Maven of Savin http://www.mavenofsavin.com/
Hip2save http://www.hip2save.com/
Familyboundmom http://www.familyboundmom.com/
The Frugal Girls http://www.thefrugalgirls.com/
Couponing to Disney http://www.couponingtodisney.com/
My frugal adventures http://www.myfrugaladventures.com/
Surviving the stores http://www.survivingthestores.com/
Southern savers http://www.southernsavers.com/
Redplum: http://www.redplum.com/
Coupons: coupons.com
http://couponprintster.com/

Money sites
Mint.com

Smartypig 1.35% APR on goals. Online savings account. Once you’ve reached a savings goal using SmartyPig, you can receive up to a 14% cash back savings by placing it on a Retailer Gift Card like Amazon, Travelocity or Lowes. You can even divide up your savings among several Retailer Gift Cards, or put only a portion of your saving on a card or cards.How does our Retailer Gift Card program work? Great question. Let’s say you’ve saved $2,000 and want to put those savings onto a Macy’s Retailer Gift Card for some new furniture. When you select this option, SmartyPig will pay you a cash back savings of 11% for an additional $220. That’s the SmartyPig difference!
SmartyPig Prepaid MC: With this exclusive, reloadable card, you will earn up to 10% cash back at more than 9,000 local and regional retailers just by using it to buy the things you already buy everyday like lunch, gas, groceries, and even lattés (national retailers coming in early 2011!). And, since it is a prepaid card, you’ll be paying with the money you already have

Ingdirect

Swagbucks: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/thefinancialnanny 450 swagbucks get you a $5 amazon gift card Ways to get swagbucks daily for clicking on things, answering polls, playing games, and just doing general searches. Plus earn 280 plus swagbucks for daily deals ie groupon etc. Get swagbuck matches from those that sign up under you. Up to 1000 swagbucks. Look under the Earn section. I do not use the toolbar application. I just use swagbucks.com as my search engine instead of google/bing. I type in everything: facebook, gmail, regarding nannies, twitter etc. It gets me points for searching throughout the day.

Great deals:
Amazon moms http://www.amazon.com/ref=gno_logo then type in Amazon Mom : is a free membership program aimed at helping parents and caregivers, from the prenatal days through the toddler years, use Amazon to find all the products their family needs. To join, simply sign into your Amazon account and tell us whether you are a Mom, Dad, or other caregivers of a child. By providing information about your family, you can help us personalize offers, e-mails, and product recommendations to help you find exactly what you need at just the right time. Amazon Mom members receive benefits such as 30% off diapers and wipes, FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime, as well as exclusive offers via e-mail. What items count towards the shipping benefit so that I can earn more free months of Prime? • Any Baby product (i.e. anything in the Baby store) counts towards earning additional months of FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime. To be sure, you can always look for the yellow stripe on the product detail page that says “Amazon Mom: Purchase this and other Baby items to extend your Amazon Prime FREE Shipping Benefits"

Email me at thefinancialnanny@gmail.com to let me know what you signed up for/bought from. Also if you want an invite to SmartyPig.

Janinne Gardner:

Online: Once a day email savings.

Restaurant dining gift certificates
http://www.restaurant.com/
Founded in 1999 by CEO Cary Chessick they have about 15,000 restaurants nationwide, on website menus, wine list, chef bios, search & filter according to criteria ad can make a reservation if needed

Gift certificates in $10, $25, $50, $75, or $100

A $25 will usually cost between $10 - $17.50 but the daily email will bring an addition 10%- 90% discount so now your $25 Gift Certificate is $1.00- $7.00 ($1.75- $15.75).

Can be use that day.
must spend $50 in Restaurant (for a $25 certificate)
sometimes not good on Saturday and Sunday (watch the fine print)
Often Dine in only
I do know of a case where they refused to take the certificate, it is your choice to stay or go. As a result the person was given credit on Restaurant.com for another $25 gift certificate of choice that he can use anytime.

They have loyalty incentive & offer discounts, prepaid cards and other promotional products.

Savings.com
http://www.savings.com/
Founded 2007 they have a deal a day called “Pounce or Bounce”
This is a website for coupons for stores on the internet combined into one website.
They have Staff savings that they have picked. They also have a section for Member Savings, this is if you as a member find a great deal you can add it to saving.com


Other On-line savings:
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
“like” for your favorite manufacturer, they often have give away and free items

Or go directly to the manufacturers website and to “opt in” for the newsletter to get free stuff and discounts. Some Manufacturers have free stuff on Saturday

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/ mention your favorite items and manufactures in your tweets and you may get “caught” by them and rewarded.

PlentyofFish.com- Free dating site

Craigslist.com- often free/ reduced clothing or furniture,

Scholorships.com- search for scholarships for any talent or medical condition you may have.

Freecycle.com – lots of stuff by category. Careful you need to use good judgment as to what is real and what is just trying to get you email address. If it is to good to be true…it probably is!

Freesamplesfreebies.com

Quibids.com:
http://www.quibids.com/?refer=3869035

Similar to ebay except that all the items are new, bidder pays to bid (.60 per bid) but if you win the item you will get it for much less, it is worth checking out. They do have a Buy it Now option which includes the money you have spent on the bids. For example you have been bidding on an item and have to go and the auction is still going on. You can opt to buy it now and all the money you spent in the bids now goes to the Buy it now price.

Talenthatch.com
http://www.talenthatch.com/

This is a free website where young people around the world (under age 25) can share their performing arts talent by posting videos of their performances in a special website dedicated specifically to them.

Coupons Online both digital (added to your savings card) and/or printable
You can use store coupons and manufacturer coupons together.

Safeway/ Kroger – digital coupons and print (Just for U)
www.safeway.com/IFL?Grocery/offers-landing-img

Giant – printable only
www.giantfoodstores.com/shareddev/sharedcontent/savings/IC.cfm

Zavers.com
http://www.zavers.com/
This is a digital coupon site for Harris Teeter & Super Fresh and several others not in the DC area. These coupons are added to your savings card and are used when you check out. The website will give you the option of sending a shopping list to your email or cell phone.

Coupons.com- printable, online, savings card, also link to restaurant .com

White House Greetings (card from current president of the US)

Fax: 202-456-2461
Email: www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Address: The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, DC 20502

Presidential Greeting for these occasions only:
New baby birth or adoption (request after birth or adoption)
50th, 60th, & 70th plus anniversary
80 years young plus all Americans
70 years young plus for Veterans
Religious and civil wedding (request after wedding)
Retirement of 30 years or more in workforce
Religious milestone
School graduation
Eagle Scout or gold award
Religious leader anniversary 25 year & every 5 after
Religious institution 25, 50, 75 & every 5 years after
School anniversary 100 years
Family reunions 25 years & every 5 years after.
Serious illness
Send them the following information:
full name of requestor
full name of recipient
address of recipient
type of greeting (baby, anniversary, birthday...)
date of occasion
requestors phone number

ADCAN Celebrates 25 Years!

It’s a Party!

Join us Sunday, September 19 as we kick off our 25th year serving the DC Nanny Community.

ADCAN is proud to be the longest running nanny support group in the country, and we’re kicking off our 25th year with a party.

Spread the word, invite all your nanny friends, families and staff and join us at the McLean Community Center 2:30—5 pm for a festive event. We will have prizes, special guests, and what’s a party without cake!

This celebration is about YOU! Without you—the nannies, agencies, industry services—ADCAN would not be the success is it is today.

Stop in, say hi. Celebrate with us! We also kick off NNRW—National Nanny Recognition Week!

We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP to events@dcareanannies.com or
866-841-9139 Ext. 2176
All are welcome!

How To Photograph Your Baby

How To Photograph Your Baby by Melissa Doran

The February featured speaker for the meeting was none other than our own Jen Goin. She gave a presentation on how to take pictures. After a brief speech by Jen in the beginning, we watched a video by Nick Kelsh called “How To Photograph Your Baby”. The video was very informative. It gave a lot of helpful tips for taking great photos. There is also a companion book that goes with the video, “How To Photograph Your Baby”. The book is available at most book stores. The DVD is available at http://www.howtophotographyourbaby.com/dvd.

Use natural light whenever possible and turn off the flash. The flash adds too much harsh light and the natural light adds dimension to your pictures. Save the flash for snapshots. For best results set your ISO to 400 when your flash is off.

Slow down when taking the picture. Take a breath in and when pushing down the shutter button exhale. Only move your index finger when pushing down the shutter button, not your whole hand to keep your pictures from turning out blurry.

Instead of just taking one picture at a time, just keep snapping away. Since most of us now own a digital camera, you can delete the bad ones without wasting film. This is especially helpful when you are shooting a moving target like kids, babies or animals. You might have to take 100 shots, but out of those 100 you might only get 10 good pictures.

Zoom in on your subject. When you are zoomed out you get a lot of unnecessary clutter and background objects. It takes the focus off of what you are really taking a picture of.

If you’re looking to edit your photos, here are some helpful websites: http://www.piknic.com/, http://www.picasa.google.com/, http://www.lunapic.com/, http://www.photoshop.com/, http://www.fotoflexer.com/. If you have an Mac computer, IPhoto (another editing program) comes standard on your computer.

Backup your photos. Make a folder of all your favorites and save them to an external hard drive. If something happens and your computer crashes at least you have saved all your pictures. The other option is saving them to a website. There are some listed on this website. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6451_7-6245115-1.html

Most importantly have fun!

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2010 issue of ADCAN Happenings.

Car Seat Safety - November Guest Speaker

Please join us at our November meeting. We will have a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician present us with the latest information on car seats and much more.

This course will help you learn which stage of car seat is appropriate for your child; when your child should be rear facing, in a forward facing harness, in a booster seat or adult seat belt. You will learn what to look for when shopping for a new car seat, and how to properly use it. You will learn how to tell if the car seat is properly installed, and where to find help if it's not.

You can RSVP to the meeting by:

• Replying to you member evite.
• Email us at events@dcareanannies.com
• Call us at 866.841.9139 Ext. 2176

All are welcome! Bring a friend.

Kathy Gutierrez has been a professional nanny since 2000, and a mother since 2006. In effort to keep her children and charges safe, she became a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) in 2008. After certification, she worked side by side with a CPST Instructor with 25 years experience, and continues to do so.