I consider myself a total eco-geek, but clearly you can never stop learning. I picked up tons of great green cleaning solutions chatting with homekeeping expert Leslie Reichert (aka The Cleaning Coach) this week on Life.Style. Leslie and I covered everything from the evolution of the green cleaning movement to the most effective natural grocery store and specialty cleaning products for home, gadgets, and pets. I also attempted (and failed!) to stump Leslie with green cleaning queries from Twitter and Facebook. Check out the episode for full commentary, recipes, and inspiration. And for easy reference, below are links that were shared during the interview. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Great Green Cleaning Solutions" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 30 Apr 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Eco Living; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin)
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I had a fantastic time chatting with Paige Lewin of Mudroom Boston this week on Life.Style about decluttering strategies and solutions. Paige shared fantastic ideas for conquering clutter in the kitchen, playroom, mudroom (or entryway), and on bookshelves. I finished the interview inspired to -- at the very least -- attack our two kitchen drawers full of random odds and ends this weekend. Check out the episode for full commentary, inspiration, and photos. And for easy reference, below are links that were shared during the interview. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Decluttering Strategies & Solutions" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 16 Apr 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Decor & Furniture; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin)
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It was so fun to return to Life.Style this week, and especially cool that technology allowed me to host via Skype so I could remain close to baby Violet. I had a fantastic time chatting with Melissa Massello and Amy Chase of The Swapaholics about budget and eco-friendly swapping. We covered everything from sustainable style, to local and national swaps, to celebrities and the vintage revolution, to favorite local and online sources for secondhand, to ideas for hosting your own swap. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration. And for easy reference, below are links that were shared during the interview. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Budget and Eco-Friendly Swapping" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 9 Apr 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Eco Living; Fashion; For Mamas & Mamas-to-be; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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Now that we're finally getting tastes of spring weather, it's the perfect time to think about moving in ways other than hoisting a snow shovel. For inspiration, check out my latest episode of Life.Style, during which I chat about home and studio fitness solutions with Renee Ross and Lisa Johnson (of Modern Pilates). We covered everything from home fitness programs, to gear essentials, to tips for finding the right gym/studio, to recommendations for people who feel they don't have time for self-care, to tips for shaking up your fitness routine. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration. And for easy reference, below are links that were shared during the interview. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Home & Studio Fitness Solutions" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 12 Mar 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Life.Style with Christine Koh; Sports & Fitness; Web (Admin)
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What a fantastic episode of Life.Style this week! I chatted about healthy eating and cooking with kids with Carrie Vitt (author of Deliciously Organic) and Michelle Stern (author of The Whole Family Cookbook). We covered everything from easy and healthy family friendly recipes, to resources for sourcing organic and finding recipe inspiration, to encouraging kids to eat vegetables, to getting out of food ruts, to tips and tools for cooking with kids. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration. And for easy reference, below are links that were shared during the interview. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Healthy Eating & Cooking With Kids" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 5 Mar 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; Eco Living; Family Issues; Feeding & Nursing; For Grownups; Gadgets; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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One exception to my mini-internet hibernation last week was filming Life.Style and it was a fantastic episode, during which I chatted about sugar, obesity, soda in schools, corporate responsibility, and all things Coke with local journalist Michael Blanding, author of The Coke Machine. It was a truly fascinating conversation; check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration. And for easy reference, below are links that were shared during the interview. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Sugar, Schools, & All Things Coke" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 1 Mar 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Feeding & Nursing; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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Despite the unusually warm weather this week, I'm pretty sure winter is not done with us, so it was perfect to chat yesterday about beating the winter beauty and fashion blahs with Roxanna Sarmiento of Everyday Treats and The Frog & Snail Society, and Meredith Sinclair of Hoo-Dee-Hoo and Chicago Parent. During the show, Roxanna and I discussed hydration, cleansing, moisturizing, and makeup solutions, and Meredith and I covered shop-your-closet fashion hacks and easy ways to give your winter wardrobe new life. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, and for easy reference, below are the conversation point links that were shared during the interviews. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Beating the Winter Beauty & Fashion Blahs" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 18 Feb 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Bath, Beauty & Health; Fashion; For Mamas & Mamas-to-be; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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What a fun episode of Life.Style this week! I chatted about finding and nurturing relationships with Kristen Chase, author of The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex, and Meredith Goldstein of the Boston Globe Love Letters column. During the show we discussed everything from common issues for those in or looking for relationships, advice for those seeking or trying to maintain relationships, and the pulse on Hallmark holidays such as Valentine's Day. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, and for easy reference, below are the conversation point links that were shared during the interviews. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Finding & Nurturing Relationships" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 12 Feb 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; Family Issues; For Grownups; Holidays; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Valentine's Day; Web (Admin)
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This week on Life.Style, I engaged in a second conversation on work, life, and parenting; definitely check out the episode if you didn't see it live on Thursday. I chatted with Morra Aarons-Mele of Women & Work and Women Online about everything from why the US lags behind other countries on parental leave policy, recommendations for women trying to strategize maternity leave, the modern family juggling act and division of labor, flex options from the employee and employer perspectives, as well as dads, same sex couples, and single parenting. Phew! Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, and for easy reference, below are the conversation point links that were shared during the interviews.

Continue reading "Work, Life, & Parenting, Part II" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 5 Feb 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Family Issues; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Mama in the Workplace; Pregnancy & Postpartum; Web (Admin)
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This week on Life.Style, I engaged in the first of a two-part (at this point...the conversation could have continued for hours!) series on work, life, and parenting; definitely check out the episode if you didn't see it live on Thursday. I chatted with Erin Kane and Kristin Brandt of Manic Mommies about everything from the financial implications of opting out, the pros/cons of working in an office vs. working at home, resources for launching your own business, and strategies for finding personal time and getting a handle on home logistics. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, but for easy reference, below are the conversation point links that were shared during the interviews.

Continue reading "Work, Life, & Parenting, Part I" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 15 Jan 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Family Issues; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Mama in the Workplace; Web (Admin)
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It was so great to get back into the studio this week, and it was wonderful to kick off my 2011 programming talking about reflections and new routines. Definitely check out the episode if you didn't see it live on Thursday! I chatted about the #reverb10 reflection/manifestation project with Gwen Bell, and about starting and sticking to fitness routines with Leah Segedie of Mamavation. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, but for easy reference, below are the resource links that I shared during the interviews.

Continue reading "Reflections & New Routines" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 8 Jan 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; Family Issues; For Grownups; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Sports & Fitness; Web (Admin)
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One thing I have procrastinated on for over two years is hanging pictures in our home. But thanks to inspiration from a recent Life.Style episode (re: photo gifts and décor), this post on creating gallery walls, and probably the fact that we're entertaining a lot over the coming weeks, this weekend I got over my fear of hammer and nail. And now? My home is about 3000 times more cozy! I wanted to share the easy how-to for creating staircase gallery walls. Admittedly, I still leave the big hanging projects (as in, you need to find studs in the wall and wield a drill) to Jon, but I did a lot of hanging (here's everything we hung and how the project related to my life list).

Continue reading "Easy Staircase Gallery Walls" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 20 Dec 2010 | Permalink | Comments (6) | Filed in Decor & Furniture; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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So fitting for the holiday season, this week's episode of Life.Style was a wonderfully reflective one. Definitely check out the episode if you didn't see it live on Thursday. I chatted about happiness during the holidays with Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project, and about raising charitable children with Carrie Lundell of This Mama Makes Stuff. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, but for easy reference, below are the links I shared during the interviews.

Continue reading "Holiday Happiness & Raising Charitable Kids" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 18 Dec 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; Development & Behavior; Family Issues; For Babies & Kids; For Grownups; Holidays; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin); Winter
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Wow, I learned so much via my amazing guests on episode 6 of Life.Style; definitely check out the episode if you didn't see it live on Thursday! Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech shared a great round up of unique photo gift ideas, Casey Mullins of Moosh in Indy recommended resources for turning your photos into artful décor, and Tracey Clark of Shutter Sisters shared photography gear recommendations. Check out the segment to see full commentary and inspiration, but as promised, for easy reference below, I link up the leads shared by my guests. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Fabulous Photo Gifts, Art, & Gear" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 11 Dec 2010 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Decor & Furniture; Gifts & Paper; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin); Winter
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Last week on Life.Style, as I discussed inspiration points for easy and inexpensive gift wrap, I shared a link with photos of lovely recycled paper garlands. I decided to craft these garlands the other night and it was so easy (3 steps!) and they came out beautifully; I love that you don't have to be too precise with the measurements and they still look so geometric and festive. My friend Christie asked for the how-to since a tutorial isn't available at the original inspiration link. Here's how to make them:

Continue reading "Pretty Paper Garlands & Ornaments" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 8 Dec 2010 | Permalink | Comments (3) | Filed in Arts & Crafts; Eco Living; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin); Winter
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If you didn't have a chance to watch episode 5 of Life.Style live on Thursday, I highly recommend you check it out! It was a fantastic eco and budget friendly episode, in which Marie LeBaron of Make and Takes shared ideas for turning trash into craft treasure as well as nature inspired projects, and Allison Czarnecki of Petit Elefant offered awesome how-to's on home beauty remedies using five ingredients or less. I also shared some terrific video submissions showcasing clever ideas for inexpensive gift wrapping, as well as a few of my own inspiration points. Check out the segment to see additional images, video, and inspiration, but as promised, for easy reference below I link up leads shared by me and my guests. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Easy Crafts, Beauty, & Gift Wrap" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 4 Dec 2010 | Permalink | Comments (3) | Filed in Arts & Crafts; Bath, Beauty & Health; Eco Living; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin); Winter
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I've always been a proponent of assessing and using what you've got instead of always buying new. And if you're looking for a little inspiration in this domain, tune in to Life.Style with Christine Koh tomorrow at 1pm EST. I'll have two wonderful guests on to share awesome ideas for turning trash into craft treasure (i.e., perfect for crafty and non-crafty parents!) and making beauty remedies from natural ingredients around the house. I'll also be sharing some cool ideas for creative and inexpensive gift wrapping. You're welcome to call in or tweet questions during the live episode, or e-mail me a question in advance to pose to the experts.

Continue reading "Use What You've Got" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 1 Dec 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Arts & Crafts; Bath, Beauty & Health; Gifts & Paper; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin)
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If you didn't have a chance to watch episode 4 of Life.Style live on Thursday, please check it out! It was a fantastic episode, in which Paige Lewin of Mudroom Boston shared easy and inexpensive tips for holiday décor and tabletops, Jane Maynard of This Week for Dinner offered fantastic recipes for traditional side dishes, twist-on-traditional side dishes, and perfect-for-potluck dishes, and Sheri Gurock of Magic Beans shared great ideas for toys to keep babies, toddlers, and older kids entertained while traveling. Check out the segment to see additional images, video, and inspiration, but as promised, for easy reference below I link up recipes and leads shared by my guests. Enjoy!

Continue reading "Life.Style Thanksgiving Solutions" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 20 Nov 2010 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Art Supplies & Toys; Books & Entertainment; Decor & Furniture; Feeding & Nursing; For Babies & Kids; Gear; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Local; Recipes; Retail; Thanksgiving; Travel; Web (Admin)
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I'm not sure what my problem is, but I'm having the hardest time wrapping my brain around the fact that Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday!) is next week. If you also need help getting in the holiday spirit, and/or want to pick up some awesome tips and inspiration, tune in to Life.Style with Christine Koh tomorrow at 1pm EST. I'll have three wonderful guests on to share fantastically easy and chic holiday décor and table setting ideas, great Thanksgiving recipes (spanning traditional, less traditional, and perfect-for-potluck), and awesome picks for travel toys for kids and babies (to burn those hours in the car or on a plane or train next week). You're welcome to call in or tweet questions during the live episode, or e-mail me a question in advance to pose to the experts.

Continue reading "Thanksgiving Solutions" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 17 Nov 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Art Supplies & Toys; Decor & Furniture; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Recipes; Thanksgiving; Web (Admin)
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On Thursday's episode of Life.Style I interviewed Tracey Clark, founder of Shutter Sisters and editor of the amazing book Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters' Guide to Shooting from the Heart. The publishers of Expressive Photography sent me a copy of the book to peruse in advance of the show and I cannot recommend it enough, whether as a gift to yourself or a loved one. Whether you're a novice, amateur, or professional photographer, Expressive Photography is replete with inspiring imagery and practical tips and tricks on approach, perspective, composition, lighting, details, and processing for different types of photos (e.g., landscape, portraits, still life, etc.). When I created my life list last month, #5 was "Remember to take photos of my family on the first day of each month." This book is providing immense inspiration to move forward with this project.

Posted by Christine Koh on 7 Nov 2010 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; For Grownups; Gifts & Paper; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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Wow, I truly cannot get over the awesomeness of episode 3 of Life.Style -- not because of me, but thanks to the amazing guests I had on the show! In this episode, I share an exclusive interview with pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, who shares advice on how to teach kids to love real food, and then interview talented photographers Tracey Clark, Karen Walrond, and Casey Mullins -- who all offer fantastic tips for shooting great photographs (whether with a point and shoot or DSLR), as well as insightful critiques on amateur shots. It was such a terrific show that I'm thinking of doing a follow up on choosing photography gear as well as great ways to output your photos (e.g., for gifts or home artwork). If you've got specific ideas/questions in these areas, drop me a line!

Posted by Christine Koh on 6 Nov 2010 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Arts & Crafts; Books & Entertainment; Eco Living; Feeding & Nursing; For Grownups; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin)
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Do you -- like me -- enjoy taking pictures but want to take your photography to the next level of awesome? Then tune in to Life.Style with Christine Koh tomorrow at 1pm EST! In addition to sharing some fantastic interview footage with renowned pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene (we chat about teaching kids to love real food), I interview three talented photographers who will share great tips on how to rock your camera, whether it's a point and shoot or a DSLR. You're welcome to call in or tweet questions during the live episode, or e-mail me a question in advance to pose to the experts. And if you have a photo you'd like some advice/constructive criticism on, send it to me today at editor@bostonmamas.com.

Continue reading "Learn To Take Amazing Pictures" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 3 Nov 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Eco Living; Feeding & Nursing; Gadgets; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin)
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Hi folks, if you missed episode 2 of Life.Style with Christine Koh, I highly encourage you check it out. In addition to covering some great Halloween food and craft ideas, most of the episode was devoted to eating real food. I interviewed three fantastic guests: Meagan Francis (a mother of 5 from Michigan), who shared great tips for feeding a large family on a budget when natural/organic options are not abundant, Greer Bautz (a mother of 2 from Maryland), who offered tips for getting the most bang for your buck at Whole Foods, and April Paffrath (a mother of 1 from Cambridge), who shared ideas for sourcing local food through the year. I also give a sneak peek into the fantastic show I have planned for next week. Enjoy!

Posted by Christine Koh on 30 Oct 2010 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Eco Living; Feeding & Nursing; Halloween; Holidays; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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I'm super excited about tomorrow's episode of Life.Style with Christine Koh! As follow up to last week's Halloween costume coverage, I'll chat fabulous and easy Halloween food and crafts in the first segment. And for the remainder of the show, inspired by this call to action, I'll interview three fantastic guests re: tips and tricks for eating real food on a budget (in one case, a family of seven!) and sourcing local throughout the year. So tune in at 1pm EST; you're also welcome to call in or tweet questions during the live episode!

Continue reading "Eat Real Food" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 27 Oct 2010 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Eco Living; Feeding & Nursing; Halloween; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Solutions; Web (Admin)
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Wow, wow, wow. I had such a fun time launching Life.Style with Christine Koh on Thursday! Perhaps as a function of all of those years performing violin recitals and giving lectures, I wasn't nervous at all. There were a few unexpected things to deal with given that the show is live, but it all seemed to come off well! For episode 1, I interviewed Danielle Friedland of Healthy Child Healthy World about easy and inexpensive tips for green living (helpful whether you are just starting to think about making green change or want to amp up your current routine), and also shared a great roundup of ideas for Halloween costumes. I hope you'll check out the segment!

Posted by Christine Koh on 23 Oct 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Eco Living; Halloween; Holidays; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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My dad used to tell me that I should be a lawyer, diplomat, or talk show host since, well, I love to talk with people. And as it turns out, tomorrow I'll take a step closer to the talk show host thing. I'm thrilled to announce that starting tomorrow, I'll host a weekly live talk video show (like talk radio, but streaming live on the web...apparently you can also tune in via iPhone or iPad) called Life.Style with Christine Koh via The Pulse Network. My goal for the show is to share and connect with people around living well, stylishly, happily, and practically -- I'll cover topics such as green living, parenting, pregnancy, holidays and celebrations, art and design, crafts, and food. Basically anything and everything!

Continue reading "Life.Style Launch!" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 20 Oct 2010 | Permalink | Comments (3) | Filed in Arts & Crafts; Eco Living; Feeding & Nursing; Halloween; Holidays; Home; Life.Style with Christine Koh; Web (Admin)
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