A lot of men, especially-pressed-for-time fathers, tend to think items like a jacket and shoes in the purely functional sense unless they’re specifically dressing up for an event.  While that’s understandable it’s also almost always to their detriment, making them appear older and frumpier.  One of my clients this weekend had just that dilemma. 

He spends all day on his feet, and like many men before him, thought that there’s no way a good looking shoe could be as comfortable as his hiking boot.  He was also a little leery of giving up his windbreaker since he needs lots of pockets and thought a more stylish jacket would not give him as much ‘mobile storage’.  

We outfitted him in Johnston & Murphy shoes that were so comfortable he was grinning from the moment he tried them on and a Zara cotton military jacket with more pockets than his windbreaker.  Best of all, by switching out just those two items in his lineup he looks 10 years younger and infinitely cooler.   

So, in case you haven’t heard me say this a million times yet: Gentlemen, you no longer have to settle, no more choosing between comfort and style, they can now be commonly found sharing the same point in space and time. 

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I’m a year round grilling guy. As long as there isn’t a foot of snow on the ground I’ll try to BBQ. When it is warm out I grill pretty much every night that I can. Some people are scared of the grill and there is no reason you should be. It is a magical and awesome thing.

This weekend is actually a boys weekend for me because my wife and daughter are headed camping with the Girl Scouts. We’ll be finally taking in the latest Star Trek movie and I can’t wait. But, what do you need to survive the weekend? Here are my essentials for a good Memorial Day Weekend.

1. Beer
   There are few things that top an ice cold beer outside on a sunny day with friends. Lots of brands will put out special summer brews or new varieties. Summer is a great time to try new beer because there will be plenty of friends around to give them to if you don’t like them. I always try to stock up with at least one staple and then mix it up every time for variety. By the end of summer you’ll have a scattered few of everything which is fun. Give Sam Adams Summer, Magic Hat #9 and Harpoon IPA a try as great starters that never miss.
2. Meat
   Sure, you might want some vegetables and other things to go with it, but at the end of the day I’m a carnivore and thus I need good quality meat to make it through the weekend. Don’t skimp and save a few pennies. Get the good stuff! Most grocery stores now have a section of the meat counter for the better cuts of meat. Sure, they cost more, but they also taste better. When I really want to go all out I make my way down to Whole Foods because they have an amazing meat counter and I can get lost there. Mix it up with some fresh fish and grilled veggies. Few things top a nice New York Strip and some fresh shrimp on the grill. (Recipes soon I promise)
3. Sunscreen
   This is essential and don’t you dare get all macho on me and say you don’t need it. The sun is bad for your skin and that is a fact. If you are going to be spending time outside this weekend (and you better) then you need to put on the sunscreen. Get one that has a high SPF and is sweat proof. That way you can put it on and forget it. Read the bottle though to see how long it is good for so that you make sure to put more on when needed. Make sure to put it on your and the kids and get every corner of exposed skin. Don’t forget behind the ears!
4. Music
   You can’t have a great summer without awesome music. Fill up your iPod and crank the tunes. Make a playlist that you can fire up any time you want to get your grove on. Don’t just stick to the mainstream and find new artists. I always like asking friends what they are into and always check them out. Some personal favorites for this time of year would be Lee Coulter, Matthew Ebel and Now is Now.
5. A parade
   Show your support of the veterans and the town you live in. Most will have a Memorial Day parade of some sort and maybe it is the small town guy in me, but I love these. Something old school Americana about them and it wouldn’t be the same without them. We’ve always gone to the cemetery over Memorial Day as well because it is an important thing. I know that Emily is going to be flagging graves as well. Don’t forget why we have this weekend and all the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy it.

What else do you need for a successful Memorial Day weekend?

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Since I sit at a desk every day, working in a home office most of the time, there is not a lot of getting up and moving around. I bought a water cooler for my office in the hopes that I’d start drinking more water throughout the day. I know this is good for me on multiple angles, but it gets really boring after a while.

I’ve tried a variety of different drinks, juices and “enhanced waters” that I could find and honestly none of them worked for me that much. I still buy them when I’m out and about instead of a soda, but what to do when I’m at home? Feels like a waste of money to stock my fridge up on these when at the end of the day regular water is better for you then any of them are.

When my company first got approached about working with Pure Inventions I was extremely skeptical. There are a million different things out there that you can add to water. The problem is that most of them have more sugar or other things you might not want to put in your body. Pure promised something that was healthy, no calories, no sugar and all around good for you. (read more here)

Before we took them on as a client (and yes they are now a client), I wanted to sample the product and shortly there after a big box arrived filled with a variety of flavors. Fast forward several months to today and my favorites are their Peach Green Tea Extract and the Cranberry with Elderberry Fruit Extract. I thought the chocolate varieties would hold a lot of promise, but for me personally I’ll stick to the bad for me Hershey’s syrup when it comes to that. *laugh* The kids seem to like it in milk though for a little variety.

I now keep a 32 oz Nalgene bottle on my desk and try to fill it 3-4 times a day and while they are a client of mine, I honestly try to make sure at least one of those full bottles also has some Pure Inventions in it because otherwise I get bored and stop drinking the water. It seems to be working so far. I’m hoping someday they’ll start packing it in plastic bottles (instead of glass) so that I can bring it on the road with me.

Oh and yes, the kids like it too. Dylan likes a few of them, but Emily seems to be really going nuts on them. As a parent ,this is a very good thing because they see it as an alternative to Kool-Aid or soda and I like that since I know this doesn’t have any sugar or caffeine in it.

If you are interested in trying some, use promo code P22FREESHIP on www.PureInventions.com and get free shipping on your order until May 31, 2009.

Have you found any other products that help cut the boredom of water without adding calories? If so, please let me know.

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