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36 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 8, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Happy Valentine's Day Find romance again this Valentine's Day with these handy tips You look after your family, you work, you take care of the in-laws, you're a volunteer-- and every now and then you look around and wonder where your old self went. Enjoy Valentine's Day this year with these tips to keep the spark in your relationship! 1. Enjoy an evening of purely adult pleasures: pour wine into crystal glasses instead of diluting apple juice into sippy cups; light scented candles around a bubble bath, stowing the rubber duckies out of sight; wear your skimpiest nightwear to bed instead of your baggiest t-shirt. 2. Buy your man a sexy white T and boxers and steal an admiring peek when he thinks you're not looking. 3. Put your honey in charge of organizing a date night -- including calling the baby sitter, making dinner reservations, and preparing dinner for the kids ahead of time -- giving you some much-needed down time beforehand. 4. Deposit the kids with a relative and go for a stroll along the beach or in the park together. No phones, no kids, no distractions -- just fresh air and a chance to focus on each other for an hour. 5. Do something simple that you used to enjoy together pre-kids. Sit in a café reading the paper. Go out for brunch. Visit a market. Window shop. Check out an art gallery. 6. Focus on you. Can you steal away for a spa day? How about a facial? A 10-minute shiatsu? Any situation where someone else takes care of you for a change is a good investment in sexy. 7. Spend an evening out with the girls. Enjoy the experience of having someone else cook dinner, compare notes on family life, or go dancing -- the break will do you good. 8. Reclaim your sexy brain. Rekindle your interests in non-domestic, non-work topics by taking a course or joining a discussion group. 9. Love your curves. If you're mourning your younger, leaner body, a trip to an art gallery will remind you that curvaceous women are beautiful and sexy. 10. Start an email or IM exchange with your partner, even if you're both at home. Flirt, make each other laugh, slip in some witty innuendo -- it's sexier in print. And there's no telling where your email flirtation will end up. - News Canada Savor the history of chocolate Win a Valentine's Day Party for your class! One lucky classroom in Oakville will win a party to remember, courtesy of Hallmark Canada! Students in grades primary to six are invited to write and tell us why your class deserves to win a party! A winner will be chosen from entries received. Before Valentine's Day, the winning class will be sent a package of Valentine's cards for each child. On Valentine's Day, Hallmark Canada will cover the cost of a Valentine's Day cake for the class and provide High School Musical party ware and décor for the classroom. Plus each student will receive a plush toy and other treats to take home! Fill out the attached form and send it with your entry to: The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON L6K 3S4 C/O Shannon Mastaler "Valentine's Party Contest" or email smastaler@oakvillebeaver.com with "Valentine's Party Contest" in the subject field. Deadline for entries: Friday, February 8th Name: Age: Grade: Teacher: Phone: School: School phone # School address Each student will receive a plush toy and other treats courtesy of Hallmark Canada Chocolate treats are a favorite worldwide. Holidays such as Valentine's Day see chocolate consumption go through the roof, as sweet snacks are the centerpiece of these occasions. The average person consumes 10 to 12 pounds of chocolate per year, and residents of Switzerland, one of the top chocolate-producing regions of the world, consume a whopping 21 pounds of chocolate each year. When enjoyed in moderation, chocolate can actually have health benefits. Research has indicated that dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, those nutritional elements responsible for fending off diseases in the body. Therefore treating your valentine to chocolate will be good for his or her heart in both the physical and romantic sense. Also, chocolate is known to be a moodbooster. Chemicals in chocolate affect levels of the body's mood-affecting chemicals, including serotonin, endorphins, and phenylethylamine. This can bring a feeling of euphoria, which only enhances sensations of romance and love. Perhaps this is why chocolate has been linked to Valentine's Day celebrations. The sweet confection that most enjoy and know today as chocolate is very different from the chocolate of the past. Chocolate comes from the cacao bean, which grows on a tropical evergreen called the cacao tree. These trees are very delicate and often do not produce fruit until 4 to 5 years of age. It is surmised that the world was introduced to cacao when Christopher Columbus first visited the Americas and brought back samples of cacao beans, but explorer Hernando Cortez was instrumental in creating the commercial fever associated with chocolate. During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez witnessed local Aztec indians using cacao beans in the preparation of a drink used in royal celebrations. Emperor Montezuma was reported to drink 50 or more servings of this chocolate brew per day, and regularly served it as a regal drink in golden goblets to guests. It was thought to be a drink of the gods. However, the drink was very bitter and not readily enjoyed by the Spanish. To make the beverage more palatable, Cortez imagined sweetening it with sugar cane. When Cortez brought the cacao back to Spain, the concoction underwent more changes to fit the tastes of the citizens. Eventually cacao spread to Europe, where different people experimented with extracting ingredients from the beans to make different chocolate products. Beans were pressed to extract the cacao butter, a fat that occurs naturally in the beans. Chocolate became smoother and the chocolate beverage became more like the flavor known today. Solid eating chocolate was developed in England in 1847 and replaced the coarse, grainy variety that dominated the market. However, it wasn't until 1876 when Daniel Peter in Switzerland developed a way to add milk to the chocolate-making process, giving birth to milk chocolate, that chocolate truly became the product we know today. Milton Hershey, who invented his own spin on milk chocolate in 1894, played an enormous role in introducing many Americans to the appeal of affordable milk chocolate. The candy giant achieved great fame with mass-produced chocolate bars. In 1907 Hershey's trademark Hershey's Kisses were introduced, even further entwining the notion of chocolate with romance. The familiar paper tails that peak outside of the kisses were introduced in 1924 to distinguish the Hershey variety from imitators who were cropping up at this time. Today, chocolate comes in just about every variety imaginable, from milk to dark to semisweet to flavors in between. Chocolate is a favorite dessert around the world. Whether enjoyed solid, melted or stirred in beverages, it is likely that chocolate will remain a perennial favorite. (MS)