We all do our best to stay healthy—eating well, thinking positively, and popping our Cold-EEZE lozenges when we feel the first signs of a cold. But even with all of those measures, pesky colds–from time to time –creep into our lives. We also know that a little pampering can go a long way! So, in the spirit of the Sugar Free Pomegranate “diva” inside us, this week we’re talking “chic” tips to help you feel better even when you’re under the weather!

Do them separately, chronologically, in reverse order—whatever feels right. Without further ado, here are 7 ways to be sick chic!

1. Focus on the face first
One all-too-frequent sick-day side effect is eye puffiness. And between the difficulty that we have falling asleep while under the weather, and the bleariness that we suffer when awake, it’s no wonder that the eyes have it tough during illness. Cheryl Kramer, Redbook beauty editor, comes to the rescue with some great tips for minimizing under eye-puffiness!

2. Make a soothing DIY home spa

Too often, we rush through busy days without stopping—go, go, go. So being trapped in the house all day—even under less than ideal circumstances—is a good excuse to take a moment for ourselves. Like in the form of a relaxing face mask! We like that the following recipes use ingredients you’re bound to already have around the house. They are bound to help soothe your sick-frazzled-state! (We included a link to a more complex one at the end, for those who are a little more ambitious in their cosmetology skills…;))

Chamomile Porridge Mask
½ cup of strong chamomile tea
¼ cup of porridge or oatmeal

Mix the above together and leave for a few minutes to allow the porridge to thicken. Apply to your face and neck area for at least 15-20 minutes while you relax. Rinse off with warm water over a sink as this can be messy. Use a toner and moisturizer to finish.)

For a more complex option, try this Soothing Lavender Face Mask.

3. Take a glam bubble bath
A bubble bath of any kind is a decadent (and, let’s face it, often necessary) sick day ritual. But here’s our vote for upping the indulgence factor one extra notch. This fabulous vanilla cake-scented bubble bath is like bathing with your favorite dessert. It’s hard not to feel better after that sort of treatment!

4. Get into the cutest pajamas
After relaxing in the bath, why not continue the glamour by putting on some cute PJs? After a few moments wearing this silky, luxurious yet comfy outfit , you’re bound to feel more chic than sick!

5. Drink a deliciously “chic” smoothie

Sometimes when we’re sick, our appetites go out the window. But it’s important to make sure we’re getting our nutrients. Our Strawberries & Cream Cold-EEZE flavor inspired us to look for an exotic, refreshing, and nutrient packed smoothie version. We love that you can lighten these up using yogurt or skim milk, or make them rich and decadent — whichever your mood (and refrigerator contents) demand!

6. Stay comfy-chic
And for the truly dedicated “give-me-comfort-when-I’m-sick” fans, here is a tried and true classic, the Slanket. With all the colors and patterns, “sick chic”-ness does not get more comfortable than this!

7. Sick chic on the go
All too often in our busy lives, we aren’t feeling our best, but don’t have the luxury to take the day off! So we reached out to Amanda Davis at The Fashionable Housewife to learn about her tricks of the trade.

“We at The Fashionable Housewife and The Fashionable Girl would have to say that our best tip for feeling chic while being sick is to do your best to maintain your regular beauty regimen if at all possible but always accessorize with an awesome scarf! Scarves serve a multitude of purposes… They are effortless and provide warmth, comfort, style and sass!”

Great tip! Plus, scarves are a great way to practice some chic cold etiquette and keep from spreading too many germs around when you cough or sneeze!

Now that we’ve shared our favorite ways to keep our chin up when we’re under the weather, we really want to hear about your favorite ways to stay “sick chic”! And keep in mind that we have a loose definition of “chic”! Anything that makes you feel fabulous counts for us!

Ferris Bueller didn’t need to take his day off to prove that sick days are one of those unifying childhood experiences—they always have been. We all have our own versions of memories of mom putting a wet washcloth on our forehead, or dad popping in a favorite movie, a friend collecting homework assignments from our teachers… not to mention, the occasional sick day <ahem> “performance” when, like Ferris, we just couldn’t face the day. These childhood sick days are such a touchstone that we couldn’t resist asking our fans about their memories of being nursed back to health way back when.

You shared some great memories with us! Diane P. tells us that she was a “Daddy’s girl”, and that her Dad spoiled her when she was sick, “Always made sure I was warm and comfy—he was my human remote control… I really miss that when I’m sick.” Not to mention that – like many fans – being taken care of by her dad revolved around food: she loved her dad’s soup! Allison S., on the other hand, always ate tomato soup and bologna sandwiches on Wonder Bread, with yellow mustard. “I don’t think I’d EVER do that now, but it was my ‘I’m Sick!’ comfort food.” Charlotte H. drank her mom’s “magic elixir for all ailments”—7 UP!

Photo credit: Arnold Goodway

And, no big surprise here, TV also factored in big time to every sick kid memory. Kate M. shared that she overindulged in daytime TV. Charlotte H. was a fan of Court TV and had a few favorite movies: Funny Girl, Princess Bride, and Titanic. We love her explanation of why these are such great sick-day standbys—that she knows them so well, she doesn’t even have to open her eyes to ‘watch’ them.

Photo credit:  angelrravelor

As for faking sick, a couple of brave souls fessed up that, like us, they’ve been there. Penny B. admitted that she faked a few times in elementary school but adds, “From grades 7-12 I had a perfect attendance.” Kate M., on the other hand, was one of those lucky ones: “As long as I didn’t have an exam, my parents would let me take a ‘mental healthy day’ every now and then.” Now that sounds like a good deal to us! Many fans use their sick day memories to help them take care of their own kids. Allison S. still takes care of her kids with comfort food – but chooses grilled cheese, and Mac ‘n Cheese instead!

And these days, Charlotte H.’s dad still brings her soup when she’s sick—and also does carpool duty for her own kids!

One thing is clear: childhood sick days evoke feelings of warmth and comfort. Take a look at the sick day memories some of our fans told us about on Twitter, about how their parents took care of them when they were sick:

And yet another fan tweeted something that somehow seemed to encompass everyone’s sick day memories:

So we’ve heard about guilty pleasure TV, yummy snacks, hugs and comfort from mom and dad, now tell us, what was YOUR favorite sick day tradition as a child?

We are very excited to introduce you to our March fan of the month, Pam Stucky, a writer and blogger whose first book, Letters from Wishing Rock was recently released. We spoke with Pam about her book, her get-well-sooner tricks, her Cold-EEZE moment… and her love of assembling emergency kits. And yes, you read that last part right – read on to find out more !

What’s your favorite Cold-EEZE flavor?
I love the Mint Frost!
 
Tell us your favorite “Cold-EEZE saves the day” story:
I love to travel, but planes and the stress of changing time zones can leave a body vulnerable to colds. I never leave home without a pack of Cold-EEZE. Or rather, I ALMOST never do. Recently I went to New York, and shortly after getting there I felt a tickle in the back of my throat. I wasn’t sure if it was just dehydration or the start of a cold, but I had the hotel shuttle take me to the nearest drug store at the earliest opportunity, and I bought myself some Cold-EEZE! I never did get sick, and my trip was saved!
 
What’s your sick day style?
I am a firm believer in three things to help when you’re sick: (1) drinking tons of water, (2) taking Cold-EEZE every 4 to 6 hours, and (3) sleeping until you can’t sleep anymore, and then sleeping some more. It’s not very exciting, but it works for me!

 
Will you tell us a little about your upcoming book? Must be a very exciting time for you!
It’s a nice pleasant easy read, something happy that makes me feel good! Letters from Wishing Rock follows the lives of Ruby Parker, her friends and family, and the people she meets when she moves to the town of Wishing Rock, a small town on Dogwinkle Island in the waters near Seattle. Letters between the neighbors and their friends chronicle the twists and turns of the characters’ daily lives. And because I love cooking (despite my own lack of skill in this area), I’ve included some of my favorite recipes in the book, passed along by some of Wishing Rock’s best cooks.

You can find out more, and get Pam’s new book here!

What’s your favorite comfort movie?
Nobody puts Baby in a Corner!!Can you beat Dirty Dancing, really? Also Grease, and Contact (Carl Sagan).
 
What is your tip to a fan suffering from a cold?
I’m not even just saying this: Cold-EEZE! I swear by it! Literally. I stand by it in the drug store and I swear. No, seriously, at the least sign of a tickle, or after I’ve been around someone with a cold, I take Cold-EEZE, and it seems like I hardly ever get sick.
 
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
For one, I find great joy in being prepared for any emergency, and as such I have three emergency kits, one for my car, one for work, one for home. Since I now work at home, this means that currently I have three emergency kits within 50 feet of where I’m sitting. It’s not so much that I have an obsession with safety; I just really like to purchase and organize little bottles of medicine, boxes of bandages, packages of emergency rations with five-year shelf life. (Yes, really) I have no idea why. But I am prepared!
 
Job: Writer. Favorite role in life: Being a person who supports and helps others live their dreams.

What’s the best part about the Cold-EEZE community?
The positive, supportive attitude! As I said, that’s as much a key to health as anything else. I am so grateful!!

We can’t wait to read about the Wishing Rock community and try out some recipes! Thanks for your great answers, Pam.

Remember, please let us know if you have an idea for a great fan of the month—we love to get to know our fans!

Certain “healthy living” topics seem to come up again and again on our blogs—like ways to keep your family eating healthfully and not spending forever doing it. It makes sense: cooking hearty but nutritious meals is a great way to take care of the people that you love. And let’s face it, we do eat three meals a day, every day, so it’s not too surprising that there’s always something new to say about it. Which is why we are starting a “recipe of the month” feature, which will center on a food blogger or cooking enthusiast and showcase their favorite meal – along with a few healthy eating, good-living tips.

Our first blogger is Jamie C., who helms the cooking website Mom’s Cooking Club. We hope you find these tips fun and helpful. Please get in touch with us if there’s a great blogger or chef (amateur or otherwise) that you think deserves to be spotlighted – even if it’s yourself .

How did you get into cooking and blogging?
I first started cooking really basic foods and I used processed food quite a bit. When I got married almost 20 years ago, I started collecting cookbooks and I was always tearing out magazine recipes. As I tried new recipes and new ingredients, it gave me more confidence in my cooking abilities. I started my food blog, Mom’s Cooking Club in May 2009. I didn’t even know what a food blog was a few years ago. Food blogging has inspired me to cook more with whole, fresh ingredients. I am not a gourmet cook or a trained chef. I am your everyday home cook who likes to cook for my family and share recipes with others.

What’s your favorite tip for staying healthy?
Eat more balanced meals with an increase in fruits and vegetables.

What’s one important way you try to care of yourself and those around you?
I stopped drinking soda a few years ago and because of that my husband and 2 daughters drink less soda. We drink more water now, which is so much healthier for you.

Can you share your favorite healthy/easy/deliciously comforting recipe?
Growing up on the East Coast of Maryland and living in Florida for over 30 years, I have a love for seafood. One of my favorite fish to eat is salmon. Salmon is easy to prepare at home and there are so many ways to make it… broiled, baked, pan-seared and grilled. One of my favorite salmon recipes is Orange Glazed Salmon. It has a Cajun spice rub on it and is glazed with a slightly sweet sauce of orange marmalade and lime juice. So, it has that spicy/sweet flavor combination that I love. It uses very few ingredients and is so easy to prepare.

Orange Glazed Salmon

Serving: 4 fillets

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (use a prepared one or make your own like this one)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (6 oz. each)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup Seville orange marmalade (like Crosse & Blackwell)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

Combine Cajun seasoning, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl. Rub over both sides of fillets.

Sauté fillets in oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes.

Blend marmalade and lime juice; swirl in skillet until melted. Carefully turn fish to glaze on all sides. The salmon is done when it begins to flake when tested with a fork.

How did you discover this recipe?
I discovered this recipe with one of my food magazines called, Cuisine at Home. I collect cookbooks and recipes and also have several subscriptions to food magazines— I’m always looking for that next best recipe I can make at home!

Do you have a zany cold remedy or unique stay-healthy routine?
I don’t have any zany cold remedies but I do wash my hands… A LOT! And I use hand sanitizer frequently at work.

Thanks, Jamie, for your great insights!

Tell us: what is your favorite healthy crowd-pleasing dish? Will you try this salmon?

As some of you might know, we got some exciting news recently: a new review of 26 years of medical research on zinc concludes that zinc dramatically reduces the duration and severity of the common cold.

Of course, we at Cold-EEZE have always known that our Cold-EEZE proprietary formula is highly effective at shortening colds and reducing symptoms! When we shared the news with all of you on our Facebook page, fan Tia S. wrote “Of course, we Cold-EEZE users already knew about this”!

We have excellent clinical studies from Dartmouth College and the Cleveland Clinic which support the “clinically proven” claim on our package. But our zinc gluconate lozenge studies often got lumped together with zinc studies that used other formulations that simply are not as effective, which led to the claim that zinc research is “inconclusive.”. So we’re especially excited by this review, which finally demonstrates what we have known all along!

The healthy-living community has also recognized the significance of this review. In fact, it was written up by big names like Tara Parker-Pope in the New York Times’ wellness section and by NPR journalist Nancy Shute!

Even though this study shows that zinc works, many over-the-counter zinc products, as the NYT article notes, have different delivery systems and are made with formulations of zinc that include ingredients that actually reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

Ted tells us, “If the zinc ion availability is low the product cannot work as effectively,” even if it does contain some zinc. “But at Cold-EEZE, we make sure to avoid any ingredients in our products that may interfere with the release of zinc ions.” What’s been particularly validating for the Cold-EEZE community is that this review included the Cleveland Clinic study, which used our actual Cold-EEZE lozenges. It found that taking up to 6 lozenges per day for three days yielded statistically significant results, answering the question of dosage and formulation. Our effective zinc gluconate formula, and its delivery in slow-releasing lozenge form, releases the right amount of zinc ions over and over to help you get well sooner – and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Of course, before we let Ted go, we had one more question for him! Fans, and especially recent Flavor Quiz-takers, might recognize it as perhaps the most telling question there is for any Cold-EEZE lover: what is your favorite flavor? Ted didn’t hesitate: “my favorite flavor is our newly introduced Mint Frost,” he said, “which I don’t believe has any of the zinc after-taste that zinc products often have.” Successful studies, zinc gluconate, variety of flavors and little aftertaste…that sounds like a winning formula to us!

We love hearing from you on Facebook, Twitter, and our website. Of course, we’re totally unbiased here, but we think we have a uniquely awesome fan base! So we’re introducing a “Fan of the Month” Feature – a Q&A that we’ll be posting (you guessed it) once every month. Our goal is to get to know the faces behind those friendly postings a little better, and for you to also get to know a little more about one another. If there is someone who you think would be a great fan of the month, we’d love to know (you can nominate yourself, too!) We’d also love to hear from you about the questions you want to know about!

This month’s Fan of the Month is the lovely Dori Manela. Dori is an avid Cold-EEZE fan and a blogger with a passion for fitness–namely Core Fusion, Refine Method, and running. In addition to maintaining her blog, Dori works in social media and content management. She aspires to write a book one day, which, she assures us, “will definitely be about something.”

Here’s what Dori shared with us.

Q: What’s your favorite Cold-EEZE flavor?
A: Strawberries & Cream

Q: What’s your favorite “Cold-EEZE saves the day” story?
A: I woke up on a Sunday feeling ick and yuck (technical terms). I had a big week ahead of me — it was my last week at my job so I had a lot of work to wrap up, and I also had some great workouts planned. The last thing I needed was to be run down with a cold. I spent the majority of that Sunday laying in bed, watching 30 Rock and popping Cold-EEZE. I woke up the next day feeling 100% better. While it remains unclear whether it was Liz Lemon or Cold-EEZE that prevented me from getting sick, I am comfortable offering the credit to Cold-EEZE.

Q: What’s your sick day routine?
A: Laying in my bed, alternating between watching TV and taking naps

Q: What’s your favorite comfort book?
A: This is embarrassing, but “Forever” by Judy Blume! I got my hands on a copy when I was too young to understand many of the references, but I loved the writing and the story so much. I read this book so many times and it never gets old. I still read it now! In more grown up news, I also turn to The Time Traveler’s Wife for days spent in bed.

Q: And your favorite comfort movie?
A: One day when I was 9 or 10, I was home sick from school. My mom asked me what I wanted her to rent me from Blockbuster and I said My Girl. She ended up buying a copy! I watched it that day while laying on the couch, and probably a thousand times since.

Q: What’s your favorite way to stay healthy?
A: I especially like drinking fresh vegetable juice; your body absorbs the nutrients faster and it tastes much better than it sounds!

Q: What’s your best tip to a fan suffering from a cold?
A: Suck on Cold-EEZE like it’s your job, eat vegetables and rest!

Q: What’s the most fun blog (besides your own!) that you love to read?
A: My favorite blog is The Life and Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson. Rachel’s observations are so real and her writing so funny. She covers everything from fitness to food to dating to work, and I always find myself laughing. Or, as Rachel calls it, LLOL (Literal Laugh Out Loud).

Q: Can you tell us a funny anecdote that showcases your personality?
A: I am a runner and I love running in races. Even more than racing, I love official race photos. I have so many race pictures where I am smiling and waving at the camera like I’m having the time of my life — and the other runners around me look like they are absolutely suffering. You would never think by looking at these pictures that I was actually running in the same race as them, much less that I might have been climbing an extremely difficult hill or was experiencing intense knee pain or just praying for the race to end! My friends call me the happiest runner, but really, I just love a good photo of myself. Sometimes I wonder if I sign up for races just for the pictures.

Here are a few pictures that Dori included that may prove her point!

Q: What is your job/favorite role in life?
A: Social Media/Content Manager and Blogger

Q: What is your favorite place that you’ve been to so far? And the next place you’re hoping to go?
A: Israel was beautiful and amazing. All the Israelis I met had this incredible pride in their country and knew as much about their own historical sites as a tour guide would. It was especially meaningful for me to connect with a part of my background in this way.

For my next trip, I’d love to go somewhere tropical! I have never been on a relaxing vacation to the Caribbean or Mexico. I really want to just go somewhere warm and relax in the sun for an entire week!

Q: What is the best part about the Cold-EEZE community?
A: The support — even when I’m not sick! It is refreshing to see a company actively stay up-to-date on the people in their online communities like Twitter and Facebook. While my interaction with Cold-EEZE might have started because of a cold-related issue, I get supportive feedback about other topics too.

Thanks for spending some time with us, Dori! We can’t wait to hear about your next race and adventures.

One of our favorite things to discuss with our fans is how they get well sooner – whether it’s chatting about their most beloved Cold-EEZE flavor, their guilty pleasure sick day movies, or cherished childhood memories of being taken care of when feeling lousy—you always have so much to contribute! With this in mind, we launched our Comforting or Quirky Cold Remedy Contest. And once again, our fans all truly delivered, participating in the contest in record numbers. When the contest had run its course, we were left with twelve winners. The two that were chosen by the judges were recipients of $500 American Express Gift Cards, and ten that were voted on by all of our fans received Cold-EEZE care packages!

We said in our contest rules that we were looking for entries that would make us curious about the remedy and the person who submitted it. Your entries did all that and more, so we couldn’t just keep them to ourselves!

In the “laugh” column, we were swayed by Mike G., who won the Judge’s prize with his remedy that definitely fell on the quirky end of the spectrum: “I hate to even think about it,” he wrote. “My grandmother made a mixture of mustard, petroleum jelly, and cayenne pepper and rubbed it on our chest in order to ‘Get out the cough’. It smelled terrible and the stench would last for days. I smelled like a hot dog.” The scent of a hot dog emanating from our own bodies seems like one of the last things in the world we’d want to sniff on a sick day. But there is something to be said about the “older and wiser” expression, so we’re sure his grandmother knew best!

Carol B., the other grand prize winner, swayed our judges with her creative and very precise recipe for a homemade cold syrup: “fill a mason jar with apple cider vinegar, and add a clove of garlic, and cover tightly with a cloth and rubber band for 24 hours. After those 24 hours, add a few drops of honey to make it sweet (to taste), and drink two tablespoons every two hours.” We’re probably going to be adding a lot of honey to this one when we try it!

This contest also had some Cold-EEZE thrown into the mix, by way of Cynthia B., who told us that she pops a few in her bag to take during the day. She also loves hot water with lemon and honey. But Cynthia was not the only citrus fan. Lorah D. cuts a lemon in half and sucks out the juice! Diana H., on the other hand, had an intriguing remedy we’d never heard of: “heat orange juice in a pan and drink it slowly.”

Some of our fans had suggestions that were right in line with the “cold-banishing” medical advice that we’ve discussed on our blog before. Heather Z. is a fan of humidifiers: “it helps loosen things up so I can breathe better and get well quicker!” Darlene W. was a fan of gargling, something she learned growing up from her father: “He would tip his head back and swallow a huge gulp and start making those strange gargling noises… this ritual is something I have inherited because the first thing I grab is a cup full of warm salt water to make my sore throat feel better!” We love how she brought her childhood memory of her father taking care of his cold into the mix.

Like Darlene, Kelly B. adapted her parents’ remedies for the next generation: “my parents had a cure-all remedy for colds. I had to swallow a teaspoon of honey and gargle with warm salt and water, and sleep with a vaporizer.” She added her own spin on it, taping “a cotton ball with eucalyptus oil on it to my kids headboards of their beds, add lavender in their bath water and add peppermint in their vaporizer [sic].” That sounds pretty good to us! Anna M. also let the role of family and comfort take center stage in her remedy. She has seven children, “and lots of experience on how to comfort them while they are sick.” We can only imagine! Chicken soup “is a must”, along with a warm bath with eucalyptus, snuggling them under a blanket and stroking their hair so they can fall asleep quickly. This sweet remedy goes a long way in showing that getting well sooner can often have much to do with feeling taken care of and loved.

So, fans, which one of these recipes made you smile? Laugh out loud? Wince a bit? Do you have any cold remedies that you want to share? We’d love to hear ’em! Talk back to us below!

Our Cold-EEZE lozenge flavors each have a very unique personality – just like you! And although some of you out there have strong feelings about your favorite flavor (“Honey Lemon for life!” or “I’ll only ever try cherry!”), do you know which flavor matches YOUR personality? To help you find out, we are launching the “What’s Your Cold-EEZE Flavor” personality quiz! Sound like fun? Well, wait till you hear the best part! By taking the quiz, you will be benefiting a great cause: For each quiz taken, Cold-EEZE will donate $1 to the American Heart Association, up to $2,500!

After co-sponsoring Skate for the Heart, we became inspired by the work of the American Heart Association. This seemed like a great way to increase our involvement with a wonderful organization, and raise awareness among our fan community. And what better time than February, the AHA’s American Heart Month!

The quiz is scheduled to be available on the Cold-EEZE Facebook Page for 10 days. It launches on February 8^th, coinciding with Hallmark Channel’s broadcast of Cold-EEZE Skate for the Heart. The quiz runs through the second broadcast on February 14^th, (Valentine’s Day, of course!) and ends on February 18^th. This great show features a dozen world-class figure skaters as well as American Idol celebrities, and is of course dedicated to raising awareness about heart health and the American Heart Association.

So, will you be Cherry, Honey Lemon, Strawberries & Cream, Tropical Orange, Lemon Lime, Mint Frost or Sugar Free Pomegranate? Take the quiz to find out! You can showcase your results on your Facebook profile, and don’t forget to invite all your friends!

Cold-EEZE held a caption contest in November, and our fan, Paula, suggested the winning caption… and in doing so, earned the trip of a lifetime! We sent Paula and her friends to Sioux City, Iowa to see the Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular live, where they had the opportunity to go backstage and mingle with figure skating superstars!

Paula and guests.

The key to Paula’s victory was a simple play on words. She recognized that the skater in the photo was Rachael Flatt , and thought of using her last name as a double meaning (like, “that’s flat out wrong”). Then she played around with the idea of Cold-EEZE’s connection to skating and Rachael’s fantastic spin until she came up with the final “She’s Flatt crazy for Cold-EEZE!”

Paula tells us that she almost missed the notification that she had won, because she didn’t read the email. “When it finally sank in,” she told us, “I was shocked and elated.”

Once Paula and her friends touched down in Sioux City, the fun really began: between staying in a beautiful room at the Hilton Garden Inn Sioux City Riverfront, seeing the skaters rehearse, watching the exciting taping of the show live, and meeting Brian Boitano and the other skating stars from the show, Paula got the VIP treatment.

Cast in rehearsal

Fiona Augar, Marketing Coordinator for ProPhase Labs (makers of Cold-EEZE) hosted Paula and her friends in Sioux City and said, “The whole day was amazing. It was such a pleasure to spend the day with Paula, Tony, Teresa and Jerry. This was my first experience at a skating event, but I learned that Paula and Tony are skating enthusiasts!”

Backstage, Paula mingled with the stars and shared in their behind-the-scenes secrets. She got to meet Ryan Bradley, 2007 U.S. National Silver Medalist and tells us that he has “such a natural smile.”

With Ryan

Skating pair, Irina Grigorian & Mikhail Panin performed a routine with large metal cubes—“those props were sitting backstage, so we were able to touch them and feel how light they were!”

Another skating star, Yuka Sato, “was very outgoing,” Paula shares. Paula particularly appreciated that Yuka offered to sign their programs without being asked. “I tend to be a little shy about approaching people… I think she sensed that shyness and reached out on her own.”

With Yuka Sato

Paula and her friends were also invited to tour the NBC bus, with all of the television controls and monitors, “It was “very daunting,” Paula reveals. “I have no idea how anyone could remember all of those controls!”

As you might imagine, there was one feature event of the experience: “Meeting Brian Boitano was a dream come true,” Paula raves.

With Brian Boitano

Boitano’s multi-talents, skating and personality were some of the things that first attracted Paula to the sport…“He was my first love in skating and has remained one of my favorite skaters.” It sounds like Brian is an all-around skating sweetheart, too: “He was very nice and natural with all of the fans, and he has a confidence that makes him easy to be around!” Paula assured us.

We’re so happy that Paula and her friends had such a great time – it really sounds like the trip of a lifetime. And to think that this unique experience was the result of the simple act of entering our contest and coming up with a clever caption. With odds like that, who knows, maybe you’ll be next!

Tell us: what part of the trip sounds the best to you?

Stay tuned for more fun contests. And, don’t forget to check out the photo album of the trip from Fiona and Paula on Facebook.com/ColdEEZE!

Colds so often get the better of us. They make us sniffly, sickly and keep us trapped at home. So we felt it was time to give them a twist that could make them a little fun. We made a compilation of the top five best, guiltiest pleasure, songs that incorporate the word “cold” in the lyrics! Belt these songs out when you’re sick (a hairbrush-as-mic, pajama-clad karaoke performance) to help you pass the time, or when you’re feeling great (iPod on the way to work!) and celebrating that you’re not sick!

It’s possible that the most popular use of the word “cold” in songs is actually in reference to having a “cold heart.” After hearing this soulful Bon Jovi song, you might even agree that being in love with a harsh, hardened person is worse than being trapped at home, all sneezy and sore-throat-y. At least then Cold-EEZE can help you! (Sorry, we haven’t yet developed a lozenge that helps heal matters of the heart !)

Jon Bon Jovi – Cold Hard Heart

How could we not include this catchy song from one of the pop scene’s reigning Princesses? She lets out her frustration with her unreliable lover, who’s up, then down, who’s wrong and then right, who’s hot and then—most unforgiveable of all—cold!

Katy Perry – Hot N Cold

This down-home song by Jewel is about as real and unglam as it gets for a love song, covering all of the gory details of what it means to have a bad cold: “wipe my nose on my sleeve,” having a “sneezing storm.” Even so, it somehow manages to be a sweet ballad, proving in the end that what love actually means is, “I’d catch a cold with you any time.”

Jewel – Cold Song

We love this folksy, inspirational song by Tracy Chapman. Chapman movingly describes the keys to success as hard work, dedication, and determination… and shows that they can even be accomplished when you’ve got (you knew it was coming) cold feet!

Tracy Chapman – Cold Feet

This lovely White Stripes song truly captures what it means to be caught out on a cold, cold night… and is haunting in a way that only a lingering cold can truly be!

White Stripes – In the Cold Cold Night

Even though we’re talking about “cold” lyrics, we just couldn’t leave out the one band that is actually “cool” enough to have “cold” in their name. We’re talking about Coldplay, of course! This song doesn’t have “cold” in the lyrics, but it is called “Shiver”!

Coldplay – Shiver

So, talk to us: which of these songs do you love? Cringe at? Can’t get out of your head? We’d love to hear some of your brilliant “cold” songs, so share ’em below!

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