Are you a slave to the scales? I admit I have had periods in my life where my daily mood depended far too much upon what the scale said first thing in the morning. I think there is a balance between allowing the scale to rule you and never stepping foot on one. Instead of striving for a certain number, strive instead for health, vitality and well being. Strive for being happy and comfortable in your skin. Strive for being content and for having the healthy energy to do the things you want to do. The rest will come once you create this balance in your life.
How much time do you spend out in the sun? Now, I’m not talking about sun worship or working on a tan for hours each day…but we all need our daily dose of natural vitamin D from the sun. Besides, once you’re outside you might be surprised how invigorating the fresh air is…especially if you battle indoor smells from things like Dutch Masters.
Did you know that experts are now attributing maladies like osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer to vitamin D deficiencies? Vitamin D increases calcium levels, which means that it indirectly fortifies bones and teeth. It also regulates cells all over the body, which means that it regulates insulin production and immune function, prevents inflammation and prevents cancer.
Long about the time people started worrying about skin cancer and limiting sun exposure, vitamin D deficiencies started and health woes began as well.
What to do? Try to get about 10 to 15 minutes of peak sunshine every day. Your body will thank you for it!
Hey Gardeners! Do you compost? Are you in the process of creating black gold for your growing areas? No? You don’t know what you’re missing! Better even than extra macbook memory for your macbook!
Composting is simply mixing yard and household organic trash in a bin and creating conditions that facilitate decomposition. The decomposition process is occurs as millions of microscopic organisms go to work in the compost pile making it into a rich organic fertilizer and valuable soil amendment.
Select your site – make it a little “out of the way” so you don’t have to look at it all the time, but it should also be convenient to your garden for transporting compost. Make your compost bin about 3 cubic feet in size.
Now start adding your layers. You need carbon materials (straw, dry leaves, newspapers, sawdust) and nitrogen materials (grass clippings, kitchen waste, manure). Start with a 6-inch layer of carbon and follow this with a 12-inch layer of nitrogen. Continue adding the layers in alternating order – always end up with a carbon layer on top, though…keeps pests and insects away! After you fill your bin to the top, let it sit and fester. You’ll know when it’s done because it looks like…dark, rich, COMPOST!
Happy Birthday to me! Yes…today is my birthday and in honor of this occasion I have something special to share.
Recently, I was sent a copy of a book to review. The book is called
and it is written by Mark St. Germain and illustrated by April Willy. Three Cups is a children’s book presents an adaptation of a true story of teaching children the skill of money management by using an allowance system. Not only does the book present this system of money management in a way that will appeal to both children and parents, but it does it with endearing text and beautiful illustrations.
Through the system presented in the story, children learn how to save, spend and have a giving spirit with money (the three-cup method). This book is not only enjoyable to read with the text and illustrations, but the lesson and story are expertly presented. I heartily endorse the method the author presents as well – it will teach children a thoroughly useful and positive approach to managing money that will serve them over a lifetime.
So…would you like to win a copy of this beautiful hard cover book? Of course you would!
Entry details and rules:
1. Leave me a comment and tell me what you find interesting about this book (mandatory entry – counts as one entry)
2. Blog about this contest and link back to this post (extra entry – counts as five entries)
3. Subscribe to this blog in a feed or email (extra entry – counts as five entries)
This contest will run between now and May 3, 2010 (midnight CST). Include an email in your mandatory comment entry for me to contact you if you are the winner. I will choose a winner using random.org and I will email the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond with contact information. If you do not respond within this time, another winner will be randomly chosen. Sorry – open to US residents only.
Is anyone else having a hard time with these months disappearing? We are already fast approaching the end of April. Do you know what that means? It means I inch ever closer to needing to get serious about finding a treatment for wrinkles because I will be marking off another year on the old tree. Yep…on Monday, I’ll be 43. How can that be? Not only are the months disappearing alarmingly, but the years are too.
‘Course, it’s hard to feel THAT old when I have a wriggling, squirming bundle inside me growing and thriving until it is finally time to meet her…but I confess that I don’t even to pregnancy that well anymore now that I’m older. It’s harder, that’s for sure!
Well…not me right now, being pregnant and all. I’m really not one for diet pills anyway even when I do have baby weight to lose (which I’m not looking forward to). Not sure if I would ever work up the courage to try something like Lipofuze or not. While they sound all well and good…I dunno…I’m an old fashioned girl at heart and we old-time girls have a hard time wrapping our brains around new fangled things.
I will just say that I am eagerly anticipating getting out in the garden…even with this huge belly…and tending the vegies that will nourish my family this summer. There is nothing like it. I also LOVE watching the kids thrive as their diets become centered around whole and raw seasonal vegetables.
Yep…it’s the way God intended it to be.
I am sitting here in a completely quiet house. Hubby has taken the kids on a bike ride and they will probably be gone for at least an hour. Doesn’t sound like a long time does it? Well…no, it’s not…but it’s amazing how I can recharge in as little as an hour.
I’m going to finish this post and then putter around the house for a bit. Puttering is one of my favorite pastimes when I have extra time. I rearrange trinkets, do a little clutter control, restore a little order…and all the while I can be alone with my thoughts without anyone intruding or wanting something from me.
I like my solitude in complete silence…probably because I am so often barraged with noise when the kids are around. I don’t need music or any background noise at all to feel completely at peace. I used to be a background noise person, but all that changed when the house filled up with people, I guess.
When I finish my puttering, I will probably curl up with cross stitch and try to get 15 or 20 minutes of cross stitching done on my sampler. I will consider that a beneficial hour of solitude.
How do you spend your solitude?
I have the best auto mechanic…I have known him for over 20 years and he is a whiz beneath the hood of a vehicle. In fact, I happen to think he’s a whiz at many different things and I love him to pieces…yeah, I’m talking about my hubby. My hubby is a self-taught home mechanic who has a knack about being able to tinker on a car and make it hum. From oil changes to tune ups, I couldn’t even begin to think about how much money we’ve saved over the years with his knowledge and expertise.
No, I wouldn’t say he’s in the same league as those professionals that work at Houston auto repair on a fancy Acura Integra, but he’s more than capable of handling most of our automobile needs.
It’s nice to know there are websites out there like Repairpal for those more serious issues, too!
Are you a supplement taker? As in supplements like discount supplements, I mean?
I confess…I am not. I’d rather spend my time and money purchasing real food for my family and making and serving real whole foods that give us a generous amount of vitamins and minerals simply because we are eating pure, organic, unadulterated foods.
I do own a juicer; however, and I consider the juices I can make in our juicer to be as beneficial and powerful as many supplements probably are…plus when I juice, I make everything fresh and I know exactly what goes in it!
Do you pamper yourself? If so…bravo! If not…why not?
For me, there is nothing so rejuvenating as a special scent, luxurious lotion, spending a few extra moments in the bathroom after a leisurely shower and doing my nails or giving my heels some attention. I’m past the stage for acnepril, but if I needed it, I would do it!
It only takes a moment or two to make yourself feel a little special…a little pampered…a little pretty. Time well spent. No, I don’t do it every day…and no…it doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive…but I do something special at least twice per week.
So…try it! Pampering would make a great new habit!
