Archives for 2019

A Valentine Gift for Her from Ellie Activewear

Disclosure: I received free products to facilitate this post.  The opinions are my own.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts a lot of girls grow tired of the traditional candy and flowers.  I personally love jewelry, but sometimes I long for something a little more practical.  If you are trying to think outside the box for Valentine’s Day (or any other occasion) consider a subscription to Ellie.  Ellie is an active wear subscription plan.  It costs $39.95 a month, and they send you a three piece outfit with a fun accessory.

Each month the company has exclusive collections to send out.  I’m really excited today to take you inside one of their boxes! [Read more…]

Preparing For Your Future Freedom As The Kids Get Older

For most people, life planning doesn’t go much further than having children. With this goal being one of the most important achievements you can go for, it makes sense that it is where a lot of people stop their planning, but this doesn’t mean that it’s the best route to take. Once the kids leave home, you will find yourself with a huge amount of free time which hasn’t been there for about 20 years. To make the most of this, you’ll need to start planning for it as early as possible, with success coming easiest to those who start to think about what they will do with their time once the little ones grow up.

Your Career

It’s hard to maintain a career when you have children, and most couples will have at least one parent stay home throughout the little one’s childhood, ensuring that they get the best possible upbringing. Once your done being a mom or dad, though, you will probably want to continue where you left off. Options like online DNP FNP programs are a great tool for this, enabling you to boost your education while your kids are still at home, preparing you for a new career.

Something Good

There are few things in life which are quite as satisfying as doing something good for charity. While you won’t make money from this effort, it will give you something worthwhile to do once you have some free time, all while making you feel nice inside. There are countless options when you want to take a path like this, and most charities will be happy to accept people of all shapes and sizes.

Supporting New Parents

Over the years you spend raising your kids, you will learn an awful lot about what it takes to be a good parent. These lessons will come through experience, though, and aren’t often things which can be predicted. This means that other parents will also have the same struggles, benefiting from knowledge which is passed from those who have been through this process, and giving you the chance to share what you’ve spent such a big part of your life dedicated to.

Post-Parenting

Even once they reach their late 20’s, most kids can do with a little bit of help long into their adult life. Finances, laws, and loads of other areas can be very confusing and scary when you first start out. As a parent, you can push your children in the right direction, and this can actually get easier as they grow up. Of course, though, you should only offer you insight when they want it, as it can be frustrating to feel like someone is trying to take control.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of preparing for a future which is filled with free time. Being a parent is always an exciting journey, but the bulk of it will always come to an end at some point.

7 Tips to Creating Your Perfect Winter Wardrobe

Your winter wardrobe should compromise of a combination of your favorite seasonal colors, styles and fabrics, which you can mix and match throughout the season.

To ensure you look effortlessly stylish from December through to March, you’d be smart to invest in seasonal staples that will look great in the rain or snow.

For help perfecting your look, check out these seven tips for creating your perfect winter wardrobe.

1. Invest in a Parka Coat

Top of your list should be the perfect coat, which should effectively protect you from the bitter snap.

One style that will never let you down during winter is the handy parka coat, which will keep you warm and cozy during the chilliest of temperatures.

It’s a staple style that every woman should have hanging in her closet when the weather takes a turn for the worst.

2. A Cashmere Sweater

A cashmere sweater will not only make you feel all warm and cozy, but it is also a flexible garment, as it can be dressed up or down.

For example, it can look great with or without a collared shirt and can complement:

* Skinny jeans

* Midi skirts

* Printed trousers

* Leather pants

* A leather jacket

3. Knee-High Boots

There’s no reason to compromise on style this winter. Unleash your inner fashionista by donning a pair of knee-high boots, which will protect your legs from the elements while adding a touch of style to a winter look.

As a result, you won’t be afraid to brave the snow or sleet when traveling from A to B.

4. A High-Quality Pair of Jeans

It’s time to say goodbye to exposed skin and hello to clothing that will keep you nice and snug throughout winter. Of course, there is no better garment to have hanging in your closet than a pair of plus size jeans, which can complement almost every item of clothing you own, from a thick sweater to a pretty blouse. Jeans can also look great when paired with ankle and knee-high boots.

5. A Knitted Jumper Dress

If you want to show a little leg this winter but stay both warm and protected from the colder temperatures, a knitted jumper dress could be an ideal solution.

Not only can it be worn alone, but the dress can be paired with a pair of thick tights and/ or knee-high boots for added warmth.

You also can choose from a form-fitting design or a relaxed style, depending on your preference.

6. A Blanket Wrap Scarf

Every woman needs a winter-warming scarf to top off her look. One style that’s sure to be your best friend this season is a blanket wrap scarf, which can look both chic and effortless.

There are also endless ways to style this staple seasonal accessory; for example, you could wrap it around multiple times or carelessly place it across your shoulders.

Due to its flexible design, you could potentially reinvent your look every day.

7. A Turtleneck

You cannot class yourself as a true fashion lover until you have purchased a turtleneck.

The flexible garment can look great when paired with a sweater or sleeveless dress, but it can also be worn on its own with jeans and boots for a simple yet fabulous style.

Friday Favorites Linky Party – Week 463

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Jennifer at Busy Being JenniferTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! [Read more…]

Adapting Your Routine To Getting Older

As we get older, our health becomes more of a priority than we ever considered it to be when we were younger. But that doesn’t have to be a negative; you’re looking to make changes to your lifestyle to assist yourself in ageing well rather than stopping yourself from living. Respecting your age is about changing diet and exercise, not sitting still and watching the clock tick over. So with that in mind, we are going to take a look at some of the change you should be making as you get older in order to keep fit and healthy well into your later years.

Exercise

Throughout our lives, we should be getting some sort of exercise into our daily routine, but as we get over 50 the demands of our bodies change. The rules of being active suddenly become very different and we must adapt to the new normal. So what are the changes that you need to take note of and why?

First of all, the importance of warming up and down properly beforehand becomes not just important but essential. Whereas you might have got away without a post-exercise stretch in the past, those days are behind you and to feel the benefits of your fitness regime you should make sure you are stretching yourself out. One way that you might want to consider is to include a yoga session at the end of your daily workout or instead of. Many people put their positive fitness in later years down to doing yoga, including former athletes who have done programs like DDP Yoga to fight back against the pain they have put their body through. If it is good enough for the professionals, then it might just help you too.

There is also a big change to the type of exercise that you should be doing. Whereas you once might have focused on aerobic exercise, the name of the game as you get older should be to transition into resistance based workouts. The reason for this is that as we get over 50, bone density and muscle mass drops rapidly so we need to do more in order to maintain our strength. You do still need to do cardio, but now it should be in the form of interval training to get your heart pumping and your body moving, especially if you have one eye on your calorie intake.

Finally, when it comes to exercise in your 50s and beyond you might find that you now need to take an extra day or two in between sessions. Your body is changing and the name of the game should be to prolong your fitness, not injure yourself trying to do too much.  

Diet

As discussed under the exercise section, there are changes that happen to our body as we move into 50s that require changes to routine. Those changes also apply to what we are eating. There are many changes that you will need to make to your diet as you get older, one of which is to ensure that the once reduced intake of trans fats is eliminated altogether. Trans fats contribute to raised cholesterol and your risk of heart disease.

But rather than focus on what you can’t eat, we should also discuss the things you should be eating to promote a healthy lifestyle. One thing to consider is introducing prunes to your diet should you not already eat them. We have mentioned bone health when discussing changes to your workout routine, and prunes help to strengthen bone health. Whether you are having them as part of a salad, a jam, or just as a snack, find a way to get prunes in your diet.

Health

The positives of growing older far outweigh the majority of negatives, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore some of the troubles that can come your way. Being aware of health issues as you age is part of the fight against any serious problems occurring. However, should you find yourself in a situation that you hadn’t planned for healthwise then be prepared with all the information you can possibly have at your disposal. The same applies if you have friends or family members who are going through a difficult health diagnosis, arming yourself with information on things like cancer care and dementia services will put in a good position to deal with what life can throw at you.

Preparation is the key to everything in life and the same idea applies as you get older. LIfe doesn’t begin or end at 50, it continues and that is the great thing about ageing.

Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 462

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Jennifer at Busy Being JenniferTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! [Read more…]

Ways to Decorate Your Home with Your Favorite Family Pictures

Personal touches can help you convert your house into a beautiful home. However, finding various ways to incorporate a portrait display or favorite family photos into interior design can prove to be challenging. For example, color schemes, using favorite photos for home decor, other art pieces and the overall atmosphere must be put into consideration not to mention the pictures themselves.

Your family pictures are special and each one of them carries specific memory which means that you should let those memories live on. Both friends and family members will love to see photo to painting wall decorations and pictures of your family’s grandparents. They will also enjoy seeing the photos of your embarrassing second school pictures as well as those family images where your loved ones began laughing right before being taken.

Here are excellent ways to decorate your home with your favorite family photos:

Turning Your Pictures into Paintings

Turning pictures into paintings is one of the best ways of displaying your favorite family photos. Since every homeowner is not a painter, you can hire a professional to convert a family photo to beautiful painting in nearly no time at all. This option provides a timeless and iconic look to otherwise dated and ordinary looking family portraits and photographs.

This option also provides you with an opportunity to choose from the available painting types that will match the color of your walls. It also helps you to turn the extra-special and cherished memories into something you and your family will enjoy each day. For example, a beloved pet can be immortalized thanks to cat and dog paintings done by artists via a photographic source. Turning your photos to painting will help you convert the moments that define you and your family members – including pets – to display in a perfect place in your home.

Hanging on the Wall

The living room is where most homeowners choose to hang their favorite family photos. Depending on your requirements, you can create gallery walls and dedicate them entirely for this purpose. You can also decide to combine your traditional framing styles with the rest of the furnishings, accessories, and accent walls. A nice place to hang some of your favorite family photos would be on the accent wall behind your sofa or over the fireplace.

Also, you can decide to greet your guests with beautiful walls of family portraits. Hang them on the wall opposite to your front door so that the guests entering your house can be in the position to see them. Simple tasks such as a photo to painting and displaying your best pictures on your walls will not only make your home more inviting but also make everyone feel welcomed.

LED/LCD Rotating Image Frames

Currently, digital picture frames are slowly replacing the traditional picture frames, which adorn the walls and mantelpieces of most houses across the world. As you move away from the film cameras towards a technological world where everybody regularly takes thousands of snaps each year, it makes sense to have a low-cost solution to attractively displaying your favorite family photos.

You can use digital or led rotating image frames to display your family photos since they are a perfect solution to your display problems. They allow homeowners to display, store and view hundreds of photos on single frames. You should understand that not all LED or LCD rotating frames are the same meaning you will need to do some research to select the perfect ones for your home.

Apple Carrot Spinach Muffins

Thaxton is now 14 months old! How time flies!  He eats a variety of food, including a lot of vegetables!  Our biggest eating challenge has been getting him to eat chunky foods and different textures.  As a result, he still eats a lot of purees. For his non-pureed foods, I try to give him things that are as healthy as possible.  One thing that he is very good at eating is breads and anything else from the grain group, so I started looking for healthy muffin recipes.

Today I’m sharing a recipe for Apple Carrot Spinach Muffins. Don’t let the spinach throw you!  If you didn’t see the specks of green in the muffin, you’d never know they had spinach in them!  I put spinach in Thaxton’s scrambled eggs, all of our muffins, and smoothies!  It’s a great way to get some extra greens, which is something I struggle with myself!

I did take one shortcut with these muffins.  I used applesauce instead of chopping up fresh apples.  Thaxton enjoys applesauce, so we keep that in the fridge, and I like the idea of using what I have, rather than going out and buying more ingredients.

Apart from being very wholesome, these muffins are delicious and very moist!  Hope you enjoy! [Read more…]

Great Money Hacks for Travelling

At last you’ve made plans for that trip of a lifetime that you’ve been talking about for years! You’ve found the best kennels, you’ve visited Creditfix for those handy budget tips and you’re also looking at phrasebooks. To really make it happen, you need to save enough money to pay for your flights and for your living expenses.

Wait until the afternoon to book your flights

While we all know that the prices of flights vary according to the time of year and even the days of the week, what’s not so well-known is the way they fluctuate during the day. You’ll find that the middle of the afternoon is best because business travellers book their flights in the mornings and demand drops later on in the day.

Use flight alerts

One good trick is to set up a few alerts that’ll let you know when the prices of your target fares fall suddenly. Once you get the alert, you’ll need to move quick so make sure you have the funds ready to go.

Look for cheap accommodation

Your hotel or villa may well cost more than your flights, so try to be flexible about where you stay. Look at villas or hotels outside of the city, or even hostels and Airbnb places. Renting a flat or villa also means you can save on food expenses as you can make breakfast and a packed lunch, or cook dinner in the evenings rather than eating out all the time.

Shop like a local

If you’re self-catering, then follow the natives to their favourite shops and stalls so that you can get the best local produce at local prices. Think about bread, cheese, butter, oils, fruit and veg, as well as meat and don’t bother looking for goods imported from home – eat like a local because it’s cheaper.

Avoid airport bureaux de change

Get hold of your currency before you set off. The final few days before you set off on holiday can be busy so make sure you have enough cash to see you through the first couple of days of your holiday. Avoid airport exchanges though, as they’re eye-wateringly expensive.

Hone your haggling skills

You can haggle anywhere, not just at street stalls and markets. Ask for discounts in hotels, shops and restaurants; if you’re polite and friendly, all they can say is no. You may have to pay the stated price for your meal,

but an indulgent waitress might give the kids an extra scoop of ice cream. It’s always worth a go.

Buy some city passes

You should always look for these city passes when you’re going to be somewhere for more than three days or so. You’ll usually get discounted public transport, cheaper museum entry and sometimes vouchers for shops and restaurants.

Dine out at lunchtime rather than dinnertime

The cheaper menus are usually at lunchtimes, so if you do like to eat out as part of your holiday experience, shift it to earlier in the day. Cook for yourselves in the evenings most nights and save up for a lavish evening meal towards the end of your stay.

Stop! 6 Things You Could Do to Treat Yourself Right Now

Lets face it. We all work long hours, whether that’s at the office doing a job that we just don’t enjoy or running around after the kids, which of course is rewarding but is so utterly exhausting. Stop and ask yourself, when was the last time you made yourself a priority?

If you can’t remember, then you need to take some time to do something that makes you feel good. Don’t worry about feeling selfish, having some “time out” from your daily routine is good for your mental and physical health. It allows you to come back refreshed and ready to take on anything that life can throw at you. So go on, the ironing can wait. Read on for 6 ways you can treat yourself right now.

Treat your skin

The first tell-tale sign of someone that’s almost burnt out and someone who needs a break is their skin! Dull, tired, saggy and grey. Your skin is like a window to your overall health. So if yours needs a little TLC then why not treat yourself to a new, indulgent moisturiser, a new primer – check out 10 of the best primers from Clinique to professional here – or a new toner or cleanser. You’ll be ready to tackle life totally fresh faced.

Try a new coffee shop

That new artisan coffee shop on the high street that everyone seems to have been to? Now is the time for you to arrange someone to have the kids and take an extended lunch. Try something new, whether it’s a gorgeous, freshly ground coffee or a deliciously indulgent slice of cake. Calories don’t count when you’re treating yourself.

Go and exercise

The hardest part about exercising isn’t the physicality of it. It’s actually mustering the willpower to go and do it. Obvious health benefits aside, moving your body and exercising can make you feel incredible. Empowered, strong, healthy and just a general feel good factor, exercise releases endorphins which make you feel great – it reduces stress too. The perfect way to let go of those worries.

Spend some time with animals

Another great stress reliever. It’s been scientifically proven that spending time with animals reduces stress and makes us feel relaxed. Whether that’s walking your dog around the local park or visiting your gran’s moody cat.

Go somewhere

You might have always wanted to visit the local museum, or the library, a stately home or new restaurant in town, but have had difficulty finding someone who can go with you. Well, why not just go and enjoy your own company instead?

Buy a house plant

Who says you have to wait to be gifted flowers and plants? Having a little greenery and nature at home with you, will make you smile and feel good. Flowers and house plants even work to purify the air so there’s no reason not to treat yourself really! Worried about keeping your plant alive? Why not fake it with a gorgeous faux one instead?