Sunday, June 11, 2017

Home Depot FREE Monthly Kid Workshops


Aron and I used to attend these Home Depot free monthly kid workshops with our kids when they were little and had a blast! I am lately trying to challenge myself to do more things with Eva and Samuel that I used to do with the Bigs (Joel, Michael and Callie) when they were little. I have to remind myself that Eva and Sam are only 7 and 9 and still need fun things to do. Just because I have been there/done that doesn't mean they have. Yes, I'm 10 years older now and getting more tired, but when I see the smiles on their faces, I know that everything I do for them and with them is worth it!

This is an activity that was on our 2017 Summer Bucket List :-)

2007 when I was pregnant with Eva (10 years ago!). That's my dad trying to hammer my head.
Last year we just happened to be in Hays, Kansas when it was the first Saturday of the month in July and we went to Home Depot to make a Minion motorcycle. This month was a tic-tac-toe game and I can see something like that being kept for a long time.

Next month is a bug house and I fully plan to take any kids who want to go. Joel already has plans, but he probably doesn't need a bug house anyway :-)

Here are some pictures from our summer bucket list 2017 escapade. They not only get a project to build but also an apron they should bring back each month and then a new pin each month for the project they create!

Eva is on the end in purple. Eva, you were in my belly in the picture at the top of this post and little Sam, you were not even around yet! Look how Callie and Michael have grown! And Joel is gone for practically a month working at a camp and is almost 16!!!!


Sam says Michael is the best helper ever and he always wants Michael to come along

I was Eva's designated helper. Two ladies with a touch of ADD makes for some funny instruction-reading and building!

My precious children, 80% of them anyway

July 1, 2017 you can build a bug house!





Swagbucks Sweet Treat Team Challenge


To help make your June a little sweeter, Swagbucks is holding a fun team challenge to help you earn free gift cards! For those of you who don't know what Swagbucks is, it's a website where you can earn cash back on everyday tasks you do online like shopping, answering surveys, discovering deals, and watching videos. You can even earn for searching the web! 

If you've never tried Swagbucks before because you didn't know where to begin, their Team Challenges are a great way to learn the ropes! Their latest, the "Swag Wars" Team Challenge, begins Monday, June 12th at 8am PT.
Here's how you can join the challenge and the site:  

1. Click here to join the challenge and be assigned to a team.
2. Starting June 12th at 8am PDT, in addition to earning SB you'll contribute points to your teams total as you complete different activities on Swagbucks.
3. Check back on the page often to see the scores and what you've contribute so far.   

All members who participate and contribute at least 400 points to their team’s total will receive a SB bonus in the form of a SB Swag Up Rebate on their next gift card! 

Not only that, but if you earn 300 SB before July 1st, you'll get a 300 SB bonus (as long as you've signed up under me)!

Members of the 1st place team will receive a 60 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 2nd place team will receive a 40 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 3rd place team will receive a 20 SB Swag Up Rebate, and members of the 4th place team will receive a 10 SB Swag Up Rebate, Your SB Swag Up Rebate will be made available on Friday, June 16th and will expire on Friday, June 30th at 11:59 pm PT.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Shocking Ways To Drop Those Pounds


When you think about ways to lose weight, you probably immediately think about your diet. How can I get all my minerals and vitamins, cutting out the sugar and fat, you say? Well, it might shock you to learn that some research suggests that diet isn’t the most important underlying factor when it comes to weight loss. Genetics certainly play their part here. For instance, your body might natural maintain water. If this is the case, you might be larger than other people, but you will still be a healthy weight with a positive BMI. Though, that won’t come as much comfort if you can’t happily look at yourself in the mirror.

And what of metabolism? Some people have slower metabolisms that make it more difficult for them to drop those pounds. You could be eating the same diet as someone, and while they have lost stones in weeks, you’re struggling to drop even a few pounds. So while dieting can play its part with a weight loss plan as can exercise, it doesn’t give you the full picture.
That’s why you might want to consider some of the unique and more successful ways that you can drop those pounds. These aren’t based on what you eat at all, but rather ways that you can radically change your body. There are a few options here.
Shocking, Isn’t It?
You might have heard of the technology that can be used to tone your muscles, making them stronger and more distinguished. To do this, you can use technology that sends electric shocks through your muscles, causing them to tense, essentially exercising them for you. This puts pressure on your body, but rather than focusing on every aspect of you, it pinpoints the strain. This can allow you to lose weight in key areas like the buttocks, the torso, and the hips. While the technology has often been disputed by key researchers, there is no denying the results.

People who use this technique are often incredibly happy with the results, as their bodies are leaner and meaner after a short period of time. That’s right, this doesn’t take months or even weeks. You can see changes in just days. Are there any adverse effects? Well put it this way, the tech has been approved for market so you can expect any side effects to be minimal. And, it might just be a price you’re willing to pay for those rock hard abs.
Ice, Ice, Baby
Of course, if you want the best way to lose weight, you need to look at the latest science. In this case, we're thinking about freeze therapy. You can freeze the fat right off your body, and it’s not quite as insane as it sounds. First, it’s important to realize that it’s not like putting your body in a freezer or anything so drastic. This is a highly targeted procedure. The fat cells in your body are pinpointed and frozen using injection methods. Once the fat cells are frozen, they die and waste away, so you get thinner from the inside out.

The problem with this treatment is that you won’t see the effects straight away. It can take a few months before you notice any changes but rest assured, your body will be getting healthier every time you use the treatment. Though there is another issue, and that’s the cost. This treatment doesn’t come cheap, and you could be looking at spending anything up to a few thousand.
Sup It Up
A cheap and cheerful alternative would be diet supplements. You can buy diet supplements online, and they work wonders, ensuring that you lose pounds over a period of weeks. The weight loss pills Walmart offers are medically approved, and most are made up of natural ingredients. That means they are almost completely organic. Research shows that if you do use these bills, it’s best to get the natural brands. So how do they work? Well, they burn fat by activating enzymes in your body. They can be a great way to ensure that you are ready for bathing suit season when you’re running out of time to get an exercise routine going.
Stretching Things
Or finally, a lot of people find it difficult to lose weight because they are constantly hungry. If that sounds familiar to you, you should think about controlling your hunger. It’s possible to do this with a gastric band. A gastric band cuts off an area of your stomach, shrinking it. This means even eating a little will make you feel full. Eventually, that will pay off with actual weight gain being the final result.


Thursday, June 8, 2017

Supercharge Your Skeleton: Taking Care Of Your Bones

Two hundred and six individual bones make up the human skeleton, the structure of our entire body. When we think about good health it’s easy to overlook bones in favor of our organs, but — let’s face it — we wouldn’t get very far without it. As we begin to age, our bone health becomes even more important and starting young is the best way to guarantee it. Here’s what you can do to take care of your bones.
Eat Calcium-Rich Foods
Eating a healthy, balanced and varied diet will ensure you get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive. One important thing to ensure you’re reaching your targets for is calcium. While dairy such as milk and yogurt is a good source, if you’re dairy free it can also be found in lots of different vegetables, seafood, legumes and fortified foods. A food tracking app such as MyFitnessPal is not only good for tracking fat and calories but also calcium levels. If you find you’re struggling most days to reach your target, adding a supplement like Algaecal can be useful. If you’re unsure, you can find a review of AlgaeCal Plus here, but of course be sure to speak to your doctor before making any important decisions about your health. Eating plenty of calcium-rich foods helps to build up bones and increase density. As we age, we can begin to lose bone cells faster than they are replaced leading to weak and brittle bones (osteoporosis) which are easily broken. Osteoporosis can cause death in many cases, a large number of older adults who fall and break their pelvis never recover and die in the hospital. Having very dense and strong bones, to begin with gives you a better head start against bone loss. You can begin the process of building them up right from childhood, so the sooner you start eating for bone health, the better.

Exercise
Another way to build up bone density as well as strengthen the supporting muscles and ligaments is plenty of exercises. This will benefit every cell in your body, your bones included. Staying fit, healthy and mobile will prevent illnesses, help you maintain and healthy weight and keep you mobile into older age. Don’t see exercise as a chore, stay active by incorporating it into everyday life. Go on walks, hikes and bike rides with friends and family. Take up a sport, go to the gym or join a dance class. When you find something, you enjoy it doesn’t feel like hard work and allows you to keep it up.
Quit The Alcohol and Cigarettes
As if you needed another reason to quit the booze and cigs, not only are they bad for the lungs and liver but can cause the loss of mineral density in bones too. If you’re having a hard time quitting, speak to your GP who will be able to give you tailored advice about what to do and things you can try. If you want to live a long and healthy life, they are two dangerous vices that it’s time to wave goodbye to.


Great Careers for People Who Love Kids

learn-1468406_640.jpg
If you love kids, and you can’t imagine doing anything but care for them, deciding to work with children might just be the best decision you ever make, and no matter what qualifications you hold or where you live, there are always going to be endless options enable you to follow your dream and spend your days with kids.

Here are just some of the great career options for those of you who love kids so much you want to work with them every day:

School Counselor

Most high schools have at least one school counselor to help young teens through the tough times in their lives, so if you’re the caring, compassionate type, and you feel like you could handle listening to kids’ problems and offering them advice, you might want to look into getting an online masters in school counseling, so that you can start on the path to being a real help to young people in need.

Social Worker

I’m not going to lie, being a social worker is hard work, and some of the things you see can be quite harrowing, but there are few jobs that are more worthwhile, and if you do go down this route, you will make a difference. You’ll be able to help homeless kids, foster children and young people who are suffering and have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve really helped people throughout your career.

Make a Wish Coordinator
26051444881_de131119ed_z.jpg

The Make a Wish Foundation is a fantastic non-profit that helps make the dreams of terminally ill children come true. I honestly can’t think of many jobs that would be more amazing that being a Make a Wish Coordinator and organizing trips to Disneyland for children with cancer or helping sick kids to live their dreams and be a prince or a fireman for the day.

A Special Advocate

Kids who have been abused need to be looked after by caring individuals who can take care of them and help them to feel a bit better about themselves and the world while a safe home is found for them. If you have the space in your home and room in your heart to look after them during a difficult time, you should definitely look into becoming a court appointed special advocate.

A Sports Coach

If you like having fun with kids and you are good at a particular sport, you could really make a difference in children’s lives by giving them lessons. Sport is a fantastic way to bring people together, promote healthy living and help kids who might otherwise fail, to succeed in life. It can build self-esteem and help less academic kids to stay in school. It really is a great way to make money while making a difference.

Teacher

Last, but by no means least, if you really love being around kids and you’re passionate about helping them to fulfill their potential and grow up to be happy, well-rounded adults, a career in teaching is just about the best gift you could give yourself and the children whose hearts you will touch.

Do you work with kids? What career path have you taken?