Swagbucks July Buddy Bonus

It's summertime, and Swagbucks has brought a $5 bonus! Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a $5 bonus! Here's how:

1. Sign up using this link

2. Earn 300 SB total before 8/1/17. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it!

3. If you spend at least $25 through Swagbucks Shop* you'll get another $2 (200 SB) bonus on top of the cash back you'll get from shopping. If you have some shopping to do online, just go to Swagbucks first and visit the store through them. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but you'll get SB points for every dollar you spend (on top of the bonus)!

That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned [GIVE EARNED SB AMOUNT, WHAT YOU SPEND IT ON]

*You must receive your shopping SB before September 1st

National Left Handers Day: Those Poor Lefties!

August 13 is National Left-Handers Day, so pass this post on to all your leftie friends!

Those poor lefties (cue melancholy violin music)! They pick up a mug and the picture is facing away from them. They struggle while using regular scissors. And who hasn’t giggled watching a lefty smear ink across the page with his left hand while sitting at a school desk made for righties? An estimated ten percent of the population are lefties and, among that ten percent, boys are more likely than girls to have a left-handed preference.

It does seem like lefties are at a disadvantage, doesn’t it? I mean…just for fun, watch a lefty try to take a picture (the button is on the right side of the camera), or use a standard computer mouse, or learn how to play a musical instrument. One lefty I know gripes that his clothes are always “backwards” on the hangers. At mealtimes, he must sit on the left side of his brother or else they bump elbows and get into a wrestling match. My friend, Ambre, looked forward to being able to drive with her left hand, until she realized she’d have to start the car and shift gears with her right hand. I’m telling you, I didn’t think I’d live to see my 18th birthday while riding around town with her!

Good thing lefties are now seen as special rather than strange, as in the past. Ask an older lefty how they liked being forced to write with their right hand in school to conform to a holier-than-thou righty world.

If my youngest son ends up a lefty, I will tell him of difficulties he would have faced, and the  heart attack he would surely have inflicted upon me had he chosen a career as a woodworker. Not only are there problems, such as sawdust blowing back into the face because of the angle of the blade, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about my husband’s identical twin brother, a lefty, nearly cutting his arm off while making something in his woodshop. Heaven help us if the day ever comes that those “high fives” he does with the kids turn into “high threes.”

In trying to help all my lefty pals, and to get a jump on life in case my own baby is a lefty, I found a couple of cool sites (TheLeftHand.com and ToolBarn.com) with life-changing tools for lefties! Guitars, gardening equipment, tape measures, tool belts, can openers, sporting goods, and school supplies are just a few of the offerings. You can even buy those famed lefty spiral notebooks online. And for dozens more ideas to make your lefty’s life easier from childhood through adulthood, check out the book, Your Left-Handed Child.

Finally, if you have a lefty in your family, he might enjoy learning fun facts from LeftHandersDay.com, including how incredibly intelligent lefties can be. Your child will feel really special when he learns that:

• One of every four astronauts in the Apollo mission was left-handed,  250% more than the average population.
• In sets of twins (either identical or fraternal), one is likely to be left-handed. (my husband is an identical twin and his brother is left-handed)
• Left-handers adjust to seeing underwater more easily.  (Wonder how the heck they figured that one out?!)
• Left-handers are great at sports such as tennis, baseball, swimming, and fencing.
• Four of the five original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed.

Lefties, take a look …You are a member of this celebrity lefties club!

• Tom Cruise 
• Henry Ford 
• Goldie Hawn 
• Bruce Jenner
• Paul McCartney
• Michelangelo 
• Barack Obama 
• Babe Ruth 
• Ringo Starr 
• Mark Twain 

Kerrie McLoughlin is the homeschooling writer mom of 5, and so far none of them is left-handed. And if you're a left-handed cook, check out Kerrie's book!

What To Do When Your Health Falls Off Track

You’re busy and have many obligations to attend to on a daily basis. Life is hectic, and maybe you don’t feel you have time to take care of yourself. Time passes, and it only gets worse for you. In fact, you may not even recognize how bad you feel until it’s too late.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if this happens to you. There are steps to take to ensure you’re mentally and physically in good shape, even after a setback. If your health is important to you, you’ll find a way. See what to do when your health falls off track.

Don’t Panic

Don’t panic if you’re caught off guard when dealing with your health. You should be glad you became aware enough to fix it. Awareness is the first step that leads to you taking action. Step back and accept the situation for what it is at the present moment. Take inventory of where you’re at and what you could be doing differently. Review your eating and gym habits and any other bad behaviors you’d like to break. See your doctor, if necessary. If it’s not that serious, take comfort in knowing you can change your ways today.

Ask yourself Why

Ask yourself why you’ve fallen off track. Brainstorm the reasons why you don’t have time to exercise and eat healthily, and determine if there’s an emotional tie as to why you’re not taking care of yourself. Maybe an incident in your life is bothering you, and you need to do deal with it first before you can move on with your life. Analyze and figure out what’s holding you back from caring about yourself.

Start with A Detox

Start fresh by getting rid of the junk food in your kitchen. Clean out your cupboards and replace the unhealthy food with fresh fruits and vegetables. Purchase Ortte Skinny Tea and lose weight healthily and naturally with a metabolism booth. Teas are great for cleaning out your toxins and boosting your energy. You’ll feel more like yourself after using a detox product that works. Introduce healthy foods back into your diet slowly and stop eating sugars and sweets that make you feel uncomfortable and heavy.

Make A Plan & Hit the Gym

It’s time for the exciting part of your journey. You’re at the point where you should design a plan for the future; make it wonderful and bright so you can look forward to living a healthy lifestyle. Cook at home and start sketching down your healthy meals for the week. Determine when you’ll be fitting in time for exercise too. You need a plan and a schedule for your new lifestyle to work. Finally, begin fitting in exercise into your schedule and stick to it. Start with a daily walk and progress to the gym. The idea is that you need to move and get your heart rate up.

Conclusion

There’s nothing wrong with hitting a few bumps in the road to fitness during your lifetime. It’s what action you take to change your situation that matters. This is what to do when your health falls off track. 

4 Essential Rules For Your Beauty Routine

Keeping your beauty in tact takes time and effort. There’s no right or wrong way to be beautiful, but there are tips and tricks that help make it easier. Make a list of things that you need to do that will benefit your beauty routine See four essential rules for your beauty routine.

Eat How You Want to Feel

What you put in your body effects the way you look and feel. Eat how you want to feel and start feeling great. Put foods in your body that give you energy and boost your metabolism. Make an effort to put eating healthy at the top of your list. You’ll find yourself in a better mood and fitting into your clothes. Start cooking at home and enjoying the way food tastes and makes you feel. Schedule healthy snacks into your routine and avoid falling into unhealthy traps.

Always Take Care of your Skin

It’s easy to forget about taking care of your skin, but don’t let that happen to you. Find outstanding products like Makari and enjoy the benefits of treating your skin well. You deserve the best, and these are the products that’ll rejuvenate and revive your skin. Use them regularly and notice how beautiful and elegant your skin becomes. These products will moisturize and treat your skin for smooth and clear results. Feel younger and say good-bye to blemishes when you take care of your skin. Using products will help you work applications into your daily routine so you don’t skip a beat.

Exercise & Hydrate

Get your daily exercise and make it part of your beauty routine. Schedule it in your day so you never miss a session. It’ll feel good to sweat, and your body will thank you. Working out will not only make you feel good, but your clothes will fit better too. It’s a very important part of your health and worthy of becoming a part of your daily agenda. Also, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and help you lose weight. If you’re feeling hungry, try drinking water first to curb your appetite.

Schedule a Spa Day

You should schedule a spa day once in a while to complete your beauty routine. You deserve to get a massage, facial and manicure and pedicure. It’s important to treat yourself when you’re trying to stay beautiful. There are so many tasks to keep on top of and take care of that it becomes overwhelming. Use it as your time to destress and take a breather from the responsibilities of daily life. There’s nothing wrong with taking a day for yourself to improve your appearance and relax. Attend to all your beauty requirements at once and leave feeling refreshed, since someone else will be taking care of it all for you. Your beauty comes from the inside and out and a spa day will take care of both.

Conclusion

Everyone’s beauty schedule is different, but we all have similar requirements in common. Stick to what makes you feel happy and beautiful. These are a few essential rules for your beauty routine.  

5 Ways to Conceal Skin Complaints

People across the world are living with different skin conditions that affect their confidence. Instead of allowing a skin disorder to take control of your life, there are things you can do to hide the appearance of blemishes, rashes or scarring. Check out five ways to conceal skin complaints.

1.      Concealer

If it isn’t already, a high-quality concealer may soon become your best friend. It’s one of the best ways to achieve flawless looking skin, hiding any blemishes, redness or scars to help you both look and feel beautiful. All you need to do is blend the correct shade into your skin to gain a complexion that will make you stand out in a crowd for all the right reasons.

2.      Acne Treatments

Acne is a hormone and stress-related skin condition that can make a person feel self-conscious during a breakout. Unfortunately, even when acne does disappear, it can often leave acne scars that will dent a person’s confidence even further. It might be music to your ears to learn there are products available to help prevent or reduce scarring, such as face creams, natural supplements and a moisturizing bar. If you have new acne scars, try to keep them out of the sun, as it can prevent or slow down the healing process.

3.      Camouflage Your Skin with Makeup

Many people across the world are living with vitiligo, which offers visible skin pigmentations. One way to conceal the condition is with makeup, as you can apply a matching foundation to create the appearance of an even skin tone. If you are living with the condition, you can discuss makeup options with a beautician/makeup artist to find the right shade to complement your skin. However, vitiligo can allow you to express your individuality. For example, model Winnie Harlow has embraced her skin condition to become one of the most recognizable faces in the fashion industry.

4.      Skin Lightening Treatments

Most people associate age spots with aging, despite the fact they aren’t associated with growing old at all. These brown spots are often caused by sun exposure. Unfortunately, many people can become self-conscious about the brown pigmentations, which can often appear on the face, hands, arms and shoulders.

Instead of allowing the pigmentation to damage your confidence, you can apply a skin lightening treatment to create an even skin tone. There are numerous lotions, body milks, capsules and exfoliation soaps to help you reduce the appearance of age spots, blemishes and skin discoloration.

5.      A Cool Compress

Do you regularly look in the mirror to find dark rings under the eyes staring back at you? They can create the appearance of sleep deprivation, even if you have enjoyed plenty of shut-eye. The first thing you should do is discuss the issue with your doctor, as the dark circles could be caused by an allergy.

If not, a concealer can be a great option, or, alternatively, one of the most effective ways to banish dark circles is with a cool compress placed under your eyes. You could also apply a cream that contains either cortisone or caffeine, which can shrink the blood vessels to reduce the dark rings.