30 Challenges for 30 Days Did you know that it takes 30 days to form a new habit? The first few days are similar as to how you would imagine the birth of a new river. Full of enthusiasm it gushes forth, only to be met by strong obstacles. So, take a moment to reflect on the question ‘Who do I want to be in 5 years?’ Check out this short TED talk first to get inspired: Now pick one or more challenges and stick with them! However, be cautioned, picking too many challenges at the same time can easily result in a failure of all of them. #1 Write a I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy) This is the perfect way to let someone else know you care. #2 Talk to one stranger each day (Hard) This is a great one to cure approaching anxiety. #3 Take one picture each day (Hard) This one gets harder nearing the end of the challenge because at one point you will run out of the easy shots. #4 Re-evaluate one long-held belief each day (Intermediate) #5 Take a 30 minute walk each day (Easy) We recommend:
All Natural Lip Balm The week leading up to the new year wasn't exactly how I had pictured it. It was the last week of the boys winter break. I had envisioned walks around downtown looking at the lights, taking down the Christmas tree together, continuing our holiday baking marathon and maybe even a little post Christmas mall browsing. But alas, none of those things happened. The flu happened. Or rather, what I guess must have been the flu. Thankfully, I had made a big batch of lip balm the week before Christmas to give as little handmade gifts to my girlfriends. This recipe is super simple. The recipe came from this blog last year and I tweaked it a bit and she grabbed it from this book where she had tweaked it a bit. Sweet Orange Lip Balm 8 Tablespoons Coconut Oil 3 Tablespoons Beeswax 1.5 Tablespoons Raw Honey 30 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (if you want color) 1/2 stick of natural lipstick (I like Jane Iredale and Josie Moran) Remove mixture from heat, and add peppermint oil and lipstick.
Lotion Bits - All Natural - Melts in the Palm of your Hands Lotion Bits - kids love them! Keep them in a small jar in the bathroom and after a shower just grab one, put it in the palm of your hands and rub your hands together! The solid shape will "melt" in your hands and you can put it all over! My nieces love it because it's not just lotion, but it's safe and non-toxic and they like to use it on their lips as well! If you only need a little, you can grab a thinner piece - for the whole body grab a big one! Items Needed: Take a small pot and fill it about halfway with water (you may need to empty some of it out). That's it - you're done! *Optional: I also dyed some of mine with beet juice.
21 Tips to Keep Your Shit Together When You're Depressed. A while ago, I penned a fairly angry response to something circulating on the internet – the 21 Habits of Happy People. It pissed me off beyond belief, that there was an inference that if you weren’t Happy, you simply weren’t doing the right things. I’ve had depression for as long as I can remember. It’s manifested in different ways. So, this Cult of Happy article just set me off. It’s bad enough without people ramming Happy Tips at you through facebook. A friend of mine suggested that I write something from my point of view because, surprisingly, I manage to give an outwards impression of having my shit together. So, here it is. My 21 Tips on Keeping Your Shit Together During Depression 1) Know that you’re not alone. 2) Understand that the Happy People are usually acting out of some genuine (albeit misguided) concern for you, that it’s coming from a good place, even if the advice feels like you’re being blamed for your disease. 3) Enlist the help of a professional. 11) Cry.
Working moms are healthier, happier, study finds By MyHealthNewsDaily Mothers who have jobs are healthier than those who are not employed, at least when their children are very young, a new study finds. Working mothers in the study were less depressed and reported better overall health than moms who stayed at home with their young children, though this benefit of working did not extend into children's school years. There was no difference between the health of mothers who worked part time and those who worked full time, the researchers said. Stay-at-home moms may be more socially isolated than working moms, which might increase their chances of being depressed, the researchers said. Stay-at-home moms might also be under more stress as a result of being at home with their children all day. The study is published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology The researchers defined working part time as working one-to-32 hours per week. Moms, how does this finding line up with your own experience? Related stories:
TLC Style "Straight Talk for Straight Hair: Top 5 Tips for Straight Hair" A straight-haired girl's got to know how to scrunch. Scrunching gives hair some texture, so it doesn't just lie there making the rest of you look bigger by comparison. There are lots of ways to do it. Start with damp, conditioned hair, and apply a small amount of scrunching mousse or gel (this is actually what the products are called). Part hair into four sections around your head. If you want some extra body, toss your head forward and do some allover scrunching upside down, while you dry with low heat. You can also simply air dry. Actually there's one: Don't brush it when you're done. Simple as scrunching is, there's an even easier way to get some texture.