It's been quite a year and, frankly, I'm glad it's almost over! A friend of mine made me laugh when she said that 2017 has been a dumpster fire kind of year! But all in all, I'm very grateful for what I've been given this year--whether through my own efforts, the kindness of others, or especially my own little nuclear network of family and friends. I'd like to pass it along and thank some of the great people who have helped me along the way this year. They are some of the Utah businesses that have helped me and my family keep our lives going along smoothly while everything else sometimes seemed to fall apart around us. This is a Utah Giveaway, featuring 10 local businesses that I'd love for you to give a shout-out to and help me thank them. Also, maybe it will spur your memory about some of the great local businesses that have helped you out this year! I'm sure they would love to hear about it from you! Here's a quick round-up of the businesses that I've chosen!
Have you seen her? The newest, first, and only robotic citizen of Saudi Arabia? She is so amazingly lifelike it's uncanny! This is what people have been talking about for awhile now, that artificial intelligence will compete with human intelligence. I was telling one of my co-workers about Sophia and he, in turn, told me about two chat bots that had been created by Facebook. They started talking to each other in a language that only they understood. They also could negotiate strategically, pretending that they were very interested in an item so they could simulate great sacrifice in giving that item up during negotiation talks. And although Facebook abandoned the experiment soon after this started happening, they stress that it wasn't because they were afraid of the results. And they stress that several times because people started talking about how Artificial Intelligence is going to destroy humanity and gave that as an example.
Apparently, Sophia has been programmed to joke around a bit about that earlier faux pas! She does it in a very lighthearted and very personable way. Honestly, she talks and reasons better than a lot of people, including myself! She's got great social skills!
It's just a job. She goes to work, does the best she can as a barista serving frothy drinks, and then goes home and does the rest of her life, which includes school, family, and trying to make a future for herself.
As we are aware, in addition to the hustle and bustle of shopping, party-going, gift wrapping, home decor, yummy food, Santa, and Elves, this is the month that many people reach out and provide service to others. True Story: One day last week while working the drive-through, a woman drove up and handed my friend, Ms. Barista, $20.00. She didn't even get a drink. She just wanted to pay for as many people's drinks as possible. Then the next driver drove up. He was incredulous, but instead of simply taking the free drinks, he adds $5 to the pot. And so it went with several more drivers. They added instead of taking away. And then there was the one driver who came through---a single woman, who, when told that someone else had paid for her order, broke down in tears. She said that she was so in need of feeling that someone, anybody, cared for her today. She was so grateful. As this was happening Ms. Barista started crying, and her co-workers started crying. Everyone was crying as they carried out this simple act of caring. Someone went away feeling loved, others got to witness what a simple act can do. But the ones who facilitated the act never really found out what happened because they drove away. These are people who don't look for an instant gratification or personal thanks for the goodness they contribute. In the Bible, it states that your right hand shouldn't know what your left hand is doing, and that if you receive accolades for the good you do, you have received your rewards. But those who do good in secret, the Lord will reward them openly. I'm sure that the facilitators of the free drinks that day will get plenty of good karma at some point in the near future! Another true story!Ed Solomon is a writer and quite a famous one, if you are familiar with Men In Black, the Bill & Ted chronicles, and most recently, HBO's 'Mosaic'. He was put in the awkward position (since he is the only person these certain people know in the film industry) of trying to get ahold of Mark Hammill, aka Luke Skywalker, because a terminally ill boy's wish was to meet with Luke Skywalker himself. Apparently he watches 'Star Wars' every single day and knows the film inside and out. And he had a few choice questions for Luke Skywalker. The request was that he get to meet Luke Skywalker, NOT Mark Hammill and have a lovely chat about all things 'Star Wars'. (The boy's mental state had devolved past the point of being able to grasp that Luke was fictional.) Although Ed Solomon didn't know Mark Hammill personally, he did find out who his agent was, and made that call. The agent begrudgingly told Mark not to get his hopes up. But less than 2 minutes later, the boy and his family got a call from Mark Hammill himself, who gave them his home address and invited them to come over. "He not only met with the boy, but spent hours answering question after question (sometimes the same ones repeatedly), AS "Luke." Of course, it meant everything to this boy and his family!
I believe that both these men showed amazing love and compassion to make this happen for that boy. Ed Solomon could easily have written it off as something he couldn't do because he didn't know Mark Hammill personally, and didn't want to take the time to make calls and pull strings that might not even be possible in the first place. He tried and look what happened! And Mark Hammill is a busy, successful guy and probably gets thousands of requests. But he saw a real need and an authentic opportunity to help someone have joy. The goodness of people is amazing! These seemingly simple acts of pure service quickly turn into something much more than what they may have been intended to be. It can spread like wildfire during this time of year and infuse the world with light! I do believe in the #LightTheWorld campaign and am doing my own small acts of service wherever and whenever I can. They aren't huge, and I may never know the consequences. But like the ones I described, they may become something much more!!!
Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content.It's
all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to
Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain! I
open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the
week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks,
believes, and
knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If
I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up
and share
it with you
here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag! I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!
So, in addition,
if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too! I'll visit your
site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)
I absolutely love my dog and love all dogs--their loyalty, love, and intelligence. I even wrote a post
about why my dog is sometimes preferred over humans at times! And of
course, I've heard and seen examples of dogs who help people with disabilities and make the work of the
military and police much easier because they aren't afraid to go in and
take down the bad guys!
Last week during the Thanksgiving Break I decided to watch a few T.V. shows that had been recorded awhile back but hadn't been watched yet. One of the shows that had actually been recorded by my husband, but grabbed my attention was HBO's War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend. It premiered on Veteran's Day, but has been streaming on HBO daily. It was produced by Channing Tatum, among others.They did a great job, I must say!
I wasn't prepared for the range of emotions that hit me with stories of 3 different war veterans, all heroes, and their canine companions. One story is about a dog who took a bullet before it hit his soldier, one is about a soldier who took a bullet rather than let his dog unnecessarily get into the frey, and one is about a dog who made the ultimate sacrifice for his "family" of soldiers. It was very apparent that these dogs meant everything to these soldiers and they became like family to them, going through the traumatic circumstances of war with them. The dogs didn't wait at home, hoping that their masters would return. No, they experienced actual combat situations with them and were trained beforehand to help them carry out their difficult missions. The portrayal of the bond between these veterans and their dogs is masterfully done. It is unequivocal that once a dog and his soldier go through the things they do together, that they are bonded for life. Think about it. These soldiers do things that normal people can't even fathom doing. And it starts during their training. It's so intense, with their dogs going right along with them. When all is said and done, these soldiers need some help when they come back to civilian life. They are that much better off if they have their canine companions there with them to show them how to get back to normalcy.
People spend hours at the gym working to sculpt their bodies into the most esthetically pleasing form they can possibly create. Or they continue to improve their health so they can do the things they enjoy outside the gym. Maybe they are trying to lose lots of weight so they can have a more healthy life, or live longer to enjoy their family and friends. All good reasons to get into shape! But the best reason I've seen in maybe ever is the story of an 81 year old man who, for the love of his wife, started hiking regularly up a steady uphill trail of a mile and a half. He did it because he wanted to be the one to take care of her. When she was just 60 she was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
4 years ago, when he turned 78, he hiked up the trail 39 times. But the next year, at age 79, he matched his age and hiked up the trail 79 times. Last year he did it 83 times at age 80 and this year he was on pace to match his age or better, but there was an early trail closing so he had to settle for 68 climbs. But whatever, he now feels like he is years younger, has lost 60 lbs, and his blood pressure has dropped 20 points, from 160 to 120! But back to his wife and the reason he is doing it. They were high school sweethearts 65 years ago and have been married for 58 years. For a long time she kept doing the things she normally did, until a few years back when she took a turn for the worse. He knew that he wanted to take care of her, but in order to do that, he would have to be fit himself. And with a tip from his son about that hike on the Timpanogos Cave National Monument trail, which is close to his home, that's what he decided to do.
I think of what reasoning came first to this man before he ever thought of the health benefits he would receive for himself. He is a very rare and wonderful person indeed.
But I think that is what most people who do things altruistically find. They find that a stream of unplanned benefits happen as a result of first thinking of others and helping them. But it takes development and the forming of habit to think of others first. I suggest developing it earlier rather than later, because "one morning you'll wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it happened!" (Fredrick Backman) And old habits (or non-habits) die hard!
Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content.It's
all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to
Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain! I
open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the
week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks,
believes, and
knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If
I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up
and share
it with you
here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag! I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!
So, in addition,
if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too! I'll visit your
site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)
When I feel at a disadvantage, many times I practice an exercise designed to turn my perceived disadvantages into advantages. It's all about perspective!
For instance, sometimes I get bummed out when I see all of the delicious food that my husband can eat and not gain any weight! If I ate like he did, I would be as wide as I am tall in no time! I am shorter, small-boned, and have a low BMR (basal metabolic rate). What advantages could I possibly see in being short, and not able to eat as much as my husband, since I do LOVE food and could easily eat as much as he does? Here are a some food benefits that I found I have, as a portion-limited, vertically-challenged, horizontally-inclined, way over 40 female: 1) I won't get bored with foods as easily, since I can't eat as much of them. I can spread them out over a longer period of time! 2) Food prep is more convenient for me Since my portions are smaller, I can spend less time in prepping my meals for work because I don't need as much! 3) It's so much cheaper for me to eat! 1500 calories vs. 2600 calories per day definitely adds up over time and an extra 1100 calories a day turns into big money quickly! 4) I have less likelihood of dental disease because with less food in my mouth, there is less exposure to bacteria-feeding foods and sugars.
5) What one meal at a restaurant is for other larger people, can be 2 - 3 meals for me, lots of yummy leftovers! 6) I will be more able to survive the apocalypse because my caloric
requirements to stay alive are much smaller than for someone with a 6"2 frame and a raging BMR. See what I did there? I can pull out some viable benefits from what formerly looked to be an extremely unfair situation. And I can do this with so many other scenarios that I run into. It does take a conscious effort to think about what advantages there are in what looks to be a horrible deal of the deck. But once you start looking at things this way, you will begin to start living your life differently and start taking the things that have been thrown your way and make them work for you. Everything can be used as a stepping stone if you can but look at it that way!
C.S. Lewis stated it this way, "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." I love that statement! Call it a disadvantage if you want to, but the way you deal with it will make all the difference!
Practice: Take a perceived mishap or disadvantage this week and list at least 4 ways where you see it could become a real advantage!
Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content.It's
all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to
Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain! I
open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the
week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks,
believes, and
knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If
I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up
and share
it with you
here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag! I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!
So, in addition,
if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too! I'll visit your
site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)
The aging process is inevitable, and I started noticing a gradual loosening of the skin in my neck area several years ago, and contrary to my intense hope that it would just go away, it kept getting progressively worse. I saw my mother in me. She was such a beautiful lady, but her neck went before anything else. And when it went, it went pretty quickly. Of course, to me she was still beautiful, knowing what she had accomplished throughout her life, and the sacrifices she made for our family. I believe that aging in a natural fashion is a good thing and a respectable thing. Anyone who has to depend exclusively on their looks to get what they want in life is not in a great situation, in my opinion. Looks are so fleeting. Where there is youth, there is physical attractiveness. Where there is age, there is wisdom, wit, and experience. And you can use those attributes to become even more beautiful than you were when you were younger! Enter Ultherapy, a scientifically proven non-surgical facelift therapy proven to stimulate collagen production, specifically Types 1 & III, the types most often associated with aging. Studies prove that the rate of collagen production after treatment is 42% higher. No downtime. No intense pain. No knife, needles, or guesses. It's done with a very sophisticated ultrasound machine, designed to deliver bursts of ultrasound in very specific areas. The clinician who operates it must be trained and know how to interpret the collagen level readings and how deeply to set the ultrasound waves that stimulate the natural flow of collagen into the skin, creating a rejuvenated look. Because it stimulates the natural process of collagen healing, you won't see the final results for approximately 3 months.
I knew this is what I wanted to experience for myself. It is definitely my kind of natural beautification. Is it affordable? It depends what you call affordable. It is certainly way less expensive than a facelift! I got my treatment done at Xage Medical Spa in Provo, UT and I loved it. I got the neck-only treatment, which is normally $1800, but is deeply discounted through November! How It Went Because there are different kinds of pain tolerances, there are a couple of options when getting the treatment. You can opt to get a simple pain-killer, like Ibuprofen, or you can get a stronger pain-killer. It's your choice. I opted to get the simple pain-killer and it was perfectly great. In addition, the back of my neck got a massage to take my mind of any unpleasantness. It was actually quite pleasant and I enjoyed talking with both clinicians while the treatment was happening. I felt very little discomfort at all! I was so relieved!
Today is Halloween and I'm convinced that the easiest way to make a great costume is with a crazy wig! I realized that today when our middle school principal did it! She basically bought a hot pink wig and wore it. No other costume accessories! I literally didn't recognize her, though, when I saw her!
I like the idea more and more, because sometimes when focusing on everything else, I don't have time to do that thoughtful, original costume, like I thought I originally would. Next year, I'd like to have a wig ready to plop on, just in case my costume plans go awry.
But in reality, wigs have come a long way and are actually something to consider if you have the following hair care dilemmas.
Here I am, just adding some holiday cheer to your month! What would you do with an extra $125? Here's your chance to find out!! One lucky winner will have the chance to win some money for the Holidays. Enter for your chance at a fun and easy giveaway just for showing love on our pages! So head below and enter to win!
Giveaway is open WORLDWIDE and must have a paypal account to accept prize. Giveaway ends on 11/19 at 11:59pm EST. Must be 18+ to enter. Good luck!
Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to World Wide , must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact Elia At Conservamom
This
post was sponsored by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. Personal opinions and
thoughts are my own.
I have such fond memories of my grandmother! She was a southern gal and her meals and desserts were delicious! I remember the words of wisdom she gave to me. I clung to them because she loved me unconditionally and her words were straight from the heart! I'm so glad that I had her all the way until I was in my 20's. She lived until she was 92. I believe she had some great genes, but she also took care of herself and was careful to take her medications, including a daily statin for high cholesterol.
Statins are not just for the elderly. For example, I have a friend who lights up a room when she walks in! She's so funny, and can tell a story like nobody else! When she gets off work, she likes to unwind by getting social with friends, eating, and staying out late. However, over time she started gaining weight and wasn't taking care of herself. It all went south one night when she had trouble breathing, started sweating profusely, and had intense vertigo. She went to the doctor and got tested. When the results came back, she found that she had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and her liver and kidneys were failing.
The doctor told her that if she didn't lose weight, get her diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol under control, she would be dead in a year. Needless to say, she started working on it. She was given a statin to lower her cholesterol, medication for her diabetes, and was told to lose weight, and to stop drinking and smoking. It has been over a year now and she looks and feels fabulous! She took her doctors' advice and lost 69 lbs. She controls her cholesterol with a statin. Her family has been so grateful that she made these changes and has lowered her risk for heart disease and other illnesses.
I was really surprised to find out that more than a few people I know depend on statins to keep themselves within the safe range for high cholesterol. High cholesterol is a silent killer if not kept under control and statins are true miracle workers if you need them.
More than 100 million American Adults have high cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease--the leading cause of death in America. To lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease, doctors often prescribe statin medication. Surprisingly, despite the fact that statins are proven to lower cholesterol and fight heart disease, up to 50% of people stop taking their statins within one year of starting it. This is risky because high cholesterol doesn't just go away. The good news is that there are multiple statins available and by talking to your doctor, it is possible to switch to a statin that fits your individual needs.
To understand why people stop taking their statin, a recent poll of more than 5,000 Americans aged 45+ with high cholesterol took a poll called ACTION: THE Statin Survey, and discovered some interesting findings.
Only one third (33%) of people say their healthcare provider explained why that particular statin was being prescribed when they were first prescribed a statin.
Just 21 percent of patients say that their healthcare provider told them that there are different types of statins available when first prescribed a statin.
Roughly a quarter of patients (24 percent) currently taking a statin say they had challenges with the first statin they took.
Only 18 percent of people say they were told that their prescribed statin medicine could potentially interact with other medications and dietary supplements.
I am proud to support a new educational campaign called Take Cholesterol to Heart to help people understand their treatment options for high cholesterol and motivate them to speak up if they are thinking about stopping their statin. Take Cholesterol to Heart provides great tools and strategies to help people "master the cholesterol conversation" with their doctor. As you may know, there are multiple statin medicines, so it's important to talk regularly with your doctor about your treatment plan, including a statin that is right for you! Regis Philbin, TV legend and heart disease survivor, joined Take Cholesterol to Heart to share his experience having a conversation with his doctor about high cholesterol and finding the right statin for him. Check out his story in this short video:
If you or someone you love takes a statin, please visit TakeCholesterolToHeart.com for a number of helpful resources, including a doctor/patient discussion guide, a quiz on statins and tips for caregivers.
Disclosure: This post
was sponsored by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. and should not be construed
to constitute medical advice. My personal story and opinions are my own. I am
not a medical professional and am not qualified to give medical advice. Please
talk with your doctor about your individual medical situation Footnote:
* Harris Poll conducted ACTION: The Statin Survey
(Understanding Patient Adherence
and Concerns with
Statins, and Medication Discussions with
Physicians) online on behalf of Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., within the
United States from July 7- August 4, 2017, among 5,014 U.S. adults aged 45 or
older, who have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, and have ever used a
statin to treat high cholesterol. This online survey is not based on a
probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can
be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables,
please contact Erin Bittner at W2O Group, 212-301-7226.
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