Joy In Any Life Circumstance + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Today was another day at work and this morning I walked in feeling kind of groggy for some reason, OK I know the reason. I ate too many oatmeal cookies the night before. It was a cookie hangover! My husband loves them and so do I. He likes them without chocolate chips, I like them with. So I acquiesced to his request and made a batch at around 9 p.m. last night and of course, my will power is terrible at that time of the evening. I succumbed and I ate dough, cookies and, also, milk has to be involved. I generally made a mess of my eating for the day. But it was so good!! Next time he asks me, which will be next Sunday, I will not comply. I kind of do an alternating routine with the baked goods, otherwise we'll be in poor shape when hiking season comes around. He'll need to wait until the Sunday after next before I will bake again. Wow, you just got a peek into a very mundane routine of our lives. It's just what we do. However, we enjoy it! 

Image - Alan McIntier  Affiliate and non-affiliate links used for informational purposes. Thanks for your support!

We live a very comfortable, predictable, generally unexciting kind of life, most of the time. I go to my job, then run errands, maybe go to the gym if I'm up to it, and come home ready to do a little blogging--2 - 5 hours worth. As the evening stretches on, he sits by my side, at his desk, doing his thing. We turn on some music that both of us can tolerate, which sometimes is the Nora Jones Station on Amazon, or my awesome playlist. After awhile, he'll get up, turn off his lamp, say good-night, and head upstairs to bed. I will look at the clock and realize it's way later than I thought. Not enjoying being by myself so late, I'll hastily finish up whatever I am doing and head up too. 

It wasn't always like this. We had a more exciting life 10 - 17 years ago. We went out and traveled way more than we do now. But we were also working through a lot of issues from each of our 1st marriages. Sometimes the issues we were working through didn't mesh well and it wasn't a comfortable space. Trust was a huge issue. Also feelings of betrayal would seep into our own relationship. Many nights I'd leave for a few hours and just sit in the car, not wanting to return. Sometimes I left for weeks, once even a month. However, I'd always return and we'd talk things out and things would go better, until next time. I'm really glad that those days are gone. But even during those more tumultuous times, I knew it was important to find happiness in the things I was capable of appreciating.
I'm happy to say that I was able to do that. Sometimes sleep was the only thing I could appreciate (I'm a huge fan) but then there were other things too, like my boys, music, hobbies, walking my dog, riding my bike, and dancing. I believe the one thing that some people say is intangible or not even real, was something that shaped my whole outlook. It was my belief that God was looking over me and that there must be a purpose in the things I was going through, even the things I had already gone through in my life. (See past blog posts) I never lost faith in that. And so, even though my circumstances were not the most ideal at times, my focus was, and still is, on my faith and the conviction that there is a God in Heaven who knows all, and who has given us so many opportunities to learn, grow, and become who we were meant to be! Maybe not now, but eventually! And that makes me happy!

 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!)     

'Hug Your Skin' 100% Organic Skincare! My Review And #DiscountCode

I think I was one of the first people who began to take notice of what was being put into personal care and cleaning products. I had excema and couldn't imagine what could be causing it, and I also felt nauseated when I went down the cleaning isle in the grocery store. I hated the smell of 'Pine Sol'! In 1991, I started using natural cleaning products. It was so nice to be able to use products that had non-toxic ingredients in them. And the same went for make-up, lotions, and cleansers. I quit using the grocery store brands and started using products with more naturally based ingredients, avoiding the potentially harmful, cancer-causing ingredients. My excema cleared up, and although I still have some skin sensitivity, it's so much better now than it was back then. Funny thing, it turns out that one needs to be careful and watchful of their own health because many of the big-name companies are solely concerned with their own profit margin, and if that means putting cheaper, less safe ingredients into their products, they will do just that. The FDA does not regulate like one might think!

This site uses both affiliate and non-affiliate links for reference purpose. I was provided free product to facilitate this review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always have my eyes open for quality skin care products that have as many natural ingredients as possible and produce positive results. Recently, I was very lucky to have discovered a company called 'Hug Your Skin'. The founder is Lucy, who is originally from Prague in the Czech Republic. When her son was born, she, like me, became very concerned with ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products and made it her mission to find companies that make the very best products, with 100% organic ingredients! It was not until she discovered 'InLight Skincare' at an organic trade fair in Germany that she felt satisfied that she had found the very best in organic skincare. 'InLight' was the only company at the entire fair that claimed to be 100% organic, nothing synthetic added. After further study, she became convinced that this was the company she had been searching for. She began distributing their products in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. But she had been to America and wanted to make her home here. And so when she relocated, she brought 'InLight' skincare with her. Having already established a relationship with them, it was easier for her to import these products to the U.S. in high volumes and make them available here. 

A Relationship Safe Zone + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Hi Friends! I am so happy to finally be well! I continue to think of the many people who are still struggling with this year's flu. In one Utah county, a principal of a school pleaded with parents to keep their sick kids home because there were 150 kids sick at home, which wasn't the problem. It was the 30 - 40 kids who showed up at school throwing up, coughing, and just generally being contagions to the other kids who weren't yet sick. I totally agree with this policy and wish that parents would keep their sick kids home. I know that schools are the babysitting mecca for working parents everywhere, but it has become a problem, with schools becoming cesspools of disease, especially during outbreaks.

Valentine's Week is here and we are excited at school, with the prospect of a celebration of friendship and solidarity. We are working to not bully those who are different and to appreciate those differences. Middle School is a tough time to recognize that just because someone is different, doesn't mean it's an automatic threat. I think that takes many of us a whole lifetime to learn and some never do. So we are working hard on that concept this week!

Another thing I think is so important to remember is that Valentine's Day is more than buying things for your loved one. The most important thing you can do is to give the gift of time and attention to your significant other. I really liked this tweet saying, "Let's not make VDAY the end all be all...acknowledge it, but if there's not an extravagant gift, it's OK. It's just one day." Seriously, if you are putting all your eggs in the Valentine's Day basket, and counting on that day to make up for other past relationship missteps along the way, you are not in a 'Relationship Safe-Zone!' 

If we can remember to make room all through the year for our significant others and for those whom we want to include in our "circle of trust" (source: "Meet The Parents"), we will be giving an amazing gift, not just reserved for Valentine's Day! Our relationships are apt to be more happy, comfortable, and enjoyable!

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!)     

Decisions Determine Destiny + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This is beginning the 5th week of being sick, under the weather, not feeling well, whatever you want to call it, so I'm not going to be lengthy. I am so done being sick though! I'll think I have it almost licked and then it comes back again in a slightly different form. Right now, though, a lot of people are struggling with not feeling well! I will say that I am making decisions daily to continue trying to be productive, despite not feeling my best. If I wait for the ideal time to take action, to do things, to be better, I am wasting precious time! Even though I may not be going full speed, I am trying to do something each and every day. At some point I will start to feel better and I don't want to have lost a lot of traction as I've been on the road to recovery. 

Self care is definitely important at this time. So I've taken the chance to get extra sleep, and eat good foods. I have tried not to eat as much sugar, because when you eat sugar, your immunity immediately goes down significantly.

My dad is such a trooper though! He got the flu too, and for a couple days I was really worried about him. I was so glad that I had made some chicken bone broth that we could both have. It came in so handy. And I was so relieved that my husband didn't get it because then the whole household would have come to a screeching halt, 'cause when hubbie is sick, he can't do anything at all. He is down for as long as he is feeling achy, feverish, stuffy, or whatever else. So thanks for small blessings!

Image - Mark Smith

 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!)    

What I Learned From 'My 600 Lb. Life' + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I don't watch T.V. that much because I've got work, husband, house, dad, pet, blog, church, and service projects to keep me busy. (Not necessarily in that order). So it's kind of amazing that I found a couple of new shows to watch or binge-watch, as the case may be. One of them is "My 600 Lb. Life", a documentary-style show about the lives of people who are morbidly obese and how they must either change or essentially die. 

There are a few similarities that I see with almost all of the subjects on the show. For instance:

Hey....It's OK

There are a few things this month that I think are okay! They are:

--This is the driest winter Utah has had, possibly ever. I've loved not having to plow walks, nor worry about road conditions, 60 lb. icicles falling off my roof and gutters, piles of dirty snow in the street, insane winter drivers, or having to wear clunky snow boots. Never mind that our world-famous skiing has been crippled and that we'll be paying in spades when the reservoirs run dry. For now, it's OK! Update: 2 days later, we got 10 inches of snow!

--I got the flu over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Me, the health and wellness advocate and blogger, getting the flu? In my defense I haven't had so much as a cold in, like, 4 years. I was getting a little cocky about the whole thing. But then it hit me and for a minute, I remembered why I hate getting sick. But on the flip side, I got a whole lot of sleep. And I realized, sleep is such a good thing! Plus, I lost some of that holiday poundage that I had sworn I'd keep off, but didn't. So this time, it's Ok that the flu came and paid me a visit. Just don't come back again for a very, very long time. You won't be welcome.

Follow Your Intuitions + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I had a really great post planned for today, but dang it, I got the flu! It started Saturday night, with a very suspicious scratchy throat and a slight cough. The next morning the cough was worse and I powered through it, with the help of my trusty cough drops. I literally ate the whole bag to keep from coughing my brains out. By the time 10 pm rolled around, I was achy, cold, and miserable. Nothing to do but put on my essential oil diffuser, rub down with my favorite muscle relaxant, take a flu tablet, and try to get some sleep. It was a restless and miserable night. I finally got out of bed at 1 pm today, struggled through the most basic tasks, and was grateful that I didn't have work to worry about, or little ones to depend on me, like one time a long time ago.

When I was married to my first husband, he would disappear for a couple of days and I usually knew when he'd be back and why he'd gone. After our little girl passed away, it became more like weeks at a time. I wouldn't know where he was or when he would return. Eventually it turned into months, and finally he disappeared with my two boys. 

When A Girl Gets Educated + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

There was a day when parents would take their daughters and subtly package them in attractive gowns, complete with the proper etiquette training and skills that would make them viable in terms of being a good wife and mother to attract prospective husbands. They were debutantes and it was called a "coming out" party or gala, which happened between the ages of 18 - 21 years old. It's still done in the more exclusive communities in the South and on the eastern shore board. 

But a new day is dawning and it is more common now for men to search not for the traditional attributes that once made a girl attractive to marry. The most alluring thing now, it seems, is the level of education a woman has. 

I don't think it is necessarily a new thing. I remember when I was in college and the most popular girls, with the most dates, were not always the best-looking girls, but the ones who were ready to graduate. Not only that, they were the girls who could readily get a job and help a young guy get through his own schooling. And usually it was the man who ended up having the higher education in the marriage.

But in 2015 education between partners hit a new norm. Now 24.5% of men have more education than their wife, BUT 25.3% of women have more education than their husbands! That is very interesting! Except hold on, it doesn't translate into earning power. 72% of husbands still make more than their wives!

The Vitamin D Effect---More Than Just S.A.D. Relief!

We're right in the thick of winter and I'm one of the 6% of people in the U.S. who suffer from mild Seasonal Affective Disorder! It is hard on my poor husband, my dog, and my body. Some of the symptoms I experience are: needing to sleep much more than normal, lack of wanting to get outside, lack of desire to exercise, lack of motivation for pretty much anything. It is during this time that I am in danger of losing my "girlish figure". I jest of course, but still....this is when I can really pack on the pounds. 

We already know that Vitamin D is the Sun vitamin and that there is evidence which shows that supplementation can help calm down your Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms. My doctor told me recently that there are quite a few people in my state of Utah who test low in Vitamin D. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, we are in the western U.S., surrounded by mountains on the east and west, making the sunrise later and the sunset earlier. And because many people in the state are very health conscious, they additionally use sunscreen to block out the sun in order to prevent skin cancer. But it also blocks Vitamin D.

Besides alleviating the symptoms of S.A.D., there are some other very exciting benefits that accompany having sufficient levels of the Sun Supplement. There is even an ideal blood serum level to aim for that appears to be the magic number. That would be 40-60 ng/ml year round.  
What are some of these other benefits? Here they are:

My 10 Favorite Companies + $25 PayPal #Giveaway

Welcome to 2018! I can't believe I'm still around after 8 years! It's been a fun ride and I love having this little place to come and share the best original content around the web almost every week on #MyPostMonday. There are some excellent bloggers out there, and I love discovering their original content! I've also shared my own ideas about health and wellness, making my own fashion, and worked with some great companies along the way!  

Today I'm celebrating by ringing in the New Year with 10 of my favorite companies. I've chosen these particular companies because of their excellent customer service and their high quality products! They also fit right up my alley in terms of health and wellness, and fun fashion! You will find  some encapsulated information about each company. For more details, you can also read the referenced reviews and visit their sites.