Fighting Boredom with Healthy Food + Creative Living
My daughter comes home from school and will often spend a great deal of time telling me what the kids have at school that is ‘cool’. Right now I hear a lot about backpacks, scarves, blue hair and water bottles! Kids who have water bottles…
Toosum.com, a Seattle based company, sent me a few samples of their gluten-free oatmeal bars to try. I received Blueberry & Greek Yogurt, Cherry & Plum and Coconut & Banana. All super delicious for adults and kids alike. They make a great snack, quick breakfast on…
One day I bopped into a local thift shop and found a set of six vintage bridge plates that are rectangular and even had little square separations for things like olives, chutneys and dried fruit. So fun! However, I had at least 35 guests attending. I initially thought that perhaps I could find more of these vintage style bridge plates, but in different patterns. So, off to the next thrift shop to see what I could find! Lo and behold, I found four more in the exact same pattern! Being a complete loon, I then decided that with a little more effort, I could probably find a set of 35 matching vintage bridge plates. These luncheon plates were popular in the 1950’s when it was common for ladies to lunch and play bridge or pinocle. One of the little square plate partitions has a little indent on the side. The groove may be there to place a small fork, but it’s so small and roundish. I had to do a little research, the mystery groove is for ladies to rest their stinky smoking ciggy! Eww! As if!
After I put out an emergency broadcast to friends that I frequently torture with odd requests, I had everyone looking through thrift stores high and low. It took me a little over a month, but I did end up finding 30 matching vintage plates, and I settled for 5 more that were pretty darn close in style. The plates were a huge hit at the party. Everyone loved the heavy quality look and feel of them, and yet they are so pretty and look upscale. Many of the guests also had fond flashbacks of how they, or their mothers used these plates for luncheons.
The best part is that these plates cost me about $1.50 each. Honestly…how great is that! I could have bought some junky plasticware for not much less.
After the big soiree, I ended up giving away sets of 10 to some friends, but I kept 12 for myself. I still love pulling them out when I have friends over. We make our fancy cheese plates and pretend like we have ciggies hanging over the edge.
All salt comes, or came from the sea. But do you know where your salt is from or how it has been harvested? Do you know what has been done to it since it’s been scraped from the ground and landed on your table? I…
I recently received the ROWPA Premium Wine Aerator Set (aka Magic Decanter) in exchange for an honest review. Aerators can be great for quick decanting and Exposing wine to air does two things: it triggers oxidation and evaporation. Gift Giving Idea: For Any Wine Enthusiast/Newlyweds/Birthday Gift…
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Here’s are some simple things to do to combat daily back abuse.
Opening up lower hips and lower back can help relieve sciatica nerve pain. Often as Moms, our hips can get tight and then the pain will slowly ratchet all the way up our backs as we get out of alignment. So, yes – tight hips can actually cause a headache!
Hold the leg against your chest for about 30 seconds. Keep your other leg in a comfortable position – usually against the floor, either straight or bent at the knee.
To add hip-flexing element to the stretch, use your hands to rotate your leg by gently pulling your shin across your body.
Here’s a video with five more quick stretches that are also super effective:
If you work out of the house, spend time on the computer or are busy driving the kids around all day, consider getting a chiro pillow. This specialized ‘Butt Pillow’ 🙂 is called a coccyx cushion. It provides the correct amount of support and relives stress from the tailbone and spine. As it’s made from memory foam, it also prevents that numb feeling that can happen from prolonged sitting.
I recommend either of these based on where you live in the United States.
This is a cooling coccyx pillow as the fabric is more breathable.
The other coccyx pillow has a softer fabric covering which is nice in colder climates. Both pillows are dust mite resistant.
I replaced my current office chair with this pillow and my back feels one thousand percent better after several hours on the computer! I also recommend it for cars where the seat levels can decline. You can place it on the car seat and it actually helps prevent bad posture too, so long drives are comfier and more enjoyable.
I think I first saw something like this, it was Shark on Tank and I thought, “What on EARTH is that thing!” But after using mine for awhile now, I know exactly what it is and it’s genius! Many of us non-stop Mamas will get knots between our shoulder blades that will result in tightness thoughout the uper shoulder and neck area resulting in horrible headaches and pain. I often don’t have time or money to drop what I’m doing and go get a massage. This handy dandy tool allows me to put my own gentle pressure on the massager and isolate the tight area on my back that I just can’t reach. Think of a back-scratcher, but for massage. It’s totally effective and you control the pinpoint pressure by how hard you push on it. These are now recommended by physical therapists, yoga instructors, CrossFit instructors, pilates instructors and athletes world-wide so it’s not a late-night cheesy infomercial idea. This is legit and really does work well for self-help back relief.
They are available on Amazon here.
I received the following products in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided. All opinions expressed are that of my own.
We signed up for a local organic farm CSA several months ago and hands down, it’s the best decision we have ever made. Not only do we get fresh organic fruits and vegetables do our door, but we also get a bouquet of flowers. Although…
When I go to a beach while on vacation, I bring home some sand. Yep, annoying piles of sand in my suitcase, clothing, and shoes. However, I actually started collecting sand from vacations about fifteen years ago and now I have a pretty cool collection.…
It’s almost Halloween! Ready for some ghostly fun? Elaine Calloway’s No Grits, No Glory is the perfect mix of haunted mystery and romance! The main character Brianna is a strong, independent gal who was looking for peace, yet found ghosts and ultimately found love! Not only…
These awesome and very retro ‘sports glass’ binoculars are perfect for scoping birds or cute surfers out at the beach. Popular in the 60’s, these ‘sports glasses’ have a 2.5X magnification and fold up to fit nicely in a purse. Great for Palm Springs, Vintage…
