Sunday, February 28, 2016

Simple Ways for Maintaining Comfort in your Home




Making your house comfortable is a lot more difficult than buying fluffy pillows and installing heat-sensitive fans. In fact, it takes a homeowner with not only an acute eye for detail, but also someone who understands the very nature of their environment. For example, the weather outside and your ability to dilute the temperature of with Mother Nature is one of the more difficult aspects of making your home feel comfortable. 

But it takes a lot more than just setting up your home with the right temperature to make it comfortable; in fact, comfort may begin with the temp, but it certainty doesn’t end there.

“The Weather Outside is Dread fall…”

When we talk about temperature, what is usually the first thing that comes to mind? “It’s too damn hot.” “It’s bone chillingly cold" "It’s fever-inducing muggy .” “It’s too warm, too cloudy, muggy, frosty, bitter, and so on…”

Whatever chosen adjective you choose to go with, it doesn’t matter—equipping your home with the right temperature takes a lot more than just a flip of the o’ switch.
 
However, having an understanding of where exactly the heat is coming from (whether it be via opening up a window or allowing in the sunlight) also has a direct impact on your ability to stay comfy. And did you know that you, yourself impacts how hot or cold your home is? That’s right, the average human body produces as much as a 100-watt light bulb, and when you factor in whether or not you have been exercising, things can get a whole lot less comfortable. Ultimately, maintaining your home’s temperature is what’s most difficult—not simply pressing a button, turning a fan on high or opening up a window.

To make things easier for yourself, pay closer attention to the temperature outside then in; if you have drapes or curtains, decide when is the best time of day to open and close them; if you’ve just recently worked out and went on a run, take a shower, change, drink some water and then evaluate your home’s temperature levels. 

“That Darn Inhuman-Humidity”

It’s not always going to be the temperature of your home that is going to be the deciding factor in whether or not it’s comfortable; in fact, most of time, it has nothing to do with the temperature, but instead, the humidity

What is Humidity?

Humidity is the make up of many tiny droplets of water vapor in the air. The concentration (or total mass of water present) in any given volume of air (area) decides your home’s humidity. Sometimes, what we interpret as temperature-issues may be been linked with humidity problems; consequently, we end either spiking up the heat or coercing in the breeze because we think it can be solved with a touch of the thermostat. Purchasing an air humidifier will help you better regulate the volume of water vapor in the air. If the air feels hot, heavy and sticky, it may very well be that you need to adjust the humidifier, not the thermostat.

Cushions and Bedding…

Whether it’s an adjustable bed or fluffy love seat, us people simply love to sit. And after a hard-days work of standing on your feet, it’s no surprise that what we choose to sleep and sit on has a direct impact on the quality of our comfort. But there is no need to invest in chicly expensive interior bedding and comforting to give you the comfort you so desperately seek. Simplify your spending and utilize savvier purchasing habits, and evaluate what makes you comfortable, not what looks best.


Poor In-House Air Quality

Many of us tend to associate poor air quality with something outside such as, smog, ozone, and haze. But in reality, the air in your own home may be the most polluting of all—affecting not only your level of comfort, but also your health.

It’s imperative that you take the necessary measures to protect your home and family against in-house pollutants, especially for children with asthma.

Key to clean air quality:

·      Cleaning up chemical, dust, dirt build-up, and other household accumulations 
·      Mopping consistently (1 or 2 X per week).
·      Taking out the garbage on a regular basis.
·      Having your home checked by a professional (especially if it was build before the 80s.)

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/woman-bed-female-attractive-506120/



Saturday, February 27, 2016

Good Earth Beauty’s Amazing Products


I am in love with Good Earth Beauty products.  Good Earth Beauty is a natural online beauty and grooming retailer that sells products that are not tested on animals which is important to so many of us.

So far I have tried:

Caffeine Cream for eyes 
Bug Spray - My absolute must have. I have one for all three bags. It is the only bug spray I trust 100% and buy some every season. 
Wheatberry Restorative Shampoo - smells absolutely amazing.
Pumpkin Chai Shampoo - So amazing. Love the smell.

Lavender, Vanilla Lip Scrub - Another amazing smell with incredible results for dry lips.
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cream - Oh man this smelled incredible. I wish I could have used a spoon and eaten it. It made my skin smell and look incredible. 

Two weeks ago I received another package from Good Earth Beauty.

Their Milk Chocolate Lip Balm  ($4.99)

 
The container is silver with a sweet, with the sweet whimsical sticker. The smell of chocolate is definite. You know exactly what it is the moment you open it. A finger swirled around the balm and applied to your lip for kissable, soft lips especially during these cold months AND it's all natural! 

The White Chocolate Lip Balm ($4.99) is just as amazing.



The container is silver with a blue sticker. It smells amazing and like the chocolate heals chapped lips. Both lip balm use all natural ingredients: Organic sunflower oil, organic shea butter, beeswax, organic cocoa butter, natural flavor oils

The last product in the box was the Vanilla Soap which is also made with all natural ingredients like organic olive, coconut and palm oil, Shea butter and fragrance oil. 



It smells amazing and was perfect for shaving or just cleansing. My skin felt soft and no more itch. The last few weeks we have all been scratching from the dryness. Wonderful soap. 


Less chemicals on your skin is best! Use natural products especially if you are like me and have kids with allergies and eczema.  

They are a great company, ship World Wide and are very customer friendly. Samples of their products in all shipments so order often. 



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary product for my honest opinion. My reviews are 100% honest and true based on my personal opinion not on a company’s description or request. No monetary compensation was offered or received. 

Thursday, February 25, 2016

The PEANUTS Movie #Giveaway #PEANUTSInsiders PLUS Printables


The Peanuts Movie – The Critically Acclaimed and Golden Globe Award® Nominated Film – Arrives on Digital HD February 12, Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ & DVD March 8, 2016

In THE PEANUTS MOVIE, good ol’ Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved Peanuts gang appear as you’ve never seen them before in a brand-new feature film from the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of Ice Age. Join everyone’s favorite eternal optimist, Charlie Brown, as he embarks on a heroic quest, while his beagle pal Snoopy takes to the skies to pursue his arch nemesis, the Red Baron. It’s a hilarious and heart-warming adventure!

THE PEANUTS MOVIE is directed by Steve Martino (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!) and produced and written by Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz and Cornelius Uliano. Paul Feig (Spy, The Heat) and Michael Travers are also film producers.

With the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD fans can go deeper into the world of THE PEANUTS MOVIE with these fun-filled special features! Watch all-new Snoopy Snippets, check out the delightful documentary about the film’s extraordinary journey from the comics to the big screen, learn to draw Peanuts characters, sing along to music videos, choose your favorite songs from Snoopy’s Playlist and more!

THE PEANUTS MOVIE Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™ & Digital HD includes:

Feature film in high definition
Special Features:

  • Snoopy Snippets – Can’t get enough of your favorite Peanuts characters? These six all-new Snoopy Snippets will brighten your day!
  • You Never Grow Up Charlie Brown – In this fascinating documentary, you’ll learn about Charles Schulz, the history of the Peanuts gang, and their journey to the big screen!
  • Snoopy’s Sibling Salute – It’s a Snoopy family reunion as The Peanuts Movie filmmakers introduce viewers to Snoopy’s siblings: Andy, Olaf, Spike, Belle and Marbles.
  • Learn To Draw Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown – Director Steve Martino provides fun, step-by-step tutorials on how to draw Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown.
  • Get Down With Snoopy and Woodstock Music Video – Clap, dance and sing along with Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown to an all-new version of everyone’s favorite Peanuts song!
  • “Better When I’m Dancin’” Meghan Trainor Lyric Video – The Peanuts gang is dancing up a storm with moves like you've never seen before—and on-screen lyrics so you can sing along.
  • “Better When I’m Dancin’” Meghan Trainor Music Video – Escape to a wonderful, whimsical world with Meghan Trainor’s music video for her hit song “Better When I’m Dancin’.”
  • Behind The Scenes of “Better When I’m Dancin’” – Meghan Trainor takes you on an exclusive tour behind the scenes and on the set of her “Better When I’m Dancin’” music video!
  • Snoopy’s Playlist – Now the music from the movie is at your fingertips—use Snoopy’s Playlist to jump directly to your favorite songs.

THE PEANUTS MOVIE DVD includes:

Feature film in standard definition
Special Features:
  • Snoopy Snippets – Can’t get enough of your favorite Peanuts characters? These six all-new Snoopy Snippets will brighten your day!
  • Learn To Draw Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown – Director Steve Martino provides fun, step-by-step tutorials on how to draw Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown.
  • Get Down With Snoopy and Woodstock Music Video – Clap, dance and sing along with Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown to an all-new version of everyone’s favorite Peanuts song!
  • “Better When I’m Dancin’” Meghan Trainor Lyric Video – The Peanuts gang is dancing up a storm with moves like you've never seen before—and on-screen lyrics so you can sing along.
  • “Better When I’m Dancin’” Meghan Trainor Music Video – Escape to a wonderful, whimsical world with Meghan Trainor’s music video for her hit song “Better When I’m Dancin’.”
  • Behind The Scenes of “Better When I’m Dancin’” – Meghan Trainor takes you on an exclusive tour behind the scenes and on the set of her “Better When I’m Dancin’” music video!
  • Snoopy’s Playlist – Now the music from the movie is at your fingertips—use Snoopy’s Playlist to jump directly to your favorite songs.

My daughter and I loved this movie. Charlie Brown can do nothing right but in the end he always comes out a winner. There's a new crush for Charlie Brown, Snoopy gets to fly like never before and all our favorites are here in amazing color and top notch animation. We can't wait to see it again but until then...here are some printables to keep us busy while we wait for March 8th when we can all own the movie.



ENJOY!

Enter to win your own copy of The Peanuts Movie by filling out the entry form below and coming back each day for your 3 additional entries.


Disclaimer: I will receive a complimentary product.  No monetary compensation was offered or received.  

How to Make Reading a Regular Habit for Your Kids



Learning to read is an exciting activity for a young child, and it promotes future academic success by stimulating brain growth in key areas such as word recognition, pronunciation, and concentration. A busy family life can make reading time hard to squeeze in, though, and many children lose their enthusiasm for reading when they start school and no longer see it as a fun activity. There are many tried-and-true ways to keep books interesting to your kids, so experiment with a few of these and see how easy this healthy habit can be to develop in your household.

Ten Ways to Keep Them Reading
Reading can be fun at any time of the day. You could try reading to your child as the day starts, instead of when it is time for bed. Many children are more alert and attentive at the beginning of the day and might find this a better time to explore a book.

Kids love to imitate adults and are always noticing and modeling your behavior, even when you don’t know it. You should be reading books, too, and do it in an area of the house where your kids can watch you.

Reading should never be associated with anything unpleasant, or children will be conditioned to avoid it, so don’t make them sit in a corner and read if they have been misbehaving.

Family outings to the library can be a great way to bond with your kids and will help them develop the reading habit. Plus, they will be exposed to a wide variety of books, and the special programs at the library will make reading more entertaining.

Giving books as gifts will accentuate the importance of reading and also make a book seem like a valuable and interesting possession. 

Try reading a book at the same time your child reads it so you can talk about it and even read parts aloud to each other. You will discover many ideas and imaginings together while doing this.
Join a book club to share your favorite books with others and their children and learn about new ones from them. Discussing what you like about books will deepen the experience and enhance social skills of adults and children alike.

Children love rewards, so if they read a whole book, do something special for them; maybe go out to their favorite restaurant or give them a little gift like some bookmarks with their favorite characters on them.

Reading doesn’t need to be passive. Encourage kids to craft their own stories and then read these original compositions to each other.

Holidays are great opportunities to incorporate reading. Develop a tradition of reading special books during those times.


Personalize the Reading Experience
Reading with your child or having children read to one another builds interpersonal connections that enhance social skills and make the reading experience richer and more engaging. Today’s digital media makes this easier than ever, since you can order books to beprinted that have your child’s personal stories, people, and experiences tailored into the story. Check online to find fun ways to do this, and reading will become your child’s new avenue to self-expression.