3 Helpful Tips For Protecting Your Skin This Summer

Before we get into how you can protect your skin, it's important that you understand why your skin needs to be protected. As much as the sun feels great, especially after a long winter, it can be seriously damaging to your skin. First, the sun can prematurely age your skin. Over 90% of the visible changes commonly attributed to skin aging are a result of the sun, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. This means that the sun is causing your skin to wrinkle, spot, and look older than it really is. According to the Institute on Aging, 5.5 million Americans lived to age 85+ by 2010. The number of Americans aged 85 and up is expected to reach 19 million, or 5% of the population, by 2050. Imagine what your skin might look like when you're 85 if it's already aging prematurely from the … [Read more...]

Hot Home Decor Trends You Need to Try This Summer

Summer is one of the best times of the year to take a moment and redecorate your space. It’s a fresh start for many people, so why not bring a fresh start to your home? A big white vase filled with vibrant summer flowers can instantly brighten any room. Summer is all about entertaining, spending time outdoors, and relaxing all day in the sun with your girlfriends. Looking to revamp your home for the season? Here are some hot home decor trends you need to try this summer. Floral Prints The flowers are in bloom outside, which means it’s the perfect time to incorporate some floral patterns inside your home. The Spruce says floral patterns are everywhere this time of year, from wallpaper to pillows and beyond. You can subtly incorporate floral patterns into your home with a cute throw … [Read more...]

Using Mother-Daughter Days to Tackle Big Parenting Moments

"Being a parent is the toughest job you will ever have." -My Mother It's not that I didn't believe my mom when she said these words but then I went and had three kids, all girls, who are hitting that tween and teen stage and now I'm a true believer.  I'm learning those mother-daughter days in order to tackle the big stuff and not just for tea parties, lunches out or getting treats. Yes, the diaper days were rough.  The physical nature of parenting little ones is damn hard.  I was not prepared for that aspect of it.  But tweens and teens come with so many emotions, the highs, and lows. The bigger problems that force us as parents to reflect on our past and then figure out how to handle the same issues in a different world. That doesn't even factor into the running them around town … [Read more...]

Simple Summer Jewelry with AUrate New York

I'm a no muss, no fuss kind of girl when it comes to my daily jewelry.  Simple summer jewelry is where it is at for me. Once I got sick this past year I just didn't even want to think about bracelets, rings, or necklaces. I didn't want to feel anything dangling, hanging off me or even touching me.  Then I found AUrate New York and that all changed. AUrate New York is all about gorgeous collections of pieces that stand behind their claims of selling fine jewelry without concessions. What does that mean? It means something really incredible for you mean and everyone.  It means real gold, at a fair price, that is also ethically sourced, made right in NYC, and the company gives back to kids in need.  The pieces are simple but beautiful. I didn't expect to like the product as much as … [Read more...]

How to Make Sure Your DIY Car Repair Isn’t a Disaster

```html Every day, you rely on your car to get from one place to another, whether it's commuting to work or running errands. Because of this heavy reliance, it's essential to ensure your vehicle is always in good working condition. If you've been driving for a while, you've probably encountered various car problems. Whether it's a minor or major issue, knowing how to fix it yourself can be incredibly beneficial in the long run. While you can take your car to a mechanic, Money Crashers suggests that you can handle some repairs on your own. For instance, you can easily replace your car's air filter without any tools. According to Money Crashers, this simple task should be done every 12 months or 12,000 miles and takes just a few minutes. Open the hood and locate the air filter, … [Read more...]

5 Natural Ways to Get Allergy Relief

There is no good time for allergies to rear their swollen eyes, red-nosed, ugly head. Now that spring is in full bloom so are seasonal allergies. In our house, we like a multi-prong approach for obtaining allergy relief which includes both natural and traditional medicinal routes. Here are my top five natural ways to get allergy relief. If it is not a stuffy nose or one that is chronically running there are swollen, red eyes or a dry cough that plagues at least one or all five members of my family.  While I have more allergy relief than ever this year due to my strict Lyme diet (no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no yeast) my kids and husband do not.  The absence of food inflammatories in my diet has made a radical difference in my seasonal allergies this year. There is a lot to be said … [Read more...]

Lyme Awareness & Getting Out

May, my birth month, is also Lyme Disease Awareness month. Funny, that's exactly the month that I have been bitten and contracted Lyme twice now. I always do like being timely. These days I find I'm able to make it outside more.  I'm attempting to run instead of walking and yoga.  I've been able to add strength training back into my days.  I'm seeing friends and doing things with my family that months ago I would have had to forgo.  A month ago going out for coffee would have been my only activity for the day.  Just this weekend we hit up the Cirque De Soliel show, Luzia and took in a baseball game.  A NIGHT game.  I wasn't asleep or crumpled in pain and needing a detox bath.  This is HUGE.  It is life-giving. Just look! And I got dressed in something besides leggings and … [Read more...]

A Lit Guide on Throwing Your High School Grad a Gnar Skate Party

Being a parent is a wild ride. One day your child is starting kindergarten, and the next you’re throwing a high school graduation party for your rebellious skater teen. Getting this right is a tall order for any parent, but when your baby’s all grown up with piercings and ‘gnarly licks’ (or whatever they’re called), it’s a doozy. Trying to plan a party for a skater who’s part of the counter-cultural movement might not be easy, but you’re the cool parent! And what better way to embrace their unique vibe than to host an epic outdoor celebration? With large marquee hire Perth, you can create a versatile, weatherproof space that fits their style while making the event memorable. After all the hard work and dedication, it’s rewarding to celebrate achieving a diploma and all that it represents. … [Read more...]

Want a Better Vacation? Consider a Digital Detox

In the digital age, many of us feel like we couldn't possibly go anywhere without our devices. And if we can't leave home without our electronics, we might not even consider going on a vacation sans smartphone. But if you can embrace the idea of a getaway without texting and social media scrolling, it might do you a world of good. You might get vacation envy every time you look at your Instagram feed. Around 23% of Millennials say that social media significantly influences their choice of travel destination, after all. And now, there are even vacation packages that cater to those who really want to impress with their posts. Cheap Caribbean recently launched a three-night trip to Bermuda that offers personal photo shoots and social media tutorials to travelers who specifically want to … [Read more...]

Twenty Years

You know when you meet someone and just know that you two are meant to be?  That it is love at first sight? This is not that. When these two twenty-somethings met on May 2, 1998. TWENTY YEARS AGO today *insert "land sakes" or a "gracious me" in there* It was a not a storybook romance.  There was no meet cute. Just an "Oh, it's you." at the start of our blind date.  I might have hissed at my friend that I could not see spending a whole evening in my cute LBD with this guy as my date.  He may have insulted me because my attitude wasn't sweet but came with a bite. Sigma Kappa Spring Formal, May 2, 1998 Fast forward through that lovely movie montage of us getting married in Vegas, making a few moves around the country as we get a dog, have three kids, realize we need marriage … [Read more...]