Have an Indoor Picnic
Who says that a picnic has to be outdoors? It is typical, yes, that picnics will be outdoors but it is not set in stone. What if it rains or one person in the family is under the weather? What if there is a pandemic? There’s no need to cancel your fun in these instances. Instead have the picnic inside. With July being National Picnic Month, I thought this would be a useful topic! Here are some ideas for hosting an indoor picnic. Set the Indoor Picnic Scene Whatever the reason you are indoors for the picnic, it can be just as much fun as it would be if it…
Avoid the Multitasking Demon to Get More Done
Ah, multitasking! The theory that the more tasks you undertake during the day, the more productive you’ll be. While the idea may have merit – who doesn’t want to make the most of their day – the reality is far from ideal. Multitasking can mean working on multiple projects at your desk or looking at multiple windows or platforms on your smartphone. Researchers have proven that multitasking doesn’t work and is actually detrimental to your mental wellbeing. When you’re multitasking, you’re not devoting your full concentration to any one task or goal. Instead, your brain is scattered in a million directions, often confused over what the next steps are to…
Make-Ahead Food Ideas for 4th of July Entertaining
Are you planning a small shin-dig for the 4th of July? With the health crisis that is going on, you may be planning a smaller gathering or something in the backyard. Either way, consider some of these make-ahead food ideas for 4th of July entertaining. Making some of the food up to a week before the big day will enable you to relax and enjoy yourself. Make a Budget Begin by creating a budget for your event. Choose which foods you will serve and decide which ones can be prepared beforehand. Try to determine a schedule to begin making the food so you have very little to do the actual…
Can Journaling Solve All Your Problems?
I write about journaling a lot on this blog. There are so many ways that a regular journaling practice can help — especially when times are tough. With that, people are learning the benefits of journaling, how to create journaling habits, and the different ways they can use them. But it is also easy to assume journaling is going to solve all your problems. It won’t. To make that distinction, I thought this was a good time for me to chat a little about that. Benefits of Journaling While journaling might not be able to solve all your problems, it does help with a lot. There are many benefits, including:…
30 Ways to Reclaim Your Messy Desk and Office Space
Since many of us are now working from home, I thought this post would be helpful. I have posted about how to create a workspace but for those of us who may have been doing this for a while, clutter may have taken over your desk and workspace! This can improve our productivity as well as our moods! Depending on your personality and your work habits, clutter and disarray in your office CAN affect your productivity. And when productivity is down, so are profits. Clutter can also cost you money if you replaced something that was later found under a stack of papers or in a random drawer. For those…
Chewy Ginger Snap Cookies
Hello July! And today July 1st is National Ginger Snap Day! As a child, I ate a lot of ginger snaps while my great-grandmother was alive. She loved ginger snaps so we — the grandchildren — would get into the box when she got some for herself. They were tasty and crisp but not as good as homemade. And little did I know that ginger snaps are somewhat healthier than other cookies — a bit lower in calories. Plus the ginger and the spices of cinnamon and cloves have some anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Ginger can help with digestion and cinnamon may affect glucose in the bloodstream. I think knowing…
Self-Care Tips to Manage Emotional Eating
Outside of the normal physical things that people do to maintain their health, there are a number of ways in which the emotional state of a person can influence what they are able to achieve in their day to day lives. This is especially true of health goals involving food, weight loss, or any other goal that relies heavily on maintaining some kind of discipline. Having a healthy mindset should be the foundation of any plan for success, so this article will include some tips on self-care to manage emotional eating. Keep Track of Your Achievements One positive form of reinforcement can be found in the simple method of recording…
The Different Phases of Journaling
When you first start committing to writing in a journal, there are a few different phases you will likely go through. While not everyone’s experience is exactly the same, this trend in the phases of journaling is fairly common. Understanding them will help you to prepare and hopefully be able to work through them and find your motivation to keep going. Beginning Stage – Getting Ready and Excited The first stage of journaling is typically the planning stage and when you are getting really excited about the prospect. You can start shopping around for journals, think about what you will write about, dream, and imagine how your life will change.…
Garden Veggie Mason Jar Salad with Homemade Dressing
Since one of the focuses of this month is fruits and veggies (National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month), I thought this would be a good time to post about Mason jar salads. Even though we may not be working outside of the home as much right now, it would be great to have lunch lined up in the fridge — just grab and take your break! The beauty of Mason jar salads is they offer the perfect solution for a satisfying, nutritious lunch on the go or as a quick and easy weeknight dinner. The key to success with Mason jar salads is the order you add your ingredients. Always…
Emotional Eating: A Primer on Intuitive and Mindful Eating
As the need for dietary options has become massive as obesity rates climb higher and higher, new research suggests that there are people who could benefit from dietary plans that avoid employing the same strategies that other diets do. These methods involve changing the way you think about eating. If you knew that you could work a program where you can eat all kinds of different foods, lose weight, and feel happy, would you be excited to try it? If so, check out this guide on how intuitive eating and/or mindful eating can help you. Most Diets Fail Most of the reason that the majority of diets fail is that…
