Because Mondays are hard and sometimes we need a little inspiration…
Ever realize how our own minds can hold us back? Change, new situations, unusual experiences all awaken some degree of fear, but rather than feed the fear, remember to feed the excitement. Turn the negative “what ifs” into positive ones.
Check out what I’ve been checkin’ out this week…
1. One young man. One big ocean. And one giant dream.
2. A cute little reminder that can make a big impact.
3. Stray dogs trained to chase stray tennis balls at the Brazil Open.
Easter is right around the corner and you know what that means… Easter eggs! And while I don’t quite understand the connection to Easter and colored eggs, it is a tradition I love to partake in. All my life I have happily bought egg coloring kits and mixed chemicals and dyes together to make pretty eggs. This year I thought of something new. I thought there has to be a more natural way to dye eggs for Easter. So I did some research and here is what I came up with.
For each of the following colors, use 1 cup of water with one of the following:
1 cup chopped purple cabbage = blue
1 cup red onion skins = lavender
1 cup yellow onion skins = orange
1 cup shredded beets = pink
2 tablespoons ground turmeric = yellow
For a dozen eggs, you will need about five cups of dye. So you can make five cups of one color using the same ratio or split it up and make one of each. In order to make the dye, mix the coloring agent (cabbage, onion skins, beets, or turmeric) with water in a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce it to a simmer for roughly 15 to 30 minutes. This timing difference depends heavily on how dark you want your eggs. As a rule of thumb, make sure the water is two shades darker than the desired color of your eggs. Once you have the desired color, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool before straining out the added ingredient. Add in a teaspoon of vinegar for every cup of water and you are ready to go!
Tip: Use white eggs to get the most color pay off. And if you didn’t already know, make sure the eggs are hard-boiled first!
Mix the dyes together for some fun, custom colors. Since all of the eggs are dyed with natural ingredients, they are safe to eat after. They might even have a little extra kick to them!
Valentines day is right around the corner and while giving gifts is fun, giving socially conscious gifts is MORE fun. Here are a few twists on the typical chocolate and flowers. All of the products below are socially conscious in a variety of different ways and are sure to make the guy or girl in your life happy.
Chocolate:
To me chocolate is great any time of day, month, year, etc., but chocolate on Valentine’s Day is always a little extra special. It’s a great time to splurge on a pricy piece of chocolate that you normally might not gravitate to for your daily (or weekly/monthly/not at all if you have a better self control than I do). I love the Endangered Species Chocolate bars, which are in fact not made out of endangered species, but give 10% of profits to endangered species organizations. My favorites are the dark chocolate with espresso beans and dark chocolate with peppermint crunch. You can find this brand at a variety of grocery stores, but if you can’t find this particular brand, Whole Foods usually has a decent selection of socially conscious chocolate.
This next one is a type of chocolate you might not want to eat. This Too Faced eye shadow palette is made with cocoa powder so it smells delicious. The soft texture, high pigmentation, variety of neutrals and statement colors, and the oh so delicious chocolate scent make this palette something special. Another thing that makes it special is because Too Faced is a cruelty free brand.
Flowers:
Before starting my blog I would have never thought to look into the flower industry’s effect on the environment. But with the upcoming holiday, the idea popped into my head and I started to do a little research. Did you know that 80% of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported? Between transportation costs and the pesticide usage, there are plenty of reasons to look into flower alternatives. Luckily there are some alternatives:
How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? Leave your plans in the comments below!
Because Mondays are hard and sometimes we need a little inspiration…
Remember to take time to disconnect. Whatever is on your phone can probably wait, but sometimes what’s right in front of you can’t. Don’t miss it.
Check out what I’ve been checkin’ out this week…
1. When I was younger, I definitely would have loved one of these “normal” looking dolls.
2. A few things to start doing in 2016.
4. Rhode Island celebrated a great cause this week for a new holiday called D-Strong Day.
Because Mondays are hard and sometimes we need a little motivation…
When you fall, choose to get back up, get better, learn from your mistakes. It is what separates a failure from a success.
January is the month of resolutions and new beginnings. New year, new you, right? That being said, start of a new year is the perfect time to go through all of your things and decide what you want to bring with you in 2016. Out with the old and in with the new. Start off the year on a conscious note by clearing out and donating the things you don’t need/like/want, so you can focus on the things you love.
Often times once the hype of the New Year dies down, so does our motivation to keep to our goals for the New Year. Here are a few ideas to help you stay motivated in the first few months of 2016 while you clean out, organize, and declutter your life.
1. Read a Book:
But not just any book… While I have yet to read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I have heard WONDERS about it. Japanese cleaning consultant, Marie Kondo, gives you a step-by-step guide to organize, simplify, and store all of your belongings. Many organization methods recommend a room-by-room method, but Kondo explains a new category-by-category system that can help you achieve better results. She urges you to determine which of your possessions “spark joy” and which do not in order to minimize your possessions. The ultimate goal is to come to the realization that you have more processions than you need and it’s cluttering your life. This book will help you take the necessary steps to make a permanent change in your life.
2. Clothes Capsule:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z82_FIkosc4
Clothes capsules and mini wardrobes are a great way to weed out clothes you don’t need and figure out which ones you can and can’t live without. The idea behind a smaller wardrobe is that it saves you time when deciding what to wear, saves money, and simplifies your life. I recently heard about a clothes capsule challenge called 15 for February, which you can read more about here. Basically, you challenge yourself to choose 15 items to wear in the entire month of February. 15 for February is also tied to the charity Contact a Family, which is a British charity that helps families with disabled children. Get your friends involved, get sponsored, and get rid of all the clothes you don’t need!
3. Give Back:
Now that you’ve successfully organized, cleaned, and de-cluttered, it is time to give back. Donate all the clothes you cleaned out to charity, which could be a homeless shelter, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.. You could even give them to a friend who will appreciate them. Or if you’re looking to make a buck, sell them to a consignment shop. All of these are a great way to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Only discard of things that you KNOW no one in their right mind would want. Those stinky, scuffed up, full of holes, used-to-be-white-but-are-now-pale-yellow sneakers are probably good to go.
I hope these tips will inspire you to take a good look at everything you own and take the time to simplify your life. Happy 2016!
Because Monday’s are hard and sometimes we need a little motivation…
With the New Year right around the corner, many people are looking to change themselves. And while change is good and necessary, it’s also important to appreciate yourself in every form. Remember that when your making your resolutions.
Giving gifts is great (especially gifts that give back), but the holiday season isn’t just about gifts. While it may be too late to order gifts online and we’re almost out of time to run to the mall, it’s never too late to donate. I know any time is a good time to give back, but I find a special importance during the holidays. Something else I know is not all charities are created equally. Sometimes charities spend more per dollar donated on their CEO’s salary or marketing events than to the cause they’re supporting. So in order to avoid donating to a charity like that, I’ve gathered three tools to ensure that your money is going to good use. Each of these sites help you navigate and research the best charities for a wide variety of causes.
I hope this inspires you to do a little giving this year!
