Giveaway-Hijab Pin with Matching Earring Set

Check out this video for a free hijab pin with matching earring set GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! Or you can go to www.wix.com/ajavdesigns/ajavdesigns-

A Quick and Easy Chance To Win!

Physity Speaks......: Favecrafts.com giveaway

Physity Speaks......: Favecrafts.com giveaway

Favecrafts.com giveaway

If you are into crafts, or just wanting some easy craft ideas, give favecrafts.com  a try. They have something for everyone on this site, and it is easy to use. They have a handy dandy search feature that makes anything you are looking for easy to find.

I will tell you something else that is great about this site-they have give-a-ways. Yes, I mean free. This week they are giving away The My Friendship Bracelet Maker. 

Let me tell you this thing is the ultimate threading machine! This awesome kit comes with everything your little girl could need to make bracelets for herself or her friends. The String Holder’s unique design holds strings firmly in place so she can knot and braid away without worrying about her work unraveling. There’s also a cute butterfly clip to help secure the string during the knotting process. And once again, they are giving it away to a lucky crafter.

Now, although it is geared toward little girls, for us grown up-soon to be crafters; this is a great starting point!

Go to the site and check it out. Even if the bracelet maker is not the gadget for you, they have lots of fun easy and free patterns, instructions and crafty things galore-you are sure to find something fun and easy to make on this awesome site www.favecrafts.com !  Enjoy!

A Wonderful Tool for Parents......

So, I am probably, like the last person on earth to have read the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. Well, let me not be soooo hard on myself. I actually read it a year ago, and I really enjoyed the book. Although at the end of the book, in her hindsight, she might have done some things differently; I not only applaud her in her ethics, but I have also instilled a lot of her tactics into my own household. Now I am not saying that everything she did was correct-not for my family, rather taking a look at what I was and was not doing is what I gained most from her book.

For example; over the summer I choose to use some of the new resources I learned from her book by drilling words with my four year old every day. I took all his toys away, and put them in the garage. He was able to earn a few of them back every day when he learned the words (4-7 words) of the day. We did this for most of the summer, and when we were done, my son new approximately 40 words and could read the book Go Dog Go by Dr. Seuss.

In one section of the book, her youngest daughter is playing tennis. She hadn’t been playing long, but apparently her lessons were going well. Her instructor gave Amy Chua, very glowing reviews about her daughters’ determination, loyalty and attitude to complete a task, and better herself.  Amy Chua asked her daughter about it, and she said she was just using the technics Amy taught her (or put her through) when she played the violin.

Now I don’t know about you, but what that says to me, was that she learned a skill that she could apply to any area of her life, to help her succeed. Could that have been achieved in a different way, most certainly! Nonetheless, her method did work. I think we also forget that the time a child is putting into all of this, so is the mom. There were a lot of things she could have done with her time, besides sitting down practicing, whatever, with her children.

What I recognized, from reading Amy Chua’s book, was that I was not spending enough time with my child in educating him. I am his mother, I am his first teacher, and if he is going to be pushed it should be by me. Speaking of being pushed, I also learned that all kids are not the same, and sometimes pushing is exactly what that child may need.

If you haven’t read the book, I implore to read it. Don’t focus so much on what you think she did wrong; rather focus on what tools you can learn from her methods, and how you can implement them into your household.

I know that will be hard to do. We as human beings are so judgmental. Give it a try. You might just come away with some great tools your child can use for the rest of their lives.

Paved Roads To Hell..........

 I was reminded about a statement a few days ago when I said to a friend..."Sometimes we really do have good intentions, but sometimes we are unable to follow through with those intentions-whatever the reasons may be. It may be that we took on something that we later realized was way more than we anticipated, or because we simply decided we no longer wanted to do a thing. Whatever the case, that doesn't mean that your good intentions were not there in the beginning." So my friend then stated to me, "Yep, which sounds very much like that old saying....The Best Intentions Are Marked With Paved Roads To Hell!". Wow! How many times have we heard quotes and thought nothing of them, until that one day when we heard that quote and realize the enormity of the quote. Maybe something you are going through in your life has made a particular quote, an epiphany at that point. I don't know, we hear what we want to hear sometimes, right? I know that is true for me, but not on purpose, as many of my friends and family may think!

Anyway, this quote made a dramatic impact on my decision making process. It made me look at some of the choices I have made, and evaluate them-realistically, not lie to myself about them. It made me look at other people's decisions and now I am able to forgive them for making those decisions.

Sometime you have to look at your "intentions" and seriously consider if your good intented decisions are marked with paved roads to hell! 

Relationships, Cultures and You...

January 2012

There have been, and will always be different opinions regarding "how and what" a relationship should entail. I have been to a few relationship forums, and have found them to be useful in finding out the views of both women and men.

What those forums did not include is relationships from a cultural prospective. We all think that our way of living is the correct way. Come on now, really we all do-culturally speaking anyway. The Oriental culture thinks other cultures are not strict enough on the kids. The Middle-Eastern culture thinks other cultures lack depth. The South Asian culture thinks that everything they do is correct. The American culture thinks everything everyone does is incorrect.

I think all cultures have a lot to offer. There are also a lot of traditions in all cultures that can be looked upon as not so beneficial to the masses. We all have changes to make in our lifestyles as a culture, and as individuals.

Think about stereotypes. While they do have some truth to them, they are mindsets of a particular mass of people, not an individual. How many wonderful embellishments (learning a new language, a new food, a new clothing type, a new activity-a new friend) to your life could be added, and improved if you didn’t automatically place a stereotype on a person that you see, or meet.

I look at my own mentality, my own self- awareness and I love being so open minded about people and cultures. But I also know that there are a lot of areas, in my outlook, attitude and my approach, that could use an overhaul. 

With that being said, I think I will take a month long challenge to try to improve on the qualities that I think are important for healthy relationships (any kind of relationship), and that always starts with self.

Actively looking at your thought process, and deciding to make a change, is the first step. Are you guys up for the challenge? What ideas do you have about your starting point?

2012 Girl Scout Cookies........

There are not too many cookies that can bring on an uproar of wondrous, lip smacking, diet halting, face stuffing cookie eating-like a Girl Scout cookie can! I mean really, can you eat just one? No!…I said no!

As I have just started my “eating sweets in moderation” lifestyle, the gleeful news that the Girl Scouts have started taking orders as of January 6^th, rung in my ears like the hypnotic tunes of the Pied Piper.

The Girl Scouts organization will be observing its 100^th anniversary this year, and have made an honorary cookie to commemorate the occasion. This new cookie; Savannah Smiles (do you guys remember that movie comedy about the little girl, who got kidnapped and won over the hearts of her captures?) which is a lemon wedge cookie, will be on the 2012 cookie lineup, along with your traditional favs; Samoas, Thin Mints and all others in between.

Be on the lookout at your shopping centers in mid-February; that is when the cookies sales should begin to take place. Go to www.cookielocator.littlebrownie.com to find the shopping centers where the Girl Scouts will be set up. Also available for download, on your IPhone and Android, is the free Cookie Locator app.

I must say, I can’t wait to get my hands (and mouth) on some Thin Mints. Well there goes my
“Eating Sweets In Moderation” Lifestyle. 

 A challenge well worth taking on.. Whooohoooo!

this blog is not offiliated with the girl scouts. i just love girl scout cookies! for more information about the girl scouts,please visit www.girlscouts.org

photos by http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/girl-scout.html

Safe Networking Site For Our Girls....

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blah, blah, blah! We have been walloped with the need to use any (or for some of us-All) of these social media outlets for our ranting’s, musing, tirades, oh, yeah, and to provide some information that is actual helpful, to the masses!

But how safe are those social media’s for our girls? We have all heard or seen the damage that can occur from improper use of these outlets. Yes, we should be doing more as parents, but a lot of us just are not going to do that, now are we?

With that being said, my 14 year old niece came across a social networking site that is safe for our girls.  www.liv2bgirl.com is designed for girls ages 8-14. This site has partnered with the National Bullying Prevention Center to aid in promoting awareness and the prevention of bullying. Our girls can blog; they can connect with their friends; play games, and they can use the chat features too. They can also report negative activity on the site as well.

One of the great things about this site is that when they sign up, they have to use their parents email address. The parent then has to go in and activate the account. This features helps our girls stay safe by allowing the parents to know where (and how) their time is being spent on the net.

www.liv2bgirl.com features celebrities that have made positive contributions that our girls can read about.  This is a little about what live2bgirl says about their newest “feature girl”.  Liv2BGirl's featured girl is 22-year-old Sophie Clarke from New York won "Survivor: South Pacific" this last season. Clarke learned to be confident in herself through her experience in Girl Scouting. Clarke is a Gold Award recipient from Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York. In a world where the Kardashians (not saying they don’t have positives too!) is what our girls see and aspire too, I think they could use a little help!

So have your girl check out the site to see just how great it is. You never know, our girls might turn a little positivity in their lives, into a big change for our world!

www.live2bgirl.com

Thats my job....For Real?

Generally, I am a very clean person. My kids call me OCD, but I am nowhere near that clean. My OCD comes more in the form of, “Everything has its place!” So should I have been surprised when my husband hinted that the garage needed to be cleaned.  “Ohhh, you really need to clean the garage!” No, really that is what he said, out loud, not to himself, or in his head, but out loud! Huh? What? Are you talking to me?!

Now, I like to think of myself as a very versatile person, but give me a break; some things just are not my job! The trash, for instance-is not my job. Fixing stuff, is not my job. And anything to do with the garage, is not my job! What man, actually thinks his wife should be cleaning the garage? I don’t know. But hey, don’t get me wrong, I am all for women’s rights, and if that is your cup of tea-then have at it! But I subscribe more to the Victorian age of thinking; were the atrocities in life that I had to contend with was, putting on all those frilly, high maintenance, looking clothes. Yes, call me Stone Age!

Okay, I know what you all are thinking, well dang, if organization is your strength, then clean the garage woman! Humph! I am sure he can do laundry just as well as I can, but I don’t ask him to do laundry, now do I?! I am just saying, the garage, the yard, the cars, stuff like that is “man” stuff! Okay, yes, in my world anyway. Don’t worry ladies, I am not trying to get everything we have sacrificed for, to make a meandering plunder. I just don’t want to clean the garage, that’s all.

……. And for all the fusing I just did; I actually cleaned the garage! And now everything has a place....

........can you say.....

Are Your Religious Beliefs Right or Wrong?

What is a religious belief? Does your conviction in your religion make you right? If people do not do what you do, or believe what you believe, are they all going to hell?

Looking at the three major religions, they all basically say, if you don't believe what is written in their books, then you are going to hell. I have often pondered that very statement, and while I have my beliefs, I am not the All Mighty Lord. So how do I know what He will choose to do? While we can state what the actions of our Higher Power will be, because of what is written in our books, it still comes down to none of us it that Higher Power.

In Christianity, Islam, and Judaism there are sects under the general heading of each religion. This says to me that everyone, even within their own religion, does not agree on things as simple as the basics. How effective does one think they can be in creating an atmosphere of the rights and the wrongs, when there is discord within their own religious factions.

We put labels on people, because they can deal with things we can't. Or they choose to try to live a life that they think is beneficial to their families, communities and their Higher Power.

These days. we take good for bad, and bad for good. ....When will we learn!

Peanut Butter Pleasure......Yummmmmy!

Let me start out by saying, I am not a fan, what-so-ever, of peanut butter cookies. I know, yeah, yeah, how could I not like them, but I just don't care for them.....until!

A friend of mine made some one day, and brought them to my home for my kids. She offered me some, I refused of course. She began telling me about the recipe that she had been given by her boyfriends sister. She told me these cookies had no flour in them......what?!

So I had to taste the cookies and lo and behold, these things are great (or maybe I was just really hungry!), they are delicious.

She gave me the recipe and my kids made the cookies, and they came out really good. So I decided to share the yummy peanut butter recipes. I call them Peanut Butter Pleasures!


Peanut Butter Pleasures (flour less cookies)
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar (we used organic)
1 cup granulated sugar (we used organic)
2 large eggs (we used brown, cage free)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Heat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
• Shape dough into balls (approx. 1 heaping tablespoons worth, each) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, flatten each ball, making a crisscross pattern.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the cooking cycle (approx, 6 minutes into baking), until puffed and golden. Cool (they will deflate as they cool). Enjoy!

Easy Skin Refresher

Looking for an easy way to refresh your skin. Great, let’s talk about skin brushing. Skin brushing is an effective way to rejuvenate your skin and can easily be added into your daily skin regiment.

Skin Brushing Benefits

Skin brushing increases circulation and helps the body to eliminate cell wastes and also helps improve the appearance of your skin. Skin Brushing helps your Lymph system to rid itself of toxins that collect in the Lymph Glands. Skin brushing improves the surface circulation on the skin, allowing the pores of the skin to open, thereby encouraging your skin to void its waste. That action results in improved ability to fight bacteria.

·        Tightens Skin and aids  in the removal of Cellulite

·        Increases Cell renewal

·        Aids digestion, Strengthens Immune Systems and cleans Lymph’s

The How To’s

To get the most out of skin brushing, you should brush before bathing every day. You can dry brush or you can apply a few drops of oil; skin oil, body oil, massage or skin brushing oil, and then brush. A clean, firm, natural bristle brush is the best to use.

Begin with your feet, stroking upwards. Apply enough pressure to stimulate, but not too much, it shouldn’t hurt. The nerve endings in the sole of your feet can affect your whole body. Move to on to your ankles and calves in the same stroking manner.

Make clockwise circles around your knee area, as well as thigh area, at the top.

Starting at your lower abdomen section brush in circles, again in a clockwise fashion, as that is the direction of your intestines. Don’t forget to reach far to the right to cover your right side as well.  Repeat this action upward on your abdomen across your belly button. Continue downward along your left side.

Circle around your breast or chest.

Brush from your hands to your shoulders, circling around your shoulder joints (clockwise).

From your neck base, brush downward, and on your back use a normal up and down stroke along your spine area.

A couple of notes to add:

·        Always brush toward the heart.

·        Some opinions vary regarding the direction you should brush around the abdomen area, so brush in the direction of your intestines (which way is that? When I find out I will let you know, or maybe a reader can answer for us)

·        Do not brush your nipples

·        Use a brush with a long handle so you can reach all of your body

And that’s all to it. A quick and easy way to refresh your skin. Enjoy!

Speak Your Text

In today’s technological world, we have gained so many wonderful devices. Some of them, as helpful to our lives as they are, are not so great in certain aspects of our everyday lives. What am I talking about?-Texting.

This is issue touched my life personally when my son, caused an accident on the highway, where a truck flipped over. We were thankful that no one was seriously injured, but the thought that things could have been so different was a lot to take in.

Listen Up!

So with safe driving on my mind, I started a little researching. What I found was an IPhone app that allows you to listen to your incoming texts. Awesome right! You can drive and listen to your texts as well. Since most of our teenagers have been “technologically stricken”, they are always on Facebook and Twitter. Well, behold the kingdom of life….this app also airs messages from those two glorious social outlets. The messages for both the incoming texts and the social media, come through your phones speaker system.

That’s not all folks!

You can also respond to your emails, and texts using voice commands (this however requires an upgrade which will run you about $15 per year). That is a small price to pay for something that can help with the growing number of car accidents that we have seen over the years.

Now really, I am obviously not saying this is going to fix the problem we have with our texting teens. That is something we as parents have to get overly involved in; making our children worthy and productive members of society. That’s our job! You can look at it whatever you want, but we all know where we fall short, where our kids are concerned. Any who, I shall save the lecturing for another post…..ya’ll got lucky!!!

Quitter App.....Be Smoke Free

So my friends’ husband is an “avid” smoker. She has decided to help relieve him of this habit that is reeking chaos in her household. She didn’t know what she could do to help. It just so happens that her brother is a smoker as well, and discovered an app on his iPhone that will assist in ending smokers’ smoking days.

How it works is like this: You enter a date into the count-up clock that you wish to completely be smoke free. This clock keeps track of how many days, weeks and months you have been “smoke free”.

That’s it!! Well, not really, the great thing about it is that it has an awesome incentive of the financial sort-and who doesn’t do well with financial incentives, especially in these days of bad economic circumstances.

This app actually calculates how much you have been saving since you went smoke free. That is over $200 in savings, over a three month time frame- for a person who smoked half a pack a day!!!

Another great feature in this app is the inspiration board that you can use as a reminder for what you could be buying instead of cigarettes. Can you say…Shopping!!!

Oh, did I mention......its free!

Hair Brooch All Mighty

I love all things that are pretty and functional. That includes hair stuff too. I am talking everything from hair creams to "no poo" hair cleansers to hair clips, scarves and organizational goodies. So, I was on YouTube today and found a great video of a woman making her own hair brooches. No, not hair clips! Hair brooches. I mean they are really cute. So I gave it a whirl, not quite as much of a whirl as she does in the video (yeah, yeah, I am working on it!) but I had a pretty good push off, and it turned out lov-e-ly (pictures to come)! So here is the video. You guys should really try it and see what you can come up with. I think the possibilities are endless, and I on my way to start making some for my scarves!

Pamper Me Not! Well, just a little.

Pampering yourself does not always require you to commit to an hour long bath (although that is nice); some of us just don’t have the time for that. I must say, that it is necessary to make time for you. That “me time” is essential for self-rejuvenation; mind, body and soul!

However, when there is not time for that, yet you still want to feel and look your best, there are a few things you can add into your daily routine that will help you.

I am a big time homemade scrubs person. It is quick and easy, and half the time,you don’t even need to measure. You can whip it up just as fast as you can put toothpaste on your toothbrush. No, I am not kidding!

Scrub-ba, Dub Dub

Scrubs are simple and easy to use. Scrubs gently exfoliate your skin, improves skin clarity, while softening and nourishing at the same time.  A very simple scrub recipe I use requires only two ingredients:

Sugar and Olive Oil (substitute for any oil you like)

 Pour ½ cup sugar into a bowl. Pour olive oil over sugar until it is completely covered. Enjoy!

You really don’t need measurements for that; it is quick and easy, and you will glow from head to toe!

Skin-a-licious!

Now before we go on with more wonderful body scrub recipes, let’s talk about healthy eating. Yes, your beauty on the outside is very much reflective of what you put inside. You are what you eat right? Well, some of you don’t have to worry about that, but the majority of us do! So what foods are great for making your skin younger looking, soft, and vibrant? Well, let’s see!

Low-Fat Dairy Products. One the most important components of skin health is vitamin A. One of the best places to get it is low-fat dairy products. Low-fat yogurt is high in vitamin A, but also acidophilus, the "live" bacteria that is good for intestinal health. Foods help digestion stay normal; live bacteria/enzymes, will aid in healthy looking skin.

Salmon, Walnuts, Canola Oil, and Flax Seed. Omega-3, essential fatty acids are what come from these foods. Great for the skin. Omega’s help the productions of healthy cell membranes, which also act as a vessel for nutrients to come in and waste to go out.

Healthy Oils. Cold pressed, expeller pressed extra virgin. Why? Approximately two tablespoons a day is all we need to help keep skin lubricated and that keeps skin looking and feeling healthier overall.

Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and plums. High antioxidant content. Antioxidants help protect cells against damage, and by doing so, it guards against premature aging factors.

Whole-wheat bread, muffins, and cereals; turkey, tuna and brazil nuts. Experts say selenium plays a key role in the health of skin cells. With that being said, the opposite is true for white flour foods (cake, pasta, bread) as well as sugar and white rice. Those foods can increase inflammation and inflammation can cause break-outs.

 Green Tea. It has great anti -inflammatory properties. Green tea is a wonder beverage. It has so many wonderful essential; it is a benefit in our lives completely.

 Water. While the exact amount you should drink each day varies, no one disputes the role good hydration plays in keeping skin looking healthy and even young. When that hydration comes from pure, clean water -- not liquids such as soda or even soups, the skin rejuvenates. When your body has the proper amount of water it needs, it helps to move the toxins out, we sweat better resulting in skin that is clean, making healthier looking skin.

Scrub recipes and other helpful information

Essential oils are not just helpful in our bath and body products, but are wonders in all aspects of our lives. Go to the library and get an aromatherapy book, or essentials oils book and take your time learning how the various oils can promote goodness in your life. The net, as we all know, is also a great way to get the information we need on any subject.

Coffee-Meal Scrub

2 cups oatmeal (ground up)

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ cup coffee grinds (used)

4 tbsp honey

3 tbsp ginger

1 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together, put some in container (weeks’ worth), and store the rest in the frig.

Coconut Sugar Scrub

3/4 of cup of sugar

1/4 cup of grated coconut

1/4 cup of coconut milk powder

1/4 to 1/3 cup of Sweet Almond Oil

Coconut fragrance oil

Combine all dry ingredients and blend evenly. Add Sweet Almond oil a little at a time until sugar mixture is moist. Add a few drop of fragrance until you are satisfied with the fragrance strength. You can also add pineapple and/or strawberry fragrance oil for a nice tropical blend. Makes about 8oz.

Helpful links:

http://www.easy-aromatherapy-recipes.com/body-scrub-recipes.html

http://www.teachsoap.com/recipes.html

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/recipe/recipes.asp?category=16

http://www.dominosugar.com/holidays-parties-gifts/gifts/brown-sugar-body-scrub-recipes

 Or you can simply just buy it!