Betty Crocker & First Birthdays

October 11, 2013 By Anne

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Remember your child’s first birthday? Of course you do! One of the best parts of the first birthday is the cake!

It was such a busy time for me and my local grocery store gave us a free cake for both of my children for their first birthdays! A cake just for them to dig into and get messy with.

Unfortunately or fortunately they did not make too much of a mess as you can see in my pictures. (not the best pictures, I know)

Want to make a special cake for your little one? Check out these Betty Crocker Smash Cakes!

Find recipes for Betty Crocker’s favorite first birthday smash cakes here.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Eat Your Way to Glowing Skin

October 10, 2013 By Anne

This is a partnered guest post.

It’s probably excruciatingly clichéd to repeat the old adage of ‘beauty starts within,’ but for healthy-looking skin, you’ll really get results from eating well. Trust us; it’s your best bet.

Sure, you can plaster on a bunch of skin treatments, but it will barely scratch the surface. Get a healthy glow and feel more energised by following these tips to eating your way to glowing skin:

Crash Diets

We can’t stress this enough: stop…dieting…for goodness sake. If you suffer from a weight problem, aim to cut out the unhealthy foods (no takeaways or greasy, processed, ready-made meals) and replace them with natural, nutrient-rich nosh.

Gradually reduce your food intake and exercise regularly, until you’re a healthy weight. Never starve yourself or try to shed pounds in a short amount of time – it’s an ill-advised and unhealthy approach to dropping inches off your waist. For more information on losing weight, check out the NHS – don’t listen to adverts or gal mags for anything as important as this.

Five A Day

Rainbows! Aim to eat fruits and vegetables in a variety of colours. The antioxidants in these healthy nommies help to heal cellular damage created by free radicals: pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, papaya, and spinach are all packed with antioxidants. Getting your five a day can help even out your skin tone and keep you looking fresh.

Vitamin C

Seeing as autumn is just around the corner, we all should be upping our Vit C intake. Vitamin C helps to boost your immune system and helps blemishes heal faster.

Some of the best C powerhouses are strawberries, blackcurrants, guava, blueberries, broccoli, papaya, kiwi, oranges, and sweet potatoes. These yummy additions to any meal help boost collagen levels in the skin, which means you’ll look younger for longer.

Don’t Shy Away From Fat

We’ve been brainwashed into thinking fat = bad. Healthy fats – the kind you see in avocados, fish, nuts, and seeds – are important for your skin. They naturally moisturise and keep it supple. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important to consume, and you can obtain this from flaxseed oil, linseeds, and walnuts.

Keep Drinking

Dehydration is the enemy of healthy, radiant skin. You should aim to keep drinking water regularly throughout the day. It’s always a great idea to keep a huge bottle on your desk at work and a portable canister in your handbag. The skin needs moisture to stay flexible – dryness can lead to premature aging and dull, grey skin.

Low GI Carbs

Don’t even consider cutting carbs out of your diet altogether – your body needs them. Especially low-GIs like beans, pulses, and porridge. These are slow releasing carbs that leave you with a fantastic supply of energy throughout the day (meaning less snacking).

Acne

Although acne is just in the cards for some people, you can certainly reduce the signs of inflammation. Avoid hydrogenated fats (margarine and processed foods) and avoid junk meals or anything high in sugar. You should be focusing on raw veggies, wholegrains, fresh fruit, and fish. Snack on Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

Glowing skin takes time and effort, but we at Salons Direct try to make it simple and easy. Our approach to service doesn’t just stop at salon owners, but you, the salon consumer. Visit our salon service site here – http://www.salonsdirect.com/ or pop across to our Facebook page

Anne

Smart Ones – A Smart Choice for Breakfast!

October 9, 2013 By Anne

This post was created in partnership with Smart Ones®. All opinions are my own.

I am a breakfast eater. I love breakfast foods! Mostly eggs, bacon and potatoes. But those are not great foods to eat everyday. With the holidays a coming I need to watch what I eat so I can eat those special treats that I will be baking soon.

Smart Ones has some great options to choose from. They have a new oatmeal that you can take from the freezer and just pop in into the microwave with all kinds of yummy ingredients!

It comes in three delicious varieties: Apple & Cinnamon, Maple & Brown Sugar and Peaches & Cream. I received some coupons to try this tasty new breakfast and I chose the Apple and Cinnamon. It was easy to make and delicious to eat! The Peaches and Cream sound wonderful once winter comes.

You have a chance to win $5,000 at eatyourbest.com/inspiring.
Smart Ones® Oatmeal is a smart and wholesome way to begin your day. And it’s the inspiration for all kinds of smart beginnings – for you, your friends, and those in need. That’s why we’re launching the Inspiring Smart Beginnings sweepstakes, where one lucky Smart Ones® fan could win $5,000! What’s more, every time you or a friend share about the promotion, Smart Ones® will make a donation to Dress for Success® (up to $10,000), an organization that helps people in need get back on their feet.

Plus I have a couple coupons for you to try it too! Just leave a comment telling me what your favorite breakfast is.

Anne

Yoplait – Lids to Save Lives #MyBlogSpark

October 8, 2013 By Anne

“Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark

It all started fifteen years ago when a Yoplait employee got a group of fellow employees together for breast cancer run. Since then General Mills has contributed more than 50 million dollars to breast cancers causes. One of those is the Lids to Save Lives campaign.

This campaign is going on right now and is so easy to participate in. We eat a lot of Yoplait yogurt in our house. My son eats most of it. I figure it’s a healthy snack for after school and he likes it so why not? He knows when he sees a pink lid he is to wash it off and save it so I can mail them in.

Instead of mailing the lids in, you also have the option to enter the codes on line.

This year, people are being asked to participate in Pledge Your Part, a new online initiative designed to encourage and empower them to make a pledge to help fight breast cancer, whether through saving lids, participating in a breast cancer awareness event, or in any way they choose.

Right now Publix has Yoplait yogurt on sale for 20 for $10.00 which is .50 cents! That’s a great deal plus there is a coupon for $.40 off six at Coupons.com.

Do you eat Yoplait yogurt? Do you save your lids?

Anne

I Choose Diet Coke Over… #spon #NoCalories #MyDietCoke

October 4, 2013 By Anne

I am a Diet Coke Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

I will choose Diet Coke over coffee any day!!

Aspartame is enjoyed by millions in low-calorie products, like yogurt, chewing gum and soft drinks. In fact, it has been extensively tested for safety by the World Health Organization, US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Agency. While the safety and benefits of ingredients like aspartame are supported by more than 200 studies spanning 40 years, The Coca-Cola Company understands that people may still have questions. They are making it a priority to address these questions and provide information and education to reinforce aspartame is an ingredient people can feel good about.

Check out this informative infographic from The Coca-Cola Company Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness. Hopefully it will answer some of your questions as well as answer the ones you didn’t know you had.