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Nicole

Encourage Your Kids To Be Sporty With These Awesome Tips

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Did you know that only a third of children take part in regular physical activity these days? That’s quite a worrying statistic as a lack of exercise in their life can lead to them quickly putting on weight and becoming obese. If this were to happen then they would be at a much greater risk of a range of illnesses and health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

However, it can be difficult to encourage children to get into a sport, especially if they have never seemed interested in any forms of physical activity before now. But that doesn’t make it completely impossible, though. Here are a few tips that can motivate your little ones to get sporty.

Get Them A Cool Kit

It’s worth buying some custom soccer uniforms or similar gear that is suitable for the sport they want to try out. Kids always love showing off their new clothes and belongings, so you should find that yours want to get out onto the pitch or sports field in their new clothes as soon as possible. There’s a much more practical reason for buying them the right kinds of gear and clothes too, though, and that is that they will be made in a way to help your kids feel comfortable while they are being active.

Tell Them About The Benefits

One reason why some children are quite reluctant to take up a sport or exercise at all is that they don’t have a clue about the benefits of physical activity. So, it’s a good idea to sit down with your kids and have a quick chat about the positive reasons people exercise and all of the health benefits that come with doing so.

Limit Their Screen Time

Do your kids seem to be more interested in their various devices around the house? If so, it’s worth thinking about limiting their screen time. For instance, you might want to let them watch TV for just one hour each day. With not much else to do, they will probably want to go outside and play sports rather than sit inside bored all day.

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Encourage Them To Join A Club

Your children might love the social aspects of sports clubs. There are lots of different clubs aimed at different sports and games, including the likes of soccer, running, and basketball. Once they have joined the club, they will love making new friends, which will encourage them to turn up for practice every week.

Don’t Overdo It

Don’t forget that your kids are still growing, so their bodies won’t be ready for an excessive amount of physical exertion just yet. So, it’s best not to push your kids too far. Ideally, exercising three times a week should bring them benefits. They also need plenty of rest days so that their body can recover. Without enough rest, they wouldn’t get any fitter.

There are plenty of ways you can motivate your kids to be sporty and exercise more – these tips should get you started!

5-Ingredient Christmas Cracker Candy

christmas cracker candy

Christmas Cracker Candy. It’s all your Christmas candy wishes wrapped up in one salty, sweet, and oh so good bite! With Christmas just around the corner, you’ll want to try this recipe at home!

Christmas Cracker Candy, unlike other candies that require thermometers and paraffin, is made with only simple ingredients: Crackers, Earth Balance spread, sugar, chocolate chips, and walnuts. So with just 5 ingredients and 30 minutes, you’ve got instant holiday joy!

Making Christmas Cracker Candy couldn’t be easier! Just arrange a sleeve of saltine crackers in a pan. A jelly roll pan or full bakers sheet is perfect for arranging all 36 crackers. While any large rimmed sheet will work well for this recipe.

christmas cracker candy

christmas cracker candy

Next, make your caramel candy topping by bringing equal parts Earth Balance spread, or butter, and brown sugar to a soft boil for 3-5 minutes. You’re looking at a temperature of around 270 degrees. Your caramel sauce will be ready when you start to see slight bubbling around the center of your pan.

Now, pour your caramel sauce over your crackers and bake for 5 minutes at 300 degrees. Then carefully remove your candy from the oven and set aside.

While your crackers are in the oven, melt your chocolate chips. You can easily do this by microwaving your chips in 30-second increments until melted. Be sure to stir your chocolate chips after each 30-second round of microwaving.

christmas cracker candy

Then spread your melted chocolate over the hardened caramel and add your toppings. I love black walnuts but pecans, Oreos, chia seeds, or dried fruit works well too!

And if you want evenly sized pieces of candy, consider cutting your candy while it’s still warm. Once cooled it will be harder to do so.

The final step, and notably the hardest, before digging into your Christmas Cracker Candy chill it in the refrigerator until it fully hardens for 2-3 hours.

christmas cracker candy

There you have it! Christmas Cracker Candy! The easiest of all Christmas recipes! I hope you’ll try your hand at making this awesome holiday candy this season. You’re really going to want to eat it all. No judgment if you do. It’s that good! If you’re looking for other holiday desserts check out my other recipes on the blog and on Pinterest! I’m always finding tasty new recipes!

Friends, will you be trying your hand at this Christmas Cracker Candy or do you have go-to holiday candy recipes you’ll be making at home this season? I’d love to hear about them below!

christmas cracker candy

5-Ingredient Christmas Cracker Candy

5-Ingredient Christmas Cracker Candy

Ingredients

  • 1 sleeve Saltine crackers
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray.
  2. Lay crackers evenly over foil, salted side up.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  4. In a small saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat. While the butter is melting, stir frequently to mix evenly. Once mixture simmers, let simmer without stirring for 3 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and pour evenly over crackers.
  6. Place in oven for 5 minutes.
  7. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Return pan to oven for 30 seconds to help melt the chips.
  8. Use a spatula or knife to spread melted chocolate evenly.
  9. Sprinkle pecans on top. Cover with aluminum foil so that foil doesn't touch and place in refrigerator for 2 hours.
  10. Break into pieces.
  11. Enjoy!
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Pumpkin Pie Spice French Toast

This is a sponsored by Bays English Muffins. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

 

With Fall now officially upon us, mornings are starting to become cooler, darker, and it is a little harder to get up each day.

Which is why I love having a fun, fabulous Fall-themed breakfast to look forward to each morning at home. So if you too are looking for a reason to rise and shine this fall, why not start with a super delicious and easy-to-make breakfast? Like this Pumpkin Spice French toast made with Bays English Muffins!

What I love most about this recipe is while its easy to prep during busy weekday mornings its also full of everything I love about fall flavors. Including woody cinnamon, vanilla, and creamy, savory pumpkin and maple flavors. A super simple yet satisfying way to start your mornings at home this Fall!

Flavors that are as memorable as they are comforting and with the added addition of nutrient-rich pumpkin and the savory, sweet deliciousness of pumpkin spice, this recipe has it all. If you love pumpkin spice lattes, you will love this recipe! Because if you’re as big a pumpkin pie spice fangirl as I am, this dish will become your new Fall favorite this season!

While Bays English Muffins have long since been a breakfast staple in our home pantry, I love finding new ways to use them at home as part of our weekly meal plans. Which is why we love Bays. Not just for breakfast, they are a fun and fabulous way to prep, plan, and elevate meals at home. The delicious meals that can be made with Bays English muffins are endless and perfect any time of the day!

Because I so love this recipe, I’ve added it to our weekly meal plans these past few weeks as both breakfasts and dinners too! Because who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?

I’ve also made sure to stock-up on Bays English Muffins in-store on my weekly grocery runs. Bays English Muffins are conveniently located in the Dairy case, carefully chilled for freshness! Which I love. Because who wants to run around the store looking for staples when you really just want to get home and get that next life-affirming latte in your system. Am I right?

Now that you’re dreaming all things pumpkin spice, here’s how to make this yummy recipe this Fall at home:

PUMPKIN SPICE FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients:

  • 4 BAYS Original English Muffins, split
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
  2. Place the English muffin halves in a baking pan just large enough to hold them in a single layer.
  3. Beat the pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl.
  4. Pour the mixture over the English muffins, turning to coat. Let stand for 20 minutes, turning once.
  5. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Melt half of the butter and add 4 muffin halves.
  6. Cook until the bottoms are lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the muffin halves over and cook until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes longer.
  7. Transfer the French toast to an ovenproof pan and hold in the preheated oven. Repeat with the remaining muffin halves and butter.
  8. Divide the French toast among 4 plates and serve drizzled with maple syrup.

Serves: 4

Friends, don’t forget to follow along with Bays English Muffins on social media. Make sure to “like” Bays on Facebook to find even more yummy new Fall recipes you can make with your favorite muffin! Now I want to ask, will you be enjoying Pumpkin Spice French Toast recipe at home this season?

Pumpkin Pie Spice French Toast

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 2 English Muffin Halves, Split

Pumpkin Pie Spice French Toast

A Delicious Fall-themed breakfast your family will love this season and beyond!

Ingredients

  • 4 BAYS Original English Muffins, split
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
  2. Place the English muffin halves in a baking pan just large enough to hold them in a single layer.
  3. Beat the pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl.
  4. Pour the mixture over the English muffins, turning to coat. Let stand for 20 minutes, turning once.
  5. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Melt half of the butter and add 4 muffin halves.
  6. Cook until the bottoms are lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the muffin halves over and cook until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes longer.
  7. Transfer the French toast to an ovenproof pan and hold in the preheated oven. Repeat with the remaining muffin halves and butter.
  8. Divide the French toast among 4 plates and serve drizzled with maple syrup.
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5 Tips For Post-Anesthesia Care at Home

This post is sponsored by Diamond Bloggers. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

 

5 Tips For Post-Anesthesia Care at Home

Most of us know all too well that woozy state of being right after undergoing anesthesia for surgery. In most cases, the after-effects of the anesthetic wear off within hours. But not for everyone, as all people do not metabolize drugs efficiently. The anesthetic can leave them feeling dizzy, weak, feverish, or disoriented for days afterward. Which makes after-care self-care vital to patients recovering in the days and weeks post surgery at home.

If you are looking for effective ways to recover from anesthesia, here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Take a multivitamin.

Taking a multivitamin, including at least 200 mg of vitamin C, 25,000 IU of beta-carotene, 22.4 IU of vitamin E, all the B vitamins, especially B-6, folate each day for at least two weeks before and after undergoing anesthesia, can help the body recover at greater speeds than without. Many of these nutrients contain high levels of antioxidants that play an important role in the body’s detoxification mechanisms and aid the liver in riding your system of the effects of anesthesia.

2. Milk thistle

Taking milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is another key component of at home self-care post anesthesia. As this ancient herb helps to promote the body’s detoxification process by preventing the depletion of glutathione, a natural antioxidant found in the liver. Something to keep in mind for patients without allergies to ragweed or are without a personal history of hormone-related cancer, such as breast, uterine, or prostate,  milk thistle can affect hormone levels. Milk thistle not only prevents the depletion of glutathione but also has been shown in laboratory studies to increase the level of this potent antioxidant by up to 35%. With patients looking to take dosages of 70 mg three times daily. Start taking it at least one week before surgery and continue to take it for at least two weeks after.

3. An anesthesia-recovery diet

Foods, or the omittance of certain foods, also play a vital role in your anesthesia recovery at home. Steering clear of saturated fats, including meat and dairy, refined table sugar, and alcohol, while consuming a diet rich in water-soluble fiber, including pears, oat bran, apples, and legumes can help to aid in detoxification from anesthesia. Cinnamon and turmeric will also help you detox and recover from anesthesia too!

4. Drinking More Water

Dehydration makes it difficult for your body to eliminate toxins. So staying hydrated will be key in your post-anesthesia care and recovery at home. A good goal for recovery is to aim to drink 6-8 eight-ounce glasses of water each day. And don’t wait until you’re thirsty to take a drink. Schedule planned and purposed water breaks throughout the day. Every two waking hours.

5. Know When to Call Your Health Care Provider

One of the most important steps in post-anesthesia recovery at home is knowing what proper anesthesia recovery looks like. While its common to feel lightheaded and dizzy for the first 12 hours after your procedure or to experience changes in appetite or nausea, excessive symptoms beyond this measure should be reported to your health care provider if you have any questions or concerns. Your anesthesia team includes the anesthesiologist (doctor of anesthesia) and certified registered nurse anesthetist. Such as leading Brad Stahlheber, leading anesthesia specialist.

Friends, do you have a plan in place for your upcoming post-anesthesia self-care at home? Share your tips below.

5 Tips For Post-Anesthesia Care at Home

Office Update With Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center

This is a sponsored blog post; consideration was paid to me by Walmart Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center to review this product. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center

My home has been in flux for the past several weeks. I’ve needed to make a few changes. To shake things up a bit. By way of mini makeovers in my office, guest bedroom, and living room. Including finding a new entertainment center for a small, purposed space.

What did I like best? The Walmart Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center. A center that lets you create a stylish entertainment destination with a contemporary, minimalist design. Its perfect for any family room of the home. While still bringing the feel of the on-trend espresso finish to complement almost any style.

As we moved into our home in 2011, when we were several sets of paws fewer than we are to date, I decided that the room that is currently my office would be a sitting room. Several years later and post-Kon’Mari’ing, my fancy sitting room houses my office and it the least fancy room in my home.

Which is why I wanted to update my space. I was super excited to have the chance to add the Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center from Walmart to my office. Including adding a tv in the space. Because what’s blogging without the Real Housewives of every city U.S.A, am I right?

Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center

Initially, when I found out that my new entertainment center would be coming in boxes I was unsure where and how it would be utilized, but thankfully this piece could be used in so many rooms of a home and was simple to put together. In a matter of an hour, the husband had assembled each piece and installed it in my office.

See our setup video below.

About the Walmart Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment System:

The Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center lets you create a stylish entertainment destination with a contemporary modularized design. Perfect for any family room, living room, den, entertainment room, guest room, or in my case, home office. Because, Hello, storage! Perfect for bibliophiles like me! Moreover, this entertainment center comes standard in a luxurious espresso finish. Which complements almost any decor style or preference.

Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center

The TV stand half of the entertainment center features four open and four closed-back cube compartments, and a curio compartment stand features 5 closed-back cube compartments. The TV stand makes it simple to hide cords as well. Perfect for minimalists who dislike surface obstructions like me. The TV stand is well constructed and can support up to 100 pounds on the top panel, including televisions up to 50 inches.

The curio cabinet portion of the entertainment center is designed with five cube storage sections that can support up to eleven pounds each. Featuring a closed back design. Perfect for keeping items contained. This entertainment system helps to Keep everything in cluttered!

Again, assembly eas simple. Taking a little over an hour from start to finish. The included instructions made the process go very quickly. Bearing in mind, because of the height of this center, we used the included wall attachment safety system to help keep things safer in my office.

For those wondering, the Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center measures 84.37″L x 15.35″W x 72.91″H. Perfect for keeping small to medium spaces decluttered this season at home.

Office Update:

As I said, this room hasn’t had very many updates since our major minimalist decluttering several years ago. While I do plan to paint this space next Spring, I’m currently pleased with the current layout of my office and the addition of this entertainment center in my space! As this center has allowed my office to look cleaner and more organized. And a little updated too!

Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center

I was concerned that the dark espresso color might not work in my workspace but I was wrong, as it absolutely makes my office pop. I am so excited to walk into this space each morning. And, thanks to this project, I have decided to start tackling some of the other rooms in my home that have not been updated in some time.

Friends, if you’re in the market this season for a new entertainment center to help you and your home stay more minimalist and organized, this home entertainment center is a must. Learn more about this product by visiting Walmart.

Now I want to ask, is this Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center something you might add to your own home office? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Mainstays Cube Storage Home Entertainment Center

5 Things Readers Want From Your Blog Apart From Quality Content

Everybody knows that you need to increase traffic to your blog if you’re going to make any money out of it. But it’s not just about the number of hits you get, if you really want to be successful, you need regular readers that keep coming back time and time again. That’s a lot harder to achieve than people realize because there is a lot of competition out there. You need to make sure that you’re creating engaging content for your readers but that’s just the start. There are a lot of other things that readers want out of a blog. If you’re going to get people to become long-term readers, you need to get these things right.

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Dialogue

If people like your posts then they might comment on them. This is great news for you because engaging your readers is a good way of getting them to come back. But your readers want to open a dialogue with you and if you don’t respond to that, they’re probably not going to visit your blog again. That’s why it’s important that you’re answering any comments within a day or two at the most. You should always make sure that you’re friendly and polite with people and you offer them good advice. You can also use this as a good opportunity to direct them toward more posts that you’ve published on a similar topic. Opening a dialogue with your readers and building a connection is one of the best ways to keep people coming back time and time again.

Personality

This is a big one. It’s important that you create informative posts but if that’s all you offer, people are going to get a bit bored of your blog. It also doesn’t separate you from all of the other blogs that are writing about similar topics. The thing that really creates loyalty amongst your readership is your personality. That’s why it’s important that you let your personality shine through in your posts and don’t hold back. As well as writing posts about your chosen topic, write about your life in general as well. Even if you don’t think it’s that exciting, people will like to hear about it.

Good Quality Pictures

The content of the posts themselves is important but people respond to visual stimulus a lot more than they do written content. That’s why it’s so important that you use good quality photos on all of your posts. When people are scrolling through your site or looking at your social media feed, it’s the photos that will catch their eye first. Always make sure you’re using photos on all of your posts and ensure the quality is good. It’s worth investing a bit of money in a decent camera so you’re not just taking pictures on your phone for the blog.

Security

Security is something that bloggers often forget about but it’s important because you hold a lot of information about your readers. You might have their names and emails on an email list and if you’re selling products through the blog, you might even have their credit card details. That’s why it’s so important that you protect yourself online and you give readers a safe way to log in to your site. Jumio provides a safe customer experience by using a facial recognition service. It’s far safer than using a standard password and makes them feel safer about using your blog. You also need to get a good firewall and keep it updated to protect yourself from any hacking attacks. If readers don’t feel like their information is being protected properly, they’re not going to keep visiting your site.

Usability

How many times have you been on a website that takes ages to load? How many times did you stick around and wait for it to work? Probably never, and most people would do the same. If your blog is frustrating to use then people aren’t going to keep using it. Slow loading times are the biggest problem and there are a couple of different reasons for it. Often, it’s just because you’ve got too much going on. If you’ve got a page packed full of pictures and videos with loads of stuff down the sidebar, it’ll take ages to load. Less is more here, just stick to the essentials and make sure that the page loads quickly. Sometimes, the template that you pick for your blog can load slowly so if you’re having problems, that’s the first thing to change. Always make sure that you’ve got a clear menu bar as well so people can easily find what they need.

Great content is at the heart of a successful blog but it’s not the only thing you need. You’ve got to get all of these other elements right as well.

Unexpected Expenses that You Need to Start Planning for Now

Sometimes, life can be expensive. After all, you have to pay for your car, electricity, gas and even water rates. You also need to take into account the cost of your insurance and even grocery shopping. It’s very easy for things like this to get out of hand, and when an unexpected expense hits, it can devastate your finances.

Car Repairs

You never really expect your car to break down. It is easily one of the most inconvenient expenses and this is especially the case if you rely heavily on your vehicle. It’s so important that you plan on your car having issues by setting aside an emergency fund. You can also perform maintenance on your car to try and make sure that it doesn’t break down as often. This can include oil changes and even rotating the tires. This will help to reduce the cost of a repair and it can also help you to make sure that you are continually staying on top of the little things.

Medical Expenses

When a medical emergency comes up, you have to make sure that you address the problem quickly. If you don’t then you may end up paying even more at a later date. For this reason, you need to look into Medicare gap insurance. This will help you to avoid any expenses and it will also help you to get the medical support you need. Of course, it’s also a good idea for you to look into having a medical emergency fund as well, just in case your insurance doesn’t cover you for everything.

Utility Bills

Your utility bill will probably skyrocket at certain times of the year. If you want to try and stop things like this from happening then it is so important that you set your thermostat. This will stop your heating from coming on when you are not in the house and it will also give you a much higher level of control over your usage. When it gets to winter, you probably will end up paying more in heating bills anyway so it’s important that you account for this as well.

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Car Insurance

Car insurance companies will usually offer you a discount if you pay your premium in full. This may save money but it also means that you will have a huge bill when you least expect it. One way for you to try and stop this from happening would be for you to put a reminder in your phone every week. You can then put a set amount away and save up for it gradually, meaning that you won’t experience as much of a hit to your finances when the time comes for you to pay your bill.


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Pet Emergencies

If you have a pet and you don’t have pet insurance then this is a huge mistake. You don’t always know when something is going to happen to your pet, and major operations can cost a small fortune. You can try and protect your pet by scheduling regular vet appointments, but it does help to have an emergency pet plan in place so that you can prepare for the worst should something happen.