Nicole

Meal Plan Monday (1/9/17-1/15/2017)

Happy Monday, savvy savers! This week is starting off to a sunny and quiet start here in Dixie.

This week’s menu will again reflect our need to eat down our food stockpile. As we are having to consume everything we have on-hand first, we did not purchase anything new this week. This menu will feed a family of three.

Monday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Ham salad spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Spiral Honey Crockpot Ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and rolls leftovers.
Dessert: Gluten-free dark chocolate brownies.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Ham salad spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Taco Salad and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Gluten-Free Brownie ice-cream sandwiches.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Ham and cheese sliders, with Crystal light lemonade.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Quick & Easy Weeknight Chili and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Gluten-Free brownie ice cream sandwiches.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Crockpot Chicken Curry; steamed peas, steamed rice, and crystal light leftovers.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Chicken meatballs, green beans, and quinoa.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Ham, egg, and cheese sliders, with almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Paleo Pizza and crystal light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal, with Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Chicken mole, served with steamed rice, corn, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies.

Sunday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal, with Almond milk.
Lunch: Paleo Zucchini Pasta with Spicy Shrimp Marinara and Crystal Light.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Smoked chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and rolls.
Dessert: Neapolitan Strawberry Trifle.

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Welcome to this week’s Happiness is Homemade Linky Party

Hello again, everyone! Welcome to this week’s Happiness is Homemade Linky Party!

This Week’s Features

Geometric Coasters With Cork and Vintage Mason Jar Lids – Refresh Living

Paleo Balls of Fire – My Suburban Kitchen

Crochet Hat for Amercan Girl Dolls w FREE Pattern – Creatively Homemade

Spinach Dip Bread Bowl Recipes – Just 2 Sisters

Meet Your Hosts

Want to follow us?

Just click on each circle to connect to our blogs!!

The rules are really simple! Make sure you visit a few other blogs and make some new friends along the way. Feel free to link up your favorite recipes, crafts or your latest DIY project. We want you you share it all! As always, please make sure to follow your hosts and co-hosts!! Link up your posts, make some friends, and earn the chance to be featured at Happiness Is Homemade Link Party! We will feature the favorite posts each week!

Disclaimer: Adding your link to this link party gives permission to all 12 Hosts, along with any co-hosts, guest hosts, and participants of Happiness Is Homemade, to share your posts and pictures via social media and as features, roundups, etc. with an explicit link back to your original source. Therefore, linking up you agree to allow us to use your images on each of our blogs in features relating to Happiness is Homemade Link Party.

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7 Ways to Prevent Flu & Cold This Winter

When it comes to cold and flu season the old adage is true, that an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure. So are we are currently in the midst of one of the worst flu season’s on record, it’s more important than ever to find ways to prevent flu and cold symptoms in our lives, especially in our homes this season. So with this in mind, here are seven tips to help you prevent Flu & Cold this winter!

Wash your hands often: And you have to do better than a quick rinse under the faucet. Rub your hands together with soap and warm water vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Paying attention not to forget the areas between your fingers and under your nails, and then pat your hands dry. And remember, keep your hands away from your nose, mouth, and face to help to prevent illness.

Sanitize surfaces: Stopping the spread of germs means making sure you clean and disinfect hard surfaces such as countertops, tables, refrigerator handles, doorknobs, and faucets in your home. Also, don’t forget TV remotes, computers, laptops, tablets, toys, and phones, too. Some germs can live in these spots, in small creases for up to 24 hours, so make sure you clean with a disinfectant or disinfecting wipes, or 1/4 cup of vinegar mixed with 1 gallon of water and 10 drops of lavender essential oil.

Steer clear of the sick: It can be tough to completely avoid a sick person in your house, especially if you’re a caretaker. But sometimes the best thing you can do to stay well is to keep your distance. If you can, give the sick person their own room for sleeping and relaxing. Stock it with the items they’ll need, like tissues, a trash can, medicine, and bottles of water. And limit their guests, so that the only person who should go in and out of the sick room is the person taking care of them.

Pamper your immune system: Your body does a remarkable job protecting you from illnesses most of the time, eating lots of fruits and veggies, and making sure you get plenty of rest, can help you out as well. Also making sure to add daily exercise, keeping stress in check, and limiting alcohol as well.

Close your toilet lid before flushing: You really should put the toilet seat down. No really! While it may put some household arguments to rest, the real reason to close the toilet lid is a phenomenon known as a toilet plume. When you flush a toilet, the swirling water that removes your waste from the bowl also mixes with small particles of that waste, shooting aerosolized feces and urine into the air. Low-flow toilets have decreased this risk but have not eliminated this and as aerosol plumes can reach as high as 15 feet, closing the lid is a must!

Get a flu shot: While this may be controversial to some, it’s also worth noting that getting a flu shot is still one of the surest ways to stay well each cold and flu season. Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination, antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common illness this season. As the vaccine is different every year, so it’s vital to make sure yours is up-to-date each season.

Don’t overshare: One of the best ways to prevent cold and flu at home is by not sharing food or drinks, cups, utensils, or towels with people who are sick in your home. Also, don’t forget to throw out toothbrushes after everyone gets well and to keep a sick person’s toothbrush separate from the rest of your family’s. They can be a breeding ground for germs. A great tip? Trade out plastic toothbrushes for naturally antimicrobial, compostable toothbrushes. As well, don’t let anyone share pillows and blankets with anyone who is sick, and they should have their own bedding, in their own space in the house. Then, once he’s better, wash everything he used. Same goes for toys and playtimes, too!

So, friends, those are 7 tips to help prevent cold and flu symptoms at home this season. While you may not be able to prevent every illness under the sun from coming into your home this season, these tips may be able to help you and your family stay healthier at home just the same! So, do you have any tips for preventing cold and flu this winter? I’d love to hear about them below if you do!

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7 Things I’ll Stop Buying Into in 2017

Minimalism has changed me. What began as just a project to simply own less stuff has changed the way I view myself and the world around me in new and immeasurable ways.

My most significant change? The way I reevaluated how society defines success and how I define my own image of myself as a successful person. Too often, those who make the world go round are said to have the ability to spend the most, use even more resources, pay the least into the safety net, and keep the rest for themselves. This is our society’s archetype of success.

But this is no longer how I view success. Some of the best people I know would not be regarded as successful in worldly terms—precisely because they have decided to focus their efforts and resources on fewer material things.

These people are far too rare—or at least, they do not get enough of the recognition I believe they deserve.

Instead, it seems ingrained in us all the desire to gain the admiration of others. Because of that, many people will compromise their greater moral compass to justify gaining access to the facade of temporal, worldly success.

I think it is important for us to no longer take the bait—to no longer lavish accolades and social construct on those who flaunt selfish temporary pursuits.

To that end, because of how my view of the world and its people has begun to change, I will offer a short list of 7 things that no longer impress me and that I have stopped buying into this last year:

The brand name of my clothing. Manufacturing practices are important. So is quality, fit, and a company’s stance on ethics and worker’s rights. So why the name printed on the outside of the shirt should matter, I will never understand. Too often, people will go out of their way to pay a premium just for the privilege of becoming a walking billboard for companies who in turn do not support their gender, family structure, moral compass, lifestyle choices, or who publicly promote size bias. All of which is beyond me. I am no longer impressed by the logo on your shirt, your handbag, your makeup palette, your tennis shoes, or the face of your watch. Instead, I am choosing to admire those who are confident in timeless fashion and seek to make an impression based on their character and their countenance.

The number of karats in others jewelry. One of the most important lessons I learned while missioning in Africa is that sometimes all that glitters is not gold. Far too many of the world’s diamonds are mined using practices that exploit workers, children, and communities. Worse still, many miners are dying in undocumented accidents, child labor is widespread, and corrupt leaders are depriving diamond mining communities of funds badly needed for basic living conditions such as running water, sanitation, and vaccinations. It’s also worth noting that small-scale mining, which produces about 15% of the world’s diamonds, often pay workers under $1.00 a day in wages for products that sell at market numbers in excess of hundreds of thousands of dollars. So for me, there is no excuse to buy such products. Not for weddings, not for push presents, not just because you vlog. So unless you are a geologist or a curator at the British Antiquities museum, the size of the rock on someone’s finger, is useless, tacky information.

The price of your car. The goal of any vehicle is to safely transport persons from Point A to Point B. Reliability is important, as is the comfort and convenience they provide. But most luxury cars do not sell reliability or the family of proud workers who design, assemble, and manufacture those automobiles, but instead seek to appeal to a different motivation, that of classism and elitism. Appealing marketing that speaks to our inner needs to broadcast success and wealth. Our need to get noticed—if only by strangers for 60 seconds at a red light while becoming heavily indebted to lending companies as a result. To this I say: The sexiest car you can own is the one that has long since been paid for.

The square footage of others’ homes. Houses provide shelter and opportunity for stability. They represent an investment in both our finances and our neighborhoods as a whole. I have personally experienced the pride that comes from providing and creating a home for my family. But several years ago, my husband and I intentionally chose to downsize our lifestyle, move to a smaller 2,500 square foot home. We did so to pay less annual millage and to have fewer home repairs and upkeep. We also plan to purchase an even smaller home in the years to come. And to this day, when I drive past our family’s former much large house, the only thing I can think of is how much happier we are in a small one. So for me, new construction and newly flipped homes just don’t impress me much.

The dollars in everyone else’s bank account. The ultimate measure of success in our world today is personal wealth. Incidentally, we are not the first—this standard holds true from the beginning of time. But I’m starting to wonder if we have been using the wrong measure. Maybe the number of dollars in a bank account is not the greatest measurement of success. Maybe instead, the amount of good we are able to accomplish with our lives is a truer measure of success. So while I appreciate you letting me know how much you can earn per year or berating me for not being on your level, in terms of economic progress, instead I’d love to know how many others you helped lift up along your journey, what your academic accomplishments are, and how much free time you have to enjoy the fruits of your labors with friends and family. I want to hear your ideas on hope, joy, and personal sustainability, and how those ideas shaped your plan for lasting economic wealth. As the adage goes, a man will die but not his ideas.

The model of someone’s cell phone. Just the other day, I was spending time standing in the checkout lane of a grocery store. One of the most repeated conversations I overheard was others constant comparison of technology. “Which iPhone do you have? or What iWatch is that? And guess who just got a new iPad for her birthday?” It was alarming to hear children under the age of 10 being seduced into comparison and commercialism when it came to battery-powered electronics. And as much as I wanted to blame and correct them, I was reminded that we adults are no that different. If we are not comparing cell phones, we are often lusting after faster computers, gaming systems, or television screens. Even as women, I cannot tell you how many Facebook groups are devoted to the debate over Pressure Cooker XL vs. Instapot, the Bluetooth edition! This year I want to focus on electronics that help my business, my blogging, and to help keep my family safe. No more, no less.

The age of others retirement. Retirement is the ultimate goal for most. Unfortunately, this creates an attitude that sees the greatest goal of work is to remove ourselves from it. I think that approach is short-sighted and fails to recognize the fulfillment that can be found not in work, but in a meaningful, lasting career. Even more than this, how often is the age of someone’s retirement is based on factors outside of anyone’s control—The rise and fall of the stock market, tenure, employment packages, and contract. And this doesn’t even begin to count those who will continue working late in life because they have graciously used their financial resources to bless others through volunteerism, mentorship, and work in the non-profit sector. While my husband and I both have a designated retirement age set, I will no longer be using the high life of the centenarian elite as a gauge to view the end of my own days of employment and occupation.

The photos on others social media account. Almost everyone posts flattering images and experiences of themselves online—from new clothes and restaurant dishes to local concerts and blogger swag. These images are closely guarded and selected routinely airbrushed, cropped, flipped, edited, and scheduled. Images that portray only the most exciting parts of our lives. With foolish abandon, we blame Photoshop and Pinterest for perpetuating those unattainable images of perfection while simultaneously editing and photoshopping our own lives for social media to emulate the same. While as a blogger I see the necessity of many of these photos, in terms of netting a larger social media following and increasing our stance as online entrepreneurs and media influencers, yet somehow it still feels hollow and undeserved. This year I’m making a personal commitment to love images for what they truly are, beautiful, engaging, income generating captions of moments long since gone by. I’m vowing to be less envious and a little less salty too, when it comes to viewing the photos on the social media accounts of others.

So, friends, those are the 7 things that I stopped buying into in 2017. Let’s stop trying to impress others with the things that we own. Let’s hold each other accountable in finding purpose and pleasure in ourselves. And to start inspiring others with the lives that we live, as we are each and every unperfected, unairbrushed day. If there is something you would love to stop buying into this year, be sure to let me know below!

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Welcome to this week’s Happiness is Homemade Linky Party

Welcome to the first Happiness Is Homemade Link Party of 2017!

Did you miss us? We missed you! We can hardly wait to see the creative ideas you have stored up to share with us this week but do you remember our party from 3 weeks ago? These features are a few of the many great posts we found at that party!

This Week’s Features

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes – Simply Stacie

Embroidered Cork Gingerbread Ornaments – Flamingo Toes

Celtic Weave Fingerless Gloves – Over The Apple Tree

Roasted Beet Blue Cheese Tart – My Suburban Kitchen

Meet Your Hosts

Want to follow us?

Just click on each circle to connect to our blogs!

The rules are really simple! Make sure you visit a few other blogs and make some new friends along the way. Feel free to link up your favorite recipes, crafts or your latest DIY project. We want you to share it all! As always, please make sure to follow your hosts and co-hosts! Link up your posts, make some friends, and earn the chance to be featured at Happiness Is Homemade Link Party! We will feature the favorite posts each week!

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My 5 Goals For 2017 (My year of truth!)

I debated a lot about goals for 2017. Not because I didn’t want to set them, but because I have such a driven personality that I knew that I could easily set goals that would throw me off from my plan to make 2017 a year of truth.

I had to ask myself and my husband, “How do I pair having a year of truth with goal-setting for my blog, business, and home life?” And then I had to really let myself mull over the answer for a few weeks. Several in fact. Then I finally decided that I would pick only a few small obtainable goals that would inspire, refresh, and renew me.

If you’ve known me longer than a few minutes you’ll know that I’m the master at picking goals that will challenge me as a person. In fact, I generally love nothing more than regularly having a big challenge to tackle. But this year, I’m just tired of difficulty and strife. Call it a result of our nation’s current political climate or just my angst at the end of my first true fiscal year as a working blogger, I’m a little over a great many things. And any goal that involves a challenge to my sensibilities and true self will likely exhaust me.

So I chose goals that sounded inspiring and motivating to only little ole me — while at the same time peppering my annual goal list with a few tasks that would encourage me to be more exacting and intentional in my priorities.

Now, let me be crystal clear: Sometimes it’s really good to choose goals that will challenge us to work really, really, really hard. Sometimes we need to be reminded to be in a season of hustle. Some will need to set those kinds of goals this year, and that’s always going to be fistbump worthy.

So if you need to get out of debt, or to start that business, or to tackle that huge dream board project, do that first!

But there are also some of us who need to choose much simpler and smaller goals. Tailored goals. Goals that aren’t going to make us feel like we need to work, plot, execute, and delegate from dusk to dawn when we’re already tired and worn out from the minute our feet hit the floor each day.

So if you’re in one of those seasons of fatigue, I challenge you to choose goals that will enrich and refresh you. That’s what I kept in mind when I chose these following goals.

My Goals for 2017:

Motherhood – Continue with TTC and expanding our family, naturally.

Marriage – Have a 3-hour date night with Daniel at home each week.

Myself – End my workdays by 3pm each workday, continue working on my novel, read for 1 hour daily, workout 3 days each week, and drink two quarts of water per day.

My home – Consistency. In meal planning, cultivating a recipe collection, morning and evening routines, zero-waste living, cash envelope usage when shopping, and 1-hour daily cleaning schedule.

My blog, TheLadyPrefers2Save.com — Create and publish 1 e-book on savings, create an effective media schedule each week, time block 3 hours each weekday to blogging and business activities, and double my live streaming and video production, exposure, and presence online.

And that’s it! I carefully chose each of these goals considering what would be best for our family, for this current season of life, and that would encourage me to keep my commitment to make this a year of truth.

How & Why I Chose These Goals:

People often ask me how to figure out what goals to set, and how I know exactly how to decide on priorities is often by just walking around my home and taking a temperature of how my life is working, what needs addressing, and how these changes will affect my family, and myself, in the months to come. I then base my goals based upon those priorities.

My current priorities are mothering, my marriage, myself, my home, and the business. With these priorities in mind, I chose an area in each of those categories that I really want to improve in and around my current routines in those same categories. Then, I polished up my goal list by turning my list into a very specific and measurable goal. Things that could clearly define my year to come.

Motherhood Goal: Continue with TTC and expanding our family, naturally. This goal is very personal to me for obvious reasons. While my husband and I both have a heart for adoption, we have decided to take some time and see where things can develop naturally on their own. With several setbacks, including two miscarriages this year, we are looking to enjoy our time together and not focus on deadlines and sorrow. I’m just not ready to give up this dream. While not wanting to not lift up and enrich the lives of those who we love in our lives now, kiddos and fuzzies alike, my husband and I are hopeful that the Lord and Mother Nature will be good to use in 2017.

Marriage Goal: Have a 3-hour date night with Daniel at home each week. My husband and I talked about this and asked each other, “What goal would inspire us each week? What would be a goal that would be good for me as an introvert who often feels that the world is simply too peoply out there? What change could really impact our marriage?”

After some discussion, we came up with the goal of having Have a 3-hour date night at home each week. This could be for a simple movie night. Or it could be a hey look, I’m cooking for you tonight kind of thing. It doesn’t matter what it is, what matters is that it’s at least 3 hours per week, sans kiddos, fuzzies, friends, and the internet, and it’s just the two of us.

After three years of not having a lot of purposed us time, we recently started dedicating time to spend together and it’s really been great for the health of our marriage. Yes, it required effort to make it happen, but it was so worth the effort.

We got to get away from all of the usual responsibilities of life and just have fun together, hang out together, experience new things together, and just talk. It was so good. It’s been refreshing. Even if it’s just me hearing about my husband’s favorite new podcast or me rattling on about a new way to remove plastic from our zero-waste home.

Goals for Myself: End my workdays by 3pm each workday, continue working on my novel, read for 1 hour daily, workout 3 days each week, and drink two quarts of water per day. While I know this is sort of an interesting goal, or rather goals, and you may be wondering why I would choose them. Some of you might even be thinking, “Why on earth would she pick such odd goals?”

Truth be told, at first, I felt almost a little bit embarrassed to put it out there that I had set a personal goal to end my workday at 3pm every day. But when I was thinking about goals, I realized this was something that would not only give me the opportunity to set the temperature of my home each day before my family returns home each afternoon at 4:30 but also to give me the downtime and self-care I desperately needed.

This goal is something I could use in many different ways as I cannot tell you home many times I have ended my blogging sessions only to find myself right back on my computer scheduling this or that only to turn around at it was 11pm! For me, 12-hour blogging days need to come to an end! I’m going to intentionally devote a lot of time this year to time blocking and the old adage of working smarter, and not harder in 2017.

While I am a small blogger, someone who will always have to create meaningful content, pertinent social media coverage, and hustle to get pitch letters to wherever and whomever they need to be sent to, I still need to have a life. After all, do any of you really believe in bloggers who aren’t living lives of truth and intentionality? I know I sure don’t.

Most importantly, are the three other goals in this subsection, my true gifts to myself: To continue working on my novel, read for 1 hour daily, workout 3 days each week, and drink two quarts of water per day.

For those who may not know, I have been toying with the idea of writing about my experiences of growing up in an LGBTQ home and the aftermath of losing one of my guardians in a highly publicized hate crime at the age of seventeen. Events that shaped my early 20’s. Events that need to be written and shared with others. And this is the year that I’m holding my own feet to the fire and sharing that part of my story. My truth.

While as a Christian I have long feared the backlash that may come with recanting my life, however at the end of the day I just don’t care what others feel about this matter. And it’s none of my business what others think of me as well.

More importantly, I’m tired of feeling numb. I’m exhausted by the suppression. The fear of losing readers, influence, and income. The fear of offending women of a conservative nature, women who might continue to read my blog but judge me for my upbringing, for embracing my family of choice. But I’ve also learned a valuable lesson in 2016: Those women are not my base, they are not my tribe. Their opinions do not define me or my blog.

In all honestly, I’ve put a lot of thought and prayer into my decision to write this story. So for those who likely will not stick around to see how the details of this book will unfold, I lovingly acknowledge your position. But do note: I am my story and my story is my blog.

It’s also worth noting that my personal truths mean more to me than this blog. And if you don’t care for my story and my family, including my family of choice, I encourage you can unsubscribe to this blog, opt to not purchase my future book (because the book will be written), and frankly, kiss my ass. I’m a little tired of self-suppression, and that’s where I will leave this sentiment for now. So yeah, starting my novel, that’s one of my personal goals for 2017.

I am also setting the goals of reading for pleasure for 1 hour daily. It goes without saying that as a blogger you receive a lot of books to review for work, many unsolicited. This often leaves you with little time for pleasure reading. In 2017, I’m going to be uber-selective in titles I publically review and devote 1 hour daily to reading selections from my local public library (for which I’ve created a new to-read memo on my online library account this very week) and to clean out my must-read list on my OverDrive App. This also included reading at least two titles from the 2017 banned books list when it comes out in late September of 2017.

Finally, I will be working on physical self-care and improvement by way of creating a workout schedule for 3 days each week and drinking two quarts of water per day. While many days this might be catching up on Youtube subscriptions or podcasts while treadmilling, it will get done. And when it comes to water, pray for me friends, I mean… water over Diet Dr. Pepper. Sigh. It’s got to happen this year. Finally.

By the way, I’m going to be posting on my Instagram account daily in 2017, sharing some of my daily events to keep myself accountable and hopefully to inspire someone else, who may need help in the same areas as well.

My home: This year I’m seeking just one thing, consistency. Consistency in meal planning and cultivating a recipe collection, for staying power when it comes to sticking with a working morning and evening routine and pushing forward with zero-waste and minimalist living, with saving for a rental property and remembering to use and bring a cash envelope system when shopping, and mandating a personal 1-hour daily cleaning schedule each weekday. This is one category I’m going to have to work at each and every day.

My blog: In terms of blogging, my goal setting this year was once again multi-tiered. First, I want to create and publish 1 e-book on savings by summer. My second goal is to create an effective media schedule each week. This will allow me to time to accomplish my next goal, time blocking 3 hours each weekday to blogging and business activities. Something I desperately need to do. Again working smarter and not harder.

Finally, I will be amping up my live streaming and video production, exposure, and presence online.

Since I’ve cleared my schedule of a lot of clutter, I’ll have the time to devote to creating, filming, and creating more content for my Youtube account. I’m not going to push myself to have to get it out at a certain time but I’m going to aim to consistently edit and finish a single video of 10 minutes or more one weekly on the site. We’ll see how things pan out!

You see, for a long time I’ve dreaded being seen online by others. I’m very self-conscious about my weight. Having gone from being 115 lbs. to becoming over double this weight, has been deflating my ego. But those are my issues, my insecurities, and as much as I would love for the world to understand what PCOS, two ankle surgeries, a sedentary work schedule, depression, self-loathing, and apathy will do to one’s waistline, those are my issues.

While I’m still losing weight I can’t let the age of live streaming, blogging business streams, and chances for connection and engagement to slip out of my reach because of childish reasons. Besides, most of the people I’ve encountered online are some of the most encouraging, uplifting people on the planet. So, trolls be damned, right?

So that’s it, friends. My 5 Goals for my Year of Truth! So now I have to ask, what are YOUR goals for 2017? I’d love to hear! Leave a comment and let me know all about them!

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Soothe Winter Aches & Pains with Salonpas

Disclaimer: I received these products, and giveaway, free of charge, from Salonpas, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post.

With the emergence of colder weather comes the need for tedious end-of-season yard work. From raking leaves to putting away patio furniture, there is always something to do around the home. How many of have put on our weekend warrior badges, crossed off every task on our honey-do-lists, only to find that we have overdone it, and now our backs are in searing pain? We’ve all been there, and it’s horrid!

Then in an attempt to get back to life in general, we often reach for OTC pain relievers, but as this is not always the best, or healthiest, solution, we are often left without a real solution to our temporary back pain issues. Luckily, there is a solution as Salonpas is can be your new solution for pain management, with its full line of topical analgesic products- creams, gels, sprays and patches.

What’s awesome about Salonpas is that you are able to put medicine right at the site of your pain, bypassing the stomach and liver, allowing Salonpas to not only use less medicine to deliver an effective dose but to also give you exacting self-care right from the comfort of your own home. And anything that helps keep you comfortable and enjoying your holiday season is a must in my book!

The Salonpas products are great for sore muscles, simple backaches, muscle strains, joint discomfort like a stiff neck or arthritis pain, sprains and even common bruises! We were recently sent a care package to check out, and within a week we had injuries to do home trials on thanks to our old friend, Murphy’s Law, or as my husband calls it, leaf clean-up.

We received the Salonpas Pain Relieving Jet Spray, perfect for immediate relief when you first get an injury. The smaller nozzle helps you to get the spray exactly where you need it and provides you with a cooling, soothing sensation for up to 8 hours of targeted relief! I found this great for shoulder injuries, as it immediately freezes your pain and stops it in its tracks.

We were also sent the Salonpas DEEP Relieving Gel. A product absorbs quickly into your skin and immediately rushes its three active ingredients, camphor, menthol, and methyl salicylate, which works quickly yo target the source of your pain, providing up to 8 hours of deep penetrating, effective pain relief.

We also received the Salonpas Pain Relief Patch, the first and only FDA-Approved OTC topical pain patch for the temporary relief of mild to moderate and provides pain relief for up to 12 hours! Its contains two powerful pain fighting ingredients, menthol, and methyl salicylate, which works in tandem to immediately provide relief to areas when applied. The patch is a generous size of 3×4, ample enough to cover injuries of various sizes, and with 5 patches per box, so you can always have one on hand!

(salonpas hot patch backing)

Finally, we were sent was the Salonpas Pain Relieving GEL-Patch HOT-L, made for larger injuries, like shoulder, full knee, lower and upper back injuries. This new patch utilizes Gel Patch technology with two powerful pain fighting ingredients: Menthol for immediate cooling and the soothing power of Capsaicin for long lasting, deep penetrating pain relief.

Additional products in the Salonpas line include their Original Small and Large patches, Hot Patches, and their Arthritis Patch, all quality products great for acute pain and inflamed injuries alike. Also worth nothing, you can find Salonpas at your local drugstore, box store, and pharmacy, making this product available to most communities nationwide!

I encourage you all to check out this new like of Salanpas products this cold weather season. Consider giving those near and dear to you the gift of lasting pain relief. So, friends, I have to ask, have you used Salanpas in the past, and if so, which is your go-to Salanpas product for lasting pain relief? I’d love to hear about it below!

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