Orglamix & Wicked Good Review

Traveling is the perfect time to test out new beauty products.  It’s fun to experiment with new looks and see how long they last when you’re out having adventures.  Beauty boxes, like Orglamix, give you fun surprises each month that you can bring along on your trips.  As if we weren’t already thrilled to be receiving their box, they also offered us a box from their sister company, Wicked Good, a perfume subscription box!

What do I love about this box?

I used to not care what was in my cosmetics, but in the past few years I have started paying close attention to the ingredients.  I love that Orglamix prides itself on having clean cosmetics with 100% natural ingredients.  Their makeup is also cruelty-free, which is extremely important to me.

What comes in each box?

Each month they hand-pick trendsetting new eye shadow colors, cult favorites and cutting-edge beauty products and ship them to you.  When you sign up for Orglamix, every month you’ll receive a 4-6 expertly curated, good-for-you, artisan products including: non-toxic cosmetics, natural and sustainable, cruelty-free goods that you won’t find in any other subscription box.

What did we get?

Our theme was POOL PARTY!!!

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Review of Simple Loose Tea

As many of you know, I drink a cup of tea every day.  Some days I drink it in the morning for a burst of caffeine, some days I drink it iced cold in the afternoon, and some nights I enjoy a hot cup of tea in bed. I love trying different types of tea from around the world, and now with Simple Loose Leaf Tea subscription box you can let your taste buds travel around the world without leaving your couch.  Let me show you a peek at their box…

What do I love about this box?

I love that they are a family run company that likes to share their passion for tea. Brewing tea can actually be quite hard to do because they all require different methods. Simple Loose Tea makes it easy to brew the perfect cup of tea because each packet of tea has information about that specific tea.  For example, it gives you the origin of the tea, whether it has caffeine, how long to brew it, what temperature to brew it, and how much loose tea to use for a cup.

I also love that you can see through the back of each packet.

What comes in each Simple Loose Leaf Box?

EACH BOX INCLUDES

4 new hand-selected premium loose leaf teas

10 grams (0.35oz) of each loose leaf tea

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20 Tips for Hiking with Kids During COVID-19

 

20 Tips for Hiking with Kids mytravelingkids.com

It has been a long, exhausting few months all across the country and many of us are struggling with how to adapt to this “new normal.”  There are many activities that are off the list for now, but there are still plenty of activities to do as a family.  Here is an article I wrote last summer… but have added some tips that are appropriate for COVID-19 times.  So grab your hiking boots and head out for a hike! 

Spring is in the air and it’s the perfect time to go on a hike.  To avoid a hike filled with whining, it helps to plan a bit. Check out these 20 Tips for Hiking with Kids:

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Review of Merkaela Wellness Box

The world can be a scary time right now, and I have to admit that I’ve been feeling quite anxious.  I’ve noticed that while in social isolation, it has been helpful to practice meditation and self-care.  Getting my mind in a peaceful place helps with my outlook on the world.  I was thrilled to work with Merkaela, an all-natural health and wellness quarterly subscription box and could not wait to get a peek at their box.

What do I love about this box?

I love that all of Merkaela’s products are hand-made in Orlando, Florida and they use ingredients you can actually pronounce. Their botanical products are made using toxic-free, nutrient-rich essential oils, butter, natural herbs, and other healthy ingredients.  These products provide you with everything you need to be on your way to a holistic approach to a clear mind, body, and spirit.

What comes in each Merkaela box?

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Simply Earth Subscription Box Review

Ever since college, I’ve loved using essential oils.  However, I only use them in diffusers. I’ve started learning more about the many things you could do with them, so I was thrilled to collaborate with Simply Earth subscription box.  I like to use clean products around my family and pets, and essential oils can be used to create many of these.  Finally, a box that gives me all the ingredients and recipes to create these for my home.  This box was so much fun and I would 100% recommend it for families!

What do I love about Simply Earth Subscription Box?

Every month, their box will teach you many things you can do with essential oils.  I love that the oils are clean, and free of filters, fragrances, and contaminants.  Did you know that there are many fake oils out there?  Some even contain contaminants like pesticides.  With this box, you don’t have to worry if the oils are clean because they’ve already done the work for you by using oils sources from small, ethical farms.

What comes in each box?

4 full-size therapeutic grade pure essential oils

Supplies and recipes to create 6 natural home, body, and wellness products

What did we get?

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Yoga Nidra

In the last year, I have become more and more interested in finding methods for relaxation (meditation, deep breathing, etc) and have been wanting to devote more time into doing it.  It seems like such a simple task, but in yoga, I can’t seem to ever turn my mind off during savasana.  So, I figured since I have nothing but time on my hand, along with a ton of anxiety, I would expand my search.  First stop…YOGA NIDRA.

WHAT IS YOGA NIDRA?

Through the use of body sensing, breath awareness, guided imagery and other practices, you are systematically guided on a meditation journey. You remain in a state of relaxed awareness, but not sleep.

HAVE I DONE IT BEFORE?

Yes.  I actually love doing it at home when my friend Becky leads them in a salon that has a salt cave.  (Local friends…if you haven’t done this you NEED to check it out!  Email me for more info.)  It is so relaxing! A few weeks ago, Becky offered a virtual class so I was able to do it from my own living room.

WHAT PROPS DO YOU NEED FOR IT?

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Ways to Stay Positive During Social Isolation

Life is pretty crazy right now and certainly not anything we ever expected to happen in our lives.  Remote learning, social isolation, and fear have overtaken our lives.  I’m an anxious person and I can get pretty frantic if I work myself up by thinking about it all day, so after a week of freaking out, I decided to add some normalcy to our lives and realized positive thinking and creativity would make our days memorable.  We are using this time together to bond as a family and do things we complain about not having time to do when we’re in our “real lives.”

I plan on using this time on my blog to share strategies that have been working for us and encourage people to make the most out of this situation.  We have been calling it our Corona-cation in our house.    I’ll be touching on each of these more thoroughly as the weeks go on.  We’re all in this together! I’m loving all the feedback from everyone telling me what they’ve been doing and sending links and suggestions.  Please keep it up!

Hope your family is staying healthy and happy!

STAY POSITIVE AND ENJOY THIS TIME TOGETHER

No one knows how long this will last and it’s very easy to become overwhelmed.  I know I can be pretty bitchy when I’m anxious and I tend to take it out on the people I love.  Now is the time to stay positive and encourage your family to do the same.  I try to stop my kids from fighting, and suggest we all do something fun together.  I have only 4 more years with my oldest and 6 with my youngest and I’m loving every day I get to have them all to myself.

GET OUTSIDE

Make sure you get outside EVERY day, even if you don’t want to.  I find the hardest part is just getting your sneakers on and walking out the door.  Go for walks, play some basketball in your driveway, do some sidewalk chalk, or just have a picnic if the weather is nice. (Obviously..avoid other people.)

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20 Books to Read While You’re Home

Since we are all spending so much time indoors, we can often feel trapped.  What’s the perfect escape? A good book!  Books are a great way to travel the world without leaving your back porch.  The first place I turn when I need a good book (besides to Oprah) are my friends and family.

Here are 20 books they’ve recommended for you.

Happy reading! Stay home and stay healthy!

Everything I never Told You

By: Celeste Ng

Recommended by:  yours truly!

 Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.

The Great Alone

By: Kristin Hannah

Recommended by:  Laura

In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own.

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Make Your Hotel Stay into a Wellness Retreat

Some vacations entail running from attraction to attraction, which result in coming home exhausted, sleep deprived, and regretful of all the junk I ate.  However, some vacations are meant for relaxation,  taking the time to recharge, and an indulgence in self-care.  Sure, it would be great to fly to Arizona to spend the night at a wellness resort, but that may not be realistic. With some creativity, you can turn any hotel stay into a wellness retreat.

Here are 10 Ways to Turn Your Hotel Stay into a Wellness Retreat:

USE THE SPA

Nothing relaxes me more than some pampering, so I try to find a hotel that has its own spa.  I like spas that offers unique treatments I haven’t tried before.  I love when they use local ingredients like blueberry massage oil when staying in Maine and salt scrubs when staying near the ocean. Book yourself a soothing treatment or two.

VISIT THE POOL

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Latest Article on Thrive Global: Tips for Getting a Perfect Massage

Lying face down on a comfortable table with a soft blanket draped over your back, you look around at the candles illuminating the dimly-lit room as you let the soothing spa music lull you into a tranquil state of relaxation.  This is my happy place, and it’s my favorite way to relax and recharge.  There are a few things you can do to make your massage experience perfect!

Click here to take a peek at the article!