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Reasons To Avoid Planning Meals

Have you heard about meal planning lately? Families are busy and getting busier all the time. As families work on getting organized, many home managers are turning to meal planning as a way to eliminate the evening stress in their homes.

However, meal planning is not for everyone. Here are eight reasons why meal planning just may be a terrible idea for you and your family.

1. You enjoy eating unhealthy fast-food three to five times per week.

2. You love the taste of pre-packaged preservative packed frozen convenience food.

3. Spending $200 and 2 hours at the grocery store, only to come home to discover that there is nothing to cook for dinner is one of your favorite things to do.

4. You enjoy the stress of running around like crazy at dinner time trying to figure out what to cook while your children and husband are hungry and crabby.

5. You like your food rut of spaghetti, hot dogs, pizza, repeat.

6. You have no other way to spend the extra $100 you spend each week eating out.

7. You have nothing better to do at 5 o’clock every day then to go to the grocery store. It’s enjoyable to daily spend extra money on groceries as additional items “fall” into your cart.

8. You have no desire to enjoy a home cooked meal around the dinner table with your family. You feel spending time with your family is a complete waste of time.

If you agree with the above statements please do not ever try meal planning – it is probably a terrible idea. On the other hand, if you possibly disagree with at least one of the above statements perhaps it is time to give meal planning a try!

If you would like a weekly menu plan delivered directly to your e-mail box we’d be happy to help!

Christine Steendahl Is The Founder Of Dine Without Whine – A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner. Eliminate Your Dinner Hour Stress And Re-Discover The Pleasure Of The Dinner Hour! For A Free Sample Menu Visit http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com

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Review: Bronze, Silver, Gold for 2009

According to the world of Haute Couture, the nail polish colors that are hot for 2009 are bronze, silver, and gold – all paid in homage to the 80s.  I have a few feelings on this.  Number one, I love silver nail polish, the high-shine metallic sheen is just too delectable for me to pass up, always has been – whether in fashion or not.  Bronze and gold…I can pass on both.

I am confused why we are still pay homage to the 80s after the last round of polish favorites (YELLOW!) made their debut.  I mean you can’t get more 80s than that canary yellow.  I never did warm up to the  yellow.  It reminded me of all those nicotine-stained grandma fingers out there.  To make matters worse, the shades of yellow – none of them attractive – seemed to be embraced by one and all.  Some colors just shouldn’t be worn on the nails.

On to the metals of the group – I think bronze and gold would work on certain skin tones, especially mid to dark tones.  I’ve always thought that bronze and gold were more suitable colors for “beach toes” in the Summer.  To find it on the fashion plate for the Spring season seems a bit odd to me and one has to wonder two things.

1.) Is the fashion industry running out of ideas?

2.) Have the 80s outworn their welcome?

You decide.

Las Vegas Themed Wedding Favors

vegas-weddingby Sophia C.

One of the happiest days of your life is when you walk down the aisle to become someone’s Mister or Misses. It takes lots of careful planning, combining your ideas and finances to throw a wedding to remember. Why not try something truly memorable for your guests to experience the joy that you feel as a couple with a wedding theme that’s all about taking risks and coming out ahead in the end? It’s called the Las Vegas wedding and it’s becoming a very popular wedding theme that gives you the opportunity to have fun and celebrate this special day with the most important people in your life.

Welcome to Las Vegas. You know that famous retro sign that welcomes travelers to this city of lights? You can use this design to welcome your guests to an event to remember. There are many choices in wedding favors and decor that incorporate this sign. Try using cute picture frames, personalized gum boxes filled with candy, place card holders to set at place settings, or even little coasters that feature the welcome to Las Vegas sign.

Two of a kind. Vegas is known for card games so you will want to include this theme into your Las Vegas wedding favors. Find unique playing card wedding favors that can be personalized with the bride’s and groom’s names to set at place settings for wedding guests. Make sure they have lots of bright red hearts to let your wedding guests know that you are two of a kind.

Sure, dating is a big game, but somehow you managed to win this game by finding the love of your life. Let your wedding guests know what an accomplishment this is with Las Vegas style playing card wedding favors. These nifty little decks can be personalized with the bride and groom’s names, the wedding date, any special sayings or poems to make them extra special. Then send them out in invitations or leave them for guests to play with and take home to enjoy for years after the big day.

High Roller. Like taking chances? Then use wedding favors in the shapes of dice to let your guests know you did and lucked out this time with the perfect mate. Las Vegas wedding favors like dice shaped key chains, bottle stoppers, and favor boxes will use this idea and let your guests take a chance of romance with their significant others.

The chips are stacked. Las Vegas big winners know that the bigger the stack, the better. So be sure that you use poker chips as wedding favors for your Las Vegas themed wedding. Poker chips can be printed with the names and dates of the wedding date and slipped into wedding invitations. They can be used in games, or handed out to wedding guests to help them find their seats at the wedding event or reception. Chips are inexpensive wedding favors, they’re easy to make ahead of time, and they can be scattered around the reception hall for guests to take home to enjoy later.

If you really want to have a great time and give your guests a wedding event to remember, you may want to have a Las Vegas themed wedding using the wedding favors above to mix it up.

If you’re getting ready for a Las Vegas wedding, http://www.Favors-N-Gifts.com is a great source for Las Vegas wedding favors, perfect for any budget.

Serenity Vibration Healing and its Benefits

by Deborah Lindholm

With more complicated time in today’s world more people are finding their past and present interfering with their futures. Wouldn’t it be great to clear all the negatives away to enable you to focus on what is really important to you? If you could tap into who you are as well as whom you are to become, wouldn’t that save your energy and time for what matter the most? Serenity Vibration Healing enables you to get rid of the junk and help you to gain the much needed access to your inner power source – free and agile.

The World Is More Than What It Appears To Be

Quantum physics has made great leaps (no pun intended) in the study of energy and matter. Because of this, we know that everything including your thoughts has energy. All energy vibrates and has a unique type of vibration or signature. Sound vibrates, light vibrates, and your thoughts and speech vibrate too.

Now think about where these vibrations go. They go out into the world, into the universe and they go through us. Think about it like this, imagine walking into a room where two people have been fighting. You didn’t hear the argument and perhaps are completely unaware that they’ve been fighting but you sense a negative energy in the room.

You might think it’s just a bad vibe. How about the clich, “You could cut the tension with a knife”? It is in fact the vibrational energy brought into the room by their thoughts and words. It affects those who come into the room just as much as it does those who were a part of the argument as well. Their entire body can react to it, just as their mind and emotions do.

How Tapping Into The Vibrations Can Change Your Life

By understanding the fact that every thought and word you speak carries with it a vibration, you have reached a significant beginning to the process of changing your life. A Serenity Vibration Healing session requires nothing more than you stating exactly what is on your mind. It becomes essentially an active form of prayer with the guidance of your coach as well as your creator. By stating what is on your mind, your thoughts and words start to resonate vibrations through, and then outward of you. This allows for your internal energy to chance, thereby providing you with clarity.

Through Serenity Vibration Healing sessions, this clarity can lead to:

Clearer, better decision making

Eradicating belief limitations as well as negative self talk

Clearing of past experiences which have been holding you back

Providing you with the empowerment needed to become who you are meant to be

This simple form of prayer helps you tap into the higher power, which is all around us and inside us, to access your inner strength and clarity. It’s a tool to literally reprogram and fine-tune the strengths that reside in you to give you more power over your life and your reality. Imagine being able to quiet all of the outside influences, limiting beliefs, and negative self-talk which surrounds you every day and instead hear the simple quiet voice inside you which speaks with clarity and confidence. The result would be better decisions and a happier, more profound life.

Serenity is within your grasp with help from Serenity Empowerment Coach, Deborah Lindholm. Let her show you how to live an empowered life every single day. Download free pre-recorded telecasts, grab your “5 Simple Steps To Get What You Really, Really Want” report and more here: Free Stuff at Serenity Matters

Review: Bath and Body Works "New" Signature Collection

Sometimes wording is key.  This would explain me initially being duped by Bath and Body Works’ (BBW) announcement of their “All New Signature Collection”…what do you mean “new”? After reviewing the categories (there are four):

The Sexys – this category has classics like Japanese Cherry Blossom and Sensual Amber.

The Romantics – this category has classics like Sweet Pea and Wild Honeysuckle.

The Cuddlers – this category has classics like Warm Vanilla Sugar and Moonlight Path.

The Freshes – this category has classics like Coconut Lime Verbena and Rainkissed Leaves.

My problem with this whole announcement of a “new collection” is that it contains the same old fragrances and they merely split them up into four different categories.  Being the owner of several (ok, almost all) of these fragrances, I can’t even agree with their classification.

For instance, moonlight path has a very musky, almost smoldering scent…and you’re calling it a “cuddler” What?!?! No, it should be in “The Sexys” category.  Same goes for Rainkissed Leaves…that is way too romantic for “The Freshes” category.

I think instead of wasting money on fancy names and packaging (and think about all the new signs that had to be made for the BBW stores) they should have put that money towards a new fragrance or product.  Instead they went for packaging trickery.  Faithful buyers will not be fooled by this new label, especially when picking up a “Cuddler” scent like Warm Vanilla Sugar – that has been around as long as BBW has been open.

5 Ideas for Cooking Cheap, When All You Have Are Black Beans

by Nicole Dean

Your family budget depends on your ability to stretch your paycheck as far as you can, and then to stretch it even further. Most families will agree that money spent at the grocery store can be trimmed a great deal with some smart shopping and cooking. You don’t have to give up nutrition when your budget is tight if you embrace this frugal classic; the black bean.

You’ve come to the end of a long week, and the end of your budget, so which direction should you go when you find yourself lost in the grocery store? Follow me over to the black bean aisle. The first thing you’ll notice is the price; can they really be that inexpensive? Yes, and black beans are also low fat, and are even packed with protein, calcium, iron, and fiber. That’s a lot of value for your hard earned money. You’ll want to start loading up your cart with black beans and keeping a supply on hand. The next step is creating meals that the family will love featuring the fabulous black bean.

1) Simple Four Bean Soup

What you’ll need for the beans is 1 can each, black beans, garbanzo beans, butter beans, and navy beans (although you may substitute your favorite beans for any of those). Drain each can and set aside. Into a large pot, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil, add 1 cup finely chopped celery and 1 cup of diced onion. Cook on medium low until celery is just tender. Next add 1 clove of garlic, either minced, crushed, or grated, and let cook for just one minute. Then throw all your beans into the pot. Add 1 small can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and 1 small can chicken broth. Simmer nice and slow for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. It’s done!

2) Multi Bean Salad

For this one, you’ll want to use a variety of solid texture canned beans, like black beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, waxed beans, and the like. Drain and rinse all the beans and put them in a big bowl. Add some nice sweet onion or green onion, some finely chopped celery, a little parsley, some thyme or rosemary if you like, and top it all with a drizzle of a good vinaigrette dressing like Paul Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. This is a surprisingly easy and refreshing salad. Even the kids like this one!

3) Simple Black Beans and Taco Sauce

My daughter loves black beans, and loves her taco sauce, too. So, the two just seemed a natural when she put them together in a bowl. Now the whole family is hooked! Just drain and rinse a can of black beans, make sure they’re drained well, then pour into a bowl and mix in some of those leftover packets of taco sauce you have laying around the kitchen. It makes a quick and tasty side dish or snack. This easy treat is worth a try even if you’re a bit skeptical. Once you’re hooked, you may want to try using some hot salsa, but just a little to add flavor, not too much sauce. Don’t forget to put some cheese on top!

4) Black Bean Salad with Cottage Cheese

You can throw together a really fast and delicious salad in just a few minutes, with these simple ingredients. Take a salad bowl, add about a 1 cup scoop of cottage cheese, salt to taste, and add some freshly ground black pepper. Thoroughly drain and rinse some canned black beans. Add about 1/2 cup of the rinsed black beans to the top of the cottage cheese. For crunch, dice some celery and put a handful on top of the black beans. This salad is not only yummy, but it’s got the nutrition you’re looking for, like lots of protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and fiber.

5) Use-It-Up Black Bean Burrito

Throwing a burrito together with just a few items in the house is easy when you have a can of black beans in the pantry. Start with a flour or corn tortilla, warm it up if you like, and put it on a plate. Next, drain your canned black beans and rinse them well. Now, just start adding whatever you have. I start by placing some black beans on my tortilla, then adding a little onion, celery, chopped parsley if I have it, some chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream or cottage cheese, leftover rice, pieces of fish leftover from last night, and anything else I can see in the refrigerator that needs to be eaten. But, I like the black beans to dominate my burrito, for flavor, nutrition, and cost. Now, just top it with a bit of salsa or taco sauce and you’ve got yourself a great inexpensive meal

We could go on forever with delicious ways to serve the incredibly nutritious and inexpensive black bean, but you’ve got the idea now. These five quick and easy black bean recipes are meant to just get you started in producing your very own collection of black bean dishes.

Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom and owner of ShowMomtheMoney.com – a fun and informative site to help moms achieve success working from home. She invites you to learn more ways to save money in her Frugal Moms section. Be sure to sign up for her free tutorial for work at home moms.

Gratitude for Reducing Stress

by Deanna Collins

It’s so easy to get overwhelmed during these stressful times we are living in. The skill of combating stress is one that we can learn to achieve a heightened quality of life. A very effective way to battle stress is with cognitive redirection as well as focusing on positive aspects of our lives instead of negatives. By acknowledging any good fortunes in our lives, while not allowing problems and setbacks to take over our outlook on life is a simple, yet important way to deal with any stress we may encounter.

Many times it’s just easier to be ungrateful about the things we do not have instead of being grateful for the positive things we have been dealt or what we have achieved. These positive parts of our lives are often overlooked and taken for granted until some sort of disaster hits. All too often we can forget about having a roof over our heads, a warm bed and even a hot shower. Once we can identify those things for which we have to be grateful for, we have the perfect exercise for positive thinking, and it could actually change our feelings towards stress as well as balancing out the related effects.

The causes of stress can be related to many different factors; however its definition is as a state where an individual is not in balance with his or her surroundings. We have knowledge now that the dissimilation between body and mind is of limited usefulness. Any type of trauma to the body can also affect the mind, just as negative thoughts can affect the body. Experiences of a stressful nature which prompt negative emotions can directly have an affect on body chemistry. In response to threat and stress, the production of hormones and other chemical substances, including adrenalin and cortisol is taken over by the body.

We are fortunate enough to have the opposite apply as well. Any calm environment and/or positive thoughts are able to combat both the physical and mental effects of stress. Taking a little time out of every day to concentrate on the positive – even a small period of time as little as five minutes – you can easily separate yourself from stressors and their effects.

Learning to recognize nuggets of good fortune can radically change our perspective. Problems can overshadow the things that are going well and distort perception. For example, we panic about uncompleted tasks instead of rewarding ourselves for what we have achieved. Especially over a prolonged period of stress, we can develop patterns of jumping to negative conclusions. Focusing on things that make us happy is a powerful technique for disrupting that pattern of thinking and reducing stress. It can even boost the immune system.

If you are tense, stressed and can’t see the wood for the trees, it may initially be hard to identify things to be grateful for. It may take practice, but it can be something as simple as a sunny day or a flower blooming in the garden. At first you will probably rely on hindsight but with time you will find it becoming easier.

While training yourself to recognize the many reasons you have to be grateful, the amount of time you spend taking things for granted will lessen dramatically. Seeing that flower blooming will trigger the recognition for seeing the reasons for celebration. As this appreciation integrates into your daily routine and functionality you can, and will discover how this process will reinforce positive thinking as well as your capacity to deal with stress.

Using gratitude to reduce stress can become a regular part of your day. Visit the Gratitude Circle Blog for tips for positive thinking and making gratitude an important part of your life. While you’re there, claim your free subscription to the Gratitude Circle Newsletter, chalk-full of inspiring stories, articles and tips for maintaining a happier, more fulfilling life.

5 Tips for More Fulfillment by Choosing Personal Empowerment

by Deborah Lindholm

Striving for a life that is empowering and fulfilling is, for many of us difficult to achieve. With questions such as where to start, or what priorities you set, it may seem like just a dream. It’s not, and attaining the life you long for and deserve is definitely attainable.

Personal empowerment is absolutely attainable. With these 5 steps you begin your path towards actually attaining the fulfillment you are searching for.

#1 Modify your way of thinking. By eliminating, or at least reducing the negative self-talk we tend to engage in from time to time, you are taking one of the most powerful steps to leading a positive, fulfilling life.

Respect and embrace yourself as the beautiful and unique you, with all your strength and weaknesses. Combined with positive self-talk, this is the beginning of your new empowered and fulfilling life.

#2 Consider and understand the fact that you are a complete being. Physical, mental and emotional health, even spiritual health are all woven as intricately as a web to create one whole being – you. Any part of this web that becomes out of balance can result in your entire being becoming off balance. For example your health is affected if you are suffering from some sort of depression. If you are stressed about something, it will affect both your emotional and physical health. When you find yourself lacking in faith and confidence in your spiritual being, this too can affect both your emotional and physical health.

In order to achieve fulfillment, balance all areas of your being is what you should be striving for. Work towards good physical health, for spiritual health; seek spiritual guidance and get rid of those emotions limiting your ability to live a complete and balanced life.

#3 Practice personal care. Putting yourself first and foremost on your to do list isn’t a selfish act, it’s actually a very selfless act. If you’re not happy and fulfilled, those around you will not be getting the best from you. If you want to live a fulfilled and balanced life, begin by setting aside time every day to take care of yourself.

Self care in small doses can go a long way toward your personal empowerment and fulfillment. Plan time for meditation, take a walk or partake in some other form of physical exercise. If praying brings you contentment on a personal level, then by all means take the time to do this. Run yourself a bubble bath, read that new book you’ve been putting off, or even schedule a massage. Change your eating habits to a healthier menu. Give yourself and those around you the best of yourself.

#4 Try something different. You probably have a list of things you have always wanted to do, or have thought about trying. Maybe it’s something on the extreme side, like skydiving or rock climbing, or a little more on the safe side such as needlecrafts, cooking or even financial management. When you become engaged in life and its many exciting options, self empowerment is right around the corner.

#5 Discover and achieve your goals. When you achieve something from your goal’s list, the feeling inside can be almost magical. You become filled with confidence and pride, and set on the path toward more success in the future. By setting goals that are achievable yet challenging is the key to finding success. Take for example the person who wants to start their own business. By setting smaller goals, you will gradually be growing alongside your new business. Once you achieve any small goal you will find another right behind it, guiding you towards that one single long term goal of a successful small business.

The path to personal empowerment begins with making a choice to pursue it. From that point on, smaller steps to change the way you think and approach life will have the largest impact on your fulfillment.

Ready to become empowered? Deborah Lindholm is a Serenity Empowerment Coach that shows you how to awaken your Inner Power Source to live an empowered life every single day. Download free pre-recorded telecasts, grab your “5 Simple Steps To Get What You Really, Really Want” report and more here: Free Stuff at Serenity Matters.

Gratitude Jewelry: A Great Way to Express Your Gratitude

by Deanna Collins

Gratitude has a way of opening the world up to you. Instead of seeing the glass half full, people who understand the importance of gratitude begin to see how much abundance they really have. The little inconveniences and the big challenges begin to look small, unimportant and manageable when you look at the world through eyes of gratitude.

Learning to express gratitude can take many forms. The first one that springs to mind is journaling. Another way to show others that you are grateful is to wear jewelry. Every day you wear it, you will be making gratitude a part of your life.

Why Gratitude Jewelry?

Jewelry is made from beads, crystals, gemstones, and even precious metals. These materials carry with them the ability to invite positive energy into your life.

Gratitude jewelry is symbolic of what you feel inside. It reminds you to be grateful for what you have. It could be a pair of earrings, a bracelet or a necklace that you choose to convey this sentiment.

Gratitude jewelry is a good way to build a gracious life. Every time you wear the jewelry you are reminded of what it symbolizes for you. Journaling does the same thing, but the task can turn into a chore if you let it. Because it is something you have “to do” missing it can create unnecessary stress which takes away from feeling grateful. An attitude of gratitude is not just something you do. Putting on a piece of jewelry is not a strenuous task but it speaks volumes to you and to others.

Which Piece of Gratitude Jewelry: Earrings, Necklace, or Bracelet?

If you choose gratitude jewelry, what should you wear? It is up to you and the image you want to project. Some women like dangling earrings. Others feel naked without a necklace especially if they have short hair that doesn’t cover their neck. Choose a spot on your body that you wouldn’t mind drawing attention to.

Other women prefer to wear bracelets and love the weight of something lovely on their wrists. Bracelets are a good option because they are always in your view giving you a constant feeling of gratitude in your heart and on your mind.

What about a necklace? They can be big or small, shiny or matte. Through the centuries, women of all cultures have worn neck jewelry as a sign of status and beauty. Wearing a necklace can bring on an ethereal feel to your body. You just have to reach up and touch it to be reminded of the symbolic nature of the piece.

To enhance your gratitude power, wear a matching set. You can dress yourself in all three pieces of jewelry or just two. Some days you might need extra reminders of the gratitude in your hear and wearing all three will strengthen you for the challenges to come.

Expressing gratitude, by whatever means works best for you, is a life changing and very positive experience. Expressing gratitude allows you to appreciate all the good in your life, to celebrate life, and to be thankful for each and every moment. Gratitude jewelry is one great way to bring this practice into your daily life.

Embrace gratitude completely with the perfect gratitude jewelry for you. Each piece is handmade and accented by signature hand-sculpted signature Kenyan beads. Its beauty and presence will help you make gratitude an important part of your daily life.

Fruity Shake Recipe: A Great Pick Me Up

Here’s a quick pick-me-up. In the morning, afternoon…whenever you like. If you’re sugar-conscious, skip the grenadine, it’s still a sweet treat.

Ingredients:

* 1 Ripe Banana — Sliced
* 1/2 cup Pineapple juice
* 1/2 cup Orange juice
* 1 tablespoon Grenadine syrup
* 1 cup Ice cubes

Directions:

Place sliced banana in blender. Add pineapple juice, orange juice and grenadine syrup and blend until smooth. Add ice; blend for 1 to 2 minutes or until frothy.

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