There is so much information out there on the web about healthy living. Having the world at our fingertips can be an amazing resource, but a person can soon find themselves overwhelmed by it all.

When healthy living encompasses so many aspects of our day to day lives, where does one begin to make changes? How do you sort through the murky sea of information and misinformation to find the pearls? What must one do to get their family on board for the healthy living ride?

Navigating the Sea of Information
This sea is filled with great information AND misinformation. Always evaluate the source. Is it someone sharing their experience? Are they selling something? Does it seem to line up with what you’ve read elsewhere? I find that the best thing to do is look for a couple of sources that are saying the same thing. Chances are, they might be on to something. Read reviews on personal blogs, amazon, and other review places. This can help you weed through the myriad of products out there.

Keep a notebook nearby as you read both on the net, from books, or other places. Jot down ideas that appeal to you; things you might want to try. Break this collection of information into different pages for various topics. For example, have a separate page for healthy eating, natural remedies, exercise, natural cleaning, etc.

In another section of your notebook, write down your personal experiences as you begin to try new things. Do you need to tweak something? Did it flat out fail? Or have you stumbled onto something to add to your healthy living arsenal? Keeping a record will help you know what worked, and what didn’t.

Making Changes
The most important thing to remember is that you can’t, and shouldn’t, try to make several changes all at once. You will most likely become overwhelmed and quit. This is why your notebook is important. You can choose a couple of things to change now, while not forgetting anything you might want to try later.

Where to start? This could vary depending on what’s going on in your life. Do you or a family member have a cold? Research home remedies for colds. A good immune building soup would be good for supper tonight.

Maybe you read something, and really feel led to make a change in that area. Sounds like a good place to begin to me. Or maybe you really have no idea because things need to change in several areas. Maybe it all speaks to you. What then? I suggest starting with you. What do you need to do to get healthy? Drink water, eat better, exercise, or maybe get some sleep. Next Tuesday, I’ll post about more on this starting point.

Getting the Family on Board
This can be tricky. The younger the family member, the easier it is to make changes. Be enthusiastic, and they will jump in with a game mentality. Making it fun and adventurous, and letting them be a part of the process will bring them on board fairly quick.

Older family members and spouses can be a bit skeptical. They need to know why they should bother to make the change. I suggest trying things first, and telling them about what you’re doing. Curiosity as well as seeing results will usually get them to try something new. However, be prepared that they might be perfectly content right where they are with what they are doing or using. And that’s okay. They can make that choice for themselves. Don’t be disappointed. Enjoy the journey you are on.

It can be a lot of fun to try new things, and discover new ways of doing things. You will begin to feel better, see great results, and this helps you to continue experimenting. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged if something isn’t working. It might not be right for you, or it just might not be right at all. Share your experience both positive and negative because that might help someone else make a decision.

I’ll share more in the weeks ahead about what has worked or not worked for our family. Remember, I’m on my own journey, still learning, still adding new changes. I’d love to hear about what’s working for you, what’s not working, and anything you might be curious about. Maybe together we will navigate the murky waters, and come up with those pearls to enrich our families.

Beauty is overrated. What we want to do is sabotage it before it takes hold. These five tips will help you slay beauty, and remain in a slump.

1. Drink plenty of soda, skip the water. This will dehydrate you leading to dry, brittle hair and flaky skin.

2. Eat junk food, especially sugary snacks, and lots of it. Junk food helps your skin break out, and can cause a hangover feeling in the mornings. It can also make you bloated.

3. Stay up real late, and head to bed at varying times. Wait until you can’t keep your eyes open any longer. Puffy, swollen eyes with dark circles accentuating them is the result of this tip.

4. Skip the treadmill, and lounge on the couch for hours on end. This gives you a lack of energy, and adds to the sallow complexion we’ve been creating from the above tips.

5. Ignore the beauty in the world around you. You will become uninspired to look and feel your best. This will most definitely show in your attitude, and posture.

Embrace each one of these steps wholeheartedly, and poor posture, blotchy skin, limp hair, and a lack of zest for life can soon be yours.

Let’s cry mutiny on these ideas! We’ll actually tackle these in future posts, but I thought a fun, tongue in cheek post would help get you thinking about each of these things, and where you might need to make some changes.

Know of any more beauty slayers? I’d love to read about them in the comments.

I had so much fun reading the comments you all left or should I say your cats left. Thanks to all of you for making this giveaway fun! Now on to our winner:

The Violets are Blue Random Generator says -

The randomly picked number is: 9

The winner is Cindi!

Cindi’s owner said: Hello, What a wonderful gift for my pet! She so loves to garden and dig in the dirt. She doesn’t enjoy getting dirt under her fingernails, either!
Flowers are her hobby and her pride and joy. My pet and her family call me
Nikky, but my actual name on my tag is Nicole. Please enter me pet in your contest drawing. She does well by me. Thanks, N.

Congratulations, Cindi (and Nicole)!

Cindi, please send me your snail mail address by using the contact me link at the top of the page. Thanks everyone for playing. Stay tuned for more giveaway fun from Lady Muse.

Lady Muse has decided to take over the giveaways. She doesn’t think I’m doing enough of them or doing it right or something. She’s a bit of a control freak like that. So who is this mysterious Lady Muse? She’s my kitty and the perfect blend of sweetness and er spice. Kinda like her owner. I’ll let her take it from here:

Lady Muse here, your new Giveaway Host for a dash of sassitude. First, I’d like to give a shout out to all my feline friends and their pets! For those humans who have yet to get a feline owner, what are you waiting for? We love our pets, but we don’t lavish our love on them lest they forget their place.

This week’s giveaway: For my first giveaway, I think we’ll let our pets get down and dirty. As in down in the dirt, planting some pretty flowers. The seeds in these two packets will attract hummingbirds and butterflies purrfect for chasing er I mean watching them with your pets.

I’ve also included some sassy green gloves to keep your pets hands clean. We wouldn’t want dirt mussing up our beautiful fur coats now would we? Well, when we dain to let them pet us anyway.

Here’s a picture of these fantabulous items:

Win it:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me if you have a feline owner. Feel free to drop names and expound on how wonderful he or she is in your comment. If you’re comment doesn’t fit this criteria, you won’t be entered in the drawing.

Extra entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog and leave another comment telling me you subscribed for one extra entry. I’ll be hosting more giveaways, so this will let you know when I do.

2. Add my button to your sidebar or links page. If you have my old button, switch it out for this new one. It’s sassier and has the correct url on it. Leave another comment on this post telling me you did this and if I find it on there, you’ll get another entry.

3. Blog about this giveaway and use my button in the post for another chance to win. Leave a comment with the url directly to the post about my giveaway for another entry. I’d love help spreading the word.

You have up to four possible entries, but you have to leave a separate comment for each thing you do so you have the extra entries. I let the random generator pick a number and then I find that number in the comments.

You have until Friday, June 27th to enter. I’ll announce the winners on Saturday, June 28th.

If you haven’t claimed your prize within three days, I’ll have to choose another winner.

Check out my other giveaway on Penning Prose with Audra Silva!

Boy, you had to wait for this one huh. Yesterday, right after breakfast, three of the kids opened birthday gifts (we’re a bit behind for two of them). After that crazy fun, I gave four of the kids haircuts, got the kids going on potato salad, went to the store, got everything ready for the BBQ, and then we all headed to the BBQ. We had a blast visiting with friends, but both my hubby and my son’s allergies kicked up pretty bad. The evening ended with my son throwing up all over the blanket he was sitting on. Too much heat and sweet food I think.

Today, another haircut, more errands, and some deep conversations. And here we are.

Using the Violets are Blue random generator, we have a winner.

The randomly picked number is: 17

Congratulations, Karen R!

She won on her second comment when she subscribed to my blog. Karen, email me with your name and address. I’ll get this out to you soon.

Next giveaway coming up this week.

I have a friend I’ve known since we were about 12. We have some crazy memories that can get us both laughing hysterically. Thanks to the internet, we can stay in touch through email and chat.

Right now, a dark shadow hangs over my friend, Gina. Her husband has an aggressive form of prostrate cancer. They are currently raising funds to help get him to an alternative treatment center in California.

Gina came up with a great idea to help raise the money. She compiled a cookbook in PDF format and is only asking $1.00 per book. They officially launched the cookbook fund raiser in March. To date, she has raised $13,030 of the $20,000 needed through the sale of the cookbook and donations. You can find out more at her website here.

Now, friends of theirs, the VIP Travel Family, have come up with another fund raiser idea to hopefully bring in the last $7,000. You can go to the website and set up your own fund raiser page. For every $25 you raise online, your name will be entered in a drawing for ten different vacations from VIP Travel Services Online. The challenge goes from May 13th at 8:00 a.m. until Sunday, June 1st at 5:00 p.m. If you’d rather not enter the challenge, but would like to donate to help get George into the treatment center, you can click on my fund raising page. You can also track how the Online Challengers are doing. Finally, you can leave a message in the guest book to encourage George and Gina. They would appreciate your prayers, too.

Thanks for helping out whether through prayers or financially. I know they appreciate it. The sooner they can get George admitted into the program, the better.

Don’t forget to enter my two giveaways ending Friday. Click on Events and Giveaways at the top of the blog to find the links to both of them.

That title makes you dream of pampering yourself doesn’t it? I enjoy slathering on some creamy lotion, but when it’s cold? Not so much. I don’t like being cold. I REALLY DON’T LIKE BEING COLD! Not yelling, just clarifying.

A couple of years ago, I bought myself a lotion warmer from Conair. Then the pampering really kicked up a notch. I’d hit the on button, enjoy a toasty shower, and then rub some warm, soothing body lotion on. Oh yea! Luxury.

This led to lighting scented candles and turning off the bathroom light while I showered. Simple pleasures. It was like a mini oasis in my day.

By the way, this delights babies and toddlers, too. They love a bath by candlelight and warm lotion.

If you can’t find or afford a lotion dispenser, put your lotion in a small bottle or container with a tight lid. Using a small bottle or container makes it easier to warm it up more thoroughly.

You have a couple of ways you can warm it:

1. Fill a sink or bowl with hot water and let it sit while you take a bath or shower.
2. Let it float in the bathtub while you take a bath.
3. If you’re showering, either let the tub fill a little or put the bottle on the bottom of the tub where the water will hit it (the least effective way).

No more excuses for not pampering yourself or your little ones.

Works for me.

Click on the banner for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

Check out my other giveaways by clicking on the Events and Giveaways link at the top of the blog.

In celebration of my new home for a dash of sassitude, I’m hosting a couple of giveaways over the next three weeks. We’re still fighting the ‘crud’ here, so I need a little fun. What’s more fun than giving something away? So what do you win?

This week’s giveaway: a cute Post-it memo Pad with a magnet on the back and a sassy pink pen to match it. I have to say, I tried out the pen and love how it writes. I’ll have to go back and get one for myself.

Win it:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me one organizing tool you can’t live without. If you’re comment doesn’t fit this criteria, you won’t be entered in the drawing.

Extra entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog and leave another comment telling me you subscribed for one extra entry. I’ll be hosting more giveaways, so this will let you know when I do.

2. Add my button to your sidebar or links page. If you have my old button, switch it out for this new one. It’s sassier and has the correct url on it. Leave another comment on this post telling me you did this and if I find it on there, you’ll get another entry.

3. Blog about this giveaway and use my button in the post for another chance to win. Leave a comment with the url directly to the post about my giveaway for another entry.

You have up to four possible entries, but you have to leave a separate comment for each thing you do, to make it easier for me to count the entries.

You have until Friday, May 16th to enter. I’ll announce the winners on Saturday, May 17th.

Make sure I have a way of contacting you or come back to see if you have won and then email me. If you haven’t claimed your prize within three days, I’ll have to choose another winner.

Check out my other giveaways by clicking on the Events and Giveaways link at the top of the blog.

Recently, I talked about how sick we have all been and how traditional medicine just wasn’t kickin’ it. Out of sheer frustration, I took the bull, or rather flu, by the horns and fought the battle with natural remedies. The tide turned and we could taste victory. Or was that the weird soup?

So what worked for us? Let me tell you about the bag of tricks I pulled out. That morning, I had to go to the chiropractor and he asked me if I’d heard about putting Vicks on their feet to help with the coughs. I had heard, but I’d forgotten! I told him I was desperate enough to try and would let him know if it worked.

That night, I had the kids all get in their pajamas and bring a pair of socks with them into the living room. We pulled out the Vicks and the kids looked at us like we’d sprouted wings. Or maybe they were thinking horns cause this seemed like an evil plot to them. I mean, can you imagine having Vicks squishing between your toes?

We slathered the Vicks on feet and chest and put their socks on. We were ALL high from Vicks fumes, but breathing easier.

The next day, I went out and bought more ammunition. I pumped vitamin C in them. Poured water through them. Made them rest a lot.

We drank a lot of herbal teas: honey lemon, chamomile, etc. Amber nursed. Nobody else was interested.

We took equal parts of honey and lemon and heated it enough to mix thoroughly and put this in a jar. The dose: 1 teaspoon every four hours.

We made a soup to help fight the crude and boost the immune system. This stuff was power packed and I put whatever amount (me? measure?) of: chicken broth, chicken, ginger root, onions, garlic cloves (minced), carrots, potatoes, and cayenne pepper. We took a bite. Bland chased by a spicy kick. A weird sensation. We had small portions throughout the day.

We used lavender and eucalyptus essential oils in little burners and in the humidifier. The air conditioner came on at night and the windows were opened during the day. On a decent day, I even dragged our sick selves down to the park for some fresh air.

They made a fast improvement after all this when traditional didn’t do a thing.

You bet I’ll be learning more about natural remedies.

Click on the banner and check out more Works for Me Wednesday posts on Rocks in My Dryer.

If you could only use one type of makeup, but have all the shades you wanted, what would it be and why? I know, only being allowed to use one type of makeup is like, SCARY!

Leave a comment with your answer before you read on. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Do dum ditty ditty dum ditty do…

Okay. Here’s my answer:

I’d choose eyeshadow in several shades! I’d use some pink for my cheeks, some vanilla for highlighting various areas on my face, smokey gray or plum or purple or brown to line under my eye and a black to line above my eye. Then I’d use whatever colors I wanted for that day for, well, eyeshadow on my eyes. I could even use it to darken or fill in my eyebrows if needed. Versatile, no?

I’m not sure I could get it to work as lip stick though. HMMM.

And what does this have to do with anything? Well, makeup is definitely sassy and something I enjoy playing around with. Look for some makeup tips and tricks coming soon.