Tag: living well

life curation · Uncategorized

How to Support Small Businesses During the Pandemic

MstldelanoLeave a comment

One of the things that continues to come to my mind is the well-being of small business owners, especially those that are not able to do business in person (“nonessential” businesses). As individuals, we may not be able to save every small business, but we can definitely do something to help support these businesses.

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Buying local and buying from small businesses can make a big impact

Seek out Etsy sellers – Etsy is full of creatives that make and sell all sorts of amazing stuff.If you’re looking for something specific, try Etsy first. You may be able to quickly locate the perfect item, and (as a plus!) you’ll be able to support a small business owner.

Use local food delivery – If you’re tired of cooking, or maybe you just want to get your grocery items delivered to your front door, then local food delivery services are just what you need. Seek out small (non-chain) restaurants for your meals, and if you use a grocery delivery service, then make sure to tip your delivery person. That money can make a huge difference to the “gig economy” workers that may be working in these services to help cover expenses during this crisis.

Use Amazon to help you – Amazon has set up a portal specifically for handmade items from every state in the US. If you want to ensure that the money you spend goes directly to sellers living near you, you can click on your region and then select your state to find vendors. I recently purchased these darling Cinderella earrings for a special little one in my life. They’re so cute, I may end up buying the Belle earrings for myself!


Charming Cinderella earrings

Ask family and friends to give you referrals – Of course, if you’re at a loss for businesses to support, ask your family and friends to make suggestions. Some of them may themselves be business owners that you can support directly, or they may know some business owners that would appreciate having a new customer.

Do you have any ideas for supporting small and local businesses that I didn’t mention? Let me know all about it in the comments below!

 

 

 

(this post contains affiliate links)

beauty · life curation

Getting Gorgeous, Inside and Out

MstldelanoLeave a comment

One of my not-so-guilty pleasures has been looking at YouTube videos for beauty, style and life advice. As you all recall, I love watching mature YouTubers give their tips and tricks for living well. Along with the mature ladies, I also check out the younger women that are making great content on YouTube.

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A few of my recent favorite videos have been around the topic of “glowing up” during the quarantine. This concept – improving our looks while we stay home – is very popular because many of us FINALLY have time to do all of the beauty treatments, fitness routines, and dietary changes that we’ve always wanted to try. So, since we have the time, why not?

Here are a couple of my favorite videos featuring how to “glow up”, both on the inside and the outside (because having a beautiful exterior and broken interior is not the goal: wholistic/holistic health and beauty is what we’re creating!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

beauty · life curation

Embracing Natural Beauty

Mstldelano2 Comments

With all of this “free” time at home, I have been concentrating on slowing down and enjoying the simple pleasures around me. The main pleasure I’ve indulged in regularly is taking in the stunning beauty of the flowers and trees surrounding my home. Here are a few of my favorite photos. Enjoy!

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My hot pink azaleas

A yellow rose bush that is beginning to bloom

Baby pink rhododendrons

My Japanese maple (the leaves are stunning!)

I find that spending a little time walking the perimeter of my home does wonders for my mood and my energy. Embracing natural beauty has such a calming effect on me. I also planted some irises, tigridias, and gladiolus bulbs that I’m patiently waiting to bloom. When those flowers bloom, I’ll take more pictures and share them with you all.

health

Fibro Fridays: Nervine Herbs

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In the quest to reduce my fibromyalgia symptoms and treat my condition with as few chemicals as possible, I’ve began exploring and experimenting with natural supplements. I don’t claim that these options will work for everyone, but for those that are curious, there are certain plants that may relieve some of the common symptoms associated with fibro.

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I have been reviewing The Woman’s Herbal Apothecary by JJ Pursellquite a bit over the past few months. This book offers a condensed herbal dictionary and a host of natural remedies to try. One of the best things about this book is how the various effects of certain herbs is summarized for each plant listed. I was intrigued by the herbs that have nervine properties.

My constant companion over the past few months

Nervine herbs can influence the nervous system. It can soothe the nerves and reduce the reaction within the nervous system. Since fibromyalgia is essentially an overactive nervous system that exaggerates sensation in the body, a nervine herb could, theoretically, relax some of those nervous responses and cause the system to calm down.

Below, I’ve listed some of the nervine herbs outlined in the book (the author includes several more).

  • Angelica Root
  • Black Cohosh
  • Chamomile
  • Gotu Kola
  • Hop Flowers
  • Lemongrass
  • Sage
  • Skullcap
  • St. John’s Wort

I’ve personally used chamomile tea, and I’ve made a tea from fresh sage. I have noticed that I am noticeably more relaxed after consuming either tea. I may eventually try experimenting with using these teas as a way to wean myself off of prescription medication, but for now, I’m pleased with the gentle effects from occasional use.

My current favorite chamomile tea blend

On the occasions when my grocer runs out of sage,I’ll order it from Amazon

Have any of you tried any nervine herbs? I’d love to hear about your experiences!

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*Disclaimer: this post is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your doctor for any medical recommendations and advice.

**This post contains affiliate links.

luxury

A New Way of Defining Luxury

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Since purchasing my home last year, I have thought carefully of what I consider to be luxurious when it comes to my surroundings. I am committed to creating a beautiful, inviting space that feels opulent and elegant. But, I had this nagging feeling that maybe I’m “missing the mark” when it comes to TRUE luxury.

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An opulent room that is just a wee bit too extravagant for me

I got back to basics and look at what defines luxury. Luxury is –

“the state of great comfort and extravagant living”

Luxury, then, could be filling a space with items that cost significant amounts of money (that would be extravagant but not necessarily tasteful). But this lacks the personal taste that I want to infuse into my space. I want my version of luxury to reflect my own preferences, regardless of the cost of the items.

In this way, a new (or better) way of defining luxury for myself is creating a beautiful and comfortable environment irrespective of the cost of the objects I buy. And true luxury could also include the intentional absence of excess, as well, so long as the absence of excess creates more comfort in my space.

I’m curious about minimalism but I’m not committed to the aesthetic. So while minimalism has defined luxury for many affluent Gen-Xers and Millenials over the past couple of decades, I’m declining to hop onto that trend, and I’m aiming for a balance between excess and the Spartan approach.

So far, I’ve added some art, antique furniture, and a few rugs. However, I’m not aiming to cover every surface of my home: I’m content to have a few things here and there to display my personal flair without cramming each room. I’ve got a lot more to do before the house is exactly where I want it to be, but I’m delighted that I’m defining luxury for myself and enjoying my home in the process.

That’s all for today, friends. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

health

Fibro Fridays: Resources for Chronic Pain Sufferers

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Over the past year, I’ve compiled quite a few resources that I’ve used regularly. These resources consistently provide reliable information and guidance for handling the next steps in my health journey.

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One of the first resources I uncovered is The Fibromyalgia Digest. This is an excellent website that provides information related to obtaining government benefits if you suffer from chronic pain. Their team is very proactive about reaching out to digest subscribers and offering assistance. I most benefited from the website’s encouragement to keep a log of my daily symptoms to identify trends and keep track of what treatments work best.

WANA is We Are Not Alone, an app that provides a virtual community for chronic illness sufferers. Users can connect based on similar illness or specific symptoms.  What’s really cool is how the app lets users learn more about traditional medical treatment as well as explore alternative treatment options.

Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan is a great resource for learning about the most recent research on fibromyalgia and treatments. I usually follow their Facebook page for updates, but the main website is fantastic, too: you can easily get updates from the blog within the website.

I hope these websites can help you! This chronic illness journey doesn’t have to be a solo one: there is support for us.

That;s all for this week! I’ll talk to you all soon. Take care!

life curation · travel

Throwback Travel Thursdays: Cruise 2018

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I know for a fact that most of us that have permanent cases of wanderlust are seriously missing our ability to travel freely. While we are all (hopefully!) doing our part to flatten the curve, it doesn’t mean that we’re not looking forward to planning our next trip once things are a little more amenable to travel. Until we can look forward, we can always look back, hence

Throwback Travel Thursdays!

I’ll try to post throwback pictures from previous travel in these posts, just to keep things light and fun, and to remind us: we’ll be able to resume our lives soon. Just hang on, friends!

I’ll be sharing some photos from the cruise I took in 2018. I’ll also add links to my cruises posts here. Enjoy!

Fall Vacation Part 1 – Cruise Overview; Cruise 2018: Ports of Call; Cruise 2018: Dining on the Sea

 

KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera

Beautiful Cozumel

KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera

My first time in Roatan, Honduras

KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera

I miss cruise dining!

beauty

Shelter-In-Place Skin Care

MstldelanoLeave a comment

While sheltering-in-place, it can be tempting to “let ourselves go”. After all, the only people that are seeing us regularly are our families and friends that we choose to either 1) quarantine with or 2) video chat with regularly.

But while I’m inside, I’m amping up my skincare. Why? Well, *one day* in the not-so-distant future, I’ll be going outside again. And when I do, I want to look great! I want to look good and feel good when life returns to “normal”. So my skincare isn’t taking a break while I’m at home: in fact, I’m learning new ways to improve my skin.

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I’m still doing a version of the Korean 10-step skin care regimen, but I felt like my skin could use a little more care than normal. So I looked up different beauty treatments for the face and body. I created a fabulous coffee & brown sugar scrub using this recipe from Living Chic on the Cheap. I love using this on my body to soften my skin. I prefer to use this after I apply and rinse my soap off while showering. That way, a light layer of coconut oil (one of the scrub’s ingredients) will remain once I leave the shower. However, I have noticed that it helps to use a dark towel after using the scrub: some of the coffee color can remain on your skin if you use the scrub as the last step.

Next, I found this great video showing how to give yourself an at-home facial. I am a HUGE fan of gentle skin care, but there are times where a little more “elbow grease” is required to get the results that you want. This video shows you ways to gently extract impurities from the skin, and how to effectively steam your face. I’ll likely add a relaxing, inexpensive herbal tea to my steaming water, just for the aromatherapy benefits. Also, instead of using a mechanical scrub, I’ll employ a chemical one (I bought one from The Ordinary that I’ll review once I’ve used it a few times).

 

This week, I’ll be using my coffee scrub as well as doing my at-home facial. I’m going to give my skin the extra TLC it needs and deserves!

That’s all for today. I hope you all are doing well! Take care.

life curation

What Happens to Our Goals During the Quarantine?

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Happy Monday, friends! It seems weird to actually keep up with the days despite the fact that many of us are staying home 90%+ of each day. As a result of the quarantine that most of us are experiencing, the days tend to run together. It’s so easy to lose track of time while we’re at home!

In the midst of this, many of us still have our goals and desires on our minds. While we’re home, we may not feel like working on our goals. After all, we are being urged/forced to stay home and this tense period of time can make us feel exhausted and uninspired (I wrote all about it here). But for those of us that are feeling motivated to work on goals during this time, the question remains: what happens to our goals while we’re quarantined, especially those goals that require that we leave our homes (perhaps for internships/jobs, in-person networking or training, purchasing supplies, etc.,)?

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While we may not be able to leave our homes freely at this time, you can still work steadily toward your goals (if you’re so inclined). Finding alternative methods to accomplish tasks should be a priority. Look online for virtual job and internship opportunities if you need certain experiences to achieve your goals. Network through social media and online groups: regularly engage with others on these virtual platforms and remember to OFFER VALUE (it makes it much easier to connect with others). Look for virtual training sessions to help you keep your skills sharp or, in the case of those trying to meet fitness goals, to stay in shape. Many of the supplies you may need can be found on large online retailers, but also try to support local smaller businesses (which are particularly impacted by these times).

Take a close look at your goals and break them down into small steps, then see which steps can be done now, while you’re at home. Even if the steps are time-consuming, you’ll be much further along if you start now than if you allow yourself to be discouraged to the point of inactivity.

That’s it for today, everyone! I hope you have an enjoyable Monday. Talk to you all soon!

health · life curation · relaxation

Take a Moment to Feel the Sun

MstldelanoLeave a comment

The sun is such a blessing. I feel very connected with sun energy, and I embrace the times where I can go outside and simply feel the sun on my skin. My good friend Diana mentioned more than once that I need to intentionally connect with sun energy, and that’s why I’m devoting this post to her. I’m listening, chica. I’m choosing to regularly connect with this incredible energy source.

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Enjoy the sunshine

This life-sustaining ball of fire continues to remind me of all of the good things about life. Delicious fresh fruit and vegetables grow because THE SUN IS. My skin grows to a deeper chocolate hue every summer because THE SUN IS. Time and all things that we use to measure the span of our lives is possible because THE SUN IS.

So, if you can, take a moment, step outside and feel the sun. Let the rays kiss your skin and serve as a reminder that every day is magical. And then, embrace the other magic that shows up for you: it surrounds you, and it is waiting for you to see it.