Things I Find Dead Sexy

I can't really tell you why I wanted to do this post today, but here it is. Things I find irresistibly attractive:
Thoughtful Gifts
I would so much rather get a gift like a new up and coming young adult novel than a $100 gift card to my favorite store. I want a gift that tells me my guy has been paying attention to ME and what I like.


Makes Me Laugh
For some reason I always feel a bond with someone who can make me laugh so hard I cry. Yes, I may look a little ridiculous with mascara filled tears running down my face, but it's so worth it.


Hot Dance Moves!
Not just your standard slow dance (although it's like pulling teeth to get Tad to take me somewhere he knows will be dancing) but someone who moves like he's got no bones in his body. Dead freaking sexy.


Nice Arms
Sometimes this is the only scene I remember from The Bourne Identitiy, but I really don't have a problem with that. When I try to think of examples of guys with nice arms, this is always my first thought. Dang Strait.


Awesome Singer
I think this one is fairly cliche, but what can I say. It's dead sexy with a capital 'D'! I am quite fond of the sexy voice of Puck from Glee. There's something gritty about it that I love.


So tell me people, what are you drooling over?

20 Small Steps Toward an Easier Day – Fifteen Minutes at a Time

SimpleMom had some great tips for moms who are looking for a way to make their days a little easier!

by Kara on March 14, 2011

in nesting

The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

I hope you have been enjoying our month long theme of rhythm and routines as much as I have. The discussions and questions that have come up in the comments have been very thought-provoking. I thank you for your feedback, especially the way you’ve been responding to each other.

Before we delve into this topic further, I want to remind readers that there is no “one size fits all.” What is one family’s simple solution might be another family’s complication. Life at your home doesn’t look exactly like life at my home, or the Simple Kids contributor’s homes, or your neighbor’s home, or even your sister’s.

Your routine must reflect your own family’s individual circumstances and season of life in order to best serve you.

I hope by sharing examples from our lives of what works – and doesn’t work – for us, that the contributors and I are inspiring you and giving you some ideas that you can take and apply to your own lives.

My goal is to get you thinking about ways you can make things easier for yourselves and help life flow smoother for your families.

Photo by Kara Fleck

I also want to gently remind you, in case you are feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, that most of the families I know who have steady rhythm and routines in place didn’t get there in a day or even in a week. These routines evolved over time.

With that in mind, I thought this was a good time to revisit an article I wrote last year on Small Steps, Big Changes: the idea of keeping it simple and giving yourself small, manageable goals that are realistic.

Specifically, these are changes you can make fifteen minutes at a time.

Making over your entire day all at once? A daunting task. Making small changes, with big benefits, just 15 minutes at a time? Now that is something you can do!

Changes You Can Make, Fifteen Minutes at a Time

Not every item on this list will apply to every family, of course. Today I’m offering twenty ideas for you to pick and choose from as you make small changes in the flow of your days.

Here are the original 10 changes:

1. Spend 15 minutes preparing the night before for the day ahead
2. Set your clock for 15 minutes earlier in the morning
3. Get in the habit of spending 5 minutes immediately after each meal washing the dishes with your child (3 meals a day = 15 minutes)
4. Start your bedtime routine 15 minutes earlier in the evening
5. Spend 15 minutes outside with your child and work your way up to an hour (or more!)
6. Do 15 minutes of structured play or crafting with your child
7. Spend 15 minutes reading to your child.
8. Take in 15 minutes of peace and quiet. Do nothing. Slow down.
9. Have a 15 minute Tea Time or After School Snack with your child
10. Set one 15 minute toy pick-up at the end of the day (or three 5 minute toy pick-ups during the day)

Photo by Kara Fleck

And here are 10 more changes you can make, fifteen minutes at a time …

1. Take time after each meal to set the table for the next meal (3 meals = 15 minutes)
2. Spend 15 minutes the night before filling up sippy cups and/or bottles, so they are in the fridge and ready to go in the morning (for younger kids)
3. Spend 15 minutes after dinner packing lunch for the next day (for older kids)
4. Take 15 minutes and designate an assigned spot for library materials so that you don’t have to spend time searching for them every week when they are due (Bonus: take 15 minutes and read some of the great advice readers gave me last year when I was looking to get my family off of the library’s “most wanted” list)
5. Spend 15 minutes at the beginning of the week going over the calendar – include your spouse and older children so that everyone knows what is on the agenda for the week.
6. This Spring, take 15 minutes and attack your clutter with this week’s Project Simplify assignment at Simple Mom. Just 15 minutes a day will add up to a big difference in just a few weeks’ time!
7. Give yourself a 15 minute break before dinner to relax, meditate, and take some time for peace and quiet before one of the busiest times of day begins (a wise suggestion from contributor Jaimie last week).
8. Lay out the next day’s clothing for yourself and your children the night before.
9. Are you already getting up 15 minutes earlier than you kids? Great! Now I challenge you to get up 15 minutes earlier than that to give yourself a half an hour of quiet time in the morning. Looking for some motivation in this area? Check out Kat’s Hello Mornings on Inspired to Action.
10. Spend 15 minutes a day this week getting your family’s paperwork and important documents organized. A couple of suggestions for this are to build a Home Management Notebook (my friend Mandi has some great printables to help you do this at Life Your Way) or, if you prefer paperless planning, as I do these days, check out the resources at AboutOne and see if they might be a good fit for you.

Pick one fifteen minute change or pick a handful, but please do consider these small steps toward big changes in your routine.

Good luck!

H A L L O W E E N !

Our Halloween was pretty simple, but we had a lot of fun! We carved pumpkins.
Wes picked the design, and Scarlett just looked cute!
And of course we went Trick-or-Treating. My awesome mom made Wes & Scarlett into Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo!
And I've gotta say that they are two of the cutest puppies on the block! What did you do this Halloween?!

7 Weird Ways To Not Get Sick (...Including Kissing And Hot Drinks)

So Tad came down with the Flu last night and I find myself hoping that it'll stop with him. So I looked up some ways to stop a virus in it's tracks on Planet Green. These aren't the usual answers you'd think you'd get. They even like some fun!

Don't stop dosing yourself with Vitamin C, but don't overlook some of the other more fun ways to stay healthy this sick season.

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You know about antioxidants and you've been religious about your daily dose of Vitamin C, but what else can you do to keep that tickle from creeping up the back of your throat or waking up in sweat-wet sheets and a chill shivering along your spine? Here are some of the weirder, but equally efficient ways to keep those sick bugs at bay:

1. Kiss

Couple exchanging helpful bacteria.
©Stockbyte/Getty Images

Yes, kissing can help you fight off colds and flu! By exchanging bacteria back and forth, you are actually enhancing your body's natural defenses and boosting your immune system. But that's not to say you should go out and give a big smooch to any sicky around you... Up the ante and have sex! Performed once a week, sex has been shown to increase immunoglobulin A (IgA) production, an immune-boosting protein that helps keep pathogens at bay. Get our sustainable sex tips.

2. Listen to Music

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Research has shown that those same sex-boosted IgA proteins also rise when listening to music like jazz, bluegrass or soft rock for 30 minutes, particularly during some of the most elevated sick-inducing moments: stress. Even after the beat is turned off, the IgA production goes on for another 30 minutes. Looking for new musical inspiration? We have some free music downloads.

3. Walk Really Fast, But Don't Run!

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Research has revealed that a brisk walk 45 minute walk, four or more days a week can improve your immune system and minimize sick days. But don't run! Overexerting yourself (particularly if you're already feeling slightly under the weather) can do you in and send you straight to bed.

4. Don't Blow Your Nose

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When you're sick you nose tends to get stuffed up with mucus. Instant of fulfilling your urge to do a big hearty blow, take a decongestant or gently blow each nostril individually. Why? Blowing hard can actually push the mucus up into your sinuses, risking getting even more sick!

5. Get Hot

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Studies show that, similar to drinking lots of water when you're sick, sitting in a hot sauna can detox a cold right out of your system.

6. Avoid the Desert (or any hot and dry climate)

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Dry desert air is a breeding ground for colds and flu. The reason? Viruses then to survive longer in moisture-sapped air, making airborne illnesses more readily present. Have a sicky in your house? Get a humidifier.

7. Drink Coffee

George Doyle/Getty Images

Viruses, in particular that gross Swine that's going around, take about 3 days to incubate (in your body) before you know you've come down with the dreaded flu. Drinking hot liquids, including coffee can help wash the virus out of your mouth and down into your stomach where it can't grow due to the acids. Chicken soup, tea, or just hot water have the same effect. Not a coffee drinker, gargling with very salty warm water can also derail a virus. The other place a flu likes to incubate is your nose. Doing a nasal flush or even just swabbing your nostrils with rubbing alcohol can kill the virus before it takes you down.

Good luck with your battle against sickness!