Spend Time With Your Friends

We often get immersed in relationships with our significant others, or our families.  But we should also strive to spend time with our friends, too.

Friends are the families that we choose for ourselves.  Lovers may come and go.  Family members -- even though they love us -- can sometimes possess blind spots about us, since their opinions of us may not change as we grow.  Friendships with those outside of our romantic or familial circles are vital to our psychological and spiritual health; they can offer us perspectives of who we are as people.  Friends can also give us the objective opinions and ideas that others may not.

Make the time to maintain the relationships with your existing friends, or expand your social circle to include more people. 

For the Love of Bubbles

One of the greatest things that we can ever do in order to love ourselves, is the simple yet vital act of self-care. Self-care is not a “one size fits all” type of behavior. Although the basics are universal, the concept of self-care can take very many forms: keeping ourselves well fed, exercising, getting adequate rest, keeping ourselves safe. Stress reduction is a very large part of self-care as it can encompass so many different facets of being good to ourselves.

An important such ingredient in the recipe of our own self-care is cleanliness. Keeping ourselves and the world around us clean is a wonderful way to show love and regard for ourselves (and other people, since they have to smell us too!). However, simply keeping ourselves clean, or enabling others to do so (like our children, for example) is more than just a simple act of hygiene or physical health. It is also an important aspect of our mental health as well.

The website For the Love of Bubbles, reveals a very poignant and important philosophy of cleanliness as an act of self-care: it’s important, but it should also be fun! The owner and operator of For the Love of Bubbles, Ayieta Crawford, shares with readers her passion for all things bath and body, so that she can entertain as well as inform friends and fans alike.

For a person like myself, the physical act of bathing is intertwined with the spiritual act of cleansing as well – not just a purification of the body, but a purification of the soul as well. For the Love of Bubbles is a website that truly understands that bathing is helpful for all of our dimensions: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. A truly good bath product should clean well, but it should also make us feel more than just clean. It should renew the spirit, entice the senses, and rejuvenate us whether we are finishing up the night with a long relaxing soak in the tub – or we are simply doing a quick scrub to wake up and take on the day.

Ayieta also loves to share her sweet and soapy adventures with products that come from small businesses and independent retailers. Her philosophy seems to incorporate the idea that even small businesses can create huge amounts of happiness in every product -- and sometimes, just as a fast-food restaurant cannot compare to a home-cooked meal -- nothing can satisfy the need to feel pampered and loved better than a beautiful bar of homemade soap or an amazing small-batch sugar scrub!

For the Love of Bubbles isn't just about loving bath and body products. The blog expresses a great deal of love for its followers, too. From giving tips on the best brands or the coolest new products, to announcing some truly awesome prize giveaways, this blog is clearly not just one of many marketing tools in the online realm... Instead, it is a labor of love, handcrafted with care, exactly like the product brands that Ayieta loves to share with the world.

Oh... And the pictures of her "soap rack" (as opposed to a run of the mill soap dish!) are pretty spectacular too. Check out For the Love of Bubbles today, and add a little magic to your next bath!

So... Exactly What Is Cupping, Anyway?

The cupping trend is taking the holistic wellness world by storm!  Everyone is asking... "What is cupping?"

Cupping is an age-old therapeutic practice where cups, usually made out of glass, are heated and applied to various meridians along the body. These special therapeutic cups rest on the skin and create a suction in order to stimulate energy flow within the body.

Although this practice originated in Chinese medicine, massage cupping has enjoyed a surge of popularity in modern times.  Cupping is now actually a very current and popular practice. Cupping massage simply combines the two practices of massage therapy and cupping therapy, in order to provide a powerful holistic wellness experience.

Ancient Chinese cupping practices involved using glass cups, but obviously those aren't always convenient for everyone who is practicing this type of alternative therapy. Luckily, in the modern age, cupping therapy sets are actually made of all types of materials. Silicone cupping sets are considered among the best of these.  They are very common and highly prized as they are durable and flexible.  Additionally, a silicone suction cup can be much easier and safer to use.

My 3-piece silicone cupping set in action!

The vacuum therapy practices of cupping are a fantastic alternative medicine supplement for health as well as beauty. Many people are turning to this practice instead of commercial anti-aging products. One of the many benefits of cupping is that it has been said to provide the best wrinkle treatment possible for simply the reasonable price of your favorite reusable silicone cupping set.  Instead of investing time and energy, not to mention money, in skincare products to reduce wrinkles, facial cupping can be used to help reduce wrinkles. Many of the creams, lotions, and surgical procedures on the market today may or may not be effective, but facial cupping is being used more and more as not only does it reduce wrinkles, it can be a safe and noninvasive alternative to surgery.

Other benefits of cupping are truly remarkable to one's musculoskeletal health. Many pain sufferers turn to this ancient practice in order to alleviate muscle spasms and to help with lymphatic drainage.  Cupping can also be an excellent supplement to your myofascial release therapy routine. A suction cup can aid in the massage of sore tissue, and also to promote better circulation.

The silicone cupping set that I own is from CuppingWarehouse.com.  My set is just perfect for a beginner!  The three-piece cupping set was easy to use from the moment it emerged from the package.  It is also safe, and was very stimulating for my skin.  The cup artisans at Cupping Warehouse are known for their fabulous holistic health products: these items are a modern version of the ancient tools which were so effectively used in days long ago. This silicone cupping set is soft but durable, very safe and easy to use, yet surprisingly effective. Additionally, Cupping Warehouse offers a free trial subscription of the "Cupping Secrets" section of their website, so users can learn even more methods and techniques of cupping to look and feel fabulous!

To learn more about cupping, or even to order your own awesome silicone cupping set, have a look at CuppingWarehouse.com today.  It's a must for anyone who practices Reiki, therapeutic massage, or any other form of alternative medicine. Enjoy!

Jake and the Giants: An Awesome Little Movie With a Big Heart!

The modern world is inundated with media of all types. Despite the fact that there's no shortage of things to see and discuss with others, it can still be extremely challenging to find something that's enjoyable for everyone in the family.

Boat Angel Family Films has made this challenge much easier.  With their emphasis on kid-friendly media, Boat Angel produces content that is of the highest quality, safe for viewers of any age, and most of all, lots of fun!

Their new 2016 release, Jake and the Giants, is the story of a little boy and his sister as they rescue their parents, who have been kidnapped by evil giants. Along this arduous quest to free their family, the kids make some interesting and helpful friends. These chance encounters result in the formation of a formidable team that tenaciously fights for the people they love.

This film, while entertaining, is also filled with important lessons for the viewers. The underlying themes of fighting for what's right, sacrificing for what is important to you, and making the effort to help those you love are all very strongly conveyed concepts in the story. However, there are also other lessons which prevail throughout this tale; kids will learn that might doesn't necessarily always make right, and that a good plan can often be the best way to resolve conflicts with others. Additionally, the film shines a light on what can be accomplished even by people who are often seen as small and powerless, especially when those people join together for a common cause. I think that these themes will resonate strongly with both children and parents, while at the same time, presenting such valuable lessons in a fun and engaging way.

The visuals of this film make it breathtaking to watch. From the tiniest details on each leaf of the trees in the forest, to the winsome expressions on the cute characters' faces, you can sense the love and attention to fine detail that the artists have shown. It is clear to me that this is not merely a simple family film, but a labor of love -- a gift to those who are young, or just young at heart.

Whether you are 8 years old or 80 years old, Jake and the Giants will provide you with an exciting film adventure, and a story that you and your family can cherish for generations to come.  This coming year, share Boat Angel Family Films' Jake and the Giants with someone you love!

Happiness Through Self-Discovery

A SWOT analysis is a common method for gauging the stand of a brand or business.  It stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  Occasionally, I enjoy doing this for myself as a personal exercise.

As we go through life, new experiences will often shape the way we see the world.  When we learn, we become better versions of ourselves.  It's vital to look inward at times, so that we can reassess ourselves.  What is important to us now?  What used to work for us, but no longer serves our greatest good?  Self-analysis can help us to not only become better people,  but to make better use of the skills and knowledge that we've acquired.

Discover what's new in your inner life.  Try new things, gain new abilities and new loves.  You may have hidden talents or skills that you've previously not discovered.  We are all treasures, so don't be afraid to dig in and find something new!

Small Business Advantage: Try New Services to Save Time & Make Money!

This article is dedicated to all of those entrepreneurs out there who are reading my blog.  I know it can be difficult out there!  But although there are bumps on the road to our ultimate prosperity, there are also shortcuts that you can take -- valuable ones.

As a businessperson myself, I can understand the importance of minimizing time spent on business research, so that I can maximize my time actually "digging in the dirt" and making profits come in.

When I say minimizing my research time, I'm not talking about cutting corners.  I still want to know as much as I can about my chosen field, as well as the competition.  But there are easier ways to do this than to sit down and spend hours scouting out other businesses.  Google helps, of course, but the internet is a much different place than it used to be when I started working in online retail in 1999!  As an eBay power seller during eBay's humble beginnings, ensuring that I offered my customers the best price was a time consuming affair; lots of hunting around for the best information made it quite an undertaking!

Fast forward to 2015.  New technological innovations have enabled sellers to have this data at their fingertips, with minimal research.  The website, JustListAway.com offers a service to sellers that ranks their products on eBay or Amazon.  This saves sellers so much time and energy!  JustListAway.com does the sourcing for the sellers, so that retailers can spend less time doing research -- and more time meeting the needs of their customers.  With this service, online retailers have the power to facilitate more sales and generate more revenue in less time.

The internet has certainly come a long way in the past 20 years. It's an exciting time to be a small online business, and it's also reassuring to know that services like these exist to help us succeed!

Winning Recipes With the Pro-Cooks Contest!

I just love contests!  But the only thing I really love more than winning a contest is cooking for family.  Nothing is more satisfying than seeing someone take a big tasty bite out of some new recipe that I've recently tried -- and loved!

enter here!

Now that I've amassed quite a good recipe collection, one thing that I love is sharing recipes and cooking tips with other people.  I love looking up recipes online, trying them out at home, and even sharing recipes with my friends.  Recipe exchanges and free recipe websites are bookmarked by me on a daily basis!

When I found out about Pro-Cooks.com and their monthly recipe contest, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first.  After all, could I really win a contest from submitting a recipe?  But it's true -- regular people just like me and you are winners of this recipe contest.  What's more, not only do they celebrated over at Pro-Cooks.com, they actually win a cash prize from submitting their recipes!

The entry fee is low, and the folks over there are super friendly.  So, if you're a great cook and you're looking to make some extra money online by winning contests, give it a shot.  And whether your recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, or some other special type of recipe -- it's eligible as long as it's delicious!  Next month's winner just might be you!