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Balance Complete – Part 3 of the Slique™ Series

Posted by html404 on March 6, 2012
in Health, Health & Garden Tuesday, Health and Garden Tuesday, Health and Nutrition

Some comments left last week made me think that there is some misunderstanding concerning how I am doing with the Slique™ Challenge to achieve my weight loss goals. The photo below is the suggested regimen:

This is what my meals may look like on any given day:

Meals

Breakfast: I am big on breakfast. It is pretty much my favorite meal. I start out by having my orange juice with my vitamins and fish oil. Then we usually have cold cereal, oatmeal, toast, eggs or pancakes.

Snack: Slique™ Tea, water with Slique™ Essence, sometimes a piece of fruit or dried fruit like Craisins or Wolfberries. My Ningxia Red, which is a nutritional drink full of antioxidants.

Lunch: Slique™ Tea 15 minutes before. Balance Complete (a meal replacement shake) or a light lunch. Eaten with enzymes (for digestion).

Snack: Slique™ Tea, water with Slique™ Essence.

Supper: Slique™ Tea 15 minutes before. Balance Complete or a light supper. Eaten with enzymes.

For the most part I have not been consistent in doing any of this. It’s been hit or miss and I have mostly been eating what my family eats. I have had no weight loss so far in the last week and three days. Nor have I gained any. I am hoping to up my activity to some walks this week, but we’ll see if I make that goal. I am also an emotional eater, which was taught as a wee one I am sure, so if I have a bad day I tend to eat more. Lots of bad habits to change.

Balance Complete

This is a meal replacement powder. It is vanilla flavored. It smells good and tastes good. I prefer to take it in cold water. I need to start making this one of my meals to see if that helps me drop some pounds.

Inches

I met someone at an essential oils educational class last who is also doing the Slique™ Challenge and she is not only weighing herself but measuring herself. So while she has not dropped any pounds, she has lost inches, which keeps her motivated! Pretty good idea, one I plan to implement as soon as I find my tape measure or purchase a new one!

That concludes Part 3 of the Slique™ Series.

Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

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Kid-Safe Chemicals – Must See Video

Posted by html404 on March 3, 2012
in Eco Friendly Products, Education, Health, Health and Nutrition, Safety

This is a must see video if you are even remotely curious or concerned with the amount of chemicals our children are exposed to today. Thanks to the Environmental Working Group (EWG.org). They also have a site that allows you to look up ingredients, which I cannot seem to find that link right now but will add once I find it:

This video is precisely why we are changing the products we use and the foods we eat. It is for the future of our children and future generations. A change must occur. What will you do?

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Weight Loss Goals with Slique™ Tea – Part 2 of the Slique™ Series

Posted by html404 on February 28, 2012
in All Natural Products, Health, Health & Garden Tuesday, Health and Nutrition

Last week I shared my struggle with weight loss and told you my plan to do the Slique™ Tea Challenge. At first I wasn’t sure what that even meant for me. I just knew I was going to do my best to follow the guidelines set forth within the kit.

Weight Loss and Slique™ Tea

I didn’t do too badly this past week. I didn’t get to weigh myself until Friday so no known weight loss to speak of yet. However, I can tell you on my most successful days I do notice that my appetite is less that it usually is. In last week’s post I shared just a wee bit about the Slique™ Tea and how it tastes good and is suppose to suppress appetite and give you natural energy. I can attest that it does as I have been pulling really late nights for the better part of a week and a half now! Usually I can only go a couple of nights before I crash (getting older you know! HA!). I have had a lot to do.

I wanted to show you that I really am drinking it! Next week I’ll remember to show a cup of tea!

Slique™ Tea contains a blend of Ecuadorian ocotea leaf (natives used it for health and wellness), a member of the cinnamon family, Amazonian caco, proprietary vanilla essential oil, jade oolong tea leaves (antioxidant content), stevia and 100% therapeutic grade Arabian frankincense powder, exclusive to Salah, Oman. No wonder it tastes good!

Slique™ Essence

This week I am going to talk to you about the Slique™ Essence, the second product of five that are a part of the Slique™ Kit. It is very flavorful and I have been putting a drop or two in my water and there is a nice feeling of fullness that comes with drinking a couple glasses of water between meals. Not that I have not been hungry at all, I have been, but neither have I been 100% true to the guidelines. I forget to take my tea 15 minutes before my meals or take my enzymes with my meal etc. Plus I am still nursing my youngest so I am starting out slow as I do not want to do anything to jeopardize my milk supply. I am trying to adapt it to my son’s breastfeeding needs. When I weigh myself Friday, I will know if I have to tweak things depending on my weight loss or lack thereof.

I wanted to show you that my bottle is being used. Notice the yellow stains around the cover on the front and more so in the back, as shown below.

Slique™ Essence is made up of these essential oils: grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, spearmint, and ocotea with stevia extract in a unique blend that supports healthy weight management goals. These ingredients work together to help control hunger, especially when used in conjunction with Slique™ Tea or the Slique™ Kit. Several studies have actually been done on this proprietary blend, which is impressive. More and more studies are being done on essential oils and the health benefits they provide, which makes me very excited! (see PubMed)

Exercise

So far I have not implemented any exercise program, which I need to do. Tune in next week to see how week two goes!

Slique™ Challenge

This is how motivated I am…I actually joined Young Living’s Slique™ Challenge, open to all new and currently active distributors. For the challenge we had to send two photos of ourselves (front and side view), our age, weight and our weight loss goals. I just did this last night. We do have to purchase a Slique™ Kit from now through May and be at the Young Living 2012 convention. At the convention six $5000 prizes will be awarded to those who lost the most weight, if I remember correctly. So every month I will have to send my weight and photos! Yikes! How humbling is that? But you know when I think about a prize like that procrastination kind of flies out the window! Like I said, I have never, ever done anything like this before, here’s to a first of firsts! By blogging to all of you I am holding myself to a higher level of accountability or at least I’d like to think I am. (wry smile!)

There you have it, my progression so far. I survived the first week…or so. Any of you make any steps forward in your weight loss goals? What is the hardest thing you are facing?

Giveaway at Planet Weidknecht!

If you would like to win a box of Slique™ Tea, we are hosting a giveaway over at Planet Weidknecht! Ends 3/4. Thanks for your support!

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Vegetable Gardening

Posted by Brande on February 23, 2012
in All Natural Products, Coupons, Deals, Farm Stuff, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gardening, Health, Health and Nutrition, Organic, Saving Money, Shopping, Thrifty Thursday

Spring is Coming!

I found this great deal for vegetable gardening and it all starts with a bumper sticker. A bumper sticker? Yes. Use this link to the left and get your free bumper sticker! When you put your information in you’ll receive an email to confirm your email address. THEN, you’ll get a promo code for 53% off “Seeds of the Month Club“.

Some background – Mike the Gardner Enterprises is located in NJ. Mike is a 3rd generation home vegetable gardner and author. Mike has been featured in many publications around the world with articles and tips, including ABC & NBC.

Mike also has a podcast, blog and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, LinkedIN, Pinterest, & Google +.

“Seeds of the Month Club” – According to their website. “All seeds are non-gmo, open pollinated heirloom varieties that have been tested for a germination rate of 90% and higher. ”

“You receive 8 packs of seeds your first month and 4 packages each month thereafter. With a 30 day money back guarantee.”

With the 53% off it cost $15.06 for the year! I signed up, so we’ll see what it’s like. Granted, I don’t know what kind of seeds I’ll receive monthly. It’s still a great deal!

Happy Growing!

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Slique™ Kit

Posted by html404 on February 21, 2012
in All Natural Products, Health, Health and Garden Tuesday, Health and Nutrition

For all of my child bearing years, I have struggled with my weight. Actually, I have struggled since I was a child, I just managed it better in my late teens through mid-twenties with lots and lots of exercise! I am currently at my highest weight ever. I have tried to focus on my mothering more than my weight and protecting my girls from the idea that “I am not good enough” subconscious message that the media pushes on all females. I worked hard to instill in them that beauty comes from within not from what size clothing they wear. It is hard when the “thin” message is everywhere we look and most people have succumbed to those thoughts as the norm. I mean look at me I am still entrenched in it! The thing is even a couple of years ago I was ok, as long as I didn’t gain anymore but I have and don’t want to gain anymore. I am really not happy with my where my weight is now. Yet I still worry if I try to lose weight what message I will be sending to my daughters. It’s a catch-22.

However, my youngest is 18 months old and we have a new product through our Cornucopia Health Scents business, I thought I would try something I have never done before in hopes of getting phenomenal results while giving my body nutrition it needs. This new product just arrived last week and we do sell it, so anyone interested, please visit the Lose Weight tab at the top of the blog or visit our business site.

Slique Kit

The Product Description (credit for this goes to Jeanmarie Hepworth and is used with permission):

A Revolutionary New Weight Management System featuring Slique™ Tea and the New Essential Oil Blend Slique™ Essence!

The products in this collection work together to support effective weight management by:

Suppressing appetite and food cravings while increasing metabolism

Providing low-calorie supplements that are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and catechins

Helping with the breakdown and absorption of food

There are two kit choices non-vegetarian and vegetarian.

Lose weight and improve your health with the Slique Experience!

My Personal Goal

I have tried a box of the Slique™ Tea on its own when it came out in the fall, but sold my other box at a trade show, so I was excited to try it again. It is really very good. Since it has stevia (a natural sweetener that comes from the stevia plant), no other sugar is needed.

If I am brave enough, I will share my journey with you in upcoming posts. Being a private person, I am hesitant to make myself that vulnerable to be honest, so I haven’t quite decided what I will do yet. However, I will take the next few weeks to go through each of the products in the Slique™ Tea kit and let you know how I like them. Then at the end of this series I will be offering a giveaway of one Slique™ Tea kit to one of YOU! ($275/$285 Value) One of the biggest giveaways we have ever had on Faith and Family Reviews! So bring it on, eh!? And be sure to spread the word!

An associate of mine researched other brand name weight loss programs and came to the conclusion that the Slique Tea kit is cheaper than other weight loss programs available. If you have any experience with Nutri System, Jenny Craig or others let me know if $275/month is cheaper.

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Dry Skin

Posted by html404 on February 19, 2012
in Family Stuff, Health and Nutrition, Personal Care Products, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Shopping

The winter months are hard on the skin and our family is no different. Dry hands, face, elbows and even feet and legs get that scaly cracked skin. This winter my face has been so dry and I cannot figure out why. My husband’s hands have been extra dry and very rough, but he thinks that his frequent use of hand sanitizer may be at the root of his problem. Some of the younger children’s legs have been dry. We do not bathe as often during the winter so it is hard to pin point what is causing the dry skin. It has become my quest to find a solution.

We have tried numerous products and lotion, one has worked better than others but still leaves a greasy residue. That’s why when we were introduced to Dial™ NutriSkin™ I decided to try it. It is new and they are adding extra vitamins and nutrients to it therefore it appealed to me to see what it was like. I went to Walmart since they were having an in-store demo so I could try it before I bought the lotion. I have to be careful what I buy because so many of my children have sensitive skin.

Walmart did not have the full selection of Dial™ NutriSkin™ lotions or body wash. I was really looking forward to trying one of their fruity scented body washes, but they only had two and one was not very fruity smelling. In their lotion, I could only choose from 2 products: Shea Butter and Aloe. The demo lady had a third lotion on the demo table but I forgot to try it after the Aloe because I had so much Aloe on my hands! I liked both in regards to scent, but decided on the Aloe because it was on sale for $3 and the demo lady gave me a coupons for $1 off. I really liked that price compared to the $4 regular price and the $5 price of other brands. So far my hands are still very smooth and soft, not to mention good! My husband just put some on so time will tell Dial™ NutriSkin™ lotion will work for him.

My oldest daughter will be the final judge on this product since she has the most chemical sensitivities.

As a side note, I was talking to a friend this weekend who has eczema and psoriasis and she takes Vitamin D supplements and/or cod liver oil to combat it and it helps. She only does this during the winter months when she doesn’t get enough sunshine.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions expressed are my own. #DialNutriSkin #Cbias

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5 Ways to Use Garlic

Posted by html404 on February 17, 2012
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition

I had so many ask me what I was going to do with all our garlic last week that it inspired a post topic for this week! We enjoy using fresh garlic over powdered. While we like it I have to admit that we do not use it a ton. Guess we don’t want to smell like garlic!

5 Ways to Use Garlic

1. Antioxidants. Garlic has a powerful antioxidant. Studies have shown this – especially aged garlic. Antioxidants can help to protect the body against damaging free radicals. There are claims that fermented black garlic contains even higher antioxidant levels than normal cloves, which is very interesting and something I did not know. (Source: Garlic Central) In our home, we make a mixture of garlic and honey to help combat scratchy throats at the onset of a cold. Only a few of us can stand it though, especially since the daughter that mixes it up LOVES garlic!

2. Antibiotic. Modern science has shown that garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic. The bacteria in the body do not appear to evolve resistance to the garlic as they do to many modern pharmaceutical antibiotics so the health benefits can continue over time rather than helping to breed antibiotic resistant “superbugs”. Too bad medical professionals wouldn’t use this more often! (Source: Garlic Central)

3. Insect Repellent. Garlic not only repels mosquitoes, but it also repels ticks, fleas and other parasites. (Source: Life Hackery) Great for us and our pets!

4. Natural Pesticide. Commercial pesticides are harmful not only to the environment, but to humans and animals. Garlic is all-natural but it can be as effective as any commercial counterpart. Mix garlic cloves and extracts with pepper and a bit of soap to make a homemade garlic pesticide. Some gardeners have found this garlic mixture effective in keeping animals such as rabbits, deers, and groundhogs away from their gardens. (Source: Life Hackery)

5. And of course. Cooking. It can be sauteed, dried, roasted or pressed and added raw to salad dressings and such.

There are many other uses for Garlic, this is only a small sampling. It is one herb that we shouldn’t live without!

Sources:
1 and 2 from Garlic Central.
2 and 4 from Life Hackery.

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First Aid – A Healthy Tuesday Tip

Posted by html404 on February 7, 2012
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Guest Post, Health, Health and Nutrition, Home

We use 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils for our natural medicine chest. I have always been wary of using over the counter drugs and even prescription drugs due to having grown up with family members who have been addicted to alcohol. You could say that I have gone to the extreme of what I witnessed growing up – to me that is a good thing – but my desire is to use a natural remedy that doesn’t have any side affects! And having the right essential oils on hand when a first-aid situation arises is a must in our home. Below are some suggestions on what oil to use when. For detaild uses of the oils mentioned, please refer to the Essential Oils Desk Reference book, which is available on Amazon or EssentialScience.net

Cuts – Melrose, DiGize, Purification

Puncture wounds – Thieves, Melrose,Purifications, Mt. Savory

Scrapes – Melrose, Purification, DiGize, Lavender

Burns – Lavender, Idaho Balsam, Frankincense

Blister – Lavender, Palo Santo, Frankincense

Bleeding - Helichrysum, Tsuga – DO NOT use Cistus with a bleeding wound

Bruises – Lavender, Deep Relief, Cistus

Broken bones – hospital, Idaho Balsam nearest joint, PanAway nearest joint

Sprains – Marjoram, PanAway, Lemongrass, Aroma Siez

Food Poisoning - DiGize, Peppermint, Thieves, Mt. Savory

Oils to have on hand:

Lavender – burns, cramps, headaches, stye on eye

Frankincense – head injury, trauma, tonsillitis, emotional release

Tsuga – stop bleeding, cystitis, uterine prolapse, gingivitis, wounds, mouth sores

DiGize – nausea, morning sickness, constipation, antiseptic for cuts, diarrhea, vomiting

Melrose – cuts, scrapes, ear aches, abrasions, candida, canker sores, rashes (staph), airplane ear popping

Basil – anti-spasmodic (back muscles, eye twitch), bug bites, nervous tension, malaria, poisonous snake bites

Deep Relief – muscles aches, headaches, pain

Breathe Again - couch, congestion, respiratory, asthma

Ravensara – virus, RSV, flu, colds, chest

Thieves – strep, gums, tooth abcess, dog bite, splinters

Thyme – West Nile, virus, sleep, athletes foot, fungal

RC – expectorant, allergies

Ledum – diarrhea, lymph glands, ears

Cistus – regenerate tissue, blood clots, heart health

Mt. Savory – like oregano but not hot

There’s just a few of the above oils that we have not used yet, but the rest we wouldn’t do without.

Don’t expect the same results unless you are using Young Living Therapeutic Grade essential oils and supplements. Also, each person is different so they may not work as well for you as it does for others, so try another oil or supplement that might work better for you.

Essential oil testimonials are an effective way of learning and sharing. With this knowledge, We can take control of our own personal health. However, we are required by law to state:

“These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products and Techniques mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Information provided here is in no way intended to replace proper medical help. Consult with the health authorities of your choice.”

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Sweet Leaf Tea Review

Posted by html404 on December 14, 2011
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Health and Nutrition, Organic

I was contacted by a company called Sweet Leaf Tea (www.sweetleaftea.com) that offers tasty organic, all-natural iced tea beverages. They sent me some of their products to review and we love this tea because it’s all natural. We try to stay away from sugary juices, sodas, and beverages. It’s very rare that we drink any of them, so I am always looking for natural alternatives.

This tea is really good! My kids love it and I was honestly surprised that they drank it because usually they aren’t crazy about iced tea. Personally, I really liked the lemon tea. It was really good and refreshing. I wasn’t crazy about the peach, but then again I don’t like peach anyways!

With twelve different flavors you are sure to find one that you love! We love that this tastes so yummy and yet it’s 100% all natural and organic.

Original
Diet Original
Half and Half
Citrus
Diet Citrus
Lemonade
Lemon-Lime
Lemon Tea
Peach
Diet Peach
Raspberry
Honey-Mint

Fun tip- Sweet Leaf Tea is currently hosting a cool promotion/website called Granny’s Almanac www.sweetleafalmanac.com, which offers visitors to the website a variety of sweet coupons and deals daily.

For more information or to purchase this tea please visit- www.sweetleaftea.com

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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HOTPANTS (TM), Not Hot Pads

Posted by html404 on November 18, 2011
in Clothing, Health and Nutrition

When I first signed up for the HOTPANTS (TM) review, I thought it was just another tummy tucker. Do you know what I mean when I say that? I just thought it was an article of clothing that tucked in all your excess baby weight. But I was mistaken. It is much more than that. It is a pair of biker shorts that was invented to sweat off the cellulite and excess fat in your waist, hips, butt and thighs. Inside the packaging is a flyer “Take the Two Week Challenge” encouraging you to weigh and measure yourself, wear the Hotpants every day for 2 weeks, then weigh and measure yourself again. After doing that share your results on Facebook and tweet about it.

My Results

Since I have only had my Hotpants for over a week and since they are required to line dry I have not been able to wear them every day for two weeks because it took them a couple of days to dry in our house. Plus I wasn’t wearing them to meetings outside our home because one they are not dressy enough and two it has been pretty chilly this week with the wind even with temps in the 50s at the beginning of this week. All that to say I have not seen any results due to my lack of consistency in wearing them.

My Thoughts about Hotpants

However, what I can say about the Hotpants is that they are warm, comfortable and fun to wear. My husband teases me saying I won’t be able to sneak up on anyone in them because they make a distinct “swishing” sound when I walk. Ha!

The Hotpants are black on the outside and yellow on the inside, elastic waistband and have a fair amount of give to them.

They fit surprisingly well. Being on the short side they fall at or just below the knee depending if I am standing or sitting. On taller folks they should fit like normal biker shorts like the photo to the left.

The Technology Behind Hotpants

Hotpants are engineered using Celu-Lite (TM) technology. They use your natural body heat to reduce the fat and visible cellulite. By wearing Hotpants you increase your perspiration by up to 80%. The Celu-Lite (TM) technology heats the body areas covered by Hotpants, promote deeper warming of your tissue leading to more sweating and thus breaking down fat and toxins which then can reduce the fat and visible cellulite. Cool, eh?

The technology behind Hotpants is called bio-ceramics, which has been around since the 70s. The bio-ceramics contained inside the material of the Hotpants, and contain far-infrared reflective particles, enabling the reflection of the body generated heat back into the tissue, warming up the tissue deep below the skin’s surface. (Reworded from this resource: Zaggora’s Hotpants product information sheet)

You can wear Hotpants during your workouts, working around your house or even sleep in them! Studies have shown that just wearing them to bed can lead to positive results in a 6-8 week time frame! Yes, I have been wearing them to bed too.

Where to Buy

Overall, I really like them and look forward to having more time to see what kind of results I get.

Want some too? You can buy your own pair of Hotpants at Zaggora.com. They retail for about $71 US.