Good Things

I thought today would be a good time to share good stuff with you. If you're not interested in my opinions on things, whatever. As long as I feel I'm doing good in the world, I sleep well at night (which would explain the insomnia).

Good thing #1 - Tropical Tuesday. If you don't already have a Magic Bullet or a Ninja or some store version of this little mixing miracle, GO GET ONE! I think they're 2 for 1 on official sites or probably under $20 at Walgreens. The first thing you need to do is throw away the recipe book that comes with it and forgot what they told you in the commercial about making fabulous soups, sauces, etc. That will never happen. What you WILL make, though, are yummy smoothies with a million varieties, and I promise even your pickiest kid will love it. In the time it takes to get your coffee going (and I'm not even including grinding time) you'd have a pitcher of smoothies ready. I can hand them to my kids who are running out the door and they'll drink them on the way to the bus stop. Today's concoction was easy as usual:

Tuesday Tropical Temptation (makes one large 16 oz or 2 small 8 oz or 3 smaller 4 oz smoothies)

1 blood orange (or any orange; if using clementines or cuties, I suggest 3 or 4) peeled and cut into quarters or halves [70 calories]
1 banana [105 calories]
1/2 cup crushed ice (if you have a really strong blender and/or don't have crushed ice, use about 3-4 regular ice cubes)
1 teaspoon coconut flakes (dried, like the kind you bake with) [65 calories]
1/4 cup fat-free skim milk [25 calories]
1 Dannon Light & Fit toasted coconut [80 calories]
1 package of crystal light or store brand 0-calorie drink mix (1 packet = 16.9 ounce glass) I used strawberry, orange, tangerine flavor [0 calories]

Shove them all together and mix away. You can adjust the coconut & milk if consistency is too thick/thin and or if you want more coconut taste. You can obviouly substitute out the drink flavors (real coconut milk or water would be an excellent choice). The point is they are so simple and you just got several servings of fruits for the day, so good job! Also, if you drank the whole thing (like I did) you had about 345 calories to start your morning, so not bad!

Good thing #2 - If you are not already ordering tarts from my friend Carol at Candles From The Keeping Room, are you just crazy? If you like scented candles or even just to make your house smell nice once in a while, BUY HER TARTS! You can buy a tart warmer from her, you can buy one at any store (Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Kmart, Michaels, etc.). You can use an electric one or a tealight burning one. I prefer the electric because I need to NOT have any open flames in my house. I have too many cats who feel the need to wander counters and I also have Justin who we're pretty sure is NOT fireproof. If you order Yankee or Partylite or Gold Canyon or ANY of the national or local "best" scented ones, give Carol a try instead. A Yankee tart will cost you $1 each, and that's only if you get them on sale. Carol sells hers in every size you could want - 4 for $4, a sampler of about 6 for $6, huge cuttable ones, cute shapes for holidays/seasons, you name it. She constantly adds new scents and her Scent List is out of this world. Oh, and did I mention she gives free samples with orders? Support a local businesswoman with a small business that is 100 times better than anything you can buy at a store. Trust me, you will never tire of picking out scents and going back for more. My home always smells so strong, and I get compliments from every person who walks in my home. Yes, they smell my amazing scented tarts, NEVER my zoo. I promise, you will not be able to resist once you start snooping around her site. Give it a shot!

Good thing #3 - House Party! I know I mentioned before that I would suggest try & tells or survey sites that offer good product samples. House Party has several different events going on right now, so if you're not a member yet, sign up! You do have to check regularly for new parties, but they will also email you ones that look like you'd be a match and you do get an official email if you're not chosen. If you are into Facebook and twitter, those are great ways to share your interest as well to up your chances of getting in on one. Granted, I probably only get 1 or 2 a year, but they are always worth it! Right now there's a Duncan Hines Frosting party, a Blue Bell Ice Cream party, and a Weight Watchers Frozen Treats party. Sign up and check often! 

That's enough product placement for now. Try these and let me know what you think. I will only ever push/recommend/suggest stuff I personally use or participate in and think highly enough to share.