This year I’ve moved my entire house, shuffled around in the kitchen and went to all sorts of different music events to support my friends – the sneakers that have held up better than any other pair I’ve ever had are Sambas by Adidas.

Why are these shoes so good that I am dedicating an entire blog article to them?

Because they really are that good and here is why.

I’ve had my pair of Sambas since 9th grade of high school, yes, I am currently 29 years old. Sambas are made for indoor soccer and that’s why they are so excellent for not slipping.

I have to admit even if I’m not cooking in the kitchen, moving my apartment or dancing around at shows, these make all-around wonderful sneakers. If they make little ones for youngsters, I also suggest these sneakers as they are more likely to prevent falls.

I prefer the Samba Classics – but any Sambas with the nonmarking gum rubber outsole for excellent grip will work well. Sambas are made of synthetic leather with a suede overlay for abrasion resistance and durability, plus they are lightweight and ultra comfortable. They easily form to the foot after a few times of wearing. Brand new Sambas are about $100 but they last for years so they are definitely worth the investment. You want to avoid used ones, as again they form to your foot.

Did I mention they look good with a lot of different outfits too?

These are definitely the perfect sneakers for chefs, cooks, movers, busy parents or anyone who is quick on their foot and frequently on the move.

Link: sixdifferentways.com

New Years is right around the corner and you know what that means – New Years Resolutions, especially if you are on social media sites – expect a ton of posts on your timelines and then 3 months later expect a ton of posts about people complaining or patting themselves on the backs for failing at it or sticking to their guns. Either way, they are going to be everywhere.

Try something new this year, here are a few tips to help your resolutions actually stick.

New Years Resolution Tips:

Start your New Years resolution before New Years and you will be ahead of the flood. Once you start seeing your Aunt Sally who is planning to lose 30 lbs by August or your best friend Judy who is going to quit smoking after 30 years – you might start second guessing your resolution to cut down your coffee intake by 2 cups instead of 3 cups per day.

Choose only one new years resolution. Everyone piles on the resolutions like they have been waiting an entire year to actually make a positive change in their lives.

Choose something practical but also make sure it is specific and if it something that requires a little more time to implement create a plan for it. For example, if your goal is to work out more, don’t just say “I’m going to work out more.” You want to come up with a more specific goal like, “I am going to work out 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 30 minutes in the morning.”  This gives that little voice in your head less wiggle room to tell you that you worked out once this month which is definitely “working out more” considering last year you didn’t go to the gym once.

From experience, if you choose a goal like not eating anymore sugar or quitting smoking. It’s best to do this cold turkey. Even a small intake of these things in the beginning keeps your body in a state of dependency on them and although you might go back to them in the future, you want to give your body a full on break from it – sort of like a reset in your internal programming.

Keep the posting at a minimum. Sometimes it can help to have some support especially for bigger goals and sometimes it helps to be held accountable – knowing other people are tracking your progress with you can sometimes be beneficial when making resolutions.

Stomach pain or tummy aches throughout the day can affect our sleep schedule, our performance at work can negatively affect our attitudes if its regularly occurring. Abdominal pain can also be hard to judge what the source is, and it’s not as simple as just removing a particular type of food like an allergy. If the pain is severe and intense, it may be best to visit a physician and may be a symptom of a more serious condition.

However, here are some simple drinks that are great remedies to consistent tummy aches that don’t need to involve the costs or hassle of a doctor’s visit.

1. Water, but with Lemon.
This might seem obvious, but physicians recommend 8 glasses of water a day, and many drink well below that number. Drink water throughout the day, but add lemon to at least 2 – 3 of those glasses; lemon has been shown to have some benefit with abdominal pain. Water hydrates, cleanses and flushes out the system while lemon helps break down food, easing the work of stomach acids.

2. All-Natural Ginger Ale.
Ginger has been used throughout history for digestion woes, but some are averse to chewing on pure ginger root. A great way to get the benefits of ginger is simply Ginger Ale. Try to aim for a brand no high fructose corn syrup, and you have a great drink to calm an upset stomach.
3. The Rolling Treatment
Still having stomach cramps? Try this treatment! Prepare a very strong chamomile tea in the morning before breakfast. After drinking, lay down on your left side, your abdomen, and then your right side for 5 minutes each. The tea will spread through your system as you “roll,” and is one of the best natural ways to cure stomach pain. For the tea, use 1 heaping tbsp of dried chamomile flowers per cup of hot water, and you can also use 2 teabags of chamomile instead of 1 teabag for maximum effect.

And there you have it, 3 simple drinks you can make in the comfort of your home. Simple drinks like this can go a long way in getting rid of those stomach cramps for good!

More: sixdifferentways.com

I’m sure you’ve seen incense sticks, they are sold everywhere from gas stations and  convenience stores to candle shops and bookstores, but did you know there are some woods you can burn that have a natural aroma which works the same way as an incense stick purchased from a store?

Palo Santo Wood

Christmas Day is finally here! Merry Christmas! 

While having a fully loaded christmas tree with an abundance of gifts underneath it is exciting – there are some christmas gifts that can’t come from a store. Revive the spirit of christmas today by creating a christmas wish tree that asks santa for a personal wish that can’t be bought. This is a great idea for christmas day parties or for a family activity on Christmas day!

What You’ll Need: 

• 3 large branches or a Light Up Wire Christmas Tree or simply christmas lights
• Clothes Pins
• Index Cards
• Pens

You can get a light up wire christmas tree from a craft store or hardware store. If you can’t find one you can always make your own or you can even simply use christmas light strung on the ceiling or wrapped around nearly anything. A friend of mine used 3 large branches found outside.

Use the pens and index cards for each guest or family member to write down something they wish for the upcoming year. This wish isn’t a material wish but a wish that comes from the heart.  Have them write down 3 gifts. One they want for themselves, the second to give to others (it can be specific people) and third for the whole world.

Have them use a clothes pin to attach their index card to the lights. If everyone is comfortable, have them share their wish or you can just leave them up there so as others approach the tree, they can see all the good tidings and merry wishes wanted and given for the year to come!

2 Days til’ Christmas Countdown: These beautiful christmas ornaments can be used to hang on your tree or used as decoration during the holiday season. They are fragile but very beautiful and easy to make!

What You’ll Need:

• Balloons
• Cotton String
• Fabric Stiffener
• Ribbons
• Scotch Tape

Blow up a balloon to whatever size you want your snowball string ornament to be.  Tape the end of the string to the balloon so it stays put. Wrap the string around the balloon in whatever pattern you’d like, try a lacy, nest-like pattern.

Make sure to wrap it enough times so there aren’t too many large spaces. The larger the spaces the more fragile and delicate the ornament will be. Dip it in fabric stiffener.  Allow the stiffener to dry for the amount of time as per the directions on the bottle.

Pop the balloon using a sewing needle, knife or any other sharp object. Tie a ribbon to one end of your snowball string creation and hang wherever you see fit!

6 Days til’ Christmas Countdown: Make your own christmas centerpiece this year using plants and natural materials you can find in your own backyard!

What You’ll Need: 

• Pinecones
• cinnamon sticks
• Evergreen with needles
• Holly with berries
• sharp shears
• serving tray (preferably one you don’t want to reuse)
• 1 – 3 Candles with candle holders
• hairspray
• rubber bands

You’ll want to cut your evergreen and holly using sharp shears. Cut and bunch your evergreen together with a rubber hand tied to the ends of the bunches. Hang upside down for a week or more in a cool, dry place. To dry holly with berries, place them upright in a container like a tall glass bottle in a cool, dry place.

Once dried, spray with hairspray. Spray the pinecones and cinnamon sticks with hairspray as well. The hair spray will help preserve them. Take your tray and place your candles with their holders evenly spaced apart in the center of your tray.

Now comes the fun and creative part! Place your evergreen, holly and pinecones around the candles in whichever way you think looks nice, glue them to the tray and together using a hot glue gun filling in the gaps.

Be sure to leave a little room around the candles so you replace them if you want to reuse your centerpiece. Just like that you have a handmade, homemade beautiful and natural christmas centerpiece!

10 Days til’ Christmas Countdown: A fun and easy holiday gift idea excellent for friends and family members, especially for those who love cooking is herb flavored infused cooking oil. This recipe is for a savory chile pepper, onion and garlic infused oil. The oil can be used for cooking or dipping.

What You’ll Need:

• Dry Woody Herbs (thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, etc.)
• sprig of rosemary
• pearl onions
• Garlic (minced)
• dry chile peppers
• extra virgin olive oil
• strainer
• cheesecloth
• clear bottles (you can recycle mason jars, jam and jelly jars or any other glass containers)
• saucepan
• baking sheet

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your pearl onions in halves. Place your minced garlic and pearl onions on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, check on them at about 10 minutes, the garlic should be a light golden brown.

If so, remove from the oven, if not, leave in for another 2 minutes or so. Use a combination of dry woody herbs you think would taste good combined together. Add herbs (about 2 – 3 tbsps of the combination), olive oil, pearl onions (3 onions or 6 halves), minced garlic (1 -2 tbsps) and dry chile peppers (about 2 – 3)  to your pot and place stove on medium low heat. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, do not bring to boil or put heat so high that the oil spits or splatters. Take off of heat and allow to the oil to cool.

Add a sprig of rosemary or a chile pepper to each of your glass containers. This is mostly for decorative purposes. Once the oil is completely cooled, use a strainer lined with a cheesecloth and pour your oil through it into the containers. Feel free to add a few of the pearl onions, chile peppers and garlic to the glass bottle.

11 Days til’ Christmas Countdown: Giving cash for christmas? The Raining Money Umbrella is a super cute way to give cash this Christmas without simply sticking it in a holiday card. This idea is especially useful if you are giving one large bill or a couple of larger bills.

What you’ll need

• Umbrella
• String
• Scissors
• Scotch Tape
• Cash money (minimum of five bills)

Buy an umbrella you think the person might like (just don’t get one of those transparent umbrellas or else you will ruin the surprise! Let’s say you are giving $100, turn them into $5 bills or $20 bills.  Cut string with your scissors. You will want string that won’t get tangled up if you are using more than twenty bills for your gift. Otherwise, you can use dental floss or fishing line. There is a chance your strings may get tangled up regardless especially if you are using a lot of bills. Don’t worry, the idea is still awesome.

You can make the strings all of the same length or try different lengths but do not make them longer than the canopy of the umbrella when it is closed.

Tape one string per bill on the outer edge of the bill. Then tie each string with a bill attached to the metal prongs that are attached to the canopy. Space them a part well enough to avoid tangling.

Then gently close the umbrella. Give it a test. When they open their brand new umbrella, the money you tied should hang down! It is a cute surprise and puts a smile on their face!

More: sixdifferentways.com

13 Days til’ Christmas Countdown: Spread the holiday cheer this year by making christmas ornaments with positive quotes, affirmations and inspirational compliments to decorate your own tree and to give to family and friends!

What you’ll need:

• Glitter
• shiny confetti
• white paper
• multicolored construction paper (optional)
• scissors
• clear round ornaments

Using your scissors, cut white paper into strips that are wide enough to write on but short enough to fit snuggly inside of your ornament. You can also add a colored piece of construction paper behind the white paper for extra pizazz!

On each strip think of optimistic, happy and kind quotes or words that you or someone else would like to hear. For example, I received one from a friend of mine that said “You are wildly beautiful.” A few others you could use are “Your smile makes the whole room light up,” or “You have a big heart and a magical soul,” or “You are a loving and empowered person.”

Write one of these on each strip of paper. Open the clear ornaments and add glitter and confetti, then place one quote in each ornament. Close the tops and shake them up!

Very gently add these ornaments to a large bag and have each of your friends and family members select one or you can hang them on your christmas tree and let them chose their own!

Read this article: sixdifferentways.com