All posts by Anne Younger

Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.

Totally Random

Coloured frames – will red eyeglasses suit me?

Anne Younger

Red. There are 23 shades of red, apparently. Our connection to the colour red runs deep. It’s an emotional colour. Red means love. Red means danger. Anger and passion are both red. Flames are associated with red, even though fire isn’t actually red, bizarrely. In Asia, red means good fortune. People dressed in red are, according to a study, deemed more attractive than when they are not dressed in red. In the sporting arena, psychologists have long known the connection between an athlete seeing red and experiencing brief bursts of energy. Red is a show of force – there’s a reason the colour red is often preferred for the paint work on high-end sports cars. All of this leaves us wearers of eyeglasses with one burning question – will red eyeglasses suit me? Let’s look into it – also see red glasses from EyeBuyDirect for ideas.

Matching your frames to your hair colour

Luckily for people whose hair is of a natural hue (even if it is a chemically enhanced natural shade), the colour red sits perfectly in the colour spectrums associated with browns, blondes, raven hair, and of course, red hair. Let’s start with brunettes. Brown and red can be seen in autumnal leaves of trees and bushes. The colours perfectly complement each other, and brunettes should consider switching to a red frame during these months for the perfect seasonal effect. The same can be said of blonde hair, with yellows and reds mixing arguably more evenly between the summer and the autumn. Black or raven hair mixed with red frames makes a bold statement and may not be to everyone’s tastes – which links us nicely our next point of matching your frames to your outlook.

Matching your frames to your personality

Red isn’t for the light of heart. Red signals ambition. Red desires attention. If you want to attract excitement and energy and stimulating conversations then red is the colour for you. Rarely do we come across individuals who are not entirely sure of themselves who choose to wear red, and when we do come across such individuals, we’re confused by the misappropriation of such an extravagant colour palette. Red frames are therefore for people who want to engage. With other people. With their career. With their interests. With life in general. The best advice here about wearing red frames is that you shouldn’t be at all surprised if your decision to wear red frames doesn’t bring about an upward change in fortune in terms of how the world sees and responds to you.

Totally Random

Simple Tips to Make Your Lawn Greener

Anne Younger

Having a lush green lawn is on the bucket list of every homeowner, most likely anywhere in the world. And it’s understandable!

A green lawn not only increases the curb appeal of your property, but it can also increase the value of your property and make the time you’re spending at home more enjoyable.

But, given that you aren’t a professional gardener, achieving the rich green color of the leave blades can be a bit hard. Even more, if you’re never done it in your life.

And even though there are certainly more reasons than you can imagine why your lawn is yellowish, many times the reason isn’t that complicated and it all comes down to how well you’re taking care of your lawn.

So, let’s go over a few things that might be the cause of your problems. Ready? Let’s jump right in.

And it all starts with using natural fertilizers.

Using the right fertilizer is probably both the number one tip you should follow, and the most important one out there. The reason is that the fertilizer will nurture the grass, which will have an immediate effect on how your back and front yard looks.

In order to get a greener lawn, you’d want to use a fertilizer that’s rich in nitrogen, as its the main ingredient that will play a role in promoting leaf growth.

But also, you’ll have to spend some time reading about weed fertilizers and how you should fertilize in terms of schedule, as it’s also going to play a tremendous role in how healthy your lawn is.

Worst case scenario you will overfertilize, and this could lead to some irreversible problems.

Don’t forget to try grass-cycling.

If you really want to use the best nutrients for your lawn, then definitely consider grasscycling your grass clippings.

But wait, what’s grasscycling?

It’s pretty straight forward. Grasscycling is the method of spreading the grass that accumulates in your lawnmower during mowing.

By spreading it evenly throughout the lawn after mowing, you’re providing the perfect nutrients for your yard. It’s proven that clippings decompose quickly and nurture the soil.

So, why should you miss it? It’s a great chance.

Cut your grass to the recommended height.

And while we’re at the topic of grass clippings, it’s all about mowing your lawn at the appropriate length.

If you’re cutting it too short, you’ll most likely kill every plant in grass leaf in your lawn. See, plants need to produce their food, and when you cut it shorter than recommended, it will eventually result in killing the plant.

The general rule of thumb is to never cut more than one-third of the length of the grass. So, it’s better to skip a Sunday mowing, rather than over-mowing it.

Try installing an irrigation system.

And, most likely the most expensive tip on the list. If you live in an area where rain is scarce, definitely consider installing an irrigation system on your property to take care fo the watering for you.

Water is one of the most important aspects of grass to grow green and healthy, so you’d definitely want this taken care of.

Sources:

Totally Random

Happy Anniversary: How to Achieve Longevity in your Marriage

Anne Younger

We’ve all seen couples that got together as childhood sweethearts and have lived a long and happy life together. It’s something we all want, and dream about one-day finding ourselves. However, even when we’re married and found the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with, there are plenty of ups and downs. However, when you know what to be mindful of, you can ensure your marriage stays healthy and happy.

With this in mind, today we’re going to explore some of the best ways you can promote longevity in your marriage and keep your golden years rolling.

Don’t Compare

In the introduction above, we said about looking at other couples and thinking to yourself, ‘damn, that’s something that I want.’ Try your best not to compare to others. Every relationship is different and unique in its own right, and what you see with a passing couple is only what you see at that moment. No relationship is perfect, and every relationship has its good times and bad times.

Don’t waste your energy comparing yourself to other couples and instead focus on what makes your relationships special. What you and your partner have is unique, and when you focus on this, you can do anything.

Be Committed

This point may seem a little obvious, but it’s important to make sure you’re committing to being committed. When you see someone every day and have been with them for 40 years, it’s very easy to fall into comfortable habits and routines and becoming complacent. A long-lasting marriage takes waking up every day and deciding you’re going to be committed to this person through thick and thin, no matter what life throws at you.

While a large part of love is natural, the other part of it is a daily choice and commitment, and not just the commitment you made on your wedding day.

Listen to Your Partner

Listening is so much more important than talking when it comes to a relationship because you’re a team, and teams communicate with one another. They share feelings, set boundaries, and be vulnerable with each other, sharing fears, hopes, and dreams. Just as much as you want to open up to your partner, they want to be open with you, and just like you want to be heard and understood, they want that from that.

As you grow older, listening can become harder and harder, even physically with old age. This is why it’s important that you look into hearing devices that fit your preferences; all to ensure you can connect with your loved ones as best as possible.

Being There for Each Other

Perhaps the most important thing to remember in any marriage is that you are guaranteed to have hard times, and how you deal and respond to these hard times will determine how you grow and stay together. Whether you’re tackling something individually or you’re going through something together, hold each other close and work it out. Don’t leave them on their own.

Summary

As you can see, there are lots of points to think about when it comes to creating and nurturing a marriage that will stand the test of time and can last for many years to come. Be proactive in your marriage, be committed to your marriage, and you can sure you’ll survive anything.

Health

5 Easy Ways to Improve Bladder Health at Home

Anne Younger

Do you get a lot of urinary tract infections? If so, you might be wondering whether there is anything simple you can change in your everyday life to prevent them in the future.

The answer to that question is “yes!” In fact, there are some very simple steps which can significantly improve your urinary tract health, and you can start doing all of them today.

1. Drink lots of water.

According to the Harvard Health Publishing at the Harvard Medical School, you should, “Drink plenty of fluids to help flush out bacteria in the urinary tract. Drink enough each day so that your urine is almost clear in color.”

So, that is one of the simplest changes you can make to your everyday lifestyle for better urinary tract health. Just drink more water throughout the day, and bacteria will be less likely to stick in your urinary tract.

If you are someone who has a chronic habit of not drinking enough fluids, it may seem like a lot at first. But as you form a new habit, you will get used to it.

2. Try Hibiscus and D-Mannose

Research shows that hibiscus and D-Mannose are two 100% natural supplements which can support urinary health.

You probably are familiar with hibiscus flowers, and may even have tried a food or beverage which included hibiscus flavoring.

As for D-Mannose, you may not be as familiar with that, but it is a naturally-occurring sugar.

If you want to get more hibiscus and D-Mannose, foods and beverages aren’t the most efficient way.

Instead, you should consider taking a supplement like the highly-rated HARMONY D-Mannose UTI Supplement by Eu Natural to get them in a concentrated form.

This supplement doesn’t contain any artificial additives, binders or fillers, just the wholesome, healthy ingredients your bladder needs.

3. Adjust your diet.

There are a number of foods you might want to consider adding to your regular diet to improve bladder health.

Some of these include cranberries, blueberries, citruses, carrots, garlic and green tea. You can also add a probiotic to the mix.

With both the supplement and the dietary changes, you will achieve the best results if you stick with it over the long term.

4. Follow healthy habits in the bathroom.

There are a couple of habits on the toilet which can help improve urinary health. The first is to make sure you have fully emptied your bladder before you get up.

The second is just to make sure you wipe in the right direction, which is from front to back and never from back to front.

Both of these habits will help you to get rid of unwanted bacteria and avoid introducing new bacteria to the urethra.

5. Air things out.

Infections love moist environments, but they have a harder time thriving when there is open airflow.

So, if you are wearing tight underwear, pantyhose or tights, you are giving bacteria and fungi a moist, enclosed environment in which to thrive, which can lead to infections and also slow the process of clearing them up.

But if you switch to wearing loose cotton garments, or even avoid wearing underwear for a time, you air out that environment, making it less hospitable to bacteria and fungi.

Small Lifestyle Changes Can Make a Big Difference for Bladder Health

It isn’t fun being prone to urinary tract infections, and if you get them often, you may feel helpless against them.

But you aren’t. And now you know a few simple adjustments which you can make to your lifestyle which can help. Try taking D-Mannose and Hibiscus, eating nutritious foods and probiotics, switching to looser underwear and away from tights, and following best practices while using the toilet. If you maintain these healthy new habits over the long term, you may be surprised by what a difference they make.

Health

Been injured? Try these 5 tips to help boost your recovery

Anne Younger

Getting injured was probably the last thing you expected to happen, right? Whether you’ve been in a car accident or you’ve slipped, fallen or tripped and hurt yourself, the amount of time it can take to recover from injuries is incredibly disheartening. You just want life to go back to normal and enjoy time with your kids, your family, going to work to earn a living and do all the things that you love. Sadly, when you have an injury the best advice is to do exactly what the doctor advises you to do and keep a positive mental attitude.

If you slipped and got hurt, you should probably consider taking legal action. The compensation that you may be entitled to could put you the road to rehabilitation, cover your medical expenses and support your family whilst you’re struggling to make ends meet. For now, consider the following ways you can help to boost your own recovery.

Follow your doctors’ advice

As mentioned above, following your doctor’s advice is probably the best thing you can do right now. Whether they’ve prescribed medication, exercises, surgery or regular check-ups you should indulge every request and follow through with every instruction given. If you don’t and you’re pursuing a personal injury case then you’re not only jeopardizing your recovery but you’re also undermining your case!

Get plenty of rest

The body repairs itself when we’re sleeping. So, apply the same logic to recovering from your injuries, of course, you don’t have to sleep for months on end, but resting up and not exerting yourself will aid the process. Avoid putting any unnecessary strain (physical or mental) on your body and take this opportunity to rest and recuperate, as it will certainly help you heal.

Exercise

Of course, you’ll need to speak with your doctor first before you start exercising again, but the health benefits of exercise are well known and getting your body moving and your blood pumping will do wonders for your mental and your physical health. You don’t have to hit the gym just yet, some simple yoga or stretching exercises will be enough to get you started.

Eat for recovery

You’ve been through a traumatic time, so if anyone deserves that extra pizza and bottle of wine it’s you. A little indulgence here and there is a good thing, however, while you’re on the road to recovery you should also be indulging your body in the things it needs to help promote health and healing. Fruits and veggies, plenty of water, vitamins and minerals will all contribute to the healing process. Take the opportunity to try something new, you never know you may just find a new favorite.

Listen to your body

If something doesn’t feel right. If you’re in pain and it feels different to what you’re used to, or you feel like your body is trying to tell you something then reach out to your doctor. If you’ve been in an accident then it may take additional time for secondary injuries to manifest. Listen to your doctor’s advice.