I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
It’s funny how you start to feel little shifts in your body during your late twenties. Small aches and pains. Subtle changes in things you took for granted for years. I know I, for one, have started to feel faint back pain, I can no longer sit on the ground for long periods of time, and I’m pretty sure I have a case of “tech neck.” See, I’m at a computer all day, I’m guilty of slouching in chairs, and I can constantly be found checking my phone while I’m walking. I’m guilty of all of the bad habits.
Lately, I’ve realized how much this is affecting my posture in everyday life. Thanks to seeing myself in a few photographs recently, I’ve finally admitted to myself that my posture needs to drastically improve. Standing tall goes hand-in-hand with high self esteem in my book, and I want to be the one carrying myself well for years to come. Check out a few tips I’ve picked up in my recent research to help my back, give myself a little self-esteem boost, and ultimately have better posture once and for all. Cheers, Kat
Studies have shown us that wearing high heels takes its toll on your spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet, while altering your posture and gait. It places excess pressure on your knees, and takes your hips and spine out of alignment. Though we’ll never give them up for good, we’re trying to limit our wears for the sake of our posture.
Sitting with your legs crossed while you’re working causes your pelvis to roll forward. This will cause pressure on your lower back because your spine will be “unstacked.” Instead, sit with your feet flat on the ground if possible.
It’s a hard habit to break, but staying cognizant of it will help you slowly change for the better.
Stretching and exercises that help lengthen the muscles in your chest, forearms and biceps will help improve your overall posture. One of my favorites? A deep crescent lunge with hands energetically reaching for the sky. You can also work on having a stronger back with rowing or pulling motions; the shoulder blades will pull down and allow for you to have an easier time standing up straight later.
Don't Keep Your Hands in your Pockets When Standing
I’m guilty of doing this when I’m idle; shoving my hands in my pockets while waiting for something. But this small gesture actually does more bad than good. It leads to slouching shoulders, which will cause them to round and set your spine out of whack. Instead, try to keep your hands by the side of the body when you’re standing still.
If you’re at a computer all day, your computer monitor should be at eye level. Looking downward at for long periods of time creates excess strain on your neck. Furthermore, any cushion or prop you can use for your lower back is helpful. This back support does just the trick.
Stand with Your Feet Shoulder Width Apart, with Shoulders Back
Think you already do this? To test yourself, try standing against a wall. Everything except the head should touch the wall, everything lined up with the spinal cord. Your pelvis shouldn’t tilt forward, and everything should be stacked with your spine.
Swap Out Your Mattress
Select Luxury Medium Firm 14-inch Queen-Size Gel Memory Foam Mattress
You’ll be wise to look for a firm mattress, rather than a soft, pillowy one. It provides better support to the body while sleeping, helping the body remain in a perfectly aligned position as you sleep.
Each year I pick a word. That word is supposed to represent what I want for myself and 2015. And every year I have lived that word, like really lived it. Words have power, they have meaning, and picking my word of the year is something I have really started looking forward to.
I usually spend the first week of the new year looking through “the list” and writing down every word that stands out to me, take a day or two to mull them over, and choose whatever is speaking the strongest. However this year was different than the past two years. This year my word appeared to me in early fall. I didn’t know it was my going to be the word, but when I couldn’t get it out of my head I knew what 2015 would bring. Intention. To live, work, and love intentionally.
I’ve always, always, always said; “just because you could doesn’t always mean you should.” Words I haven’t been paying the utmost attention to. 2014 was the year of saying yes. The year to doing everything. To overbooking. To doing it because I could, not necessarily because I wanted to. To doing it well, but not always great. To never enough time, to 15 hour days, to sleepless nights, to building a book of business. And I don’t regret any of it. Not one single moment. I think when you build a business you have to do those things; stretch yourself thin, prove your merit, test your boundaries. But I’ve done that, and I’ve passed. So this year will be the year of intention. If I take on a project, if I say yes to anything, if I commit it will be because I’m in it 100%. It’ll be because it’s where WOM is going, because it represents our future. This my Loves will be hard. It’ll mean turning down projects that pay (which is never easy), stretching myself creatively to be better than WOM has ever been, and it’ll mean saying goodbye to things and arenas I’ve done a lot of, and enjoy, but just aren’t who we are anymore.
But it feels good, this whole being intentional thing. And what feels even better is that we are going to be walking the walk with a brand new look and feel. We’ll be re-launching this site, the Shop site, and launching the MKR styling site mid/late January. We’ve been working extremely hard with Cassie from Veda Houseand her team of coders and I cannot wait to reveal the final result. We’ll be offering new and different services under the WOM umbrella, announcing new collaborations, introducing Creative Contributors, and moving it all forward with a new mission statement. So stay tuned for that, but back to the word.
As I said above words have power. And because I believe so strongly in “the word” I’ve teamed up with my amazingly talented friend Jenn Gietzen for a little Write On Design-WOM Collaboration. You pick your word and we’ll (and by we’ll I mean Jenn) will paint it for you initials and all. She’ll actually hand letter each and every one as they are ordered! So frame it, stick it on your inspiration board, whatever you need to do to live your word just do it. I had Jenn letter all my words from the past three years and I’m going to frame each one and start collecting them. Someday I hope to have an entire wall of words and I’ll be able to point to a word, and know exactly what year around the sun it represented.
But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there! Along with “The Word” Jenn and I thought we’d bring a monthly quote into the mix as well. Everyone loves (and needs) a little inspiration right? And what better quote to start the new year off than with one from yours truly. It was something I said in a post I wrote last year, it was never an actual sentence that was supposed to be quoted. That was until it was quoted by the lovely ladies who I get to work with on a daily basis; “The unexpected is usually what brings the unbelievable. #dontstop” Like the word, Jenn will hand letter this quote to keep close and hopefully inspire you to always take the leap.
In conclusion; words have power, say yes to the unexpected, and happy 2015! Cheers! Truly, MKR
P.S. Both the Word and the Quote are limited edition and only available through January 31st so hurry hurry!
This DIY all natural lip scrub and body scrub have my name written all over them. Well, Kat’s too because she’s obsessed with any and all kinds of scrubs these days. But seriously, this may be our favorite DIY since our flavored salts way back in the day.
These scrubs prove to be excellent exfoliators and moisturizers (thanks to the Coconut Oil), with ingredients you can feel good about. They’re great for yourself of course (at-home spa night, anyone?!), but they also make a thoughtful and affordable gift idea this holiday season.
What you’ll need: organic evaporated sugar crystals (don’t worry, you can find them in your grocery store and on Amazon), Christmas Spirit (my favorite essential oil by far…it smells like all the Christmastime feels with its sweet, spicy blend of orange, cinnamon, and spruce essential oils), peppermint essential oil, orange zest and coconut oil. Easy as that! If you’re pulling together your ingredients and find yourself sans Christmas Spirit or peppermint essential oil, first be sure to enter our GIVEAWAY this week, but then go ahead and snag your Premium Starter Kit to get covered on that front. And if you’re totally new to essential oils, make sure to read why we’ve become obsessed with oils HERE.
Anyway, back to the DIY at hand. The actual process of making the DIY all natural lip scrub and body scrub is simple. For the lip scrub, I simply combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl with my hand (it’s easiest to get your desired consistency that way). I store it in an small airtight jar like this one. And if I’m gifting it, I just tie with a bow and voila…the perfect little “happy”!
As for the DIY body scrub, I mix coconut oil and sugar in a stand mixer until I have a paste. After transferring it to a bowl, I mix in the orange zest and essential oils. Lastly, I add a few drops of cranberry juice for the coloring…though I do it super slowly to get the palest of pinks (it can get red fast!). Like with the DIY all natural lip scrub, I store the body scrub in an airtight glass container or apothecary jar in my fridge. It’s a super easy (under 10 minutes), thoughtful, homemade treat this time of year that I’ll definitely be gifting! Truly, MKR
P.S. Enter our essential oils giveaway HERE. And check out my picks below for great apothecary and cosmetic jars. xo
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2 tablespoons of organic evaporated cane juice crystals
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
2 drops peppermint oil
1 drop Young Living Christmas Spirit*
Zest of 1/2 orange
For the Body Scrub
14 oz organic coconut oil
3/4 cup standard sugar (I used fine crystals because I don't like my body scrub to be super rough, but it's your preference)
zest of 2 oranges
10 drops peppermint oil
About 15 drops of Young Living Christmas Spirit*
A couple drops cranberry juice (amount based on what shade of pink you want)**
For the Lip Scrub
Blend all ingredients to your desired consistency (I use my fingers to really get a feel for the consistency!).
Store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge.
Tie up with a bow, and gift away!
For the Body Scrub
In a stand mixer, mix coconut oil and sugar until you have a paste.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the zest and the oil.
Mix it all together, and then add a few drops of coloring (slowly...you don't want it to be red!).
Store airtight in a glass container or apothecary jar in your fridge.
Tie up with a bow and it's ready for gifting!
Notes
*If you don't have Young Living Christmas Spirit, or can't get it (it's super popular!), sub this ingredient out for orange essential oil and a warming spice oil like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg.
**You can also use beet juice or pomegranate juice for a natural pink coloring to your body scrub.
By Mandy Kellogg Rye @ Waiting on Martha
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
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