Quality of life - for the kids

.This site is here to give us all tips on being happy, healthy and to have quality of life. But it's not just for us. It's for our families and for the everyone around us too. Do you think about how your actions impact your children's quality of life?

A new study suggests that smart-phones at the dinner is impacting the parent-child communication at the table. A communication which is crucial for both parties.

Researchers who observed more than 50 family-type groups eating out found a significant number of adults were preoccupied with their smartphones. This doesn't surprise me. We (my family) don't have any phones at the dinner table at home, but when we go out to dinner it's often right after work and my husband and I are stuck answering work emails. Instead we should be having conversations with our children.

Also, starting a conversation with children is tricky. Even trickier to get an answer that is more than just a “yes” or “no”. When I ask my kids how their day was I always just get a "good".

Here are some questions that can help you get the conversation started:

• What was the best thing about your day? • What was the worst thing about your day? • Describe your perfect day. • If you could change one thing in the world what would you change? • What is the most important thing in your life? • What is your favorite movie of all time? Why? • What is your favorite book of all time? Why? • What cartoon character would you most like to be? Why? • What is the hardest thing about being _____ years old? • What is the best thing about being ______ years old? • Who is your best friend? Why are they your best friend? • Who would you most like to meet? And why? • In what other country would you most like to live? • Are you looking forward to the next school year? • What's the hardest part about going to school? • What embarrasses you the most? • If you could take a family vacation any place in the world, where would you go? • Do you think it's more important to be rich or kind? • If you had three wishes, what would they be? (You can't wish for money or another wish!) • If you were the parent, what lesson would you like to help your mom and dad learn? • Do you know how much your family loves you? How can you tell?

I'm taking my 4-year old son out for a date to Panera (his favorite place) tonight (only fair if his sister gets to go to a Girl Scout tea party. And no I won't eat any bread!), and I'm so going to use these questions.

Read more about the study here.

Have a great Friday!

Time saving tips #5 - live in the moment

.This morning when I looked at the list of things that needs to be done this week, I couldn't help to feel a little bit overwhelmed. Lots of projects at work, tons of kids activities to keep track of etc etc. So what would be more perfect than living by my own words and reminding myself of how to stay sane:

• Live in the moment – don’t stress about tomorrow. Focus on what needs to be done today and tackle one task after another. • Let it go – I can’t go to my daughter’s Girl Scout tea party on Friday because of work. But you know what? She will go with her friends and have fun without me. I’ve taken her the last 3 years, so I don’t need to feel guilty. I’m letting it go. • Focus - stop checking texts when your friends are right in front of you. Stop watching TV while you eat. Don’t surf the web while you’re on the phone. Multitasking doesn’t always say you time.

These steps will not only save you time and make you more efficient in finishing tasks, studies also shows that these steps will significantly decreases depression and increase happiness!

I feel better already! :)

Time saving tips #4 – routines

Here is the next post in our time-savings tips series. We can save a lot of time by creating routines at home:• Put out your clothes for work the night before. Iron them if needed. • Pack your lunch for work the night before. Or the kid’s lunch for school the night before. This way it’s also easier to plan healthier meals, since you won’t throw something together quickly when you are too tired to think about lunch. • Go through the snail mail right away when you get it from the mailbox. File bills in a special location and put junk in the recycling bin right away. This also means you will have a clean kitchen counter ongoing. • Invest in a coffee maker with a timer and prep it before you go to bed. • Spend 10-15 minutes straitening up the house before you go to bed. Maintaining the house saves you from big cleaning sessions.

Let's save some time for fun stuff! Let's live!

Stellibell inspiration - house décor

I get tired with house décor pretty quickly and one of my favorite things to do is to update our house. Since it can get expensive to constantly make updates, I’ve picked neutral colors (white is my favorite) and then when I get bored I switch out pillows and candles. Accessories are like jewelry for a room and they are easy and inexpensive to switch out. This update from blue to orange cost only $30. Before - blue pillows and candles.

living room

living room

living room

Now - orange pillows and candles. I love the pop of color. Our dog Ludde loves the new pillows as much as I do.

living room

living room

Time to relax

.Happy Friday!

Have you taken time to relax this week? I’m a magazine junkie (yes, I admit it, but it’s better than the Diet Coke addiction I used to have). Reading is of the ways I like to get some time to myself. There is nothing better than sitting down in a quiet corner and reading, learning new things and getting motivated to do new projects or exercise. Here is one of the magazines I enjoy reading -

Women's Health Magazine

UNICEF's Tap project

.While I was sitting on the train this morning going to work I was watching people and realized that 9 out of 10 was completely absorbed into their phones. I’ve blogged about setting aside a specific time each day for checking social media channels, so that you don’t let the electronics take over your life and add unnecessary stress, but the way things look I think we need to start with a specific time a day when we stay off the phone and go from there. Baby steps….

UNICEF has a project right now called the “Tap Project.” It’s a challenge for all of you who can’t stay away from your phone. For every 10 minutes you can go without using (touching, lifting, shaking, prodding) your smartphone, UNICEF will donate 1 DAY of clean water to the 768 million people around the world who do not have safe, clean water to drink, or to those 2.5 billion people who don’t have access to a proper toilet.

All you have to do is go to tap.unicefusa.org on your phone, step away from your phone, and stand by while you donate a valuable resource to people in need.

Check out UNICEF's Tap project and not only help others, but help yourself manage your phone addiction!

This week's workout challenge

Let's try another type of workout challenge this week. It's good to mix it up now and then so that you challenge your muscles. Stellibell's squat challenge:

Sit down into a deep squat, making sure your knees don't go over your toes.

Monday: 20 squats Tuesday: 30 squats Wednesday: 40 squats Thursday: 50 squats Friday: 60 squats Saturday: 70 squats Sunday: 80 squats

Have fun!

Feng Shui makeover - foyer

When we talk about health we talk a lot about food and exercise, but what about our surroundings? How much does our home affect our stress levels? I've never tried Feng Shui, so I've decided to try it and see if I will see a change. Hopefully I don't have to re-organize the whole house... :)

Our homes are an accumulation of the energy of the things, people and animals in them. Since we spend so much time in our homes, the way they interact with our energy field is considered to have a powerful influence on our lives affecting our relationships, careers, prosperity and health. Creating a home that supports, inspires and nurtures us is considered equivalent to creating a balanced, healthy and happy life.

I’ve decided to take a stab at the foyer first. I'm going to do this Feng Shui makeover on a budget, so I'm just re-arranging furniture and not buying anything new for my home.

This is what I've found out in my research:

• Making changes to the foyer will immediately result in a change in well-being and success, since that's where the energy enters and moves out negative energy. • We know how important first impressions are. Think of the foyer as the first impression when someone comes in to your house. What does the artwork and furniture say about you? Do you have the clothes organized or are they thrown on a chair? • To allow the flow of Chi through your home, make sure your entry is welcoming; clean and bright, unobstructed and joyful. An entry that is dark, restrictive and cluttered is oppressive and depressing, which will stop the Chi. • Think about creating breaks to stop the chi before it rushes into the home. You can do this by creating a beautiful area that allows us to pause and reflect, lifting our chi and inspiring us as we enter. • A wall mirror at the entry way is a great way to welcome in the chi. Just make sure it is not placed directly across from the front door or it will send the chi right back out.

Before pictures - messy shoes, dirty rug.

Feng Shui foyer

Dark hallway

Feng Shui foyer

Messy clothes making the hallway dark and uninviting.

Feng Shui foyer

After pictures - I've cleaned up the clothes, removed the bags and switched out the chair to a white chair to make the foyer lighter.

Feng Shui foyer

I rolled up the curtain higher to let in more light

Feng Shui foyer

A wall mirror at the entry way to welcome in the chi

Feng Shui foyer

I added pretty things (a plant and shells for natural materials) to create a beautiful area that allows us to pause and reflect

Feng Shui foyer

I will let you know if I see and feel any difference after this Feng Shui makeover. Which room should I pick next? I would love to hear your suggestions and Feng Shui advice - molander@stellibell.com.

Avocado Moisturizing Hair Mask

Sunday’s are great for a little bit of pampering. This homemade Avocado Moisturizing Hair Mask works wonders. I sometimes keep it in my hair while I’m running around the house cleaning. The queen of multi-tasking… Avocado Moisturizing Hair Mask

Ingredients

• I ripe avocado • 1 tbsp honey

Directions

1. Mash the avocado into a puree and mix in the honey. 2. Wash your hair and towel dry it. 3. Massage the avocado mixture into the hair and leave it in for about 30 minutes. 4. Rinse well and shampoo again.

Valentine's Day craft

If you need a good Valentine's Day craft idea, here is an easy, inexpensive and cute project for you. My daughter and I did these “message cones” today. I wanted to come up with a project that would teach her that a Valentine’s gift doesn’t need to include sugar (you know how much I love sugar…), but also teach her the value of showing appreciation and that you care about someone. My daughter is 10 years old and she managed to do most of these steps herself. Supplies

• Wrapping paper • Tissue paper • Stickers for decorations • Paper and pen • Pipe cleaner or ribbon • Tape

Directions

1. Make a cone with a sturdy wrapping paper. Use tape to put it together. 2. Add a layer of tissue paper inside. 3. Decorate the cone. 4. Write messages on small papers, fold them up and place them in the cone. 5. Close the cone using pipe cleaners. Add a “to-and-from” tag before you close the pipe cleaners. 6. Give to your valentine and receive smiles and hugs!

valentine's day supplies

valentine's day craft

valentine's day craft

valentine's day craft

valentine's day craft

Questions and answers about LCHF and my routines

I've been getting a lot of emails with questions about LCHF and my routines lately so I thought I would do a question and answer post to answer you all. Q: How long have you been following the LCHF lifestyle? A: I've been following it for a year and a half. And I've been loving every minute!

Q: Do you ever cheat and eat non-LCHF foods? A: If I get tempted to eat something with sugar or carbs, I just remind myself how bad I will feel afterwards. It’s not worth it. I get really bad stomach aches, get tired and get bloated right away. If I crave a treat I will have some dark chocolate or raspberries. There are so many yummy LCHF foods that there is no need to feel deprived.

Q; How do you stay motivated to exercise? A: There are definitely days when it's tough to go to the gym after coming home from work and putting the kids to bed (I'm not a morning exerciser...), but I try to think that I'm very fortunate who can workout and I know that I will love it once I get there. Another trick I use is that I tell myself that I only have to stay for 10 minutes and if I still don't want to workout after that I can go home. I've never gone home....

Q: How often do you workout and what do you do? A: I do the Stellibell workout challenge 3 times every week. I also try to go to the gym twice a week to lift weights, and I run on Sundays.

Q: Does the rest of your family eat according to LCHF? A: I would say they eat LCFH about 75% of the time. All of our dinners are LCHF, but we add whole wheat pasta for the kids when we are serving vegetables they don’t like. My daughter who is 10 years old likes to bring a LCHF lunch to school; snack is a babybell cheese and cut up pieces of raw peppers. Lunch is usually a protein (chicken or all natural cold-cuts) some raspberries and almonds.

Q: What do you do with your “free” time? A: My number one priority is my family, and since my husband and I work full-time we spend the entire weekends with our children. We try to come up with one activity on Saturdays so that we can be together at home on Sundays and just take it easy. We all need it with our busy schedules. We also take care of all errands and most chores on Saturday so that we can relax together on Sundays.

Keep the questions coming! molander@stellibell.com

Time-saving tip #2 – cleaning

Who doesn't want to save time and cut down on time spent on cleaning? I have to admit I’m a clean freak, but I don’t clean for hours every week. Here are some things that help me keep the house clean ongoing and help save me time: - I clean out the fridge (throw out old food and wipe it down) before I put in new groceries (when the Stellibell Menu and Delivery Service arrives on Sundays) - I’ve created a cleaning schedule for main tasks, so that they fit in to our overall schedule with kids activities etc - Vacuuming on Saturdays (dusting before vacuuming) – tops 30 mins. Put on your workout clothes and vacuum as fast as you can. It’s a workout! - Laundry on Sundays. Start early in the morning so you have it done early and can relax in the afternoon. - Bathrooms – I take 2 mins to wipe it down every night, and I scrub the shower while I take a shower. This way I don’t have to set aside 30 minutes a week to clean the bathroom.

- Kitchen – we all help out with dishes and to clean up after dinner so that the kitchen is clean ongoing. - Our house is a two-story house so we place everything that has to go upstairs on the stairs, and no one goes upstairs without grabbing what is on the stairs.

As you can see I maintain the house with 15 minutes cleaning here and there, and by doing so, I never spend 2 hours straight cleaning every weekend. These routines are not only a great way to save time but they also a great for our health to keep the house clean ongoing.

What are your time-saving tips for cleaning? Please share with me at molander@stellibell.com

Be Swedish

In Sweden (and in my house) we all remove our shoes before entering the house. In the quest of creating a natural and healthy home this is an important step. By removing your shoes you are preventing outdoors contaminants such as pesticides from coming indoors, not to mention saving you time from constantly cleaning. Don’t be afraid to ask your visitors to remove their shoes. They will appreciate you shared a new customs that they can start using as well. Creative ideas for shoes storage from Pinterest:

Shoe storage

Source

Shoe storage

Source

Lavender oil for cuticles

Giving away gifts is more fun than receiving gifts. Don’t you agree? If they are homemade it’s even more fun. Here is an oil I make and use myself, but also love to give to friends. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so start making some! Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 5 drops lavender essential oil 2 drops lemon essential oil

Directions Warm the oil to a comfortable temperature and add the oils. Stir to mix. Soak your fingertips for about 10 minutes. Pour the oil in a bottle for storage.

The oil can be reused several time. Store it in a bottle in a cool place and re-heat before use.

Time saving tip #1

At least 5 times a week I get the question – how do you do it all, Madlene? Where do you find the time? It’s all about planning and working smart. I do little things throughout my days and week that I don’t even think about any more, but they save me a lot of time. First I follow a few rules:

• Work before play • Do it right away! (you can waste a lot of time just thinking about how much you have to do or about how stressed you are) • Never go to bed before straightening up the house (pick up toys, dishes etc)

Tip #1 – Planning

It’s crucial that you plan your time and to-do’s. How many times have you said – “I wish I could do that, but I don’t have time”? You have time to do whatever you want to do. You just have to prioritize. Here are some tips:

• How many television shows do you watch every week? I’ve decided to only watch two every week, since that is one of the easiest ways to save time. • Delegating. Can you delegate or divide some chores at home? My husband and I tag team with the cleaning. A great way to delegate is to sign up for Stellibell Dinner Menus and Delivery Service to save time on cooking. Everything you are able to delegate, you win back time on. • Divide larger tasks into smaller ones. For example, if you need to re-organize your linen closet, instead of spending two hours straight re-organizing it, spend 30 minutes for four days. This will allow you finish several task that day, and not just one. • Set a designated time each day for Facebook and other social media tools. Checking Facebook throughout the day can add up to hours. • Say no. Agreeing to take on something you don't have time for can split your focus and slow you down in other areas. Focus on what is important to you. • Start using a daily to-do-list to be as efficient as possible each day. Get one of the best to-do-templates here.

Keep en eye out for Time saving tip #2 - it's about cleaning!

Good luck!

F**k Sugar Bracelet

We are already two weeks into the New Year. Have you decided yet what your commitment to your health is in 2014? If so, show it with style and attitude. I designed this bracelet to remind myself every day about my commitment, and to show my personality and attitude. It both motivates me and also reminds me to make the right food choices every time I reach for the fridge door and see the bracelet on my arm. At first glance you will see a beautiful stylish bracelet that will match every outfit. Take a closer look and it shows that I’m ready to kick butt this year. I’m committed 100% to my health. Are you? Show it by saying F**k sugar! Buy one today.