Home Life in Orlando: EYE CANDY

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Don't you just love it when you find a great blog that leads to another and another and then next thing you know you've been blog hopping for an hour and have no idea how you got to the one your visiting? LOL. Well, this morning I visited one of my favorite blogs which led me to another blog that I already follow named, 'The Inspired Room' with a post on home drive by's. The home at the top of the post looked so familiar and I wondered if it was from my nearby neighborhood. It turns out it IS!

The post I came across took me straight to a blogger by the name of Tara. You see, she has just begun blogging a few days ago and it turns out she lives in Orlando too! I love meeting neighbors in the blogosphere that I otherwise may never have met face-to-face.

Without further ado, HERE is her post and it is filled with more awesome home photos eye candy from the city of Winter Park, Florida. I've driven down the cobblestone roads there so many times and wished I had had my camera on handy to snap some pics. Tara has done that for me and I wanted to share a little piece of the Orlando area with you all. If you don't know the area, have never visited here and think that Orlando is all about Mickey Mouse, here is another side, a charming and elegant side to Orlando that is tucked away in a beautiful area just ten minutes from my home.

I hope you'll join me too in welcoming Tara to the blog world!

Do you have any drive-by photos of your home town or an area that you've visited and fallen in love with? Please feel free to leave a comment with the link to your photos/blog so we can all check them out! :)

Health Tips: The Best of Dr.Oz

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Don't you just love Dr. Oz? Oprah popularized him as he is her resident MD and now he's even got his own show. Every day for an hour he shares really great tips on how to treat and prevent various ailments and shares how to look and feel your best at any age. He also focuses on living a long and healthy life filled with healthy eating and exercise. Oz does it all in an often humorous but informative way. His personality and knowledge have won me over. I admit it, I DVR his show daily and hubby and I enjoying watching it together.

I became a  fan when he was featured on the Oprah show. This month he's got a feature tear-out mini booklet in the O Magazine. I wanted to share some tips with all of you so that you can experience optimal health and live a long life.

Here are my personal favorites of his many tips, that I have been living by for years, and they work! These are his tips which I've paraphrased below.

REDUCE STRESS

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1. Show Up 5 Minutes Early- Don't you just hate that feeling of rushing around when you're late, glancing at your watch every 15 seconds as you sit in traffic frustrated that you just aren't moving. You can change this by giving yourself extra time to get wherever you need to be. Arriving early will help you avoid stress and panic and give you a feeling of control again over your day and each situation.

2. Take More Restroom Breaks- Where is the one place that nobody will bother you? The restroom! If you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, sneak away for a five-minute de-stress and meditation break. Inhaling deeply and focusing on your breathing are key. You'll return in a calmer and often more productive state.

I personally used to do this at my old job where I worked from 8am-6pm as an Account Manager for a software company and it really helped. If I got really bad news or was having a frustrating day, it was also a good place to occasionally escape and pull myself together to get back out there and concentrate.

KEEP YOUR BRAIN SHARP

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3. Sign up for Dance Lessons- Exercise boosts the brain's regeneration of new brain cells throughout life. One great workout is dance. By moving your body and staying co-ordinated along with following complex movements all while keeping in sync with music requires a lot of brainpower. Dancing works your heart too so you'll be pumping more blood to it while you cha cha cha.

4. Choose Red Wine Over White- Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that appears to prevent plaque buildup. Brain plaques are often seen in Alzheimer's patients which breakdown the communication between neurons. If you do not drink alcohol, you can also take a resveratrol supplement nstead.

SAVE YOUR HEART

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5. Floss and Brush Daily-Any chronic infections (which include gingivitis) stimulate our body to protect against bleeding by increasing clotting. This is a recipe for a heart attack!

At our house we are big flossers, I really enjoy it. Call me weird but I love how clean and fresh my teeth look and feel afterwards. Did you know that flossing also instantly makes your teeth look whiter? It's true. It also makes your breath fresher without rotting food jammed in between. My mom used to lay my head in her lap as a young child and floss my teeth every night. I plan to do the same with my kids and teach them the importance of good dental health.



6. Get at Least 7 Hours of Sleep- Women need a minimum of 7 hours and men (the needier breed) actually need eight. Getting less than the recommended amount can actually lead to metabolic changes that increase your risk for obesity and diabetes.  A University of Chicago study found that the reduced sleep hours catch up by depositing calcium in the arteries.

IMPROVE YOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH

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7. Stop Wearing Shoes Indoors- Think your shoes only track in dirt? Think again. Shoes also track in countless germs, pesticides, toxins, animal waste and allergens. A University of Arizona study discovered that the outsides of shoes contain an average of 421,000 bacteria! It's best to take them off at the door.


If I had just one health message from Oz's list to live by, it would be this! Growing up in Canada, wearing shoes inside the home is NOT the norm and is actually considered to be rude and disrespectful inside someone else's home. It is actually one of my pet peeves now that I live in the U.S where many wear shoes indoors. We have a no-shoes policy in our home as do some of my friends who grew up North of Florida where boots and slush force you to leave them at the door. When guests come over they can use our freshly washed pairs of slippers or go barefoot. Both my husband and I have a designated pair of inexpensive slippers and flip flops to use indoors only but 99% of the time we're barefoot. Not only does it save our wood floors from being scratched but it helps cut down on the amount of cleaning too. It also happens to allow your feet to breathe and stay dry which is necessary so feet don't have the potential for fungus to grow.


Think the shoes-off rule is crazy? We had a cable technician come to our home last month and we requested that he take his boots off, I happened to notice he had dog poop on the side of the sole-lovely. Not what I'd want tracked all over our home but most don't even think about it. It is even more important when you have small children and babies that crawl around and play on the floor.



8. Eat More Meals Together- Studies show that kids who eat dinner with their parents tend to eat less fried food, drink less soda and consume more veggies and fruit. Those same children also have a higher intake of vitamins and nutrients to, and a lower amount of saturated and trans fats. Beyond the obvious health benefits it also serves as a great way to communicate regularly and stay in the loop of what's happening with your children, making them feel more comfortable to come to you also.


Did anyone read this O Magazine issue? What did you think? Did you learn anything new? Were any of the above tips eye-opening?


Although I don't have a dog I also learned an interesting tip about the importance of buying organic dog foods. Apparently the preservatives in most dog foods are causing cancer. Specifically 50% of dogs over 10 years old are developing this deadly disease.


For a full listing of all 32 tips, you can find them in February 2010's O magazine on newstands now.


Have a healthy day! :)

Organizing Inspiration in Pictures

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Get inspired and excited about organizing through these pictures below. After all, a picture IS worth a thousand words!

I love decorating, but more than pretty decor, I couldn't survive in a home that was disorganized. I am constantly on the hunt for new storage bins, totes, baskets and fun gadgets that solve more than one problem so I'll have less STUFF in our home.

One of my favorite books is REAL SIMPLE solutions. If you are a fan of the magazine, you will LOVE this book! It not only shares the most creative ideas and tips for each area in your home, it also allows you to reuse and re-purpose what you already have in multiple ways so you can save money too!

The first three photos below are straight out of the book and show some great ways that you can organize your stuff by turning old items into new storage solutions.

QUICK ORGANIZING SOLUTIONS

This next group of photos shows how you can add more storage to your current space to not only create the look you want but also add more function to each rom.

INSPIRATION PHOTOS

1. Storage Baskets

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Storage baskets, bins and totes instantly make a space feel more organized  and give items a permanent and defined home.

2. Magazine Holders

Magazine holders are great. I have a pretty set on my desk in pale pink and another set in my office closet. They are the perfect solution for those that want to keep back copies of magazines or file away new ones that have not yet been read and they can add an elegant touch to any home office. Quick tip: Another options is to tear out the pages you like and file them in clear plastic pages in a binder vs. keeping dozens of dust-collecting publications.

3.  Furniture with Storage

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Furniture with storage comes in many shapes and sizes. Whether it be a storage bench in your mudroom, entryway, a storage ottoman for your living room or a banquette for your kitchen area, storage with furniture is where it's at! We must make the most of each room and each space and this is a great way to accomplish that. When the storage spaces are open, use pretty, matching baskets to create a uniform look.

4. Easy Cabinet Installs

Sometimes, after you've tried everything else, you'll realize that a cabinet is in order to keep things neat. Your local home improvement store or any discount retailer will sell easy-to-install and relatively inexpensive cabinets which can be used in laundry rooms, craft rooms, home offices, garages and closets. For a more polished look, you could opt for a custom built in cabinet as shown above. I am loving this laundry room!

5. Shelves and Wall Mounted Systems

Potterybarn does a great job of creating elegant looking systems for every room in the home. Grouping smaller like items together is the key to organizing success and visual beauty. Small collections are best displayed on a shelf,  in one particular area or on a single wall. These photos are proof that not all beautiful spaces need to have everything tucked away and out of sight.


6. Craft Storage

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You could also easy transform your craft area into a pretty space by using some bright, punchy fabrics with hints of elegance and sophistication. You can also take regular cardboard boxes and wrap them in delicious patterned paper or fabric remnants to give them new life. A fresh coat of white or colorful paint can instantly transform an old or salvaged dresser into something beautiful.  

If you are committed to becoming more organized this year, there is a challenge running for the month of February on the Organizing Junkie blog. Laura's blog button is also in my left sidebar. She's got a fun challenge for full rooms and small spaces with prizes to boot for several lucky winners! So, what are you waiting for? Will YOU be joining me in organizing for a fresh space this month? My laundry room/storage space is next on my list.

Here's to a clutter-free and organized home!