The 413 Mom

Don't throw away those Bunch O Balloons stems! Create something new instead. #upcycle #reuse #summerfun

The self-tying water balloons from Bunch O Balloons have been our go-to this spring for outdoor fun. We've had some pretty epic water balloon battles. Which means we also have a bunch of the plastic stems that are left behind once the water balloons are filled and dropped. We love the bright colors and design so much we just knew there were some ways we could upcycle them. Here's our top five ideas for reusing these stems you might otherwise throw away:

 

1. Photo display -- Don't spend money for a cute photo branch holder. Use these water balloon stems to make fun photo displays. Weave larger photos through the individual stems to hold in place.

 

2. Hose attachment -- thread the stem back onto the hose to create a gentle stream of water for tender plants. This attachment also makes for fun water play for the kids. 

 

 

3. Crafting -- there are a lot of fun crafts you could imagine with these. We created this flower bouquet using tissue paper squares and those teeny tiny rubber hair ties. 

 

 

4. Recipe card holder -- similar to the photo display, keep one of the stems in your kitchen utensil drawer for an easy recipe card holder. No more lost recipes when creating your favorite meal. 

 

 

5. Pool toys - the sweeping, flexible straws make for fun, floating pool toys in a toddler pool (best for little ones over age 3). Or as float sticks in a big pool to encourage new swimmers. 

 

 

If you're unfamiliar with Bunch O Balloons, here's what they look like in their original form:

 

 

And if upcycling isn't your thing but you still love these water balloons as much as we do, please consider participating in their recycling program with Terracycle. Wishing you many epic water balloon battles this summer! #upcycle #reuse #recycle #summerfun

Four Week Check-in "Always Eat After 7 PM"

 

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

 

Simple tweaks that add up to lasting change. That’s my summary of the past four weeks throughout which I’ve been lucky enough to try out the diet plan outlined in “Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight” by Joel Marion.

 

The book offers lots of tips for how to rethink much of what we “know” about diets and weight loss. It’s important to read the whole book to see how it all comes together. But I’ve been able to use research shared in the book to make a few simple changes that have added up to better sleep, more energy, and less cravings. You can follow along with my journey in my previous blog posts here, here and here. Most importantly, I feel like I’ll be able to sustain these healthful changes for a long time to come.

 

One of the simplest change I’ve been able to implement is making better food choices later in the evening. No more cookies or ice cream before bed. I’ve learned the importance of eating healthy fats at the end of the day:

 

“In general, healthy fats can also help increase feelings of fullness and satisfaction because they regulate appetite through a number of mechanisms, including the release of appetite hormones. What’s more, combining fat with fiber has been shown to further increase the satiating potential of fat. The satiating power of fats is often one explanation offered to describe why some weight loss trials have shown that low-carbohydrate (and higher-fat) diets tend to lead to greater weight loss than low-fat diets.”

 

I’ve enjoyed a lot of the simple recipes included in the book. They’re simple to make and satisfying.

 

Always Eat After 7 pm is a three-phase program that teaches you how to lose big by strategically eating big when you are naturally hungriest—in the evening. It’s all about making strategic and smart food swaps, and you can still eat your favorite foods. I hope you’ll enjoy learning about it as much as I did.

 

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

If you'd like to see the rest of my Always Eat After 7 PM journey, you can find posts here:

 

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

 

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed are my own.

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I accepted the 30-day Traffic Secrets Challenge -- here's what I learned

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Traffic Secrets." The opinions expressed below are my own.

While I've always loved connecting with the little community I've built here on the World Wide Web, I've had to take a break as of late due to the social media climate and because of Covid-related responsibilities (I'm looking at you, Distance Learning).  But I miss my people. And I'm always looking to grow my community so I was excited to be invited to check out the new book Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling your Websites and Funnels with your Dream Customers by Russell Brunson. 

This book offers a 30-day challenge that teaches key strategies for increasing your site's traffic through techniques such as figuring out your dream customers and learning how to attract them. Helpful advice for any business whether you are selling goods or looking to grow your audience. 

My favorite section of the book offers solid advice for how to "fill your funnel" organically through social media outreach specifically on Instagram, Facebook, Google and YouTube but the strategies can be used across any social media platform now or in the future. Brunson's steps to filling your funnel with dream customers includes understanding the history and goal of any social media platform, identifying your dream customer and connecting with them on the platform, creating a publishing plan for each site and then either purchasing ads or creating content to get your dream customer's attention.

While I love connecting with people on social media, I do not love how easy it is for social media to become a total time warp sucking away hours of my life each day. My favorite piece of advice in the whole book goes like this:

"I don't care who you are; you are probably already spending way too much time consuming social media. If you're spending more than 10 minutes a day consuming social media, then you are wasting your time. The keyword here is "consuming." 

As of today, you are no longer a consumer of social media. You are a producer of social media. There is a big difference. Consuming social media doesn't serve you or the audience you've been called to serve. Producing social media does serve them." 

Solid advice.

So, who is Russell Brunson and why should we read his book? Bruson is a Best-Selling Author & CEO of  the $100M software company ClickFunnels which he founded in 2014 with partner Todd Dickerson and which became the fastest-growing non-venture backed software company in the world. He has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs and his books have sold sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  

You can learn all about Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers here. 

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Traffic Secrets." The opinions expressed below are my own.

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It's not only what you eat...it's when you're eating it! Easy, healthful recipes offered up in new book, "Always Eat After 7 pm"

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Entering week three of my four week challenge of trying out the diet plan in the new book “Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight” by Joel Marion and I love some of the improvements I’m seeing. In the past, feeling guilty about eating too much right before bed, I’ve often gone to bed hungry and woken up the next morning hangry. (See last week’s post about improved sleep here). The book includes lots of great recipes to keep you feeling full all night long. One of my favorites is the Chili Loaded Baked Potato – such a lovely comfort food to end the day. The Always Eat After 7 PM recipes are simple to follow and include the right combination of macronutrients to help stabilize blood sugar and regulate your cortisol cycle keeping your body in fat burning mode.

By combining the recipes with some of the tools found in the book, I’ve found I’ve been sleeping better and waking up without that ravenous feeling of needing to eat something (anything!) right away. Making better food choices first thing in the morning has led me to make better choices throughout the day. Exactly what I was hoping for. 

One of the simplest ways I begin my morning routine now is with a warm mug of lemon water. As I learned in the book:

“One of the simplest 3-Minute Fat-Burning Morning Rituals, lemon water is a glass of water mixed with the juice of one half of a lemon. This drink provides all the benefits of regular drinking water, which supports weight loss, digestive health, physical performance, and cognitive function.”

Another simple way I’ve curbed snacking throughout the day and found the will power needed to make better choices is through simple hydration. We all know it’s important to drink water rather than other less healthy options, but do you know all the reasons why?

“Water helps digest your food, expel wastes, regulate your temperature, protect your tissues, cushion your joints, and protect your spinal column, among many other vital functions. It is through water that hormones flow to the proper organs, that nutrients reach all cells, and that toxins are diluted and removed from the body.”

I’m not alone in feeling that the most challenging times to curb hunger are just before bed and in the morning. By following the Always Eat After 7PM program, you have the most willpower to stay on the diet because you are eating during the hours when you are most hungry. This also puts you into both intermittent fasting increasing testosterone and your metabolism, while putting you into ketosis. 

Bestselling author, Joel Marion, is a fitness expert and nutritionist debunking the myths underlying traditional dieting and offers a simple, highly effective weight loss program. I highly recommend you check it out.

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed are my own. (If you're following along on this journey, see my first blog post here. )

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Not sleeping well? Learn how diet can help improve sleep...

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

All the stress of the past few months has left my sleep lacking. I can’t remember the last time I had a restful night. So I was excited to learn how the Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion plan can help me rehaul my rest.  

Last week I introduced you to the book – you can read all about that here . And while most people might be interested in this plan for specific weight-loss goals, I’m interested to see how I can improve my well being overall. I often wake up at night hungry. So I was interested to learn the following in the book:

 “A research paper published in Sports Medicine in 2014 showed that people who eat the majority of their carbs at dinner actually sleep better. Carb-induced, quality sleep decreases cortisol (a fat-storing hormone) and ramps up the production of your sleep hormones, serotonin and melatonin. Restorative sleep increases fat-burning hormones—the main one being growth hormone—overnight.”

I usually have a snack before bed, but I don’t always make a great choice. The Always Eat After 7 plan includes a lot of great recipes to help you feel full all night long, and even into the next morning.

There’s a lot more to be learned about our so-called late night rules for eating. And author Joel Marion has done the research to help us learn another way to eat at night.

We asked Marion how he came to realize that a lot of what we think we know about dieting should be questioned.

“After authoring six best-selling books it was glaringly obvious there were two huge misconceptions about dieting that needed to be exposed,” Marion said. “The first is that you can't eat late at night or before bed, which science now shows is NOT true. And second, you can't eat large portions that satisfy your natural instinct. This book solves both these problems by providing an evidence-based, enjoyable approach to dieting that can be used by any person to quickly achieve their weight loss goals.”

 And naturally, we’re left wondering: how is this diet different?

“Although many of the concepts are similar, the biggest difference is that you don't have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods,” he said. “You don't have to deal with the burden of eating every few hours. And you don't have to skip the carbs at dinnertime or avoid eating before bed. Always Eat After 7pm works because it caters to our bodies natural instincts.”

Sounds good to me!

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Who needs some quarantine eating inspo? We're trying out the "Always Eat After 7 PM" method.....

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Has anyone NOT been stress eating the past few months?! Couple social isolation with the refrigerator always within reach and I’ve never been so ready for a reset. I’m grateful for the opportunity to receive an advance copy of  Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. Over the next month, I’ll be sharing my experience of the book and diet (and hopefully some cleaner eating) I don’t necessarily have a weight loss goal, but I definitely could use some inspiration in the eat less/eat better category. I’m going to give the  Always Eat After 7 PM plan a shot. It goes like this: The 14-day Acceleration Phase to kick-start the program and see rapid results, The Main Phase where you’ll learn exactly which foods to eat when in order to achieve your goals, and The Lifestyle Phase to help the goals stick.

Sounds doable.

Of course the first thing I thought when I offered the chance to try out the plan was “I thought eating late was not allowed?” But author Marion debunks that myth while providing numerous studies and his own weight loss experience to show us that eating later in the evening can actually be a GOOD idea. After doing the research, Marion actually advocates for eating so-called super carbs (we’ll learn more about those later) at the very end of the day:

“Further, avoiding carbohydrates and restricting calories later in the day can have an adverse effect on your thyroid hormones, which play a major role in metabolism. When the thyroid fails to secrete enough of the hormones that control metabolism, this can trigger symptoms like fatigue, depression, weight gain, thinning hair, and dry skin.”

Sometimes, especially right now with homeschooling taking up the majority of my day, the only time I have to sit down and enjoy a quiet meal is once everyone else in the house has geared down for the day. I’m excited to dive in and try this new-to-me method of eating. I’ll post an update next week, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out this video on Joel’s science behind the plan.

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here here.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Join the cleancult! All Natural Cleaning, 100% Recyclable Packaging, Save 20% & FREE Shipping

I've never done so much spring cleaning. Despite constant messes from a homebound family, my house has never smelled better thanks to cleancult. The "cult" offers real ingredients (like coconut!), zero-waste packaging, sustainable shipping, carbon-neutral, cruelty free, made in the USA and a powerful clean that is better for you and the planet. The products are made with down to earth ingredients and are free of formaldehyde, artificial colors, parabens, and phthalates.

Cleancult is fixing household cleaning with non-toxic solutions strong enough to take on life’s messes and smart enough to save the world—with paper-based, plastic-free packaging and real ingredients. Cleancult is helping us clean our home, clothes, and planet. I love knowing that the cleaners are safe for everyone in my family - including our furry family members. 

 

The products can easily be ordered online and delivered right to your door (so important right now). Cleancult is offering a great deal right now for new subscribers on their bundle pack:

 

Pre-Made Bundle Offer (a $55 value):

• 16 oz. all-purpose spray cleaner (orange burst scent)
• 14 oz. liquid dish soap (lemongrass scent)
• 12 oz. liquid hand soap (lavender scent)
• Qty. 3 wool dryer balls
• 1 bar of natural soap (lemongrass scent)
• 20% Off your entire purchase
• Free Funnel for mess-free refills
• Free Shipping!

There's also a deal running now for 20% off and FREE shipping for the refill kit for this bundle. 

Cleancult products are made with the purpose of being the last containers you’ll ever buy -- and they look lovely on the sink or shelf. The reusable glass bottles and containers are 3 mm thick, shatter-resistant and have a no slip grip with the silicone sleeves. Both the glass and silicone are dishwasher safe. They are shipped pre-filled and ready to use. Refills are shipped in low-cost, paper-based, 100% recyclable milk cartons and 100% recyclable paper mailers for the tablets.

I'm grateful to have been introduced to a natural cleaning solution that smells amazing, is long-lasting, reduces my waste stream and smells amazing. #cleancult #babbleboxxpartner #gifted

Repurpose/Upcycle ideas to create FREE family fun AT HOME! As seen on WWLP's Mass Appeal show.

Two weeks deep in social isolation -- how many times have you heard 'I'm BORED!' I'm sharing a few tips here for repurposing items from around the house to give 'boring' toys a new life. See all the ideas on this link from WWLP's Mass Appeal show. So proud of my segment assistant -- her first time helping me out! I hope these ideas help stem the boredom for a bit and give you a little break. 

Tips for parents working from home as seen on Mass Appeal

Working from home is all the rage! Glad to offer some advice on today's Mass Appeal show for those parents for whom work from home is a brand new experience. It was funny to have Mass Appeal on MY couch for a change! You can watch the whole clip here. 

FREE Meal Programs available during school shutdown

The following communities are offering FREE food programs for youth during the school shutdown period. I will add sites and information as it becomes available. Please reach out with any locations I'm missing so we can make sure there is #nochildhungry during this unprecedented time. 

Agawam: Beginning March 19, FREE Grab and Go lunches available to all youth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., inside the main entrance of Agawam Junior High School, 1305 Springfield St., Feeding Hills. 

Agawam: Agawam Lions Club Pop Up Pantry, Wednesdays ONLY, beginning March 25, 5-7 p.m., drive up, open the trunk or door and receive bags of non-perishable food items, look for the tents in the parking lot, drive-up ONLY, please do not exit your vehicle, social distancing protocol will be followed, Bethany Assembly of God Church, 580 Main St., Agawam. 

Agawam: Through the end of March any elementary, middle school or junior high student can received a FREE kid smoothie, Monday - Friday 6 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Nutrition First, 333 Walnut St. Ext., Agawam. 

Chicopee: FREE breakfast and lunch to all children under the age of 18 via “drive through” grab and go style meal service each day at the following sites: Barry Elementary School; Belcher Elementary School; Bellamy Middle School; Bowe Elementary School; Bowie Elementary School; Chicopee High School; Chicopee Comprehensive High School; Dupont Middle School; Fairview Elementary School; Lambert-Lavoie Elementary School; Litwin Elementary School; Stefanik Elementary School; Streiber Elementary School. Meals will be available from 11AM-1PM on Monday, March 16th, and 8AM-1PM each day thereafter. Meals will be pre-assembled and packaged into brown bags, and set up on tables outside of each school. Signage will be posted to guide you to the exact meal service location at each school. Each student will be given a lunch as well as a breakfast for the next day- no questions asked. There is no registration, ID, address, or name needed. All meals are free and you may stop by anytime during the service hours at any site- it does not need to be the school the student attends. Children do need to be present at meal pickups. Please note that due to the nature of the meal service and product availability from our vendors, we will not always be able to accommodate allergies and parents/guardians assume responsibility for their children’s allergies.

Greenfield: FREE grab and go breakfasts and lunches available to any child 18 and under, available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning March 16 at the following locations: Newton Elementary School; Greenfield Middle School; Greenfield High School; (additional sites may be added -- check link for updates), child must be present to receive meals, allergies will try to be accommodated with a doctor's note. 

Holyoke: Holyoke school-aged students will be able to pick up FREE breakfast and lunch at the front doors of the following schools, Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Donahue, Holyoke High School North, Kelly, Lawrence and Sullivan, beginning March 16.

Monson: FREE grab and go meal packets available to youth ages 18 and under from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following dates: March 17, 18, 20, 23, 25 and 27 at Quarry Hill Community School, two days worth of meals will be available each date. 

Pittsfield: FREE Grab and go breakfast and lunch packets will be available from 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday through March 27 at the following locations: Morningside Community School, Conte Community School, Dower Square Housing Village, The Berkshire Family YMCA, Gladys Brigham Center, Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires, The Brattleboro Apartments. 

Southwick: FREE Grab and go meals available from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the main entrance of Powder Mill School, 94 Powder Mill Road, Southwick and at the Granville Town Hall, 707 Main Road, Granville, beginning March 18. If you'd like to participate, please see link to complete survey so the program can maximize resources. 

Springfield: FREE hot dog, chips and drink, one meal per school age child, Wednesday-Friday during school shutdown period, 11 a.m. - noon, Fire House Hot Dogs, Union Station, Springfield, FREE. 

Springfield: One FREE Kids Meal per child per day, in store only, Wings Over Springfield, 1219 Parker St., Springfield. 

Springfield: FREE grab and go meal packets available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front steps at the following school locations: Bowles, Commerce, Dorman, Glickman, Indian Orchard, Kensington, Liberty, Lincoln, Rebecca Johnson, Talmage, Warner, Washington. Meals available to anyone age 18 and younger, no identification required. 

Turners Falls: beginning Tuesday 3/17, there will be individually portioned lunch bags available for pickup on the patio of Five Eyed Fox, 37 3rd St., Turners Falls Monday - Friday at noon sharp. If you live in Turners Falls and do not have a vehicle, they will deliver. Contact: [email protected] or call/text (760) 855 8478. 

West Springfield: FREE Student Pick-up of Meals are available weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 6 in the parking lots at the following sites: Mittineague School; Memorial School; Coburn School; Boys and Girls Club; Fausey School; Birch Park Circle; De Ville Apartments at1149 Elm Street; Tatham School; Ashley School; Olympia Manor at 107 Ashley Ave; Ashley Arms at 131 Ashley Ave (Ashley Arms), upon arrival at the site, parents/guardians will be asked to provide their child/children’s names, school and grade level families may pick up at any location it does not need to be a location where you child attends school.

Westfield: FREE grab and go dinner meals for youth ages 2-18 available each weekday at three locations throughout the city: Colonial Pine Acres from 5-6 p.m.; Franklin Ave. Elementary School from 5-6 p.m., Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield from 4:30-6 p.m.

Westfield: FREE grab and go lunches available to all youth under age 18, each weekday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., pickup at Abner Gibbs Elementary School, 50 West Silver St., OR Franklin Ave. Elementary School, 22 Franlkin Ave., CHILDREN MUST BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE A LUNCH.