Cooking for the Health of your Skin?

Believe it or not, chocolate is not the worst thing you can do for your complexion. There is far more to it than that. The foods you eat, the air you breathe and even the sleep you get are all major factors in the condition of your skin. Much more so than eating chocolate. Drinking plenty of water will help your body flush toxins that would otherwise be eliminated through your skin. Eliminating your exposure to inhaled chemicals such as gasoline vapors, paint fumes and even make-up removers will decrease your chances of a breakout since these kinds of chemicals put stress on your liver are are ultimately released through your skin.

Eating a diet low in sugars, msg's, artificial colors and flavors and preservatives will also help your skin. Our body can not process these unnatural additives and will therefore eliminate them through the skin, causing an acne breakout.

Treating acne is not an exact science, but more a way of life. There are hundreds of acne remedies out there from diet to exercise to chemical treatments and beyond. Personally however, I prefer to be more careful about what I put into my body because what goes in, has to come back out.

Baking up Your Holidays

I remember Christmas as a child. It always involved decorating the tree with beautifully hand crafted ornaments that my mother had created for each of us. Each one unique, each one special. I don't remember when the tree stopped being decorated with the salt dough ornaments that had come to mean so much to my brother and I, but a few years ago, one Christmas day, my mother brought out a box full of ornaments wrapped up in old newspaper. As my brother and I unwrapped each one, the memories flooded back. Each ornament signified a specific time in our lives, something we cherished at that moment in time.

That was one of the most magical Christmas' to date. But it reminded me that Christmas is not about expensive christmas decorations, lots of tinsel and more lights than your neighbor. It's about family and memories, celebrating life and the ones who make life so special, remembering our savior and the love he wants us to share. Christmas is a way of strengthening our families and building up the kingdom of Heaven.

With that in mind, I have started a new tradition of my own with my children. It still involves cookie cutters and salt dough, but with a twist. New decorations every year. Stars painted in neon pinks and greens or princess crowns and guitars with lots of bling, whatever suits my family best that year. Then I carefully pack them away with newspaper in a box and stick them under the stairs for that Christmas, not too far away, when my children have grown up and have children of their own and have long since forgotten about the days spent sitting around the kitchen table, cookie cutters in hand, flour on faces and the sun shining in through the kitchen window. Then a new tradition will begin.

Getting Rid of Acne

Acne is something that plagues teens and adults alike with little to no relief. However, I believe that the best acne treatment is not necessairly a treatment at all but rather a lifestyle. Washing your face too often and with highly abrasive and drying soaps trains your skin to produce more oil to compensate for what is being lost in the washing process. Wash with soap just once a day and rinse it only the rest of the day. Do not sleep or lean on your hands. This creates the dirt from your hands to transfer to your face. Change your pillow cases regularly. Use a mild, non pore clogging moisturizer regularly. Then your body will not need to produce so much oil to keep your skin moisturized. There are also natural treatments you can use like whipped egg masques that will help to kill the bacteria that causes acne. Hopefully these work as well for you as they have for me.

It can be done!

I just wanted to drop a quick note to let everyone know that it can be done. You can eat well, prime rib, steak, ginger shrimp, delectable salads and rich desserts and still lose weight and do it fast. So here is my solution on how to lose weight very fast. You get a job that requires you to visit the Southern California area once a year, eat like a king and walk your hiney off (over 60 miles in 10 days)! When all is said and done, if you have not lost weight, I don't think there is anything that can help you!

Plan ahead for Valentines Day

I know that Christmas and Thanksgiving are not even over yet, but it never hurts to plan ahead. Feburary brings Valentine's Day, and flowers and chocolate are typical ways of celebrating the love of your life. However, doesn't the love of your life deserve more. Specifically time, thought and creativity. When was the last time you arranged for a babysitter and took your sweetheart for a weekend getaway? How about spending the weekend in Sunny San Diego. The Dana on Mission Bay or the Pacific Terrace Hotel are two gorgeous options in the San Diego area. Sunset harbor cruises are offered on Mission Bay and the tropical feel of San Diego lends itself perfectly to any romantic get away. That's just one thought. Use your imagination and come up with something truly special for your sweetheart.

Exciting new gadgets for Christmas

Have you seen this new attachment for the Sony Xbox? I was so excited when the wii came out and offered an alternative to sitting down and playing video games all day. It made you move, react and interact with the game. However, I was pretty dissappointed when I finally got one and founf out that it really just involved moving your arm unless you had one of the wii fit boards. But it was still a step up from the typical sit down video game.

But now, Sony had taken that technology to the next level. With their new attachment to the xbox, you have to run, jump and kick with the game. Not just your arm, but your whole body. This sounds like a great way to work off some of those Christmas calories. I am excited to try it out and am hoping not to be dissappointed this time.