By JLJ on January 17, 2012 02:56 AM
Love the summary! I just started my cleanse today and all i can do is dream of food. I, like you, had my son this past summer and really need to get off the final weight before a whole year has gone by. I will check out isagenix. thanks! Design, art, culture and everything in-between.
01.20.2012 / New Year's
A NEW DAY!
After you're on the right path to eating healthy, clearing your mind, organizing your surroundings, and getting rid of negative outside influences, you're left with a BRAND NEW YOU!
01.18.2012 / New Year's
Cleanse Your Home
Whether it's in your home or office, the development of clutter seems inevitable. Organizing doesn't have to be difficult-in fact, it can be fun, easy, and inexpensive! Below find a few examples of how to bring order to your disorderly items.
Here's a way to organize and beautify the unsightly items that pile up on your desk (ie paperclips, pens, pencils, etc.). You can purchase simple storage containers and add a cute label. For example: Clockwise from upper left
1. Chalkboard labels available at Etsy.com
2. Mason Jars available at fishseddy.com
3. Free downloadable labels available at justsomethingimade.com
4. White Ceramic Canister available at Amazon.com
Another way to hide things away is inside various decorative vintage containers like the cigar boxes and tea tins above. These items can be found on websites such as Etsy.com and ebay.com
Happy Organizing!
01.17.2012 / New Year's
Cleanse Your Mind
In order to start a fresh new year, here are three easy ways to Cleanse your Mind:
1. Buy a beautiful journal to give yourself a regular outlet to express your emotions, regrets, and worries.
2. Start your day off by reading a book instead of your usual habits of turning on the tv or picking up the newspaper. Both of these can be stressful and depressing. I am sure that you have read at least one if not all of these, but you can always find new meaning in them now.
Make a Difference in Your Community:
1. The Grapes Of Wrath
By John Steinbeck
Valuable Lessons on Living Life.
2. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
By Eckhart Tolle
Lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and value.
3. Steve Jobs
By Walter Isaacson
Accept Who You Are
4. The Great Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Try Different ways of Meditation to clear the clutter from your mind.
1. Try taking 100 breaths and be sure to count them. Try not to think about anything else. This will clear your mind and start your day off to a great start.
2. Take a Meditationap. Lie down on a bed, sofa, or sun lounge, or pile your (empty) bathtub with pillows and blankets. Close your eyes and do nothing. Maybe you'll fall asleep. Maybe you'll have Zen inspiration. Maybe you'll just happily float along. Either way, it will be sublime.
3. Try out Yoga classes that emphasize slow, steady movement, deep breathing, and gentle stretching that really emphasis on stress relief. Satyananda, Hatha yoga, Power yoga and Tai Chi are a few that are great to try!
There are 6 billion paths to bliss, and your path is your own. Make it a happy one!
01.16.2012 / New Year's
Cleanse Your Body
If you haven’t heard the term “cleanse” buzzing about, then chances are you’ve been living under a rock. I did my first cleanse about three years ago and I’ve been a certifiable cleanse junky ever since. Well, not exactly, but I do use it to knock off a few pounds here and there when I find myself needing to fit into something a little tighter than normal! So, after giving birth to my son in July, was immediately on a mission to get my former body back! I must admit, it hasn’t been fun OR easy. Alas, I want to share my experience with you. Here it goes…
1. The Blueprint Cleanse
This was the very first cleanse that I tried. It consists of six bottles of juice that you are to consume over a three-day period. You can choose your different juice flavors (ie levels) based upon preference (ie gag reflex.) I actually really enjoy this cleanse, but I can't do it for more than three days. By day three, I'm ready for some sort of solid food, wine, and coffee! Therefore, I think it's a good cleanse to jump-start with or just shed a few pounds to fit into that dress on Saturday night!
2. Isagenix
This 9-day cleanse consists of a shake for breakfast, meal for lunch, shake for dinner, and snacks in-between. Every five days, you have two "fasting" days where you can only drink a certain liquid that they provide. The bonus to this cleanse is you can purchase green tea infused chocolate treats. These REALLY help you get through the difficult moments. I find this cleanse to be easy although the website is not easy to follow. And more important, it WORKS! And, what I really liked about it was that it was a great catalyst for a change of lifestyle which I find leads to a better long term result. For more information on how to order this cleanse, please email info@lauradaydesign.com.
3. The Master Cleanse
This may be one of the most well-known and inexpensive cleanses around. I attempted to do it many years ago but couldn't stomach it. A ten-day cleanse that involves drinking lemonade with syrup and cayenne pepper? No thank you.
4. The Clean Program
This is the cleanse that I am currently doing as I type. It became popular after Gwyneth Paltrow and since several other celebrities began doing it. As it seemed to follow the same shake for breakfast, meal for lunch, shake for dinner format as Isagenix, I thought it sounded perfect for me...WRONG! When two out of three of the meals you're able to consume during the span of a day taste like something you wouldn't give to your worst enemy, it makes life extremely difficult. At least that's what I thought after my first shake, but as with almost all of these types of things, you always get used to it. I am now on day 7 and I look forward to this shake all day! And, you have to follow the recipes on how to make the shakes "better"! On the bright side, two people have now asked me what I have done to my skin because they say it looks great! So, that's good. I only have 14 more days to go...wish me luck!
Some overall advice I would give to those of you participating in a cleanse would be:
1. Participate in groups-it makes things a lot easier when those around you are suffering as well. In fact, it's probably best to stay away from anyone NOT cleansing while you are. You develop extreme animosity towards them and it can result in violence.
2. Prepare yourself for an early bedtime-when you can't eat or drink alcohol, it only seems logical to go to sleep around 6:00pm.
3. Keep yourself AWAY from the aroma of food.
When I started writing this entry, I came across a HILARIOUS article in the New York Times written by Judith Newman. She wrote about her trials and tribulations of doing the Blueprint Cleanse. She had me laughing through the entire article! To check it out, click here: THE JUICE CLEANSE: A STRANGE AND GREEN JOURNEY.
By Becca Berk on January 16, 2012 07:30 AM
Love Isagenix! I still drink the shakes every morning and love tHem! 01.13.2012 / New Year's
A New Year, a New You!
Happy 2012 to everyone! I have been on a bit of a hiatus as I gave birth to my second child in July, but now I am back and ready to start 2012 out on the right foot. That being said, next week we will be doing a series on how to become a better you in 2012.
Stay tuned for the following topics:
1. MONDAY-Cleanse your body
2. TUESDAY-Cleanse your mind
3. WEDNESDAY-Cleanse your home
4. THURSDAY-Cleanse your friends
5. FRIDAY-It's a new day!
By The Hidden List on January 13, 2012 07:19 AM
Very happy you'll be back! I've missed your blog! Congrats on the new Baby! I'm ready to "cleanse" along with you! By Suzanne Vachon on January 13, 2012 07:17 AM
Thank you Laura, I am really looking forward to yout cleansing posts, sounds terrific, I certainly need to be a better me, I am struggling with meditation at the moment and I find it is very hard to take a few minutes to be with oneself, so I believe the cleansing is certainly a form of meditation.
Have a very Happy Year and to your Family also.
decogirlmontreal 01.12.2011 / New Year's
Write it down...
Now that we're well into the New Year, I'm still having trouble getting back into the swing of things-anyone else? I decided I need to start writing things down and being more diligent about making to-do lists. Of course, if I'm going to write things down, I want to do it in style. Here are some noteably attractive notebooks that I've found in my search.
It's no surprise that fashion designer Christian Lacroix would make such a beautiful notebook! This one that depicts a collage based around the Virgin Mary is avaiable at Kate's Paperie.
If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind notebook, Etsy is the place. I found this one and fell in love with handprinted saying on the cover.
It would be hard to misplace this notebook even if you tried! This "Oh Snap Metallic Journal" is available at Urban Outfitters-and better yet, it's on sale!
I already own this journal and I love it because it fits perfectly into any purse! It features the artwork of one of my favorite artists: Yoshitomo Nara. Available at the MoMA Store.
Another notebook that I own and love is this one that features the artwork of artist Ryan McGinness. It's also available at the MoMA Store.
I love this notebook because...well...it's pretty! It's also printed on recycled chipboard which I love. It's available at Hammerpress.
01.01.2011 / New Year's
Happy 2011!
Image courtesy of deviantart.com
We have officially transitioned from 2010 into 2011. A new year means a chance to reinvent yourself. You can make yourself, stronger, smarter, spend more time with your kids, reorganize your pantry, etc. Set a goal whether it be large or small, and make it happen in 2011! Leave us a comment and let us know what your resolutions or goals are for 2011.
12.07.2010 / New Year's
Reverb 7: Community
Today's Reverb Prompt is:
Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
Prior to 2010, I was Facebook and Twitter illiterate! After the launch of the webazine, the Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger community have welcomed me with open arms. These communities have been a huge factor in the growth and development of the website. I'm glad that I have a chance to say THANK YOU to everyone out there in the social networking community!
Our Facebook page is growing and growing! If you're not already a fan, click here to become one!
I'm stil getting used to all of the Twitter terminology and etiquette but I've had so much fun learning! Follow me @LauraDayLiving!
There are SO many blogs out there today that it's hard to narrow down your favorites. I've given it my best shot in the ONLINE portion of the I LOVE THESE on my site. Want to see your blog on here? Send an email to info@lauradayliving.com to let me know.
12.06.2010 / New Year's
Reverb 6: Make
As we announced on Friday, we're participating in Reverb 2010 started by Gwen Bell. It's an opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next! You can play along by posting on your blog. Today’s writing prompt:
Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
In June I made three art pieces using the products from a Spin Art Party I threw in Central Park in the spring. It was the "Craft Video" in Volume 3 of our webazine. It was so much fun-it brought back spin art memories to the adults, and was a fun, messy activity for the kids.
Here's a look at the three pieces of art I made using the spin art. Visit the Volume 3 CRAFT ROOM for a more in depth description.
Here's the video of how I made the pieces and what I used.
Next on my "to-make list" is trying to restore a damaged piece of art that's been sitting in my closet for over a year! In Spring of 2009 I got a great deal on a Takashi Murakami piece on Ebay. It came from The Netherlands, and when it came, the glass was completely shattered and had scratched the print!
Here is a photo of the damage.
You can see how the shattered glass scratched the print.
After endless back and forth with the seller, I gave up and purchased another one from a gallery in Florida. But...what to do with the damaged piece? I think I've thrown it out and retrieved it from the trash over 100 times in the past year. I just knew there was something I could do with it, I just wasn't sure what. Until...AHA!
I got the bright (literally) idea to cover the piece in corresponding colors of fine glitter. I may have gone a little crazy with the variety that I ordered, but hey, better safe than sorry, right? There were SO many options on this website I found called Rainbow Turtle. I think I'll tackle this project in the New Year, and until then, I have to come up with a place to hang the glittered piece when it's finished!
12.03.2010 / New Year's
We're Reverbing!
Here at Laura Day Living, we have decided to participate in Reverb10. Reverb10 is a way for blogs to reflect on the past year and manifest what's next. For the 31 days of December, we will receive prompts that authors have created for us that will guide us in our posts. So, sit back, relax, and get ready for the reflections and reverberations! If you're a blog and would like to participate in Reverb10, click here to sign up.
