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New Year, New You

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How’s the New Year treating you friends? Fresh off the heels of the holiday chaos – gift giving, cooking, entertaining – you’d think now would be a great time to catch our breath right? Wrong. Anyone else already experiencing some burn out? Now is the perfect time to re-focus on yourself, get that important “Me Time” in, and get inspired for what you want in the new year. Our inspiring bloggers shared how they’ve been spending and dedicating their  “Me Time” in the new year with PEOPLE, InStyle, StyleWatch, ALL YOU, and Real Simple magazines. Check out a few of their posts below on the inspiration and new ideas they found in the magazines mentioned above, related to fashion/style, money/budgeting, home/family, being a mom/parenting, cooking/cleaning, health/fitness, and overall life-goals. Cheers to a New Year and making more well-deserved “Me Time” for yourself!

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Ways to Get Organized for the New Year

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Hope your New Year has kicked off to a great start friends! Anyone else in organization mode due to coming off the stress of the holidays? We were blessed to have friends and family visiting the whole month of December, but now our house is in serious need of a major overhaul. With the tree and holiday decor finally down and put away, I am itching for some organization I can easily do myself. If you’re looking for some motivation to get your home organized, find some inspiration from a few of our amazing bloggers who shared how they checked off their first DIY project of the year in their homes, by re-vamping their closet spaces with the help of Rubbermaid and Lowe’s. Rubbermaid has a line of DIY closet organizers called HomeFree that are sold at Lowe’s. One blogger even made-over her laundry room! The before and after pictures speak for themselves, so don’t take our word for it. Head over to their lovely spaces and check out their creativity that is sure to get your creative juices flowing. Cheers to starting the New Year more organized!

Tiny Closet Organization Makeover

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Great Apps for Kids

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Deciding which apps to let your kids use can be hard.  To help navigate the world of kid appropriate apps we asked our bloggers what apps are a favorite in their home. Our bloggers made some great suggestions, from educational apps, to fun apps for your kids, or ways to pass the time while you travel.   Now all you have to do is figure out how much screen time your kiddos will get each day.  We’ll leave that decision up to you!

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Happy Holidays

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Happy Holidays friends! It’s so hard to believe that another year has blown by and 2015 is right around the corner. We hope you are all finding time to enjoy the little blessings this holiday season.

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7 Healthy Holiday Treats

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They say people gain 5-10lbs between Thanksgiving and Christmas, yikes!! This holiday season you can have your holiday treats and avoid the weight gain! Our bloggers have a created a ton of good for you recipes that incorporate holiday flavors like peppermint and gingerbread.  Thanks to Aloha Premium Protein Powder these treats are tasty and good for you!

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Family Holiday Traditions + A Cinnamon Roll Recipe

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Today we have a treat for our readers, Summer, our Innovation Strategist & Project Manager is sharing some of her favorite family holiday traditions.
 
Christmas is such a special time for our family, much like it is for most I’m sure. There is something about the quality time that is spent together during the month of December that creates a unique kind of happiness that I look forward to all year. There is so much joy in the little details of the days that go over looked in any other month.
There are several traditions that we do as a family and today I am sharing just a few.
I am a sucker for matching Christmas jammies. My kids would wear “pajammies” all day err-day if I let them so they are extra excited about getting their jammies on Christmas Eve. My brother and I were always way too excited to wait till morning to open presents so we would beg and beg and hound and nag our Mom till she let us open just one on Christmas Eve. We still did it well into our adulthood and I carry on the tradition with my kids by letting them open their Christmas jammies that night.
My favorite family tradition that Lennie and I started together is picking out a new clay ornament every year. Our very first one is a bride and goom with a big red heart and as the years pass we have gone from furry babies to human babies so it’s fun to look back each year and remember what life was like as we added each family member. What a great reminder each year of how much we have grown as a family!
Of course what is a Holiday without something yummy and delicious?! Our tastiest tradition is making my sister in laws cinnamon roll recipe for Christmas morning. They are to die for and since you all are some of my favorite peeps I thought I would share the recipe with you all. Trust me that you are going to want to pin this sucker for your next brunch, shower or Sunday morning. Heck! Feel free to start a Christmas tradition of your very own!
This recipe is super quick and easy and great for bakers from beginning to advanced. I have no idea how to use yeast and I have yet to screw it up. The rolls always turn out golden and flaky on the outside and soft, chewy and just the right amount of gooey on the inside. It’s spiral perfection.
Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from All Recipes.com
Ingredients:
Dough: 1 cup warm milk 2 eggs, room temperature ½ c margarine, melted 4 ½ c bread flour 1 t salt ½ c white sugar 2 ½ t bread machine yeast
Filling: 1 c brown sugar 1 ½ T ground cinnamon 1/3 c butter, softened

Frosting: 1-3 oz package of cream cheese ¼ c butter 1 ½ c confectioners’ sugar ½ t vanilla 1/8 t salt

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5 Holiday Party Dresses

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The holiday season means holiday parties! I love being able to get dressed up for an evening of fun with friends.  When the budget allows for it I delight in heading to the mall to find the perfect holiday party dress.  Today we’re sharing 5 dresses we love for the holidays.  If you don’t plan to buy a new dress this year these looks could also inspire you to see a dress you already own in a new way.

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