Saturday, December 31, 2016

What are the benefits of kissing on New Year's Eve?

Is kissing really that awesome?

  According to medical studies, kissing offers amazing advantages for a long and healthy life.

  1. Those who kiss their partner goodbye each morning live five years longer than those who don’t.
  2. Kissing is great for self-esteem. It makes you feel appreciated and helps your state of mind.
  3. Kissing burns calories, 2-3 calories a minute and can double your metabolic rate. Research claims that three passionate kisses a day (at least lasting 20 seconds each) will cause you to loose an entire extra pound! It's time to start that kissing diet!
  4. Kissing is a known stress-reliever. Passionate kissing relieves tension, reduces negative energy and produces a sense of well being, lowering your cortisol ‘stress’ hormone.
  5. Kissing uses 30 facial muscles and it helps keep the facial muscles tight, preventing baggy cheeks! The tension in the muscles caused by a passionate kiss helps smooth the skin and increases the circulation.
  6. Kissing is good for the heart, as it creates an adrenaline which causes your heart to pump more blood around your body. Frequent kissing has scientifically been proven to stabilize cardiovascular activity, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.
  7. Those who kiss quite frequently are less likely to suffer from stomach, bladder and blood infections.
  8. Kissing reduces anxiety and stops the "noise' in your mind. It increases the levels of oxytocin, an extremely calming hormone that produces a feeling of peace.
  9. Kissing might even help you lose weight, says Bryant Stamford, PhD, professor and director of the health promotion center at the University of Louisville. "During a really, really passionate kiss, you might burn two calories a minute -- double your metabolic rate," he says. (This compares to 11.2 calories per minute you burn jogging on a treadmill.)
  10. A natural source of pain relief.  Kissing provides a natural form of pain relief. Before reaching for an aspirin the next time you've got a headache, grab your honey and lay on a big smooch instead. Dr. Varnado notes that "kissing releases natural chemicals in the body called endorphins, which can be more powerful than morphine to relieve pain" - without the all the negative side effects of using a narcotic, of course.
  11. Last but not least, while kissing may feel oh-so-good, it also has health benefits, too. It triggers a whole spectrum of physiological processes that boost your immunity and generally spruce up that body you work so hard to keep attractive.

Now go out there and KISS someone! xxxxx


[source: 1. http://www.bestkisses.com/kisses-for-health.html, 2. http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/kissing-benefits]

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Halloween Recipes


Get into the spirit of Halloween with these food ideas to help your little chef get geared up for a fun holiday.
How to make Halloween Slime (for playing, not eating) 
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup cornstartch
  • food coloring

Directions:
Boil 2 cups water in a medium saucepan.  Add cornstarch while stirring. After that is mixed well, add food coloring and stir.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.  Make sure kids play with it on a plastic covered surface
~Healthy Halloween Snack Recipe~ 
Make a Coqui the Chef Apple Frog
Ingredients:
  • green apples
  • grapes-two for feet and four for arms and hands
  • toothpicks hold the arm and eyes
  • white marshmallow for eyes
  • chocolate chip for the eye 
  • lemon juice 
  • cocktail umbrella picks
Click here to watch the instructional video. In my recipe, we used two ingredients different from the video; chocolate chip, and white marshmallows.
Check out these DIY Halloween resources
These resources highlight the spirit of the holiday with these themed math and literacy review, and there are also plenty of art, cooking, and decorative ideas to help your little one get geared up for this fun holiday.