Wine'ing Momma

Fun Ways to Get Your Body Moving this Spring!

May 1, 2021 by Alisha Leave a Comment

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.*

Spring is here and summer will be here before we know it. If you are looking for fun ways to stay active this summer, look no further! Here are some of my top ideas:

Roller skating

Roller skating has been my jam lately. In fact, it is pretty much the only exercise that I have been doing. If you haven’t roller skated in the past, you absolutely need to try it. It’s fun, a great workout, and it gets your mind off of your long to-do lists, so it’s a mental break, as well.

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How to Make Moving Easier

April 1, 2021 by Alisha 2 Comments

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

There is a long debate about moving yourself versus hiring a company to assist you in the process. Moving companies can offer portable storage units and rental trucks as well as give you plenty of options and services to make the move run as smoothly as possible. If you want to move, then you are in charge of doing the majority of the work yourself including all of the heavy lifting. Decide how much you can afford for your move and how much work you actually are going to allow yourself to do. Choose the moving option that is going to work best for you and your family members. Perhaps the stress-free might not put you over your budget which could cause even more headaches than you planned. Before are a few tips to help you make this decision.

Hiring A Professional:

If you think that hiring a professional moving company related to your move, including packing up the boxes, moving items from point A to point B, and unpacking everything in your new home, then this might be the best option. Of course, hiring someone like this can also cost you a lot of money but it also involves the least amount of stress and work for you to do yourself. If you are a full time working student or parent, this option seems extremely appealing to help save a bit of money, try and pack a few things yourself if you can. Offer help from friends, neighbors, and family members so the burden doesn’t fall all on yourself. A huge pro to hiring a professional moving company is they are the ones doing the heavy lifting. If you recently injured yourself, then you shouldn’t be doing any of this type of work to strain your injury as well as you don’t want to hurt yourself in the process too. If you are looking to hire a professional company, be sure to call Moving Solutions. They offer basic charges including your move items from your old home to your new home, insurance in case any items need replacing or lost. Some local moves are often charged per hour so be sure to check on what they’ll offer you. You can also purchase a full-value insurance from the company or an insurance company. This commercial moving company in Nashville TN is your one stop shop to help the headache and stress that comes with moving either across country or a few miles down the road.

Moving Yourself:

If you decide that you want to move and then pack yourself, there are many pros and cons to this as well. You are in control of what you’ll pack, loading the items into a vehicle or friend’s van ( or perhaps rent a U-Haul to help you ) and then unload where your final destination is. The choice is a lot cheaper if you own or can borrow a truck and are not moving very far. Moving is very complicated if you do not have the benefit of help from friends or family or moving long distance. If you have a Type A personality, enjoy creating list and are very organized then moving yourself might be the best fit for you. It also costs a lot less then hiring a professional moving company to do it themselves which is a huge plus for anyone who is looking to cut costs. You also are able to dictate what can be done on your own timeline instead of going by someone else.

Of course there are a few cons to moving all by yourself too. This create a lot of work on your part which can cause you to be extremely stressed out, short with family members and you could also hurt yourself in the process of moving and packing. It also can take you a lot longer then expected to pack, move and get to your location as well. If you don’t have a single thing such as boxes, tape or newspaper to help pack your valuables with, this can also cost you more money then you anticipated. If you are taking your own vehicle or a renting a truck, don’t forget to fact in the cost of fuel when making your budget. A truck rental can also be a small fee. Renting a small truck or an in town move is a lot cheaper then renting a large one for a cross country hike. The last time we moved was over 20 years ago and we had our friends help us and we paid them in pizza and beer. We’re all too old for that now and don’t want to worry about someone throwing their back out.

Whether you hire or move yourself, make the best decision based on your current situation, your lifestyle, your needs and most of all, a budget. There is no right or wrong in this situation just that you get to your destination in a timely fashion before you start a new job and explore your new city. Remember, this is an exciting time in your life so do your best to remember it when things start to get tough when you’re in the moving process.

Ways We Can Help Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences

March 30, 2021 by Alisha Leave a Comment

This post is made possible with support from the American Academy of Pediatrics through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All opinions are my own.

Last year I discussed how each of us can Be The Three for a child dealing with ACEs. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. Examples are abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual), neglect (physical or emotional), and household dysfunction (mental illness, domestic violence, divorce, incarcerated relative, substance abuse). Exposure to ACEs can increase the risk later in life of alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, depression, heart disease, liver disease, STIs, and teen pregnancy; plus suicide attempts or death by suicide.

Not only can there be psychological effects of ACEs on young minds, but children who have experienced ACEs can also have long-term health complications that can come from recurring exposure to ACEs.

The major goal of last year’s post was making sure you “have your three”. These are people that are there to help uplift you, encourage you, and be an additional support system. They create your safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments (SSNREs) that help you prevent or mitigate the effects of ACEs.

Today, I want to discuss how to ensure that your children and those in your life are supported if they experience ACEs.

2020 was an unprecedented year with a global pandemic that impacted millions around the world. Many people think that only adults were affected, but there were just as many children affected. Parents became unemployed and that stress ended up trickling down to children. Many weren’t able to get meals because they weren’t in school, signs of neglect and abuse weren’t being recognized due to everyone isolating from one another, and household stress increased at alarming rates.

Stress is normal and actually can be a good part of helping children learn to cope with things that come up in their lives. But our bodies are only able to deal with so much stress at a time. When a child is dealing with stress for extended periods of time, this stress can become “toxic” and can impact and shape their lives into adulthood.

During this past year, I’ve been discussing with my daughters the importance of having their own “three.” My oldest daughter is turning 19 this year and my youngest daughter is in middle school. These are both pivotal times in their lives where they have so many things going on and changes that will develop them as they become adults. They need all the support they can get.

I’ve had the chance to be there for one of my daughter’s friends when she was dealing with some tough situations and wasn’t sure how to discuss it with her parents. With her permission, I was able to speak up for her, and her parents swiftly took action and she’s getting the help she needs now. That one conversation may help her not have to deal with lasting effects that could have carried on for the rest of her life, and I was happy that she was comfortable coming to talk with me.

That’s just one example. We all have a role to play in providing better futures for children. No matter where you live or who you are, you can play a role in building better outcomes. To learn more visit here.

HORMEL® HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS Protein Puffs: Snacking Without the Guilt!

January 17, 2021 by Alisha 5 Comments

This post is made possible with support from Happy Little Plants an agreement with Hormel®. All opinions are my own.

I don’t know about you but the quarantining over the last year resulted in me packing on a few (A LOT) of extra pounds. I was motivated the first few months to stay active and come up with fun things to do and healthy meals but by the end of the Summer that all went out the window!

More and more people are looking for easy ways to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets, and I’m excited to tell you about Happy Little Plants^® plant-based protein puffs snack option for everyone. The new Happy Little Plants^® plant-based protein puffs were developed to make plant-based protein portable and snackable.

Available in cinnamon sugar, nacho cheese and ranch flavors, the gluten-free snacks are made with soy protein, rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar and calcium carbonate. Each single-serve 1.25-oz bag contains 140-150 calories, 16 grams of protein and 5-8 grams of sugar.

The bags are the perfect portion size for when need a “snack attack” but want to avoid chips and other junk foods. My favorite flavor was cinnamon & sugar. You can also crumble them up and put them on top of yogurt. That totally took up my snacking to another level! If nothing else I think we’ve all gotten pretty creative with new snack and meal ideas in the past year.

Be sure to give HORMEL® HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS Protein Puffs a try and let me know what your favorite flavor is. You can find HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS Protein Puffs available in 12-packs on Amazon.