Health

By Etelka Koshemakin / October 12, 2018

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The Story Of My Super Brain Smoothie

I love learning new things, especially if it has to do with improving my abilities. Above all, a SuperMum has to stay sharp and need a super-brain to stay on top of her game! Therefore when I  encountered  mindvalley‘s Superbrain Quest, I decided to embark on this journey.

First of all what Superbrain quest taught us, was the importance of a proper brain-diet. I used to have some of these incorporated into my daily diet, but certainly not all and not every day. I needed a ‘vehicle’ to transport these nutrients into myself daily.

Reviewing the brain-diet list gave me a great idea. Why not combine as many of these brain boosting ingredients into one delicious super brain smoothie? So I did and here is my recipe,

Super Brain Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup of spinach (or any other green leafy vegetable)

1 banana

1/2 avocado

1 cup of brain-berry (blueberry)

1 tablespoon of organic cacao powder

2/3 teaspoon of Turmeric latte powder

(or 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric, a hint of Chinese five spice and Clove)

optional: 1/4 cup of walnuts

1 1/2 cup of water or coconut water

Directions:

Place the ingredients into your blender, adding the water first. Blend until you get a smooth consistency.

* If you like this post, be sure to share it on Pinterest, so your followers can read it too!

What Are You Giving To Your Brain?

Avocado

It is chock full of vitamins and minerals. Additionally avocado also helps the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients from other foods eaten with it. The list of vitamins you get from eating avocado: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, B-vitamins. Also it contains the following minerals/trace-minerals: Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese. Additionally it is a good source of Folic Acid.

Banana

Although banana wasn’t specifically part of the brain-diet list, it is a good source of B6 and fiber, and contains Vitamin C and Potassium.

Blueberries

Another brain nutrient and super-food! Blueberries are abundant in vitamin K1, vitamin C and manganese. They also contain vitamin E, vitamin B6 and copper.

Spinach

Probably the world’s healthiest food is spinach. Intensely rich in Vitamin K and Vitamin A, Manganese, Folate, Magnesium, Iron, Copper.  Also good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin C and B Vitamins. Additionally it contains fiber, omega-3 fatty acid, phosphorus, zinc, choline, selenium.

Cacao

It was first cultivated in the Americas, and has been called the ‘food of the Gods’. Due to the density of essential nutrients, cacao is good for your brain diet. The cacao bean is full of antioxidants, fat, carbohydrates, protein, polyphenols like flavanoids that are antioxidants. Also contain minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, iron, zinc and potassium. Additionally it also has oleic acid which is an essential monounsaturated fat, fiber and vitamin E, and B vitamins.

Turmeric

The main active ingredient in turmeric is Curcumin. It can increase brain levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is a type of growth hormone that functions in your brain. Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone. Allegedly it also lowers your risk of hart-disease.

As Curcumin doesn’t absorb very well, it is advised to take it with some black pepper. Piperine, a natural substance in black pepper, enhances the absorption of curcumin.

A smoothie A Day Challenge

Join our 30 day challenge and download my free smoothie recipes! Although they are not containing all of the brain-diet ingredients, but they do have at least one or two of them included.

If you want to boost your brain but like the variety, it is a good place to start to form a new habit, a brain boosting life-style.

As a bonus I liked it and so did my 4 year old son, yes!! Getting healthy food into my kids is a challenge and this one passed the test.

Beauty

Health

By Etelka Koshemakin / September 25, 2018

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How To Erase Wrinkles?

We mum’s would like to stay looking and feeling young as long as possible.

Unfortunately as the years go by, there are certain changes take place in our skin.

In our 30s collagen and elastin content in the skin tissues start to break down causing the skin to lose it’s plumpness, become thinner.

We start to not to like, what we see in the mirror.

Besides that, our complexion may become drier. We might notice broken capillaries on the cheeks and age spots appearing on our hands. The fine lines around our eyes become more visible or even pronounced.

Therefore we might feel an urge to turn back time. But how can we erase wrinkles? What options do we have?

This post contains affiliate links. This if you click a link and make a purchase, I might receive a small commission at no cost to you, so thank you.

Botox – Miracle or Curse?

Botox is a common non-surgical, cosmetic procedure, trying to improve the appearance of skin.

Did you know that Botox is a brand name of a toxin produced by botulism bacteria (Clostridium botulinum)?

Most importantly, this bacteria produces  a neurotoxin that is among the most toxic substances known. I certainly would not want to inject it into my skin.

* If you like this post, be sure to share it on Pinterest, so your followers can read it too!

How Botox Works

The Result

Anti-aging Skin Care Products

Most products you can find on the shelves of a skin care store or pharmacy, or listed on a website have

synthetic additives in them. Such as dissodium EDTA. BHT, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate-20, Dimethicone and the list goes on. Even the so called “natural” serums and creams may contain one or more of them.

What are these chemicals?

Dissodium EDTA is a penetration enhancer. It disrupts the surface of the skin cells and the other chemicals from the skin care product or from the environment can get in.

BHT -” Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are preservatives. You can find them in a variety of personal care products. These chemicals are linked to several health concerns including endocrine disruption and organ-system toxicity.” – safecosmetics.org

Propylene Glycol is an other penetration enhancer.

Polysorbate-20 is a surfactant and emulsifier. The concern with Polysorbate-20 is that they treat it with ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane can contaminate it. 1,4 dioxane is a potentially dangerous by-product, that is a known animal carcinogen, also been linked with skin allergies.

Dimethicone is what the chemists like to call a silicon-based polymer. ”Polymer” meaning it’s a large molecule made up of several smaller units bonded together. Simply put, it’s a silicon oil. It is man-made in the laboratory and used in personal care products as an anti-foaming agent, skin protectant, and skin and hair conditioner.

Why Dimethicone is bad for your skin?

That artificial coating on the outside of skin causes several issues:

• It traps everything under it—including bacteria, sebum, and impurities—which could lead to increased breakouts and blackheads
• The coating action actually prevents the skin from performing its normal activities—like sweating, temperature regulating, sloughing off dead skin cells, etc.
• Prolonged exposure to dimethicone can actually increase skin irritation, due to the coating property and because dimethicone is listed as a possible skin and eye irritant
• Those with sensitive or reactive skin are at risk of an allergic reaction to dimethicone
• On top of all this, dimethicone is a non-biodegradable chemical’ – source: bewell.com

Example:

Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist Pro is a perfect cocktail of synthetic and natural ingredients.

When we see the list of these ingredients, most of us have no clue what they mean. But we assume that they are totally safe for us. Nothing can be further from the truth and it is time to learn what do these names cover.

Just think about it, the FDA may set the safe levels. But all these chemicals in the anti-aging serum, in the different body-care products, in the cleaning products –  add up. Are the sum of those still below the safe levels?

The molecules that are native to the body

A few years ago there was an amazing health-science and anti-aging breakthrough. Scientist gained new understanding about how our body restores itself. As a result, now we can boost our body’s own healing process.

With this break-through came a 100% non-toxic gel. It consist of molecules native to the body and it is extremely effective in rejuvenating skin. This is the solution to erase wrinkles.

Even the older generation see astonishing results as this gel truly rejuvenates their skin.

Therefore, instead of Botox or fancy anti-wrinkle serums, I prefer this gel.

The “Magic Gel”

This non-toxic gel is not only effective on wrinkles but it speeds up the healing of wounds.

Me and my kids call it “magic gel” at home. It’s handy to have a tube in my purse, as it is great first aid at small accidents and scrapes.

Above all, healthy skin helps to protect our body. Because of that, you might want to learn more about how you too, can rejuvenate your skin.  Sign up to my newsletter and gain access to the free presentation explaining the science behind this product. See for yourself if you want to make the switch over to this toxins free gel.

Health

By Etelka Koshemakin / August 8, 2018

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I have read an article on http://bestlifeonline.com titled “40 Ways Your Body Changes After 40 “- the good, the bad and the unavoidable.

This post is an extensive collection of aging symptoms with some good suggestions on how to lessen them.  But it appears that they have no idea what causes them at large.

Why do we experience any of these symptoms at all?

What is the one underpinning change that occurs as we age?

Aging Symptoms

Let’s start with a short overview of the aging symptoms, although I will not mention all 40 of them. If you want to read them all click here to read the the article. The main aging symptoms are:

• Wrinkles become more pronounced and the article states its due to aging and wear and tear.

• Hair starts to grow in weird places and both man and woman are allegedly will be prone to this. In the same time we might start to lose hair and especially man start balding. No exact reason mentioned – neither any solutions.

• You experience more aches and pains and the articles states that wear and tear on the body is cumulative. This  is true, but I don’t think this is the full or real reason. Let’s not forget that our kids push their bodies like no tomorrow and experiencing plenty of tear and wear, BUT their body recovers and regenerates much faster. WHY? The articles states, that Scientist not certain why it takes longer to bounce back from injury as we are getting older.

Now this statement is incorrect. Those scientists who have been involved in a certain health-science and anti-aging and sport-performance discovery, now know why it is. Although most  scientist and Doctors don’t know about it yet. The information about this breakthrough discovery is available for everyone, and if you would like to read about it, click here.

• Apparently after 40 you sleep less, and the quality of sleep also declines. THIS is certainly not true for me. I can sleep like a baby. Mind due it might just be one of the many positive effects of the supplement I’m taking.

• The article also states that it becomes harder to lose weight. I disagree with that, I strongly believe that if we provide proper nutrition to our body and don’t forget to exercise regularly, losing weight shouldn’t be any harder than at a younger age.

• At around mid-30 early 40 we start to have more grey hair. By simple observation it holds true, but the real cause is not our age, but mineral deficiency. Keeping a diet high in copper, iron and B vitamins can help to lessen graying. In fact, I have somewhat less grays now in my hair than 3 years ago.

• For us ladies, the forecast is that we will experience all kinds of perimenopause symptoms, for example migraines. But I think these are also avoidable and so far, I don’t have any of them. This article doesn’t mention it but having enough vitamin D for us ladies is crucial. If you want to know what else I’m taking to prevent those unwanted symptoms, let me know.

Our body is breaking down

At around 40 we start to notice aging symptoms which are the tell tales that our body is breaking down. It doesn’t start when we are 40, it is accumulating from younger age and it is the result of oxidative stress. What factors cause oxidative stress?

Bad diet, toxins we are exposed to in our environment, stress, even heavy exercise is hard on the body and contribute to it’s breaking down.

You might not be aware, but there are many toxic substances are in the average body care products. For example Sodium Laurel Sulphate in shampoos, body wash, dish washing liquid, Polyethilene glycol or PEG is the basis of many skin creams and these act as pseudo-estrogens in our body, and these can cause oxidative stress.

If you would you like to get my list of toxins free body-care brands, please let me know in a comment.

The Good News

After facing what is to come, you might ask, what can I do about it?

Can aging be prevented or at least slowed down?

What is the underpinning change?

While we certainly can’t turn back time, there is a way to slow down aging by supplementing redox-molecules.

The advantage of helping our body with supplementing the diminishing amount of redox-molecules as we age, we enable it to  become youthful and energetic again. We help our body to get rid of the aches and pains by itself, smooth out wrinkles and more.

Discover how you too, can erase the signs of aging here.

Recipes

By Etelka Koshemakin / April 17, 2018

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I was curious how to get kids to eat vegetables for a long time because I have found it to be a great challenge. Especially my daughter was very fussy about veggies. She only ate carrots and frozen green peas, green leafy vegetables were a big NO.

Green Smoothie For Kids

We all know the importance of developing healthy eating habits early and get our kids to consume plenty fruits and vegetables. But the challenge remains: how to get kids to eat vegetables? When I have started to work on my 30 days green smoothie challenge, I had a realization. After all this is the solution for us, adults to increase our fresh vegetable intake and for our kids too. Because the smoothies are so tasty, that my kids like them too. Making smoothies is an excellent and easy way to incorporate several fruits and vegetables into the kids diet. The best thing about a green smoothie is that all the natural goodness of the ingredients stay intact as no cooking required. If you ever wondered how to get kids to eat vegetables, this is the answer.

Get Them Involved In The Creation

My kids like to get involved in making the smoothie too. They see what goes into the smoothie and learn what are the good stuff. My kids refuse to eat fresh spinach on its own but have no objection about putting spinach into the smoothie, for it’s part of the recipe. We have tried other fruits and vegetables as well to create different smoothies and after a while my kids become more and more open to try out new variations. Therefore I have made some smoothies with carrots, celery, kale.

They learn what is healthy

Making the smoothie together is a great learning opportunity for them. Make no mistake, your kids are watching. Even when we are not making a smoothie but they become hungry for an apple or banana, they are asking: “Mummy, apple is healthy isn’t it?”

Spinach, Frozen Berries And Banana Smoothie

Now, if you looking for a delicious green smoothie recipe for kids, your search is over. Here is my kid’s favorite green smoothie – or as we call it: red smoothie – recipe. It’s very tasty and because it is not green, this is a good smoothie to start introducing spinach into the kids diet.

Ingredients:

11/2 cup spinach (or kale)

11/2 cup frozen mixed berries

1 small banana

1 cup of water

Put all ingredients in the blender and blitz it for 45 seconds.

All done. I don’t know of an easier green smoothie recipe for kids.

Join our 30 day green smoothie challenge and receive great smoothie ideas in pdf. You will discover that you can use many green leafy vegetables interchangeably and make as many smoothie variations as many fruits and vegetables you can put your hands on. I encourage you to experiment on your own as well. Once you are in your smoothie creative zone, great smoothie ideas will come from you.

Health Benefits

You would be amazed to learn how many different essential minerals, vitamins and amino acids are in a spinach or kale and berry smoothie. These are the building blocks to a healthy body and the best source to get them from are these fruits and vegetables.

Money

Uncategorized

By Peter Nyiri / April 4, 2018

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If you are interested in building a website that ranks in Google and makes some money along the way, this guide is going to be a huge help to you.

Your first quest is to find a topic/niche that has four things:

• traffic,
• people who will buy stuff,
• not too much competition and
• enjoyable to work in while still helping people.

Find a niche and keywords to target

The first step you want to take is to make sure the idea that you have for a topic/niche has enough traffic to be worthwhile. There’s no point spending weeks building a blog if there is no one searching for information about it.

Tools like Majestic SEO are your best friends at this stage. They allow you to look at all your competition and see what keywords and backlinks they are going after. This is extremely useful when deciding on a niche to blog about as well as being useful every time you write a post.

Instead of going for wide subjects you need to custom-tailor your product to dozens of different “smaller niches.”

• Time Management for Stay At Home Moms
• Time Management for College Students
• Time Management for New College Students
• etc.

Now, if I am an overwhelmed dad who is trying to home-school my 5-year old boy, I find that I can’t get everything done and I go searching for time management information online, what happens?

I find a gazillion time management courses that all look good to me, but I also find YOURS that is SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON HOMESCHOOL FAMILIES.

All things being equal, I’d buy yours without thinking twice.

Why? Because it is specifically targeted towards me and my situation.

Get Traffic And Sell Stuff.

Your niche needs to have an offer that fits the users.

You spend $100 and 100 people now come to your site.

• 75% leave without doing anything…
• 24% click around and eventually leave…
• 1% buys the product… if you are lucky…

This is how most marketers end up when first trying out… they perhaps get a sale… and 99 clicks have been lost.

That means $75 of your marketing dollars went out the door in less than 3 seconds… then another $24 poked around and left without making you anything…

And if your lucky… the $1 you spent on that other guy… perhaps he orders or opts in or something.

If you want to sell products, you need to build a sales funnel.

“The money is in the list” — But how do you do it?

The one thing you have probably heard more than anything else since you got started with affiliate marketing is that you need an email list – a really freaking good one. Of course, the same people telling you to build a list rarely give you the actual
strategies you need to ensure that list is successful.

Sure, you need a list. And sure, you need to provide valuable content. But how? What kind of formatting, what kind of messages, what kind of hard and soft sells should you be using to drive your point home and convert readers into cold hard sales?

You’ve been told that you should rock conversion rates in the double digits with a good email list and you’re still looking at 0.3%. So, what’s the deal? What went wrong?

The basis of every good email list is value. You won’t make a single cent if you can’t both create and present value. Your readers are REAL PEOPLE who need REAL MEANINGFUL INFORMATION and they need to find something in every single one of your messages that they can take home, use, and remember as being useful to their specific problems.

Not only that, but the way you promote products needs to present additional value.

What Should You Sell In Your Emails?

A lot of people wonder what to sell and how often to sell it. In truth, a good newsletter sequence, over the course of a year, will focus on between 12-20 products. That is, of course, if you can come up with 12-20 good products to promote.

More realistically, if you can get 7 solid products you’re pretty much set. Some niches don’t even provide that many products, and while it may result in repetitive selling points in your messages, it really doesn’t hurt conversions all that much.

Think of it this way. How many times during one evening of television do you see the same ad for a product or service? Companies will repeat ads over and over again because they know the results don’t depend on originality – just consistency and the value of the free content offered around them.

Benefits

The vast majority of benefits come in one of two forms:

• Pain Resolving
• Pleasure Giving

Simply telling people what the product has won’t do any good. They might think “that sounds like a nice product”, but they won’t connect how the product can help them live a happier life. That’s what pain and pleasure related benefits do.

Your readers are used to being sold things. Most of them will only respond to messages directed toward them, with clear benefits embedded in the message and a reason to act right away. If you can offer that, you’ll improve your conversions many times over.

Recipes

By Etelka Koshemakin / April 3, 2018

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A smoothie a day is a great way to add green leafy vegetables to our diet. Even my kids started to drink mummy’s kale spinach smoothie.

Earlier it was impossible to get them to eat spinach and kale in a salad or cooked. But if it is in a smoothie, that is different! They drink this delicious green smoothie with me. My son asked the other day, what is in the smoothie? I told him the ingredients.

His response: ‘Oh, spinach! I love spinach!’

Kale Spinach Smoothie Recipe

If you joined ‘A Smoothie A Day – for 30 days challenge, you got access to my Easy Green Smoothie recipes. Most of those smoothie recipes has kale or spinach as one of the ingredients.

However this Kale Spinach Smoothie Recipe wasn’t included in that free downloadable guide.

1/2 cup spinach

1 celery stick

1/2 cup kale

1 green apple

1 kiwi

250 ml of water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by adding the liquid to your blender, followed by the soft fruit. Than blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

For a complete meal replacement add 1 scoop Organifi protein powder.

Because this delicious green smoothie is very energizing, it can serve as an easy meal for a hot summer day.

Start blending, it’s easy, quick and yum!

* If you like this recipe, please share this post on Facebook and Pinterest.

Health Benefits:

Spinach

First of all, the green leaves of spinach are high in niacin and zinc, as well as protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K. Also high in thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. In other words, it’s loaded with good things for every part of your body!

Due to the abundant flavonoids in spinach act as antioxidants, it helps to keep cholesterol from oxidizing and protect your body from free radicals. Particularly in the colon. The folate in spinach is good for your healthy cardiovascular system, and magnesium helps lower high blood pressure. Studies also have shown that spinach helps maintain your vigorous brain function, memory and mental clarity. – says Dr. Mercola

Kale

Because the nutrients in kale can help boost well-being and prevent a range of health problems it is becoming more and more popular.

To name a few of these nutrients, Kale contains fiber, antioxidants, calcium, and vitamin K, among others.

Even the chlorophyll in kale may have health benefits.

Due to the fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 found in kale, it support heart health.

Additionally, high potassium intake can help to reduce the risk of stroke, to protect against loss of muscle mass. It plays important role in the preservation of bone mineral density, and in the reduction of kidney stones formation. – Medical News Today

Celery

This vegetable is excellent source of antioxidants and beneficial enzymes. In addition to vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin B6. – Dr. Axe

Apple

As one of the most cultivated and consumed fruits in the world, apples are continuously being praised as a “miracle food”.

Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavanoids, and dietary fiber.

The phytonutrients and antioxidants in apples may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. – Medical News Today

Kiwi

According to the nutritional break-up of kiwi fruit, it contains almost twice as much Vitamin C, as lemons and oranges. Vitamin C acts as powerful antioxidant, eliminating free radicals that could cause inflammation or cancer. It also helps in boosting the immunity of the body against harmful pathogens.

Kiwi fruit contains an enzyme that helps in the digestion of proteins in the body and is also known to help patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.

At last but not least, kiwi is a good source of folate, which is beneficial for pregnant women because it helps in the development of the foetus, making it healthy. – food.ndtv.com

In summary, considering all the health benefits of the ingredients, this Kale Spinach Recipe is a delicious  powerhouse – smoothie. Enjoy!

Health

By Etelka Koshemakin / March 29, 2018

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Join SuperMom’s Smoothie Challenge today!

The challenge is to drink a smoothie a day for 30 days.

It is not only a tasty and fun challenge, but it can put your feet on the path to reforming your family’s diet into a healthier one by adding a green smoothie to it. Make no mistake, the kids will love it too!

Sounds good?

A Smoothie A Day

The best is to consume a mixture of leafy greens and fruits by creating an easy green smoothie but not every smoothie you drink has to be green. For example you can use veggies, like carrot or red capsicum, without greens, it will work just as well. In fact, you can even create a chocolate protein and fruit smoothie. Yum!

We encourage you to think up new recipes based on the easy green smoothie formula. Simply blend together a mix of delicious fruit and greens with water in a ratio of 60% fruits to 40% greens. Following this ratio you will arrive at the best tasting, balanced smoothies.

Introducing different leafy greens into your diet, such as spinach, kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, will help you to get the most benefit from this challenge! After all, those leafy greens assist in providing the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

In my opinion the best is to start your day with a delicious green smoothie, but you can set your smoothie time anyway you like.

Note that the suggested minimum serving size of a smoothie is 500ml.

Feel free to go for more than one smoothie a day.

What you will need to start the challenge

In order to participate in this challenge you only need a blender and a few ingredients.

The blender doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just operational.

You will also need fresh or frozen leafy greens, fruits, water or coconut water and protein powder – if desired.

Who the 30 day smoothie challenge is for?

This challenge is for anyone who wants to introduce more healthy goodness into their daily diet.

It is for those, who want to feel better,  for those who want to provide the best nutrition for their family, and

for those who realized that food is medicine and want to stay healthy.

Who is it NOT for?

I don’t know of any type of person who would not benefit from embarking in this challenge.

However, there might be some people who don’t like changes and won’t change their unhealthy diet one bit.

In this case this challenge would be pointless .

Creating a Balanced Lifestyle

Note that this IS NOT a fad diet or strict detox/cleanse that bans certain foods from your menu. However it is not recommended to feel up with candies and chocolate in the rest of the day. (I know, you wouldn’t do that anyway.)

I hope to inspire you with this 30 day smoothie challenge to make little healthy changes to your diet. It’s easy with green smoothies you can enjoy, and want to share with others.

The aspiration is to build a healthier, balanced lifestyle and maintain it for the rest of your life.

Healthy additions, like a smoothie a day to your everyday life is likely to reduce cravings for sweets and salty processed foods.

What’s In It For You?

A Smoothie A Day challenge will help you stay motivated. It will  provide you with the recipes, support and inspiration you need to make a healthy change to your life and maintain good health.

Sign up for ‘ The 30 Day smoothie challenge and you will receive the following for free:

   * Easy Green Smoothies – E-Book with tips, recipes and more.

* Weekly inspirational and support emails

* Tips and advice on how to maintain good health

* Updates

If you have a recipe you would like to share, let me know through my contact form.

If you are on Instagram please be sure to share pictures of your smoothies with #smoothiechallenge and tag @AussieSuperMoms.

Help us to spread the word, like us on Facebook and share this post with your followers on Pinterest.

WARNING! Participating in the 30 Day Smoothie Challenge may result in the following side-effects:

• losing weight
• detoxification
• increased energy
• improved digestion
• clearer skin
• elevated mood

Commit to a smoothie a day!  Sign-Up here.

Uncategorized

By Etelka Koshemakin / March 23, 2018

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I am a big advocate for budgeting, finding deals, and buying at the best price.

I believe in getting all the items you NEED and LOVE without spending too much on them.

I’m intentionally not calling it saving. Saving implies scarcity. Buying at the best price means smart shopping.

Chasing discounts on overpriced items not always equal to less spending. Although the discount can be a huge saving compare to the original price of the item, but still not smart if you can get the same item for an even lower price from a different retailer.

* This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something we have recommended, at no cost to you. For more details, you may view our disclosure policy.

There are additional things to consider as  well.

How far you have to drive to get that $5 discount?

Are you only going for that one item, or you will do the rest of your shopping in the same store? If you do the rest of your shopping there as well, how the prices of the other items compare to those in a closer shop?

If buying online, will the item still be the best buy after adding the postage amount to it?

There is a lot of buzz about savings, coupons and cashback sites on the internet these days. These ideas may help to achieve the goal of shopping and saving, but they can just as easily lure you into impulse buy territory, and once your are in a shopping mode, you may spend more than you have intended.

When we see that something is 25%, 50% or even 80% off, we feel the urge to grab the bargain even when we could do without it. You must be able to say “NO” to these.

When shopping for my family online, I do a little research on the item first. I like to look around to see the offers of different advertisers.  I find out the selling price from 3 or more different vendors to get a feel for the average price of the product and I buy from the site that has the best price including the postage.

When purchasing online, the additional postage must be taken into account when we are comparing prices and deals as a free shipping offer may make all the difference.

I may or may not use comparing sites, as they are usually get their cut from all of those who they are comparing, and they might exclude some cheaper vendors, who are not paying them. If I really want to get the best price, I do the comparing myself. A lot of times after getting familiar with the online retail prices, I run into a local store, where I can buy the item faster and cheaper. Other times it is cheaper to order something online even with the postage.

As you can see, it’s key to be familiar with the usual prices of offers and to keep our eyes open for the real bargains.

After the forewarning above, let’s see who can benefit from Coupons, Cashback sites and Rewards cards.

Coupons

Coupons can be a great way to save money. You might receive coupons in the mail, or they are printed on the backside of your shopping center docket, printed in the local newspaper.

I love pizza, and even if it is on my restricted food’s list for not being too healthy, we do indulge in it sometimes.

So why not use the Domino’s coupon code?

Here’s where to look for even more coupons online:

allthedeals.com.au is your one-stop-shop for all the online coupons there are in Australia.

Coupons can help to cut back on the prices of things you need and use and they are usually issued quite regularly.

Cashback Sites

I’ve heard lots of my friends who live in the US talk about Ebates and I have found it very intriguing but did not look into it until recently. In my honest opinion it can be great for some, but won’t suit everyone.

Who can benefit from these cashback sites?

These can work for those who frequently shop online such brands as BONDS, Cotton-On Kids, Esprit, Fila, Lacoste etc.

If you do most of your shopping in the local shopping centre, than you are not going to see lot’s of coins rolling back to you.

How does it work?

You shop through the Cash Rewards website and you receive a cash percentage back from the online retailers you purchased from. Note that it’s not an immediate cash back and depending on the retailer’s policy, it can take up to a few weeks  to receive it. However the cashback amount could be as high as 7% of the original purchase amount.

WARNING! Don’t log-in to brows bargains, unless you are very clear on what do you need and the item you intend to buy is listed on your budget for the week. Otherwise you will end up with over the budget expense, and if you used a credit card for the purchase, you can write off most of the cashback rewards as interest payments.

Of all the cashback websites in Australia, Cashback Club offers the highest amount of monies returned, guaranteed. But as I have suggested before, do your homework first and find out what is the average market value of the item you want to buy.

Cashback Club partnered with thousands of retailers offering millions of products and services, meaning you can receive money back on almost anything you purchase online. The number of products and services on offer is growing by the day, as more and more retailers join Australia’s number 1 online shopping cashback website.

The site makes it easy to find a deal that might suit you without having to sieve through hundreds of deals not relevant to you.

Rewards Credit Cards

Rewards credit cards usually have a higher interest rate and a certain interest free period.

If you pay off your outstanding balance each months, meaning, you keep your account interest free, than the reward points for shopping will add up and indeed, will be an extra bonus.

However if you go over your interest free period, and start paying interest on the out-standing balance, the reward points will hardly be enough to offset the interest to be paid on your expenditures.

Shop with an open eye and only buy what you really need. Happy shopping!

Health

By Etelka Koshemakin / March 15, 2018

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I truly feel for every woman who undergone serious treatments due to breast cancer or had an operation due to the likelihood of it. I hate to loose a dear friend or a family member but I see the cancer foundation as an ineffective organisation. They are asking for money but does not educate woman about breast cancer causes and prevention.

As I was driving my kids home the other day an ad came on the radio.  “Colour or shave your head to show your support for fighting cancer!”

How will my bold or pink or purple head do anything for any cancer patient?!

All these cancer awareness campaigns only push one message: “no cure for cancer”.

It is false.

There is cure

The cure is within us and I will explain it later.

But first, let me share something you should be aware of, but the awareness campaigns don’t cover.

If only one person reads this post and discovers the truth and what can be done about it, I have done more, than most cancer foundation.

I will be very clear.  If you wholeheartedly believe the mantra that cancer is genetic and nothing can be done about it, this post is not for you.

* If you like this post, be sure to share it on Pinterest, so your followers can read it too!

This post is for those who want to know the truth about breast cancer causes and prevention. 

Let’s start with a simple correlation.

When did the number of people becoming ill with cancer started to raise?

Wasn’t 500 years ago, was it? 200 years ago or less?

It is really a modern disease, in a modern, chemical society.

First of all, not many institutions talking about it but in today’s world we are surrounded with toxic substances and it is almost impossible to avoid these. What is worse, that these toxins pile up in our body and slowly weaken us and damage our healthy cells.

Estrogen mimickers

I have read in Dr. Al Sears’s Doctor’s House Call newsletter the following:

“Hormone-disrupting chemicals are among the most toxic substances in the world today. And they’ve permeated almost everything you eat, drink and even touch.

Some chemicals, both natural and man-made, can interfere with our hormonal system.

I’m talking about “estrogen mimickers” like Parabens and Bisphenol A (BPA) that are present in the coatings of food and drinks cans, water bottles, baby bottles, dental fillings and sealants, eyeglass lenses, DVDs and CDs, household electronic and sports equipment, receipts and even garden hoses.

Why are these bad for you?

Mainstream medicine ignores the impact of these dangerous, gender-bending “xenoestrogens.” Yet they are responsible for a vast array of diseases disorders — including:

• Heart disease in men and women
• Type 2 diabetes
• Brain fog and memory loss, as a result of a loss of connection between
• Male impotence
• Breast cancer”

Make the switch

I’ve stopped using parabens containing shampoos and body-wash in my household over 5 years ago. It is hard to eliminate all those items that are potential dangers, but these are the preventative measures we must do:

“I’m sure you know by now to avoid plastic bottles. They’re made with BPA. And you may already know the basics of avoiding BPA:

• • Look at recycling labels on the bottom of plastic items and avoid items labeled No. 3 and No. 7;

• Avoid plastics for cooking and storing. Better to use glass and stainless steel;
• Buy unwrapped organic fruits and vegetables;
• Use your own fabric or hemp grocery bags.”

– Dr. Al Sears

Why Detoxify?

We are already filled with chemicals and it is  important to detoxify ourselves.

“These fake estrogens are not biodegradable, so they are stored in fat cells of the breast tissue. There are around 160 of these estrogen mimics that are involved in breast cancer development.  They are in food, personal hygiene products, household cleaning products, and the environment.” source: Dr. Al Sears

How to help Detoxification

Whether your estrogen levels are high or just want to get rid of those estrogen mimicking  compounds, the following dietary supplements are advised by Dr. Al Sears:

• Alpha-lipoic acid: It stops estrogen damage in cells and protects reproductive organs from excess estrogen. Start with 250 mg a day. But you can take up to 600 mg a day.
• DIM (Diindolylmethane): You can get this natural estrogen cleanser from cruciferous vegetables, like kale and broccoli. But you can’t eat enough to cleanse your body well enough. So start a 100 mg capsule a day. Two capsules provide as much DIM as a pound of vegetables.
• Quercetin: This plant flavonoid can directly stop estrogen from forming cancer cells. To detox your body of estrogen, take one 500 mg capsule twice a day.
• Eugenol: This is an estrogen-lowering compound that helps keep your body from absorbing estrogens, including fake estrogens like BPA. You can get this extract into your diet with herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, dill and Holy basil. A good way to get eugenol through supplementation is by using clove oil. Make sure you use 100% pure clove oil. Dilute just a tiny bit in almond or olive oil. They will help you absorb it better.”

But there is more we can do!

Recently I have heard about a new health-science and anti-aging breakthrough.

It confirms that our body is built to beat cancer and disease in general. Every illness start with a damaged cell. When the damaged cell hasn’t been detected by the body and starts to divide into 2 than into 4 damaged cells etc. we have an organ or a part of the body in a diseased state. We notice it in the form of a symptom, after few months or years.

Finally I got the last piece of the puzzle of breast cancer causes and prevention.

What convinced me

Now I’m sure that you would want to do your own research about this. You can learn a lot about the science and the resulting product here.  This knowledge is the key to self healing and it is the key to the maintenance of our health. Maybe you are going to be skeptical first. I know, I was. What convinced me is talking to fellow Australian. His doctors already gave up on him when he heard about the science and started to take the product. Then everything has changed in his life. Today he is healthy and on a mission to tell the world about this incredible health-science breakthrough.

Importance of Prevention

The perception that “if we can’t see it, and can’t feel it, it does not exist” – can be detrimental when applying it to illness and health. We can’t just go on doing nothing to preserve our health if we want to live a healthy life. In the modern world it takes a constant effort from our part, to take the healthy choice and say no to popular – but unhealthy treats.

It is not enough to pay a visit to the Doctor when something hurts. Prevention is paramount. If you want a long, healthy, full of energy life, do yourself a favor and look into this science.

Baby

By Etelka Koshemakin / March 2, 2018

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I have started to plan for my first baby’s arrival from the beginning of my pregnancy. We were living from paycheck-to-paycheck, and budgeting for baby was a must.

There are a ton of cute baby items for sale in the shops and on the internet all the time. I felt it very hard to restrain myself and  just pass by without buying those super sweet baby items. What is essential and what can I live without was a paramount question.

Easy Budgeting For Baby

First, I decided what items I will be budgeting for and by when do l need them. I knew I won’t need them until baby comes, but what if baby decides to come 3-4 weeks early? It turned out to be very tiring to go shopping with a huge baby belly from 36 weeks on. I was grateful for having all the essentials already.

Once I was clear on the items I am budgeting for baby before she arrives, I looked around to see the price ranges and worked out how much I will have to set aside in the upcoming months. In fact if I have seen an essential item for a very good price, I bought it 2-3 months before my due date.

I will give you my essentials list in a moment. However, let me start with the items you might think of as essentials when you are budgeting for baby. But the truth is, that you can be without these and you can use that money for more important items.

What items are unnecessary if you are on a budget?

Infant car-seat with detachable base

It might sound like a great idea and if you are not on a tight budget, you can invest in one. I do not consider it essential as it can be used only for a short time. A simple baby-carrier did the job for me, when I took my infant out of the car. Instead of that I got a baby-car seat that can be used from infant to 4 years old.

Change-table

I got a chest of drawers with a change-table section on the top, but most of the time I changed my babies on the bed anyways. I think, most change tables have an inconvenient height and it is very easy to be without.

Baby-monitor

Because I consider those wireless baby-monitors to be a health hazard, I have never used one. I have found that as a mother, my ears never sleep. As I woke up to the smallest noise if it came from my children’s bedroom, next to ours, I really did not need an electronic device to aid me.

Crib-mobile

Because a newborn spends most of the time sleeping, this hanging toy is not needed. Both my daughter and son frequently fall a sleep while feeding. Than I just lay them down in the cot. We didn’t have a crib mobile and I didn’t find it as a missing item. In fact, it was easier to lay down the sleeping baby into the crib or cot without having to move the crib mobile.

White noise machine

My experience tells me that, if a baby doesn’t fall a sleep easily, it’s not because of the background noise, but because their tummy hurts or they are otherwise uncomfortable. White noise machine will not fix that. On the rare occasions my daughter would not settle, playing music and cradling her worked magic.

Wipe-warmer

Another unnecessary item. When the wipe was very cold at winter, I held it in my hand for 20 second to warm it up a little. It didn’t need a fancy appliance.

Heaps of 0000 baby clothes

I have read on a blog that I will need 7-14 sets of size 0000 baby clothes. It is impossible to tell in advance how big the baby will be at arrival. Additionally, the babies grow so much within their first few weeks that they need the next size up. Most of the clothes shopping can be done once baby is here. Additionally, it is better to buy one size larger bodysuits and jumpsuits than the actual size of the baby . Handy tip, if you are planning to have more babies in the future, buy baby items in gender natural colors and prints. Because they will not get worn out in that short time while their fit, they can be used by multiple babies in the family.

What Are The Essentials?

When you are budgeting for baby, the following items are a must be there when baby arrives.

Baby car-seat

It is illegal to carry babies and children in a car without a proper car-seat, and you will need it to take your baby home. There are car-seats you can use from 0-8 years old, which is a bonus, as you don’t need to buy a booster chair later.

Baby carrier

I have used BabyBjorn – Original and I loved it as it was comfortable. It has wide solder and back straps which distributes the babies weight evenly on one’s back. Although I have never tried a sling type of baby-carrier, it does not seem to be comfortable for both baby and mum.

Cot or bassinet

This one is self-explanatory.

At least two cot sheet sets or sheet sets for bassinet

You might find yourself to change the cot sheet 2-3 times a day in the first few months after feeding.

Cot blankets

You need more than one, for the same reason as above and in case of cold weather.

Baby bottle

Because you will need to give baby water, have to store access breast milk, or formula if no breast milk – baby bottle is essential. I used Phillips Avent Classic Pp Bottle it was easy to clean and wasn’t leaking.

Nappies

Either washable or reusable nappies –  if you are concerned about the environment – or disposable nappies will be needed from day one. If you choose disposable nappies, the cheapest might not be the best. I have tried several brands and not all worked for us equally well. Huggies worked well for us. Surprisingly, the Coles’ Comfy bot’s nappies performed well too, and didn’t cause nappy rush.

Pram or Stroller

Vital item, as it is important to take baby out for a walk to the fresh air and mummy needs the walk too. A pram or stroller makes it very easy and enjoyable. Most pram’s have several settings, and can be adjusted lay down the back, if baby falls a sleep.

Water-proof mattress cover for the cot mattress

It is a very handy item. It helps you to keep the mattress clean and dry, one less thing to worry about.

Towels and face-washers

These are needed to wash and dry your baby, and the face-washers will be in frequent use during the day after feeds.

3-4 sets of baby-clothes

Budgeting for baby won’t be complete without a few set of baby-clothes. However, err into the direction of a larger size. You can always buy the right size, when you already know how big your baby is. Undoubtedly, if your first sets of baby-clothes are too big, baby will grow into them one day. But if they are too small at the first place…

Summary

Budgeting for baby is an exciting task. If we plan it out well in advance, we have enough time to set aside the necessary amount of money. We also have more options, more time to look around and find bargains.

For more comprehensive budgeting advice, download  Family Finances – Great Ideas For Family Finance Planning – for free.