I have received information and materials from Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc., McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WinOverWinter #CollectiveBias

We got our first snow of the season this weekend in the greater Nashville Tennessee area. Some of our neighboring states would scoff at the small amount of winter precipitation we received (2 inches or less), but in our hilly communities, that’s enough to shut us down. 

Thankfully, my girls hadn’t returned to school from winter break so we were able to get out and enjoy the prettiness Mother Nature provided.  The girls loved walking and playing around in the winter wonderland, snapping photos as they went and a host of them were of me getting active in the garden to win over winter doldrums. 

Getting healthier is a top priority for me and my family this year. We’ve all made a plan to move more by embracing some of our favorite outdoor activities and for me that means more gardening! I don’t want to wait until spring to get out in the fresh air and thankfully, living on acreage means there is always something to do in the garden, no matter the season.  Over the course of the weekend, I bundled up, went outside and found ways to move.

Get Active:

1. I picked up all the sticks and downed branches from a recent storm. As you can see from the photo above, I've got a nice pile started!

2. I checked on all the bird feeders I have throughout my garden and found, not surprisingly they were all empty again! 

3. I walked down to the pond and back up through the trees across our large yard several times each day. 

I walked and moved a lot and it felt so good being active and outside! But once I got inside each afternoon, boy did I ever feel the chill and little aches and pains of over doing it in the snow and ice! Fortunately, I had just restocked one of my must have winter toolkit products, Ultra Strength BENGAY® Cream on my recent shopping trip at Target. 

Have you ever tried it?  I'm really happy with the way this product works and I found the light, minty scent refreshing. What’s great about the ultra-strength cream is that it has three pain relieving ingredients, more than any other BENGAY® product. 

Here are some key facts you should know:  

Ultra Strength BENGAY® Cream temporarily relieves the minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with: simple backache, arthritis, strains, bruises and sprains. For adults and children 12 years and older. Use only as directed.  Please visit Target.com to learn more about this product and be sure to follow Target on Facebook for special offers and promotions.

After my busy weekend of gardening and communing with nature, it was nice to come inside and warm up with a nice mug of peppermint tea. Having Tylenol 8 hr. and Ultra Strength BENGAY® Cream on hand to combat my achy muscles helped me power on through my day and will remain in my winter toolkit. 

Getting active in the garden is helping me win over winter doldrums and allows me to enjoy curling up with a good book and relaxing all the more. No matter how you and your family get active this winter, be sure to remember to stretch before you start and be fully present in the moment!

Please share in comments: What is your favorite winter outdoor activity? How do you and your family #WinOverWinter doldrums?

I can’t tell you how happy I am that my first blog post of 2017 is one that aligns with my desire to become more active and healthy this year. I don’t make resolutions; I make plans and set goals to better myself so I can be my best self for my family, friends and business partners. In order for me to make these positive changes, I needed to start with my breakfast habits and go from there. When I don’t feel like eating regular breakfast foods, I can still eat a healthy breakfast, thanks to belVita breakfast biscuits. They are an excellent way to power your day! 

If you’ve never tried belVita Breakfast biscuits, you will be pleasantly surprised at their great taste and how well these small packages stay with you. Believe it or not, belVita Biscuits give you four hours of steady nutritious energy when you serve them with fruit and a dairy product like milk or yogurt. That’s one easy way to get through the morning!

These tasty biscuits aren’t just for breakfast either; my girls love to nosh on them before an afternoon choir or theatre rehearsal, too. Because belVita breakfast biscuits come in individually wrapped packs, they make the perfect grab-and-go snack. I can put one in their lunch box, or they grab one and toss it in their backpacks, and they are all set. 

While we usually buy the Blueberry or Golden Oat flavor biscuits at Walmart, we were really excited to see all the new flavor options like Strawberry Yogurt and Vanilla Yogurt Crème. This week we bought Vanilla Yogurt Crème, which we found to be delightfully crunchy, sweet, and delicious!

There’s also these new flavor choices: belVita Breakfast Biscuit Bites in Cinnamon Brown Sugar and belVita Breakfast Biscuits in Toasted Coconut.  The next time you’re shopping at Walmart, head on over to the cracker aisle and look for the belVita Breakfast Biscuits section. I think you’ll love the selection and the price per box. Be sure to check out your Ibotta offers to save even more on the tasty, convenient belVita Breakfast products.  

Want to try before you buy? You are in luck! Visit your local Walmart on Saturday, January 7^th for exclusive savings, tastings, and more. Want to know if your store is participating? Just head on over to Walmart here and check your store.

Here’s to our health and happiness as we start the new year.  I hope you’ll try belVita Breakfast Biscuits to help you power through your day too!

This guest post from the folks at Zillow is such a happy, festive one. I hope you enjoy checking out Santa’s home décor and the Zillow listing.

Source

Curious to see the inside of Santa's house? Take a look to discover how Santa and Mrs. Claus indulge all year long. Hint: Their gourmet kitchen features an oven with 12 different cookie settings!

Here's a handy infographic to save so you can easily capture Santa's look for yourself!

We are in the home stretch, friends! With Christmas just 5 days away, I thought it was the perfect time to share an easy, tasty cookie recipe that doubles as a great last minute hostess gift or a special show of appreciation to a teacher, bus driver or neighbor. 

I love baking from scratch whenever I can, but sometimes this busy work-at-home mom needs to streamline the baking process, too and that’s when I turn to premade cookie mixes. Mixes like Betty Crocker's help me keep calm and whip up a batch or two of these easy Peanut Butter Toffee cookies in no time. Trust me when I say, these cookies are so quick and delicious, nobody will believe they aren’t from scratch!

Here’s my quick and easy recipe for Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies. 

Ingredients:

Directions:

If you are giving cookies as gifts like I am, get your cookie container ready while the cookies cool. I prefer using Ziploc containers because they are sturdy and reusable, which truly comes in handy this time of year! Sometimes, I even receive my container back with a goody inside as thanks. 

I’ve found that a dozen cookies fit perfectly in the 1.25 quart size plastic containers. Sometimes you can get lucky and find the holiday containers, but if not, you can decorate your container as festively as you want.  It really is a simple and easy way to spread kindness and cheer at this special time of year!

I hope you enjoy these cookies and all the joy that this, the most wonderful time of the year, brings.

Merry Christmas from us to you!