Coneflowers do well in southern gardens







Zinnias are perfect for container gardens







Daisies make any garden happier



Happy Wednesday!


Please share in comments: What's blooming in your garden this week?


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

Just as my husband and I got a handle on the happy, messy, emotional ride that is raising teen daughters, along came another family situation we weren’t quite prepared for: helping take care of our senior loved one.  My mother in law started turning down invitations from friends, she started missing doctor’s appointments, she even stopped wanting to come to our home for holidays and the main cause, we later learned, was occasional incontinence. 



3 ways to help a senior in your life remain active


She never wanted to tell us she was struggling with this, so she remained silent until one day a few months ago, she fell. While she was recovering, she asked us to go shopping for her. She asked for overnight underwear and the look on her face as she did ‒ full of embarrassment ‒ stayed with me. I vowed to find ways to help this wonderful senior remain active and not let incontinence leave her sitting on the sidelines of her life.  



The first way to help a senior loved one is the easiest ‒ simply observe their behavior. Do they seem happy when you visit them or do they look uncomfortable? My mother in law shared with me that when she had to start using pads for unexpected leakage, she feared she may have an odor when we hugged her, or that her home might smell unpleasant because she had placed used product in the trash. 


Thankfully, she had discovered TENA® pads and liners which helped eliminate odor and I suggested she get a slightly larger waste basket for her bathroom and line it with a scented liner. 


#TenaTips to help you remain active



Second, take in their home. Do they have a towel or a pad on their favorite chair or part of the couch? That is a red flag to light bladder leakage or stress incontinence. If you asked to use their bathroom, do they say sure, or do they ask if they can grab something out of there first? I learned that my mother in law didn’t want us to see her pads and overnight underwear, but had to leave them out near the toilet some days.  I found an easy solution to this situation by making her a cute personal hygiene bag that could sit on the back of her toilet, on the side, or on the counter without advertising the contents.


#TenaTips overnight pads fit in a cute bag #ad #CBias



The third way to help your senior remain active is to make sure they always have enough pads, liners and overnight underwear on hand.  Our local CVS carries the full line of TENA® products, so I can just pop in and purchase what my mother in law needs for the week.  


#TenaTips find them easily at CVS #ad #CBias



TENA® is also available online at CVS.com . You can have them shipped directly to your loved ones’ home.  There are rebates available through Ibotta for pads/liners here and their overnight underwear here. These will be welcome savings  since most seniors are living on a fixed income. 


#TenaTips full line of TENA products at CVS #ad #CBias




Bonus tips for all women 35 and over:

I've learned several helpful things from watching my mother in law's decline in health and I'd love to share her wisdom (and that of her doctors) with you so that we can strive to live life without compromise well into our senior years.

1. Strengthen your core. All movement comes from your core and light bladder leakage may be prevented by having a stronger core. 

2. Do Kegal exercises, but do them correctly. Pelvic floor muscles can be easy to isolate once you know how to do a proper Kegal. The best way to isolate the right muscles is to clench or stop your urine the next time you go. The muscles you use to do this are the very muscles you need to use to do Kegals. Hold those muscles for 3 seconds and release. Do several times a day anywhere.  You can learn more from WebMD here

3. Walk more, sit less. It sounds easy enough, but just standing more often through out the day and taking short 10 to 15 minute walks helps strengthen your muscles, including your core muscles. And it helps with number 4.

4. Lose weight. Losing just 5 pounds of excess weight can help alleviate light bladder issues such as leakage and stress incontinence.

5. Last, but certainly not least, take the time to fully empty your bladder each time you go to the bathroom. Conversely, don't go to the bathroom at the very first hint of needing to go when at home. Allow your bladder to fill up and use the core and pelvic floor muscles. We all know that a muscle at rest tends to weaken, so use them, don't lose them!


It is my hope that this post will help you take that first important step to talk to your parents or grandparents on this delicate topic and let them know that there are great products to help them.  I hope the bonus tips for the 35 and over will help serve as a reminder for all of us women to take better care of ourselves today for a healthier tomorrow.

With a little love, discretion and TENA® products, you can help a senior in your life remain active and enjoy their golden years happily doing the things they love and living life without compromise!


Please share in comments: Do you have a senior in your life that may benefit from this post? 

Rare is the time when I post on a Sunday, but this awesome giveaway is just too cool to wait until Monday so I'm making an exception. As a member if their awesome affiliate blogger team, I've written about Groovy Labs subscription boxes in the past, like this cool Moon box and now they are hosting a great giveaway now through June 30th!


The links in this blog post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, I will receive a small commission from Groovy Lab in a Box.

Groovy Labs #Stem learning in a box


About Groovy Labs: 

Groovy Lab in a Box, the award-winning educational kits for kids ages eight and up that teach about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), recently announced a new partnership with Popular Mechanics. 

Each month, they send out a themed box filled with investigations that are fun and hands on. The investigations culminate into an Engineering Design Challenge, where your STEMists must apply what they've learned from the investigations (and use their critical thinking skills) to complete the challenge. The boxes contain everything you need to complete all of the activities, including a groovy retro-themed lab notebook. The box activities are supplemented with their Beyond...in a Box web portal where your children will find videos, interactives and additional activities. Head over to Groovy Lab in a Box's website to learn more about this great service!


About the Giveaway:

Our friends at Groovy Lab in a Box are hosting a sweepstakes where you can win a one-year subscription (valued at more than $250!) All you have to do is type in your email address, and you are entered. Hurry! This giveaway ends on June 30th!


Groovy Lab in a box giveaway

Click here to enter to win a one-year subscription from Groovy Lab in a Box!


Good luck! I hope you win! Please stop by and let me know if you do. 


Please share in comments: Do you enjoy Stem learning activities with your family?

Wordless Wednesday: Much needed rain

in , , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The photos I'm sharing today were taken from my front porch a few days ago when a unexpected rain shower blessed us with some much needed rain.


raindrops, summer, yard, trees, clouds, nature

This pop shower started with these big, beautiful raindrops.





summer, rain, tree, pond

Then quickly turned into a downpour.




rain, summer, flower, gardening, nature

And just as quickly as the rain started, it stopped and left everything refreshed and beautiful in its wake.


Happy Wednesday everyone.


Please share in comments: Do you enjoy watching summer showers like this one? 


June means weddings and endless summer days. June means crisp Ivory white walls and dresses and linens. This color of the month was inspired by my love of Benjamin Moore's Ivory White, which to me looks just like my white lilacs that bloom in spring.




Here's my Pinterest board for June.  Enjoy it and this amazing season!




Please share in comments: Do you decorate with Ivory White?





Avocados and lime for #Guacamole #foodie #summer
Avocados and lime = Guacamole




Sweet Cherry Tomatoes #summer #garden #food
Sweet treat Cherry Tomatoes




Iced tea on the front porch #summer #company #drinks
Iced tea on the front porch


Happy June! Summer is almost officially here.


Please share in comments: What summer food and drink are you enjoying now?

$100 Best Buy Father's Day Giveaway

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Sunday, May 29, 2016
Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope this finds you enjoying your weekend and reflecting on how very lucky we are to be able to honor and celebrate!


Memorial Day wishes


I'm thankful for so very many things, including a fantastic group of bloggers I'm honored to work with today to share an amazing giveaway with you- just in time for Father's Day! 




Oh, the wonderful things you could purchase for those special guys in your life! Whether you are shopping for your Dad, husband, brother or son Best Buy has you covered! Here's a few gift ideas:

  • GoPro Hero4 Silver Camera
  • Sony Playstation
  • Roku Streaming Stick
  • Samsung Smartwatch





Welcome to the Father's Day $100 Best Buy Giveaway!

Hosted by: Southern Mom Loves

Co-Hosted by: Life, Naturally, Tales From A Southern Mom, Five Spot Green Living, Frugal Finds During Naptime, & We Love Frugal Finds


Enter below for your chance to win $100 to Best Buy! Winner may choose an eGift Card delivered via email or a physical gift card delivered via snail mail.


Giveaway begins on 5/29/16 at 1:00 am CST and ends on 6/18/16 at 11:59 pm CST. Must be 18 years or older, open to residents of the US only (void where prohibited.) I will email the winner on Father's Day; The winner will have 24 hours to claim or I will redraw. Once winners are confirmed, they will be added to the Winner's List here.





Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per IP address. All entries will be verified. Void where prohibited by law. Winner will be contacted by email; Please add southernmomloves@gmail.com to your whitelist. Holly of Southern Mom Loves will be responsible for prize delivery to the winner. This giveaway is in no way administered, sponsored, endorsed by, or associated with Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest, or any other social media platform.


Contact Holly at southernmomloves@gmail.com if you have any additional questions or comments, or would like Southern Mom Loves to organize your next giveaway.



Good Luck!

Please share in comments: Who would you shop for if you won this gift card?

Today I woke up with a grateful heart.  I am celebrating another day on this wonderful planet and my family is showering me with love because it’s my birthday.  While I had originally planned on sharing a post on working from home, a quick Google search of today led me to a much more important cause. Did you know that today is National Missing Children’s day? I didn’t either. How could I not know that I’ve shared my birthday with this very important cause since 1983? 


Wake up each morning and be grateful #morning #sky #star
Sunrises make me happy and grateful to be alive




About National Missing Children’s Day:


National Missing Children's Day May 25
Source


“In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day. Each year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) commemorates Missing Children’s Day with a ceremony honoring the heroic and exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations, and individuals to protect children.
Missing Children’s Day is dedicated to encouraging parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority. It serves as a reminder to continue our efforts to reunite missing children with their families and an occasion to honor those dedicated to this noble cause.”

Three easy ways to get involved today:
Every child deserves to feel safe. Every child deserves to live with their families without fear of being taken, sold, hurt or worse. I always feel terrible when I get an Amber alert and I don’t take them lightly. I look at the photo, I study it and then I take action by sharing the Amber alert on social media AND by looking at the faces in the crowd as I go about my day. 

1. Always pay attention and share local and national Amber alerts

My husband and I always look at the missing children’s posters at the exit of our local Sam’s Club. We pull our cart over so we don’t get trampled on by the busy exiting shoppers and we look at those faces, we say a prayer and then we take our kids home with us. 

2. Always look at the Missing Children's posters post in your community


Keeping our kids as safe as we can is one of the most important reasons I am a work at home Mom. I’m here for my kids in a way that I couldn’t be working outside the home. It was a choice to earn less to be here in my home and in my community more. But not all Moms can do that, so I will try to do more when and where I can. I will pay attention to the kids, vehicles in my neighborhood, and report any suspicious activity to my neighborhood watch and law enforcement.

3. Pay attention to activities in your neighborhood and join your neighborhood watch.

Lastly, I invite you to visit http://mecptraining.org/educate/national-missing-childrens-day/ to learn more and find resources on how you may be able to help in your community, or nationally. 


If you are reading this and are a parent- hug and connect with your child. Tell them how very grateful you are to have them in your life. Do you know how many kids are never told they are wanted, valued, loved? Be sure you are giving your kids your undivided attention so they truly feel connected.


Positive words and feelings from a grateful heart


Today is my birthday and I woke with a grateful heart and I plan on using my voice, my talents, my heart to make today the best day of the rest of my life by shining my light and remembering my blessings and hopefully, plugging in to my community more and blessings others.



Please share in comments: In what way can you help a child feel safe and loved today?

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