Books Reviews

Go To Help: 31 Strategies to Offer, Ask For, and Accept Help

Erin Sluka
Go To Help: 31 Strategies to Offer, Ask For, and Accept Help

It’s OK to ask for help! Who really likes hearing that? I mean, we know it’s “OK”, but we are conditioned to think that asking for help is weakness or a form of ‘giving up’. I am the worst at asking for help. Go To Help: 31 Strategies to Offer, Ask For, and Accept Help takes this exact topic and makes it such a fun and engaging read to bring you skills to ask for help and even how to handle those who won’t accept your help.

how to handle those who won't accept your help.

The Mother-daughter team Deborah Grayson Riegel and Sophie Riegel, the authors, blend their respective backgrounds in coaching and mental health advocacy to bring this book as an effective to tools or ask and offer help. It is hilarious at times and so relatable to everyone in many ways.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Offer help that inspires others to learn and grow
  • Manage when someone doesn’t accept your help
  • Reject requests when you’re overloaded
  • Ask specifically for the kind of help that’s actually useful

The book is available now in bookstores and online at Amazon.

Fashion, Sustainable Brands

The Suray Sunshirt by Coalatree fights odors and blocks sun rays

Erin Sluka

As summer comes we are planning camping trips and hikes and our weekends are filling up fast. In the Pacific Northwest the weather can go from hot to cold in no time. This is why I leave for morning hikes in layers and bring jackets in the RV even in the summer. This new Suray Sunshirt by Coalatree has been my hiking go-to!

If the trails are overcrowded, sometimes a stroll in the hills or high peak neighborhoods are nice especially with a shirt that protects against UV rays and combats odor-causing bacteria, mold, and fungi. It is done with the environmentally safe antimicrobial protection of zinc ions within superior nylon 6,6, creating yarns and fabrics that naturally provide UPF 50+ protection. It’s more than just a shirt, it functions!

The ions are embedded into the fabric rather than sprayed on like most. This means protection stays even after washes and makes it much more environmentally-friendly relying on zero added chemicals and waste. It also dries quick also!

I love the feel and stretch of this shirt. It comes in 4 colors – Sky Blue, Hexagon, Herring Bone, and Mountain Line. I have the Mountain Line pattern. It fits true to size with a longer waist that I love. It even has a zipper pocket to store ID, Keys and even a small wallet. Find your style on their Kickstarter page where you can get early-bird pricing and availability – Suray Sunshirt by Coalatree in partnership with Acteev.

Healthy Living

Medical Specialists You Should See

Erin Sluka
Medical Specialists You Should See
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

A person’s health is a complex and complicated menagerie of systems affected by internal and external factors. This complexity, no doubt, is why there is a need for multiple medical specialists to care for the vast and varied issues that can happen to your body. Because of the complexity of the human body, preventative care is often the best method for maintaining your health. Seeing medical specialists as a routine part of your healthcare can keep you healthy. 

Your Smile

One such specialist that you should see is the Orem dentist. You may think of dental care as only a matter of hygiene, but it is also an important part of maintaining your health. Regular visits to the dentist are not just about keeping your teeth clean, which is undoubtedly important, but it is also about avoiding any health issues that might arise from irregular visits. These visits are about getting your teeth cleaned but also about getting the x-rays and visual examinations that can discover other oral health issues that need to be taken care of. Your oral health must be as much a priority as other aspects of your health. 

Your Skin

Although the largest organ of the human body, your skin probably does not receive as much attention as it should. Too often the care of skin only comes after an injury or an issue has caused the need for attention. It is vital to your health that your skin be factored into the care of your overall health. This, of course, includes such things as examining your skin for any possible issues and using sunscreen, but it also should include visiting the dermatologist. A dermatologist’s trained eye can prevent future skin issues that have the potential to become more serious in the future. 

Your Sight

As you read this, you may have already thought about the critical role your eye health plays in your life. Although a significant part of your life, your eyes and their health are easy to forget about. But do not let your eye health be an afterthought. Regular visits to the optometrist, or ophthalmologist if you possibly have more significant eye health issues, are critical to the health and function of your eyes. Do not take your sight for granted by forgetting to prioritize your eye health. 

Your Belly

Your gut health is another important health issue. The gastroenterologist is typically not a medical specialist you need to see until a certain age, but if you are a certain age or have a history of gastro issues in your family, be sure that this is not a specialist you forget to see.  

Your overall health is a matter of caring for the assortment of all of the systems that make up your body. If you do not take care of each system your health will eventually suffer. Be wise and keep your regular checkups with these and other specialists who can make sure that each part of your body is as healthy as it can be. Doing your part to take care of your body as best you can is critical but so is the care and expertise of medical professionals. 

Home

Family activities to do in the garden

Erin Sluka
Family activities to do in the garden
Photo by Marissa Price on Unsplash

If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful garden where you live, then the warmer months are the perfect time to make the most of it with your family. However, your children probably won’t be content to sit and take in the peace and tranquillity, so you’ll need to come up with some fun activities that you can all do together. If you’re drawing a blank, this blog has you covered. Take a look at these amazing activities you could do together this summer:

Get planting

The beauty of having your own garden is that you can plant anything you like in its soil. This is what makes spending time in your own garden so different from visiting a park or woodland trail and it’s about time your children discovered that. Whether you decide to plant a birch tree for a classic look, lots of flower beds for a more colorful aesthetic, or a vegetable patch filled with tomatoes and carrots for a more sensory touch, your children will love getting their hands dirty and helping out. 

Have a picnic

Picnics don’t always have to take place in a far-off location. In fact, the best way to make use of your garden is to have your meals outside. Buy a large picnic blanket and some fun plastic plates and cups and enjoy having pizza or sandwiches out on the lawn. While you can create all kinds of unique snacks for your picnic, if you want to make it a regular event, you could have many of your regular meals outside too.

Play some sports

Children of all ages need to be active and get some exercise regularly, so playing sports together is a great way to encourage them. Sports that can be played in the garden include badminton, tennis, cricket, and football, but if your children aren’t excited by those, have a skipping or hula hooping competition instead. It doesn’t matter what kind of game or sport you make up, as long as you’re moving around and having fun.

Take some photographs

Have you ever wanted to do a family photo shoot but aren’t sure if a studio is your thing? Photos in the garden are much more interesting than those shot with a simple white background. Set up a tripod and take some snaps of you and your kids enjoying the natural world together. These photos will be much more important and memorable than those taken by a professional. What’s more, they’ll showcase your beautiful home and garden so you can see how that changes over the years as well.

Learn about nature

Children are naturally curious and nature is just begging to be explored. If you have many different plants in your garden, equip your children with a simple guidebook and challenge them to spot various flowers or bushes in your garden. If they find a certain number, tell them they can have a sticker or treat as a reward for all their hard work.