Mambo Sprouts

Fall commences the beginning of a very exciting but stressful time of year. It starts with September when you begin getting your tykes ready for back to school. The morning rush, homework and after school activities galore! Before you know it, you’ll be hosting holiday parties, out of town guests and shopping until you drop. When you’re feeling frazzled and counting to 10 doesn’t seem to be doing the trick anymore, it’s time to try these stress busters on for size.

The next time you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, try these simple, natural solutions to de-stress and relax:

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Fall is here again, but as the economy is questionable and gas prices soaring, many are looking for ways to save on their grocery bills. Saving money is important, but that shouldn’t mean that you should give up on feeding your family healthy and nutritious meals. One of the best ways you can save money on your grocery bill is by using coupons.

To make it easy, Mambo Sprouts offers FREE coupon books that are filled with savings on your favorite healthy and natural products, including organic food and natural beauty products, healthy kid’s snacks and more!

Best of all, it is neatly organized into a compact booklet and designed to fit right into your purse. Try it out - what do you have to lose? Sign up for free organic food coupon books today and have them mailed directly to your home. Our mailers include valuable coupons for your favorite healthy, natural and organic products, plus the latest healthy news, recipes and more! You’ll receive our mailer in the winter, spring and fall – don’t miss an issue!

If you live near a natural and organic grocery store such as Whole Foods, our Fall 2008 coupon books are now available! Click here to find natural and health food stores near you who carry Mambo Sprouts coupon books.

One of the biggest challenges and dilemmas of our generation is to find and use alternative energy sources. This has been an on going concern for generations, but as Earths’ natural resources, such as oil, are depleting, it is now more urgent than ever to invest in alternative and renewable energy sources.

What does alternative energy mean to you? For most people, wind and solar power come to mind, but there are many other sources available.

Wind Power—Wind energy harnesses the power of wind to drive the blades of wind turbines. The force of rotation created by the turbine blades is converted into energy using an electric generator. It produces no pollution, and since no chemicals are used, there are no harmful by-products to be worried about. The only down side (besides the fact that large wind farms aren’t exactly esthetically pleasing) is that wind is not predictable. Less wind=less energy.

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We see everywhere how the American public has a hunger to live and work in green, healthy spaces – and now a statistic coming out of the NAHB (the National Association of Home Builders) is an indication as to how hungry the public is.

Here’s the stat:

One thousand professionals in the building industry have taken the Association’s green training program.  They’ve taken the classes, studied hard, and passed the tests.  Now they’re certified to build structures as Green Professionals – ‘cuz they know their stuff.

In response to demand, the building industry has been offering greener materials and greener manufacturing of those materials, but with the release of this stat we see that the industry is increasing its response by training builders who are certified in best practices as well.  Green materials plus green practices equals healthier spaces to live and work.

The NAHB president was expecting the certification program to be popular, but adds…“This is phenomenal growth.”

Contributor Info:

Today’s Green Minute is a print, radio, and web feature that highlights innovations in attitudes and technology that improve our stewardship of Mother Earth. Jim Parks hosts HGTV’s home-improvement show, “New Spaces,” and makes frequent appearances at home & garden expos across the country.

Each day, our school aged children walk into their respective cafeterias to eat lunch among their peers.  While many children are content with healthy home packed lunches, often children want to fit in with their peers who are either eating low quality cafeteria food or unhealthy home packed lunches.  Each day, food conscience parents are faced with the particularly difficult dilemma of providing a well balanced nourishing meal or allowing your child to fit in comfortably with their peers.

Childhood obesity and diabetes are rising at obscene rate.  This current generation of children is expected to have a shorter projected lifespan, due in part by poor nutrition.  If one thing is clear, it’s that we are in a health crisis and proper nutrition is paramount to a full life.  Read the rest of this entry »

Most of us realize the importance of making and checking lists. We may make packing lists, lists of items we need to take along and lists of people we have been meaning to connect with. Some more organized people even have lists of lists! But many of us neglect to consult the most vital list of all – our self-care list. We are complex beings and must attend to ourselves – physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and environmentally.

Life is stressful.

We are always on the go and trying to meet the needs of others while balancing the often-difficult demands of our personal lives. We may find ourselves away from our homes and loved ones at times, eating airport snacks, sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings, lacking opportunities to exercise and dealing with delays, plan changes and set backs.

Before you head out the door pack a self-care checklist to review on the plane or in the hotel. Attending to your needs on all levels will ensure consistent health and balance. You will look better, feel better and radiate higher energy all day long! Following is my personal checklist. Read the rest of this entry »

Back to school means going back to school shopping. Crazy days are filled with trips to the mall to find the perfect first day of school outfit and hours are spent fulfilling the “school supplies list.” This has heavy-footprint-on-the-Earth written all over—but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Green is in this year. Send your kids back to school in style with environmentally friendly (and teacher approved) products. Check out these simple tips:

1. Recycle. Go through your kid’s school supplies and see what you can salvage from last year. Unused (or slightly used) notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, erasers; just about anything. Even school uniforms can be recycled and passed down to younger siblings. Read the rest of this entry »

Who knew that your local grocery store holds the secret to anti-aging in the produce aisle? It’s true; the natural acid in a lemon can give you the benefits of a facial peel and for under $1.

What you will need to make your very own natural peel: Two lemons, two cotton balls, small bowl.

Step 1: Wash your face and leave a little damp.

Step 2: Squeeze the juice from the two lemons into the small bowl.

Step 3: Dip cotton balls in lemon juice, apply to face.

Step 4: Leave lemon juice on face for 10 minutes. You will experience a gentle tingling; it’s from the acid in the lemon. If the sensation is too much for you, leave on as long as you can stand. Note: If you have allergies to lemons please avoid this treatment.

Step 5: Rinse and apply your favorite moisturizer. Enjoy your fresh new glow.
For an extra treat, apply the lemon juice to the tops of hands and follow the same instructions above. Your hands will feel softer and have a nice youthful radiance.

This month, skip the spa and head to the produce aisle for natural rejuvenation.

Contributor Info

Gwendolyn Smith is co/founder and president of Beautevanna.com, an online natural beauty boutique. Gwendolyn is a certified aromatherapist. Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication from Rollins College. She has worked as a marketing specialist for Clear Channel Communications, focusing on relationships with clients in the spa/salon and healthcare industries. Ms. Smith is also a motivational speaker, speaking in organizations such as The Anthony House, a homeless shelter and the Center for Drug Free Living.

Japan, the “Land Of The Rising Sun,” is also the land of rising intensity for supremacy in solar power manufacturing – and wherever there’s a lot of money to made, the competition will always be…shall we say, “high-powered.” Japan’s solar equipment suppliers – like Kyocera, Sharp, and Sanyo – are the world’s leaders, but when sales were looking promising indeed back in 2005, the government suspended all subsidies. Domestic sales plunged and German and Chinese companies came rushing in to take up the slack. But Japan is now seeing a new dawn in its domestic solar business: officials are now calling for “drastic” subsidies and tax breaks that will cut the cost of domestic solar systems in half. These measures come along with a national target of lowering emissions by a whopping 60 - 80% by 2050 and equipping 70% of all new houses with solar panels by 2020. …Seems Japan aims to seize the green leadership of the industrialized world – while taking good care of its corporations at the same time.

Contributor Info:

Today’s Green Minute is a print, radio, and web feature that highlights innovations in attitudes and technology that improve our stewardship of Mother Earth. Jim Parks hosts HGTV’s home-improvement show, “New Spaces,” and makes frequent appearances at home & garden expos across the country.

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