Hailey's Helpful Hints

I get asked all the time if I have any tricks on ways to eat less and resist food temptations. And the answer is, of course I do . There is rarely a time where I am lost for words especially when it comes this topic. Although these aren't super scientific and boarderline neurotic, these work for me: 1) I've got a major sweet tooth. As do majority of women. Studies actually show that females have a significantly higher preference for high-carb, sweet foods - which may encourage or promote over consumption of those foods - than men. According to The Journal of Physiology, it is believed that the female hormone estradiol may play a role. I personally could devour 900 calories of gummy bears in .2 seconds so in order to eliminate the temptation I always, always, always have fruity flavored gum on me. In the car. My purse. Diaper bag. Whenever I get the craving, I pop a piece of 5 calorie sugar free gum in my mouth. It saves me from the highs and lows of unbalanced blood ...

Valentine’s Day, Singles Awareness Day, Hallmark Day — whatever you like to call it, today is February 14th. A day of love and frustration, of proposals and breakups. A day of jewelry and candy and un-met expectations. Exalted by some, loathed by others, but inevitable to all. Time NewsFeed breaks down the mystique of Valentine’s Day the most romantic way of all: with cold, hard statistics for 2012: $126.03: The average expected amount, per person, that Americans will shell out for the holiday. That’s up 8.5% from last year. Consumers are expected to spend the most on jewelry, at a collective $4.1 billion. 72 million: The average number of Valentine’s cards purchased by parents (40% of all cards sold). Whether they end up giving the cards to their children is unknown. Either way, 65% of all gifts will take the form of a greeting card. They’re quick, cheap, and best of all, they come with heartfelt messages already written for you.  $1.8 billion: The amount that will be...

Tell someone you love exactly  why you love them. And not just I love you because you make me happy. WHY do they make you happy?? Become vulnerable. Raw. Transparent.    Last March I wrote a blog about Dave and my special "I Love You Because..." plate . I think this is a perfect time to re-visit that post . Maybe you're marriage or relationship needs something like this to be expressive. Dave and I, thankfully, have wonderful communication but during the midst of a busy season it's easy to become robotic and disconnected. This plate always brings us back. If you're looking for another way to interject more love in your daily life, here is a super cute tutorial from Lianne over at A Content Housewife on how to create a "Love Message Board."

Totally forgot Valentine's Day is this  coming week and honestly this should have been Friday's "Fancy Friday" post but after the " I can't keep this a secret " post on Thursday, I was incredibly busy selling the Ultimate Body Applicator ...sooo...you're going to get another post on this quiet Sunday (I love naptime!) I don't necessarily love the glorified, over-rated, wallet draining aspect of Valentine's Day but I can't deny that I'm a lover and I think the tiniest, unexpected gestures are what matters most. And not just on Valentine's Day (uh-humm men, did you hear that?!?!)  I thought these were adorable ideas that you can do all day long (or just one meal) to say you love and care about someone through something we all love - FOOD.  Valentine's Day Breakfast I'm loving: Heart shaped egg. Adorbs. Thanks Pinterest .  Valentine's Day lunch I'm loving: Send an edible love note in their lunch box. Thanks Bento Ma...

So today I sat down to blog about a sweet treat for Valentine's Day so I went to one of my favorite dessert blogs for inspiration. Holy overload of adorable and yummy "can't eat just one" treats. Thank you Love from the Oven for making me feel like I have no creative baking bone in my body but inspiring me to try. I couldn't decide on which one to highlight so here are a few links for you to pick for yourself. If you're looking for inspiration on what to make for your child's class party that will make you look like the Superstar mom, you gotta check out all these ideas. http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2012/02/01/bites-from-other-blogs-the-sweetest-valentines-day-sweets-treats/ http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2012/01/07/bites-from-other-blogs-pink-sweets-treats-valentines-day-recipes/ Although I won't be attempting a layered multi-colored swiring pink cake or those delish looking pink velvet cake balls  pictured above. Something about me and those dang ...

I can't even begin to explain how flippin' excited I am about this post. My intention of Hailey's Helpful Hints is to bring you daily tips, tricks and product picks that are useful (and helpful) in your everyday. This post is the epitome of that. Hands down, one of the best products I've come across in a long time. A very long time. Why? Because EVERYONE wants to look their best! If you want to tighten up your mid-section (or anything from your chin down)...You're tired of looking at that post-baby bulge, beer gut or last year's Christmas dinner...You want to get your sexy back - not that you lost it, just sayin...You want to get healthy, naturally ...keep reading. If you personally know me or have been following my blog for some time you know I am a health & fitness guru. I've been an athlete my entire life. I'm all about calories in - calories out. That you need to get your butt to the gym. Or outside. Just get moving. I was adamant that there was ...

Almost everyone loves ice cream. Recent reports show that the average American eats almost five gallons a year! The biggest problem with ice cream, however, is that it is loaded with fat and sugar. Yonanas is offering a unique alternative that means a healthier alternative for you and your family. If you want a healthy alternative to ice cream, you've got to buy the Yonanas Mixer. Dr. Oz loves it and it gets 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon reviews . Forget running to the store for a $6.00 tub of full fat ice cream. For only $50 , you can have a refreshing, healthy snack at your finger tips anytime. What is Yonanas? Yonanas instantly churns frozen fruit and other flavorings into a delicious and healthy soft-serve treat. Simply peel and freeze any fruit that you want made into the end product of deliciousness. Place frozen fruits into the yonanas maker (works similar to a juicer), and fruit will magically transform into a ice cream like consistency. The combinations of flavors you can m...