This evening I had an unwarranted attack at the grocery store that left me shaking. I was loading my groceries into my trunk when I heard someone behind me say, “Biden-Harris, huh?” Presumably this was a comment on my bumper sticker.

I turned, and the man pointed to his MAGA hat and jeered, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

I just smiled and replied, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

At that, his face became livid and enraged, he took a step toward me and raised his hand while screaming, “GO FUCK YOURSELF!”

I was stunned.

A completely unwarranted, unprovoked attack. On a complete stranger minding her own business. …

Making a fancy drink has never been easier thanks to these smoothies and cocktail recipes that you can make with a juicer or blender. Check out the best ones to impress people at your next party.

You don’t have to be a professional bartender or mixologist to prepare some stunning morning cocktails and smoothies for your friends or family. After all, there are few methods you can use to impress someone with a stunning-looking cocktail or drink. All you need is a smoothie blender and some ingredients that can be easily purchased. We put together some excellent cocktail drinks and smoothie recipes that you can prepare with ease when hosting your next party. Check them out!

Cape Codder

If you are startled by the name of this cocktail, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s actually just vodka cranberry, but with a twist. And no, we don’t mean to add lime in it. All you need is a bottle of cranberry juice and some vodka, a couple of cranberries inside the glass which you can ornate with a small piece of lime. That’s it! Also, vodka is such a good ingredient for creating DIY cocktails that you can come up with lots and lots of new drinks. You can make a Frog in the orange juice machine if you add fresh lime or orange to the mix and blend everything together. We’re not going to cover how to make a smoothie with a blender since we’re talking about a cocktail drink; however, the steps are straightforward. …

Escape room games have become very popular in recent years — but did you know that you can participate in one live, virtually?

Ever since the COVID-19 lockdowns started in March my family, like pretty much all others, started to go a little stir-crazy at home, as well as connecting a lot more remotely with tech tools such as Messenger and Zoom. We started doing Friday night virtual family game nights via Zoom.
The whole family has always loved to play games, and when we’re together in real life we sit around the table and do a lot of that. Seeing everyone from their various cities all Brady Bunch style on the screen and playing games together was not only a way to keep up that tradition during quarantine and have some fun, but also connect from our various cities and states. I have a group of women friends, as well, with whom I have weekly Monday virtual happy hours, all logging in from various states and even outside the country.
These virtual connections are often the highlight of my week, and whether it’s my family nights or friends nights, we often find ourselves asking the same question:
“Why did it take a pandemic for us to do this? Since we aren’t all located in the same place in real life, why don’t we do this all the time? …

When you have moved into a new home, one of the first things on your list is probably going to be decorating, updating or remodeling the kitchen. Here are some eco-friendly tips for doing so.

Kitchens are the heart of the home, especially if you like to cook and engage, so having a design that suits you is essential. Many people are looking to make their homes as eco-friendly as possible, and this article explores several ways to do that. Many eco-friendly aspects of a kitchen could even save you money.

1. Use VOC-Free Paints

These paints are earth and human friendly, and don’t radiate potentially unsafe gases. One useful piece of advice: You may need to apply three covers rather than the typical two to get the desired shading on the walls.

2. Eco-Friendly Kitchen Cleaning Products

Probably the most straightforward change you can make for a greener kitchen is the cleaning supplies you use. There are numerous toxins in cleaning items that are both destructive to you and the earth. You can find non-lethal and earth-friendly cleaning supplies for all your needs. You can use these products not just in the kitchen but throughout your home, even the garage.
You can also easily make your own cleaning supplies from things you have around the home. One kitchen cleaner that I use frequently is a multi-surface cleaner. This is a simple one, and I love having it in my house. It has an intriguing ingredient, vodka. This assists with sanitizing the surfaces. I mix one section water and one section vodka in a glass shower bottle, with 15 drops of citrus essential oil. My favorite is lemon. I shake it to mix and spray when required. …

I love food. I love healthy & natural. I love Austin and the cool people we have here.

I enjoy shopping for food and cooking it. So all of these things combine to make me a perfect locavore.

I have always liked going to farmers markets, even when traveling, and fortunately I live in a place where being a locavore is relatively easy (Austin, Texas). Not only is eating whole foods that are locally and organically grown much healthier for us, they also just quite simply taste a whole lot better. Like living sustainably, it’s not new or trendy or hippie — it is extremely old fashioned. …

Today is an uncertain, challenging, and even scary moment in time. With the continuing rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and everyone quarantining and sheltering in place, it’s easy to feel isolated and alone.

For myself, during the time I have both utilized Facebook, as well as spending less time with it. I do use it to connect with friends and family at this time when we aren’t having face-to-face interactions, so that we can keep up with one another and try to bridge that distance. It’s also nice to continue to stay in touch with other friends who I rarely see (some I’ve never met) who don’t live close to me, to share in this unique situation of our lives. …

No one anticipated the explosion of the COVID-19 virus. However, we’re all feeling its effects.

Health and safety are at the forefront of everyone’s mind like never before, especially as there is no real end in sight for social distancing protocols. Here is how to keep yourself and your family safe while we wait for this once-in-a-lifetime event to pass.

Stock Up on Emergency Supplies

First, it is important to remember that a global health crisis does not prevent accidents, injuries, and natural disasters — tornado season is coming up and kids are still jumping on trampolines. Because of this, one of your first priorities should be to ensure that your family is stocked up on emergency and first aid basics. This should include antiseptics and wound care products but also things like firewood, gallons of water, and a flashlight. As for the latter of these, don’t stick with what you’d find at the dollar store. …

Life right now is very different for all of us. For parents home with their children, who are now trying to keep up with their education online, it can be extra challenging. Here are some tips on how to manage it.

It can be really tough to make an overnight switch to the fact that we, parents, are now “homeschooling.” After all, how many of us have given serious thought or made a structured plan for homeschooling? Probably very few of us. Will it be enough for them? Am I giving enough of my time to them? I started this coronavirus crisis by researching tools and talking with friends and teachers to get an idea of what my 8 year old would need while being out of school indefinitely.
My son, like any elementary age child, needs a structured day filled with a variety of activities. I was nervous about the quick transition to him being home 24/7 when he would normally be at school, being social, getting exercise, and learning.
I started to think about how chaotic just a three-day weekend off school can get. It’s suddenly vacation mode. The silliness, staying up late, then fighting bed time, “but I don’t have school tomorrow…” I was prepared for a meltdown every night for the first two weeks. So far, by utilizing these resources I’ve compiled for you, my son has been able to stay on track and have fun yet educational days.
My biggest tip is to give yourself a break. Start easy, think fun. …