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Do you know about Essilor?  The reason I do is because I have progressive lenses in my eyeglasses that were made by them.  They are awesome lenses, and I’m thankful to have such lightweight glasses that help me see so clearly.  When I got my lenses from them, I found out that Essilor just happens to be the leading manufacturer of optical lenses in the U.S., and they are the leader in progressive and anti-reflective coated lenses.

So now that we all know about Essilor, have you heard about their sweepstakes and about Crizal lenses?  They are the only No-Glare eyeglass lenses that eliminate the enemies of clear vision (glare, scratches, smudges, dust, and water).  Here’s info:

• “The sweepstakes will offer one lucky grand prize winner a MOTOROLA XOOM™ with Wi-Fi, a $1,000 general use gift card and their very own Crizal lenses. The second place winner will receive a $1,000 gift card and Crizal lenses, and the third place winner will receive a $500 gift card and Crizal lenses.”
• The sweepstakes will end on Oct. 31 at 8:00 pm CST.  Consumers can play the game and enter the sweepstakes by visiting the CrizalUSA Facebook page and clicking on the Contest tab.

Essilor is also privileged to support the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness and its efforts to educate Americans on the importance of eye health and the importance of taking care of their eyes through its campaign Think About Your Eyes:

• “Essilor, the maker of Crizal lenses, will donate $5 to the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness for each new CrizalUSA Facebook page “like” and another $5 when consumers play the game, up to $20,000. “

Crizal lenses can help adults and children see, look and feel better.  Essilor has a great promotion to encourage consumers to defeat the five enemies of clear vision with the “Combat the Enemies of Clear Vision with Captain Crizal®” Facebook game and sweepstakes.   These are the five enemies which those of us who wear glasses know can be irritating:

1. Glare
2. Scratches
3. Smudges
4. Dust
5. Water

With that said, let me tell you about the giveaway.
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Win it:

One lucky reader will win a $25 Visa gift card.  This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Saturday, November 5, 2011.  Winner will be chosen by Random.org.
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Mandatory Entry:

Visit CrizalUSA Facebook page and play the “Combat the Enemies of Clear Vision with Captain Crizal^®” Facebook game and sweepstakes and leave a comment on the Crizal USA Facebook wall.  Say that “Healthy Home Blog sent me here, and I played the game for a chance to win.”
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Bonus Entries:

Be sure and leave a separate comment for each entry. And if you’ve previously subscribed, followed, or liked Healthy Home Blog, let me know that in a comment, too. That counts!

• “Like” Healthy Home Blog on Facebook.(1 extra entry)

• Click the Facebook “Share” button below this post to share it on your FB wall (1 extra entry)
• Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to Healthy Home Blog by email or RSS Feed. See “Follow Me!” box at the top of this page. (1 extra entry)

• Follow me through Google Friend Connect on my sidebar. (1 extra entry)
• Leave a NEW comment on as many other posts as you like. Be sure to let me know which posts you commented on below. (1 entry per day)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

* I was supplied with a gift card for myself and one for this giveaway. All opinions are mine and are honestly given.

School has started and with that comes the possibility of getting lice, however small that possibility might be. But do you ever think about getting mange, something we think about animals getting in their fur and skin? Can people even get mange from their pets?  Yes, they can, and the most common type of mange is called scabies.  OK, now most of us have probably heard of scabies even if we don’t know what it is.  Although it’s not real common, it does happen that people catch scabies from animals they are in close contact with.  So, if one of your pets gets mange then you need to look at mange remedies.  And be sure to wash all of your pet’s things thoroughly!

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By the way, for those of you who don’t know what scabies is, it’s often been referred to as the “Seven Year Itch.”  It is a contagious skin infection caused by a tiny mite which is hard to see.  It burrows under the skin and makes a person miserable with itching (an allergic itch).  Archeological evidence shows that scabies was around in 494 BC, so it’s nothing new.

From McDonalds’ website:  Chicken McNuggets

INGREDIENTS:  “White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning [autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid], sodium phosphates, natural flavor (botanical source). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch.
Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.”

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I didn’t know Chicken McNuggets foamed!  Hmmm…I think I’ve lost my appetite!
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We are avid users of olive oil, extra virgin olive oil to be exact.  We cook with it, drizzle it on popcorn, and enjoy all the health benefits associated with using it.  I use butter if a main dish or vegetable recipe calls for it, but I usually try to add in some olive oil to counteract the saturated fat in the butter.

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Some recipes need the butter taste to make them taste good, but I’ve  found adding in olive oil doesn’t detract from the flavor in most cases.  Depending on the recipe, I have completely omitted the butter at times and replaced it with EVOO which turned out great.   I haven’t tried this very much in baking desserts and am still experimenting in this area.

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Olive oil is used for more than just cooking and has been for thousands of years.  It is used in skin care products such as olivella which supposedly makes the products have anti aging effects.  It is claimed that Cleopatra used olive oil on her skin as well as many women throughout ancient history.  There are moisturizers, soaps, shampoos and all types of products available which use this age old secret of  olive oil benefits.

So many women have to deal with the problem of Weight loss. It seems like once we reach the age of twenty then our metabolism changes. Add to that having babies and dealing with the added weight gain of each pregnancy, it’s an ongoing problem for the majority of our lives.

In the past, whenever I would gain five pounds or so during the holiday season which started with Thanksgiving and ended with the New Year, I could usually manage to get the weight off by eating healthier and going for walks several times a week. However, when I turned fifty, that didn’t work at all. In fact, I gained ten pounds during the holiday season and couldn’t lose the weight afterwards. Even six months later I still hadn’t lost the weight. When I visited my doctor during the summer for something else, she had me take a special hormone test and then put me on a natural compounded hormone after she received the results of the test. After just a couple of months on the hormone, I lost ten pounds without really trying to lose weight. Simply eating healthy and light exercising worked once again.

Many women nowadays choose hormone replacement therapy to help with a lot of problems caused by hormone imbalance.  This imbalance affects weight loss, fibromyalgia, headaches, anxiety, depression, and other health issues, probably more than we realize.  I think especially when many women reach their 30′s, they can start having problems with their monthly cycle due to hormone imbalances.  I can look back now and realize that some of the problems I had in my late 30′s were caused by this imbalance.

Note: I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog for Chattanooga weight loss and Chattanooga hormone replacement therapy,  and I was compensated monetarily. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Giveaway is now over.  Winner:  Elisabeth

NSF is a nonprofit organization that is committed to protecting public health and safety by developing standards and certifying products against those standards.   Their cooking and grilling tips are great for the novice and the grilling expert. With summer grilling going on and the Fourth of July just around the corner, a lot of people are grilling!  Check out this news article from CBS about NSF.  Then check out the tips below and also the GIVEAWAY for a 4-piece Safe Grilling Accessories Set!

COOKING & GRILLING TIPS TO REMEMBER

1.     Start with a Clean Kitchen: According to a swab analysis by NSF International, the kitchen sponge and kitchen sink were the germiest places in the home – items that are typically used in multiple stages of the cooking and cleaning process. Avoid cross-contamination by ensuring these items are clean by:

a.     Placing wet sponges in the microwave for two minutes once per day and replacing them often – every two weeks or more as needed. A better option for kitchen cleaning are dishcloths, towels and rags. These items can be sanitized by washing on the clothes washer’s hot water cycle with bleach. Replace every 1-2 days.

b.    Washing and disinfecting the sides and bottom of the sink 1-2 times per week with a disinfecting cleaner. Sanitize kitchen drains and disposals monthly by pouring a solution of one teaspoon household bleach in one quart of water down the drain. Wash kitchen sink strainers in the dishwasher weekly.

2.     Defrost Foods Safely. Don’t attempt to defrost foods quickly by leaving them sit overnight on a kitchen counter. Use one of the following methods:

a.     Option I – Place a covered food in a shallow pan on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.

b.    Option II – Defrost the food item in the microwave, but keep in mind that you must finish cooking the food immediately thereafter, as some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during the microwave defrosting process.

c.   Option III – If there is not enough time to thaw frozen foods, it is safe to cook foods from the frozen state. However, the cooking will take approximately 50% longer than the recommended time for fully thawed or fresh meat and poultry.

3.     Practice Proper Marinating. If marinating food, marinate in a refrigerator overnight and dispose of any leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw meat. While acids in marinades can help tenderize meat, too much vinegar or hot sauce can cause meat to be more stringy and tough.

4.     Keep Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold Hot foods need to be kept at temperatures above 140 F and cold foods less than 40 F. Between these two temperatures, bacteria can multiply very rapidly and reach dangerous levels in as little as two hours.

5.     Don’t cook with your eyes; Cook with a thermometer. In order to ensure food has reached a safe internal temperature, always use a certified food thermometer. Any leftovers should be put away within two hours (one hour if the temperature is over 90° F).

6.     Avoid Cross Contamination. Since bacteria can easily spread from one food to the next via dripping juices, hands, or utensils, think ahead to avoid cross contamination.  Don’t use the same utensils and plates for raw and cooked foods, and always remember to wash your hands before preparing and consuming food.

With these great safety tips in mind, here’s a giveaway for safe grilling accessories.

Win it:

One lucky reader will win the 4-Piece Safe Grilling Accessories package as pictured below.  This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Saturday, June 18, 2011.  Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

• Grilling Tongs (Locking) from Crate & Barrel
  

• NSF Meat Thermometer

• NSF Certified Rubbermaid (BPA Free, Resists Stains)
  

• NSF Apron

Mandatory Entry:

Subscribe to Healthy Home Blog by email or RSS Feed.  See “Follow Me!” box at the top of this page.  Leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done this or if you already subscribe.

Bonus Entries:

Be sure and leave a separate comment for each entry.  And if you’ve previously subscribed or followed Healthy Home Blog, let me know that in a comment, too.

• “Like” Healthy Home Blog on Facebook.(1 extra entry)
• Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)

• Click the Facebook “Share” button below this post to share it on your FB wall (1 extra entry)

• Follow me through Google Friend Connect on my sidebar. (1 extra entry)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

* I was supplied with the Safe Grilling Set for this giveaway. I was not compensated monetarily for this article.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m planning to start a regular exercise routine when school is out for the summer. I plan to do stretching, walking, and exercises with light weights. I don’t think I’ll need pre workout supplements, but it’s always good to check things out and research for myself. Who knows, maybe they would be good even for the light exercise program I am planning to start.