Month: May 2017

Are You Using Turmeric?

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Two picture collage, left photo shows close up of turmeric latte bubbles, right photo shows bright red mug filled with the bright yellow turmeric latte.

See that beautiful bright yellow? That color is from turmeric — one of the main ingredients found in curry powder.

Turmeric is all the rage right now. I’ve been reading lots of articles about it and I’m a recent convert.

There are so many health benefits that it wouldn’t make sense not to use it. A Mind Body Green article by Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, which includes a recipe, describes a few of the benefits.

Recently turmeric has gained the recognition of the scientific community for its potential for lowering cholesterol, reducing blood sugar in diabetics, relieving arthritis, supporting liver function, improving digestion, reducing menstrual cramps, and reducing inflammation in the colon. Its broad medicinal uses are likely due to its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antioxidant qualities.

The flavor is quite mild and I’ve been adding it to eggs. I’ve also noticed lots of recipes using it in hot drinks — usually combined with nut milks and spices.

The blog 3191 has a recipe for Spiced Turmeric Milk and Bon Appétit has a recipe for a Hot Turmeric Latte.

I’ve been doing my own versions which are mashups of all of these recipes and depend on the time I have to spend and what I have at home. I’m a fan and looking forward to trying more.

What about you? Are you using it?

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Three picture collage, pink blossoms on tree, pink flowers in container on grass, pink petals scatterd on green grass beside a tree.

Hope all you moms out there have a wonderful day! I’m baking a cake right now and will see my family later on.

Recently on Twitter, I found the hashtag #FreeBlackMamas. It’s a movement to free black mothers from jail who are only there because they could not afford to pay bail.

This is truly unfair. Incarceration solely for the lack of money. Mama’s Bail Out Day is an offshoot of the Black Lives Matter movement. The people involved have been raising money with the help of other organizations and bailing out women all over the country in time to see their children for Mother’s Day.

The work will continue after Mother’s Day, but I think it’s a great start. Part of the inspiration was looking back at history. During slavery, free black people would raise money to buy the freedom of their relatives. #FreeBlackMamas is in the same tradition of buying freedom for our loved ones.

From what I have read, most of the women were charged with minor nonviolent offenses. A Rewire article, gives a glimpse into the bail system and how it has needlessly broken apart so many families.

Most of the people in local jails have NOT been convicted of a crime, but they don’t have the money to buy their freedom. So they languish away in jail.

An estimated 700,000 people are condemned every day to cages and separated from their families often simply because they cannot afford to pay bail.

Prison Policy’s research shows that between 60 and 70 percent of people held in local jails have not been convicted of a crime. U.S. Code §3142 permits individuals who have been charged of a crime to be held if the judicial officer believes that the person will not return for trial. However, the criterion is very vague and allows counties to have broad discretion over the terms of keeping someone detained. Sadly, these laws disproportionately affect Black people.

If you’re interested in reading more, here are three good articles below.

For Mother’s Day, You Can Donate To Bail Out Moms So They Can See Their Kids
Why I’m Helping to Bail Out Black Mamas
In The Tradition Of Our Ancestors, This Mother’s Day We’re Bailing Out Our Mamas

Hundreds of thousands of dollars has been raised, but there is a lot more work to do.

Advertising + Sponsorship Opportunities: Free Yoga Boston

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Learn about blog advertising geared to a female audience focused on wellness.

Have you considered advertising on a blog? Or maybe doing a sponsored post?

Within the next couple of months, I will be posting the new listing of free yoga classes for Summer 2017.

Since 2009, I’ve been writing about free summer yoga classes in the Boston area. So when people in the Boston area look for free yoga classes in the area, they turn to the yoga class schedules on this blog and the Facebook page.

If you’re interested in reaching the demographic that likes trying fun activities in the Boston area and beyond, then contact me and let me know how we can work together.

In keeping with my philanthropic goals, a portion of the money earned from sponsored posts and blog advertising is donated to worthy organizations. It’s a win win!

Sky Photo Project on Instagram

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Collage with several pictures of blue skies with clouds.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that I love taking pictures of the sky and tops of trees.

Even though the sky and trees are the same thing, they are never the same thing.

Especially the sky. There are so many variables. The amount of sunlight or moonlight. The shade of blue. The types of clouds.

I never get bored, because the pictures are always different. In fact, I get more fascinated the more pictures I take. It made me wonder.

How many types of sky can there be? What would it look like to take a bunch of pictures over time and compare? So about a month ago I started the #ljskyproject on Instagram. Sort of like my Virgo Season Photo Project. I’m still noticing the details.

This project could go on for quite some time. Which is fine. Because so does the sky.