*Looking for Adorable Places to Food Shop?

It's no secret that the economy is in minor shambles. Sure, it's getting better, but how much? It's still tough to save money and to find a job, but let me not go there. If you're looking for affordable shopping, don't seek the "normal neighborhood store," Publix, unless you're planning on buying their own brands. Otherwise, you can leave there spending $50.00 on 10 items. That's absolutely absurd. If you're looking to shop for the next few weeks, the best place to go is Walmart. Walmart always the best brands at affordable prices. If you spend $200.00, it's always worth it. You can freeze your meat and it will last a month. Other places that are worth the investment for gas prices or shopping in bulk are Costco and BJ's. The food you buy there can last for four months or more, which is absolutely ideal when you have a big family or time to shop, once a month. The gas is always a few dollars less than regular stations and last well over a week when you have an SUV to worry about. Hope these tips help you out. Best of all, this is a "cheap" way to start saving money! Be smart! You never know when you'll need the extra cash.

*What's the Best Site for Me to Reconnect with my Culture in South Florida?*

Are you looking for a little taste of your heritage and can't seem to find it? Well, for many people living in South Florida that would like to connect with their routes, there are limited options. In the northern regions of America that range from the west to the east, there are many alternatives. In states like New York and New Jersey, there are a large variety of cultural Caffé's, social clubs, etc. If you're a young Italian American in South Florida, there are barely any events or clubs that you could attend to. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I always feel as if something in my life is missing. I was raised in New Jersey around large Italian families and had a lot of fun spending time with them and getting to know their diverse personalities. When I moved to South Florida, everything changed. There is barely any trustable people that live here and there is a minimal amount of Italians. Whenever I spend time with an Italian family or relative, I feel like it awakens my heart. When you're raised around a lot of culture, you don't appreciate it. When it's taken away, you learn to regret all you've taken for granted. After eleven years of living in South Florida, I decided to do some research to see if any Italian connections existed. Throughout the years, I learned that Spanish is more valuable in South Florida, which is unfortunate. There are many diverse people that live here. I am a lover of languages and love experiencing different cultures. Everything seemed to be missing until I came across meetup.com. Meetup.Com allows users to join for free, create events, explore events, etc. I was shocked to uncover that there were actual Italian American meetings amongst people in their early twenties and up. For a small fee, you could attend a dinner, a class to brush up on your Italian, a historical seminar, etc. The remarkable thing is that it not only offers Italian events, but many other cultural groups as well. All you have to do is search and your heart will feel lighter. I haven't attended any events as of yet, but I plan on it. If you're feeling the same way I do, you should to. www.meetup.com

Have fun & unwind! 

*Happy Father's Day*

I dedicate this post on Father's Day to all of the great fathers out there. Being a father is more than a title. It's being there for all of your children. Thank you for standing up and being wise. It takes a real man to be called a father. You're worth more than you know. Love you all!

*My Tanning Salon Nightmare*

Need a tanning alternative? Ever turned and cheated by soaking up the rays of a tanning salon? Who hasn't? Well, my tanning experience has recently turned into a nightmare. I know, I know. I live in South Florida. Why not go to the beach for free? Well, I wanted to, but unfortunately, I only enjoy two days off from work. Therefore, I don't have the same luxury of soaking up rays as most people do. Sounds like an excuse? Oh well, who wants to go to the beach alone? I figured I would go once a week for one month until I go to Italy. Since I live in South Florida, I didn't want to look like a ghost. Unfortunately, I suffer from severe anxiety. I don't know if any of you have ever watched the, "Scream" movies, but I have. If you're familiar with them, then you remember the one with the girl getting trapped in a tanning bed. This mortified me. Realistically, I know it's rare to happen, but the idea is traumatizing. I can't breathe thinking about it. It's like getting trapped in a coffin alive. I thought I would overcome my fears by laying down and tanning. It was fine the first time. The second time, I wasn't so lucky. One thing had to throw me off and that's exactly what happened. As I started the bed, the top cover of the bed popped open. That's not supposed to happen. I approached the manager and told him my concerns. He brushed me off and thought I was insane. He offered absolutely no consolation. Well, there's $20.00 to waste! Now, I'm forced to soak up the sun on my days off. Only if I'm lucky.

*Do You Take Your Skin for Granted?*

Lets face it, most of us have abused our bodies. First off, for my southern Floridians, I am sure most of you have avoided sunscreen at one point or another. Wether it was as a tween, teen, early twenties, and etc. Did you make the right choice? The reality is that your skin may be paying the ultimate consequences. The sun doesn't seem like it will destroy your skin, but trust me when I say little by little it does. You don't think about the sunscreen when you want a nice tan, but you actually should. If you want nice skin later in life, start earlier rather than after. When I was a child, I was lucky enough to have parents that taught me to worship my skin. My fondest memories are going to Brighton Beach in New York with my father. Before I was allowed to touch the water, he made sure I was covered in sunscreen. The salty, sweet, aroma of the ocean air combined with my "Banana Boat" 50 SPF sunscreen vividly plays in my mind. Every inch of my body was covered. I didn't appreciate it then, but now I do. As I look at fellow classmates, I notice the slow destruction of their skin. Many of them are in their mid-twenties and covered in wrinkles. Maybe they are naive to their looks or they may not care, but I would. As soon as I noticed many of  my peers developing wrinkles, I started taking very good care of my skin. I get bi-monthly facials, use moisturizing facial creams, etc. Many blame the slight creases on their skin on genes, but I blame it on sun worshipping. Not only does this cause wrinkles, but also skin cancers. As the years fly by, the sun gets stronger. It's important to avoid the burning rays by applying and reapplying sunscreen to your skin. You may not see the consequences. Maybe it's because you simply don't care or because you're blind to your appearance. I would care because when your thirty, you don't want people to mistake you for forty. By then, the damage may already be done. 

*The Benefits of Making Your Own Juices*

Wether it's apples, salad, kale, spinach, or any other fruits or vegetable, humans don't intake as much as they should. Most of us have daily careers and don't have the time to ensure we eat every nutrient that our bodies need. I know that I am guilty of not eating any fruits at all. I eat plenty of vegetables, but fruits never seemed a priority in my life. The reason is pure laziness. Who wants to peel an orange, slice apples, kiwis, etc.? Guess what? Unfortunately, everyone needs a daily serving of fruits and vegetables because they're beneficial to your well being. If your lazy like me and have been getting sick often, it could be due to a lack of your daily fruit and vegetable intake. You may be eating fruits and vegetables here and there, but guess what it's never enough. I'm an extremely healthy eater and avoid carbohydrates in any way I can. Don't get me wrong, I eat the daily serving, but I prefer chicken, pita chips, and salads over pasta that makes me exhausted. I know, a shock because Italians are in love with pasta. I used to be too. I are it every time of the day. I was a full on carbohydrate girl. One day, I woke up and decided that enough was enough. I was exhausted all the time due to a sugar high from all the pasta my body processed. I decided it was time to take care of myself and my body. I have never been overweight in my life. As I got older, I developed a slight stomach pouch and a round face. Remember, I am 5 feet 8 inches tall. The most I've ever weighed was 155 pounds. Since I cut the carbs and started to eat healthy, I weigh 135 pounds. The lowest I got was 132, but guess what, I feel absolutely ah-ma-zing! I'm more energetic and am able to get more things done. I eat a full breakfast, which includes three pieces of dark chocolate and cereal with almond milk. For lunch, I eat a salad and for dinner I eat chicken with a salad or any other vegetable. I don't avoid cheese. It's my favorite thing in the world. I don't care if it's fatty. I eat it all the time and I'm perfectly slim. My glass of wine a night is t glass of wine. A glass of red wine keeps the doctor away. Preferably, Cabernet; Malbec or Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, I work in an atmosphere surrounded with germs. I try to wash my hands as often as I can, but sometimes that's not enough. If your coworker is ill, it's hard to avoid that. I've worked in a highly germ infested atmosphere for a total of 4 years. Recently, it all caught up with me. In November, I caught a nasty cold, which followed a voice loss. It was possibly, laryngitis. I didn't immediately consult a doctor and when I did he prescribed me a Z-Pack. After two weeks, my terrible cold came back to haunt me. My doctor continued with a higher dosage of antibiotics, which I never picked up and a future blood culture. I continued to fall ill for the next 6 months. My blood results were all normal. The only thing I had was a deficiency in Vitamin-D, which is normal for women who work all day. I don't have time for the sun. It was highly suggested that I take Vitamin D3, which I started immediately. In addition, I took a multivitamin. Unfortunately, everything caught up with me at once in May. I left work and decided to go to the emergency. I had a high fever of 102 and the doctors gave me another blood culture. Everything came back normal. I had the same symptoms from November; congestion, body aches, coughing, etc. I explained that I was getting sick every two or three weeks and that something was wrong. The doctors yet again prescribed me a higher dosage of antibiotics. They destroyed my stomach. After a few days, I had to stop taking them. I immediately began on a probiotic. I felt awesome for the next month, but in the beginning of June I fell ill again. I was mortified and I didn't want to consult a doctor again. My body is physically tired of all the bad meds and I know that's all they would give me. I started taking emergen-c every day in addition to my daily vitamin, vitamin d3, and probiotic. I drank lemon chamomile tea and continued to eat as I eat, healthy.  I concluded that the results of my "sinusitis" is allergies. I was horrified that my home was mold infected, but thankfully the culture came back negative. I cannot afford to seek an allergist, but I believe that severe allergies are the result of my congestion. In addition to a probiotic, I recently began a Vitamin C pill and Echinacea, an immune booster that a massage therapist suggested would be best for me. When I went for a daily wax appointment, my esthetician suggested that I start "juicing." Don't confuse this with steroids, people. I mean making my own juices. She told me that she was falling ill and developed shingles because her immune system was so low. She explained the benefits and said that she juices every morning. Ever since, she hasn't fallen ill in a year. She was just as horrified as I was, but not anymore. Last night, I finally have in. I went fruit and vegetable shopping. I bought kale, lemons, spinach, apples, cucumbers, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and etc. I made my first juice in a processor. It included lemon, kale, apples, spinach, and cucumbers. I would have it this morning before breakfast. It was absolutely delicious and refreshing! It's an immune booster and antioxidant. It fights off diseases and bacteria. I consulted an incredible website with millions of "juicing recipes." I would highly recommend every individual healthy or unhealthy to start juicing. You only need one a day. It will ensure that you are getting a daily dosage of fruits and vegetables that our bodies need. Remember, we only have one body. Treat it right!!!! It's extremely important to stay healthy. Consult juicerecipes.com for more healthy mixes. Have a blessed and healthy day! I know I will!

*Need Your Hair Done, South Florida?*

Well, I've had my hair done by many diverse people, but I trust very few. A hair salon in, "The Coral Ridge Mall" in Fort Lauderdale was actually the first to give me highlights. I was 13 years old. My mom was extremely nervous because she is a hairdresser and I wanted someone different to touch it. Needless to say, the woman that touched my hair did a decent job. She gave me exactly what I wanted; a few streaks to brighten up my face. Other people that brightened my face include, Valerie, my moms best friend and salon owner, where she worked for a few years and my own mother. Unfortunately, when I started dying my hair, I developed a serious allergy. My mother and father are both allergic to dye. My mother developed the allergy after 20 years of specializing in color. I am 1 in 20% of people allergic to both henna and PPD chemicals in organic and regular hair dye. I have suffered through the sores and blisters on my scalp to become whatever color I desired. The only place where I wouldn't break out was in Falconara Marittima, Italy. I informed my colorist, Eleonora that I was allergic to hair dye and she immediately concocted a solution. I was able to become a brunette, redhead, and etc. Occasionally, I broke out on my ears, but that was nowhere near the pain I suffered the last time I dyed my hair. My mother put dark brown on my head last July. I didn't read the ingredients and assumed that because it had a soy complex, I wouldn't have a reaction. Unfortunately, it was the worst I have ever had. I knew something was terribly wrong immediately after the dye came off my head. I went right to bed. My face and head felt extremely heavy. I awoke an hour later with sores all over my scalp and a terrible headache. I immediately went to the hospital and was given a strong dosage of steroids to kill the allergy. Unfortunately, the blisters didn't subside on their own. I waited them out for a few weeks. Ever since that happened to me, I decided that dying my hair wasn't the most important or necessary thing in my life; until I discovered my first gray hair. I could have gone the alternative route and only highlight it, but I decided I didn't want to be a brunette. After a year, I needed a change in my life. I wanted color! I went to Whole Foods on a rampage to discover a color that would work. I didn't read the ingredients on the product I picked, "Nature Tint." It turned out to be a henna product. After a patch test, I discovered I could not use the product. My arm broke out in a rash in the middle where I put a small amount of dye on it. The next product, which I mentioned on my blog, "Palette" by Nature, which I had to special order online, is something completely organic, which I'm not allergic to. It felt like hitting the lottery when I first tried it. Unfortunately, it's only a brown color and I wanted change. My friend, Renee is an extremely talented colorist, who wouldn't give up on my dream. She concluded that we would strip my hair with highlights and apply the red I wanted in foils. Fortunately, it worked and I haven't had any reaction to it! She is absolutely amazing. If you're interested in finding an awesome colorist, please go to her. Not only does she do good color, she gives awesome cuts. You won't be disappointed. Most importantly of all, she loves what she does! 

 

Go and take a look at her portfolio and book your appointment at: https://www.styleseat.com/m/index.html#/reneemarieplante?pref=search&rank=5&q=Cassi%2BRenee