Joining The World Of Dance ⋆ My Sparkling Life

There are plenty of myths about diet and exercise, but one of them that isn’t a myth is that when it comes to weight loss and fitness, diet and exercise come hand in hand. It is more effective to increase your activity and start to each more healthy at the same time than it is to do either alone.
Choose a form of exercise you enjoy. It could be that you like dancing, so you go to a dance fitness class at the gym. Maybe you decide to walk to places you would usually drive to. Whatever you choose to do is better than no exercise at all, however, don’t try to do too much before you are ready as it could overwhelm you.
Make sure you are never hungry
A diet plan that leaves you hungry will never work because you will end up caving in and eating something you are not ‘supposed’ to, to rid you of your hunger pains. Not only will you be more likely to give up on your diet if you feel hungry, but you will also be more irritable and unable to concentrate properly. If you want a diet plan, it is better to choose one that allows you to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables so that you do not feel hungry during the day. Foods full of fibre can also help you to feel full, and if you use a smaller plate, you will start serving yourself smaller portions.
Do not ban yourself from eating foods that you love. Stopping yourself from eating them will make you want them more, and there is no harm in treating yourself now and then.
Plan your meals
Having a plan for what you are going to eat in the week will reduce the temptation of a last-minute decision to eat something unhealthy that you bought from the shops. It will also allow you to keep track of what you are eating, and you can make sure that you are not eating as much unhealthy and processed foods. You should also stop buying junk food to have at home, stock up on alternative snacks instead because if you do not have junk food at home, it will reduce any temptation to eat it. Soon you’ll find yourself reaching for the healthy snacks.
Professional help
If you find that you are struggling to lose weight through diet and exercise, then you might have to consider weight loss surgery. If you book an appointment with a bariatric surgeon, they will be able to talk you through the options that might work best for you and explain to you how it would help you through your weight loss journey.

Last week I showed you how to make a smash cake chair..this week I’m going to share with you my sons smash cake…A Giant Cupcake Cake & Homemade Buttercream Icing!
Get 2 boxes of your favorite cake mix..we choose chocolate because I was going to use a white background and this would show up the best! Follow the instructions on the box to make mix. Pour mix into your sprayed or greased/floured Giant Cupcake pan (link to amazon, where i got mine). It took us a while to figure out how long to bake it since it is a lot thicker than a traditional cake. It took 55 min to bake through. The cake will be larger than needed you will need to trim to proper size. Tip cake upside down onto a cooling rack to cool before cutting. Once cool you can trim it down to the proper size. Make sure they fit together, if not, trim more.. Now lets make the Icing.. 1 cup softened salted butter 1 cup vegetable shortening 2 lbs confectionery sugar icing coloring (if wanted) Start off by mixing the soft butter and shortening together till nice and creamy on medium speed. Turn the mixer down to the lowest setting and slowly incorporate the powdered sugar into the shortening mixture. Once you have added all the sugar to the mix add in the hot water and the vanilla. Turn the mixer up to medium high speed and continue mixing for 10 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in coloring till you have desired color..we were looking for a rich “batman” yellow..for our little batman Add in coloring (if wanted) This is the coloring we got, found it at walmart Icing the center generously to hold pieces together Put Icing into piping bag (can also be found at walmart) Decorate as desired..I’m not the best at icing..but it works for me The buttercream can be stored at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you bring it out of the refrigerator let it sit at room temperature for two hours. Than rewhip it for ten minutes to bring it back to life! Set up your little person to enjoy their homemade cake!
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This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
This is a sponsored post through The Women Bloggers, LLC. which is led by the Kendal King Group on behalf of Nestle. All opinions are 100% my own. #CookingwithGerber
If you have kids chances are you’ve purchased a granola bar or two for on the go snacking, I know we’ve purchased our fair share over the years. But it wasn’t until my youngest was outgrowing the baby food stage that it hit me…I didn’t have to throw or give away all that unused Gerber Baby Cereal! It’s a great recipe substitute! That’s when I came up with this Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Bar. It’s super simple, great tasting and best of all, toddler & adult approved!
Now, I know what you are thinking…because my hubby thought the same thing too. BABY CEREAL!?! You’re kidding right?! Yes! No, I’m not kidding…It’s organic, has plenty of vitamins & minerals and comes in many varieties to suit your taste…it’s a total game-changer for a homemade healthy snack! These Homemade Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Bars are a simple recipe that is made with ingredients that you probably already have in your home.
Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Bar
1 1/4 cup Gerber Oatmeal Cereal
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tbs sunflower oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350*.
Spray 9×9 pan & line with parchment paper leaving excess hanging over for easy bar removal
Spread nuts and cranberries out onto parchment lined baking sheet & bake 3-5 min
In small sauce pan, bring honey, oil and brown sugar to simmer. Stir to dissolve sugar then remove from heat & add vanilla.
In bowl combine Gerber Oatmeal, cinnamon & salt. Mix in nut & cranberry mixture then add honey mixture until everything is well coated.
Pour into 9×9 dish and press down using another piece of parchment paper until evenly spread.
Toss a few rolled oats or almond slices onto the top.
Place in fridge for about an hour. Then remove and cut into bars.
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Since you don’t want to eat them all in one sitting, wrap them individually with parchment paper and put into ziplock bags. They will be ready to go when you are! With the different flavors of Gerber Cereals, you can mix it up and try various dried fruits and nuts for a variety of tasty nutritious on the go snacks. Try using dried banana (the baking will soften them up) with the banana or strawberry banana oatmeal cereals. Perhaps an Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bar…
You can find more delicious recipes & info on Gerber products on their website.
Have you ever used Gerber Cereal or food as a substitute? What creative or fun ideas do you have?
Head on over to my Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe
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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

As parents we are always searching for a new twist on something the kids already love! In today’s Make It Monday, I’m going to show you how to make a Bacon Cheeseburger Pie! 2 Cups Shredded Cheese (I use Cheddar, but you can use whatever you like) 1 Cup diced bacon bits (or store bought bacon bits) Lettuce Shreds (for garnish) Brown hamburger meat, drain Cook bacon (if your doing fresh bacon) Whisk your eggs in a bowl Add in your cheese (save a little for top sprinkling), diced bacon bits, and hamburger meat Divide into two sprayed pie pans Sprinkle top with remaining cheese Bake in oven at 400* for 25-30 min or until egg is done Garnish top with tomato dices & lettuce shreds I decided to do a side salad instead of all the garnish. This is one of the kids favorite meals, plus its easy to make and easy on the pocket book!
Its easy to make it with ground turkey & turkey bacon too!

Never in my life did I imagine that I would be walking the red carpet with movie stars at a movie premiere! But it’s happening in 3 days! 3 days people!! I’m just too excited to keep my Jungle Book event red carpet fashion to myself so I’m going to share my picks for this event. I decided to keep the dress simple, yet stunning, and add pops of color and sparkle (who doesn’t love a little sparkle) with my accessories and shoes.
My Dress is by Tom’s Ware and is a midi dress that enhances sophistication with its flattering neckline, peplum waist and midi length, with Zipper closer on the back.
The clutch by CHICASTIC is a stunner with a pink satin and rhinestone exterior with thin chain strap.
So after finding the perfect bag I needed to find the perfect shoes to go with it! These DOLCE by Mojo Moxy patent leather heels were perfect! I love the t-strap look and the heel was just the right height…because no one wants to go face first onto the red carpet!
My accessories I’ve had in my jewelry box for a while, and are my go to for formal events.
This by no means is all my cosmetics, but some major players in the beautify game.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram & Twitter so you can follow along as I attend The Jungle Book Red Carpet Premiere on Monday, April 4 2016! If you’re interesting in all the interviews and happenings at this event or who all is attending you can read my post about Prepping for the Jungle Book Premiere Event.
The Jungle Book is in theaters April 15 2016
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

We hope you are enjoying all of our delicious Easter recipes and fun Easter crafts we have been sharing with you! Please continue to stop back every day so you don’t miss out on all 12 days of Easter Fun!
Today Dawn at Blogging Mom of 4 has shared her DIY Easter Egg Bath Bomb Recipe with us! This Bath Bomb Recipe is fun to make and you’ll have weeks worth of amazing baths! Fill with your favorite essential oils and melt your stress away!
Head on over to Blogging Mom of 4 and find out how to make these yourself! Also, don’t forget to check out all of the other 12 Days of Easter goodies below!