How to Get Rid of Morning Headaches

Do you ever wake up with headaches? They are the worst and it is no way to start your day. I love to self diagnose myself when I get sick. I know that is the last thing you should do, but lets be honest, we all do it. When I have a cold, I turn to the internet for quick fixes, when I'm hungover I look for home remedies and when I get raging headaches I love to search for the best way to end it quick. Last week I woke up with a headache from H-E-double hockey sticks. I had a day full of to do lists and I didn't want a headache to be hanging out with me all day. 

I found this article from Dr. Oz to be really helpful. It lays out what types of headaches there are and what the cause and cures for them are. 

Migraines and hormonal headaches usually take place on the side of your head. Migraines are more extreme sometimes causing you to become nauseous. Hormonal headaches are caused when your estrogen levels drop, leading reason why women have more headaches than men.  Magnesium is needed to calm these monthly triggers. Magnesium can be found in food like spinach, chard, potatoes, and bananas. 

Tension headaches are the ones where it feels like a band is wrapped around your head, usually caused from stress that you are holding in your neck or shoulders. Try placing a heating pad around your neck or on your shoulders to help ease the pain. 

Cold and flu related headaches pop up from being dehydrated due to loss of water and essential salts. Drinking lots of fluids and eating foods like watermelon or cucumber help with hydration.

When my hellish headache struck I fixed it with these easy home remedies. I'm no doctor, but it worked for me and I hope it works for you. 

1. Drink a huge glass of water. Headaches are typically always due to dehydration.

2. Make some green tea with mint. The soothing power of mint helps ease the tension in headaches. I drink this tea daily. 

3. Lay down in a dim room with a cold or hot rag on your forehead. I know mornings are rushed but if you have at least 10 minutes, lay back in bad, shut off the lights and rest with a cold or hot towel on your head. Either temperature should help, whatever seems better for your situation.

4. Make a smoothie with spinach and bananas. Migraines and hormonal headaches can be fixed with a dose of magnesium. Try making a smoothie packed with tons or spinach and banana. My matcha smoothie helped cure my aches, but this and this recipe should too!

5. If you must, pop two Advil. 

Annie

To Get You Through Your Tuesday

image via

Clear your schedule tonight. At 8/9 central LC returns. 

And November 25th. 

Loving doing this detox yoga before bed or Saturday mornings after long Friday nights.

What does being healthy really mean?

Rose` all day, in a can. 

Perfect gift for a friend who is moving away, a family member in another state, or to just love on your home state. Except they don't have Oklahoma yet, so that's rude. 

Growing up is expensive.

For those times you spill coffee all over your white shirt.

This is a littler hard, considering my job revolves around social media. But I'm taking in these tips when it comes to my personal feeds. 

Sis is hosting, but here is everything you need for your Olympics viewing party.

Beware of Zika and other crazy Olympic stats.

Annie

J.R. Designs + Giveaway

I've think I've mentioned before how I'm not a huge jewelry person. Not because I don't want to be, I'm just worlds worst at buying jewelry. My mom and sister on the other hand; the best. I think I've asked Kathleen to buy me jewelry for the last several holidays and birthdays. Outside of my everyday pearl studs, watch and tiny gold rings, I rarely stray away. I've been pushing my limits recently and totally jumped on the tassel earring game (way out of my comfort zone). I now have a new jewelry brand that is getting me away from my everyday teeny cross necklace.

I'm so excited to share J.R. Designs with you today. These chic and stylish necklaces are perfect for any outfit, occasion, day or night. I've been throwing mine on with basically everything. Look at me go wearing big jewelry (small applause)!!!

Jordan Richardson, the master designer behind these creations, grew up in OKC and attends SMU for college. I got to meet Jordan last week to chat about her business and all things necklaces.

Jordan started J.R. Designs about a year ago right after she started her freshman year at Southern Methodist University. How she balanced a new business and school is beyond me, but bravo to you girlfriend! After coveting similar necklaces in high end boutiques, Jordan looked past their high end price tags and went to making her own version. 

She didn't start with the intention of it becoming a business, but after wearing her first necklace around campus, girls were flocking toward her design asking for their own. The business formed right in front of her and she ran with it!   

Jordan now makes necklaces in all different shapes, sizes and designs. She is locally based in OKC and Dallas but ships nationwide. The best part of J.R. Designs is the price. The whole reason she started was to avoid dropping $150+ on a necklace, so you can find all of her pieces typically under $50. Music to my ears!!

Now for the part that is probably music to your ears. Jordan was sweet enough to give away one of her unique designs to one lucky Take A Bite reader! Head over to my Instagram to see how to enter!

If you are located in OKC make sure you stop into Gretta Sloane this Thursday, July 21st for a J.R. Designs Trunk Show! Jordan will be selling a slew of necklaces that you won't want to miss. Open from 10am-7pm on Thursday, Gretta will be celebrating their anniversary with food trucks, sales and of course, J.R. Designs!

And now to get to know Jordan and J.R. Designs a little better...

A: How did J.R. Designs get started? Give me some background on your biz?
JR: I started J.R. Designs my first semester of my freshman year at SMU. Because we don't rush at SMU until second semester, I needed a hobby to keep me busy. I have always loved these kinds of necklaces but they were well out of my price range. I searched on Etsy for fun, beaded necklaces but could never find exactly what I wanted. Therefore, I got creative and made my own (the first one being in SMU colors, of course). I wore it to a Boulevard (our version of a tailgate) and received lots of compliments and so many people asking me where I bought it. From there, a business was born! 

I wanted to start selling these necklaces at affordable prices to girls around my age. I originally imagined mostly college girls buying my necklaces, but now my audience includes not only them, but also lots of younger and older girls. People ask me why I don't raise the price of my necklaces, but that is not the reason I make them. By raising the prices, I lose my target audience. My goal was to sell affordable jewelry for people who don't necessarily want to pay $100+ for fashion jewelry, and that is just what I am doing. I love being able to sell people necklaces that they may not have been able to afford otherwise. The best part is hearing feedback from my customers telling me about all of the compliments they get.

A: What does an average jewelry making day look like?
JR: It's not every day that I get to just sit down and make necklaces. Unfortunately, everyday life gets in the way, but I do set aside "necklace making days." I generally buy my beads in bulk and once I have them in my hands, I start making them right away. I sit at my workstation, turn on Netflix, and begin make necklaces for hours. I'm fortunate because I never get bored of it. I enjoy being creative to come up with original pieces, no necklace is ever the same.

A: Had you ever made jewelry before you started JRD?
JR: When I was little I used to make friendship bracelets out of string if you want to count that. Otherwise, no, it is new to me!
(Hello embroidery floss bracelets-my life when I was younger!)

A: What is your favorite J.R. Design you have made? 
JR: I can't pick one necklace in specific, but I love the arrowhead ones. I didn't originally buy the arrowhead stones because my mom didn't like them and told me people would not buy them. Well, this goes to show you that mother doesn't always know best because the arrowheads have ended up being my best sellers! 

A: Starbucks order?
JR: Call me crazy, but I am not a Starbucks fan. In fact, I have never even tried coffee! I know that if I try it once I may get addicted so I'm better off sparing my wallet and not trying it at all.

A: Sweet or salty?
JR: Salty. Don't get me wrong, I love sweets, but I generally find myself craving salty foods. My mom bakes all of the time so I am constantly surrounded by sweets which, oddly enough, makes me crave them less.

A: Favorite show to binge watch on Netflix?
JR: The Office and Gossip Girl...hellooo Chuck Bass and Jim Halpert. Just don't ask me to choose between those two shows, both are addicting! 

A: Favorite bite?
JR: This is a hard one because I love food so much. For the most part I am a healthy eater but all bets are off when it comes to pizza. Also, add this to your list next time you go to Trader Joe's, "Reduced Guilt Guacamole." I can easily go through one a day. Luckily there is a Trader Joe's right by me in Dallas, but for now Tulsa is the closest option. Honestly, the 1.5 hour drive may be worth it.
(I'm impatiently waiting for the OKC location to open in September. Reduced Guilt Guacamole is at the top of my list to purchase once it does!)
 

To order your own J.R. Design you can contact Jordan by email jmrich2010@gmail.com or phone 405-250-7866 (ships nationwide). Make sure to follow her Instagram @j.r.designs for new designs and styles!

Annie

Sit Still

image via popsugar

I used to be the kid that would veg on the couch for hours doing nothing but watching episode after episode of Gilmore Girls, The Hills, Ace of Cakes, Hannah Montanna, really whatever was on and fit that stage of life. My mom used to get on to me all the time when I would waste days away in the summer watching hours of TV instead of getting outside or putting my brain to use. I still watch a lot of TV, don't get me wrong, but I struggle to just watch TV.

I love The Bachelor. I always have. I have a group of girlfriends who come over every Monday to watch it together. But even with one of my favorite shows on, and in the presence of all of my friends, I can't just sit still. I'm always multitasking. My phone glued to my hand or flipping through a magazine or finishing up Tuesday's blog post on my laptop. I've found myself struggling to focus on just one thing.

I know I'm not alone in this. It seems as though my whole generation struggles with the enemy of multitasking. My brain is always in a million places at once, jumping from one project to the next, always needing more to be fulfilled. Why can't I just do nothing? 

Besides multitasking, I just can't sit still anymore. It's something I have been trying reeeeeally hard to work. I'm giving myself a pat on the back currently for writing this post without the TV on, no music, not simultaneously checking Instagram. I am just sitting in my quiet house typing away. A few weeks ago on Father's Day I was spending the afternoon at my parent's house. We had gotten home from church and lunch, I had already made the homemade ice cream and pie for dessert, I had prepped the side dish I was making for dinner and then my to-do list was empty. Crap. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon and we weren't eating until about 6:00. What was I supposed to do for the next 3 hours. This may sound silly. Annie, you can hang out with your family, you can read a magazine, or just hang on the couch? But nothing sounded fulfilling enough. I asked if anyone wanted to go on a walk.

Me: Come on guys, I'm bored let's get up and move around. Who wants to go on a walk?
My family: No we are tired, it's hot. Just sit down and relax.
Me: But I can't. I can't sit still anymore. 
My family: You need to work on doing nothing and being okay with it. 
Me: Fine, I'll go on a walk by myself.

So, I proceed to go on a walk around the neighborhood by myself, with my favorite podcast playing through my ears. I was perfectly content and had a great walk. Once I got home, it was getting later in the evening and there was more commotion and prep happening for dinner. Thank goodness because I would need something else to do by this point. The next evening as I was settling in on the couch to watch the Bachelorette. Friends were coming over, I was eating dinner and checking my phone (obvi), when I got an email from my dad. The subject line read "Why Doing Nothing Is So Scary–and So Important - The Experts - WSJ." Ugh dad, is what ran through my head, but I proceeded to read the article because it was clearly some kind of sign and my dad is always right. Below is our conversation via email.

Dad: Thought this might be of interest. Some pretty good advice in here about disconnecting and having a little downtime every day.
Me: Yikes, this is spot on. I can't not be doing something.
Dad: You need to learn how to do nothing. More walks like yesterday. Without your phone. Love you. 

Ya love you too dad. Reality check, I need to chill. The article starts by talking about workaholics and how they can't unwind, how going on vacation stresses them out and how they thrive on energy in the office. I'm not a workaholic, but I can relate. "Having time to just sit and think can be uncomfortable, if not unnerving. Indeed, being alone with one’s thoughts can be downright scary." Being alone with my thoughts, yuck. 

I still loving going on walks while listening to podcasts, but I try not to be checking my emails or Instagram while I'm doing it. I try to focus on one task at work, finish it, then move on to the next. This is still really hard, but I'm working on it. I've become addicted to watching Parenthood on Netflix (Dang that show is good). I've been trying to silence my phone and turn it over while I watch, so I'm not multitasking social media while watching my show. Naps used to frighten me. I hated them. Well, I sort of love them now. Parenthood is a little to blame because it is really just an excuse to watch another episode as I drift into a slumber. But there is something super re-charging about an afternoon, or quick post-work nap. I hate to read. You all know this. My mom got me this book for my birthday and I have actually enjoyed clearing out time to sit and be alone with my thoughts while I turn page after page. I may not be ready to sit alone and do nothing for 15 minutes like Dr. Samantha Boardman suggests in the article, but it's something I hope to accomplish soon. 

Are you afraid to sit still too? How do you unwind and do nothing? Do you have any tips for my over-compulsive multitasking ways? 

Annie

4 Recipes for the 4th

Holidays these days are really more of an excuse to make festive dishes and overstuff yourself with delicious eats. Here is a small list of what I hope to make this weekend. Any specific recipes you are making for the 4th?

Fruit and Pretzel Flag Dessert // Bourbon Peach Baked Beans // Blueberry Corn Salsa // Cherry Peach Pie 

Annie