Guest Reviewer: Judy reviews Ritual Tea by Mario Zeleny



I am so pleased to have my mom, Judy, reviewing on Acting Balanced again!  Every once in a while, a book crosses my email that just screams - send this one to Mom, and so far I'm two for three in getting it right on the nose... I am so pleased that she agreed to read this one and share it with you!  This article is part of a Pump up your Book Tour and we received a copy of the book at no cost to facilitate the review.  




From the Publisher: 
Media headlines abound these days saying, “Tea is trendy…” and we believe it until we read the first chapter of Ritual Tea: How the 9 Secrets of Tea Can Transform Your Life. Entitled, Tea’s Sordid and Holy Exploits, chapter one is a worldwide, whirlwind tour of tea history that leaves the reader knowing once and for all that tea has always been trendy for very good reasons. Next to water, tea is the world’s most popular drink.

Author Mario Zeleny, lifelong tea lover and personal coach, extracts the magic of tea from its history, uses, and benefits but also from its power to change the world. He brings the secrets of tea into modern light, and makes it accessible for contemporary lifestyles.

“We do not have to be a Buddhist monk, or study The Way of Tea for decades to be your own Tea Master,” says Zeleny, “but you must understand its secrets to reap tea’s transformative qualities in your life.”

Ritual Tea boasts over 30 links to free tea products, ten personal rituals to help with everything from anxiety to sleep, and 10 charts that make crafting our own ritual a breeze.

Discover the transformative power of tea hidden in its history, versatility, and essence through simple, timeless and individualized rituals. To help us on the tea path, the author has made a free Ritual Tea ecourse available through ArtSpellz.com.

Tea has made a 5000 year trek to inhabit the world and in its wake it has altered not only individual lives but cultures and countries. Ritual Tea asks, “Who will we be in tea’s history?” Will we just make tea, or will we allow tea make us?

Judy's Review:

I accepted the book to review because I am a consummate tea drinker. I have been drinking since I was very little. My grandmother always had a cup of tea for me especially when I was in trouble. It is a tradition that has been passed down for generations. I am now as a grandmother introducing my grandchildren to the pleasure of drinking tea.

I found the book fascinating. The history of tea is amazing. Who would have believed that it was the cause of a lot of wars even beyond the "Boston Tea party". Making tea is a very integral part of the enjoyment. Mario takes this to a higher level and tells how it can improve your life.

The book is written in an easy to read manner. Each segment is self contained yet makes you want to read further. I was pleased to find out that the making of tea is well defined and actually enhances the flavours. The reasoning behind the types of tea was important as well.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes drinking tea. Even a coffee drinker could change their minds after reading this book.

About the Author:


Mario Zeleny – Lover of all things tea.  Mario spent 15 years in healthcare and social services in clinical and administrative roles that offered coaching to employees and volunteers.  An artist and entrepreneur from an early age, Mario now brings his love of writing, art, spirit, coaching and ritual together online at his creative living site, Sancti Spiritusand also from his transformational art site, Art Spellz. Mario looks forward to completing his education with Mentor Coach and St. Clement Seminary. He currently resides in Sacramento with his husband of 8 years, their children and their domestic sovereign, a pug named Brigit.

Cover Reveal and Pre-order for Just Desserts, a Novel by Tawdra Kandle


JustDessertsCoverReveal

Just Desserts 5
When her friend Julia needed help forming a revenge plan against her ex-boyfriend, Ava was happy to lend a hand. She never expected that in the course of making Liam pay, she'd be the one to fall hard. . .for the one person who was absolutely off-limits. Crushing on the guy who humiliated her best friend is definitely against the girlfriend rules.

Besides, Ava has goals. Her life is all about graduating with honors and landing the perfect job. And Liam Bailey--sweet-talking, complicated son of a well-known local politician--isn't part of those plans.

But Liam doesn't give up easily. And he doesn't intend to let their friends' opinions, his parents' disapproval or Ava's past get in the way of what he wants--Ava's heart.

Pre-Order on iBooks

Buy The first book in the series - Best Served Cold iBooks / Barnes and Noble / Amazon

Photos of the Week: C of C Graduation


The College of Charleston has the best graduation in the country.  
It is truly special in every sense of the word.





Please link up your photo posts here:





Monday Quiz - Back on for Monday again!

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Heather & Wayne from Acting Balanced.  We are continuing to answer questions together.  A special shout out this week to Judy from Retired-not-Tired for getting Heather off her butt and getting the questions up!

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered! Grab the badge for your post if you like:



Here are the Questions:


1. How was your Mother's Day?

2. Heather's favorite NASCAR driver won yesterday, so she's asking - do you watch any auto racing?  racing of any type?  Do you have specific drivers/athletes that you follow?


3. It's National Bike Week - do you bicycle? 

4. Have you had a yummy new food or tried a new recipe lately?

Our Responses - 

Sundays in My City: Family Park trip!

Here is our family outing to Palmetto Island County Park yesterday:








Talking about Calcium and Bone Health with My Teenage Daughter #ViactivYoursandHers


While that's scary enough, overall almost 70% of women, on average, are calcium deficient - which means that it's important for us moms to keep up our calcium intake too! Talking about maintaining a healthy diet throughout our lives and meal planning has always been a topic of conversation between Robyn and I because she's interested in cooking and baking, and I appreciate when she takes a turn in the kitchen! So it was natural, when staring at the facts and figures provided by Viactiv, that we both get on board and try out the Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews dietary supplements as part of our daily routines. Supplementing your calcium intake when diet isn't enough is one of the three keys to bone health - the other two are getting an adequate daily dose of calcium from your diet and doing regular bone strengthening exercises. You can find out more by visiting www.viactiv.com and join the discussion at https://www.facebook.com/viactiv​https://www.facebook.com/viactiv

**This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation. All opinions are my own.**

My great-grandmother was a strong woman in many ways - she gave birth to nineteen children and watched nine of them grow to adulthood - all while being just 4'11" tall, but some of the issues that plagued her were arthritis and osteoporosis, and my grandmother has also suffered from osteoporosis and weakening bones, so it is incredibly important for me to be aware of maintaining healthy bones myself and also sharing bone health information with my sixteen year old daughter!



I am lucky in that Robyn, unlike me, likes the taste of milk and will semi-regularly have a glass of milk or make herself a milkshake, but I always worry that she still isn't getting enough calcium - especially when a 2010 study published in The Journal of Nutrition states that 86% of teen girls don't get enough calcium in their daily diets. Viactiv also shares on their teen page that 95% of peak bone mass is present by age 20, which makes it really important to maintain healthy calcium levels during the teen years.

It used to be easier to know she was getting at least one serving of milk every day because she was having school hot lunch, which came with milk, but when she started high school, she tried one day at the cafeteria and lets just say it didn't end well and she now carries her lunch and often doesn't have a dairy component.




We've been trying Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews dietary supplements for almost a month now and it was really easy to add them into our daily routine. I appreciate that they offer a caramel flavor because of my chocolate allergy, but Robyn seems to like both flavors - the Caramel and Milk Chocolate. Since you can take one chew for 50% of your daily requirement of calcium or two for 100%, you stay in control of your calcium intake plus, they contain vitamins D3 and K. For instance, because Robyn also takes a calcium-enriched multi-vitamin that gives her about 25% of her daily calcium, drinks milk and eats dairy, she has one Soft Chew per day. I, on the other hand, rarely drink milk and occasionally binge on cheese, so I take two! I truly appreciate that each Viactiv Calcium Soft Chew is individually wrapped so that we can take them on the go - and I can also share them with friends when I'm telling them about the benefits of including the #1 doctor recommended calcium supplement chew in our lives.

Viactive Calcium Soft Chews are easy to find and available at Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS, Target, Walgreens and drugstore.com

Watch www.facebook.com/viactiv for information about Viactiv!

Get the latest information on Viactiv® Calcium Soft Chews at www.viactiv.com. #ViactivYoursandHers
This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. I received two full-sized canisters of Viactiv® Calcium Soft Chews and a picture frame for my own personal use. All opinions, text and experiences are my own.

Photos of the Week: Where's the Fire?

One of the James Island, SC Fire Stations is right across from a favorite park and they welcome kids to visit them all the time... my boys love a chance to interact and especially to 'drive'




Please link up your photo related or Wordless Wednesday posts here:



End of Year Teacher Gift Idea: Lovable Labels Teacher Gift Pack

***I am a Lovable Labels Lovebug and receive incentive for posting this***

Don't have hours to spend creating a pinterest masterpiece and tired of buying the same old mug and chocolates for your child's teacher?   Get them something that they can use now and through next year - personalized stationary and stickers from Lovable Labels!

Choose one of two fabulous designs and get 12 folded cards, 12 matching envelopes, 12 coordinating seals and 40 apple shaped labels on acid free, high quality paper for just $24.95 (a savings of over $11 if purchased separately!) and you can save an additional 10% by using my discount code: HeatherSLB1

Which design do you think will get an A+ from your child's teacher?  You can also order your cards en francais!  

Just visit http://www.lovablelabels.ca/product/teacher-gift-sets/ to put your order in today!