How to Take Care of Your Mental Health this Winter

Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

It is no secret that there has been a spiraling mental health epidemic in recent years. Unfortunately, in winter months people are more at risk of illnesses like Seasonal Affective Disorder, and the dark nights can feel a little more than scary for some people. It is easy to dread this season when you have had bad experiences in the past. However, there is nothing to say it can’t be different this time around. Luckily, lots more tips and tricks are making their way out into the open now that the stigma around mental health is being broken down. To ensure you have the right help, make sure you take note of a select few.

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Eat a balanced diet

When winter is just around the corner, it can be much easier to turn to comfort food as a way of helping you to feel comforted during dark nights. Although indulging in your favorite snack in moderation is a great addition to your diet, you should also make sure you are eating enough vitamins and nutrients. In fact, there are some foods that are both easy to put into every meal, but which are also full of the vitamins your brain needs to help fight depression. It should also be noted that there are also substances that should be avoided, such as excess amounts of caffeine, alcohol, and drugs. If you feel as though you have slipped into a drug dependency at this time, it’s best to see help from a trusted drug addiction center to get you back on track.

Keep your exercise routine

It is widely regarded that having a good exercise routine can do wonders for both your physical and mental well-being. Colder and shorter days can make it feel impossible to keep on top of your current exercise schedule. The gym may seem like a world away, and your regular morning runs will be less appealing when it’s still dark outside. This is where many people decide to make the most of home exercises, as it removes a lot of the stress involved with making it to the gym n harsh weather conditions. While it is recommended that you complete some higher intensity workouts using equipment such as dumbbells, there are some exercises which have been proven to work better for your mental health. For example, yoga has been linked to lowering rates of depression and anxiety, and is a great way to handle excess stress around the holiday season.

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Make use of natural light

In winter, the levels of natural light only take up a short space of the day. This is mainly which leads to problems like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Ideally, you should be outdoors as much as you can, so that you can soak up all the vitamin D your body needs. Taking long walks are a great way to do this. However, there will be days where being outside is not what you need. When this happens, you can maximize the natural light in your home, or you can invest in a special UV lamp so that your body can keep producing the vitamin D it needs to keep your mind healthy.

Hotel Transylvania 3 Spook-tacular Giveaway

Have you or your kids seen the Hotel Transylvania movies? My son got to see the first two on-demand through our cable service, and has been eagerly awaiting the latest one to come out on DVD. Good news: Hotel Transylvania 3 is now available on Digital HD, and comes out on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack & DVD on October 9. This sounds like the perfect choice for a family movie night, especially with Halloween coming up. I can see a lot of laughter, singing, and requests for, "May I watch it one more time, pleeeeease?".

Hotel Transylvania 3 is filled with more than an hour of engaging bonus materials including three “All-New Scary-Oke Sing Alongs,” a monster dance party dance along to “I See Love” by Joe Jonas featuring Jonas Blue, plus a fun zing-tastic read along with Drac.  Families can enjoy all the frightful fun with a “Plan Your Own Spook-tacular Sleepover” feature and “Vampire Make Over: Mavis and Drac Tutorial,” and go behind-the-scenes to explore the amazing talent who bring these characters to life in “Behind the Screams – The Voices of Hotel Transylvania 3.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 is directed by three-time Emmy®-winning director Genndy Tartakovsky and written by Genndy Tartakovsky and Michael McCullers. The film is produced by Michelle Murdocca. Hotel Transylvania 3 is presented by Sony Pictures Animation.

Bonus Materials Include:

Three All New Scary-Oke Sing Alongs: Sing along to three Hotel Transylvania 3 inspired songs with your favorite characters!
“Dennis Had a Giant Dog” – Sung by Dennis & Winnie
“Monsters Like to Party Down” – Sung by Johnny
“Oh These Wolf Pups” – Sung by Wanda Werewolf
Plan Your Own Spook-tacular Sleepover: This feature will give you all details on how to make your own sleepover spook-tacular! From snacks to crafts to games and more, follow these steps to create a Hotel T sleep-over with your friends and family, the perfect setting to binge watch all 3 Hotel Transylvania movies.
Vampire Make Over: Mavis and Drac Tutorial: Learn how to turn yourself into your favorite Hotel Transylvania 3 characters.
Behind the Screams – The Voices of Hotel Transylvania 3: Step behind the "screams" with the returning stars and hilarious new cast to see how these characters are brought to life in the recording booth.
Johnny’s Home Movies (Franchise Recap): Johnny brings viewers up to speed on what’s happened in the Hotel Transylvania franchise so far.
“I See Love” Monster Dance Party Dance Along: Get up and get moving to this haunting monster mash.
Drac’s Zing-tastic Read Along: It's storytime with your favorite characters have a silly tale about Drac's search for a Zing!  Read along or sit back and enjoy!

Two Mini Movies (rated G): Two mini-features that will have you howling.
- Puppy
- Goodnight Mr. Foot

We are so excited to be able to offer a reader giveaway! One winner will receive 1 Hotel Transylvania 3 DVD and Trick-or-Treating themed pillow case.
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This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and ends on Oct 14, 2018. Must follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen randomly. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Great Places To Eat at When Your Family Visits Germany

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A family vacation to Germany is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There is so much to see and do you definitely want to plan accordingly ahead of time. One thing you definitely want to plan is where you will eat. There are numerous famous restaurants around the country. Whether you visit Berlin or one of the smaller towns an hour or so outside the capital, there is plenty to eat. Here are some of the most popular establishments to eat at in Germany for locals and tourists alike.

Hofbräuhaus München

This restaurant dates back to the 16^th century. It is easy to see why it has lasted for centuries once you step foot inside. It is a glorious three-floor beer hall that offers incredible Bavarian cuisine. It proudly boasts itself as the world’s most famous tavern. While you can certainly grab a beer, it has some classic German dishes on the menu, including roast pork with crackling, wiener schnitzel and beef goulash. With both a rich history and rich food, the entire family will find something to love here.

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Restaurant FACIL

You will definitely want to make a reservation before stopping by Restaurant FACIL. It is a fine dining establishment that boasts minimalist décor and huge glass windows. It features a seasonal menu, so you can visit it at different points of the year to enjoy unique dishes. It has been awarded with two Michelin Stars, so when you look for something a bit more upscale around Berlin, this is the place to go to.

Bayerischer Bahnhof

On lists of the most popular German restaurants in Leipzig, Bayerischer Bahnhof frequently ranks toward the top. It is a restaurant, beer garden and inn all in one. This restaurant was first built in 1842, and it is the perfect location if you will host a large event or if you want to check out whatever soccer match is on. In addition to offering a variety of homebrewed beer, it also serves up pork steak as well as pumpkin and apple cream soup.

Monsieur Vuong

Monsieur Vuong is small but personable. It serves up simple Vietnamese food, such as noodle salads and pho. The food is light, and you can be certain your dish will be free of any MSG. You can also enjoy an exotic tea or fruity cocktail along with your meal. Most meals will not last long, so it is perfect if you just want a quick bite before going about your day.

Osman’s Tochter

There is a sizable Turkish population throughout Berlin, and you can enjoy some of the finest Turkish cuisine around as Osman’s Tochter. It draws influence from classic dishes but puts a modern twist on them. Some of the dishes you can order here include lamb chops, fish köfte and grilled meatballs in yogurt. Many tourists prefer sitting outside to partake in some people-watching.

These are just a few of the amazing restaurants you can eat at while visiting Germany. There are plenty of others to find, so do sufficient research to find establishments you will remember for years to come.

Rocketbook Is The Last Notebook You Will Ever Have To Buy (Giveaway)

We are deep into back-to-school season over here. Many of you might have purchased new clothes, shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes, and school supplies. There is one item that I bet you didn't get. How about a notebook that will last a lifetime? The Everlast notebook by Rocketbook provides a classic pen and paper experience that is built for the digital age. Although it feels like a traditional notebook, the Everlast is endlessly reusable and connected to all of your favorite cloud services.

When you write using any pen from the Pilot Frixion line, your writing sticks to Everlast pages like regular paper. Use the Rocketbook app to scan your notes into editable documents and automatically save them to your favorite cloud services including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Evernote, to name a few. Rocketbook allows students to document their notes and illustrations in an efficient and environmentally-friendly way. Since it's reusable, Rocketbook will last a lifetime.

We are definitely old-fashioned pen and paper people in my home, so I was eager to test the Rocketbook out for myself. I love that I can take notes or work out math problems while helping my son with his home school math lessons. I realize that we were going through way too much scratch paper, and it was such a big waste. Now we can work out problems, and wipe clean with a damp paper towel with zero waste! The size is perfect if you are traveling or have a need for a notebook while on-the-go.

Rocketbook makes different sized notebooks and notepads, and offers pens and accessories to go along with them. This would make the perfect gift for any student, teacher, or for friends or family who are big on earth-friendly products. I mean how can you go wrong with a notebook that will last a lifetime? Check out the video below to see the Rocketbook in action.

Purchase your Rocketbook on their website or Amazon.

Giveaway: One lucky reader will win one (1) Everlast notebook from Rocketbook, and one (1) 3-pack of Pilot Frixion gel pens ($41 value).
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This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and ends on Oct 14, 2018. Must follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen randomly. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Entenmann’s Little Bites + Hotel Transylvania 3 Promo & Giveaway

Is your family a fan of the Hotel Transylvania movies? My son wanted to see the newest one, Hotel Transylvania 3, and lucky for him it is now out on digital and coming to DVD and blu-ray on October 9th. Entenmann’s Little Bites and Hotel Transylvania 3 have partnered and launched a frightfully fun offer to celebrate the DVD release of Hotel Transylvania 3. From September 1, 2018, through October 30, 2018, with the purchase of any three five-count Entenmann’s Little Bites or three eight-count Entenmann’s donut products, you will have the opportunity to receive a free HT3 draw-string bag.

I don't know about you, but we are huge fans of Entenmann's Little Bites. There are so many delicious varieties to choose from. We especially love the limited edition vanilla muffins because they remind of us bite-sized pound cake. So delicious! They are super convenient since they are individually packaged. I sneak a pack in my husband's work lunch bag as a mid-day snack to go with his green tea.

Entenmann’s makes a variety of delicious, cake style donuts such as Rich Chocolate Frosted, Crumb and Powdered. For more information about the promotion and to access fun and FREE Hotel Transylvania 3 activities, be sure to visit the Entenmann's website. 

Giveaway: 

One Mom Files reader will win a $25 virtual Visa gift card ,(2) coupons for $5.00 off the purchase of any Entenmann’s Little Bites, and (1) coupon for $7.00 off the purchase of any Entenmann’s Donuts.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and ends on Oct 14, 2018. Must follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen randomly. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Disclosure: The coupons for product redemption, information, and gift card have been provided by Entenmann’s Little Bites. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Entenmann’s Little Bites.