LOCAL RACE GIVEAWAY!!!

Yep, we're giving away race entries and it's for a great cause!!

Peoria, Illinois has a wonderful Christ based organization called South Side Mission. They partner with other agencies to help provide services to the community such as spiritual ministry, a food pantry, shelter, help with job training/skills, community garden, emergency appliances, and much much more including a housing center specifically for women and children called The New Promise Center.

Women and children who have been displaced due to a number of reasons including domestic violence, loss of income, or natural disaster can seek help from the New Promise Center. At the New Promise Center, women and children work with a case manager who will help them to establish and achieve goals through a structured program. This program will give them the tools they need to get back on their feet while . You can learn more about The New Promise Center here.

Basically, South Side Mission is a beacon of hope to those who need it most.

On October 5th, 2014, the South Side Mission will be hosting their 2nd annual 

South Side Stride 5k 

This is an excellent way for people to help out all who benefit from South Side Mission as well as enjoy a great race event! 

• When: Sunday October 5th
• Where: Dunlap - Begins and ends at North Park.
• Race Time: 2:00pm (YES!!! No getting up at 5am!!! :) 
• Packet Pick-Up: Northwoods Church - Days and times are on registration site.
• Entry Fee: $25.00 - Gets you a t-shirt and into a great 5k!
• Medals will be awarded for age groups and overall male/female.
• There is also a 1 mile run/walk! Entry fee is the same for both events.

Get Registered Here! 

But wait, there's more!! 

We are going to be giving away THREE FREE RACE ENTRIES!!! Yes, you read that correctly, not just one but THREE free race entries. To be entered for the GIVEAWAY you can comment on our FB page here. 

Three easy steps to be entered: 

1. Let us know the last race you ran or if this will be your first by commenting on SexyMotherRunner's FB page!
2. In the comment, tag one of your friends who you would like to run this event with you!
3. Check out South Side Stride 5k on Facebook and give them a 'Like'! (Just Click Here)

Everyone who completes the above steps will be entered into a random drawing that will take place on Monday, September 22nd. Good Luck to all of you!! 

Peace, Love, and Happiness!

~Bekah

Coconut Oil! It's What's For Dinner... and popcorn, and moisturizer, and...

I started cooking and baking with coconut oil a couple of years ago. Started out using it in muffin recipes, then decided to use it to pop popcorn, then started using it every time I baked. On and on until coconut oil became a staple in my kitchen cabinet.

Then, this summer my son got a mohawk. There was a patch of dry skin on the side of his head that was now visible. This patch had been there for as long as I could remember. Now though it was fully visible to everyone, making my son look kind of like a punk leper. Not the best look on anyone let alone a 6 year old. Suddenly a stroke of genius occurred to me. I got the coconut oil and rubbed a little bit on the spot. That was in June. It still hasn't returned. I was and still am amazed.

I have always had very dry skin. After seeing how well the coconut oil worked for my son I thought maybe I should give a try myself. So I began using it as skin moisturizer and as a face moisturizer. I've been doing this for 2 months now and I love it. I love how soft it makes my skin!

On my face, I use just a tiny bit on my finger tips. It soaks in pretty well so my skin doesn't look or feel oily. You may have to figure out the right amount for yourself though because some days I feel like my skin needs a little more. My skin has not broken out or had any other issues that I was originally concerned with about the coconut oil. Again, I've been doing this for 2 months now and not using any other moisturizer.

On my legs and arms I use a much more generous amount. Again, the coconut oil soaks in pretty quickly and doesn't leave me feeling oily at all unless I use way too much. Which happened a couple of times when I first started using it.

Here are some uses and benefits that have been attributed to coconut oil:

• Baking - Great Substitute For Butter and Vegetable Oils
• Cooking i.e. Stir Fry, Use On Baked Potato Instead of Butter, Spread On Toast, Roasting Veggies, etc.
• Skin Moisturizer
• Conditioning Treatment For Hair
• Apply To Lips Instead of Chapstick
• Helps Cure Athlete's Foot
• Can Help Reduce Cholesterol
• Soothe Sunburn
• Diaper Rash Treatment
• Use To Tame Frizz or Fly-aways
• Make-up Remover
• And Probably A Million More Things That I Haven't Yet Tried

I only use organic 100% coconut oil. The brand doesn't matter as long as the one and only ingredient is organic coconut oil. The bottle I've been using on my skin actually came from my trip to the Dominican Republic. I use a store brand to cook with but it's all the same so I could cook or moisturize with either. No more expensive lotions with too much stuff in there that I can't pronounce!

Peace, Love, Happiness!
~Bekah

What do you use coconut oil for?