Admit it - Valentines Day is overrated. If you are like Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, maybe you believe Valentines Day was once a long forgotten holiday called Desperation Day. Perhaps are you like some of my friends who believe that Valentines Day is essentially a corporate holiday of greed that companies like Hallmark use to boost sales during slow winter months. Whatever the reason, you are not a fan of this 'lovers holiday'. Why waste all that time planning and agonizing over the perfect gift and making reservations at a fancy restaurants that require both shirts and shoes for service?

For weeks i have been searching and trying out homemade mayo recipes. Trying to replace the over-processed, GMO-laden goop in the stores in a healthy way that tastes great took a bit of doing, but I finally found the perfect proportions and oil to use, and all you need is a blender or food processor and about five minutes.

As I have been embarking on my yoga teacher training this year, I have decided to try to use what I learn and apply it to helping my little guy sleep. I mean, you can use yoga for anything, right? Even helping babies sleep? I sure hope so.

As it is still the very fresh beginning of a new year, it still seems appropriate to begin the year with another "best of 2013" list. For me and this little family of mine, 2013 has been the year of new activities to entertain and teach my ever explorative toddler. This year has seen me spend countless hours researching where to take my little one on new, fun and hopefully affordable activities. Below, is my summery of my top toddler activities in the Asheville area (that we've had the chance to experience):

Asheville is very conscious about shopping local and supporting our local business owners and economy. However, not everyone shops local all the time - I am sure some of our residents may not shop local at all. Many people shop online to take advantage of great discounts and savings. If you are like me, your go-to website for price comparison and purchases is Amazon.com. This holiday season, don't feel guilty about shopping online when the situation calls for it, because now even when you shop through Amazon a portion of your purchases can support a local nonprofit. 

Have you ever walked down the streets of Asheville on a crisp fall day, wishing you could capture that essence in a bottle? A local company is working on doing just that, in candle form. I met with Frank of Asheville Candle, to experience these wonderful scents for myself and chat with him about this new local startup. Asheville Candles mission is to restore the art of candle making by using only farmers soy and a fine grade of perfume oils, creating scents that name specific local and streets of Asheville. 

Child Friendly Activities and Businesses Asheville Pizza & Brewing Sparky’s Toys and Gifts  Asheville Pinball Museum Asheville Retrocade Adventure Center of Asheville Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) Barnes & Noble – Children’s story time Biltmore Regal Grand 13 Build A Bear Workshop Fired Up Chuck-E-Cheese Claying Around Colburn Earth Science Museum Comic Envy Dancing Bear Toys Fun Depot Great Smokey Mountain Railroad Hero Hunter Comics Lakeview Putt & Play  Mountain Play Lodge North Carolina Arboretum NC Arboretum O.P. Taylors toy store in Biltmore Park Pastimes Orbit DVD Play Staytion of Asheville Rocket Fizz  Soda & Candy Shop Spellbound Children’s Bookshop Splashville downtown Asheville The Conundrum Kid’s Adventures  The Hop Ice Cream Cafe Tropical Gardens Mini Golf Western North Carolina Nature Center YWCA YMCA Kids Eat Free Here: Asheville Pizza Company: Family Night- free sundaes for kids. 5-8pm Fuddruckers:   Kids eat FREE after 4pm! Urban Burrito: Kids eat FREE after 4pm! Applebee’s:   .99 kids meal after 4 IHOP:     Kids eat free  4 to 10 Lone Star:   Kids eat Free Chick Fil-A: FREE kid’s 4 piece nugget meal per adult meal purchase Earth Fare:   Every thursday 4-8 kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal …

Who We Are AshevilleBlog.com is a collective of locals who love the city that they live in. We are Asheville What We Do Ashevilleblog.com contributors write about their passion. Bloggers are people from every walk of life who are on fire for a hobby, goal, job, or vision they have. Our bloggers write about everything and anything that has local ties. Unlike other blogs in the area, we aren’t here to compete for the latest breaking news headline. Other blogs like Ashvegas  do that, and do it well. ExploreAsheville.com covers tourism for the area. Asheville Blog’s goal is to bring locals the kind of information that generally isn’t blogged about in a large capacity. Our range of topics covers beer, food, local business, local art, fiber, lgbt, coffee, photography, the blue ridge parkway, and more.  Basically, our blog is just like your favorite aunt Susie – comfortable, eclectic, a bit off the beaten path, loveable, and something you enjoy visiting again and again. The Future Currently Asheville Blog offers some great articles from a variety of contributors. In addition to continually bringing you the same content rich topics, we are expanding into bringing a comprehensive Events Calendar. As our way …

i pretty much had no idea what i was getting myself into when i visited the downtown market. it sounds like a regular place. you know, cafes with the word "market" usually sell some sandwiches and soup. it sounds like a little bit of an upscale place where you'll find middle-aged people. lots of tourists. so, when i typed in "downtown asheville cafes" in my phone and downtown market popped up, i thought i knew exactly what i was in for. the only thing was, it was a little bit out of the way from the center, center of downtown, on a street headed toward the river arts district - known for its artsy-ness.

Did you know how many ways Aloe Vera can improve your health? You probably knew about the benefits of increased wound healing or burn relief, but did you know about it's internal uses? Here is a list of beneficial healing affects that this single plant can offer: