Natural & Organic Body Care

Does Lumosity.com Help Your Brain Function Better?

2012-01-04T05:09:00.000-08:00

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Did You Know...

...that your brain stops growing at age 18? - Nursing Assistant Central.com

I did not know that, did you? That explains alot about the dumb things I did in my early years that's for sure. Speed around town without a care in the world other than when my radar detector would screen a cop for me? Check. Dress in all crazy patterns like I needed to be institutionalized? Check. Babble on incoherently but with gusto to my parents about how one day I can be "anything I want to be" - because that was the propaganda they sold to the class of 2000, lol? Check and check.

But that all kinda went away when I turned 18. The brain cloud lifted and I came into my own self then. I could sense the shift. Couldn't you? I don't know if it's just that it happens to girls or if it's a universal truth, but 19 was a game changer for me for sure! I got a real job, started wearing neutral colors (that matched!), bought my first car, contemplated moving out which I did a year later, and learned that posture will help you get a man (which it did, who knew?)

Now that I am 20kfj;ieja;feia-something I sense another shift in life coming. The shift where my body is doing weird and crazy things. I forget more often, I need a list to make sure I accomplish all my daily tasks, some mornings I wake up with a creak and a sputter like an old Studebaker. It's just not pretty. I'm working on myself to see if I can get back to my fighting weight pre-babies but post 18, so that hopefully the Tin woMan is not my new norm.

I have decided to start with my mainframe. My brain. And I found a really cool, simple and painless way to get this done. I'm not for pill popping for my ailments so this option is right up my alley plus it's more fun!

picture courtesy lumosity.com

Last week I came across lumosity.com in my inbox. Mypoints.com sends me things daily that I can click and sign up for based on my interests profile. Thankfully, I didn't ditch this even though it has a funny name. Instead, I went to the site and signed up. And I'm so glad I did. They help you declutter your heads attic. And it's a wicked good time doing it too. I filled out a simple profile in the beginning, took all of maybe 5 minutes and they go through what aspects of your brain function do you want to improve. You click on anything you want to work on. I chose memory and comprehension. Then they hook you up with all these different games you can play that help you achieve your desired results.

And it works. I have only used it a few times, but the days that I do I feel more alert and just on it. I get things moving. Laundry is accomplished, kids get fed, dogs get walked - and we don't even own one! I'm telling you, this site is special. And it helps with the fog up there.

You can do your lumosity daily if you'd like or you can upgrade to a Full Access Account that costs some moolah - not much, but a litte bit - per month to get access to 35+ games, personalized sessions tailored to your goals, and performance tracking which allows you to see your progress and how you stack up against others.

So to answer my own post title question - why yes, yes it does.

Now you guys go off and try this site and tell me how you like it, I promise you will. Then come back and tell me what your favorite exercises are. So far I am loving and rocking the "bird facing what direction?" one. The one that is my thorn in the flesh is the memory tile. I can't get past 8 or 9 without difficulty. How about you?

My best,

Side Note: This is not a paid post. I just like the site. Money is good though, it keeps the lights on. So if anyone from Lumosity is reading this.... ;o)

DIY Heat Pack

2012-01-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

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Did You Know...

...that Asia is home to 250 million rice farms? - sourcing.indiamart.com

So to say that there is rice to spare for this DIY safe beauty tip is an understatement. I have been using rice socks for a heat pack since I was a little girl. I was in a terrible car accident when I was younger and it gave me back troubles for a few years. My chiropractor suggested that my parents buy his rice sock for my aches and pains.

And when I say rice sock, that is exactly what it was. A sock with rice in it. But it worked wonders! I loved it. After the high pressure sales tactic he used on my folks to buy his new fangled product, my dad realized that it wasn't anything special inside that was easing my achy bones but instead that it was indeed just rice. So instead of reaching into his hard earned savings to buy more for any of the rest of the family he just started making a few of his own and from then on out it's been smooth sailing. For me at least.

Here is how you can make your own rice sock at home in a very short period of time. Lickety split as the kids like to say.

Step 1: (we can have lots of fun) Sorry. New Kids On the Block relapse. What!? They were all that and a bag of chips back then. lol. Okay enough of my reminiscing and back to the sock...

Pick out a favorite sock. Plain or fancy-do with a pattern. Whatever the style just make sure it has no holes in it.

Step 2: Fill said sock with rice and tie a knot in the top of it.

Step 3: Toss it into the microwave for 25-30 seconds.

Step 4: Apply it to sore or achy area but word of caution - some microwaves are overachievers in the heating department and so don't overdue it. The center of the sock is usually hotter than the outer layer so your chances of getting burned are definitely there. Use caution like letting it sit for a few seconds before putting it onto skin. Or put a barrier like a thin towel between your skin and the sock until it cools down a bit.

And there you have it. You have just made your own heat pack rice sock at home. Enjoy!

My best,

Song of the Week: Just for old times sake and since the reference up above won't leave my head, how about we just run with the NKOTB as the Song of the Week? Come on...you know you love their wind machine moments and the cheesiness of 90's pop boy bands too... ;o)

New Kids On the Block "Step by Step"

Elevator Music...

2011-12-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Please forgive my absence this week. Here's why:

Kids are home for vacation.
Trying to buy a new house.
Kids are home...
Trying to buy a house...

Oy! Hopefully, next week will be better and go smoother, and we will have an offer in on a house. Heeey! Hoooo!!!

Do any of you have advice on house buying? How to put in an a good offer? How to move with kids in tow?

My best,

My Second Natural Birth Story

2011-12-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

And now this is her story...

It's funny how much you forget about birthing your babies after years have gone by and it's not the main thing on your mind day in and day out. Actually it's kinda sad, because I wish I remembered more specifics than probably what I will put down here.

When I found out I was pregnant with my second child I had my first one break the news to Daddy.

"Daddy guess what? I'm going to be a big brother!"

I hid behind him while holding him in my arms but moved just in time to get my husbands full on reaction of smiling, then watching it sink in, then shock in the eyes, then smiling again and pretending to faint. Or maybe he really was going to faint but I just kept laughing assuming he was joking. Haha!

The pregnancy went by pretty quickly. I chalk that up to having a toddler that was walking and getting into everything plus the fact that we were moving out of state just 3 weeks after she was due kept me busy 24/7 and she was such a good calm baby in there that I didn't have to do much to keep her happy and snug as a bug while in my belly.

Again with this baby I craved all the really good for you foods. I kept Wendys, McDonalds, and Panera Bread in business by buying up all of their soups and salads almost on a daily basis. Also my mother-in-law makes a mean dish of potato salad that has cherry tomatoes in it and relish and oh my...it makes me wish I was pregnant again, and that she actually lived in the same state as me so I can put in a lunch request.

There was one scary thing that happened while I was still pregnant is that in our apartment there was a carbon monoxide leak below us in the basement and we didn't know it. Didn't have that kind of detector in the house at the time. But for a few nights we were coming home and literally just passing out in our beds and at an unusually early hour. So after the 2nd night of that, I came home from shopping one day and noticed black streaks on our walls above the floor heating vents. It was in every room and it was so gross. So I had no idea what it was and I cleaned it off but the next day it came back. So we went to the management office and told them to come check it out and the super (who was super) found the leak and told us. That night we nearly died. The office tried to give us a new apartment to stay in for the night (unfurnished and an air mattress on the floor - while 8 months pregnant - really?!) but we declined and made a bee line to my husbands grandmas house. When we got there the whole family had come over too and saw me and was like "You don't look good at all. Let's get you to the hospital."

We got there and they gave us all a full checkup and our oxygen levels were pretty low but the PA said just getting exposure for us to the fresh air would reverse the effects. But our baby boy had to get oxygen therapy for a little while. Dumb apartment!

In the end we all checked out alright and home we went. Since having my daughter though, anything weird that she does like pretending to be a cat for a little too long I think back to the days of carbon monoxide poisoning and if it really did effect her or not.

So it was a pretty good pregnancy. I ate right, exercised on the daily, slept good, took my prenatal vitamins and drank TONS of water. I was ready to have this kid at any moment. I will say that I was more impatient this time around to deliver her, why I don't know. Oh yes, I remember now. Since having my son I figured I knew what to expect and we were just so excited to meet her and move on with our new family of 4. Ants in the pants was an expression made for mothers in their last trimester. It gets pretty jittery at times.

One huge difference this time around was that I made sure that my family was in town for the whole month before I went into labor. So my dad, mom, and brother were present for this big show. I went into labor at 2 in the morning and the flurry of activity was crazy. My big brother drove my parents to the hospital and I hopped in the car with Michael and Baby Boy. We made it there in about 5 minutes when the hospital is 10 minutes away. (Again with running the red lights!)

Once I went into labor we called our friends and family and most of them were half dressed waiting anyway because I was due at any moment and a couple of them ended up at the hospital before we did. Gotta love a familiar face in the lobby cheering you on to "Push em out, shove em out, waaaaaaaay out!"

I am sorry and please don't hate me but I am not one of those women that has long marathon births. I went in at 2am and with the second child the freak out level is like non-existent almost. At least for me. I was cool, calm, and collected. I had my friend Elise as my doula, my mom and Michael were in the room and I was just hanging out. I breathed through my contractions like a champ and was dead set on no anything this go around, not even a Tylenol. We had decided that if we ever ended up with a boy and a girl then we would be satisfied with that and not have anymore because God only made 2 kinds right?

When I go into transition with my labors I am one of those maniac shakers. Like tie her to the bed otherwise she will shake her way right onto the floor kind of shakers. My mom had missed my first labor and delivery of my son by 15 minutes (you can read his birth story here) so she didn't see all the shaking going on that time and since her last baby was 20 years prior I'm pretty sure she forgot about the part of labor where you shake too. Because she was freaking out. I mean like starting to kinda yell at my midwife to DO SOMETHING BECAUSE THIS ISN'T NORMAL!!! So why was I on my delivery bed trying to calm my own mother down when she was there for moral support for me? LOL. I laugh at the irony of it all. Now. But back then, on that day, in that moment, I had to tell my mom to go take a walk. I love her to death but she was starting to stress me out big time and that's the last thing a woman in labor needs.

She eventually shook it off and came back but in the meantime I was able to do my own thing. I was a pretty silent laborer. I really internalize my pain. I brought a music mix but in the end realized that I just wanted a quiet dark room to rock back and forth to the rhythm of my body.

As I was getting more and more dilated (which happened quickly) they called my mother back in the room and we got ready for me to push. I was ready. My head was clear and I was focused on bringing my daughter into the world without drugs in her or my system. I said a prayer to God for it all to work out and then I pushed really hard 3 times and out she came. Blamo! A human! Cue the Rocky music and now I drop the mic and exit stage left.

So from the time of my water breaking to delivery moment she was born in 4 hours total. Not bad for a days work. I ended up with the cutest little bean to ever live my mothering life with. And now between these two there is never a dull day for me...

yes that is my lipstick and he just got done saying "Please don't punish her, she didn't mean it."

These experiences have taught me alot about what my body is capable of doing and how strong women can be and that if child birthing were left up to the men there probably would have never been a human race. It would probably have ended with just some dude living an abstinent life in the woods somewhere until the day he died. "You want me to push what out of where?"

So how about you other mothers out there? Or fathers? What were your birthing experiences like? Did you go natural or have an epidural? Post a link to your story in your comment so we can turn this into a nice share for all.

My best,

Bon ami Mon Ami

2011-12-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that every time you flush your toilet it shoots an invisible 6 ft. high mist of bacteria up into the air that then lands on all exposed surfaces surrounding it? - The Nasty World of Bathroom Facts article

Blech...gross right? A few months ago I heard this fact and that is the day we started storing all our toothbrushes out in the hall closet across from the bathroom. Now the only thing on our vanity sink is the soap pump dispenser.

Since we have protected the most precious things that have direct contact with our mouths didn't mean we were off the hook in the bacteria department totally. I still needed to make sure that the rest of the bathroom was safe enough to enter and leave without contracting Typhoid Fever or anything like that. And since I am swapping out chemically laced previously used products in the house I started looking for a healthier bathroom cleaner alternative. And I found it in a jiffy believe it or not.

Bon ami Powder Cleanser "America's Original Natural Home Cleaner"™

photo courtesy bonami.com

I love this stuff guys! The name Bon ami means "Good Friend" (french origin, addressing a male, if addressing a female it would say "mon amie", knowledge...far out!) This cleanser has been around since our great grandmothers grandmother has been cleaning her bathroom. The label says "Since 1886" so yeah...wow... How I have never seen this before blows my mind. I was in our Publix Grocery store and was perusing their natural household cleaning section and stumbled upon this gem.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty of this not-so-nitty-gritty. It's hypoallergenic and biodegradable. The label also states it is made with natural mineral ingredients that clean your home without dye, perfume or chlorine. It's made with 5 simple ingredients. Limestone and feldspar (which are the 2 mild minerals that give it a softer abrasive), biodegradable cleaning agents such as vegan plant-based coconut and corn oils, soda ash (another mineral), and of course baking soda.

It comes with 3 simple instructions: sprinkle, scrub, and rinse. It can be used in the bathroom to bring it back to it's natural sparkle or you can use it in the kitchen for cleaning pots and pans or the kitchen sink. Might I recommend 1 for each room so there is little to no carryover germ hopping going on?

The only thing they suggest not doing is using it on windows, glass, or mirrors and don't forget to do the inconspicuous space test first. Before using it on polished or glossy surfaces check it out to in a space no one else will see to make sure you don't ruin your precious porcelain doll collection.

Full disclosure: I wasn't sent this or perked it or anything but I bought it with cold hard cheddah and wanted to let you all in on this secret. All you women out there that have known about this for years however, the eye rolling may now commence. And how come you didn't tell me already?

My best,

*Side note: I know I said I would give you my 2nd natural child birth baby story today, but mamas tired. It's going to be a long post so I figured I would break it up with this itty bitty one today. It's coming though, it's coming...

My First Natural Birth Story - Part 2

2011-12-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Catch up with Part 1 of the story...

We left off yesterday with me locked in the bathroom. After realizing exactly what I was on the verge of doing and seeing that it was going to be something alot more drastic than just going to the salon to get my bangs cut I just started to freak. I refused to come out even with my husband trying to reason me out from the other side. I was crying and shaking and declaring that I will be the first woman who decides that she won't go through with the labor whether her body was with her or not.

"Michael this won't work out. There is no way my body can do this. Do you know how big this boy is? (He was only 6lbs.) And he has to come out of where???? Impossible!"

"Babe. You can do this. We have been waiting for this day for what seems like forever and we are going to be great parents. Plus remember how cute he was in the sonogram? (He was.) Let's meet him already. Come out."

"No."

"Please?"

"N...oooooo...oooookaaayyyy.....ouch this hurts (contraction kicks in) get me to the hospital and call my mooooom!!!!"

And with a quick click I opened the door before collapsing on the floor, he picked me up and got me to the car, ran back for our bags, and started making all the calls from our Family and Friends List. I was crying so much not so much during the contractions but because my mom was out of town on business and since I had a false alarm in preterm labor in January she held off leaving but since I didn't have him then, she left and thought she would be back sooner than later. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I was helpless without her. Even though we had taken all the classes known to man to "prepare" us for the labor experience (lamaze, bradley birthing method) I felt that having my mom in the room was going to be my calming mechanism. My mom is always so calm in general and I was missing that stabilizing factor.

We checked into the hospital at around 2a.m. so my husband was able to accomplish his much wished driving like he's having his first baby and just has to run all the red lights in town maniac style. Which was only one thankfully. And no one else was on the roads anyway. So when we got to the hospital they set me up in my room and then about an hour later my Dr. came in. The wonderful Dr. Harvey Zara. Funny story, he is the same Dr. that delivered me a whopping 23 years earlier! Way for his and my life to come full circle huh? That fact always makes me tear up every time. Yep. It's happening again now too. I need a moment...

The night before around 11:00 after eating my last inducing labor meal I called my Doc and he said that the baby is probably coming so after hanging up with him I immediately called my mom who was in FL and said "Mom get to the airport and camp out because I am having this baby today or tomorrow. Oh hi, how are you doing? Good..." After I was in the hospital, Michael had her on the horn giving her updates and giving me updates the whole time. "She's at the airport. They got her a flight. She landed at JFK. Your brother is speeding up the Palisades now."

So. Mom's on her way. I'm in stirrups trying to focus on my husbands eyes through the excruciating contractions. From the beginning we had made a birth plan and wanted to stick pretty closely to it, but at the same time were flexible in the event the birth took a turn for anything crazy. I was adamant that I wanted no epidurals and wanted to deliver naturally. I am pretty in tune with my body and I wanted to experience every aspect of the labor. I told my nurse not to give me anything even if I was begging to the highest heavens. And Michael added "unless she really needs it." Which I then shot him a look like "Way to be a turncoat when the going gets tough man."

Okay so time has progressed now. From 2am onward I was doing exercise ball sitting, toilet sitting, getting back massages, using pictures to inspire me to go on, eyeball gazing with Michael, music therapy in between all my monster contractions. Finally around 5am I just couldn't take it anymore and asked for a Tylenol. The nurse came in with what she described as "a very strong Tylenol" which to this day I can't remember the name of it so I'll just call it "The Goodness". Because that stuff after it went into my IV felt like ice and then my body just relaxed and it was all good. And I was able to sleep finally. I really should research what it's called that she gave me. Hmm...

So in between contractions I was able to sleep for about an hour but then once 7 o'clock hit my eyes popped open and I was feeling EVERYTHING. And I wasn't happy. I felt every muscle contracting and every movement in my belly and pelvis and it was terrible. And then I broke down and lost all control. Prepare yourself because an uncharacteristic Lynn is about to rear her ugly labor fueled head. And anything capitalized I assure you was yelled to the highest heavens.

"Oooooowwwwwww!!!! Why can I feel that??? Did the medicine ware off?"

Nurse: "Yes dear. You are 100% dilated and you need to be prepared to push soon."

"Noooo. I want an epidural. Give me an epidural now, it's too painful and I can't take this anymore. "

Nurse: "You told me you would say this and to tell you no because you wanted to go natural remember?"

"Of course I remember but that was before all this pain set in. I can't take it. Please give me an epidural?"

Nurse: "I'm sorry but it's too late to administer it now anyway. You are too close to delivery."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! YOU SAID I COULD HAVE DRUGS IF I WANTED TO! YOU LIAR! MICHAEL SHE LIED TO ME!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!?!?"

Yep. I did aaalll that in front of my whole medical team which by then had swelled to about 3 nurses, the Doc, and an intern. And my mother-in-law. Classy look yeah? Michael had to calm me down and tell me how great I was doing without it and to squeeze his hand whenever the pain was unbearable. (I think that will be a lifelong injury he will have to deal with. But bless his heart nonetheless.)

So I had to get ready to turn all my rage and attention towards pushing. By then I was absolutely spent so all I could muster was enough gut strength to push and then I would literally pass out. And later that night Michael told me that every single time I would wake up and see my Dr. I would say "Heeeeey do you know you're the same Dr. that delivered me?" and then pass out and making the nurses laugh and by the 4th time I had to push the Dr. would say it with me. "Did I know that I'm the same Dr. that delivered you?" Hahaha lets all laugh at the clearly delirious pregnant lady! Nah I wasn't upset, that is still pretty funny.

I pushed for only 15 minutes and out came my little boy into this world. I was in active labor for only 5 hours and once he came out I passed out - again. From sheer exhaustion. And it turns out that there is a chemical that kicks in after labor that can cause an amnesia to the harrowing experience you just went through. Thank God for that.

In the end, my mom ran into the room 15 minutes after he was born at 7:30. C'est la vie...such is life sometimes. I know that if she could have moved mountains to get there sooner she would have. I still love her. :o) That warrants a smiley emoticon if I do say so myself.

And we lived happily every after with this little baby boy, who is now a young lad, and will hopefully grow to be a wonderful man someday. I hope that he will read his birth story one day and realize that all that pain I went through in the end for him I would never change it for anything in this world.

I love you my boy! Now be good and don't forget to floss.

1st day of Kindergarten

My best,

aka Mom

p.s. Tomorrow I will tell you about my little girls birth.

My First Natural Birth Story - Part 1

2011-12-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

This is his story...

Lately I have had nothing but babies on the brain it seems like. No I'm not pregnant, but my maternal desires for a little wee one to cuddle in my arms is really strong as of late and I think it's because I am seeing a couple of my friends new babies and I hold them and I smell their little Johnson & Johnson lavender scented heads and little arms and little legs and smiles and it just makes my heart melt.

And it makes me nostalgic for when my babies were little ones and I realized that I have never shared my birth stories with you. So this week I will. Both of my kids were natural childbirths. Today I will tell you about my little Boy and how he came to be. Well not exactly how he came to be, but how he came into the world, how about that?

I had a pretty easy pregnancy. The only hiccup was in the first few weeks after finding out I was prego I started having severe stomach cramps. Like lower abdominal pain in a major way. So one night I was just starting to get into my sleep REM cycle when suddenly my stomach did a triple flip and just started to seize up basically. I woke up in severe pain and my husband said that I should just call the nurse on call to be safe. So I did and she called me back in a minute.

"What symptoms are you having?"

"Severe cramping in my lower abdomen."

"How much water did you drink today?"

"About 3 big glasses."

"There's the problem. You need to drink almost 2 liters of water a day which is about 10 8oz. cups. Since you haven't been doing that, you're body doesn't have enough in it to nourish you and the baby and it sounds like you are on the verge of a miscarriage."

Gulp...so I had to get on that water train. And I had to stay educated and up to date with my info. That night I drank about 3 more glasses of water before hopping back into bed and from then on out we bought an actual Tupperware jug that was approximately 2 liters and that was my best friend for the rest of my pregnancy.

I am always my healthiest when I am "with child" so the entire time I ate tons of salads and water and fruits and vegetables. I was like Brad Pitt in Oceans Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen and was eating in nearly every scene. I would be eating something every hour on the hour pretty much. But because I did that 99% of the time I'm keeping it real and I'm telling you that the 1% pig out session I would have would get a little out of control. Haha! My cravings ranged from the coconut shrimp appetizer from Red Lobster to the nachos and cheese from Taco Bell and chinese food. But the chinese food HAD to, had to, had to come from the Food Court in the mall and no place else. And I had to eat it with chopsticks. Forks? Nope. Chops? Yes. I am a weird visual creature and at times a pretty particular and difficult prego ego. My poor hubs. He tried...I remember one time I drove all the way into New Paltz, NY which was about 45 minutes from my house just to order some thai take-out from my favorite thai restaurant Lemongrass -you must eat there if you ever get the chance - and since I couldn't smell the food before I ate it because the smell would make me sick, I drove the 45 minutes home with a clothespin on my nose and wouldn't you know it? I got home and wasn't in the mood for it anymore. I should have just pulled over and stuffed my face yeah? Hindsight is 20-20 I guess.

I was eating healthy and exercising and walking daily and feeling fine and growing a human and then I was coming to the realization that it would all come to an end one day and I would actually have....a baby. And it was starting to freak me out a bit. You'll see exactly how much eventually.

So one day I was at 35 weeks and just done. You know what I mean? It was February and snowing outside but inside I was just done. Done being a heater. Don't incubating this egg. Done with the swelling of everything. And ready to roll. Earlier in the week I had my OB visit and the lovely Doctor informed me that "if you had the baby this week he is healthy enough and done growing to the point that we don't see anything wrong happening if you did have him by the end of this week." What a wonderful sentence to hear. It was like music to my ears. And it meant game on.

One night Michael and I looked at each other and said "It's been nice knowin' ya. Now it's time for life to change and have this baby." I had been reading all week portions of my pregnancy books that spoke of how to induce labor naturally and I remember that they had said spicy foods usually get things going. Lightbulb! We made a master list of the spiciest most caffeine heavy meal I could think of and I basically treated it like it was my last meal on Death Row. Because I was planning on breastfeeding after he was born and I knew I wasn't going to be eating like that for months again. Since I was on bed rest (which reminds me of something else that was harrowing during the pregnancy - I'll get to it I promise) I had to stay home with my feet up and Michael said he would deliver the goods to me. Here was the breakdown:

Whatever was the spiciest burrito on the menu at the time from Taco Bell + all the FIRE hot sauce I could handle.
Order of nachos and cheese with HOT sauce of course.
Cinnamon Twists.
The most caffeinated Coca Cola on the market at the time (which was Coca Cola Black Cherry Vanilla) and finally a...
Toasted blueberry muffin with butter on the side from Johnny D's Diner up the street.

Now this night was definitely a 1% meal. And it was a purposeful meal as well. We sat down and watched the movie "Ray" and ate like a King and Queen and had a great quiet meal for the last time in our lives for at least the next 15 years until the kids move out. By the end of the movie I was feeling that the meal was working it wonders. I didn't have a soda for mostly all of the pregnancy, so the super Coke that I drank (2 cans) and the mega spicy burrito were things so foreign to the baby that he was dancing on my bladder like it was an N*Sync video. I started feeling flutters in my belly that weren't familiar at all. I remember what my mom told me when I used to lament to her "When will I know that I'm in labor?" and she would say "Oh trust me, you'll know. A woman always knows."

I called my Doctor and said "I think I'm in labor because I feel like the boy is grooving to some Kenny G in there." (Why do I open my mouth sometimes? I really did reference Kenny G to him.) And he said "Okay well it sounds like he might be gearing up to come out so why don't you just start paying attention to the timing of the movements and when they are coming and going in a pattern then call me back." Hung up. Started timing.

All of our books warned us to get some rest before heading to the hospital because it could be awhile. So we made sure our bags were packed and went off to bed. Then at 2a.m. I heard a little sound like *pfffff* and I had no idea what it was so I sat up in bed and was like "Honey did you hear that?" "Mmmffff...." is all that I got out of him so I knew he was in the deep of sleep.

I sat up to see if I could hear where that noise came from and once I did that I realized that the noise was indeed me, and it was my baby bag (I seriously can't think of the name) that had popped and suddenly my back just started hurting tremendously and a HUGE contraction was happening. I immediately started crying and shook the man awake and was like "It's HAPPENING!!!!!! WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!!"

He helped me out of bed and since I knew that I could go into labor any day I always slept on a thick towel which I thank God I did that because it was necessary in a major way. I waddled myself into the bathroom because they recommend that you "go" before you leave for the hospital. So as I was sitting there I started to FREEEEEEAK OOOOOUUUUUUTTTT!!!

And I locked myself in the bathroom vowing to never come out because suddenly I was chicken.

Aaaand scene...

Now this is the end of Part 1 of my birth story for my Baby Boy. Come back tomorrow for the next installment. Do I ever come out of the bathroom? Do I deliver in the bathtub? What happens????

My best,

Song of the Week: Pentatonix "Love Lockdown" from the Sing Off. My favoritest group ever.

Is Yaz a Safe Birth Control Option?

2011-12-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

This post is about Yaz birth control and my experience while on it. Yaz is also called Yasmin or Ocella. But they are all three pretty much the same thing. I was prescribed Yaz so that is what I will refer to from here on out. Now please proceed...

.................

photo courtesy yaz-side-effects-lawyer.com

All I remember is that my Gynecologist recommended Yaz to me when I was a newly minted mother of 2. I had just had my daughter, and because we were now a household of 2 children under the age of 2, I was looking for options to ensure that a 3rd didn't come along any time soon. Have you ever heard 2 babies simultaneously screaming/crying/sobbing at lunch or naptime? It's absolutely brutal.

My Doc was a really great guy. I haven't been to him in a few years (which reminds me...) but as of today my new health insurance kicks in and I am going to get an appointment hopefully post haste. He is from England and he knows Roger Waters from Pink Floyd. "Ah yes, we were great friends in University together. I still speak with him to this day." Isn't it so cute how they talk over there? Gah...kills me every time.

So he says to me to take Yaz, it's a good pill that works, it's all the rage amongst young women (I was 24 at the time) and everybody's doing it man! Now I have never ever in a million years - or 24 - been the type of person to just take medicine. For anything. Periods? I would tough my way through it, being miserable the whole time, because as a youngster I thought I knew it all and didn't believe in pain management. Silly girl I was. My mom was always like "Why put yourself through so much pain? They have invented Tylenol!" But I was not one to be easily swayed. Until now. Oh now I take my monthly happy pills during those few weeks to ease the tension in my body and in the house. My husband and kids appreciate me more for that I'm sure.

So back to Yasmin, or Yaz, as they like to call it in dark back alleyways. I started taking the stuff at my Dr.'s suggestion and I ended up hating it. Absolutely hating it. Like, I can't use enough negative adjectives to describe how disagreeable this pill was with me. I was like a completely different person on it. My husband can attest to it. He married a young sweet little bride and within no time of being on the pill I became some crazy woman that looked like I suffered from 'Roid Rage. Yaz made me have severe mood swings to the point where I would have to leave the room because I was afraid I might throw something. You know how David Banner just before transforming into the Hulk goes and hides himself when he can feel his temperature rising from rage? Yep. Same boat here, except for the changing of the eyes and the ripping of the clothes.

Plus I gained a TON of weight. And it wouldn't go away. I was exercising with as much intensity as that "Stop the Insanity!" woman Susan Powter but without the results. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. I tried to pinpoint what the cause was and couldn't seem to get it down. Then I realized that it could be the pill. So I started to ween myself off of it slowly. I would do 1 day on and 1 day off or 2 days on and 2 days off until I finally just stopped taking it altogether. And you know what? Everything got better. The dark cloud that I walked around with over my head drifted away, and the sun came out. I started smiling again (I tell ya it was bad) and the weight started coming off like gangbusters. And I had a happy hubby again too.

Ever since I stopped taking it all of almost 5 years ago I haven't looked back and I don't have any regrets. Recently though, I have been reading reports on women dying from it due to blood clots forming in their lungs. That's pretty scary and sad. The pharmaceutical company knows this too and they are fighting the FDA on their labeling. I wonder how many women have to die for them to start to really look into these birth control pills? Sadly, things like this change when someone in the upper echelon loses someone close to them due to something like this. Not usually when it is the everyday man or woman though.

What have been your experiences with birth control? Is anyone on Yasmin or Yaz or Ocella that have had or are suffering the same side effects I did? This is important ladies so let's talk openly about it. It can only benefit us all.

My best,

Cough, Cough...Sniffle, Sniffle

2011-12-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that honey as long as it's not left opened, has no expiration date? There are reports that say archaeologists found 2000 year old jars of honey that still tasted exquisite! - benefits-of-honey.com

So around these parts there has been a lot of the sniffles and achoos going around. It all started with my daughter coming home with strep throat over a month ago from school and myself and my son coming down with a cough of some wicked bad sort. I nearly lost my voice it was so bad.

But now 2 out of 3 of us are off our meds and supposed to be on the mend (or completely mended by now) but to no avail. There is still this tickle in our throats and the nightly symphony begins around 8 o'clock around here.

Something has gotta give. I have been drinking green tea until the cows come home, which is helping, but I need to do more and be more proactive about eliminating these cold-like symptoms. Then I remembered our good pal honey. And then I was upset because why didn't I think of this before? Our honey therapy has worked for us in the past greatly and I hope it will do the same today.

Researching interesting honey facts on the Did You Know website above I found out some really great facts about honey. Like for instance I didn't know that honey is fat free, cholesterol free, and when digested at night before bedtime it can burn fat while you sleep. Heyo! That sounds like liquid gold to me.

Every weekend we have this really great outdoor farmers market in town that we try to frequent at least 3 times a month and last time we were there we found this grandfather/grand daughter combo selling some super delicious all natural honey. And not just any honey, but it was seasonal honey. They had them all labeled "Summer" "Winter" "Fall" "Spring" and each one had its own distinct flavor because they said the bees produce different flavors according to the season - I think it's due to the flowers in bloom - whatever the case, we bought a Winter and let me tell you it is goo-oo-ood. Here he is.

He's shy sometimes.

But he came out just for you.

See his cute little Winter badge of honor?

Tonight this will now become part of our routine until the hacking stops. Honey coats the throat and helps relax it and also helps loosen up the mucus from your innards. So 1/2 a tsp. for kids age 1-6, and 2 tsp. for everyone over 6.

ALERT!!!!!! DON'T GIVE IT TO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 1!!! AND CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN TO MAKE SURE HONEY WON'T CAUSE A DRUG INTERACTION.

I now see a good nights rest ahead for us all. Yippee!

What do you use to quiet those coughs during this season? Any other honey believers out there? Oh and for any of you honey novices out there, check out the Benefits of Honey website and take their cute How Much Do You Know About Honey quiz here. And want to read my vintage first post on honey with other interesting facts in it? Click here.

My best,

Song of the Week: More from the Sing Off as promised this month, this week we have the all girl group Delilah singing "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. Classicly beautiful. Well done girls.

Should Dr.'s Turn Away Unvaccinated Kids?

2011-12-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Okay so yesterdays post was about how our family dealt with vaccinating our kids as babies. Todays post is about a shift in the wind.

photo courtesy lancekuratamd.com

There is a a growing number of Dr.'s (not many, only 2 that I heard of as we speak) that are now deciding to refuse treatment of children that have not been vaccinated. There are actually many more parents than you would think that are opting out of vaccinations at an early age. Since this is becoming a "thing" there are Docs that are saying that it an unsafe practice and it puts others in harms way.

I completely agree. (Look at me getting all up in the mix, talking controversy, and generally giving my opinion on some huge debatable issue - which I usually never do! A shift in the winds indeed...) I agree with the fact that it can put other children in harms way due to the fact that when you go to the Dr.'s office what happens? Usually you have a kid there for a physical to get cleared for the sports team sitting next to a green snotted, bleary eyed, hacking into his elbow (hopefully) wee one with the West Nile Virus. Now if the big kid isn't up on his shots and his immune system is low or compromised for any reason the risk of him catching whatever that other kid has is pretty high and likely gonna happen.

We don't know each medical case in our Pediatrics office. There could be kids just coming off chemo sitting next to our kid with a cold and that kid could get the same cold but a drastically different reaction. For them, it could turn fatal very easily. I have a friend who has a child with special needs and the immune system on this kid is like nil. We were invited to her house for dinner, but I called her and said we all had slight coughs and that we wouldn't mind sitting this one out just to ensure that her baby doesn't end up in the hospital close to death - no joke.

It's just a consideration thing. A human thing. But I'm just a mom and not a well trained physician. Now here is where I tell you how I really feel about these Doctors who refuse to treat children whose parents chose not to vaccinate them. Doors anyone? I go to a wonderful pediatricians office that is in a large building where they have one door that leads to 2 doors on either side of you when you are standing in the lobby. The left side is for "Well Babies" and the other is for "Sick Babies". Simple fix no? Well I know what you are thinking, "Lynn you still have the vaccinated kids with the unvaccinated kids over on the sick side." Well touche' and point well taken. I think that they can subdivide a waiting room even more by adding - wait for it - one more door! Did you see me take my ta-da moment just now?

Of course things like these are easier said than done but considering that some doctors make 10's of 1,000's of dollars each week, I'm sure that have a 3 sectioned office would and could work for the best interests of all involved.

I'm just sayin'...then ALL kids that have a right to medical attention no matter what their parents have decided for them can be seen by all the good Docs of the world. And then you don't lose any patients and you still make your money honey.

Well? What do you y'alls think? Should Dr.'s be putting this into practice in their practice?

Oh and we can't finish this discussion without hearing Dr. Nancy Snyderman chime in and get her opinion on. She makes valid points at times. Why don't you tell us how you really feel Doc?

My best,

Did You or Didn't You? Would You or Wouldn't You?

2011-12-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Have you guys heard the rumblings around town about children and vaccinations? No? Well let me catch you up to speed.

You know Dr. Nancy Snyderman? I mean not know her, know her but know of her I should say. Well on her "talk show" of sorts she broached the subject of vaccinations and how more and more parents are opting out of giving them to their kids and the irresponsibility of these parents and how dare they and she got pretty upset I could tell. She can be a little severe at times right? So there she goes saying that due to the lack of vigor by many parents, there are now some childhood illnesses that were once thought completely eradicated making a serious comeback like Betty White. i.e. whooping cough (aka pertussis) and measles.

She called parents that choose not to vaccinate "crazy people" and pretty much angered a whole bunch of folks I'm sure. But since everyone is entitled to their opinion, I took no offense.

Because guess what? I was one of those "crazy people"...gulp...yep, I sure was. And I'll tell you why. I was a young mom ready to deliver my first little baby boy and since I'm such a word nerd I was reading every single book, magazine, and website on babies, birth, and parenting I could get my hands on. Plus I was on bedrest for the last month before delivery so I had a ton of time on my hands! After reading up on many things related to vaccinations, my husband and I decided that for our family at that exact time, it just wasn't right for us. I was going to be a stay at home mom for the first 4-5 years of our childrens lives up until they started school and I was thinking "well if the CDC says that 1 in every 1,000 people could die from measles then I should be good because rarely am I around 1,000 people on a daily basis AND who brings a baby to a Megadeth concert anyway?" (Note: not that I listen to them as they are a bit heavy for my taste but just sayin'...)

So no. I didn't vaccinate right out of the womb. Sue me? But before you do, realize that I also didn't go anywhere with my baby, I kept sick family and relatives at arms length but not completely away, because a little dirt and germs are actually good for the immune system to grow now and again, and my kids didn't start mingling with other kids until almost 1. I didn't do it due to some religious beliefs although many do, but I just did it because it seemed to us to be...just...hmm..logical. There are adverse effects that can happen with any vaccine and that's why they tell you to monitor the child for the next 24 hours to see any signs of trouble. Essentially vaccines are giving your child that illness and hoping that the immune system rises to the occasion and kicks butt until it prevails. And the fact that they give them so many so soon was what really concerned me. My daughter was 3 I believe and I was talking with one of our dear family friends who is from England and he was asking about The Beans growth and "is she doing anything new?" kinda convo. so I was just telling him all the things and happened to say "She's getting ready to get her next series of vaccines tomorrow."

Okay let me just type this out conversationally line by line so I can eliminate alot of the "he said" "she said" "and then we both said"...s

"She's getting ready to get her next series of vaccines tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"You know. Shots. To ward off diseases. Don't they do that in Europe?"

"Yeah sure they do, but not to babies. They usually wait until they are in school first. Like 5."

And that shocked me. I did some more research and found that many parents don't do vaccines at all over there and if they do, they rarely finish them. But that may also be the reason that measles outbreaks are commonly happening over there too. So who knows?

I'll tell you what I do know. I know that I didn't feel good about giving such a tiny bean so many vaccines in one shot so to speak so early in their lives. I felt that with my due diligence and by keeping their exposure down I could dodge the statistics.

Did we ever vaccinate? Yes we did. But just on our timetable. We would drag out the amount of time between each one longer than the suggested vaccine schedule. We watched their child milestone markers closely to make sure they were meeting them without trouble (sitting up relatively on time, walking, talking, feeding themselves) and whenever things would check out, then we would visit the Doc and get a new shot.

Now that the kids are both in school and around other kids they are fully vaccinated and up to date with all their shots and so far so good. Other than them occasionally sticking something shiny or round up their noses, they seem to be pretty normal well adjusted kids. If there is such a thing these days. And despite their parents!

Okay so let's get this discussion going. Did you vaccinate your kids on schedule or did you hold off a bit or altogether? I'm curious. And tomorrow I will talk about this again but on a whole 'nother level.

My best,

Fits Like A Glove

2011-12-05T05:06:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...
...that because vegetable based dish soaps omit most of the harsh and toxic chemicals that are normally present, it will take just a little longer to clean your dishes than usual?

But tis okay with me! I don't mind making a few extra swipes across the plates and cups to get it truly clean. If I am basically eliminating 90 something percent of the normal amounts of chemicals I'm exposed to when I do dishes then yippee for me. And my kids, and my husband, and the earth.

With an intro like this you know what I'm going to say next right? Or rather what I will talk about today? The hint is definitely in the title...yep, you got it, I love my new dish soap.

This one.

All that's missing is her cape!

Now although Mrs. Meyers Basil scented dish soap was a swing and a miss for me, I cannot say the same for the Lemon scented variety. Because I love it. It has this sweet lemony aroma that it gives off nicely as I do the dishes but unlike its counterpart - it doesn't hang around unwanted after the party is over.

After the dishes are done and actually completely air dried in the strainer I took a cup or two and took a whiff to see if the lemon lingered. And it didn't. That was really what I was worried - nay, terrified - about happening. I was worried that I would have dropped my coins on something that would awaken my gag reflexes in an unwanted fashion (and in front of guests no less!)

Considering that Mr. M (I really need to give the family nicknames for when I do talk about them on here don't I?) aka "The Hubs" bought this gem for a whopping $2.50 on clearance at WalMart, saving .50 cents in the process since the last time I purchased the Basil, I think that I have a good thing on my hands.

So that is my review on the newly acquired Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap Lemon Verbena scented. I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up and if I was Greek with money "like that" it would get two smashed plates with an "Opa!" thrown in for some added fun too.

How was everyones weekend? Anyone run out of soap? Well if you did, at least now you know what to replace it with.

My best,

Lynn

Song of the Week: From the Sing Off I present to you Pentatonix performing "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. I think I will showcase these talented acapella groups all month. (Click on the link or view the video in the sidebar.)

Who Loves Ya Baby?

2011-11-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

That is what I picture in my mind this man saying as he handed me my newest house "gift".

Who doesn't love a little Telly Savalas every once in awhile? I know I do. And you'll see why in a second why I imagine this guy ^ being my Kojak for a moment.

So remember a few days ago I was doing the happy dance because I finally finished my dish soap? Well my Dude went out to the store for a late night water run and came home with a new dish soap for me. Yay!!!! And not just any soap but the soap I have been looking for these last few days.

Introducing...our upgrade.

So now I have my new soap and I will be taking it for a test drive today because there is never a shortage of dishes in this here house of mine. I will definitely be getting back to you with a review sometime this week letting you know how it goes with what I'm hoping will be my new best friend.

Before I go, here is another shot of the bubbly but in her true superhero glory...

Sheesh I hope this works out because I am putting alot of pressure on it to be great. Have any of you tried the Lemon scented version of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day? Should I believe all my hype?

My best,

Body by Ouch That Hurt

2011-11-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Happy Monday everybody!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was just...meh...and that's because lastweekend this mama was playing outdoors with the fam and went for a superwoman move and tried to jump into a tire swing by way of a piece of long bark my husband installed as a kind of handle for the kids. Am I painting the picture well enough? Well let me break it down for you. I went to put one foot into the tire and simultaneously pull the rest of my body up by way of the "handle" so that I could just swing away to my hearts content. So imagine all that momentum behind me as I was flying upward when just as soon as I had grabbed that handle it snapped in half and henceforth I went hurtling backwards towards the earth from about 6 feet up in the air.

Eeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......kersplat! Boom! Yep, if any of you felt the earth move beneath your feet around 3 p.m. last Saturday don't worry, it was just me making a crater in the ground with my body.

And then there I was just laid out in the grass under the tree with the wind knocked out of me and not being able to speak much other than "Don't. Touch. Can't. Talk. Wind. Out. Me." to my husband who had run over and I vaguely through a cloud of ringing in my ears remember hearing him say "Are you hurt? Are you hurt? What can I do?" Then I looked over to my poor babies (who were up in the tree) and saw how mortified they looked and managed to eek out a "I'm okay!" even when I clearly wasn't. I just didn't want them to freak out ya know?

Well I hemmed and hawed all week until Sunday when my husband finally forced me to go to the ER because he saw how much pain I was in. Thankfully I went because I was able to get clarification that I didn't break any ribs and that the small golf sized lump in my side wasn't cancer but probably just a massive knotted bruise under the surface.

Time and patience will help heal these wounds and I am all for that. So long as I get back to my old self and I'm not crouched over like Quasimoto anymore.

For now, I am just going to be taking many soaks with epsom salts, use my warm rice sock at night to ease the tension in my muscles, and take it easy. That last one is just a little joke I like to throw in because in this day and age what woman of any circumstance can really take it easy? If Martha and Oprah can't, then who can I ask ya, who can...

So how was your weekend? Any injuries or 3 hour hospital visits like me? I mean come on, should it really be called "Quick Care" if it takes 3 hours?!?

My best,

Song of the Week: I know you come here for a sunshine-y song every Monday, but sometimes I just have to showcase some beautiful raw vocals just for the sheer appreciation factor. Sorry if this one makes you cry because you aren't alone.....Adele's"Someone Like You"

Finito and Sayonara!

2011-11-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Remember this little looker?

Well it's finally done and empty! Say it with me - ADIOS! I don't think that I can express it in any other language about how happy I am that this soap is finally finished. Why am I so down on it? Read my thoughts on the matter right here in an old post of mine.

But no matter, I am on an upward swing I feel like. This afternoon I am off to find a new bottle (preferably of the lemon scented variety) of the good stuff. Originally I bought it for $3 buckaroos at WalMart on clearance but little did I know that it was priced to sell because THEY WERE GETTING RID OF THE PRODUCT LINE ALTOGETHER! Now I'm kicking myself for not swiping the whole shelf of products into my cart and darting for the register.

So off I go to get my stuff. Hold down the fort while I'm gone, will ya?

My best,

*Photo from Mrs. Meyers website

Around the World In...1 Day...Kinda

2011-11-15T05:17:00.000-08:00

This is an oldie but goodie post from back in October to enjoy. See you tomorrow!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that women in France, before doing their own manicures, first soak their fingers in warm water with lemon juice? It erases the yellow tinge that red polish can leave behind. - womenshealthmag.com November 2009 Edition

I love traveling don't you? Especially before I got married and had kids I did it alot more. Whether it was a 5 hour road trip out of town or hopping on a plane for a 13 hour trip to some exotic land - I was bout it, bout it.

Now that I am on here trying to keep us all up to date and in the know about safe beauty practices for ourselves, it just seems fitting that I take this show on the road. And what better way (and most budget friendly) to share than by giving you some wonderful tips from women from all over the globe right here.

I hope you all have your passports in order because heeeere weeee goooooo!!!!!

photo from womenshealthmag.com

Info. from the Nov. 2009 Women's Health Magazine article called Passport to Pretty

Singapore...humidity levels can be at 90% year-round in this country so women coat the ends of their hair with a few drops of coconut oil before bed and leave it on overnight to keep their tresses frizz-free.
Philipines...the women use aloe to make their hair glossy by breaking a piece of aloe leaf in half and massage the juice into your scalp, then rinse.
Italy...since the sun can be so strong there dried out hair is common. To prevent damage and boost shine, Italian women make their own egg-white mask. Whip two into a frothy mousse, apply it to wet hair for 10 minutes, shampoo and rinse with lukewarm water. NOTE: Make sure you use tepid water and not hot unless you want to end up with a cooked omelette up there.
Costa Rica...to temporarily shrink pores, mix equal parts orange juice and water and swab the mixture across your face (avoid the eyes) with a cotton ball. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse.
Turkey...to smooth out rough heels, women sprinkle coarse salt (i.e. sea salt) into a palmful of lotion and use it as a scrub. Genius!

Okay I just thought of something just now. You know what would be awesome? If I turned these International methods into a 5 post series where I try every single one and show you my results. Maybe via video vlog or just straight up pictures. Sounds great right? I guess this old brain of mine still has some spark in it. Haha!

Well it shall be done as it has been said...starting next week. I have other things I want to share with you this week that have been backlogged on here for weeks already.

Which one of these tips was your favorite? Have you done any of these yourself and had great results?

My best,

You Know It's Cold When...

2011-11-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Yes I do live in the South.

No it doesn't stay warm all year round.

Especially at night sometimes.

This is how I can tell when the weather has changed to officially cool/cold fall seasonage...

You know it's cold outside when your coconut oil solidifies overnight-while still being in your bedroom!

How about you guys? When do you know the season has officially changed in your neck of the woods? Do your beauty products tell you or is it the animals that alert you to what's happening in the wild outdoors?

My best,

Song of the Week: I know it's a bit on the melancholy side, but it's still a pretty good song. Death Cab for Cutie "Summer Skin"...enjoy here or a video in the sidebar.

And Boom Goes the Dynamite!

2011-11-08T05:11:00.000-08:00

New here? Start here...

Yes I did go through all this...and yet I still ended up with this....

Okay show of hands of how many of you thought to yourself or shouted out loud at your computer "Pshhh...yeah that'll last a week. She better kiss that puppy goodbye because that nail glue won't do diddly. And why doesn't she cut her cuticles? I wonder if she home schools? I bet she smells like vanilla..." Okay maybe not all those things passed through your mind, but a few no?

Nonetheless, back to the drawing board I go. And now I hope that it grows, grows, grows.

My best,

Song of the Week: "Go On, Say It" by Blind Pilot. Because I'm convinced there are a few "I knew it's" out there.

I Needed An Intervention

2011-11-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

I knew that my skin was breaking out like crazy. I wasn't delusional or ignorant to the fact that I was stressed out to the max because my kids were both starting school in August so my carefree wake up with the sun days were soon coming to an abrupt end. I knew that I wanted my house to look spic and span before the school year started just so we could all start fresh and on a new page. I knew that I was starting down a new dietary path of cutting out all red meats and becoming someone who only eats seafood pretty much and that it would probably do some adverse things to my body during the detox process.

I knew all this. And my body knew it too. And it was rebelling against me. It was waging psychological and physical warfare against itself and it didn't know what else to do other than behave like a pubescent teenager and develop a bad case of acne.

Which is news to me. I thought I was out of those woods. Past that hump. Free and clear until menopause, whenever that jewel may come. But my body said "Nope ya dope. We've got other plans."

And here's where we all are going to get a little closer. And I will let the camera now do the talking...

This is me this morning...my face on any given day.

Now here is the nitty gritty of what I am dealing with...

So see what I'm talking about? Now yesterday I told you about my new book on the block which from here on out I declare to be named "T-PENH" (let's keep the H silent, because otherwise it would just sound weird and a wee bit asthmatic.

Anyway, T-PENH says that acne expert Albert Kligman, M.D., Ph.D, of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School treats his patients successfully with severe acne anywhere from 300,000 to 1,000,000 I.U. (international unit) of vitamin A daily. Now that's a whole lotta Vitamin A right? I think so.

Now since I didn't feel like what I am dealing with is a severe case of acne I decided that one capsule of 8,000 I.U. of the vite would help out.

So I took a softgel capsule and poked a hole in it with a clean needle.

Applied a dab to my finger.

Applied it liberally all over each affected sides of my face.

Since I only used about half the capsule and the daily recommended amount is 1 capsule daily with food, I swallowed the rest and then ate a banana.

And now we all wait and see what happens next. I will be doing this on a daily basis until I either start seeing results or I come to the realization that it's not working.

How about any of you folks? Ever been on a vitamin A kick to combat the adult acne? Has anything else helped you out with this similar problem? I'm desperate here, the kids are starting to stare...

My best,

The New Kid On The Block

2011-11-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

And I'm not talking about Donnie, Danny, Joey, Jordan, Jonathan and Mark (oh yeah, he was in the band for a minute, yes he was) of the modern day NKOTB.

I'm talking about my new best hardcover friend.

The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing

New, Revised Edition

by Mark Bricklin - former Executive Editor of PREVENTION ® Magazine

I thank you MollyMae for giving this 574 page gift to me. It is worth it's weight in gold. And since you see how many people are hawking gold these days and making a real mint off it, you see how much I really value this book. It's virtually priceless.

Don't get me wrong, I have other natural health books that I absolutely love still, but this is just me in my new book honeymoon phase. You know that stage when you can't stop smelling it because it still has that new book from the library smell? Ahhhh j'adore.

The books Contents are in alphabetical order so you don't have to waste your time guessing where on earth would heel spurs be sectioned under. It takes you all the way from Acne to Yoga Therapy. Not quite up to Z illnesses (sorry Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome) but it was printed in 1983 which I'm guessing means there were less illnesses back then? And since it's from my era I feel as close to it as a sibling. We basically grew up together. Me being the older sister by 1 year.

Just by randomly flipping through it, here are some tidbits of info. that will translate into future posts I'm sure:

Pg. 33, the artificial food coloring agent tartrazine, or Yellow No. 5, has also been reported to trigger asthma attacks in susceptible youngsters.
Pg. 197, recent (1983) research is showing clearly that cigarette smoking can damage your hearing, possibly because it encourages the formation of generalized atherosclerosis. This narrowing of the arteries in turn reduces the supply of blood to the cochlea.

WHAT?!?

I know right...now you're in love too. So now that we are all introduced. Book, people. People, book - let's all just take it from here shall we?

Tomorrow I will actually be starting at the first topic in the book - Acne. Enter screams and the mwaaaahaahaaa-ing now. Yep, I've got the Acs. And something must be done. And my new best friend has all the answers. Until tomorrow y'all.

My best,

A Nail of a Time

2011-11-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

So remember way back a few weeks ago when I nearly died because of splitting my nail almost in half? If not, here is the gory post to catch you up to speed. (It's not really that gory, probably more whiny than anything.)

I know right? How did I deal? The pain was beyond bearable and of course it would catch on everything in sight. And of course my kids banged into it every chance they got. Why wouldn't they? I really think that kids have this sixth sense that lets them know where mamas pains are just so they can exploit them and try to get in there and finish the job off.

I haven't really had the time to sit down and address this situation like I should have. There has been alot of grimacing and bearing it in the meantime. But contrary to what Alicia Keys has told me, I am no Superwoman, so this here nail had to get fixed. And here is how I did just that.

Step 1: Washed nail thoroughly in warm, soapy water to get rid of any debris that might have gotten lodged under the nail.

Step 2: Applied the nail glue (nailene ULTRA Quick Nail Glue) to the affected broken area. Fair warning: be careful because this is essentially the same as Crazy Glue and it bonds quickly - to WHATEVER it comes in contact with.

Hence....another ouch.

yeah...see that little indent? That's where my skin should be. Do yourself a favor and don't try to be a hero and peel off any excess glue. Just give it a few washes over the course of a few days and it should come off.

Step 3: After the glue dried, I used my emery board to file the glue down to the nail to make a nice and smooth surface and to prep the area for the nail polish.

Step 4: Since I knew that I had to cut the broken nail down to a more manageable length, that meant that the rest of the gals had to get a hacking as well. Oh how I will miss thee...

Step 5: Now. All cut. Same length. Bring on that clear topcoat shine.

Step 6: Voila! A seamless nail job where you can barely notice that anything was ever wrong with it in the first place, right? Eh? Eh? Not too shabby?

Now I can move on with life. I didn't realize how much I was coddling this here nail until I started typing this post. I find myself still favoring my finger - but for no good reason anymore. I guess I have avoided using the computer pretty much since this happened. It hurt something fierce to type and put any pressure on it. But now I have my finger back, and I can now resume my nerdy online ways again. Tippity tappity, yippity yappity...

Now I know that this had no kind of natural or organic solution to my problem, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Hopefully, this tutorial on how to fix a broken nail will help one of you, my lovely readers, if ever you are in need of this here knowledge.

Have you ever had a use for this? Ever broken your nail - hand or foot - hard, like mine? Also, I am currently looking for a natural nail polish. Anyone found a good one out there? Anyone sell all natural nail polish? I would love to feature you. Drop me a line.

My best,

Song of the Week: After getting this done and out of the way, I feel like I have a new lease on life. And I feel like it is now appropriate for Alicia to lead the way in the charge for all us - wait for it - Superwomen. Ahhhhh yeeeeeaaaaahhh! Hands up in the air! Alicia Keys "Superwoman" must now be danced to.

Eat This For That

2011-10-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

You know that I love food? Yes, of course you do. I talk about it all over the place on here. It's the very reason that I have my A Girl's Gotta Eat series here and there.

Today I was thinking of talking about food for our overall health. Like you know the song "The neckbones connected to the backbone...."? Then I was thinking we can change the song to "Sweet potatoes are connected our overall retina health..." eh, eh? There's a tune in there somewhere, you just have to work for it a bit.

So here are just 4 fruits and/or vegetables that will help boost the health of certain body parts.

EYES: 1/2 cup of cooked carrots a day will give you 33,000 IU (International Units) of beta-carotene. For good eye health, you only need 20,000 IU's. So it won't take alot of the orange sticks to start seeing through walls. (photo courtesy wholefoods.com)

NAILS: Carrots make their appearance down here again for nails because "they" are saying that one cup of fresh carrot juice each day helps with our nails. To add to that list try consuming broccoli, fish and onions to help prevent this from happening to you. (photo courtesy wholefoods.com)

SKIN: Shoot for a good healthy portion of yogurt each day for some vital Vitamin A to help get that youthful glow to your skin. The acidophilus in the yogurt will help with proper digestion, and a good functioning intestinal tract will help flush out toxins that get absorbed through the skin. (photo courtesy beautips.info)

TEETH: Green tea and fresh raw fruit help to ward off the plaque that can cause cavities and bad breath in your pearly whites. Eating raw fruit massages your gums too. (photo courtesy losingbellyfat101.com)

Eat these 4 items daily and hopefully you will start to see a great difference in your overall safebeauty health. If that's what you're into...

My best,

Song of the Week: This was one of the songs on this weeks "The Sing Off" (which I hope you are all watching because the show has some insane performances on it)."Footloose" by Kenny Loggins of course goes down in history as one of the best scenes of the original movie. Enjoy.

Ouch I Broke My Nail-Hard!

2011-10-17T05:16:00.001-07:00

New here? Start here...

Okay so I was bringing groceries into the house the other day and as I was reaching out for the doorknob to turn it and let myself in, my hand slipped and my fingernail caught the knob in such a way that my nail just went "rrrrrrrrrrrriiippp!!!!!" I cringed from the pain a few seconds after it happened because at first I didn't know what happened.

But now I am in mucho pain. Just look at this...

Yikes right? That is almost a clear tear right across the midsection of my right hand ring finger. It catches on everything and it's a complete nuisance throughout my day.

What to do, what to do? Well I Googled it and found a few remedies. Of course they all require nail glue and what don't I have? Nail glue. So feel bad for me. The real reason I wrote this post? For sympathy from the readers.

But when I do get my nail glue or crazy glue (read about that one time) then I will write up the tutorial or my results on here for ya all.

We'll see. I hope this doesn't kill me.

Does anyone have a really good way to repair such a severe nail tear? Have you ever broken your nail and found a good way to repair it easily and naturally?

My best,

Song of the DAY: Yes, I am posting this song and video only for today because it's not my favoritest thing in the world and I can only stand it for so long. Look at this video and it will blow your mind how interesting (?) these guys are. And I think they are taking themselves seriously here which is another interesting thing....Empire of The Sun "Walking on a Dream"

Eat It!

2011-10-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

In the words of the great Weird Al Yankovic "Eat It"

photo from Stern Fan Network of Weird Al in his "Fat" video

Lately I have been teetering on the edge of insanity when it comes to food. Have you ever wanted to just call it a fat year? I'm not obese but mentally there is something going on with me that secretly admires someone who can just throw caution to the wind and eat to their hearts content and not really care about the consequences. Or constant knee pain, or the threat of diabetes.

All my life I have been pretty athletic and have sported a pretty svelte physique. But after having made 2 humans and delivered them naturally I can verify that yes it's true, most things don't just snap back into place like you would have hoped or as it appears it did for Jessica Alba after her second child. And now that I am one year away from turning 30 I'm mulling over in my mind "Does it even matter anymore a few extra pounds? I mean come on, if this recession keeps going like it's going, and inflation keeps rising, I am going to need more fat reserves than I've got right now." Hence the 2 - count 'em, 2 - fudge brownies I ate last night after making a fresh batch for dessert.

Now. Did I send my husband 3 separate texts asking for him to pick up certain junk foods from around town while I knew he was running errands last night? And did said texts vary wildly from: "Maybe we should have another baby..." to "A McDonalds hot fudge sundae, no wait. I mean a vanilla cone. Nope. A bag of Poppycock. Umm...umm...wait. Okay, a bag of Hint of Lime Tostitos. Or maybe Doritos?"

The Hint of Limes won out just to let you know. My tummy....my brain....it's a constant war I tell ya.

How about you all? Do you ever have days where you just want to eat 2 of everything slathered in chocolate or sprinkles?

My best,

How to Put On Perfume

2011-10-12T04:27:00.001-07:00

New here? Start here...

I've always wanted one of these old school spritzer versions...

I knew a lady that used to spray a literal cloud of perfume in her bedroom and then proceed to walk straight through it. To say that she would always smell heavily of whatever is her scent of choice that day would be an understatement.

I love a nice scent just as much as the next girl, but smelling like I took a bath in it just isn't my thing. There are actually alot of people that are allergic to heavily scented things like perfume (considering that there are rarely ingredients labels on most jars it's a no wonder so many people are allergic - we really haven't the slightest idea what they are using in these things)

So if we must dive into the arena of wearing perfume (natural versions or otherwise) here are a few tips as to where to apply it to extract it's maximum scentitude.

Wrists
Inside crooks of elbows
Behind the knees
Chest
Behind earlobes

And why pray tell should you apply it into any of these spots? Well these areas are your hot spots that when you have a blood surge for any reason they warm up faster and closest to the surface which then triggers your body to evaporate the alcohol in the perfume and hence, release the scent.

This little bottle here is what got me my hubby. Well that, my cooking, and my winning personality I guess...

snort...chortle, chortle...

Now before I go, just to clarify, the woman I mentioned in the outset wasn't applying just a general fruity and light atomizer (body mist in a spritz bottle), but rather one of those really floral type scents that are really just a bit - much.

So those are my suggestions as to where to apply your perfume to your body to maintain friendships and not alienate others. Hope you enjoyed it.

My best,

*Cool water photo from The Scent Perfumery

*Prada perfume photo from Designer Planet

Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap Update

2011-10-10T04:09:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

So 2 Wednesdays ago I did a review on Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap here. And I was honest as all get out, mentioning the highs and lows of the product.

Today I pop in to give you a quick update on my thoughts and feelings on the soap as of late. And if you are an ad or PR exec from Mrs. Meyers I apologize for the harsh reality I am about to lay down...

I need to ditch the basil. It. Is. Driving. Me. Nuts. Dishes are bad enough to have to deal with on a daily basis. Having a dish soap that smells so strongly (of the wrong thing) and makes you dread doing dishes even more is a terrible thing.

Also I cannot believe I didn't notice this before, but the soap has this lingering effect that it does. I will wash out my cups and dry them and store them away in the cabinet and then the next day take one out to get a drink. Pour said drink. Take swig. And nearly do a spit take because just imagine having basil infused apple juice in the morning...mmm....pffftttt! (That was me actually reenacting my spit take)

So I am officially over the Mrs. Meyers Basil scented dish soap. Sorry. But there is still hope as I have said that they do have a Lemon scented one. So onward and upward and moving onto the next big thing Mrs. Meyers has to offer. Hopefully.

My best,

Song of the Week: Journey "Don't Stop Believing", because I have hope that one day I will find my perfect fit dish soap.

Not So Bubbly

2011-09-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Recently I went to my local dreaded Wal-Mart to do a grocery run and every time I do this I swing down the household cleaning aisle to see if they have anything new and non-toxic for me to do my thing when it comes to cleaning up my house.

This time I swung by and was pleasantly surprised that I found Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap (Basil Scent) and it was on sale for $3.00 a bottle. Hayo! I bought that thing up and brought it home like it was going out of style. I have been wanting to try this brand for awhile now. So here is my review...

First off, the first thing you realize about this soap is that it is a very potent basil smell. It really engulfs the room it is being used in. I am still "eh" on how much I like that. Maybe it's the scent that is making me so indecisive. The basil is so strong that it almost always makes me want to make a pesto or have some sort of spaghetti or rotini pasta in my mouth as I do the dishes. There was a lemon scented option but for some reason I wanted to try the basil. I mean come on, it's not every day that you find a basil scented anything. So the guinea pig in me wanted to be curious. I think the thing too that is concerning about how strong the smell is, is that since it is a food-type scent I am worried (irrational fear alert - or is it?) that the smell will attract all bugs, critters, and grubs of the like within a 50 mile radius over to my house for what they think will be a big ol' sit down Italian feast. Food smells attract animals. Plain and simple. And I'm not cool with that. I screech and run from situations like that.

But the soap gets the job done. It cleans the dishes just fine. This doesn't give you tons of foam however, so let's not get our hopes up that we will get bubbles for days with this here bottle.

The majority of the ingredients that make up the soap are being touted as being 97% naturally derived. Which is a plus and 2 thumbs way up for that. Cruelty free and biodegradable bottles? Check and check! Oh and did I mention that it is made in Minnesota? Gotta love that. What's the deal with my Minnesota affections? I have no idea. Any psych majors want a free case study?

So in the end, I guess I would suggest this product. Sheesh...what an underwhelming endorsement ay? Okay, you know what I think the problem is? I really think the basil is what is throwing it all off for me on this. I am going to try the Lemon and then review that one as well. Or just give a little update on it on a separate post altogether. Who knows?

Have any of you tried out Mrs. Meyers products lately or in the past? How do you like it? And has anyone tried the Lemon scented dish soap and can save me the typing time and instead I can just put a link to your review? Haha! 2 thumbs up for blog slothness...

My best,

So...About That Blog...

2011-09-26T04:53:00.001-07:00

I'm baaaack! I have been gone awhile doing some other world things. Working and all that jazz. But now I am working on a different schedule and trying to make sure that this here space keeps words on it still.

It's a total shame that I have let the cobwebs grow on this here place for almost a whole month. For shame Lynn!

So today I will just give you a little teaser alert for Tuesdays post.

I bought a new dish detergent. And I think that I like it. The jury is still out on it. I am weighing it in the balance still and I will definitely be taking it to task for all of you.

Tune in tomorrow and see what's what.

My best,

Song of the Week: Angus & Julia Stone "Walk It Off". They are a sibling duo that harmonize like nobodys business. They remind me of the line that Ben Folds said during last years "The Sing Off" - "no one can harmonize better than actual blood related relatives" - or something along those lines. Just enjoy the music and tell me what you think.

Oh Honey, Honey...

2011-09-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

Originally posted in May of 2011...

New here? Start here...

Is it just me or do any of you hate allergens too? I hate how they stick to my car, my fro (oh yeah, it happens!), my innards. I once sneezed 8 times in a row while standing in my kitchen and all the while horrified because that attack came simultaneous to me washing dishes and holding our big ol' butchers knife. I could feel the wooziness setting in before each sneeze but they came so quickly I had hardly any time to comprehend if I was dropping the knife into the sink of suds or directly onto my waiting toes below. Thankfully, I still have all my piggies.

I haven't been consuming hardly any sugar and if or when I do, I make sure that it is practically right after I am done with my exercise workout. I do my last crunch and on the sit up I grab a ginger snap and pop it into my mouth. My rationalization is that it is immediately burned up upon entry from my wicked metabolism firing on all cylinders. I may be slightly delusional.

I must be doing something right though because this time last year I was laid up for almost a whole month with a sinus infection that went to my chest. I think its the combination of exercising, cutting out practically all refined sugars and HFCS (I just hate typing out high fructose corn syrup - doh!) so now I will just abbreviate it with it's initials from now on. I justthought of that. Thweet! Anyway, back to what I was saying...yes, I don't know what it is exactly that is helping, but something is definitely helping these days.

My friend "Denbar" gave me a juicy natural allergy remedy. She said that every day she takes a tablespoon of raw local honey that she literally buys from a lady under a bridge. Yes we told her all the jokes in the book from "Are you sure it's honey?" to "Does she bring just one jar for you or is it a legit display of many jars?" and the classic "Does she sell it out of her trench coat like those guys who sell fake Rolex's in Central Park?". Despite all the jokes she swears by it, and the joke is probably on us because when I think about it, she gets sick only once a year. That's it. One major cold and it's usually the actual flu. But the sniffles, ah-choos, red eyes, and overall discomfort that the rest of us have when the wind shifts - she suffers from none of that.

So maybe she's onto something, ay? Have you heard of such a thing? Local honey to help with the local pollen attacks? What do you guys use to ward off allergens in your life? Dish.

My best,

*Honey & sunflower photo courtesy National Honey Board

*Bee covered in pollen courtesy Top Honey Bee

Classic Post...

2011-08-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Todays post was aired in November of '09. It's title "Is This Really My Skin?" is still relevant and appropriate even 2 years later. Enjoy...

Did You Know...

...the average woman uses a dozen personal care items containing 168 chemical ingredients DAILY and men use about 6 a day with around 85 chemicals?

- from the book Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry by Stacy Malkan

"Ay, ay, ay!" as my French speaking mom would say whenever she came across something disagreeable - broken lamps, fingerprints in a freshly decorated cake, contents of her purse upturned and her lipstick missing only to find it after following the red brick road scribbled onto the floor from her bedroom to the bathroom down the hall...ahem...I digress (sorry mom!)

But that's a whole lotta oh-no to be putting into our bodies right? Right. So this week I am telling you about something that can help eliminate and replace approximately 10 yucky ingredients for 10 great and natural ones.

It's this 4 oz. Country Oatmeal All Natural Handmade Soap by Elizabeth Rose that my awesome sister-in-law got me while we were visiting recently (thanks T!)

foto credit elizabethrosesoaps.com

I really loved this soap. It's made of all natural ingredients such as saponified oils of olive, coconut, palm, avocado, shea butter, jojoba and castor oil. It has rosemary and lavender, ground oatmeal and ground vanilla. All these wonderful ingredients just translate into...Yum-o! I used this and I was expecting alot out of it and it delivered big time. I'm not one for overpowering scents, especially when I am putting it on my skin, and this scent is oh so subtle. You really have to look for the smell so don't worry about it coming around the corner before you do! It makes my skin feel like butter - I'm sure all of those oils helped with that - and there's no harsh after burn, or itch! It lathers just as good as any Dove or Ivory any day of the week too.

It's $4.95 for this 4 oz. bar and I say well worth it. Elizabeth Rose Soaps has many other things for sale too. On her site you'll find Acne soap (which got rave reviews in the testimonials so guess what I will be ordering very soon? Lately, I've been battling with the grown folk acne..hmm...stress much?), bath milks and salts, body oils, perfumes, even unscented soaps for those of you with sensitive skin. Go and check her out and tell me what you think.

Elizabeth Rose Purity Inc.

Montgomery, NY 12549

1*877*457*SOAP

www.elizabethrosesoaps.com

What have you guys been using on your skin lately? Any tips on how to nip this adult acne too?

My best,

Music: Bobby Darin "Splish Splash"... no explanation necessary...just enjoy! Okay it's official there is something wrong with YouTube and Blogger being on the same page musically. If you click to the left on the Song of the Week and a song called "Live It Up" starts playing, you can stop it because obviously that's not Bobby Darin. If you wait a few minutes it switches over to the Bobby Darin videos. Sorry for the delay and confusion.

R, R, R!

2011-08-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Here is Reduced, Reused, and Recycled classic old school post. This time it is a natural soap detergent. I am still using it down to this day so yes it comes HIGHLY endorsed...

Originally posted in November 2010.

Ecos All Natural Laundry Detergent Review...

So I finally got into our local Sam's Club recently (thanks for the piggy back card mom!) and I am reaping the benefits already.

I bought this big ol jug of laundry detergent about 2 weeks ago now and I have been testing it for you all since then so that's why I haven't really written anything in the last few weeks.

Like most things all natural that I have started using I am loving this detergent. It is 100% All Natural, made with coconut oil based fabric softener/cleaner. It is petrochemical free, formaldehyde free, 1,4-dioxane free, with a neutral pH. (Psst...side bar.....what's up with 1,4-dioxane? Well it's a carcinogen that is a byproduct of the chemical process in conventional detergents that since it's not a real additive and instead is a byproduct the regulators do not require it to be labeled on products. I know right? Scandalous!)

Major Pluses:

It is made with Organic Lavender but leaves barely a scent (the husband was super glad about that)
The 210 fl oz makes 210 HE (high efficiency washers) loads and 105 standard washers loads. That's alotta laundry!
Since it's 2X Ultra you will be astounded how LITTLE you need to use to actually get a load clean.
My clothes came out spotless and any heavier stained clothes (grass and dirt stains) I would just let them soak for about 10 minutes before running the whole cycle.

I highly recommend this product and hope to review more of these in the future. This product is part of the Earth Friendly Products collection found here @ efpclean.com It comes from what looks like a highly eco-conscious company with responsible practices. Leaping bunny approved. And many other good things. Check them out online at www.ecos.com and enter your reason for safeguarding your home under the free offers tab to try and win free products from them. Talk about greatness...

My best,

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2011-08-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

I am nothing if not a blogvironment (it could be a word...) conscious person. So in the heart of that sense, I will be putting up some oldies but goodies posts from yesteryear for you all to enjoy for the next few days. What? Am I phoning it in on here because one of my best friends is coming into town tomorrow and I'm trying to buy myself some time? Why yes, yes I am....

:o)

New here? Start here...

I am not one to think highly of myself. In fact, due to my being raised in a house with 4 brothers and no sisters they made sure to try and crush every living ounce of self-esteem my parents may have tried to instill in me. Thinking that I was pretty in any new frilly dress my mom bought me? DEEEENIED. Thinking that I could play tea party and dress up with my dollies? NOPE. I forget what year I finally gave up trying to be all girly girl and just succumbed to my tomboy ways. Climbing trees, swinging from vines Tarzan style, doorbell pranking my neighbors, switching out my Jasmin from Aladdin t-shirt for my brothers tuxedo screenprint t-shirt was now my thing.

In the words of the great Andy Bernard of the Office a few episodes back I must have thought to my young self "I guess this is my life now."

So when I write I like to think that I am just writing for myself and no one else is taking notice. Even when I look at my stats (which are quite nice these days so thank you one and all) I get all self-deprecating and say to myself "Don't get all happy, they probably just stumbled across here by missing a letter in their web address." See? Thanks big bros for helping my subconscious keep it real! But remember a few days back when I wrote about milk alternatives here? Well imagine my surprise when I wake up and click on my favorite morning show website - The TODAY Show.com - with Matt, Meredith, Ann & Al (and okay you get to join the lineup now too Natalie Morales) and realize that they did a morning segment on how consumers have more 'milk' options nowadays...like so.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, andnews about the economy

Sooooo......yeah......the TODAY Show must be reading this blog right? I now write for the likes of Matt Lauer and the self-deprecation ends today. So tell your mama and your friends that you read a blog that the TODAY Show may or may not be imitating from. It will make you the hit of the party!

My best,

And Then I Breath...

2011-08-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

So I am actually sitting down and writing the "Back to School" post. And it only took me two days to find enough time to do it! Who knew how much more hectic my life would get after the kids went into school? I guess in all fairness my week started off a little bumpy anyway.

On Sunday night I was cruising around town elbow to elbow with all the other procrastinating parents trying to load up on Capri Suns, backpacks, and lunch meat. Which by the way, were mostly all gone. Note to self for next year, get in there early if you want to get anything you don't have to race an old grandma to grab. Not that I would ever grab from the elderly, but I did see it get kind of ruthless out there.

Monday rolled around and the kids had all of their gear ready to go. My kids looked stellar and I was actually so excited for the day that I got basically zero hours of zzzz's. I kept tossing and turning and couldn't find a good spot to lay in. So from 6 a.m. to about 9:30 when Michael finally went off to work, I was running on just pure adrenaline and if you heard anyone yelling loudly "This is not a drill people!!!!" early Monday morning, that was me.

We dropped off my son first and he was all lovey dovey "bye mommy and daddy and grandmere" and gave us just all around a great sendoff. My daughter? No sireebob, she made it seem like she could take us or leave us and it made no difference to her. I drop her off at Pre-K and before she even gets out of the van she shrieks "Is there where you leave me and you all go home?! You're not coming in right?" After Michael tells her "No we are walking you in." She basically cuts him off and says "Yeah, okay but then after that you leave right???"

Sheesh.....chop liver party of 3. My mom, Michael, and myself were like "Ooohhhkay. She will obviously have no problem with separation anxiety this year." (Unlike her mother.) So we took the pics, made it quick, hugs, kisses, and were out the door. Her school is awesome and has great teachers and a great curriculum so it took me 2 days to wrap my head around the fact that she will be fine. However, don't get me started on how terrible the parking lot situation is. By today I have just started parking across the street and avoiding that mess altogether.

So I think we have found our rhythm. Things are moving along smoothly and I am remembering to breath.....

Life is good and I have survived my kids 1st day of school. How about you? Oh and did anyone else cry as much as me? It was a 4 Kleenex morning. At one point, I was so bleary eyed that I said "Michael lets go to the Boohoo Breakfast the school is holding." We walked over to the building only for me to re-read the sign and realize it said "The KINDERGARTEN Boohoo Breakfast" and then I started crying all over again and said "What? Just cause he's not in Kindergarten I'm just supposed to get over it?!?!" Which resulted in everyone over 3 foot tall looking and laughing at me. Yes, I was "that mom" on my kids first day back.

My best,

Songs of the Week: To switch it up this time I will share with you the family back to school playlist. Each one of us picked a song and we put all 4 into a Great Morning Mix. Enjoy! (Click on each italicized song title to be taken to it on YouTube)

Me - Dobie Gray "Drift Away" (my kids sing a mean rendition of this song that slays me.)

Michael - Florence + The Machine "Dog Days Are Over" (he is a drums man)

Baby Boy - Kings of Leon "Use Somebody" (my boys deep what can I say?)

Baby Girl - Train "Hey Soul Sister" (we always say "blah-blah" over the virgin part and replaced drug with love during that 'the way you cut a rug' verse. Yes, it's a very "G"-rated ship we run here...)

What to Do, What to Do

2011-08-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Today I want to talk about my life. Not necessarily my natural ways life, but just life...You guys know that my kids are both starting school this year simultaneously right? Yep, they are. My youngest child is starting Pre-K and my oldest is going into 1st grade.

That has basically put my brain and emotions into a dive bomb that will probably crash and burn come Monday when we are down to zero hour and it's actually time to get into the van and whisk everybody off to all corners of town and to each persons respective space. I put in a request with Michael that he take a few hours off of work that morning just so that he can hold my hand as we give away our babies......(holding back tears now...)

It's so daunting in my head. I know they will be okay, but you never really know they will be okay right? I was watching everyone like a hawk last night at Open House and other than the janitor who gave my kid a creepy kinda smile (or was it just an innocent smile that lingered too long?) Nah...I'm sticking with creepy kinda smile, other than that everyone at the school was awesome and the teacher shuffling they did over the summer paid off big time for my boy because it looks like he scored a really great and enthusiastic teacher.

I'm so selfish and indecisive. About halfway through the summer I was texting my husband like mad saying "Come get these kids! I'm done!" knowing full well he couldn't leave his job and get them. I think that just saying those words would bring me back to earth and realize that the kids weren't being soooo bad that I had to banish them off to their dad's boring ol' job. So on any given day at any given hour I was either elated that I was a mother because we were sharing story time and painting together on the living room floor and getting along or I was crying because they broke another one of my electronics while running through the house just seconds after I explicitly told them that running in the house could result in an injury or them breaking something.

*!CRASH!#

And boom goes the dynamite....But now I'm truly facing reality. Our summer is done, the school shopping has begun, the haircuts are this weekend, the food lists are shaping up nicely, the house cleaning is wrapping up, and a new era is dawning on this here family.

What am I to do, I know that I will start working but I don't know what to do with a silent house because I haven't had one in 6 years. It should be interesting.

Here's something though. I entered a contest at Subway to earn a free membership for a year to my local gym or a one week free trial and I know that everyone gets the 1 week because that's how gyms try and build up memberships so I wasn't surprised when I got the call. So now that's part of my plan.

I think I'll go to the gym, walk on the treadmill while watching food network - who does that? I do that - and cry into my protein shake. Yeah......that sounds like a plan.

What about any of you mothers and fathers out there? Is it going to be a hard transition back to school life or are you waiting to get your River Dance on once that school bell rings? What kind of job do you think I should get? Keep blogging or get a "real job"? ;0)

Side note blog Q: What do you think of the bright green link color that I use? Do you like it or do you wish it was darker? Does it make your eyes go wonky? I just want to accommodate all you fine folks, so let me know in the comments whachya think.

My best,

The Eyes Need It

2011-08-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

I am one Dr.'s visit away from this being my prescription...somethings gotta be done.

I have had glasses for what feels like all my life. I did take a little detour into contacts lenses back in my early 20's but that lasted for only about a year before I ended up in the ER with corneal abrasions. Yes that does hurt as bad as it sounds. And because of my lack of drive to take the contacts out one night after a hard day of working with masons on a volunteer construction project - by the end of that ER visit I was gently scolded by the Dr. not to wear them again for at least a year. I needed to be back in glasses to let my cornea heal thyself.

And they have. 5 years later and I am thinking about contacts again. I'm nervous though that my daughter won't love me anymore guys. Here's why. Whenever she sees me take off my glasses for even a moment to wipe them off she tilts her head to the side and gives me a scowl and says "You don't look like my mommy....you don't look like anybody's mommy..." Are you kidding me? Is she not laying it on Lifetime Movie thick? I just realize though that my kids have never gotten to know me without glasses on. So to them it's just another extension of mommy. My son is down with it though, he tells me I look pretty without my glasses. (We know who won't be marrying a librarian anytime soon!)

Now since yesterdays post on Glaucoma was added to this here blog, I can't stop thinking about my eyes and then I figured that you guys would want to know some ways how to strengthen your eyes - preferably without laser beams and knives right? So here are just a few easy natural ways to strengthen our eyesight and vision in the comfort of our own homes, or plane, train and automobile.

adapted from steven aitchison

1) Blink. Yep, just simply blinking during the day helps keep the eyes fresh and focused. Blink every 3-4 seconds for 2 minutes. It's also a good thing to do during conversations to make the other party not feel threatened and you will appear relaxed and friendly.

2) Palming. Take an eye break. This is great if you are a computer nerd like myself. Palming helps relieve any stress around the eyes and relaxes them.

Get in a comfortable position leaning forward on a desk or with your elbows resting on your knees or thighs.
Put your 2 hands over your eyes in a cupping manner (like parenthesis) with your fingers on your forehead and the heel of your hand will rest on your cheekbone.
Do this for a few minutes and it should help to decloud and rest your eyes for a bit.

3) Figure eight. This helps with flexibility. Basically imagine an upright figure eight in front of you and "trace" it by just using your eyeballs. Go in one direction for a few minutes and then switch going the other direction. It feels super weird at first but then you get the hang of it. You might end up doing a little Stevie Wonder swirl with your neck, but fight the urge - just the eyes, just the eyes.

These are just a few ways to strengthen your eyes naturally. If your eyesight is terrible like myself, then this will take some daily use over a good period of time before you may start seeing results. So hopefully this helps in the building up of our corneas.

My best,

The "Eyes" Have It

2011-08-17T07:29:00.001-07:00

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that your eye has over 2 million working parts? - Convery Optometrists

Okay so today is a quick how do ya do. My kids start school on Monday, I still have shopping to get done, house cleaning to do, a pantry to shop for, and my poor Papa had what Dr.'s are describing as a mild stroke and now he is in a "rehab" facility - aka Nursing Home - getting some serious physical therapy. (Wow. I guess I can do a long story short - who knew?) So on the run I am - spoken like a true Yoda wannabe...

Today I just have a much needed Public Service Announcement to make. Unpaid of course, but I'm so loaded I can do free work all over the place and not even feel it - pshhh, yeah right! No, seriously though, hear what I am trying to say.

My mom has bad eyesight due to glaucoma. Or "The G" as we like to call it around here. I recently went with her on her Doc visit and the Doctor said that her vision is basically 90% gone in one eye. BUT she could have been treated alot sooner if she made regular visits to her optometrist who would have likely caught it and been able to treat it. It seems to be genetic too. The Dr. looked at me and said "You should get checked young lady." After the slight flush that 'young lady' gave me, I realized that he had said something alarming. "Excuse me? I need to get checked for what again?" "Yes, this disease tends to run in the family so get checked as soon as possible and often to get early detection going."

Great. One more thing to add the list. But....the most important in my book. Eyes are the window to our souls some say and also our window to freedom. So guess what I will be doing next week? Yep. Making an appointment for these peepers to get their test on.

Seeing with our eyes are beautiful no? Yes. So get on the horn and call your Eye Dr. as well. Take the initiative because it's for our own eye safety.

*For more information and many interesting facts on glaucoma go check out the Glaucoma Research Foundation website here.

My best,

5 Natural Must Haves For Your Purse

2011-08-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...the average size of woman's purse is anywhere from 7-10 lbs.!? - handbagheaven.com

The above mentioned handbag site has fabulous bag by the way in some really great prices too so go check them out. Like today. Just finish reading this first.

My purse is definitely the junk drawer of my entire familys outside life. Between my 2 kids and husband, at any given moment my purse might contain band-aids, batteries, a ruler (?), 3 different candy scented Strawberry Shortcake dolls, about 5 expired coupons for stuff that I really wish I had bought and something sweet wrapped in plastic.

But there are definitely a few things that I need to constantly have in that purse to ensure that I don't walk around town looking like I just stepped off the set of "Thriller" as an extra. These are things that always get the mucho primo real estate spot of the huge zippered pouch at the top inside of the bag.

My Top 5 Natural Products To Have In Your Purse at Any Given Moment

1. eos lip balm - (yellow egg-shaped container)for chapped lip touch-ups.

2. alba un-petroleum Jelly - (orangey bottle with blue writing) for hydrating my sometimes ashy hands and legs.

3. Alvera Aloe & Almonds All Natural Roll-On Deodorant - for those on-the-go freshening ups.

4. Dollar Tree Lip Balm for $1 - you can never have enough lip balm in your purse is my motto.

5. bare minerals lip gloss - (slim pink bottle with black top) a girl needs a little flash of color on her lips right? This one adds just the right amount. A nice balance between Mimi Bobeck and Susan Boyle (the early years).

So these are my 5 essentials, must haves and can't leave home without'ems. Now I let you take a peek into my cavernous purse, what's in yours? Same, different, or more lint than anything else? Let's talk about it.

My best,

Song of the Week: I used to dance like a crazy person to this when I was pregnant with my firstborn. After he was born and I would play it his legs and arms would start flailing from the recognition. It's Sarah Slean "Sweet Ones". Click on the title of the song to watch it on YouTube or click on one of the videos with her title from the S.O.T.W. bar on the right.

Pescatarian Update

2011-08-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Today marks one week pescaterian! Other than the occasional headache I am feeling alright. I think the headaches were from not eating at the proper times and I was starving.

Psychologically this is hard at times I won't lie. And I did cheat once but didn't even realize it. Michael my husband was eating chicken nuggets for lunch one day and as he walked by with his plate I just grabbed one and popped it into my mouth. No thought, just did it. It wasn't until hours later that I had that video zooms in on my eyes bugging out in realization of what I did moment. I was like "WHAT DID I JUST (HOURS AGO) DO????" But the flip out lasted like a second and then I was fine. I just told myself to be more careful next time.

Also, I need to do some research on whether or not a person can detox from meat. Do any of you know? I'm looking into it. We'll see. Now although I do eat fish, I have hardly even ate that all week. This week I made one tuna casserole dish and I was kinda skeeved out by the tuna believe it or not. Go figure! The one protein that I was excited that I get to still eat, after cooking it into a meal - I was unimpressed by. Meh, who knows?

I found a couple of really great veggie recipes over at Miss Lycia's blog All Day Natural

I am going to be making, tasting, and enjoying these hopefully this weekend. I will report back to you my findings. In the meantime, do any of you have some great veggie - raw or cooked - recipes just dying to make their way into my life? Feel free to dish 'em out then.

My best,

Time to Face the Music

2011-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

....that music can help support healthy feelings and thoughts, and also improve concentration and attention span? - American Music Therapy Association, Inc.

Today is not a good day. Yesterday was a kinda crummy day as well. The weather won't give. I live in the Sunshine State but with nothing to show for it. Usually, when it rains in Florida it comes and goes pretty quickly. Maybe a 20-25 minute sprinkle with accompanying thunder but then it moves on. I heard that not even too long ago you could time your day down to the minute when there would be a 15 minute sprinkle and that was it for the day. Now we are having full on thunder, lightning, and rain storms for hours on end. And it gets scary I tell ya! Enough to make me curl up in a ball and start praying loudly to God that my large tree out front doesn't crash down on our little ol house. So to say that the weather is getting worse during our rainy season is an understatement.

Can anybody say global warming? Haha!

So I am stuck at home indoors with the kids when I would much rather be outside playing at the park and flying my sons new kites. I'm such a whiny baby today....sorry.

I was reading over my post from yesterday about acidophilus and our innards and I was genuinely surprised and kinda proud of myself for talking about such an adult subject. My husband always says that I can be about as immature as they come sometimes, and the fact that I laugh at nearly any bathroom type humor is a testament to that fact. I have to try and stay young at heart somehow! But brava to me for tackling a delicate topic on here, and now I'm patting myself on the back like I did in 6th grade for passing Science.

Since I will be inside all day I am definitely going to need some tunes. I need as much musical support to give me healthy feelings and thoughts. I don't know about you, but I go stir crazy when I am stuck indoors. Up North when the weather was bad and we were indoors for a bit, it was usually due to snow - but that you can go out and play in to your hearts content. Could you see me in my rain coat today spinning around and jumping in puddles in the middle of this lightning storm? Not so much.

On days where I feel that I might easily get down emotionally (rainy days and Mondays always get meeeee dooooown), then those are the days that music therapy really helps. According to the American Music Therapy Association, which I love that they actually exist, they have documented outcomes from their music therapy research that prove that music can:

Reduce muscle tension
Improve self-esteem
Decrease anxiety/agitation (perfect for when the kids are going for that glass shattering volume)
Improve group cohesiveness (Score! That is exactly what I need today)
Increase motivation
Successful and safe emotional release (feel like crying? go for it. here's why.)

foto from the maynard group

So all bullets point to me playing Pandora all day and a nice mixture of slow and steady Indie and faster paced Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop (only the clean versions mom I promise!)

Play some muzack! It'll make you feel.....great! (If that's what you're going for.)

My best,

*While proofreading I realized that this post sounds like it could have been paid advertisement for the American Music Therapy Association, Inc. buuuut it wasn't. I just like what they're about so I wrote this up.

Gut Check

2011-08-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

FAIR WARNING TO ALL MY MALE READERS....THIS WILL PROBABLY BE A TMI KINDA POST!!!! DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!!!!

Ladies feel free to join in the conversation though, it's important safe body info here.

Today let's talk about our internal plumbing. Alot of times when we get the sniffles, the flu, or a cold we end up in the Doctors office and walk out with that little blue prescription for amoxicillin right? Or penicillin depending on how bad it is. So we fill the script, start on our daily pill popping ways, and wait. Wait for the pain and suffering to end and the antibiotics to kick in right? But while we are waiting - sometimes - something terrible can happen. We can end up with a yeast infection. Yikes! How did that get there?

Let's break it down...

When we are on antibiotics it's like the overachievers of the medical world. They get into our system and just clean house. They don't discriminate. Whether you belong there or not it's kicking you out. And therein lies the trouble. Antibiotics take out even the pro-biotics which are necessary to our general health. In our intestines there is a naturally occurring bacteria called flora (isn't that just the cutest name?) that lives there and it's job is to regulate our digestion and stool patterns. And yeast lives in our intestines too. These two are constantly vying for more space, but generally they keep each other under check and the amounts stay about where they should. Except when we are on antibiotics, because they deplete the good bacterial flora and the yeast then starts to overgrow (is anyone else's brain visual as vivid and epic looking as mine right now?) Overgrown yeast is no joke though. It can lead to a whole host of troubles for us such as:

Thrush (white spots on the inside of the mouth)
Yeast diaper rash
Vaginal yeast infection
Diarrhea
Yeast infection of the breast (news to me!)

Enter superhero music - dun, dun, dun, duuun!!!! And enter acidophilus! Lactobacillus acidophilus to be exact, and L. Acidophilus for short. Pronounced lack-toe-bah-sill-us acid-ah-fill-us. This microorganism lives in the lining of our intestines naturally and it can replenish our bacterial flora and reduce the overgrowth of yeast. Kapow! Take that!

So when you get sick and need to take an antibiotic try and take some additional L. Acidophilus to keep some good probiotics going in that system of yours. It's suggested that you start to take it as a supplement at first sight of any of the above bulleted symptoms or when you start taking antibiotics. Take it for a week after you have finished the antibiotics as well. We want to be as thorough as the antibiotics were right?

Now to get this into your system you can either get the "L" in capsule or powder form at your local health food store or if you aren't into that you can take it by getting some particular foods at the grocery store that have acidophilus in them naturally. Enter 2nd bulleted list....

Yogurt - this is the most common source of "L.A." You see that liquid film on top? Don't throw it out! Because it contains alot of the vital acidophilus you will need. Just mix it in with the rest. Also look for the label that says "contains live and active cultures". (You don't want any old fuddy duddy cultures now would you?)
Energy bars - Luna bars contain the prebiotic inulin which contains elements that will promote good bacterial growth in the belly.
Wildwood Probiotic Hummus - in a variety of flavors.
Nancy's Cultured Sour Cream - cute review found here.

It's also recommended that with the yogurt you should get the one with the least amount of added sugar because that can counteract and deplete the effectiveness of the acidophilus.

*Note: This post was made by a non Doctor so be sure to inform your Doctor if you plan on implementing any of these products along with your medicine so as to avoid any medicinal contradictions.

Which one of these methods do you think you might try? Are there any other ways that you get your acidophilus on? Let's talk.

My best,

*Yogurt pic from yogurtstarter.org

One Day at A Time

2011-08-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

My journey towards vegatarianism is just rolling right along. Todays short post is just a quick little update....

So far, so good. Since Thursdays post about me becoming a vegetarian and taking a week off from meat to decide if I'm strong enough, have enough willpower, am doing this for the right reasons, etc., etcetera.....I have been holding steady. We ate out most of the weekend (because we are a family on the move) and I was able to find decent food all over town.

I also made another decision. You might think less of me but I'm prepared for that and I'm okay with it. I've decided that I will probably be a pescatarian. That is someone whose diet mainly consists of fruits and vegetables but also seafood. So I can eat fish. And no other meats. I think that is a pretty decent looking menu for my everyday yeah?

Just wanted to fill you in on my progress thus far and make a noise so you don't think I croaked from lack of burger meat.

Now my only thing I am currently kicking around is whether or not to give up eggs. Hmmm....any thoughts on the matter? Let me know y'all.

My best,

Song of the Week: "Peaches" by The Presidents of The United States of America. Why not?

Weekend Roundup (Aug. 11)

2011-08-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Didn't get to be here all week with the rest of us? Tis okay. I've rounded up the week in a nice little bundle for you to peruse at your leisure.

Monday, Don't Cross Me (which for some strange reason Blogger labeled it as a Sunday post - why I aughta!) was all about the legs and how to properly sit and cross them so you ladies and gentlemen can reduce the appearance of varicose veins.

Tuesday, Talking About Legs was me recalling a nifty trick I read on how to get firm Tina Turner-esque legs by applying your lotion in this special kinda way.

Look at the legs on her! Yeah, she must work out...

Wednesday, Let's Face It looking for a great DIY, easy on the wallet, probably have everything on hand already kind of face mask? Then enjoy this Oatmeal & Yogurt Face Mask recipe.

Thursday, To V or Not to V I have decided to do my first real vegetarian test run. One week. One lady. No rules. Who will come out the victor?

Friday, Seal in that Moisture this is a review of a great all natural organic honey moisturizing lotion by the Company Made From Earth.

Now that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Your Weekend Roundup for the week.

See ya's Monday!

My best,

Seal in that Moisture

2011-08-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Remember Wednesday when I shared that awesome oatmeal yogurt face mask with you? Well in the directives I told you at the end to add your moisturizer of choice to seal in that moisture that your face was still riding high on.

I will share with you the moisturizer that I used. The lovely people over at Made from Earth sent me a sample package a few months ago to test out and review so today I will be doing their holistic honey body lotion review.

Made from Earth holistic honey body lotion

photo lifted from madefromearth website

In the words of the Company, "Made from Earth is an organic, holistic and healthy supplier of organic body lotions, organic face creams, and, organic lip balms to meet your healthy skin care needs." Which is just the kind of company we all love!

This pretty much all natural gem of a lotion is great for sealing in that moisture after a steam shower or face mask application. It will help keep that dewy supple youth like skin going long after the scrubs and masks are taken off. (I'm on 2 days post face mask and my face still feels soft.) The rarely found organic honey in the lotion is a nice touch because honey is a natural humectant (here comes the science!) Humectants are a molecular substance that preserves the moisture or water content of the skin. So if you tend to have dry skin then this will be your jam and this is the lotion to go with. Honey naturally hydrates which means adds water and also has antioxidant properties that will be deposited into your skin. For hours after I applied this lotion to my face it felt ah-may-zing! "Angelic" and "babys bottom" are key words that come to mind when I would describe how good my face felt and feels still.

The directions say to apply it to skin in a circular motion and then after it is absorbed, do a second rub down to ensure it really sticks I guess. This lotion really works and my only kvetch is that it doesn't smell the greatest. It doesn't give off a tremendous honey scent, it's kinda more like an alcoholy kinda smell. But being in the natural world you come to expect some things not to always smell like lavender fields.

Specs: 8 oz. bottle (it's a pretty tall green slender bottle) for $29.99. This is a really great Company with some really nice products so go and check them out over at their website.

My best,

To V or Not to V

2011-08-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

This post is going to be a call to all you Vegetarians. At first you might hate me, but I hope by the end of this you will like me again. It'll end well you'll see.

Okay so I'll admit that I was one of those "What a fad jumper-onner!" kind of people whenever I heard someone had switched over to being Vegetarian. I would give them grief and eat my hamburgers all opened mouth and slovenly while mouthing and mumbling "Mmmm....meat!"

I would laugh at all the jokes:

"If God intended us not to eat meat, he wouldn't have made them so delicious." (Not my joke I swear.)

foto from cheezburger.com

So you could imagine my concern when one day my internal Lynn (yes she has a Minnesotan accent like the mom from "Bobby's World") said as I was biting into a juicy hormone laden burger, "Ya know Lynn, this here meats probly not good for ya. You should become one of those um, whatcha call 'ems....uhhhh ya, vegetarians!" I was shocked. I looked around to see if anyone else heard internal Lynn because sometimes she shouts to get her point across. But ever since that day I have been coming back to that thought more often than ever. I feel like I am on the precipice of taking that leap again and going from being an outsider looking in, to finally being a full fledged card-carrying Leaping Bunny™ approved V.

What is taking me so long? Fear. I'm a big fat scaredy cat. I am overwhelmed with the thought of having to actually plan out meals that will give me enough nutrition and not make my hair fall out. I also don't want to drop to 95 lbs. in a month due to no actual body fat and a lack of protein. All things that I'm sure won't ever happen, but I am just a drama queen at heart so go with it okay? It just seems overwhelming changing such a large part of my life. You guys know me and know that I love to eat. I love all the different varieties of food. I love how versatile chicken is and how many different layers you can throw on a burger and call it a meal.

But I know there are more benefits than downfalls if and when I make the switch. I have been following a lot of really impressive Vegetarians online for a few years now and they just seem to be so healthy. Their hair is always so shiny and vibrant looking. They look well rested. Not to say that their lives are perfect or they can see through walls or anything fancy like that, but they just seem.....content. Yeah content, that's a good way to put it.

And I want to be content with my food too. I am ready I believe. So here is what I am proposing to myself, and to you because I do better when I am held accountable to others, I am going to see if I can go one week without meat and see if I miss it to the point of delirium. If I can't hack it then I can't hack it. But if I find that I was able to find suitable non-meat choices while dining out and dining in and can find awesome recipes that I can conquer at home then I am in like Flynn and so long Annual Carnivore Convention (that's not a real thing, so you don't have to Google it. Oops wait! I just Googled it and turns out it is a real thing but ironically enough it's about the preservation and protection of certain carnivorous species.)

I am really going to do it guys, I mean it. But I need some encouragement from you already there Vegetarians. What made you make the lifestyle change? Are there any books you can recommend that can help me see the benefits and transition me easily? Can any of you really see through walls? Cause I would really love that superpower. That and the ability to fly so I can save on airfare while still seeing my loved ones across the globe.

But lets dish. What have you all heard about V's? Know any good jokes?

My best,

Let's Face It

2011-08-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

We all love face masks and facials don't we? I know I appreciate a spa day at home now and again. And again, and again, and again. <---did anyone else suffer through "Dude Where's My Car" back in the day? Back to my face. It's looking rough these days, I'm not going to lie. The right side looks alright but the left side has been looking like the dark side of the moon. You know, the side with all the craters and bumps all over it. The side the moon would rather you not photograph.

So today I am getting tough with my tough skin. I have a combo pack of sorts going on. My whole face has different types of skin in all different areas. My chin is dryer than my cheeks, but right below my eyes it is usually dry also. Then my T Zone (that consists of the forehead and the bridge of your nose - that form a T) is usually looking like Death Valley it's so dry. But get this, my temples are like an oil slick just happened. Is that enough descriptives for you? I tell ya I am nothing if not thorough. I should so work for The Home Shopping Network.

I am going to start trying different face masks and reporting back to you on them on here so we can all benefit together. I know, gather in, group hug.

Let's get to it shall we?

I decided that a multi-purpose, all skin types kinda mask was what I needed. If you are looking for the same then here is what you will be needing...recipe adapted from beauty.about.com

Oatmeal and Yogurt Face Mask

1 tbsp oatmeal, finely ground

1 tbsp live, organic yogurt (I just used my plain unorganic yogurt)

A few drops of honey

* I ground the oatmeal for a few seconds in the blender until nicely ground. Put it in a bowl.

*Add the yogurt to the oats and mix em up.

*Warm up the honey in the microwave for around 7 seconds.

*Add honey. Mix it all together.

*Apply to face and leave on for 10-15 minutes.

let the aborigine jokes begin...

*Rinse off with warm water gently, then apply a warm washcloth to the face for 1 minute.

*Apply moisturizer of your choice to seal in the moisture.

Ooo-la-la!

And you are done and your face feels amazing and looks wonderful! My skin is so soft that my baby girl comes up to me and touches it and says "Feeeeeels Soooooft!"

Come on and try it and tell me your thoughts on the matter.

My best,

Talking About Legs

2011-08-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

Now I am on a complete leg kick. Ba-doom-boom! Yesterdays post on spider veins got me thinking about legs and what other things I have learned about them in my lifetime.

I can't think of a pair of more famous legs than Tina Turners, can you? Ever since I was a little girl and would watch her dance on MTV (back when they still played actual music videos) I would think "How does she keep her legs so fit?" And I vowed to keep my legs in T.T. shape well into my 50's like she has. (Sidenote: I just checked Google and she is actually in her 70's now. Awwwwesome Saaaaauuce!)

foto courtesy weeseeyou.com

When I was younger my mom sold Avon. She would fill the orders for the moms in the neighborhood and when the orders came in we would set up an assembly line of sorts in the living room and then she would send me on my way with a big Avon bag full of products to deliver to her customers. How I never got jumped for my perfumes and sparkly jewelry was always a mystery. Actually not really, I grew up in the suburbs of NY and it was the 80's. Kidnapping wasn't really the epidemic it is today. It was a pretty safe time.

Anywhoooo....I was a wordy nerdy little kid. I read everything I could get my hands on. I highlighted words in my dictionary (yes I most certainly did), I would read the toothpaste bottle while brushing my teeth in the bathroom, the daily paper, all 4 sides of the cereal box at breakfast. I LOVED TO READ I TELL YA! And I still do. So because of this my mom would get in her Avon books and I would read them from cover to cover and whenever someone wanted to know if there was a certain product available my mom would turn to her little Rain Woman (moi) and ask me and I would chime in after pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose closer to my eyes and in my best Steve Urkel voice "Why yes mother. It is on such and such a page." What a nerd...haha!

One of the editions I remember reading was all about the legs. They had mothers and daughters standing side by side and showing their legs and how fit they were even though the mothers were like in their 40's and 50's and their daughters were teenagers and in their 20's and 30's. And they all had fabulous legs. One mother daughter duo had some exceptional T.T. legs and I remember it clearly. They asked the daughter (who was in her early 30's)

Avon: "How do you keep your legs in such good shape? You have no cellulite to speak of."

Daughter: "Well my mother told me that to ensure good legs, when I apply my lotion that I should rub up."

And ever since then, that is how I have applied my lotion. In an upward sweeping motion. And so far, so good. Sometimes you get the good gene pool, but sometimes just tweaking an everyday routine can make a nice difference.

So. Next time you are applying your lotion start from your ankles and pull upwards. This helps with circulation and drainage of any collected fats. Also, ease up on the sweeter things in life. Like the cookies, the cakes, the pies and the whatnot. I noticed that whenever I went on my infamous sugar binges is when I would start to get a little cottage cheesiness in the thighs. Be forewarned y'all because it can happen to you too! (hmm...all that was missing for that last sentence was a campfire and a flashlight under my chin)

What about you? Have any good tips on how to keep your legs Tina Turner toned?

My best,

Don't Cross Me

2011-07-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

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This is a note from your legs. They dropped me an email over the weekend. (How they learned to type I will never know. Every family has a little circus sideshow in em right?) They said that they want to continue looking their best but that we as their masters need to do something to ensure that.

What on earth could that be? I shot back an email asking them what it was that we needed to do and basically their email said "What do we look like, the brains of this outfit? Helloooo, we are legs. We are contacting you so that you can use your noggin and find out the answer to that question for us. Duh." Those legs are a fresh bunch aren't they?

So I took the ball and ran with it. I looked up how to ensure that our legs look their best and one of the ways we can do that is by sitting correctly. When you sit down - ladies and men - how do you cross your legs? Let's see if this visual works...when you sit do you sit like an X or a 4? Get it? I think you get it. For the same reason that I loved Frasier and how they never dumbed it down because they had faith in their audiences knowledge. As do I here.

Now if you sit like a pretzel or cross your legs at the knee that is a no no. Here's why. When you do that you can cut the circulation in your veins and that can lead to none other than those sometimes painful vericose veins or "spider" veins. Those are the blue or red veins that you can really see under the skin that have a jagged tree branch look about them. Our veins have valves that prevent blood from flowing backwards as it pumps through the legs (in my younger years I was a certified phlebotomist), but if the valve becomes weak the blood starts collects back in the vein.

Here are 3 ways to prevent those veins from popping up.

Do not cross your legs at the knees.
Do not wear tight slacks or skin constricting tights. Sorry skinny jeans.
Get moving and walk around about every 30 minutes to get circulation going.

So remember ladies, when you are sitting down and want to look cute, even though you may want to sit like this out of habit....

Instead, try and sit like this. We call this the "Princess Pose" in our house. Just cross them at the ankles.

And for the fellas, try this out for size...cause spider veins don't discriminate, they can affect you too!

Sheesh...what does this family have against socks and shoes?

Healthy legs for one and all. Hopefully this post will appease "the legs" and I won't get any more passive aggressive emails from them anytime soon.

My best,

Song of the Week: This weeks song is from one of my favorite coming of age bands. OK Go has had some of the best music I have ever owned. They also have some of the best music videos as well. This weeks song has 2 pretty cool versions of "This Too Shall Pass" here and here. I have a hard time picking my favorite between the two. Which one do you like best?

Seventh Gen...Again

2011-07-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

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I love my kitchen don't get me wrong....

But do you see what is missing in this picture? I'll give you one guess. It rhymes with fishwasher. And it would make my life a whole lot easier.

Yep, hence the 2nd sink drainer full o' dishes. We live in a cute little ranch style house built in 1971 that fulfills most of my dreams - not all- but it's a house and a place to lay my head at night. I don't know what the builders had against dishwashers when they put cement to brick to make this place but since they became popular in houses since the 50's I say there is really no excuse. Man, I'm kinda cranky today aren't I? I'm going to have to figure out where this animosity is coming from. It's not good for my old heart.

Oh wait I know what it is...it's the fact that I was up until midnight doing dishes because we DON'T HAVE A DISHWASHER!!!! I'm just kidding (mostly) I am not that tore up over the fact that I have to wash my dishes by hand. I'm romanticizing the dishwasher in my head, but the more I think about it the more I remember how much of a pain it was in our last place. By the time we moved out we were having to practically clean the dish ourselves anyway before putting it into the d.w. (dishwasher for times sake. I'm babysitting 4 kids today so between naps, these fingers, they are a-flyin'!) If we didn't wash off the dish and get the food off of it beforehand, then when it came out of the d.w. it would have even more food on it and even worse it would be baked on from the steam dry we would put it through! Talk about torture.

And don't even get me going on water spots....oy! I must digress before the vein in my neck makes an appearance. The real reason that I don't miss having a d.w. these days is because I have a great dish soap. Let me tell you about it.

seventh GENERATION

Natural Dish Liquid

Free & Clear

It is I'm going to say about 98% all natural because there are 2 ingredients I'm unsure of. Wait for it. Methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone. Say that 1 times fast. It's hard enough right? But these two mamma jammas are the synthetic preservatives used in the soap. Some sites have said they aren't the best and to keep an eye out for them. Like, don't trust them to house sit anytime soon.

The bottle says that it is touch on grease, hypoallergenic and non-toxic. I agree. My skin isn't itchy or burning afterwards nor am I sneezing or gagging either. And I'm down with that. It's the preferred liquid that I want to expose my pores to on a daily basis. It gives a good lather, not a ton, but enough to get that feeling like something wonderful is happening.

I bought it for around $3 bucks at my local wal mart. Plus you could probably score it cheaper because their website seventhgeneration.com usually have coupons for moneys off their products. Like right now they have 50¢ off of their diapers, wipes, and training pants. Thank you Sev Gen (okay now I'm just being lazy).

So that is my suggestion to you for your safe beauty to flourish even in the kitchen. Elbow deep in caked on mac-n-cheese plates.

Do you have a favorite dish soap? Am I the only one in todays modern world without a dishwasher? Come on, misery loves company, so all you non-d.w.ers sound off. You are not alone anymore.

My best,

* Wonder why my title says Seventh Gen...Again? Because I wrote about them awhile back in '09 right here. So catch up with me, won't you?

* Legal words here...this post wasn't sponsored and no monies have switched hands or PayPals for that matter. Just a nice product that I thought the masses would like just as much as me.

Cry Me a River

2011-07-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

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Did You Know...

...that emotional tears differ chemically from tears caused by cutting onions? - Dr. William Frey, tear expert

Yes, to quote from the talented but a hot mess in his personal life Justin Timberlake (seriously, who dates that many beautiful gals and never locks it down with a ring like that?) - "cry me a river". Really, go ahead and do it because this post will be about how permitted it is and all the health benefits you will gain by just letting go.

Sometimes crummy things happen to us. Whether we are young or old, things can affect us. When I was younger, whenever my bros would do something to irk me I would let an Aretha-sized scream and start crying until I developed a headache. Or until I got my way, whichever came first. And I won't lie and say I never got my way because come on, I was the only girl out of 4 brothers. I got my way lots of times.

But as I get older there are some crazy things that happen in life that just happen to everyone on the planet at any given moment. My parents get older. My friends parents are getting older. Sadly, they are dying too. The world is getting crazier by the day. Innocent people get hurt needlessly. Ever since I was old enough to read fluently, I have read the daily paper. I would sit next to my dad at the dining room table and pass parts of the paper to him and we would switch off. It was a nice set up. But since that time, I have been addicted to information and the daily news. Mornings I wake up with my TODAY Show podcast. I catch up on my NBC Nightly News podcast the day after broadcast too. (Side note: so if I am a day late contacting any of you friends or family after a disaster please forgive me!)

But because of being aware of the world and a pretty sensitive person, alot of things affect my heart. And I cry sometimes. But I should really cry more. Life is tough and God gave us all that mechanism in our eyes to help us get through it all. Growing up, whenever I would let out a wail due to my perceived injustice at the hands of my brothers, they would counter with a classic imitation of my exact cry at that moment just to make it even worse for me. It's no wonder that my brothers love that part in Dumb and Dumber where they say "Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?"....yep.

Due to the fact that they did that to me alot I didn't cry as much as a young woman. Like in my teens and early 20's. I didn't like feeling vulnerable. It made me feel weak. When I would cry it would be like a Jerry Seinfeld cry.

The whole game changed when I met and married my husband. He taught me that it's okay to cry and he wouldn't think less of me if I did it openly in the kitchen when the first pot of rice I cooked him as a newlywed turned into a pancake. To this day I still don't know how that happened! But he really helped me to get back in touch with that sentimental center that I shut down in my youth. And I thank him for it. And I might cry right now just thinking about him. Give me a moment....okay. I'm good.

So I know that for myself whenever I cry it is like the best thing I could ever do. It feels like it unclouds my brain, clears out my sinuses, releases tension in my shoulders, and cleans out my eyes. Here are a few more benefits to crying according to Neuroscientist and tear researcher Dr. William H. Frey II, PhD, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Get this, he has spent over 15 years studying crying and tears.

The good Dr. says that "Crying is a natural way to reduce emotional stress that, left unchecked, has negative physical affects on the body, including increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and other stress-related disorders."

Here are 5 reasons that crying is great for your mind, body, and soul:

Crying relieves stress. Ever notice how you can deal better with something big on your plate after a good old cry? Unreleased stress can lead to heart attack and even damage some parts of the brain. So let the emotions go.
Crying lowers blood pressure. Along with blood pressure, your heart rate goes down.
Crying removes toxins. Tears can get rid of chemicals built up during emotional stress.
Crying reduces manganese. Manganese is a mineral that affects mood in our bodies and is found in 30 times greater concentration in tears than in blood serum. Whoa...
Crying is exclusive to humans. No other species cries when faced with stressful situations. Hooray for the human race!

So feel free to pop in "Steel Magnolias", put on some Cat Stevens and Boyz II Men and let those tears overfloweth!

What sets your tears in motion besides bad news? Movies or music? And which ones?

My best,

* The 5 bullets were adapted from "5 Reasons Why Crying is Good for You" from Care2's Marlo Sollitto.

* Crying eye pic taken from www.free-extras.com

My Next 27-30 Days

2011-07-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

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I was going to put a Did You Know bit of information here regarding how long it takes to form a habit, but it seems that the jury is still out to lunch on this one. There are so many numbers floating out there on the correct number of days it actually takes for a new habit to take hold in your life. Anywhere from 21-66 days are what I keep coming across. What a huge discrepancy right? Some people say it depends on the person, so who knows?

All I do know is that I am currently on that journey to finding out exactly how many days it will take this here lady to conform her ways to a better and more proficient way of life. I absolutely need to do this right now because school is actually right around the corner for us down here in Florida. School starts August 22 and I need to be in tip top shape to endure this coming onslaught of academia. This will be the first year that both of my babies will be away from me for a portion of the day. My daughter starts Pre-K and my son starts 1st grade. I am mentally trying to prepare myself for their 1st days of school and hopefully I can avoid the same Great Meltdown of 2009....and the semi-Great Meltdown of 2010...

But I am nothing if not a realist, so I am also preparing my 1st day waterproof makeup look as well! ;o) I know tears of an epic proportion will be shed. Also I am thinking about what my 1st day of school outfit should be. Should I sport a dress or khakis and nice shirt? Who do I want to be this year? Any of you moms out there with kids that aren't in school yet, I give you this warning. After you get out of High School you would think that all the labeling goes by way of the dinosaur right? But alas, enter the kiddies starting school and the weird school label system starts all over again. You've got the Jock parents, the Slacker parents, the Rebel parents....yada, yada, yada. Honestly, I believe that my title was "The Black Mom" because I live in a teeny tiny town with like a 0.8% ethnic population so I was easy to spot all year. How my parents found this town I will never know. Haha!

The next (now 26) couple of days will be me whipping the whole family into a nice routine that will carry on right into the school year. Like I said, alot of places on the "Interweb" said that it takes around 27 days to make a routine stick. I started this routine since Friday of last week, and I failed only 1 day so far. But I am in this to win this dawg, so I am back on track and looking for the win!

Here is an inside peek at the things I am implementing in the whole family and if you have a family that will be the subject of a school schedule sometime in the near future you might want to brush up on some of these things as well.

Since my son has to be at school at the unjust hour of 7:45 a.m. he must rise by 6:45 in order to get up, eat breakfast, brush his teeth and get out the door by 7:20. Ouch right? I suffer too...
The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) suggests that kids of school age between the ages of 3-12 need anywhere from 10-13 hours of sleep (hours vary by age so click on the link for "Children and Sleep" to be taken to an external pop-up guide to find which hours apply to your child)
A well balanced breakfast each morning. Anything containing protein and fiber is a surefire winner.
Laying out clothes the night before saves soooooo much time the next morning. And it cuts down the inevitable whiny "I don't know what to weaaaaaaarr!!!" that a dramatic toddler might yell in your direction at the top of her lungs. Ahem...
Stick. To. The. Routine. Kids absolutely thrive and yearn for a schedule. When they know what is expected of them next, then they feel more comfortable in their roles. Whether at home or at school.

Trust me, if you start your routine anywhere from 21-30 days before it absolutely must be in place then the chances of it not being such a chore for you will more likely be felt. (Did that make any sense?) You know what I mean...

Okay well that's what I'm working on when it comes to my daily routine and vamping up for the school year. Ooo....I'm also gearing up to host a kids clothing swap. Have you ever done such a thing? All we're doing is getting a whole bunch of my girlfriends with kids and just swapping all our old but still good clothes out so we aren't just throwing them out or consigning them while in the meantime the clothes could be put to good use in another household - but for free! Sweet right? You know mamas love a great deal! Can't get any better than this. So that's some excitement coming my way too.

How about you guys? Anyone have other tips on how to prepare mentally and physically for this coming school year? And has anyone done a clothing swap before? Anything I should definitely know to do - because this is my first time hosting one? Let's break comment bread together and let me know y'all!

My best,

Baking Soda Say Wha...??

2011-07-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

To start the week off we are going to go a little light. No chemical compound definitions, no pontificating on my take on the world. Just a light little diddy for us all to think about and hopefully find success in its use.

This past weekend was epic. In fact, I was just typing out weekend and added too many e's for the wee part and almost left it in because it is actually true. We had a weeeeeeeeeeekend! You have to throw your hands up in the air and your head back in order to truly appreciate that word when you say it.

We went to a lovely dinner party Saturday night at a friends house and there we made even more friends and it was just a nice start to some beautiful friendships I believe. Our hosts made a really great spread for us, and when we showed up they were still in the process of adding the final touches. You know - pulling things out of the oven, transferring them to serving dishes, adding garnish, and making the salad.

As "Dee Dee" was preparing the veggies for the salad, she took them to the sink and I noticed she would pick up what looked like a sugar shaker from a diner and shake something white onto the peppers, rub em down, and then rinse them off.

So I asked her "Umm, Dee Dee is that baking soda you're using?"

And she informed me that yes, yes it was. She had read somewhere that it helps get the residue from pesticides off of the produce. And it makes a great wash.

Awesome right? So remember that we really are what we eat, so we need to be conscious of what we are ingesting. Because if we are just eating anything all willy nilly thinking that someone from a Corporation or large business is looking out for our best interests, then we would be doing ourselves a great disservice.

The next time you are using a veggie try using a simple baking soda scrub! It's as simple as that.

How about you? What do you use for a produce rinse or scrub? Do you just eat all willy nilly and let the chips fall where they may? Are you an adventurous Travel Channel type eater? Sound off in the comments.

My best,

Song of the Week: I was actually still tired when I chose this song, but was bright eyed and bushy tailed by the end. It's The Beatles "Good Day Sunshine" and either click on the song title for a YouTube view or watch it from the right hand column. It usually plays at the top of your web page.

Weekend Roundup (7.18.11-7.22.11)

2011-07-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

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Didn't get to be here all week with the rest of us? Tis okay. I've rounded up the week in a nice little bundle for you to peruse at your leisure.

Monday: Munchkin Monday was all about a CNN article called 9 Things You Shouldn't Say to Your Children.

Tuesday: Shrooms - Who Knew? was all about mushrooms and their benefits and I shared an all natural mushroom based Immune Defense pill that I took that cured my strep in 2 days!

Wednesday: Nada. Went on a road trip with the kids so had no time for my bloggin'.

Thursday: Hello Aloe! showed you how aloe can be used to treat burn scarring. There will be a one month update. Nicey nicey.

Friday: A Girl's Gotta Eat (Drink Edition) brought a nice share. I tell about my new water obsession from VOSS. You'll like it too if you can find it in a store near you.

And there you have it. Your Weekend Roundup for the week.

See ya's Monday!

My best,

A Girl's Gotta Eat (Drink Edition)

2011-07-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

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It's been a scorcher for most of the land these last few days hasn't it? My BFF up in Michigan has a set rule. "No visiting Lynn in the summertime due to the ghastly high temperatures native to FL. summers." What a snob right? ;o) Little did she know, but FL is having a pretty tame summer compared to the 3 digits parts of Michigan is pulling out of its hat right now. So I might be flying up to see her instead! My blood has thinned enough being down here for about 4 years, that it can withstand a little heat. Cause I'm strong like bull...

In such crazy hot weather we all need to remember to stay hydrated though and that can be hard sometimes. Especially when you spend alot of time indoors trying to escape the elements. Like moi*. But hydrating indoors is just as important as doing it outdoors because those sun rays find ways to penetrate our blinds and still enter our homes or offices and can dry us out.

Wednesday was a road trip day for me and the kiddies. We had a 2 hour trek ahead of us out to Orlando to my sons dentist. I know, far right? Well the story goes he doesn't like the one in town because the Dentist was a beast to him the 1st time. Scarred him for life with his attitude and the only other Dr. that can sedate him and is a really great Dentist is all the way in Orlando. So there you have it. ROOOOOAD TRIIIIIIIIP!!!

I'm so glad we went too. If I hadn't gone then I would never have met my new aquatic love here....

VOSS artesian water from Norway.

I love it. It's like a piece of artwork in bottle form. Isn't it beautiful? I bought the large 1.5 Pint glass jar at a Publix grocery store for about $4 bucks and change. Since it's glass guess who will be reusing this bad boy over and over again? And I have already. I got the kids the smaller plastic bottles with the same grey top. The bottles are so sleek and streamlined. Beautiful. When do you ever describe your water bottle like that? Okay so I'm gushing all over the bottle art they have going on but what about the contents? I'm not one for a product just because of a good marketing strategy (this blog has taught me to look deeper than that!) and I tell you that the water tastes just as good as it looks. Seriously. It's artesian water extracted from an underground aquifer. These people know what they are doing here.

The Company is beautiful too. Their environmental philosophy and social awareness are worthy of standing hand claps. One of their missions is to become a completely carbon neutral company, so they can one day have a zero carbon emissions footprint. That off the grid kinda stuff you know? In addition, they are in full support of the Voss Foundation - "an independent charity dedicated to providing access to clean drinking water to communities in Sub-Saharan Africa." Their efforts have already affected nearly 100,000 people there. Awesome.

So my word! Do I love this Co. and its water and their earth stance? Yup, yup. And in the words of Mary Murphy, VOSS is on the "HOT TAMALE TRAIN WOOHOOO!!!" (Note: Not that Mary Murphy endorses VOSS but she does endorse hot tamale trains.)

Definitely swing by their website (here) and go all clickety click around and see what my hype is all about.

My best,

Hello Aloe!

2011-07-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

New here? Start here...

See this big mamma jamma?

This is one of our 7 inherited aloe plants that came with the house when we moved in. Yep, 7! And what a wonderful amount to have due to the fact that we have 2 very active youngsters tearing through our lives and in the process racking up far too many bumps, bruises, and scrapes along the way.

But today I am going to show you how aloe can be used in a very useful way. On burns. And sadly I have my own test subject due to the fact that my little daughter was in a family wedding in June just last month. You'll know what I mean in a second. Now my daughter has been blessed with a gorgeous head of curls that can hold nearly any style I put it in, and for the wedding my sis-in-law wanted a french twist up-do with curly bangs. Great. Done. I knew it would look fabulous on the girl so I obliged. The wedding was at 2:00 so knowing my daughter and how much wrangling of a 4 yr old is necessary I started her hair @ 11:00 and was just praying that she didn't find a dirt pit somewhere to jump into between then and the wedding (cause jumping into dirt pits is her bag).

Cut to her sitting in a chair in the living room watching The Emperors New Groove - because David Spade just slays it in that role - and Tom Jones starts singing the Cousco theme song and little Miss decides right at that moment to get all herky jerky and sing along just as I am unrolling the curling iron barrel and yep, wouldn't you know it, the next thing I hear is a blood curdling scream coming from my baby girl. She leaned right into that barrel and it left its mark alright. Poor thing. She has that flawless baby skin still and it pains me that I was the one that wrecked it. For now.

So my plan was to get some aloe and whip that skin back into tip top shape. I have been using it on and off for about a month. But now I have come to the realization that Preschool starts for her in one month (school starts in August down South - interesting right?) and it's time to attack that burn with a vengeance.

Ever since I was a child, I have kept aloe in business because until I took ballet I was a pretty clumsy little bean. And I had more than my fair share of curling iron burns. But no scars to show for it down to this day all thanks to my mom using good ol' "Al". So if you have a child or a grownup with scarring concerns then try this...

1. Cut a nice sized piece off your plant either by hand or by blade. Remember to wash and dry your scissors after so the gel doesn't gum it all up later when it dries.

2. Cut the thorny edges off so as not to get poked. There's nothing worse than getting stabbed under the nail - trust me!

3. You will be left with an aloe piece that looks like this...nice and safe.

4. I squeeze the sides a bit to get some of the aloe juices flowing and easier to spread on the injured area. You can also rip it wide open to get more surface area.

5. Then apply it to the affected area. Voila!

Then go about your day and let the aloe do it's thang. Before you know it, you will hardly even see where the burn was. I will be doing this twice daily for the rest of the month. I also put cocoa butter and vitamin e on it when I remember, but the aloe is the real jam that gets the work done.

I should do a post soley on the benefits of this plant don't ya think? Let me know. Also, how many of you have ever used aloe to cure your cuts, bruises, burns, and whatnot?

My best,

Shrooms - Who Knew?

2011-07-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

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Did You Know...

...the vitamin content of mushrooms is actually similar to the vitamin content found in meat? - forestmushrooms.com

I certainly was not one in the whole know when it came to the shrooms in my life. I have heard things here and there about how beneficial mushrooms can be for our bodies. I once heard about a man that found out he had cancer and he ate nothing but rotten mushrooms for a really long time (a year perhaps?) and the Docs looked at him again and said all the cancer was gone. Maybe it was the fungus amongus that ate it all up? Hmm...

For real though, mushrooms are truly a superfood that should have a nice snuggly spot in our diets. Here are some of the benefits of having a healthy intake of some mushrooms.

According to the above mentioned D.Y.K. site Forest Mushrooms, Inc. says that mushrooms are:

* Low in calories and have no cholesterol. This shouldn't mean that you throw them in a pan filled with oils and butters because that would defeat the purpose and we want your veins to flow nicely.

* Contain the essential mineral Selenium which helps produce antioxidants to neutralize "free radicals" which can cause cell damage. This mineral is also credited for reducing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Whew! Not bad for a days work.

* Potassium - good for the old heart ticker.

* Copper - delivers oxygen to the body.

* 3 B-complex vitamins - riboflavin, healthy skin and vision - niacin, digestive and nervous systems - pantothenic acid, nervous system and hormone production.

So we get it right? These sometimes ugly little fungus are actually great for our bodies! And this summer I learned that firsthand. Listen to my story...

Now I don't know if this happens all the time to me or just lately, but it seems that whenever I get overwhelmed or stressed due to a packed schedule I seem to get strep throat. I got it for the first time in my life this year and since then I am paranoid every time I feel a tickle in my throat.

So recently in June we were getting ready to go away on vacation and I was packing, cleaning, running to the store - you know, the whole gambit - and then on top of that my mom was needing to go to the eye doctor because her eyesight is going (that's a whole nother post that I'll tell you about later) so I lost a day of vacation prep to go about an hour out of town for the appointment. So let's recap. Had vacation we were leaving for in another 2 days, still had laundry to do, had to go on a road trip with my parents and my two toddlers. Nice. You see where my stress is starting to build now?

Okay so the morning that I am due to pick my parents up, I wake up with a little ahem and a tickle in my throat. I walk over to the mirror and check my little throat. My sore little throat. The same sore throat with white spots lining either side. Uh-oh. Why for the sweet love of cherry blossoms would this be happening right now!?! I was mad and disturbed and in pain all in the same morning. Nonetheless, I popped a multi-vitamin and got the parents and made our way out of town. On a pill and a prayer basically.

By the time the appointment was over (3 hours later) I was looking for some serious relief. As we drove out of town there was an oasis on the horizon: A HEALTH FOOD SUPERSTORE!! My kind of people! So we pulled over and I ran in and asked a young man named Dylan what should I use for strep throat - self diagnosed nonetheless. After consulting some of the mega dictionary sized holistic healing naturalist books, he suggested the "Great Shroom" of course, in pill form. Allow me to introduce you. Here it is in person...

Source Naturals Mushroom Immune Defense

16-Mushroom Complex

30 Tablets

Sadly, I don't remember how much I paid for this little bottle of goodness. I woke up that morning with major pain, discomfort, and all around yuckiness. But I kid you not, I took my first dose and felt a little better. Then I took my second dose and felt even better still. By the second day of taking these wonder pills I felt like my old self. I took it for 4 days total just to be on the safe side. I felt fine, no one else got sick around me, I never ended up bed ridden and was able to still gently get through my days. I drank tons of water along the way as well. The while spots were gone after the 1st dose, the swelling was down by the 2nd day and I now swear by this stuff. I want to shout about it from the mountaintops to all my friends and loved ones.

So try it, love it, stock pile it for that inevitable global strep throat outbreak. Or just take it as an awesome supplement. You will be able to see through walls eventually I'm pretty sure.

And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My best,

P.S. This wasn't a paid post. I bought it with my own cheddah and now want to share my knowledge of this product with you. Enjoy!

It's A Munchkin Monday

2011-07-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

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How has your summer been going? Good? I hope so. If you are a parent of a school age child then I'm sure your summer has been just as hectic and draining as mine has. Even on days when we aren't going out of the house - it's hectic. My kids mean well I guess, but sometimes they just don't know any better.

"I'm sorry, correct me if I'm wrong but is that banana on your ceiling?!?"

Yep. That really happened....

So I was rightfully upset right? I should have let that vein that pronounces itself whenever I get mad just do its thing correct? Give them my classic face melting stare that I inherited from my Dear Ol' Dad?

Nope.

foto courtesy gisellehudson.com

Things are different these days. We need to speak to our kids kinder so as not to crush their little spirits. They are like little people with their own thoughts and daily pressures just like you and me. "Which wall shall I color with my crayon today? What color should it be? How big should I draw my masterpiece? Should I go to the bathroom at home on the toilet or in my pants while mom is at the checkout line in the supermarket?" So yes, these young'uns have alot on their minds.

I read this great article on CNN.com titled 9 Things You Shouldn't Say to Your Child by Paula Spencer and whoa and behold she had some great tips on what not to say and what to say to your kid during tense situations. Here is the gist of it.

1) 'Leave me alone!' - For me this happens right around 4:30 when the kids are up from their naps, underfoot and I'm in the trenches of cooking dinner and all touched out (you know what I'm saying? Like I cant take anymore physical contact because they have either been tapping me all day long or asking to be held). I might not say it like that, but I might think it. Dr. Suzette Haden Elgin said that when you constantly say 'don't bother me!' to your kids then they internalize that and take it as "Mom/Dad don't want me around so why bother anymore?" and then as they grow you don't see them as much and as teenagers they don't come to you with anything - good or bad. Makes sense right?

2) 'You're so...' - Mean, Lazy, Dumb, Slow, Clumsy, etc. Kids are very perceptive. Plus they aren't born knowing who they are so they look to us to find that out. If we are constantly labeling them something, then they are going to attach themselves to that and make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. So when when you say "She/He's my shy one." you aren't doing them any favors because then they will think "Well mom says I am so I must be."

3) 'Don't cry.' - Guilty...I grew up with all brothers and all their male friends so I have become a mom that is of the 'toughen up, tis but a flesh wound' variety. But not completely. I do it more with my son to be honest. I know this isn't a good thing and I am seeking support for it. Well she says we shouldn't say this because it minimizes their emotions and makes them feel like their feelings aren't valid. Instead we can say "Honey I know you got scared just now. That was scary huh? Sometimes I get scared too, so why don't we sit here together for a little bit until you feel better. I'll hold your hand until you're ready." Great spin right? ;o)

4) 'Why can't you be more like your...?' - Brother, sister, annoyingly perfect cousin....enter whoever comes to mind. I have seen first-hand what this can do to a child. I knew two brothers very close in age that their parents told them that all the time and down to this day they don't get along. I am positive that that is the reason why. They were always basically pitted against each other, trying to outdo each other all the time. So it's not a good thing to do, it will backfire, and no one wins in the end. Just say no. Comparisons must go!

foto courtesy journal of a mom blog

5) 'You know better than that!' - Don't waste your breath. Because they don't. I read somewhere (not this article) that it takes around 3 seconds for our words to register in a childs brain. I tested it out on my daughter and watched her for 3 seconds and I actually saw when the words hit that part of her brain that must process obedience. It was freaky weird but cool all at the same time! So yeah, don't be surprised if they do the exact opposite of what you want.

6) 'Stop or I'll give you something to cry about.' - Oh come on, she's taking away all my good ones! Haha! Her reasoning is that if you overuse empty threats or never follow through, then they lose their effect and the kids just look at you like "Go ahead, make my day." All because they know you won't do anything and you're all talk with no walk.

7) 'Wait till Daddy gets home!' - Firsthand, my mother used this so much when I was growing up. I think that's why I still have a healthy fear of my father down to this day. I know it kills him that he can't tell me what to do when he visits me in my house. Haha! <--- (one day I am going to have to post a sound bite of how I say my Haha!'s - it's classic....lol....sigh....) But if you constantly put the discipline on the father then that takes away any effectiveness you might have during the day while he is away. Also, the dread you put in the kid for the day is probably punishment enough.

8) 'Hurry up' - Now I'm kind of at a loss as to why this one is really bad. Can any of you show me the light? I really feel like kids have to learn how to hustle sometime.

9) 'Good job!' or 'Good girl/boy!' - A recent study said that American kids are behind in many subjects like Math and Science vs. the rest of the world. But our kids do excel in one arena - self-esteem! You can dew it! So here's the catch...when you praise your kids for something that they normally would do or should do like closing the door behind them, drinking all their juice - then you minimize being good. Everything is good to them then. Nothing is extraordinary. They will think "Yeah, you say that to all the girls and all the guys don't ya?" To avoid that, Paula has some really helpful tips for this last one. So go and click on over to her article and chime in.

Which one of the 9 are you guilty of doing? Do you agree with all 9 things? Am I a horrible mother for saying "Hurry it up and hot step it kiddo!"?

My best,

Song of the Week: Feel like dancin'? Well this will surely get you to that groovy place.

"Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" by Robert Randolph & The Family Band. Heard it on So You Think You Can Dance and I can't get enough of it now.

A Girl's Gotta Eat (Summer Edition)

2011-07-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

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Did You Know...

...that grapes got to America with some help from Franciscan monks? They used them for the purpose of making sacramental wine. - the-perfectshape.com

Here is a nice and simple summer treat when you need a little relief from the heat and your tastebuds are craving something sweet. (Ok, I don't think I could rhyme that much even if I tried! That was purely coincidence. Ha!)

GRAPES! Oh-pa!

Personally, our little family likes red grapes over green grapes. I think because we have had more sweet than sour grapes with the red variety than green. True story. So we bought a bag of grapes this week from the grocery store and I want to show you what one of our favorite summer treats is to eat around here. Frozen grapes!

Step 1: Take out a bunching of grapes from the general population. This will be your frozen bunch. I don't do the whole bag because we like both fresh and frozen at any given moment, so I give the family options still. Cause I'm nice like that. But if you have a larger family, then by all means throw the whole bag in there because these will go quick.

Step 2: Wash the grapes thoroughly.

Step 3: I separate each one from the vine and individually wipe and wash all the gray dirt off in the running water so they are nice and clean and ready for transport.

poor vine looking all naked and lonely

Step 4: Transfer cleaned grapes into a nice plastic bowl or any freezer safe bowl you may have in the house.

Step 5: Place in desired freezer and give it some time in the chiller to get solid as a rock (anyone else hear Tina Turner in their head right now?).

After they are frozen they are great to just grab one here and there and just suck on them till they thaw and then they get all juicy and soft and safe for consumption. And enjoy!

WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR INFANTS AS IT MAY POSE AS A CHOKING HAZARD. USE PRECAUTION WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. We want everyone to be safe and survive the summer.

My best,

Q: What about you's guys? Red or green grapes? Who reigns supreme in your Kitchen Stadium?