Acne Care

Wow, it's been a looong time since I've done a product review.  Either nothing has really caught my attention, or I am just not paying attention.  That said, I knew I had to share with you my newest find.

Bear with me as I give you a little history on my acne problem.  I'm not doing it to be wordy, but I think it makes the point (and love of the product) come across better.  I'll be brief!

high school- I had normal every day teenage acne.  It wasn't bad, and was usually just around "that time of the month".

college- OH MY WORD!  I don't know what happened.  Stress maybe?  I broke out, and I broke out bad.  Nothing would work.  A lot of the scars on my face are from this time.  My mom finally took me to the dermatologist.  I was using special soap, washing my face twice a day, had 3 different topical treatments, and was taking some sort of antibiotic three times a week (at a dollar a pill).  It sort of cleared up, but still wasn't nice and pretty.

after college-I was no longer on my parents insurance.  Luckily my face had cleared up some.  I started using Pro Active.  I think I used it for about a year or so.  I didn't find it all that great.  After that, I just used random over the counter products.  I went through phases of good and bad skin, but it was never where I wanted it.

pre-wedding- Soon after I got engaged with Michael my face broke out again.  BAD!  I did not want to have pimple face on my wedding.  I was pretty sure it was hormonal.  Those breakouts are totally different.  I, once again, went to the dermatologist.  He said he could give me stuff to take or use, but that the best thing I could do was go on birth control.  He said it was definitely hormonal, and the birth control would regulate my hormones.  I was getting ready to go on it anyway, so I killed two birds with one stone.

I have had pretty clear/good skin for the past couple of years because of this.  Then came the time to go off of the birth control... and then I got pregnant and you are limited in what you can use.  You can guess what happened.  The nasty hormonal acne came back.  I asked my doctor what I could use and was using some over the counter proactive type thing.  It wasn't helping. 

Meanwhile, my boss had given me a $50 gift card to Sephora.  I'm sure there is lots of make up or perfume I could have bought, but I just wasn't interested.  I figured I'd just use it on acne treatment.  I asked the salesperson which would be the best and he recommended GO CLEAR hands down.  He said he used it himself and was amazed.  I also had this OK'ed by my doctor, but didn't use it for months because I was finishing up my other stuff.

I have been using it for about a month, maybe a little more, and am in love.  Right now I am just using the cleanser in the morning (when I shower) and the moisturizer.  I am not using the topical treatment because it has salicylic acid.  (Even thought I was given the all clear, and studies have shown the problem with salicylic acid and babies is from the digested version.  Just trying to be safe.)  Even without using the topical treatment, my face has cleared up.  It's super soft and has a nice appearance to it (minus all the scars).  I believe Sephora sells it in two sizes.  I got the smaller version, which was around $40.  The larger version was $75, I believe.  You may be thinking what I was thinking while standing in the store--that's very expensive for face wash.  I would never have bought it had I not had the gift card.  Now, after using it and seeing the results, I'm willing to pay $40 every two months to have a clear face.  So if you have a problem with acne that the over the counter face washes aren't helping with, I encourage you to check out GO CLEAR.  I'm a big fan!

Cool Kid Find

Alright, I realize this is super late in the day and some of you might not check back until tomorrow morning... that's because I wasn't going to post.  I've had yet another busy week and am about to have a busy weekend.  However, I happened to be browsing through the blogs that I follow and came across something I thought was pretty cool.  I know I have a lot of young mom's (at least my cousins) that might appreciate this. 

It's a bumpy name label.  I'm sorry, but I think this is genius!  It's a stretchy plastic band that slides over bottles, sippy cups, etc.  It comes in a variety of different  colors and your child's name is engraved on it.  I'm thinking this would be awesome for kids that go to a daycare or are even dropped off in a church nursery.  It's dishwasher safe, and from what I've heard are super durable and useful.

It's also suppose to be easy for small hands to grip.

Stocking stuffers anyone?

Cholesterol and Oatmeal

High cholesterol is something I have struggled with for most of my life.  In fact, as a preteen I saw a dietitian weekly to try to get my numbers under control.  Sadly, I don't really know what my cholesterol is right now (Gasp--I know, I know), but I can bet they are higher than they need to be.  That being said, when I heard just how good oatmeal was for cholesterol levels, I signed on for a daily oatmeal breakfast.

I mean, I knew oatmeal was good for cholesterol.  You always hear commercials for different foods exclaiming how they will help your numbers.  But here's what made me make the switch...

Little Man's uncle (who is in his late 40's/early 50's) had high cholesterol and was taking medication for it.  He went to get his hair cut one day and his barber mentioned that he was losing his hair.  Turns out that hair loss is a side effect of the medication.  As Papa stated, "He's not a vain man, but who wants to lose their hair?!"  So, being the highly educated man that he is, he "researched the hell out of it" (Papa's words again).  In his research he found that eating oatmeal daily was suppose to dramatically drop his cholesterol levels.  He figured he'd give it a try.  After doing this for some time, he went to get his cholesterol checked and his levels were BETTER than when he was taking MEDICATION!!  Seriously?  Sign me up!  Papa is also eating oatmeal daily now.

Oh, and while good old fashion oats with no yummy goodness on them is probably the preferred type to eat, these men are eating the instant packets that can be heated up in the microwave.  Yes.  Those results came even by eating the sugary kind!  Can you believe it?!  WOO HOO!!

I was eating oatmeal a few mornings a week, but have now switched to every day.  Not only is it good for me (and my cholesterol), but it just makes life easier.  Plus, I have found an oatmeal that I absolutely  L.O.V.E.  Introducing..........

Oh my goodness, it tastes like an oatmeal raisin cookie.  The key is to use milk.  Trust me.  It makes a huge difference.  Little Man, lover of all things oatmeal, now even insists on his being made with milk.  K said she tasted it and was shocked that it was "like a whole different meal" and that it's "soooooo much better" with milk.

I have been eating this oatmeal every day for over a month now and I'm not sick of it yet.  That's how yummy it is!  It calls for half a cup of milk.  I drink the other half a cup to make sure I get a whole cup of milk in.  This meal keeps me full for a while and is low in calories.  I recommend you go get a box today!  (I have found it at Meijer, but not Giant Eagle.)

Stumble Upon

 I wanted to share with you a really cool website.  It's stumbleupon.com.  Michael has been using it for some time now, and I recently just joined the band wagon.  You go and sign up and choose from a list the types of things that interests you.  For example, I chose things like cooking, reading, quotes, stuff related to children, healthy living, etc.  Then, you in essence, channel surf the internet.

This toolbar will be at the top of each page as you stumble.

The left hand corner is the most important and looks like this.

If you want to go to another page you click stumble.  If you enjoy the page you got you click "I like it".  Of course, with the internet there are things that you may stumble upon that you do not like.  In this case you click on the thumbs down.  I haven't stumbled on anything too terrible... just things I don't really agree with or don't find funny.  By giving it a thumbs down, I won't "surf" on to those things again.

On the right side of the tool bar is where you can see your favorites.  These are the things you like.  That way you can always go back and find them if you want.  Also, by liking the pages, you will be more likely to be shown things you actually like.

You can see I have liked 148 things so far! :)

If you click on favorites, all your pages come up and it looks something like this!

If you are ready to get back to stumbling, you just hit the yellow stumble button.

Just in case you are curious as to what kind of things are out there, I got this post, this post, and this post from stumbling around on the internet.  I will warn you that it can become highly addictive!  You just want to know what kind of fun it could stumble upon next.  :)  Have fun stumbling!

P.S.  Huge thanks to my hunk of a husband Michael for helping me figure out how to put pictures of an actual website on here.  You rock!  Love you!

Like Dandelion Dust

About six years ago a friend introduced me to Karen Kingsbury books.  I wasn't much of a recreational reader at the time.  I was a few short years out of college and wading my way through my first years of teaching.  She promised that I would love the Redemption Series, and she was right.  I read the first one in days and was hooked.  I quickly finished the five books in the series and moved on to any other Karen Kingsbury book I could find.  She became one of my favorite authors and I fell in love with the Baxter family.  I have now read over 40 books by her and they keep coming!  (I must admit, after reading so many, they do become a little predictable, but I'm invested now!:)

Well, one of Karen's books has been made into a movie!  I am so excited!!

While Karen is mainly a (New York Time's Best Selling) Christian Fiction author, the movie is not necessarily "Christian".  It is a movie with a good message that is void of all the garbage of modern day movies.  Personally, I am thrilled that more and more of these movies are popping up.  It's time to bring back some sort of standard.  We like to "vote" and support these films (no matter how hokey the acting may be--Facing the Giants anyone?) by going on opening weekend.  I want the industry to know that there are people out there wanting more morally friendly movies.

This movie opens today in some places, next weekend in others, and then the following weekend elsewhere.  It is limited in availability and isn't in all cities.  You can check out if it is in your area (and watch a trailer) here.  It is only in one theater here in Columbus and doesn't open until next weekend.  I am looking forward to it!  I encourage you to check it out... at least watch the trailer! :)

Happy Friday Friends!

Clinically Tested Deodorant

Thankfully I am not one of those people that have a perspiration problem.  I don't "pit out" or stain my clothing.  Unless I am in a really hot environment (or nervous), I don't have any issues.  That brings me to this past summer.  You may remember that I mentioned the ridiculous amount of HOT days we had.  My life with Little Man did not stop because of a little heat!  Unfortunately, we would do our activities in the morning, so if I was in the blazing sun at 10 in the morning and got super hot and sweaty, it was game over.  No one likes to feel like they are sticky or stinky for the rest of the day.  I had remembered hearing my cousins talk about using a clinically tested deodorant, so I called to get some information.

I picked up this.

I didn't know what to expect, but I really like it.  It's a little more expensive than most deodorants out there (around $7), but there are coupons out there for $2 off.

The direction was to put it on at night, but I didn't like that so much.  I put it on in the morning like regular.  It says to put "two clicks" on each arm.  You'll know what that means when you buy the stuff, but it does really work all day long.  By using "two clicks" a day, it last me almost two months exactly.

So you may think it's weird that I'm talking about a personal issue such as perspiration.  Well, today is September 23rd and it's suppose to be NINETY FOUR FREAKING DEGREES here.  I thought it was as good as time as any.  I like sharing good finds.  Hopefully one of you can benefit from this! :)

Turbo Snake

This post is brought to you by my dear husband Michael.  OK.  He's not writing this post, but he suggested I post about it. :)

We have a little drainage problem.  For whatever reason, our sinks and tub get backed up often.  We've been using drano and/or bleach to get them clear.  (And by "we", I definitely mean Michael).  We heard good things about Turbo Snake and when we saw it at our grocery store, we went ahead and picked it up.

Michael used it for the first time last night and was very happy with it.  He pulled out all sorts of gunk.

 It is only about $10 and can be reused, so it will be much cheaper than pouring a whole bottle of bleach down every month and a half and hoping it works.  So if you have some clogged up drains, we are recommending the Turbo Snake! :)

Word World

I love WordWorld.  It's a kids show on PBS Kids and I thought I'd share it for any parents (or grandparents) out there who are unaware.  There are all sorts of philosophies out there about when kids should watch TV and how much they should watch.  Personally, I've found that parents tend to go to extremes.  They are either against TV altogether, or they allow too much.  I don't have a problem with children watching TV.  Actually, I've found that now days, there are more educational shows than there are mindless shows for little kids.  As always, I think you need balance.  I don't think television should be used as a babysitter, nor do I think it needs to be on at all times.  But kids learn in a variety of ways, and often education hidden in entertainment is the best way.

Here's what the website said.  I thought they could say it better than I could.

Come along for an adventurous romp into a colorful, vibrant world of words with the lovable, legible WordFriends–animals whose bodies are made up of the letters that spell the word they are.....

The WordFriends go on comic adventures and face challenges that can only be resolved with the right word. That word is built letter by letter, sound by sound, during the funky “Build a Word” song at the end of every episode. Once the word is built, it “morphs”–comes alive–into the thing it is!

Word building reinforces the pre-reading concept that letters (and their sounds) make words, and that words have real meaning…and power. The series also introduces literacy concepts that preschoolers will encounter as they become readers, such as sounding out letters and rhyming. But most of all, WordWorld helps children get excited about reading and see words as their friends.

The curriculum of WordWorld is designed to introduce, support and foster emergent literacy skills in children ages three to five. The curriculum draws from four skill sets critical for young children’s emergent literacy: print awareness, phonological sensitivity and letter knowledge, comprehension (including vocabulary development) and socio-emotional skills.

 You can go here to see when it's on in your area... or, you can check out the DVD's at the library.

LUNA Protein Bars

As much as I would love to eat only "clean" food, it's just not going to happen at this point in my life.  I eat relatively healthy.  I love fruits and vegetables!  Let's be honest though, sometimes we all find ourselves in the position where we just need to grab something quick.  For me, this tends to be mid mornings when I am running Little Man all over the place.  Not only do I want something quick, but I wants something that is going to hold me until lunch time.  I have tried many go to bars (healthy and non healthy alike), and have finally found one that works.  It's the LUNA Protein Bars.

LUNA bars have been around for a while, but the protein bars are relatively new.  Luna Bars are the sister company of CLIF bars and are meant for women.

These bars are 180 calories (190 for the peanut butter one), which is similar or less than most bars out there.  However, they have 3 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein.  They are considered a "healthy" bar, so they aren't going to be as good as a candy bar, but I still like them.  My favorite is the chocolate cherry almond one and then the cookie dough one next.  Check them out!

I kill

plants.  It's true.  I'm a murderer.  I wish I wasn't.  I wish I was born with a bright green thumb.  Unfortunately, my thumb is not green and is apparently filled with malice.  I don't know what is wrong with me.  I get plants with every intent on watering them and keeping them alive.  They just don't like me.  It may have something to do with me accidentally starving them.  Or it could have to do with the fact that I don't pay attention to how much sun they are getting.  But I promise, I really don't mean to kill.  I really do want them to live and thrive and look all healthy and green and make my living space more "homey".  It just doesn't go down like that.  Knowing my murderous ways, I even try to buy the fool proof plants.  You know--the ones that say they are low maintenance.  I think whoever puts those stickers on those plants lie.  I'm just saying.

So after successfully killing a handful of plants (one due to my sister giving me SHADY advice), we finally had a good one.  He's been hanging on for a while.  He doesn't seem to mind that half of him is hidden from the sun by our entertainment center.  He didn't even complain when I made him go for weeks without water.  He just sat there all green and pretty like.  I guess over time he started getting a little hungry.  Parts of his leaves started to turn a little yellow... just a little.  Don't judge!  Ok, and maybe some of them started turning brown and falling off.  Whatever.

Michael, being the merciful one in this relationship, tried to remind me to water the darn thing.  I would... when I thought about it.  I think he started to feel bad for it.  Plus, we had just tossed one out that went to little plant heaven.  Don't worry... it came from dust and back to dust it shall go! :)

Anyway, so while he was at the store picking up some flowers for me, he also picked up one of those water globes.  I'm sure you've seen them on TV.

I'll admit, I use to make fun of the things.  They are a little silly looking.  However, Michael was just trying to save the poor thing.  I have no idea how much he paid for them, but I'm hoping not more than $10.

We stuck the thing in the plant and let it go to work.

Guess what?  IT WORKED!

First of all, that little bulb thing was empty in 3 or 4 days.  That means my every two (or three... or four) weeks of watering wasn't really cutting it.

Not only that, but our plant started looking better almost immediately.

The color and the texture of the leaves improved in a day or two.  Who knew?

So now I have a silly blue ball in my plant... but I don't have to worry about watering it, or killing it.

Thank goodness for aqua balls and husbands who care about the things I kill! :)

Starbucks Happy Hour

Say what?  Starbucks is having a happy hour!?!?  SIGN ME UP!  I looooove me some Starbucks, so I was SO happy when I found out that there is a chance to get a half priced drink.  It starts today and goes through May 17th.  Every day between 3 and 5 you can get a Frappuccino blended drink for half off!  That's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.  You can check out more information about it here.   

Guess who gets off work at 3 today?!?! :)

Wonder Hanger--As seen on TV

Michael and I are lucky to have his and hers closets.  Unfortunately, they aren't his and hers walk-in closets. :(  Maybe one day.  It is nice to have an entire closet for my clothes, but it gets tight nonetheless.

Here's what our closets looked like before our mini makeover.

 

This side of Michael's closet has his old work dockers, and his AT&T shirts.

Of course, half of them are in the wash, so that's not even how full it could be.

His other side has his old work polos and some dress shirts.

OK, OK.  If you have a good eye, you may have noticed that I've taken over part of his closet.

Yep.  That's my sweater and a few dresses on the left.

What can I say?

 

I chose this closet because it came with a top shelf and a bottom shelf.

Hello?  More room!

 

*sigh* all those dress pants on the bottom that I no longer wear...

And yes, I do color code my closet. :)

So, to give us some more space, we decided to try out the "Wonder Hanger"

 We didn't order it from TV.  We just bought it at Target.  We figured it was worth a try.

Here's the first one..

I left a few hangers empty for some more blue AT&T beauties.

Here's how they look

 

This is them in the right place.

Do you see all the EXTRA space?  

Do you know how many more of my clothes I could hang there? ;)

We only bought one box because we weren't sure, but we might go ahead and pick up some more.

They won't work in my closet with the second shelf.

However, more room in Michael's closet = more room for me!

My First Mosaic

 

I.  LOVE.  THIS!

It's a box of five cards with simple mosaics.

They come neatly put together.

 

Each card came in a plastic wrapper with the matching stickers included.  Genius.

You choose the one you want, and then let your little man go to work.

They have to match up the shapes and colors.  

Not only is this good practice, but it's also a great activity to increase fine motor skills.

Little Man was LOVING this.

But, eventually he tired out of it.

This is as far as we got the first attempt.

 

I'll admit.  That's a lot of little finger work.  Not bad. 

I think this is a great idea.  What kid doesn't want to use stickers?

Mixing education and fun is always on the top of my list!

Zingo!

Little Man got this game for Christmas and as far as preschool games go, I love it.

 

It's simple.  It's easy to play.  It's fun (as far as 4 year old games go). It teaches.

Two thumbs up.

It comes with these bingo playing cards.

There are cards and front and back.  Each card has 9 basic pictures with basic words.

Then it comes with this little slide thing

 

You slide it forward and two little tiles come out.

You have to see if the tile matches your card.

If it does, the first person to call it out gets the tile.

Then the tile gets placed on your card.

 

Little Man is obviously beating me here.

It does take him some time to recognize the match, which is sort of the point of the game.

It's to teach basic words, but also to improve quick thinking skills, etc.

 

And.... he won!

 

Then you have to stack all the tiles back in, like this.

I love a good game that teaches while you play!

Finger Crayons

Have you ever seen these before?

 

I think they are pretty cool.  I'll admit, they are probably for the younger kid, but whatever.  

They've been in the cabinet for over a year and I finally broke them out a few months ago.  

You can buy them on Amazon if you are interested.

I like that they kind of make you learn how to hold a writing utensil correctly.

 

  

I also like that you can stack them up on the table and they don't roll away! :)

Hungry Girl

If you haven't heard about Hungry Girl yet, you need to!  Hungry Girl (HG) is just a girl that was trying to eat and not gain weight.  She started a blog and it has taken off into it's own huge thing.  Her website is www.hungry-girl.com.  You can sign up for a daily email.  She gives information on new goodies coming out in the store, healthy recipes, and nutritional information for restaurants (and so much more!).  One of the things I like, is that she gives WW points for everything.  She is not a part of WW, but she likes it so much that she got permission to share the points.  Since becoming popular, she has teamed up with many good products.  You may have even seen her post on your Yahoo homepage.

I have two of her cookbooks

 

and

I've only made things from the first cookbook, but we have liked everything we've tried so far.

I'll highlight some of our favorite recipes in the next few weeks.