Oprah's Gone. It's My Turn.

Now that my four o'clock time slot no longer contains an Oprah episode, it's time for Jessica's Favorite Things to surface.

Let's talk personal care!

• Melaleuca Original Shampoo  -  http://www.melaleuca.com/ProductStore/Product.aspx?sku=4906          This stuff is just the absolute best. I love how clean it rinses. I love how my scalp feels when I've gotten a great lather. I just feel CLEAN. But an alternative option (when I'm out of "Mel" would be Paul Mitchell's formula...  http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Mitchell-Special-Shampoo-Ounce/dp/B000MD65FO  

Runner up

• Neolia Organic Olive Oil Body Wash 

This stuff is Ahhhh-mazing! It smells like little drops of Heaven and it's a dual-purpose time-saver. It's perfect for a great, moisturizing lather and blissful for shaving. 

• Body Lotion

I love this. It's completely non-greasy and there's not a chemical one! Seriously. You could eat this stuff. And it smells like an orange creamsicle as you're applying it. And then you're golden. You smell NOTHING! I use it on my baby since her skin is SUPER sensitive and tends toward eczema. No flare ups! I especially love to buy it when Suzanne offers her bulk discounts. 

And if you're avoiding un-necessary chemicals - the 30 SPF facial sunscreen is so freaking amazing, effective longer than even greater SPF's. It's mineral-based and stays on ALL DAY LONG! You can buy it at www.SuzanneSomers.com or www.ShopNBC.com

• Crystalift Microdermabrasion Machine - This sucker uses the crystals from baking soda. That's it. Baking Soda. No chems. A small ergonomic wand glides across your face delivering the intensity you select using the abrasion from baking soda crystals to gently "sand" the top layer of dead skin from your complexion. The best part? It sucks it right off with a gentle vacuum at the same time so it's mess-free. The used baking soda collects in a reservoir that you simply toss in the trash when done. You can use it almost anywhere and can be used once a week. 

• Clarisonic Complexion Brush - After a long day of wearing makeup, sometimes your cleanser doesn't remove it all. Enter the Clarisonic. It's made by the same people who have provided us with our Sonicare toothbrushes.. Philips! This baby is perfect for daily use, in the shower (slough those knees and elbows using a different brush head.) It comes with the Clarisonic line of facial cleanser, but works with your favorite facial cleanser, which leads me to...

• TOTALLY COUNTER-INTUITIVE, right? I know. But DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil is the best. The oils combine with the dirt and oils on your skin, emulsifying and rinsing completely clean. When you dry your skin off and do the skeptical touch to determine if your skin feels like a oily zit farm, you'll be knocked right out of your socks. It's amazing. You'll have never felt cleaner!!!

• Suzanne's Bioactive Moisturizer is light, airy, whippy... perfect. It's gonna be a summer staple for sure. Again - you can spread this on a bagel and eat it. Totally chem-free. Refreshing citrus scent. 

BUT when you want something for REALLY dry skin...

• Enter DHC's Olive Virgin Oil. Again with the counter-intuition. It's fabulous and not at all what you're thinking. This is not the stuff you cook with. It's straight olive oil. You got that part right. However, this stuff does not coat your skin. Your skin literally drinks it in like it's in the Sahara Desert. It's fabulous and a major part of my life. Order it right off of DHC's website and they'll always include free samples. 

And then we also have to smell nice. 

• Wysong Dry Deodorant Catalyst (for humans) or any of their deodorants containing:  Mineral Salts, Methylated Organic Sulfur (MSM), Desiccated Sea Plankton, Aloe Vera are insanely effective for those who tend towards hyperhidrosis (excessive perspiration.)  It's so effective that you can actually dial the amount of help you need. I learned this when I was just dousing my armpits with the catalyst dry. I started to notice the natural moisture under my arms was leaving and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable and bruised under my arms. I came to learn there was such a thing as 'too much.' I now dust only a few sprinkles onto my Tom's Of Maine Aluminum-free solid stick deodorant and apply that way. But I'm dying to try Wysong's others. Maybe the crystal stick next time?  The other benefit is that since it does NOT contain aluminum, you will NEVER EVER deal with those YELLOW UNDERARM STAINS ON YOUR WHITE SHIRTS AGAIN! Mother nature knows best. 

• It's time to hit Sephora for their LaVanila stash. LaVanila is the HEALTHY perfume people. Instead of allowing the transdermal consumption of chemicals with your conventional perfume, this stuff benefits your skin. (They also make deodorant, lotions and sunscreens in a variety of LaVanila flavors.)

• Burt's Bees Honey Perfume - it smells great and does no harm - it's un-tinted to boot, so men will partake too! This goes absolutely anywhere! And if you're going to be in the sun, try Burt's Bee's Lifeguard's Choice - it goes on thick and zinc like (color free)

AND now - One little naughty pleasure. 

• LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss in 3D - There's really no one this stuff doesn't look good on. No one. It delivers shine and moisture. (But it's a conventional product chock-full-of-chems, so it's definitely not my daily driver.) If you are interested in chem-free cosmetics, check out www.PureBodySolutions.com and go hog wild - their buyers research and test before carrying each product! 

These are my favorite body care products.... and the list is ever-growing! 

A little Girl & An Ice Cream Cone

Gigi enjoyed her very first ice cream cone. FIRST. CONE. EVER.

"What's in your hand, mama? Is it for ME?!?" 

"Holy cow! I can't even speak!" 

Chocolate Face. 

Ears (check.) Eczema (wh..a...?)

Gigi had her followup appointment this morning. At 9:15. A.M.
And that's hard. She didn't really want to fall asleep until well after midnight.
And then I couldn't really sleep. My mind was on for the rest of the night.
Sucks.
Coulda been pretty cool if it'd made for some crazy dreams.
But nah. Just woke up tired today. So that made a 9:15 a.m. appointment kinda treacherous.
But we made it. Walked in at 9:12, waited in the waiting room for 15 minutes and then spent another half-hour in the patient room waiting for the doctor. That's actually pretty good. Most doctors make you wait about an hour and a half. Even the good ones out here.
Sometimes I wonder if doctors stick it to us on the time thing because the insurance companies are sticking it to them on the money/coverage thing. I've often wondered if it's just some sort of meanderthon that makes them feel better about their profession. They all probably went into medicine because they 'wanted to help people.' Pretty sure that stuff gets shuffled among all the paperwork and prescriptions. I don't know. But I do know this. NEVER once. Never. Not even when I broke my back. Not once have I ever entered a doctor's office and been seen even remotely close to the time that I was scheduled at. It doesn't really bother me anymore. And I don't recall ever receiving an apology for the wasted moments in the exam room or after sitting next to the sniffly obese woman smelling of curry in the waiting area. It amuses me, as do tongue depressors.
Gigi's ears are looking better. We were prescribed some drops for her left ear though. Help it heal a little more.
And then we discussed the itchy patches on Gigi's arm. (Not detergent, thank you - we've been 'pure and free' for quite some time. Even before it became cool.)
Labeled eczema and was sent to collect the following items from Walgreens: Aquafor ointment/lotion, hydrocortisone creme & Neosporin. Plus a bottle of yellow Gatorade to entice the two-year-old into behaving through the checkout.
Time for a nap. Yeah. I got your Valentine right here and it starts with Zzzzzzzz.

Gigi's got her very first round of ear infections along with a cold, which means my lap is home base, my shoulder is sporting the shiny remnants of the last time she decided to wipe her nose on me, and the house is covered in germy shredded Kleenex (c'mon, we ARE talking about Gigi here.)
The kid is nuts about Barney & Friends and in the continual replay mode that it's in, I just happened to notice the idea bench - and now I want a Barney & Friends Idea Bench of my VERY own! 

1. It rotates/spins.
2. Only two people can sit at it. BONUS!
3. It's a cool river blue color. 
4. Its' base is a tree stump. 
5. It's "S" shaped.
6. It rotates/spins. 

Back to nose-wiping, laundry, and kitchen clean-up. Talk to ya later. 

Holy Cow - Letter On My Doorstep...

Click here if you'd like to see (something sensitive and private) what I'm talking about... 

ifun iphone

I truly believe it's important to explore around your home. If you're unhappy with you're current latitude, chances are a little local exploration will shed a new light on things. Just leave your keys on the counter and step outside your front door. There's always beauty - even in the ugly. Thank God for that!

Our new abode requires a little exploration. I had the stroller and toddler by my side, so I wasn't as able to spend the kind of time I'd have liked, but there's always tomorrow.

This isn't a post about high-res photography or even photography at all - this stuff is snapped with a handy cell phone I pulled out of my rear pocket. What would you capture on your exploration?

And it has nothing to do with living by a lake or living by a dumpster or something in between!   I went exploring my old neighborhood prior to the move.

Check out the sad, abandoned couch… I contributed a pair of green satin pumps to pull the story into a photography project. 

So I will continue to grab my phone and GO! Hope you will, too - and be sure to share what you stumble upon! 

P.s. If you look at the dark and dreary with the eyes of an author, you'll bring beauty out of the ugly and it'll help lift your spirits. Unimaginable, I know - but true. Make that phone earn its' bill!

Kevin had a honey-do list to attend to, so we spent the day at Mom's house. But first-thing's-first, we had to get our Steak & Shake on. It's just what you do in Round Rock. Gigi hasn't quite grasped the beauty of a slider... and I think she might be the one who has been biting the straws that go to our Tervis Tumblers. (I'll chock it up to teething and let it go, for now.)

Kevin has a system. It must not be interfered with . 

It just dawned on her that she could be OUTside instead of INside.

Pause for the cause. Brother's trying to get a little game of peek-a-boo in. 

"Okay, bubs - I laughed at your antics. I'm cutting you off now." 

Ah, fresh autumn air...

And because she's a toddler, stairs of any kind are a current infatuation. 

"Look Mama! I made it down the stairs - NO HANDS!"

Hmm... if I can do it twice, I'll get twice the 'atta-girls'...

Little Levi Butt. 

She can sure crack herself up! 

Little bit of a ham! 

 She also happens to be the only one who was willing to be photographed.

Mom's lonely Hummingbird feeder.

Well, that's pretty much it. Not much of a story, I know - just a glimpse into what we were up to one day last week - and a few pics to give you a hint of the personality that is Gigi.
Happy autumn everyone!