Jammie Time

This weekend I was quoted in our local paper. The story was not on organic beauty or cosmetic ingredients. Nope, this story was on another subject I know a lot about...working in your pjs.

You know how the growing trend amongst high school and college age girls is to wear their pajamas to school, class, the store with mom, the mall...? Well, the reporter was considering whether or not more non-teens were picking up the habit.

I guess some people feel slouchy or unproductive or fat (really?!) when they are in their comfy clothes, but I consider it a perk of working from home. I admit to switching from pajama pants to workout clothes before taking my kids to school, but love being able to avoid the morning shower rush, work out at a reasonable time of morning and shower whenever I want.

Which means that yes, I spend slot of time working in my comfy clothes but try to spend as little time out in public in them as possible. I break out my well-worn-in jeans for that. Again, a perk of doing pretty much all of my business correspondence by email or phone. I love to look cute but am glad I don't have to get all "ready" every day, especially in the morning, and it never makes me feel fat or unproductive.

I realize that some have to go in to work, no choice.  And that others would go crazy spending most days on their own, pjs or not.

How about you? Do you feel like a schlep unless you get up and get ready? Or do you work in the equivalent of jammies?

PS -- I took my son with me to grab a paper so I could see how that article turned out. He had to go into the store and buy it for me because I was wearing (ahem) my pajamas...

Image:  Liz Thompson

Green Smoothies Contd...

First, thank you to everyone who commented on my green smoothie post the other day. You guys are the bomb! I tried your suggestions and my smoothies are soooooo much yummier now.

Apples help big time, as does vanilla-unsweetened almond milk. I also cut down on the amount of kale I was using (I was putting in ALOT) and that made it less grassy and less chewy. Both good things.

Here is my Green Smoothie Recipe now:

1/2 cup (or so) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 small organic apple
1 banana
1 large kale leaf
A few berries

A surprise bonus with these green smoothies is that they are not only filling but really stick with you. I have had one 3 mornings this week and they got me through my morning run each time. Amazing!

To anyone out there who is reading, or has read, or is thinking about reading The Beauty Detox Solution:  I would love to share notes with you along the way.  Leave a comment below or email me at liz(at)organicbeautysource(dot)com so we can compare notes and I will write about it as we go. Promise not to share any personal info, okay?  We can do this together.

I will say that yesterday, even though my smoothie got me through most of the morning (run and all), I really felt unsatisfied in the afternoon on only fruits and veg. Craved bread or a cookie badly! We will see how today goes...

Image:  The Truth About at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license.

New Natural Anti Aging Product -- True Natural Advanced Lift & Firm Serum

Let's start this week off right -- with a new organic anti aging product (that really works!) and a giveaway. Woo hoo!

True Natural has come up with a couple of new products to add to their ever-growing organic beauty line. These two are anti aging products and they are seriously fabulous. This is not something I say lightly. I have tried many, many anti aging products (nontoxic and not) and these work the best of any. No kidding!

While there are some truly great anti agers out there, my experience is that they mostly offer really deep moisturization. This is good because dry skin looks older. It's the truth. But, I have never noticed as big a difference in the way my skin looks as with the True Natural Advanced Lift & Firm Serum.

The timing was perfect as I have begun to notice more sagginess in my skin, especially around my mouth and neck area. The serum really seems to plump, smooth and brighten the skin. Like, immediately. I use it every day and this is how: First I apply my regular daily moisturizer, Lavera Calendula Balancing Cream. Next, I pat on Advanced Lift & Firm Serum. I have found that patting product on is not only gentler on skin, but kind of keeps the product in place. In my case, around my mouth and neck. After the serum has had a few minutes to soak in, I pat on (yes, more patting) the thick and rich Skincando Luxe Miracle Cream. If your skin is not as dry you can skip the last step, mine just needs the extra moisture boost.

My skin is also on the sensitive side and Advanced Lift & Firm does not irritate.  You could definitely apply this serum on clean skin prior to using any moisturizer if you would rather.

True Natural has also come out with a new product for eyes, Eye Bright Peptide Serum.  This product is very light, moisturizes without being greasy.  Smooths the eye area and adds a slight brightness to the skin.  I really like it and I am usually a thick eye cream kinda gal.

So, what makes these products work so well?  True Natural uses powerful natural anti aging ingredients (like Bio-hyaluronic acid, Ferulic acid and fruit extracts) in a concentrated formula that delivers the good stuff without a lot of unnecessary ingredients.  I really think this is what makes these products so effective.  The anti aging ingredients do their thing without a lot of moisturizing ingredients washing them away.  Simply let the serum dry and you can add more moisture if you need it.

As with all True Natural products, this one is free from nasty ingredients.

I wish I could send all of you a bottle of this awesome stuff. The good news is that one OBS reader will win a True Natural Advanced Lift & Firm Serum.  All you have to do is "like" the Love True Natural Facebook page and subscribe to their newsletter (you get a 15% off first purchase coupon for subscribing :) ).  Then come back here and leave a comment telling us your favorite youthful beauty trick.  I will announce a winner in 30 days.

We will also be giving away the Eye Bright down the road, so check back!

Image:  True Nature Group

Green Smoothies

In my last post I mentioned that I am reading Kimberly Snyder's The Beauty Detox Solution. One main component of the plan is a green smoothie. I mixed one up today for lunch, not following Kimberly's recipe. A banana or pear definitely would have helped.

Mine was made from kale, spinach, two clementines and a little cranberry juice for liquid. It is not bad, but I don't know if I look forward to drinking it every day. It tastes kind of grassy and is a little chewy. But definitely green.

Do you make green smoothies? If so, tell us what you put in them that yummiest it up.

A new study on parabens & breast cancer...http://feelgoodstyle.com/2012/01/20/parabens-breast-cancer-a-new-study/

My Baby is Nine

8 years ago

My daughter turns 9 years old today! It is hard to believe that that little auburn-haired, tiny-tiny baby girl came into our lives 9 years ago. How time flies when you are having fun!

Today

Our long and busy weekend was filled with fun times spent with good friends and family. We will be tired tomorrow, but it will be worth it;)

One thing I have changed in the name of health and energy this year is my diet. Have you read The Beauty Detox Solution by celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder? I am working on it and have been implementing some of her ideas over the past two weeks. Namely, no meat. While I was not a huge meat eater before, I have been avoiding it altogether, with the exception of my 2-3 glasses of milk per day (I prefer milk over calcium supplements).

The main thing I noticed right away is that the weight I thought I'd gained over the holidays was actually just bloating. Gross, I know. Kimberly's philosophy is that animal protein is difficult for our bodies to digest and the energy that it takes to do so is detracting from other areas, like beauty and a healthy body.

Kimberly's plan is much more in-depth than just skipping the meat. She advocates a mostly vegan, mostly raw food diet with food pairings. Haven't heard of food pairings? I hadn't. This means eating certain food types together is ok, others not so much. Like; fruits and veg together are ok, as are veg and starch. But protein with protein is a no-no.

I am still reading so will fill you in as I go. If any of you are reading The Beauty Detox Solution I would love to know your thoughts...

Butter Up!...http://feelgoodstyle.com/2012/01/12/butter-up-your-bod/

Getting Back to Business

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe the holidays have already come and gone! We had a nice long break from school here (2 whole weeks)and the weather was amazing.  Those are my children up there sitting in the sun.  Yes, my son has on shorts and a tshirt!

This is the first week back to "reality".  I missed the kids before they even left!

We had wonderful holidays this season and I hope all of you did too.  My kids are old enough now to not only enjoy the fun of Christmas but a to really appreciate it too, which makes it even more fun for me. We spent New Year's Eve our favorite way, a private party with just our family. We have some traditions that we love and the kids really enjoy it.

One of them is to eat a grape for each month of the year, if it is sweet the month will be a good one and sour means it will be more challenging. I think this tradition is Greek, but can't remember for sure.

This year we had a taco bar, hot fudge sundaes and (as usual) our special fizzy juice in pretty glasses. The kids love to stay up and watch the ball drop.

Now that they are back to school, and the house is quiet, I plan to get back to the business of writing. With OBS, plus the other sites I do some writing for, I barely have time to get to the biggest project on my plate...my book.  But that is why one of my resolutions this year is to try to make some progress each and every day. See my plan on that here.

What are your New Year's resolutions? Any you'd like to share?

Need help keeping those resolutions?...http://feelgoodstyle.com/2012/01/05/daily-resolutions/

Fancy nails -- fun, fast and fume free...http://feelgoodstyle.com/2011/12/29/want-fancy-nails-stick-it-to-them/

Do you know why you are breaking out? http://feelgoodstyle.com/2011/12/30/diagnosing-your-breakouts/