Starting week 3 of 'Poo Free!!!!

Don't mind the puffy eyes--lack of sleep tends to do that ;).

Going 'Poo Free!!

Well, I stumbled across an article that a cousin had posted on her Facebook page regarding eliminating different cosmetics from your daily Hygiene routine. There was a blurb about washing your hair without shampoo (Going 'Poo Free, if you will). I was intrigued, and clicked through the link to this article .I never knew you could wash your hair with baking soda! I knew about the ACV (apple cider vinegar to the uneducated) rinses, and use them occasionally to bring back some shine, and know that brushing with baking soda is WONDERFUL for you and can take away stains THE NATURAL WAY, but had NEVER heard about washing my hair with it!!

SO....I decided that I would experiment on myself. I figured I could commit to a month, why not? AND...when I read that it is a WONDERFUL alternative for young children with sensitive skin, I decided that Sedona was going to join me. If it's a success, wonderful, if not, then we go back to shampoo, no biggie.

I have fine hair that is thinning a bit in the front, and down to my shoulders. It's also mostly straight, but, for some reason, there are random wavy areas that have appeared since I hit 40 (where were those bastard waves when I had stick straight hair and constantly felt the need to PERM my hair in my teens and 20's??). Sedona, of course, has that beautifully gossamer toddler hair that always seems to be in her eyes (hoping she starts keeping some braids in it this summer), and is almost to the middle of her back (I can't bring myself to cut it, it's SO girlie!).

I read that it can take your scalp and hair 2-4 weeks to adjust to the new routine, but I know I can do it! My first "No Poo" day was 2 days ago. Went swimmingly :). It needed a good wash, and it got it! I followed the formula of adding TBSP to 2 C of warm water and dissolving it. Took that up to the shower with me and used it. It really felt weird to not "lather up", but again, I was stoked to be trying something new that could be GREAT for me (AND the pipes!), not to mention the environment! I also did a quick rinse that was composed of 1/4 C ACV and 3/4 C water to close up the cuticle and give me some shine. My hair had no tangles when I combed it wet!

I allowed my hair to air dry (like I do most days--I find that my color lasts longer this way, and so does my  hair trim, because my ends don't get fried!), and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised that my hair not only looked clean, but it felt clean, and it had a neutral, scent that almost reminded me of the way my hair smells at the beach (kind of a sweet, natural, briny scent), and the texture was great--nobody would be able to tell I didn't use shampoo.

Normally, I go about 3 days between shampoos, but after a day and a half, I was a bit limp and looking like I needed a wash, so I did it again today, only I switched it up a bit. Today, I took a small plastic bowl up to the shower with me, and decided to just make a paste in my hands with baking soda and water to see how that worked--I worked my soda paste into my wet hair towards the scalp all over my  head, then rinsed. I did a long rinse because I wanted to make sure the soda was out of my hair, then I used the leftover soda to exfoliate (Bonus! Natural exfoliator!). I chose not to do the ACV rinse today to see what the difference would be and  whether it made any difference as to how long I could go between shampoos (we'll see!).

After my shower, I did some surfing on "The Google", and found that if I was to use the baking soda method for Sedona, I could also sprinkle some in her bath water and not have to use soap! LOVED that idea, because Sedona seems to be sensitive to everything, even sensitive skin formulations. SOoooo...I took her upstairs, with a condiment  bottle full of the baking soda/water solution to see what kind of magic I could weave. And believe me--she needed the bath AND the hair washing (which I usually do every 3 days, otherwise she gets really dry skin with eczema patches) due to today's breakfast that was taking up residence in her hair ends.

Let me also add, that she has never really enjoyed baths, and can't wait to get out of the tub, so sudsing her up and washing her long hair is a challenge .I did the normal quick bath for her, "washed" her hair with the mixture (didn't do the vinegar rinse, though, but I will in her next bath to see how that makes her hair look), and "washed" her with the baking soda bath. She came out squeaky clean, and her skin really didn't feel like it needed any of the normal moisturizer I have to put on her, so I didn't.

I towel dried her hair, and combed it out. As it dried, I happened to notice that it was INCREDIBLY shiny, bouncy,and silky. LOVING THE BAKING SODA FOR HER!!!! Can't WAIT to see if the ACV enhances the shine in her hair :).I'm very excited at the prospect of no longer buying shampoo! Oh...The picture is of me today, after the second baking soda hair wash! Hair looks good, huh?

Cross Pens!

 Cross pens make a perfect gift for dads and grads! You can save 20% on regularly-priced items and get free shipping with the coupon code "SHOPCROSS". 


I was SO happy to receive this Bzz campaign, and cannot wait to be able to get my pen! I have always loved Cross pens...they have the perfect weight  in your hands when you are writing :).

StyleFind AGAIN!

 Thanks to Buzzagent (You know---I'm a bzzagent, and occasionally get access to special deals on sites, products, services-in return for my honest opinion), I have found yet another new site!!

StyleFind.com is the new shopping site from the publishers of InStyle magazine. At StyleFind, you can search 500,000+ shoes, handbags, clothes, accessories and more from over 2,000 brands to find the latest in fashion and beauty. You can quickly browse by Editors' picks, the hottest trends, and find out what's on sale. Plus, get access to exclusive members-only deals. Search. Shop. Love. 

TRY IT--I did!

Register free for StyleFind to get access to exclusive members-only deals  

Register for StyleFind

Whether you know exactly what you're looking for, just browsing, or just need a little guidance finding the next big thing, StyleFind.com is your place to discover the most popular items in fashion and beauty and they offer amazing discounts up to 50% off. But the best part? Members get access to exclusive weekly offers and deals, so you can search, shop, love and save. Register now and you could get 50% off Ariel Gordon's Initial Pendants . Register for free today!

• Expert StyleFind editors add featured and trending favorites regularly, so you can always find what’s popular easily
• You can search 500,000+ shoes, handbags, clothes, accessories and more from the top retailers you trust most
• Brought to you from the publishers of InStyle

Go Go's Crazy Bones BONANZA!

Well, we had our semi-intimate Go Go's Crazy Bones Bonanza party (brought to you by Child's Play Party) Yesterday! Wow! The Kids went absolutely bananners! We DID have a few glitches though....RAIN. My whole plan was to have the party OUTSIDE--and to use the back fence as an aid with a couple of the games. SO--we moved the party INSIDE. Let me just say---one word can sum up the ensuing chaos at the beginning of the party--KAHRAZY!!!!! I thought I had been pro-active in plugging in my camera to charge the night before, only to find when I unplugged it at party time that I had inadvertently plugged it into a switch controlled outlet that was (YOU GUESSED IT!)....off (so NO FREAKING CHARGE!!!). So I thought I would have my Iphone handy. Nope....Sedona had been entertaining herself with an app, and when I went to find it, it was nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE. The vortex of my home just swallowed it up--and I had it on silent from my earlier trip out. Nice, right? Soooooo....this brings me to having to use my wonderful and oh so captivating way with words to conjure up the scene of my fiasco party.

PICTURE it--12 children--4 girls, 8 boys, ages 5-9--and 14 adults inside a 2 bedroom townhouse on a rainy day (Oh...and Bruce had cracked a molar and ended up having it pulled yesterday too--it was like there was a cloud over our house for a bit!!). YES, my dumb moment regarding the camera was already casting a pall over my head, and then being unable to find my phone to at least be able to capture images that way was REALLY chapping my hide. HOWEVER. The excitement of the GoGo's party was truly palpable in the kids, so it was soon VERY easy to feed off of that! I really was SUPER surprised at how sharing and giving the older kids were with the younger ones....they wanted to play the "marbles" style game, where you keep the ones you knock out, but one of the boys had suggested that might not be a good idea with the younger ones, as they may not understand and get "all whiny" (well said, I though...well said!). The game they all settled on was the game that is played a-la "Pass The Pigs" style, where you get different points, depending on the way the Go Go falls. ALL of the kids LOVED this. The other moms and I had previously opened the packets of Go Go's so they were all in a box for the kids to take out. They all (with eyes closed) chose some out of the box and began playing. To my surprise, ALL the kids (even 2 yo Sedona!!!!) played WELL with this game, and we all loved "keeping score"! After the "practice" rounds to make sure the younger ones had the hang of it, I unveiled the two grand prizes (we had one each of Mosh and Miro K, the latter of which I had one from the Facebook page), and had these up for the top boy and top girl scorers.I we played this game for a SOLID hour, which actually went by FAST (good thing too, because that many people in the house with that many children can be a LITTLE stifling, if you get what I mean)! After playing for an hour, the top scorers came up, and got to choose their prizes (eyes closed, out of a bag). Jordie (5 yo girl) was SUPER excited to receive Mosh, as he is "the CUTEST!!!", and Morgan (7 yo boy) was equally impressed with getting the rare Miro K, because he is "SUPER RARE!!!".

It was after this that the "REAL" fun began. The kids didn't know, but we had decided to let them all keep the ones that they had chosen to play the game with.This made them happy, because this was also the time we handed out the bags which had their Sticker book/gogo's sets inside. They commenced to tearing into them, SAVORING the new GoGo's and the stickers, which we had asked them all to place in their sticker books. They were equally as wowed when we brought out the bag of stickers that was leftover from when we had pre-opened all the GoGo's and passed it around for all the children to keep choosing until they were all gone. THEN, on their own, they commenced to not only playing (in a couple smaller groups) the games of their choices, but ALSO trading the GoGo's and the stickers!

It was SO nice to have such a wonderful atmosphere at this party! I was SO disheartened because of the rain, the camera not charging, and the lost Iphone (which, by the way, ended up mysteriously turning up deep inside the bowels of the couch, undamaged), and it felt SO good for the party to go so well. The children were all SO well behaved, and SO grateful for their little party--it made me remember for a brief moment how wonderful things like this are to children, and for a split moment I was able to enjoy the day through their eyes. Yes, I had a couple spills on the couch, and on the carpet, and yes, a few of the GoGo's ended up being used as guided missiles at the cats, but I would not change a thing about the day :).

The kids left with bellies full of Koolaid and cookies, and bags full of GoGo's. I actually found Miro K sitting on top of my tv looking at me---I'll just keep him safe until Morgan remembers he won it and his mom calls about it (but honestly, between you and, I think Miro K is really trying to say he wants me to keep him)

Playtex Sport Body Wipes -- LOVE!

Playtex® Sport® brand would like you to be among the first to try our brand new Sport Body Wipes. Playtex® Sport Body Wipes are designed to be tough enough to remove dirt and sweat, but gentle enough to use on your entire body. The wipes can be used to clean yourself after workouts, practice, or any time you want to feel refreshed. Sport Body Wipes come as individually wrapped wipes and provide a simple way to feel fresh, clean and confident all day, every day.


Well, I received my sample box from Crowdtap today, and NONE TOO SOON! I had to be somewhere PRONTO, and needed to freshen up pretty quickly. Playtex Sports Wipes to the rescue! Since I had been out walking, I was "glistening" and somewhat less than "fresh", but I had an appointment to go to that left me no time to hop in the shower. SO glad these showed up this morning!! I thought "What the hell..", and got one out and commenced to freshening up. I was SURPRISED at the thickness of the wipe! Lots of feminine wipes are pretty thin, but these are thick enough and large enough to use one (both sides too!) over your entire body! I didn't at all feel that "residue" that you sometimes feel by using some baby wipes "in a pinch" (you ladies know what I'm talking about). I truly felt refreshed. All I had to do was change clothes, put my hair up, and I was out the door without feeling disgusting (wish it could do something for the the tell tale red face I always get when I exercise...sigh...).


 2 thumbs up for sure! These WILL be in my purse and gym bag from now on. At least I can feel fresh and not disgusting when I go from gym to grocery store/Target! I ALSO handed the rest out to my daughter and her friends who had all just met at her house to get ready for "girls' night", and let me tell you--those gals also fell in love! They're all in their early/mid twenties and always seem to want to go from "day" to "night" in a rush to get to their social gatherings  LOL. 6 other gals will also be getting their own stash (one of them says she's just going to keep a box in her desk!).


Not all new things I try work out, but these, THESE are definitely worth the $$.

Internet Safety With Trend Micro--What's YOUR story?

Have you heard about the friend who's stuck in London and needs $2,000 to get home? As a smart Internet user, you likely know an Internet scam when you see it. And you're pretty good about protecting your personal information. Right? But, what about your friends, and family?

Glad you asked! I was SO glad to be introduced to this by BzzAgent (of which I am one!)  -- Nothing is in it for me on this one beyond a solid commitment to spread awareness of internet safety and STOPPING THE SCAMMERS!!!  BzzAgent is committed to raising more awareness to Internet safety and stopping online bullying. Want to help us out? Our friends at Trend Micro have created a special website focused on staying safe online. We need your help to spread and make a difference! Our children are WORTH IT!!!

TRY IT

Let's work together to make the Internet a safer place!---STOP THE SCAMMERS IN THEIR TRACKS!!!

Trend Micro, a global leader in web security, is running an exciting initiative to promote the cause of Internet safety. It's a video contest, and we need your help VIEWING, VOTING and SHARING the videos. You'll learn a lot about keeping your kids - and yourself - safe online. And you'll help educate others too.

• Visit whatsyourstory.trendmicro.com
• Watch the videos
• Register to vote and share

We need your help to spread the word about this initiative. As a part of this program, spread the word about this contest on your Twitter, Facebook and/or Blog to raise awareness for this cause.

Here are some resources to help you learn more about the importance of Internet safety:

• The What's Your Story website - learn about the cause and the contest
• The Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids and Families blog - can you believe there are already scams surrounding the tragedy in Japan?
• The White House special conference on bullying prevention