When I read about oil pulling on Grace's blog, I had my doubts.  Honestly, I wasn't sure how chewing coconut oil down to a liquid would work with my perpetual TMJ issues or how I would continue to swish said liquid around in my mouth for 20 minutes.  However the health benefits that this ancient practice touts are a little too good to ignore: freshen breath, whiten teeth, cure hangovers, help you sleep better, clarifies sinuses, helps skin issues, etc.  By swishing the oil in your mouth, the oil is pulling all sorts of gross toxins out of your mouth that your usual dental routine leaves behind.

If you are interested in trying this on for size here's what you do:

1. Place 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and chew until liquid
2. Swish around in your mouth (a la mouth wash) for 20 minutes
3. Discard in trash can - DO NOT swallow (or you'll be ingesting all of those toxins that you just swished out) and DO NOT spit into sink (or the oil can harden in your pipes
4. Proceed with usual dental activities (brushing, flossing, mouthwash, etc.)

Read on to see how I faired my first week:

I like to keep my hair on its toes in that I frequently change up my shampoo/conditioner and styling options.  And sometimes hair gets over saturated with product; my hair stylist actually used to term 'product fatigue' one day when I was lamenting over how my beloved Josie Maran product was causing my hair to be a grease ball the second day in to my hair shampoo washing cycle.


Anyway, long story short, I recently started using Fekkai products for shampoo and conditioning so when the opportunity came to test drive the glossing cream, I jumped on it.

Funny little story for you: over a week ago now, I was drying my hair one evening and happened to look down at my brush and noticed that a chunk of my hair had been burnt off and had found a home in my brush.  (Ok, maybe it isn't THAT funny, but I can say now in hindsight, I'm no longer having so much of a moment about it).  I wish I could say that my handled it as calmly as this, but instead a tore downstairs screaming as if my hair was on fire (For the record, it wasn't, nor was my hairdryer.  I'm still a little baffled how this could have just happened without any warning, spark, or precursor, but that's another story for another day).  In any event, the next morning, I promptly opened my MacBook and ordered a Rusk Speed Freak. (Thank GAWD for Amazon Prime).

I should probably also mention that I had been on the fence about investing in a more solid piece of hair drying equipment.  I've always had relatively decent success with drugstore brands and found a model that I liked well enough.  However, after a week of using the Rusk Speed Freak, I can honestly say that it is worth the investment.  I chose this model as I had read that for hair like mine (uber thick, specifically) it cut drying time down drastically, while still protected hair making it feel smooth after each blowout.  And this hair dryer delivers.  It's truly a game-changer for speed of getting ready and for quality.  I would highly recommend taking the leap if you were already considering it and if you aren't already considering it, you should. The only con, which I don't really consider a deal breaker, is the weight.  It is a little more hefty than some hair dryers, but it wasn't enough of a weight difference to make a difference.  And hey, maybe it'll help contribute to my pursuit of Madonna arms. 

Pregnancy is an interesting experience.  Some people love it, some people hate it...some people like me are indifferent to it.  What I was not indifferent to is the toll that pregnancy takes on your body.  Things stretch and even with someone like me who gained the recommended amount of weight, watched what I ate, and had a healthy pregnancy, I was concerned with how well I was going to bounce back.  I'm happy to report, so far so good - 8 weeks out (has it really been that long) and I've only about 7 more pound until I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight and I just need to focusing on tightening up.  (Wohoo!) However, I do credit a lot of my shrinkage and bounce back to the use of the Belly Bandit.



Toted by many celebrities, this device promises to help shrink the belly, waist, and hips; adds support to upper body while breastfeeding; comforts the mid-section after a C-Section; helps the body lose inches faster; helps minimize stretch marks; adds support to the back and legs; accelerates the healing process; streamlines the silhouette to look slimmer in clothing; boosts self confidence; aids in decreased bloating and swelling; reminds you to utilize your core muscles; and helps to gently persuade muscles back together.

And I swear by it. I actually wish that I had documented my progress via pictures, but in the midst of adjusting to our new life, I didn't have the presence of mind to do so.  However, I will say that this is something I will recommend time and time again to all my soon-to-be mommys.  Well worth the cost.

Prior to having a child, I was warned: Sleep is a precious commodity once your baby arrives.  Like most warnings that I received during my pregnancy, I believed it, but I didn't take into account to what extent these women meant.    Now that I am a month (seriously, time has flown!) into motherhood, I can say that even a baby that sleeps well like our peanut, still does not sleep a ton (at least not for consecutive hours).  Needless to say that due to this, my beauty regime has required a little tweaking which includes the addition of a kick-butt concealer to hide my oh-so-tired circles under my eyes.  Enter Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Brighter.  Several other bloggers (some including mothers) recommended this product and so I went immediately to the drug store and picked some up.  I'm not a drug-store beauty product type of person usually.  Not because I don't believe the products are any good (most of them are actually better than some beauty counter products), but because I find myself overwhelmed in beauty aisles in Target and like the assistance of a qualified individual to help me navigate the waters.  The ability to also try something out and learn the proper application techniques doesn't hurt either.  However, this product is fool-proof: easy to apply and instantly makes you look like you've gotten a full 8 plus hours of sleep.   It absolutely gets my seal of approval and I would recommend it to all and any of my people.







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