I Love

absolutely everything on this tumblr.

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Props to these ladies for trying to bring back an age of beauty, etiquette and everything elegant.

Could be one of the best things since sliced bread...

Okay, so maybe I won't go that far, BUT, this is an insanely useful website.

Case in point, if you're anything like me, you're a person who reads ingredient labels in the shower.  Shh... yes, it's an embarrassing quirk, BUT this site it does prove to be informative when you have no idea what the heck such ingredients like "P-Phenylenediamine" and "Proplyparaben" are (note: if anything you own in your bathroom contains proplyparaben, do some research.)

Maybe I've become hyper sensitive lately, with my aunt receiving a "congrats, you have breast cancer... again.  And by the way, it's inoperable and un-treatable" diagnosis and my super-active godmother's re-diagnosis of stage 3 pancreatic cancer.  However, I refuse to believe you're at the mercy of your genetics when it comes to cancer.  My dad's mother and father died from it, my mom's sister died from it; my mom's best friend and my dad's sister are in the fights of their lives right now -- damning evidence if there ever was.  But I refuse to think it's just genetics.

I tend to come from the world of:  Look at what you eat, examine at what you put on your face and skin every single day.  What the heck does it contain?  A few chemicals here and there are okay.  Your body is built to process toxins whenever you come into contact w/ them every once in a while.  But imagine if its every single day, multiple times a day, in so many different forms.  Our bodies are amazing, adaptable instruments, but can it adapt to years of a typical American women's morning routine?

You wake up, wash your face-- If you're like me and had terrible acne-prone skin, you used something to fight the acne (Clearasil Ultra Daily Face Wash ), jump in the shower and start to shampoo and condition (John Freida Sheer Blonde Highlighting Shampoo and Conditioner - which I DID use for years), rinse and then start using body wash (Nature's Gate Cucumber & Mint Body Wash -- tricky b/c it is labelled 'all natural' and sold at health food stores.   Check out the facts though).  Then you move onto shaving (Skintimate Moisturizing Shave Gel, Soothing Lavender) and then wash your face again.  Then you put on lotion ( Nature's Gate Organics Chamomile and Lemon Verbana Lotion.  What's not safe about something that says Organic?).  Then you sweep some on some deodorant ( Secret Platinum Antiperspirant & Deodorant Clear Gel )and you're done.

Now onto hair and makeup.  Before drying your hair, you move some styling mousse through your hair (Aveeno Nourish + Style Soft Hold Gel-Creme)  Then you dry, clip back your hair and begin your makeup regime.  Now I could go through everything you may have used in your makeup, but I challenge you to look up the ingredients yourself. You will be shocked, I promise.  I used to think my mom was crazy for being a health nut, but her concerns have led me to examine and choose amazing products that are incredibly low-toxicity level cosmetics.  A few minutes of research may open your eyes.

I also saw this "cute,"  yet incredibly informative video that gives a side of the whole cosmetics industry story.  Now I don't agree with all of the regulation suggestions (I'm all for consumer education and fighting back with your pocketbook... capitalism TRULY at work) but it brings up some awesome points.

Now hopefully you don't think I'm trying to be all preachy or paranoid, I just urge you to take another look at your everyday routine and the products that you use. You may be surprised just what you find (Education is a crazy and powerful thing!)

Have you found anything eye-opening in your everyday products? Please share!

My "Naked" Obsession

Confession -- I love junk food.  Well, not technically junk food, but delivery.  I try to eat organic and clean most of the time and I adore cooking.  But, then theres the undeniable fact that at times I can be mind numbingly lazy.  Major meal-creating hurdle.  It's made worse that whenever someone suggests to get food delivered, my guard shrinks and I'm all in, no holds barred.  I ignore the grease, the MSG, the fattiness and I become a normal, non-health conscious American.  Then, after the damage is done and my Chicken chow mein has been devoured, I feel this sense of fullness (physical) and shame in the fact that I strive so hard to eat well, and then with one moment of weakness and a phone call, it all goes down the drain.  I'd always wondered why someone couldn't muster up the idea of creating healthy, tastey, guilt-free and affordable delivery.  It felt like it was a wish that would never come true

Until about 2 months ago, when Naked Pizza came into my life.

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I'd received some fliers from this New Orleans-based company in the past and didn't think much about them - they were in a shady part of town (yes, I'm an Uptown NOLA snob...so what) and it just didn't seem appealing.  That was until right before the Superbowl I got another flier from them toting their SuperBiotic Pizza.  While the toppings on the pizza weren't appealing to me (I'm a cheese pizza kinda girl), the fact that it toted its presence of probiotics was intriguing.  While I know probiotics are a buzzword of sorts now, it still tickled my interest that pizza company would make a point to advertise that fact.  So I sat down and did some research on the company -- and I was surprisingly thrilled by what I read.  Fun facts:

• New Orleans owned and operated.  They currently have 13 franchised locations all over the country (and in Dubai!!) and are expanding with 19 more locations by year's end.  An additional 8 locations have been awarded, meaning they will be opening within the next few years.  Check to see if you live near one here!
• started by an anthropologist, the idea of the pizza is to get to the root of human digestion.  Apparently grain has been absent from our diet for a huge chunk of humanity, so its a shock to our bodies when we eat highly processed, single grain breads high in sugar.  The amount of insulin released to deal with and flush out basic dough (and most highly processed bread) is unnatural and unhealthy.  Naked Pizza uses dough, called their "Ancestral Blend" that has 10 grains, plus prebiotic agave fiber and probiotics.  They don't use sugar to season their dough, just agave (yup, same stuff used to make tequila.).  The simple ingredients and heft of the bread Naked Pizza uses makes it tougher for our bodies to digest, which is actually a good thing.  

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• All of the ingredients used as toppings are all-natural.  Now theres a huge debate about using organic vs all-natural in the company, but thats for another blog post.  The basics are that their tomato sauce has no added sugar or citric acid. Their cheese is 100% natural, rGBH-free, real Wisconsin mozzarella. Their vegetables are all-natural, no additives and their meats are real pork, chicken and beef—free of growth hormones and antibiotics.  Nice and simple.
• How can they expand with the speed they're moving without a national presence?  Well, it helps to have the backing of Mark Cuban (of Dallas Mav's fame) and the Kraft Group (No relation to the cheese).  
• They are the nicest company to order pizza from - the guys on the phone seem insanely happy to be working for their company and the delivery guys are incredibly sweet.  Plus, I've never had a pizza be delivered in over 20 mins.  Lightening fast, I tell yah.
• $5.99 for a 12" cheese pizza!? yes - Yummy and affordable!
• Their social media is amazing.  I love following them on twitter (the deals rock and the links to great health conscious articles are awesome).  They joke about how they're a social media company that happens to sell pizza.  Hey, anything to get the word out about eating cleaner and having a healthier lifestyle is cool in my book.

So it's official -- my new food crush is a pizza company with a cute smiley face as their logo.  Love at first guilt-free bite.


check out more about this game-changing company here: http://www.nakedpizza.biz/

Remember

On this day of remembrance, I can only look to the words of someone much wiser than myself to sum up its importance:

"Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past, and renew our commitment to the future of America.

Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.

I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.

This Memorial Day, we honor those brave Americans who died in the service of their country. I think an ancient scholar put it well when he wrote: ``Let us now praise famous men . . . All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.'' As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world."

- President Ronald Reagan, Memorial Day, 1983

Those words have never rung truer more than today and on this day of remembrance.  So please, in the midst of the BBQs (yum!) and fun times with friends, please take a moment to remember those brave men and women who gave everything for our simple, everyday freedoms than so many of us take for granted.

Happy Memorial Day!

Things I Don't Understand

10 things I have given up trying to understand:
1. Crocs.... not acceptible in any way, shape or form
2. US Airline Companies.... crappy customer service, unreliance and outragously jacked up prices. A truly capitalist society would have gotten rid of them years ago.
3. Egocentric designers & their U.G.L.Y. architecture (ie: Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, etc.)
4. Paying obscene amounts of money for heinous "fashion" items (see below):

Designer: MuiMui / Price : $1,595

5. People who are too lazy to return their shopping carts to the proper stalls in the parking lot. Walking 20 feet won't kill you.

6. Spandex. Only acceptible uses: UnderArmor worn while working out & 80s themed parties

7. Slow Walkers

8. 99.9% of MTV's content. I feel like I loose IQ points when I watch any show on that station

9. Blatently obvious fashion knock-offs (Coach/LV anyone?).

10. short-sleeved dress shirts on men.