Product Review: Moon Valley Organics Moon Melt Lotion Bar

Moon Valley Organics Moon Melt Lotion Bar.  You’re welcome.

I don’t often recommend beauty and skincare products because I don’t really use many of them.  The ones I do use are often made for people with extremely sensitive skin, eczema, or psoriasis, and that isn’t helpful for most people.  Still, sometimes I come across a product that is worth mentioning, and the Moon Melt Lotion Bar is one of those products.

Moon Valley Organics makes skin and body care products with sustainability and ethics in mind.  Their ingredients are grown on a permaculture farm and are 100% organic.  What they can’t grow themselves they buy from suppliers who support fair trade and the Rainforest Action Network.  The packaging is 100% recyclable and made from recycled material, plus it’s BPA free (all information taken directly from the Moon Valley Organics website).  In other words, you can feel good about supporting this company.

Now, back to the lotion bar.  It comes in a cute little tin about the size of my palm, so it is easy to carry in a purse or diaper bag.  You can get it in four “flavors:” lavender, coconut lemon, bergamot geranium, and lemon vanilla.  They smell heavenly!  

But does it work?  

Yes.

Even on dry, chapped, winter-in-Colorado hands?  

Yup.  

Even when you work in a school and wash your hands with antibacterial soap about three thousand times a day?  

Uh huh.  

No kidding?  

No kidding!  

It’s made with calendula and comfrey, which are often used in all-natural eczema care products, so you know they’re hydrating.  They help your skin hold water, so I suggest using it after washing your hands.  

Finally, it works overtime by being terrific as not just a hand cream, but a lip chap and a cuticle cream as well.  I’ll even apply it to some of my milder eczema patches to keep them from worsening to the point of needing a stronger remedy.  It’s really a product that ticks all the boxes!

If you’d like to buy your own, click here, or check out any of Moon Valley Organics’ products.  I haven’t found any that I don’t like.  Be aware, I’m not affiliated with this company in any way, but if they offer, I’ll totally be their spokeswoman!  

*Please make me your spokeswoman, Moon Valley Organics!*

Did you find this review helpful or interesting?  Do you have a great hand cream solution for winter?  Let me know in the comments, and see you next time!

Project 333: Finished Spring Capsule 2016

What’s that?  That’s my armoire.  What’s in it?  The entirety of my spring wardrobe for Project 333.  Just that?  Yup.  Just that.

If you’re just joining me, Project 333 is an online challenge in which you only wear thirty-three pieces of clothing, including accessories, for three months.  You don’t count sleepwear, loungewear, workout clothes, or things you wear everyday (like a wedding ring or watch).  The compilation of your thirty-three items is called a “capsule wardrobe,” because you should be able to fit the whole thing into one capsule (suitcase, carry-on, etc.).  

Above is my second attempt at creating a workable capsule wardrobe.  You can see my winter 2016 attempt here, the recap here, and my final thoughts and lessons learned here.  

This time around may be more difficult for a couple of reasons.  First, I plan to be in this wardrobe for two months this time, instead of one like the first time.  It’s still not the full three because I decided to change the recommended April-June spring timeline to March-May.  Second, spring in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is not known for being predictable.  For example, our local weather woman, Kathy Sabine, predicts snow tomorrow.  No big, right?  Did I tell you it’s seventy degrees today?  How do you put together a wardrobe of only thirty-three items if you have to plan for such extremes?  I actually don’t know.  But I’m going to try!

This time I stuck with a color palette of black, grey, sand, burgundy/pink, and olive.  I’m hoping this will help it all go together, and let me mix and match.

Here is what I ended up with for this upcoming season…

Tops

1-3. Solid tanks- one from Gap and two Apt 9 from Kohl’s

The grey one from the Gap was in my winter 2016 capsule, and I found it difficult to wear because the arm holes are so big that they show my bra.  I’ll layer it over another tank or under a sweater.  If it doesn’t work out this season, to the thrift store it goes!

4&5. Patterned tanks- both from Kohl’s

Hoping it’ll be warm enough to wear these on their own, but they layer well under solid sweaters.

6&7. Short-sleeved tees- one from Apt 9 at Kohl’s, one bought at a yoga shop in Old

Town Arvada

Both have sleeves that hit at the elbow instead of in the middle of the upper arm, which is more flattering for me.  The burgundy one has bat wing sleeves and a fitted waist.

8&9. Two long-sleeved shirts- one sparkly sand one from Banana Republic and one

olive one from PINK by Victoria’s Secret

Both featured in my winter 2016 capsule.  Both great for chillier/snowy days in the Rockies.

Bottoms

10&11. Jeans (Lee Classic Fit) and *Fake* silk pants from Kohl’s

I’m kind of excited to get out of the yoga pants.  I’ve been frumping it up...just a little.

12&13. Two below-the-knee pencil skirts from Kohl’s

I debated putting these in my capsule this year.  They’re prepregnancy and still a tad bit small, but I’m actively losing weight (thank you, nursing!) and they’re stretchy, so I think I’ll be able to comfortably wear them.  

14. Mini skirt from the Junior’s section at Kohl’s

Yes, the Junior’s section.  Yes, mini.  I’m not confident enough to wear a mini skirt on its own, so I thought the coolness of spring would make this a perfect time to pair this one with leggings and get some use out of it.

15. Checkered shorts- hand-me-downs from...gulp...my mom!

They’re actually pretty cute!  Good job, Mom.

Layering and Outerwear

16. Oversize cardigan from Gap Body

Held over from winter.

17. Oversize wool cardigan from Banana Republic

Held over from winter.

18. Puffy black coat

Sadly, I’ll probably need this at least once more.

19&20. Two pairs of leggings- one from Dansko, one Cuddl Duds

Accessories

21. Pink infinity scarf

I didn’t get much use out of it in the winter, so maybe this spring I can wear it with short sleeves to make them warm enough on cooler days.

22-24. One slouchy beanie, one wide-brimmed sunhat, one straw cloche hat

Accounting for very cold and very hot days.

25. Black belt with silver buckle

26. Birkenstock Gizeh sandals in burgundy

27. Clarks boat shoes in slate

28&29. Pink pearl earrings and necklace

A gift from Dan early in our marriage.  He heard me mention that I would love to have a string of pink pearls someday.  They were under the tree the following Christmas.  Isn’t he wonderful?

30. Canvas tote

My mom got this for me when she visited Butchart Gardens last year.  Because I carry my big, Boken Essentials Everyday diaper bag (a product review and “What’s in my bag” on the way soon), I decided not to include a separate handbag this season.  I’ll put this tote into the diaper bag, and if I need to carry something extra (groceries, financial binder, extra sweater, etc.), I’ll take it out and use it.

Believe it or not, I can’t think of anything else to include!  I’m sure I’ll realize I’m missing something as I go, so I’ll just leave it at thirty and add three more pieces as I need.  I can tell you right now, if I find a retro floppy sunhat I’m getting it!  Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you in the next one!

Project 333: Winter 2016- Beyond the Clothes

After doing Project 333 for one month, I realize that dressing with less was about more than just outfits.  Here are some follow-up thoughts and lessons from my first capsule.

People thought I was brave.

The number of times I heard, “Wow, only thirty-three items?  I could never do that.  You’re really brave!” Or some variation thereof struck me as odd.  I guess I never thought choosing clothing was important enough to require courage.  Sure, it takes a certain amount of guts (or lack thereof, haha) to put on that crop top, but if you’re reasonably comfortable with your body, dressing it shouldn’t be scary.  If you want to shed some more light on why dressing with less could be scary, please leave a comment!  I’d like to understand more.

That being said, I suspect most people only regularly wear a small selection of their clothing anyway.  They certainly have only a few “favorites” that make it out of their closets frequently.  It’s just about shearing away the bulk.  That’s not too frightening, is it?

I did way less laundry.

Laundry used to be a twice-a-day affair.  During my first month of capsule dressing, I did one load of colors and one load of whites a week!  I still do quite a bit of general washing because we cloth diaper Alice, but I’d say we cut it back by about half because of my thirty-three item wardrobe and the fact that...prepare yourself…

Only changing accessories, I wore the same outfit twice in a row.

The horror!  If something didn’t smell fresh or had a stain, I didn’t wear it again, of course.  Otherwise, the same pants and tops went on for two days in a row, and I’d add a scarf or a hat or something the second day to change it up.  It didn’t seem to matter, which brings me to the next point:

Nobody cared, or even noticed, that I wore the same things all the time.

If they did, they didn’t say anything.  It’s amazing how, as long as you’re dressed at least semi-appropriately, people don’t give a second thought to what you’re wearing and whether or not they’ve already seen it that week.

The Project 333 timelines don’t work for me.

For example, the winter capsule is supposed to be worn through March, but I think of March as the first month of spring.  As such, I’ll be changing the timelines to fit the seasons as I perceive them, making March-May “spring,” June-August “summer,” September-November “fall,” and December-February “winter.”  That means that this upcoming capsule will only be worn for two months, but that’s alright.  I’m still practicing, and my first capsule didn’t go very well.  The shorter time period will let me make mistakes without committing to them for so long!

There is a whole world of ethics surrounding the fashion industry.

I won’t go into it too much here, as I’m sure it would fill an entire post by itself.  To briefly summarize, though, I learned that my shopping choices mean a whole lot more to the world than I knew.  It’s about more than looking cute.  There’s sustainability, environmental impact, animal cruelty, factory conditions, fair trade, and a slew of other considerations to take into account when I shop.  I’ll be thinking much more about it next time I need a new piece for my wardrobe.

Who knew I’d learn so much in just one month of changing the way I get dressed in the morning?!  My next Project 333 entry will be a display of my spring capsule wardrobe and a description of how I put it together.  Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss it!

Project 333: Winter Capsule 2016 Recap

Hi everyone!

We’re nearing the end of March.  Bring on spring!  As you know, I put together my first Project 333 capsule wardrobe just over a month ago.   If you’re just joining me, Project 333 is an online challenge that requires you to choose only thirty-three items of clothing, including accessories, to wear over three months.  If you follow the website’s timelines, you will know that the “winter” capsule period runs from January to March.  I didn’t start until late February, so I’ve been wearing my capsule (which you can read about here) for only about a month.  In that time I’ve found that the website’s timelines don’t really make sense for Colorado weather, so I’ll be changing it up for my next capsule (more to come on that).  I also found myself glad that I only committed to this capsule for one month because I kind of sucked at it this first time!

I’m on spring break right now, so I’m using my extra time to go ahead and switch out my winter capsule for my spring one.  When it’s complete, I’ll share, but in the meantime, here’s a recap of my first ever Project 333 capsule experience.

I didn’t use a bunch of the stuff I included.

My Target tank top fits me well, but it just didn’t get warm enough to wear it as a stand-alone, and it doesn’t really go with the oversize cardigan.  It went well under the poncho, but I think I only wore them once.  I guess I really was overly optimistic about needing it in March.

The gray tank from the Gap is totally cool.  It makes my body look nice because of the round cut at the bottom.  However, the arm holes are so big that they show my bra underneath.  If I can find at least one bra that won’t show, I’ll keep it for my spring capsule, but if not, I don’t see the point.

What was I thinking including two belts?  I rarely wore my jeans, and you don’t belt yoga pants.  I didn’t include any skirts or dresses, so what did I think I was going to use belts for?  They never got worn.

Short sleeves are best to pair with bracelets, and I wore my long-sleeved tees more than anything else, so my little silver one didn’t get much use.  

I only wore my poncho once, and even then I took it off halfway through the day because it just wasn’t comfortable.  I couldn’t move well in it.  Even before Project 333 I didn’t wear it that often, so it’s on its way to the Disabled American Veteran’s thrift.

I made a couple of swaps.

It became pretty evident right away that I wouldn’t need three cold-weather hats.  I swapped the gray and black cloche for a straw cloche for warmer days.  I also spent a few days wearing a bandana over unwashed hair, but found I didn’t really like the look and abandoned it.

The brown leather bag is beautiful, but it was too much to carry when added to the diaper bag.  I moved everything into my Vera Bradley mini-backpack which is much lighter-weight and easier to carry.

And I filled the “Ummmm” category.

I knew I would need space to add something I had forgotten.  Silly me, I forgot sandal weather!  The most wonderful thing after a winter of wool socks and boots is sandal weather.  We start to get it in March here in Colorado, and I take advantage of it  as soon as I can.  I added my burgundy Gizeh Birkenstocks to the mix the first chance I got.

I also sported my opal necklace pretty often because I love it.  

So that left me with…how many items?  It depends on how you count them.  If you count everything I wore, including swaps counted individually, I used thirty-eight items total.  Now, if you count swaps together with the original piece as one, I used thirty-four items total.  Finally, if you count only items I wore more than once, I used twenty-eight items.

Stay tuned for my spring capsule coming up in April.  Thanks for reading!

Book Review: It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell

When I started this blog, I meant it to be a diary of sorts, of my experience as a mother, with a hint of "How To" for fellow mommas who wanted to get the real scoop from someone else who hadn't a clue what she was doing!  I started with only posts about my pregnancy, my preferred baby products, and strategies I employ while taking care of Alice in hopes that my trial and error approach to mothering would eliminate some of the "error" part for someone else.

But here's the thing: being a momma isn't just about what you do with your baby.  I was shocked at how it weaved itself into every part of who I am and made me into a completely different, yet completely unchanged person (aww man, I'm getting deep again!).  That's why I've felt like my participation in Project 333 is a fitting topic for blogging, and why I thought I'd try a book review series out as well!

A wonderful writer friend of mine recently gave me the following advice: "Don't underestimate the value in the simplicity of publishing your thoughts."  It was her way of gently telling me my work was over-edited to the point of diminishing my voice.  If you know me, you know that my perfectionism has plagued me when I have discovered typos or spelling errors in this blog in the past, so this advice was extremely difficult to swallow.  However, I'm keeping an open mind, and trying my book review series as chatty, unstructured pieces for practice.  What you read has only been looked over by me once!  Raw, right?!

In this, the first edition of my book reviews, I'll be discussing an audiobook I just finished called, It Was Me All Along, by Andie Mitchell.   The book is a memoir written by a young woman who lived with obesity her whole life, then finally lost one hundred thirty-five pounds in her early twenties.  Her struggles are difficult to read, especially in the beginning of the book, but she has a way of putting her experiences down in words that made me want to keep listening.

The book details her weight gain throughout childhood in direct relation to traumatic experiences, her weight loss in college even through a study abroad in Rome, and her eventual peace-making with food in early adulthood.

Her struggle with disordered eating hit close to home for me (a topic I'm sure I will eventually cover), and inspired me to check in yet again with my relationship with food and drink.  It made me reassess my definition of healthy eating again, and though I made few, if any, changes after having done the same thing countless times before, it's always nice to have new affirmation that I am not the only person dealing with my particular choice of issues.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever dealt with body image struggles, or anyone who enjoys a secular biography heavy with descriptive detail that paints a vivid picture in your mind.  Overall, I would put my stamp of approval on this book.

Please let me know what you think about a new book review series, and thanks, as always for reading!

Fantasy Versus Reality

Scene:

A woman and her husband make the decision to have a baby.  They begin talking and planning and fantasizing, knowing exactly how they want everything to go.

“I’ll never get frustrated with our little angel.”

“I know!  I’ll always put her down when she’s sleepy, but not asleep.  We wouldn’t want her to be unable to self-soothe…”

Then, just over ten months later:

“Take her!  I can’t handle it!”
“I’ll give her a boob.  That’ll put her to sleep!”

Sound familiar?  This is exactly how things are going for us!  I think we need to cut ourselves a little slack when it comes to the fantasy parenthood we planned.  New parents have no idea how things are going to go, no matter how many books they’ve read on the subject.  This has been a difficult lesson for me to learn.  What follows is an account of the fantasies Dan and I had before Alice came along versus the reality we live in now.  

“I’ll never deviate from the recommended diet while I’m pregnant.  That way I’ll never get morning sickness, lose energy, or have trouble at all!”

Right.  Though my morning sickness was manageable, only sending me running for the bathroom a handful of times, I didn’t have much of an appetite.  I especially didn’t have an appetite for the large amounts of dairy and protein recommended by WAPF (my chosen diet).  All I wanted was bread and crackers, and that’s pretty much all I ate!  Forget about fish and vegetables; I wanted nothing to do with them.  My energy waned to nothing, and I struggled in many areas.  Why?  BECAUSE I WAS PREGNANT.  No shame in that.  I didn’t do anything dangerous for the baby, and we all came out of it just fine.

“I’ll never get an epidural.  It’s only one day of pain.  I can handle it.”

One day.  Ha!  I labored for thirty-five hours, three of them on pitocin.  After twenty-two, I’d had enough.  I wanted those drugs!  You know what?  I’m proud of myself and everything, but that epidural was the best thing in the world, and I’d do it again!

“IF I give my baby a pacifier AT ALL, I’ll wait at at least six weeks so that I don’t ruin her latch.”

Just shy of two weeks postpartum, I sat crying in my grandmother’s wooden rocker.  Dan had run out to the store and Alice had been screaming for I-don’t-know-how-long for no reason that I could find.  Less than five feet away sat a clean, beautiful, plastic pacifier.  I told myself it wasn’t worth it.  I told myself I could rock her to sleep and it would be alright.  I told myself that Dan would be home soon to help.  To no avail.  I needed respite.  The nuk was suddenly in my hand, and as I looked down into that crunchy, purple face, I knew I would lose this battle.  In popped the pacifier, and silence reigned.  Her relieved blue eyes fluttered closed behind long lashes; mine sobbed fat tears.  I just knew she’d never nurse again!  Right.  When feeding time came around, she latched right on and went to town.  Turns out she was harder to ruin than I thought she would be.

“I’ll never nurse the baby to sleep, it’ll create bad habits.”

Nothing to say about this.  I do it all the time.  It works.  Maybe I’ll regret it later.

“The baby will certainly never sleep in our bed.  That co-sleeping thing is weird.”

We transitioned Alice to her nursery after one month.  It went well!  It was tiring to nurse or change her, however, because she had to be deeply asleep before she would let me leave her alone to go back to bed.  The process of unswaddling, nursing, changing, re-swaddling, and soothing all the way to sleep took about an hour each time.  At three to four times a night, I was losing a lot of sleep.  No problem...until I went back to work.  

I couldn’t function.  Dan and I discussed it and decided it wouldn’t hurt her to sleep in the bassinet a little while longer.  It was such a relief to me, and I was happy with it, until we got the stomach flu.  I was terrified that she would throw up and aspirate, so I brought her into the bed with us, “just this once.”  The ease of nursing was shocking!  She still sleeps with us to this day.  Even Dan was supportive when he saw what a difference it was making in my life.  He wasn’t married to a zombie anymore.  We plan to slowly transition her back to the nursery when I finish work, but for now this arrangement is perfect.  Plus, it’s actually nice to have her tiny body snuggling up against my side while we sleep.

I could go on and on, but the point is this: you never know what parenting will be like until you’re in the thick of it.  It’s okay not to fit the ideal you set up before Baby was born.  In fact, I daresay it’s part of the fun!  The key is to go with the flow, and to give your baby the most love you possibly can.