Last Minute Gift Ideas

Gingerbread Cookies

I made these cookies last year for the boys and they make a fabulous last minute homemade gift. Here's the recipe

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

I picked up (8) half pint mason jars at Target and made this gift for the ladies in our family.

Not only is this scrub very easy to put together, but it also helped me get rid of all the brown sugar in my pantry. Woohoo!

This body scrub is an awesome gentle exfoliator and moisturizer.  You can't beat inexpensive natural beauty. :-)

Brown Sugar Scrub

by Brown Vegan

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Ingredients (1 pint)

• 2 cups organic brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Instructions

Mix brown sugar and coconut oil in a bowl until well combined.

Place mixture into a mason jar and decorate with ribbon or a bow.

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5 Tips for Beautiful Glowing Skin

Ok, so I was silly enough to believe eliminating meat, dairy and eggs from my diet would automatically give me the beautiful glowing skin that blogs and news articles rave about. Umm, it's been two years and I'm still waiting.

Honestly I really can't blame anyone but myself.  I don't drink enough water (I guess those 4 cups of herbal tea don't count), I don't wash my face as frequently as I should, and my diet isn't very clean (sugar is the devil *shaking my head*).

Seeing myself on film really brings home the need to get a skin care regimen together. Pronto. 

Since I'm aiming to make this regimen as natural as possible, I've been searching the Internets for tips to get it right.

Natural tips to get beautiful glowing skin:

*Wash your face, yo! I'm starting the daily oil cleansing method as soon as I pick up some castor oil and unrefined sunflower seed oil.  I'm also going to continue with a bit of unrefined coconut oil and/or grapeseed oil to moisturize. 

*Frequently change your pillowcases- Changing your cases at least once a week will reduce bacteria and oil from getting on your face and reduces the likelihood of skin problems.

*Drink more water- My "friend in my head" heyfranhey often talks about drinking as much water as you can to flush out toxins and maintain radiate skin.

*Stock up on foods rich in vitamin C- Berries, sweet potatoes, citrus fruit, broccoli, and grapes are excellent for producing collagen that feeds the skin, causing it to glow.

*Drink green smoothies- I've been slacking on my green smoothies lately but since I usually have kale and spinach on hand, I should be able to get back on track in no time. Here's a video with Kimberly Synder on Dr. Oz discussing the wonderful benefits of blending greens for skin.

Time to get my skin together!

What's your natural skin care regimen/tips?

7 Whole Days-Water Challenge

*singing* 7 whole days and not a word from you.

Anyhoo....I hope you're enjoying the weekend.

I'm challenging myself to be intentional about drinking more water.  Sure, I probably get some from the raw fruit and vegetables (and the several daily cups of green tea *tea holic*), but I find that I don't just grab a glass of water and gulp it down enough.

I'm trying to clear up my skin (damn you, vanity!), flush out a few organs, and help with digestion.

Keeping it simple-I will drink four 18 oz glasses for the next 7 days.  I hope to continue afterwards but I just want to see if I jump over this hurdle.

The weather is gorgeous today! *pleeease stay this way*

So, I'm going to drink this 18 oz and take a short walk with the fam.

Do you drink enough water?

Edible Beauty: Facial Mask-3 Ingredients

I've been neglecting my skin for far too long. I'm challenging myself to get it right!

I saw this video on BubzBeauty the other day-Moisturize and slightly exfoliate your face using 3 simple ingredients.

Slightly massage the mask, then....

I had a lot of mask left over so I ate it.  :-)

My Diva Cup Experience

Update: I talk more about my Diva Cup experience when I reviewed it in this video.

What the heck is a Diva Cup?

The Diva Cup is a silicone (non-latex & BPA-free) menstrual cup.

I came across a lady  on a blog discussing her experience with using the Diva Cup about a year ago.  I was nervous about using it and didn't until about five months ago  when I saw this video on Youtube.....

Why I was nervous?

The idea of putting a cup inside of me? Ummm, no.  It looked sooo uncomfortable and strange.  Even though tampons are a fairly new concept (introduced in the 1930s) I wasn't too excited about changing.

Advantages of using a Diva Cup:

*Convenient- I no longer have to worry about whether or not I have enough tampons or pads on hand.

*Eco-Friendly- The average woman uses 8,000-17,000 tampons in her lifetime. That sounds like a lot of landfill waste that can be prevented.

*Cost Effective- Before using this device, I spent about $10 per month on tampons and maxi-pads.  My Diva Cup was $25 with shipping and can be used for several years.

*Discreet-I appreciate the little pouch that came with my  cup. 

*Doesn't interrupt daily activities- Like a tampon, you can still swim, bike, etc. while using the cup.

Some tips:

*Practice inserting and removing your cup while not on your period to get used to it without the mess.

*As Angela mentions in the video above, there is a learning curve with  using the Diva Cup.  I didn't use it outside of my home until the  middle of my third menstrual cycle because I was paranoid about leakage.  There's plenty of room in the cup to collect fluid, but leakage is caused by not inserting the cup properly.  I had two spills while using the cup at home.

*Watch a few Youtube videos with additional instruction on inserting and maintaining your Diva Cup.  The cup does come with a guide but Youtube was a better source of information for me.

*You can purchase your Diva Cup at any natural store or Amazon (like I did).

In my experience, change is always good. :-)

Have you used non-traditional menstrual methods? Let's talk about it in the comments section.

Edit to add: I received some great feedback about the Diva Cup but since I changed my comments to Disqus all of them were deleted (as well of all previous comments throughout the blog).  I was able to able save these five though.

“I LOVE LOVE LOVE my DivaCup. I've been using it for about a year and I have NO plans of ever going back. Once I got the hang of insertion, I was a breeze. No fuss, no mess...it just felt so right.”

-Keisha

Hey Monique!

Glad you shared this topic!

I have never tried the Diva Cup, but I am aware that it exists.  I was always curious about it, but too chicken to give it try.  A few years ago, I went another route, with cloth pads, but that didn't last long.  I think I might give it a try.  It is eco-friendly and a lot cheaper in the long run. 

Take care,

-Evelyn

I'm a Diva Cup Girl and have been for a couple years.   It took me 3 months and a couple diva-tastrophies to figure the whole thing out, but now I'm grumpy if I don't have it.  :-)  Not sure I would swim with it and running is sometimes a challenge, but otherwise it is great!

-Vegmom

Love Love Love my Diva Cup, until I accidentally threw it away. Oops. Lol. But I just ordered a new one and can't wait for it to arrive. It took me about the same time to get it right as it did with tampons and I no longer fear having something in too long or checking for leaks in the middle of the night like with tampons either. I wish I would've tried it sooner but I had a bad experience with an Instead cup back in the day and thought they were one in the same.  Never again will I have to worry about keeping tampons with me, not keeping them in too long or having them stored in every possible place I might be when my period comes. But I gotta remember to keep the cup out of the trash can lol

-Livindreamz

Me and the diva cup don't have a great relationship. I've had it since I got my 1st period after the birth of baby girl. I've tried it a few times, but still have not gotten the hang of it.

I have not given up, but I did put it away for the past few periods. I got tired of dealing with it.

Maybe, it's time for me to try again.

BTW- I'm so glad you posted that video. I saw a video of hers awhile back, forgot her name and wasn’t able to find her again until now :)

-Crafty Earth Mama