I made an appointment with Dr. Kranson Blair, dermatologist because I just don’t know what to do about these continual flair ups. I told him that Dr. Marks had given me a prescription for tetracycline, an antibiotic taken internally to treat acne breakouts from within. He looked at my face and said that it didn’t look too bad, that perhaps I was freaking out because I simply wasn’t used to having bumps on my face, albeit small, they are indeed a nuisance.

I was prescribed Epiduo which is a topical cream that you put on at night. The first night I slathered it on like it was regular night cream. Nothing major. The 2nd night, same thing. And the 3rd. By the 4th night, my skin felt like I had smeared napalm on it and was about to catch fire.

The 5th night, I only used a tiny bit and only on the most prevalent breakout areas, and it still felt like hot fish grease on my face. I took a few days off to give my skin a rest during which time I had a really bad breakout. I had also gotten kind of lazy on taking the tetracycline so that most likely added to it too. I resumed Epiduo again, and used it very, very cautiously, in tiny increments. Today my face is a bit more clear. The big breakouts are gone, but my face feels like turkey jerky. Hopefully, it doesn’t LOOK like turkey jerky.

I’ve tried 3 of the Kashi cereals in the past month, and I’ve got a pretty good basis of opinions based on my experiences. I’ll break it down to be really simple:

Kashi U – the BEST cereal on the market. Hands down. It’s a bit pricey – $5.99 for a box at Whole Foods, although I have heard that you can get it in bulk for $8.99 at Smart and Final which I have never been able to find, to my misfortune.

Kashi Go Lean Crunch – SUPER good tasting, BUT it’s really high in caloric intake. For close to 200 calories, you don’t really get alot of nutritional value for the punch. Sure its organic, but its not very functional.

Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oats - pretty tasty. It’s kind of like cheerios with little heart shaped rings. I got these on sale at Rite Aid dor $2.50, so the price is right. Unfortunately, it feels like sandpaper on the roof of my mouth.

Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal: One of my fave cereals! Not as packed with nutrients as Kashi U, but way better than Kellogg’s frosted mini wheats, without added sugars.

If you haven’t joined us for the fantastic Yoga & Wine Groove on wednesday nights at Bodyworks Studio, trust me, you are missing out. Gretta’s heated poses will wash a complete newness into your entire body. Afterwards, we indulge in a small glass of wine and chit chat a bit about goals, aspirations, current events, and whatever else comes to mind. It’s a great little ‘me time’ that definitely lends to a great night’s sleep!

Tonight I’m going to bring a nice bottle of Chateau St. Jean 2007 Riesling California.

Tasting Notes – Crisp and lively Riesling is mouth-filling, lush and pleasingly sweet. The wine bursts with inviting aromas of peach, nectarine, apple blossom and a hint of minerality. The vibrant acidity accentuates the wonderful flavors of pear and melon. It should be a nice, refreshing introduction to some yum summertime wine!

Dude, I’m getting older and things just aren’t the same anymore. Now don’t get me wrong, I know I am not OLD, old, but no lie things are getting a bit rusty. So instead of complaining, I am getting punctured. Acupunctured that is! I visited my local Acupuncture on Health clinic, and it is only $40 per treatment.

I’ve got a few issues that I’m trying to resolve: circulation (healing from my varicose vein proceedures), achy back, hormone balancing, stress, and energy flow. I’ve been 3 times now, and each time has produced a different effect. Check it out:

Visit 1: A full and comprehensive overall assesment of my general health. A 20 minute acupuncture session while on my back, a 20 minute acupuncture session while on my front. I didn’t feel any of the needles, and I didn’t really feel anything besides super relaxed afterward. I wanted to come home and nap, and I ended up not even being able to go to my Zumba class that evening, because I was just soooo lazy. I decided to go to a relaxing hatha yoga class instead, and opted to not make my next acupuncture appointment on a day that I had to actually work out really hard. Oh yea, and when I came home, I found that I had a needle still stuck in my hip. I pulled it out, no biggie – it didn’t hurt or anything, but still…kind of weird. I made another mental note to check for any residual needles the next time.

Also on visit 1, I submitted my ppo health insurance to see if by any chance I was eligible for partial medical coverage.

Visit 2: I told the good doctor that I was super duper lazy after visit 1. He changed up the needle application, and I wasn’t quite as lazy. He also gave me some Chinese Herbs to enhance circulation and give me some energy. I walked out with absolutely no pain in my hip…my back still hurt. He told me it may be around 7 sessions before my back pain was cured. Later on that day, I felt super stiff. I continued to feel stiff for around 3 days, regardless of the amount of yoga and stretching I did. I made a mental note to discuss with the doc on my next appointment. I’m taking the Chinese herbs, but not really feeling any effects.

Visit 3. I was told that my PPO health insurance would cover my treatments, and my co-pay would be $20. Cool!! I told the good doc that I was having some constipation and regulation issues, probably due to my anti-depressant medications. He put a bunch of needles in me, in my ear, on my neck, my back, shoulders, lower back, calves, ankles..everywhere it seemed! When he put the needle in my neck, I immediately felt a nerve that was pinched, become unpinched. It didn’t hurt, but I felt it being unpinched. Kind of like when you wear your hair in a ponytail all day, and then at the end of the day you take it out and your hair follicles return to normal…you know that sensation I speak of? Like that. The good doc gave me some Chinese herbal tea that is supposed to help with cleansing my digestive track. I’m drinking it…it tastes pretty good, and maybe it’s cleaning a bit. After session 3, I am beginning to feel pretty good. I had a great workout, returned to Zumba and followed it with a Pilates class. Not bad.

Acupuncture on Health
10164 Mason Avenue
Chatsworth, CA 91311

While it’s not too great these days to sizzle in the sun for prolonged lengths of time without the adequate protection, a daily dose of sunshine and fresh air is good for the body & mind.  Check out this bit of info that I got from my VitaCost.com daily newsletter:

“Vitamin D is necessary for the maintenance of healthy phosphorous levels in the body and works with a number of other vitamins, minerals and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is a form of vitamin D manufactured by the body when the skin is exposed to the UV rays of the sun. It may be necessary to add a vitamin D supplement to the diet due to inclement weather, aging, excessive use of alcohol, strict vegetarian (vegan) diets and overactive parathyroid glands.”

O and I love bananas. But we are kind of banana-bourgie. Banana preferences are really important in our household. I like them best when they are almost ripe. A bit green on each tip is ideal banana eating time for me. I don’t  know why, and I don’t really care to know why, it’s just good to me that way. O, on the other hand, needs the bananas to be the perfect golden yellow for him to eat them. Once they get a brown spot on them, neither one of us will eat them, and we both look at the banana plate in our kitchen with woeful eyes, knowing that within days, they will be beyond any help, and we will both have to override our guilt with the concept of wasting food.

Alas…that day has passed!!!! I have just come across this site that has great ideas on freezing bananas, for multiple purposes that even I can find amazingly helpful! The first one, slicing the bananas up and freezing them in a bag – tossing them into a smoothy for a creamy, non-dairy, thicker than ice consistancy. OMG How exciting is that??? The second…using over-ripe frozen bananas for banana bread recipes. And you know, I love me a good loaf of organic banana bread. I can think of a few other recipes that call for bananas that might be good with some frozen bananas: maybe some chocolate dipped frozen banana chunks for a low-calorie option rather than the whole banana, banana pudding, and banana muffins. All of which can be made with great ingredients and using the bananas that would have otherwise ended up in the trash. Woot!!!!

Quick banana vitamin profile: Vitamin A, Iron & Potassium. Plus Eating only two bananas will give you enough energy to exercise or workout for an hour and a half. Bananas are also ideal for eating during that midday lull when you feel tired and sluggish. Happy day!

Yes, this stuff is uber luxe, and not only in price. It’s kind of perfumy, rinses through your hair like silk, and blow drys super nice.

The only downside is that by the time I got down to the end of the bottle, my hair was tired of the stuff, fatigued and a bit limp. I wonder if they make a clarifying shampoo? Due to the quick fatigue, I probably won’t buy it again unfortunately, because it was just a bit too pricey for the quick poop-out.

If you’d like to try Alterna out, or if you have a really good clarifying shampoo on deck (Fekkai Apple Cider clarifying is great IMO) you might want to give it a try – for the first 3 weeks at least, your hair really will feel fabulous. I found it cheapest at FragranceNet.com

This weekend was pretty hectic. I got a new puppy, and unfortunately my family isn’t being very supportive of my new family member. Thank goodness that I live with OJ who is just fabulous and accepting of my doggy family. My parents on the other hand, have made me give away my past puppy (my chow-chow named Zeus) and have made it clear that the new puppy Obi is NOT welcome at their home. It caused a bit of a trife, but for now, thats TMI, so I will leave it at just having had a hectic puppy-weekend.

In the midst of all the familial dramz, I was able to get in a few quiet moments to check out some cool sites online that I’d like to share with you, as well as some info that I learned at Trina’s Total Body Makeover last week that was a surprise to me, and I am sure will be to you too.

In the quest for going green and saving our planet one tiny bit at time while being and staying fabulous:
EcoStiletto: The secret to smart & sexy green living

Sustainable Cotton Project
In 2007 there were 2 organic cotton farmers growing 240 acres, reducing• chemicals by a little over 500 pounds

Finally, a big thanks to Trina from BodyWorks Studio for making me aware that you shouldn’t ever microwave food in plastic containers, OR freeze food in plastic containers because when you either heat or freeze plastic, the chemicals that were used in forming the shape are released and absorbed into your food. Did you know that?? I totally didn’t!!!

Cha Cha is a super picky dog, although he is a bit on the portly side, he is extremely particular as to what he will and will not eat. It has caused some difficult training sessions, as he would rather not be bothered with the training treats. I haven’t been able to teach him any real tricks because he refuses the reward treat.

I have recently discovered the Happy Hips by Dogswel chicken and duck chews. I personally have a hard time finding the Mellow Mutt flavor, which I feel is most applicable in Cha Cha’s mental status haha.

I’m really loving the DogsWell pet food company, and feel much more assured that they take their ingredients seriously – adding no corn, no wheat and no added hormones. There is also a direct messages from the CEO and President in regards to pet food safety.

While Whole Foods has the most extended variety of different Dogswell food and snack products that I have seen in a brick and mortar, Ralph’s and Target also carry the Happy Hips and Vitality chew snacks. Looking around the site, I can see a Catswell line, as well as a vegitarian line available too! So Cheers to Dogswell for making an amazingly organic and healthy snack line that dogs really, really like – even the pickiest of dogs!

Remember when I was having trouble with the whole bubbling nail polish thing? I think I have solved the mystery! If you scroll down a bit, you will see an entry for Qtica, which I am considering inducting into the Holy Grail category for it’s amazing outcomes. After 3 weeks of intensive and consistent treatment using my Qtica regimine, my nails are amazingly healthy, growing like weeds AND I polished my nails last night again with the very same OPI Polish with no bubbles. Yay!!

I’m thinking that perhaps nail polish bubbles on uneven and unhealthy nails. Perhaps because of the ridges and what not, air gets trapped when polishing, which causes it to bubble. I’m no scientist, but it seems to be a logical theory in my mind at the moment. Once your nails are healthy, perhaps the ridge factor/uneveness is absent, therefore allowing the polish to adhere in a more even distribution. Take That!

Every year, I have stuffed my son’s Christmas stocking with hygienic supplies that he usually would not buy for himself, or are a bit more on the luxury scale to make it a bit more special. Mainly, these are items that aren’t too pricey, but he would never buy for himself, or don’t make the day to day budget. Here is an example of what he can expect from Mama-clause thise year (and hopefully he doesn’t read this blog, but if he does, I am sure he won’t be disappointed LOL!)

all items have been purchased from Drugstore.com to make it easier than ever, and have all items delivered straight to my house for no hassle store hopping! I LOVE the internet!!!

I’m trying to edit my little beauty clips & put them online on youtube – I’ve finally managed to stop lurking and open up a spa-view channel. yay! Here’s me & B taking a trip to see our beloved Dr. Marks for a teeny tiny bit of botox.