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Hey, y’all! Happy Friday! It’s been a busy week, and I’m looking forward to *some* downtime this weekend. Let’s get to some favorites from the week!
O N E – Barbie Costume
Olivia decided that she wants to be Barbie for Halloween, so we’ve been browsing all of the different options. As you can probably imagine, with the popularity of the movie this year, there are many options from which to choose, and Olivia’s two favorites were this pink and white dress set and the “Skating Barbie” set.
She ultimately chose Skating Barbie, but this pink and white dress costume set was so good that I wanted to share it in case any of you are costume shopping with your littles. The dress is just darling, and it comes with all of the accessories – a belt, a necklace, earrings, and a hairbow, and it could not look more like the outfit Barbie wears in the movie!
The quality of the dress is okay – it’s pretty much on par with any other Halloween costume in that it’s not the best quality, but it’s good enough to get the job done. And the price of this one is actually pretty great compared to most Halloween costume prices.
One thing to note is that it runs HUGE. Olivia is nine years old (average height, on the slender side), and we ended up having to size down all the way down to the 5-6 years size. That’s the one that ended up fitting her perfectly.
I was a little bit sad when she decided to return this one and be Skating Barbie, but hey, this one comes in adult sizes, too, so maybe I should join her? ;o)
I’m currently trying to cut back on gluten and I’m also trying to eat more protein-rich foods, so when Brian brought home a box of Kind bars, I decided to try them. He actually brought home a different flavor that I wasn’t super impressed with, but I bought this Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Nut flavor, and man, are they good!!!! They’re made of whole foods with no junky additives, they’re low in sugar, they’re gluten free, and they have 6 grams of protein. They are honestly so delicious that I feel like I’m eating a dessert when I have one.
I had tried Kind bars in the past way back when I was working my full-time corporate job, and I was never impressed with any of those flavors I tried, but this particular flavor is amazing.
That said, I’m reeeeally not supposed to be eating stuff like this with my braces, but I’ve been cutting them up into tiny pieces and eating them that way, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t have any issues. Look at me being a rule-breaker. ;o)
T H R E E – Bath &
Body Works Halloween Soaps
I don’t buy much from Bath & Body Works anymore (no more lotions or candles for me because of all of the junk that’s in them!), but they recently reformulated their soaps to ditch the sulfates, parabens, and dyes, so I still indulge in their foaming hand soaps to use in all of the bathrooms. Then I always use Mrs. Meyers in the kitchen where I wash my hands the most.
Bath & Body Works has all of their new fall scents, and this Cozy Vanilla Almond is incredible. It smells just like fall, and it is soooo cozy as advertised. I can’t recommend this one enough, and I also love that it comes in this neutral color, so it matches pretty much any décor.
B&B Works has all of their soaps on sale right now… they’re all marked down to $3.95 from $7.95, so it’s a great time to buy if you’re in need.
F O U R – Larabar
Double Chocolate Truffle
And speaking of yummy snacks, I’m still obsessed with this Larabar flavor, y’all. It also tastes like a dessert, so it’s a great way to curb a sweet tooth. These are made with just six real ingredients, so again, they don’t contain a bunch of junky additives, and they’re plant based, gluten free, and vegan. They’re also made with dates, so they’re a great source of fiber.
These are just so delicious and they’re great to take on the go!
F I V E – Turmeric
I’ve had high inflammation in my body for most of my adult life… my feet and ankles are always swollen, my hands swell horribly after I walk or run to the point where they ache for about an hour after I get done, I get lots of headaches, and I’ve had various other aches/pains/issues with inflammation in my body over the years. My recent blood test at my annual checkup showed that I have high inflammation, too, so I know it's a legitimate medical concern.
My therapist was telling me the other day that she started taking turmeric for inflammation a few months ago at the urging of a couple of her friends who have had success with it, and she was just RAVING about it. She said that she needs a knee replacement, so she has terrible knee pain, and she said within three days of starting the turmeric, her knee pain started to subside, and now she rarely has pain in her knee at all since she takes this regularly.
Since I carry so much tension and pain in my neck and back (that’s likely causing my vertigo), she urged me to grab some turmeric to try. I ended up going that very same day to pick some up from Publix, and I started it last Friday (one week ago today), and I have noticed a drastic difference in my ankle swelling and my headaches. I also haven’t had any pain in my fingers after running this week, and I've also noticed that the pain in my SI joint has also decreased significantly.
Last night, I went for my first run in two months (since my vertigo started), and I was shocked when I got home because my fingers weren't swollen one little bit. My fingers ALWAYS swell after every walk or run, and they swell so badly that I can't get my rings off... I can barely even turn them or move them at all until the swelling subsides. So to have no swelling in my fingers after a hot and sweaty run was nothing short of a miracle.
It took about four days to start seeing the effects from it, but since it has kicked in, I have been feeling so much better in so many ways. Monday I could barely get my tennis shoes on because my feet and ankles were so swollen, and now today, they look totally normal.
I grabbed this Nature’s Bounty brand because it’s non-GMO and it’s free from artificial colors, flavors, artificial sweeteners, sugar, starch, milk, lactose, gluten, wheat, yeast, fish, and sodium. Turmeric is supposed to be excellent for arthritis, digestive disorders, lowering inflammation, allergies, respiratory issues, and depression. There are also studies that suggest it could help prevent cancer among other things. And my therapist also told me that there is a link between high inflammation in the body and anxiety, so lowering inflammation in the body could also equal lower anxiety. I mean, could I need this turmeric more in my life?!?! It honestly sounds like a miracle supplement!
I've been thinking for a while that anxiety is the root cause of all of this vertigo (the anxiety caused me to have extreme tension in my neck and head which led to the cervicogenic vertigo/dizziness), and now I'm wondering if the high inflammation in my body is to blame for some of my anxiety as well as exacerbating the neck and head tension and pain. Maybe the inflammation is the root problem... hmm...
I’m going to continue taking it and see if my swelling stays down... I'm praying that it's not just a fluke. You only have to take one capsule per day, and they’re small-ish and easy to swallow, and they’re very affordable (only $9.49 for a two-month supply). I’ll try to remember to report back after I've been taking it for a while, but in the meantime, if you’re curious, just read some of the reviews on Amazon… the reviews speak for themselves!
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Olivia is the cutest Barbie I ever did see! What a great little dress! Your mantle looks absolutely spectacular! And I love that cozy vanilla almond soap! Doing my Fall Decor post Monday. I love that cozy vanilla almond soap, It’s in my laundry room by the sink but I should put one in all the other rooms. Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteGabbie got those same Kind bars as a dorm snack for when she has class too early for breakfast! I was also hearing about turmeric before you mentioned it as helping with memory issues. Glad it's helping you!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea about the numeric being anti inflammatory. I am all about that right now. That's why I cut out gluten at the beginning of the summer, so once this pregnancy is over, I'm going to try the turmeric! I also take Magnesium glycinate every night to help with my cortisol levels.
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