reversing the un-glow effect...

Lots of women get that pregnancy "glow". Just this weekend a friend was telling me how during her pregnancy she got thick gorgeous hair, strong luxurious nails, perfect skin and so on. But some of us get the opposite - the acne outbreaks, the dry red scaly patches, the odd discolorations.

I'll admit I didn't the whole glow thing. In fact this pregnancy has taken a fierce toll on my skin - facial and elsewhere. Like flaky dermatitis, unexplained red patches and painful pimples on my face, legs and feet, for starters.

But last month during my scheduled orthodontics appointment, I happened to kill some time in the Day One Spa in the same building. They carry a variety of totally natural organic skin care products. And, in a desire to jumpstart the lethargic state of my poor face, I ordered a detox travel kit.

A week later, my Eminence organic Hungarian skin care kit arrived. The little instruction brochure inside promised that my skin would look and feel different after "just one application."

Yeah, sure... I thought. Every product claims that, doesn't mean it's reality!

I decided to start out with the exfoliating polisher and masque. That evening Hubby met me for dinner and commented on how nice my face looked. Then I told him I wasn't wearing any foundation.

"No way, really?"

I've been using this stuff faithfully ever since. For once it seems that a company's claim is actually close to the truth. At least for my skin.

In case you're wondering, I receive no compensation/free gifts/other perks from blogging about this product. Just wanted to share it with you since it's been a big help for my skincare.

© Sarah K. Asaftei, 2009 unless otherwise sourced. Use allowed by express written permission only.

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the boppiest investment yet...

I'm a stomach sleeper. Have been for years. Until the last two months, that is.

The doc says that it's best to sleep on my left side for "optimum blood circulation". Yeah, somehow I don't think he's ever tried doing that for 12 hours a night, weeks in a row. With a growing belly that kind of droops heavily to the side and pulls his pelvis out of joint. And a baby kicking inside just when you nod into dreamland.

If he did, he'd know all about that throbbing in your left hip that makes you wonder to yourself if you just busted a bed sore in the wee hours of the morning. And no, the 15 trips to pee per sleep cycle aren't enough to make it go away.

Yesterday I saw my fairy god-pillow on a store shelf. I wasn't there to buy. But there was no way I was walkin' out without this thing:
I was practically dancing on tippy toes. If this Boppy Total Body Pillow thingy works, maybe I can eliminate some of the 7 huge feather pillows that I meticulously arrange down each side and underneath me every night.

And maybe Hubbie can stop tying himself to the headboard to keep from rolling off the 6 inches of mattress that are left for him. (Just kidding, there's at least 8.5 inches.)

What's more, this thing works as a sitting pillow and lap rest, too! Check it out:
I'm using it to keep my laptop radiation from giving little Mr. Asaftei prenatal brain tumors while I type right now. There's plenty of time for him to get wired into the technology waves after he's born, right?

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a bib of nonsense...

I never spent time pondering the range of compliments and insults emblazoned on babywear until now.

I can see why the baby clothing industry rakes it in. I'm totally NOT a sucker for materialistic branding schemes, but some of these baby outfits are so cute I want to buy them just to hang in my closet. Hmmm, pity I'm having a boy and I keep swooning over frilly pink and lavender dresses. Poor kid.

(Really people, where on earth are the equally adorable masculine clothes? Does super cute have to be limited to girls only? Sheesh.)

My favorite bib sayings so far are:

1 spoon
2 spoon
3 spoon
FLOOR!

and...

if you think I'M cute,
you should see my dad!

But then there are the down right idiotic baby bib slogans, like:

my mom thinks SHE'S in charge...
that's so cute.

and

hey dude, your wife
keeps checking me out!

Do people really think that buying bibs and onesies embroidered with "I'm a little tyrant" is going to make a monster child seem less obnoxious? C'mon, you're an adult. Be intelligent already. Do you really think seeing that slogan every day is going to improve your kid's character?

And putting a truthful slogan on your kid's outfit (like "I KNOW I rule the house!") doesn't make you seem any less pathetic as a parent. But hey, at least you're being honest about it.

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oh the gizmos, the gadgets... the PRICE TAG!!!

So this week I took an hour to explore the baby section of Target. (I'm planning to browse Babies R Us too, but let's take one thing at a time, alright?)

There's not much I remember about the toys I had as a newborn. But my sister came along when I was almost 6 years old, and I remember her stuff pretty clearly. All three toys she ever owned.

Really, back then we had nothing. She spent her first 2 years in an ancient robin's egg blue crib that we fished out of the heap at some abandoned house along the roadside. And my bed was a rickety plywood bunk that my dad built to fit over the top of the crib. It was the only way we could both fit into that closet they called a bedroom in the trailer house where we lived.

We spent hours playing with discarded cardboard boxes. Or dragging the pots and pans out of the bottom kitchen cabinets and banging on them.

When we needed feeding, we used big people spoons. When we needed bathing we used big people towels. When it was time to go potty, mama helped us balance on the big people seat.

Life was simple. Uncomplicated. Oh yes, and inexpensive.

Have you been to the baby department lately? It's this weird combination of exhilarating and depressing all at once. There's so many choices I feel like I'm from a third world village seeing the boxed cereal aisle in the grocery store for the first time. Can there possibly be MORE?

As if there wasn't enough stuff to battle against the simple life already. Who loses sleep thinking up all these gizmos, anyway? And how many of them are just high-priced filler for every mummy's junk drawer?
We never had a net/sponge sucky thingy for our frozen watermelon. We just either didn't get it until we were old enough not to choke, or mom mushed it into bite-size pieces.
Isn't Tupperware cheaper? Oh, right, it doesn't come in cool colors with snazzy product names. Same deal though: put snack in, give snack to baby, wait for baby to find a way to dump it everywhere. I doubt this one's foolproof.
Now this one, if it works as advertised - looks like a brilliant idea. You put the baby food puree into the big orange part, and then squeeze to dispense one bite at a time. I can see this being a lifesaver on long car trips, or while visiting someone else's house. Less fuss, less mess all the way around. Keep the gruel off both baby AND momma. Especially at church.

On second thought, I'm going back to make a registry. This lil gadget's at the top of my list.

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i love publix...

Those of you who don't live in the south might never have heard of Publix - you know, the grocery store. Kind of smaller than Kroger's, but bigger than the Piggly Wiggly. Yeah, that one.

Publix, (like most grocery chains that have well-presented food, snapping fresh produce, and a selection of organic and health foods) runs a bit more expensive than, oh, say Wal-Mart or the local version of Bent-N-Dent.

And while I see a time in our near future where those places may become our sole source of foodstuffs, it hasn't quite got there yet. Besides, they're just not as nice to their customers! At Publix, they ALWAYS push your cart to your car and load your bags.

Last night I stopped into Publix for a quick shop. All day people had commented on how much the pregnancy belly is popping out this week - I don't know if it's the belly or just the dress I was wearing, but either way...

As I lined up to check out, a manager came over to put my groceries out of the cart and onto the belt. The cashier greeted my tired self with a warm smile and helpfulness. Then, as usual, the bagger offered to take everything to my car.

Yup, for now, it's worth it to pay a few cents more to shop at Publix. It's not every place that makes you feel like walking taller and smiling more after just getting the groceries!

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keeping a sense of humor...

As a homeschooled child who also plans to homeschool my own, I've learned that when you hold a high standard for your home life, you've just gotta have a sense of humor about other people. People make judgements. They don't get it. They think you're certifiable.

If you let it get to you, you'll be just as nuts as them. So sometimes you just gotta laugh.

Feel the same way? Have a giggle at some of these t-shirt and bib designs from a couple of very cool online stores (HodgePodge Ink, and 1844):

ON HOMESCHOOLING:




ON SABBATHKEEPING:

ON HEALTH:



ON DATING:

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