Obsession Phase: Healthy Food - Thoughts

I want to eat healthier. It sounds so simple. But something that should be simple is actually a confusing minefield, with conflicting information pulling you in every direction. Not only do you have all the diet trends like low carb-high protein, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is evil, vegetarian/vegan, low-fat, organic, "natural", etc but you also have calories, chemicals, price, and most importantly, taste to consider. And that's not even to mention the "good" & "bad" foods that studies are talking about on any particular week.
And overall, it's pretty much acknowledged by every group that you should keep track of how many calories you consume. But at what point do you trade calories for more natural ingredients?
For example, since its summer, I like to eat frozen treats. My original choices for popsicles were Dreyers Fruit Bars (multipack Strawberry, Raspberry & Tangerine - No Sugar Added). BUT I know that artifical sugar isn't good for you. The regular ones with sugar have 60 calories each, the ones with Splenda have 30 calories each. I originally chose the kind that I did because those were the flavors I liked better. But now I'm thinking that maybe I should get the bigger fruit bars (only 1 flavor per box) because I can get the flavors I want but with real sugar. But bigger also means 80-ish calories each, instead of my original 30.
Another frozen treat dilemma is ice cream. I tried & liked the Skinny Cow products. 100-170 calories each, depending on the product. But the ingredients are far from natural-sounding & go on for a full paragraph. Whereas the Haagen Dazs 5 ice cream has only 5 very common ingredients, but the calorie count is 220(-ish) for a 1/2 cup serving.
So what are you suppose to do?

Books: The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
"Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream.

Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." --Gail Hudson --" taken from Amazon.com

This was a good book (I read it in less than 1 day) but since I'm not religious or spiritual I don't think it effected me the way that it might have effected others.

Great style: Zoe Saldana

Review: Fyrinnae

Row 1, L-R: Titania, Rapunzel Had Extensions, Tasmanian Devil
Row 2, L-R: Adam & Steve, Digital Faeries, Cheshire Cat Grin
Row 3, L-R: Sea Turtle, Leshii, Android Angel, Fujiro
Row 4, L-R: Platinum, Damn Paladins, Cookie Dough, Beholder

Overall these are great eyeshadows. Now I prefer a softer, more subtle look so I don't use a primer, just layer them over my foundation base.


Titania














Rapunzel Had Extensions














Tasmanian Devil












Adam & Steve














Digital Faeries












Cheshire Cat Grin
















Sea Turtle













Leshii














Android Angel















Fujiro












Platinum













Damn Paladins













Cookie Dough













Beholder

Books: The Lighting Thief

The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan.
"Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves." taken from Amazon.com

Book 1 of the Percy Jackson & the Olympian series.
Yes this is a kids book. Kinda like Harry Potter but with mythology instead of magic. Its a good read, interesting & not too childish. I don't normally like to get into book series but I think I will read the next one too.

How to Care for Biracial Hair

I have very straight hair so figuring out how to take care of my daughters hair was quite a challenge. She has 3b-c curls (http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types). Most advice for biracial hair doesn't work on her because her hair is very fine & not dry at all. Through trial and error and a lot of internet research, here's the routine and the products I use on her:

For starters I CO (conditioner-only) wash her hair. To CO wash, you first have to get a silicone-free conditioner (Suave & V05 are popular - I've found Suave is better for fine hair). You wet your hair & then apply generous amounts of conditioner to the roots & massage in (you can't apply too much. Use enough to make sure your hair is evenly coated). Let it sit for about 5 minutes or so. Rinse out really well. You can follow up w/a more intensive conditioner on the ends but for my DD, since her hair is so short & she throws a fit when I wash her hair, I skip the heavier conditioner & use a leave-in when she gets out of the tub.


I use Garnier leave-in conditioner on her hair. It helps get the knots out while combing too.


Then I apply one pump of Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum, which helps to tone down frizz.


Then I scrunch in some Herbal Essences Totally Touseled Mousse to give her curls some hold.

When I need to perk up her curls (they get messy very easily since she's a toddler) I use the following:

Johnson & Johnson's Detangler to help me get a comb through her hair (Note: I always use a wide tooth comb on her hair).


Then I use plenty of water to wet her hair to help it curl up again. If she's just wearing it natural (not pulled back) I might scrunch in the HE mousse or whatever gel I have on hand. If I'm pulling it back I use a boar-bristle brush like this:

The brush needs to be very densely bristled so that it has a smoothing effect. I usually use some gel (yes on dry hair but just a bit) to help it stay & not immediately get the "halo" look.

Now you obviously don't have to use the products I listed above. Most of them I already had on hand for myself (I'm a product whore) so its not like I went out & bought tons. But give this a try. Not all biracial hair is the same and putting tons of oil/grease in hair that doesn't need it is *not* a good look.

Magazine Review: People StyleWatch June/July 2010 - Lauren Conrad

Not a lot of notes for this issue. Lots of cute pieces scattered throughout the issue. Some standouts include The Best SHorts for Your Body, Summer Work Looks & 6 pgs of sunglasses.

I always think of this as a must-buy but its not quite as thrilling this month