Loving Through Silence (via The Grace Post)

I wanted to share this blog post from The Grace Post. If you have a friend or know someone going through a difficult time, I encourage you to read this post about Job, Loving Through Silence. Here’s an excerpt:

While words are wonderful, sometimes the words “I love you and I’m praying for you” are enough when someone is hurting. Through notes, prayers, meals, and hugs we can show immense love through our silence.

While you’re there, check out some of her other posts as well! I have been encouraged by Keri’s posts several times.

e.l.f. Nail Polish Removal Pads: Product Review

As I was removing my nail polish today, I was once again thankful for my discovery of the most awesome nail polish remover ever! I used to really dread taking off my nail polish because it was such a pain. Now, it’s so easy! I use e.l.f.’s Nail Polish Removal Pads.

There were 2 main things I hated about traditional nail polish remover: the smell and that it always dried out my skin really badly. These pads do neither. They have a nice, clean citrus scent that doesn’t burn my nose and eyes. My husband ALWAYS complained in the past when I got out the nail polisher remover bottle and asked me to not open it while he was in the room because the scent gave him a headache. No longer an issue with these pads!

I also love that I no longer have to deal with dried out skin anymore when removing nail polish. These are very gentle yet get the job done.  A side benefit is they come in a small little container, no big bottle to store. One of the best parts, however, is the price! $1.o0 buys you 18 pads. I usually use 1-2 pads for my finger nails and 2-3 for my toe nails. (Darker colors take longer to remove.) Since discovering these, I have never bought another bottle of that heinous smelling drugstore polish remover.

A side note, e.l.f. stands for eyes lips face and the company has lots of great products. Their products are all super cheap! A lot of the items are only $1.00 like the nail polish removal pads. They have a full line of cosmetics and related tools, as well as bath products. Check them out! Right now they have a special where you can pay just $1.98 for shipping when you spend $20 or more. (Use coupon code June198 by June 14 to get this special.)

Philosophy: Product Review

Since I have reached 2,000 hits, it’s time for another guest writer! Who better to write for A Little Bit of All of It then my own mother! So I introduce my mom, Nancy, to my blog. Here is her review of Philosophy.

I have been told that I look younger than my almost 51 years. I attribute that partly to genetics, staying out of the sun and my Philosophy. What is my Philosophy? It is the skincare products that I use and love. I have been using Philosophy products for probably 8 or 9 years. The products that I cannot live without are Purity, Hope in a Jar and Amazing Grace.

Purity is the face soap. Ah, but it is more and this is the part that is great–it is an eyemake up remover, too. This saves a step in your nightly skincare routine. So, as you are washing your face, you just gently rub your eyes and your eye makeup dissapears. I like the fact that I am using something so gentle on my face that I can rub it in my eyes and it does not sting one bit yet, it cleans very well. It smells nice, too as do all the products.

Hope in a Jar is next and it is the most wonderful moisturizer. It is very different from most moisturizers I have used in the past. It has a souffle-like texture and it makes your skin look and feel radiant.

Amazing Grace is a 3-in-1 product: bubble bath, body wash and shampoo. It smells heavenly and it is amazing as the name implies. They have this scent in a perfume also that I have used as well. It is very light and not too perfumy at all. You just smell very clean and fresh.

There are many other Philosophy products that I have also used. The Microdelivery Exfoliating Peel (use this and your face is sooo smooth), Hope in a Tube (for those eye lines), When Hope is Not Enough, Inner Grace, etc. And don’t even get me started on their bath and shower gels. Just to name a few, Red Velvet Cake, Butterscotch Bliss, Belgian Waffle, and Strawberry Milkshake. They have so many unique combinations and they all smell incredible.

All the products have really neat names and the packaging is unique with children’s images on many of the products and each bottle has the “Philosophy” for that product that I enjoy reading. The 3-in-1’s have actual recipes on the label that you can use, too. They also have a line of cosmetics.

If I had unlimited funds, I would buy one of everything. Try these products, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

In Memory of Xerxes

Xerxes

Xerxes was a sweet old dog we found at the animal shelter. Well, that is a lie. He was a curmudgeonly old dog really but we loved him. He looked absolutely pathetic, ribs sticking out, shaking, ugly really. We had no intention of a getting a dog that day but there he was, a pug. Do you know how rare it is to find a pug at a shelter? He was a stray. They had just brought him in a day or two before and neutered him. He was shaky from the drugs from the surgery. I guarantee no one else would have taken him. But he licked my nose and my husband said, “Let’s get him.”

He was ornery but loving, a good cuddler even when I forced him. He didn’t like kids so when I got pregnant the first time we wondered what we’d do with him. Turns out it was a non-issue. The second time it was, too. Xerxes died in my arms during that second pregnancy. The worst part is he almost died alone at a doggie day care. We were supposed to be out of town at a family reunion. We couldn’t attend at the last minute because my cousin’s family had Fifth’s Disease and we felt it was too risky for me to be exposed in my first trimester of pregnancy, especially with the memory of my last miscarriage fresh in our minds. So we were with him. I sobbed, cried for days, missed a day of work even. I loved that old ugly dog. I stroked his fur for awhile afterwards, unable to let him go.

I still think about Xerxes. Very few people could pronounce his unusual name. And he peed all over our house and furniture, even my dad’s head once. He loved my husband and put up with my suffocating affection for him. Good old Xerxes.

The house was so empty after he was gone. We couldn’t stand it. We began applying to rescue agencies for another old male pug. We found one, a big boy we named Odin. He couldn’t hear, had a wretched cough and an unsightly skin tag but we took him anyway.

Odin at his new home

Odin really was a sweet dog, great with kids and happiest when he laid on the couch or in his cushiony dog bed. Odin got me through a really hard time of my life like Xerxes had before him. He had to go, too unfortunately. I still wonder about him and hope he is okay. I found out he did get adopted so that makes me happy!

Have you ever lost a loved pet? What was it like for you?

What’s Your Super Power?

I have been blessed by my daughter in so many ways. One of the things that has specifically been special to me in a way I did not anticipate is the nursing relationship. It is also so neat that God provided this way to nourish our babies and didn’t make it just about nutrition. It is so much more than that. I read this post and loved it! I completely feel the same way and couldn’t say it better than that.

I also love all the fantastic benefits for both of us. There’s a fantastic post here about some of those wonderful benefits. It truly does feel like a “super power” I have sometimes. Some of my favorites from the post:

“Breastmilk is gourmet dining for the tiny tot set! Different foods, oils and spices you consume flavor your milk, introducing and exposing your baby to a variety of flavors before (s)he ever tastes solid food. Formula has one bland flavor. Period.”

“Breastfeeding is like the ‘magic bullet’ of motherhood. Your milk contains endorphins which soothe and calm babies during times of stress. This comes in very handy during vaccinations, injuries, illnesses, or when your baby just needs that special cuddle.”

“Like recognizes like. Grown children who were breastfed and who receive donated kidneys from their mothers or a sibling are significantly less likely to reject the organ than if they were not breastfed.”

I wanted to end with a collection of bible verses about nursing mothers. I can’t take credit for compiling these. I found them here.

“Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me.” Psalm 22:9-11

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Isaiah 49:15,16

“For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.” For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” Isaiah 66:11-13

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.” Psalm 131:2,3

“But we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7,8

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

Book Reviews by YOU!

Instead of me doing a book review this time, I want YOU to. That’s right, it’s your turn readers! Below are the books that I currently own but have yet to read. I fully intend to read all of these (or, at the very least, portions of all

of these) at some point in time but haven’t quite gotten around to it yet. Most of them were recommended to me but some I picked out all on my own. See, this is the problem when you have a Paperbackswap.com account and go crazy with your “wish list”. You end up with a lot of books you really want to read but just haven’t gotten to yet. Currently I am reading two books, one of which I will review on here upon finishing (The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson) and the other I am actually listening to on my iPhone from iTunes U (Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray).

So, without further ado, here they all are. Let me know if you have read them, heard about them, want to read them, etc. and your thoughts! Thanks!

The Baby Book by William Sears, M.D. & Martha Sears, R.N.

Healing Children Naturally by Michael Savage Ph.D.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

How to Teach Your Baby to Read by Glenn Doman, Janet Doman

God Guides by Mary Geegh

Baby Signing 1 2 3 by Nancy Cadjan

One-Minute Cleaner by Donna Smallin

25 Things Every New Mother Should Know by Martha Sears, R.N. with William Sears, M.D.

The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley

The Discipline Book by William Sears, M.D. & Martha Sears, R.N.

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

Relational Parenting by Ross Campbell, M.D.

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers by Tracy Hogg with Melinda Blau

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D.

He Who Lifts the Skies by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow

The Labor Progress Handbook by Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta

The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood by William Sears, M.D., Martha Sears, R.N., James Sears, M.D., and Robert Sears, M.D.

Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer

I have another long list of books I don’t own yet that I want to read as well but I won’t burden this post with all of those! If you have a book you would like to recommend though, please do!

The Marathoner’s Banana Bread (via Q’s Eats)

I made this healthy banana zucchini bread a couple weeks back and my daughter and I loved eating it for breakfasts and snacks! Delicious and nutritious! I thought I’d share it with my readers as well. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

I’m still writing up my interview with marathon runner Brooke Curran (most likely while eating a slice of this bread smeared with Brummel & Brown as in the photo above).  I got so much good stuff from our chat and we gabbed and gabbed and gabbed that I almost don’t know where to start!  I am committed to having it up by week’s end, but in the meantime, I MUST share her fabulous recipe for banana bread.  I had a slice for breakfast along with … Read More

via Q’s Eats