Tous Les Produits Naturels

I recently realized that most all of the beauty products I use contain ingredients that can cause cancer and are just not necessary for the body to have to endure. I want to recommend my two absolute favorite natural brands I have found that also work better than the standard commercial products!

The following products are free from this bad stuff:

• parabens - contributes to developing breast cancer
• vegan - non-vegan items contain animal products which could lead to cancer
• synthetic fragrance - random chemical compounds that are not required to be disclosed to the customer
• silicone - heat resistant rubbery compound that can create a product buildup
• phthalate - acid used in the manufacture of plastics that if ingested can cause kidney or liver failure
• gluten - causes irritation and allergies to some people 
• mineral oil - a cheap filler that merely expands a product
• triclosan - anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent
• sodium lauryl sulfate - a carcinogen that causes cancer

Acure
For Your Skin | For the Planet 
www.acureorganics.com

These products have food grade ingredients, and are paraben free, vegan, synthetic fragrance free, silicone free, phthalate free, and gluten free.

You can purchase these products at the Acure website and receive them shipped to your home just a few days later. Shipping is always free! You are sent a tracking number as soon as your order ships which is usually the same or next day.

 facial cleanser gel superfruit + chlorella growth factor
This facial cleanser works better than any I have ever tried, including Cetaphil. It  is very gentle but provides a good clean feeling and actually removes stubborn eyeliner and mascara. It's nice getting out of the shower and not looking like a raccoon. It only costs $14.99 for 4 ounces, which is less expensive than a lot of drug store brands anyway.

 day cream: gotu kola stem cell + 1% chlorella growth factor
This moisturizer is perfect for every day use and is not greasy. It does not leave your skin oily or dry - it is great for any skin type in my opinion. It is a bit more expensive at $18.99 for 1.75 ounces but will last for months and your skin is worth it.

 lemongrass + argan stem cell shampoo clarifying keratin boosting
This shampoo is clarifying and great for all hair types. It uses organic avocado oil to nourish your hair. This shampoo costs $9.99 and is worth every penny. The lemongrass also comes in a conditioner.

pure mint + echinacea stem cell conditioner volumizing

This conditioner leaves your hair smelling amazing and in great health. It builds volume with lightweight moisture. For only $9.99, it's all natural ingredients are worth not putting something on your head every day that can harm you. The pure mint also comes in shampoo.

tarte
high-performance naturals
www.tartecosmetics.com

This line does not use parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, or gluten.

This makeup line is all natural and very high quality. You can buy it online but I shop at Ulta for these products. Ulta has a rewards card so when you spend money you eventually get dollars back on future purchases.

I love the amazonian clay mineral bronzer ($30) and the gifted amazonian clay smart mascara ($20). The bronzer creates a very natural glow and the mascara is better than any high volume intensifying mascara I have ever used.

All photos contained in this blog post are from www.acureorganics.com or www.tartecosmetics.com

New Probate Blog

Over the past few years I have found a topic that I know a lot about and that may be pretty foreign to others - the stressful world of probate and estate planning!

I thought I would share some of my knowledge through a new blog. It may help someone figure out that they need an estate plan or give direction to someone who has to deal with a probate court process.

I will try to add the bulk of the information in the next few months (I already have about 30 posts in my head that I need to write) and then add more specialized information as time goes on. 

Check it out: http://miprobate.blogspot.com/

Beware of... stupid people?

Yet another news article about a child, this one only 19 months old, being mauled by a pit-bull. What happened this time? Oh, the child decided to give the pit-bull a hug - while the dog was tied to a pole. And of course the dog looses its life. Thank god the child survived. Where was the parent to this 19-month-old? Who in their right mind would allow a child to hug a dog they didn't know? Let alone a pit-bull tied to a pole, hello people it is a muscular dog with sharp teeth, like most dogs. I'm sure the dog felt threatened. The guardian of this child should take responsibility for this one under the law and is lucky if they are not charged with neglect.

It makes me stare in disbelief when people allow kids to interact with strange dogs. All people should respect the animals more and not assume they can walk up and pet a dog they don't know. Most dogs are much more protective and feel threatened when they are on a leash, behind a gate or fence, in a crate/cage, or tied up. Parents should teach their children to always ask before approaching a stranger's dog and then dog owners just learn that the answer is always "No." Why risk your dog's life and a person's safety by giving into the person for no reason at all? Your dog does not need to be pet by strangers.

Justin and I adopted a dog, Scooter, who was either from a puppy mill or badly abused, which pretty much goes hand in hand, and he is terrified of new people. It takes at least 10-20 times of consistently being around Scooter for him to like a new person. Scooter was so scared when we first adopted him that he literally peed on my sister-in-law's head when a stranger came through the door and the few times my dad tried to pet him or take his leash, it scared the shit out of him - literally. He's gotten much better but is still generally scared when not around his trusted circle of humans or when idiots shoot off fireworks for weeks on end throughout the summer.

Scooter is the most amazing and sweet, cuddly dog I've ever experienced and I couldn't be happier with him. It's people that baffle me; I totally understand Scooter. For some reason people take offense to the fact that he is scared of them. Others think they are the dog whisperer and that there isn't a dog out there that could possibly not like them. We tell everyone - just don't look at him, please ignore his terrified howling. What do they do? Walk right up to him as he cowers and backs away barking more and louder trying to get Scooter to come to them or let them pet him. Don't you get it? This dog is terrified and does not want to be pet. If he bites you, you provoked him, consider yourself warned.

Retreat

People are typically surprised when they ask about my weekend plans and I respond that we're going camping. I'm not sure why people don't think I'm outdoorsy - the right outfit makes anything fun, just kidding. Not related to camping but random thought: my favorite part about the co-ed softball league was my matching knee-highs and shorts. Anyway, I love camping because of exploring new places, nature, slow-paced days, taking the dogs for walks, food, campfires, and walking around 100% of the time with a beer in hand. I especially like camping in areas with no cell phone service because of my husband's obsession with stupid Clash of Clans. I don't know how many times I've threatened to take his phone and throw it in some body of water from which it shall never return.

My first camping experience was at Ionia State Park in Michigan where Justin and I rented a tiny cabin. It was a pretty big shopping trip just to be able to camp in a cabin but it was so much fun. The cabin just had two bunk beds, a small table, two chairs and a wall heater. We couldn't bring Hailey because no dogs are allowed in State Park cabins. We "camped" there in October so the weather required hats and mittens but we were able to go on hikes without being eaten alive by mosquitos and we stayed up all night playing beer pong just the two of us next to the campfire. Redbull played an important role in the late night beer pong and we paid for it the next day.

The following year we went tent camping for my family reunion at Wagener County Park in Harbor Beach, Michigan. We were the only fools there with a tent. It was pouring rain upon arrival but we still decided to "quickly" get the tent up so it would just be done with. Our tent leaked the entire weekend. The worst part about tent camping is sleeping on an air mattress with someone who is close to 75 lbs heavier than you. The entire night I clung for dear life onto my side of the air mattress like hanging on to the side of a cliff. Again no dogs in tents.

After the tent experience we decided to purchase a pop-up camper because it would be awesome to sleep on something that did not require air and we would be able to bring our dogs camping! One of the main points of camping is being able to get away for a weekend without having to pay to send our dogs to Camp Bow Wow or whatever other brilliant pet resort we use (I still want one, venture capitalists??). I scored a pop-up for just $1,800 - I don't know why I thought they would be way more?

It served us well for a year until the cables broke at the family reunion that following year and we turned the lights on inside of it, in the middle of the night, spending about an hour trying to prop it up and open with boards, as I watched thousands of bugs swarm the lights - inside the camper. I think we slept with 5,000 bugs that night inside our pop-up camper and hoped the 2 x 6's holding up the roof stayed-put. The next day I went to my Aunt Doris's place across the street from the campground and borrowed a dirt devil to vacuum those suckers to their deaths. It was gross. 

Oh, but funny story about getting the dirt devil. My mom randomly left full cans of beer in totally random places that weekend - for example on the hitch of my camper underneath a queen size pop-out bed, why would she duck under this huge mattress platform to put down her beer? No clue. Anyways, so she also left a full can of opened beer on the back bumper of Justin's truck, which I drove out of the campground, across traffic, and up a steep driveway to Aunt Doris's. It did not fall off! Wow! I'm still surprised! I knew I was a good driver. 

Then after spending a half hour popping and cranking and pulling and propping and loading and unloading the pop-up camper when we got to campsites around 10 pm Friday nights after work, while everyone else simply pulled in and hooked up made us decide to sell the pop-up and get a travel trailer. I did some online research (found the first one I liked and bought it without seeing it) and two days later Justin went to Dewitt to pick up our 2008 Palamino Gazelle. I LOVE it! I never imagined how nice it would be to have a shower and a toilet in the camper that is so easy to use! Sure beats showering with killer green hoppers and squatting next to the woods all night. I no longer have to convince myself how sanitary pee is. We love being able to drive in, put out our rugs, pull down our awning and be drinking in less than 5 minutes. Waiting an hour to drink before while we popped and cranked was unacceptable according to my fellow campers.

Anti-Anxiety

One thing that really helps me wind down at the end of a stressful workday is watching other people's crazy lives on television. I admit, I LOVE reality television! There is something about watching mindless nonsense that really helps bring a relaxing end to my day. I have always told myself that I have so much intelligence going on in my brain that I can't possibly watch a tv drama with good acting because there simply is no more room to process that sort of thing. It's a work-life balance.

I would say I'm the garden variety reality tv watcher - somewhere in the middle of Dance Moms and National Geographic March of the Penguins. My all-time favs are The Bachelor/Bachelorette, The Challenge (MTV), 19 Kids and Counting, and The Little Couple. I also really like shows on HGTV, Discovery, Travel but they really are not the ridiculous reality tv I am looking for at the end of the day. Once in a while, when I really need to relax, I will watch Honey Boo Boo - one show that literally makes me laugh out loud. So redic.

I Wanna Marry Harry got me hooked and then it was cancelled, really? I didn't think it was that bad! Lucky for me, Fox then released all remaining episodes online and On Demand. My friend Jill just text me the critics reviews of the show: "No one could possibly be watching the show except the losers of bets and people who had just died in front of their television sets." Other outlets proclaimed it was "the worst and weirdest" reality tv show. Annnnd, I had just watched an I Wanna Marry Harry marathon On Demand this weekend. Great, apparently the show was so stupid that I needed it this weekend - must have been a rough week at work.

Expensive Materialistic Things I Shouldn't Buy

There was definitely a time I thought about quantity over quality and ended up with the same three tops in three different colors each that lasted for about 3 washes before they probably should have been tossed. I didn't have time to try things on and just wanted inexpensive and available. I have learned it is better to spend a lot more money on a few really nice things, than little money on crap. If the more expensive things reflect a classic style and fit well then they will last and not end up in the bag of clothes for the roadside donation bins that who knows who actually sorts through. Spend more money now and save money over time, unless you need shopping for occasional mental health therapy - then spend more money now and more money later but hey, you gain a wardrobe and happiness. 

Here are a few of my favorite things. But unlike Oprah, I am not loaded so you're not all getting one for Christmas.

Tory Burch (who, in my household is on a first name basis)

Tory Burch is a beautiful business owner and working mother who not only has an amazing design sense for her brand but who also launched the Tory Burch Foundation - a nonprofit that supports the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families in the U.S. through small business loans, mentoring programs and education.

The sally wedge is a mid-heel leather wedge that is actually super comfortable once broken in a bit. The wedge gives you the feeling of wearing high heels but not actually wearing foot-cramping heels all day long. Not as tall of a wedge as others, it still looks formal and is very professional. These shoes were certainly an investment but I've worn them for years and all seasons and want them now in beige.

The thora sandal is the perfect casual sandal. Its leather straps are very comfortable and take no getting used to. This sandal can be worn to the beach or with a dress to a nice restaurant. I love the gold, white and camel color combination of this sandal for summer. 

The amanda logo clutch is by far the bag/purse I've gotten the most compliments on - especially by strangers!  The detachable chain makes this clutch into a convenient cross-body or the chain can be removed or tucked inside for a more formal clutch appearance. Again, this item can be used from casual day to fine dining night. It actually is pretty spacious inside and has an inner zipper and a zipper compartment on the outside under the flap that fits my iPhone to a tee. 

Photo credit: www.toryburch.com

Lily Pulitzer

I've always immediately associated this design with sorority girls but once I tried on a pair of her shorts I decided I could get past the association. All Lily shorts are true to size, have a little stretch, are not too short but not too long, and come in great summer colors and styles. 

This buttercup scallop hem short is exactly what I want to be wearing right now. They are very cute but mature and can be dressed up with heels or down for any day.

Photo credit: www.lilypulitzer.com

Alex and Ani

(+) ENERGY

This jewelry maker is my current favorite. I love the bangles and especially the Rafaelian gold finish - it's not too brassy and not yellow gold, it's that coppery mix that goes so well with all the colors of summer. The bangles look great stacked together so it's difficult to buy just one. Each bangle means something and they are supposed to encourage positive energy. Plus, they are made in the USA!

Photo Credit: www.alexandani.com

Some of my other long time "quality focused" purchases are White House Black Market for tops and jackets and Michael Kors for timepieces! (who am I kidding, I mean - watches). 

Photo Credit: www.whitehouseblackmarket.com

These tops can always be worn out and about or to work. Have to love double purpose items when you're paying $100 for a top. Most all of the items are classics too and will last years. Subscribe to their catalog and use those $20 off of $100 coupons. 

Photo Credit: www.michaelkors.com

I have this watch only with a white leather band. It's great because it can be worn with anything and the rose gold metal ties together all of your other jewelry colors. Get a watch like this at Nordstrom Rack for half the price of anywhere else Michael Kors is sold! 

The Light of My Life

Back in 2009, I decided since I had a fenced yard I might like a dog. I had always been a cat person ever since my mom got sick of all the pet store "rodents" (hamsters, guinea pigs, a rabbit and a hedgehog) I would bring home and suggested that my sister and I get kittens from Alwards grocery store (really, you find an ad for free kittens on the grocery store bulletin board and pick one up for free at the trailer park down the street, it's true - Mom knows all).

I have never had the urge to spend 24/7 training a puppy so I knew I wanted an older dog and one from a rescue. No one has yet to convince me why it's appropriate to buy a dog from a breeder or a pet shop when perfectly loving and deserving dogs are homeless and put to sleep permanently every day. 

I spent a lot of time looking on www.petfinder.com for my new companion. I decided on a Miniature Pinscher because there were lots of unwanted MinPins and they are adorable and look similar to the cute dog on the display posters in the pet section of Meijer.

I found a local rescue called Southern Star MinPin Rescue and went to an adoption event they held at PetsMart. I filled out an application online in advance and off to PetsMart I went. There were several MinPins there that day and the foster ladies were really trying to get me to choose this one little baby who had a gimpy leg. I held him for a while but it didn't feel right. So, I lied and said I was a runner and looking for a dog who could run with me.

I was about to leave and headed out of the store when a late arriving MinPin showed up with her foster mom. She was the most adorable MinPin there and she was soo soft. I knelt down to pet her a few times and told the foster mom I was very interested. I learned the MinPin's name was Hailey. She agreed to bring Hailey to my house in a few days for a home check. I purchased a book about MinPins (my mom always told me to buy a book whenever I wanted a new animal - this was the best idea when I wanted a bird, after reading the book about birds, I no longer wanted a bird) and left the store. 

I read about MinPins and how they are not the ideal breed for a first time dog owner but I didn't care. I was up for the challenge. Hailey came to visit with her foster mom and she immediately felt comfortable jumping into my couches and exploring. Yay! My home was approved!

This was probably the most fun part - shopping for a new dog!! Hailey owned quite a bit before she came to live with me. I had no idea what I really needed so I bought everything. I was told Hailey was  crate trained so I got her a new crate and filled it with warm blankets, toys, sweaters, and treats.

The day finally arrived when I got to leave work a bit early and go pick up my very own MinPin! I drove about 45 minutes and arrived to a home full of bouncing MinPins. Hailey was easy for me to recognize because she was the cutest. I signed paperwork, paid the adoption fee, picked her up for the first time (we looked awkward because I didn't know how to hold a dog) and put her in her new crate in the back of my Jeep Wrangler. We were going home!

Hailey has become quite the princess and she knows how to boss me around. Hailey literally herds me to her food. Hailey sleeps under the covers with me every night and loves to go wherever Justin and I go. She loves boat rides, camping, walks, car rides, you name it and she probably loves it. Oh, she HATES nail trims with a passion. She is the most loyal and loving being I have ever known. Hailey has always been there for me during happy and hard times. We've moved to new places and she's always adapted well as long as she has me. There has not been one time where I have come home to greet her and she not acted like it was the best surprise in the world. She cannot contain her excitement (bouncing and spinning) to see me every, single, time, as if it's been days since she saw me last. It really makes me feel special. 

I love Hailey and don't know what I would do without her!

Watertucky

Home Sweet Home

I've gotten many strange looks when I say that I love living in Waterford. But, it's a great place for us right now and the two main reasons are lake access and super low property taxes! I actually got a big refund check in the mail the other day because I had been overpaying my escrow account for property taxes for a year; so nice, I already thought they were cheap and now the Township is telling me "naw we're not even that much, here's money back!"

I have to admit the first drive Justin took me on through Waterford was not impressive. We arrived via Pontiac and it's definitely not the nicest introduction route to Waterford - here's a trailer park with yards not even the size of my office and crappy closed up businesses. Now, the way to direct visitors coming in to see us is 1) from the north come down Sashabaw and then over to Crescent Lake Road, and 2) from any other direction take numerous roads all with "lake" in their name to eventually get to Elizabeth Lake Road - it seems really out of the way but google maps assures me it's only like 5 minutes longer. Driving out of my way around lakes or driving through Pontiac, hmm lakes. I found that M-59 west of Crescent Lake Road is actually really nice and has every shopping option we need.

Our avenue is a particularly classy avenue that I'm slowly discovering more good details about. If we ever want to sell our home I hope prospective buyers also find these details amusing and not a hit to the property value.

The first abode is arguably one of the nicest on the avenue but has the misfortune of being located in the backyard of Waterford's "thumb bar." Yes, it's a bar yanked straight from the middle-top of the thumb of Michigan and stuck in Watertucky. It's really one of those that puts the tucky in the Water. Just picture women in pajamas with their 3 year old, also in pajamas, hanging out drinking (the mom, not the 3 year old), and also working as a bartender, with Joe Dirt on the dance floor falling around to the band so loud you cannot hear anything but the band, and oh yeah you can hear the cranky old men cussing every other word while enjoying their bucket of beer for $1 each beer - it's okay when $1 beer time is done because they go up to the regular rate of $1.25. Want food? What do you want? Good chance it's $1.

Next house, well they decided to re-side this beauty. A good idea since the paint is literally peeling in chunks off the old siding. But wait, driving a Benz was more important than finishing the new siding, you only really look at the front of your house anyway, right? Siding on the sides or back is highly overrated, especially when you have an old barn to party in out back. I bet you never remember what the back or sides of your house even look like after a good rave.

Another house - if you don't have room for a clothes dryer inside the next best place is the front porch. I'm pretty sure they figured out how to fit the dryer inside after about a year. What you do see, is relocate an occupant outside to put the dryer inside. Ever since the dryer disappeared, an old fifth wheel trailer appeared and we are positive someone is living in it. Every now and then a beat up old truck with a confederate flag painted across the entire hood shows up to reposition the fifth wheeler. Probably trying to obtain the best morning sunlight for the lucky tenant.

I'll post more about our avenue another time but I have to say we are doing a good job of fitting in - the other day we had our travel trailer in our driveway, Justin's truck there as well, our popup camper popped up half in the driveway and on an angle into our front lawn and my car diagonally in front of that, ha-HA! I would have been even better if we pulled our pontoon boat from the lake and parked that in the other half of our front yard, next to our neighbor's trailer with canoes that lives in his front yard year-round. 

Hard Knocks

Up at 6 am Monday go to work, occasionally go to a fitness class, come home usually by 7:30 pm, eat dinner, go to bed, and repeat until Saturday morning where I get to sleep in until at least 7:30 am. Since I can barely get anything done during the week due to the work and sleep routine, my weekends are usually packed with to-do list items such as laundry, house cleaning, yard work, appointments, shopping, you name it. I also work a side job where I spend hours of free time writing legal articles on my tiny home laptop to submit to my editor for editing, ha, and publication online. Saturday night it typically a night out with friends to actually relax.

I currently get 10 days off from the workweek a year excluding New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (unless a holiday falls on a weekend). Those 10 days are my personal days, sick days, bereavement days, and vacation days all packed into 10. Do I enjoy my job? Yes. But, I am not a workaholic. Would I have taken a different route if I would have known then what I know now? You bet.

I went to college for seven years to have the ability to do what I get paid to do Monday through Friday. You would think I would have a lot to show for all of my work effort but I don’t because I took out student loans that I cannot afford to pay back right now. Thank you to the Bush administration for Income-Based Repayment which caps my student loan payments at only 15% of my income. The reality is my loans will never be repaid on my 25 year plan but I can still drive my 2009 Jetta and pay a small mortgage.

When I took out student loans for Michigan State University and for a private law school, I thought I would start out making a six figure salary. Wrong. Don’t lawyers make a lot of money? Most don’t. I’m not stupid, I graduated at the top of my law school class and did many internships and part time jobs gaining a lot of experience but the fact is there are too many lawyers.

Like I told Governor Snyder, kids should not be told they can become whatever they want to when they grow up… unless mommy and daddy are paying the bill and can get you a job – then, yes go for your dreams! No, kids should be well informed and choose a career that is actually in demand and is hiring in the area they want to live. Check to see what jobs are posted on indeed.com right now, and then pick your major. Talk to recent grads who are working in your desired field and see what kind of hours they work and how much they are paid. I am sure Governor Snyder will write me back some day... it’s only been 3 years.

Doctors will take out massive student loans but will inevitably be loaded and the loans will be paid off. RN only requires a bachelor’s degree and although the degree is super competitive, the demand for RN’s is high and you only work 3 days a week, score! If you don’t want to work very much, I would say become a teacher but this is also a career where the market is flooded and teaching jobs are very difficult to come by. Engineering seems to be smart – everyone I know that has this type of degree has been flown across the country for multiple interviews so be prepared to relocate. Business – the go-to major – business is a great major to have because most all careers deal in business (I would recommend finance or supply chain as the hot areas right now).

Be smarter than me – just be a stay at home mom, just kidding! (not really). I’m sure that future generations will look back at my generation as the generation that really screwed up when it came to taking out student loans but the fact is we didn’t think anything of it. It’s very difficult to figure out what type of job you want to have when you “grow up” especially when working doesn’t seem all that fun. Hell, I often think I’d like to work at Bath and Body Works. My lesson to the new freshman in college is first think about the type of life you want, then think about your dream job, because over time you may realize the life you live outside of work is your dream and a job is just a job.