why i'm doing a "monday" post on a tuesday

because, you guys, for the past three weeks i have been meaning to reinstate an old series of mine called "make-a-goal monday." and i have forgotten. every. time. including yesterday. well, ptooey on that. instead of waiting a whole week more, i am just going to declare  my goal for this week on a tuesday. tuesdays are perfectly fine days for declarations.

for those of you who are newer readers, or who have simply forgotten, as it has been quite awhile, i used to be good and dedicated to make-a-goal mondays, setting personal, short term goals for myself, bettering myself week by week, and urging you to join me or to make a goal of your own. and then one day, so it happened, i just wasn't very good at them anymore. call it laziness, if you will. but lately (as in the past three weeks), i have been really feeling like it would be prudent to pick up the slack once again. so.

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goal: eat less processed foods, and more fresh fruits and veggies.

for a vegan, i eat a surprisingly little amount of actual vegetables. let me tell you, if anyone knows how to do vegan the unhealthy way, it is me. somehow, because of my magnet-like abilities to find anything processed, sugar-filled and fattening, i have managed to locate almost every location in the city and grocery store aisles where this junk is sold. furthermore, i am good at eating it. take, for example, the daiya cheese nachos i inhaled for dinner last night. or the gluten/dairy-free mac n' cheese that is currently sitting in my freezer. next to the coconut milk ice cream.

so for this week, i plan on eating food that gives actual nourishment to my body, and feel a little better because of it.

for those who would like to join me on my healthy eating quest this week, good luck! and let me know if you have any tasty recipes/food ideas. i love tasty recipes and food ideas. OR, please share what goal you would like to accomplish this week.

would YOU eat your shampoo?

as time goes by, i find that i am ever curiouser and curiouser about the products i use, where they come from, how expensive the darn things are, how they impact the environment, and, you know, how well they work and such.

emerging are blog posts and pinterest pins and news stories and generally people who shop at health food stores and hippies on street corners and my roommate who takes a sustainability course and is feeding me information who are also all asking these questions. and there are some rather decent and helpful answers out there, to be sure. but even so, there are people everywhere and all over the place who do not ask these things, or even think to or maybe do not know where to find resources and that is not their fault, it just is the way that it is in our consumeristic, garnier fructise commercial watching society.

for me, i came across a thought - finally everything boiled down to a thought - and that thought is this: if something would be harmful to the insides of my body, then logically, would it not also be a little bit harmful to the outside of it? on my body? on my skin which has pores and everything? like, i would not dare to ingest my alba facial cleanser, because i would probably then have to call poison control. you know?

furthermore, i know that i cannot possibly be the only one who is not fifteen but still suffering with skin problems. i just...no, i know it is not only me. and we women all really want to know what we can possibly do to make our complexions maximumly beautiful and such. without spending a gajillion dollars, that is.

so. i would really love to share with you, readers, some useful things i have found, mostly on the internet, put there by really smart and resourceful individuals, i am sure. after lots of searching and comparing and weighing options, i settled on some unbelievably easy, really sensical-sounding products that i am now working into my daily beauty regimen.

let us call it the "abc's" of skin healthy-glowy-happiness. apple cider vinegar, baking soda, coconut oil. abc.

a.) originally, i saw this post by this really lovely person , and she explained it all in a much more visually attractive way than me, so if aesthetics are important to you, then you should just go there and be done with it. BUT, staying here just makes it quick, so, what i'm saying is, please don't leave.

do-it-yourself magic facial toner

ingredients:

apple cider vinegar (raw, organic. i use the Bragg brand, and like it. and also, it is delightfully inexpensive)

water

a container to place your miracle potion in

and, well, that's it. easy, hm?
the ratio you will want to make really depends on the level of your skin's sensitivity. so, if you are a delicate peach, or really rather unsure about it all, use less of the ACV. do, perhaps, one part ACV and three parts water. until you are sure of things. i started with one:two. i have since moved it up to, and currently use, one:one. do what is best for you, and just use a cotton ball, or other favored applier of your choice, and swipe over entire face every morning and every night.

i have been doing this for two weeks, and am very very pleased with the results, as is my skin. as is my bank account. because i am no longer buying pricey pricey soaps and such. and, even the old acne is healing up, and the scars fading.

b.) as for actual face wash, i have started using baking soda. just that and some water and then scrub it all over your face, rinse it off back off again, and you will be squeaky clean. there is not really much more to say about that. but, you know, do this before you use your new toner.

c.) after all that cleaning, you will want to moisturize, for sure. this is where the coconut oil comes in. not only is it super great for your face and your skin all over, but it is so good for your insides too. very healthy stuff. so anyhow. this is probably best to use just at night, or applied way before you step out of the house because, um, you will be pretty shiny. and remember that a little bit will go a loooong way.

i hope this helps! i hope to share more of these types of handy tips as i come across them. BUT, i am certainly no expert, and am so open to learning new things from others. so do not be shy, please share! what works for you?

move it, move it: an athletically awkward tale with a moral.

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i distinctly remember when i officially began hating athletics.


it correlated with the schedule in elementary p.e. when we graduated from the safe, sheltered world of square-dancing and hula-hooping to playing actual sports and running and push-ups and climbing that damn rope in front of the rest of the class. i quickly found myself dreading the 45 minutes twice a week that would inevitably lead to my torture and shame. being picked last for the kick-ball games (that is not even an exaggeration), cramping up during laps, bruised forearms at the pitiful attempts to get the blasted volley ball over the blasted net (which, wouldn't you know, never happened). i cannot tell you how many times i was under the complete and full belief that surely i must have asthma. please, school nurse, tell me this is true? (for the record, those of you who really do have asthma, please forgive the insensitive 9 year old version of me - for i knew not what i was wishing for). but not only did i think it would be the magic key to get me out of participating in the humiliation that was physical ed, but i also thought how sorry those p.e. teachers would feel when they knew what they had been forcing me do in my fragile and sickly condition. i dreamed of the tears they would spill when they remembered the moments they commanded, "KEEP RUNNING" whenever i had had had to slow down during laps. oh, how justifying! but no. the school nurse obviously was a cold, unsympathetic soul.


i dove even deeper into the world of art and books, for these were things i understood and things that i was good at. if i could not be sporty, then surely i would be known as the artsy girl, or the smarty pants. this thought pattern continued and grew more and more ingrained in my brain, and then my loathing for physical exertion reached the level of fiery passion-hate when my freshman p.e. teacher traumatized my sensitive, awkward, teenage-girl self. 


it had been a bad semester. i wanted to cry every morning when the second block bell rang. it was the prelude to my march of doom towards the locker room. the smelly, dark, and dank locker room. if you were not already aware of this, let me tell you that high school girls are little biatches. especially in p.e. where the strong ones create alliances and gang up on the vulnerable, weak ones and decide it is their mission to make your life a living hell. but that was not even the worst part. the worst part was this:


after months of strengthening every muscle in my spindly little arms to support my entire body weight in ten push-ups, i was prepared to show that teacher of mine and every one else how wrongly they misjudged me and then PEACE OUT. for the finals, the class was split up into pairs, and each pair would take turns counting each others sit-ups, push-ups, etc. i, proudly, pumped out those ten, bad-ass push-ups with something very close to ease. it was glorious. this was the shining moment of my entire physical education career. all the years of torment led up to this moment, and i was going out with a bang. take that, p.e. departments of the world. you didn't defeat me. as the teacher asked each person to give the final count of their partner, the warm, glowing feeling in my heart began to swell. i started to think, hey this wasn't all so terrible. i love you, teacher. i love you, mean girls. i love you, stinky gym t-shirt. then it was finally my partners turn to proclaim in front of all, how bravely and valiantly i had completed the task. ten, ms. whatshername, kalie did ten. 


and you know what that teacher said? i'm going to need you to prove it. that's what she said. 


in front of the class.


because she did not freaking believe that i did it.


the warm-glowy feeling flamed up into my red cheeks, and all that was left was embarrassment and rage. so then, so then- you know what i did THEN?! head down, i shuffled to the front of then room, and did ten more push-ups. shaky, sad push-ups. because, hello, my limit was a maximum of ten, and now i was asked to do twice as many. but i did it. and did not even get extra points or an apology.


so clearly, this was earth-shattering. okay, not so much, but it was still not good, and i was ready to turn my back on athletics for forever. to this day, i have continued to believe that i am absolutely incapable of making any type of athletic achievements. i have made it known that i do not exercise, i do not run, because, well, i can't. that is what i always say. i simply can't. and you can't make me. 


but you know, nobody is putting me in that box except for me. i am the one putting myself in those parameters. not some mean girls in p.e. not the kids picking their kick-ball team. not awful teachers telling me to do more push-ups or run more laps. i may not be naturally athletic, i may not be the star of a soccer team, i may be lacking anything resembling quality hand-eye coordination, but, BUT, i don't have to tell myself or anyone else that i can't.


so i made a decision, and this is it: i am going to start running. i will learn how to do it. i am going to begin a program called c25k (couch-to-5k) . because if there is anything i am certain of, it is that i am an expert couch potato, so surely this routine is catered to people such as myself. it is nothing grand, or scary, or olympic qualifying, but it is big to me. and i am excited. and i feel challenged. and i am happy to say that i am finally stepping out of a safety zone. i am pushing myself in a way that i have  never pushed myself before, and hopefully this will make me a little stronger, wiser, and better. i even bought new running shoes for inspiration. so, you know it's official. 


so maybe you are like me, and if that's true, i encourage you to push your limits! find something new to try, and i'd love to hear about it. maybe you are the opposite, and you are a jock super star, and you can like, play every sport known to mankind, but you think that you cannot be crafty. or musical. well, i say BAH to that! yes you can! you can learn. and maybe it's foreign to you just like moving beyond the pace of a casual stroll is foreign to me. but i think we all need to stop boxing ourselves in. we need to stop labeling ourselves so much, i think. because those labels hold us back from trying new things, new things that just might bring us joy and satisfaction.


so if you want to join me in this journey, please do! and tell me what you would like to learn to do, because i would really love to root for you.

I am having a summer romance...

...with the items listed below. Gotcha.

1. Diva Espresso. This local coffee shop is nestled right by my work, and ever since discovering that they have rice milk, I find myself fighting the urge to take K-Bear (this is the name by which I will refer the little baby girl I nanny) in her Ergo to get myself scrumtious iced vanilla rice milk lattes. Not to mention, they also have the most magical tasting vegan raspberry scones. Ohmygosh.

2. Alba Botanica sunscreen. Because if you know me, you know I lather on the suncreen like it's going out of style. It may be a little pricier than most mainstream brands, but it's totally worth it. I love protecting my skin from the sun, and so should you! Skin cancer is not beautiful. Or premature wrinkles. Or peeling skin. Gross.  And this particular brand of sunscreen is organic and natural, offering a superior level of protection because it's not hopped up on chemicals that your body will absorb. I usually buy mine from Whole Foods, but I'm sure there are many other places that carry it and other natural sunscreens! Note to readers: don't be fooled by high SPFs, you really only need about an SPF30, and reapply reapply reapply!

3. My new one-piece swimsuit; a bandeau shirred one-piece! I hate wearing swimsuits. In recent years, if convinced to get into a pool at all, I donned a tank and soffe shorts; super hot, I know. But I just cannot bear the thought of baring my body to the world. Shudder. Since last summer, I have been ogling the styles of old; nice, classy, conservative. You can find this style of suit in many colors and patterns on Target's website.

4. My summer reading list.

5. So Delicious coconut milk ice cream. Whatthewhat. Yeah, it's so delicious. That's all I can say.

6. Kimberly Snyder and her new book, The Beauty Detox Solution. I am a huge fan and advocate for this woman and her book.  I saw her appear on the Today show, and imediately ordered the book off amazon. A week later it arrived, and a week after that I had read it cover to cover.  I highly reccomend this book to anyone, and I think if you're looking for an easy and sensible way to be healthy and eat well, this is for you. Kimberly is not only intelligent, but seems to be the nicest person ever. On her blog, she seriously answers every single comment...and there are humdreds of people writing to ask her questions and/or give comments. check. it. out.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

34 days, friends.

That's all for now. What are your summer must haves??