(I know it’s actually Monday but I had every intention of posting this yesterday so I’m just gonna let it slide. It’s totally ok to make up the rules as you go)

Since having kids I’ve been slowly trying to change everything in our home over to all natural products. It was easy with the girls, there are so many fantastic bath products for them right at the grocery store but for me however it’s been a bit trickier. Not so much because there aren’t products out there, it’s more that I’ve been using certain products for years & I love them. I have it in my head that there’s no way the all-natural brand could be as good. (because let’s face it, sometimes it’s just not when it comes to beauty products)

I thought it might be fun to do a series on here about what is really in your beauty products & which natural alternatives might actually be worth your time. (& money, that stuff can be expensive!)

I’m sure you didn’t pop by today with the hope of getting a chemistry lesson but bear with me, I think you’ll be glad you did.

Before I tell you my new absolute favorite natural beauty product here are the ingredients I’ve been trying to avoid. I don’t know exactly what the guidelines are for something being “all natural” verses “organic” but what I do know is I don’t want the following three things…

Parabens: A class of chemicals widely used as preservatives by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeup and toothpaste.

Why they’re nasty: There is new evidence that raises major concerns that parabens when absorbed by your skin can have carcinogenic properties, particularly parabens in deodorant being absorbed under your arms & possibly having a link with breast cancer. I don’t need concrete evidence, there are enough awesome paraben-free alternatives that I say why take the chance?

Phthalates: are esters of phthalic acid and are mainly used as plasticizers. Basically they use them to make plastic soft & pliable for containers. Phthalates are being phased out of many products however they are still being used in products such as adhesives and glues, personal-care products, medical devices, detergents, packaging, children’s toys, modelling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles. Phthalates are used in a variety of household items such as shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers, and cleaning materials. Personal-care items containing phthalates include perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray.

Why they’re nasty: Phthalates were recently banned from baby bottles & many children’s products because of their ability to transfer from the plastic to the food & drinks they hold but new research is showing women may be at higher risk for potential adverse health effects from phthalates due to increased cosmetic use. According to in vivo and observational studies by Davis et al. (1994) and Lopez-Carillo et al. (2010), there is an association between phthalate exposure and endocrine disruption leading to development of breast cancer. Yikes.

Harsh Sulfates: I have to admit sulfates first came on my radar because I learned that the sulfates in my shampoo & conditioner were really bad for my hair color. They’re a major contributor in making brunette colored hair brassy. Brassy makes me angry. It’s sad but this actually made me a lot more proactive in finding sulfate free alternatives than the cancer info! My priorities might be off. Whatever the reason I’m determined to find harsh sulfate free shampoos & body wash. In particular I  want to avoid Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & ALS.

Why they’re nasty: Sulfates are what make cleansers foam up, they’re the bubble makers. SLS & ALS are really popular among manufactuer’s because they make lots of bubbles & are super cheap. New studies however are starting to link SLS & ALS sulfates with hair loss. If it’s strong enough to make my hair fall out then I don’t know want to know what else it could be doing. Buh-bye.

I heard about Pattern products from a friend & knew they made paraben, phthalate & harsh sulfate free products so I emailed the company & asked if they wouldn’t mind sending me more information as well as few samples. (doesn’t hurt to ask right?) You can imagine my surprise when I got an almost immediate reply from a man named Jim saying he was sending a package my way! (He was so nice you guys, my first impression was definitely that this was a company of good people who actually cared about what they were making)

A week later I received a goodie box with the cucumber, nutmeg & citrus body wash as well as the sage body lotion. I had heard pretty amazing things about the cucumber so I grabbed that one first. Let me just say that if you’re really into the sweet Bath & Body Works or Victoria’s Secret cucumber scents then this my friend, is so not for you. The texture was thick, soft & silky but the scent, ohhhh the scent. It was like a little bite of Earth. I seriously pictured myself throwing on my sunshine yellow clogs & stepping into my non-existent garden to pull up a bright green dewy cucumber. I have these thoughts people, I swear.

It was just so clean & earthy. But not hippie, dirty earthy…fresh outside earthy. It was really quite lovely.

The citrus & nutmeg were also very nice but I have to say they are probably going to spend their soap retirement in the guest bathroom. I want to use cucumber every. single. day. I’m in love with a soap and am not afraid to tell you.

The sage lotion is actually really nice too. It’s very very light. Which I prefer. I HATE putting lotion on after a shower & then trying to shimmy into a pair of leggings. Greasy lotions that stay on the surface & I are not friends. The Pattern Sage lotion absorbs quickly but is still very moisturizing & the scent while nice, is light enough that it won’t conflict with any perfume you might want to wear. Just don’t expect to smell it on your skin all day.

The only downside I’d say to Pattern products is they’re a bit expensive. This is actually the issue I have with a lot of natural products but I guess that’s the price you pay when a company doesn’t use super cheap crazy chemicals. The body wash retails for $20 which honestly, if I were in a store I probably wouldn’t have taken the chance on not liking it at that price point. Lucky you I tried it, & I’m not going to lie, when this bottle runs out I’m absolutely going to buy a second. It’s worth it in my opinion, but I also like to splurge on stuff like that for myself.

Another bonus is Jim was sweet enough to offer LPM readers a promo code for a free full size Sage Lotion ($26 value) with the purchase of any body wash. The code is FSL111 & it’s good until 3/31 so hop to it! http://patternbodywash.com/home.html

Next in this series I want to go into what’s in face moisturizers & the great natural one I’ve been using for years! Please, try to contain yourself.

PS- if you have a natural product you love please leave it in the comments section below!

My kid has some nasty ass funk. Not like a B.O. funk, like a horrible virus that will NEVER. GO. AWAY. funk.

I think I’ve mentioned it on here & I know I’ve talked about it so much on my Facebook…

Sam has had the worst cough for 4 weeks now. We’ve been to the Dr. four times & she had been on amoxicillan for 9 days when yesterday around 11a she all of sudden spiked a 102.3 fever. Long story short the Dr. finally sent her for chest x-rays at the hospital & she has pneumonia. They changed her antibiotic to z-pack & I started her on it last night. So far she’s had a 103 fever last night & then again this morning. It goes down pretty well with Advil but my goodness, isn’t it just the worst helpless feeling in the world when your baby is all red-cheeked, clammy, watery eyed & miserable? I hate it so much.

She’s been coughing even worse today but I was told to expect that. The worry is the worst. I try not to let her know I’m worried (she’s a bit of a drama queen & will totally buy into it if she knows I suspect something is wrong…she gets it from me) but really I’m listening to every coughing spell intently. Peering to see if her lips are still pink. Are her ribs pulling? Is her breathing labored? Twenty four hours a day I’m the one who’s responsible for keeping this kid alive. It’s exhausting.

I just snapped this pic of her in bed next to me while I type…Such a little angel.

She’s moved into our bed since this all began because she wakes up at least 3 times a night coughing, needing water & soothing.

Today I fear Sophie monster might be showing the first signs of getting it too. No coughing but she’s had a runny nose & starting today, a low-grade fever.

The real tell tale sign Soph is sick however is that she actually sits still.As you can tell we’ve been spending a lot of time in my bed.

I am so running on fumes at this point guys I don’t even know how I would get it together to go through this whole thing again with Sophie. I know I would, I have to, but my goodness the thought just kills.

Obviously blogging has taken a backseat, as it should. I’ve read your peek-a-boob comments & I’m just dying to comment back because there are so many that I could not have said better myself. They are EXACTLY how I feel! I love you guys, you’re totally my BFFs.

I had a ton of great posts planned for LPM & the Kaneshow blog this week but I have to just let it roll off my back that they’re going to have to wait. Writing is my second job, right now my first job needs 100% of my attention AND THAT’S OK.

I’ve got to find a way to rally.

Do you ever feel like as a mom you spend your whole day thinking of everyone else’s needs, especially with a sick kid(s), you go-go-go until bedtime & then you keep going tending to them all night long only to get up bright & early and start the whole process over. But you feel like no one notices…because it’s my job maybe they don’t feel the need to say “hey, you sure look like you’re working your butt off, how are you holding up?” Sometimes I think it would take my body completely giving up on me & passing out on the floor before someone noticed that I haven’t had 2 seconds to eat or haven’t slept through the night in a month. I want to be selfless & all strong mommy who can handle it but the truth is I’m running out of steam…fast.

My husband is usually absolutely amazing at helping me out. We have no family locally & although we have some awesome babysitters it’s really just he & I 95% of the time. This week however he’s been so overwhelmed at work. He gets up early, works late & just like me, starts the whole day over without anyone offering to help him. Basically he couldn’t help me anymore if he tried. That well is off limits right now. Man is stretched to max capacity & it will do no good to either one of us to have him fall apart on me.

I think I’m babbling. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. Just typing, & tired, with a beautiful little brunette snoring on my arm. I think that’s how I’ll make it through tomorrow & the next day & the next…how can I not, these two beautiful creatures need me. And I need to take care of them. I’m mommy.

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned since starting this blog is that if I’m having a problem with something chances are you might be too. If I can be honest & just put it out there the reward is hearing from you that you feel the same way too. So here’s what I’m battling. I’ve lost my inner sex kitten. She’s been missing for about a year (or two) & I really need to get her back. I used to be so proud & confident, I had no problem prancing around in lingerie or a pretty bra & panties. Shoot, I actually wore pretty bras & panties. In fact I prided myself on being a passionate, sexual woman. I don’t know where it happened but at some point during motherhood my attitude about my sexuality changed. (I wrote a little about it in my “Do moms go to Brazil” post)

I’ve realized lately however that I’m not ok with it. I’ve been using the excuse of “I’m too tired to be sexy”, “I have to chase kids all day, it sucks the sexy right out of me”, “I don’t like my body” or “Sweatpants are just so darn comfortable!” for too long. It’s time for a change.

Someone once gave me the advice “Treat your husband like a mistress would & he’ll never have the need for one”. Do I want to spice up my sex life because I’m afraid if I don’t my husband will go find someone who will? Absolutely not. I do think however that he deserves to have a fun, sexy wife. That’s who he married after all. I’ve got to find a way to get my sexy back. To feel comfortable in my own skin again, if you had it once you can get it back, right? Right??

That’s why when one of my best friends told me about the book she made her husband for Valentine’s Day I tried to think past my first reaction of “No way, I could never do that!” to “Maybe I can.”

Maybe, just maybe, I’d even like it? I certainly know he would.

She told me I could share it with you as long as I promised to leave her anonymous. I was telling her that maybe this could be the start of a new little series, “Leaving mommy at the door & bringing sexy back”. (it’s still a working title)

She used her Silhouette machine (hahaha, I should send this tutorial to the Silhouette people, think they’ll include it on their site??) to make a vinyl cutout saying “peek-a-boob” for the cover. The book is actually a blank board book from this company. Obviously I’m not going to show you her actual board book because then LPM would be banned from your office but I did put together this very realistic replication to give you an idea in case you want to make your own…

On every page of the book is a different set of pictures. One pic is of you in some sexy bra or top & then you lift the picture (it’s attached with tape along the top) to reveal yourself sans top! On the very last page she did a full body lingerie shot with a little sweet note to her hubby. The best part is she did the whole thing in the privacy of her own home during her son’s naptime! All you need is a tripod, a camera with a timer & perhaps a quick swig of mommy’s special juice.

Do you have any idea how ridiculously excited my husband would be if I surprised him with this?? I’d be wife of the year. It would take a heck of a pep talk but man, it just might be worth it.

You have to tell me, could you do it? Should you do it? Or maybe you already have already??