One Word.

LUSH.

If you haven't had the pleasure of walking into one of their stores you are missing out on probably one of the greatest experiences of your life. Okay, maybe a little dramatic but it still might change your life. I hadn't heard of it until my brother got me a gift box of goodies from there for Christmas about three years ago. Of course that means I blame him for my slight obsession that I now have. I have tried many of their products through out the years but since it can be a little pricey since it's fresh natural products I had to cut back some without a steady full time job. Thanks to nannying, I've been able to splurge a little on my face and hair care.

Reading the back of some of the labels of the things that you find in your shower can be a little scary sometimes. Try it. See how many ingredients you can't actually pronounce. And the ones with numbers in their name are chemicals. Yikes.

I decided that I wanted to slowly switch over to as many all natural products that I can so I started with my face wash and shampoo and conditioner. Boy, did I make a great decision!

First up, my new face cleanser that I would recommend to anyone!

Let the Good Times Roll.

The name is catchy and the scent is just over the top. If you like salted caramel popcorn, you will want to eat this. No joke.
I had never seen it before and the lovely lady informed us that it was once a limited edition item for the holidays but because so many customers wrote in saying they just had to have more of it they decided to make it a permanent cleanser and I am so grateful they are because it is probably the best product that has touched my face!
It has pieces of popcorn in the cleanser. Yes, in it! You might think that is crazy but it's amazing. I don't think my face has ever been this smooth. It's almost up there with a baby's butt.

Superbalm, Rehab, and Veganese.

Now, these don't have popcorn in them but they still sure smell amazing! And they do amazing things for your hair! 

I will confess, I have dandruff. Big deal, lots of people have it. But I haven't been able to find anything that works as well as good ol' Head and Shoulders. Well, I think I have finally found my replacement. 

Superbalm: This is a scalp treatment that you use 2-3 times a week, depending on how severe the dandruff is. I have used it twice in the past week and it has worked wonders! It has salicyclic acid and coconut oil which help sooth your scalp and keep it moisturized. It's weird to rub on your head 20 minutes before you actually shower but it works so it is totally worth it!

Rehab: A delicious (expensive) shampoo that has peppermint and juniper that gives your scalp a nice little tingle. There are other awesome things like pineapple juice, mango juice, and lavender oil that you will find in the ingredient list. YAY! for ingredients that you can actually read!

Veganese: I absolutely love this conditioner. Probably because it smells like lemon. Yeah, I think that is why I decided to pick this one over the other three they had to offer me. There is also lavender in it which helps with keeping your scalp flake free!

 

The best part about all of these products are that they are vegan! Makes me feel better about myself as I lather up in the shower.

My next step is changing my body wash. There are too many options to pick from but one of the best things about Lush is that they will give you endless amounts of samples because they know you will fall in love and will have to come back and buy their products!

Anybody else out there just as obsessed as much as I am?! I know I am not the only one!

I'd rather be working...

Today I had the day off since Bri and Ben didn't have to go to work because of the holiday. I thought that I was going to love the day off. I was wrong. By the time 2:30 rolled around, I was actually missing Max and Owen. I guess that's what happens when you hang out with two of the most adorable boys for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. However, I got this hilarious text from Bri that made my night a little better!

She then proceeded to tell me that he said that he needed glasses and that he made mac and cheese for the kids and wanted to take Max and Hannah to the aquarium. How did I get so lucky to watch such a silly kid?! I can't wait to see them tomorrow!

But with the good, comes the bad. Luckily for Owen, he is cute and it was his birthday when the following abuse happened. Is that a real thing? Nanny abuse? 

Sometimes I wish that I could follow the kiddos around with a video camera so everyone could witness just how awesome these two are. I complain about getting up at 6 to head over to their house but I really wouldn't trade it for anything. I hope that one day I love any real job as much as I love what I'm doing right now.

Dedication.

Sorry that I have been M.I.A. for awhile. Between nannying, school, crossfit, and general laziness, I haven't had much time to actually sit on the couch and jot down anything that might be remotely interesting to anyone. Luckily for you though, I think I finally have something! WOOHOO!

This past weekend I got to fly down to Florida to spend some quality time with my mom and brother. And by quality time, I mean watching my brother play GTA5 while me and my mom watch the Best of Vine videos on Facebook. I had a great time and when Sunday rolled around I really didn't want to come back to Philadelphia.

The quality time was great, but the main reason for me heading down to FL was because it was the weekend of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Two years ago I was down there for it, somehow missed it last year, but we decided since my mom now lives in Florida that we should all do it again this year! Breast Cancer awareness month hits very close to home for my family, so anything that has to do with finding a cure will always hold a place in my heart.

In 2009 my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the most devastating news I had ever heard in my 19 years of living. How could this have happened? My mom is the greatest person I know, so why this awful diseases was attacking her was beyond my belief. It came as a shock to everybody, but what didn't shock everyone was how strong she was. There were some moments that I wish that I could just drop out of college and go back to Arizona to take care of her, but I knew that wasn't what she would have wanted for me. Being across the country from your mom going through something like this was one of the hardest experiences I have ever had to deal with. I couldn't be there for her like I wanted to be and it was hard. But after everything, she made it through. I wouldn't know what I do without my mom. She's my best friend.

Race day started bright dark and early at 5am on Saturday! My favorite part about races like this, is the ridiculous amount of pink that I get to wear! I went to Target on Friday in hopes of finding pink shorts and I did. I wasn't surprised because Target has everything a girl could ask for but now I'm just getting off topic.

The race was at Vinoy Park. Right on the water. I thought it was freezing, everyone else seemed to be enjoying the weather. I guess you know you've been in Pennsylvania too long when low 70's is chilly to you! It was still dark out when we got to the race but by the time we put our bib numbers on, the sun was rising.

Me and the Bro

Fast forward a few hours and we were standing behind all the runners, waiting to start walking.

The Tutus are totes happening next year!

My favorite part of doing walks like this are the great outfits that everyone is wearing! I wish that I had been more of a creep to show you all the wonderful ideas people had. I do believe that all the men wearing bras were definitely on my list of best dressed!

Finally, we were off! There were so many people doing the run/walk that it took us awhile to actually reach the start line but after about a minute and a half of shuffling down the road we made it!

This years race was a bit different than two years ago. My moms mph isn't as fast as it used to be so we decorated a wheelchair and pushed her. And by we, I mean me. Besides a few yards in the beginning that she pushed the wheelchair herself, it was all me. My brother tried to ask me if I wanted help, but I was determined to do it the whole way. And I did. Thank you crossfit. As a matter of fact, after the race I wasn't even tired. Very sweaty, but not tired!

Mmmm sweat.

Finally, after 3.1 miles we finally crossed the finish line. Only took 1 hour and 17 minutes! I was very impressed with our time. And we weren't last!

After the race, I got to meet up with an old friend which was awesome! Me and Rachel were inseparable when we were younger. She lived on the next street over from my childhood house so of course we were the best of friends. Then I moved. Whomp Whomp. I'm glad that I got to see her. She definitely helped me finally suck it up and decide to join crossfit since she had been doing it before I became obsessed. She ran the 15k on Saturday and is running a half marathon soon! GO HER!!

Photobomb courtesy of Fed

Days like Saturday are always emotional for the family but we all had each other there which was awesome. One of these years I would absolutely love to do the 3 day walk but I just can't ever find the time to dedicate to fund raise. Before I'm 30! That will be my goal!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their October! And can you believe that it is Wednesday already?!

In other news: IT IS OWENS FIRST BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!