I switched toothpastes as I connected the dots between SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and canker sores and I am still getting used to it. I looked at the back of every single toothpaste we carry at the health food store I work for and the best ones to me were Weleda products. They make several flavors: Salt (weird, right?), Calendula, Plant gel, and Ratahania. Never heard of the last one. I chose to try a travel size of Salt toothpaste and it is quite odd. Definitely has a salty taste but also peppermint. I am going to keep using it and dump my Tom's toothpaste (fennel) b/c it has SLS in it. Plus, Tom's of Maine is owned by Colgate-Palmolive.
So why is SLS bad? Well, some studies have shown that SLS is irritating to the mucous membranes and even has carcinogens! Plus it can cause more canker sores and thank you, I have had enough of them. I am going to try this and see how it goes. Bonus, Weleda toothpastes are free of fluorides, detergents, and synthetic fragrances, colors, and preservatives. Yay!
Wanna read more about it? Here are some links
* http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/13/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.aspx
*http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-sodium-lauryl-sulfate.htm
There is a snopes.com article that is an opposing view but I cant link it right now.
Also, there are lots of scary things in your toothpaste. Look up yours at ewg.org and see for yourself.
Cheers. More gluten free to come, I swear.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Tour of "Steam" & review of "Crane" & "Raven" by Stacey Rourke
STEAM by Stacey Rourke
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal
Time passes, sins forgotten.
The bodies of the victims long since rotten.
Trapped within the essence of the Headless Horseman by the guilt of slaughtering her best friend, Ireland Crane follows the father of science fiction, HG Wells, in search of freedom from the curse that binds her. Instead, she discovers even he has a hidden agenda. A dark, relentless passion to be reunited with the woman he loves has driven him to manipulate time and a murderous Horseman.
Yet heed my warning, as the Raven flies,
The Hessian will come … and you will die.
All that prevents Ireland from abandoning Wells’ twisted pursuit, or introducing him to her sword, are the undead witches haunting her. Begging for freedom from a vile succubus, the ghoulish coven leads Ireland and her crew on a journey through Salem’s sordid past. There, they learn there is more to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s history than a scarlet letter, and the secret they’ve uncovered seeks to destroy them all.
Purchase
Books 1 & 2
Crane:
This is an interesting take on the legend of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Meet Ireland Crane. She's young, has an awful taste in men, and unfortunately gets to shoulder the curse.
The book goes back and forth between Ireland and Ichabod Crane's points of view, which paints a great picture of the backstory. This is definitely a good read.
Raven:
Once you have adjusted to reading about the Headless Horseman queue in Edgar Allan Poe and Lenore. I am a huge Poe fan, so this was a very interesting read for me. In this book we follow Ireland and crew along her travels and meet Ridley, who in turn brings in Poe and Lenore to the mix. Oh I just love this one! I read it in a day. And we get to see more of the puppet master behind all this.
Steam:
Unfortunately I haven't finished this book yet, but it is good! Here we have Ireland and her group, including HG Wells, and some witches in Salem during the Burning Times. This book is tying the other 2 and the stories all together. I love it!
Unfortunately I haven't finished this book yet, but it is good! Here we have Ireland and her group, including HG Wells, and some witches in Salem during the Burning Times. This book is tying the other 2 and the stories all together. I love it!
About the Author
-RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
-Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
-Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013
Stacey Rourke is the author of the award winning YA Gryphon Series as well as the chillingly suspenseful Legends Saga. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.
About the Tour
TOUR SCHEDULE
September 14th
Abibliophobia Anonymous Book Reviews, http://abibliophobiaanonymous.blogspot.com/ | Promotional Stop
The Room Behind the Bookcase, https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Room-Behind-the-Bookcase/819642791461316 | Review
September 15th
September 16th
September 17th
September 18th
The Cynikal Kat http://tildesk.blogspot.com / Review
Giveaway
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Review of Against the Grain Gourmet Sesame bagels
Readers, you should know I am very honest about my reviews and, honestly, I do not like these Against The Grain Gourmet Sesame bagels.
Back story:
I kept hearing about these bagels and seeing customers buy them (I work at a local natural/whole food store) so I thought, okay, I will try these. Customers seem to like them and maybe I will too.
End result:
Nope. Do not like. Reasons? Here's 5:
1. They are a mess of crumbles and flakes.
2.. They are not pre-cut. Who has time to cut their bagels? After letting them thaw....
3. The hole in the middle is bigger than the bagel.
4. Taste? What taste?
5. They're chewy (perhaps my toast-r-oven settings are off?)
No thank you. Now these are supposed to be "gourmet". What does a gourmet bagel entail I wonder...having never eaten one, I am not sure.
Pros:
1. These are made in a dedicated gluten free facility.
2. The company is owned and run by a celiac-family in VT.
3. They use local ingredients as much as they can (according to their site).
4. Ingredients are great. (for ex: Sesame bagel Ingredients from their site: Tapioca starch, milk, eggs, mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, vegetable rennet), non-GMO canola oil, sesame seeds, salt, sesame oil.
Okay, I can stand behind that. No crap, no random flours, non-GMO, great. But...overall, I'll give these bagels 3 out of 5. However, I will be finishing this bag of bagels as they're $8.99. Perhaps they will grow on me and my tune will change. I'll let you know.
Their website:
You'll have to scroll down to find the exact bagels.
Have you tried these bagels or any of their products? Let me know what you think!
Thursday, September 10, 2015
warning: this will be a heavy post
Trigger Warning: suicide
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. I am a suicide attempt survivor. I am not ashamed of this. It was a difficult time but here I am.
Dec. 6, 2005. My girlfriend at the time and I broke up. I was really in love with her and I fucked it all up. It happens. But then it was devastating and I didn't have the coping mechanisms I do now. Most of that night is hazy, but I know these things:
-I took a bottle of pills
-I chased them w/ almost an entire bottle (or maybe the whole thing) of Carlo Rossi Sangria (I didn't drink that brand again for YEARS)
-I locked the doors in the house and stumbled up the stairs
-I reached out to Mel (an ex-gf who's a friend) and April (another ex) (Did I reach out to her? I can't recall) and Mel called 911
-I think I unlocked the downstairs door
-I hate IVs in my hands (both hands!)
-I woke up in the ER and was GRATEFUL to be alive
-gf was pissed, sad, and distraught and we never were right again
That was 10 years ago. Wow. Okay...so 9 and change, but nonetheless, 10 years. A lot has changed. A lot has happened, but it has all shaped who I am today. I do not regret this experience, per se, but 32-year-old me is sad that 22-year-old me couldn't cope and tried to take the easy way out. That was rock bottom for me. It got better. LIFE GOT BETTER!
Suicide is fucking awful. No matter what the reasons, it's awful. Sure it may relieve the pain/self-hate/rage/etc etc etc RIGHT NOW but it will devastate the ones you love. I am not going to preach here. I just wanted to share my experience.
If YOU ever think about suicide, there are billion resources. Please get help.
Here are a few:
Call the National Suicide Prevention Line ANYTIME Call 24/7 1-800-273-8255. You can also chat with people online. Lots of helpful stuff
at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
http://suicideproject.org/
http://youmatterlifeline.tumblr.com/
TWLOHA has been one of my saving graces through the years. https://twloha.com/home/
Email me or comment! Reach out to SOMEONE please.
You can help out in so many ways. Buy a shirt from Sevenly:National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via sevenly for example.
Buy a Suicide Prevention pack from TWLOHA http://store.twloha.com/collections/wspd15
BE A FRIEND and LOVED ONE. Be a shoulder and an ear. Seriously.
Never give up.
Blessings
Kate
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. I am a suicide attempt survivor. I am not ashamed of this. It was a difficult time but here I am.
Dec. 6, 2005. My girlfriend at the time and I broke up. I was really in love with her and I fucked it all up. It happens. But then it was devastating and I didn't have the coping mechanisms I do now. Most of that night is hazy, but I know these things:
-I took a bottle of pills
-I chased them w/ almost an entire bottle (or maybe the whole thing) of Carlo Rossi Sangria (I didn't drink that brand again for YEARS)
-I locked the doors in the house and stumbled up the stairs
-I reached out to Mel (an ex-gf who's a friend) and April (another ex) (Did I reach out to her? I can't recall) and Mel called 911
-I think I unlocked the downstairs door
-I hate IVs in my hands (both hands!)
-I woke up in the ER and was GRATEFUL to be alive
-gf was pissed, sad, and distraught and we never were right again
That was 10 years ago. Wow. Okay...so 9 and change, but nonetheless, 10 years. A lot has changed. A lot has happened, but it has all shaped who I am today. I do not regret this experience, per se, but 32-year-old me is sad that 22-year-old me couldn't cope and tried to take the easy way out. That was rock bottom for me. It got better. LIFE GOT BETTER!
Suicide is fucking awful. No matter what the reasons, it's awful. Sure it may relieve the pain/self-hate/rage/etc etc etc RIGHT NOW but it will devastate the ones you love. I am not going to preach here. I just wanted to share my experience.
If YOU ever think about suicide, there are billion resources. Please get help.
Here are a few:
Call the National Suicide Prevention Line ANYTIME Call 24/7 1-800-273-8255. You can also chat with people online. Lots of helpful stuff
at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
http://suicideproject.org/
http://youmatterlifeline.tumblr.com/
TWLOHA has been one of my saving graces through the years. https://twloha.com/home/
Email me or comment! Reach out to SOMEONE please.
You can help out in so many ways. Buy a shirt from Sevenly:National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via sevenly for example.
Buy a Suicide Prevention pack from TWLOHA http://store.twloha.com/collections/wspd15
BE A FRIEND and LOVED ONE. Be a shoulder and an ear. Seriously.
Never give up.
Blessings
Kate
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