Vitameatavegamin

I have a problem with food. I'd be happy if I never had to eat again. It's not anorexia because I really don't mind eating, it's the taste of things. Especially fruits and vegetables. I can handle bananas and really sweet red grapes. I can eat potatoes and corn and peas and green beans. But all the other fruits and vegetables taste bitter to me.

This, I have been told, is most likely due to my overabundant sense of smell. Strong smell = strong taste. The slightly bitter taste of most vegetables that a normal person can cover up with a little salt, butter or cheese sauce comes through LOUD and CLEAR to my sensitive taste buds.

And before you say that I just need to buck up and eat them anyway, let me just say that I've tried to eat things like broccolli and spinach, and my uncontrollable gag reflex takes over. My tongue convulses and the food goes flying across the room. And they do really bad things to my digestive system. This is due to allergies that also cause the glands behind my jaw (under my ears) to swell and hurt when I eat certain fruits. (I am not kidding; this was diagnosed by a DOCTOR with a stethoscope and blood testing equipment and a certificate on his wall.)

It's really hard for me to get my RDA of fruits and veggies but I am committed to becoming healthier. So I'm looking for a vitamin and mineral supplement with the following specifications:

• all-natural vegetable-based and supplying the maximum RDA (or higher) of nutrients normally found in fruits and vegetables


• in pill or capsule form, so that I do not have to taste it (Trust me, no matter how "tolerable" or "pleasant" you find any liquid supplement, I guarantee it will make me hurl.)


• no sugar (I'm allergic to that too)


• no additives that I can't pronounce


• NOT multi-level/direct marketing; I want to be able to walk into a store, buy it and leave (no sign-up, no autoship, no rah-rah meetings, no pressure to convert my family and friends)


• a month's supply for under $30

So that's what I'm looking for. Any ideas? Leave your suggestions in the comments and if I try your suggestion and like it, I will send you a prize--a free book from my publishing company.


Now playing on my iPod: Food, Glorious Food from the musical Oliver


I'm serious. Please DO NOT tell me about Reliv or Isogenix or any of those types of drinks. I have tried most of them and they all make me very ill. Also, do not explain to me about the reverse healing process and that I should expect to feel worse while I get better. I know all about that and I think it's bunk. You do not have to cleanse that fast to get healthy.

Softer than a baby’s cheek

I am allergic to almost everything—especially scented body products. I have a hard time finding soaps and cosmetics I can tolerate. Either the fragrance gives me a terrible headache or the chemicals make me itch. When I find something I can use, I stock up because inevitably, there comes a day when they “new and improve” the product and I can no longer use it.

This happened to the moisturizer I’ve been using for the past 12 years. They made it “better” and now I can’t use it—and my stockpile of the older formula is nearly gone. So I’ve been on the look-out for a new, all natural, lightly scented moisturizer.

I found a company called Scentiments that specializes in natural products, hand-made by Tristi Pinkston, and I decided to give her moisturizer a try.

The Scentiments moisturizer is a little heavier than what I’m used to wearing under my makeup, and the Vanilla Cream scent I tried is a little too strong for me to wear during the day. (Megan said I was nuts and that “normal people” would love it.) It’s a pleasant fragrance, but for someone who can smell the difference between brands of bottled water, it’s too distracting. However, I can use it just fine at night. Without my makeup on top, it doesn’t feel heavy at all and the scent doesn’t keep me from falling asleep. By the time I wake up, the fragrance has disappeared and my skin feels softer than a baby’s cheek. Okay, maybe not. Compared to Carter, I’m still shoe leather. But it definitely makes my skin feel softer than did the moisturizer I used before. I like this product and I very much recommend it, although next time, I think I’ll try the Grapefruit Surprise.

I have also been looking for a new lip goo. I’ve been using the same one since college, Lip Smacker’s Dr. Pepper flavor (which they have never “new and improved”). Aside from the fact that after twenty-five years it’s time for a change, it’s getting harder to find and it tends to dry out my lips if I use it very many days in a row.

Tristi sent me the Vanilla Banilla flavor of her lip balm, which is pretty yummy. When I first put the lip balm on, it felt kind of weird and slippery on my lips, but the longer I wore it, the more I liked it. The moisture sinks into my lips, leaving them really, really soft and not at all dried out. After wearing it every day for a week now, I am hooked. And it’s been husband-approved, so I’ll be stockpiling this stuff. I’m thinking I’ll try the Buttercream flavor or maybe the Raspberries and Cream next. Oh what the heck, I’m going to get them both!


Tristi also makes baths salts, hand lotion, facial wash, facial scrub, foot scrub and lotion, and several products just for men. I have not yet tried these, but I would imagine that the quality of these products would be of the same caliber as the moisturizer and lip balm. All of her products come in a variety of fragrances and flavors, so I’m sure you’ll find one you like, even if you’re as particular (picky?) as I am.

I was very impressed with Tristi’s commitment to providing natural and healthy products. You can read all about it in the Q&A section of her website. And her prices are extremely reasonable too.

If you’re looking for some great products made with natural ingredients, give Scentiments a try.

Oh, and tell Tristi that I sent you.

Aaaaaarrrrggggghhhhh!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

11:00 p.m./10:00 p.m. Central:

And suddenly there was a disturbance in the force.

It was as if I could hear millions of voices crying out in frustration.

Two Days Before MORP

Text message: In 5 minutes, I'm going to invite you to MORP in the coolest, most unique and unusual way ever. Be prepared to answer your phone.

Tick, Tick, Tick.

Brrring, Brrring.

Hello.

Hi. This is Megan. Will you go to MORP with me?

Now Playing on my iPod: Dance, Dance, Dance by Steve Miller Band

Déja Vu

Saturday night, she went to the prom.

Sunday afternoon, she asked me to help her think of a creative way to invite a boy to MORP.

I think I'm going nuts!

Now playing on my iPod: Wild World by Cat Stevens

Am I the Coolest Grandma!

"Thanks grandma. I love my new toy."

I just love cell phones and photo texting. It makes my day when I get a message like the one above. Ahhh.

I went to Target last week and sort of went a little grandma crazy. There are lots of really cool baby things that weren't available when I was having babies.

For instance, the Fisher-Price Rainforest Peek-a-Boo Leaves Mobile. This mobile is awesome. The palm leaves go up and down as the animals twirl around, creating a peek-a-boo game for baby. It plays rainforest sounds, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart (several songs each)--and not the beepy baby music versions, but real musical tones, like you'd hear on the radio. It also acts as a night light. But the coolest thing--it has a remote control! You can turn it on without the baby seeing you. (You don't know how cool that really is unless you've tried to sneak out of the baby's room in the middle of the night.)

The other cool thing I got for Carter was the Fisher-Price Infant Seat to Toddler Rocker. The name is boring, but the product is amazing. It's an infant seat that vibrates like a car. I remember putting my babies in their car seats and driving around the block over and over again to get them to settle down and go to sleep. This infant seat gives you the benefits of the car ride without actually having to get in the car. (And with the price of gas, that's a very good thing.)

Now playing on my iPod: Mozart's Toccata in D Minor