Things I Love This Week

Wonder Gloves--  What can I say? They're wonderful! These gloves are great for doing housework or gardening. Extremely durable, but also pliable. I especially love these for the garden because they are not nearly as bulky as most gardening gloves that I have tried. I usually prefer to just use my hands, because with ordinary gardening gloves, I can't feel anything. But not so with these Wonder Gloves! No more dirt underneath my fingernails!

Charlie's Soap--  I am in love with Charlie's. This is an all-natural detergent (and it is a detergent, despite the name) that is completely clean-rinsing and fragrance-free. I HATE fragrance on my clothes. But with Charlie's, the clothes come out just smelling clean. And actually, clean clothes smell pretty darn good!  Charlie's Soap doesn't contain any brighteners, but I have found that the clothes are so clean that they don't get "dingy" anyway. One thing you must realize with Charlie's Soap, is that you must add your own disinfectant, or you could run into some problems. There is no need for fabric softener with Charlie's (because there's no harsh residue left on your clothes), so I just add 2 TBSP of vinegar into the softener dispenser, and it gets dispensed during the next-to-last rinse. I like vinegar because Charlie's is alkaline, so the acid in the vinegar brings the clothes down to a nice, neutral pH. Another consideration with Charlie's Soap is that it is coconut-oil based, so if you have coconut allergies, you might have problems. 

Mary Kay Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20--  What took me so long to jump on the tinted moisturizer bandwagon? I'll never know, but I'm glad I'm on it at last. Although thanks to a combo of good genes (from Dad) and a strong skin-care routine since my pre-teen years I have good, clear skin, kids and pregnancy are hard on your complexion. Not mention that I have dark circle under my eyes. My mom used to say, "Did you get enough sleep?" But yes, that's just how my face is. Now, I don't have to think of make-up as a separate issue. Once my moisturizer is on, my skin-tone is even and I don't look like death. Hurray for simplifying my routine!