Being Good to the Girls....Best Sports Bra EVER!

My boobs have given me a lot of joy over the years.  I was lucky for quite some time.  I had full perky B melons that didn't even require a bra.  They had a life of their own, my darling twins.  I looked great in a strappy tank sans support.  Sometimes they would even pop out of the tops of my shirts, they were just so bouncy.

Don't be a hater cause those days are over.

Last week, I was changing to go to the gym and I caught a glance of my breasts in the mirror.  They were no longer standing straight up and staring right at me....they were beginning to point down.  Sag.  Whaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

I am 32.  I can handle this.  I had great bazookas for 14 years (I got my chest friends rather late).  I enjoyed them. My lady lumps still look cute in a bra.  Since I have gained weight, I have bigger girls.  I am actually a full C now and I do enjoy the way my cups runneth over.  I can now create cleavage in lingerie.  As I have mentioned before, my hooters are pretty far apart, so the extra padding gives me extra teats to work with.  No one knows that it may just be extra fat when it's poured into a sexy bit of lace.

I workout a lot.  Lately, in exercise class, specifically spinning, I started to feel my assets bouncing around in an out of control manner.  Not in a sexy way like they used to.  I am no longer sporting the Baywatch slow run when I am working it.

I started on a quest to find the perfect sports bra.  It'a not like I have a job taking me away from these important tasks.  And I found this (first photo of me....well, of my sweater pets, coming to you!!!!):

It's awesome!  I went everywhere and where did I find this little gem....only the classiest of places, Neimans, Walmart.  Danskin Now.  It has an underwire and makes me look very perky and full in all of my workout tops.  Best $11.00 I have spent in quite some time (way better than those medium pizzas I was ordering door side).  If you want in, here you go.  Your jugs will thank you!

PS: I tried to use all of the synonyms for breasts that I could think of....

Product Review: Kiehl's Conditioner and Grooming Aid - Formula 133

In an effort to clean out my toiletry drawer before I move, I am using up all of my beauty samples...even the ones that are a few decades years old.

I finally decided to break into a little bottle of Kiehl's Conditioner and Grooming Aid - Formula 133 that I have been "saving" for a special occasion....

Well, it is AWESOME.

I don't need another expensive beauty product in my arsenal, but this is worth every cent.

A few years ago, right after I moved home, I got 1 of the worst haircuts of my life.  My mom made me go because she thought a little sprucing up would brighten my mood.  Unfortunately, the lady she sent me to for my makeover, didn't speak English well....a simple trim turned into an 8 inch haircut in a matter of seconds.

I wasn't ready for such a change.

Hair flew off my head before I could protest.

It was soul crushing.

Since since, I have been growing back my hair (1 of my favorite features) to it's signature length (right below my breasts), but instead of growing back thick and wavy (like it was before the CHOP), it has become a thin, lifeless, and drab curtain.  The stylist razored my strands and my hair didn't like it.  Sad.

After I used my sample the other day, I couldn't believe the results.  My hair was BACK.  There is hope.

And it wasn't just in my mind, all of the clients I saw that day complimented it.  One even asked if I had extensions in.....I was on a good hair day high!

This product can be used as a standard rinse-out conditioner or as a leave-in one.  I sampled it as both. That's just how I roll.

I used about a quarter sized amount in the shower and rinsed it out.  I then finger combed about a pea sized amount through my freshly washed and towel dried hair post shower.

VAVOOM!

I always air dry my hair before I style it (I flat iron the ends and put a few large curls/waves in after that with a curling iron) and I almost didn't even have to style it....it looked THAT good.

My hair dried all sexy, thick, wavy, shiny, and beachy.

I just ordered a big bottle in the hopes of recreating this magic mane miracle again and again.

Try it.

Popcorn Passion

My Lean Pockets addiction is under control.  The cure is pretty simple....I can no longer have Lean Pockets near me....too tempting.  I ate 4 of them in less than 24 hours and I could have eaten another 400 if they were around.....Lean Pockets are now in the category of foods I can NEVER be left alone with which includes: pizza, Cheetos, Wheat Thins, string cheese, granola bars, pasta, ice cream, pretzels, and cereal.

Sadly, I don't even like all of the above that much (besides pizza, ice cream, and Cheetos....THOSE I ADORE!)....just when I am around them, they trigger me.

Popcorn on the other hand, is something I can trust myself around.  Yes, sometimes, I pop 2 snack sized bags, but it is much better than eating an entire box of Wheat Thins.

My popcorn obsession began in college when it was a very safe and low point option when I first did WeightWatchers.  Now, since the WW program changes just about every 2 years, it is not that friendly, but still a better salty snack choice when I really need something crunchy (AND A CARROT WILL NOT DO!) which is just about every afternoon.....OY!

Enter Orville Redenbacher's Natural Popcorn Lime & Salt.   I know it sounds weird, but it isn't.  Mexican food had a lot of corn based delicacies and salt and lime are often used to emphasize flavors.

I get mine at Wal-Mart.  It is sometimes a bit tricky to find at the grocery store and Amazon (the link I provided) has it, too.

YUM.  This stuff is perfection for me.  Salty, crunchy, a bit greasy....it feels super bad, but it isn't THAT bad.  A single serving bag (a large portion, more than a 100 cal bag) is 6 WeightWatchers points and some days it is so worth it for me.

I find this popcorn tastes a lot like the lime and salt chips from Chipotle.  I go to Chipotle for a burrito bowl, but really in my heart for the chips because I ALWAYS have to get them and a bag of those babies without even guac are too many points to count....

Whenever I have dieted before, it has always been about deprivation until now.  I am finding better success when I swap something I love for something I love that is less calories, but equally satisfying.  For me, this popcorn works.  Hope you will love it if you decide to try it!

6 CDs That I Continued To Repurchase When I Lost Them Until I Figured Out How To Use iTunes

Music is amazing to me.  I know that is a really dumb statement.  Duh, R&F....of course it is and probably to many people, too.  Blanket statement here.

But, as I have mentioned before, I am just such a lover of music.  I feel like a song AND a smell (not necessarily at the SAME time) has the power to take you back in time like nothing else.  I LOVE IT.  Music gives me hope like nothing else does.  Allows me to escape and daydream.  Music and books are what I need most to be happy (and ice cream, pizza, and massages, too).

Here are a few of my ABSOLUTE favorite CDs that will ALWAYS be in my music collection no matter what and where they take me when I listen to them.

1.  Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook: This CD is one I listen to often.  In the car, when I need to daydream, and as a good background to work.  Both of my parents grew up listening to show tunes and lots of Cole Porter.  They exposed Sissy and me to musicals at a very young range and I am a huge fan of the old favorites (Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, etc.): Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes....This CD will always take me back to my childhood.  The songs remind me of my maternal grandmother.  She danced with my papa to one of the songs on this very CD at her wedding over 75 years ago.  Fun fact....Crush and I decided we want to dance to it, too, at our wedding one day as our first dance as a tribute to my Nana who I love and miss dearly.  Crush is a good one, he loves family, too.  He even agreed to take dance lessons with me, so we can dance real nice to it!  Ella's voice is incredible.  Smooth as silk.  She transcended racial barriers because of her talent and articulates every word perfectly.  This CD always makes me think how life has been here before I was.  Some things: love, sex, drugs, booze, heartbreak...well....people have been living it forever.

2.  James Taylor's Greatest Hits: My parents had this on a record when I was little.  I remember listening to it while I played with my sister in the family room and my mom made us dinner.  I am like my mom....I also LOVE cooking to music (I like to drink some wine, too!).  As a preteen, I went to overnight camp and I remember singing these songs confidently around the campfire while eating s'mores.  It was such a memorable time for me.  I had such a strong sense of self until I was 14 and then as time went by, my confidence was chipped away bit by bit until this year.  I was happy when I heard these songs, even if they were sad.  They made me feel grownup and as the summers went by I began to understand the words differently. Little clue, I am moving to a place that Mr. Taylor says "he is going to in his mind...." and Crush always sings that song to me.  He actually sounds a bit like James T!  One day, Crush and I have a dream that we are going to have HUGE campfires at our little house with our families and I am going to provide laminated song sheets with many songs from this CD, just like camp!  We are all going to make s'mores, and Crush will play the guitar (he is really good).  I know I will feel just like that 12 year old girl again, but it will be even better because instead of wishing for my future, my dreams actually came true.

3.  Ani DiFranco's Living in Clip:  Sissy got me into Ani when I was in high school.  Sissy was never popular in high school, but she was always so much cooler than me.  She had a few artsy friends who were true best friends and they experienced life and all of the cool things you can do 25 miles outside of this suburb.  Sissy knew the bars they let underagers into, how to take the train, and where all the best underground coffee shops, poetry slams, and concerts were.  She got me into some bad habits, too....Smoking ciggies and pot...but, I will never take back the nights we cruised the beachfront in a beat up car listening to this CD and eating sour gummy candies while drinking Diet Mountain Dews.  This CD is awesome.  Ani is super talented, angry, confused, and sexually ripe.  She is quentisential 90's girl rock, but so much better. Ani is bisexual and I remember going to her concert with Sissy at 15 and seeing life beyond my suburban walls......girls kissing, men holding hands....lots of love and acceptance and fun in one central space.  ENERGY.  DEFIANCE.  A SUCK IT TO EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE CONCERT WALLS.   I was infactuated.  I knew a bigger world existed and I wanted to be a part of it.  It is angst, hope, and a big ole FUCK YOU in one fantastic collection.

4.  Counting Crow's Across A Wire- Live in New York City: I bought this CD senior year of high school, but fell in love with it my freshman year of college.  This is my favorite CD of all time.  It takes me back to a time when I was SO SUPER lonely before I met my best friends in college right through getting drunk and stoned with them a few years later while listening to it all together.  It reminds me of how college felt: alive, raw, sad, sexy, deep without knowing what the hell was going on, fun, and scary ALL at the same time.  Pure poetry.  By the way, Adam Duritz lives in an admitted alternate reality, so maybe that is what I liked his songs so much at the time....because I was living in my own alternate reality, too.  I always wanted to make love to the blue CD....I know, totalally me and total over-share, but it was a fantasty of mine.  When Crush and I first consumated our relationship...this is what I played and all of my 18 year old girl fantasies (came, not in a literal sense, just a figurative one...sorry....couldn't resist....) true. My favorite song of all time, is "Anna Begins" on the blue CD, track #9.  This CD holds up, like most on my list.  None of the CDs I recommended are new.  But, this one to me, most of all, is pure poetry set to intoxicating music.  I also LOVE piano incorporated into rock music.  I just hate Ben Folds Five.  I am weird like that.

5.  Liz Phair Exile in Guyville: Another great girl CD.  Liz Phair, old Liz Phair that is....is the exact CD you need to play when you are embracing your girl power or going through a break up.  She is not the best singer and has epic stage fright, but there is something about her.  Kinda like skinny-fat or ugly-pretty.....she is IT, in her own way.   I like to think of myself this way, too.  This is her debut album and in my opinion her best.  She recorded it before any stardom or fame was a reality and it is just the perfect CD to dance naked to in front of the mirror when you are 17 (not like I have ever done that....hahahaha, OF COURSE I HAVE!)....Of course, Sissy introduced me to her and we once saw Liz in concert and it was a night I will always remember, because Liz never pretended to be the BEST singer, she didn't rely on anything other than what she had...her own talent that was so her.  She went right up on stage and sang like she does and played the guitar and was INCREDIBLE...she didn't over compensate.  She was earth shattering.  Authentic and real.  It changed my life.  Best isn't the only way.  Bring true can take the cake any day.

6.  Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley: My parents introduced me to Eva Cassidy.  They watched a segment about her years ago on ABC's Nightline (mentioned in her Wiki).  If you haven't heard of Eva, it is because she passed away at 33 from melonoma in 1996.  She never achieved real success during her lifetime, but she has gone on to become legendary.  She was a bit before her time.  She didn't want to be typecast as anything, but Eva.  She wanted to be a folk, rock, gospel, blues, soul, jazz, and  country singer all at the same time and the industry wasn't ready for her.  You need to check her out.  PLEASE. Her rendition of "What a Wonderful World" is my second favorite song of all time (after Anna Begins as I mentioned above).  This live CD is my favorite out of all of her CDs (I tend to enjoy the sponanaity and range of live music as I judge REAL talent live) and covers all ranges of music, so a great CD to play at a party or while working.  When you think that the world lost out on talent like this when she was only 33, it makes you realize that some things will never make sense......I cry like a baby to many of her songs.  They are so pure, real, clear, and vivid.....when I hear her voice, especially around that time of the month....I tend to cry.

Happy Listening!!!!

Product Review: Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer

I picked this little gem up, Vaseline Spray & Go, at Target today while I was buying things to make myself feel better about my weight......since, you cannot try lotion on, it is always a perfect fit!

I bought the Cocoa Radiant scent and it smells yummy....like suntan lotion and Queen Helene Cocoa Butter (another old fave of mine) mixed together.  Can't go wrong with that!

It isn't super moisturizing, but is does soak right in and is super easy to use as promised.  The packaging offers a continuous spray, so you can get the back of your legs and upper back pretty easily.

I will use this in the summer for some additional moisture for my arms and legs after I am dressed or when I am in a super hurry.  My oils take FOREVER to soak in, in warmer months, so this will be perfect.

ENJOY!

Product Review: Nars Albatross Highlighter

This is something I rediscovered in the bottom of my makeup box.  Yes, I have a box that I keep in my bathroom with each category of makeup (lipstick, lipstick, eyeshadows, eyeliner, etc.) divided into ziplock bags....classy, I know.

Years ago, I was convinced to purchase this highlighter from the Nars counter after picking up some of my other essentials....Orgasm Blush and Heatwave Lipstick.

I am not a person that loves sparkly on the face.  Dewey perhaps, but not JLo sparkle.  Sparkle makes me feel VERY 2001 and even though 2001 was a very fun (AND DRUNK!) year for me, I don't like when my face looks like a disco ball.  But there is something about Albatross that is different.

Nars describes Albatross as a "sheer light golden sheen" and I will agree here.  It is packaged just like their blushes, but I would consider it a highlighter.  If not used correctly, I could see how this could end up looking really white on the skin (I have a medium complexion), but a dab here and there adds a heavenly glow.

I use it as so:

1.  After I complete my eye makeup, a rub a tiny bit under each eyebrow on my brow bone.

2.  After I power my nose, I rub a tiny bit across the center bridge of my nose.

3.  After I apply by blush, I rub a tiny bit across by cheeks, from my upper cheekbone to my temples.

I find that if I apply with my fingers and not a blush brush, it gives me the glow I desire and just softens and lightens my face.

Since I have been wearing it, I have received many compliments about my skin looking lovely and looking rested (which I am SO NOT), so I giving Albatross the credit.

When I poked around on the Nars website, I couldn't find it, but it is at Sephora if you are interested.

Happy Saturday and get glowing!

I am off to the gym here myself.

Hair Find!

It's an oil...don't be surprised.  Oil lover that I am.

I stumbled upon this product one fateful late night trip to Wal-Mart to buy snacks and a Star magazine  and I am so happy I did!

Let me introduce Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Moroccan Oil Treatment.

It is one of my favorite drugstore finds.  I apply a bit to my hair straight from the shower and comb it through.  Then once I am dry, before I style (I air dry my hair and then curl it) I apply a bit more.  It smells fantastic and I love to use this to freshen up on day 2 after washing when I dry shampoo....

For less than $5.00, you can't afford NOT to try it.

Catch a Wave

Beach waves will never go out of style.  They are super sexy and remind men of making love, so they really like the look.

I have naturally wavy hair, but it looks limp or like a fro (depending on the humidity) without a little styling.

Up until lately, I just dealt with my hair naturally. Most days it looked terrible and some days, miraculously, it looked pretty good.  On one of those terrible hair days, I decided it was time to actually do something and I went to Ulta and browsed the hair appliance aisle.

I can only use wand curling irons (the kind you wrap your hair around without a clamp) because I never figured out how to curl my curl properly and when I use a normal curling iron, I end up with burns and a black eye.  I purchased the TIStudio Large Ceramic Professional Styling Elliptical Wand.  It changed my life.  No more bad hair days, EVER!

For real, this waver makes perfect waves and it is simple to use....wrap a strand of hair around it, wait 30 seconds, release and continue.  For some odd reason, It was discontinued for a while and just brought back into production, so get it while it's hot before it disappears again.  It is seriously one of the best hair tools out there for the perfect low maintenance (hair that looks like Blake Lively's)/high maintenance (hair that looks like Blake Lively's) style.

Wave it up!

Get Makeup Ready

Once upon a time, I was that girl that applied her makeup constantly.  I literally went to the bathroom every hour when I was out on the town to reapply a full face of makeup.  I wanted to look perfect ALL of the time.

These days are over.  For many reasons, but mostly because I just don't care enough to try every second of every day.  Yes, I still put on a full face for work and when I attend important events with Crush, but I don't obsessively touch up my look at every opportunity.

In an effort to get the most mileage out of my makeup, I have invested in a few awesome products to get the most out of a single application.

1.  Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion: Slap this on your eyelids, let it dry for 30 seconds, apply your eye makeup and watch it last until morning (if you are like me and have the terrible habit of not washing your makeup off some nights.....)

2.  Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer: I wash my face, put on my argon oil, wait 15 minutes, and then apply my primer.  I then wait 5 more minutes and put on my foundation, concealer, and blush.  This primer is better than ones five times as much.  It keeps my skin looking flawless and smooth all day.

3.  Urban Decay All-Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray: Once my face is in place, I spray my mug a few times and this magic solution makes it stay ALL day.  Seriously, 12 hours or so.....yes, I still have to re-powder and re-lipstick, but I will take it. Perfect for brides, go-go dancers, and people who hate to look in the mirror when they are out because they can't stop eating pizza (me)......

My Miracle (Undergarment)

Yes, Crush, but this is super important, too!  My firm control slip:

Flexees Take Inches Off Wear Your Your Own Bra Slip (a total mouthful....!)

I wear it ALL the time!  It has totally changed how I look AND how I feel.  When I wear most of my dresses (wraps and sheaths) and it is simply my go-to undergarment.

I dress up a lot for my job and this keeps me feeling supported, sleek, comfy, and bonus, you can wear your own bra and it smoothes out the dreaded back fat.  Angels are singing.

Prior to this find, I was wearing Spanx, which are great, too, but I find they accomplish more for me when I wear skirts and pants, not dresses.  In dresses, sometimes Spanx gives me a slightly rounded tummy and a firm muffin top.  Depending on the dress, it can often make me look worse, NOT, better.

This slip can make me look very Kardashian and NOT pregnant, which is always a bonus considering that I am not currently pregnant, but have been mistaken many times for it.

I got my slip that has a super long tounge-twister name at TJ Maxx for around $20.00.  They are available in both nude and black, I have both.  If you are only going to get one, get the nude as you can wear it under both light and black dresses, it is a very good neutral nude.  Check out Marshalls and TJ Maxx, I see them there often.

Happy shaping!

Oldies, but Goodies...Beauty Products I Have Been Using for 20+ Years!

I have been a beauty product hoarder for as long as I can remember....I recall the days before even kindergarten when I begged for a new cherry Chapstick, so I could slather it on my lips like pretend lipstick.

One of the best parts of junior high was the freedom to ride my bicycle to the local Walgreen's to purchase drugstore beauty supplies with my babysitting money.  I wasn't thin, considered pretty, or popular with the boys as anything more than a friend, but I had this innocent hope that a beauty product could change my fate....all I needed was better skin, shinier hair, or whiter teeth and then I would be immediately sought after.

I have tried countless beauty products over the last 20 years and there are a few I discovered in junior high that I still use religiously, they have always been in my beauty arsenal.  Here they are:

1.  St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub: Depending on how fickle my skin is feeling, I use this at least 3 times a week.  I like to put it on my beloved Clarisonic for my morning wash.  It leaves my skin soft, smooth, and glowing.  It is the prefect prep step for getting my skin ready for my daily argon oil. At around $4.00 a tube, it is a deal!  1 tube lasts me 2-3 months.

2.  Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers: This will always remind me of 7th grade...very bittersweet time.  I associate this product with the loss of innocence as I was wearing it when I received my first kiss. Anyway, this balm packs the perfect punch of great moisture and shine and a wonderful not too sweet smell.  Also, it has a lovely tint to it.  I often use it as a base for my red and matte lipsticks.  It is the perfect texture to allow the lipsticks to stick and set and not bleed into the corners of my mouth. It also eliminates lipstick flakes and crusties which gross me out.  I wear this to the gym for the perfect I am not wearing any lipstick, lip tint look.  $1.99 a tube.

3.  Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque: This is the real deal.  A green clay masque to scare people with while you wear your favorite muumuu and yell at your neighbors for being too loud.  I swear, it sucks all the bad stuff out and is very gentle.  I use it once every 2 weeks (typically on Sunday while I do my laundry) and it helps get those really hard to Clarisonic away blackheads.  Around $5.00 a tube and it will seriously last you a year plus.  Also, it if gets hard and you can't seem to get it out of the tube, simply fill your sink with hot water, plop it in for a few minutes, and you are back in business.

4.  Cetaphil: I have been using this since I was 11, when I got my first pre-puperty pimples.  It is super gentle.  Sometimes a bit too gentle depending on my hormones.  I use this as a face wash and often mix it will my apricot scrub on the prize winning Clarisonic.  When my face is really dry and flaky, I will put a thin layer on my face (and not wash it off) and sleep with it on overnight.  I wake up with super hydrated skin.  Also, I have a mild case of psoriasis and sometimes I shower with this as a body wash when my skin is acting up.  It is so gentle, it does the trick. $11.50 for a huge bottle that will last forever.

5.  Outrageous Shampoo: A little gem that will always remind me of a time when hair smelled yummy and not like sex, booze, guilt, and cigarettes.  This was a BIG deal around here in 1995.  The smell is VERY intense and perfume heavy and I LOVE it.  I hadn't seen it in years and then a few summers ago, I was up in Canada and saw it everywhere.  When I remember, I order it from a Canadian site and then wash my hair while I dream of some boy wearing black jeans, high top gym shoes, and a teal silk button down shirt as we dance to P.M. Dawn's "Set a Drift Adrift on Memory Bliss." while he compliments how yummy I smell. $3.50 plus additional shipping to US.

Product Review: Coconut Oil

You all know that I love oil.  Oil oil oil.  Argon oil, baby oil, moroccan (can you believe Mariah Carey named her son Moroccan?) oil and now coconut oil....LOVE IT!

Coconut oil smells like cookies and has so many uses: deep conditioner for hair, cuticle oil for nails, moisturizer for face and body, cooking/baking oil, lube (YES, lube!)....it is truly a natural miracle product!

I got into coconut oil because I have mild psoriasis and I am constantly researching ways to naturally minimize it.  Coconut oil is always raved about on psoriasis message boards, so I decided to try it, both orally and topically.

I tried to eat it (some people love it!), but I found that it coated my throat and the roof of my mouth and it makes me really queasy, so I opted to rub it all over and not swallow it and for now, it is working.

Coconut oil is really cool because it is actually a solid that can be heated up!  It then turns into a lotion/oil when applied.  After I open my jar, I opt to keep it in the fridge as I feel that it keeps it a bit fresher.  I like to bring mine into the bathroom when I steam up the joint with a hot shower as it softens up and then I rub it all over my body fresh and warm from the shower.  Crush told me I smelled like Mrs. Fields White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies when I applied it in his presence, so I will take it.

I find that when I apply it once daily, my skin is luminous, less itchy, and the psoriasis patches minimize.  I wanted to share as with the winter itchies, this may be a wonderful alternative to lotion for everyone, even those lucky ones without the dreaded P(soriasis).

I get my coconut oil at the very fancy and exclusive Wal-Mart.  Here it is.   There is a good description of it too.

Here is a great article about uses for coconut oil (101 USES!!!), it is really WONDERFUL!

ENJOY!

BEST FIND EVER Instead Softcup (and yes, for your vagina!)

I am going to share something personal....I know, I know, this isn't a revolutionary thing for me....

Okay, here is the deal.....I seem to always have my period when I see Crush.  Considering all the good luck I have had with him thus far, I will take it.  TMI, but he isn't freaked out by it, he considers it natural and a sign I am fertile (let us hope and pray as I have had baby FEVER lately!).  He will be one of those men who is going to want to do it a lot when I am with child one day.....I have a feeling I may have to get a fence installed in our bed to protect me from being handled...I can see me needed space when I am baking life.  We will cross this bridge when we come to it, but you know, I like to over-analyze everything and then some.

So, yes, where were we, of course, my vagina.

In an effort to eliminate my period this month, I attempted to skip my sugar pills in my birth control set and go right on to the active ones.  I have the kind of birth control that allows for this little trick and I checked in with my doctor before I decided to try my luck.  FAIL.  Instead of not being blessing with my gift this month, I have had my period for 8 days straight since I skipped the sugars and went straight to the actives.  This is no miracle.  IT SUCKS!  I checked back in with the doctor and it does happen sometimes, I guess my vagina just loves to look like a horror film.  Nifty.

I hit the web and started entertaining all options as it's possible that I may bleed all month.  I get to see Crush so rarely that while he doesn't care about being messy, it really creeps me out and washing a mattress pad is really not something I enjoy.  Especially when it isn't my own.  I just want to make love to my man without the sheets turning into a Jackson Pollock.

Here is what I found, Instead Softcup!  A miracle!  It is a menstrual cup that you insert kinda like a tampon and you can keep it in up to 12 hours.  BONUS = you can have sex with it in, NO MESS!

There are pros and cons to this, but I think the pros far outweigh the cons.  Here they are:

PROS:

1.  You can leave it in up to 12 hours

2.  You can have sex with it in (I will report back to see if this is a success)

3.  I find it less painful than a tampon

4.  There is no odor

5.  No risk of TSS with it in

6.  Great for workouts, long trips, traveling, camping, etc. (took a spin class with it in with no issue)

7.  Found mine at Walgreens for $8.00 for 14.   Online, drugstore.com has 24 for less than $10.00.

PLEASE NOTE: I tried the disposable ones.  They have 2 kinds, one kind that you can use your entire period (you rinse them out, 2 come in a box) and one kind that you use for 12 hours and thrown away (disposable).  I have only tried the disposable, not the reusable, so I cannot speak for the reusable.

CONS:

1.  You have to be comfy really touching yourself internally to get it in and out (I am really comfy with my friend, so no problem for me, but I know some don't like personally getting intimate with their flower)

2.  There is a learning curve to taking it in and out with no mess

3.  You can't flush it down the toilet like a tampon

So, I will report back to let you know how it holds up under sexual conditions.  I am very open with myself (a best friend refers to me as a "perv" which I greatly appreciate and consider a compliment) and my Crush, so he knows about it and we are going to be conscious of it this week when we reacquaint ourselves.  From the reviews I read, sometimes gents can feel it and sometimes they can't.  Every one is different, so I think this is best explored between 2 people privately.

Also, I have had no accidents or leaks yet with a heavy flow, so I do think if you use it correctly, you shouldn't either.

Email me (readyandfading@gmail.com) if you have any questions, I promise you it is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!