Saying Goodbye to Traditional Deodorant

I told myself that when I ran out of my Degree Clinical Strength deodorant, I would switch to a deodorant without aluminum. I know aluminum isn't good for me, but I hate sweaty pits and my sweat can smell icky. I decided that I didn't want to risk breast cancer, especially since I've watched my mom's fight with it.

Ironically, I made my switch in the summer. At Natural Grocers, I ventured to the deodorant aisle to try to fine something that would do the job and smelled good. There weren't as many options as I'd hoped for, so I started reading labels and smelling the options. What caught my eye and nose was Magic Mud Pineapple Mango Charcoal + Magnesium Aluminium-Free Deodorant. I appreciated that it was cruelty free too. That it contained charcoal was attractive as it has such great properties, such as removing impurities, cleansing skin, and removing dead skin cells. The product also said it neutralized odor and reduced wetness, so I decided to try it out.

What I didn't realize is that it can take some time for your body to regulate to the new deodorant after going off traditional ones. After the first day, I thought it wasn't working and almost gave up. Then for at least a week, one of my arm pits smelled worse than the other, which was so annoying and odd. Thankfully, after a few weeks it regulated. I'm glad I stuck with it. Now, roughly six weeks in I'm happy with how it's working. For those thinking about making the switch, remember to give it time.

Movie #19: Harriet

We're back to watching movies again and thankfully, the library is up and running again. We started out with the movie, Harriet. It shows the life of Harriet Tubman. I knew that Harriet saved slaves, but I really didn't know her story until now.

She was a slave along with her mom, brothers, and sisters. Her dad and husband were free. Her sisters were sold off to another plantation years before. Before he died, their master had promised to free Harriet's mom and the rest of her family when she turned 46, but alas she's in her 50s. Since he died, his wife and son won't honor his wishes. Harriet who goes by the name, "Minty" is the son's favorite slave. She gets visions from God of the future.

Harriet wants to be free. She decides to go escape on her own. She's directed to talk to the local minister, even though he doesn't seem sympathetic to fellow African Americans. He gives her the name of contacts to help her in Philadelphia. Her master's son tracks her and traps her on a bridge. But she's not going back, she jumps off the bridge. She wakes up hours later, coughing up water. She picks her free name as Harriet Tubman.

Once she arrives in Philly and with the help of her contact, she gets lodging and a job. She works a year as a maid. It's an emotional year without her family and husband. She goes back for him. Unfortunately, she learns that he's remarried with a baby on the way. He was told she died. She is absolutely gutted. Instead, her family sends her with her brothers, their wives, their baby, and some other friends. She hadn't planned to take so many. With God's help, they cross a large rover and get to Philly.

Over time, there's a large bounty for "Moses," who they're calling the person helping slaves run away. That doesn't slow down Harriet, she's passionate about helping free slaves. Laws change and people are allowed to go get their slaves back. This brings violence and trouble to Philly, as well. Harriet looses her close friend to someone looking for Harriet.

Harriet frees her mom. They all move to Canada. This was a great movie. It wasn't overly graphic, but still showed what slaves went through. This is a must-see movie. Check out the trailer here.

I LOVE Panera Iced Coffee!

Driving my mom back and forth five hours from cancer treatments weekly, this year, has been draining to say the least. To help, I started ordering iced caramel macchiatos from Starbucks. They help me have a little more energy and be sharper for the long drive.

Unfortunately, they were pretty expensive and at that point in time, Starbucks closed due to the pandemic. When they closed, I started going to get something similar from McDonald's. While they were MUCH cheaper, they couldn't substitute in almond milk, which left my stomach feeling unhappy. So, here and there, I tried alternative iced coffee drinks like one at Aldi's and a healthy version from Califia Farms. Unfortunately, the Aldi's version didn't have almond milk and was very sweet. The Califia Farms version just didn't taste good.

I've always loved Panera food and their iced green tea, but I never realized they made iced coffee drinks. Through their emails, I learned that they did have iced coffee. I also learned about their coffee subscription for $8.99/month and their promotion for signing up for the program and getting free coffee through the end of August. What I like most about their coffee is the fantastic taste of the drink. They can fulfill my preference of using almond milk and add caramel. I actually like it better than Starbucks. With the coffee subscription, it shows that I'm saving $2+ per drink and that adds up. I place my order online and the pick up process is super easy, as I just go to the Rapid Pickup area in the store. To learn more about their coffee subscriptions, check out this link: https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/mypanera/mypanera-coffee-subscription.html?ref=COFFEE8f161d or click here.

Where do you buy your iced coffee from?

Working Out During a Quarantine

Before quarantine, I was going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I most enjoyed fitness classes like Zumba and yoga. At the gym, I also worked out on machines like the elliptical and stairs. Working out helps me deal with my stress.

Since the quarantine, I miss the gym and have struggled with finding and keeping a new workout routine.

When it's nice, I like to go outside for a walk, as I'm struggling to get my steps in.

So, let me share what I've found that's helped me:

I recently found, Fit by Larie. I really enjoy her challenging barre workouts. I like that she uses minimal equipment like light weights, resistance bands, and a yoga mat. I'm always sore from her classes and I like it. Check out this one with resistance bands:


For yoga, I do Yoga with Adrienne. I like that her workouts feel doable and help me relax. Her dog, Benji makes cameos in her classes and is the cutest! Check out the first of her, Home series:


I'd love to hear about what you're doing to work out without a gym. Any workout video suggestions?

Movie #18: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Growing up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood wasn't my jam; I didn't like puppets. I did think Mister Rogers was pretty chill and seemed nice. So, I was up for seeing the new movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. I wasn't sure what to expect with the movie. It shows his kindness.

A controversial journalist gets the assignment to write a article on Mister Rogers as part of a series of interviews of heroes. The journalist, Lloyd Vogel goes to interview him and Mister Rogers always just wants to talk about Lloyd. Lloyd's life is a mess. His career is hanging on by a thread and he has no relationship with his dad.

He goes to his sister's wedding and their estranged father is there. The night ends with Lloyd getting a black eye and having a scuffle with his dad. Lloyd's dad abandoned his wife and kids while his wife fought and lost a battle to cancer. That is the cause of Lloyd's bitterness.

Mister Rogers asks about Lloyd's eye, but Lloyd is always deflecting personal questions. Lloyd and his wife have a baby son. Mister Rogers delays the start of his show, so he can visit with a child in need, to the disdain of his staff.

Lloyd arrives home and finds his dad and the dad's girlfriend at his home prepping dinner. Lloyd is enraged and wants his dad to leave which results in the dad having a heart attack. He's now dying.

Lloyd blacks out during one of their meetings and wakes up in Mister Rogers' house. Through all their interactions, Mister Rogers keeps teaching him lessons of the importance of family and treating people kindly.

Lloyd and his family go to help care for his father. Mister Rogers comes, brings pie, and visits with them.

Lloyd's article on Mister Rogers ends up being longer than expected and gets the magazine cover. Lloyd is changed by this friendship and his relationships are all the better for it.

The movie is worth a watch.

Movie #17: Rambo: Last Blood

I have grown up watching all the Rocky and Rambo movies that Sylvester Stallone made. So, obviously I had to see Rambo: Last Blood. Sly is gotten older at this point, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I ended up with was a movie about Rocky's family and his last fight. I digress, so here's my short synopsis: Rocky lives with his niece and another older female family friend. They live out in the country, have horses, and a barn. His niece is just out of high school. The live near the border. In his spare time, Rocky builds tunnels under their land. His niece wants to go to Mexico and find her dad. Rocky hates the idea, since the guy abandoned her and her mom who died of cancer. She sneaks off and goes to Mexico to see a friend who says she's found Gabrielle's dad. The "friend" seems super sketch. She takes Gabrielle to her dad's apartment. At first he seems happy to see her and then breaks her heart as he speaks harshly about her and her mom. He didn't want to be found. Gabrielle is devastated. Her friend takes her to a club where where Gabrielle's drink is tampered with drugs. Next thing you know, she's being trafficked.

Fortunate for Gabrielle, her uncle figures out she has gone to Mexico, searches out her friend, and finds her jerk dad then beats him up. He then figures out she's been taken and he goes to war against the people who took her. He finds her, breaks her out, and she dies on the way home. he's beyond destroyed. Her aunt is so upset about her death. She packs up and moves out. Meanwhile, Rambo prepares for the bad guys to come. He prepares weapons and many traps.

Here's where all the blood and gore starts. It felt super intense. He triggered the ground to explode around and destroy their vehicles. He rigged pitchforks to spring out of the tunnel walls and made pits with nails for them to fall into. In the end, the bad guys lose and it leads you to believe Rocky dies of his injuries.

My Afternoon in Pawhuska, OK

I've been making weekly trips to Tulsa from my home in Manhattan, KS with my mom. She watches Pioneer Woman and we'd talked about visiting. Unfortunately, around the time we were wanting to visit Covid-19 hit and Pioneer Woman closed. Almost weekly since then, I checked Yelp to see when they'd reopen. Finally, the end of May they were set to open. That coincided with our weekly visit. I was nervous about potential lines, but we arrived and got a table right away. They spaced us out The hostess staff weren't very professional. We walked in and they just stared at us. I was expecting a welcome at the least. Our waitress was terrific and warm. Their menu is nice, but doesn't accommodate people with dairy-free and gluten-free needs. Just a couple items for those with food allergies would be great. My fried chicken sandwich topped with coleslaw was fantastic, but hard to eat with the six inch long slices of carrot. The fries were the best I've had all year. My mom's house salad was great. Her pork chop was kinda boring, since she couldn't eat the sauce with it. The cornbread and jam that came with hers was so good. The store was massive and had something for everyone, though the prices are a little high. The bakery had vast offerings, but none that were both dairy-free and gluten-free. Please create a couple new items to accommodate allergies. The staff in the bakery were very nice. We'd like to come back, but unless a few food allergy friendly items are added, I'm not sure I'll be able to come back with my mom.

While there, I checked out some of the cute stores downtown. At Simply Jane, I found these super cute, colorful, and budget-friendly earrings.

Hopefully, I can explore more another time.

New Music via Songland from Florida Georgia Line: Second Guessing

I have really enjoyed the show, Songland from the beginning. Last week, I just loved the song that Florida Georgia Line selected and recorded, Second Guessing. I especially love the play on words. Such a sweet love song and so very catchy!

The Lifesaver that is Yelp

Each week for the last several months, I make a five-hour drive to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa is a place I'd never been previously. I have relied on Yelp in prep for those trips and while there for good restaurants close by, including menus and photos, but especially the ratings. My mom has a lot of food allergies and Yelp has been a God-send. Not all the places we've been to from there have been great, but using Yelp is a solid start. 

Through Yelp we found two of our favorite breakfast places. We also use it for sights to see or at least we did use it until quarantine. I find the wait-list feature to be so helpful. I just signed up to do the cash back and I hope to try unlocking free food offerings soon. To give back, I've started posting ratings, reviews and photos on Yelp also. Click here to see my reviews and follow me. 

Yelp has really helped us enjoy our time in Tulsa more, as well as getting there. Check it out for yourself; so helpful!

Movie #16: Call of the Wild

In elementary school, my mom read me Call of the Wild. That was until I couldn't hack it, the dog-fighting scenes got me. So, that was the end of us reading that book.

This year we've been taking near weekly five hour drives. Once, I heard they were making the Call of the Wild into a movie, I decided to get the audio book from the library. In one trip, we finished the book and were pretty hooked. Obviously, after the audio book, I really wanted to see the movie. Plus, the trailers were so good.



The movie essentially follows the life and adventures of Buck, the dog. Harrison Ford plays John Thornton, the main lead after Buck, the giant dog. It's said that the dog that they modeled Buck off of was picked up from a pet shelter in Kansas, my home state.

The movie follows Buck from a life of luxury in California as the dog of a judge. Then he gets kidnapped and sent to Alaska due to his big size, he was eyed as a sled dog. He gets purchased to be part of a dog-sled team that delivers the mail. He definitely has a learning curve. He makes friends with all the other dogs minus the lead dog, Spitz. Buck finally stands up to Spitz and leads the team. With Buck in the lead, they make record time. Just as they're hitting their stride, their lead gets a message to sell the dogs. The telegraph is on the way in and their mail delivery skills are no longer needed. The dogs are all sold together.

Eventually, the kind John Thornton rescues Buck and they have the best adventures. The scenery in the movie is breath-taking.

Thankfully, the book and movie are different; nobody wants to see dogs die from dog fighting, animal abuse, or dogs ripping out people's throats. I would've preferred an ending where everyone walks away happy, but that's not what the book or movie gave you. It did let you walk away knowing that life would go, as it should.