Thursday, October 31, 2013

How to Handle the Candy: The Great Pumpkin

Happy Halloween Everybody!  It's one of my favorite holidays, I love the excitement in the air today.   Cute little kids running around in their costumes set against a backdrop of trees in firey orange, red, and yellow, with the random leaves  fluttering about.  It's the stuff of life, those sweet fleeting moments you never want to forget. 

Know what's not fleeting?  And what you would like to forget? The sugar meltdowns that go along with consuming all that candy.  Unfortunately, most Halloween candy is loaded with gmos and chemicals (Food Babe did a nice post about this here and Huffpo has one here).  There are some great alternatives, but even the good stuff is still sugary, so I find it best to curb consumption.  What we do at our house is choose some candy to consume after trick or treating, then put the rest in a bag on the porch for the Great Pumpkin, who leaves a small gift in exchange for the candy.  It works great for us; my son gets more excited about the GP than the candy. 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Icebreaker Cascade Hood

Need something bright and cheerful to ease the transition into winter?  Icebreaker has come out with a Magenta hoodie that is a great tonic for gray-sky blues.  The Magenta Cascade Hood combines feminine looks with rugged function.  It's Real Fleece, meaning real wool that's soft, cozy, and fuzzy on the inside.  Wool is awesome.   It's a sustainable material that keeps you warm in the cold and wicks away moisture when it's hot, so it's ideal for outdoor activity.  When you break a sweat hiking, for instance, the wool will wick that moisture away from your skin, keeping you dry and warm.  It's also odor resistant, so when you're camping or traveling and can't do laundry for extended periods, no big deal. 

The Cascade Hood has figure flattering lines, and I love the pocket on the front just big enough for an id and credit card.  As for fit--this is where things get tricky.  Icebreaker runs small and tight, so I recommend sizing up.  If you like your clothes a little loose, the way I do, consider sizing up two sizes.  Normally I take a medium in most things, I'm an 8/10.  In Icebreaker that translates to large and in this case, extra large.  Once I figured it out, the fit was perfect. 

Icebreaker makes some fabulous undergarments too--really nice in cold weather, and I spotted some on their site in this fun color.  Sizing for undergarments was true for me (mediums), go figure.  If you purchase directly from Icebreaker, they exchange sizes for you without charging shipping, so it's low risk, and once you find your fit, you'll love their stuff.  Find the Cascade Hood HERE

Monday, October 28, 2013

Vote YES on 522

Did you get your ballot yet?  I'm talking to you, Washingtonians.  Monstanto has dumped over 14 million dollars into defeating this initiative, we can't let that happen.  Who doesn't want to know what's in their food?  Who wants to eat frankenfood?  Nobody.  That's why Monsanto is trying so hard to stop this.  And they succeeded in California, with over 45 million dollars going toward stopping labeling.

Under 522, your food will be labeled, and you will know if you are eating genetically modified foods.  Starving Haitians had the wisdom to reject Monsanto's seeds, surely we can get together and at the very least get this stuff labeled.  Why it's not banned, as it is in so many other countries, is a disgrace.  Why don't we want to consume GMOs?  Have a look at these rats.

That's just for starters. We want and need bees, right?  Colony collapse disorder is heavily linked to GMOs and pesticides.  There is absolutely no scientific consensus that GMOs are safe, and I truly think it's a matter of common sense.  Do we want poisoned frankenfood or not?  At the very least, we should have the right to know what we're buying, right?  For more information, go HERE, and please vote YES on 522. 

Friday, October 25, 2013

Clif Bars Seasonal Flavors

Clif Bars are back with a couple of new additions to their seasonal flavors.  First, Pumpkin Pie, just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving, perfect for the after dinner hike.  And next, Pecan Pie bars.  Yum.  I love pecans, so this is the bar for me, but I'll have to fight my son for it.  He's a huge fan of Clif Bars and they have seen us through more than a few potential disasters.  You know, when you're out and about and your child says, "Mom, I'm starving."  If you don't happen to have something on hand, things can go south pretty fast. 

Clif Bars are perfect to have in your bag.  These flavors are great for holiday hikes, road trips, the plane, and to keep in your purse for emergencies.  I think they'd also be fabulous in Christmas stockings for outdoorsy types.  They're hearty, 70% organic, and gmo free.  Find them HERE.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Gear up for Cozy: Acorn Slippers

As Autumn puts on it's orange and red fireworks, I start wanting chai, and slippers.  It's time to gear up for cozy.  Acorn has a new bootie out, the Moxie, and it's super warm and cute.  Since I started wearing slippers, and not just socks, I don't get that cold-to-the-bone chill I used to.  You know that level of cold where the only cure is a hot shower?  You can help avoid that by keeping your feet warm.

Simple, I know, but I've spent many a winter in socks.  Sixteen dollar wool socks broke that habit--I wanted to preserve them--now I can't go without slippers.  The Moxies have a sole, so if you need to run to the mailbox or grab the paper, you can, and it comes up over the heel to protect the bootie.  They can be worn folded down, or up (I like them up).  These would be awesome for apres ski or snow play, they have a rustic, log cabin toasty appeal to them.  Acorn is having a contest right now to win these HERE

A great vegan alternative to the Moxie is the Chinchilla Mule.  These are so cute!  Perfect for slipping on and off, the pretty gray faux fur keeps your feet toasty.  I love the heather gray wool uppers, and they also have a sole which makes them last a long time, give your feet support while the memory foam makes them ultra comfortable and gives your feet a welcome relief.  They come in several colors and would make a wonderful holiday gift.  I wear a size 8.5 and need a 9, or large in Acorns.  Find them HERE

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Ibex Juliet: Autumn Must Have

Ibex has some exciting things in their new fall line.  My favorite:  the Juliet.  It's a top, it's a base layer, it's a jacket.  And it's Soft.  It has a figure flattering cut, and I love how the sleeves come down a little over your hands for that extra warmth.  I'm always pulling my sleeves over my hands, but this does it for me, and I like this better than the sleeves with the thumb holes.  Speaking of sleeves, the right one has a discreet goat logo, you have to look for it to see it.  I love how Ibex is not in your face with their logo, but if they were, it's so artistic and cool looking I wouldn't mind at all.  It's fun to find the goat on their clothes.  The neckline is also very flattering, and adjustable with the zipper so you can get just the right amount of warmth.  It's a full zip for more versatility, if you start getting too warm, just unzip, also giving you a bit of a cardigan option.  It comes in several great patterns (making me want more than one), I'm crazy about the patterned charcoal gray. 

So, aesthetically this is a win, functionally even more so.  Wool will keep you warm while wicking away sweat (great on the trail), and it won't hold odor (great for when you're on an adventure and can't do laundry for a while).  The weight is perfect, very light, but considered mid-weight.  I want more of this weight at 18.5 micron wool, it's perfect, and incredibly soft and cozy.  Ideal for travel, this is perfect for on the plane and will add very little bulk to your bag doing more than its share of jobs.  Ditto for any outdoors activity.  It's a peice that could be considered heavy duty function-wise, but it's heavy on fashion and femininity too.  Just perfect.  If you need something to get you excited about cooler weather, this is it.  Sizing runs true, I'm an 8/10 and medium is a great fit.  Find it HERE.