stuff I’m digging right now

Natursutten BPA-Free Natural Rubber Pacifier, Rounded – I follow this “all natural” thing to the letter.  I knew not to use pacifiers for awhile, because of the “nipple confusion” thing, but since he’s on a bottle & I get really tired of holding my arm just so for him to suck on my finger at times, I finally went on a hunt for pacifiers.  He still has trouble figuring out what to do with his tongue when something is in his mouth – and the rounded nipple on these seems to make it easier for him.  He can hold on to them for quite awhile sometimes, and he seems to really like them.  *I* like them because they’re 100% natural rubber.  I started out with 2, now we have them laying all over the place.

The Yoga Deck: 50 Poses & Meditations for Body, Mind, & Spirit and The Pilates Deck – Someday I’ll be able to get back to regular classes.  In the meantime, I truly, truly need yoga in any way I can get it.  It keeps my back from hurting & keeps me from creaking every time I move.  Pilates always made me feel strong & in shape.  I like these cards because I can pull out random poses & exercises to do in the few moments I have to do such things.

Raw Milk – I’ve gone on about my love of raw (unpasteurized) milk a million times.  It tastes to damn good and the milk they sell here in Seattle, at Whole Foods, is so much tastier than what I got in LA.  Here, it’s from Dungeoness Valley Farms.  Once we’re in the new house & settled, I’ll go straight to farms & buy in bulk, instead – truly, the flavor of heaven is a big glass of raw milk that was milked just hours before you got to it, and stored only in a giant metal urn.  Some days, finding time to eat anything proper is difficult, but raw milk is pretty much a complete meal.  And Mr Nikki came home with the sniffles a couple of times – I had him chug a few glasses, and he was good as new.  Neither of us has been sick in a very long time.

City Walks: Seattle 50 Adventures on Foot – I had gotten these for Los Angeles, but sadly, we never tried any of them out.  Because it took too damn long to get anywhere.  They’re “walks” but you have to drive to get to the starting point.  All the Seattle walks can be gotten to within 20 minutes or less.  They aren’t any farther than the LA walks were, it’s just that traffic in Seattle is reasonable. In any case, we chose two of the walks this past weekend – Ballard and Discovery Park (Loop Trail). Phenomenal.  Can’t wait to do more this weekend.

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner – From all the coloring – and that “blonding/bleaching” I had done ages ago, plus the winter air – my hair has been a wreck.  I had bought some expensive deep conditioner from Sephora that worked great – but it was $22 for not so much, and needed to stay on for 15 min.  I don’t have 15 extra minutes to hang out in the shower these days.   I read reviews for Neutrogena’s Deep Conditioner and gave it a try.  This is my new “can’t live without” item.  Put it on, finger comb it through, rinse right out.  Mr Nikki came home and immediately commented on how amazing my hair looked.  I kid you not.  CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS ANYMORE.  It’s so soft & shiny again, and has such wonderful, moisturized, texture.

Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym – Felix really enjoys laying on the mat and looking up at the handsome boy he sees in the mirror.  *I* love the colors – it looks unique.  I’ve been making a huge effort to avoid name brand baby stuff – I don’t know why, but I have something against Fischer Price, etc.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter – If you pump, whether exclusively or occasionally, you must get this stuff.  I learned of it from a woman in the pumping support group I had joined.  All that pumping causes friction & it’s not so nice on your nipples.  Especially when you pump A LOT.  Someone had suggested olive oil, but olive oil isn’t the most portable thing – so someone else mentioned this stuff, it comes as a solid, in a little tub.  But upon contact it turns oily and works WONDERFULLY when rubbed around the inside of the pump flanges.  Friction, be gone!

Dagoba Organic Chocolate (Eclipse – extra strong dark chocolate) – I consider myself to be a dark chocolate connoisseur.  I eat Lindt’s 90% on a regular basis.  I scoff when I see dark chocolate bars labeled with something like “super dark” when it’s 60%, seeing as 85, 90%… THAT’S super dark.  I’ve cut out (well, cut back on) sugar in an effort to try to get back in shape.  Mr Nikki has a serious sweet tooth and is always bringing home blondies and cookies and ice cream.  I’ve stopped picking at it.  So my dark chocolate is my outlet (and the darker it is, the less sugar that’s in it.)  Every time we go to Whole Foods, I peruse the chocolate section, looking for new brands to try, and yesterday, I picked up Dagoba.  The Eclipse is 87% and has that wonderfully deep, chocolate flavor, every so lightly bitter, and with a nice tangy bite at the end.  Perfect.

My hair – Seriously.  I had long, long hair all through childhood, lopped it all off around age 14 and kept it short for over a decade.  I finally let it grow out again in my mid 20s, it was down to the middle of my back.  Then I moved to Prague and chopped it all off again.  I’ve been mourning it ever since.  (The hairdresser held my hair in one hand, scissors in the other & she asked if I was sure about 50 times before making the first cut.  She was terrified of cutting off all that hair, but dude – it grows back!)  I keep looking at pictures of myself then and wondering why the hell I cut it.  I thought it’d never grow back, but FINALLY, it’s getting long again.  MILF, anyone?

Aveeno Active Naturals Overnight Itch Relief Cream with Triple Oat Complex, 3.5-Ounce Tubes – Winter weather does a number on my skin.  I scratch at my legs so much that I bleed.  I’ve tried LOTS of things over the past decade, from baby oil in the shower (BAD, slippery idea and didn’t work), coconut oil immediately after the shower, anti-itch lotions, super thick lotions, you name it.  I got this stuff, on a whim, right when we moved to Seattle.  OH. MY. GOD. I wish I’d tried this exact lotion years ago.  Magic.  MAGIC.  After I put it on, my skin feels like it has a really soft parafin-like protective coating over it.  And I haven’t scratched once since I got it.

Chamomile Body Sugar 6 Ounces – I may have earned my crunchy, hippy badge, but I will never be so much so that I will forego my Brazilian Wax.  I meant to go periodically through the last couple months of pregnancy, but didn’t get a chance (Felix made his entrance the day before my wax appointment, little buggar) and I let’s just say I’m not a fan of 70s revivals.  If you know what I mean.  Maybe you don’t.  Whatever.  I’ve been dying to finally get things cleaned up down there and this is my favorite wax for such tasks.  The good thing about it is that it’s not “wax” but a sugary substance, which means that if you drip it all over the bathroom or tub (which I tend to do), it rinses right off.  But wait – Brazilian Wax?  By yourself?  Oh, yes – I’m a diehard fan and it’s a cinch after a litte bit of practice.

Amazon Fresh – Someone has been incredibly fussy & cranky the past week and a half, and going grocery shopping with a baby who sounds like he’s being tortured is about as fun as, say, driving hot pokers through my ears and into my brain.  We move! Into our house! Next week! And I cannot wait to do proper food shopping (at Farmer’s Markets & co-ops, farms, etc) But until I have my kitchen & my kitchen supplies back, and until Felix expels the demon inside him, I’m sticking with delivery. Most places I looked at have set schedules or you have to order a couple days in advance.  Not Amazon, oh no.  I placed an order late yesterday afternoon, chose my delivery time – and everything was waiting for us outside our door this morning.  Organic soups, organic & grass-fed beef hot dogs, Washington apples, Twin Hens Chicken pot pies (I’m addicted), organic salami, etc.  If only I could get raw milk from them, too.

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