The Snoogle Review (From a Stomach Sleeper’s Perspective)

For many pregnant women, sleep can become uncomfortable or even downright difficult. For me, this began in the first trimester, so I went ahead and bought a Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow.

Let me begin by saying this… I have been a stomach sleeper my entire life. I have tried for years and years to sleep on my back or side, and I have literally never been able to fall asleep in those positions.

I read the reviews for the Snoogle and was more than impressed. But I could just not get comfortable my first few days using it, and I would wake up with my neck hurting. So I set it aside and decided to wait until I was further along to try it out again.

So I did that, and again I just couldn’t get comfortable.

I did what many people do at that point and Googled whether stomach sleepers had trouble using the Snoogle. Sure enough, I found numerous posts about this. Some people said the thickness of the upper part of the Snoogle was too much for them, so they cut that part off and sewed it off and used their own pillow.

Somehow after looking at post after post, I came up with the idea to turn the Snoogle upside-down so that the part meant for my head was between my knees. The part I was now using for my head was smaller and didn’t have as much stuffing. I just pushed it back a little bit and placed my pillow under my head (so that my head was resting on my pillow, not the Snoogle, but the Snoogle was still supporting my back and knees).

This worked for a few days, but after a while became uncomfortable.

Eventually I decided to give resting my head on the Snoogle another try. I kept in in the upside-down position, so that my head was resting on the part meant for my knees. As I’ve gotten further along in my pregnancy, the Snoogle has become more comfortable. Do I love it? No. Is it better than sleeping with just regular pillows propped up behind your back and between your legs? Probably. Am I counting down the days until I can sleep on my stomach again? Heck yeah.

I’d say I have a love/hate relationship with the Snoogle. I need it, but no product (no matter how great) is ever going to make me enjoy sleeping on my side. I can’t fault the Snoogle for that. I think if you’re a side or back sleeper, you’ll love it. If you’re a serious stomach sleeper, I think it’s still worth getting, but most likely you’re not going to love it as much as everyone else in the world seems to.

But you know who does love the Snoogle? My golden retriever. If she jumps on the bed before I have a chance to get to the bedroom, she snuggles up inside so that it’s wrapped around her body. And I’m telling you, she’s obsessed. I cannot get her to get up and off  of it for the life of me. I literally have to push her out of the way so that I can use it. So I think she’s got dibs on using it as a doggie pillow once the baby’s here.

Disclaimer: The thoughts expressed in this post are solely my own based on my own experience. I purchased the Snoogle with my own money and simply wanted to share my personal opinion on how it worked for me.

Makeup Roundup

It has been way too long since I posted anything. Between my day job and some less than pleasant pregnancy symptoms, I just wasn’t up to doing much. But all is well now, so here we go…

So, I should start by saying I absolutely love Jessie James Decker. I think she is so talented and so adorable. So when I saw that she had makeup tutorials on YouTube, I had to check them out. The one I specifically like is this one.

Around the time I got pregnant, I switched to all natural makeup. I was using Physician’s Formula CC Cream, 100% Pure eye shadow and lip gloss/blush and Tarte mascara. The CC cream wasn’t as good as BB creams I have used in the past. And all of the makeup looked good when I first put it on, but it all just faded really quickly to the point where a few hours later it didn’t look like I was wearing anything.

Anyway, one of my major pregnancy symptoms has been hormonal acne (nothing, and I mean nothing) has been able to tame it. Now that I’m in the second trimester it’s gotten a little better. But I still have more acne than I ever did in high school. The natural makeup just wasn’t cutting it for me any longer. The acne was really affecting my confidence, and it was time to feel like myself again. So that’s why I started looking into stepping up my cosmetics game.

I watched Jessie James Decker’s video to learn how to contour and figure out some new products to try. I have to say, she has great taste. I switched up some of the colors just because my skin isn’t particularly tan these days. So here’s what I purchased:

• Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer – 5
• Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick – Natural 4
• Urban Decay Lipstick – Naked
• Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation Refill – 30 watts
• Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder – Bali Brown 5
• Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder – Natural 1
• Some e.l.f. makeup brushes from Target

I’m really happy with my purchases. I’m obsessed with the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick. It goes on so smooth and looks dewy. That’s by far my favorite item out of all these products, and by far the best makeup product I’ve ever purchased. But honestly, I’m glad I bought all of them.

After all was said and done, the total ended up just over $200. I’ve never spent nearly that much on makeup before, so I definitely had a bit of sticker shock. But I think the products are worth it. I probably could have lived with just one of the bronzing powders, as I don’t see a huge difference other than that the illuminating bronzing powder is sparkly. I’ve been using it as an eye shadow. I’m still very new at the whole contouring thing, so as I perfect the technique I may grow to appreciate it more.

To the right, you can see what the makeup looks like on me. Have I mentioned I hate selfies? Ugh. Obviously my hair wasn’t done & the lighting’s awful, but I wasn’t feeling great and that’s the best I could do that day. This was my very first time experimenting with the makeup, so the contouring isn’t perfect. But I thought it might be helpful to see what the products actually look like once they’re applied. Definitely check out Jessie James Decker’s YouTube video to see how great it can look when you know what you’re doing. 🙂

Disclaimer:
I paid for all of these products with my own money and the opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Passion is Energy

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” -Oprah Winfrey

It’s true. When you believe in what you’re doing, when what you’re doing captivates your imagination, it’s a really powerful feeling. That’s what writing does for me. It doesn’t matter if what I’m writing is any good. It doesn’t matter if anyone else even bothers to read it. What matters is that it makes my soul shine. Okay, that sounds really cheesy. But there’s something magical that happens when you’re engaged in what you feel gives your life purpose and meaning.

I’ve tried to run from writing all my life. I thought I needed to be a doctor, a lawyer, a pharmacist, a party planner… you name it, I wanted to be it. I unofficially changed my major a gazillion times in college. Finally, something compelled me to volunteer for my university’s school newspaper. My first article was covering a gubernatorial candidate (who later became governor). I got great feedback from the editor, and there’s something about seeing your work printed that’s exhilarating.

After college, I eventually found a job producing the morning show for a local news station. I loved the people I was working with and I took pride in my job, but working the graveyard shift got the best of me. And I hated having to miss out on family celebrations and holidays.

Since then, I’ve found other work. A “real job,” if you will. But the itch to write constantly gnaws at me. Last year, I wrote two short young adult books. I went ahead and sent out one of them to various literary agents. It didn’t stick, and I kind of wish I’d spent more time perfecting it before sending it out. But at the same time, I’m glad I did it. I got the fear of the unknown out of my system. This year, my goal is to focus on editing and perfecting my other book and doing everything I can to get it published. What’s more, I’ve started up this blog (which I’m very excited about), as well as a real estate blog for my family’s real estate business. You can check that blog out here.

What are your passions in life? Do you have any special goals to pursue them in 2015?

Kitchen Pantry Makeover

One of my goals for this year is to organize my life. The place I decided to start was with my pantry. Now, I didn’t get all Pinterest-y fancy with it. What I decided to do was just re-organize based on how often I used various items.

I divided my pantry into sections: baking, spices, snacks, canned products/stock items, breakfast, rice/pasta, oils/vinegars, Middle Eastern food, and extra kitchen appliances that we don’t have room for in our cabinets.

Another thing I decided to try was “facing,” where you make sure all the labels are facing you, kind of like how it is in a grocery store. It just gives the pantry a cleaner look.

While I’m happy with my pantry makeover, it could definitely still use some work. But it’s all a process, and I’m pleased with the progress I made.

You can see the before and after photos below:

BEFORE                                                                  AFTER

                         

 

Do you have any special tips or tricks for pantry organization? Share them in the comments below! I’d love to get more ideas.

 

 

 

Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga Review

 

Yesterday I reviewed The Pregnancy Project DVD. While we’re talking about prenatal workouts, I figured I’d go ahead and review Hilaria Baldwin’s prenatal yoga DVD, Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga. I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about this one. Was it a waste of money? No. But are there probably better prenatal yoga DVDs out there? I would think so.

Pros:

• It’s easy to follow along with.
• The moves aren’t very complicated, so it’s great for beginners.
• The workouts are just the right length for me.
• It features variations for women in the first, second and third trimesters.

Cons:

• It almost feels a bit too easy. My thought on this is that it will be more effective for me the further I get into my pregnancy. When I first got this at about 4 weeks, I’ll admit I found it a bit boring. Now that I’m further along, I find the hip stretches really do help.
• It definitely doesn’t feel like a workout. But if you buy it with the mindset that it’s just for helping loosen up tight muscles, I think you’ll find this DVD useful.

I’d still say the positives outweigh the negatives for this one. I think whether you’ll like it will depend on your expectations and fitness level. If you’re very experienced with yoga, you’ll probably find this DVD boring. But if you’re just getting started, or further along in your pregnancy, I think you’ll find it useful.

 

Disclaimer: I am by no means a fitness expert. The comments above strictly relay my own personal experience. I am not guaranteeing the safety nor effectiveness of this product, nor promising any results from using this product. 

 

Tracy Anderson: The Pregnancy Project Review

My husband and I are expecting our first child this year. We are absolutely beyond thrilled. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I ordered the Tracy Anderson: The Pregnancy Project DVD. I’m four months into my pregnancy, and I have to say I love this DVD and am so glad I purchased it.

Pros:

• This product comes with 9 separate DVDs – one for each month of pregnancy. The workouts change as your pregnancy progresses. I like that I don’t get bored doing the same workout every month.
• It’s just enough of a workout for me. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t super fit prior to getting pregnant. I would typically do yoga DVDs, walk on the treadmill or do the occasional Jillian Michaels DVD if I was feeling adventurous. But since doing The Pregnancy Project, I feel like I’m in better shape than I was prior to getting pregnant.
• Most of the moves aren’t hard to do. It’s the repetitions that get you.

Cons

• Some of the moves require a good bit of coordination. Especially being pregnant, I’m not willing to turn myself in a pretzel to do those moves. I just use that time as a break to have some water or fast forward through them.
• Sometimes Tracy doesn’t fully explain how to do the moves. It doesn’t bother me, but I could see it frustrating some people.

For me, the positives vastly outweigh the negatives. While I can’t yet say whether it will help make delivery any easier, I feel like I could even use this same DVD set to ease into getting back in shape after the baby’s born. I would highly recommend purchasing this product.

Disclaimer: I am by no means a fitness expert. The comments above strictly relay my own personal experience. I am not guaranteeing the safety nor effectiveness of this product, nor promising any results from using this product.