Tag: self care

Affiliate Links, Discounts, Hobbies, Product Review

Natural Deodorant Journey: Small Reviews

Sirua

Underarms.

They’re a nuisance for some and others they hardly think about it. Puberty was a weird time for me with my underarms. Shaving the hair made it itchy. While different deodorants I tried cause the one my mother thought would work didn’t work and white tees would yellow. Yeah, thanks aluminum salts for always making me self conscious and tuck my elbows out of fear.

Recently it’s been said that the aluminum in some deodorants are potential hormone disrupters. Although not proven; scientists have what I would call an inkling that aluminum can potentially be harmful. Why is there aluminum in deodorants? Well it’s to plug the ducts and to stop/prevent sweating which causes body odor. Thus why some say antiperspirant.

Of course none of this is actual concrete evidence and frankly I’m not sure what to think. But knowing that it caused yellowing in white clothes and the idea of my sweat getting clogged up. And years of having dark underarms. I figured why not make the change to natural deodorants and go on a journey (self care journey?) I’ve tried a few different deodorants in the natural category: Native, Lume, Little Seed Farm and Each & Every. Little warning if you’re planning to switch to Natural Deodorant. The first few weeks are body crazy. You might sweat more then usual, skin changes, odd smells as the adjustment period follows. It took me about 6 weeks when usually it’s 3-4 since I had issues with one of the deodorants I tried.

Native

Native was the first one I tried and oh man I wish I would of read ahead of time. For those who aren’t aware there’s a chance that baking soda can have side effects on your skin. Native has a line of baking soda deodorants and non baking soda for people with sensitive skin. I tried the baking soda one and essentially my skin began to burn and peel. At first I thought this was normal? My underarms were unplugging and breathing again. But then it began to worse and I couldn’t use it anymore. Unfortunately I became aware that my underarms are allergic to the baking soda ingredient found in deodorants. It wasn’t pretty. The peeling made it look like a chemical peel. The skin was pale and pink while the outer edges were dark. Perhaps if I had tried their non baking soda option I would of liked it more and probably wouldn’t have had an issue. But, I ended up moving on to another brand since at the time I was sure if they offered a non baking soda option. Which they do! Silly me.

Lume

Lume was first starting when I ordered a tube. Now they have a line of scented ones that I’m curious about. The first tube I ordered wasn’t a fan of the smell but it did do it’s job. I healed from the chemical reaction from using Native and the tube made it easy to use in other parts of my body (under boob sweat? Groin? Thighs? Covered!) Although it worked for me, I frankly couldn’t get over the smell and wanted something either floral or scented to at least feel like I was smelled nicer? Currently they do offer different scents that I have not tried. the tube is sort of like toothpaste and you simple squeeze, apply and done.

Little Seed Farm

Amazon purchase for the win. So I found Little Seed Farm on amazon when searching for best natural deodorants to use. I was happy to see they had samples to try in case you have a scent you’re looking to try but don’t want to commit to a jar just yet. You can find the samples to try here for all their scents. For their larger size they have glass jars so yes you essentially take a small amount and apply to your underarm. It melts down and you’re good to go. I personally enjoyed the lavender and cucumber options but they also have charcoal as an option. In total they have 7 scents and an unscented option. The little jars are perfect to wash out and use for little things afterwards if you’re a fan of reusing things! You can purchase a full jar here. Honestly, this is my second favorite and first favorite for my brother who also made the switch to natural deodorants.

Each & Every

This is my go to. The different scents and their plant based packaging. You can even return the bottles you’ve used up for points towards your account since they recycle it. They provide you with a shipping label and off it goes in the mail. They have different scents including my favorites: Rose Vanilla, Lavender Lemon, and Geranium Snow Mushroom. There’s many other amazing sounding scents. But these scents especially if there’s a sale specific for some odors I tend to buy it in bulk to share with my husband or mom who also fell in love with the brand. It glides on smoothly and the essential oils are such a lovely scent. It feels so luxurious and who doesn’t love luxury when pampering themselves?

How do I know it works? Well let’s just say I can definitely smell myself when I don’t use it or forget to apply deodorant (oops!). If you’re looking to try this one you can click here for a 5 dollar off discount on your first purchase!

Thank you for reading! I always enjoy doing product reviews for you all with my honest opinion. There’s still more to come!

Disclaimer **As an Amazon associate I do receive compensation for any Amazon links clicked above**

Affiliate Links, Hobbies, Life, Tarot/Card Readings

Welcoming Another Month: Card Pull with Fave Product of the Month

Sirua

New week means a new card. Usually I’d wait for the morning of Tuesday but I felt it should be today. (Read til the end for my fave product of the month!)

Luck, Fortune, Cycles & Inevitable Fate

A card that comes to remind me of the cycle of life. Where there’s good; there’s also bad. Overall I feel positivity radiate from this today. Letting me know that through a series of some unfortunate events. I’ll survive and surpass again. I’ve survived more than I’ve anticipated so far. Thus I’ll dwell in the good and overcome the challenges that steer my way.

Lately it feels like challenges come from all sides: work, school, and life. I’ve managed to overcome each one as an uphill battle. I hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel through it all. I still have my worries, inevitable procrastinations, and easily overwhelmed moments. I trust the process and what I can achieve step by step. I hope with the universe’s guidance. I’ll continue my progress in this journey I chose to be on.

What a way to start the week! Weekends can be stressful for me and it’s easy to count on the cards to ease my doubts and give me guidance in my time of need. Here’s to another month coming and more blogs to come: New cards to introduce, Tesla Related, and as always: Life.

Product of the week: Lip Mask by Laneige

My secret to soft lips and it’s part of my nightly routine. I wake up to wonderful soft lips vs the dried cracked lips I used to have. I had a tendency to rip or bite off the skin. I even use it on my older son who tends to lick his lips a LOT. It heals his lips basically overnight. This lip balm contains antioxidants, vitamin c and hyaluronic acid to heal and keep those lips moisturized and supple. Can’t help but love this product.

(As an Amazon associate I earn commission with the link used above)

Hobbies, Shedding my Weight, weight loss

Fitness Journey Begins: 10 Weeks Post Op Weight Loss

Sirua

The weeks fly by and I continue to find myself more comfortable with my decision of weight loss surgery. Do I miss eating a good amount of food? Yes. Do I still crave junk food? Sure I do. I’m still an Oreo gal every time my period comes up. But I manage to eat one cookie with some milk to curb that sweet tooth. I’m still drinking my protein since it’s the most convenient breakfast and focusing on a high protein and low carb diet.

Since I was given the okay to workout again. I don’t feel there’s much limits at all since I have to build my stamina and strength. It’s a slow progress I hope to achieve in the next few months. Excitedly I signed up for LA fitness along with my husband. I plan to have gym partners and bring family to motivate me. My main reason? The pool since I love swimming and being in the water. Working out alongside my husband and I’m happy they have a kids club for our younger son to stay and socialize. As a parent it’s always hard to find someone to watch the kids while you try to get something done. Sometimes it’s near impossible. More gyms should have a kids club environment for parents to work out since at times it’s our me time to get ourselves out of a stressful headspace.

Since the surgery I have lost 28 pounds. At my highest weight I’ve lost 36 pounds. It’s amazing how weight can impact a lot since the energy and motivation I have is wonderful. The numbers may not seem as much but comparatively I’ve lost as much as all 3 of my cats put together or the weight of a small child. Where was it hiding? I am not sure. The body is a funny place.

I am excited to share this journey with you all as I progress every week or month. I hope to motivate others and share my experience as honestly as I can. More updates soon!

Affiliate Links, Discounts, Life, weight loss

Two Month Post Op VSG (Vertical Gastric Sleeve)

Sirua

Has it been 2 months already!? Time flies especially when you’re busy. I remember feeling so nervous about the pain and procedure I thought I would stay up all night worried. I was able to get some sleep but was scared most of the day. Now here I am 24 pounds later and it’s only the beginning. I still have the same comments in pros and cons (referring to last blog post). It’s difficult to enjoy uh of a meal when you get full instantly. It’s like a tease of your favorite food then your stomach stops you.

I’m still drinking about 1.5 of premier proteins per day while trying to eat healthy as I possible can with the occasional Oreo or two when my period hits (darn you aunt flow!). What’s helped me as a busy working mother is ordering a meal service for myself full of veggies and some protein. The service is called Splendid spoon. This company wants to make healthy eating as easy as possible. The meals are 100 percent plant based, whole and unprocessed ingredients, organic, non-gmo, gluten free with no artificial sugars. Besides the meals they also have freshly made smoothies that are functional and keep you full. The meals can be microwaved for on the go convenience and they add new recipes every once in a while. Since the containers are 12 oz and I have reduced what I can eat to 4-5 oz. The meals can be 2-3 meals for the day. If you’re on your own vsg journey or looking for a meal service to try use my Link to get 25 dollars off your first order to try it out! Let me know what you think about the meals or smoothies you try. I personally enjoy Beans and greens, vegetable bolognese, creamy mushroom and spinach noodles, and vegan meatballs with marinara noodles.

24 pounds down and the major difference I’ve felt is my energy levels. I’m getting up more and sleeping better (could just be exhaustion at night lol) organizing the house faster and cleaning more. I honestly couldn’t keep up with the maintenance and kids. I can tell with progress photos there’s a difference and in my underwear as well. Things are loosening up and I appreciate every pound off me. I haven’t experienced any dumping syndrome and I do my best to remember my vitamins but it’s hard to remember at times. I can do better in drinking more water and that’ll be my focus now that food wise I’m doing better. I’ve also starting walking and thinking about a gym membership to get my mind into working out. My best friend and my husband are to come with my to motivate me and themselves. It’s wonderful to have an amazing support group when you’re on a journey this difficult. It’ll be lovely to look back on this one day. Here’s to a healthier lifestyle!

Thanks for reading this update. I hope you enjoyed! Always feel free to reach out with any questions. Stay sweet everyone!

Hobbies, Life, Tarot/Card Readings

A Pair of Cups: Revisiting Myself

Sirua

Weekend getaways (or any time get away) has always been a good way to rejuvenate. For my family it’s a way to change our scenery from city to woods. The air is different and the mood changes. The kids take in their surroundings and enjoy the car ride with their favorite songs. The trip passes quickly and back home we go.

Before heading out, I drew cards for myself. Sometimes I get this feeling when I look at the box I store my deck in. I do my best to answer and hold the deck to see what it wants to tell me. I wonder if it’s because the universe wants to remind me of the little things.

Six of Cups & Sovereign of Cups

The six of cups speaks of nostalgia, healing, comfort and familiarity. While the sovereign of cups speaks to emotional maturity and creativity. After this weekend with family, I had time to think about how much time passed. Growing up and having kids of my own. The difference between myself as a teenager and now. Hoping I have time left and many years to come to experience all the emotional maturity I can attain. (Not so much the physical part haha). Revisiting yourself from time to time can be difficult or peaceful. This time it was peaceful.

Life, Shedding my Weight, Tarot/Card Readings, weight loss

5 Weeks Post Op VSG: Does it Get Easier?

Sirua

5 weeks in and I’m feeling better mentally and physically. Granted I could walk more for some exercise but rather wait for my stomach to be fully recovered at 6-7 weeks before I attempt further distances in this heat. I won’t get into specific numbers yet until I’m further in but so far a total of 20 pounds have been lost! Exciting.

I am starting believe it starts to get easier. As someone who sees the pros and cons of things it’s been easy to see both sides.

Pros

  • Learning to eat slower
  • Diet changes to eat healthier
  • Portion changes
  • Less time spent eating
  • Less temptations to eat out
  • Reevaluate my relationship with food

Cons

  • Limited overall consumption of food or liquids
  • Difficult to eat and drink (recommended to wait 30 min to an hour after eating to drink anything)
  • Difficult to truly enjoy food all at once
  • Learning curve when eating small amounts

A lot of the cons are mainly learning curves of having this new stomach. It’s difficult if your previous relationship with food was to eat all at once, eating quickly or used to eating and drinking at once. All these habits become difficult and need to constantly remind yourself to stop once you start feeling full. It’s easy to feel uncomfortable if you overfill yourself and you risk heartburn, nausea, vomiting etc when doing any of the above cons.

I’m looking forward to going to the gym with my current weight loss and furthering my wellness journey. I’ll update in a couple of weeks. In the mean time, I did do a tarot pull this past Tuesday.

The Chariot

This card is about overcoming difficulties in my life and letting the positive come through. Whether it be about my health, work or personal life I can see this coming through for me in every aspect at the moment. I hope to continue down the path of positivity.

Thank you all for reading. I do enjoy updating about my life here and there. More tarot based blogs and updates coming. Hope summer hasn’t melted everyone!

Life, Shedding my Weight, weight loss

VSG Journey: Three Weeks Post Op

Sirua

Previously, I was on a weight loss journey where I documented the struggles and triumphs. However, as working mom and student in the midst of breastfeeding. I took a break to focus on other things and didn’t want to add to my daily stress. Admittedly, I was struggling. I always told myself if I have to resort to surgery I would consider it so here I am.

September 2021 I started the process for VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy). For those don’t know, there’s a process in which you need to be cleared for surgery involving specialists and even a psych evaluation. Although tedious, it’s necessary to be cleared for surgery and to follow the instructions of the surgeon when making this decision. Society might say this is the easy way out. However, three weeks in? It is not easy as people make it seem.

This is a permanent lifestyle change. You learn to eat again. The first few weeks you’re on a liquid diet then a purée/soft diet. You watch everyone around you eat “normally” yet you’re limited. Your relationship with food changes physically and emotionally you might realize more than initially thought.

A lot of struggles I’ve noticed is waiting to eat somewhat normal again. It takes about 6-8 weeks for the internal staples to heal. The liquid diet gives you what you need for a while to not only shrink your liver but let the staples heal a bit. The purée diet is a gentle way of introducing foods again without much pain to the stomach. If you’re someone like me who had a habit of eating quickly this is a struggle. You have to sip on everything. Make sure you’re eating as slow as you possibly can. You chew your food excessively, swallow and wait. If you don’t you’ll experience nausea, sweating, light headed, throwing up and even diarrhea in some cases. This phenomenon is known as dumping syndrome.

Currently, I am doing alright. I’m halfway through puree diet and soft foods I still drink my protein shakes twice a day. One a day vitamin and calcium chews along with some other medications to make sure my stomach doesn’t have issues. The vitamins I will need everyday for the rest of my life. It’s important to try to remember to take it everyday as you’re limited in calories and your body can’t get enough nutrients with the new limit your stomach has.

So far I’ve lost about 20 pounds. I feel the loss in the clothing I wear and mostly see it in my facial features. The progress will take time and I’m ready to face whatever comes my way. Do I have regrets? Sometimes. As it’s frustrating not being able to eat what I want, when I want since I’m at the mercy of the healing and small new stomach. But, I look forward to welcoming this new lifestyle and the health benefits.

Life

Being Enough

Sirua

Weather changes bring about a stir of emotions. Transitions and new year begin to settle as time escapes and you start to feel there’s none left for yourself. That’s why this is a journey. My journey of self care and self love.

Being overwhelmed at times can cause certain things to suffer. I want to be present when I blog. To write and come back to it either later or consistently. That was my plan. However, I’ve found myself with less time and more time to hopefully grow. I’ve always been good at certain things. But never excelled the way I’d hope. I’ve settled to be only good enough since I haven’t found my calling or it hasn’t found me. Sometimes I don’t think I ever will. Perhaps there isn’t a calling. I just need to live, enjoy and watch everything else grow or hinder. To be thankful while also struggling with doubts.

I’m learning to be kind with myself. To devote my titles of mother and wife. But, I should be kinder to myself. Remind myself that I am enough. Even if there is room to be better. Strive for it and accept that there will be difficult days too. The universe has a funny way of giving my signs. And I’m ready to listen.

I hope everyone is doing well. Tarot Tuesdays will be returning soon as I still practice tarot and still take appointments. Thank you for reading. Stay sweet everyone.

Hobbies, Life

Sweet Little Escape

Sirua

My life has been a whirlwind ever since I began working. Between life at home, being a mother and wife, making sure everything and everyone is okay; it’s so easy to forget about myself. There’s not enough time in a day for anything less or more. Plans fall through and don’t work out the way we intended them to because life is unpredictable in that way. Little did I know…

After COVID, the life before the shutdown seems like a friend you grew distant from. You think of them from time to time but you know things are different.

I realized that I found my escape in different things I did in my every day routine to the office. During my lunch break I found a cute little restaurant where the people were warm and welcoming. They familiarized themselves with their customers and know who’s there everyday and love what they do. I’m the kind of person that I fall into routine quickly and almost never stray from what I do everyday.

However, when it came to this place I was on a mission to try out different items from their menu cause it made my lunch breaks fun. I think the chef enjoyed it. Every time I walked in he’s always letting me know about the new lunch special of the day he prepared and asked if I would like to try it. My answer was always “Yes Chef” and if there’s no lunch prepared I usually get something I haven’t tried yet on their menu. Of course I had my favorites and I would rotate between all of those favorites everyday. Along with the specials they would have. Their burgers and tacos were a definite favorite with a sprite or passion fruit juice on the side. Then, I would sit and open my kindle to continue the book I was reading for the week. I felt the stress melt. Wonderful food, quiet reading, and a smile or quick chatter with the chef and/or the owner. I would pay and thank them for the meal and make my way back to finish my shift.

There was something about those 30-45 min that were bliss to me. Knowing that for a moment it was about me. Nothing else. Sometimes I wish I could go back. But, then I sigh and tell myself; Life has moved on. And so have I.

Hope you enjoy this memory that came to me recently. I tend to get nostalgic at times and it’s nice to reminisce on things. I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since this memory. So much has happened since then. What’s a memory you have whether pre-COVID or not that you miss that seems insignificant? As always stay sweet everyone!

Contact me for readings or guidance at: +1 (917) 635-7597 or eversori.blog@gmail.com. My links are below if preferred. Thank you!

Hobbies, Life

Connecting Again: Much Needed Tarot Pull

Sirua

I think in life we always want more. Whether it be personally or professionally. That’s okay. We all do at some point or another. It’s difficult to settle into something and wonder if it’s what we want to do for the rest of our lives. There was a point I asked myself: where do I want to be? Where am I going? Am I going to learn here?

I consider any and all lessons in life to be of value. Whether it be good or bad. We are all always in some way or form learning and gaining experience from our current selves in order to serve and/or assist our future selves. Generally as a spiritual person I do believe things happen for a reason. I hope it and believe it with everything I have.

I’m still unsure of who I am. What I want. I have goals and things I want to do. Constantly stressed about the future we will have. Will I teach my children well? When everything fails what will I have left? It’s a thought that can keep me awake at night. I’m sure many others too.

Something else I have always strived to have is connection with others. To have people to uplift and push me to be someone better. I hope I do the same for others. I appreciate the ones who are there for me and tell me I can do this even on days I don’t think I can do it.

Today I felt the need to pull some cards. To connect with my deck again to feel what it had to say. And alas it tells me the same as before. Justice and Ace of cups. That I’ve been wronged in the past and airing it out or perceiving it as part of a greater good benefits me. Meanwhile Ace of cups signals new beginnings. Both of which are generally true. It’s been almost a year of doing Tarot and these cards have brought me comfort like no other. I hope to continue using them through my journey of self love.

Ace of cups & Justice

Love this moon crescent dish I purchased from Midnight Seams that you see in the banner imagine. She’s one of my close friends through motherhood. Also, she has custom or ready to ship shirts. Embroidery items. Vinyl stickers. She’s amazing and can’t wait to see her small business grow more with time. Check her out!