Yesterday- Hubby and I were in Kroger, buying a few things for Sunday dinner.

Imagine my surprise when we get home and the Private Selection Apple Streusal Pie (half) that we bought had two unexpected ingredients: two different kinds of parabens. Yes, I know that parabens are preservatives, and that they can be in food, but you kind of expect to see them in processed foods, NOT in bakery pies!

So make sure to check your food, too!

With hair products you don’t like or don’t use anymore.

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I don’t do resolutions for the new year, because I never keep them. Ever. But I do have goals. Since I will be moving to Japan in about 4 years- I have things that need to be in place before I go. The first thing was to identify products and find a maintainable hair routine for Japan. I think I have found that.

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I meant to post this earlier in the month, but time has gotten away from me (again).

I managed to survive my first semester back in school (barely) with a nice solid B.  Yay, me!  If you are returning to school, and it’s been more than a year since you were last in school- I advise you to never EVER take an accelerated language class.  Even if you were previously near-fluent.  It will kick your butt, guaranteed.

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So as a helpful commenter pointed out on my last post- there are actually SEVEN ingredients commonly found in beauty products that are formaldehyde releasers. I have nicknamed them the 7 Deadly Sins.

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Check out @WhatTheFFacts’s Tweet:

This is not a paid review.

I have a hard time finding clothes to fit me. Curves are not something that many designers plan for; and since people come in ALL shapes and sizes- unless you are a Size 0, or making clothes to fit YOURSELF- you have to make do. As a plus size girl- I know that clothes are not going to fit me like I like them to. Clothes generally hug my frame like an overzealous lover, or they fit like a circus tent (usually equally as colorful). Because I have an ample amount of cleavage- anything with an empire waist will not fit me. Generally the “waistline” lands somewhere around my nipples, when it is supposed to lie gently under my breasts (and no amount of coaxing will get it to stop riding up). Because I have a decent amount of butt- I have to be careful about the pants I get. Skinny anything usually becomes low riders, and regular pants sometimes land mid calf, simply because my butt is taking up more fabric than the designer envisioned (and my legs are apparently longer than the standard size). If I go up a size (to gain butt space), I usually end up with extra fabric around my crotch, which makes me look like I’m fluffier than I actually am, OR that I have a penis. Not a good look.

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First off- this is not a paid review. Second- this company has good reviews on Amazon. Also- many people on YouTube seem to like it.

I picked this as the first deep conditioner of my journey, because Nature Republic is a Korean company. And it is very easy to find all over Japan. I’ve tried this hair pack two ways- just putting it on in the shower, and letting it work while I clean other parts of myself, and also with a heat cap on, letting the heat permeate the product and, in turn, my scalp. Umm… I’m not really sure what to expect, since these were the second and third times I have deep conditioned in my entire life. It wasn’t impressive. I was expecting my hair to be softer and more manageable. My hair was not soft. In fact- whatever softness that was imparted by the shampoo- it felt like the hair pack took that away. My hair also felt dry.

I’m not sure if the Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie had anything to do with that (if I was getting too much protein), or if I am maybe sensitive to Argan oil, but I was not a fan of this one. I plan to give it one more chance on Week 6 Wash Day, as I have weened myself off of using the Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie as a Styler, so this will be the real test. Then we will revisit this review with a final decision.

Now- I should mention that I am low porosity, and I have medium density hair.  Not sure if that makes a difference, but if you are in the same boat and want to give this hair pack a try- let me know if you get different results.

I started working out today. It was just about 25 minutes on the treadmill, but since I have not worked out in about 2 years (maybe 3)- it is best not to overdo it.

Oh, and this exercise high that people talk about? I’ve never experienced it. I’ve worked out for several months STRAIGHT and never experienced it. I mean I get that your blood is circulating at a faster rate, so you FEEL better. That part I understand. But I’ve never actually gotten a high from exercising.

I also have a 2 month subscription to the Daily Burn app. We’ll see how that one works on the days I don’t feel like trudging over to the fitness center, OR on the days when it is extra crowded.